As always I watched and liked your video about this same console few hours ago, I follow both of you, as retro emulation enthusiast I appreciate your work a lot sir.
While the difference in price is not massive for americans and europeans, $20 is a lot of money for a kid in development countries, so having a good option for 40 bucks (which will got lower in the future) is very significant.
In the end, the game will be played the same way, most of those devices right now offer the same experience, the same software, the same design, and so on. I sold my RG353M in favor of my old RG351P, and I miss nothing.
also getting a nice device for as low as possible is a journey, its so nice when u pay so little for something that is so good. i only have budget devices and got them for great prices, rg35xx-2024 for 32 euros, miyoo a30 for 30 euro, r36s for 25 euro, miyoo mini plus for 30 euro. i love the bang for buck these devices have.
That was exactly my first thought I’m so happy that this is an entry-level console that it can start someone’s love for gaming and not invest hundreds of dollars into it.
Of course we do..."I bought this handheld with my own money my thoughts are all my own. No money was exchanged either way" haha..Legendary....reminds me of Murray Walker decades ago in Formula 1 commentary..."That race car is Unique..except for the one behind which is exactly the same"
Thought this was another handheld like I genuinely thought TH-cam was re recommending. A video till I saw the date of release. Like these look really alike
i cant help but watch every retro game corps upload, even for devices I don't plan on buying. the videos are so informative and the ideas suggested such as setting them up for gifts etc are great.
The size of the d-pad and buttons, combined with the lack of wi-fi, bluetooth, and hdmi means this might be a great device for kids. edit: questionable plastics and battery quality may knock it back down a few pegs
There's something incredible about the fact that this handheld is more or less feature-equal to the RG350M, which inspired my channel back in 2020 for €150. Always amazes me how much the retro handhelds have evolved in such a short amount of time!
Just picked this up for $56 Australian. Perfect for my use as my daughter will use it occasionally and it'll see use on the farm, so it needs to be cheap so I don't care about drops or scrapes, and no wifi is great because I don't want her to have that anyway.
I had to config some things but this ended being exactly what i wanted for a very reasonable price. Between a couple of your vids i got all the info i needed and thank you so much for bringing this to my attention. 🎉🎉
I was getting youtube ad for rg36s "wow 20000 games" was like wow 40$ isint bad for that, then did some research/falling down a rabbit hole and now im planning to purchase a Retroid Pocket 4 Pro. And i want to thanks you your video's help me come to that decision, and now i just find myself just watching all your other video just for the enjoyment of it
A lot of people out there are saying you and other channels aren't critical enough. I can't disagree more! I love your positivity and the chance you give to every device!
7:22 - I had to do a double take, then it finally clicked for me. That's a fancy way to say Ape Escape haha. Much love, and more power to your channel, Russ!
I’ve been watching your videos for awhile, waiting for the perfect value device for me. While I don’t think this is quite it. I really like the idea of getting this as a gift for my siblings (5 of them). I’m going to get one for myself to test out and if I like it enough this will be their Christmas present after I adjust the system a bit. Being able to customize it makes it a bit more personal as a gift. Thanks Russ!
Mine just arrived today and this might be my new favorite handheld. It's small, cheap, powerful (for $40 at least), the quality is nice, and it's really portable.
It's such a shame that the bezels are so large. A 4" screen with tiny bezels would only be a little bit bigger in which case a 4" version of the V10 would be utterly fabulous for lower end systems. Back to reality the RG40XXV is the leader for me, but it's a bit big. I keep dreaming about the perfect handheld. 🤓 Great review Russ. 👍
I think it's good to take a step back and shift our perspective. Just for a second think about how flawless emulation is today. Then think about how many high-quality games you have access to with this device. it's literally the entire gaming history up until 2002. All the great RPGs in 90s, all the fantastic arcade games. Heck, SNES games alone could keep me occupied for decades.... It might only cost 40$. But to be fair, this device might just be a better purchase than the PS5 (bear with me)... Reason being; If someone asked me to choose between RGB10X and the PS5 to live with for the rest of my life (no other gaming hardware). I would actually easily choose the 40$ RGB10X over the 499$ PS5 due to the device having a better game library. :)
When you take a step back and really think about the fact that you have access to literally thousands of console and handheld games as well as thousands of arcade games, in something so cheap it's a miracle and something us who grew up in the 70s and 80s would never have believed
@@cyberdrizzt As somebody that didn't turn 10 until 1980 and didn't turn 21 until 1991, I qualify. I haven't really dug into the PS5 community to see what more value you can squeeze out of it, but the fact it can be a streaming media player as well as a gaming device would make me choose that hands down. Buying an inexpensive handheld is a good idea until you can build up a use case for it. For example, how often are you really going to plug a device into your TV? If I use my use case as a template, I bet on sports so I like to watch the games if possible. The TV isn't freed up until around 11 pm just in time for the local news, which takes me out to 11:30. I have my own businesses, so it's not as though I have to wake up at any given time. But I do value waking up early to get most things done with less interaction with people and less traffic. Between all my daily activities I don't think I would plug this into the TV that often. But I can get some use out of BT for use with headphones while traveling and WiFi for adding games from my NAS. If you buy two dongles, one BT and one Wifi, that would come close to the cost of the RG35x. While the HDMI could be used while on vacation as that is less to carry around.
