Powkiddy RGB30 Review - Square Screen: Perfect or Pointless?

Get all your modding gear from ZedLabz!
Save money with the code JOEBLEEPS
www.zedlabz.com/?ref=d4S68RLA...
Visit my Amazon store front (now in UK/US/CA/DE/FR/ES/IT)
www.amazon.co.uk/shop/joebleeps
The above are affiliate links: I may receive a commission if you use these links to purchase items - you will be supporting this channel at no additional cost to you, so thanks!
In this video I'll be taking a look at the new RGB30 handheld from Powkiddy that comes with a SQUARE screen? Is it just what we always needed but never though to ask for? Or a misguided gimmick? Watch and find out.
I don't go into detail about the setup process or specific technical settings, if you want to know about that, watch this excellent breakdown from ‪@RetroGameCorps‬ :
• $90 and Amazing for Re...
They also have a discount code I used to get $5 off my order.
Pico-8:
www.lexaloffle.com/pico-8.php
Music: Joe Bleeps
www.joebleeps.bandcamp.com​​​​​
/ joebleeps​​​​​
Camera: Google Pixel 6a
Mic: Rode NT USB+
Hardware: 2012 i7 MacBook Pro with 2xSSD
Software: iMovie/Keynote

[@mitchthepreacher1512]

Awesome little video, can't wait until mine arrives.

[@JoeBleeps]

Worth the wait!

[@bclikesyou]

Hell yeah dude been eyeing this one lately! Hope you're well 💜💜

[@JoeBleeps]

All good here thanks! Nice to hear from you ☺️

[@HysteriaSD83]

I feel like I’m not going to stop thinking about this until I buy one, great vid mate 👍

[@JoeBleeps]

If it helps, I was the same after seeing pictures of it! And thank you 😁

[@-Astro--]

very cool device thanks for the review and bringing it to my attention 👍

[@JoeBleeps]

Thanks for watching!

[@willm127]

So funny that you’d do this review! I have been lurking when it comes to these emulation portable machines but haven’t had the time to really dig deep and find the right one. When takiudon on KZbin reviewed this about a month ago, it piqued my interest because this seemed to hit all of the boxes I was looking for. Ultimately I spent about a week looking at different consoles and comparing. I couldn’t decided between this, the Anbernic RG353M, and the Retroid Pocket 2S. Ultimately I went with the RG353M because of the build quality and portability. But what a coincidence that you’re reviewing this now. Looking forward to the teardown.

[@JoeBleeps]

There are so many great handhelds out there that you really can't go wrong. Just pick the best one for your particular needs! I hope you enjoyed the video 😄

[@bankbank]

retroid has better build quality than anbernic. rg405m screens falling out for just one example.

[@JoeBleeps]

@@bankbank my anbernic has always felt really solid, however I started to have some issues with games not working on amberelec so I don't use it as much now

[@richfrommitch]

I bought a d-pad and membrane from Anbernic (their RG353M ones) and swapped them in and now the RGB30 is PERFECT.

[@JoeBleeps]

That's interesting to know, I didn't realise that you could buy the spares from anbernic

[@CNTRRNDM]

This is really cool and I'd absolutely love to get my hands on one of these (that's what she said🤣)...however, what impressed me even more was the excellent video editing! Wow!!! So on point!!!👏

[@JoeBleeps]

Thanks so much! I've been trying hard to get better at it

[@chrispy3051]

Got mine a few days ago and it's fully replaced my miyoo mini plus. NES looks amazing on this with an 8:7 aspect ratio. Mega Man 2 has been a dream playing on the RGB30. This emulator is really something special with that screen . Love playing Gameboy on it as well.

[@JoeBleeps]

I was pleasantly surprised with just how good the NES games look on this thing

[@UrbanHim]

I mainly use my Mini+ for Amiga, and I love the hot swap between joystick and mouse and the onscreen keyboard, have you tried Amiga emulation on this? I wonder what it would be like!

[@JoeBleeps]

@@UrbanHim not tried Amiga yet!

[@radovan_mladic]

SNES and GBA and SEGA?

[@JoeBleeps]

@@radovan_mladic all perfect

[@jfroco]

Received mine yesterday and the screen is amazing. Highlights: GB, GBC, GBA, GG, NGPC, vertical arcade games and Pico-8.

[@JoeBleeps]

Agreed on those highlights!

