The Compute Module 3 (or CM3) is a shrunk down version of the Raspberry Pi3 designed for use in industrial and commercial appliances. Its small form factor is the perfect candidate for a handheld. Although there are many homemade and commercial handhelds available that contain the full size RPi3 board, they tend to be very chunky and can have a somewhat “made in the garage” feel to them. We’re definitely not spoiled for choice when it comes to Compute Module handhelds, although I have covered two on this blog previously in the form of the FreePlay CM3 and Creoqode’s Lyra.
KinHank’s RetroGamePi is the latest offering in this category, and is now available at the eye watering price of $199.99 with free shipping. This is around $15 cheaper than the pre-built Creoqode Lyra (before shipping) and roughly the same price as the kit version of the FreePlay CM3 (The FreePlay doesn’t have a pre-built option).
So how does it compare? Let’s have a look at some stats.
Kinhank RetroGamePi
Creoqode Lyra
FreePlay CM3
Cell
3700mAh
3000mAh
2000mAh
LCD Size
3.2 inch
5 inch
3.2 inch
LCD Type
IPS
TFT
TFT
LCD Resolution
480x320
800x480
320x240
Analog Stick
Yes
No
No
Pre-Built?
Yes (Only)
Yes
No
Shipped price*
$199.99
$229
$217.99
Built in Wifi
Yes - RTL8188
No
No
HDMI Output
No
Yes
Yes - Mini
*Shipped to the UK. Prices for the Lyra and FreePlay kits may differ to other countries. The KinHank RetroGamePi is free shipping worldwide.
So whilst there’s no far and away winner here, Kinhank’s machine has the cheapest pre-built price, the largest cell, built in WiFi, the best screen technology (IPS) and an analog stick. Despite the lack of a HDMI outout, in my opinion this makes it easily the best choice of these 3 handhelds.
The analog stick is the same as found on the PS Vita, and when I asked KinHank to confirm they did say it was genuine analog. The KinHank RetroGamePi runs on Lakka which is the official Linux distribution of RetroArch and the libretro ecosystem. Whilst in heavy development it is currently very functional, and will only get better as development continues.
If you’re after a CM3 based handheld, currently the cheapest place to get KinHank’s system is on their website. It’s $199.99 and ships worldwide for free in a choice of 3 colours.
The release of TonyJih’s RG350 is apparently right around the corner, with some rumours suggesting that we’ll see listings go up on AliExpress at the end of this month. But if the manufacturers of the device were quietly confident of having a hit on their hands, they’re probably a little concerned to see a rival handheld that has very cheekily been nicknamed the RG350H pop up.
A very dark video of the RetroGame 350H (RG350H) actually appeared on Tieba Baidu a few weeks ago, but it was unclear at that point if the device was real or merely a trolling attempt by someone unhappy with the way the RG350 was turning out. But yesterday a new prototype video of the device surfaced, and by all accounts it looks to be the real deal.
Ordinarily there would be no need to make too much of a fuss, after all we’re seeing new handheld announcements at least once a month at the moment. The problem is though that the RG350 was due to be the most powerful non-Android (or Windows) handheld available since the 2013 GCW Zero, and now the RG350H is claimed to beat it.
Although the specs of the RG350H aren’t released yet, numerous comments on the Tieba Baidu forums state that the processor will be running at 1.5GHz. Some people are speculating that this is a move away from MIPS to ARM. MaxZhou88 (creator of the Revo) even stated the words “Quanzhi CPU” in a reply to the original post. If you google those words, you’ll end up with AllWinner’s website as the first result.
But it’s also worth noting that the previously unseen Ingenic CPU, the JZ4780, runs at 1.2GHz – it’s not too much of a stretch to imagine this chip overclocked to 1.5GHz. If the device is running this chip it will possibly even run one of our Open Source operating systems as stock.
Lastly, the Raspberry Pi4 is also clocked at 1.5GHz – but looking at the shell of the RG350H it doesn’t seem big enough to house one of those. The smaller Compute Module variant of the RPi4 isn’t available yet either.
Whatever this thing is, it looks to be in the final stages of development. Numerous commentors have suggested the release is “soon” and that we could potentially expect it around the same time as the RG350 – or at least by the end of September. With the RG350H’s “correct” d-pad placement and the promise of even more power it looks like it may give the RG350 a run for its money.
Update 23/8: An image of some shells, prototypes and the box has been leaked. The text on the box doesn’t tell us much, but here’s the transcript anyway.