Was looking for a vertical smallish handheld that can play up to DS / PSP and went with the RG35XX Plus after binging your videos, thank you for the great videos you make about these devices! Hope I made a good choice
I got an RG35xxh about a month ago for $50 and love it. But I'm thinking about getting a retro device for my nieces and nephews, who are around the 7 - 8 range, and I think that spending $40 is much better than $60 (assuming I don't look for deals). They don't need all the things the 35xxh has. They need something cheap that they will likely damage or lose in just a few months. Most devices will have their own place in the ecosystem.
Thanks for covering this! I have a friend in Brazil, and the taxes and shipping for consoles that ship from other countries are absurd. But PowKiddy sells from there already, avoiding both! I didn't want to get them one since PowKiddy usually has garbo hardware, but this one looks perfect!
Thanks for the review :) I really like the look of the SNES model and the larger buttons. If this gets a good price on sale I'll probably pick it up :D
I am also considering bought a few of this for my relative on next month as it is only USD26-28 (same as v10) without games in China. I originally want to buy v10 for them but this has 2 SD card slots and a joystick, it is easier to use. Thanks for info and review.
I would have liked it to have a little more power and perhaps a few more features, but frankly the RGB10X's design and especially its larger D-Pad and buttons make it very compelling for me. I'm really tempted by this one, would be great to throw in a bag or coat pocket when I'm just heading out on the train or something.
man I found your channel and I have been binging it endlessly. But... I am a working dad. I want my 6 year old to have a glimpse of that Nintendo taste before he moves onto current gen. I wouldn't also mind dipping into retro gaming a little. There are so many options! What to choose? I am in a total choice paralysis!
As someone who has several handhelds I like the cheaper ones when they are optimised for 8 and 16 bit which is why I would choose the powkiddy out of the two.
This form-factor but please: sega-style d-pad; front-firing stereo speakers: left one between d-pad "right" and left stick; right one between Y and Start buttons; and + right stick for first-person shooters ports; and super thin bezels; and 3.7''-4" screen; and wi-fi for online play... ah, the dreams...
Thank you for the great curated OS. I completely agree with the game scrolling. Much rather have a few games organized by franchise (say, Zelda, final fantasy, dragon warrior, etc). I followed your advice about skinning of the v90 and really appreciate your organization and clear presentation.
I have a powkiddy q90, a R35S (yes the one before R36S) and the retroid pocket 3 3gb ram version. This RGB10x can be the perfect replacement for the obsolete q90 and the not so ergonomic R35S
heck theres tons of us who are devoted to the $10 SF2000 data frog!! and its coming along nicely..... i can see positives in all of these devices or youre a budding industrial designer or product designer....love these devices... and i have the more expensive and recommended devices as well.... its just the immediacy and simplicity of these devices... like how russ has curated only 40 roms for this particular device etc.... the datafrog not having retroarch or wifi or overlay options means no distractions or endlessly browsing or getting stuck n menus tweaking or faffing around with coresor shaders.... ''Less is more''
Im in the camp that you could spend around the same and get a better handheld its fine but you do the best at explaining why it may be a good idea for some.
I really like the idea of giving this as a gift to my nephew. I'm going to reread your giving to a kid article on your website. I really want to lock it down so he can't access retroarch.
@@wooordwooord4712 Yes there's a kid mode in ArkOS that prevents accessing Retroarch hotkeys and allows booting to a switch style game selector of favorites. Everything is locked down. In fact, to get out of the mode you have to enter the Konami code. It's awesome.
I just said this to a friend of mine who still doesn't have a clue that these devices can play anything he needs and are easy to purchase, he hogs up my devices instead 😤🙄
I think it would be a smart move for Powkiddy to position themselves in the market as sort of the Motorola/Lenovo of retro handhelds. Like, Anbernic can be the Samsung/Apple with their entry level to flagship devices, but Powkiddy can be a competitor in the entry-level / midrange sector (like Motorola is).
I would say that it's okay to load up an SD card if you have access to a randomizer like what EmulationStation offers (via screensaver). That helps with that gaming choice paralysis that occurs by having too many games.
