It’s extraordinarily yellow.
by Joe
I have a confession. I think Powkiddy is good now. And by good, I mean that they are putting out consistently above-…decent handhelds that don’t look suspiciously like they were generated by AI and sent to manufacturing plans with specific directions to “Do dis plz”. Well, besides the infamous RGB20 “Pro”.
They are doing exactly what one would expect of someone trying to sell more products: Take what works and improve the product. In this specific instance, spoiler, the RGB10X is an amalgamation of JUST things that “work” and put into a $40 package and sold to nonexistent fanfare. But I’ve noticed it. I bought it. And I have some things to say about it because I think that this yellow bastard is the most beautifully boring handheld that Powkiddy has ever put out, and that’s a good thing.
What is it?
As pointed out previously, nothing in this handheld is new. In fact, you can distill this dummy down to the components of 3 handhelds: The processor and weird +/- buttons a la the V10, the face and shoulder buttons of the RGB30, and the original RGB10’s console layout. Spectacularly…average. The buttons have the same satisfying, easy-to-press, and quiet face buttons.
The L&R buttons, Select/Start, Plus, and Minus buttons are fairly clicky, but no sins are committed here. The true star of the show here is the ergonomics and how it all comes together with a curved shape that just sits nicely in the hands and feels natural. Like a console from 2020, but good.
At first glance, we have a single mono speaker. At second glance, there are two speaker holes on the bottom sides for actual stereo audio. Okay so maybe they do still use AI. Anyways, we have two microSD card slots, a headphone jack (notably missing from the ~$250 Ayaneo Pocket Micro), volume buttons (notably missing from the V10), and a cute 3.5” 480p screen (notably present on anything in this price range.)
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- Sunny car rides are nifty
Yep, it’s the same good ole RK3326 from the roaring 2020s and ArkOS pre-flashed with everything except Mario (RIP) preloaded on the SD card. Thanks…I guess? For performance, expect good performance for everything up to PS1 and…maybe not bother with anything else. I mean it, it’s just $40. Play to its strengths and don’t play into the hubris of tweaking your favorite N64 titles to gain another 3 frames. It’s a futile effort and will result in your tears.
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- Ok, ew.
The screen? I’m glad to report that it’s… good! The colors are accurate, but the brightness of the screen is worth noting. In a sunny and exciting car ride, I was able to play some Earthbound without waiting for a tunnel to see it. I’d estimate about 300-350 nits or so. And of the bane of my existence? No screen bleed. Chef’s kiss.
Beautifully Boring
The 10Xs baby brother, the V10
In my V10 review, I noted that boring can be good sometimes and that a comfortable, utilitarian device won’t distract you from the 1 thing it’s actually meant to do: Play games. And this console is even more boring than that. There’s nothing here really to give feedback on or meaningfully complain about that doesn’t have me going “Well, it’s $40”.
And for the asking cost, the handheld does the most right against its contenders having a better out-of-the-box experience and D-Pad than the Miyoo A30 and Mini Plus, IMO better buttons and ergonomics than the RG35XXH, a brighter and better screen than the Powkiddy’s own V10. I would even go as far as to say I like holding it slightly more than the RGB30, which the harsh angles kind of dug into my hand after a while. Also, did I mention it’s yellow? Sure there’s a SNES and black translucent variant, but this one is yellow. 10/10.
RGB10X – Photo by Anvu D. Bui
In all honesty though, If you are new to this hobby and are looking for a yellow brick of your own, this is well worth the $40 you will drop on it. Granted…you might need to add your own Mario. Or learn to live in a world without Mario, where the Princess will have to learn to love her turtle-ous captor with no hope of rescue.
For experienced users, sometimes simpler is better, because the package here is very solid for what you get. LET ALONE the fact this guy will get sold for peanuts on AliExpress. So there’s that.
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