Welcome to the latest 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.
Retroid Pocket Mini
Retroid surprised everyone as it officially announced the Retroid Pocket Mini. This new handheld sports a 3.7-inch display with a 1280 x 960 resolution and a 4:3 aspect ratio, but more importantly, it has an OLED panel. The company has started trickling out bits of information, but we’re still waiting to learn more about price and availability.
Anbernic RG40XXV
Until the Pocket Mini was shown off, Anbernic was yet again the talk of the town thanks to the RG40XXV. This vertical handheld seems to get a lot of things right, but the general consensus is that this “is the best D-Pad Anbernic has made yet. It’s just that good.”
Other Hardware News
- Atari 7800+ Announced
- GuliKit Elves 2 Controller
- 8BitDo Lite SE
- Genki/8Bitdo Controller
- New Legion Go accessories
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.
Anbernic RG40XXV gets new CFW
Considering that Anbernic’s RG40XXV is powered by the H700 chip, it doesn’t come as much of a surprise that we already have custom firmware options. When your RG40XXV arrives, you’ll be able to switch right over to muOS as this excellent CFW already works on the latest retro handheld.
Xbox Game Pass on GeForce Now
Xbox Game Pass and NVIDIA GeForce Now are two of the best deals in gaming. While you could already play a lot of Game Pass games using GeForce Now, the login experience left a lot to be desired. Those issues have been remedied as it’s now possible to sign into your Xbox Game Pass account within GeForce Now, and your credentials will be remembered.
Gears of War 3 on Android via Winlator
We’ve been putting a lot of focus on the progress of PS4 emulation with ShadPS4. However, Winlator for Android has also seen some incredible improvements, making it possible to play a bunch of older Windows games on Android devices. One of the most recent examples comes courtesy of Reddit, as someone was able to get Gears of War 3 running on an Android device.
Black Myth: Wukong Breaks Records
Last week, a brand new game landed on Steam and surprised many as it broke a bunch of records. Black Myth: Wukong skyrocketed up the charts for most concurrent players on Steam, reaching a peak of 2.1 million. This put the game in 2nd place all-time, with only PUBG: Battlegrounds having more players at the same time.
Other Software and Custom Firmware News
- Massive Daijisho Update
- Final Fantasy XVI Coming to PC on 9/17
- Last Dead Cells Update
- Sonic Mania on the Miyoo A30
- Console Launcher Alpha 9
- Save States Come to Game Boy Color Core for Analogue Pocket
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.
RH Games: What We’re Playing This Week
Welcome back to another What We’re Playing This Week. This is another jam-packed article with a ton of games and handhelds! If you want to be featured in an article in the future, fill out this form here.
Kinhank K36 Review: Good Bones, Shaky Software
If you’re an enthusiast in the hobby, there is no reason to run out and grab this device unless you’re really into curvaceous vertical handhelds. If you’re just dipping your toes into the scene, there are certainly better options at this time. I hope to revisit this article in the coming weeks/months with an updated experience, but for now, the only thing I can recommend is to save your money until we can see this thing running some decent firmware. Wait and see.
How to Upgrade ROG Ally X SSD
With the ASUS ROG Ally X, there are more than a few meaningful upgrades that have been implemented to improve the experience. One such example is the ability to use a traditional 2280 M.2 NVMe drive, as opposed to the 2230 form factor from the original Ally. With this, you’re no longer limited to 2TB of storage if you want to upgrade the ROG Ally X SSD. We’ll walk you through all of the steps, starting with a few things you’ll want to do before you even open up the back shell.
GKD Pixel: 7 Months Later
When it comes down to it, I can say off the bat, MinUI has absolutely saved this device, and Russ from RetroGameCorps add on pack was a big help as well. Without those I don’t think this would be a device worth recommending. As for if I recommend it at all? Not at the $70-$80 price. Yes it’s metal, it’s compact and portable, but unless you need those things specifically, you’re better off spending your money elsewhere.
The Actual Best Way to Play Majora’s Mask
Honestly, the ports. But also the 3DS remake with the restoration mod is fantastic, especially on 3DS hardware. While emulation is a tried and true method we are all familiar with, your mileage will heavily vary and even in the best-case scenarios you are still not getting an ideal one in terms of emulation quality. And maybe you don’t care about that stuff. But hey, at least try the port.
Delver: A Roguelike Like They Used to Make
All in all, I think Delver is a great little rogue-like, even with its issues. It’s relatively cheap, starting at $15 USD and dipping down to below $10 during the big Steam sales – and chances are you already have the itch.io version in your library. If you do, or if you have the cash and see it on sale, I think it’s worth giving a shot.
On the YouTubes
Don’t think that the writers are the only ones getting things done. Over the past week, we’ve seen a bunch of reviews, a rather “pink” unboxing, and much more! Be sure to head over to the Retro Handhelds YouTube channel to check out everything we’ve been working on!
Looking for Deals?
Another week, another set of deals to be had. Arguably the most important deal of the week is for the brand new RG40XX V. For a limited time, you can save a few bucks on Anbernic’s latest handheld, but you’ll want to move quickly as this is only available for a few days.
- RG40XX V for $59
- RG35XX SP for $52
- Powkiddy V10 for $32
- R36S for $33
- Powkiddy RGB30 for $60
- Kinhank Super Console X for $31
- RG35XX H for $54
Retro Handhelds Deals of the Week
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