Welcome to the seventh edition of Retro Handhelds Weekly. This week saw a bunch of news in both the world of hardware and software, our writing team continues to be on an absolute tear, and there’s even a surprise or two sprinkled in! So sit back, grab a cup of coffee, and catch up on what’s happened this week in the world of Retro Handhelds.
Hardware
If there’s one thing we know about retro handhelds, it’s that there is always something new around the corner. Seriously, it’s “worse” than smartphones, as some companies release new handhelds every other week. On the bright side, at least there’s no shortage of options.
Ayaneo Pocket DMG and Pocket Micro Pre-orders Now Live
After being announced all the way back in May, Ayaneo has finally made the Pocket DMG and Pocket Micro available for pre-order. Both of these handhelds run Android, however, the Pocket DMG is powered by the same Snapdragon G3x Gen 2 from the Pocket S. Meanwhile, the Pocket Micro is equipped with the Helio G99, the same chip found in many budget Android phones and tablets. Pricing for the DMG starts at $339, with the Micro coming in at $189. You can head over to Indiegogo to pre-order either of these handhelds now, but you’ll have to wait even longer as the DMG isn’t expected to ship until October with the Micro arriving in September.
Ayaneo Pocket EVO Pricing and Availability
Ayaneo didn’t stop there, as the company also gave us pricing and availability information for the Pocket EVO. This is being touted as the “world’s first 7-inch OLED flagship Android handheld,” as it too is powered by the Snapdragon G3x Gen 2. The Pocket EVO also sports a massive 8,600mAh battery, and thanks to the design, it also features “x86-level heat dissipation.” Pricing for the EVO starts at $389, and it’s expected to launch sometime in “early November.” The Indiegogo campaign begins on August 8, at 8 AM ET.
Astro Bot Limited Edition DualSense Wireless Controller
Switching gears a bit, Sony debuted an all-new DualSense controller that will arrive ahead of the new Astro Bot game. As expected, the controller’s design is made to look like Astro and will be available for pre-order starting on August 9 at 10 AM ET. It retails for $79.99, but the company says it’s only available in “limited quantities.”
MagicX Touch One Design Drawing
Last week, we heard about four handhelds that were being developed by the MagicX team. Hot on the heels of what seems to be a successful Mini M launch, we now have a look at a few renders for the MagicX Touch One. This handheld is expected to sport a 3.5-inch screen, while being powered by the Allwinner A133, paired with 1GB of RAM. Although not much more information has been revealed, this is expected to be one of the cheaper devices, with rumors suggesting a pre-sale price of around $60.
Anbernic Pocket DMG Clone
Can you believe that it’s been more than a week since Anbernic launched a new handheld? Well, that might not be the case for too much longer, as the company is supposedly working on a budget version of the Ayaneo Pocket DMG. From the images leaked, it’s a vertical handheld sporting your traditional controls but adds the joystick in the bottom left corner. I wouldn’t go so far as to say this is a sure-fire thing, but it wouldn’t surprise me either.
Miyoo Flip Delayed Even Further?
Nice mod of the miyoo a30, Regarding the Miyoo Flip, the manufacturer has told us that there will be a press conference soon, and the new models and other details will be re-examined, there is a bit of a delay
Link: https://t.co/rXJ4bYAfRV#miyoo #miyoomini #miyooa30 pic.twitter.com/HLRIUy4s5B
— Miyoo Mini Stock Alerts (@miyoomini) August 1, 2024
We thought the Miyoo Flip would arrive around the same time as the RG35XX SP, but that wasn’t the case. The A30 was seen as a “stopgap” of sorts, but the Flip is still nowhere to be seen. This week, the @miyoomini Twitter account revealed that the highly-anticipated handheld is being delayed again. At this rate, we might as well just write off the Miyoo Flip.
ZPG A1 Unicorn on AliExpress
The ZPG A1 Unicorn was overshadowed by the launch of Anbernic’s RG Cube, but the wait is finally over as you can grab a Unicorn for yourself. It’s available at the official Z-Pocket Game AliExpress store, priced at $130.
GameMT E5 Plus and Mte8p
Image via NITTRX
Zu recently got his hands on the GameMT E5, which is easily one of the weirdest handhelds we’ve seen this year. However, it seems that GameMT isn’t giving up on the design just yet, as the E5 Plus is rumored to arrive sometime in August. Not only that, but the oddly named “Mte8p” is also in the works, powered by the RK3588s SoC, 8GB of RAM, and relying on a 6-inch touchscreen with a 1920 x 1080 resolution.
