I just got one of these and found this video and I'm so excited. Originally I just got it so I could bypass RU-vid ads with smarttubenext. Now you're telling me I can play an enormous collection of classic games on it too. And not only that I can stream games for my PC to any room in my house now. This video is a godsend. I'm in love with how capable and cheap this box is.
Please update in the comments, the latest Google Play version removes selecting Game Data Storage and breaks your instructions... do you know a quick workaround please 🙂
I work at Walmart and I picked this up along with an Xbox Series controller and AA batteries when I came in to work this afternoon. Can't wait to finish my shift so I can plug this bad boy in and enjoy!
I installed RetroArch on this TV box today and it just works. It has access to internal storage. I sent a ROM from my phone to the TV box over WiFi and then was able to open it in RetroArch with no issues. Such a relief!
@@user-mq2bs8cz8dyou use it for ram games so anything from like ps3 and back I believe and it’s pretty easy to connect controllers on. It’s pretty okay if that’s why you’re asking
I love that you opened the unit up and showed us what's under the hood in terms of cooling! I really hope someone finds out how to load Lineage OS onto this 2nd gen model, because I'm not a fan of Google locking down things like the file system. I need access to that so I can backup and restore app settings sometimes.
Wow! I had no idea you could do something like that with something so cheap! I've been subbed to tons of gaming channels for a while, but never saw yours. Well... I loved it. So you got a new sub here! I enjoyed this vid thoroughly. Now I'm off to go to Walmart tomorrow to see what this momma can do for her little ones to have something fun to play together, and when they go to sleep I can play some of my old skool stuff like Mario, Donkey Kong, Crash Bandicoot, and maybe even some GTA! 🤣 This is a great idea for folks on a budget like myself. I'm glad I found you. Now off to see what else I can find on your channel!!
That makes me always so happy to see someone discovering something new to explore! I'm really glad it inspired you to check out something and explore what can potentially be done with tech on a budget! 🙏
I get your point but no there are so many limitations to this box because of the storage. You would think that just getting the otg cable and a good flash drive would help this but no you have to put the roms in a folder in the actual system because the emulators have no directory to follow the external even if you format the device to act a a official hard drive it still is counted as a external with no directory. So unless you are planning to have all your roms on the box there is no need for the external flash drive
@@continentalcosplay1243 yeah 5000 games and 50000 work arounds this box is just not worth the hassle get a android 10 with 4gb of ram at 2.2 ghz at 30 dollars the ten dollar difference is just not worth it
@@continentalcosplay1243 limitations just try running daijishow or any other frontend and you can tell what I'm talking about the usb debugging on development options is shit so you can't even access the data folder. I get you for advance people with the knowledge of emulation it's easy to setup just use older apps to use Legacy storage tricking the system into doing what you want after android 11 but trying to set up frontends is horrible its like trying to teach a baby sign language from a alien culture its just easier to get another android box or maybe I missing something tell me how I can use daijisho on this vox without it telling me you don't have the app that can do this lol
I use an app called send files to tv. I have installed the app on my onn 4k box and my phone as I don't have a windows pc so I just download any file to my phone and transfer it through the send file to tv app
Android external storage problem is deal breaker to me, while its great we got way around it but its still annoying and not have 64bit support for RetroArch is weird.
For Mupen64, I ran this with no external issues on nvidia shield pro that also has android 11. It just brings up a specialized file browser where you can choose your usb drive. I do recall downloading apk of the internet though not playstore version. Also had no issues with duck station either. 23:42
I paid for the new 50 dollar version with the USB port was really aggravated I couldn't figure out a way to get Retroarch and PPSSPP to work until I found your video. Thank you very much. Out of curiosity have you found a version of Redream that works or a front-end like Dig?
I wish scoped storage wasn't added to begin with this is the fear I had with it with certain apps breaking. Probably the worst Android update in history since 11. It should never be this difficult to get something working.
My original ONN 4K box has been collecting dust or the past coupla years as the system eventually developed remote connectivity issues that they just weren't updating. I hope this one is beyond such issues. Their 2K stick never encountered that problem, at least not for me, and is currently in use in a bedroom....but the most recent update for that device seems to have caused some WiFi problems. I'll probably give the newer 4K a shot. I also have Chromecast with Google TV, and the 2017 Nvidia Shield TV. All are pretty good, but not a single one is without some type of annoyance.
I've been selling Boxes and IPTV for 10 years. My system works flawlessly. But, I pay the nominal fees to make it flawless. IF you go the free route, yes, you will have issues, no matter the device. No such thing as free and problem free anymore... not even with Kodi...still need real debrid to make it reliable
@dgperforms1 @dgperforms1 the issues I'm referring to have zero to do with apps - free, questionable, outright piracy, or otherwise. They're all about hardware and/or OS issues. When I'm talking about something as straightforward as the sanctioned RU-vid app for Android TV, it should run flawlessly and certainly without any sort of fees. Real Debrid is definitely an asset when you start talking about seeking out streams of TV, movies, etc.
