I often get asked which system is best to buy right now: the RG350M ($120), RG351P ($95), or the Retroid Pocket 2 ($85 + shipping). The video below will break down all of the aspects I find most important when considering one of these devices: hardware, supported systems, user interface, screen, and performance.
Continue reading “Deep Dive Comparison: RG350M vs RG351P vs Retroid Pocket 2”
Last updated: 23NOV2020
Unless you purchased an RG351P during the first few days it was available, you probably do not have an internal WiFi chip inside your device. This is because they were removed due to speaker noise issues (see my whole post here, which includes a guide to reduce the noise).
But the RG351P has some really great online features, like the ability to download media (box art and videos), download and install new themes, download a cheat database, connect to your PC and load games wirelessly, implement RetroAchievements, and even use an online update tool for the ArkOS operating system. You *can* use an OTG adapter and a USB WiFi module to connect, but it’s a little clunky. So in this guide I’ll show you how some members of the community have installed WiFi chips to their device so they have a seamless experience.
Full disclosure: I have an internal WiFi chip on my device, so I haven’t attempted this myself, but I took copious notes when others were sharing their experience! Note that this is not a beginner’s guide: it includes soldering. If you have any questions or issues with this process, I suggest you post something in the Retro Game Handhelds Discord server (in the #RG351P channel).
Continue reading “Guide: Install your own Wi-Fi chip inside the RG351P”
Last updated: 25NOV2020
Fresh off the heels of 351ELEC, another RG351P operating system is now available. This one is called ArkOS, and it has some features that may make it my favorite operating system yet.
The developer who created ArkOS is not new to RK3326 chipset devices like the RG351P, as they had previously developed an operating system called TheRA-NTFS that was used on similar ODROID GO ADVANCE handheld devices (and clones). But there were enough deviations from TheRA-NTFS to warrant a new name, and now we have ArkOS (Another RK3326 OS).
What I really love about this OS is that it has a lot of quality of life features: online updating, 32-bit and 64-bit userspace, background music, and screensaver options. So let’s dive into this OS and show why I think this might be the best one yet.
Continue reading “ArkOS, another excellent RG351P firmware”
Over the years, I’ve always found that the best way to ensure I can can play all of my favorite arcade classics is by using a full arcade romset. The only problem is that these romsets contain thousands of games, and at least half of them are not worth trying — they’re full of hacks, duplicates, trivia games, mahjong games, and more.
This guide will show you how to reduce arcade romset file sizes significantly with the help of LaunchBox — in this case, from 34GB down to 8GB! This method will work with any full non-merged romset, and works beautifully with your favorite arcade emulator and handheld devices like the RG350, RG351P, and Retroid Pocket 2.
Continue reading “Guide: Trim Arcade ROMsets using LaunchBox”
Last updated 12NOV2020 (see Changelog for details)
Pico-8 is one of my favorite systems to run on handheld emulation devices, because there are thousands of indie games right at your fingertips, and they are a perfect match for a handheld system.
I’m particularly excited about Pico-8 on the RG351P, because its network connectivity allows you to browse, play, and download games onto the device itself from the internet. That’s pretty exciting.
Note that this guide works for both the EmuELEC and 351ELEC firmwares for the RG351P. For ArkOS, check out their own instructions.
Continue reading “Guide: Pico-8 on the RG351P”
Today I’m excited to show off a new fork of EmuELEC, called 351ELEC, which is designed specifically for the RG351P. This firmware incorporates the most recent release of EmuELEC, Anbernic’s latest updates to the PSP emulator (as described in this post), and also has a FAT32 “Games” partition which allows you to drag and drop ROM files directly onto your SD card. At this point in time, this is the most feature-rich and user-friendly operating system for the RG351P available.
Continue reading “Introducing 351ELEC – a new firmware for the RG351P!”
Last updated 08NOV2020 (see Changelog for details)
If you a running the stock firmware that comes with the RG351P, or the updated 3.7 version that I recommend in my Firmware Guide, you’re in luck — Anbernic just released an update patch to this firmware that provides some serious improvement to PlayStation Portable (PSP) performance. It’s still far from perfect, but it definitely makes more games playable.
One nice thing about this update is that it doesn’t require you to reinstall any new firmware. In fact, all you have to do is replace a couple files on your SD card and you’re all set. No need for WiFi FTP, either!
Continue reading “RG351P 3.7 Firmware Update – Improved PSP Performance!”
I recently had an opportunity to take somebody’s RG350 and give it an internal makeover. Someone on the RG350 subreddit had asked for help in getting their device up and running again after several months of trial and error. So I took the project onboard and also filmed the entire process so you could see all the tricks I used to get everything back into tip-top shape.
Continue reading “Refreshing a used RG350 device”
Last updated: 15NOV202 (see Changelog for details)
I hate to admit it, but my first week with the Anbernic RG351P was rough. Not only did I order my device as soon as it was available, I also paid for expedited shipping — so I had no idea how to use it when it finally arrived, because there were no guides out yet. So this guide is designed to walk you through all of the things I wish I knew when first starting out.
I’ve written plenty of guides for this device, but this Starter Guide will consolidate and summarize each of those other tutorials. Think of this as your “one-stop-shop” for the RG351P before you branch out to more advanced techniques.
Continue reading “RG351P Starter Guide”
Last updated: 15NOV2020 (see Changelog for details)
If you’ve followed any of my previous video guides, you know that Nintendo 64 games don’t run well on the RG350 devices. Very few games even run at a speed that is considered “playable”, and even then, there are some major compromises in graphics and audio.
So that’s why I’m so excited to show off how to install a fully-functional beta port of Super Mario 64, and it works really well with all of the RG350 devices (plus the RG280 devices, too!). It’s not a super simple process (for example, you have to use the new beta OpenDingux firmware), but it’s a neat little project to unlock a feature most people never thought would be possible on these devices.
Continue reading “Super Mario 64 port for RG350 devices”