Legion Go “Lite” leaked again
Image via VideoCardz
With the ROG Ally X now available, many are wondering whether Lenovo will respond with a successor to the Legion Go. Rumors have been swirling about a potential “Lenovo Legion Go Lite,” and it seems we might be nearing an announcement. VideoCardz discovered that the product page for the Legion Go had been updated, making reference to an 8-inch and 7-inch device, along with at least one of them featuring an HDMI port. However, we still haven’t heard any official announcement, so we’ll have to just wait and see what’s to come.
ModRetro Chromatic Now Available for Pre-order at Gamestop
ModRetro Chromatic
The ModRetro Chromatic was announced back in June by the co-founder of Oculus who had since moved onto new ventures. This isn’t your average retro handheld, however, as it’s another FGPA offering. It’s compatible with Game Boy, Game Boy Color, and “Chromatic cartridges.” Initially, the Chromatic was only available for pre-order from the ModRetro website directly, but the ModRetro Chromatic GameStop Exclusive is available for pre-order. The listing gives us the same $199 price point, along with a release date of 12/01/2024.
Software and Custom Firmware
Don’t get me wrong, hardware is definitely fun and exciting to talk about. But what good is an awesome handheld if it doesn’t even work? That’s where software and custom firmware come into play, so here’s everything you might’ve missed this week.
ROMhacking.net Shuts Down After 20 Years
Announced via a news post by Nightcrawler, ROMhacking.net will be shutting down all portions of its site except for its forums and news. Current downloads and shared files have been sent to the Internet Archive for archival purposes.
Game Informer Bids Farewell
After an incredible 33 years, Game Informer abruptly closed its doors this week. The team was comprised of 13 employees, all operating under the GameStop umbrella. One of the old perks of signing up for GameStop Pro was that you would also receive monthly editions of Game Informer. That perk was removed earlier this year, but we still didn’t expect to see this.
A couple of days after the original announcement, a Game Informer employee published a different statement, celebrating the legacy that the magazine offered. However, shortly after that tweet was posted, the entire Game Informer account was removed. Plus, it seems that GameStop has gone to the extent of removing any Game Informer article from the website, leaving us to rely on third-party archives if we want to read old articles.
Play! PS2 Emulator Update
Although many of us rely on AetherSX2 and the NetherSX2 mod, that’s not the only PS2 emulator available for Android. Play! is still progressing quite nicely, as the developer shared a compatibility report. It reveals a 55% performance boost for Commandos – Strike Force, while also introducing a few new games to the list of “verified playable games.” There’s a lot to break down here, so we recommend heading over to the Patreon post to learn more.
Vita3K Progress Report
Speaking of progress reports, the Vita3K team shared its “3-year Progress Report” for Summer 2024. The report covers a lot of the major changes that have been made to Vita3K recently, such as the addition of the Vulkan API, improvements made to the “graphics backend,” support for upscaling with Vulkan, and so much more.
Xbox 360 Homebrew Store
Just days after Microsoft shut down the official Xbox 360 Store, the Xbox 360 Homebrew Store arrived for those on modded consoles. This is a free app that can be downloaded to your Xbox 360, and includes “homebrew games, ports, and apps.” It’s still early, so the number of available repos isn’t what you might want, but there’s hope that could change in the coming months.
Super Mario 64 Port for Dreamcast
Testing out our Super #Mario64 port to the Sega #Dreamcast using the latest GCC 14.1.0 toolchain and the tips of the KallistiOS and GLdc master branches. Performance is fantastic, but we have some Z-fighting and audio issues that need to be sorted out, plus like… Mario looks… pic.twitter.com/YsLL5AFwZc
— Falco Girgis (@falco_girgis) August 1, 2024
There’s just something about being able to play games on different consoles that gets us excited. The latest of which is a port of Super Mario 64 for the Sega Dreamcast. According to the developer, “performance is fantastic,” but it’s still not yet ready for primetime. Needless to say, we’ll definitely be keeping a close-watch on this.
Link’s Awakening Multiplayer Mod
Have you ever thought about how much fun it could be to play Link’s Awakening with a couple of friends? Well, there’s a new multiplayer mod in the works that turns those dreams into reality. Supposedly, the mod will be available for download sometime “next month,” which apparently supports up to eight players at once!
