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The $25 Handheld Everyone is Talking About
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- Опубліковано 18 сер 2024
- The DataFrog SF2000 is a dirt-cheap handheld that is advertised to play NES, SNES, Genesis, Game Boy/Color, and GBA. At this price how good is the experience?
Non-affiliate link: www.aliexpress...
Community SF2000 info page: vonmillhausen....
FrogTool: github.com/tzl...
Other helpful info: / one_place_for_all_sf20...
Timestamps:
00:00 introduction
00:48 unboxing and impressions
01:56 controls and ergonomics
06:18 microSD, video out, and teardown
08:08 software experience
10:40 NES game testing
12:48 Game Boy, Game Boy Color, GBA
15:04 Genesis, Arcade, and SNES
18:22 summary (likes and dislikes)
19:42 conclusion
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This video is for entertainment and educational purposes only.
#Datafrog #SF2000 #emulation
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Two points for your consideration:
1. Yes I tried all sorts of tricks to get the AV out to work, including plugging it in when the device was off, changing NTSC/PAL, etc. Nothing worked.
2. Wow, you all seem to really like the sound of cats dying
but did you try to plug it in backwards? many times the cables they send are reversed.
@@RetroTamGames yes, did that too 😎
Is it only two RCA cables? In my experience, some TVs will misbehave if you're only using mono sound. Unless there are 3 cables plugged in they simply won't detect a signal.
Did you try rubbing your tummy while patting your head..?
@@MyNameIsBucket my CRT TV works fine with just one or two of the cables plugged in! It’s very common for cheap handhelds to ship with AV cables but that the video out doesn’t actually work, I’ve seen that more often than not. My guess is that is what’s happening here.
From my POV one of the most attractive features is the 18650 and I've been mind boggled that none of the retro consoles have gone this route because that is both cheap to implement, and a very user-friendly feature. No worries about battery life. Carry a spare or three. Charge one while you're playing. Never have to put the device down to charge, never have to use a cable while you play. Many people have 18650 chargers already for vape, flashlight, bike lights, and I wish there was legislation forcing manufacturers to use 18650 instead of proprietary batteries except where the device needs to be thinner.
And you can already more than double the capacity with a replacement since the stock one is 1500 mAh.
ALL devices (phones, tablets, SteamDeck) should have easily replaceable batteries so you can swap them out on the go without having to wait for a charge.
Especially since a lot of proprietary batteries (especially laptops) are 18650's with a bit of circuitry and a fancy main "shell"
I really like these devices under 30 dollars when they're competent enough, it's a limited experience but it has its use cases, great to gift to smaller children, and they're pretty popular here in Brazil since the conversion rates from Dollar to Real are so bad, lower wage people also like something to play on the bus! That "Sup" console sold so well here and it's just a famiclone. I'd like more videos like this one because my co-workers will sometimes ask for recommendations like this for their nieces, nephews, grandmas.
All these handhelds are trash, you can get used android phone and telescopic controller for cheaper that will be many times more powerful and better experience
@@Leon-bp6kb the retro handheld community buys retro handhelds because WE DON'T WANT A PHONE WITH A TELESCOPIC CONTROLLER. I'm sure you think you're clever but we've all heard it a thousand times.
@@Leon-bp6kb also the trash handhelds are cheaper than a telescopic controller lmao
In Indonesia these Sup handheld is also popular 😂. Great for kids.
They are barely competent and are an eyesore. They really aren't a great gift.
At this point I dont really watch rgc to buy new devices (although he does make things very tempting) but more because the content itself is just fun to watch ;)
i'm the opposite, i have to stop myself from buying everything.
even devices like this which clearly lead to disappointment and frustration once the novelty dies down, look so cool
@@nefariou5 same, i dont need it but i want it
When I say I watch this channel daily I'm not exaggerating. Russ is a great content creator so much so I'd watch any type of content from him really.
i'm the exact same way, I've never bought one of these handheld emulators but the more I watch russ's content the more I'm interested in picking one up
No one could make this tempting unless you're looking for a cheap kid's toy 😂
Showing my son something like this and then letting him play just opens my eyes. Since he wouldn't even notice the stuff you mentioned. I wouldn't be able to not see it. Just reminds me of how I could happily play like him. Then as an adult, I go back and see the games I played and my jaw drops because how could I have played it?
