This is why we don't take brand deals or company sponsorships on Rerez. Had I taken payment for this I would NOT have been able to tell you the truth about these systems. Whenever you see us cover a product that gets sent in to Rerez know that the company is doing it (usually) because they feel they've got something really good and worth showing off.
Lassi Kinnunen there are other reviews of this that actually bothered to research this product properly. Its from the same stock as the revo. And they bothered to run the cfw
Damn bro, I've never had half the problems you've had I have both systems and they work fine for me. Then again I bought mine from Aliexpress so...take what you will from that.
Its nice to see people that understand the importance of being a straight shooter and dont just say whatever to get paid those are very admirable qualities sir and I admire that 10 fold I see alot of people fogetting these things im glad I subbed never lose this mindset america needs more people that think like you do.
Plot twist: the typos are deliberate so you can't argue that they legitimately claimed they said it had actual HD video once you find out that 720p makes the system crash.
I so love the fact this company thought it would get some good free publicity by sending him free stuff but instead got called out for being a trash system lol
Did you really imply that a system not capable of running Snes games might be able to run Genesis games? I mean it is very clear that this thing does not have blast processing.
Emulation of such old systems don't have anything to do with how powerful they were at the time. It's all about how many resources emulator needs to do it's work. Old MAME vs modern MAME versions are best example. They're both running same games but modern MAME does it more accurately, therefore it needs much better hardware to run.
Shane, you missed the reset button! It's near the headphone port, and can be pressed with a paperclip. (Or you have tried it and it didn't work so you may have omitted it)
Really funny they sent you these in hopes of getting free promotion, and you (rightfully) crap all over them! Kudos to you. It's why I have much respect for your channel. It's also why I unsubscribed to Unbox Therapy as I've seen him cover tons of crappy sponsored stuff and not say a SINGLE bad thing.
The funniest part, is that they approached you to do the review... you'd think that they'd want to make a machine that works before they start sending it out to reviewers.
Interestingly enough, I've heard that the team behind the Revo sold the design for the K101 and their unreleased "mini" console for these things. The RS97 also has a custom linux distro port called OpenDingux that adds a lot of better functionality to the unit. Another thing to note is that the GBA slot is just an interface for the micro SD card. Don't know why the hell they did that since it really confuses people, but if you take apart the cart you can see that it is just a straight up weird adapter. I know a lot of consumers wouldn't really look this stuff up, but maybe with OpenDingux it runs a bit better...
@@paullee5196 Not a copy, it's literally the same device with Soulja Boys brand name plastered on the listing online. Nothing is changed, like we'll see in Rerez' Soulja Boy videos. He literally buys these scam consoles on Amazon and resells them for ridiculous prices.
John Riggs: RIGG'd Games sorry. That really sucks. They must not be aware of these issues otherwise they wouldn't have asked you to review it....... Right???? Haha!
I had mine for two weeks on the pre installed firm ware and not once did it ever crash, i feel like its just funny playings variant thea crashes but i got mine on ebay and updated the software tk final version and then the custom emulators work great
Perhaps this is why I don't hire myself out as a product tester; they'd only pay me to say what they want to hear. Not to say that all companies that offer sponsorship would do this, I just wouldn't want to just be paid to lie.
You should make it obvious that you will give your honest opinion about it. That'd be my very first warning, that I will be brutally honest about it. If they pressure you to give it a glowing review, or just stop replying, then just move on.
Honestly glad you gave an in depth review on this system. I've watched many UA-camrs praise this exact emulator, I was considering buying it. Glad to know they were just sellouts or idiots.
lost opportunity to view the “Wicked Gamer” channel that covers a lot of these emulator consoles. From what I know this ripoff is one of those CoolBaby systems and is NOT called the “Retro Game”, unlike what this channel thinks it’s name is.
How in this day and age can a system screw up NES and GB emulation? My calculator can do GB. Even my old broken laptop that is so broken it cannot load the internet or anything from the CD drive, can run NEStopia...
Yes, the RS-97 device is crap out of the box. You can put a cfw on it that vastly improves the system by porting over emulators from the dingoo a320. Also, theres a reset button next to the headphone jack to reset the system, no need to take out the battery
@@Localhorst86 That's not what I mean. Soft reset is software operated and doesn't power cycle. It's called hard reset because it resets the core components, followed by a reboot of the firmware. A hard reset power cycles the device, a soft reset triggers software that resets the device in a controlled manner. If the firmware is stuck, it prevents the reset button from working.
@@Localhorst86 That's very unlikely. Unless I see the schematic for the device, I doubt it. Making a NO momentary switch cut power to a device requires extra work. When designing devices, extra work is simply not required. If it can be done with software, it's done with software. Software is free, hardware costs money.
Holy crap I just listened to this with a pair of headphones, and wow, the Neo-Geo intro is in stereo! Some of it comes through one ear, the rest comes through the other. That’s so cool! The butchered clone version is in mono however.
This Retromini RS-97 is actually one of the best handheld (of its tier). You can unlock its true power with cfw. BTW you don't need to unscrew the case to reset it.
This is sold as a complete system so it needs to work out of the box. If it's a project it needs to be sold as one. That's like saying your new car is great after rebuilding the engine
Wow! Never heard of ripping off a clone console before. Awesome review Rerez ! I enjoy watch your videos while eating dinner there entertaining . Love Worst Console Ever, positives really all them.
The thing that always throws me is that the 5 DOLLAR rasp pi zero can run just about anything 8/16-bit with little to no issues. If your machine can't match a 5 dollar, now years old, SOC then just don't bother.
A third party made a custom firmware that fixes some of the issues with the Retrogame console. I checked it out and they've done a good job so far but there are plenty of roms/emulators that still do not operate properly with it. A huge problem with this fix as well is that you need to tear down your console and download additional third party software to flash it to work. While a few of us are capable of doing something like this it might be advanced for some users. The original company selling these devices is NOT offering a fix. Whenever you need to take your system apart to fix it they've entered into what I believe to be a poor consumer experience. Unless the seller or manufacturer offers a fix or pre-installs this more advanced firmware update all my points about the console remain valid. If you're willing to take the risk and are okay with buying a new device knowing it will not work on arrival, this is an option for you. I'd recommend multiple other portable emulation devices that can probably run everything this device attempts to do but out of the box. This is STILL not a good purchase as far as I can see.
