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.
KTR1 S Revealed In New Photos
In a post shared on his X account, Retro Gaming with Deadfred has revealed the KTR1 S, a revised take on the 2022 handheld that swaps out the aging MediaTek Helio G99 for a Dimensity 7300 and doubles down on user choice. Pre-orders are rumored to start soon and it appears to be available in at least three colorways.
The GameMT EX5 is Coming Soon, Complete With a Performance Dial
If you stop paying attention for just a minute, you’re likely to miss something in this space. Such is the case with the GameMT EX5, which broke cover in a teaser video posted to the Roybeila YouTube channel.
Mangmi Pocket Max Could Be a Bigger, More Powerful Air X
Well, would you look at that. Seems that Mangmi isn’t trying to be a one-hit wonder. Following the success of the Mangmi Air X in the sub-$100 market, the company has decided to come back out and announce its next big handheld. Or at least what we assume will be a larger handheld.
AYANEO Pocket Play Revealed: A Modern Twist on the Xperia Play
I guess AYANEO wasn’t ready to let the year come to an end without giving us at least one more thing to (hopefully) look forward in 2026. After first teasing it months ago, the company has released the first teaser trailer for the AYANEO Pocket Play. Once released, this will be AYANEO’s first attempt at releasing a smartphone, putting a modern twist on the Xperia Play.
Abxylute E1 Is a $69 Handheld That Looks Suspiciously Familiar
Abxylute has been on a roll in 2025, with devices like the Abxylute One Pro, 3D One, and the M4 Controller. However, the company has one more surprise in store for everyone before we start the new year, as the Abxylute E1 has arrived. But if you take a closer look, it sure seems like we’ve seen something similar already.
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.
Long-Lost NES Game Xcavator Announced At Day Of The Devs
Legendary boutique publisher iam8bit officially launched preorders for Xcavator 2025, a newly completed release of Chris Oberth’s long-lost NES puzzle game, at today’s Day Of The Devs event. The $100 package includes a classic gray NES cartridge and a 14-page manual from the Video Game History Foundation that details Oberth’s career and the game’s long road from unreleased prototype to finished product, with all profits after manufacturing costs going directly to the foundation to fund game preservation and archival work.
Oblast Elevates Classic Blasto Gameplay on Commodore 64
Vintage computing enthusiast Cameron Kaiser has released Oblast, a sophisticated reimagining of the 1978 Gremlin arcade game Blasto for the Commodore 64. The free game dramatically expands upon its predecessor’s simple maze-and-mine formula while working within the beloved platform’s hardware constraints.
CATii Frontend Announced, Immediately Declares War On iiSU
A new Android emulation project called CATii has been announced for dual-screen handheld devices, but its launch announcement quickly drew controversy after the developer criticized a competitor for allegedly using AI-generated code, only to face immediate accusations of doing the same.
GammaOS Next Comes to Anbernic RG476H, RG Slide, and Others
I thought getting GammaOS Next on the Anbernic RG DS was Gamma’s Christmas surprise to the community. It turns out, that was just the appetizer, as Gamma has been on an absolute tear, releasing Next for a slew of Anbernic’s Android handhelds.
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.
Mangmi Air X Review: A Budget Banger
The $50-$100 market range has always been an alluring one. A segment that could offer solid value per dollar in a device that doesn’t feel broken out of the box, minus some. For a while, we stared at PS1 and Rockchip RK3326 handhelds.
Those dropped in price, and then the RK3566 came around to eventually be replaced with Anbernic’s onslaught of H700s. But here in 2025, we’re seeing a collection of really good devices in that price range with a variety of SoCs.
AYN Odin 2: Two Years Later
In the fall of 2023, AYN decided to make a comeback and rock the boat in the process. The Odin 2 was going to be one of the most powerful handhelds on the market, with a starting price of just $299. But if you wanted more storage or RAM, they still had options for that.
Game Console R36H ProMax Review: Is Good Enough Still Good Enough?
Fresh off my review of the Game Console 40XXV, another clone has appeared in the mailbox. The constant flow of copycat clone devices flooding the emulation scene makes for troublesome writing.
How much more can I possibly say about the RK3326 chipset at this point? Is there really anything left to tweak in the budget space with this hardware setup? Well, those questions might not have definitive answers, but the devices keep on coming anyway.
Game Over: Goodbye DVD Gaming, We Hardly Nuon
At the dawn of the new millennium, several companies all independently asked the same question: “What if your DVD player could also play video games?” Most companies wisely kept the idea hypothetical; VM Labs went all in.
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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