– 3.5″ 320×240 pixels IPS LCD: 4:3 aspect ratio is ideal for retro gaming – high performance: low power consumption processor – microSD card slot. maximum support 64GB TF card – analog joystick, d-pad, four action buttons, two LR buttons and two system buttons – a stereo headphone jack: 1W speaker with mono audio power amplifier – micro USB port for data copy and charging – rechargeable battery (6+ hours of gaming) and the capability of playing videos and music – super portable and will easily slip into your bag or pocket
In my review of the PocketGo the main drawback with the device was linked to a problem which should have been spotted during R&D. The firmware was only capable of driving the LCD at 30hz, meaning that many games suffered from a distracting amount of screen tearing. Whilst it wasn’t obvious in all games, it was enough to be annoying and for me usually meant I’d reach for a different handheld instead, usually the RG-300 or RS-97.
Thankfully, the talented and dedicated community devs have mostly overcome these issues – and now the PocketGo is a much better machine than it was at launch.
You’d be forgiven for thinking that a screen tearing fix might require some soldering or another hardware mod, but have no fear, all it takes is for you to flash the latest firmware.
The latest firmware drives the LCD at 50hz (I believe) instead of 30hz – this is good enough to almost eliminate the screen tearing. I say almost because some people claim they can still see it a little. Doing a before and after comparison of something like Splatterhouse on the PC Engine, Sonic 3 on the MegaDrive or Mario Kart on the GBA is night and day. I did try to capture the differences on camera, but it’s incredibly difficult to do so. As far as I’m concerned the tearing is gone, and if it’s still there I would never have noticed it.
As far as the speaker hiss goes – it is definitely still there but I do believe that it’s quieter than it was. It doesn’t bother me in the slightest now – but maybe I’m just used to it.
The v1.3 CFW comes with the Fontigrid skin by default, a colourful, eye catching and easy to navigate UI.
There are a slew of other skins pre-loaded too, including the highly acclaimed comic book skin.
It’s worth noting that there are some problems with gpSP on this firmware meaning that some games quit out before loading. You can replace gpSP with the version from v1.2 if the game you want to play is broken – otherwise just wait it out and I’m positive it’ll be fixed in v1.4. For what it’s worth, all of the games I tested worked just fine.
The latest firmware for the PocketGo and for most of the other recent Chinese machines can be found on this FTP site.
If you’re after a PocketGo, you can pick one up from any of the vendors below. The unit is well stocked everywhere currently so you shouldn’t be waiting long.
For the Chinese market, the PocketGo goes by the name Miyoo. It’s the same device albeit with a grey shell colour and different branding on the screen lens. The team behind Miyoo (aka BittBoy and PocketGo) are working on a new handheld which as yet doesn’t have a name.
There are very few photographs of the unit available, and those that are circulating are of a prototype unit. The best of the ones I’ve found is posted above. (Update 7th September: new images below)
The team behind the device have said that there will be a video and more images of a production unit available next week.
This new handheld will house a 3.5″ 320×240 IPS display and be powered by the Ingenic JZ4770. This is the same chip that’ll be in the upcoming RG350 and the same the one in the now extinct GCW Zero. For anyone familiar with the GCW Zero it’s obvious that they’ve based the new Miyoo unit on it. There are some differences in the layout of the start/select buttons and the speaker grill but overall the device looks very similar. Obviously the grip from the analog nub is missing in this proto unit.
I am told that the display will be driven at 60hz (woohoo) and that it will not have L2 or R2 buttons (boooo). New images show that unit does in fact have L2 and R2. Apparently one of the main draws of this device over the RG350 will be the price. We can take that to mean it’ll be cheaper, but by how much is anyone’s guess at the moment.
If production images and video are available next week, it’s likely that the device will be on the market pretty soon. Perhaps to compete with the RG350 and RG350H.
In my review of the RG300 I was mildly critical of the TFT panel that they used. For a JZ4760B handheld it was perfect in almost every way apart from the lack lustre screen. A few weeks later there was a new version released with a slightly better panel, but it wasn’t really worth the upgrade. But now there is a yet another new version available and this time it contains an IPS panel, making the RG300 the absolute best JZ4760B handheld available in my opinion.
The new improved RG300 is only available from the official Anbernic store on Aliexpress currently, and it’s a little more expensive than the non-IPS variant. But if you’re after the best version of this handheld, this is it.
This is it folks, the RG350 production units are finally available here and here. However you feel about that d-pad placement, there’s no denying that this device looks impressive – with many firsts for a device of its kind.
