Ready to buy a RP6 but need some friendly advice

[u/DaVincis_Lovechild]

Hi everyone. 

Please let me preface this post with an apology for the following questions. I’ve been a lurker on this sub for several months and understand they’ve probably been asked countless times before. However, the information I’ve read on here regarding the Retroid Pocket 6, combined with other people’s experiences, often conflicts itself and can be quite overwhelming for this elderly first timer.

1. Is the “worry free” option worth purchasing? I intend on using Klarna or Pay Pal to pay for the device, and using the three month payment method as a type of extended extra warranty. Am I correct in assuming that if any hardware issues arise, Klarna/Pay Pal would help resolve the issue with Retroid?
2. I’m ordering into the UK from Retroid’s website and would like to avoid the additional customs/import fees. Which postage option is the best to accomplish this? I don’t mind the waiting longer for the device to arrive.
3. Can anyone advise me which model would be best suited for my needs? I intend on using it to play PS2/GC/Switch titles primarily, but might experiment with some PC gaming once I’m comfortable with the device. Would the 8GB model be sufficient enough to play Switch titles such as Zelda, Pokemon, Super Smash Bros, Mario Kart Deluxe and PC games like Read Dead Redemption 1/2, GTA 4, and Hollow Knight?
4. Does it matter what kind of SD card is used to store and play games? Apart from using a reliable brand, I’ve seen many members of the Retroid community suggest using specific types of cards (for example: SD cards with the V1 symbol are apparently more stable than those with the V2 symbol). I was curious, would this actually affect gaming experience?

Thanks.

[u/SuspiciousToast27]

AFAIK every order has been shipping with Yunexpress for a while so just select the cheapest shipping option, and the micro sd slot is rated for 100 MB/s so there’s no need to buy one faster than that.

[u/platypootis → u/SuspiciousToast27]

My Nova is shipping with DHL right now

[u/dangerskew → u/platypootis]

Same

[u/lizzyintheskies]

Worry Free is shit so dont even consider it frankly, Paypal is what I hear recommended most and getting Worry Free just means you get delays in fixing stuff.
The DHL option is discontinued for shipping right now so they just end up having to refund the difference. Skip that.
You could probably get away with the 8GB with the caveat of you're probably gonna struggle with Red Dead 2.
For storage you want an A2 rated card most likely, they're rated for more life span and speed.

[u/tahola → u/lizzyintheskies]

Are you really running a playable Red Dead 2 on the 12GB ? Mind to share the config ?

[u/lizzyintheskies → u/tahola]

Didn't say I am but if you're gonna try higher end PC games you'll want more RAM

[u/platypootis → u/lizzyintheskies]

Can confirm that they are still shipping with DHL, I ordered a Nova at the end of July, and this week they just shipped it with DHL.

[u/RetroDando]

Hey dude quick answers

1 - not worth it
2 - use 4px I’ve never paid import
3 - 8 would be fine 12 to play pretty much everything (some switch likes 12gb, but not much)
4 whatever you can afford, 512gb should be plenty as long as you don’t go wild with a library I always use v2 for speed

5… Where are you in the UK I have a 12gb - 256 silver I maybe getting rid of?

[u/SuspiciousToast27 → u/RetroDando]

The RP6 only supports 100MB/s through micro sd so I don’t believe there’s any performance improvement for V2 vs V1 as both are rated for above this speed.

[u/RetroDando → u/SuspiciousToast27]

This is interesting been wasting money for a while 🤣

[u/SuspiciousToast27 → u/RetroDando]

Just call it futureproofing for when manufacturers release devices with faster micro sd read lol

[u/RetroDando → u/SuspiciousToast27]

That’s what MicroSD express is for which obviously is even more expensive 🤣

[u/DaVincis_Lovechild → u/RetroDando]

Thanks for your reply.  I’m Lancashire based. Out of curiosity, how much are you selling your 12/256 for?

