My fascination with Pico-8 started back towards the beginning of the Miyoo Mini craze. A fantasy console with cheap or free games? Perfect for short bursts on handhelds? Sign me up. The interest got even worse when I purchased a Mini from a user on the Retro Handhelds Discord by the name of Jim Gray. Fully loaded with Pico-8 roms, I was set for life, right? At least until I decided I wanted a better device for it.
2023’s Retro Pixel Pocket enters the fray with a 1:1 display running an old version of Android. Mediocre, but passable thanks to Fake-08. Powkiddy drops the RGB30 and starts a trend of 4” square handhelds. Chasing the dream of a good Pico-8 handheld took me through Anbernic’s Cubes, GKD’s Unicorn, and modding an RGB20SX Machine into a Pico-8-only device. Despite that, here we are with Funnyplaying’s round 2: The Retro Pixel Pocket (2025). Is this the one?
Specs
When in stock, the Retro Pixel Pocket 2025 is $50 plus shipping, which feels like a fine, if not slightly overpriced, amount to pay for what you’re getting.
- Display: 3.1-inch, 720×720
- CPU: Rockchip RK3326
- GPU: Mali-G31
- RAM: 1GB
- Connectivity: 1x USB-C, 1x 3.5mm, 1x microSD, Wi-Fi
- OS: AmberElec Based on a build for the RG351MP
- Battery: 3,000mAh
- Dimensions: 77.3 x 126.1 x 23.6mm
- Weight: 174 grams
Ergonomics and Controls
In terms of ergonomics, you’re getting something super similar to Game Boy Pocket. It’s small, thin, and while not perfect, it manages to hold my hands well enough. My thumbs land right on the face buttons, and my index fingers appreciate the ledge for a better grip. There are more comfortable devices out there, but this beats anything with a smaller screen than it.
When it comes to controls, it’s hit and miss, but an improvement over the original Retro Pixel Pocket. The face buttons are light and clacky, and don’t have the awkward stiffness at the bottom of the membrane that my 2023 model has.
The D-pad has more pivot than the original, but also has its own set of issues. The surface of the RPP 2025 D-pad is a bit more slick than the original, and I’ve found it to be much more sensitive in diagonals than other handhelds. This is one that I would recommend opening up in order to tape mod.
Lastly are the shoulder buttons. Light to press, but also clicky. Despite only having L1 and R1 on the back, the volume dials on the sides of the device are programmed to be L2 and R2 if you press in on them. A smart little touch, but one I’d relegate to hotkeys specifically.
OS
As mentioned in the specs, the Retro Pixel Pocket runs off AmberElec for the RG351MP, but modified to run on this. What that means for you is that you have to stick with the firmware downloads on FunnyPlaying’s website for now, as updating the software in settings can mess up your device. There were a couple of users having that issue as well.
Otherwise, it runs perfectly fine as an operating system. Having a bunch of the features you’d expect, and with Wi-Fi, also opens the door for boxart scraping and Retro Achievements. One thing to note is that if you want a different theme, you’ll have to go out and find it yourself. A number of the built-in themes don’t work well as they’re set and stuck at 4:3, as they’re made for something like that. The 351MP. One theme I tried and liked was the MinUArk theme, which kept things nice and simple. Which is good, as there’s only one thing I really care about.
Pico-8 Experience
Pico-8 has an aspect ratio of 1:1 and runs at a resolution of 128×128. Alongside that, Wi-Fi is the most important tool to access Splore. Thanks to AmberElec, we can have native Pico-8, Wi-Fi, Splore, and quick access to launch via favoriting the tool and setting to open that menu first. The only downside is that the Retro Pixel Pocket’s 3.1” display isn’t an exact integer scale at 720×720, but at its size, that isn’t the biggest deal to me.
As for the actual experience, it’s exactly what I wanted. A compact, square-screened handheld that plays my Pico-8 backlog flawlessly. I can explore new carts, load through my Jim Gray curated collection, and play what I want, when I want. Is it as comfortable as an RG CubeXX? No. Is it as big a display as the RGB30? Also no. But everything works and works well.
My biggest complaint comes down to the D-pad. As my Celeste runs aren’t as good as they could be. But a D-pad swap and a tape mode later may be all I need to fix my only complaints with the experience. If you’re looking for some games to play, a few that I think are worth your time include Picolumia, Cosmic Collapse, and High Stakes. But I’m sure there’s a Pico-8 games article worth checking out as well.
Final Thoughts
It’s a $50 RK3326 handheld in 2025 (almost 2026). It’s a bit pricier than the competition, with a bit more jank than even some of the Game Console systems might bring. But the quality of life improvements make this one a hit for me.
If you want a 3326 and nothing else, grab an R36S or its 100+ clones. Find a used RG351V or a Powkiddy RGB10. If you want a square display, I’ve already mentioned a lot of competition, but Game Console also has a few to pick from, including the R46S and R36S Plus.
But if you want a single-purpose device, and are fine with making some compromises and mods, the FunnyPlaying Retro Pixel Pocket 2025 is one that I can actually recommend. It’s far from perfect, and it feels like it’s more of a 2023-2024 handheld. But it does what it needs to well, and I applaud it for that. And hey, it’s an RK3326, so your 8:7 games will run great too if you really want a modern Game Boy Color.
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