Only just getting into the retro handheld scene and struggling to decide on which ones to get. I got a cheapish unit with decent reviews (TrimUI Smart Pro), a dedicated Genesis/SEGA unit (Anbernic Arc-D), and a micro system to trial (Anbernic RG28XX). This unit looks pretty nice, but will see how the others go after they arrive before I rush into anything else. Also considering the Retroid 2S Metal and 4S Pro. Would like a big boy unit for home, but happy to wait for sales on those as I’m mostly in the pre-PS1 emulation phase :)
If anyone is expecting a premium-feeling device at 40 dollars new, they definitely need to check their expectations. This is definitely one of the nicest-looking Powkiddy offerings, though, all things considered. I might get this as a gift for a friend who, frankly, is much more interested in playing retro platformers than she is in newer games, anyhow.
Other than WIFI I dont really need BT or Video out and I kind of love the size of the buttons and Dpad, I am thinking of getting this as a backpack emulator to carry around… kind of love it actually especially Ark OS
5:57 ... this is what we all came for : the Contra and the Street Fighter diagonal tests. How intentional the diagonals need to be? How shoryukenable and hadokenable the d-pad is? Those are the questions we want to know. Good man Russ has our backs making D-pad critique somewhat scientific. Never change man.
I think a more realistic and more visually obvious test would be with a shooter or anything where you can move the cursor freely and instantly. A bad d-pad ruins my Gradius III play session more than anything else.
@@gluttonousmaximus9048 but it's his signature test, and I like it. Other people seem to as well, and I think Contra is easy enough to launch and test right away in all the consoles as it's a NES rom.
Powkiddy, you are awesome. But please make v90x using 3566 or similar with 3:2 screen for gba, put ArkOS in it and a swappable battery. That I would prefer much much more to that loud and clicky rg35xx sp. I know you can do it, powkiddy 🤘🏻
This handheld is the "safe" option if you want an R36s today, especially because there are anonymous board revisions that can't be supported by custom firmware. The Powkiddy at least can run ArkOS, AmberElec right out of the box, and build quality is VASTLY superior to the R36s... Unless the anonymous revisions upped their game - I've seen some units in Huaqiangbei that did try that, but still had EmuElec installed.
We need a Holiday buying guide for the best features and power vs. price and some useful buying tips like Will there be sales we should wait for and what sites are best to buy from and those you should avoid. I'm wanting to get my first ever retro gaming device and can't waste money trying to find the best at 200 give or take 50 and that 90% of the time will be used hooked to a T.V. using an xbox controller.
20:50 Right now ArkOS and AmberElec run right out of the box. RecalBox has screen rotation and button mapping issues and can't launch games. Lakka has the whole display shifted downwards for some reason. Rocknix doesn't boot (There is active development to fix that). Batocera (rk3326) doesn't run on this resolution.
Hey Russ! What a great video you did! I am looking for budget retro handleheld for NES (Bomberman, TMNT, Contra, Battletoads, Indiana Jones), N64 (FIFA 98/99, Mortal Combat) and PSP (FIFA Street Football 2, PES). This one can run it while Miyoo A30 Mini can run it as well. But which one in your opinion has better D-Pad and Joystick? And maybe some has better productivity despite they kind of similar in specs? Thank you in advance for your reply!
I rarely review here and I was wondering if you could at some point dig a bit deeper when it comes to « save and shutdown » and « cold boot time » and the ability to use those with a single key press. My son and I play to such devices but not enough to remember the often tricky key combinaisons. Also often the power button only « sleep » the device which is very disappointing when we want to play it back a few days later without battery left. And when the cold boot time is more than 30s like the ambernick here it’s really a big friction to start a 3-5min game session. I remember you tested a device where we could « switch » between game sessions (the miyoo mini plus I believe) and I loved it. We’d love to see a video or a tutorial what would sum up the best devices that you « set up and forget » that a great for quick 2-5min game sessions without having to remember any specific keys to make it work as intended. Thank you again for the quality of your videos and your honesty through them.
Any chance of sharing your "stArkOS" images for other devices like this RGB10X? The 353 devices you built the initial one for are quite a bit more expensive for gifting. The guide has been great, but your petuned image saves so much time.
The days of having to spend a lot of money to get great emulation are over and thank God! It’s just amazing what we can put in our pockets these days for such little money.
