ig: weirdeetz

My Retroid Pocket 3+ got here, and I customized its colors!!! Look!!

It was originally all black, but I ordered spare parts from other colors to make it pop with this white and rainbow look, plus a grip

And I got a custom dock for it!

And look! It can do the coolest fucking thing ever and act as a console for my TV!!!

Uuuuuuh holy shit?

The retroid pocket 3+ is on a big sale? These devices rarely go on offer so if you are interested in one of the two really good emulation handheld, this is one of them.

It HAS to be the 3+ specifically and it'll play to to a lot of GameCube and Ps2 but not the entire library. It'll easily play 3DS.

I'm on the road rn but if anyone has questions about it lemme know

Note that this sale is prob happening bc the impending launch of the RP4 and RP4 Pro which will be more powerful if that interests you more. But these devices are great.

Date is Dec 30, 2023

interests

so i’m kind of a fake nerd. always have been. i’m a big ol dummy, just faking it til i make it. i definitely have things i’m interested in/excited about but i’m not really the Resident Expert on most things except certain extremely cringe and niche things like early-2000s animutations. but i’ve definitely been gettin into more stuff as time goes on...

i think the reason i made morgan such a renaissance person is because i kinda wanna be that. i wanna learn and know EVERYTHING about EVERYTHING but actually learning is such a pain for me, to the extent where i wonder sometimes if i haven’t just had a learning disorder this whole time, or maybe it’s just my adhd but i struggle to focus on new subjects. i wanna be a geek who knows all there is to know about 18th century naval disasters and extinct bugs and the intricate inner workings of 1970s home computer architecture damnit!! but its so easy to slip into what feels ‘comfortable’ and never expand your mind beyond that... have i lost my childlike curiosity? i sure hope not!

anyway i been gaming

i bought a retroid pocket 3 last year and it’s been REALLY fun trying a bunch of old games at work but i still usually stick to mario world and pokemon rom hacks because i’m a creature of habit. anyway emulation is fucking sick and i’d like to play a lot more old games. if anyone has any recommendations for games up to N64/PS1 era (and handhelds up to the PSP/DS) let me know, i’m good to try pretty much anything once

I love looking at ROM compatibility lists because now I know 1) there's a game called Stuart Little 3 - Big Photo Adventure and 2) it runs perfectly on the Retroid Pocket 3+.

Made a paper model of the Retroid Pocket 3 to see how I like the form factor. Tried to keep the dimensions as close as possible, and put a few supports on the inside to prevent it from collapsing.

The actual thing, for comparison:

I am now the proud owner of a Retroid Pocket 3 Plus (transparent blue) and after a week of playing this thing pretty much nonstop, here are my impressions.

[tl;dr: kind of a grind to set up, but works pretty great once you do!]

If you decide to get yourself one of these devices, I cannot recommend Retro Game Corps' starter guides highly enough. Here's one specific to the Retroid Pocket 2+/3/3+/Flip. Here's one that goes into more detail on RetroArch. And just for giggles, here's a general Android emulation starter guide. Oh, and you might be cool with Retroid's frontend but you'll probably like Daijisho a lot more, so here's a guide for that (sadly only in video form).

Initial setup and copying of ROMs and whatnot was a slog. Mostly because pretty much all the emulators on my PC work fine with ROMs in unzipped .zip files while (according to the wiki and I'm going to cry if I spent all that time unzipping .zips for nothing) most of the RetroArch cores other than MAME want the ROMs unzipped and hand-fed to them. Also, you'll probably need to reconfigure some controls and other settings. HOWEVER! Once you've got all your shit where it needs to go, and once you've got all your emulators set up and Daijisho in and pointed to all the right paths, that's the hard part done and over with. From there on out It Just Works. You can even set Daijisho such that you never even have to see the Android behind the curtain. Battery life is pretty decent. It feels fairly comfortable in my tiny hands, I wish there were grippy-bumps or whatnot on the back but now apparently Retroid is making a grippy case add-on? The buttons feel good, though apparently future stick drift is a possibility. One that can be fixed for about $25 with a pair of Gulikit hall sensor sticks, so I'm not too worried about that right now. The screen is nice and bright and apparently can be software-tweaked to be better but I didn't bother, this is fine. Audio is... okay but that's why God made earbuds and whatnot. Also, one caveat: playing heftier stuff on this system will make it hot. Never alarmingly "oh shit turn it off now" hot and it barely gets lukewarm on older-system stuff, but it's definitely noticeable with PS2 and graphics-heavy games like NieR: Reincarnation.

