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 DS Pre-orders Open Ahead of December Release
The Anbernic RG DS is finally, and officially, available for pre-order from either Anbernic directly or AliExpress! It retails for $99, but for a limited time, you can save a few bucks and get one for either $93 or $96, depending on where you pre-order one from.
Anbernic RG DS (Direct)Anbernic RG DS (AliExpress)
Retroid Pocket 6 Gets Pulled, Redesigned, and Put Back Up for Pre-order
It’s been quite the week for Retroid, as pre-orders opened last Sunday for the company’s two latest handhelds. While the Pocket G2 launch seemed to have gone off without a hitch, the same can’t be said for the Pocket 6. After community backlash, Retroid crowdsourced a redesign, came to a final decision, and now, you can pre-order the handheld once again.
MagicX Enters The Clamshell Arena With The ‘One Flip 50’
As you’ve probably discovered, keeping track of MagicX’s product releases can be quite the challenge, especially in the wake of other, equally exciting launches. As soon as we attempted to break down the scattered 2025-2026 roadmap, the folks at MagicX released another render showing off a clamshell known as the One Flip 50.
More Hardware News
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.
No, There Isn’t a Keylogger on the AYN Thor
With the AYN Thor beginning to arrive in the hands of those who pre-ordered the device, this means that people are doing a bunch of deep-diving and exploring the software. One user on Reddit found evidence of a Keylogger being present on the Thor, only for the same app to also be present on the Retroid Pocket 5, Pocket Classic, and even the Odin 2 Portal.
Thankfully, Gamma was quick to offer a response after doing a bit of digging of his own, finding that it’s “NOT a keylogger.” But instead, it’s a “local MCU test-mode toggle that starts/stops showing/forwarding button/trigger events inside the device for diagnostics,” and there is “no internet/telemetry involved.”
Microsoft Begins Rolling Out Xbox Full-Screen Experience to MSI Claw
With the ASUS ROG Xbox Ally and Xbox Ally X having been released, the first two handhelds to feature Microsoft’s new Xbox Full Screen Experience, the company is now officially bringing it to more handhelds (via The Verge). Surprisingly, it’s not the brand new Lenovo Legion Go 2 that’s getting the update, but the MSI Claw lineup of handhelds, including the original MSI Claw from March of last year.
TimeSplitters Revamp Launches Nov. 23rd
More than a decade has passed since the beginning of the fan project TimeSplitters Rewind. Finally, the game will launch on November 23rd, 2025, as a free “greatest hits” compilation of the long-neglected console FPS series.
More Software News
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.
Miyoo Mini Flip: A Mini Successor?
The original Miyoo Mini came out in 2021. December to be precise, and it was one of my earliest “I really love this thing” handhelds. While its variations trickled out over the years, it was “upgraded” to the Miyoo Mini Plus in 2023. Larger in size, but worse off in comfort for me, I threw it aside three times and haven’t gone back to it since. Jump up to 2025 to its replacement with the Miyoo Flip, and we’re all disappointed in the build quality, the hinge, and the fact that some SD slots just died.
So what if it was smaller and ran Onion? Enter the Miyoo Mini Flip, and with my first impressions, I’m here to see if it could be the successor to my beloved Miyoo Mini collection.
AYN Thor First Impressions: Dual-Screen Mayhem Has Arrived
Four score and seven years ago, I pre-ordered my AYN Thor, just like many of us here in the Retro Handhelds community. After sitting at an airport for almost two fortnights, my Thor finally made its way across to this side of the world before arriving at my door earlier today.
Game of the Month: Never Nominated November Brings Fresh Faces
Sometimes in GotM, we see a selection of the same games get nominated over and over each month. Never Nominated November is the theme for GotM this month, and gives us an opportunity to break this cycle for a bit. All games that were nominated (including the three winners listed below) must have never been nominated for a GotM theme before
Retro Handhelds or DAPs: Best for Your Music?
In the modern day of tech, our phones are a “do everything and need nothing else” device. However, with the growing trend of cutting back on phone time, some people are doing the opposite. That’s why we’ve ended up with small retro handhelds to take with us; so we aren’t just gaming on our phones, too.
But what about music? If we want to pull away from using our phones for everything, could we put our music onto MP3 players or DAPs? Or can we just use our handhelds for that too?
PortMaster Roundup: October 16 – 31
The second half of October was even better than the first half for PortMaster fans. We saw a new “cyberpunk take on Pac-Man” with Resistor, an aptly-named “Halloween 3D” game, and that’s just a couple of the new free games. The Android version of Max Payne has been ported over to PortMaster and you can toss it onto your handheld of choice now!
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.
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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