Best RGC opening! 😂
Absolutely true Bro. Best intro ever 🎉
Can agree. 😂
@@mvanalst2003 🐈 cats dying singing FF3 theme 😂😂😂
More attitude in H2 2023!! HA!
Totally agree 😂😂
I guess there's just a fascination we have with devices really pushing the lower limit of cheap. But when almost everything is a little wrong and half of it is really wrong, I can't find the same sort of enthusiasm some people have. I do think if they had a curated selection of games that actually worked on the device it'd at least fill that niche of being something you could buy for a kid.
There's a working custom firmware that works on this device as of now, with other widely used custom firmwares for these style of devices being worked on. Currently the custom firmware runs everything much better and with none of the same glaring issues. If you're just going to use it out the box then I agree with you. But with minimal effort you can make it better.
Give it six months for the firmware to get to 1.0 and the others to support it and I'd say this will be more than worth it.
isn't that most handhelds in a nutshell? especially when you can get smartphones with faster chips for cheaper.
This. These devices are nothing new. Wish and other platforms have been selling them for about 10 years now and considering the price points of actual good handhelds (like most Anbernic models) are so low (sub $200) that there's no point being *this* cheap unless you're buying it for a child or incapable of saving up money for something actually worth buying.
@@Gravijahz That would come down to personal opinion but the $100 devices certainly meet a different standard. There may be drawbacks in the design and emulation for each of them but you're getting a device that will play a wide range of consoles/games at good quality out of the box.
Don't spread misinformation please. Only 2 tools to modify the stock firmware have been released, and the chip at the heart of this handheld does not make it easy to port a custom. It's not your common Linux AllWinner yknow.
I love how we've come so far with gaming, miniaturization, and mass production that now, flaws aside, what amounts to a SNES controller can fit in your pocket and play thousands of games from multiple systems, all for just $25.
This isn't the case here sadly. This thing is awful the games don't run that well, most games are copies which comes with all retro systems 99% of all these handhelds aren't worth even $5. There's some amazing handhelds out there but they don't cost anything close to this crap 😂
@@legionandsons2222 "they arent even worth 5 dollars" ok then, build a handheld emulator/console with less then 5$
@@legionandsons2222 Ah damn, but here I am playing Golden Axe and Earthworm Jim flawlessly on my 15 dollars retro handheld.
@@CJ_725fr this guys sounds so spoiled like bro it’s 5 BUCKS what do you WANT!?? You can’t even buy a damn cheeseburger from most places for that price 😂
@@ZombieMan44 15 dollar not 15 dollars
The most impressive part of this $25 device is the fact that it has USB-C
We truly livin in da future
Hopefully more handhelds use 18650 batteries. 2-4 pcs of them in parallel can give really good battery capacity, not to mention they're cheap and easily available anywhere too.
Yes yes yes. I've been saying this for ages. 🙂 ALL devices (phones, tablets, SteamDeck) should have easily replaceable batteries so you can swap them out on the go without having to wait for a charge.
They are for sure way better than those BL-5C batteries. But personally i'd prefer standard AAA or AA batteries....
It seems hard to complain for the asking price.
Until it stops working. Then you have a paperweight for $25. True story. Looking for options to revamp this device now.
Agreed, I heard it has new firmware. I might check it out for my daughter.
These have recently went under the $15 price so for that you cant go wrong, they also released a firmware update that smooths out snes and GBA.
smooth gba for 15$ sounds heavenly
There are some folks that have been able to run 3D games with it too, the community is strong with this small cheap handheld
It seems so much better now. This review is certainly outdated.
where do you get the firmware?
@@CoastlinesCollide Search of tadpole sf2000. It can update your firmware.
The fact that it takes an 18650 is genuinely amazing, all of these devices could learn a thing or two from datafrog, apparently
Hey, I'm all for easy compatibility and replacement, but having your device run on a beast like the 18650 implies a certain "thicc-ness" that many disdain. But it sure helps keep cost down. I'm not knocking it at all, I'm just trying to look at it from the perspective of 'kids these days' who like every mobile device to be so thin that you can shave with it.
