I'm with you on this, Dweeb. I love the variety in hardware options, especially when they use similar chips so that custom firmware is either already working, or just a few tweaks for a dev to make it work. I don't get mad when a new one comes out, because I don't feel like these are generational releases. They use up the parts for one design, then make a few tweaks and put together a new one. I also think it's kinda fun to watch them perfect one thing, which then brings up some other quirk that a previous one didn't have. Having a ton of these budget handhelds around means that depending on what feature is most important to the consumer, they can find the one with the right "personality" for them and get that one. Neat! Especially when there are TH-camrs willing to help out by highlighting the differences. Thanks for that.
I am glad I ran into this review. I have been looking for an easy to use handheld for my kid that won’t allow her to mess things up.Thanks for making this this video!
They lock down the stock os because most people buy these handhelds for their kids, and they don't want complaints when they mess settings or delete stuff etc.
You've sold me on this one, and thanks for the heads-up on the discount code! I grabbed the same orange one with the 128GB SD card for the price of it with no card because of the discount.
I really like this handheld, perfect to just take anywhere thanks to its size. Having both sticks is really cool and as you mentioned they are CONCAVE! That should be a standard from now on.
Finally someone that's giving this handheld a fair shake, granted it sucks that we got lied to about the SoC, but I still stand by the fact that this is the best micro handheld you can buy as of the posting of this video
Damn it TD, every time I think, I don't need another retro player you show me something cool and then tell me how to make it super cool with little effort.
OMFG you got me so hard with the accordion joke. It was hilarious. Thank you very much. And BTW do you have a written Guide for minimal camping? I freaking loved your setting. Besides, I would have to have more Wind and Cold shielding. Thank you for your Videos. Love them.
I don't buy any devices that have D-pads that are even slightly below average anymore. There needs to be a Tetris test...if you bomb out prematurely due to false diagonals, it's e-waste.
No reason. Just buy and RG35XXH and install MuOS on it. Next MuOS version will include a fix for the somewhay buggy thumbsticks and it"ll make this the perfect - really - cheap handheld (size, controls, wifi/BT, good perf and good offical/CFW OS support).
It is smaller, the better comoarison is the RG28xx. Also, charging issues aside, at least Anbernic the chip or SoC is the chip it's supposed to be. No scandal or coupon to take more money for their next shady handheld.
I see a $20-ish difference, and for those joysticks and the horizontal form factor, I'm honestly tempted. The cupped thumbsticks like on the 360's controllers are my thumbs' happy place.
Love mine. It could be better, sure. But in the micro space it has the best balance of features while still being small. I found myself using it over my A30 consistently
I don't know if you just missed it but when you're in the list of games for a specific system and you press the g button for the options there is a controller rebind there that you can swap keys around just not within a game but within the game list itself and it will apply to all the games in that list
Great review. I'm hesitant to buy anything XU because the rubber membrane inside is the old styled ones that have a capacitive bit on it. Very thin plastic that is prone to breaking off with time. Replacing it is a problem. Had this happen to a friend of mine who after 3 months of heavy use, the A button suddenly stopped registering and it turns out its the rubber membrane.
I'm too old and blind for this...but I like it, like a lot. I'm into the cheapie stuff as well Mr. Dweeb, I just wish they could do it on a 5" or better screen....sigh...I hope I see some in the future. Awesome review as always good sir!
So I love the PS1 ridge racer, almost as much as you love the NES and what it means to you what little unit would you say is best for PS1 specifically to play Ridge Racer on ? 😁 I know you probably too busy but I had to ask 👌
Mr Dweeb, do the sticks have L3 and R3 buttons? i just got a trimui smart pro because the sticks don't stick out as much but i do want to play Ape Escape from PS1 and that one does require L3 and R3 buttons, since this one looks like the sticks also don't stick out as much i might be interested, anyway thanks for the review.
Depends what you mean by 'best'. The most powerful is the OneX X1. The best powerful but still battery efficient is the ROG Ally X. My favourite PC handheld is the Steam Deck, it's my personal best. The best retro handheld in terms of power is the Odin 2. The RG35XX-SP is the best all around midrange handheld. My personal favourite is the Miyoo Mini. This XU Mini M is probably the best value handheld I've seen. So it really depends on what you mean by "best'
@@TechDweeb thank you for your answer . As a follow up question, what do you mean by "best" ? :-) what are the criteria that makes a handheld the best.
