As the river of handheld releases continues to flood our consumerist minds, it’s important to not just focus on the hype of the moment, but the handhelds that have stood up and made a name for themselves in the crowded pack.

The Powkiddy RGB30 is barely a year old at the time of writing, but with the speed this hobby moves, that could be considered old news. Unlike so many of its handheld brethren, though, the device hasn’t faded into the dustbins of obscurity in what is a very crowded space.

Where We Are

The releases of the Anbernic RG Cube, ZPG A1 Unicorn, and the unfortunate R40S show that there is definitely a market for 1:1 ratio devices. Now, I can only speak to my own experiences with owning the RGB30 and a Cube, but I find myself consistently drawn back to the RGB30 while the Cube has spent most of its time gathering shelf dust. I’m intrigued by the Unicorn, but I’m not sure that I’m sold on Android in this form factor. I think Powkiddy may be best suited for the job of getting it right.

The RGB30 was looked at as something of an anomaly when it was first released. It was met with apprehension, both due to its unique form factor and Powkiddy’s somewhat wonky quality track record. You can get the mood about the device at the time with Ban’s original review.

As time went on and folks got the device in their hands with some great community CFW efforts Like ArkOS and JELOS, they began to see that there was a lot to love about this quirky handheld. So this is my plea. Powkiddy, if you’re out there, I think I speak for many members of the community when I say if you release a revised and improved RGB30 revision, you will have a customer a second time around.

What’s Already Great

Most users who have played with the RGB30 know that there’s something special about it, as imperfect though it may be. Here are some of the things that we love about the RGB30 in its current design.

My favorite GBC screen experience

• The Screen: The 4-inch IPS display absolutely shines in presenting systems like Game Boy Color that best take advantage of the square aspect ratio.
• Ergonomics: At first glance, the device just looks like it could be awkward, but I as a larger-handed gent have actually found it to be one of my preferred handhelds for longer play sessions. I haven’t ended up with the cramps that can come from other devices.
• Performance and Portability: The RK3566 is well-worn territory in the space at this point, but implemented in this device it offers enough oomph to play what you want without necessarily getting into territory less suited for the aspect ratio.
• Connectivity: The RGB30 offers OTG compatibility via a dedicated USB-C port, but it also sports a Mini-HDMI port for output to external devices. A feature often lacking in many other popular offerings.

Room For Improvement

Great screen hindered by loose flappy shoulders

These are points that have been brought up since the initial impressions of the RGB30 and remain valid. Seeing what some others have done with the form factor in the year since its release, I think these are some ways that Powkiddy could bring things home with a 2.0 revision.

• Analog Sticks: The analog sticks on the RGB30 are decidedly OK, but a short range of travel leaves the user with something to be desired. Even on a console where the D-Pad (which could also use some refinement) may see more use, adding decent (and now cheap) hall sticks could really provide a quality-of-life upgrade for games that need them as well as users who may prefer them for older games.
• That Dang Battery: There’s no getting around the fact that the batteries in the RGB30 are wonky. Whether it’s to do with hardware, design, software issues, or a combination of the three, the battery in the RGB30 is whacky. While reports of failure don’t appear normal, many users (myself included) have experienced problems with proper charging, false life indicators, sleep drains, sudden percentage drains, etc. In a nutshell, it’s like I said, they’re just wonky. Which brings us to……..
• Plastics: We know that all of these devices are cheap, but that doesn’t mean that they have to FEEL cheap. There’s no getting around the fact that this shell feels almost e-wastey. Improvements can surely be made without significantly increasing costs. Plastics on a budget device like the recent K36 show that this can be achieved without breaking the bank.
• Heat Management: Depending on how hard you’re pushing the processor, the device can become quite warm during longer play sessions. This may be causing some of the issues with the battery, and certainly can’t be good for the overall longevity of the handheld.
• Rattle n’ Roll: The loose fit on the triggers of the device creates a noticeable rattle when moving the device around in play. It makes your brain do a double-take and ask itself if there’s something rattling around in the case.

Hoping Against the Odds: My Ideal Additions

Let’s push that screen out to the edges!

If the bases mentioned above are covered, I think the things that could be improved on for Powkiddy to make an RGB30 rev2, but what about a true 2.0 device? I would love to see Powkiddy not only correct the flaws of the first design but really go for it with a second-gen offering.

• Real Triggers: Something to go with upgraded hall sticks. The RG Cube showed us that this type of design can work with full analog triggers, and I think the RGB30 would be improved with a similar implementation.
• Rounding?: I think that the flat design of the RGB30 is one of the things that make it unique and fun. While it is surprisingly more comfortable than first appearances would let on, there is room for tweaks. Some slight bump-out rounding on the back and some firm grips like what is seen on the RG35XX H could go a long way.
• Let’s Get Bezel-less: The screen on the RGB30 is already great as it stands. I think there is room for some slight improvements. The screen size could be pushed out to meet with the physical bezels of the case without having to push resolution on the small-scale screen, but as long as we’re here, we might as well bump that up too. Maybe even an OLED if we’re getting crazy, who knows? Think about what a difference that seemingly small size difference did for the Steam Deck.
• A New Rockchip: As I briefly mentioned above, I think this device format is best suited to a Linux environment over Android. It’s just my personal preference and what I think works best. I know it may still be a bit of a way off, but we’re shooting the moon anyway, so maybe we could see an RK3588 implementation to smooth out any experiences that were a little stuttered before, and even get into the final 4:3 native generation.

Conclusions

The Powkiddy RGB30 remains popular in the community a year into its release due to its unique offerings at a reasonable price point. A lot of competitors have already come and gone in that time, but the RGB30 is still very much alive. When something in this scene makes an impression on me, I tend to really latch on. This has certainly been the case since I first got my hands on Powkiddy’s strange little squared wonder.

So this is a plea to you Powkiddy, hear us. We the lovers of your 1:1 wonder. Revise the device and address the concerns of users. Maybe a few new colors to push us over the edge? After that, it’s time for a full-on 2.0 system so you can plant their flag as the 1:1 kings with a mix of cool and quirk that we all love so well. You came sooooo close the first time, and I’m confident you’re the one who can get it right.

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