DEX Mode is almost criminally underrated. It's an absolute shame that so many Samsung users barely have any idea it even exists. It is a productivity/gaming game changer.
Bought the Razer Kishi V2 for christmas. well its a present from my parents to me because they never know what to get so i just let them know what to get based on money they want to spend. So that's my gift this year. Will use it with my Sony Xperia 1 Mark 2.... heard the first kishi wouldn't work because my phone is too wide but the kishi v2 will fit. so got that. it was 99.99 but whatever. will probably run emulation on it. Also purchased a steamdeck for myself. hope that gets here soon.
I would say that the S20 fe is probably one of the most ideal phones to turn into a retro gaming console due to it being well priced, having a great SOC, having a fully featured usb-c port and finally being the last gen S series phone to still support micro SD cards.
I have the s20 fe. It runs really good and smooth. Youre gonna have to configure settings in certain emulators like dolphin to get smooth gameplay but most of the time - and especially for retro games - it runs amazingly well. With my 1tb sd card, i have tons of gba games to ps2. Id still like to build a handheld just because the battery runs out so fast on your phone when gaming.
@@pcigrock5874I second the LG v60. Still has snapdragon 865 and all of them are 8gb ram and it’s half the price of the Samsung s20 FE in this video. V60 is actually better, wonder why he didn’t use it instead of the Samsung?
I can confirm all this. I have the 21 FE with the Gamesir x2 pro and that one can handle Wii and 3DS without a problem too and that in power saving mode! With this you have ~5 hours of battery life while gaming the harder to emulate systems. Best buy ever.
Man, I just picked up a used S21 Ultra at a good deal and already happen to have a portable monitor. I forgot about android Dex and got excited about essentially having a portable pc in my pocket. Then I saw this video and realized I can cloud game from my Xbox and pc back home too! I am really excided now!
I'm still on 21 also main lol still feel like i just got it, too many releases too soon and times flying. My dedicated is s10 + 256gb with the 12gb ram and a razor kishi.
@@ETAPRIME Same here.. once i get the S23 i'll be turning my S21 Ultra into a Dash Cam to replace my Galaxy S10 that i'm using for one, better camera and what not.
@@ETAPRIME it will be not sure if it’ll be tsmc made like the other snapdragon gen 2 phones tho. I heard it’s going to be made by Samsung for the chip and overclocked with cooling but I’m sure it’s going to be great even then
@F1BERFRENZY I like the steam deck too but I don't want to carry another device around when my 2nd phone will do fine, that's why I like these videos it's not just a cheap alternative it's a alternative that wasn't already present
I agree. I know people are like, "Just get a Deck". I can afford one, sure, but I don't want one. They do nothing for me. After the initial couple of video reviews ETA made, I've been skipping all of his other Deck content since. Maybe if I had a Steam library already it'd make a difference; but, I don't. I'm already established in the Android ecosystem. I have paid apps, games, and the knowledge to make Android work for me. These Android videos are useful to a not insignificant number of people who simply don't want to invest their time and money into yet another ecosystem.
Nowadays it really doesn't take much to turn a smartphone into a emulator handheld. Even a phone with an antutu score of around 270 000 is enough to run almost every emulator efficiently already. I found that playing games on a phone screen boosting up the resolution to 2x is good enough already. I can't see much more refinement anymore by boosting up the resolution 6x or 8x unless I cast the game onto a TV using a hdmi cable.
Love this content. I was kind of tempted to get one of those handhelds but most of the time, it makes no sense versus using your phone or buying a phone and dedicating it to gaming like youve done in this video. The only minor exception I would call out is micro handhelds, like the Miyoo Mini or the Anbernic RG280V. Those seem to be easier to quickly pick up and play versus your android setup.
@@mshark2205 I wish they'd make a dedicated handheld with a phone modem so I can make phone calls, do SMS texting, and use mobile data. That way I would only need to carry one device instead of a phone + controller or phone + handheld. The first Vitas had a modem and took AT&T SIM cards, but, they were data only. The closest we ever got to this was the Xperia Play.
@@nota1644 That's what I'm using now; my phone and either a GameSir X2 Pro or a hawkbill style Bluetooth controller I picked up off eBay for a song, depending on my mood. What I want is to not have to choose between using touch controls or carrying two devices when I'm on the go, whether it be a phone and a controller or a phone and game player.