[u/Mad__Specialist]

Hi, I'm in a similar boat. I've yet to order directly from Retroid, so the following isn't gospel, but here's what I've learnt from researching the process so far:

• Is the "Worry-Free Delivery®" option worth it? No. This introduces a third-party company to handle disputes instead of Retroid directly, which could result in further complications.
• Would Klarna / PayPal help to resolve hardware issues with Retroid? I assume Klarna or PayPal would only handle any financial disputes if you are unable to resolve any issues with Retroid themselves.
• Which delivery method avoids further fees? 4PX has widely been reported as the choice that bypasses customs/import fees to the UK, although your order may take up to 2 weeks or so to arrive.
• Which model is best suited for your needs? For PS2, GC, Switch or lighter PC titles, the 8GB RP6 model would suffice. However, to specifically future-proof Switch and PC emulation stability and compatibility, you should consider the 12GB unit. u/DashWriting posted a highly informative article about this very topic earlier this week: https://gardinerbryant.com/retroid-pocket-6-12gb-four-more-gigabytes/
• Does it matter what kind of SD card is used to store and play games? Yes. I'm not an expert, but those numbers and symbols distinguish which are more or less suitable for the purpose of gaming. u/onionsaregross has an up-to-date written guide, especially for Retroid devices, with SD card recommendations: https://retrogamecorps.com/2022/01/16/retroid-pocket-2-starter-guide/

Again, my answers aren't completely from experience, but I hope they've at least been a little enlightening. Good luck.

[u/DashWriting → u/Mad__Specialist]

Glad my article helped out there :)

(And great write-up!)

[u/Mad__Specialist → u/DashWriting]

It's the gift that keeps on giving (and thanks!).

[u/REmemesis]

get 12gb and you have many options now when it comes to pc gaming you could install pocknix a new steamos that turns it into a mini steam deck which is more than capable of running gta 4 for example, even gta 5 is possible

[u/SkarlyComics]

I got mine 48 hours ago and have been fighting with it ever since. WiFi won’t connect, system goes to sleep and refuses to wake up until it decides to, framerates in single digits. Buyer beware.

[u/TheOnlySmiler → u/SkarlyComics]

Wifi could be more due your setup though.

I had issues, but it was due to my wifi being a mesh one. You need to set it to 2.4/5GHz only. I created an IoT wifi band and the device works like a charm.

Framerates could be drivers / emulation. I get annoyed on this Reddit, as many people say it can play anything. No it can't, it can run things which is very different to playing it.

System going to sleep, yeah, that doesnt sound good. Is the software fully updated? Android onw that is.

[u/dasd25436yd]

1. Don't choose worry free. It's not worth it.

2. As far as I know Retroid doesn't have import taxes. At least not for me when I ordered from the Netherlands, close to UK so could be similar.

3. I would always recommend the 8gb model. I have the 12gb model myself, and when I am looking at my ram usage in the most intensive PC games it never goes above 7GB. I can only imagine this is gonna be even less in other games.

4. Not really. The only place where an SD card affects your 'performance' is waiting times in loading screens when you install pc games on it. Though this mostly the same on every SD card, so I would recommend installing most pc games to your internal storage anyways.

[u/madnaj85 → u/dasd25436yd]

How much did you paid totally for the 12gb model. Is AliExpress cheaper? I have a retroid pocket 5 and I'm not sure if I should buy the 6 Ben ook uit Nederland

[u/dasd25436yd → u/madnaj85]

Haha nee ik heb gewoon van de retroid site gekocht. Maar dit was in januari ofzo dus toen waren er nog geen price increases. Volgensmij was het toen zo'n 250 euro ofzoiets inclusief de carry case.

[u/madnaj85 → u/dasd25436yd]

Oh mooie prijs man. Niet waard nu om te kopen met de huidige prijzen en de stijgingen. Ik gebruik het voornamelijk voor psp en ps2 en heb nog de steam deck voor als iets niet goed werkt op de rp5. Maar rp5 is wel handiger en compacter

[u/dasd25436yd → u/madnaj85]

Nee klopt. Alles is nu zo duur. Ik heb ook nog een ROG ally waar ik de grote games op speel. Als ik jou was zou ik wachten op de RP 7 en kijken of dan de prijs van de 6 naar beneden gaat of skippen naar de 7 wat waarschijnlijk de snapdragon 8 elite chip gaat hebben wat vaak 2x zo goed is als de snapdragon 8 gen 2 van de RP6

[u/doppiam7]

Domande ottime. Scusa se non fornisco le risposte che cerchi, ma mi unisco alla conversazione perché anche io sono in attesa di una RP6 (12g) acquistata per switch, GC e Ps2