Retro Handhelds Weekly: 4 Years of RH, RG40XXV, Clones of Clones, and More!

by | Aug 12, 2024 | Features, News | 0 comments

Retro Handhelds Weekly - 8-12

Welcome to the latest edition of Retro Handhelds Weekly. This week saw a bunch of news in both 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.

Celebrating 4 Years of Retro Handhelds

RH 4 Year Anniversary

From Stubbs:

Today we celebrate the 4th anniversary of RH! What started as a Discord community for the Retroid Pocket 2 in 2020, has now became an all encompassing retro handheld journey!

Thanks to all who have supported over the years, friends who have joined us, and content partners like (who is ALSO celebrating 4 years, congrats sir!), and , as well as our all our beloved community devs, and YOU (just to name a few)!

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 RG40XXV Revealed

It’s been more than a month since Anbernic released a device, which is quite odd given the pace we’ve seen. However, it turns out that Anbernic has been working on an all-new device, as the Anbernic RG40XXV was shown off in a new “First Look” video. The handheld looks like it draws inspiration from the Ayaneo Pocket DMG, but is probably a successor to the RG351V.

MagicX XU Touch One & Two (Xu Mini New Colors) Announced

MagicX Testing Designs for Mini 2 Touch One and Touch Two

Over the past couple of weeks, MagicX has been the talk of the town thanks to the release of the XU Mini. Previously, we learned about a few other handhelds on the company’s roadmap. This past week, we got an idea of what the XU Touch One and Touch Two will look like. Plus, new transparent colors for the XU Mini were shown off.

R36S Mini (M21) coming to AliExpress

The SJGAM M21 Is Another Clone of a Clone

Despite being a clone in its own right, the R36S has garnered much attention for being surprisingly good at a sub-$40 price point. SJGAM is hoping to cash in on that, as the R36S Mini/M21 made its appearance on the RH Discord. We expect it to land on AliExpress soon, and might even cost below $30.

Thumby Color

If you have an affinity for micro-devices, then the Thumby Color should be right up your alley. This “handheld” is practically a micro Game Boy Advance, sporting a 0.85-inch screen. Surprisingly, it’s even powered by a Raspberry Pi RP2350 and includes a vibration motor.

Miyoo Flip update

After we learned last week that the Miyoo Flip might end up being canceled, it seems that isn’t the case. The Miyoo Mini Twitter account shared an image of the Miyoo Flip in a DMG-like colorway. It confirms the dual thumbstick design, but we can’t help but hope that the Flip doesn’t actually look that yellow in person.

Other Hardware News

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.

Spruce 2.0 and a Changing of the Guard

Miyoo A30 Darkwing Duck

The Miyoo A30 had a rough go of it after launch, as the software came out half-baked. Since then, MinUI and Spruce have been leading the custom firmware charge, both offering incredibly great experiences. Last week saw the release of Spruce 2.0, which added the SyncThing app to this handheld, along with a few other changes.

What makes this bittersweet is that the original developer, tenlevels, is stepping away from the project to focus on their family. There were concerns that this was the end of the road for Spruce, but now, u/SundownerSport has picked up the mantel and will be running the ship moving forward.

muOS ‘Cool Beans’ Update Fixes Cardinal Snapping

Some of us already knew that the next major version of muOS was in the works. However, some of the “Cool Beans” changelog was shared on Reddit. With the next update, the muOS team has been able to fix cardinal snapping with the analog sticks on the RG35XX H and RG40XX. Apparently, the team got some help from the one and only GammaSqueeze on this.

PlumOS Beta 0.4 Comes to MagicX XU Mini M

Speaking of great custom firmware solutions, PlumOS seems to be the go-to option for the new MagicX XU Mini M. PlumOS Beta 0.4 introduced native Pico-8 support, and it seems that Beta 0.5 is already available. The latest update improves the CPU Clock range while adding support for USB-DACs and Bluetooth Audio.

