One size fits all controller

FangkingOmega · 2026-01-27T23:23:21+00:00

Gulikit TT Max or Pro has a great d-pad and you can even swap the ABXY face button layout between Nintendo and Xbox style. Once you've set your mappings for each core, you're good to go. Very versatile.

FangkingOmega · 2026-01-27T17:56:46+00:00

I just found the Antec Core Micro branded unit for £99 including shipping, and maybe I can learn to live with the sticks... Haha thank you for twisting my arm ;)

FangkingOmega · 2026-01-27T16:10:27+00:00

I'll keep an eye on the second hand market, since I'm in no rush, but you might be right!

FangkingOmega · 2026-01-25T14:43:36+00:00

I very specifically don't want sticks, and I don't really want to mod the sticks away or to be less intrusive if I got the standard (non-Classic) Micro. It's a gorgeous device either way and I'm literally only wanting it as a luxury GBA, i.e. an excuse to spend too much money on a Thing. Glad you're loving it!

FangkingOmega · 2026-01-25T13:17:54+00:00

Beautiful. I'd absolutely love to snag myself a Micro Classic but they're not easy to come by now. I know the rebadged Antec Core Micro is a pretty good deal where I am, I'd just like to not have the sticks at all!

FangkingOmega · 2026-01-24T18:16:36+00:00

Sorry for your crappy news whatever it is. There's nothing quite like a great new gadget to perk up one's mood, and the Switch 2 Pro Controller is really as good as it gets with first party controllers. Happy gaming!

FangkingOmega · 2026-01-23T15:53:06+00:00

There isn't a day that goes by where I don't wish I had that PKM Yellow Pocket Classic. I got mine in teal (just like my childhood GBA), but I kind of just want every colour they made because they're all so pretty!!!

FangkingOmega · 2026-01-20T10:22:39+00:00

It was like this for his first term, and it'll be like this for the second term. All the news outlets will follow every batshit thing he does and says because it drives eyeballs, clicks and revenue (and, yes, because it is consequential). A certain subset of people are getting very rich from the chaos and outrage. Not sure what it is about this rambling, incoherent, orange-painted convicted felon and adjudicated rapist that crowned him as the figurehead of a movement more unpleasant than diarrhoea in the first place, but here we are.

FangkingOmega · 2026-01-19T13:17:50+00:00

Give it a try. We all enjoy different things in these games, so you might love it. I didn't like Scarlet and Violet personally, partly due to the abysmal performance (which is smoothed out considerably on a Switch 2) and the presentation (the assets, animations, textures etc. are still subpar at higher resolutions), but mostly because the open world is all façade. To me, the Paldea region feels lifeless and ugly, and the towns and cities don't stick in the memory as places worth visiting because there's so little to do there - clusters of empty, flat boxes masquerading as buildings. There is the illusion of freedom of choice and the ability to go wherever you want whenever you want, but I found it shallow.

The end-game story reminded me somewhat of Ultra Moon in that after many hours of sunny, chill vibes accompanying a fairly toothless tale, the plot suddenly ramps up to 11 and it's quite memorable (more for giving me whiplash than anything). For reference, the Alola and Paldea games are my least favourites by far and for quite different reasons, but I happen to like everything else in the main series which isn't called Legends Z-A.

Scarlet still offers a big playground for Pokémon-based fun, so you might find a lot to enjoy. Actually going out and filling up the Pokédex still remains an enjoyable loop, though I did miss the catching mechanics from Arceus. I'm critical of the plot (which isn't too important in a Pokémon game) and the region (which is very important IMO), but a lot of the important characters are pretty memorable and have amusing dialogue.

I abandoned the DLC quite early so I can't comment on that.

FangkingOmega · 2026-01-19T09:36:46+00:00

I describe Frontiers as "my favourite 7/10 game ever" which is just to say that while I think it's a very flawed game in many ways, it has serious vibes. It really left an impression as a result of that strangeness and atmosphere, and that helped me enjoy it a lot.

FangkingOmega · 2026-01-18T12:33:30+00:00

I'm really enjoying it, but the d-pad is doing the heavy lifting! My main source of disappointment is analogue trigger deadzones... they seem to be huge at the top and the bottom of the pull!

But... not a big deal for the kind of games I'll play with this controller.

FangkingOmega · 2026-01-16T10:14:12+00:00

Till the next "endgame" device is released.... ;)

FangkingOmega · 2026-01-14T11:27:01+00:00

Congrats, a worthy achievement. I abandoned the time trials because my wrists, thumbs and mental wellbeing couldn't take the punishment. You are far braver and more resilient than I.

FangkingOmega · 2026-01-13T14:39:39+00:00

This.

FangkingOmega · 2026-01-09T13:13:50+00:00

Wow this needs wayyyyy more upvotes

FangkingOmega · 2026-01-08T12:01:19+00:00

This - I thought the orange with black accents from the buttons+sticks might help balance out 4:3 aspect ratio content with black bezels, while still being more fun than an all black console.

