[maybeOneDay]

Tangentially related - I recently picked up a retro gaming handheld from Aliexpress for the meagre sum of £50, which is capable of playing consoles from gameboy to snes to playstation 1, and apparently even a smattering of N64 and dreamcast (with poor performance).

There are a dizzying array of options (game boy form factor, horizontal, clamshell design ala the advance SP), and although I'm sure the build quality leaves a lot to be desired, for my personal circumstances of "I'm travelling a lot but can't quite justify a steam deck right now" it has truly been an utter delight. There's a scene of various custom firmwares to install, and apps for these firmwares to add various functionality.

I'd encourage anyone who feels a desire to play some emulated games check out /r/SBCGaming to see what's out there!

Just don't ignore the warnings that these devices don't negotiate USB C charging correctly, and also buy yourself a very small weak charger...

[fernandotakai]

if people want more info on these devices, russ from retro game corps does a ton of reviews on them, from the cheapest (that are less than 30 euro) to the really expensive ones (600+!).

i myself own a retroid pocket 5, one trimui brick (which my wife adores) and a steam deck (yes, it's an amazing retro gaming machine).

(retro catalog also has a ton of technical information, including ratings)

https://www.youtube.com/@RetroGameCorps

https://retrogamecorps.com/

https://retrocatalog.com/

[tracker1]

Thanks for the share... been using a Beelink SER8 for about 6 months or so with Chimera, which has been mostly okay... I have to reset audio out to hdmi each boot and a couple other niggles with the Bluetooth controllers. May need to switch to ones that use custom/proprietary USB dongles with lower latency.

[jcjmcclean]

Hi there! I'm running the exact same setup and have encountered the same issues.

I have a little bash script [1] which I run on startup to fix the HDMI audio issue. I haven't got crontab working yet so I ssh in and run it manually.

I've tried 3 different controllers and ended up buying the 8bitDo ultimate as it supports 2.4g as well as Bluetooth. Also purchased a separate Bluetooth dongle and a usb extension cable to keep it away from any interference from the Beelink. Still have major issues with connectivity over a reasonably short distance (3-4m) in either mode.

Love the SER8 though, it's a great little machine and is well priced when on offer.

[1] https://gist.github.com/jcjmcclean/a59362a01a7f421e4fa020823...

[tracker1]

Had been looking at a one of the same controllers, using two over 2.4g with their dongle(s). May reset the whole thing when I do... have had trouble with the second connected controller always being controller 1, that I can't seem to fix.

[drakythe]

+1 for Retro Game Corps, not only are his videos well made and informative he puts together guides for everything from basic retroarch configuration to how to install alternative OSes for specific devices (and why you might want to do that).

[criddell]

I bought an Analogue Pocket which sounds similar to what you have and I've found the games... underwhelming. I've tried a lot of games (the internet archive has them for some reason) and the only ones I've wanted to play more than once is the original Tetris and a game I don't remember the name of but it has numbers at the top and sides which you use to deduce which cells are on and eventually you reveal a pixel image.

I never had one of these devices while they were current which makes me wonder if the key ingredient to enjoying one is nostalgia?

I also have a Sony PSP (bought around 2010) which is a great bit of hardware, but I have yet to find a game that appeals to me.

[tracker1]

I've had the best luck with the Argon USB C power supplies for RaspberryPi 3/4 connected to USB/SATA adapters with SSDs. Most other power supplies I've tried get low power warnings constantly. The inline power switch is cool to, though less useful with the cases I've used.

[Keyframe]

Miyoo Mini Plus. It's fantastic!

[maybeOneDay]

Nice! I went for the Anbernic 40xxH and it's a joy to use. The only thing I wish worked differently was Retro Achievements working offline!