When I bought my first handheld it was the XU mini and R36S long story short I went with R36S cos of the slightly bigger screen and the fact it looked like a Gameboy thanks techdweeb 👍
I got one of these about a month back and I really love mine, especially for the price! My only gripe with it is the fact that the stock SD card arrived DOA 😟 and downloading the stock firmware from their download sources took ages...
OK, I bought it, just as an alternate for the Miyoo Mini I ordered on your recommendation, though that hasn't arrived yet. I'm really looking forward to taking my games away from home.
From my experience you pay more for the cheap stuff with not only the early replacement but also frustration when it doesn't work properly. My time, the reliability and peace of mind when something works well is easily worth the extra money.
This isn't even that cheap. On aliexpress these days a trimui smart pro can be had for 55. This comes in at about the same price and doesn't really compare favorably in any category.
@@citruesilver It sure is. But the premise of the video wasn't it's great cause it's a small horizontal. It was that it's good cause it's cheap. Which is why I'm pointing out it aint that cheap.
Question... I have an aging laptop that I running emulators on and sadly it's on its last leg, so my question is... how do I move the emulator, roms and saved files to my external hard drive? THANKS 😊 PS I'm not computer savvy I need DETAILED instructions
TLDR: - Find and backup the ROMs, save files (Google emulation save data file types as they can be varied), and, if you want, also backup save-state files. There's no guarantee the save data will be compatible across emulators and even less likelihood the savestates will be cross-compatible. Each file type might be stored in different locations, and you'll have to decide whether it's easier to cull together your files for backup beforehand or to transfer the files from their original locations directly to the new device's SD card(s). - Find where each filetype belongs on your new system. You'll need a better explanation than comments here might give. I'd Google how to backup rom and save files from and how to add ROMs and transfer save data to
My one frustration right now is that I haven't been able to get scraping to work in plum os. I was able to download themes but when I go to scrape art there's an option to select systems and nothing shows up. Is it possible you can only scrape for the built-in card and not the secondary card?
Although I do own the portable RG-CUBE to play my PS2/GameCube games which it plays perfectly smooth I find myself spending more time playing on my RG-28XX which I find to be the first handheld I have purchased that is actually perfect from the hardware to the software. The RG-28XX is so tiny yet plays PSP & Dreamcast perfectly if you set PSP to frameskip 1 which is unnoticeable. Unless there is a smaller unit than the RG-CUBE capable of playing PS2 games I think my search & game device collecting is at its end. I have been waiting for a device such as the RG-28XX since I first ordered my PocketGo 2 in 2019 which looked just like the RG-28XX but barely played PS1 games
How do I get psp to run after putting plum os? I try going directly to tools and use retroarch directly but the load/save promts are blank...wtf am I doing wrong I've reflashed a million times and I'm using two brand new names brand CD cards...
I guess it is cool that there are options, but I think if I was in the market for a device in this price point, I would rather go with one of the ambernic XX devices.
@@TechDweeb , bummer. I can't be the only one who hopes that one of these manufacturers does something innovative and gets analog 480p/240p out of the 3.5 jack to play directly on a CRT. Here's hoping you can get the retro round table to lobby someone to make that a reality.
Dweeb, I don't know if youl'll ever do merch, but if you make a marketable plush Hermione, I would buy one. So, to answer your question, yes, I would love to buy a cat.
Screen and analog sticks are great but yeah this should have been like 50 usd tops. Trimui smart pro is just such a better option at this range and usually goes on sale for around 50 bucks.
I was disappointed in mine. I have to agree the sticks and screen are soooooo good, but this has got to be some of the cheapest feeling plastic I have ever felt and I kinda hate the grey color I got but I hate the other colors every more. Oh well, you can’t like em’ all I suppose. I really hope more companies use these sticks though!
Great video but i would not recommend buying it since the company will release a new version mid october. I feel like the xu mini M feels like a very good prototype and the upcoming handheld might be the one to look out for.
