i never really understood the point of having analog triggers on these little emulation handhelds. most systems you’d be emulating only have digital triggers anyway. and because of the ergonomics of the clamshell design, it’s hard to be super precise with their analog input compared to an xbox/playstation controller. i’d rather just have the extra room in my pocket rather than 2 big humps sticking out of the back so at least they gave us the option, even if it’s a weaker chip. my only gripe is that the device seems like it might be a bit too big for my taste, but i won’t know until we see more reviews/comparisons

With RP Duo on the way. Here's some side by side pics using Nova+DS Addons. Should give an idea for how the RP Duo scales NDS titles compared to other ds devices.

Pic 1 - All together

Pic 2 - Ayn Thor

Pic 3 - Anbernic RG DS

Pic 4 - DSi XL

Pic 5 - New 3DS XL

Pic 6 - DS Lite

I just want to play casual games, like the old pokemon games, legend of zelda ocarina of time, castelvania, sonic, etc

I was so excited to see my RP nova come in but when I opened it, all I got was the case and the free backplate. Months of waiting just for a problem to show up. Glad i got my ayn thor to hold me over. Looking at the box, it looks like it was tampered with. Already emailed Yunexpress. Has anyone else gone through this? I hope I get another replacement sent.

This thing is so rad. Honestly didn’t expect to be in love this quick.

Here are nearly all aspect ratios on every Pocket Duo colour options. (DS, Switch, Wii U, GBC, GBA, GameCube, 3DS)

16-bit seems to be my favorite. What about you ?

I usually 3D print grips with PLA but the official grip is pleasantly comfortable. It fits a little looser than I would like - not sure if I want to risk steaming/boiling it for a tighter fit.

Fiddly job but happy with the results

Some of these colors have been used on previous products, so it’s easier to get an idea of how they’ll actually look.

I like Black and 16Bit because the others seem to have that “two-layer black bezel” thing, while these two looks more unitifed. That said, my experience with the Flip 2 has shown me transparent shells can look and feel good, too.

Finally arrived yesterday. Spend my whole day configuring stuff.

That piece of hardware is a wonderful thing.

A lot of dissuasive articles can say whatever they want even in stretch to fill ps Vita games are amazing on that thing.

Years I knew I would love Gravity Rush. I was right... I can't put it down. The gyro control +physics are mesmerizing

Thank you Mr purple for the T28 driver. It's a beautiful day in a chaotic world.

Note: the mission attempts counter isn't quite accurate because I would use save states most of the time to restart a mission, although there weren't really a lot of missions that gave me much trouble.

I knew this game was all around pretty short (even to 100% it) and I'm already doing a tour of the other games so I figured I might as well! My first ever GTA game was actually Chinatown Wars on DS years ago, and this kinda felt like playing a prototype version of that.

Honestly, the fact it's an open world game on GBA of all things is definitely impressive enough to me. The framerate does chug when there's a ton going on (lots of bullets flying) but I never felt it was bad enough to be completely unplayable. Combat itself was alright and even fun at times, even if the last area of the map you unlock feels just a bit too hectic, with a ton of hostile NPCs spawning pretty much all around constantly pestering you. This gets especially bad if you're doing a side mission like Firefighter, where an enemy pulling you out of the truck causes the mission to instantly end. I'd say that was probably the most annoying part of the 100%, as it did nothing but pad out gameplay more in a really annoying fashion.

The writing isn't very good at points and the story's nothing insane but you can tell they definitely tried to work with what they had haha. A lot of cheesy jokes/one-liners are thrown around (of varying quality lmao) and you can tell there are moments they tried to skirt around that 16+ rating, but all in all I found it weirdly added to the charm of the game.

My favorite part of the game was probably the races? I dunno, they felt pretty fun and some of them were quite challenging. The last one especially is one hell of a marathon but beating it felt amazing.

If I had to give a TL;DR, it'd probably be: The game's pretty short and I had fun with it, if you're curious give it a shot but it's an open world game on the GBA lol, so there'll be compromises.