Oof, that chemo comment hit close to home. Had to go through that in 2016, a small handheld like this one could have been amazing. Btw, how does it sound with headphones? Mono still or stereo?😅
I have a countryside tour coming up and I'm planning to buy a retro handheld device and been thinking aince yesterday if I'll choose this or Anbernic 40XX-V (cubexx not my liking sadly)
Was able to pick up the powkiddy v10 for 36 euro from aliexpress some time ago though now it sits at around 45. Might be worth going for that at this price point instead and at the beginning of the month they always have some coupons to save 3-4 euro.
I already have an Abernic RG35XX H just to play retro handhelds (GB,GBC,GBA,GG). If I didn't have an RG35XX H, I would probably pick up the Powkiddy one.
I feel like there are a lot of hidden costs associated with the hobby. Sure, this device is $40,- but I'd recommend buying an SD-card and copying the card over that came with the device. So that's an additional $30,- . In my case, I bought something which turned out to be a lemon so I had to fork out another $40,- to buy a new one. I have since repaired the old one which I keep as a spare. In the meantime I also got an old phone from a friend and forked out an additional $50,- for a telescopic controller, then found the USB-C port on the phone was shot and spent another $60,- for a new port. So now I'm at $220,- for what was supposed to be a cheap hobby 😅. It helps if you get a bunch of friends involved, maybe you can share stuff or pass it along when you don't need it anymore
I think some of the people writing this one off are only looking at it from their perspective of if it is good for them or good for the person that already has a dozen handhelds. This is the device to steer someone that is looking at a sf2000 where you can say hey I know this is $40 vs $20 but that extra $20 gets you so much better. Or someone who is looking at one of the r36 devices but want something with better controls, Or the person who thinks $60 is too much to spend on a retro handheld but wants something almost as good as a $60 device. If I didn't own my RGB30 and 35xxSP I could see owning this device and being happy with it.
Great comparison, and you are right I dont know if the RG35xx H is 50% better depends on what you are looking for. I do have a RG35XX H and was curious as to what if your write up is still accurate as to what you recommend for OS. What are you currently running on it?
apé escapé
El escapé de los monós
I get so fking pumped up whenever he says it that way.
Made my day!
Actually it's I.P. Es Capet
runaway monkey
Heck yeah! I had a feeling you'd like this one. Love that we have so many great options at budget prices these days.
As always I watched and liked your video about this same console few hours ago, I follow both of you, as retro emulation enthusiast I appreciate your work a lot sir.
"You" had a feeling that Russ, who is definitely not TD, would post this device too?
What’s crazy is the $20 difference between sites
You mean for Litnxt? That's cause they put a good SD card in it, with a solid selection of ROMs, so it's ready out of the box. @@donchordel8046
just saw ur video on it! it was great
While the difference in price is not massive for americans and europeans, $20 is a lot of money for a kid in development countries, so having a good option for 40 bucks (which will got lower in the future) is very significant.
$20 is easily a week's worth of food if I budget it lol
In the end, the game will be played the same way, most of those devices right now offer the same experience, the same software, the same design, and so on.
I sold my RG353M in favor of my old RG351P, and I miss nothing.
also getting a nice device for as low as possible is a journey, its so nice when u pay so little for something that is so good. i only have budget devices and got them for great prices, rg35xx-2024 for 32 euros, miyoo a30 for 30 euro, r36s for 25 euro, miyoo mini plus for 30 euro. i love the bang for buck these devices have.
I live in Sweden and 20 dollars (200 sek approx) is half a week worth groceries 😁, I still can’t afford RP5 or mini without saving
That was exactly my first thought I’m so happy that this is an entry-level console that it can start someone’s love for gaming and not invest hundreds of dollars into it.
You are a legend, Russ. We love you.
Of course we do..."I bought this handheld with my own money my thoughts are all my own. No money was exchanged either way" haha..Legendary....reminds me of Murray Walker decades ago in Formula 1 commentary..."That race car is Unique..except for the one behind which is exactly the same"
Thought this was another handheld like I genuinely thought TH-cam was re recommending. A video till I saw the date of release. Like these look really alike
The names can get very confusing and samey too specially for the people who does not follow the scene that closely.
@@GustavoFil350heck, the names can even be confusing for people who do follow it closely!
Watching this video whilst receiving chemo... Steamdeck is my console of choice today.
Wishing you well. My fiancee went through it 5 years ago.
Best of luck with your treatment!
Which games are keeping you busy? My go-tos for burning some time are usually Balatro and Vampire Survivors
Best wishes man. Take it easy.
good luck bro
Build quality from PowKiddy seems much improved
i cant help but watch every retro game corps upload, even for devices I don't plan on buying. the videos are so informative and the ideas suggested such as setting them up for gifts etc are great.
Russ I love your channel I can't wait till u do the best retro handheld game consoles of 2024 list I look forward to those every year
Thanks for making these videos Russ! I actually bought a RGB10X today! Thanks for inspiring me to get one!