Now, as for what it can play:

The RP3+ can, in my personal experience so far, reliably play pretty much everything up to PS1/PSP/Sega Saturn tier with no or minimal tweaking, with a couple of exceptions (I had to twiddle some settings for N64 and MAME, and Duckstation and AetherSX2 have to be hand-fed a BIOS in initial setup).

My current values of "everything" are:

Atari 2600

Game Boy

GBC

GBA

Arcade (MAME)

NES

SNES

N64 (mixed results; Mario Kart runs like a champ but Pokemon Snap crashes)

Genesis

Saturn

PS1

PSP

As for systems beyond: I've had mixed results that skew "definitely playable" with PS2 and had to change some stuff in the AetherSX2 setup wizard to get that. I haven't played a lot of PS2 stuff on it yet but Final Fantasy XII seems to run pretty great so far. Fatal Frame runs pretty well (though apparently there's something I need to tweak in the per-game settings to make anomalies and whatnot show up). Magic Pengel, of all things, ran like hot garbage but that was before I RTFM and reran the setup wizard with changes so it might do better now. Sadly my PC's DVD drive has shat the bed so I can't rip anything else until the replacement comes in. There's a community spreadsheet linked in the RP3 setup guide up there that will tell you what per-game tweaks you might need to make.

I haven't tried Gamecube or Dreamcast yet, but word is it's the same deal as PS2. It can run DS/3DS/Wii emulators, but honestly I can't stomach the idea of playing DS/3DS on a single screen (and besides that is what I have a hacked 3DS for but never mind that) and the WiiWare I've tried runs okay but Wii with touchscreen-instead-of-wiimote just feels weird (and that is what I have a hacked Wii for but never mind that)

And of course, being an Android device, it can of course run Android games. NieR: Reincarnation ran like refried ass on my phone, but it runs great on the RP3+. It does have micro HDMI out, and you can pair it with an Android-compatible controller, though I haven't tried that yet. And of course you can install your streaming apps of choice on it if you want.

Anyway, it's definitely a lot of handheld for not a whole lot of money and I'm digging it!

Retroid Pocket 3

So, I’ve been pretty heavy on the programming push lately, but it’s not all I’ve been up to. So, back around the start of the pandemic, I started work making a PiGrrl handheld emulator device. PiGrrl is basically a Game Boy Clone that runs with a Raspberry Pi at it’s core. I ordered a bunch of parts and a case, I already had a Pi (I have several), and then the Pandemic caused my parts to take…

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Here are the things I've done so far in 2023...

I'm pretty excited about my progress so far this year and the year isn't even over yet. SO, this is a bit of a brag, but I'm feeling myself today.

Slowly been switching from Chrome to Opera. The free VPN, free system clean up, connection to the gaming news and ish, and connections to other socials kinda sold me. I still use Chrome for some things, especially writing, but…that's kinda it.

Finished Midnight Suns…which…is an absolutely amazing game that I vastly underestimated when I first started playing it and put it down for two weeks (only to pick it up again and become absolutely enamored). Easily one of my favorites now and I'm hoping they add some story-based DLC at some point, but I imagine they're going to save it for a sequel. (Just saying, I'm shipping tf out of Caretaker/Agatha Harkness). Also, even though it's player's choice regarding character creation, it just makes more sense for Hunter to be female (especially with the connections to Salem during the Witch Trials), but I'm a tad biased.

