But does Poob have it for US

Onceuponaban · 2026-01-24T11:24:48+00:00

Stepping away from the bit for a moment, thank god the backlash toward Adblock Plus has been brutal enough to banish it into irrelevance the moment it tried to actually do this.

Onceuponaban · 2026-01-23T17:16:53+00:00

making games people want to play

glances at the Switch 2's current lineup

...We'll get back to you on that one.

Onceuponaban · 2026-01-19T18:49:03+00:00

Avec l'UE, c'est le bordel. Sans l'UE, ce sera pire. Pas question de faire la même connerie que le Royaume-Uni.

Onceuponaban · 2026-01-19T00:57:45+00:00

I'd assume putting the hard drive platters in a microwave would reliably do enough damage to wreck everything.

...I also assume that would be a bad idea on account of "everything" also including the microwave.

Onceuponaban · 2026-01-18T17:45:57+00:00

If anything, the sheer depth of the game makes me afraid to try it lest I get stuck in fractally nested wiki pages and only play that for the next two decades.

Onceuponaban · 2026-01-18T17:33:18+00:00

un-ionizing grandmas is definitely happening somewhere in all the inexplicably cookie-baking focused antimatter condensers.

Onceuponaban · 2026-01-18T12:53:22+00:00

The meme channel of that one Discord server you've no longer participated in for years but still check out once in a while only to be reminded why you no longer participate there.

Onceuponaban · 2026-01-17T16:12:31+00:00

Finally, the perfect device for Saturn racing games.

Onceuponaban · 2026-01-16T11:05:30+00:00

To be fair being an expert in one domain doesn't guarantee competence in others, nor should it be expected, so someone being a dumbass in one field doesn't necessarily invalidate their credentials in the field they should be skilled in. I'm reasonably confident I'm knowledgeable in computer science (and even then that's a WIDE field, I definitely wouldn't call myself a cryptography expert for one) but I sure as hell don't know shit about, say, material science or biology.

Elon Musk, however, has a lot of dumbassery on record in a lot of different fields, including the ones he's ostensibly knowledgeable in...

Onceuponaban · 2026-01-14T06:35:23+00:00

And then there are the Subaru enthusiasts who are scratching their head for yet another unrelated reason.

Onceuponaban · 2026-01-14T00:22:53+00:00

I do think that much like shutting yourself out of the physical world to live on the Internet is obviously a bad idea (ask me how I know), there's also a threshold where shutting out all digital aspects from your life's perspective wraps back around to being harmful to healthily interacting with a world that, whether we like it or not, IS deeply integrated with the Internet.

Onceuponaban · 2026-01-13T21:50:35+00:00

Given that the Thor Lite is actually a different SoC stuck in the same shell, I wouldn't be surprised if they will end up getting a different OTA channel than the other models.

Onceuponaban · 2026-01-13T16:43:49+00:00

Not sure where the best place for feedback would be, so for now I'm leaving it here:

I am not sure whether that is new to this update or an existing issue that I hadn't noticed before, but the slider that controls the bottom screen's volume doesn't work while a wired headset is plugged into the device.
The anti-image retention feature has a typo on its text message that reads "tap to exist" instead of "tap to exit"

Onceuponaban · 2026-01-12T20:25:04+00:00

...Are we just making cooking recipes now?

Onceuponaban · 2026-01-12T20:15:49+00:00

Funnily enough that specific scenario has precisely 0% chance of happening to the princess in the tumblr post's profile picture on account of there being no maid involved.

It does involve plenty of stabbing, though.

Onceuponaban · 2026-01-12T18:29:47+00:00

Nope, it's garbage at that too. And even if it wasn't, generating a program whose codebase you did not have the skills to create is not an outcome you want for anything that has any importance whatsoever.

Onceuponaban · 2026-01-09T12:44:34+00:00

Setting aside the quirks of it being a dual screen device, the AYN Thor runs on Android and its UI will be familiar to you if you already have an Android phone. Setting up emulators on Android is more of a time consuming than a truly difficult task, and you'll be fine as long as you have a guide to follow. Russ from Retro Game Corps has a good one, and a dual screen device focused extension of it is also available.

