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
Besides being the ultimate Android TV box, the NVIDIA Shield TV Pro is also a powerful emulation console. Let’s look at what kind of game performance we can get out of this $200 device.
Continue reading “NVIDIA Shield TV Pro as an Emulation Console”
Last updated: 23SEP2021
Moonlight is a game streaming tool designed to allow you to stream your screen (and games) from a PC to a connected device. This means you can stream games that wouldn’t normally run on your device, such as GameCube, PS2, PC games, and so on. This is an excellent option if you want to play a few games while in bed, or on the couch, or maybe at the dinner table.
For this guide, we will focus on Moonlight support for ArkOS and RetroOZ firmwares on the following handheld devices:
Anbernic RG351P (ArkOS final) — requires WiFi dongle
Anbernic RG351M (ArkOS final)
Anbernic RG351V (ArkOS)
PowKiddy RGB10 (ArkOS) — requires WiFi dongle
PowKiddy RGB10 Max (RetroOZ) — requires WiFi dongle for 5GHz
GameForce Chi (ArkOS)
RK2020 (ArkOS) — requires WiFi dongle
ODROID Go Advance (ArkOS) — may require WiFi dongle
ODROID Go Super (RetroOZ) — requires WiFi dongle
With a starting price of $78, the Super Console X Max is a fairly beefy jump up from the original Super Console X line. But even at that price, is the experience worth the savings you can gain by simply doing it yourself?
Continue reading “Review: Super Console X Max”
Last updated: 16SEP2021 (see Changelog for details)
In my quest to find great emulation at a budget price, the idea of running games on the Xbox series devices recently came on my radar. Considering that the Xbox Series S retails for $300, I decided to pick one up and test its performance against a similarly-priced PC, and the results are fantastic.
In addition to running classic games up to PS2 with higher resolutions, you maintain all of the functionality of the retail Xbox, and the whole endeavor is completely legal and available through Xbox’s Dev Mode process (after a $19 fee). It does take some configuration to get set up, and so this guide will help you through that process and get you well on your way for all the retro gaming your heart could desire.
There are other ways of playing retro games on your Xbox, to include getting whitelisted for an app store that launches a fork of RetroArch from the retail Xbox side, as well as a program called Tnavigator. But the use of these apps is a little sketchy since they circumnavigate Microsoft’s Dev Mode, and so for this guide we will only focus on the Dev Mode process and official RetroArch releases.
This guide would not be possible without the excellent work done by Ryan over at Archades Games, whose Xbox emulator tutorials are comprehensive and relevant. Many of the files used in this guide (including the reverted versions of RetroArch cores for PS2) are borrowed from his tutorials. For further exploration of specific systems, I recommend checking out his channel, and consider contributing to his Patreon page.
Note that this guide will work on Xbox One consoles too, but will require a different DevKit Activation app (more info in that section of the guide). All other parts of this guide apply. Performance will be worse than on the Xbox Series consoles; while I haven’t tested it myself, I have been told that the Xbox One is more than capable of playing Dreamcast and below.
Continue reading “Guide: Xbox Series S/X and Xbox One Emulation”
Nearly 33 years after the Sega Genesis released, we have a new game to try out! Demons of Asteborg released last month and can easily work in your favorite retro handheld. If it can run Genesis games (and the Picodrive emulator), it’ll likely run this game, too.
Find it on Steam
Main page (for the demo)
I finally got a chance to test the medal mod kit for the ODROID Go Super. Let’s see if it fixes my main complaints about the original device!
OGS metal mod kit
OGS YouTube playlist
Last updated: 16SEP2021
At long last, we have a definitive firmware image for Anbernic RG350 and RG280 series retro handheld devices. This “Adam” image will allow you to create the ultimate SD card image that runs OpenDingux Beta firmware, RetroArch and standalone emulators, and the SimpleMenu frontend all in one seamless experience. No FTPing, tweaking, or headaches required.
This starter guide will work on the following devices: Anbernic RG350, RG350P, RG350M, RG280M, RG280V, RG300X, PlayGo, PocketGo 2, PowKiddy Q80, GCW-Zero, and probably a few others not on my radar.
Continue reading “RG350 & RG280 Series Starter Guide”
The Pawky Box is a new budget emulation box, in direct competition with the Super Console X Pro. Let’s do a deep-dive review to see if it’s worth your time and attention.
Continue reading “Review: Pawky Box”
The Q20 Mini is the latest budget device from PowKiddy, and at $40 it’s definitely in the realm of “impulse buy” options. So let’s look at how this one performs, especially within the very competitive budget handheld market available today.
Buy one here
Install custom firmware with my V90 guide
