I've been looking at the Chinese Android/Linux emulation handheld scene for a few years now and while I think these things are really neat I've never bought one. They've always either been too expensive or too compromised/crappy with no middle ground.

The RG35XX H from earlier this year was pretty close- it had a horizontal form factor, Bluetooth, Wifi, a full set of buttons and analog sticks, decent build quality and performance that could easily handle everything up to PS1 (and could stretch just a little bit beyond that), and could be bought for less than 70 dollars. I hated that it had those in-line shoulder buttons a lot of these Chinese manufacturers love and I wished the screen had been just a bit bigger.

(To be fair, I wouldn't mind a device that could readily play DC, N64, PSP and even the Saturn, but that sort of performance seems to cost at least 130-150 dollars and would most likely end up costing about 200€ in Europe)

This new RG40XX H looks to be the exact same thing as the 35XX H but with a 4-inch screen and stacked shoulder buttons. If it's not horribly more expensive than the previous model I might finally end up getting one

  • doublepepperoni [none/use name]
    hexagon
    ·
    5 months ago

    This looks like the RG405M but better?

    It has the same guts as the RG35XX Plus, RG35XX H and RG35XX SP, so it's much less powerful

    I have the Arc-D and I think it's the same screen. 4 inch really is a sweet spot for handhelds that you maybe don't wanna take on the go.

    I looked at the cheaper version of the Arc but the lack of analog sticks and L3/R3 on it made me pass on it, though I believe even the S might be powerful than the XX series.

    I really wanna get the RG35XXSP but this looks sweet too.

    The SP definitely looks cool but a horizontal form factor with traditional stacked shoulder buttons and triggers is a must for me since the PS1 would be one of my main systems

    • roux [he/him, they/them]
      ·
      5 months ago

      I guess I don't follow the hardware as close as I thought I did lol. I will say I've played Ocarina with my Arc and it's actually playable. I haven't checked any PS1 games yet, but mostly play JRPGs anyway so I think it would also be manageable.

      The SP was more me wanting something that I can throw in my bag on the way to my hypothetical job, but I am never gonna have a job again so maybe I will skip it lol.