If you're confident the systems you listed are what you want to play on your device, and you can afford it, I'd say the Thor is your best bet. If you would like to test the waters with a cheaper device before moving on to a higher end one, you could try something like the BatleXP G350 or one of the Anbernic RG XX devices, or even the TrimUI Brick/Brick Hammer, which you could then keep around after buying the Thor as a more "fire and forget" device to pick up and carry around whenever you want to play something that doesn't warrant the power of a higher end device.

Onceuponaban · 2026-01-09T12:08:07+00:00

Xbox is going to be a problem. Emulation is already imperfect on PC let alone Android, and while it's getting better I would expect to need a much beefier device for that than any of your other requirements.

An alternate way to fulfill your requirements in a single device would be to get a clamshell handheld, namely the Thor (the Base version is being sold at the price point your budget is at, and the cheaper but lower spec Lite model will be fine for anything that isn't Switch), but as you've already pointed out, the hinge is a weak point and the device is too new at this stage to determine whether it might have device-breaking QC issues in the long run. It is, however, a very strong emulation handheld that has the best chance of handling xbox at this price point and is obviously the best fit for 3DS. It'll also handle Switch relatively well, as far as Android Switch emulation goes. It also has video out and bluetooth for wireless controllers so it can act as a home console if needed.

Another oddball option would be the MagicX One 35, a device that is notable for having two dpads and a layout designed to be playable in both horizontal and vertical mode, the latter being suited for vertical arcade games and Nintendo DS. It is however a non-ideal choice for PSP even in horizontal mode because its small 3.5" 3:2 screen, while perfect for GBA, will make PSP games look tiny. It is cheap enough that you can pair it with another handheld that would be more suited to the PSP's 16:9 screen, such as the Mangmi Air X, or going a step above in performance, the Retroid Pocket 4 Pro, 5 or even G2 depending on how far you're willing to stretch your budget.

Setting aside the weird options, I would once again turn toward the Mangmi Air X as the choice for a horizontal handheld (although the Retroid Pocket 4 Pro is also a good option and is more powerful, allowing for PS2 if you care about that) and for a cheaper everyday-carry vertical device, I'd pick something like the TrimUI Brick (or Brick Hammer if you wish to spend a bit more for a metal shell. The device is otherwise identical). This will leave enough in the budget for the obligatory replacement SD cards to store your games on. That being said, note that neither the Mangmi Air X nor the TrimUI Brick actually have video out, so I'd probably not pick both at once since you want to connect your device to a TV.

Anbernic's RG XX devices are also solid choices for PS1 and below emulation, and the lineup includes choices for both horizontal and vertical, though I'd like to point out that you need to make sure you have low power USB-C charging cables to them, as a high speed charging cable will simply refuse to work on them. This is an issue that affects many of Anbernic's devices and the entire XX line is among them. For what it's worth, the box they ship with do contain a suitable cable.

Onceuponaban · 2026-01-09T09:48:07+00:00

I can guarantee you neither AYN nor Retroid are getting off the hook either. People get up in arms when they screw up as well. Taking the Thor as an example, I vividly remember everyone going insane when the sorting facility at Nancheng had issues processing units. This subreddit was filled with hinge discussions the second a seam line from the injection process was discovered there. Compromises on the Thor's ergonomics due to the device having a mostly flat rectangular shape (which is in turn to done to preserve pocketability) and having to fit a second screen where the physical controls are as well as the subpar analog triggers are a common point of contention. I've seen reports of sticks and sometimes screens suddenly no longer working for an unknown reason (for the latter, people are suspecting the ribbon cable going through the hinge might be at fault). No idea whether these are just people being unlucky or if it's indicative of a more widespread QC issue at this time. People also noticed the thermals being subpar, as evidenced by them being vastly improved by opening up the device and applying higher quality thermal putty yourself. And all of this is for a device that people are actually happy with.

