Android and Linux Handhelds - Shield, GCW Zero, GP2X, Pandora, Pyra, JXD, etc.

SML

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Speaking up firmware upgrades, I've been running retrofw v2.2 on my LDK for a while now and it's been great. There's a nice guide for doing the upgrade over on Dingoonity:

https://boards.dingoonity.org/ingenic-jz4760-devices/retrofw-v2-2-upgrade-pack/

The LDK is still a nice little system. The battery life isn't amazing but the batteries themselves (BL-5C) are cheap and common. Some of the less demanding PSX games run well on it, with .pbp support (just tested). Just keep in mind that you aren't going to have a convenient L2 and R2, and these newer devices don't have touchscreens to map little-used inputs to, like you could do on the Caanoo and Wiz.
 

SML

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autism confirmation

Here are some Marios

GP2X F100
Gp2x F100.jpg

GP2X Wiz
Wiz.jpg

Caanoo
Caanoo.jpg

LDK
LDK.jpg

RG 350M
RG350.jpg

Shield Handheld
Shield.jpg

DSiXL
DsiXL.jpg
 

SML

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everybody knows you never go full mario

(Using Super Mario Advance 2.)

GBA Micro (With a scuffed to hell faceplate)
GBA Micro.jpg

DSLite (Top/Touch)
DSLitetop.jpg

dslitetouch.jpg
 
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SML

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The TN display on the LDK looks so odd up close. I didn't even realize I hadn't turned off the screen scaling. If you want your game to look pixel perfect and your eyesight is actually good enough that you can tell the difference, you'll want to make sure your device isn't using TN. If it doesn't make a difference to you, just think of it as built-in bi-linear filtering.

Here's the LDK again, with screen scaling turned off:

View attachment 57047
 

SML

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A WORD OF CAUTION about dangers to the screen if you run the RG 350/350m while charging. I imagine this also applies to other Anbernic devices, as well as the PlayGo/PocketGo/Powkiddy...

The Rogue CFW has been updated to support the 350m. After installing the firmware, I had the 350m connected to my pc via USB-C in order to copy over some files using FTP. From the main menu, the Rogue CFW treats short power button presses as "sleep." I accidentally left the 350m plugged in and sleeping instead of "off."

When I came back a little while later, there was a washed out "halo" effect on the screen, along with significant flickering of the backlight.

It was like this, but not as severe:

I had the stock firmware on another sdhc, and the issues was still present after I swapped it back in, so I'm pretty sure this is a hardware issue.

Lucky for me, the screen is back to normal after I left the device off for about an hour.

I've played PSX on the device for extended periods of time without any issues. I'm reasonably confident that this is related to the battery heating up from the device being on while charging. Reports of screen flicker are not common, so I may just have a particularly sensitive screen, weak charging from my pc port contributing to the heat problem, etc.

To be on the safe side I'm going to stop using FTP to mess with files on the sdhc cards. Hopefully this was a fluke.
 

SML

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I'll post an update if things go sideways with the screen again. It's otherwise been probably the best looking screen I've had on a handheld, with clean sprites, deep blacks, and vibrant colors at any angle.

Most of those macro shots I put up make the screens look worse than they do IRL since the camera adjusts for brightness white balance, etc. The macro might be a little bit biased against 1:1 pixels (anyone who's seen the wiz IRL would probably agree the photo doesn't do it justice) Even so, I think the pictures convey just how good the 350m screen looks.

I had a moment of madness a little while back and ordered the 280m to replace the LDK, which will probably get passed down to my niece. I *think* the 280m uses a similar type of screen, but 240p instead of 480p. I'll come back with a shot of it in any case.
 

SML

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Wouldn't you know it, Sakura Retro Modding has released an all-black PSX set for the 350m.

il_794xN.2395337628_eeog.jpg

I think the colored buttons and grey bezel sticker look fine on the grey plastic RG 350, but all-black is a much classier match for the 350m.
 

pixeljunkie

Whilst Drunk., I Found God., Booze = Bad.,
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I was eyeballing these RG350's and realized I have a GPi case sitting around (I even listed it for sale here) but I think I am gonna' keep it and (drunkenly) ordered a GPi Mate last night:

http://www.retrogamerestore.com/gpimate/

Also ordered a CM3+ 32GB to go with. That should keep me happy for handheld emulation for a bit. It's not great for PSX games, due to the form factor...but I honestly just play GB, GBC, Lynx and the 8-16 bit console stuff anyway.
 

SML

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The layout is good for PSX but it's awesome for TATE:

y4mHor42ONiVMr38HviY2T-paNM5cWi9gqBkqYxCY2e63OeKKzWrrt6fCl0ktPROqtAmsNEv87CWRZxMfPhHGOe8plJ5gfXyFI0AH4QQHGM1vVouBLedDodsnuOV9C5khulBGbzOE6IyJceS-yIu5AFRoPqGOKy4-GdtO8mGQiDHTL0-t5cpfDQobxHVX8rWX0fBF84HlIbTriTa-u5iRXDYA


Probably the best thing about having that right stick. (Or start and select buttons on the left, like the Caanoo did.)
 

pixeljunkie

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Damn, that does look like it works well - does the analog stick feel floaty with shooters like that though?
 

SML

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Doesn't make much difference at my skill level. :)

I saw someone else compare the 350m sticks to Joycon sticks. Never used a Joycon so I can't say if that's accurate. I can say that you feel plenty of resistance from the stick when it isn't centered. Even though it has more travel, I'd say it feels a lot like the Caanoo stick in practice. I beat the first two stages of Donkey Kong on my first life when I tried it out yesterday which, for me, is about as good as it gets.
 

SML

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The title screen for Yoshi's Island tends to slow things down. So here's a quick comparison:

Wiz: DrPocketSNES (7.2.0 "Compatible") 0 frameskip, unscaled, mono sound 44.1 khz, overclocked to 770mhz= 34 fps

Caanoo: DrPocketSNES (Same version and settings as above.) = 37 fps

GP2X F100(B): (DrPocketSNES 7.2.0 "Fast." CPU overclock at 250mhz. Otherwise, same as above.) = 20 fps

LDK: PocketSNES (Mar 17 2019 Build) 0 frameskip, unscaled, mono sound 44.1 khz, overclocked to 702mhz = 37 fps

Update:

LDK On RetroFW 2.2 and the Nov 5 2019 build of PocketSNES, overclocked to 702mhz, the framerate is trivially slower, somewhere around 36 fps.

RG 350 chip doesn't do much overclocking. On Rogue CFW (July 1 2020), the default 1080 mhz, PocketSNES Jun 19 2020 build, the title screen runs at 49 fps.
 

SML

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Installed the PSX buttons from Sakura Retromodding yesterday. They took a few weeks to get here from France. Process was mostly painless, though the screws on the case are *tight.* The screen assembly seems pretty well sealed against dust. It's just four torx case screws, a couple of Phillips screws on each stick module, and several more Phillips screws on the main board. I kept the screws sorted using the 3d-printed box the buttons came in, but I'm pretty sure the module screws and the board screws are identical.

The case is heavy duty. Thick aluminum. I don't think you could dent it without breaking the internals.

They feel like they're made of the exact same rugged plastic as the stock buttons. The texture is a little rougher. The lighting in the video gives a good indication of what they look like when installed.

I also have the all-black bezel sticker and buttons coming in eventually. I'll probably just keep the colored buttons and install the black sticker.

If anyone has experience with this: I'm thinking of painting the buttons to make them more like the original psx ones. Would it make better sense to mask off the grooves on the colored buttons and paint them black, or paint in the grooves on the black buttons? Painting the buttons black seems like it would have a cleaner look, but I'd be worried about friction between the buttons and the case.
 
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SML

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lol:

l47c2ovzwxa51.png

Between the 350p and the 280m, people are losing their minds at Anbernic for selling the same, circa-2011, jz4770 chip in various hardware configurations. It's the same chip that was in the GCW Zero and Neo Geo X. You start to wonder if they just have pallets of these old chips that they need to get rid of.

I really like the direction that they're taking things with the 350m and 280m, but I'm an old man with no direct nostalgia for anything past the 16 bit era. I'm probably leaning into the "pocket PSX" thing with the 350m so hard because I didn't have any of the fifth-generation consoles when I was a kid, but spent hours and hours reading about them in the gaming magazines.

In any case, the 350p seems like an attempt to continue competing with cheaper machines like the PlayGo, when really they should be looking at providing a more premium version of the more-powerful but flimsier devices on offer like the rockchip-based Odroid Go-Advance or rk2020.

Edit: It looks like they have a rockchip device on the way, maybe? There's a dispute in the comments about the source of the story. If it's true, I almost wish they'd skip the plastic version. The 350M is so nice and distinct from everything else going right now. If Anbernic got a better name and focused on premium build quality they might actually build a brand.
 
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pixeljunkie

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lol:

View attachment 57146

Between the 350p and the 280m, people are losing their minds at Anbernic for selling the same, circa-2011, jz4770 chip in various hardware configurations. It's the same chip that was in the GCW Zero and Neo Geo X. You start to wonder if they just have pallets of these old chips that they need to get rid of.

I really like the direction that they're taking things with the 350m and 280m, but I'm an old man with no direct nostalgia for anything past the 16 bit era. I'm probably leaning into the "pocket PSX" thing with the 350m so hard because I didn't have any of the fifth-generation consoles when I was a kid, but spent hours and hours reading about them in the gaming magazines.

In any case, the 350p seems like an attempt to continue competing with cheaper machines like the PlayGo, when really they should be looking at providing a more premium version of the more-powerful but flimsier devices on offer like the rockchip-based Odroid Go-Advance or rk2020.

Edit: It looks like they have a rockchip device on the way, maybe? There's a dispute in the comments about the source of the story. If it's true, I almost wish they'd skip the plastic version. The 350M is so nice and distinct from everything else going right now. If Anbernic got a better name and focused on premium build quality they might actually build a brand.

good to hear, I was [this close] to ordering the 350p - but I might hold off. Plus I don't need any of these devices anyway...
 

Raph4

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Finally here, my Caanoo replacement

RG350M Black King Kong

5oAO80I.jpg
 

pixeljunkie

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That Retroid Pocket 2 has me very curious
 

pixeljunkie

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I preordered one of these, anxious to mess around with it.
 

SML

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Really interested in seeing how local streaming works on that thing.
 

pixeljunkie

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ExperimentalPi PiBoy DMG coming this september.

YKrVNmO.jpg


For Raspberry Pi 4, Pi 3 or Pi Zero.
Perfect Kit if you want create a little Handhelds Arcade Machine.


Official site:
https://www.experimentalpi.com/Hand-Held_c_14.html

You can pre-order from France too.

The IDEA of this is great, but it needs to be another form factor, not a Gameboy...this looks like a Mame arcade cabinet had sex with a bootleg Gameboy. The GPI is bad enough with the 4 face buttons. Again, it looks "functional"...but damn ugly.
 
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