@@Boogie_the_cat i dont care about thickness, and a device that uses 18650 means that you can buy like 3 of those batteries, charge them, now you have 3 times the battery life. Hot swappable batteries means there is no battery anxiety.
@@gorebish7950 just remember to travel with a screwdriver lol
@@gorebish7950 The first Miyoo Mini version (literally the first model not the V2 model) as well as the V90 have replaceable battery options. I wish more products would embrace that too.
@@JS2123-m9x at 25 bucks I would just install a thumb screw at that point who cares lol, its kind of a mad max console anyway!
your videos helped me to finally get a portable emulator. Amongst so many options your reviews are clear, objective and very informative. Thank you!
what'd you end up going with?
And are you happy with it?
What did you end up buying? :)
I hope you didn't end up with this one.
^
The four types of people on the internet
Received mine two weeks ago (almost 2 1/2 months after this review). Everything functions correctly and they do have a favorites folder now. I got mine for $16 on Aliexpress and couldn't be happier with the purchase. Only issue is that some of the more advanced games freeze or are too slow to enjoy playing. Overall, I highly recommend this for someone new to retro handhelds or as a gift.
6:00
It looks perfect. Back then when we're young the original controller fit perfectly in our small hands.
Now we have additonal extra space for our grown larger hands, so we can still have a lot of fun with it. 😂
The looks are there. Sadly the performance isn't. What's the point of having a SNES controller that can't play SNES games.
You have to restart the SNES games sometimes to make them run full speed. Also the history section is good for locating the games you often like to play. The search section is invaluable to find the game your looking for.
Very indepth and informative review. Even after being aware of the flaws, I think you have sold me on this. Definitely picking it up.
There's actually a lot to like about this thing. I wonder if anyone will be able to develop custom firmware.
@@grundian I think if the firmware experience improves, getting a big 3500 18650 would be worth it and it would likely run for 8-10 hours+
Like what? This thing doesn't even perform well playing 16 bit titles. You can spend 4-5 times as much (which is still undeniably cheap) and get something that actually works, can play up to 64 bit era titles without issue and will actually last. This is at best a gimmick gift for a child.
@@beowulf1417 custom firmware could fix most of the performance issues. It really only need to play GBA and SNES titles well to be good enough IMO.
The chip in this one doesn't lend to a custom firmware development, unfortunately
@@sunnygalli could* being the key word. But someone still needs to actually develop that, there's no guarantees. Not to mention these also use cheaper components in general so the lifespan of the device before something dies or breaks isn't likely to be long. So why bother? Save a little bit more and get something that actually works and will last.
This thing looks amazing for the price. I enjoy modding this kind of stuff, the fact it's mainly d pad and button issues makes it a really easy fix. The 18650 vape battery thing is a great bonus too.
It's NOT a great bonus. Those types of batteries are extremely volatile and prone to exploding. Yes, you read that correctly, I mean quite LITERALLY EXPLODING. How do I know? Because it actually happened to me and almost killed me. No wonder this piece of junk is so cheap. It's powered by a cheaply made ticking time bomb.
@@extract8058 The reason they explode is because those who vape push the envelope of the battery's discharge capability. Most people don't understand different 18650 cells discharge capability or they buy the cheapest of the cheap. Safest bet for something like this is to buy a protected 18650 battery that has over charging and discharging cut off.
@@extract8058 notebooks, battery banks and tons of other gadgets use 18650 type batteries lol your personal experience accounts to absolutely nothing
Been hoping you'd do a video on this! That "Alright, fine" at the beginning was so funny
People have already found what the CPU is so custom firmware will be in the future.
I honestly think it's great for 25 dollary doos but should be capable of a lot more with tweaking.
Knowing what a CPU is doesn't lend to a free SDK automagically appearing. This one's closed source, period.
what cpu is it?
@@mutexS4 HCSEMI (海奇半导体) B210
@@bnister No one said it did lead to something just showing up. But knowing the cpu is a big step forward. Never underestimate the tenacity of gamers wanting cheap shit.
