Welcome to the latest edition of Retro Handhelds Weekly. This week, we saw a bunch of news in the world of hardware and software. Our writing team continues to be on an absolute tear, and there’s even a surprise or two sprinkled in! So sit back, grab a cup of coffee, and catch up on what’s happened this week in the world of Retro Handhelds.
Table of Contents
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.
MagicX Slightly Revamps the Mini Zero 28
The MagicX Mini Zero 28 V2 is officially available for purchase. This updated version of the beloved mini handheld brings a handful of meaningful improvements while preserving everything that made the original a favorite in the retro gaming community.
Nintendo is Suing Genki
Nintendo is officially suing accessory maker Genki for violating their trademarks when they showed off the Switch 2 mockup before launch. https://t.co/4fRPDBGHaN pic.twitter.com/m3LGu3NNTS
— Stealth (@Stealth40k) May 3, 2025
Back at CES 2025, Genki made headlines as the accessory-maker showed off a supposed 3D-printed model of the Switch 2. Now, Nintendo is fighting back, as the company has filed a lawsuit against Genki for “alleged trademark infringement, false advertising, and unfair competition over claims made by the latter regarding Switch 2 peripherals it planned to sell for the upcoming system.”
8BitDo Latest to Pause US Shipments
In a move that isn’t surprising by now, 8BitDo announced it’s pausing shipments from China to the US. The notice has since been removed from the home page, as it’s been replaced with a different notice about the Labor Day CN Holiday. However, it previously stated that only products available in US warehouses would ship to local addresses, meaning that you wouldn’t be able to place orders if the products weren’t local.
RP Mini Screen Replacements Are Now Arriving
While shipping is underway for the Pocket Flip 2 and Classic, Retroid surprised many by also beginning to ship the Pocket Mini replacement screens. We’ve been seeing more and more posts on Reddit, in addition to some from a few of our favorite creators.
AYANEO Pocket ACE Goes Live on Indiegogo
The Pocket Ace in Black and While
As with many of their previous releases, AYANEO is selling the first batch of Pocket ACE consoles directly through their Indiegogo page. This allows backers to secure their units as exclusive rewards for specific pledges. By using Indiegogo, AYANEO continues its tradition of connecting directly with its community while offering early access to its latest handhelds.
Other Hardware News
- Microsoft Is Increasing Prices of First-Party Games, Consoles, and Accessories
- Someone Made a Tiny USB-C Controller For Phones
Apps and Software
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.”
ROCKNIX Nightly Builds Now Support Retroid Pocket Flip 2
Great dome switch D-pad
One of the best things about the Retroid Pocket 5 is that you’re able to use it with both Android and Linux via ROCKNIX. Considering that everything is the same between the Pocket 5 and Pocket Flip 2, it came as little surprise when it was found that you could just use the same microSD card for both.
If you find yourself wanting to venture down this path, you can grab the latest nightly. However, you’ll see a bunch of different SoC names, some that are familiar, while others might not be.
- SM8250: Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 (RP Flip 2, RP5, etc.)
- SM8550: Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 (Odin 2 Family)
At the time, the only thing missing was the sleep functionality whenever closing the lid. Thankfully, that’s no longer an issue, as the latest Nightly builds of ROCKNIX solve that problem.
Winlator Development Paused
The Winlator developer has paused its development, citing community backlash over user reports of viruses being found in the app’s TestD3D.exe and spreading to programs created by the emulator. Updates for Winlator and its forks have since been released, removing the infected program.
Wii Homebrew Channel Ceases Development
The Homebrew Channel is built off the efforts of the Wii and GameCube community to reverse engineer pivotal portions of the Wii’s code in order to distribute other homebrew apps and tools in an intuitive UX that mirrors the basic function of the Wii and its Wiimote. One of those components was the libogc SDK toolkit that the Homebrew Channel’s developer, fail0verflow, claims to have originally known contained trace amounts of stolen code.
RetroAchievements Come to SkyEmu
SkyEmu might not be the most popular multi-console emulator out there, but it should definitely gain some traction. Recently, it was announced that Cheevos are not only now supported, but SkyEmu is also the first browser-based emulator to do so.
PokeMMO Comes to PortMaster
Do you love the world of Pokémon but wish it were more like World of Warcraft? Then you’ll want to check out PokeMMO, a free Massively Multiplayer Online game that looks just like you’d imagine. Previously, it was available on Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, and iOS. However, lowlevel.1989 has managed to make it so you can play PokeMMO via PortMaster!
More Software News
- JIT Emulation on iOS is Easier Than Ever
- Half Life 3 Leaks and More Rumors Suggest It’s Coming This Year
- felix86 Lets You Play x86-64 Games on RISC-V Devices
- GTA VI Delayed Until May 26, 2026
- Fortnite returns to iOS
- Batocera Update – Episode III
- RetroAchievements Downloads Page Overhaul
Emulator Updates
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 and reviews that you might have missed over the course of this week.
The Three Games Saving My Devices From the Scrapheap
In the RH discord, the admins grant the role of “Aspiring Device Minimalist” to members who own a large collection of handhelds, are willing to commit to downsizing to 10 devices or fewer, AND need to provide photographic evidence. I’m not chasing that role, but ever since I spent a year not buying handhelds, I’ve been asking myself, “How many handhelds do I actually need?”
RH Games of the Month: Tune In to Musical May
In Europe, where I live, May is a month of celebration for many since it’s Eurovision, a time when each country enters increasingly more over-the-top musical acts in a song contest. Coincidentally, the theme that the RH Discord selected for this month’s games is “Musical May” — games which either have a musical theme or which have an impressive soundtrack.
Retroid Pocket Classic First Impressions: Vertical Champ
I scoffed at the Retroid Pocket Classic when it was first announced. The off-center buttons and bright colors? I couldn’t care less when I saw that. I had the AYANEO Pocket DMG, and I was happy. Something changed, though, and I ended up pre-ordering the bundle with the Flip 2 the night of release.
Anbernic RG557 Review: We Waited for This?
It’s a really weird world right now. The US market is having its own issues, and Anbernic just went 4 plus months without releasing a handheld. But now Anbernic has decided this is the exact time to come out with a new device for their market, and they figure it’s time to go pricey and powerful. The Anbernic RG557 has hit the scene as a refresh to everyone’s favorite ergonomic piece, the RG556 from last year, but the question is now. Is this thing worth the $250 asking price?
K36S Impressions: Yeah, Another One
The Game Console K36S
It was my duty, to you, the reader, to review the new K36S, or at least that’s how I justified spending $35 on another system that I knew wouldn’t measure up to handhelds I already owned. It could just be another R36S clone with a slightly altered design, but what if it ends up being the greatest budget handheld ever produced that I could potentially miss out on?
On the YouTubes
Don’t think that the writers are the only ones getting things done. The RH video team is constantly working on new videos, and now’s the best time to subscribe. This week, Stubbs spends a surprising amount of time with the AYANEO Pocket ACE, while Ban and Zu get their hands on the upcoming Helegaly Action Pi.
Looking for Deals?
Another week, another set of deals to be had. Hit the button below to check out our favorite deals of the week. We know how much everyone loves a good deal, so we’ve been cooking up something to help you get the best deal possible.
Retro Handhelds Deals of the WeekHandheld.Deals
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