SteamOS Might Officially Be Coming Soon to the ROG Ally

Ever since Valve confirmed that it would officially release SteamOS for other devices, we’ve been wondering when that day would come. The SteamOS 3.6.9 Beta was recently released, and while it doesn’t give a timeline, it does add support for the “extra ROG Ally keys.” Although Bazzite has been a fine replacement for many, we’d still love to see SteamOS released in an official capacity for other handhelds.

Could Valve Be Working On Half-Life 3?

Half Life 3 logo

With Half-Life 2 turning 20 in just a couple of months, it only makes sense that we’re getting another batch of Half-Life 3 rumors. This time, there’s a bit of evidence to go off of. In a video on Tyler McVicker’s YouTube channel, McVicker goes through a series of leaks that seemingly all point back to a Half-Life game being in the works. I don’t know about you, but the 20th anniversary of HL2 would make for a great time to release HL3. Please, Gabe.

Other Software and Custom Firmware News

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.

5 Unique RPGs for You to Try Out!

5 Unique RPGs for You to Try Out

I am always playing a different RPG. It is my favorite genre of game. I thought, “If I am playing all these games, why not share with the world and maybe another person on the internet can find something fun?”. This is my first attempt at that, so hopefully you find something unique!

WiiMote Light Gun Tutorial

Wiimote Light Gun Tutorial

What if there were a way to enjoy the shooters of yesteryear (or even some more modern offerings) without having to break the bank on the tech you’re unsure will get used? You’re in luck because, with a few old parts, a few new ones, some know-how, and a bit of fiddling, you can take your emulation PC experience from Typing of the Dead to House of the Dead.

Abathor: A Solid Classic Experience

Abathor on AYN Loki Max

At the time of writing this, I’ve only gotten a few hours into the game, and while there are certainly people who are putting dozens in already, I’m not quite there. Despite that though, over time this is a game I can see myself putting in a lot more hours in an attempt to reach those final levels. It’s a fun platformer that has a good learning and difficulty curve to it.

‘Timeless’ Retro Games You Should Play

Timeless Retro Games

What is a “timeless” game? According to Merriam-Webster, the word “timeless” is an adjective defined as “not restricted to a particular time or date“. Which video games from our past meet this honored criteria? I posed this question to some members of the Retro Handhelds community. In this article, you will find some timeless games that the Retro Handhelds staff and community recommend as their personal favorites.

3 Ways to Pause Elden Ring

How to pause Elden Ring

This is a game built on being attentive to your surroundings, doing your own leg work to figure out enemy weaknesses, and challenging the player to “earn the right” to exist in its world. It’s truly a phenomenal title, but is plagued by one aspect that has hindered every mainline Souls game since its inception: The lack of a pause button.

ROG Ally X Thoughts from an ROG Ally Hater

ROG Ally X Thoughts from an ROG Ally Hater

The larger battery and other improvements are a welcome addition and I finally get the hype of the Ally. I was going to mention my experience docking it and using it as a computer (I am currently writing this article on the Ally X), but that is going to be saved for a later article.

RH Games: What We’re Playing This Week

RH Games What Were Playing This Week 8-11 - 1200x675

The kids are going back to school and the time to play games is now. As we experience this mid-August week, we at RH are reflecting on what games we are playing and on what device.

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, as we saw Zu show us how to make the most out of Armoury Crate on the ROG Ally X. Stubbs arrived with a couple of bangers, giving us his review of the XU Mini M, in addition to the Kinhank K36. Meanwhile, BassDerek gets his feet wet and jumps on the RH YouTube channel, offering up an in-depth review of the Ayaneo Pocket S.

Retro Handhelds on YouTube

Looking for Deals?

Another week, another set of deals to be had. The MagicX XU Mini M has been the “talk of the town” as of late and can be had for as low as $41. Meanwhile, the Miyoo A30 is turning into a fan favorite thanks to custom firmware, and it’s just $33. Plus, you can get a bunch of games for free from Amazon Prime Gaming and Epic Games.

Retro Handhelds Deals of the Week

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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