You just like it because it is orange. If it was plaid you would not give it much praise.
You caught me
That's ludicrous.
Now I want someone to come out with a plaid colored handheld
Orange and black plaid would prob work for him 🎃
Let's not pretend like orange isnt a cool color now
I’m feeling reasonably titillated right about now. 🍊🥔
My titillation is amplified by your generosity! Thanks so much buddy!
Dude, you're TechDweeb. Plenty of us will watch your whole video even though we don't care about 2.8" screens.
I'm with you on this, Dweeb. I love the variety in hardware options, especially when they use similar chips so that custom firmware is either already working, or just a few tweaks for a dev to make it work. I don't get mad when a new one comes out, because I don't feel like these are generational releases. They use up the parts for one design, then make a few tweaks and put together a new one. I also think it's kinda fun to watch them perfect one thing, which then brings up some other quirk that a previous one didn't have. Having a ton of these budget handhelds around means that depending on what feature is most important to the consumer, they can find the one with the right "personality" for them and get that one. Neat! Especially when there are TH-camrs willing to help out by highlighting the differences. Thanks for that.
I am glad I ran into this review. I have been looking for an easy to use handheld for my kid that won’t allow her to mess things up.Thanks for making this this video!
Nice! Excellent choice. Hope it works awesome for ya!
Have to be honest, I chuckle every time I watch your videos going to be one of my favorite retro channels. Keep up the good work.👍🏽
We need your take on the Miyoo A30 to complete the 2024 micro horizontal handheld trifecta. Maybe a comparison video too?
Why is he resisting this review? It makes me paranoid!!! Is he waiting a cfw?
@@darkdagon6 Lol at "resisting". The guy's busy putting all kinds of videos. Spruce OS is pretty great now so CFW is good.
TechDweeb's last cat actually died of old age. It was NOT a neglect issue, he is just not ready for the emotional turmoil.
OK
I just want to thank you for your organization and chapters.
Thanks for saying thanks!
The way it comes locked up on options sounds like a good gift for kids this December
I found your channel two weeks ago and I ordered 4 hand helds and I can’t stop wanting more hand helds 😅
Yeah sorry about that 😬
I buy inexpensive things. Cheap things explode.
Like pager’s.
@@antiantifa886 😗
I can play Tetris on my pager.
Ah yes, cheap toilet paper I buy always explodes. Very inconvenient sometimes.
@@pspsmallz I mean, that's shit on your hands 😆
They lock down the stock os because most people buy these handhelds for their kids, and they don't want complaints when they mess settings or delete stuff etc.
You've sold me on this one, and thanks for the heads-up on the discount code! I grabbed the same orange one with the 128GB SD card for the price of it with no card because of the discount.
Nice! You'll love it!
I would 100% buy your cat. That little dude is adorable.
I really like this handheld, perfect to just take anywhere thanks to its size. Having both sticks is really cool and as you mentioned they are CONCAVE! That should be a standard from now on.
Fully expected Aladdin to be playing while you mention "Diamond in the Rough". Looks neat!
Dang I totally should have
Sunday night and techdweeb video to end the week. Sweet
Finally someone that's giving this handheld a fair shake, granted it sucks that we got lied to about the SoC, but I still stand by the fact that this is the best micro handheld you can buy as of the posting of this video
Damn it TD, every time I think, I don't need another retro player you show me something cool and then tell me how to make it super cool with little effort.
OMFG you got me so hard with the accordion joke. It was hilarious. Thank you very much. And BTW do you have a written Guide for minimal camping? I freaking loved your setting. Besides, I would have to have more Wind and Cold shielding.
Thank you for your Videos. Love them.
When I'm watching handheld reviews the most important information for me is where are located buttons, D-pad, where the screen is and so on
I don't buy any devices that have D-pads that are even slightly below average anymore. There needs to be a Tetris test...if you bomb out prematurely due to false diagonals, it's e-waste.
Which ones pass ur test
@@danhle1032 retroid pocket 4 and recently I got the Anbernic RG40xx-v after hearing good things about the D-pad. It passed
At that price point, why buy this instead of the Anbernic RG35XXH?
