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.
Excuse Me?!? Anbernic RG DS Will Cost Under $100!
Anbernic decided to drop another little teaser for the RG DS, this time revealing the four different color options. More importantly than that, we now know that Anbernic’s first dual-screen clamshell handheld will cost under $100.
Early Holiday Deals: Retroid Pocket 5, Pocket Flip 2, and Mini V2 All Discounted
Just as Amazon’s Prime Big Deal Days come to an end, Retroid decided to do something rather unexpected. Announced this week, three of the company’s most popular devices are now on sale, which include the Retroid Pocket 5, Pocket Flip 2, and the Pocket Mini V2.
AYANEO Pocket AIR Mini IGG Launch
We’ve been patiently waiting to see when the AYANEO Pocket AIR Mini would actually be available. The wait is almost over, as the company confirmed the Pocket AIR Mini’s IGG campaign will kick off on October 14 at 8 AM EST. For a limited time, you’ll be able to pick up AYANEO’s latest handheld for just $70.
AYANEO Pocket DS Shipping Update
It’s been just about two months since the AYANEO Pocket DS was made available for pre-order through Indiegogo. Almost a month ago, AYANEO began shipping “domestic orders” for the Pocket DS, leaving us wondering when it would begin arriving elsewhere. In an update post in Indiegogo, the company confirmed it will “start shipping the first batch of orders” this upcoming week.
AYN Odin 3 IGG Update
Many have been wondering what is going on with the AYN Odin 3 as pre-orders opened back on September 7. A couple of days ago, an update was posted to the IGG page sharing the following:
- Plastic mold have successfully entered the T2 stage.
- The mainboard of Odin 3 will begin thermal testing next week.
- Except for the blue front glass, all other front glass colors have completed color matching and sample approval.
- Qualcomm just released the new Android 15 CS code baseline on mid-September. The system bring-up has been completed.
- Within the next two weeks, we plan to prepare approximately 10 Qualcomm 8E developer units (NOT review units) to facilitate early adaptation of third-party GPU drivers and ensure smoother collaboration with our developer partners.
Xbox Handheld Reportedly Canceled
After ASUS and Microsoft co-announced the ROG Xbox Ally and Ally X, it was assumed that Microsoft would no longer be releasing a handheld of its own. As it turns out, that’s for a good reason, since a recent report claims that “AMD required a minimum commitment of over 10 million units to justify the development of a custom SoC.” In response, Microsoft decided to cancel its in-house handheld and instead, turned to a partnership with ASUS.
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.
GameHub Lite
One of the primary complaints about the GameHub app is how intrusive the “necessary” permissions appear to be. As such, someone over at r/EmulationOnAndroid created a stripped-down version of the PC emulator. The app is now available to download on GitHub, and is a whopping 59% smaller in size compared to the “regular” GameHub app.
Console Launcher Gets Dual-Screen Support
A brand-new beta for Console Launcher has been released, bringing new features and improvements, including early support for dual-display devices, like the upcoming AYN Thor, AYANEO Pocket DS, and whatever the hell Retroid has been up to.
Bubble Bobble C64 Gets Fan-Made Remaster
A Commodore 64 classic has received a facelift with today’s release of Bubble Bobble C64 Remastered. This fan-made project, led by developer Davide Bottino (Toki C64 Remastered), is a graphical overhaul of the original 1987 port. While preserving the original’s gameplay, the developers redid the visuals from the ground up to more closely align with the Taito arcade original.
More Software News
- aX360e is Supposedly an Xenia-based Xbox 360 Emulator Coming to Android
- AYANEO Pocket Micro: System Update 10/11/2025
- Mawthorne 2, A New NES Game, Is Out Now!
- Astro Climber For Master System Announced
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.
Retroid Dual Screen Add-on Review: Too Late?
Greetings, ladies and laddies, Retroid is up to their screen-related antics again and continues to dive headfirst into making decisions with their R&D that are both head-scratching and interesting. Dual-screen handhelds are now in full force with the onset of the delightful AYANEO Flip 1S DS and the hype for the surprisingly affordable AYN Thor.
Game Console XF35H Review: Affordable Retro Gaming with Surprising Comfort
Never ones to shy away from creating a budget model of every available form factor, Game Console is back again with a revision on the classic horizontal formula, the XF35H. This is a budget entry device designed to go head-to-head with handhelds like the Anbernic RG35XXH.
And it isn’t the first time a company under the various “Game Console” monikers has come forward with an option in the form factor. The R36H was released around this same time last year, and I found it to be a serviceable, if flawed, experience.
AceMagic Matrix M1 Review: Not for Gaming
In 2025, your go-to option for a CPU is going to be from AMD. Whether that’s for the powerful integrated graphics, the efficiency in handhelds, or just the cost. Usually. That in turn leaves Intel sitting out in the cold, with most people not even bothering to talk about it.
But what if you just want CPU performance? Is Intel still going to be a decent option for that? Well, AceMagic offered to send over its Matrix M1 Mini PC powered by an i9-11900H for review. And now’s the time for me to figure out. Who is this for?
RH Picks: Best Prime Big Deal Day Gaming Deals of 2025
The end of the year is rapidly approaching, and as such, we have Amazon Prime Day 2.0, also known as “Prime Big Deal Days.” The RH deal gnomes have been hard at work scouring the depths for the best Prime Day deals on handhelds, accessories, and various doodads that we, the tinkering folk, enjoy. So come show your appreciation for our deal-digging friends and see if there’s something that you can’t live without on this celebration of consumerism.
Anbernic RG476H Review: Anbernic’s Best T820
The constant onslaught of handhelds continues. Anbernic releases another monthly device. AYANEO and AYN release two pairs of directly competing handhelds onto the market for preorder. Abxylute is doing something with a PC handheld, and PC handheld prices in general are going way up out of nowhere.
With that in mind, let’s take a step back to Anbernic. They’re putting out another T820 this year in the form of the RG476H. This one’s essentially a best hits of the past year of Anbernic crammed into one device. And while it’s the best T820, is it the handheld you should buy? Let’s figure that out.
Radical Retrospective: Grind Session
Prior to 1999’s Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater, good skateboarding games were mostly confined to arcades, and while Pro Skater wasn’t the first skateboarding game for home consoles, it was the first to spawn true imitators.
Depending on who you ask, 2000s Grind Session was actually in development as far back as 1997, when Shaba Games was first formed by former members of the Crystal Dynamics team. As the story goes, Sony approached Shaba directly with an outline for a PlayStation-exclusive skateboarding game.
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.
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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