One thing to note is that you cannot use your own SD card in this device because no CFW exists and you cannot clone the OEM card. I tried using a physical sector clone to another SD card and it fails to load on the device despite having passed verification tests. My guess is that there is some sort of copy protection involved.
Can you take the roms off of the ss card?
@@dlroto yes. However, they use a directory so the game titles remain but you can't launch them.
This here is a massive deal breaker even for 25 bucks
YES YOU CAN!
There is an open source project called 'hsk00' that is designed to let you add/remove/clone the sd for this device. If you see this it might be a good idea to edit your original comment so people know it's possible
It's still a PITA if you have to ressort to an external tool to add contents. I always avoided iPods or kindle devices because of such restrictions, here on a chinese retrohandeld, with linux or Android based alternatives on the market, it's nonsense to me. Of course if you don't intend to add your own games on such a device (or versions of the games in your own language), it doesn't matter much.
Got mine since two weeks and completely agree to what you said in your video. There's quite some things i really like about it, f.e. that it takes 18650 batteries, btw button top AND flat top. But out of the box as it is, there's much i wish would work better. My guess is, IF we get some custom firmware focussing on better emulation performance, then this thing may become a real gem. And after some searching around with google i learned on reddit that there are quite some people working on that.
Prove me otherwise, but I don't know a single person working on the custom firmware for any of ALi Tech chips (or clones thereof as used in this handheld). It just gets too damn expensive (time is money) working from the grounds up, and the manufacturer only has a proprietary closed source SDK for this lineup. I've learned some internals via leaked sources, but that's not even remotely enough to go fully custom
😂 not only have you contributed to keeping a device in production that'll undoubtedly see most of its units become e-waste in 12 months but you think it has benefits for its price point. Oh my sweet summer child.
@@beowulf1417 have you even watched the video, or at least "likes and dislikes" and the "conclusion" ? Retro Game Corps can't and won't recommend this handheld, and that is what i completely agree to, not as it is. Additionally, i'm an early adopter and ordered one right after it came out, to take a look on it and come to an own opinion. Didn't write a single word about the price, and you obviously did not get what i think.
@@nopadelik9286 you bought it and you think custom firmware is a possibility for it. I don't need to put much stock in what you say or think let's just put it that way 😂
These "aliexpress consoles" brings back memories! Before aliexpress was a thing, you can occasionally see them in larger neighborhood market markets among awful LCD handhelds. They were the usually the cream of the whole toy collection (a couple hundred yuan vs 40 yuan for a bootleg transformer or an LCD handheld) I'd stand there staring at it every time I go for grocery with my mom. With no hope of ever getting a PSP (even if I can save up a few thousand somehow, my mom would never allow it), I'd drool in my sleep over them.
Hey, just one note. They updated the OS apparently. Because in settings, now there is an option to map the keys.
I have been eyeing this up for ages, but I am waiting for you to update us to say that custom firmware is out and it's great.
My guess is that data frog will release another version with all these sales.
This device seems pretty underwhelming, but it has gotten me thinking about how cool it would be to have a retro form factor handheld for each big classic console, which is designed as a portable version of that console. In the way that this looks and feels like a portable SNES within that system's controller design, imagine a Genesis or NES or PS1 controller with a screen in the middle. With performance, aspect ratio, and controls finely tuned to fit just those systems, I feel like THAT would make for a cool collectible gift to give family and friends. Like my dad loved the Genesis we had when I was a kid, so I'd like to be able to give him a handheld Genesis that looks and feels familiar and intuitive.
I feel like it would be a good move for Nintendo in particular, thanks to their massive back catalog, to sell individual "Game & Watch" style systems like this packaged with a single game each. It would be a smart way to lower the cost of entry to becoming a fan of their games (no $200 console needed) and provide a legal alternative to emulating their oldest titles.
@@aidanandreasen2611 Agreed! If they made an N64 controller that could play the games, that would be a lot of fun.
good luck trying to put a screen in the middle of a genesis controller :D
@@aidanandreasen2611 packaged with a single game? hell no. maybe game themes. Mario games, classic RPGs, beat-em-ups, arcade fighters. But i sure wouldnt spend what they would inevitably charge for just one classic game.
