During a livestream of the Retro Handhelds podcast, James Dewitz, a photographer and developer focused on Powkiddy devices, shared the news that the company may be preparing to release a new, updated version of their V90.

Powkiddy has a somewhat noble history in the retro handheld world. Despite the influx of companies releasing their own budget handhelds recently, there can only be one king of the trash heap.

Powkiddy’s Powhistory

The V90 can still look nice | Image: Jdewitz / Retro Handheld Collection

Early on, Powkiddy had gained a stigma for being “ultra-budget” when compared to other options. Devices would have cheaper plastics, feel flimsy and light, and for the most part, go unnoticed unless they did something different. The V90 did something different, but the other issues still befell the device.

All things considered, the V90 was notable for its design and ultimately giving gamers a first look into the clamshell design and how different emulators would feel when using the form factor. But, it sadly still featured bad plastics, creaky hinges, less-than-ideal buttons, and poor software.

The Powkiddy RGB30 and V10 helped the brand develop some form of identity in spaces that would otherwise be entirely overlooked. The RGB30 is the cheapest option when it comes to 1:1 aspect ratio handhelds, and the V10’s chunky design offers a small footprint and 2x integer scaling on GBA titles.

Over the years, Powkiddy has been slowly improving the build quality of each of its releases. Not retroactively, but as new products are released, the core feeling slowly increases.

A few months back, the company released the ambitious cyberpunk RGB20 Pro, and just last month they dropped their new Star Wars-yearning V20. Their newest handheld, the Powkiddy X35H looks nearly identical to the recently released MagicX Zero 28.

A V90 Refresh is on the Horizon

If a V90 refresh is on its way, the company would be maximizing the opportunity to join the frontlines alongside other new SP-inspired clamshell devices like the Miyoo Flip and Anbernic RG35XX SP.

The Render Reveal

Shortly after dropping the news live during our podcast, James took to our Discord to show renders of the supposed device. Be warned, however, that these renders may differ heavily from the final product and some colors shown may not ever be available.

Looking at the renders, it does appear Powkiddy is using the materials we see in newer releases; more solid buttons, and a nicer hinge, but again — these are just renders.

Retro handhelds and the world around them have been moving at an astronomical pace these past few days. Major announcements, releases, developments, and products are all coming in faster than ever. Based on that, it’s no surprise Powkiddy would want to get in on the action too.

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