Since when has any Chinese company provided "support" for their systems? ;-) The only reason to buy an RS-97 is if you want to mod it. There may be the occasional glitch to fix (e.g. loading and saving run.dge in Glutexto) but it's otherwise really impressive! I've got the following emulators up and going with 1.3 firmware: - Colecovision - Atari 2600 - Atari 5200 / 800 (bug: button 2 doesn't work on 5200) - Amstrad CPC - DOSBox - FinalBurnAlpha (both GCW & A320 version) - NES - GB / GBC - NeoGeo - Atari Lynx - Intellivision (you need to double quote the $1 in the run.dge file) - Wonderswan - Playstation (disable music for better performance) - Sega Genesis - Super Nintendo - NeoGeo Pocket - Sega Master System - ZX Spectrum (be warned: this is REAL time tape loads!) - PC Engine / Turbografix - PC Engine CD There are only a few emulators I'm still messing with to get to a working state. Half the fun is building yourself an ultimate portable console with all your favorite games! Practically my entire basement of classic systems and games is now in my handheld! MWhahahahaha!
Custom firmwares are hacked versions of official firmware, what's available for the RS-97 is a Linux distribution ported from the Dingoo handhelds that were popular a while back. The emulators running on the platform are actually some of the best that are available for the SoC's power envelope and most of them stem from (or at least have relation with) versions on the PSP, a system frequently brought up even now as a viable emulation handheld. Games run about as well with similar levels of compatibility, only since the screen resolution is closer to the original systems it can actually look a little better. Running custom firmware on it is not hard. It doesn't even require opening it up anymore, though even then it's just a 5 screws and sliding a microsd card out with another one flashed with a firmware image. It's like setting up a Raspberry Pi, only with considerably less steps. Ultimately it's a 600mhz ARM SoC with a 320x480(really!) screen and some decent buttons for 45 bucks. If this product was sold as a barebones "kit", much like the Raspberry Pi or PCs are and was the same price, would it be worth it then? EDIT: To put this in perspective, PicoDrive is more accurate compared to the garbage AtGames releases in just about every way, and the RS-97 is capable of running just about every game full speed with the notable exception of Virtua Racing. I've noticed the occasional graphical glitch, PicoDrive isn't perfect, but it's still better than what is available from official channels. I would think that alone isn't too bad for 45 bucks?
Maybe because most of us gamers aren't nearly as nitpicky as you are if you nitpick on ANY error in game. Even if it's a minor visual bug, you immediately assume it's trying to scam you. If you tried downloading a top brand emulator for these games, you'd probably sue the makers of the emulator because you didn't think to tweak your settings to accommodate for your PC.
Well, I'd use the GamePoke as a key fob. Pretty neat and expresses my love for video games. Of course I would keep it functional - not because I would play it, but because it's got to, or else it wouldn't technically be a "functional video game portable system" attached to a keychain.
I didn't read but a handful of the replies but at least one person pointed out that this thing does have custom firmware that can vastly improve the users experience. Think of it as that sleeper Honda that you buy for dirt cheap, add turbo and headers, and kick the crap out of your neighbors stock mustang. Not much out of the box but capable of much more with a little effort. Plus I've seen a base of fans that love this thing and will strongly disagree with the haters. I don't have one of these but that is the impression I get.
Level By Level Gaming Hi man! I agree! Reseaching a little bit, it's possible to improve this game console! You are an example, doing a great job in the PAPK3+ exploring all capabilities!
Want a good portable emulator? Buy a psp and put cfw on it or run emulators on an android phone with a bt controller. If you are tech savvy with some soldering knowhow, build a gameboy zero and run retropie.
egap98 A good way to go, but not exactly all contained in one unit that is portable. There still isn't a cheap all-in-one portable solution for raspberry pi. I bought a raspiboy kit, but still had to supply my own raspberry pi zero and assemble everything. Even then, the kit wasn't that cheap.
I seen a retro mini for $12 and almost bought it,I've even seen it listed as anbernic retro mini.I own a couple of real anbernic handhelds and this definitely isn't an anbernic product.
Hardware and software emulation is spectacular. It offers one of the best retro gaming experiences in the modern era. Although imperfect, emulation continues to evolve and improve. Gives you the ability to create save states, rewind/fast-forward, input cheats, use a range of peripherals, and most importantly works well on modern TV’s. I’m exhausted of the lame retro gaming elitism where anything short of original hardware is blasphemous. Those same influencers who ridicule emulation, helped to cause outrageous price spikes that made collecting original hardware/software impossible. Emulation has fewer barriers of entry and will serve to preserve these old games long after the original hardware/software ceases to function. OpenEmu on Mac is one of the best emulation station setups I’ve ever used. It’s much more user friendly than Retroarch, and has a beautifully clean UI.
I'd like to think so, but this guy has a self-important attitude, better seen on his other videos. He seems like a hot tempered kind of guy as well, and not like AVGN... this guy has a true hot temper. It's kind of off-putting for me, anyway.
I had a little thing like the GamePoke when I was in 7th grade! It only played Tetris, and I played it all the time in this kind of "admin" class we had to sit through each morning (I can't remember the name of the class). I remember it'd actually play a little tune every time you got to 100,000 points, and I played it so much in that class that I actually remember getting to 200,000 once lol
From what I've heard, this company has cleaned up their act. They now specialize in mod kits for the Game boy line of systems and they seem pretty high quality!
man... do some research. this hardware is very very good, but the official build-in software is crap. Go on Dingoonity forum, download 97Next 1.5 firmeware, and see what this toy can achieve
If it wasn’t for the TF-Reader I would’ve assumed that the GBA cartridge slot was only there due to them using the REVO K-101 shell and that it wouldn’t actually work. But no, apparently the slot was intended but just didn’t work!
I wouldn't be expecting any firmware updates because most of these cheap Chinese consoles, phones, tablets etc get little to no support after they sell them, although quite often they will release one update.
I have a retro mini but mine looks EXACTLY like the first one you reviewed, except in white. I really like mine, and I've never once had the locking up problem. Weird. I wonder if earlier models were different hardware or software? I've had mine for a while now. Also, mine doesn't say anything about FunnyPlay.
Luis Gonzalez i looked it up its a nokia BL-5C phone battery which you can still buy off some websites from over the pond in the UK or from Nokia directly. They still make em too i guess for those who still want to use their 18 year old Nokia 3310?
