The search for the elusive diamond handheld in the budget rough can occasionally yield some surprising results. Devices like the BatleXP G350 or R36S offer a gateway to emulation at a budget price. Finding these gems, though, often means slogging through a slew of copycat competitors, where there’s often more chaff than wheat.
Enter the Game console (note the lowercase-c) R350S. A device that looks to be attempting to take a bite out of the Anbernic RG35XX or Miyoo Mini+ markets. But is there still room for such a device in the 2025 handheld emulation landscape?
350S (L) vs RG35XX (R)
In short, maybe. There’s enough on offer here to make it a decent argument for a starter handheld, but if, and only if, it can be had for the right price.
Game console R350S: Specs
Board view of the R350S
The VT569B chip is the same one that was in the SZDiier D-R35Plus, a device that I reviewed last year, and marked as a deceitful copycat. The chip was apparently originally for VR applications, but has been repurposed for these handhelds. If I were a betting man, I’d lay money on the fact that this R350S is coming out of the same shop, regardless of what company name the device is badged with.
They’ve extracted a lot of power out of a chip that’s less capable than even the RK3326
The circuit board on the R350S is marked 11/24, and I wouldn’t be shocked if this is the same internals as the D-R35Plus.
- Display: 3.5-inch IPS; 640×480
- Processor: VT569B
- RAM: 1GB
- Storage: 64GB microSD card (Maximum 128GB per AliExpress)
- Battery: 3.7V 2,000mAh
- Charging: 5V-5W USB-A to USB-C charging.
- Headphone Jack
- Wi-Fi: None
- Software: Custom Linux (Locked down)
- Dimensions: Length 11.7cm;width 8.1cm;height 2.2cm
- Weight: 158g
Design & Ergonomics
The Game console R350S feels solid. The device has a decent weight in the hand, and the plastic shell has a thick and sturdy feel to it – certainly on par with something like the RG35XX shell.
The handheld’s design is simplistic because that’s all it really needs to be. Without getting into silly additions like a soccer ball button or other pieces of external flair, the R350S has everything you need to get gaming.
I don’t mind a switch
Using a physical On/Off switch is a welcome addition. These only ever seem to show up on cheaper devices, but I do tend to like them. I rather like having a physical switch vs a power button, but that, of course, means that the R350S doesn’t really do standby out of the box.
Controls
Simple and effective
The controls on the R350S are simple, but they should make an impression. I found the device controls to be on par with offerings from Anbernic. This is a high compliment in the clone console world, where buttons and sticks often seem to be afterthoughts or whatever the manufacturers could source at the moment.
The smooth dome-style face buttons are a pleasure to use. There is a good amount of travel on the buttons when pressed, but not too much. These buttons are essentially “just right” for a device of this design and size.
I’m fine with only having two in this instance
The D-pad on R350S is a smidge loose for my liking, but it offers an overall decent experience. False inputs didn’t seem to be an issue during my play tests, and I was able to run the first level of Contra, aiming in all the correct directions as intended. The difference in feel between the R350S pad and that of the RG35XX is slight, but enough that I can comfortably say I do prefer the Anbernic version. The Game console version is just a tad floaty, but both will certainly get you where you need to go.
The R350S only has a single set of L/R shoulder buttons. This is an unusual choice given the devices it’s borrowing from, but given the fact that the vast majority of titles intended to be played on the handheld will never need L2/R2, it’s an understandable one. You just might be a bit limited in your choices for PSX games.
The placement of the shoulders makes them the perfect resting place for your index fingers when holding the handheld, and there was never really a time during my testing that I wished for the inclusion of additional shoulders. It’s actually kind of nice to play the original Mario Kart on SNES and never fumble over which shoulder is hop (I’m old, leave me alone).
Software & Gameplay Experience
Firmware and OS are what can take a handheld from OK to great. A lackluster stock experience can be greatly improved with some community CFW. The fact that many clone console makers have defaulted to community creations like ArkOS, speaks volumes.
The menu looks fine enough
The stock OS on the R350S is not the usual EmuElec fork we see in so many other clone consoles. It appears to be a custom ROM from the manufacturers made to resemble the menu styles of more popular offerings.
Why
The selection of games on offer with the stock card is a truly confusing and random bunch. There seems to be an effort to offer both the USA and JPN versions of many of the included ROMs. And the ROMs are, of course, arranged in the dreaded 0001, 0002, etc, nonsense format. It makes browsing through the included titles a total chore. The SNES, for example, has 1355 included titles in no discernible order. They’re just numbered and slapped in there.
There is an included search function if you don’t mind typing things out from a D-pad, but I find the entire experience to be unnecessarily frustrating.
Gaming
That’s all the options you get
Gameplay itself is perfectly fine. I did notice some slight hiccups on certain PSX titles like Blade (random inclusion, right?), but I really have no complaints about the gameplay experience for the vast majority of supported systems on the console. I will say that I thought the handheld shone brightest when it was emulating games from the GB/GBC/NES era. They all feel very at home on this device.
The included ROMs play exactly as you hope they would. I did notice that some demanding titles like Yoshi’s Island on SNES were omitted from the lineup. Whether this is due to performance concerns is anyone’s guess, but I’d imagine I’m not too far off the mark.
Pretty shameless
Options menus are extremely limited. Users can change the menu language, brightness, and volume. That’s the extent of user options. To the best I could tell, there was no way to even turn off the horrible menu music and navigation sounds. However, you might feel about Anbernic’s stock OS, at least it gives you options.
If (and it’s a big if with this, I’d imagine) there is enough interest in the R350S within the community, there might be some sort of CFW package supported for the handheld, but I won’t be holding my breath. Thankfully, the stock OS does allow for six save state slots for each ROM, even if other options are limited.
Powering the R350S on without the included SD card boots up a Super Mario Bros clone called Super Boy. Whether this means the OS is entirely contained and booted from the SD card, and thus makes the device suitable for booting CFW, is better left to someone smarter than me. It was fun to see what happened, though.
Game Console R350S: Worth Your Bucks?
A worthy challenger?
The R350S set me back $28.83 back in August on AliExpress. That is about the max threshold that I’d be willing to pay for this device, and even then, I think it may be a little high. If they could get this handheld down to the $20 range, I think there would be a solid argument for its continued existence.
Given the volatility of the current market, it looks like the R350S is currently priced in the $35-$45 range. At that price, I cannot recommend anything about the R350S. It simply disqualifies itself when you’d be making quite a few concessions compared to similarly priced competitors in the market.
Browse sales for an RK3326 or H700 device at a similar or lower price. Both of those chipsets offer more in the way of performance over the VT569B. Something like the R36XX is more powerful, costs roughly the same as the R350S, and gives you the addition of CFW and Wi-Fi.
While the R350S shines in its simple, but effective design and controls, its weaker processor and lack of options in a locked-down OS mean that it doesn’t really fill a need for most handheld users in 2025. There are other devices doing more with less. If you’re someone with a robust collection looking for a device with great controls to round out a missing corner of your collection, then go for it. For the majority of the gaming masses, though, there are better ways to play elsewhere, and for less.
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