I know this video is a few weeks old but did you try formatting the USB drive as internal storage? The onn 2nd gen will allow for that I believe. The good news is that the USB drive will be viewed as internal storage but the bad news is the USB will only work on the onn device.
Really good video! But Im still curious about how was the latency numbers on moonlight - specially on wifi. Been searching for a android/google tv box thats good enough for streaming games with very little latency and im between this one and the Mi Box S 2nd Gen
I’m a little confused you said the new box says WATCH ONN on the bottom Based on your graphic. Yet when you did the unboxing right after that, your box said, watch on the top and ONN on the bottom. So, which box is the new one?
Good catch! 🙏🤗 Walmart's own website doesn't seem to have the correct image, where I pulled it from. However, the one marked as new in my video is still close to the current version. You are looking for the box that specifically says Google TV on it instead of Android TV.
The new one is about 2 inches thicker and wider all around bigger in general I took a side by side pic. And a pic with the old one on top of this google new one. Definitely noticeable
Interesting... I got one like 2 weeks ago and am eager to test it! I actually replaced the thermal pads with some 20wm/k ones. Hopefully that boosts performance!
I was just about how this compares to the Chromecast with Google TV since I just washed my remote for mine in my bedroom... then at the end you answer that question. I never even thought of using one of these things for emulation though...then again my desk and pc is right next to the TV this would get plugged into so outside of curiosity I probably wouldn't use it for this.
My Chromecast with Google TV has been nothing but trouble for me personally. I found this unit to be a bit more reliable overall and yea the emulation/gaming stuff is just a nice little bonus!
bruhhh ive had file commander for a while since ive bought the steaming box and i just tried to use the pc file transfer to upload a apk to it and i got hit was a paywall, they made it subscription based. do you have any free alternatives?
That is super lame 😭 Try out Cx File Explorer, I'm gonna be testing that one out on a similar device with Google TV. play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.cxinventor.file.explorer&hl=en_US&gl=US
Amazing breakdown man thanks I love these, Did you ever experience the screen cutting out on the corners? Doesnt seem to be a Calibrate display option like the Firesticks have.
It's been a while since I've done anything in android, but couldn't you just do a mount of the otg to a internal storage directory via terminal? Might buy one and test...
Exelent video. I tried to play Redream on that tv box but gives me the same mistake you showed on ppsspp( you dont have an app that can do this), can you show me the way to do it on redream emulator. I will appreciated. Thanks.
It should be easier to just keep everything on your phone (which is definitely more capable as an Android device) and chromecast to the tv box. I could be wrong.
Wait,,, this isnt wired? Only wifi? We have an ethernet connection and zero speed issues,,, this is a big show stopper. Was hoping to use this one box for everything
I can't get Mupen64 to work properly, because it won't let me change the folder for the "Game data storage location." It just says "Internal," with no folder at all, or any ability to change it. I also can't access the Android/data folder in X-Plore or File Commander. I activated developer mode, but that didn't help. Any idea how to fix this?
I actually got it working by trying a bunch of older Mupen apk files, which weren't easy to find. It's crazy how much smoother N64 plays in a stand-alone app. Retroarch was horribly choppy. Which version of Mupen is on your Onn box?
Hey, great video. I was curious if you have any experience using daijisho front end. It has a beatiful layout and i use it on my shield tv pro. I havnt ran into any issues with scoped storage on that device. Is there something different with the ONN? Wanted to get it set up properly for my mate, but after watching it doesnt seem to smooth. Thanks again!
Unfortunately, Daijisho only supports 64bit Android and the ONN is running 32bit Android. I definitely agree that Daijisho is awesome and it's real bummer we can't use it on this device.
I'm back again, I've got the files on the box. Now when I open mupen64 and try to select the folder I loaded them into it says you don't no have an app to do this? Was this not an issue for you I followed your steps and it seems very common online due to the device not having a built in native file manager. This box has been such a headache setting up compared to shield
@@retrotechdad Mine finally arrived! It's great. Though I'm kinda annoyed about the UI of the Google TV, it doesn't show some of the apps I've installed and also not showing the google playstore. I found a workaround, by installing Sideload Launcher, it's not pretty but it works. Another annoying thing is Brave browser is not available on the playstore. I downloaded the Brave apk from Apk mirror and the only Brave version that's somewhat working is the armeabi-v7a version and when I do get to install Brave, there's no pointer or anything that indicates where you are clicking or tapping. I've just installed TV Bro Browser, but some annoying ads still get through unlike when using Brave. Overall it's still nice and it's more importantly it's cheap.
