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

Software

Custom Firmware Updates

Emulator Updates

From the Writers

On the YouTubes

Looking for Deals?


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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.

The Genesis-Themed Retroid Pocket Classic is Available Now!

We’re Getting a Genesis Themed Retroid Pocket Classic

It’s been almost a month since Retroid first teased the Sega Genesis Retroid Pocket Classic, which started with a simple tweet saying that if the post got 350 likes, “we’ll make a Genesis themed Classic 6.” Needless to say, that threshold was smashed, as the tweet currently sits at 1.2K likes, and as such, there’s a new color option available over on the Retroid store.

AYN Shadow Drops Odin 2 Max Refurbs: Get One for $299

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle on the Odin 2

Back in June, we noticed that the Odin 2 in its base configuration was completely out of stock. A week or so later, that was no longer the case, but now, AYN has started selling refurbished Odin 2 Max devices. This will set you back $299, which happens to be just $10 more than if you were to buy a Base Odin 2. It’s also $130 less than what AYN is currently selling the Odin 2 Max for, as long as you use code MaxSave$30 at checkout.

MagicX Announces Retro 45, Shares Pre-Production Images

MagicX Announces Retro 45, Shares Pre-Production Images

On their official Discord, MagicX announced that a new handheld has entered its product testing phase: the Retro 45. As for the Retro 45, only pre-production renders have surfaced so far. MagicX claims the device will emulate Sega Saturn, Dreamcast, and Mega Drive with ease while also fully supporting Nintendo 64 titles. Beyond these claims and the renders, MagicX has not shared additional details.

XU Retro XU20 V32

XU Retro XU20 V32 Banner Promo

A couple of weeks ago, we learned more about XU Retro’s plans for its first lineup of devices, starting with the XU20 V32. Now, you can pre-order the handheld over at the company’s website, with a starting price of $48 and coming in four different colors. The first wave consists of 600 units across the four colorways, and shipping will begin on August 25.

XU Retro XU20 V32

GBC Mod w/ Transparent PCB

Transparent GBC Mod - Natalie the nerd

While we do love our various modernized retro handhelds, we also love seeing the variety of hardware mods for those original consoles and handhelds. The latest of which comes via Natalie the Nerd, who built a modded Game Boy Color, complete with a transparent PCB. It truly is one of the more unique takes on one of our favorite handhelds. It’s just a shame that we can’t buy this mod ourselves.

Other Hardware News

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.

GammaOS Is Coming to the RG447M, Bringing PS3 Emulation

GammaOS Is Coming to the RG447M Bringing PS3 Emulation

Despite there being no formal announcement on his Patreon, TheGammaSqueeze, everyone’s favourite Scottish coder (and the brains behind GammaOS), has uploaded a video to YouTube showing an Alpha build of GammaOS Next running on the recently released Anbernic RG447M. Gamma’s latest video shows PS3 running in a pretty impressive fashion on the newly released device, alongside harder-to-run PS2 games like Metal Gear Solid 2: Substance.

Gamma Does It Again: How to Fix Your Helegaly Action Pi Screen

Helegaly Action Pi playing Sonic Knuckles

As a result, Helegaly delayed the official launch, as some might be disappointed paying for a device with a screen that stretches pixels in one row. If you fall in that camp, then we’ve got some good news, as the one and only Gamma has managed to figure out a fix. Not only that, but he’s provided a modified version of the firmware that “adjusts the panel timings from 960×720 to 961×720.”

Cemu for Android Fork and Azahar Gain External Screen Support

Anbernic RG477M First Impressions - melonDS Dual Screen - Mario Kart - 1

While we’re still waiting for the Retroid Dual Screen mod to begin shipping, that hasn’t stopped emulator developers from implementing support for such use cases. Although DraStic is now seemingly done for good, it already offered this functionality, while a fork of melonDS for Android surfaced earlier this year. Now, we have two more emulators adding support, as there’s a Cemu for Android fork available, and it’s also one of the key features of Azahar 2123 in Release Candidate 1.

