Retro Game Corps

Woke up this morning to see the channel reached 800,000 subscribers! Thanks everyone for the support, it means a lot. I'll keep making review and guide videos as long as you folks keep watching them 😊

6 days ago (edited) | [YT] | 7,219

Retro Game Corps

Update: the developer behind X1 Box (the $8 Xemu port on the Play Store) has now released their app for free on GitHub. I'm glad that they are offering a free version themselves, and hopefully the Xemu team will make the official port they mentioned last week. github.com/izzy2lost/xemu/releases

Here is my video on the app, the performance is not there yet, but I'll be keeping an eye on this: https://youtu.be/3FLlaGUzm2Q

1 week ago | [YT] | 1,394

Retro Game Corps

Issue #8 of my newsletter just went live! It's crazy to think I've been doing this for two months now. Each Sunday I send out a recap of my videos, handheld gaming news, what I've been playing, and any deals I found. I've also been sharing some glimpses into what happens behind the scenes in RGC-land, like the career fair I attended this week.

Check it out here: buttondown.com/retrogamecorps/archive/RGC-008/

You can read the archives directly on the web, subscribe to get it delivered via email, or add it to your RSS feed.

1 week ago | [YT] | 1,377

Retro Game Corps

Some big updates coming to Azahar (3DS emulator)! They released a new Alpha, which you can find here: github.com/azahar-emu/azahar/releases/tag/2125.0-a…

- The emulator is now available as a libretro/RetroArch core on all major platforms. Once this Alpha goes to public release, you will be able to download the Azahar core directly within RetroArch. This will unify stuff like hotkeys, save file locations, etc, with the rest of your RetroArch-backed games. It also paves the way for Retro Achievements if they are developed for the platform.
- The RA core will likely have a performance hit compared to the standalone emulator (like with other emulators), but it's nice to see wider compatibility. Note that RetroArch doesn't currently support dual-screen gameplay, so you'll want to continue using the standalone app for devices like the AYN Thor.
- The standalone app also now adds a controller auto-map, so you can set up your buttons with one click. It also has a "hotkey enable" button so you can unify your hotkey mapping in the emulator (instead of relying on a single button).

2 weeks ago | [YT] | 1,602

Retro Game Corps

This new (free) app is pretty neat - it turns your Android handheld into a Bluetooth controller on Windows. Just tested it out with my Retroid Pocket 6 playing Hollow Knight on my PC, and it ran well (other than expected lag from BT). github.com/jobrobse/Pocket-Pad

2 weeks ago | [YT] | 1,435

Retro Game Corps

The Analogue Pocket is going to be restocked on March 4th (8am PST), along with their dock, and it will ship in June 2026. Note that the price for the Pocket has increased to $240, but the dock remains at $100.

Non-affiliate link: store.analogue.co/#pocket

I re-reviewed the Analogue Pocket in 2024, and not much has changed since then: https://youtu.be/gOLPkd82VH0

It's still the premier FPGA handheld that can play a surprising amount of games outside of the standard GB/GBC/GBA libraries, and the docked experience is very good. But it is also hard to recommend compared to much cheaper software emulation handhelds unless you specifically want an FPGA experience.

2 weeks ago (edited) | [YT] | 447

Retro Game Corps

More bad news: starting Monday 02MAR, the 8GB Retroid Pocket 6 model will increase by $15 (to $245 before shipping). Here are links in case you want to buy one before the price increases:

Affiliate: tinyurl.com/Retroid-RGC
Non-affiliate: www.goretroid.com/

The 12GB model has also been discontinued. Existing orders remain unaffected, but this model is now sold out on their website.

Here's my review of the Retroid Pocket 6, which was with the 8GB model: https://youtu.be/4ByeyqlasHY

And here is my Retroid Pocket 6 starter guide: https://youtu.be/tu-5SO1wyrE

Even at $245 it's the most affordable Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 handheld on the market. The 12GB RAM model provides more headroom for PC gaming, and it's a bummer that it's discontinued, and is particularly frustrating knowing that RAM/storage demand for AI datacenters are the culprit.

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2 weeks ago (edited) | [YT] | 1,185

Retro Game Corps

AYN has announced their upcoming price increases for the Thor and Odin 3 due to RAM/storage supply issues (thanks a lot, AI datacenters). They originally said prices would go up in April, but the new pricing now goes into effect on March 8th.

Thor:
Lite – $249 (no change)
Base – $309 → $319
Pro – $369 → $399
Max – $449 → $489

Odin 3:
Base – $329 → $339
Pro – $399 → $439
Max – $449 → $489
Ultra – Out of Stock

Affiliate link: tinyurl.com/RGC-AYN
Non-affiliate: www.ayntec.com/

Here is my Odin 3 review: https://youtu.be/AEmThOmbWEo
Here is my latest Thor video: https://youtu.be/9b9kuFcFblg

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2 weeks ago | [YT] | 769

Retro Game Corps

Big news! I've teamed up with Adam from PCWorld to start a new podcast. It's called Expedition: Handheld, and it will be a weekly audio/video podcast going over handheld news, our own DIY handheld projects, answering FAQs, and more. We're going to focus on both handheld PCs and ARM-based (Android, Linux) handhelds.

The show will be hosted on PCWorld's Full Nerd Network channel, and the trailer is now live: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8x1zZ...

For those wondering, this is in addition to my regular Nerd Nest podcast appearances, but with more of a dedicated handheld spin. We're aiming for ~1-hour episodes, and the first episode will be out this Saturday!

3 weeks ago | [YT] | 1,993

Retro Game Corps

After the AYANEO community poll I hosted last month, 45% of participants voted for me to purchase retail units for review. So when the company reached out last month to send me a review unit for their Pocket S Mini, I declined their offer and purchased my own from their store. Here's a breakdown of the experience:

- Purchased via an anonymous email address on 31JAN, it shipped on 11FEB, and arrived via 4PX shipping on 23FEB to a PO Box I set up.
- I bought the lowest-spec 8GB RAM model in white for $319, and shipping was $20. No additional import or tariff charges for me.
- AYANEO posted incorrect battery specs at the time of sale (they blamed it on their factory), and the unit shipped with a 4700mAh battery instead of the advertised 6000mAh size. As compensation, they sent all customers a Pocket Air Mini (2GB model, $90 value) with their purchase, and that arrived in the same box. I was sent an email asking me to fill out my color preference on a Google Sheets doc, and they allowed customers to upgrade their unit to the 3GB RAM model for an additional $10.
- The device came with a carrying case, thumbstick caps, and some stickers.
- I've discovered some hardware faults in my initial testing that I think are worth further investigation and reporting: occasional strange screen effects when waking the device from sleep, the B button often gives a double input (a nightmare when navigating menus), and screen ghosting on my unit is particularly bad when playing retro games.

I'm still debating whether to devote my usual 40+ hours making an in-depth review video, let me know in the comments if that's something you'd like to see.

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3 weeks ago | [YT] | 2,077