TLDW: Gameboy, NES, Master System, Genesis work. That's it
Boo
@@ashishgup Yes, I have the same experience. The Snes and GBA play slow
If you place Master System roms in the ROMS folder it'll play those as well. I converted Game Gear roms to SMS & they play great. R button is Start, B is 1, & A is 2
This is PERFECT for my little cousins! I was looking for some used DS systems, but this is great for them to be introduced to gaming. Thanks!
this deserves another look, i got one for 10 bucks and most of your dislikes are pretty much “fixed” now in the latest software update. plus there’s a new way to play multiple systems now that’s hijacked within the GBA core.
Screen tearing and SNES performance is fixed? By how much is the performance fixed? 100% would be great since it's basically supposed to be an SNES emulator
@@AE-bm4nodon't quote me on this but I think it runs all SNES games except the ones that use the FX & FX² chips. So no star Fox or mario world 2. I'm not sure what other games used those chips. Not many though.
Whahaha... That beginning .. LOL !
You should do this more often 🤣
Reminds me of the pocketgo s30 which first introduced me to your channel. I went though all the steps of simple 30 on that thing and pushed it to the max. Then found thr retropie guy offering a preloaded sd card which I bought and boy did it make that thing just flawless to use and I still drag it out from time to time to play sum super nintendo and gba games
The 18650 battery completely sold me. Its probably the most common lithium battery size.
this guy ain't pregnant but he delivers
I saw the buzz, picked up one for my kids to go with their rg300. This one seemed to hit the sweet spot, cheap, able to add your own roms, and up to gba for pokemon. I was able to start Pokemon unbound which was kinda cool, seeing how the rg300 wouldn't even open the rom on stock firmware. There was some audio distortion but they can live with it till they can buy their own. ;)
Fixing the button mapping and customizing the ROM list goes a long way in improving the experience on this. But, I agree about avoiding faster paced games, because the screen tearing is distracting. Anyway, the design is charming enough and it plays a lot well enough that I do find myself picking it up and messing around for a while even though I have several other much better handhelds.
this deserves another look, gba fix, snes fix, custom themes, and it's all in an exe that makes it a few clicks to fun town... having a blast with this, and aliexpress 15 bucks no shipping... my god brah
I'm amazed no other videos mentioned the worthless d-pad. That and the swapped buttons are the biggest deal breakers out of all the issues with the screen tearing right behind them. And so odd the light purple buttons aren't all made concave and vice versa as they got the rest of the look spot on.
ChaossX7...i was surprised Russ didn't criticize it much...other reviews and a forum have pointed out this Dpad issue...the method to improve it is fit one from a real SFC/SNES controller...i guess i'll be trying that when mine arrives end of the month...i also grabbed from the forum a link to what the community claim is backup firmware...its the ripped firmware i assume...in case you get corrupted...it'll have to do as there's not gonna be CFW anytime soon...the chip numbers are sanded off...that'll be a challenge to the community...we'll see if the genius hackers ever get past this hurdle...i won't hold my breath
Maybe a custom firmware could help with the performance, screen and control issues. It is a shame. I was interested because of the looks of the handheld and the fact that it uses 18650 cells. You dont see that often. Maybe in the future they can offer a better emulation experience at the same price point and when that happens it will be an instabuy for me.
I’ve seen other people say that if you close and open the SNES games a few times, they run much much smother.
Overall, thanks for the video. Always hitting the technical and higher details. Hopefully there will e some custom firmware hitting this guy soon! Would be a great gift for kids.
Smoother, but still pretty badly.
@@TheInternetIsDeadToMe yea, I figured. It's a shame, but maybe custom firmware can help
12:27 The "A" and "B" buttons being swapped is actually in line with XBox controllers which have the "A" button on the bottom and the "B" button on the right side. Given that a large portion of handheld/console gamers use XBox styled controllers the configuration of those buttons seem in line with that.
