Retro Kezins

I was hoping to have the Retroid Pocket 2 Plus (RP2+) in hand by now, but we are now on the 8th day of it just sitting somewhere at JFK Airport in NYC. At this point, I find it unlikely to get an in-depth review out until at least the first week or two of January... You can still pre-order a Retroid Pocket 2 Plus at GoRetroid , but the wait time for one to ship out is likely around 30 days.  They are shipping them out as they are produced. At the moment, supply has not caught up with demand. At $99, The RP2+ on paper looks to be the best deal in retro handhelds.  In thr meantime, there are trustworthy reviews on this highly anticipated handheld already surfacing, and things look very promising. RGC's  in-depth review gives you a very nice look at this budget Android handheld: https://retrogamecorps.com/2021/12/29/review-retroid-pocket-2/

Light and Loose Notes on Miyoo Mini Performance as of 12/29/2021 *Due to likely developments in the near future, I'm keeping my Performance thoughts vague and light for the moment. Once we have some good custom options, I'll work on definitive statements. My opinions are based only on the systems I've put some time into and are far from definitive.  The 3rd stock update from Miyoo included a lot of improvements, but still leaves a lot to be desired. At the moment,  the best performance possible for all systems is through RetroArch (now that settings can be implemented and saved). Unfortunately, shaders etc. are not viable yet but some video filters and settings can really clean things up. Miyoo's software is definitely on the messy side.  My biggest complaint about the Miyoo Mini so far seems to be with the sound quality which is a real mixed bag, and the process of updating the system is far from ideal...  Fortunately, there are people in the community work

When it comes to classic systems,  nothing is more attractive to me than the SEGA Dreamcast for an assortment of reasons. My Dreamcast is still hooked up and used regularly but I also enjoy emulating DC as well.  According to libetro, Flycast just added Direct3D 11 renderer, which could be very useful for Microsoft users.  I haven't checked it out yet,  but intend to over the next few days. I'm also anxiously awaiting the arrival of my Retroid Pocket 2 Plus to see how much Dreamcast Emulation has improved from the original RP2.  https://twitter.com/libretro/status/1474452556793499653 fl ycast Info on GitHub https://github.com/flyinghead/flycast

[UPDATE 1/10/22: The 4th official update from Miyoo drastically improves the screen and audio. The score I'd say now should be updated to 8.5/10.  They are tough to find,  so definitely keep an eye out on the next Miyoo restock.] [UPDATE 12/28: The 3rd Update from Miyoo moderately improves audio issues and RetroArch settings now take effect, so improvements have happened.  It looks like Miyoo used some code from Shaun Inman's work in the new update (without anyone knowing)]  *Using Update 20211226, I'm upgrading my Score on the Miyoo Mini from a 7.8/10 to a 8/10 .  Hopefully we see even more improvements in the near future...There are issues with RA Autosaves crashing games and an assortment of oddities but the latest firmware is an improvement. Some good CFW is really needed. Also appears some emulators are not utilizing screen resolution yet as they are using upscaling to the resolution, but the scaling looks a LOT better now.   *NOTE: If Updating at the moment, be sure t

It looks like the Miyoo Mini is out of stock from the manufacturer on AliExpress, but I'm being told the bigger stock is coming up on December 23 in a couple days. From everything I've seen so far on the Miyoo Mini, it could very well be the budget micro-handheld we've been looking for.  MIYOO Global Store: https://a.aliexpress.com/_msIDgbi There are some 3rd party sellers charging $64-$67 for the Miyoo Mini (Up From $52) on AE right now, but it would definitely be best to wait and see what happens with availability on Wednesday...  What Others Are Saying: https://obscurehandhelds.com/2021/11/the-tiny-miyoo-mini-with-its-even-tinier-bezels/ https://www.cnx-software.com/2021/12/03/portable-game-console-runs-retroarch-on-sigmastar-ssd202d-processor/ https://retrododo.com/miyoo-mini/