More Software News

Custom Firmware Updates

ROGUE OS
  • v1.17
    • Added GSF Player in MUSIC seccion, a music player for GBA audio files in MINIGSF/GSF format, rewritten for the device to look like a normal audio player.
    • Rewrite againg GSF Player for change libao for libasound “alsa”, this has better sound.
    • Fixed transition sound between tracks in GSF Player.
    • fixed type in GSF name.
    • set times in loop mode ALL, ONE and OFF in GSF player.
    • add battery monitor in GSF player.
    • Fixed pause time in GSF PLAYER, added progress bar, battery indicator, removed sdl2 from PLAYGSF code.
NextUI
MyMinUI
  • 2025-08-03
    • Miyoomini, A30: include Steward Fu NDS support, it brings several improvements compared to the pak released which was the version 1.8. To get it working You need to manually add the drastic binary (You can get it from steward fu 1.8 release file) to the Bios/NDS folder.
    • Updated the my282 release file due to a couple of missing dependencies
    • All: Audio Fix, ensure the proper audio sync algo is loaded at game launch.
    • All: fix convertboxart tool unable to exit
    • All: update dockerfiles for correct toolchains creation (deb.debian repository moved to archive.debian)
    • r36s, miyoomini, my282, rg35xx: add/refine rumble support
minui-portmaster
  • v2.3.0+2.3.1
  • chore(deps): bump actions/download-artifact from 4.3.0 to 5.0.0
  • feat: check if squashfs files have been updated
pakman
  • v0.20.10
    • chore(deps): bump Game Manager from v2.0.1 to v2.6.0
    • chore(deps): bump Pak Store from v1.0.5 to v1.2.1
    • chore(deps): bump Artwork Scraper from 0.4.0 to 0.4.1
    • chore(deps): bump PORTS from 1.2.0 to 2.3.1
    • chore(deps): bump Game Manager from v2.6.0 to v2.7.1
    • chore(deps): bump Pak Store from v1.2.1 to v1.4.1

Emulation Updates

MelonDualDS
  • v0.1.0
    • Default External Layout Handling
    • Background Handling
    • Added “Refresh external screen” option to quick settings, allowing users to re-initialize the external display if it fails to show up initially.
    • Launcher compatibility: melonDS-android can now be launched directly from frontends such as EmulationStation-DE.
    • External Display Manager Improvements
    • ROM List Handling
gopher64
  • v1.1.3
    • Save state slots are supported. Press Alt+0-9 to change which save state you are saving/loading from.
    • On-screen messages (no more robotic Scottish voice). These will let you know when you change your controller pak, save or load a state, when cheats are enabled, etc..
    • Small improvements to the controller selection dropdowns
    • Update to latest versions of Rust and SDL
    • Use nearest filtering for final image rendering (results in a sharper image)
Iris
  • 0.13-alpha
    • Cached EE interpreter (better performance)
    • VU improvements (fixed graphics on a number of games)
    • GS renderer rework: Implemented correct fractional coord rendering (better graphics, vastly reduced visual artifacts)
    • UI improvements
Winlator Cmod
  • v13.1.1
    • evshim Rewrite: The entire controller shim (libevshim.so) has been rewritten, completely eliminating the use of shared memory (mmap), resulting in a massive reduction in CPU overhead and a significant performance boost, especially on lower-end devices. Box64 3.2 and 3.6 are now compatible, and have been restored.
    • ALSA-Reflector Improved The pacer’s ring buffer and reconnection logic have been refined, expect better performance and reliability.
    • Universal CPU Overhead Reduction: I’ve gone through the code to find and eliminate performance bottlenecks, once again, big thanks to @Pipetto-crypto as always for the guidance and his improvements to the Graphics Wrapper.
    • Per-Shortcut Sharpening & Effects: Thanks to @Pipetto-crypto You can now enable VkBasalt on a per-shortcut basis to apply CAS and DLS to your games.
    • This update includes a huge number of fixes for a smoother experience.
    • Corrupted Shortcut Crash Fixed: Implemented safety checks to prevent the app from crashing when parsing corrupted .desktop files.
    • Proton & Frontend Fixes: Resolved issues that caused crashes when launching the frontend or using XrActivity.
    • Input Controls Fixed: Corrected bugs with toggle switches and range buttons in the input controls overlay.
    • Gyro Zeroing Improved: The gyroscope now has better logic for finding its origin point, resulting in more responsive and accurate motion controls.
    • Renderer Selection for DDraw: Added a renderer selection option to fix black screens in older DDraw games
    • Proton 10 Support: The codebase is now prepared for the next major Proton release. Stay tuned. (…and Wine 9.20)
    • Updated Assets: The default Box64, Proton packs, and other core assets have been updated with the latest fixes and improvements. Additional .wcp have been added to Contents: updated DXVK (+ Stripped, Sarek for lower end devices), updated VKD3D, and Turnip. Thank you @K11MCH1 for your excellent repository.
K11MCH1/Turnip Drivers
  • v25.3.0_r4
    • Merged upstream.
    • General optimizations and bug fixes.
    • Bumped Vulkan version to 1.4.325
    • Merged 4 patches.
    • Forced Gmem (for Gmem tagged driver).
    • a710 and a720 unofficial support.
WKuWKu
bionic-vulkan-wrapper
  • v0.0.5r0
    • Integrates SPIRV-Tools library to enable on-the-fly modification of SPIR-V shaders.
      • [Mali] Clip/Cull Distance Emulation: stubbing of ClipDistance and CullDistance. Remove all OpDecorate and OpMemberDecorates using these built-ins and transitively eliminates all associated dead code. This allows applications and games requiring these features to run correctly on Mali hw that lacks native support.
        • Early testing: this feature isn’t fully baked yet and may cause problems, file bugs if you encounter new regressions.
    • BCn Texture Decompression
      • Format Support:
        • Host-side (CPU) decompression now supports the BC6H format.
        • GPU-side (Compute Shader) decompression has been fixed for correct BC7 SRGB handling.
      • Performance and Stability:
        • A new “1-by-1 submission mode” (WRAPPER_ONE_BY_ONE=1) for debugging
        • Fixed buffer indexing bug in the compute decompression path.
      • Debugging Tools:
        • WATERMARK_BCN now works with cpu decompression
        • Use WATERMARK_SIZE to control the size of the watermark.
        • Added DISABLE_BCN flag to selectively disable emulation for specific formats
    • SPIR-V Disassembly: You can now log full SPIR-V disassembly for shaders that are modified by our SPIRV passes. Enable with LOG_DISASSEMBLY=1 or WRAPPER_LOG_LEVEL=all.
    • Timestamped Logs: All wrapper logs are now timestamped
    • The build system is now more deterministic
    • Added integration with the external SPIRV-Tools