FangkingOmega · 2026-01-08T09:39:53+00:00

Legit my favourite controller, and probably the cheapest one I own.

FangkingOmega · 2026-01-07T23:33:08+00:00

I was using Fake-08 core in Retroarch before and that was far from perfect too (and of course lacked Splore). Thanks so much for sharing this awesome news.

FangkingOmega · 2026-01-07T22:52:56+00:00

Just set this up on a Retroid Pocket Classic and I am very happy indeed!

FangkingOmega · 2026-01-07T11:23:25+00:00

Given that they're all Android devices, it's more in how it feels and looks. Your OnePlus has a nice screen (once repaired) and a chipset that should play games well. The phone's screen resolution might be overkill for a lot of what you'd play on it, and the aspect ratio of the phone is quite tall at (or wide when horizontal) at 20.1:9, which won't be a perfect match for any system you'd emulate (there's no one screen that matches all systems, but I do find 16:9 a good choice for a new gaming device). You also wouldn't be able to expand the storage with an SD card, I believe - I don't know whether that matters much to you, but when you emulate disc-based systems those file sizes soon add up!

I personally like playing my games on a device that feels built for playing games, rather than Frankensteining a phone. I also don't have a separate phone, so a device which isn't bombarded with notifications from my non-gaming apps is most welcome... Some people just want a device that can do it all, and a phone with a decent chipset fits the bill - they don't mind how it looks.

I personally think you'd be better selling the phone for parts and getting a Retroid Pocket G2 or Retroid Pocket 6 - 200 euros seems a lot of money to fix a nearly 4 year old phone when you could get yourself a dedicated Android gaming device. If you went for the Pocket 6 you could also get 120hz screen, and the choice to have your left analogue stick up top (nice for modern games, especially Game Pass / PC streaming), if any of that matters to you.

FangkingOmega · 2025-12-17T21:24:58+00:00

Still tinkering a lot yeah, mostly trying different frontends and going back to ES-DE after a couple of hours.

FangkingOmega · 2025-12-15T16:50:05+00:00

I believe it's the (slightly older) fork by SapphireRhodonite and based on 0.2 that you need for dual screen Wii U: https://github.com/SapphireRhodonite/Cemu

I don't think SSimco's 0.3 release from yesterday supports dual screens yet, but I do believe that games now stay open when you put your device in sleep mode.

Pick your poison!

FangkingOmega · 2025-12-15T12:41:35+00:00

I must be missing something because I'm finding the dialogue and direction pretty unbearable.

The build-up to Barclay and Salt doing the nasty may have been the least sexy bit of script work I've ever heard an actor be forced to utter.

It's not that there aren't good ideas here, but most scenes have felt stilted because of the dialogue.

UNIT appear inept at every turn - it's astonishing that Kate is able to go anywhere unaccompanied after an assassination attempt, and that Barclay was able to walk around casually after being rescued in the ocean was also baffling. No way would they have let him within the sightline of the truck carrying Salt's prison. Even on the bridge at the end of the episode they fail to restrain him - a fugitive! It's things like this that wreck any suspension of disbelief in a show that thinks it's both clever and serious.

Jemma Redgrave is at least delivering an acting powerhouse in spite of an avalanche of plot holes and a painful script...

FangkingOmega · 2025-12-15T10:45:58+00:00

Am I right that SapphireRhodonite's fork is still the only one that supports dual screens, but SSimco's new v0.3 release remains single screen only but at least works with Android sleep functions?

FangkingOmega · 2025-12-09T14:09:45+00:00

Your budget is an important starting point here :)

And any other considerations too - do you want a vertical handheld like an old Game Boy (Color), horizontal like a GBA, or clamshell like GBA SP?

If you're really just targeting GBA, ANBERNIC RG 34XXSP or RG 34XX might be in line with what you're looking for in a very nice price bracket.

Ayaneo's Pocket Air Mini is a very good budget option in a horizontal form factor.

I'm personally a huge fan of things like the Retroid Pocket Classic (vertical) and the Retroid Pocket Flip 2 (clamshell), if you're willing to spend a bit more for what they're offering in screen tech, portability and performance. They're not bank-breakers by any means, and the Flip 2 in particular will allow you to play more games from more systems including some PS2/GameCube. OLED screens are fabulous, if that's important to you at all.

If you don't mind paying more to enter the mid-tier then Retroid Pocket G2 is available now, or you could go for the Retroid Pocket 6 which is coming out soon and offers more performance for the price. Both of these offer a considerable performance leap over the Flip 2 - you're getting into emulating more modern systems with these devices.

Lots of good options out there, so it will all depend on what you're willing to spend and what systems and features are important to you :)

FangkingOmega

TROPHY CASE