PowKiddy A30 Review Ordered: December 1 2021 Received: December 11 2021 Price Paid: $53.48 including shipping (free) + taxes on AliExpress.  https://a.aliexpress.com/_msgKxWU Overall Score: 4/10 (Stock Setup) The PowKiddy looks cool and has a fun Game Boy Advance retro aesthetic, but that's about it. Anyone hoping for an improvement over the TrimUI Model S (PowKiddy A66) will likely be disappointed unless custom OS workarounds become available. The result is a handheld that looks "ok" but functionality is pretty limited.  The saddest part about the PowKiddy A30 is that it looks good and wasn't that far away from being a good buy. PowKiddy seems to just crank out handheld after handheld but doesn't take the time to make them good... The Good   👍It looks nice, so makes for a decent shelf collectable.  👍For a near Micro-sized handheld, it's still a comfortable size for extended sessions.  T

The PowKiddy Q36 Mini came out the other day. On paper it's powerful enough to run "most" PS1 (PSX) games well and is on the tiny size of micro handhelds. $59.99 placing it firmly in the budget realm.  Using Open Dingux as the OS is really the only thing that makes this an interesting option considering we are currently in the middle of a wave of mostly Android handhelds.  US $59.99  30%OFF | POWKIDDY NEW Q36 Mini 1.5 Inch Ips Screen Open Source Handheld Game players Keychain Mini Console Children's Gifts https://a.aliexpress.com/_mLsE6vq Personally, I have no interest in this one at that price given that the size makes it's hard to use with big hands. PowKiddy is not known for build quality as well, so I  think you can do better for less money, but this is still a semi-interesting micro handheld option. From the video,  it doesn't look like a high quality build.  Here are the official marketing photos from PowKiddy: 

We are still a couple months away from the launch of Valve's Steam Deck , but it's never too late to build up a Steam game library on the cheap.  https://www.humblebundle.com/games/wb-batman-collection $10 (or more) towards the "WB Batman Collection Game Bundle" nets you 8 games including:  *Batman: Arkham Knight Premium Edition *LEGO Batman 3: Beyond Gotham *Batman: Arkham Origins *Batman: Arkham VR *Batman: Arkham City: GOTY Edition *LEGO Batman 2: DC Super Heroes *Batman: Arkham Asylum GOTY Edition *LEGO Batman: The Video Game  With the exception of Batman: Arkham VR, these are great additions to any Steam library for $10 (or more).  This bundle currently is available for 8 more days. I'm not a huge fan of the LEGO games at this point as the franchise seems "played out" and repetitive, but the Arkham series is a "must play" series for any gamer. Comic based video games are rarely great but this series was amazing.   T

Some retro enthusiasts out there were hoping that the Retroid Pocket 2 Plus might eventually bring back the highly popular "Funtastic" Nintendo 64 aesthetic colors, but Retroid (Moorechip) representatives have confirmed that they have no plans to do so. 😿 Your only option when it comes to this will be if you have your hands on an original Retroid Pocket 2, you could order the PCB Upgrade and use the existing shell. It has been confirmed that the PCB Upgrade ships with the newly designed buttons.  As it stands, there are 5 options for the RP2+ (fully assembled), and those options are below:  Regardless, the RP2+ as long as the issues with the buttons have been solved well is set to be the best deal in budget retro handhelds at $99.  The Handheld should be able to handle emulation up to "a good number" of GameCube games and possibly even "a few" PS2 titles using AetherSX2 for Android.  As it stands now,  Orange and Indigo

Retroid Pocket 2 Plus FTW Retroid Pocket 2 Plus It looks like the Retroid Pocket 2 Plus (RP2+) is ready to start shipping this week. The PCB Upgrade option may start shipping Monday, and the fully assembled RP2+ handhelds may start shipping out on Wednesday.  The nicest bit of information confirmed is that they  are considering releasing the Linux kernel for the device soon! This is great news for the community developers.  Will this be the best deal in budget retro handhelds? My Money says YES.   A few things were officially confirmed by Moorechip ( GoRetroid.com ) on Discord earlier. The highlights of confirmations at the Q&A include: