Was just about to point this out to u long time watcher really do love ur content u got me into handhelds I now own 35 different handhelds from the rg350 all the way upto the steam deck and the gpdwinmax 2 thanks for all the amazing content 😊😊😊😊
@KiraSlith I'm kind of reconsidering this. I thought it was a bad screen choice because I associate analog sticks with wide screen gaming. But that's not true. I was playing PS1/N64 games using analog sticks & a 1:1 screen. I think I have to buy this.
@@eartheternal3565 Personally I find the price tag a little stiff, PS1 and N64 was 4:3, not 1:1, but otherwise yeah. Let the rest of us know what you think about it if you do decide to get one. If the performance problems aren't an issue on N64, maybe I'll have to get my own too.
Its a little frustrating how few reviews on this don't show arcade vertical shooters running, since I figure this would be a major reason to get one of these
I was looking for a review on this system. I can't understand why it's not making a bigger splash with reviewers. A selling point of the Ambernic 351 compared to the 350 was the square screen with a higher resolution. This has that again compared to the usual crop of candy bar style handhelds. It's got got a faster chip, bigger screen, higher resolution and lighter frame than the 351MP which is why I bought one for 84$ with a coupon including shipping.
Whoa, an HDMI-out that works in JELOS? That's quite surprising and very welcome. Aside from that, the screen looks absolutely gorgeous and overall, it looks like Powkiddy put in more effort in designing this unit. I agree that it's niche, but niche in all the right ways.
so far so good on mine. I only play NES, SNES, GB, GBC, GBA, Genesis, Master System, pretty much everything from 8 bit days and not having bezels or very little bezels is pretty amazing. I also haven't used a handheld like this for a loooonnnnngggg time and when I connected to WiFi JelOS said there was an update and it updated no problem. I have never experienced that on one of these cheap chinese handhelds. So far I love mine, by far the most comfortable handheld with a 1:1 screen I have had in a long time. For everything widescreen I have my Steam Deck.
9:00 why would you want to control games with 8 way movement with an analog stick? If you want to play these games competently (arcade games are hard) you'd want the most precise input that you can get, and an analog stick is just worse than using a dpad for that.
I was looking for a handheld that would be good for vertical shmups, and this seems to be the best new option. Previously the best option was to turn candy-bar handhelds sideways, but it's not a very ergonomic way to play anything. It both looks and plays pretty awkward. So I'm really excited to try this 1:1 screen. While there are still gonna be some black bars on the sides, it's way less then any 4:3 display, and I'm used to playing arcade games with a d-pad, so a stick being on the bottom won't bother me. Can't wait to get my hands on it.
Well, games like Dodonpachi look and play incredible on this device. I got mine yesterday. Unfortunately it's not powerful enough to play some of the Cave library, especially 2000's stuff.
Yeah totally my thoughts as well, just never found vertical display devices comfortable to hold for long periods as my hands always cramp up as the device is small. I’ve always found horizontal orientated devices waaaay more comfortable to use and the great thing with the rgb 30 is it’s great for consoles like the gb, ds and shoot em ups that are more like vertical displays but also really good for other systems like ps1, psp, Dreamcast, n64 as this device lets you modify lots of settings to your liking such as the screen aspect ratio so you can have all the games pretty much full screen instead of a wide display in the middle with black bars on the top and bottom
Before viewing the video... The dimensions of this, for a small device, seem pretty awesome. It seems like a cheaper and more compact 351MP (?) and with a nice screen but now actually to watch the video. Edit: wow that screen though. I think it's beautiful. And then you bring up Pico-8. I've been testing and downloading carts recently, having become a fan, but have yet to pull the trigger and buy Voxatron and get it (for the 351 series). With this it's just another incentive to do so. Me and my childhood friends used to dream about "a single device to rule them all" or rather a single stationary console that accepted every cart/CD ever made from Sega/Nintendo. Now they exist... and not only that but you don't need to buy the carts/CDs, there are MORE consoles available than I even knew existed in those days and... They're HANDHELDS! Despite not being THAT old I hope I never ever get used to these types of devices and take them for granted; my and my friends' childhood dreams of the utlimate console have been surpassed BIGLY.