JZ4770 CPU @1Ghz
512MB DDR2 RAM
3.5 inch 320×240 60Hz IPS @ 4:3 AR
2500mah battery
Rumble/vibration
Full modern twinstick button layout
L2+R2 and dual analogs with L3+R3
Volume through +/- buttons
USB Type-C connection
Mini-HDMI video output
Headphone jack
Low battery LED indicator (power LED will blink)
Toughened glass LCD screen lens
The RG350 should set a new standard in this niche. Gone are the days of blurry composite video, with a HDMI video output this thing should look pretty damn good on a modern TV. The addition of rumble motors is also very interesting, and with full dual analog complete with R3/L3 we have the flexibility to play a huge library of PS1 titles without compromising on inputs. It’ll be interesting to see how this device changes the niche going forward especially with the new Miyoo device and the RG350H on the horizon – there’s no shortage of competition driving manufacturers to keep improving.
The RG350 can be had from the Anbernic store on AliExpress for £78 right now, try both links if one is sold out as currently both colours are available at each.
They seem to be releasing these in dribs and drabs, 30 went up yesterday and it looks like another 30 have gone up today. I would expect that eventually the supply will be limitless (and perhaps at a lower price), but if you simply must have one now then fill your boots.
I thought it might be useful to give a rundown of what’s happening currently. What’s available, what’s coming soon, what’s never coming out etc.
Let’s start with….
Never coming out
The RetroPlus. It was supposed to be using the shell of the RetroMax, but with the ability to play games from many old consoles (instead of just pre-loaded NES titles). Development fell through when Data Frog began testing their console and realised that the Actions Semiconductor ATJ2279 that they’d chosen to power the device was garbage. Apparently they couldn’t even make Doom run on it, and it looks like the device is now abandoned.
Forthcoming
GPD
GPD are going to release a Switch like device, a tablet with a detachable controller on each side. I have a hunch that this thing will not be very successful, assuming that it’s just an Android or Windows (more likely Windows given their recent output) tablet with controllers on each side. Currently there are no specs available, just a few photographs of what is assumedly a prototype unit.
There’s no word on release date yet.
RG350
The RG350 is technically already out, but Anbernic (the manufacturer and/or distributor) decided to only release 60 or so units on Aliexpress initially. I’m not really sure why they took this approach other than to perhaps to gauge the market size for first mass production run and assess any reports of problems in the first batch. The RG350 is a new collaboration from the RetroGame RS-97 manufacturers and the developer Tony Jih. It runs the 1GHz Ingenic JZ4770 and has all sorts of other bells and whistles that you can read about here.
It looks as though there are going to be 3 colour variants and it’ll be widely available for about $80 in early October on AliExpress.
GKD350H (aka RG350H)
The sneaky rival to the RG350, apparently distributed by GameKiddy. It features an as yet unannounced MIPS processor which the manufacturers are steadfastly claiming runs at 1.5GHz (I still think they’re lying). Pictured below in what has been unofficially named the “Yellow Snow” colour variant, little is known about this device aside from the fact it will run Open Dingux and will be available any moment now.
There are also a few videos on YouTube from channel TigerPlay TV demoing this device.
The New PocketGo
Perhaps not it’s release name, the New PocketGo is the successor of the BittBoy and more recently the PocketGo. It bears a strong resemblance to the GCW Zero but has some extra face buttons and the addition of L2/R2. You can assume this is going to go head to head with the RG350 as it runs the same SoC and will likely support all the same emulators and ports. Rumour has it that it will be cheaper than the RG350.
Quite a few pre-release videos of this device have turned up on YouTube in the last few weeks, mostly courtesy of the channel Game DoDo. No word on release date yet.
Currently Available
You can always check this page for a list of currently available consoles. The cream of the crop at the moment in my opinion are the IPS version of the RG300, the new IPS Anniversary Edition of the RS-97 and the PocketGo.
If you’re after something with more grunt, then the GPD XD+ is still an excellent choice but be prepared to pay around $200 for it.
Unless you’re living in China you can’t easily get a hold of the GKD350H yet, but Taki Udon has put together an all round excellent review of one that he managed to get hold of.
This thing will certainly be strong competition for the RG350. I’ll be sure you let you all know once it’s available through the normal channels.
Analogue have been around since about 2012, they’re a company that specialise in re-creating classic consoles from scratch with the use of FPGAs instead of emulation. Their claim is that their machines support 100% of the console’s library (via original cartridge) with no inaccuracies, lag or other glitches – and output their display in glorious 1080p to modern TVs.
They’ve just announced their new device, which this time is going to be a handheld. The Analogue Pocket promises to combine the hardware of the Game Boy, Game Boy Color and Game Boy Advance into one neat looking portrait mode handheld.