PS4 Emulator for Linux (PS4U)
It’s pretty clear that PS4 emulation is the next mountain to climb, but there’s been a boom in development over the past few months. This time around, another emulator has appeared on GitHub, named PS4U. However, unlike some of the other options, PS4U is currently only available on Linux. There’s a lot of work to be done, as evidenced by the “Alpha Test” video above. But it’s still incredible to see that this is even possible, let alone on Linux.
Yaba Sanshiro 2 for iPhone and iPad
Finally, Yaba Sanshiro was released in the Apple App Store! You can play SEGA Saturn games on your iPhone or iPad or Mac. This version only includes basic features to facilitate approval. If there is demand, we will continue to expand it.https://t.co/vEMyDUwkCQ
— devMiyax (@miyaxdev) August 3, 2024
Yaba Sanshiro 2 is one of the best Sega Saturn emulators for Android, and there was a lot of speculation as to whether the app would be released on the iPhone. Thankfully, we no longer have to wonder, as the emulator has landed on the Apple App Store. Making things even better is that you can download and play your favorite classic Saturn games on either the iPhone or the iPad.
From the Writers
While there’s always a lot of news to cover and talk about, we also try to take a step back and give everyone something a bit different to enjoy. These are the more editorial-styled articles that you might have missed over the course of this week.
EA Sports College Football 25 Review: TD or Fumble?
College Football 25Â has been selling extremely well too and that is good to see in hopes that this can keep being a regular release. Hey, maybe we can get a college basketball game too? Fingers crossed EA does not get greedy and ruin the game in future updates.
Retro Gamer’s Bane: Choice Paralysis
Choice paralysis has always existed when you have an abundance of appealing content, it’s just that we’ve never had such immediate access to a wealth of content on demand in the past. Given the current media landscape of consumable media and the ever-increasingly rapid pace that which content delivery technology moves, choice paralysis is here to stay.
March of the Minis: Purpose of Puny Handhelds
When it comes to these microdevices they have one goal in mind and one purpose. Be Portable. They have tons of sacrifices. Buttons, screen sizes, battery life, ergonomics, and sometimes even price to performance. But if you want the most pocketable thing, those are sacrifices you’ll have to live with.
GotX: Take Aim August Games Announced!
Take Aim August was the theme voted for by our Champions Lounge. The games that were nominated had to require the main character to use a ranged weapon or a shooting weapon of some sort. If you want to know more about our GotX program and how to participate, check out my article about that here!
Can You Retro Game in VR?
Let’s take a look at an unusual device for retro gaming: the Meta Quest 3. That’s right: a virtual reality headset is more frequently utilized for VR experiences like Phasmaphobia, Beat Saber, and Skyrim VR. Does retro gaming fit within this virtual space? It’s time to find out.
In Defense of the Nintendo 64 Controller
The controller has its value in playing other Nintendo retro titles with OEM controls, And because of this, I would highly recommend getting the NSO controller if you can. Otherwise, there is the Bluetooth mod kit by 8bitdo that turns your existing controller into something more usable on a PC.
RH Games: What We’re Playing This Week
Something new we’re trying out here at RH is an idea that Jalanimal has had an idea rattling around for a while now, and that’s to give everyone an idea of what games we’re actually playing on a weekly basis. For some extra fun, I also asked the team to share with everyone the devices they are using to play those games. Be sure to let us know what you think about this idea, and whether it’s something you want to see more of!
On the YouTubes
Don’t think that the writers are the only ones getting things done. Stubbs and Zu are constantly working on new videos, as we saw Zu take us down the E-Waste rabbit hole. And speaking of E-Waste, Ban published his very first video to the Retro Handhelds YouTube channel, giving us an unboxing of the new MagicX XU Mini M.
Looking for Deals?
Another week, another set of deals to be had. Our latest roundup sees the Miyoo A30 discounted by 15% while including a free grip, plenty of great deals on storage, and a tiny deal if you want to pre-order the Switch Lite: Hyrule Edition. Oh, and there are two new promotions taking place, the AliExpress Getaway Deals promo is now underway, while Anbernic hosts its Holiday Sale.
- Anbernic RG35XX SP for $56
- R36S for $32
- Retroid Pocket 4 Pro for $169
- Miyoo A30 for $28
- MagicX XU Mini M for $41
- GameMT E5 for $33
In order to get the discounts you see above, you’ll need to apply one of the three coupon codes listed below. In some instances, you can save even more money by bundling items. This could come in handy if you’re close to meeting one of the discount thresholds but need something else to activate a larger discount.
- CDUS03: $3 off orders over $29
- CDUS08: $8 off orders over $69
- CDUS20: $20 off orders over $169
Retro Handhelds Deals of the Week
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