The kind of content we love, the retro channel we love and the man which is a legend, Russ!
The size of the d-pad and buttons, combined with the lack of wi-fi, bluetooth, and hdmi means this might be a great device for kids.
edit: questionable plastics and battery quality may knock it back down a few pegs
I mean if you squint your eyes the name of this console looks like ROBLOX
@@bass9380 My kids do not know ROBLOX exists, but they can whistle the hits from Chrono Trigger ✌
There's something incredible about the fact that this handheld is more or less feature-equal to the RG350M, which inspired my channel back in 2020 for €150. Always amazes me how much the retro handhelds have evolved in such a short amount of time!
Just picked this up for $56 Australian. Perfect for my use as my daughter will use it occasionally and it'll see use on the farm, so it needs to be cheap so I don't care about drops or scrapes, and no wifi is great because I don't want her to have that anyway.
dont let that one cow step on it. you know the one.
Between this and the V10, it kinda looks like PowKiddy is taking things seriously now. Good for them!
I had to config some things but this ended being exactly what i wanted for a very reasonable price. Between a couple of your vids i got all the info i needed and thank you so much for bringing this to my attention. 🎉🎉
I was getting youtube ad for rg36s "wow 20000 games" was like wow 40$ isint bad for that, then did some research/falling down a rabbit hole and now im planning to purchase a Retroid Pocket 4 Pro. And i want to thanks you your video's help me come to that decision, and now i just find myself just watching all your other video just for the enjoyment of it
A lot of people out there are saying you and other channels aren't critical enough. I can't disagree more! I love your positivity and the chance you give to every device!
Just purchased one of these! Thanks for the review Russ, keep up the awesome work!
Nice to see someone finally pronouncing “Ape Escape” correctly
I was such an Anbernic fanboy but powkiddy has stepped up in such a huge way they are becoming my favorite my favorite handheld right now is the RGB30
7:22 - I had to do a double take, then it finally clicked for me. That's a fancy way to say Ape Escape haha. Much love, and more power to your channel, Russ!
I’ve been watching your videos for awhile, waiting for the perfect value device for me. While I don’t think this is quite it. I really like the idea of getting this as a gift for my siblings (5 of them). I’m going to get one for myself to test out and if I like it enough this will be their Christmas present after I adjust the system a bit. Being able to customize it makes it a bit more personal as a gift. Thanks Russ!
Mine just arrived today and this might be my new favorite handheld.
It's small, cheap, powerful (for $40 at least), the quality is nice, and it's really portable.
I just purchased mine today.Its one thing to watch reviews but it’s another to actually get it in yours hands. So I’m anxious to see 😬
Powkiddy have really upped their game with d-pads recently. Kudos to them. Great review. Keep being awesome Russ.
It's such a shame that the bezels are so large. A 4" screen with tiny bezels would only be a little bit bigger in which case a 4" version of the V10 would be utterly fabulous for lower end systems. Back to reality the RG40XXV is the leader for me, but it's a bit big.
I keep dreaming about the perfect handheld. 🤓
Great review Russ. 👍
I think it's good to take a step back and shift our perspective. Just for a second think about how flawless emulation is today. Then think about how many high-quality games you have access to with this device. it's literally the entire gaming history up until 2002. All the great RPGs in 90s, all the fantastic arcade games. Heck, SNES games alone could keep me occupied for decades.... It might only cost 40$. But to be fair, this device might just be a better purchase than the PS5 (bear with me)... Reason being; If someone asked me to choose between RGB10X and the PS5 to live with for the rest of my life (no other gaming hardware). I would actually easily choose the 40$ RGB10X over the 499$ PS5 due to the device having a better game library. :)
When you take a step back and really think about the fact that you have access to literally thousands of console and handheld games as well as thousands of arcade games, in something so cheap it's a miracle and something us who grew up in the 70s and 80s would never have believed
@@cyberdrizzt As somebody that didn't turn 10 until 1980 and didn't turn 21 until 1991, I qualify. I haven't really dug into the PS5 community to see what more value you can squeeze out of it, but the fact it can be a streaming media player as well as a gaming device would make me choose that hands down. Buying an inexpensive handheld is a good idea until you can build up a use case for it. For example, how often are you really going to plug a device into your TV? If I use my use case as a template, I bet on sports so I like to watch the games if possible. The TV isn't freed up until around 11 pm just in time for the local news, which takes me out to 11:30. I have my own businesses, so it's not as though I have to wake up at any given time. But I do value waking up early to get most things done with less interaction with people and less traffic. Between all my daily activities I don't think I would plug this into the TV that often. But I can get some use out of BT for use with headphones while traveling and WiFi for adding games from my NAS. If you buy two dongles, one BT and one Wifi, that would come close to the cost of the RG35x. While the HDMI could be used while on vacation as that is less to carry around.
