If you’re any sort of follower on the RH Discord, you’ll know each month we get a brand new set of games for Game of the Month. Or every quarter if you’re more of an RPG kind of person. What you may not know though is that we also hold a Handheld of the Month as well. HOTM covers a handheld that seems to be extra worth talking about during that month, and is the talk of the town for mods and what you’re playing on it. April just so happens to be Miyoo Month. Covering both the Miyoo Mini and the Miyoo Mini Plus.
So I want to take a look back and see just how good the Miyoo Mini is today. And hopefully not be so late to the party with next month’s Handheld of the Month.
Hardware and Ergonomics
Being a device from 2021, I don’t want to bore you too much with the details. SigmaStar SSD202D, 128MB of RAM, replaceable 2000mAh battery (1900 on the V1). And the standard set of buttons. All behind a 2.8 inch 640×480 IPS display. If you had a V1-3. The V4 holds a slightly larger screen with a resolution of 750×560, so even more pixel-dense. Though now worse for scaling most games outside GBA. But what does that matter if it’s a bad handheld to use?
Well. It’s not ergonomic. It’s a pint-sized vertical device that most people attempt to cram in their two meaty palms. However, I find, that the Miyoo Mini is practically the best single-handed handheld that I’ve used. If you’re playing RPGs, or like me, trying to start and giving up on other RPGs, this is the device for you.
Oh by the way, here are some weights for you because the Miyoo Mini is such a lightweight device.
- RG Nano – 75 grams
- Miyoo Mini – 106 grams
- Miyoo Mini Plus – 163 grams
- RG35XX H – 184 grams
- RGB30 – 209 grams
Software
The stock operating system on the Miyoo Mini and Mini Plus is perfectly serviceable. It does what it needs to and does it fine. But what makes the Mini line is the custom firmware. And while there aren’t a lot, there are a few that I think deserve a mention.
First up is MinUI, and my personal favorite firmware for the Miyoo Mini. I run this one on my V2 and it does what it says on the tin. It makes things minimal. Simple lists, and simple setups, but also efficient for what I need. Its base only supports a few systems, namely Gameboy Advance, SNES, PS1, and Genesis. For my interests of course. But you can add on a few more via a bonus pack. For what I want out of a tiny handheld, this is the OS that I prefer to use.
In the completely other direction from MinUI comes OnionOS. One of the earlier choices for Miyoo users. Miusers? Whatever. This one brims with features, unlike MinUI. Everything up to an activity tracker, a random game selector, or just DS Emulation if you’re really feeling it. Power users are the target audience for this firmware. I used it for the longest time just to use their Ports catalog. And while beating VVVVVV was done entirely on a Miyoo Mini. I find it getting it a bit full when compared to the other options.
Onion is what I run on my V4 Miyoo Mini, especially with the extra support for the new resolution screen, but I’m not sure if I can ever leave the simplicity of MinUI behind.
Finally, I want to just give a mention over to Koriki. Not the biggest change to the Mini, however, it’s nice enough that I still want to discuss it. The big effect of Koriki is bringing the SimpleMenu frontend to the Miyoo Mini. To me that brings back memories as Adam, and SimpleMenu were staples for me on the Anbernic RG350M, but being in on the older handheld scene doesn’t make an operating system.
Koriki does what it needs to and does it better than the stock OS in my opinion. If it was my only choice I’d be happy to use it daily, but even though I don’t, I still will recommend it to anyone who is looking for a CFW change on their Mini.
Mods
When it comes to mods the Miyoo Mini series has that in spades. From brand-new buttons to upgraded speakers. There have been cosmetic upgrades for just about every part of the device. Want new buttons? Maybe a sticker for the front of your device? We always mentioned Sakura Retro Modding. Improved shoulder buttons? GetBetterButtons. You could get a hardshell case from YumeRetro, or parts from RetroGameEVO.
The Miyoo Mini’s weren’t just great in the operating system, but in the hardware customization as well. You could even dye some of the white shells if you were some insane roof pooper designer or something. Even the Miyoo Mini V2 I have has a blacked-out look thanks to some custom black buttons, thanks Jim Gray for selling that to me by the way. And I basically never customize my devices.
If you need more design combinations than a LEGO Creator set can give you, this is the handheld for you.
Final Words
If you haven’t had your chance to get your hands on a Miyoo Mini or a Miyoo Mini Plus, I’d highly recommend giving it a shot. With recent sales pushing the Plus well below $50, it’s the best option for a beginner and a device that, ergonomics aside, is a really well-rounded handheld.
For me personally, I’ll keep my hands on my Minis, but you can’t go wrong at either size. It’s easy to see why the Miyoo Minis earned Handheld of the Month for April, given its capabilities. Hopefully, though, we’ll be able to talk about May’s HOTM a lot sooner.
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