Compared to what we had back in the 70s, this is amazing for the money! (now £15 in the UK) I hope it has Zelda in some form or another. Good review, thanks
If they didnt sand out the name of the chip the comunity would made a custom firmware to improve emulation and it gonna be more sales for the company
The community wouldn't even with the chip in the clear, it only runs closed source software. Sanding off is a penchant of theirs to ward off potential Chinese knockoffs. There's also a software protection, it won't boot the firmware even if cloned 1:1.
@@bnister aaahhhh man I didnt know that, well I learn something new today
It's such a piece of trash. I got it a week ago. It's literally awful and miserable to use. But it's also only $25. I feel like this pushes the limit of how low the experience can be. How miserable it can get. I got a headache and eye strain playing this. It was awful.
Real question do I need this if I already have the Retroid Pocket 3,RG503 and RG552 and RG505? 😅
This reminds me of the SN30, which I loved.
GBA sounds slow?
Yeah I wouldn’t buy it
I might get one to use the abxy buttons for my switch mod
Costed me 10 bucks! I am in love! Why? Not sure i got so many handhelds but i found myself tweaking this one to see if this “crap” can work correctly, I found mine has “favorites” and I improved the battery , updated the firmware and install a new OS card with purple/multicore and it works decent… with better games selection and correct aspect ratios and colors for GB, i bought it for my little daughter and she already throw it like 3 times to the ground making it stop and the on / off led turned yellow and screen black but switch it off and on, and it works!! seems to be as hard as a Nokia 3200 series, and I dont see my Miyoo Mini V2 resisting my little lovely gremlin.
Screen tearing is not as bad as with the initial stock but is still there.
I just bought one of these pretty good for the money, I swapped out the D pad for one from a broken retroflag SNES controller and that eliminated the pivot problems.
It's good as a toy to your 5 year old son
i like seeing you mod the buttons, thats a very common thing to do on some controllers, add a piece of plastic or card. you should try it on the center of the dpad.
As a fighting game ethusiast, the mushy d-pad would be a dealbreaker for me. But I just have to replace the membrane, like I already did with my SNES mini controller (they got worn out), it's the same construction. Seems easy, I will buy it!
Edit: seems to have to much emulation issues and no native button mapping option. Together with the bad button quality/feeling, it's just not worth to mess around with all those flaws. I regret buying it, not even for the cheap price.
I love this little thing after the tweaks
For the price it really is impressive, but at the same time you're so much better off to pay more for an RG35XX or Miyoo Mini. It would be pretty cool if it gets hacked and tweaked into being more stable, though
It is now
Feels like a so close yet so far situstion. This feels like exactly what I wanted but just a little too on the cheap side quality-wise.
i put a 4500mah battery in it the playtime on 1 charge is insane now
Awesome! I'll have to get one.
"...sounds like a bunch of cats dying to the Final Fantasy theme. And unfortunately, I'm going to give you listen to that now." ....classic. Love it!
So glad to see a video on this! (I know it's weird) There is just something really great about a device that comes in at such a low price. Even if I never touch it again it's actually a great little design that I hope pushes chinese low end devices to do better.
Alright fine, let's watch the review.
Just received mine a couple of weeks ago and there is now the option to map buttons and a folder to dave your favorites to. I messed around with the frogtool as well and was able to tweak the 4 games that appear for each system and add my own scraped artwork.
Cheers,
J
for the price to performance ratio
is it unmatch, i got one around US 15 !!!
u can play arcade, GB, GBC, master system, megadrive/gensis at enjoyable rate.
yes for GBA, SNES games hit and miss. but i try them and some games are playable, SNES super mario seem okay. Aerofighter is also good. for this dirt cheap price. this is really really good value. need people to work on the custom OS to improve GBA, SNES and also add PC engine to the emulator.
Gotta be a word for these super cheap devices that seem like bad value.
E waste?
Landfill. One thing none of these channels have questioned (that i've seen) is the batteries in these super cheap products and what's going to happen with them over the next 1-5 to 10 years. Just more cheapo toxic battery mess being generated over and over
Hilarious change of pace. Honestly hope to see you review more terrible products like this in the future.
