Modern Retro Handheld Game Players thread

[ilpostino]

I've been reading this thread and I've finally broken. Going to order one.

 

What's the best option right now? I'd like to play pretty much everything up to PS1, along with GB/GBA.

[mechamonkey]

2 minutes ago, yakumo said:

Ideally want to play Killzone and Uncharted, maybe tad ambitious?.

Compatibility list

[Quest]

Uncharted uses the rear touchpad for a few things, if memory serves. Curious how the emulator handles that stuff.

[mechamonkey]

30 minutes ago, Quest said:

Uncharted uses the rear touchpad for a few things, if memory serves. Curious how the emulator handles that stuff.

"Backscreen touch is not supported yet. If a game requires it, a workaround for many of them is to enable PS TV mode (Settings -> System)"

[Quest]

Ah yeah, brings up a pointer when you press L3/R3. Forgot all about that.

[bradigor]

4 hours ago, ilpostino said:

I've been reading this thread and I've finally broken. Going to order one.

 

What's the best option right now? I'd like to play pretty much everything up to PS1, along with GB/GBA.

 

RP3+ will be best for price to performance, plus the ergonomics when it comes to PS1. Stacked shoulders make the world of difference.

[mechamonkey]

6 hours ago, ilpostino said:

I've been reading this thread and I've finally broken. Going to order one.

 

What's the best option right now? I'd like to play pretty much everything up to PS1, along with GB/GBA.

There may be better options but I cannot stress enough how much I bloody love my RP3+, I play it more than everything else I have tbh, it's small enough (without feeling fiddly to these old hands and eyes) to go pretty much anywhere.
As said back up thread, they are a complete pain in the arse if unexperienced when you get it as a blank slate but you will soon be flying with it and tinkering away, theres a lot of support available online.

[RipePlums]

I know this will be answered somewhere, but it changes so often - could someone say where the best place to currently buy a RP3+ is, delivered to the UK preferably with no hidden tax?

 

Thanks 

[Paulando]

1 hour ago, RipePlums said:

I know this will be answered somewhere, but it changes so often - could someone say where the best place to currently buy a RP3+ is, delivered to the UK preferably with no hidden tax?

 

Thanks 

From the Retroid site 

 

Took about a week for mine to arrive after being dispatched with the cheap delivery method.

 

I wouldn’t discount the Linux handhelds though - they require almost no setup and have 4:3 screens. Android will need a fair amount of tinkering to get it how you want it (there are really good guides for this though).

 

If you don’t mind a bit of tinkering, the RP3+ is definitely one of the best options, and it’ll play PSP and N64 perfectly too.

[RipePlums]

Lol, thanks, should have checked!

 

Not afraid of tinkering, I'm a veteran when it comes to niche electronics with poor user experience!

[Meatball]

If anyone's after a case for their RP3+ I received this one off AliExpress yesterday...

 

 

 

 

Only about 9-10 days from order to delivery too. It seems spot on, moulded with space around the power and start/select buttons so hopefully no pressing on them while it's in there.

 

I just been playing through Super Metroid on mine. I played through Fusion and Zero Mission back on my GBA, but this my first time with Super. Was good fun...

[watusi]

That looks exactly the same as my official case which does an excellent job of turning the RP3 on if i push it firmly into the moulding. Is that one moulding free?

[mechamonkey]

Thats the same as the one I have from retroid, its perfect

[Meatball]

I think I read the first lot of cases had issues with pressing the power button, but then it was modified with the moulding tweaked to having recesses where the power and start/select buttons are when it sits in the case to reduce that happening. This one is like that.

 

 

If i give it a really good squish on the case around the power button area I can get it to press it, but just placing the RP3 in the case it sits all the way down in and fits fine without any pressing on the power button.

[new666uk]

Help! I have an RG351MP running AmberElec Panda. I often find games just won't run and I'm confused if it's the rom or settings in the emulator itself. 

