I’m not entirely sure if it is the exactly same gap size, but the screens do match with the action. The best example is Sonic (Rush, I think it is called?). The action matches sync on both screens, there’s no Hz misalignment as we saw on the RG DS back last year before release (and the patch which fixed it!)

They’re super different handhelds, despite being ostensibly the same thing!

I have two of the Thors from AYN. One is the Thor Pro they sent me back before release to review, the other is the low-end entry model, the Thor Lite. And to me they perfectly nail the 3DS requirements. Obviously you can run DS games to your heart’s content as well, even the Lite model has more than enough power to run them.

The DS Plus has the advantage of two screens matching size (the original DS had the same size top and bottom screen), and the resolution is exactly 4x that original size. So (this isn’t upscaling), what you get is 4x ‘integer scaling’. It will present the pixels perfectly!

The Thor Pro will run anything from Switch to the WiiU, PS3, PC game emulation, 3DS upscaled like you wouldn’t believe. But it is designed to be wonderful at everything, and has a price to match that. The DS Plus is super affordable and perfect with DS games. The included stylus you store in the body is the icing on the cake to me!

Power? Upscaling? Emulating any and all systems? AYN’s Thor. DS? Older low performance systems like PSX, GBA, SNES and so on? DS Plus.

Super understandable!

At least it occupies the lower end of the retro handheld price bracket. Some of the handhelds I’ve reviewed have been worth a stunning amount, I just love how the lower end with a niche laser focused specific purpose like this one can be a more approachable price. You could wait for the 11/11 sales coming up soonish on Aliexpress, they’re famously pretty good for discounted prices :)

I’ve just published my time with the Anbernic RG DS Plus, the bulk of this is the usual review things, but of some note was that I got to chat directly with Anbernic about the device and their take on it: why they revisited the original RG DS, the new NNDDSS emulator and some of the design decisions behind the Plus.

The RG DS Plus itself is Anbernic’s second iteration of making a NDS-focused retro handheld, a modern take on being able to emulate all of the original DS games. I love this one so much.

I also spoke with the devs behind Cocoon, who are working on bringing Cocoon (a super 3DS-ish front-end/launcher for dual screen handhelds) to the RG DS Plus very soon. Just a bit of a chance to look a little beyond the hardware itself and at what this could mean for dual-screen Linux handhelds going forward, Cocoon for the DS Plus isn’t far off now (they’re moving from being Android-only to both Android and Linux!)

If you’re interested in the RG DS Plus, DS emulation or where these weird little dual-screen handhelds are heading, you might like this one!___

It works fine for me!

The original RG DS had a double ended stylus, with a cap over the flat circular…thing for the more detailed games which might requite it. But that’s the nature of modern screens: capacitive VS resistive.

The new DS Plus’ stylus is a thinner point on it, it is actually far better. Smaller and ‘pointier’ than others you might be used to, but naturally this is just the nature of the screen and the tech, it might be a huge dealbreaker for some, but no game I’ve played with it has left me wanting so far.

The problem with original hardware (I collect it obsessively!) is that the age is starting to work against it. Screens yellow and condition gets worse. The cost of original units is skyrocketing too (esp the ‘New’ Nintendo 3DS and 3DS XL line, the price on those is obscene!)

The benefits of save states, upscaling (upscaling something like Zelda on my AYN Thor by 5x is crazy), it is just hard to argue against. That said though, emulation of 3DS specifically isn’t 100% there yet, it has a long way to go. DS emulation though is perfect!

This is a deceptively ‘easy’ one to answer.

I spent a few years exclusively covering the Steam Deck. It was my travel handheld until I got into retro handhelds (and then since then…reviewing them!). Carrying something like this around is a breeze. While it is bigger than the original RG DS, it is inherently portable (and protects its own screens by design, too!)

The question is what kind of systems you want to emulate? DS & 3DS? PS2/Game Cube and below? Switch?

• If you want to relive the 3DS and DS libraries, you’ll need a far more expensive AYN Thor.
• Or even Retroid’s newly launching Pocket Duo handhelds - which will be on the way to me to review shortly!
• But if you just want to enjoy literally thousands of Nintendo DS games, some 3DS, PlayStation, GB, GBC, GBA and more…then the RG DS Plus is for you!

I really, really love this DS Plus, it feels ‘right’ to me, it really is like if Nintendo took another swing at these. I’m testing some custom firmware for it now, called GammaOS (he just released it a day or so back, and has updated it thrice since then!), so you’ve got options. If you want to ask me anything about any retro handheld though, I’m on Discord with a username of perfecteddark if you need any advice!

You can even play it in your browser if you’d like!

Enjoy! Just wait until you hear that iconic theme music in the menu…reimagined :P

So nice to see you enjoying the Brick Hammer, too. Such a classy handheld :)

I had the chance to interview Mike Miller, the developer behind Halo: Combat Devolved, an ongoing project that aims to bring Halo: Combat Evolved to the Game Boy Color (and retro handhelds) using GB Studio. I’ve been playing through it on my Brick Hammer, it really feels at home on there.