Well yeah you need to know how to download games and how to adjust settings for smooth gaming. Sad part about is I have no idea how to do any of it :) LOL
I tried using moonlight and found there was no gyro passthrough for ds4 controller breaking some ps3, switch, and wii u games. I did some sleuthing and the functionality is implemented but not yet released. I downloaded a nightly build of sunshine and built my own apk for the latest moonlight and I was able to get gyro working on the new onn box but not the original because it seems ds4 support was added in android 11. Unfortunately it seems using the ds4 eventually crashes the onn and the Bluetooth link is flaky but I don't have the same problems with the Chromecast 4k
Any Bluetooth controller should work great with this! I've personally tested popular controllers like the PS5's Dual Sense, Xbox Series controller, and some of the 8bitdo products like the SN30. The 8bitdo Bluetooth controllers are great if you want something more retro styled.
Thanks for the video, i really hope you get to read my comment Watching your video I got a possible idea o getting the external drive like and internal one, I know there's ways to do this, one of those i think is with Rclone, maybe that will work in order to make it look as an internal storage
Thank you for this video. I did get one of these and it works great, with one exception. I cannot figure out how to get it to turn on both my HDMI Tv as well as my AV receiver at the same time. It will do one or the other but not both at the same time. Any idea if this is a capability, like it was with my Firestick 4K?
Hey great work around. I seem to be having issues with file commander. Is there any updated news on this scoped storage issue with new android os? Can you do a upadeted video like this for the onn 4k pro? Can I make a donation for my own instructional video please?
I'm having a lot of trouble with PPSSPP. Every ISO I try gives me a "Could not load game. Not a valid disc image". They all work fine with the PC version of PPSSPP...
Hello, have you been able to solve the problem that an APP cannot be added to add a directory? I have my games on an external USB and I have managed to solve the problems with the APP with your help and looking for many versions of emulators, but the one from Dreamcast keeps giving me problems, both Flycast and Redream only let me search for games in internal directories, and the most annoying thing is the error that I don't have an APP to select a directory...
Is anyone else having issues with this inn box not display apps in full screen? I noticed all my apps have the edges cut off and looks zoomed in. Even on twitch. I combed through all the settings and can’t get it to run full screen. Any help please!
Strange, keep having issues with mine crashing when loading some roms, and then sometimes it will reconnect my Xbox controller and reconnect it as controller 2! No idea what's wrong!
Great info review, I was thinking of buying one of these type of tv boxes. For a cheap emulation console for my game room. I'm glad I didn't, seems to much work around to get emulators on it. It would drove me nuts. ( sorry I'm late with the comment )
Any chance you can advise me on how you got internal to work with M64PlusFZ. It keeps saying "You don't have an app that can do that" Just trying to let Mupen find my game folder...
10:05 I'd really love to know how you were able to do it? I actually went out today(5/5/23) and purchased the last NEW onn. Google TV device they had. Got a couple of roms set up for NES, SNES, and N64. Every emulator from the playdate couldn't gain access to Android/data... I downloaded an older version of M64plus, and tried again, no luck. Older no luck, older than that back about a year or so now, no luck. I was able to pick a folder in version 3.0.297 but it said since there is no file picker(native android file manager) you need to place the files in the app folder. Which can't be accessed because of the new scoping policy android has on the file system. Safe to say I gave up at that point. But I would really love to know how you even managed to get footage like this. I think it's a fake... Edit: words
For everything besides N64 and PSP, I recommend using the 32-bit version of Retroarch. I have the APK for that in the description. Did you try accessing the internal storage via something like TV File Commander or Xplore File Manager? You will need to place your N64 roms in the directory that Mupen64 creates, which is usually under "mupen64plus-fz". I found the easiest way to access the directory on the internal storage to copy games over was using the web browser method through File TV commander.
@@retrotechdad Same problem for me - I can't find the "mupen64plus-fz" folder (or anything like it). I see the folder in internal storage that retroarch created, but m64plusfz doesn't create one. Another difference: when I go to "Data" screen in m64plusfz, I only see the words "internal" and "external" as options for Game Data storage location. No file paths. I believe I've done everything the same, except I haven't added an external USB drive - I only want to emulate through N64 so I don't need additional storage. I tried creating the mupen64plus-fz folder manually and putting the roms there...didn't work. Are you using the free version of m64plus-fz?
I had no problems getting it to work with external storage on android 11 nvidia shield pro. I had to download the apk. I don't think I used anything from playstore for emulation.
Look, this thing is a POS. Yes, it's only $20 bucks but - the input lag is horrendous and inconsistent. SNES performance is not good - Super Metroid is a good example. PC Engine CD performance is iffy. The Oon also has a tendency to just zoom in on various apps/giver you a slightly incorrect aspect ratio that you can't fix. I'd urge anyone to just spend a little more money on something else. And shame on you for not calling out the negatives.
It's a $20 box designed to stream TV shows and movies. I called out plenty of negatives. This is not meant to be a dedicated gaming device. The whole point is to explore other uses cases that is possible with something that costs only $20. Part of the fun is the tinkering and exploration and for the price it's surprisingly capable and better than solutions I've used that cost double what this does...