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.

Anbernic RG477M First Impressions: A Chonky Beast

Anbernic RG477M First Impressions - melonDS Dual Screen - Mario Kart - 2

Seeing what Anbernic did in 2024, I assumed it was done with releasing metal-built handhelds, leaving that to the GKD’s and (apparently) TrimUI’s of the world. Nevertheless, I’ve had it for about a day, so without further delay, here are my Anbernic RG477M first impressions.

Game Store Rentals: N64 Edition

Game Store Rentals - N64 Edition - Retroid Pocket Flip 2

Who else has a soft spot for video game rental stores? Growing up without much money in small rural towns, the local video game store was where we spent our time gaming. However, and maybe this memory is particular only to me, given the aforementioned small towns, the selection at these local rental stores was often slim pickings. Add in that every kid in the area with a Nintendo 64 was also wanting to play Super Mario 64 and GoldenEye 007, and oftentimes I would find myself staring at the N64 B-List offerings as the only available games to rent.

GameCube Image Quality: Getting The Best From Native Hardware

GameCube Image Quality Getting The Best From Native Hardware

Most GameCubes have a lesser-known feature: the support for both analog and digital out through dedicated ports on the back. Through the digital out port (limited to only early consoles, or DOL-001), we can bring the blurry and flickering 480i analog signal to a crisp 480p. While this doesn’t SOUND like it makes a big difference, it’s actually huge. Modern televisions generally don’t know what to do with a 480i signal, chewing it up and spitting out something… strangely digital-like. Gross.

Guide: How to Install Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind with PortMaster

How to Install Morrowind with PortMaster - 1

It’s no secret that we here at Retro Handhelds love PortMaster. The list of supported games is ever-growing and ranges from modern masterpieces like Celeste to undisputed classics like the recently added Mario Kart 64. Most recently, though, PortMaster added one of its most impressive and replayable ports yet: The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind. 

Fantech Revolver III Review: Hitting the Mark?

Fantech Revolver III Blue Lighting

Last year, one of the better picks was the Fantech Shooter III at $20-$25. Today, Fantech is back with something for the PlayStation enjoyers; the Fantech Revolver III. There’s definitely more to see than just the swapped sticks, so let’s take a look and see if Symmetrical sticks are really the answer for you. 

I Got Burned by Retroid, Then They Made My Favorite Handheld

Retroid_Pocket_Flip2_W_Boxes

Even though I’d felt somewhat burned by the whole Pocket 3 vs 3+ fiasco, I was still excited about the possibility of what the 4th iteration might bring. Namely, nailing PS2 and Gamecube functionality.

And so I waited. And waited. Then continued waiting. By the time the 4 was released, it almost felt like to me like Retroid were playing a bit of catch-up in the market they had helped establish only a few years prior.

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.

Looking for Deals?

Retro Handhelds Deals of the Week - 8-9

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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