Retro Handhelds Weekly: Anbernic RG40XX, muOS Beans, and Much More

by | Jun 23, 2024 | Features, News | 2 comments

Retro Handhelds Weekly - Edition 1

Welcome to the first installment of Retro Handhelds Weekly! This is our first edition as we’re trying out different ways to keep everyone informed when it comes to the world of retro handhelds. Each week, we’ll take you through stories that made it to the front page of RH, stories that didn’t, and everything in between. This includes the likes of any new hardware announcements, and custom firmware releases, along with showcasing some of the other fun articles and videos that the Retro Handhelds team publishes throughout the week.

Hardware

If there’s one thing we know about retro handhelds, it’s that there is always something new around the corner. Seriously, it’s “worse” than smartphones, as some companies release new handhelds every other week. On the bright side, at least there’s no shortage of options.

Anbernic RG40XX

If you thought that Anbernic might want to take a step back for a bit, you’d be incorrect. Hot on the heels of the RG Cube arriving on doorsteps, a leaked video shows off yet another Anbernic handheld. This time, it’s being called the “Anbernic RG40XX,” and looks like a combination of the RG Cube and RG405M. Not much else is known just yet, but it’s expected to use the same Allwinner H700 chip as the RG35XX series.

Powkiddy V10

Powkiddy V10 Color Array

Powkiddy has been relatively quiet, with the exception of the RGB20SX. However, a little over a week after introducing the Powkiddy V10, there’s now an official landing page. We still can’t pre-order the V10 just yet, but the listing shows a retail price of $59.99, along with a sale price of $39.99.

Ayaneo Pocket MICRO

Ayaneo has been mostly focused on the launch of the Pocket S, but the company did give us a few stunning teasers of the Pocket MICRO. Although pricing has still yet to be revealed, there’s little denying that the Pocket MICRO could end up as a hot commodity once it’s officially released.

GameMT JellyMini E5

Sometimes we ask ourselves whether a company just asks ChatGPT to design a handheld, and then tries to make whatever it came up with. That’s exactly what our thought is with the GameMT JellyMini E5. It’s said to play up to PS1 and sports a 5-inch display. However, we just can’t help but wonder what they were thinking with the design.

OneXPlayer Mini

If you’re a fan of the OneXPlayer, but think it’s just too large, you’re in luck. The company recently announced the OneXPlayer Mini, a handheld sporting an 8.8-inch display with a 2560 x 1600 resolution and a 144Hz refresh rate. It’s powered by the AMD Ryzen 7 8840U and can be configured with up to 32GB of RAM and 2TB of storage. The IndieGogo campaign is currently live, and the X1 Mini is priced at $899 for the base model. However, once the campaign comes to a close, that price will jump up to $1,099, so you’ll definitely want to jump on the train now.

StoneEdge Retro Lite CM5

There’s a new Open Source project on the horizon, as the Retro Lite CM5 has been shown off. Instead of being a handheld that you can just purchase, the creators have provided a list of materials and instructions over at GitHub. It’s powered by the RK3588s and features a 5.5-inch touchscreen display, Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.2, and a USB-C port, complete with HDMI 2.1 and DisplayPort capabilities.

TJD T80

Some handhelds are just comical, and that’s where the TJD T80 comes in. This all-in-one Android handheld is said to include an 8-inch display, a 10,000mAh battery, and can be had for just $199. Although it might be tempting, this isn’t one that we’d recommend, especially at this price.

GameMT E6 Plus

Those who love the form factor of a Steam Deck, but want something a bit smaller, might want to check out the GameMT E6 Plus. Stubbs gave us a brief hands-on during the most recent podcast, and it seems like there’s definitely some potential.

Software and Custom Firmware

Don’t get me wrong, hardware is definitely fun and exciting to talk about. But what good is an awesome handheld if it doesn’t even work? That’s where software and custom firmware come into play, so here’s everything you might’ve missed this week.

muOS BEANS

muOS Beans on RG35XX SP

BEANS

The long-awaited muOS BEANS update has landed for the Anbernic RG35XX family of handhelds. Although things might look fairly tame on the surface, this couldn’t be further from the truth. There are a boatload of changes onboard, including support for both the RG35XX SP and RG28XX. If you want to learn more, hit the link below to check out our announcement post.