Sporting a similar design to the RS-90 and RG300, the Analogue Pocket promises full input compatibility for GBA with the addition of 2 shoulder buttons on the back side of the unit.
I do wonder what the purpose in having 4 face buttons is, but the addition of a secondary FPGA for use by developers to program themselves goes some way to explain it – allowing some flexibility for games requiring more inputs.
If you’re wondering how they plan to scale images correctly on this 3.5″ display when the Game Boy has a resolution of 160×144 and the GBA has a resolution of 240×160, well they’ve taken the “kill a fly with a shotgun” approach and bundled an insanely high 1600×1440 resolution display in this thing. That means that Game Boy will scale exactly 10x and although the GBA can’t scale perfectly into this resolution, the super high pixel density should mean that it’ll look fantastic never the less. Alternatively they may choose to scale GBA 6x such that it occupies a 1440×960 portion of the display.
The Analogue Pocket will retail for $200 in 2020, and there will be a dock available for an as yet unannounced price that’ll allow you to play on your TV too. The unit has 2 inputs for wired controllers as well as bluetooth for your 8bitdo style controllers too.
I have no experience with Analogue products, so I can’t speak to the build quality of their past creations but I must admit the renders look beautiful. $200 is a big ask, but the offering definitely unique. I guess I’ll be $200 poorer in 2020.
On a side note, I would be interested to hear from anyone familiar with FPGA programming what the chances are that this thing will be compatible with carts such as Krikkz Everdrive X5 and the EZ-Flash Omega. Let us know in the comments.
The RG350 is out in the wild! I’ve had my unit for a couple of weeks now and it’s time to share some thoughts on the device. Is it all it’s cracked up to be?
2018 and early 2019 saw a tonne of handhelds released with almost identical hardware, the JZ4760/B powering the vast majority of them. A ten year old processor that offers reasonable emulation performance for most consoles up to and including the Super Nintendo. It’d be easy to forget that in 2013 we already had a natural progression from this processor when the GCW Zero was released. The GCW Zero’s JZ4770 CPU offered superior SNES emulation and allowed for a wide selection of PS1 games to be played at full or close to full speed. The GCW Zero became mostly unavailable to buy a few years later, and we saw shift towards ARM powered Android handhelds filling the void for the next couple of years.
With the release of the RG350 we’re seeing a renaissance of the JZ4770. Whilst the RG350 is a real progression from the recent LDK, RG300, RS97 and even PocketGo it must be remembered that this machine is still running a middle-of-the-road MIPS processor from 2011. As such, if you’re expecting a console capable of N64, Dreamcast, GameCube or PS2 emulation then Android handhelds are still your goto devices. On the other hand if you’re into older consoles and Linux is your thing then the RG350 might be exactly what you want.
The RG350 is a collaboration between the manufacturers of the RS-97 and Tony Jih, a Chinese software and hardware developer that has voluntarily worked on firmware for many of the previous handhelds in 2018 and 2019. Without further ado, let’s take a look at the machine and see what it’s all about.
The RG350 is currently available in three colours. I opted for the smokey transparent grey as I’m a fan transparent shells.
Aside from the bump in performance compared to its rivals, the RG350 promises a few other nice additions which help set it apart from the competition. As well as the d-pad, the RG350 boasts two real analogue sticks. These are very different to the nubs found on the RS-97 Anniversary Edition and the GCW Zero as they offer full 3D movement rather than sliding laterally over a flat surface.
The unit features 4 shoulder buttons, 2 sets of USB-C ports, a HDMI output, a reset button, headphone output, volume rocker, and an external microSD slot. The RG350 also has a pair of stereo speakers and rumble motors, which is unusual for a device such as this and a welcome addition.
Build Quality and Controls
At this point many of these handhelds rival products from mainstream console manufacturers in terms of build quality. Despite its other flaws, the PocketGo is one which I’m sure could not be improved upon in terms of fit and finish and I’m happy to say that the RG350 is another. That’s not to say that the controls are perfect (we’ll get to that) but as far the manufacture and assembly of the RG350 goes there is little to find fault with. The unit feels premium in almost all aspects, with some notable mentions going to the beautifully executed shoulder buttons and analogue sticks.
The analog sticks on the RG350 are excellent.
Notice how far out of the shell the d-pad and buttons sit.
The device comes equipped with enough buttons to service every console it’s capable of emulating and the additions of a volume rocker (instead of a wheel) and accessible reset button are welcome ones.