@@ragingbatong3482 its awesome! it feels solid and well build, it controls well! it does come with a couple of things that scared me xD like one day it wouldnt turn on but fixes it by switching my charger cable which also made the battery not drop energy like an electric waterfall since then its been perfect just perfect :>
@@ragingbatong3482yeah I’m ordering one as well early month probably will get the dark blue one I love how well it runs n64, psp, ps1, ds and Dreamcast
It really is. Having a 720p 1:1 screen is a treat for the eyes. And with integer scaling SNES looks incredible (but you do sacrifice a few pixels on the left and right)
@@MasDoucyeah I like it as well a nice size 4 inch screen for multiple systems, also great for ds emulation as you can stack the screens so it’s like you are playing on a ds with one screen on top of the other
@@MasDouc yeah it’s a shame but apparently on another vid I watched of this device you can actually use the right stick to move the stylus around on the screen which is better than nothing
I kept hearing people crap on this when it was rumored, but the whole time I was thinking, "YES a device for shmup and GBC lovers." Pico-8, Game Gear, and NGPC look insanely crisp as well. This device DESERVES TO EXIST despite it being so niche.
I would really love to see a vertical version of this one, the screen is perfect for GB/GBC and Tate mode. Edit: Just saw the episode and I see you were showing exactly those xD Btw I also think probably NES and SNES will look exceptional in their original 8:7 aspect ratios, Hope someone will record those on youtube.
Its a 1:1 screen, there in no vertical or horizontal, and im pretty sure is the entire point of making it this aspect ratios (youll get black bars somwhere virtually on all games but youll get more real state no matter the type of game, if only it woud be bigger
I think this is interesting if you play a lot of games with vertical aspect ratio, like a lot of arcade schmups I wonder if i can make it boot directly into Pico-8 if that is possible i might buy it just for that.
I'm really digging for content about the RGB30, and the review from Retro Game Corps brings some really interesting views regarding the usual 4:3 content and the gba situation Snes looks really good on 8:7 aspect ratio, filing almost all the screen using overscan, with just a bunch of pixels croped on the sides And gba can do a perfect 3x integer scale in this screen, giving roughly 3.5" of "game screen", a really ok size for gba games, with super sharp pixels
Just got mine recently and I do quite like it. I have some things of note: - From the box, it wouldn't boot up past the JELOS boot screen. I tried flashing the newest release of JELOS to the microSD that came with the device and it wouldn't even hit the JELOS boot screen. I had to take a microSD I had laying around and flash JELOS to it and now it works fine. - I'm noticing some odd performance dips for some systems, but the frame rate counter doesn't seem to reflect this. I'm not sure why this would be the case. Nothing breaking or anything, but I feel it's worth mentioning. - THAT SCREEN. Aside from some light bleed around the bottom (it's not that bad, just noticeable on an all-black screen), it's really quite amazing. - The D-pad isn't quite as good as I'd hoped. It's okay, but it really seems to favor diagonals. Maybe that'll get better with some break-in. - The Start/Select buttons are LOUD. I wish they'd done the foam thing for them like they did the shoulder buttons. It's almost jarring clicking them. Overall, really good for a sub-$100 handheld, but I really wish they'd step up their build quality game a bit.
Maybe I'm the niche but I always play SNES games at 8:7 (think they look "right" like that). Also the GBA has a resolution of 240x160 which means a 3x scale should look fantastic on a 720 pixels wide screen, but your review was basically "black bars, gross" before moving on.
The handheld looks cool, but that short segment on Pico-8 piqued my interest plenty. Retro-styled homebrew games, cartridge-like distribution, through a PNG? That's certainly novel.
A device with this screen and processing power that could somehow dock with a modern smartphone for DS and 3DS and stacked shoulder buttons would be my dream niche retro handheld
Hey I know this is a shot in the dark but do you think you would ever do a video revisiting all of the old gpd handhelds? Like to show the constant improvements over the years
@@TakiUdon yeah I just meant like to show the increase in power on these tiny gpd win, windows computers and the progress of gpd’s hand helds getting more powerful.
