In a haze of confusion, stupidity, or just a desire to keep the title of “E-waste King” that Ban has kindly bestowed upon me, I bought another R36S clone system. Actually, that’s letting myself off the hook too easily. I bought another K36S. This one appears to be another clone of the first K36S (this one only with one joystick), which was a clone of the R36S, which was, of course, itself a clone, and on down the rabbit hole we go.
The days until the tariffs arrived on our shores were growing shorter, and if I was going to go out with one last round of AliExpress purchases, then hell, why not? Might as well tack on one more. Who knows, this could be the last EmuElec clone that reaches our shores for a while.
It was my duty, to you, the reader, to review the new K36S, or at least that’s how I justified spending $35 on another system that I knew wouldn’t measure up to handhelds I already owned. It could just be another R36S clone with a slightly altered design, but what if it ends up being the greatest budget handheld ever produced that I could potentially miss out on?
Let me dash those hopes right now. The latest K36S is decidedly fine, but there’s not a lot else to say that hasn’t been typed by these hands before. But we’re here, and I was irresponsible, so we might as well break down all the highlights of this new copy of a copy (of a copy).
K36S Specs
Bonus points for keeping the performance ads honest
I can’t verify all the specs as listed by the manufacturer, but it’s safe to say with the device in hand that this is the same RK3326 as we’ve seen so many other times before (now with a single stick!). In short, these aren’t specs worth faking.
- Display: 3.5-inch IPS, 640 x 480
- Processor: RockChip RK3326
- GPU: Mali-G31 MP2 (520mhz)
- RAM: 1GB of DDR3L
- Storage: 8GB internal + 1x microSD Card
- Battery: 3000mAh (smaller than the 3200 found on the R36S)
- Other: Single Switch-style Analog Stick w/ accent LED, Removable battery compartment, USB-C OTG
- OS: Linux EE ES 4.7
K36S: The Good
The LED creates a neat little textured effect around the Joy-Con. That’s something, right?!
So when playing this thing over the last week, I realized I’d actually already owned another single-stick clone. I’d previously written about the Game Master XGB36 — another single-sticked RK3326 device that clearly didn’t leave much of an impression, as I’d likely forgotten about it not long after I finished typing my thoughts.
Looking back over the XGB36 article in preparation for writing this one, I was met with what I expected. The same lament for another device that really isn’t outwardly bad in any way, but has nothing about it to create any sort of lasting impression either. While that might be true, it’s not entirely fair to this K36S.
Decent enough d-pad, same old stick
If we strip away the knowledge that this is a clone device, there’s still enjoyment to be found at a decent price. The device I received came with a preinstalled “dirty” build of EmuElec. It works well enough on the systems here, and the device is mediocre enough that it’s unlikely I’ll look into trying out any CFW until I find myself really bored late at night and stumble across something interesting. Otherwise, it works decently, and the nicest thing I would say is that “good enough” is probably good enough for a device like this.
The D-pad on the K36S is a shallow rocker that I scoffed at initially, but after a few rounds of Marvel Vs Street Fighter, I was pleasantly surprised by how comfortable it was under-thumb. I was able to summon fireballs on command without trouble. I do wish they’d incorporated a central divot to stop the thumb from occasionally sliding, but it’s a decent play experience.
Face buttons should feel similar to anyone familiar with those found on the R36S. They have a slightly smoother edge than the buttons found on that device, but otherwise are nearly identical.
K36S: The Not-So-Good
Still got those signature curves
Are these triggers as bad as those that graced the first iteration of the R36S? No. Are they good? Also, still no. While they may be improved from the worst of the pack, the triggers on the K36S are still an annoyance that drags down the rest of the experience. Even if you aren’t playing a game that uses the triggers, or even are just handling the device while powered off, the ill-fitting triggers still find a way to move around and create noise just by handling the device. It’s not a unique problem in this space, but I just wish these budget manufacturers could strive to do better all on their own.
It’s hard to fault the function of the one single Switch-style stick on offer here. It’s functional without frill (unless you count a solid LED light underneath). The limited range of motion and overall cheap feeling mean I’m not really going to take advantage of having the stick unless I’m forced by the hand of the game. I’d rather just stick to D-pad games on this type of machine anyway.
Decent buttons, horrible sound
Sound is one place where the K36S is not good enough. The unit features a single downward-firing speaker, and it sounds as cheap as it probably is. Not good-for-how-cheap-it-is, just cheap. Combine the less-than-stellar sound with the fact that my volume buttons seem to only function about half the time, and you’ve got yourself a recipe for frustration.
Conclusion
In case you forgot what time it was when you powered the handheld
If this were a different time, I might say that you should wait for the K36S to go on sale and pick it up as a gift for the kid or gamer-light loved one in your life. If you could snag this for under $25, I might be inclined to say go for it, but given the state of things with import tariffs, it’s unlikely to get anything but more expensive in the near future.
Devices are cloned for a reason, and the R36S is a device worthy of cloning. It’s just that once you start getting into even cheaper versions of an already budget floor device, you’re going to be forced to make some concessions.
This K36S doesn’t have anything outwardly or offensively wrong with it, but it just sits in a time and place where I’m unsure where it can land in the marketplace. If you are already interested enough in the hobby to be reading this article, you already know you can skip this one. If you’re new to the world of handheld emulation, run sideways away from the K36S and into the arms of something like G350 or R36S. They’re doing the same thing, just doing it better.
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