Geez, it's just like my one touch ALCATEL phone! Everytime it's not charging, I have to remove the Battery and put it back. 😦 (2:47) And what's the other two Buttons on the RetroGame K101 PRO for?
I think the consistent lag is due to frame dropping because there doesn't seem to be slowdown to go with the visual lag. It must be a problem with the frequency of the screen or something. The fact custom community firmware can make it run properly also supports this.
If you took just a little time to do some research, you would see that there is custom firmware for the RS-97 that is super easy to install and makes it into a solid emulation device that only struggles with a handful of SNES games. Its a great device for the 60 dollar price tag. You are really steering people wrong by telling them to stay away from it. you should do more research next time.
That's idiotic. Anyone interested in buying it needs to know this information. He just didnt bother doing any research. This entire review is irrelevant and cringeworthy
arbitor365 The main problem is that they do not even try to sell them working right. He is reviewing something that may or may not have a fix (in this case, RS-97 does have some firmware fixes, but even then from what I read it's not that great. My GP2X Wiz gives me near flawless performance in some games people report as not working well in this machine, and how old is my machine?). He therefore reviews it AS IT IS. If it does not work from the beginning, it is something that many people will avoid. It is not a matter of doing some research, it is a matter of understanding what a consumer wants. Which this time you did not, and he did.
What kind of argument is that? You're an idiot, dude. Devices like this are made for the sole purpose of homebrew, which is what emulators are. There is one simple fact. He didnt know about the custom firmware because he was lazy and inept. It has nothing to do with any sort of principle. The fact that he doesn't mention it at all proves he doesn't know what he is talking about. Leaving out that vital information leaves everyone misinformed. This video is worthless. No one gets any value out of this video. Only a moron would defend it.
Let me put my argument in other words. In simple words, if you will. Some people will not want to go through the trouble of buying something they need to modify. Not everyone is comfortable doing whatever operation that may be necessary to either tweak, or improve something. Some are not capable because of their lack of know how. Now by that, I don't mean the simple "oh what they cannot just google it up?" know-how, I mean the entire know-how of how to do the entire thing. It may seem simple to you and me, but we are not everyone. Now, I have seen the instructions on how to update the firmware on the RS-97 AS OF TODAY, and while they are simple enough TO ME, by experience I can say very surely they won't be to everyone else. There will be people who will look at this, like you, who will say "let me look up info on how or if it can be modded", and either find or not find such info and base their purchase on it. There will be other people who, like me, already have a device that works, who will have the know-how, but will refrain from buying it because they do not see why. And there will be people who will see this machine online, not necessarily at Aliexpress or what not, but lets say, Amazon, who will just buy it because the description says it can do those things. Maybe there are positive reviews, maybe some negative, but not everyone will read them in detail, they will only see positive reviews... of something that works great but only AFTER you mod it. Some people do not even know what modding means. Some others do not even know how to format anything, and forget about asking if they did it FAT or NTFS. They may not even have a PC. These are the people who just want something that works from the beginning. Now neither you nor I belong in those segments. We know how to do research on stuff, how to find out how to tweak stuff, how to mod it if and where possible. I, however, know that not everyone has that same knowledge or willingness to do so. But you assume everyone does, or that they should have it because if not "what is wrong with them?". At least, you give the impression of that. Was this the channel to portray such an opinion? Perhaps, I do not know the audience demographics, maybe it is mostly people who know how to mod things, but I would not assume it is. But if someone searches for "Retro Game console" or "Retro Mini console", this will appear as part of the search. Me, I saw it as part of my search. With this video, I saw that it did not work with official firmware, that it needed modification, essentially, it needed a scene. I also saw information that did show that there is poor quality control, and later found out some other things on my own that led me to the conclusion that this machine was not up to my standards of reliability. Since I already have a GP2X Wiz, and having seen other reviews, I came to the conclusion that this was not an upgrade for me, more of a sidegrade which was actually a bit of a downgrade. It is my choice not to buy such a device. Some other people will see this video along with others and just say "ah, I really don't want to mess with stuff, it's not for me" and never buy it, hey, it is their choice. I don't blame them for not wanting it to be necessary to modify something for it to work. Not if pretty much everything they buy works out of the box when you buy it. What, they can't "do a little research" and modify it to work? Why should they? They are paying for a working product. That is their opinion, and their choice. And I completely understand why it makes sense. I think it would be safe to say that you thought it did not provide anything useful, because you have the console, and having modded it, you think that it is of everyone's interest to buy it as it can be modded, if they have the same needs as you. That is an incorrect assumption You also think that because you think so, no one else can think differently. That is a conceited assumption. I get the impression that, to you, the one who made this video did not do the research because you did. But he is not reviewing a modded portable console, or on how to mod it, or if it is possible to mod it. He is reviewing something as per manufacturer's specifications, as you would receive it after buying it online. And as it is, it doesn't work properly. Should he have a video update? Maybe, if it is in the scope of what his channel does. Will this deter people who will research this to make an informed purchase? Maybe, depending on what they want. To each his own. People have different needs and things they want in a handheld machine. I understand that. You do not. All you know is that because he did not include information you think is necessary (again, to me this was out of the scope of the video), that the video is useless. That's a very narrow minded opinion.
You know, I'd love to see his opinions on the much newer, far better modern emulation handhelds we have today like the rg35xx+ or retroid pocket. They definitely seem like something he'd be into considering how great they perform now.
Hi i didn't get to comment due to me not being able to go while i'm in school but now that i have freetime, i just wanted say good work man, these videos that you have been releasing are nice, keep up the good work.
The Anbernic *RG351P* has the same screen aspect ratio as the GBA. Honestly, it is better than the real thing _if_ you are playing ROMs and not concerned about using original carts.
If they watch at least one episode of Rerez, they could see, that also other products were heavily criticized (and deserved it). Personally i really like when someone tells the truth and is open to admit flaws of products. Thats why i really enjoy Rerez' content. A lot of other youtubers just push a product despite being a piece of trash.
If I had the technical expertise and resources to make a custom console, you bet your butter I'd let Rerez tear it apart; that way I'd know which parts need work so I could improve them.
I mean I've seen competent handheld clone systems.... but yeah this isn't one of em. :P maybe a firmware update might save it if it fixes the emulation but.... yeah. doesn't seem like they care enough.