In order to have the video working on the TV, you need to push the 2.5mm jack all the way in until you feel a click.
You may not see this but I just want to thank you. Because of your review i will be buying this item as my first cheap emulator. Im not a hardcore gamer but i get a nostagia bug and from what ive seen i think its worth the $33 that i found it for. Thank you for the review without it i may have passed up emulators.
Dang "for a device that is essentially e waste".... burn.
So, your opinion is, not worth it even for $25...
The 18650 battery is quite nice. I have many of those lying around and it is easy to savage them from old batteries.
this thing is a beast with the community os
Cool. What's it called? I just ordered one.
That is a e-waste in my opinion
USB type C?
Common user serviceable battery?
Firmware stored on SD card instead of soldered chip?
Community driven improvements?
I don't buy the e-waste angle, sorry
@@burnzy3210 absolute trash chip? Everything else is moot. We have a well-designed paperweight.
@@zgillet What is the chip?
@@burnzy3210 20:06
@@zgillet well it's a $20 system, it plays 8bit systems just fine and _some_ higher systems
This console is just a reshell of the same board they allways sell, its trash.
My experience with Nintendo style cross d-pads in general is that the diagonals are hard to input. It's why I prefer the circle and Plus d-pad like you see on Sega consoles. That little extra plastic gives you something to press on.
It's mind blowing to me that the Sega Saturn/Genesis six button D-pad isn't copied for everything. It's not just the shape of the pad itself but the way it functions underneath.
I've got this device, it has got a button mapping option and a favourites list.
When on the user roms & settings screen just scroll to the left or right and it's there.
As for the other issues 🤗,
I don't know that I'd prefer it over my current LeapFrog tablet. Mine teaches me the different sounds that various animals make, and it plays a tube when I match up the animal with the correct noise it makes.
My LeapFrog tablet makes me feel like a big man who is smart and strong. It's hard to imagine any other handheld device that can do that.
On a serious (ish) note, there needs to be some easy way to describe the difficulty hitting diagonals that some d pads have. It should be a number to keeps things simple, where 1 is hard and 10 is easy. I nominate "hadouken scale" for a name. Yuk yuk yuk.
You *are* a big man who is smart and strong.
Enjoy your tablet king.
Good review, but the performance issues seem to be resolved after an update according to another channel’s review. Maybe look into that!
Amazing times we live in. Both the SF2000 for $16 and the R36S for $39 deserve to go down in history as forever industry-changing devices. I wouldn't mind buying both devices in bulk to hold onto, as I do believe they'll be remembered as the 2 devices that changed budget emulation handheld expectations permanently.
I feel like for the small amount more, that clamshell from powkiddy, the model name escapes me, but I think it's v90, offers so much more for the dollar.
I checked out as soon as you told me the Dpad sucks for 2D fighting games. That right there is a deal breaker for me.
It's currently on sale for 10-13$ on Ali so I'm really tempted to buy it and just wait for Custom Firmware (which is in early stages of development). Lack of PC Engine library is a dealbreaker for me, but for that price I can just wait while playing my MM+
Please, provide some links where they sell it for $10-13 ?
@@CenturionKZ for the record, 10-13$ prices are on com and us Ali versions. russian counterpart shows the price as 10 570 ₸ from the same sellers so maybe you out of luck with this offer if ru site is primary in Kazakhstan.
That screen tearing is a deal breaker. Thanks for the great review.
Yeah the price makes things more forgiving for sure.
I found it super easy to do fireballs and dragon punches with the dpad, maybe I was just lucky. These cheap devices are always fun😂
There's plenty enough comments here with CFW hopes repercussion. This chip's CLOSED SOURCE ONLY, any and all CFW's based on OPEN SOURCE software. Porting open source software to any new chip amounts to tons of work. It's either paid or forget about it.
This is the kind of stuff that should be addressed in the video so people can actually be informed about how pointless and wasteful these things ultimately are.
