The latest edition of Retro Handhelds Weekly has landed. There wasn’t too much on the news front, as much of it focused on the new Anbernic RG Cube. However, we also learned more about a few other upcoming handhelds, along with all of the wonderful articles and videos from the RH team.
CONGRATS TO RETRO TECH DAD
👀🤯50,000 SUBS! Thank you! 🙏🤗https://t.co/tPEJHVXzLP pic.twitter.com/6aiMQnAZ0n
— Retro Tech Dad (@RetroTechDadYT) June 29, 2024
Before we dive into the news of the week, we wanted to take a moment to congratulate THE Retro Tech Dad. He just surpassed 50,000 subscribers on YouTube, just an incredible achievement. Here’s to the next 50,000 and beyond!
GotX: Goodbye July Games Announced!
If you’re new around here, we have a few different ways to keep our community active. One of which is through the GotX program, where games are voted on every month. Seeing as the calendar has flipped into July, new games for the month have been picked, and that includes our RPG of the Quarter. If you want to learn more about how you can participate, check out Jalanimal’s article.
- Pre ’96: Crystalis
- ’99-99: Beetle Adventure Racing
- 00+: Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective
- RPGOTQ: Final Fantasy X
Hardware of the Month: Anbernic RG Cube
Another way we try to keep things fresh around the RH Community is with “Handheld of the Month.” Last month saw the Anbernic RG35XX SP take an unsurprising win, but July’s HHOTM came down to the Anbernic RG Cube and the Nintendo DS. In fact, both devices were tied with the same amount of votes. But, good ole’ Stubbs came in to give us at least a month of reprieve from clamshell handhelds, making the RG Cube the winner!
Hardware and Accessories
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.
ZPG A1 Unicorn
A1 Unicorn in for review! G99 with 6gb ram, priced less than RG Cube. Arriving on ZPG’s AliExpress store shortly.
Love the feel, screen, and sticks. Face buttons remind me of the GKD Pixel (kind of hybrid quiet clicky), and we’ll see how that floating dpad performs. Videos soon! pic.twitter.com/CoIM8J7KUM
— Retro Handhelds (@RetroHandhelds) June 29, 2024
While the RGB30 has turned into a fan favorite with its 1:1 screen, more competitors are arriving. The ZPG A1 Unicorn was announced back in November, but we’re getting close to launch. And now, Stubbs has received his review unit, so be sure to stay tuned!
Anbernic RG40XX H
Just a few days after the Anbernic RG40XX H leaked, Anbernic officially announced its latest retro handheld. It kind of looks like a smaller version of the TrimUI Smart Pro, sporting a 4-inch IPS display. It’s also powered by the same Allwinner H700 SoC that’s found in RG35XX family of devices. We’re still waiting on pricing and availability.
Powkiddy V10
Powkiddy is ready to launch a new device of its own with the V10. This looks to challenge the Miyoo Mini Plus with its 3.5-inch screen and is capable of running your favorite GBA games at perfect 2x scaling. Pre-orders are now live, with the price set at $40.
Odin 2 Mini Begins to Ship
The Odin 2 Mini is one of the most highly-anticipated handhelds of the year. It’s essentially the PS Vita 2 that we’ve always wanted while integrating everything that we love about last year’s Odin 2. If you pre-ordered one for yourself, you might want to check your emails as AYN is starting to send out shipping notifications.
Wireless Horipad for Steam
Hori just announced the “Wireless Horipad for Steam”. It has capacitive sticks for gyro gaming, but unfortunately no trackpads. https://t.co/0dsy4OV8NE pic.twitter.com/DSeklBQacR
— Fan The Deck (@fanthedeck) June 26, 2024
It’s been about five years since the Steam Controller was discontinued, and Valve has yet to release a replacement. However, the Wireless Horipad for Steam was announced and is part of a new collaboration between Hori and Valve. Currently, it’s only expected to arrive in Japan, but we’re really hopeful it sees a broader launch.
AYN Goes to Brazil
Companies are trying to find new ways to expend into more regions. The latest example of this is AYN’s partnership with Tectoy in an effort to expand x86 handheld gaming to Brazil. Tectoy has announced the Zeenix, which is basically a re-branded Loki. Hit the link below to learn more.
ASUS ROG Tessen
Asus ROG Tessen controller in for review! I’m a fan of how lightweight it is, with fantastic ergonomics, back paddles & joysticks. However, I find the fold feature to be less useful in practice, and the clicky dpad is accurate but loud. It’s like a better backbone with rgb… pic.twitter.com/duJ96GGOKg
— Retro Handhelds (@RetroHandhelds) June 26, 2024
As if we didn’t already have enough options for telescopic controllers, ASUS is getting in on the fun with the ROG Tessen. Stubbs got his hands on one, and we’re hopeful to have our review finished soon.
ARC Miyoo Mini | RGB LEDs
#MiyooMini
ARC Miyoo Mini | RGB LEDs pic.twitter.com/OGzFdOEgyG— じゅんたろう (@GameboyJuntaro) June 25, 2024
The Miyoo Mini continues to be a fan favorite, and for good reason, as it is just great for pocketable gaming. However, if you’ve grown tired of the way your Miyoo Mini looks, the ARC RGB LEDs are here. The kit makes it so you can replace all of the face buttons on your Miyoo Mini with ones that are LED-backlit. You can even change the color on a “per zone” basis.