I have two gripes with the controls – the first one obviously being the placement of the d-pad. We all knew that this might be an issue, and for me it unfortunately is. I have big hands and I would find the d-pad way more comfortable to use if its position was switched with the left analogue stick. I find myself having to have a very loose grip on the left side of the console with my thumb fully extended in order to use the d-pad without getting cramp. It’s not a deal breaker, but it’s unfortunate.
Secondly, I find the ABXY and d-pad protrude slightly too far out of the case. Although the RG350 has the exact same d-pad as the RG300, the RG350 d-pad protrudes from the shell around an extra millimetre. It’s not much, but it means that sliding your thumb over it is not as fluid as it could be. The same can be said for the ABXY buttons, they’re too tall and could do with being recessed by 1 or 2 millimetres in my opinion.
The analogue sticks are the best we’ve ever seen on a device like this. They’re similar to the ones found on the GPD G5A but smaller. They have a textured rubberised finish on top and a small lip around the very edge to provide extra grip. They also function as L3/R3 when pushed down and in my opinion they are perfect. The OS comes with a homebrew app to test the function of all buttons on the device and the analogue sticks are registering exactly as I would expect.
The shoulder buttons are also very well put together with L1/R1 curving around the edge of the shell and L2/R2 set just next to them on the inside. They register with a very soft click and are easily reachable whether you’re using the d-pad or the analogue sticks.
LCD
The RG350 houses a 4:3 320×240 IPS display at 3.5″ in size. The colours and the viewing angles are excellent in every orientation, only beginning to fade and invert when viewed from extreme diagonal angles. It’s a shame that the panel isn’t higher resolution, the pixels are easy to see on a screen this size and consoles such as GBA really suffer with the non-integer scaling required to display games using all of the screen’s horizontal real estate.
I understand that it’s difficult to accommodate all consoles when choosing an LCD but it would have been amazing to see a super high resolution panel such as the one used in the upcoming Analogue Pocket, where sheer pixel density would overcome many of the scaling issues. But this adds extra cost, and the console is already pushing the boundaries of affordability for many so I do understand their choice. The LCD operates at 60hz and looks beautiful, with vivid, vibrant colours and no screen tearing to speak of.
Whilst there’s no app or dedicated button for screen brightness, it can be adjusted using the Power + Vol button combination.
Firmware, Emulation and Battery Life
As of writing the current firmware is RG-350_BASE_v1.4_121019. This is newer than the version that shipped with my unit, but mine was delivered a couple of weeks ago now. If you need the v1.4 firmware use the link above to download it. It is possible to apply patches to bring the firmware up to date instead of re-flashing from scratch. This can be done by dumping the patch in the /media/data/apps folder and running the OS Update application.
To transfer files to the RG350 you can either remove the external SD card and stick it in your PC, or you can access the unit via something like Filezilla or WinSCP. To do this you need to plug in your device using USB2, load the Network application and select the connection method you want to use. Then you can access the unit using the IP address and logon name given in the Network application.
Depending on how many updates you need to add it may be simpler to just flash the entire new OS image from scratch. This is what I did and it requires you to disassemble the device to get at the internal SD card. Instead of wiping my internal SD and flashing the new image, I decided to use a new SD card. This means that if I’d messed it up somehow, I could still use the other card with the original firmware on it whilst I figured out the problem. Thankfully everything went according to plan following the instructions here. In my opinion Anbernic should have made both MicroSD slots accessible from the outside, it would make the re-flashing process far easier and less time consuming.
The JZ4770 in all its glory.
SD card can be found here. Carefully remove the sticker before sliding the card out.
The img file linked above comes with the latest version of all emulators included, however all apps and games are included in a separate zip file. You can choose which of these you want to include by following the instructions here.
The RG350 has a 2500mah battery installed, which is 300mah larger than the one found in the GCW Zero. Battery life is ridiculously good in this thing, I’ve played a mixture of PS1 and GBA for hours and hours at a time and the battery meter has barely dropped. I would estimate that the device has somewhere between 5 and 8 hours of battery life depending on what you’re doing with it. It really is exceptional.
The JZ4770 offers a notable increase in performance in SNES SuperFX/FX2 games. Games such as Star Fox and Yoshi’s Island still rely heavily on frameskip, however the difference between the JZ4760B and JZ4770 is very obvious. These games on the RG300 (JZ4760B) were unplayable, however on the RG350 they are enjoyable to play as long as you can live with frameskip.
The JZ4770 offers a big framerate improvement over the JZ4760B in PocketSNES
Whilst frameskip is still necessary, for me Star Fox is playable now.