I ordered the Revo K101 when it was still a thing. My first unit came with a dead cartridge slot and my replacement from a different supplier also came with a dead cart slot
This is why we don't take brand deals or company sponsorships on Rerez. Had I taken payment for this I would NOT have been able to tell you the truth about these systems. Whenever you see us cover a product that gets sent in to Rerez know that the company is doing it (usually) because they feel they've got something really good and worth showing off.
Lassi Kinnunen there are other reviews of this that actually bothered to research this product properly. Its from the same stock as the revo. And they bothered to run the cfw
Did you ever change the OS like funnyplaying has on their website?
Damn bro, I've never had half the problems you've had I have both systems and they work fine for me. Then again I bought mine from Aliexpress so...take what you will from that.
Its nice to see people that understand the importance of being a straight shooter and dont just say whatever to get paid those are very admirable qualities sir and I admire that 10 fold I see alot of people fogetting these things im glad I subbed never lose this mindset america needs more people that think like you do.
I wouldn't promote a sponsor or product if my life depended on it.
"If it doesn't play video games what's the point of it existing?" Greatest quote ever 😂
it exist purely for the hd viedo
I agree with that statement, if my toaster can’t play Doom and my fridge can’t play Skyrim why have either in the first place.
And this is why WE play video games :)
@@VV-nw3lz dude, stop buying potatoes and maybe your appliances can handle these games....
STADIAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!
Clones, clones never die, because they can be cloned again... over and over...
ProtoMario i read that imagining your voice, weird
ProtoMario and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over
Clone consoles truly a weapon to surpass metal gear...
no
Until the DNA is damaged
It locked up numerous times to try to avoid you reviewing it...it was self aware enough to know how shit it was
AlphaOmegaSin
Holy shit,I haven't seen you in a while! :"^)
I cry for I have found you,god
Lol why haven't you uploaded it's been like 6 months 😂
Abel Alvarez
Right?!
I need that alphaomegasin goodness back
Lame attempt at humor
AlphaOmegaSin THERES A CFW AVALIABLE FOR IT
*That's a Nokia battery.*
KommandantMakaröwitz all sorts of Chinese crap uses those Nokia batteries. Even my old dash cam did. They must be dirt cheap or something
KommandantMakaröwitz you run an Atari 2600 with Gameboy emulation, that's how.
KommandantMakaröwitz Oops, wrong comment.
ultimatebman yup, even mp3 players
But my portable genesis clone uses gba battery
Those batteries are pretty standard, a lot of devices use those.
It has “HD Viedo”
And crap system
Lol
Plot twist: the typos are deliberate so you can't argue that they legitimately claimed they said it had actual HD video once you find out that 720p makes the system crash.
HD typos!
Technically they only said it has HD video. They never said you can run it.
*Goodbye*
I don't know why you say Goodbye, I say Hello.
Rerez it's the console, everytime it would lock up, it would say goodbye, almost ominously
Zandandido that console line is just weird yet fitting.
Extremewrecker2000 The willer. Would be even more weird, if everytime it did that, something was lost such as an obscure game or something.
It's self aware, they couldn't program in a middle finger.
"If it doesn't play videogames, what's the point of it existing?" Truer words have never been spoken. ;)
“If you photocopy a photocopy the image will get blurrier and blurrier”
- Sabretooth, you know, the x-men villain
I so love the fact this company thought it would get some good free publicity by sending him free stuff but instead got called out for being a trash system lol
Did you really imply that a system not capable of running Snes games might be able to run Genesis games? I mean it is very clear that this thing does not have blast processing.
BOO YOU STINK *Throws rotten tomato*
I would actually expect it the other way around, due to clock speeds!
God I was scared you were going to actually get offended
My MP5 player and X6 both run SNES games a little better than Mega Drive games. I have the feeling that the MD games take a little more power.
Emulation of such old systems don't have anything to do with how powerful they were at the time. It's all about how many resources emulator needs to do it's work. Old MAME vs modern MAME versions are best example. They're both running same games but modern MAME does it more accurately, therefore it needs much better hardware to run.
"Goodbye" it just doesn't want to do shit for you, that is the laziest game console ever
dog Butt Well, it's still miles better than those dumb Tiger LCDs.
The plot thickens: This Retro Game looks identical to Soulja Boy's Soulja Game Handheld
he cant escape.
Shane, you missed the reset button! It's near the headphone port, and can be pressed with a paperclip. (Or you have tried it and it didn't work so you may have omitted it)
Nah he Cambridge Portuguese they cant do anything without their grandmas!
Sean Buckwell what.
The reset button probably "locked up and crashed."
They're pretty hard to see sometimes. My MP5 Player has a tiny unlabeled reset button that practically blends in with the shell around it.
Bro mp5?
Never actually played NEO-GEO in my life but that intro part made me laugh my ass off.
Puzzle Bobble and Metal Slug is the reason why I love NEO•GEO.
Really funny they sent you these in hopes of getting free promotion, and you (rightfully) crap all over them!
Kudos to you. It's why I have much respect for your channel. It's also why I unsubscribed to Unbox Therapy as I've seen him cover tons of crappy sponsored stuff and not say a SINGLE bad thing.
The funniest part, is that they approached you to do the review... you'd think that they'd want to make a machine that works before they start sending it out to reviewers.
Interestingly enough, I've heard that the team behind the Revo sold the design for the K101 and their unreleased "mini" console for these things. The RS97 also has a custom linux distro port called OpenDingux that adds a lot of better functionality to the unit. Another thing to note is that the GBA slot is just an interface for the micro SD card. Don't know why the hell they did that since it really confuses people, but if you take apart the cart you can see that it is just a straight up weird adapter.
I know a lot of consumers wouldn't really look this stuff up, but maybe with OpenDingux it runs a bit better...
Lol Soulja boy is reselling these
Copy of console of a copy console copied again lol
Not really
@@paullee5196 Not a copy, it's literally the same device with Soulja Boys brand name plastered on the listing online. Nothing is changed, like we'll see in Rerez' Soulja Boy videos. He literally buys these scam consoles on Amazon and resells them for ridiculous prices.
We are 3 levels deep in knockoffs
I Am From 2020, I Inform That You Have 99 Likes.
Yeah, I got the same Retro Game crap. And it's crap. Mine just crashed immediately and now it flashes the battery icon.