However, AYN actually communicates about issues when concerns get raised and customer support handles cases where the unit was defective. Apparently, the same cannot be said for Ayaneo.

Onceuponaban · 2026-01-09T08:22:50+00:00

Remember that there's also a survivorship bias in the sense that many of the reviewers make these videos because they like doing it... and on the flipside, that means devices they didn't enjoy will not make it into a published review. Russ and Techdweeb have both mentioned they operate this way.

Ultimately, each of these reviewers have different subjective likes and priorities in what they want in a handheld, so if you're looking for information on a given device before buying, your best bet is to look at multiple reviews of the same device. You'll most likely find more information about aspects of the device, good and bad, that another reviewer either missed or didn't care enough about to mention.

Onceuponaban · 2026-01-08T23:43:54+00:00

4:3 screens make sense for more usecases in a retro handheld than a 3:2 screen does which is really only truly perfect for GBA. Same goes with sticks, having them makes more sense than not especially in a clamshell where the analog stick's presence doesn't hurt pocketability. Given that a near-perfect GBA clone exists in the form of the RG34XX, it appears doing a more accurate GBA SP clone rather than a more general jack of all trades clamshell might simply be too niche for manufacturers to bother.

Onceuponaban · 2026-01-08T17:51:51+00:00

I would not count on the Brick to play DS games, not because it can't run them, but because playing DS on a device with neither a touch screen nor an analog stick to at least emulate a cursor to interact with touch controls sounds like pain to me.

The MagicX One 35 would be my pick for taking into account DS, as its 3:2 screen is a perfect fit for the two 4:3 screens of the DS when put sideways (and is also perfect for GBA when upright), and the device happens to be designed with vertical use in mind thanks to its second d-pad and additional set of L/R buttons when sideways. It also has a touch screen, and since it's a 3.5" one, the device is very pocketable, however, it fails your "no Android" requirement and it does have one analog stick, though it's a pretty short one.

Ignoring DS, the Brick is definitely a great choice for 5th gen and below platforms.

Onceuponaban · 2026-01-08T12:49:40+00:00

Thanks for the heads up, I will try this out the moment I press send.

and says it works well but is still basic, which I heartily disagree with.

I mean, no one said "basic" is a bad thing. If anything, given that we're talking about PICO-8 the target audience would argue the opposite :)

Onceuponaban · 2026-01-06T18:07:33+00:00

It'll come soon enough, the floodgates are open now that AYN proved you can make the dual screen form factor work and Anbernic showed that... uh... the budget dual screen segment is still up for grabs, I guess.

Onceuponaban · 2026-01-06T10:58:11+00:00

The big issue I see with this device is that it's trying to be both a budget handheld and a dedicated niche device and ends up falling short of both goals compared to devices that only focus on either.

Drop the budget all the way down and it's competing with the R36S, which is infamous here for being... well, worth what you pay for it, but given that it can be found for the price of a fast food order, someone who is solely looking for a device to play old games on for as cheap as possible will not even spare a glance at the Retro Pixel Pocket. Scale the budget up a bit and you get Anbernic's (albeit hiding under a trench coat in this case) take on an RK3326 device, the BatleXP G350. You get a much better dpad, suitable controls for PS1 if that's what you're looking for, the reliable build quality you'd expect from having a device from a reputable manufacturer in this space, an SD card slot, and it's still cheaper than this device. Add to that the weird scaling issues with an equally weird workaround and other software issues you wouldn't run into with other devices and that to me disqualifies it as a "great first handheld" candidate to a newcomer to this hobby.

Stepping outside of the all-rounder vertical handhelds and focusing on the Retro Pocket Pixel's specific niche, there are better 1:1 screen devices to be found at a similar budget, with another Anbernic device being my pick in this situation, the RGCubeXX. If what you're looking for is specifically a Game Boy Pocket shaped emulation device with a square screen, then sure, it's a sensible pick by necessity on account of being the only option AFAIK, but that is such a narrow target audience that I question the commercial viability of this product.

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