For anyone miffed by the aspect ratio on Steam Remote play, you CAN play in "full screen" but requires a bit of work. You just need to create a custom resolution in your display settings to match your device. For example, I swap my display to 3200x1440 (because playing in landscape). Then if a game allows for it, I change display settings in-game to 21:9 aspect ratio. Makes for a wonderful experience when playing Monster Hunter Rise on the go :)
Every time ETA posts a video about using an old phone or old dell system for emulation, the price for this equipment is driven up significantly on the retro markets.
Hey Eta, nice vid. Would this Samsung model support Windows 11 for Arm from Renegade Project? I've seen other phones with Snapdragon cpu that works great with desktop support and gaming. Any plans on trying that out?
I'm still daily driving the Galaxy S20 5G. I'll be upgrading in 2024. But my s20 5G will be connected to a USB C hub and my monitor for them on. Also my s20 has 12GB RAM so it might run just a little better than the FE.
I like the first kishi better and it is no longer a Razer product and Gamevice quietly updated it feels a little bit nicer. Best part you can get $40 new on Amazon! Did find that it drains your battery if you leave on the device when not in use!
People can also look for a LG ThinQ v60. Same processor, & GPU. 8 GB RAM, 128GB and the option for a 2nd screen. Still on Android 12 but should get 13.
And it was the last LG with the QuadDAC powered headphone jack, so if you use a clip-on-an-Xbox-type-controller set-up then you can use wired headphones with your games and get all the HiFi enhancements so it'll sound amazing.
i had been wanting to get a google pixel for the software experience but im glad you mentioned DEX and HDMI out via USB-C...the pixels dont support video out at all! so any used Samsung is a better choice! always love your videos showing off all the possible options. ive seen various androids used to PS2 and GCN but dex is a really nice option. forgot about these FE phones too! good idea!
The pixels are absolute trash. The no output out of resolution is the cherry on top of uselessness. And this is supposed to be stock android and I’ve had tons of bugs and this app stopped working that didn’t even make sense. Samsungs and oneplus and iphone have been a lot better for me especially hardware wise. I never seen a battery degrade so fast and screen crack so easy like that first gen pixel. Emulation wise it’s pretty ass too and that’s when it still had a snapdragon chip.
Duuude. I saw one of these on Ebay going for 75$. That's a pretty sweet price to Emulate everything up to a Switch and Ps2. Most handhelds that price can barely handle PS1 and Dreamcast emulation.
My idea was to repurpose my Poco F2 (SD865) as a console next year when I will replace it, as a full screen device without notch I find it perfect for that, so I'll end up doing the same thing!
S20 FE + Kishi v1 (recently updated to v2), VR headset, DEX over adapter (to a mini projector), folding BT keyboard, BT ear buds. This has been my primary home and work computer over the past half year. Gaming on PPSSPP and doing SW development on Termux as well. Great for travelling. LOVE IT!
@@gamefun2525 Lol. I wish. Then I could have a virtual DEX monitor the size of my house. Homido v2 is the best one in my collection. I watch 3D movies in a virtual theater. I also have a OQ2 but I find the Homido more convenient.
I'm running a Poco F3 global version 8gb ram 256gb Snapdragon 870 AMOLED 120hz refresh rate. With an old razor kishi USB type c controller and hammerhead true wireless earbuds. I sometimes use a semi-conductor phone cooler with rgb. I paid 300$ for the phone. 75$ for the controller and headphones (open box ) and 20$ for semiconducting cooler. So for under 400 usd... I created a setup that runs everything I throw at... And it runs butter smooth 😋
@@degenerate8228 5g connectivity works perfectly in my area. But I mainly use it to game. Sometimes I forget that it's a phone. Lol 😂 It's a pretty bad azz setup.
Not a bad option at all to give you an all rounder. I bought a Mate 20 Pro with a cracked screen for £60 to use connected to the TV as a sort of media streamer/gaming 'box', which has way more power, RAM and storage that the average Android TV box. It has a desktop mode too.
You just blew my mind with this video. I'm sure my s9+ can't do quite everything shown here, but learning about dex mode and seeing what can be accomplished with a phone that can go for under $200 is just wild to me. Thanks a bunch!
I'd still rather play with the retroid pocket 3+, it just feels different having an all in one handheld like that instead of having the controller attached. It's also super pocketable, so it's super easy to take on the go. The phone+controller... not so much.