We talked about the difficult process of translating Halo’s weapons, enemies, vehicles and levels to such limited hardware, the creative solutions he’s come up with along the way, why authenticity sometimes means changing the original game, and what he’s got planned for future levels. If you’ve ever wondered what Halo would have looked like as a '90s Game Boy game, or wanted to hear a bit more about how he’s made it all happen this one should be right up your alley!

It is, yes! Gamma uses DJ Khaled for his display picture everywhere, so this felt appropriate :)

So here’s my review on the 55G1 retro handheld.

The chip itself is pretty interesting: the CPU is capable, while the relatively weak GPU creates a pretty unusual performance profile, which by now is no shock to anyone here.

I also chatted with Gamma (the mind behind GammaOS) about what he’s been able to do with the RG55G1’s drivers and where he thinks there’s more performance to be found.

And I spoke to Camille, lead dev/creator of Eden (a Nintendo Switch emulator), about the G1 Gen 2, Switch emulation, drivers and how the chip compares with other Snapdragon hardware in his experiences. Obviously I review things too, but these are the two unique angles in my lil article here.

There’s a lot I really like about the RG55G1, but the $150+ price makes it a difficult handheld to place. I think the part I’m most proud of in this review is the image of Gamma on top of MC Hammer’s ubiquitous album cover, which I used for his section in here:

Oh hi!

I have not tried Armada-OS yet, but I have plans to do so in the future for an article. GameNative is enough for me. The latest update has made it dead-dead simple to just go to the settings cog after installation and select ‘use known config’ and it’ll pre-set it to work with your device (which was a saving grace testing games for this article!)

There’s definitely a ceiling on what you can play, but I’d recommend the RP6 so-so much. Out of all the handhelds I have (which is way, way too many because of reviewing and buying), I use the RP6 the most for the 16:9 games. It makes a beautiful device for widescreen PS2 upscaled to a crazy level, or PSP, or Switch, and of course PC games.

EmuReady is a good site to check if you want to see users’ tests. It is by no means exhaustive since it is just what users have uploaded to the site, but you can get a nice snapshot on what is possible with this link. I’ve selected just the Retroid Pocket 6 and Windows games for these results:

Here’s the link to check them out!

You can also try a YouTube search for PC gaming. Or do feel free to ask me anything. You can run Armada-OS on a micro SD card now, so you won’t need to reflash anything either. But again for me? GameNative is more than enough!

That’s Geekstrada’s dog, Atticus! Who is a good boy :)

And totally understandable, this is niche-within-niche. Leaf is a custom firmware option for a cheaper retro handheld, which lets you emulate old games on the go from ROMs.

Leaf just gives a nicer customized interface and method for playing those games, with more features than the stock O.S.! I wasn’t expecting too many here to be screaming to read through this, but if any are into retro handhelds, or development at all, it sure has some gold in there. They’re also two lovely people!

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Here’s the latest in my super long running series of developer interviews, this time with the team behind Cocoon, the Android frontend for retro handheld gaming systems (or phones!)

I find their team especially interesting because the trio have such distinct roles: development, UI/UX design and sound. I was so fascinated to learn early that they’ve even commissioned musicians and instruments specifically for Cocoon’s menu music. I mean, everything else as well, but that was taking things to the next level for me.

Anyway, it’s a super long and super detailed interview, so if you’re interested in software development, UI/UX, sound design, dual-screen handhelds, their history and how Cocoon is made, or just getting a behind-the-scenes look at how projects like this are done, there’s a lot to dig into here. Hope some here enjoy it :)

I’m glad you enjoyed her story!

Well now I wish that was a thing!

(Sorry for any confusion!!!)

This is a small interview (by my usual standards!) with Jiayu, a girl in China who runs MagiGamer, a business she started making custom buttons and controls for various gaming handhelds. Tech, but with a custom twist :)

She makes buttons for things like the Nintendo Switch, 3DS & DS handhelds, the Steam Deck and her recent favorite: AYN’s Thor (as well as the Odin 3), and more.

I chatted to her a bit for some quotes to use in my AYN Thor article I shared here yesterday, but this is the full chat, only because I love the work she does and how she gives people an option to truly make a console unique for everyone. I thought it deserved to be shared :)

There’s plenty of behind the scenes pictures of the effort she goes to, and detailed pictures of the handhelds with her buttons installed. I thought this was a fun little one to share, hopefully you like it too!

___

If you followed the link above, that is for the Thor Pro, which runs them really quite well.

Plenty of YouTube demonstrations if youre curious. It has a strong chip, so it handles them well. Not quite Odin 3 levels (SD Elite), but, really well. PC emulation is a big thing for these handhelds.