John Riggs: RIGG'd Games i hear over at the dingoo forums that they got linux running on it.
Im sure that would make the console 10x better
John Riggs: RIGG'd Games sorry. That really sucks. They must not be aware of these issues otherwise they wouldn't have asked you to review it....... Right???? Haha!
John Riggs: RIGG'd Games oh and I love your channel. I've been subscribed to you for two years now. I love every episode.
Use a 2 amp charger or higher, then charge it overnight. It will be fine. The battery is a bit sensitive to getting enough amperage.
I had mine for two weeks on the pre installed firm ware and not once did it ever crash, i feel like its just funny playings variant thea crashes but i got mine on ebay and updated the software tk final version and then the custom emulators work great
Perhaps this is why I don't hire myself out as a product tester; they'd only pay me to say what they want to hear. Not to say that all companies that offer sponsorship would do this, I just wouldn't want to just be paid to lie.
You should make it obvious that you will give your honest opinion about it. That'd be my very first warning, that I will be brutally honest about it. If they pressure you to give it a glowing review, or just stop replying, then just move on.
Honestly glad you gave an in depth review on this system.
I've watched many UA-camrs praise this exact emulator, I was considering buying it.
Glad to know they were just sellouts or idiots.
lost opportunity to view the “Wicked Gamer” channel that covers a lot of these emulator consoles. From what I know this ripoff is one of those CoolBaby systems and is NOT called the “Retro Game”, unlike what this channel thinks it’s name is.
Neo Geo jingle = Arcade games at a restaurant on a Friday.
So from what I've learned is the RS97 is basically prototype of a newer version of the revo k101 that revo sold to the manufacturer
2:13 - HD....Viedo. ROFL....
www.ebay.co.uk/itm/CONSOLE-RETROGAME-RS-97-OPEN-DINGUX-32GB-ARCADE-MAME-NEOGEO-SNES-GAMEBOY-MD/123564148992?hash=item1cc4ff4900:g:1KEAAOSwjTtcBjKh:rk:1:pf:0
Seems legit
@@Ariidayo *Leigt
How on earth do you fail to emulate gameboy games
Poorly designed software I'm guessing, considering that it ran CPS games fine.
Dante Disbrow I guess they had an Atari 2600 emulator running that.
Poor programming. When you spend your whole career ripping off open source emulators, then unsurprisingly you don't learn much about making software.
Dante Disbrow are you a moron ? Yes or no ?
Uuuh, I think he isnt?
How in this day and age can a system screw up NES and GB emulation? My calculator can do GB. Even my old broken laptop that is so broken it cannot load the internet or anything from the CD drive, can run NEStopia...
TheGlitched64Reads It's probably running an Atari 2600 emulator on those games.
Atari 2600 emulator? More like Tiger wrist game emulator!
If you look at the extension of the files, it uses Final Burn Alpha.
on the side of the box:
"HD Viedo, Music Playing." :D
Now I know how to get some Viedos to run now and make some music play all the time.
I'm convinced it's supposed to say "Music composed by H. D. Viedo". Their English just sucks ass.
Mamá, tengo viedo de la RetroGame.
Yes, the RS-97 device is crap out of the box. You can put a cfw on it that vastly improves the system by porting over emulators from the dingoo a320.
Also, theres a reset button next to the headphone jack to reset the system, no need to take out the battery
I'm pretty sure that when the firmware crashes, it prevents the soft reset from triggering.
@@PunakiviAddikti it's a hard reset button.
@@Localhorst86 That's not what I mean. Soft reset is software operated and doesn't power cycle. It's called hard reset because it resets the core components, followed by a reboot of the firmware. A hard reset power cycles the device, a soft reset triggers software that resets the device in a controlled manner. If the firmware is stuck, it prevents the reset button from working.
@@PunakiviAddikti no, it doesn't. It's not a soft reset button, it's a hard reset button. It litteraly cuts the power to the system.
@@Localhorst86 That's very unlikely. Unless I see the schematic for the device, I doubt it. Making a NO momentary switch cut power to a device requires extra work. When designing devices, extra work is simply not required. If it can be done with software, it's done with software. Software is free, hardware costs money.
Holy crap I just listened to this with a pair of headphones, and wow, the Neo-Geo intro is in stereo! Some of it comes through one ear, the rest comes through the other. That’s so cool! The butchered clone version is in mono however.
This Retromini RS-97 is actually one of the best handheld (of its tier). You can unlock its true power with cfw. BTW you don't need to unscrew the case to reset it.
super agree
Mega ultra agree
This is sold as a complete system so it needs to work out of the box. If it's a project it needs to be sold as one. That's like saying your new car is great after rebuilding the engine
And Anbernic laughs all the way to the bank..
You can literally still buy the RS-97. Crazy.
Wow! Never heard of ripping off a clone console before. Awesome review Rerez ! I enjoy watch your videos while eating dinner there entertaining . Love Worst Console Ever, positives really all them.
The same company that made this clone makes the rs-6 it's a clone of the bittboy
You always have the most informative well produced reviews man. Thanks for that.
FINALLY SOMEONE DID A GOOD IN-depth REVIEW OF THIS BLOODY THING.
Thanks Rerez.
There are custom firmwares for these consoles that make them much better.
I think it is. Rerez should certainly take a look at the Retro Core video about this.
Where is the cfw for the retromini?
You shouldn't have to do that. They should just work out of the box.
The Custom firmware is not made by the same people as the device itself though. (As far as I know at least)
Its not but they are aware it exists and supply devices to the writer of the cfw to sell directly.
The thing that always throws me is that the 5 DOLLAR rasp pi zero can run just about anything 8/16-bit with little to no issues. If your machine can't match a 5 dollar, now years old, SOC then just don't bother.
who has pi zero stock for $5?
I saw an ad for these on Instagram yesterday and thought they looked pretty cool. Boy was I wrong! Thank you so much for doing this review
10/10 for Gabby
Christopher Scott-Blore No, even Gabby hates it.
Extremewrecker2000 The willer. Haha true though I meant the video was 10/10 for having Gabby in it.
Christopher Scott-Blore OOOOOH I thought it was the other way around.