Playstation emulation is also good on the RG350. I have sunk a few hours into Diablo, Ridge Racer Type 4, Tony Hawks Pro Skater 2 and Gran Turismo. Diablo stutters a little until you’re in a dungeon and then frame drops are minimal. I’m sure there are plenty of PS1 games that are still unplayable, but the library of playable games is opened right up on the JZ4770 with everything I’ve tried so far running very well.
THPS2
Diablo
Ridge Racer Type 4
Version 1.4 of OpenDingux running on the RG350
You know the drill by now, this is an open source handheld running OpenDingux and as such development is ongoing all the time. Whilst a game might only reach x FPS today, tomorrow an emulator or OS tweak may bump the framerate by 5 or 10 FPS. Although a lot of the library is already fairly mature having been brought over from the GCW Zero versions, never under estimate the determination and skill of the developers!
Caveats and Bugs
Unfortunately not all of the advertised features are currently working. Although the rumble motors can be tested in the input test app, they’re not used in any emulators yet as far as I’m aware. I know that this is being worked on and will eventually be worked into the software. Likewise despite the HDMI port being present, the software is not currently in place to support it. It’s unfortunate that the machine was rushed out before these features were working, but then again it gives us all something to look forward to in the coming weeks or months
Overall Thoughts and Summary
The RG350 is a step forward in many ways, but it also feels like treading water in others. Whilst it’s a shame to see no advancement in raw CPU power since 2013’s GCW Zero, it’s obvious right from the outset that the RG350 has been designed and built with far more thought and skill than the GCW or indeed most other current Chinese handhelds.
In my opinion the RG350 represents the best that we currently have coming out of China. It’s a solid effort all round with only a few drawbacks, of which some are personal preference. The design and execution is outstanding and it’s obvious that a lot of thought and attention to detail has been given to this device during research and development.
With that said, here’s my verdict in a plain and simple pros and cons list.
Pros
Excellent build quality
Vivid and colourful IPS panel
Mature and stable operating system and emulators
Amazing battery life
Comprehensive and well thought out controls (for the most part)
A genuine step up from the majority of 2018 and 2019 handhelds
Ongoing development for the foreseeable future
Neutrals
Higher resolution panel would have been nice
Price is borderline too high for some
D-pad and ABXY protrude too high from the shell for my taste
Both SD cards should be accessible externally
Cons
D-pad and left analogue positions should be swapped
Rumble and HDMI not working as of October 2019
In 2019 it would be nice to see more CPU power than this
The RG350 can be picked up from the official Anbernic store on Aliexpress in a choice of 3 colours, as well as from Amazon if you’re willing to pay a little more to have it faster. If you enjoyed this review and plan on treating yourself to one of these, please consider using the links below to make your purchase. It won’t cost you anything extra and I’ll get a few cents to put towards upkeep of this site. It means a lot!
There’s a channel on YouTube called TigerPlay TV and they’ve been teasing videos of a new handheld called the ZPG over the past couple of weeks. The ZPG (or Z-Pocket Game) looks to be running a customised version of Android and rumours suggest it’ll contain an 800 series SnapDragon processor too.
If true, this will be the first time we’ve had an Android handheld from China using a Qualcomm processor. The device bucks the trend from recent Android offerings by doing away with the clamshell design in favour of a very wide screen with controllers tacked on either edge.
Checkl the channel for more videos of the ZPG
Interestingly, all of the controls on the face of the device look to be identical to those found on the Playstation Vita. Whether this will carry through to production or not, who knows!?
Although there’s a listing for this handheld currently on TaoBao, the unit is not currently available for shipping. I believe they were selling some pre-production units and now the listing is a pre-order.
It looks like this one will cost somewhere between $120 and $150 shipped, if it ever makes it to global stores. I’ll be keeping my eyes open for it.
In my previous review of the Digi RetroBoy I remarked on the fact that it was only a very select few retailers that were selling this thing. Well, as is always the case – it finally ended up on AliExpress and for a slightly cheaper price too. Although the device has many issues, it is still a half decent solution for running GBA games semi-natively.
If you’re a patient person and have deep pockets I would recommend holding out for the Analogue Pocket, but if you’re after something to fill the gap before the Pocket is released this might do the trick.
The Digi RetroBoy can be had at AliExpress now for a little less than the initial launch price.
If you’re one of the ones that couldn’t get over the weird control layout of the RG350 then the New PocketGo might be your thing.
It has the same JZ4770 processor so you can expect decent SNES and PS1 performance from this handheld, and the first 1000 units are available for pre-order now for $54.99 shipped.
