With two big sales days in November (Singles Day and Black Friday), now is a good time to go over my favorite budget handhelds and some tips and tricks to get the best deals possible.
Devices featured in this video:
PowKiddy V90
PowKiddy Q20 Mini
TrimUI Model S
Anbernic RG300
Anbernic RG280V
PlayGo
Anbernic RG350P
Anbernic RG300X
PowKiddy RGB10
Retroid Pocket 2+
The PowKiddy RGB10 Max 2 is a hardware refresh for one of my favorite retro handheld devices — it boasts a brighter screen, better ergonomics, and stacked shoulder buttons. So is this device worth considering, or just more of the same?
PowKiddy RGB10 Max 2
RGB10 Max Starter Guide
The new BigBig Won Rainbow controller is uniquely designed amid a very saturated market of third party controllers. But is it any good? Let’s find out.
Amazon US
Amazon UK
AliExpress
Official website
R90 adapter review
Amazon’s latest Fire TV Stick 4K Max packs an impressive retro gaming value for its $55 MSRP — essentially, it contains 75% of the NVIDIA Shield’s gaming performance at 25% of the cost. In this video we’ll go over setup, customization tips, and emulation performance of this device.
Continue reading “Review: Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Max (2021)”
Finally we have a retro handheld device for under $175 that can play upscaled PSP, N64, Dreamcast, and Saturn, plus about half the GameCube catalog, and a bit of PS2 as well. The PowKiddy X18S sounds like the perfect handheld emulation machine, so let’s take a deep-dive look at its performance and potential.
Continue reading “Review: PowKiddy X18S”
Let’s check out this deconstructed art piece by Grid Studio, who repurposes used and broken devices to give them another life on your wall.
Check out their collection here
Use code JSRC for 15% off
In this video I’ll show you how to swap out the PowKiddy RGB10 Max screen for a replacement, in case something happens to yours.
PowKiddy RGB10 Max
Screen and other parts
My toolkit
Last updated: 02MAR2022 (see Changelog for details)
The PowKiddy RGB10 Max is my favorite of the current “budget” (sub-$150) retro handheld devices. Most of that has to do with its lovely 5″ display, plastic shell, and internal WiFi. There are some definitely flaws with the device (underwhelming quality assurance, mono speaker, a weird rubber coating), but it ticks enough boxes that I recommend it as a good starting device for anyone looking to play retro games on a handheld device.
So in this guide I’m going to walk you through the entire process of buying the device, getting oriented with its user experience, and customizing the firmware to suit your needs. Note that the video guide was made before the RGB10 Max 2 was announced, but the process will be the same.
Continue reading “PowKiddy RGB10 Max (and Max 2) Starter Guide”
Today we’re going to test the AWOW NY41S PC Stick and see how it performs primarily as an emulation machine running the Batocera operating system. While not powerful enough to function as a PC replacement, this form factor and decent emulation performance make it ideal within an arcade cabinet or as a travel-friendly gaming setup.
Amazon (US)
Amazon (UK)
or from AWOW direct
The Anbernic RG351MP is the latest in a line of RK3326-powered handheld gaming devices. In this video, we’ll take a final look at this console within four different use cases to determine whether the RG351MP is a good fit for you.
Buy an RG351MP here
TP Link AC600 5GHz WiFi dongle
Other devices worth considering:
Anbernic RG351V
PowKiddy RGB10 Max
Anbernic RG351P
Anbernic RG350M
Anbernic RG280V
PowKiddy V90
Retro Game Corps 