For quite a while I’ve been following the topic of emulation handhelds (or “retro handhelds” if you prefer). When I was considering a switch to a new device, often there were some questions I couldn’t find clear answers for in the whole Internet. As they say: “be the change you want to see”, so let’s get started with some of my subjective experiences.

If you have no slightest idea what this post is about, this might be a good place to start: https://retrocatalog.com/

Are the Anbernic RG34XXSP buttons significantly softer than the ones used in RG35XXSP? What about the other inputs? (link)

RG35XXSP had notoriously clicky face buttons, even the second revision I owned that allegedly alleviated that, so I’ve been wondering whether RG34XXSP fixed that annoyance. The answer is YES. The face buttons in RG34XXSP are still a little clicky (as opposed to mushy), but it’s no longer a hard click. I’d even call them fun to use, unlike the RG35XXSP ones that were merely tolerable.

On the other hand, the RG34XXSP shoulder buttons feel slightly wrong. As if they could break or fall out at any moment. They don’t feel faulty and every one of them feels the same, so it’s probably not a manufacturing issue of my specific device. I don’t really mind as I’d rather have nice face buttons and merely serviceable shoulder buttons than the opposite.

When switching from RG35XXSP to RG34XXSP, is the size difference really noticeable? (link)

On paper the difference is miniscule in two dimensions (about 2 mm) and minimal in the third dimension (it’s 7 mm narrower). I mostly bought it for its GBA-perfect screen, and didn’t have any expectations from the smaller size. It turns out the difference is huge when actually holding or carrying the device. It might be a matter of it being about 20 g lighter.

It’s especially noticeable when playing a game with one hand, which is my preferred method for turn-based games such as the Advance Wars or Fire Emblem series. RG35XXSP felt very awkward when handled this way. RG34XXSP feels just right.

I’m upgrading from Retroid Pocket Flip 2 to Ayn Thor. Is this a pure upgrade or are there some things the Retroid does better? (link)

Retroid Pocket Flip 2 is a very self-contradictory device. I’ve found its control layout perfect for games well below its capabilities (arcade, SNES, Sega MegaDrive, the Game Boy family of devices) while being subpar for games actually utilizing its hardware (PS2, GameCube).

Specifically games using just dpad and the face buttons were a pure joy to play. The device felt roomy and was very comfortable to hold. This experience lasted until I needed to combine the face buttons with the L2/R2 triggers. The L1/R1 shoulder buttons were easy to reach at all times, but pressing the R2 trigger at the same time as the lowermost face button was invariably very uncomfortable. I ended up remapping my controls so the main button was always the rightmost one, even on platforms that favored the lowermost one. For example my PlayStation layout had the cross on the right, circle on the bottom, triangle on the left and square on top. It was workable but it was clearly a workaround.

Retroid Pocket Flip 2 also never felt heavy to me at its 300 g. Ayn Thor at 380 g is noticeably heavier and it gets tiring during longer sessions.

To summarize the paragraphs above: If I could buy a device 25% as powerful for about 50% of the price of the Flip 2, I’d probably grab it just for the older games and the sheer comfort. For a brief moment I considered re-buying a Flip 2 after I sold mine, but I cannot justify it at this price when I already can play these games relatively comfortably on my current low-powered devices.

Scratch that last paragraph: since then I bought a Retroid Pocket Nova which is even more unreasonably powerful and I love it. But that’s a story for another post.