I don’t know what started me down this dark path of clone handhelds, but they certainly fascinate me. I love the idea that enterprising little shops are throwing their hat in the ring. Making attempts to differentiate themselves just enough to stand out from the countless other RK3326 clones floating around out there.
The Game console (That’s a lowercase c, so who knows who actually makes this one) L35 is the latest in the hobby to do just that. It made me stop and pause my normal Ali recommendation scrolling, and go back to check out what looked like the grown-up brother of the TrimUI Brick. I realize it borrows a great deal from the Analogue Pocket as well, but I don’t have one of those fancy FPGAs, so just let me go with it.
No. No goal.
The Brick has made a name for itself in the emulation community for being a decent little package and good price, and with plenty of awesome pixel density jammed into a small screen. So does this budget (~$30) starter clone match up to its design inspiration in more than just first appearances? Let’s break it down and have a look.
Game console L35 Specs
L35 Internals. A standard RK3326 Emuelec Clone
Listings for the L35 show it as an “Open Source Console”. It’s hard to be sure who the manufacturer is in this space where at least a few companies are using some variation of “game console” to label their handhelds.
- Screen: 3.5-inch, 640×480, LCD Display
- Chipset: RockChip RK3326
- RAM: 1GB
- Connectivity: 2x microSD, 2x USB-C, 3.5mm Audio Jack
- OS: ArkOS 2.0
- USB-C: Charging + Data port function, NO Video Out
- Wifi: N/A
- Sound: Front-firing stereo speakers
- Battery: 3000mAh
- Weight: 182G (per my postal scale)
- Dimensions: 5.3 x 3.25 x 0.75 inches
It arrived in a plain white box with no markings at all. The only indication of its possible place of origin is a crooked sticker on the rear of the device. The brand name listed on the AliExpress specs is “WDSZKMYF“. Really rolls off the tongue, doesn’t it?
Game console L35 at AliExpress
Controls and Ergonomics
The Shell
Don’t put your handhelds in the snow
The exterior of the L35 has a nice feel to it. It’s a larger TrimUI Brick for sure. Side by side, the TrimUI device has a very similar feel to the L35, and while I don’t think it’s punching too far out of its weight class, it has a more premium feel to some of the other clones floating out there.
Some decent textured gripping on the back of the handheld – and a crooked Game console (lowercase!) sticker
There’s some nice textured gripping on the rear of the device, and I had no problems with comfort over an extended play session. There’s nothing revolutionary on offer here, but if you’re comfortable with most vertical designs in this form factor, you shouldn’t find much to complain about with the L35 shell design.
Buttons and Sticks
The inputs on the L35 (ignoring the D-pad for a moment) are fine. The main face buttons are again reminiscent of the TrimUI Brick, but with perhaps a little more travel than was seen on the original handheld. They’re reasonably quiet, and the same can be said for the R36S-style triggers on the back.
Decent buttons
Analog sticks are the same same we know from every one of these clone devices. Entirely serviceable, though getting a bit long in the tooth.
D-Pad From Hell
What were they thinking?! That’s my only response after trying the D-pad. At first, I thought maybe I’d received a defective unit, but some quick poking around the RH Discord confirmed that I was not alone. The D-pad on the L35 actually presses all the way in as a button from the center. Imagine the L3/R3 stick buttons of modern console controls, but on a D-pad. Why? I have absolutely no idea, but it’s horrendous.
There is no way to functionally use this D-pad for any extended length without becoming extremely frustrated. The amount of force that needs to be applied to press in the D-pad isn’t much at all, so you’ll find yourself playing an NES game like Mega Man or anything that requires any level of platforming precision, and you’re screwed. You will not be able to stop pressing down the D-pad, and when it’s pressed, you’re pretty much stopped from continuing with any additional directional inputs.
It looks innocent enough, but it sucks.
The thought that this was done as a conscious design decision blows my mind. Tell me it was a missed step in assembly or something, and apologize. I’d be cool with that. Stuff happens in this wacky clone world. The idea that someone actually approved this design as-is, though, is beyond me. It’s that bad.
Software and Display
The Game console L35 comes loaded with the EmuElec firmware that has come to define the clone R36’s from what is considered the “real version”. Unfortunately, it makes for a lesser experience across the board. While I’m sure there may be community support in the future, the stock experience on offer here isn’t up to snuff with something like ArkOS 2.0.
EmuElec Menus
The screen on the L35 is something of a disappointment. The coolest part about the TrimUI Brick was that while it had a small screen in terms of inches, it packed a hell of a lot of pixel density into that tiny display. The screen on the L35 is just your standard R36 panel (I won’t claim to know which revision it might be).
And like I’ve written recently about devices like the R40XX, there needs to be more on offer than just slightly different design options from the other clone maker. If you want to actually stand out in the budget space, you’re going to have to start offering folks features that they can’t get from the other guys.
A slight notch up on the display might have garnered some goodwill where there isn’t much to give otherwise. Oh well. At least they aren’t wasting a nice screen on terrible controls.
TLDR
Don’t do what I did and be tempted by the L35 as a larger cousin of the TrimUI Brick. It isn’t that, and it isn’t even good enough to stand with the normal front-runners of the clone universe. The D-pad on the L35 is an absolute game breaker for me (literally!). If I can’t be comfortable using the base function movement control of the device, what am I even doing here? There are just too many other capable handhelds out there for me to say that this is worth your hard-earned money, even at ~$30.
At least it looks nice sitting there
There are a ton of better devices at that price point that I’d easily recommend over the L35. The R36XX has been criminally overlooked in the wave of me-too devices, and it outshines this imitator in every way possible. Go get that if you want something to start with. Avoid this one at all costs.
Game console L35 at AliExpress
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