Finished the main storyline of Control. I'm still playing the Foundation DLC, but overall...an absolute blast. Loved the tie-in DLC with Alan Wake and the suggestion of sequels for both. It's super cheap on PSN and PC and allows for cross play from PS4 to PS5 in case that's a thing you're concerned about. If you just want to focus on a single player experience, this game is far too good for it's own good.

Currently playing Last Judgement. I played the first one and it's just...such a good effing game. My goodness.

Nearly finished a book since I've invested in a Kindle. If you know me, you'll know that a single book in roughly 3 weeks is quite the accomplishment for me.

Fully modded my 3DS. I'm thinking of investing a Raspberry Pi and making a little...classic gaming PC. I just might. There's a lot of 2023 still to come.

Currently modding the Retroid Pocket 3+. It's a lovely handheld, but not for the faint hearted (or anyone new to the emulator hobby) to mod tbh. I plan to start streaming from Steam or PSN to it, but we'll see how that works out. Just...wouldn't recommend it without following a tutorial.

Almost bought a bouse a couple of weeks ago, but I'm hella poor so that didn't happen. Even with all the first time home buyers' grants and tax forgiveness. Just...I am poor.

I started allowing myself to try relationships again. I've gotten too comfortable being alone. With the issues I have, it's difficult to open myself up to others because of past trauma.

Thanks to my unbelievably generous friend’s Christmas present I finally have my mitts on a Atomic Purple Retroid Pocket 3+!!!!!!!!! Or as I am now nicknaming it the Suikoden Machine as I can literally play every single Suikoden game ever made on it. Also it can do everything put to some PS2 and GameCube. I’m so happy it’s so cool and I’ve finally got everything up and running and configured and it’s so PRETTY and FUN. This is the best Christmas present E V E R!!!

Super Mario 64

Nostalgia

I can’t make this a reply to my own post but look, it. An play fifteen systems!!!

Novo console portátil retrô possui tela OLED giratória! Conheça

Por Vinicius Torres Oliveira

Um novo dispositivo portátil de emulação chamado "Small Universe X Sugar Cubes" acaba de ser anunciado e promete ser mais um gadget gamer interessante. Equipado com uma tela OLED giratória, um poderoso processador SOC e uma estrutura totalmente metálica.

A novidade apareceu nas redes sociais chinesas, conforme observado pelo Neon Rabbit, aumentou ainda mais o mistério em torno deste dispositivo único no panteão de crescentes portáteis de emulação, como o Anbernic RG351P, KT-R1, Anbernic RG505, Retroid Pocket 3+ e outros.

O misterioso portátil gerou dúvida entre os fãs por não deixar claro se "Small Universe" é sua marca e "Sugar Cubes" é o nome do dispositivo, ou vice-versa. Contudo, o intrigante e inovador videogame combina elementos já vistos em edições do Powkiddy RGB20S, com o design do conceito metálico do PocketMan P1, trazendo uma base sólida para uma experiência de jogos verticais.

O trunfo do produto está na introdução de uma tela OLED giratória de 3,9 polegadas (1240x1080). A característica é ideal para proporções de Game Boy e Neo Geo Pocket. Além disso, o "Sugar Cubes" utiliza um poderoso processador Qualcomm Snapdragon 888, similar a dispositivos renomados como o Retroid Pocket 4 ou o AYN Odin2.

A variedade de opções de cores e a estrutura de alumínio conferem ao pequeno aparelho um apelo visual, apesar das dúvidas iniciais da comunidade sobre a funcionalidade da tela giratória.

As expectativas para o "Sugar Cubes" são acompanhadas de cautela, considerando as semelhanças com dispositivos anteriores que não conseguiram cumprir suas promessas. Segundo o site RetroDodo, mais detalhes sobre preço e data de lançamento continuam pendentes.

Vale lembrar que ajustes no design e especificações podem ocorrer antes do lançamento oficial.