Imagine sending your product to a UA-cam channel to review and it gets truthfully ripped apart
A third party made a custom firmware that fixes some of the issues with the Retrogame console. I checked it out and they've done a good job so far but there are plenty of roms/emulators that still do not operate properly with it. A huge problem with this fix as well is that you need to tear down your console and download additional third party software to flash it to work. While a few of us are capable of doing something like this it might be advanced for some users.
The original company selling these devices is NOT offering a fix. Whenever you need to take your system apart to fix it they've entered into what I believe to be a poor consumer experience. Unless the seller or manufacturer offers a fix or pre-installs this more advanced firmware update all my points about the console remain valid. If you're willing to take the risk and are okay with buying a new device knowing it will not work on arrival, this is an option for you. I'd recommend multiple other portable emulation devices that can probably run everything this device attempts to do but out of the box. This is STILL not a good purchase as far as I can see.
Since when has any Chinese company provided "support" for their systems? ;-)
The only reason to buy an RS-97 is if you want to mod it. There may be the occasional glitch to fix (e.g. loading and saving run.dge in Glutexto) but it's otherwise really impressive! I've got the following emulators up and going with 1.3 firmware:
- Colecovision
- Atari 2600
- Atari 5200 / 800 (bug: button 2 doesn't work on 5200)
- Amstrad CPC
- DOSBox
- FinalBurnAlpha (both GCW & A320 version)
- NES
- GB / GBC
- NeoGeo
- Atari Lynx
- Intellivision (you need to double quote the $1 in the run.dge file)
- Wonderswan
- Playstation (disable music for better performance)
- Sega Genesis
- Super Nintendo
- NeoGeo Pocket
- Sega Master System
- ZX Spectrum (be warned: this is REAL time tape loads!)
- PC Engine / Turbografix
- PC Engine CD
There are only a few emulators I'm still messing with to get to a working state. Half the fun is building yourself an ultimate portable console with all your favorite games! Practically my entire basement of classic systems and games is now in my handheld! MWhahahahaha!
Rerez yyyeaaahhh... I suggest burning those 3 devices on fire.
Custom firmwares are hacked versions of official firmware, what's available for the RS-97 is a Linux distribution ported from the Dingoo handhelds that were popular a while back. The emulators running on the platform are actually some of the best that are available for the SoC's power envelope and most of them stem from (or at least have relation with) versions on the PSP, a system frequently brought up even now as a viable emulation handheld. Games run about as well with similar levels of compatibility, only since the screen resolution is closer to the original systems it can actually look a little better.
Running custom firmware on it is not hard. It doesn't even require opening it up anymore, though even then it's just a 5 screws and sliding a microsd card out with another one flashed with a firmware image. It's like setting up a Raspberry Pi, only with considerably less steps.
Ultimately it's a 600mhz ARM SoC with a 320x480(really!) screen and some decent buttons for 45 bucks. If this product was sold as a barebones "kit", much like the Raspberry Pi or PCs are and was the same price, would it be worth it then?
EDIT: To put this in perspective, PicoDrive is more accurate compared to the garbage AtGames releases in just about every way, and the RS-97 is capable of running just about every game full speed with the notable exception of Virtua Racing. I've noticed the occasional graphical glitch, PicoDrive isn't perfect, but it's still better than what is available from official channels. I would think that alone isn't too bad for 45 bucks?
Maybe because most of us gamers aren't nearly as nitpicky as you are if you nitpick on ANY error in game. Even if it's a minor visual bug, you immediately assume it's trying to scam you. If you tried downloading a top brand emulator for these games, you'd probably sue the makers of the emulator because you didn't think to tweak your settings to accommodate for your PC.
@3:45 You know a device is fucked up when they spell " HD-Video " wrong
Was this box made by 4Chan? Like them counting to 100??
Well, I'd use the GamePoke as a key fob. Pretty neat and expresses my love for video games. Of course I would keep it functional - not because I would play it, but because it's got to, or else it wouldn't technically be a "functional video game portable system" attached to a keychain.
11:58
Audio isn't syncing with your mouth. It might just be on my end though.
My end as well
Same here.
fine for me
Not me
In the video online it seems fine, but my months-old download has the error on it. Maybe he fixed it at some point.
I didn't read but a handful of the replies but at least one person pointed out that this thing does have custom firmware that can vastly improve the users experience. Think of it as that sleeper Honda that you buy for dirt cheap, add turbo and headers, and kick the crap out of your neighbors stock mustang. Not much out of the box but capable of much more with a little effort. Plus I've seen a base of fans that love this thing and will strongly disagree with the haters. I don't have one of these but that is the impression I get.
Level By Level Gaming
Hi man! I agree! Reseaching a little bit, it's possible to improve this game console! You are an example, doing a great job in the PAPK3+ exploring all capabilities!
Yeah, apparently, the entire consoles main memory is an ACTUAL MICROSD CARD.
We came in the long way, from this device that literally a junk, towards awesome Anbernic, Retroid, AYN Odin today
Want a good portable emulator? Buy a psp and put cfw on it or run emulators on an android phone with a bt controller. If you are tech savvy with some soldering knowhow, build a gameboy zero and run retropie.
just get a raspberry pi 3 and a 5 inch hdmi screen. believe it or not it's easy to find.
egap98 A good way to go, but not exactly all contained in one unit that is portable. There still isn't a cheap all-in-one portable solution for raspberry pi. I bought a raspiboy kit, but still had to supply my own raspberry pi zero and assemble everything. Even then, the kit wasn't that cheap.
The best portable emulator for android phone is Happy Chick
I seen a retro mini for $12 and almost bought it,I've even seen it listed as anbernic retro mini.I own a couple of real anbernic handhelds and this definitely isn't an anbernic product.
Unlicensed clone systems with shady names and pirated roms just tick me off.
I like how it reads ‘Goodbye.” All the time
Yipes - Careful about getting sued by accepting freebies to review, and then being honest :p
Hardware and software emulation is spectacular. It offers one of the best retro gaming experiences in the modern era. Although imperfect, emulation continues to evolve and improve. Gives you the ability to create save states, rewind/fast-forward, input cheats, use a range of peripherals, and most importantly works well on modern TV’s. I’m exhausted of the lame retro gaming elitism where anything short of original hardware is blasphemous. Those same influencers who ridicule emulation, helped to cause outrageous price spikes that made collecting original hardware/software impossible.
Emulation has fewer barriers of entry and will serve to preserve these old games long after the original hardware/software ceases to function.