Hello sir. Super late to the party, but I just purchased one recently. For the price of a couple fancy cheeseburgers, I couldn't resist! 😅 I found that some issues you found have been corrected on mine (favorites, button mapping, etc..). Not sure if there's a way to update your firmware, but I've found mine worth more than the asking price. Thanks
can you run gba well now or nah
@@epicnessbrian5295 I'll try some roms and follow up.
ty@@Destro615
Thank you for all these very solid reviews. Just like you I cannot stand tearing or remanence so these crash tests are super useful !
Got this for my niece, she plays gameboy and gameboy color games on it and loves it.
I have been watching RGC for awhile now and I am so used to the very polite intros that the absolute sass in the first 5 seconds had me cracking up.
I've had mine for a few days,the good is the build quality,button placement, replaceable battery,and the analog stick is awesome for a device this cheap,it's as smooth as a device that costs $100 or more so the d pad not being able to point at a 45 degree angle really isn't a deal breaker.The bad is not only do some of the SNES run bad(which is almost certain for something that costs $30 or less)but on this device a lot of the GBA games are affected too, every other emulator and all it's games including all the MAME games I've played run just fine as far as I can tell.Ive got 2 other devices that cost me less than $30 one being a variation the X9 handheld and both seem to run all GBA games just fine.
I just got this for $15, and you can favorite games now. It also plays Snes games. I haven't done updates. I guess they fixed it.
Love that the battery is user replaceable. Hate everything else.
I have an Analogue Pocket but I still watch these videos, don't know why 😄
Just echoing other comments, but I'd love to see more of these super cheap handhelds!
They'd be a great jumping in point for new buyers, gifts for others, or those (like me) who love seeing the most competent cheap choices.
The 18650 Battery is EXTREMELY common in devices like these. One advantage here is that it is removable, meaning that you can buy extras and a charger (A couple of 18650s and a charger for them will run about $20) and have spare batteries. This is also usually healthier for these batteries.
It won't play Final Fantasy 1, 2 or 3, but you should be able to get Final Fantasy 7 (NES version China rom) working with the English patch and latest QOL patch and have a decent portable 2d Final Fantasy 7 experience.
When you had us listening to that music that can't be stopped it reminded me of waiting for a representative on a customer service phone call 😂
About those sanded down chips, if you put a dab of isopropyl alcohol (ipa) on them you can sometimes make out the writing. try different angles. also try macrolens on your phone. and if you are desperate microscope :-) all with a ton of light.
I love the form factor and the battery situation. The analog stick is weirdly close to the screen, but, meh. The menus look inspired and the search function are fine. I don't actually think the lack of a Favorites folder would hurt that much. The price is low. However; I have no real coding ability and while I can follow instructions to install other peoples' code, there's no guarantee that anything that'll fix all of its issues will ever be made. I can forgive the screen tearing as long as the colors are bright and punchy; but as you've shown, it doesn't run anything correctly.
I respect the SNES; but I have zero nostalgia for it other than for those games that were ported to the GBA. And this doesn't run those well either. The idea of spending $25 on a SNES controller shaped thing to put on a shelf, a thing that only can run most ancient games mediocre-ly isn't a good idea to me.
I ordered one after seeing another video. While it's unfortunate that it isn't really capable enough for SNES & GBA I'm sure I will have fun playing NES, GB & GBC games (after fixing the button mapping).
18650s in retro handhelds is actually based and i would love to see that more in the future.
Thank you for the dpad information, you saved me the money. I think that is perhaps the highest praise a review can get. Indeed seems like too many issues all around with the device for me as well, it is cheap, but what is the point if I won't be able to enjoy playing on it.
For the A/V, you didn't mention if you tried turning the handheld off, plugging it in, and turning the handheld on again. I found this to be the most reliable way to get my 35xx to work on my TV, I think the detection for the A/V port is not dependent on being plugged in, but looked for on boot.
NGL I like that stupid menu music, too, lol. It'd be neat if garlicOS for the 35xx could incorporate some kind of user-changeable boot audio like a console. I'd love some kind of ultra scuffed gamecube boot audio with my "SUPER ILLEGAL ENTERTAINMENT SYSTEM" boot screen.
In my experience, some TVs simply won't detect an RCA signal if you're only using mono sound.
3:30 there is no R3 stick. lol