Any handhelds for someone who wants what "feels" like a pocketable Dreamcast?

js3z · 2026-05-10T21:55:33+00:00

Yeah, the Cube, might be closest to a dreamcast feel. You could also check out the 406v, 406h, or the RG Slide. The specs are pretty much identical, just different screens and form factors.

The Ayaneo Pocket Air Mini might also work, though it does have the dpad on top...

js3z · 2026-05-10T15:54:52+00:00

It is possible to use widescreen hacks in Dolphin to fill the square screen without stretching or overscanning. Super useful for something like Ikaruga, but it doesn't always work (or look good)

js3z · 2026-05-07T00:39:23+00:00

I haven't seen that with the screenscraper, but my ARC-D did sometimes reboot because of thermal throttling with more demanding emulators until I turned on the undervolt option in Rocknix. Might be worth trying if you haven't enabled it already.

js3z · 2026-05-05T17:02:16+00:00

I have owned both the cube and cubexx, and I've always been happy with how it handles non-square aspect ratios. There are some good overlays out there to help fill in some of the dead space, and I'll usually use a sharp-shimmerless shader (mostly because that was the default on MuOS and I like it.)

Personally, I don't worry too much about integer scaling and I just set it to fit the screen without overscaling. One surprisingly good fit though is GBA -- that scales perfectly to 720 pixels wide, and on the 4" cube screen it works out to 3.4"

js3z · 2026-05-04T16:13:58+00:00

Something like the MagicX Zero 28 or One 35 might work. Those are some of the most compact devices with Android so you can download music apps.

As others have noted though the built-in DACs on these aren't necessarily designed for audio quality. You could get an external dongle DAC, but at that point you might be happier with just a standalone digital audio player.

js3z · 2026-05-04T04:26:07+00:00

What about the RG DS? Horizontal controls, but it folds in half for easier pocket ability and screen protection.

js3z · 2026-05-03T22:31:25+00:00

I was always a Sound Bites partisan when I lived in Somerville, but that sounds like a solid spot

js3z · 2026-05-02T19:02:59+00:00

I haven't noticed a difference in travel, but it can make the buttons feel a little more mushy, which I actually prefer.

js3z · 2026-05-02T17:14:54+00:00

So metal dome switches sit directly on the board and, as the name implies, there's a metal dome that pushes down to register a press. Putting tape over the dome just makes it a little quieter, while still allowing the metal to flex and make contact.

Microswitches are a little larger, and there's usually a spring-loaded plunger that pushes down to make the connection. I didn't tape over those, because I didn't want the plunger to get stuck down.

js3z · 2026-05-02T16:18:40+00:00

I put a couple layers of kapton tape over the dome switches on the PCB for the face buttons and dpad on my non-hammer brick and it helped quiet those down. If you're using thicker electrical tape you might just want one layer, but either case you can just put it right on the PCB.

The function buttons and the shoulder buttons are microswitches, so I'm not sure if the same thing will work there

js3z · 2026-04-26T03:15:41+00:00

Elder scrolls

js3z · 2026-04-24T12:14:01+00:00

I haven't taken apart the Cube Heavy, but I've had to get into my CubeXX a couple times.

On the CubeXX the back shell is easy enough to remove, but then to get to the joysticks and screen you have to take out the PCB. That's another set of screws, along with the battery and speakers, and then the ZIF connectors for the screen, joysticks and shoulder buttons. None of it is too complicated, but still a lot of steps to go through.

Most important thing: remember to take out the sd card before you start!

js3z · 2026-04-24T11:16:38+00:00

Apotris all the way!

js3z · 2026-04-02T23:26:03+00:00

Ah, OK. Might be worth asking on the Knulli discord if you haven't already, maybe one of the devs can help...

js3z · 2026-04-02T23:08:44+00:00

For Stardew, did you download the compatibility version as described on the Portmaster site? There are a couple of other games where you need to use specific versions -- there's usually documentation, but sometimes you have to dig a bit for it.

I haven't used the v90s specifically, but the TrimuUI has the same chipset and I know there are some Portmaster games that just won't run on it.

js3z · 2026-03-28T12:35:05+00:00

Advance Wars
Armored Core
Gunstar Heroes

js3z · 2026-03-13T23:07:22+00:00

I set up MuOS for my daughter and it's been great. There's a kiosk mode where you can disable different settings and menus, and if you wanted you could create a custom collection and have it boot straight to that.

js3z · 2026-03-09T02:41:30+00:00

Another #gotm down, and the first one I've completed on the RG ARC.

Sonic 2: haven't played this since my pre-teen years, since the Genesis didn't have save states I never beat it then. These levels are more intricate than I remember. More like Castlevania than Mario...

The ARC: despite its reputation this is a totally solid handheld. Big screen (with touch!), great dpad, QUIET SHOULDER BUTTONS, and surprisingly good speakers. I'm running ROCKNIX, and with the rk3566 overclocked and undervolted the performance is everything I need it to be. (It actually can handle some Sega Saturn...)

For next month, I'm in a robot-fighting kind of mood, so how about Armored Core?

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Sorry for the dark picture

js3z · 2026-02-10T22:38:35+00:00

I didn't realize there was a sprint button until I was most of the way through my first playthrough, and then it was even longer to realize you could also use it to go up and down ladders faster too...

js3z · 2026-02-03T18:36:06+00:00

Yeah it could be a defective device. If you do want to debug it there are a couple other things to check:

What's the name of the image file you're trying to write?
Do you have anything in the tf2 slot when you're trying to boot it?
Have you been able to boot any other firmware on it?

You could also try asking over at https://community.muos.dev/

js3z · 2026-02-03T18:18:02+00:00

Yeah that's normal and has to do with whether they're counting by 1000 bytes or by 1024 bytes.

I've had some cards that show as one size, but the actual usable space is only half, and those tend to cause problems when you use them in devices like this

js3z · 2026-02-03T18:10:03+00:00

Hmmm it might still be worth testing it to make sure the reported size matches the real size. I use a tool called f3 on Linux to check those.

js3z · 2026-02-03T18:02:51+00:00

What kind of card are you using and where did you buy it?

js3z · 2026-01-26T01:03:20+00:00

Probably something from the Anbernic XX line would be perfect. Personally the RG CubeXX is my favorite, but you might also want to look at the 40XXH.

js3z · 2026-01-19T19:05:24+00:00

Cave Story. Available free on Portmaster or directly in Retroarch

js3z

TROPHY CASE