No reason. Just buy and RG35XXH and install MuOS on it. Next MuOS version will include a fix for the somewhay buggy thumbsticks and it"ll make this the perfect - really - cheap handheld (size, controls, wifi/BT, good perf and good offical/CFW OS support).
That’s exactly what I was thinking, RG35XX is actually cheaper if you do a little googling, and it has a bigger screen to boot
It is smaller, the better comoarison is the RG28xx.
Also, charging issues aside, at least Anbernic the chip or SoC is the chip it's supposed to be. No scandal or coupon to take more money for their next shady handheld.
Because those that want this are looking for a micro device that is ultra pocketable. I also purchased it at launch for $35
I see a $20-ish difference, and for those joysticks and the horizontal form factor, I'm honestly tempted. The cupped thumbsticks like on the 360's controllers are my thumbs' happy place.
Love mine. It could be better, sure. But in the micro space it has the best balance of features while still being small. I found myself using it over my A30 consistently
I don't know if you just missed it but when you're in the list of games for a specific system and you press the g button for the options there is a controller rebind there that you can swap keys around just not within a game but within the game list itself and it will apply to all the games in that list
Dont forget you can turn the console for shmups games pretty well. Right analog stick for the win.
The handheld Blippi didn't know he needed!
Great review.
I'm hesitant to buy anything XU because the rubber membrane inside is the old styled ones that have a capacitive bit on it. Very thin plastic that is prone to breaking off with time. Replacing it is a problem. Had this happen to a friend of mine who after 3 months of heavy use, the A button suddenly stopped registering and it turns out its the rubber membrane.
I'm too old and blind for this...but I like it, like a lot. I'm into the cheapie stuff as well Mr. Dweeb, I just wish they could do it on a 5" or better screen....sigh...I hope I see some in the future. Awesome review as always good sir!
Yeah who cares about fitting in pockets? We nerds have backpacks anyway.
I want aluminum case 7". Something to last years for my Gen X eyes.
Isn’t that what the TrimUI Smart Pro is?
@@SensibleChuckle If you want something that big, why not just get a Steam Deck?
We need a TechDweeb version...Orange and black!
AGREED
This one sounds amazing, thanks for the episode and oh yeah new sub 👌
So I love the PS1 ridge racer, almost as much as you love the NES and what it means to you what little unit would you say is best for PS1 specifically to play Ridge Racer on ? 😁 I know you probably too busy but I had to ask 👌
Great writing and presentation
Thanks so much!
I'd love to get one, but unfortunately my eyesight isn't what it used to be, I'm having troubles if the screen is smaller than 3.5"
I'm so titillated. I love that type of joystick as well.
I was really hoping to see that device pop out of that toaster 😂
I saw Litnxt sells a a30 with spruce os. I’m hoping to see a video on it in the future. No pressure though! Love your vids 👍
I feel like cheating on my rg28xx because of these sticks. Awesome review. And so cool to see pokey today. ❤
I'm so titillated right now I'm probably going to play with my deck for a while 😅
I hope your next review is the miyoo a30 with spruce 2.2.2...😊
well. I just ordered mine. I got the Grey version for ali express with 12k games. great recommend.
Is it better than the ANBERNIC RG35XXSP or the ANBERNIC RG35XX H?
Nice shot of Pokey.
Mr Dweeb, do the sticks have L3 and R3 buttons? i just got a trimui smart pro because the sticks don't stick out as much but i do want to play Ape Escape from PS1 and that one does require L3 and R3 buttons, since this one looks like the sticks also don't stick out as much i might be interested, anyway thanks for the review.
Yup! It has L3 and R3 click. Great sticks!
@@TechDweeb this is the reason you get all the girls, but also because you're so strong and smart.
I appreciate your sense of humor.
What is the best handheld among all your handhelds? No matter the price.