How's the battery? I've read from a bunch of people that the battery out of the box is terrible and you need to update JelOS stat but also some people who did update it still have bad battery life
I got it yesterday and the screen is really nice and the operating system is easy to navigate. My only problem is its not ergonomic enough for me as my hands cramped up after playing for a few minutes. Bought X55 instead hoping it will be a better fit for my needs
Well you can actually purchase various grips for it which make it way more ergonomic, I may do that If I find it uncomfortable to hold for long periods - device grips really make a difference I’ve found
Powkiddy has been making big moves these past few months. I actually want to buy the X55, X28, RGB10 Max 3, RGB30, and maybe the RK2023 (but not over the RG353P).
I am surprised that there aren't more handhelds with 4:3 or 1:1 screens to accommodate for how many consoles and games there were made. When I think of retro gamin those are the ones that come to mind.
almost every single handheld comes with 4:3 screen be it 240p or 480p this is basically the only console that has 1:1 while 3:2 is mostly non-existant anymore
@@alexcallender There are, but sadly most of them are 3.5" screens. There is the 405M for a bunch of money and now the 405V. I would like a 4-5" 4:3 screen that runs linux and preferably in horizontal form factor. Right now, for me, it is this one, or maybe the X55 and I deal with the side bars. Jelos menu does look good on X55 though, so that is nice.
Well I think you can also get a 256 gb sd as well card filled with games not sure how much that one is though but I will probably get the 128 gb version as over 20,000 games is ideal to me 😁😁
I really want to want this one just because 1:1 screens are a rarity in this hardware genre. But it really should have a faster processor or better cooling (so it can run faster) for $110. The "on sale" $90 pre-order price is right on that red line of "too pricey".
Yeah especially when RG35XX is so much cheaper and fills that vertical handheld void. I don't know if I can warrant paying basically double the price just to have a 1:1 screen.
I had a supervision when I was a kid wow I'm old All my friends had game boys but I had a supervision that had a screen that was double in size of a Gameboy
Glad you mentioned PICO-8 because this was the first thing that came to my mind when I heard about PowKiddy releasing a device with a 1:1 screen. That being said, you mentioned the official (paid) emulator and FAKE-08. While the official one works with all games obviously (as you stated), FAKE-08 has a different big advantage though which is that it enables Save States thanks to the Libretro API. Almost no games have a save functionality so this comes in super handy especially in super hard games like Celeste in case you don't have the time to play through it in one session. A small note on Game Gear though: While it has the same internal resolution as the Game Boy, it's intended to be played in a 4:3 aspect ratio (just like the TV consoles) due to the shape of the original Game Gear screen. So if you play it in 10:9 like a GB game, you are indeed stretching it. It's still fine in my opinion though. I stretch it too on my Analogue Pocket to cover the whole screen. Just wanted to point that out.
Good point on Fake-08 save state support. As for GG, you are correct. Two of the four cores (including the one that JELOS has selected as default) have core provided = 10:9. I've used one of them for so long that 10:9 looks 'better' to me. 😂
I've treated myself to a birthday present. Retro Dodo has also reviewed this device favourably so I took the plunge and ordered direct from Powkiddy. Hoping to see more impressions and guides popping up in the future. Very little out there so far.
What would be even more niche is if they would have been if they made it with a tate screen. I saw some video by a Korean RU-vidr with just such a device, but there's only like 100-150 of them, and they were made from LG Wing phones? I'm a big shmup fan, so I'd get one for that. This is nice tho.
Hi Taki, I ordered the RGB30 based on your video, and I am hoping to take it on holiday next week. The package arrived today and I excitedly opened it to find an X55. VERY DISAPPOINTED!!!! Do you know if this is a common issue with Powkiddy? Anyway, I have emailed them to ask them to send the correct system and then I will be sending the wrong system back to them.
