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Check out our thoughts on the latest retro handhelds, and retrospectives on ones we still can’t put down.
The Latest
5 Games We Wish We Could Try the Food In
Here in the U.S., we are reaching Thanksgiving. It is a holiday to be thankful for what we have, but also to enjoy eating delicious food with your loved ones. Do you ever wish you could experience living in a game world? What if just to eat the cuisine? I have and I...
Anbernic’s 11.11 Handheld Deals Come Early
It's that time of the year. No, not the time for cookies and eggnog. It's shopping season! This is when all of the best deals of the year take place, saving you buckets of cash on some new retro handhelds. Now that the AliExpress Choice Sale is out of the way,...
Why I Bought a Switch Lite in 2024
It's because it was the gold one. - Joe, who is fiscally irresponsible Just when we thought Nintendo was going to take the aged, nearly decade old, Switch to the vet to be dropped off at the farm on the countryside, it surprised us with another 2 years of problematic...
Save Time with This Easy Hack to Install Batocera on Your Retroid Pocket 5!
Much like a sizable portion of the Retro Handheld community, my gateway was the Retro Game Corps channel. One thing I noticed, both on Russ’ recent video showcasing Linux on the RP Mini and in our own Team Retrogue’s written guide, is the expectations are that the...
Best Handhelds Under $50: Late 2024
Fifty Dollars; you could buy a lot with that. You could grab an 8BitDo Ultimate controller, a copy of Sonic X Shadow: Generations, or even 25 Cheesy Bean and Rice burritos from Taco Bell. Wait — didn’t I do this before? The answer is yes. In October 2023 I shared a...
Really Rad Weekend 2024 Recap
Gaming conventions have become a weirdly regular part of my life over the last decade or more. I was first introduced to them through the mega-event that is MAGfest in Washington D.C. I quickly began seeking out other conventions across the country. When offered the...
Retro Handhelds Weekly: More Retroid Pocket 5, Emulators Galore, and Much More!
Welcome to the latest edition of Retro Handhelds Weekly. This week saw a bunch of news in both 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,...
Buying Guide: Anbernic RG Cube vs. RG CubeXX?
The new RG CubeXX has split some hairs in the community. There is one camp who is tired of the XX product line and then there is another camp who is excited as they thought the RG Cube was too powerful/expensive. I am in the camp of I like choice and no one is making...
RP5 and RP Mini: Batocera and ROCKNIX Linux Install Guide
Greetings friends and fellow enthusiasts! This is Mikhailov from Team Retrogue, where we like retro games and the devices that bring them to us. The Retroid Pocket Mini is here, and the Retroid Pocket 5 is on the horizon. While these Snapdragon devices run Android,...
GotX: Never Nominated November Games Arrive!
It is November and hopefully, you are ready to gobble up some new GotM games! Fall leaves, good food, family, and your favorite video game book club on your favorite handheld. I don't know what else could be better. Never Nominated was the theme voted for by our...
How to Use ROM Hacks
A good portion of ROM hacks are made using tools made by other retro community members. These tools aim to simplify the process involved in editing palettes, changing text, or simply moving things around. These tools are making it easier for your average person to...
It’s Almost 2025 and I’m Collecting Pokemon Cards Again
Let's take a stroll down memory lane, shall we? It's the mid-90s, Super Mario 64 was breaking records, Mario Kart 64 was ruining friendships, and times were much simpler. As we neared the start of the new millennia, our parents were worried about the Y2K bug, but we...
The Games I Actually Play: PortMaster
You’ve got your PortMaster handheld. You’ve got it all set up with your favorite OS. Whether that’s ArkOS, Crossmix, or Rocknix; it’s running and you can get your game fix in now. But when you boot up PortMaster and look through games you realize there’s a lot that...
Anbernic “XX” Handheld Starter Guide
Greetings friends and fellow enthusiasts! This is Mikhailov from Team Retrogue, where we like retro games and the devices that bring them to us. I'm a fan of Anbernic's "XX" family of devices. The devices receive some amazing support from community developers and...
LaunchBox for Android: The Best-Kept Secret in Retro Gaming?