Depends what you mean by 'best'. The most powerful is the OneX X1. The best powerful but still battery efficient is the ROG Ally X. My favourite PC handheld is the Steam Deck, it's my personal best. The best retro handheld in terms of power is the Odin 2. The RG35XX-SP is the best all around midrange handheld. My personal favourite is the Miyoo Mini. This XU Mini M is probably the best value handheld I've seen. So it really depends on what you mean by "best'
@@TechDweeb thank you for your answer . As a follow up question, what do you mean by "best" ? :-) what are the criteria that makes a handheld the best.
@@Leonardo_No_Cardio rog ally x is the best in my opinion, since its one of the most powerful handhelds with good battery with a justifiable price
If I should answer that it would be impossible because I have a handheld for every system and I love them all😊
When I bought my first handheld it was the XU mini and R36S long story short I went with R36S cos of the slightly bigger screen and the fact it looked like a Gameboy thanks techdweeb 👍
How does it compare with A30 ?
Gotta love a good ol TD video. They are cozy
Is it better then the Anbernic rg35xxsp or the rg35xx h?
I got one of these about a month back and I really love mine, especially for the price! My only gripe with it is the fact that the stock SD card arrived DOA 😟 and downloading the stock firmware from their download sources took ages...
You rock, man! 😃
OK, I bought it, just as an alternate for the Miyoo Mini I ordered on your recommendation, though that hasn't arrived yet. I'm really looking forward to taking my games away from home.
The buy link in your description isn't working for me.
can you please review the o30s pocket console
Cheap n good is my moto.. love Poooooooowkiddy❤
Ok I have to ask... did you make that counter top yourself? If not, where do I buy one... not for me but for a friend...s nephew. Yea...
Yup, I draw'd it! It's a bristol board with paint marker on it, nothing fancy :P
As an owners of the TrimUI in the background, would you suggest upgrading or sticking with the Trim
It’s my new go to and it’s amazing. 💯 recommend. Not sure why retro game corps took a sh1t on it.
Essentially an RG351P with a 2.8 inch screen
From my experience you pay more for the cheap stuff with not only the early replacement but also frustration when it doesn't work properly.
My time, the reliability and peace of mind when something works well is easily worth the extra money.
Which theme are you using on your console? I like the position of the clock and the battery
I still want that ARC thing with the Sega Saturn controls. That's not significantly more expensive than this.
This isn't even that cheap. On aliexpress these days a trimui smart pro can be had for 55. This comes in at about the same price and doesn't really compare favorably in any category.
Yeah I’m not impressed.
The sticks look better than the TSP PS Vita sticks though.
Its smaller though
@@citruesilver It sure is. But the premise of the video wasn't it's great cause it's a small horizontal. It was that it's good cause it's cheap. Which is why I'm pointing out it aint that cheap.
TrimUI is an absolute steal, I paid €40 Inc postage and 21% Vat with a 256gb card. Excellent screen and CrossMix is great
For $70 get the TrimUI Smart Pro. Much bigger screen
Nah 70 is too much when it goes on sale for like 55 often
@@pspsmallz I just bought one. It was 55 but I got the extra storage and with tax came to 70
Tech King with another handheld
The profuct link seems to be down, unfortunately
The "buy it here" link isn't active brotherman.
i'm interested in this but how much is it? I clicked on the link but it doesn't take me to the shop, it just says 'The link is not currently active'
How much for the cat? I'm assuming you take payment in maple syrup.
Diet root beer, most likely.
Love the XU Mini M. Such a cheap handheld with joysticks better than Anbernic
try to put the R36S OS card on it and check if it works, IF Ark OS can be flashed there ill buy it
1:31 Im just here for the cat 🐱..... Someone said there was an air breathing, food eating cat 🐱 for sale.
Cat is cartoon brainless u
Question... I have an aging laptop that I running emulators on and sadly it's on its last leg, so my question is... how do I move the emulator, roms and saved files to my external hard drive? THANKS 😊 PS I'm not computer savvy I need DETAILED instructions
TLDR:
- Find and backup the ROMs, save files (Google emulation save data file types as they can be varied), and, if you want, also backup save-state files. There's no guarantee the save data will be compatible across emulators and even less likelihood the savestates will be cross-compatible. Each file type might be stored in different locations, and you'll have to decide whether it's easier to cull together your files for backup beforehand or to transfer the files from their original locations directly to the new device's SD card(s).