OpenEmu on Mac is one of the best emulation station setups I’ve ever used. It’s much more user friendly than Retroarch, and has a beautifully clean UI.
Gamepoke LOL couldn't have come up with a better name myself xD
that thing is fucking cute
Mindblowing fact: gamepoke is meant to be read like "game pocket"
The Gamepoke would poke you till you scream in anger
My theory is that these systems are self-aware and don't want to be reviewed.
Love your vids man you'll be at 500k the next time i blink , quality is there 😁
I've already blinked 500 times and it hasn't happened yet!
It will - Your Interesting, well researched and overall entertaining content needs to pay off in the near future!
I'd like to think so, but this guy has a self-important attitude, better seen on his other videos. He seems like a hot tempered kind of guy as well, and not like AVGN... this guy has a true hot temper. It's kind of off-putting for me, anyway.
I see what you mean. But in the videos I saw, he seemed to criticise in a friendly, fair and objective way, and that's the most important thing to me.
I had a little thing like the GamePoke when I was in 7th grade! It only played Tetris, and I played it all the time in this kind of "admin" class we had to sit through each morning (I can't remember the name of the class). I remember it'd actually play a little tune every time you got to 100,000 points, and I played it so much in that class that I actually remember getting to 200,000 once lol
Speaking of emulation, I wonder why some friends of mine are completely uncomfortable even talking about it.
They probably assume it's illegal (which it isn't if you own the game(s) you are emulating) or something and don't want to discuss it for that reason.
From what I've heard, this company has cleaned up their act. They now specialize in mod kits for the Game boy line of systems and they seem pretty high quality!
I hate how this isn't just a terrible clone. It's a clone I see everywhere. I have seen this at target and Walmart and some grocery stores.
4:28. Cps is short for child protective services, which is exactly who will be called if you buy your kids this game system.
man... do some research. this hardware is very very good, but the official build-in software is crap. Go on Dingoonity forum, download 97Next 1.5 firmeware, and see what this toy can achieve
Vinicius Oliveira de Melo I don't think that actually "exists".
Then you might as well get a dingoo at that point
I find your Channel a week ago it has turn in to my favorit UA-cam channel to watch, man you are so entertaining.
I'm pretty sure I've seen posts on tumblr advocating this thing...
Bro, i thought you were dead! nice to see you busy again with your channel! Kisses from Germany!
10:48
"if it doesn't play video games, whats the point of it existing?"
Please review more clone consoles.
Specifically the _R36S_ . 👍✨🎮
2:14 I can’t wait to watch an HD Viedo on my Revo K101 Pro!
Imagine if someone grabbed an old purple lunchbox and made a GameCube clone running at 2 frames per second with no shadows
should have modded it with Dingux
So they should sell a blank system with nothing in it instead of the crap they bundle with.
This is just a cheap cashgrab.
If it wasn’t for the TF-Reader I would’ve assumed that the GBA cartridge slot was only there due to them using the REVO K-101 shell and that it wouldn’t actually work. But no, apparently the slot was intended but just didn’t work!
I wouldn't be expecting any firmware updates because most of these cheap Chinese consoles, phones, tablets etc get little to no support after they sell them, although quite often they will release one update.
I have a retro mini but mine looks EXACTLY like the first one you reviewed, except in white. I really like mine, and I've never once had the locking up problem. Weird. I wonder if earlier models were different hardware or software? I've had mine for a while now. Also, mine doesn't say anything about FunnyPlay.
This gives the real K101 a bad name
2P put on a CFW on the RS-97 and itll be better than the K101
Revo also sold them the design too, so they didn't rip it off either. This guy did no research at all.
Its refreshing to see a video where somome gets sent something for free and isnt afraid to tell the truth about it. Thanks!
If you use an CFW, it's actually pretty good emulating games, a LOT better than with the original FW
“If you see it in the wild, be careful.”
It’s not like it’s a tiger or some shit.
Yikes.
Just dreadful.
Surprises me they wanted someone to endorse such a mistake.
Also just noticed thats an old Nokia phone battery. Lol man...
Luis Gonzalez it seams that Nokia battery (its most likely a clone though) is the preferred battery of choice for these types of devices
Luis Gonzalez i looked it up its a nokia BL-5C phone battery which you can still buy off some websites from over the pond in the UK or from Nokia directly. They still make em too i guess for those who still want to use their 18 year old Nokia 3310?
Xbox 360 E Pretty much, but knowing that phone, Im sure there are still people out there that use it.
gmcnewlook oh yeah, it was a cloned battery. Nokia batteries generally have the Nokia and model number on the front.
Geez, it's just like my one touch ALCATEL phone! Everytime it's not charging, I have to remove the Battery and put it back. 😦 (2:47)
And what's the other two Buttons on the RetroGame K101 PRO for?
7:56
Hehe... "Crash"
Clever
rule #1 never ever piss off Rerez by giving the guy broken consoles.. I'm scared
Oh wow, this is what Soulja Boy is selling 😂 I thought he was re-selling the Revo K101 which I own and works well.
Kayleigh ha, that solves that case
They really messed up the software on the device.
Would've been interesting if it had the same attention as the garlic, onion and gamma os.
Well, at least it can play "HD Viedo" 2:13
And Music Playing?
Was this box made by 4Chan?!
I think the consistent lag is due to frame dropping because there doesn't seem to be slowdown to go with the visual lag. It must be a problem with the frequency of the screen or something. The fact custom community firmware can make it run properly also supports this.
If you took just a little time to do some research, you would see that there is custom firmware for the RS-97 that is super easy to install and makes it into a solid emulation device that only struggles with a handful of SNES games. Its a great device for the 60 dollar price tag. You are really steering people wrong by telling them to stay away from it. you should do more research next time.
That's idiotic. Anyone interested in buying it needs to know this information. He just didnt bother doing any research. This entire review is irrelevant and cringeworthy
arbitor365 The main problem is that they do not even try to sell them working right. He is reviewing something that may or may not have a fix (in this case, RS-97 does have some firmware fixes, but even then from what I read it's not that great. My GP2X Wiz gives me near flawless performance in some games people report as not working well in this machine, and how old is my machine?). He therefore reviews it AS IT IS. If it does not work from the beginning, it is something that many people will avoid. It is not a matter of doing some research, it is a matter of understanding what a consumer wants. Which this time you did not, and he did.