For anyone who isn't already familiar, LaunchBox is an emulation frontend developed by Unbroken Software. For years, I used LaunchBox as my preferred frontend for my homemade arcade cabinet running on a Windows PC. Since the handheld emulation wave that was the COVID...
Retro Handhelds Weekly: Anbernic’s Not Done Yet, RP5 Delayed, and More!
Welcome to the latest edition of Retro Handhelds Weekly. This week saw a bunch of news in both 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,...
Is the Panic Playdate Worth it in 2024?
I was so excited to buy the Panic Playdate. It was a device that I really looked at with such envy when someone posted it. The innovative crank, the indie games, the bright yellow color, this device had it all. After taking the plunge on one, did it hold the test of...
Retroid Pocket Mini: An Excessively Candid Look
Click clack, Retroid is Back by Joe It's that time of the year again. Retroid has once again bequeathed to us, from underneath a pile of H700 devices and putrid e-waste, a shining beacon of hope to the future of this niche within a niche in the form of a true...
Did Anbernic Make the BEST Budget Controller? RG P01 Review
Anbernic winded up and threw a curveball with one of their recent announcements. They decided to get into the controller game. As a company that makes many, many handhelds, it only makes sense. I mean, they are already making handheld controls, now they don't have to...
Anbernic RG CubeXX Review: This Actually Makes Sense
How do you start reviewing something that's basically the same as everything else a company has released, just in a different form factor? Frankly, I couldn't tell ya. I'm just rambling a bit, waiting for the writer's block to pass. Actually, hang on a second. let me...
How to Setup Obtainium on Android
Obtainium is an app that allows users to update and track apps distributed via GitHub, official websites, and other non-Play Store locations. This is an incredibly useful tool for retro handhelds running Android since a good portion of suggested apps and emulators are...
Building a Budget Customised PSP Go ‘BigBoi’
When I first discovered Retro Handhelds, one of the first questions I ever asked was “Can I play Final Fantasy Tactics: The Lions War on a pocket-sized handheld”. Considering this was back in the days of the RG351P, the answer always came back, “Just Buy a PSP Go”. So...
Game Console R46S First Impressions: A Solid 1:1 Budget Contender
The Powkiddy RGB30 showed us all how much fun a budget 1:1 device could be. It offered up a great experience to enjoy emulation systems that serve up alternate aspect adventures. Most users agreed that while the system was undoubtedly imperfect (I'll never know how...
Retro Handhelds Weekly: RP Mini Snafu, Nintendo’s Surprise, and More!
Welcome to the latest edition of Retro Handhelds Weekly. This week saw a bunch of news in both 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,...
Frightful Five: The Scariest Nintendo DS Games to Play This Halloween
When the Nintendo DS was first released, I considered it a "console for kids". I was in middle school and moving away from Nintendo. The PSP was released around that same time and thought that seemed way more mature and cool. Now, I love the DS and bummed I didn't...
AYN Odin 2 Portal: Everything You Need To Know
Just as the weekly Retro Handhelds Podcast was kicking off, AYN dropped a massive surprise as the company announced the Odin 2 Portal handheld. This one came out of left field, as things have been pretty quiet in the AYN camp ever since the Odin 2 Mini was announced....
First Impressions: The Anbernic RG CubeXX
If you’re like many normal folks, the fatigue of Anbernic releasing handheld after handheld with the same chip might have set in already. However, if you’ve got problems like me, you’ve been sitting through the slog of waiting for the best H700 handheld. The 1:1. ...
My Pocketable Handhelds and How I Keep Them Safe
While crowning the original Miyoo Mini as the best handheld of 2022, Bob Wulff told his audience that "the best emulator is the one you have on you right now." While that quote didn't totally revolutionize the way I thought about handhelds, it did contribute to me...
Memo S3 Tablet Controller: A Brief Review
Telescopic controllers didn’t used to be a thing I’d be too interested in. I didn’t want my phone to give notifications that would distract me from the game. But I also didn’t want to turn on Do Not Disturb and miss an important call. However, when I got an Alldocube...
TrimUI Smart Pro Setup Guide
So you've shopped around and wisely decided that the TrimUI Smart Pro is the budget device for you, now what? The Smart Pro arrived in 2022 and has maintained a loyal fan base ever since. Multiple CFW options along with some very nice hardware and design choices make...