Can you please detail if directional pad/input buttons are rubber domed or clicky? It matters a lot for me and i've been through a few of these handhelds underwhelmed when I find they're rubber domed :/
Since I really prefer your review on these devices over other reviewers, and you seem to have some avenue of communications to those manufacturers. I would like to share some of my findings with RGB30 (first hour of ownership.) the top row of buttons, L1, L2, Volume, R, power, R2, R1) are put in a very bad place. They have no support, you are not supposed to use solder, especially leadfree solder as the only way to secure component that need to handle physical force like buttons and connectors. Something else must support the said switch or connector, like part of the case forming a support beam behind it, or even a blob of hot glue (not idea, but better). Mine arrived bumped and unable to function, and I have to bend it back upright to restore functionality. I can do it pretty easily, but I don't think most users would be able to notice the damage and fix it themselves. Having a structal support for the button will go a long way mitigating this type of issues. The other issue I found is the two support posts for each analog stick. They are turning white from stress (mine is blue plastic), looks like the post is too thin or the screw is too big for the hole in the post? since all the downward force goes to those two posts, it would be advisable not to press down too hard on the L3 and R3. For anyone handy, you can put a foam pad on the speakers to support the analog sticks, but please make it touch the stick just barely, or you could be causing issues. Beefing up the mounting posts would go a long way in the longivity of the device. Thanks, I'll go back to enjoying my RGB30 now.
The screen and buttons really are the most important part of these small handhelds. As long as they play the necessary emus. My problem with the other vertical small ones is the screen. I'd probably buy this for the screen quality alone
I'm awaiting delivery of mine but given the bluetooth controller options I fully intend to use this as a small hub for gaming on a much large screen via HDMI - with the added bonus of portability!
Really considering this one. In 2024 I want to completely whittle down my gaming collection to the bare minimum. I have too many gameboys and boxed games that just aren't being used.
I would say this one is pretty good as it’s a square screen so vertical display games lol really nice, plus it’s awesome that it can play many other systems as well using screen scaling
I don’t understand the problem people have with ‘black bars’. The width of the RGB30 screen is basically the same as the RG35XX and other similar 4:3 devices, so 4:3 or 16:9 games will look exactly the same size on both devices.
Thank you for the great and informative video, this is a very interesting handheld! By the way, what is the portable screen you use at 12:30 onwards? Thank you!
I SO swear it's felt like I've accidentally had an incorrect aspect ratio, with a stretched image while watching this video, just because the proportions of this device have felt so.. unique 😂
Hows it niche if it plays many systems at a seemingly more correct aspect ratio? Things like DC, pc engine, Neo Geo, x68k, supervision, and others look insane on this device.👾
I don't like the way powkiddy mounts their speakers completely separated from the speaker outlet like that, I feel they don't understand how that acoustically affects the sound
Very good video. It makes me wonder how tough it is to design one of these, like electronically speaking. It'll be neat to have something like the RGB30 with a game boy advance cartridge slot. I think that's the one with most back and forth compatibility.
Wish it wasn't so expensive tbh. I'd pay at most $60 for this, but for that screen it's asking too much especially when you feel limited in what you can play so you don't get awkward looking games
I bought one of these based on several reviews including this and I love it, thank you. One question I Had is the default control setup for N64 is horrendous. How do you remap the buttons and any setup tips?
I’m sure it’s possible as the great thing with this device is there a lot of different settings you can apply to the games and emulators I would say have a good lol through the emulator settings for each game or look up a tutorial for remapping buttons on yt
@@therunawaykid6523 i personality prefer it in 4:3 screens cause it then takes up the whole screen. With this device, it helps with the controls of the stick is preferred but get no benefit from rotating the square screen
Hmmmm i would design a 4:3 (or 16:10) screen with detachable controllers and docks on all four sides, so you can put do tate mode properly, it woud be ideal all the way up to ps1 and most of ps2 era games, also take the oportunity to launch especialized controls (6 face buttons?, no analog? touch pads? Ps config, xbox config, GC config? the options are endless, of course they have to commit to these controllers and launch more powerful devices on the future but whit the same docks so we can keep using them) Also for the love of god made the trigger buttons dual GC style for GC emulation, it doesnt hurt any other emus but is needed for most GC games)
Good review, but let me say that old arcade vertical shooters are games with 8-way directional inputs, it has no sense to play them with analogs if you want accurate control. A 1:1 4" display seem odd at first, but a 4:3 game shows bigger here than in a 4:3 3.5" one. So, this is a near perfect sistem to play a big selection of games from the 8 and 16 bits era. Long story short, in lack of a handhelds with a confortable and well designed TATE mode, this seems to be the best option available. Maybe It would be perfect if they rid off of the analogs.
How does Real Time Clock work on this? Does it keep the time when switched off or does it require an internet connection? Does it have an RTC battery? Lots of questions!
