Seven months on… and I’m back. This time with Part 2 of my Retro handheld showcase! If you need to refresh yourself with the devices looked at previously, you can click HERE to check out my earlier article.
The main difference since then is mainly that the RK3326 ‘Rockchip’ has now become the norm and features in many of the most recent devices. Since the last article, I have picked up a few more handheld devices for various different reasons, but let’s be honest – it’s mostly just for the novelty and as collectors items at this point. I’ll never have the time to play all these games on all these devices, but you know… first world problems and all that.
Anyway, here is Part 2 of the showcase. Presented in order of purchase:
Anbernic RG280V
As can be seen in the previous article, I am big fan of Anbernic devices in general and so had to get this when it came out. It’s just so cute and dinky! Despite its size the build quality from Anbernic is top notch as expected. I also love the Famicom inspired red and gold colour scheme, but there is also a silver and black version available if you fancy an alternative.
As per the RG350P and RG350M (shown in my previous article) this one also runs the Open Dingux firmware and sports the same JZ4770 chipset - meaning performance is exactly the same as on those devices. It’s just a lot smaller and has a vertical form factor as opposed to the horizontal.
It’s a great little device but really more of a novelty rather than anything you would actually spend a lot of time playing on. It lacks an analogue stick (if that kind of thing is important to your needs) and due to its size the dual shoulder buttons had to be located on the top of the device. So any game where you need regular access to these means your hands will soon be cramping up due to the weird crab formation required to hold it.
I would say the cons to getting this device are relative to where the market is at right now. It’s a neat little thing and not overly expensive (I got it for around £60 on Aliexpress) but given the ageing chipset and the rather clumsy and ugly Open Dingux interface you are probably better off spending a wee bit more and getting one of the latest iteration of Anbernics (351P/M/V), for a bit more power. Unless of course you are a real fan of this particular form factor and want something to be able to slip into your pocket and go. Though personally I wont be doing that as I would be paranoid about scratching it up or something. The brushed metal on this thing is just so sweet.
But yeah, in conclusion – I consider this just as a dinky collectible novelty; and to be honest I don’t use actually use it that much to play games on currently.
Powkiddy V90
This is another small device that is good for just chucking into your bag and not worrying about it, which is really the reason why I got it. Now I know I did say that previously about the RG350P, but given the V90’s GBA SP-like clamshell form factor that protects the screen and the fact that this device is dirt cheap comparative to most other devices (I picked it up for less than £30) you really can just chuck it in your bag without worrying.
At this price point the build quality is not too shabby and the performance is serviceable – some SNES games that utilise Mode-7 can lag a little and PS1 I wouldn’t even bother with, but Gameboy, NES, GBA and so on are just fine. Some arcade titles play ok too.
I recommend switching out to a custom firmware straight away to get a much prettier interface - better looking than Open Dingux at any rate. I also like how this thing has a volume wheel – like an actual wheel and not just up and down buttons – so you can get the volume level exactly as you want it, whilst also evoking that nostalgic feel.
As for the cons: I would say these stem from mainly how it looks. It bizarrely only comes in either this bright red/orange or a bright yellow. I opted for the lesser of the two evils but would have preferred this device way more if it was available in other colour options such as black, purple or even some shade of blue. The only colours that it is available in make it come off as somewhat cheap and toy-like in appearance, which I imagine may put off a lot of people. If this thing came in more colours I’m sure it would have proved to be way more of a popular device considering how cheap it is.
The V90 is definitely the most underpowered of all the devices I own, though for the price you can’t complain, especially if you are just looking for something to literally throw in your bag to have a quick go on your commute. If it does get a little banged up it’s not the end of the world.
Anbernic RG351V
‘That’s it – you don’t need any more handhelds’, I said to myself shortly before the announcement of this bad boy. But oh,… the nostalgic Gameboy form factor, the utterly ridiculous faux wood-grain shell, the quality build of Anbernic … in the end I just couldn’t not get it.
In all seriousness though, I was umming and ahing over getting a RG351P or RG351M (the RK ‘Rockchip’ sporting upgrade of Anbernic’s previous RG350P and M models), however they were just too similar to what I already owned and to play the kind of games I wanted to play. But this ‘V’ model (the V stands for ‘vertical’ if you hadn’t already guessed) was different enough for me to make it worth the purchase.
It’s comfortable to hold, the screen is large and vibrant and the 4:3 aspect ratio is ideal for most retro systems. It can play everything up to PS1 with ease and even some PSP, Dreamcast, N64 and NDS at the top end. However games for these systems are hit and miss so I wouldn’t really recommend getting any Rockchip device specifically to play these systems.
Once you replace the stock SD cards (recommended for any handheld device you get from China) and the stock OS with a custom firmware such as ELEC351 or ArkOS, you are in for a treat. The user interface looks great and the dual SD card set up means adding your own roms is a piece of cake. It’s both more user friendly and better looking than the RG350’s Open Dingux.
I was lucky to get mine for around £75 including shipping on AliExpress – worth it in my opinion as I have actually spent some time playing games on this thing when compared to most of my other devices.
As for the cons, there is really not all that much in my opinion. If you don’t like the wood grain effect you can also get the 351V in a plain grey or smoky translucent black options. Some may prefer a smaller form factor or a landscape setup, or they simply have to have two analogues sticks or prefer a 16:9 aspect ratio. For those people I would suggest the other current Anbernic RG351P or M devices may be better suited. Again, whilst some Dreamcast, PSP, N64 and DS are indeed playable (I only bothered adding the odd game here and there for those systems just as a novelty) I only regard those systems as a nice bonus for the games that do actually work and should not be the core reason for buying. In truth, I don’t have a pressing need to play those other systems on this same device and I always have my hacked PSP, Vita, NDS, 3DS or laptop/tablet if I do want to play games for those systems.
I recently got a nice case for it as well (a generic Amazon sat-nav case which fits like a glove), so the RG351V will likely be my go to device now for any long journeys. It’s honestly my favourite of them all at the moment and the older ones especially have hardly been touched since.
The Future?
Most devices that are coming out of China now are still utilising the Rockchip and the only recent releases just being devices with cosmetic upgrades such as a slightly bigger screen – for example the Powkiddy RGB10 Max’s 5-inch screen. It seems people are waiting for the next step up in processing power, but in my opinion the more high-end emulation is realistically still a long way off, especially if you want to keep things around the £100 price point. If you are really impatient and need to play the higher end systems you are probably better off using an Android phone (with a Snapdragon chip) and controller or (like I did earlier this year), set up an Android tablet to play all those games.
I’m happy with the devices I have now and will probably not be buying any more for quite some time given there are unlikely to be any significant advances for at least another year or two. And at the end of the day I honestly don’t really have a need for any more high end stuff on a portable device that I can’t already play using something else. It’s mostly just for the nostalgia of playing the really retro stuff.
I may eventually do another article showcasing the hacked handhelds I have (PSP, Vita, NDS, 3DS and Switch) to show the other side of emulation/retro gaming, and may even also cover my hacked consoles: Wii, Wii U, Playstation Classic and SNES Classic, or the all in one solution: my Samsung Galaxy Tab. Eventually I may even show off some old hardware (OG Gameboys! Super Famicom! N64!) but these are all boxed up in the loft at the moment.
But for now, I hope this has given you some more of an idea of what’s out there in the ‘Chinese handhelds’ market. Whatever your need, I’m sure there is a device out there for you that fits the bill. Happy gaming!
21st July 2021
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