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.
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.
ASUS ROG Xbox Ally and Ally X Announced
There were rumblings that it was going to happen sooner rather than later, but ASUS announced two new handhelds. No, neither of them is the Ally 2, but the ASUS ROG Xbox Ally and ROG Ally X were officially unveiled during the Xbox Games Showcase.
More Anbernic RG Slide Details Revealed
Anbernic is barreling towards the release of the RG Slide, as the company published a new “Games & Feature Showcase” video to its YouTube channel. The video gives us an idea of what different games will look like, along with performance.
Anbernic RG477M Could Be the Ultimate 4:3 Retro Handheld
Anbernic, fresh off the heels of the RG34XXSP release and RG Slide showcase, appears to be preparing for the release of a new device, the RG477M. Leaked images from the company’s official QQ chatroom suggest a sleek, compact console with a premium metal body similar to the many M variants the company has released in the past.
Retroid Goes Dual-Screen with New Add-On
After about a week of teasers, we’ve finally learned that Retroid isn’t releasing a new dual-screen handheld. But it did (finally) announce the Dual-Screen Add-On, letting you add a second screen to your Retroid handheld. It features a 5.5-inch AMOLED touchscreen display, connecting via USB-C and even allowing for passthrough charging. And the best part is that it’s going to be quite affordable, coming in at $69.
Kinhank K56 Now Available on Both Amazon and Aliexpress
Have you been wanting a new handheld, but want something a bit different than the norm? Well, we have good news for you as the KinHank K56 is now available on both AliExpress and Amazon! It features a 5.5-inch touchscreen display, runs Android 14, and is powered by the Unisoc USMS 9230S.
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.
One day, you might try to turn on the RG557, only to see a message that says “Red State. Device Cannot Boot. Enter Repair Mode. Dismiss After 5 Seconds.” This has been happening on and off since retail units began to arrive. Some have even reached out to Anbernic directly, hoping for an answer or a fix, only to come up empty. Thankfully, Gamma is here to save our (and Anbernic’s) bacon yet again with his aptly-named ‘Anbernic RG557 Unbricker’ tool.
If you’ve grown tired of the whole process of flashing a new microSD card and enjoy ROCKNIX, there’s a new tool just for you. ROCKNIX ImageBurner has been introduced and is designed to offer a “1-step solution for setting up ROCKNIX on any officially supported device!” From just one app, you’re able to download the latest Stable or Nightly version, burn them to the microSD card, AND automatically run all post-install tasks.
One of the biggest reasons why I still look back at the Sega Saturn is because of the graphics. Now, there’s a new game on the way, LINEAR S, that replicates those graphics, while essentially still being a modern game. LINEAR S comes from Advent Softworks and is relying on Unity3D to bring this concept to life. You can learn more over at SEGA SATURN, SHIRO, who was able to interview the lead developer and provide some insight into the project.
Gameplay Frontend for DosBox, DosBox-X, and ScummVM
I just have to say, there’s something about the retro gaming community that makes me happy when writing these weekly roundups. Not once did I ever think there would be a desire for a front-end focused on MS-DOS games, but that’s exactly what we have with Gameplay. This puts your DosBox, DosBox-X, and ScummVM games all into one central location. Plus, “everything is preconfigured,” removing the need to fiddle around or tinker with settings to get things working right.
It’s not often that we talk about modern games here on RH, but sometimes, you just need to share something awesome. A new update for No Man’s Sky is rolling out, called “Beacon”, and it’s one of the biggest updates we’ve ever seen for a game. The update brings about the ability for you to become “Overseer of multiple planetary settlements, and discover the townships of the secretive robotic Autophage.” But that’s just the tip of the iceberg, so hit the button below to check it out.
Added some more unaligned read/write edge case handling. This addresses a problem in Theme Park, possibly among other things.
Changed some undocumented RISC instruction behavior to match some of my local hardware tests. One of these changes is known to correct an issue with object directions in Defender 2000.
Added more Jaguar GD functionality. Filesystem functions are stubbed out, but I wasn’t sure if anyone really needs/wants this fully implemented, so let me know if it’s important to you.
Fixed a few “undefined” Blitter cases. (not known to affect any existing titles)
Linux ARM64 builds are now part of the automated build set. Special thanks to cubanismo for guiding me through the minefield of cross-compiling for ancient Linux targets.
Significant improvements to the network rollback functionality, propagated back from BigInstinct.
All kinds of new platform/framework functionality, also propagated back from BigInstinct. I didn’t feel like going through hundreds of changes to make a coherent summary, but one of the more notable additions is a byuu-style run-ahead option.
Exposed a bunch of sound spatialization functionality to the scripting API.
Exposed MOD and MP3 playback to the scripting API.
Added a timing fix for Val d’Isere Skiing and Snowboarding.
Various developer build changes to more accurately reflect hardware and/or detect errors which would break on non-developer builds. (this includes enabling M68K address exceptions)
Lots of “anti-emulator” code will be failing in developer builds at this point, and some related functionality may be propagating to non-developer builds soon; relying on inaccuracies to prevent your software from running in BigPEmu is unwise. If you really want to prevent your software from running in BigPEmu, contact me about better/future-proof methods.
Fixed a crash that would happen when launching CTGP-7
AzaharPlus can now use files coming from the “set up system files” feature of Azahar
Possibility to remove the encryption from files coming from the “set up system files” feature of Azahar and make them usable with any other Citra fork (Window an Linux, file > remove azahar encryption)
Jit Cache Eviction (fixes out-of-memory errors with some games)
Low Power PPTC (port from the desktop version: Uses one-third of cores to load PPTC)
Fix ‘Unknown’ games bug when using game folder with subfolders
Turn off NCE and PPTC by default
Reduce APK file size by 8.5% (83.8 to 76.7 MB)!
Update OpenAL to 1.24.3
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.
Towards the end of 2024 and the beginning of 2025, one of my favorite value controllers was the Aolion K10. For $25, you get a hall effect controller with connectivity up the wahzoo and a charging dock to boot. Since then, most controllers have been in that $40-$50 range if you’d like to have a decent upgrade.
However, Aolion didn’t seem to stop there. The K20 is a $35 controller that seems like everything the K10 was, but with some quality of life improvements that might make it the one to beat. So let’s see if it’s worth the pick, or if there are better options out there already.
Well, well, well. Retroid not only graced us with a new iteration of the Pocket Flip, but it also released the company’s first vertical since the original Retroid Pocket. A lot has changed since then, so if yours just arrived and you aren’t sure where to start, here’s our Retroid Pocket Classic Setup Guide.
Trying Out the New GammaOS Next for the Anbernic T820 Lineup
As highlighted in the latest RH Weekly, hero developer TheGammaSqueeze is back with the new GammaOS Next, released for the Unisoc T820 lineup of Anbernic handhelds. This release marks the first custom firmware that I’m aware of for this chipset.
These devices have always been decidedly fine, but I’ve never really cared for the stock Anbernic Android experience to begin with, and to be honest, it feels like something of a compromise when running on these devices. A stop-gap solution that will get you where you need to go, but it’s not the most pleasant journey or driving experience in the world. Enter GammaOS.
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, Zu takes us on an adventure, giving us his opinion of the Retroid Pocket Flip 2 now that he’s had one for a month.
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.
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