Loved the ending of the video. Such a great reviewer. Thank you.
Was looking for a vertical smallish handheld that can play up to DS / PSP and went with the RG35XX Plus after binging your videos, thank you for the great videos you make about these devices! Hope I made a good choice
I've been waiting for literally just an updated RG350 forever, this looks like it
That was the RG35XX SP for me. I can definitely see how this handheld could scratch that itch for you though!
yep definitely a spiritual successor i guess? but man RG350 triggered my 2019 memories. haven't remember that model for a long time.
You're great at what you do, Russ!! Thank you
I've had the SNES Grey for a month and love it. Feels like and pocketable US SNES and reminds me of my RG351P and RG35XX.
Thank you for saying to curate your own rom list. I've definitely noticed with these handhelds there's more browsing than playing, as you said.
I got an RG35xxh about a month ago for $50 and love it. But I'm thinking about getting a retro device for my nieces and nephews, who are around the 7 - 8 range, and I think that spending $40 is much better than $60 (assuming I don't look for deals). They don't need all the things the 35xxh has. They need something cheap that they will likely damage or lose in just a few months. Most devices will have their own place in the ecosystem.
Thanks for covering this! I have a friend in Brazil, and the taxes and shipping for consoles that ship from other countries are absurd. But PowKiddy sells from there already, avoiding both! I didn't want to get them one since PowKiddy usually has garbo hardware, but this one looks perfect!
Thanks for the review :) I really like the look of the SNES model and the larger buttons. If this gets a good price on sale I'll probably pick it up :D
I've been waiting for this review!
I am also considering bought a few of this for my relative on next month as it is only USD26-28 (same as v10) without games in China. I originally want to buy v10 for them but this has 2 SD card slots and a joystick, it is easier to use. Thanks for info and review.
I would have liked it to have a little more power and perhaps a few more features, but frankly the RGB10X's design and especially its larger D-Pad and buttons make it very compelling for me. I'm really tempted by this one, would be great to throw in a bag or coat pocket when I'm just heading out on the train or something.
man I found your channel and I have been binging it endlessly. But... I am a working dad. I want my 6 year old to have a glimpse of that Nintendo taste before he moves onto current gen. I wouldn't also mind dipping into retro gaming a little. There are so many options! What to choose? I am in a total choice paralysis!
As someone who has several handhelds I like the cheaper ones when they are optimised for 8 and 16 bit which is why I would choose the powkiddy out of the two.
This form-factor but please: sega-style d-pad; front-firing stereo speakers: left one between d-pad "right" and left stick; right one between Y and Start buttons; and + right stick for first-person shooters ports; and super thin bezels; and 3.7''-4" screen; and wi-fi for online play... ah, the dreams...
That already exist
Thank you for the great curated OS. I completely agree with the game scrolling. Much rather have a few games organized by franchise (say, Zelda, final fantasy, dragon warrior, etc). I followed your advice about skinning of the v90 and really appreciate your organization and clear presentation.
I have a powkiddy q90, a R35S (yes the one before R36S) and the retroid pocket 3 3gb ram version. This RGB10x can be the perfect replacement for the obsolete q90 and the not so ergonomic R35S
heck theres tons of us who are devoted to the $10 SF2000 data frog!! and its coming along nicely..... i can see positives in all of these devices or youre a budding industrial designer or product designer....love these devices... and i have the more expensive and recommended devices as well....
its just the immediacy and simplicity of these devices... like how russ has curated only 40 roms for this particular device etc.... the datafrog not having retroarch or wifi or overlay options means no distractions or endlessly browsing or getting stuck n menus tweaking or faffing around with coresor shaders.... ''Less is more''
Im in the camp that you could spend around the same and get a better handheld its fine but you do the best at explaining why it may be a good idea for some.
$40 with no shipping cost and VAT applied, tho.
~60$ more or less real for most countries
I really like the idea of giving this as a gift to my nephew. I'm going to reread your giving to a kid article on your website. I really want to lock it down so he can't access retroarch.
You can do that?
@@wooordwooord4712 Yes there's a kid mode in ArkOS that prevents accessing Retroarch hotkeys and allows booting to a switch style game selector of favorites. Everything is locked down. In fact, to get out of the mode you have to enter the Konami code. It's awesome.
Even though it's clear PowKiddy is always playing second fiddle to Anbernic .... It's nice to see actual competition.