- Find where each filetype belongs on your new system.
You'll need a better explanation than comments here might give. I'd Google how to backup rom and save files from and how to add ROMs and transfer save data to
Im playing odin 2 mini. Never looking back on these low end devices. Same all over and over and over again and overvagain next week.
What version of emulation station did you say?
Another great video TechDweeb! Can you upscale PS1 games on this device or is that asking too much at this price point?
My one frustration right now is that I haven't been able to get scraping to work in plum os. I was able to download themes but when I go to scrape art there's an option to select systems and nothing shows up. Is it possible you can only scrape for the built-in card and not the secondary card?
Anybody else thought it was going to be like 29.99?
I've looked up too many of these by now to be surprised, but the price on ali is still okay for me.
@@extremawesomazingHow "Inexpensive" is it?
@@Jason-sz7ek$65.99 usd
@@Jason-sz7ek I'm seeing $41.88 from one listing.
😭 have they fixed the joysticks on the amblernic cube yet
It reminds me of the Powkiddy RGB10 but with dual sticks and a better screen. I loved the RGB10 before them RK3566 handheld came out
Litnxt usually ship with paid ports via PortMaster. It's not right
Although I do own the portable RG-CUBE to play my PS2/GameCube games which it plays perfectly smooth I find myself spending more time playing on my RG-28XX which I find to be the first handheld I have purchased that is actually perfect from the hardware to the software. The RG-28XX is so tiny yet plays PSP & Dreamcast perfectly if you set PSP to frameskip 1 which is unnoticeable. Unless there is a smaller unit than the RG-CUBE capable of playing PS2 games I think my search & game device collecting is at its end. I have been waiting for a device such as the RG-28XX since I first ordered my PocketGo 2 in 2019 which looked just like the RG-28XX but barely played PS1 games
Which device is the one from the beginning, playing psp 10x on 0:51?? It looks beautiful (expensive and beautiful)
Ayaneo Pocket S
How do I get psp to run after putting plum os? I try going directly to tools and use retroarch directly but the load/save promts are blank...wtf am I doing wrong I've reflashed a million times and I'm using two brand new names brand CD cards...
Orange...🤨...bit bias wouldn't you say? Trading my deck for this beauty!!!😒😂
One day we will see a face reflection from one of the screens!
Nope! I don't show up in reflections.
good morning techdweeb :)
Surprised you don't use the 13 in One shampoo. Fuzzy peaches perhaps?
I guess it is cool that there are options, but I think if I was in the market for a device in this price point, I would rather go with one of the ambernic XX devices.
I feel trolled by the Miyoo Flip... the next gimmick that gets me will probably be dual screens +stylus PLUS linear finger triggers.
Anyone know if this will do video out via the OTG or 3.5 jack? I think it would be cool to have a small 4:3 handheld that could output 480p to CRTs.
Nope, no video out on this one.
@@TechDweeb , bummer. I can't be the only one who hopes that one of these manufacturers does something innovative and gets analog 480p/240p out of the 3.5 jack to play directly on a CRT. Here's hoping you can get the retro round table to lobby someone to make that a reality.
Dweeb, I don't know if youl'll ever do merch, but if you make a marketable plush Hermione, I would buy one. So, to answer your question, yes, I would love to buy a cat.
Screen and analog sticks are great but yeah this should have been like 50 usd tops. Trimui smart pro is just such a better option at this range and usually goes on sale for around 50 bucks.
On ali this looks cheaper than a trimui smart pro, but I'm in the US.
I was disappointed in mine. I have to agree the sticks and screen are soooooo good, but this has got to be some of the cheapest feeling plastic I have ever felt and I kinda hate the grey color I got but I hate the other colors every more. Oh well, you can’t like em’ all I suppose. I really hope more companies use these sticks though!
PS. Any chance we can Play Shinning Force 4 on this thing (or any sub $100, handheld?)
What's that pinball game at 4 minutes in?
Thinking about buying this
Great video but i would not recommend buying it since the company will release a new version mid october. I feel like the xu mini M feels like a very good prototype and the upcoming handheld might be the one to look out for.
I wanted to wait for the + model.