Yeah I felt the same way plus those controllers that attach to your phone are also not cheap if you want good ones (that feel nice and sturdy) and then immediately you are looking at a much higher price point while losing the console feel and portability of the device.
yes, the form factor is like 2-3 times thinner which i think is massively important as well, having it be the form factor/thinness of a mobile phone is what really makes it feel actually portable
But that’s a 4.7” screen vs 6.8”, and ETA PRIME picked the wrong phone, LG v60 is snapdragon 865 and 8gb ram but 6.8” screen and half the price, they’re under $100.
I still prefeer too the handhelds but they got stuck in the past, phones are more powerfull and cheap also usb c controllers are ok, i hope handheld builders update their consoles at reasonable price.
You could, via an emulator or a VNC server through Termux. Also for Snapdragon devices there is a project called the "Renegade Project" aimed at bringing Windows/Linux and other distros on Qualcomm Snapdragon phones using a custom UEFI firmware. Also if you just want to do web development on Dex, there are some Android apps that can do that.
With smartphones getting reasonably powerful. I was always wondering why things like these didn't appear first instead of those ARM based handhelds. Been always wanting to do this instead, though sadly, my desktop runs on ethernet, not sure if getting a Wifi connected to the same switch would work with Moonlight or something. Then again I am on a Pixel 4A, might wait for the 8 or 8A since games do struggle.
@@brigda3898 Yea I used my desktop for that, just seeing how phones are better now, I was wondering why they aren't more common. In fact, it would be better if old android phones can be repurposed as single board computers instead to reduce eWaste.
With ppsspp, Dolphin & Aethersx2 all on the very latest emulator releases, with increased performance, weaker hardware can run games better than a month ago, especially PPSSPP.
Hey ETA, I'm really curious. Are you the person behind Avalanche Reviews? That channel that reviews mostly survival horror games mainly resident evil and silent Hill. It's freaking crazy, you have the same voice, diction, tone and way of talking. You're just talking a lot faster than him but if you slow it down, it's almost identical haha. I have this in mind long ago I just remembered it now lol. Keep up dude
Would not recommend the X2. I bought it twice and both controllers broke in similar ways after just a few weeks of use. It's great when it does work, though.
yes, specifically on the ps2 emulator, need for speed underground 2, most wanted and carbon are unplayable. SD 865 is either too weak or the games are poorly optimized. I have a OnePlus 8 Pro, is dolphin better on need for speed? or is it one and the same? Thanks
How is the cheap d3 Bluetooth controller that you have in the thumbnail? I did this with my LG v60. And its doing great, just looking at controller options.
What's funny is this is my second phone that I use for emulators. It does run very well up to Wii pretty decently. Some run mmjr .9 for some Wii games but I can run 2× on some GameCube and 5/6x on Nintendo 64. Dex works great to show off games to people who used to play games and are amazed at how well it works and easy to use
For my new phone in 2022 I went back to a 4 year old limited edition Copper Samsung Note 9 512Gb (refurbished) mint condition phone. It went from an original sale price of 1400USD to 293USD.Then I paired it with the heavily discounted Razer Junglecat (from 100USD to 35USD).This controller comes with 3 phone bumpers, one of which is specifically for the Note 9. It plays Diablo Immortal flawlessly with all the buttons already mapped. The L2 controller button also acts as a dedicated camera shutter button with the joycon making for a great camera grip. I can't say enough good things about this older setup. Still has the 2k screen whereas the newer next model went down to a 1080 panel. Still got the S-pen and Dex. Speakers are better than the previous Note 8. Still rocks the Micro SD card and a high quality headphone jack for solid audio recording with any line in microphone (I use it for making videos at work). It's an SD 845, but still plays my entire PS1, N64, and PSP collections. As well as 70% of my GameCube collection. I tried googling a review of these two products together and couldn't find any. It's weird because they were literally made for each other.
@ETA PRIME I really love this content, and I'm very impressed :O. I was waiting for your next review on ktr1 handheld but after this video I have to think about it. Which one is best for emulating? Is there other phone you recomend for emulating? (I'm searching for anything running till ps2 and swtch that can be used to play on a monitor). Thanks in advance!
i have a galaxy S10 with the Snapdragon 855 and adreno 640. it can handle pretty much everything from NES all the way to PS2. i even have Half Life 2 running on it as well.