 

For example, I play Wizball on Amiga. 8/10 times it loads fine, others it just goes to a blank screen. Other roms on Atari ST games just crash to the selection menu.  Most of the games in the Ports folder won't run. Sometimes I get missing rom issues despite for example having all the Amiga roms quoted on https://retrogamecorps.com/2021/02/07/guide-amiga-500-and-cd32-on-the-rg351p/

 

I have two cards and have the same BIOS/Roms in each as i wasn't truly sure what thr purpose of two card slots was.

 

I've played with some settings but with little real success so is there a good guide anyone can refer me to?  

[Paulando]

Gonna have to start shifting a few of mine soon I think. As if deciding what to play isn’t hard enough, now I have the added layer of deciding which handheld to play it on 😭

 

Just can’t bear to part with any of them though. They’re all so lovely in their own way!

[yakumo]

On 17/02/2023 at 13:55, new666uk said:

Help! I have an RG351MP running AmberElec Panda. I often find games just won't run and I'm confused if it's the rom or settings in the emulator itself. 

 

For example, I play Wizball on Amiga. 8/10 times it loads fine, others it just goes to a blank screen. Other roms on Atari ST games just crash to the selection menu.  Most of the games in the Ports folder won't run. Sometimes I get missing rom issues despite for example having all the Amiga roms quoted on https://retrogamecorps.com/2021/02/07/guide-amiga-500-and-cd32-on-the-rg351p/

 

I have two cards and have the same BIOS/Roms in each as i wasn't truly sure what thr purpose of two card slots was.

 

I've played with some settings but with little real success so is there a good guide anyone can refer me to?  

 

download that and works a treat.

[yakumo]

2 minutes ago, Paulando said:

Gonna have to start shifting a few of mine soon I think. As if deciding what to play isn’t hard enough, now I have the added layer of deciding which handheld to play it on 😭

 

Just can’t bear to part with any of them though. They’re all so lovely in their own way!

Yeah same here after playing with a few of them, I'm going to just stick to 2. Miyoo Mini if it doesn't sell, and get an Ayn Odin Lite. I was thinking of a Steam Deck again but that was a nightmare to shift and it was just too big and not as portable as I wanted it to be 

[Paulando]

12 minutes ago, yakumo said:

Yeah same here after playing with a few of them, I'm going to just stick to 2. Miyoo Mini if it doesn't sell, and get an Ayn Odin Lite. I was thinking of a Steam Deck again but that was a nightmare to shift and it was just too big and not as portable as I wanted it to be 

 

OK so after all I’ve just said, earlier on I ordered an Odin Lite (finally) 😂 When it arrives I’m going to compare everything and keep the one I like the most, and cry when I put everything else up for sale. I’ll probably keep the Miyoo too.

 

The Steam Deck is wonderful but it just isn’t that great for emulation I don’t think. It’s too big, and as easy as EmuDeck makes everything, still feels a bit hacky.

[yakumo]

5 minutes ago, Paulando said:

 

OK so after all I’ve just said, earlier on I ordered an Odin Lite (finally) 😂 When it arrives I’m going to compare everything and keep the one I like the most, and cry when I put everything else up for sale. I’ll probably keep the Miyoo too.

 

The Steam Deck is wonderful but it just isn’t that great for emulation I don’t think. It’s too big, and as easy as EmuDeck makes everything, still feels a bit hacky.

Let me know how you get along with the Lite. I had RP3+ briefly but for PS2 emulation it wasn't as good as I wanted it to be, form factor was lovely. Miyoo is awesome, I may take it off for sale and its going for silly money on eBay but I just adore the pick and play factor. Agree on Steam Deck too, it was OK but it's too big and chonky for my liking, but never got too deep into emulation but it wasn't my first port of call when I wanted to play an old game.  Be interested  in hearing you're opinions about the Odin Lite since its Android there's still a degree of tinkering involved still.