What kind of argument is that? You're an idiot, dude. Devices like this are made for the sole purpose of homebrew, which is what emulators are. There is one simple fact. He didnt know about the custom firmware because he was lazy and inept. It has nothing to do with any sort of principle. The fact that he doesn't mention it at all proves he doesn't know what he is talking about. Leaving out that vital information leaves everyone misinformed. This video is worthless. No one gets any value out of this video. Only a moron would defend it.
Let me put my argument in other words. In simple words, if you will. Some people will not want to go through the trouble of buying something they need to modify. Not everyone is comfortable doing whatever operation that may be necessary to either tweak, or improve something. Some are not capable because of their lack of know how. Now by that, I don't mean the simple "oh what they cannot just google it up?" know-how, I mean the entire know-how of how to do the entire thing. It may seem simple to you and me, but we are not everyone. Now, I have seen the instructions on how to update the firmware on the RS-97 AS OF TODAY, and while they are simple enough TO ME, by experience I can say very surely they won't be to everyone else.
There will be people who will look at this, like you, who will say "let me look up info on how or if it can be modded", and either find or not find such info and base their purchase on it. There will be other people who, like me, already have a device that works, who will have the know-how, but will refrain from buying it because they do not see why. And there will be people who will see this machine online, not necessarily at Aliexpress or what not, but lets say, Amazon, who will just buy it because the description says it can do those things. Maybe there are positive reviews, maybe some negative, but not everyone will read them in detail, they will only see positive reviews... of something that works great but only AFTER you mod it. Some people do not even know what modding means. Some others do not even know how to format anything, and forget about asking if they did it FAT or NTFS. They may not even have a PC. These are the people who just want something that works from the beginning. Now neither you nor I belong in those segments. We know how to do research on stuff, how to find out how to tweak stuff, how to mod it if and where possible. I, however, know that not everyone has that same knowledge or willingness to do so. But you assume everyone does, or that they should have it because if not "what is wrong with them?". At least, you give the impression of that.
Was this the channel to portray such an opinion? Perhaps, I do not know the audience demographics, maybe it is mostly people who know how to mod things, but I would not assume it is. But if someone searches for "Retro Game console" or "Retro Mini console", this will appear as part of the search. Me, I saw it as part of my search. With this video, I saw that it did not work with official firmware, that it needed modification, essentially, it needed a scene. I also saw information that did show that there is poor quality control, and later found out some other things on my own that led me to the conclusion that this machine was not up to my standards of reliability. Since I already have a GP2X Wiz, and having seen other reviews, I came to the conclusion that this was not an upgrade for me, more of a sidegrade which was actually a bit of a downgrade. It is my choice not to buy such a device.
Some other people will see this video along with others and just say "ah, I really don't want to mess with stuff, it's not for me" and never buy it, hey, it is their choice. I don't blame them for not wanting it to be necessary to modify something for it to work. Not if pretty much everything they buy works out of the box when you buy it. What, they can't "do a little research" and modify it to work? Why should they? They are paying for a working product. That is their opinion, and their choice. And I completely understand why it makes sense.
I think it would be safe to say that you thought it did not provide anything useful, because you have the console, and having modded it, you think that it is of everyone's interest to buy it as it can be modded, if they have the same needs as you. That is an incorrect assumption You also think that because you think so, no one else can think differently. That is a conceited assumption. I get the impression that, to you, the one who made this video did not do the research because you did. But he is not reviewing a modded portable console, or on how to mod it, or if it is possible to mod it. He is reviewing something as per manufacturer's specifications, as you would receive it after buying it online. And as it is, it doesn't work properly.
Should he have a video update? Maybe, if it is in the scope of what his channel does. Will this deter people who will research this to make an informed purchase? Maybe, depending on what they want. To each his own. People have different needs and things they want in a handheld machine. I understand that. You do not. All you know is that because he did not include information you think is necessary (again, to me this was out of the scope of the video), that the video is useless. That's a very narrow minded opinion.
6:28 Little did he know, he would find a system that would play the Neo Geo theme even worse
Why did I have high hopes this would be worth picking up despite the title of the video?
Philip J No it doesn't, it's garbage. Only thing who would like it is Bubsy.
Haha!!!!
You know, I'd love to see his opinions on the much newer, far better modern emulation handhelds we have today like the rg35xx+ or retroid pocket. They definitely seem like something he'd be into considering how great they perform now.
Nobody:
Not a single soul:
Not even a living being:
tHiS sYsTeM: *G O O D B Y E*
The first one is the one soulja boy sold as his own handheld
Hey look it’s the SoujaGame Handheld
There is a Reset hole next to the headphone jack. Missed that one
Hi i didn't get to comment due to me not being able to go while i'm in school but now that i have freetime, i just wanted say good work man, these videos that you have been releasing are nice, keep up the good work.
So what’s a good gba clone to play roms?
The Anbernic *RG351P* has the same screen aspect ratio as the GBA.
Honestly, it is better than the real thing _if_ you are playing ROMs and not concerned about using original carts.
So companies reach out to you so you can review their product, then you tear them a new one lol.
If they're trying to scam folks I have no reservations!
Rerez thats very respectable, i wish everyone would do the same 👍
If they watch at least one episode of Rerez, they could see, that also other products were heavily criticized (and deserved it). Personally i really like when someone tells the truth and is open to admit flaws of products. Thats why i really enjoy Rerez' content. A lot of other youtubers just push a product despite being a piece of trash.
Seili i agree !
If I had the technical expertise and resources to make a custom console, you bet your butter I'd let Rerez tear it apart; that way I'd know which parts need work so I could improve them.
That's why, when you search for a console with a seemingly common name, you end the search with the word "console".
Modded psp ftw :)
SUCH a good emulation system when modded. Even when it's unmodded the way it runs original PS1 games is amazing alone.
Modded Wii U is better, PSP can't even run Snes properly without horrible sound lol
The Wii U isn't portable.
Modded VITA, dude.
A K1 tablet would be better to get
ok calm down, the world is still spinning.
I mean I've seen competent handheld clone systems.... but yeah this isn't one of em. :P maybe a firmware update might save it if it fixes the emulation but.... yeah. doesn't seem like they care enough.
I ordered the Revo K101 when it was still a thing. My first unit came with a dead cartridge slot and my replacement from a different supplier also came with a dead cart slot