I picked up a Tab S6 (10" OLED/SD855/6GB RAM/128GB) on Amazon new in box for $220 2 weeks ago. It's an awesome emulation device with a really nice screen.
Exactly! I have the exact same tablet. My issue with using phones as emu devices is the screen size. The tab s6 is perfect. I picked mine up a while ago for $180, with a keyboard case! It runs everything I've thrown at it perfectly. 👍
If the Android version it comes with has the RAM Plus Memory option i would enable that. Using decent spec'd phones can also be used as a WIFI file server (Just use a smart socket to set a schedule to charge the phone every now and then and automatically turn the charger off every day) Also, if you dont need a phone for emulation you can use it as a Dash Cam, i do that with my old Galaxy S10 using the app Droid Dashcam (Others available). It has nice options with the only downside being that in order to tell what state/road etc you're on it needs to be internet connected (via Hotspot if needed), but everything else works fine without internet and coordinates are displayed via GPS.
Kishi V1 is fine if you don't care too much about the d-pad. It's squishy and not clicky like the Vita or console controllers. V2 upgraded the d-pad and feels much better for platformers
One thing you forgot to mention is how hot phone's get. Even after just 5 min, my s21 ultra starts to thermal throttle, driving down performance. I had to switch from a Gamesir x2 pro to an x3 just for the cooling fan.
Yeah, that's the problem with Samsung phones, especially the ones with Exynos. It seems like they prefer to have slim phones than a good cooling system
Amazing video! Can you do a similar pc to the one that you have registered a video on 2 days ago but which is around 200-250 budget? Or just give me some advice. I would like to build a cheap pc to work , but more importantly, for emulation (an pc that can run better the Nintendo switch games).
Pretty cool. I ended up doing this: Moto Edge 2021 and Gamesir Pro X2, and Daijisho as my home. I got the Moto for ~$120 from my cell provider. My actual phone happens to be a regular S20 5G ...and I opted to use the Moto for gaming because of a larger screen at 6.8". I believe the phones more or less perform the same.
Seeing this, it is clear that the LG v60 downclocked the cpu and gpu of SD 865. Barely got 550k on antutu and cpu is just way bad. Underperforming in Gamecube, PS2, and Switch that also needs a strong cpu performance.
I myself have centered a stealth gaming set up around the razer phone 2. Have the junglecat with universal clamps for it and it leaves room for an active cooler. I have the thing overclocked and switched operating systems to lineage21 (android 14 base).. it runs really well for the games i want to play.
Ok but my best deal was the phone i gave to my brother it was (Poco X3 Pro 8GB model) that as snapdragon 860 for 199€ 😎👍 he can buy 30€ controller and build 220€ game handheld with power of snapdragon 860
Hello ETA Prime Im ur subscriber from indonesia Can u review a gamepad blueetoth for android its name IPEGA 9211, For much tank you. Merry Christmas to you🎄
I bought the gamesir X2 pro, I have the 20fe 4G, I have gamepass and a Series S, and I plan on getting a PC with Ryzen 5600g, and was wondering if I could launch games that I have on epic games account on this called "steam link"?
I use the S20 FE as my everyday phone and I love it. I also play on it with my bluetooth controller (8bitdo Pro+ with a phone clip). Mostly I play through cloud with Gamepass or Steam Link. Cool thing is that I can run Yuzu on my laptop and use Steam Link to stream it to the phone. I've been playing Metroid Dread like this, while lying in bed. Works like a charm. Never tried playing on Dex mode, but I'm sure it would work great too.
I bought an S20FE for the exact same reason and I hadn't even seen this video before. So im glad i made a good decision. But I also intend to daily drive it as my previous phone is very old. I am not worried about the battery as i game occasionally. It saves me the trouble of taking my rg505 everywhere for a few minutes of gameplay here and there. In all, great idea! :)
Anyone know how to get RetroArch to work with an external hard drive. I have a steamdeck i am using for my phone, and a portable drive plugged in. Every other emulator works fine with the external drive but RetroArch wont see it at all, its a little frustrating
I'm using this same phone but I have trouble with Dolphin emulator on it. I'm using the razer kishi v. 1 and what controller settings are best for this device, also, how do i remove the controls from the screen?
After using the G Cloud, I cannot go back to a phone and telescopic handheld. The screen ratio on a phone is terrible. I think paying extra for the G Cloud's screen alone is worth the price