[watusi]

my current thinking is keep the RP3+ and miyoo mini. Sell the RG353P and RG351P. The RP3 runs all the systems I'd be bothered about playing handheld so it feels like the current sweet spot.

 

Got a pocket on order too that might cause the miyoo to go.

[yakumo]

24 minutes ago, watusi said:

my current thinking is keep the RP3+ and miyoo mini. Sell the RG353P and RG351P. The RP3 runs all the systems I'd be bothered about playing handheld so it feels like the current sweet spot.

 

Got a pocket on order too that might cause the miyoo to go.

Pocket?

[watusi]

2 minutes ago, yakumo said:

Pocket?

 

Analogue pocket:

 

https://www.analogue.co/pocket

[yakumo]

Doh

[new666uk]

12 hours ago, yakumo said:

 

download that and works a treat.

thanks @yakumoI can't find it anywhere other than on a Torrent but I haven't bothered with those for well over a decade as so unreliable. I'll just keep searching...

[new666uk]

Found that Amiga .lha format works better on my RG351MP so downloaded these: https://archive.org/download/super-skidmarks-v-2.2-cd

 

Only played a couple and had some weird quirks like the speed was way too fast in Bombjack and in Blacklamp occasionally the controls would stop working mid game. Wizball played well though.

 

Now I just need a similar setup for Atari ST...

[Paulando]

 

Think I might have a problem… 

 

Also have a Miyoo Mini Plus on order, although that’s not due until April.

 

Oh yeah, so the Odin Lite arrived today and it’s glorious! Now just need to get all that setup out of the way.

 

 

Feels a little too big/heavy/chunky for 16-bit/GBA stuff though. I’ve been playing Metroid Zero Mission on the RP3+ recently, and it might be my new favourite GBA hardware, but I think that’s a little too small for Game Pass/PS Remote Play/DS stuff. Might have to keep them both 

[AK Bell]

RG35XX turned up yesterday, and I already had to get it open to sort out the dpad with a bit of electrical tape. 

 

 

But now it's running great. The dpad actually feels so nice you can have a decent game of Sensible Soccer on the Amiga, and that shouldn't work at all on anything other than a joystick. 

 

 

Other than that, it's working great with Garlic OS on. Sometimes I might have to lower the filtering on PS1 from x4 to x2, and Amiga has been a bit of a challenge getting a good framerate out of PAL games, but that's nothing to cry about for something that cost £50.

 

The battery could be better but should get me back and forth to work no bother. I am considering a replacement battery but it might be overkill. I'm quite aware I could really pimp this ride too and have it end up costing a fortune. It's £20 for them better back buttons, not including delivery. For the games you'd be playing, you'd barely be using them other than to trigger saving state. Then there are the front buttons. And stickers. 

 

I don't feel it's missing sticks. It's PS1 down so anything that needs a stick will be Odin territory anyway. It's a perfect companion as there is little overlap. 

 

The screen looks amazing and everything you run on it fills it up pretty well. Odin feels like it's being wasted on 8-16 bit, with it looking blown up and having borders. 

 

Yeah, it's pretty nice. It only took a month from ordering on AliExpress, and that included a mess up by the delivery people that the seller sorted out with no bother. Definitely easier to get that a Miyoo Mini Plus, and unless you're fussed about wifi for retro achievements I reckon there isn't much difference between them now. 

[yakumo]

The thing which the Miyoo does better and most companies should adopt is who good Onions is. Sure the RG35XX is a much better handheld and more comfortable, and has GarlicOS but still feel OnionOS is just better in use. Its why I probably end up getting a plus eventually. Saying that I like the fact it has two SD card slots, one for os and one for roms on the RG35XX and overall built quality is nicer except for the D-pad.

 

Also regarding the Odin Lite, are you guys just using Retro Corps guide to setting it up?. 

[Paulando]

Honestly, nothing comes close to MiniUI for me on the Miyoo Mini. It’s the only one that could be an official mini console front end.