Welcome to the latest edition of Retro Handhelds Weekly. This week, we saw a bunch of news in 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.
Table of Contents
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.
Anbernic RG Slide Looks Great, But It’s a Lot Bigger Than You Think
We have finally seen videos, first impressions, and detailed looks at the upcoming RG Slide, a sliding-screen handheld inspired by the beloved PSP Go. It’s sleek, it’s clean, and it’s packing real power under the hood, but one thing is turning heads more than anything else: The size.
AYANEO Flip 1S DS
You probably remember when AYANEO surprised us all by announcing the Flip DS. Now, the company’s back with the AYANEO Flip 1S DS, this time with a couple of major changes. The first of which is the larger 4.5-inch secondary screen, complete with a 3:2 aspect ratio and a 1620 x 1080 resolution. The other is that the Flip 1S DS adopts the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370, something we’re beginning to see arrive in more and more x86 handhelds.
Pricing and availability have yet to be shared, but we suspect that will change in the coming days.
Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 Comes to OneXPlayer X1 Mini and AOKZOE A1X
Speaking of the Ryzen AI 9 HX 370, we can add two more handhelds to the list, as the OneXPlayer X1 Mini has been refreshed to include this chipset as an option, while the AOKZOE A1X arrived ahead of schedule, powered by the same SoC. The X1 Mini initially debuted last year with the 8840U and has been a unique option in the handheld space.
Meanwhile, the AOKZOE A1X features an 8-inch LCD display with a 120Hz refresh rate, along with up to 64GB of LPDDR5X RAM and a 2TB NVMe SSD. In addition to the standard swath of ports, the A1X also sports an OcuLink port for those who want to enjoy a faster connection when using an eGPU.
Retroid Dual Screen Add-on Now Available for $69
The Dual Screen Add-on is an accessory that you attach to your Retroid device, providing you with a 5.5-inch AMOLED touchscreen display that sits above the built-in screen. However, adding another screen to your handheld is only half the battle, and Retroid integrated the entire ensemble with a built-in device clip.
Xbox Handheld Paused While Microsoft Doubles Down on ROG Ally
For months, rumors swirled around a prototype device that would bring a dedicated Xbox portable console to market. The company was said to be targeting a release as early as 2027, offering a new way to play Game Pass titles on the go. However, according to a report originating from GameSpot, it seems to indicate that Microsoft has decided to put the project on indefinite hold.
More Hardware News
- Nintendo Switch 2 Sells 3.5 Million Units in Under a Week, And It’s Just Getting Started
- All PS2s Now Hackable Via MemoryCard
- Nintendo Switch 2 Survives Being Hit 50 Times with Pliers
Apps and Software
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.
Fork of melonDS for Android Brings Support for Dual-Screen Devices
It’s a good time to be a fan of the Nintendo DS, and it just got even better. There’s a new fork of melonDS for Android, which finally introduces support for dual-screen devices. This means that when the Retroid Dual Screen lands sometime in August, you’ll be able to take full advantage of both screens without jumping through a bunch of hoops for your DS games.
Gyro Control on Android Emulators
Uhhh, I used Chat GPT to make an app to give Gyro Control to old school Emulators, anyone want to test it out?
byu/Chillionaire1 inEmulationOnAndroid
Have you wanted full gyroscope support in some of your favorite retro games on Android handhelds? Well, you’re in luck as someone used ChatGPT to “make an app to give Gyro Control to old school emulators.” The app hasn’t been released into the wild just yet, but you can head over to the Reddit post to learn how to test it for yourself.
aPS3e Goes Open Source and Arrives on Play Store
After the dust settled, the aPS3e team has been quietly working on improving its PS3 emulator for Android. Now, not only is the app available on the Play Store, but you can also view the source code over at GitHub.
EchoArch Provides “Touch-friendly overlays for RetroArch on mobile”
Have you been wanting those cool overlay skins that you see in Delta and other emulators? Well, now, you don’t even have to download Delta as EchoArch makes it possible to use “touch-friendly overlays” when playing games on RetroArch.
RetroAssembly – Your Personal Retro Game Cabinet in the Browser
Over the past few months, we’ve seen more and more tools released that are designed to make it easy to play your favorite retro games on the web. RetroAssembly is the latest of which, and is described as being a “web-based retro game collection cabinet.” There are a variety of supported consoles, but you’re currently limited to earlier generations.