This consoles are getting cheaper and better
I just said this to a friend of mine who still doesn't have a clue that these devices can play anything he needs and are easy to purchase, he hogs up my devices instead 😤🙄
will def get one when prices drop below 30 euro
I'd actually pick this over the 35XXH if I had to get one. The big d-pad and lighter weight make it perfect for me.
Love this one. The panel is the same as the RK2023!
this looks like a perfect gba-type handheld for younglings and I think for 40 bucks is a total steal!
I think it would be a smart move for Powkiddy to position themselves in the market as sort of the Motorola/Lenovo of retro handhelds. Like, Anbernic can be the Samsung/Apple with their entry level to flagship devices, but Powkiddy can be a competitor in the entry-level / midrange sector (like Motorola is).
My Christmas wish is a clamshell but with a 4X4 inch screen like Powkiddy RGB30 or Anbernic RG Cube.
Powkiddy stepping their game up is good for everyone
I would say that it's okay to load up an SD card if you have access to a randomizer like what EmulationStation offers (via screensaver). That helps with that gaming choice paralysis that occurs by having too many games.
#Russ #RetroGameCorps #RGC #PowKiddy #RGB10X #RK3326
#40USDHandheld
9:48 It's actually giving me OG Xbox vibes...
Love from Bangladesh ❤️🇧🇩
Only just getting into the retro handheld scene and struggling to decide on which ones to get.
I got a cheapish unit with decent reviews (TrimUI Smart Pro), a dedicated Genesis/SEGA unit (Anbernic Arc-D), and a micro system to trial (Anbernic RG28XX).
This unit looks pretty nice, but will see how the others go after they arrive before I rush into anything else. Also considering the Retroid 2S Metal and 4S Pro.
Would like a big boy unit for home, but happy to wait for sales on those as I’m mostly in the pre-PS1 emulation phase :)
“Appe escappe” made my eye twitch involuntarily.
If anyone is expecting a premium-feeling device at 40 dollars new, they definitely need to check their expectations. This is definitely one of the nicest-looking Powkiddy offerings, though, all things considered. I might get this as a gift for a friend who, frankly, is much more interested in playing retro platformers than she is in newer games, anyhow.
Other than WIFI I dont really need BT or Video out and I kind of love the size of the buttons and Dpad, I am thinking of getting this as a backpack emulator to carry around… kind of love it actually especially Ark OS
im gonna grab one, and just have it max out for gb, gba, and gg color, i have lots of scraped sets , and those only would make a cool lil system
I think the main upside of the right analog stick next to the ABXY buttons is for TATE mode
Great, i had to get another snack and drink😅 this is definitely a good option for those on the go for light gaming and for kiddies as well
5:57 ... this is what we all came for : the Contra and the Street Fighter diagonal tests. How intentional the diagonals need to be? How shoryukenable and hadokenable the d-pad is? Those are the questions we want to know. Good man Russ has our backs making D-pad critique somewhat scientific. Never change man.
I think a more realistic and more visually obvious test would be with a shooter or anything where you can move the cursor freely and instantly. A bad d-pad ruins my Gradius III play session more than anything else.
@@gluttonousmaximus9048 but it's his signature test, and I like it. Other people seem to as well, and I think Contra is easy enough to launch and test right away in all the consoles as it's a NES rom.
I love that color, but I have a lot of handhelds and I prefer the 35xxH over this one.
Great video as always.
I've seen so many of these that this time even the magic of Ross doesn't work on me to watch it.
Completely worth it for a good cheap handheld. Great for small kids with gruby hands.
Powkiddy, you are awesome. But please make v90x using 3566 or similar with 3:2 screen for gba, put ArkOS in it and a swappable battery. That I would prefer much much more to that loud and clicky rg35xx sp. I know you can do it, powkiddy 🤘🏻
Hey Russ, can you do a tutorial on how to setup and dual boot windows on the Steam Deck. Love watching your reviews.
Look good, hope powkiddy can upgrade rgb30 to much better build quality and battery too, i prefer 1:1 in my budget handheld 😅
This handheld is the "safe" option if you want an R36s today, especially because there are anonymous board revisions that can't be supported by custom firmware. The Powkiddy at least can run ArkOS, AmberElec right out of the box, and build quality is VASTLY superior to the R36s... Unless the anonymous revisions upped their game - I've seen some units in Huaqiangbei that did try that, but still had EmuElec installed.
35xxh is the benchmark for low cost handheld but it nice to have alternative
We need a Holiday buying guide for the best features and power vs. price and some useful buying tips like Will there be sales we should wait for and what sites are best to buy from and those you should avoid. I'm wanting to get my first ever retro gaming device and can't waste money trying to find the best at 200 give or take 50 and that 90% of the time will be used hooked to a T.V. using an xbox controller.