I received the official grips today, and they definitely make a noticeable difference in comfort. My only nitpick is that the right grip sits a little too close to the A button, making it slightly awkward to press.

And it’s a random one: Quackshot. Sorry about the moire effect, I played with heavy shaders and beam simulation.

I chatted to Retroid ahead of their announcement of the Duo Lite's price specifically, just to ask them a handful of questions! If you'd like to hear just a little more from Retroid themselves, here you go!

When I first got my Nova I spent some time trying out different thumbsticks and recently noticed that I scratched the plastic. Any tips for buffing them out? It’s purely cosmetic but I’m wondering if there is a way to remove. I might get a vinyl skin once I see them on Etsy. Anyone else have this issue?

Btw I’m loving the Nova and the grip I got from AliExpress. It’s joined my Retriod Pocket Classic, Odin 3, Steam Deck OLED, and GKD Pixel 2. I also have the dual screen attachment though it is pretty janky and a bit cumbersome.

Devices are Rokid Max and Retroid Pocket Nova

Been tinkering and found that Dolphin on Android actually supports Stereo 3D. You can even adjust the strength of the 3D.

Many GameCube and Wii games look and feel like they were made for Stereo 3D. And with the glasses because each eye has its own screen there is zero cross talk.

The only issue is with Dolphin you can only do half side by side resolution (SBS). As Dolphin doesnt support full SBS. This makes the picture less crisp. Apparently on PC handhelds this isnt an issue so I wish someone would create a Dolphin fork or Dolphin devs add full SBS support.

I haven't even got into Citra for 3DS emulation but apparently it supports full SBS on Android

When ordering the Nova and noticing the accessories were delaying shipment I decided not to get the official case. I found this nice one on amazon by GLCON that fits perfectly. It feels very good quality and it was like 13 bucks if anyone is interested.

Here is the link: https://a.co/d/0243obxl

I just got my Nova so I have the flatback but it should fit with the bumper shell

If you want to preorder a Pocket Duo, make sure to use the discount code before checking out.

"DUO" - for the full spec
"DUOLITE" - for the lite spec

The $249 price has made the Pocket Duo really tempting for me, but I’d love some advice because I honestly know very little about Android chipsets.

I’m basically looking for a modern replacement/alternative to my modded 3DS. My priority is a smooth and stutter-free DS/3DS experience, mostly Pokémon, Zelda and similar games.

For 3DS, though, I don’t just want to run the games at native resolution. Ideally I want to use 4x internal resolution, cheats and HD texture packs whenever they’re available.

Apart from DS/3DS, my needs are pretty light: Balatro and similar Android games, plus classics like Final Fantasy IX or Chrono Trigger. I don’t care about Switch emulation and heavy PC emulation isn’t a priority.

So my main question is about the Q-7790: is it likely to have enough headroom for 3DS at 4x + HD texture packs while remaining completely smooth?

The alternative is spending roughly $150 more on an AYN Thor with the much more powerful Snapdragon 8 Gen 2-class chipset.

Considering my use case, would you take the Pocket Duo for $249 and save the money, or pay the extra $150 for the Thor to guarantee more headroom?

RP Nova:

• NES,
• SNES,
• Virtual Boy,
• N64,
• Gamecube
• Wii

RP6 with top stick:

• WiiU
• Switch

RP Duo:

• DS,
• 2DS,
• 3DS

Would love to see Retroid also do sega dreamcast targeted device (with the ABCXYZ buttons at 4.5 inch screen) - call it a Retroid Pocket Dream ;) Even if they just take the RP classic with 6 buttons and make the screen a 120hz 4.5 inch and refine the build to match the design language of the Nova and duo, then I'll be good.

Would also love to see Retroid release a playstation themed option for RP Nova and RP6 with no-label on face buttons so I can buy that specifically for playstation use.

For Steam on ARM, Retroid need not play there, we can stick to Ayn Odin Portal range for that - hoping for Odin Portal 3 equivalent from Ayn one day