DesktopOS for H700 Handhelds

I’m not quite sure why nobody thought about this before, but there’s now a way to turn your Anbernic RG35XX handheld into an actual computer. It’s all powered by Linux anyway, but DesktopOS gives you a desktop environment. It’s still in early development, and you’ll definitely want to use a USB hub so you can connect it to a larger display along with connecting things like a mouse and keyboard.

Spruce for the Miyoo A30

One of the biggest complaints about the Miyoo A30 has been that the software experience is lackluster, to say the least. While we keep our fingers crossed for something like GarlicOS, Spruce is here to try and make things better. Basically, it’s just a slimmed-down version of the stock Miyoo firmware, but also includes a lot of fixes and optimizations. Maybe someday Miyoo will be able to get its act together, but thank goodness for the community.

OnionOS v. 4.3.1

Things have been fairly quiet on the Onion front, as the last update was released back in February. Thankfully, the project isn’t dead, as Onion version 4.3.1 is now available, bringing with it a slew of fixes. We also have a few new features, such as “improved GB, GBC, and GBA grid overlays,” and much more.

From the Writers

While there’s always a lot of news to cover and talk about, we also try to take a step back and give everyone something a bit different to enjoy. These are the more editorial-styled articles that you might have missed over the course of this week.

Animal Well: Better Than Well; It’s Great

Are you tired of the endless slog of AAA games with boring storylines? Or maybe you’re looking for a game you can get lost in. Jalanimal gives us his thoughts after playing Animal Well on the Steam Deck and its unique experience.

FAKE: The Powkiddy K56 Looks to Make a Splash

Powkiddy K56 Fake

For a brief moment, we had hope that the Powkiddy K56 was set to make a splash in the retro handheld space. However, it just wasn’t meant to be. Shortly after publishing our piece after the K56 appeared in a leaked product roadmap, Powkiddy confirmed that the K56 is not actually a device it is working on. It was fun while it lasted.

Nintendo Switch Direct Recap – June 2024

Despite already confirming that the Switch 2, or Super Switch, won’t be arriving this year, Nintendo hosted its most recent Direct Showcase. There were so many new games announced, including an all new Legend of Zelda game, remastered games, and even another teaser for the next Metroid game.

From the Abyss: Ban’s Bins 1

From the Abyss

From the Abyss

I don’t think I’ve ever seen someone go through waves of devices the same way that Ban does. While his list of devices continues to grow on an hourly basis, he took us through the first installment of “From the Abyss: Ban’s Bins”. Here, he details a few randomly selected retro handhelds, giving us his thoughts about whether they are still used, why he has them, and whether he recommends anyone else to get them.

muOS Setup Guide for Anbernic Handhelds

muOS setup guide

muOS setup guide

In what ended up being fortuitous timing, I published a muOS Setup Guide before the Beans update was even released. Zu and I walk you through all of the steps you need to take in order to get Beans running and configured on your compatible retro handheld.

On the YouTubes

Don’t think that the writers are the only ones getting things done. Stubbs and Zu are constantly working on new videos, and now’s the best time to subscribe, as you can win a custom RG35XX SP!

Retro Handhelds on YouTube

Win a Custom RG35XX SP!

 

RH Podcast ft. TeamPandory

Looking for Deals?

Retro Handhelds Deals of the Week 6-21

Another week, another set of deals to be had. However, our latest roundup includes things such as your last chance to get a discount on an Odin 2 Mini. We also have a roundup of the best deals to be had in the AliExpress Summer Sale.

What did you think of this article? Let us know in the comments below, and chat with us in our Discord!

This page may contain affiliate links, by purchasing something through a link, Retro Handhelds may earn a small commission on the sale at no additional cost to you.

2 Comments

  1. Yopichoi
    Yopichoi on June 24, 2024 at 11:33 am

    Good recap. Thanks!

    Reply
  2. Henri
    Henri on June 24, 2024 at 8:27 pm

    Awesome breakdown for the week, the space has a lot of exciting things going on and as a new comer it’s super exciting to see!

    Reply

Submit a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.