Odroid Go Advance was the father of the single left stick horizontal retro handhelds, I wish a RK3566 spiritual sucessor someday
3566 is more suited for twin sticks though
The good thing that rgb10x has is that it uses a venerable cpu and a mature os that many of us are familiar with.
Yeah here we go again! Thanks Russ :D
Thumbnail is pure eye candy!
If this had perfect PSP I think it would be the ideal handheld. Maybe next year
20:50 Right now ArkOS and AmberElec run right out of the box.
RecalBox has screen rotation and button mapping issues and can't launch games.
Lakka has the whole display shifted downwards for some reason.
Rocknix doesn't boot (There is active development to fix that).
Batocera (rk3326) doesn't run on this resolution.
Hey Russ! What a great video you did! I am looking for budget retro handleheld for NES (Bomberman, TMNT, Contra, Battletoads, Indiana Jones), N64 (FIFA 98/99, Mortal Combat) and PSP (FIFA Street Football 2, PES). This one can run it while Miyoo A30 Mini can run it as well. But which one in your opinion has better D-Pad and Joystick? And maybe some has better productivity despite they kind of similar in specs? Thank you in advance for your reply!
The bezels makes it look like a tv so makes it feel retro. Don't think it's bad.
I rarely review here and I was wondering if you could at some point dig a bit deeper when it comes to « save and shutdown » and « cold boot time » and the ability to use those with a single key press.
My son and I play to such devices but not enough to remember the often tricky key combinaisons. Also often the power button only « sleep » the device which is very disappointing when we want to play it back a few days later without battery left. And when the cold boot time is more than 30s like the ambernick here it’s really a big friction to start a 3-5min game session.
I remember you tested a device where we could « switch » between game sessions (the miyoo mini plus I believe) and I loved it.
We’d love to see a video or a tutorial what would sum up the best devices that you « set up and forget » that a great for quick 2-5min game sessions without having to remember any specific keys to make it work as intended.
Thank you again for the quality of your videos and your honesty through them.
Any chance of sharing your "stArkOS" images for other devices like this RGB10X? The 353 devices you built the initial one for are quite a bit more expensive for gifting. The guide has been great, but your petuned image saves so much time.
The days of having to spend a lot of money to get great emulation are over and thank God! It’s just amazing what we can put in our pockets these days for such little money.
Oof, that chemo comment hit close to home. Had to go through that in 2016, a small handheld like this one could have been amazing.
Btw, how does it sound with headphones? Mono still or stereo?😅
I have a countryside tour coming up and I'm planning to buy a retro handheld device and been thinking aince yesterday if I'll choose this or Anbernic 40XX-V (cubexx not my liking sadly)
Does anybody know when Powkiddy is going to drop the other three colorways that are featured on the box?
Was able to pick up the powkiddy v10 for 36 euro from aliexpress some time ago though now it sits at around 45. Might be worth going for that at this price point instead and at the beginning of the month they always have some coupons to save 3-4 euro.
I already have an Abernic RG35XX H just to play retro handhelds (GB,GBC,GBA,GG). If I didn't have an RG35XX H, I would probably pick up the Powkiddy one.
I feel like there are a lot of hidden costs associated with the hobby. Sure, this device is $40,- but I'd recommend buying an SD-card and copying the card over that came with the device. So that's an additional $30,- . In my case, I bought something which turned out to be a lemon so I had to fork out another $40,- to buy a new one. I have since repaired the old one which I keep as a spare. In the meantime I also got an old phone from a friend and forked out an additional $50,- for a telescopic controller, then found the USB-C port on the phone was shot and spent another $60,- for a new port. So now I'm at $220,- for what was supposed to be a cheap hobby 😅. It helps if you get a bunch of friends involved, maybe you can share stuff or pass it along when you don't need it anymore
I think some of the people writing this one off are only looking at it from their perspective of if it is good for them or good for the person that already has a dozen handhelds. This is the device to steer someone that is looking at a sf2000 where you can say hey I know this is $40 vs $20 but that extra $20 gets you so much better. Or someone who is looking at one of the r36 devices but want something with better controls, Or the person who thinks $60 is too much to spend on a retro handheld but wants something almost as good as a $60 device. If I didn't own my RGB30 and 35xxSP I could see owning this device and being happy with it.
Great comparison, and you are right I dont know if the RG35xx H is 50% better depends on what you are looking for. I do have a RG35XX H and was curious as to what if your write up is still accurate as to what you recommend for OS. What are you currently running on it?
For me, better controls wins over more features. 🍻
Nothing pumps me up at the gym like a russ review
7:26 - that made me smile, very close to how I used to pronounce it as a kid, and still at times do nowadays lmao