What made you choose the odin over other similar game boxes?

GREAT question because there are a LOT of options out there, I even did a big post about them a while ago when folks were curious.

I actually started out with a Retroid Pocket 2+ as my first device. I hugely enjoyed it, played a bunch of DS games on it as well as a lot of PSX games. I think the current iteration of it, the Retroid Pocket 3+, is an excellent pick if you want a midtier device. At this point, the RP3+ is like a Odin Lite Lite.

My issue with my RP2+ was that I really wanted the ability to stream games from my PC, because I am a pirate yo ho ho and I wanted access to that much more robust library. Also, my interest in the Dreamcast/Gamecube/PS2 console generation is at its peak right now and that's the library I want to play comfortably.

So when I got a bonus from work, I bit the fucking bullet and got the AYN Odin Lite, because it also happened to be like 50$ off at the time.

(Oooh, which it currently is right now too, go figure!)

For the curious, I loaded my RP2+ with literally as many games as I could stuff into the things and I gave it to a friend as a gift.

I was worried that I wouldn't use the Odin enough to justify the purchase..... but then I immediately put like 20 hours into Pokemon Unbound and I completed Persona 3 Portable. And then I used Parsec to play the entirety of Persona 4 Golden and I am now 80 hours into Persona 5 Royal. And now I might spin up a playthru of SMT4 or the PS2 version of SMT 3 Nocturne, unsure.

Here's the reasons I like the Odin, even though its one of the pricier devices you can get:

Yes, it costs 200USD for the Lite model. But the Lite model does pretty much everything the more expensive Base and Pro models do with minimal compromises. Also for 200USD, you get extremely good components, very comfortable professional feeling buttons and joysticks-- like, this thing feels slightly better than a Switch Lite, honest to god. Unless you wanna dual boot Windows, you don't need more than the Lite.

It has Wifi 6 so it streams like a fucking dream. If the Odin itself can't handle emulating a game but my computer can, I can play flawlessly from Parsec. As I mentioned before, a few weeks ago I was sitting in a cute coffee shop literally like 25 miles away but was playing Persona 5 via Parsec. It also works natively with Game Pass streaming perfectly.

Even without streaming, this fucker is BEEFY. I personally love it for PSP games. Playing at 4x or 5x resolution makes the games look stunning.

My biggest problem with my CFW 3DS is the battery. I tend to play games for 4ish hours at a time, and then put the thing aside for a few days. With my 3DS, the thing will HAVE to be left plugged in or it will be dead by the next time I wanna play. This also means I can't just drop it into my bag to wait around for time to play, it'll inevitably be dead. My Vita and Odin can live in my bag for over a week before I have to worry about the battery. That is HUGE for me.

The Retroid Pocket 2+ very comfortably and ably played up to the DS and most Dreamcast games, but PSP was a crapshoot and even some PSX games weirdly could only run at x1, which was disappointing to me. The Odin Lite can play everything I want to play and as a bonus it can do what seems like half the 3DS library and about 40% of the PS2 library, which I would like to revisit.

Cracked devices and emulation are becoming a hobby of mine as everyone sans Microsoft works around the clock to make their enormous back catalogs fucking inaccessible. The fact the 3DS shop is closing soon pisses me off so much I can barely express it, I think that shit should be illegal. There are so many games and frankly works of art that are going to be completely inaccessible legally! FUCK THE ESA!

Point is, this stuff is important to me. I back up games I never intend to actually play on my external hard drive just in case. But out of all the devices I have played with, my favorites are easily the Odin and my cracked Vita. Both are miraculous, and I feel like I'm literally defeating my "hmmmmm what do I wanna play" indecision thanks to them.

That said, depending on your needs, I still think the Miyoo Mini and the Retroid Pocket 3+ (current iteration of Retroid) are excellent choices. As is a Vita! My god I love my Vita! I've never been a fan of any of the Anbernic devices and would avoid them.