MigFlash Firmware 1.2.0 Supports Switch 1 Games on Switch 2 Consoles
Team MigFlash communication:
Link : https://t.co/IyQBYAea99
Firmware 1.2.0, adds support for Switch 1 games on Nintendo Switch 2 consoles.
As announced earlier this week, please find in our DOWNLOAD section our latest 1.2.0 firmware, which adds Switch 1 games support for the new…— SwitchTools (@SwitchTools) June 14, 2025
The Switch 2 has only been released for less than two weeks, and we already have an update for the MigFlash. The latest firmware (version 1.2.0) adds the ability to play original Switch games on the Switch 2 using the MigSwitch.
Steam Beta Now Supports Apple Silicon Natively
It’s been almost five years since the Apple M1 debuted, marking the first Apple Silicon chipset. Until now, Steam relied on Apple’s Rosetta 2 software, which made it possible for x86 software to run on ARM silicon. With the most recent Steam Client Beta, this is no longer the case, as Steam can now run natively on your Apple devices.
Custom Firmware Updates
Emulation Updates
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 and reviews that you might have missed over the course of this week.
A Week with the Nintendo Switch 2
In the meantime, I spent an entire week with the console since it was released due to it being sold on the eve of my family vacation that required driving across the good and flat state of Michigan twice. And what did I do? I played vid’ya games.
During my week, I explored the system, battled its battery life, clicked its buttons, beholden the screen, and uncovered all of its dirty secrets down to the GameCube Easter Egg. Yes. Here is my review of the Nintendo Switch 2 after spending a week with it.
PowKiddy V90S First Impressions: It’s Flippable
2025 is truly the year of clamshells. Retroid Pocket Flip 2, Miyoo Flip, Anbernic RG34XXSP, and now PowKiddy is entering the mix with the V90S. Originally released back in 2020, the original V90 was a cheap and cheerful emulation handheld powered by an Allwinner F1C100S, and has since been the standard for cheap clamshells.
Fast forward to 2025, and everyone’s dipping their toes into the water with mixed results. So, how’s the V90S going to do? While I haven’t had enough time to give a full review, my first impressions are pretty positive so far.
Next UI Just Keeps Getting Better and Better
I’ve wanted to do a follow-up review as the dev team added new features, but NextUI got updates almost daily for the better part of two months. Things have finally calmed down with version 5.5, so I thought I’d do a quick follow-up to see what’s been added, and if NextUI is still the way to go on the TrimUI Brick!
Anbernic RG35XX Pro Review: They’re Going to Do What They Do
You can’t always count on Anbernic, but you can always count on Anbernic to be Anbernic. That’s not just a poor paraphrasing of a Samuel L. Jackson quote from the 1997 classic, Jackie Brown, but an amusing nod to the fact that this company is going to do what they’re going to do when it comes to releases, and it’s best to just strap in and go along.
Anbernic RG35XX Pro Setup Guide
This might be the best handheld for beginners, as it has all of the features you would want, along with a few extras. With that in mind, if you want to get the “lay of the land,” here’s our RG35XX Pro Setup Guide to help get you started.
Anbernic RG35XX Pro First Impressions: It’s an Anbernic
We’re already halfway through 2025, and Anbernic is still releasing its H700 line of handhelds to the market. While the RG40XXH may have originally been quoted as the last H700, Anbernic has since released another four.
Now enter the RG35XX Pro, the fifth since that fated “last H700” and the second time we’ve seen this exact form factor this year. How is it? Is it going to be worth your time and money? These may be first impressions, but I already have an opinion forming.
On the YouTubes
Don’t think that the writers are the only ones getting things done. The RH video team is constantly working on new videos, and now’s the best time to subscribe. This week, we got our first look at the Anbernic RG Slide, along with the RG35XX Pro and PowKiddy V90S. Plus, Stubbs and Rob interviewed Franco Catron of RetroX, and Zu revisited a familiar custom firmware.
Looking for Deals?
Another week, another set of deals to be had. Hit the button below to check out our favorite deals of the week. We know how much everyone loves a good deal, so we’ve been cooking up something to help you get the best deal possible.
Retro Handhelds Deals of the WeekHandheld.Deals
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