If you’re interested, you can order now from retromimi.com and it’ll ship in the middle of December.
For a handheld with such a boring name, it has sure created some drama. If you’ve not seen the Super Retro Handheld yet, it’s a portrait mode device oriented towards arcade emulation. If you’ve ever seen those amazing Pandora’s Box arcade units on AliExpress before then you’ll recognise the UI on the Super Retro Handheld as well. It’s not clear but the Super Retro Handheld is possibly being made by the same team as those making the Pandora’s Box.
The Super Retro Handheld runs on a heavily modified version of Android, with a custom launcher designed originally for browsing and launching arcade games – but capable of supporting many other systems too. This model sports 6 face buttons, a strange looking circular d-pad and an analog stick, as well as Home, Start and Select buttons. There aren’t any shoulder buttons on this device as its primary use is for arcade games.
The unit has a 3.5″ 640×480 display and is powered by the MediaTek MT6580A, apparently with 512MB of RAM. It will run on Android 7 or above when it’s released, and it’s said that the unit will be widely available on or around December 20th.
There are 2 English speaking YouTubers with videos of this thing released, Taki Udon and ETA PRIME. This is where the drama starts! Although these devices were technically available to the public, the site seems to be some kind of cash grab from a drop shipper. The units on this site are they heavily marked up in price and nowhere close to being retail units. They’re Engineering Samples and as such have many bugs and other issues yet to be ironed out, but ETA PRIME provided links to buy the device apparently knowing all of this.
According to Taki, some of the problems to be fixed include:
HDMI output artifacts and bodged audio
Battery meter configuration causing premature shutdown
Device won’t wake from sleep or screen lock sometimes
Shutdown often not working
Loud switches in the d-pad
“Bubbles” on the screen where the LCD is pressing against the lens
In ETA PRIME’s video you can see the issue with the LCD bubbles, but it’s possible that he missed it whilst filming.
screen grab from ETA PRIME’s video
Whatever the truth is, be aware that there is said to be another round of Engineering Samples available on wecanLLC before the final retail units are available. It’s also possible that the circular d-pad will be replaced for a standard one before the retail units hit the shelves too. If you’re interested in getting one of these, the retail units will be available on AliExpress and possibly Amazon too in good time – hold out for that.
Drama aside, this device does look interesting. It’s a shame that the lack of shoulder buttons preclude it from comfortably emulating certain consoles, but for a portable arcade emulator with a decent UI it looks as though it’ll fulfil its purpose well. Assuming the current issues are fixed prior to release of course.
It was only a matter of time after seeing these on Baidu. Many people were clamouring for the all metal version of the RG-350 and now here it is. For $129.99 shipped it’s not a bad deal but it would be great if they’d sell the shells separately too.
I’m not sure what’s going on with that wonky analog stick but I have it in good authority that they won’t ship like that .
Before getting too excited about the Digi Dock, bear in mind that this may be another DIY style device like the ZPG. The Digi Dock is yet another mysterious handheld from China, and it’s possible that it’ll only be available in limited batches.
Information about the device limited at the moment, but we do know some key things.
A Raspberry Pi 3B+ will power the basic unit.
A Raspberry Pi 4 version is likely next year.
It’s designed to be a modular unit.
A Windows version is possible and may use an Asus development board.
An Android version is also possible.
Windows and Android versions are probably made to order.
There’s a video on Tieba showing the handheld running Capcom Fighting Evolution on PS2. I guess that this is a demonstration of the Windows variant, but I can’t confirm.
I’ll be keeping my eyes open for more information on this interesting looking handheld. You can follow this link if you’d like to follow the Tieba thread about this handheld, but you’ll need Google Translate!
It’s been a turbulent ride getting to this point. The GKD350H has been sporadically available to the Chinese market for the past few months, but global availability has been non existent until now.
The reason for this lack of availability is apparently down to manufacturing capacity. The demand for this handheld has been greater than anticipated and as such all current consoles have only been available to the domestic Chinese market.
The GKD350H is the first handheld console to house the Ingenic X1830. It’s a chip that runs at a whopping 1.5Ghz, a clear 500MHz faster than the JZ4770 found in the RG350 and New PocketGo v2.
In real world terms this means a solid 15fps increase is many hard to run games such as Yoshi’s Island on the SNES and Tekken 3 on the PS1. Despite the lack of a GPU, the sheer horsepower of this chip is enough to push through the boundaries that currently hold back some titles on the other new devices.