“Side Screen” for Odin 2
While it’s definitely possible to play 3DS and Wii U games on handhelds, it’s not always the greatest experience. We’ve already turned the Steam Deck into a DS, but now, “Side Screen” looks to do the same thing for your Odin handheld. We’re still waiting to learn about pricing and availability, but rest assured, we’ll be keeping a close eye on this.
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.
RG556 and RG Cube Cardinal Snapping and Sensitivity Fix
Shout out to the man, the myth, the legend, Gamma. He managed to figure out a fix for the cardinal snapping problems plaguing the RG Cube and RG556. You can download the fix and apply it yourself, but be sure to back everything up first. You’ll need to first unlock the bootloader, which erases everything on your device. Then, you can flash the fix manually, restore your backup, and get back to gaming.
GammaOS Running on RG Cube
Speaking of the RG Cube, Gamma shared that he was able to get GammaOS up and running. However. the current iteration of GammaOS is based on Android 12, which isn’t supported on the RG Cube as it runs Android 13.
ArkOS v2.0
ArkOS v2.0 (06/27/2024)
- Updated Retroarch and Retroarch32 to 1.19.1 (e51a316)
- Updated Emulationstation to fix not being able to show content in a subfolder named Sports (Thanks to evanation for reporting the issue)
- Updated ondemand cpu governor up_threshold and sampling_down_factor to 85 and 150 respectively to smooth out game play when using this governor (Thanks to chronoreverse for the tip)
- Updated N64 to add support for 7z and zip files
- Fixed being able to set a performance governor for Atari ST emulation
- Fixed Retroarch and Retroarch32 missing reboot and shutdown options (Thanks to Swift Outlaw for reporting the issue)
- Fixed ALG no longer launching since last update
- Fixed Update Games Lists option returns to corrupt game list for fade transition (Thanks to Zomgugoff for reporting the issue and confirming the fix)
- Added Ardens libretro core as an addittional core for Arduboy
- Added pillow python3 module needed by some Kodi addons (RG353M, RG353V/VS, RG503, RGB30 and RK2023 units Only!) (Thanks to WhatPriceLJN for mentioning this issue)
- Added Japanese translation for Emulationstation (Thanks to alhumbra for the translation)
- Added the ability to hide extensions per system (Thanks to Batocera for the solution)
- While in a system, press the start button then go to UI Settings then go to Theme Configuration then File Extensions
Dolphin MMJR2 – 1:1 Aspect Ratio
via Reddit
Did you know that you can play GameCube and Wii games on the RG Cube and ditch the letterboxing? Thanks to a post on Reddit, you’ll just need to adjust the aspect ratio and make sure that Widescreen Hack is enabled.
Custom Screen Layout for Lime3DS
via the RH Discord
Although some might prefer to use the modified version of Citra for 3DS games, you might want to give Lime3DS a go. It works pretty well on the RG Cube and you can set custom layout settings using a config file from the Retro Handhelds Discord.
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.
Anbernic RG Cube Review: Is This the 1(by 1)?
If it weren’t obvious enough, this week has been dominated by everything and anything to do with the Anbernic RG Cube. Ban gives us his take on the the Cube and whether it’s worth spending the money, or if you’ll be better of with the Retroid Pocket 4 or RG556.
Controller Showdown 2: Switch Bootlegoo
The RH team is full of unique takes and different obsessions. Ban takes the cake when it comes to having too many handhelds, but Nick is giving him a run for his money on the controller front. This latest Cheap Controller Showdown compares a few different Switch controllers for you to consider.
TV Sitcom Games: Are They Good?
It doesn’t happen as much anymore, but back in the day, TV sitcom shows would end up having some type of gaming adaptation. Jalanimal takes us through a few of the “best” ones, making us kind of wish these types of games were more common nowadays.
Steam Summer Sale MADNESS
Summer has officially started, and what better way to weather the heat than by saving some cash? The yearly Summer Steam Sale is underway, offering incredible discounts on a wide array of games. If you aren’t sure where to start, fear not. Joe rounded up a few of his favorite deals on Steam games.
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 time’s running out on your chance to win a custom RG35XX SP!
The BEST CFW For The 35XX SP Just Got Better! | muOS Update!
Looking for Deals?
Another week, another set of deals to be had. However, our latest roundup includes things such as saving a few bucks if you want to pre-order the upcoming Powkiddy V10. We also have a roundup of the best deals to be had in the AliExpress sale.
- Powkiddy V10: $34.99 ($5 off)
- Powkiddy 618 Summer Shopping Festival
- Steam Summer Sale
- Anbernic RG556:
$199$147 - MSI Claw (Ultra 7-155H):
$749$629 - SanDisk Ultra 1.5TB microSD Card:
$149.99$109.99 - Miyoo A30: $28.87
- Anbernic RG Cube: $158 w/ code USDC20
- Powkiddy RGB30: $50 w/ code USDC08
- TrimUI Smart Pro: $43 w/ code USDC03
What did you think of this article? Let us know in the comments below, and chat with us in our Discord!
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