The GKD350H is currently available at AliExpress for about £60. Compared to the RG350 it’s a more powerful device for roughly the same cost, but whether the build quality and attention to detail is as good is up for debate. With only one set of shoulder buttons and a singular analog nub, it’s not as fluent as the RG350. But y’know, at least the dpad is in the right place. And if raw power and hard to emulate games are your thing, then this might be your jam.
It’s available in transparent blue, grey, yellow and smokey grey at AliExpress now.
Borrowing colour schemes from Nintendo is a great way to create interest in a handheld, and PowKiddy have done that with their Q90 handheld. The PowKiddy Q90 is an ARM9 machine in a familiar (ahem) turquoise shell and it’ll be shipping this month. Oh, did I mention PowKiddy Q90 looks like a Switch Lite Mini?
After speaking with the folks at PowKiddy it looks like this runs on familiar hardware. The rep told me that the CPU is a QuanZhi F1, so it’s probably an AllWinner F1C100S. This is the same chip found in the PocketGo V1 and is a fairly capable CPU for older generation consoles. It’s probably running the same NxHope firmware as the PocketGo, which is very good and has some community development too. Although they claim PS1 emulation is possible, it’s unlikely that many games will run well. This is assuming they gave me the correct CPU information though!
The PowKiddy Q90 has the similar chunky aesthetics as the LDK Landscape, but it has smoother rounded corners and a more playful look. It has a removable battery, and it’ll apparently have a rumble motor that works in PS1, GBA and NES games.
Production of the PowKiddy Q90 is in progress and it will begin shipping before the end of December. For $50 it’s a tough sell, especially considering the PocketGo v1 is still available. If you’re after something more powerful, the RG350, PGv2 and GKD 350H are the obvious choices. But if you like The PowKiddy Q90’s Nintendo-esque looks and don’t mind the price then it should be a fairly decent handheld.
The hardware powering these devices is identical, so you can expect the same performance from each. In Taki’s video he shows some extra screw mounts on the PlayGo, and the retail PocketGo V2 will also have these.
I’ve had a non-retail PocketGo V2 for a couple of weeks now, and I’ve been reluctant to review it due to this. My prototype unit had issues due to the lack of extra mounts. The non-retail units only have 2 visible screws and 2 under the battery door.
Thankfully RetroMimi already told me that their production units will have the extra two screw mounts. Whether they’ll also have the new LCD and board revision, I don’t know. I guess the factory would prefer to only manufacture one version, so it’s likely that the new revision will be in the retail PocketGo V2 too.
Either way, it’s not worth getting hung up on these minor revisions. The performance and stability of these versions should be identical, it’s simply a matter of preference. Personally I prefer the grey version from RetroMimi. I believe that the retail units from there will ship out with the rainbow buttons too, just like the v1.
Both versions are available right now, and alongside the RG350 they represent some of the best in Open Source handhelds. The JZ4770 is a powerful processor and we can expect to see long term support for these handhelds well in to 2020 and probably beyond.
Back in 2018 HardKernel released the Odroid-Go as a celebration of their 10th year as a company. Now, two years later Hardkernel are back with the Odroid-Go Advance.
Aside from also coming in kit form, the Odroid-Go Advance shares few similarities with their first device. HardKernel have ramped up the power with a RockChip RK3326, a SoC with four 1.3GHz cores and 1GB of RAM. They’ve also added a couple of shoulder buttons and an analog stick, as well as six buttons underneath the LCD. The Odroid-Go Advance promises much better emulator performance, and their recent video on YouTube even shows some PSP emulation. (2:16 onwards).
The device runs Ubuntu 18.04 with kernel version 4.4.189 and the EmulationStation front end. The 10pin GPIO is present just as it was on the original Odroid-Go, and there’s also a UART port on the right hand side. It looks as though you’ll need to solder your own connector if you want to use it though.
The screen is a 3.5″ 320×480 TFT panel, which is slightly disappointing. Not all TFT panels are made equal though, so hopefully they’ve chosen a good one for this.
It would also have been nice to see 4 shoulder buttons and another analog stick, but for me it’s still a great looking handheld. The RK3326 should offer better performance than the latest round of Chinese handhelds, and with PSP emulation already on the list the mind boggles at what else might be possible. Dreamcast, perhaps?
The most suprising thing about the release of the Odroid-Go Advance is the price. At just $55 before shipping it sits comfortably within the accepted price for a device of its type.
The Advance is DIY kit just like its older brother, but that shouldn’t put anybody off. Putting together the original Odroid-Go was child’s play and looking at the parts list this thing looks just as easy.
The Odroid-Go Advance will be available next month from the HardKernel shop. You better believe I’ll be first in line to get one!
.