[@jonathonearl482]

Are you playing those particular systems in full screen on the RGB30?

[@JoeBleeps]

@@jonathonearl482 GB,GBC, GBA, GG, NGPC at full width, shmups at full height, Pico-8 full screen

[@jonathonearl482]

@@JoeBleeps I just ordered myself the Purple Edition RGB30! It looks so cool and I know what games I'll be using it for. I've been on the fence every since the previews of the RGB30 played. So many people seem to like it so I'll give it a shot. I could use an extra pocket portable handheld in my collection.

[@jonathonearl482]

I do like the overall design of the RGB30 which looks much better than that RK2023.

[@allythunderhill]

Oh no, now I want one 😆 My miyoo has gotten a lot of use too. My only gripe is the lack of thumbsticks. Might have to pick up something like this soon. Thanks for the indepth review, Joe!

[@JoeBleeps]

Thanks Ally! I think it's a great companion to the Miyoo. They both have specific advantages.

[@UrbanHim]

I'm so with you on this! The Miyoo is my favourite device, with Onion its just so intuitive and easy to use, but damn I wish it had thumbsticks, thats the only negative for me! Hence why I bought the RGB30!

[@JoeBleeps]

@@UrbanHim they do add some good versatility, despite my initial reservations!

[@JustinEmlay]

That's funny., many reviewers commented on the volume button position. But what's funny is any phone you turn landscape, the volume buttons are the same way. Up on the left and down on the right. So in a way it seems perfectly normal to me.

[@JoeBleeps]

I see what you mean! Still felt counter-intuitive to me 😅

[@MasDouc]

You should turn off integer scaling for the PICO-8 itll perfectly fill the screen.

[@JoeBleeps]

Yes you're right! I need to get round to doing that

[@liznyc5384]

Nice vid!!!

[@JoeBleeps]

Thank you Liz!

[@UrbanHim]

I'd love to see what SWIV looks like on Amiga using this! Wonder if that'll expand to full screen, i'd imagine not!

[@JoeBleeps]

I'll have to try it

[@UrbanHim]

Please do and let us know! Its one of the greatest Shoot 'em ups ever. I think it'd be epic on this! Also, if you get it working, a tutorial for emulating Amiga would be very much appreciated! Keep up the great content you legend! @@JoeBleeps

[@JoeBleeps]

@@UrbanHim thank you!

[@mattsephton]

Hands down my favourite looking device of recent times. Still on the fence whether I really need one but I'm perilously close to clicking buy

[@JoeBleeps]

None of us NEED one Matt. But it will definitely add joy to your life 😁

[@mattsephton]

@@JoeBleeps sign me up

[@UrbanHim]

I'm with you on this mate! I've got 4 retro devices, Miyoo Mini, Mini+, Retroid RP2S and the monster RG405V! But this is the best looking device i've ever seen! And with dual sticks! Do I need it? No! Will it be any good for PSP? No! Will I still buy it? Highly likely!

[@Artsyca]

I like how we’re all going through the same stages. I ultimately gave in and bought one yesterday. I honestly won’t believe it till I see it.

[@JoeBleeps]

@@Artsyca hopefully you'll like it. I saw they are bringing out a yellow one soon, tempted to get one! 😅

[@IrregularShed]

Well, I told you I'd probably end up getting one, and... it got ordered this afternoon. There's some spies out there that need huntin'!

[@JoeBleeps]

Haha brilliant I hope you dig it. I've been spending time over the weekend tweaking settings, adding games and scraping artwork. It's getting better and better.

[@tamphex]

Getting mine delivered tomorrow - looking forward to checking it out; hopefully it'll make me do this face 0:48 :P

[@JoeBleeps]

Hahaha! I hope you dig it

[@werdnawee]

Ordered mine at the beginning of September for a trip to Japan. It arrived a week before my trip but when I opened it, it was an X55. So returned it and still waiting for the RGB30 to arrive 🤬 They better refund the return shipping cost too as it was their mistake.

[@JoeBleeps]

Oh what!? That's terrible

[@user-kd3xq7zo9s]

The best thing I can say..one of many..is the comfort..man my hands thanks the Powkiddy Gods...also that screen😮

[@JoeBleeps]

It shouldn't be as comfortable as it is. Looks just like an uninspired slab of plastic when it comes to ergonomics. But in actual use it's so comfortable. A very welcome surprise!

[@user-kd3xq7zo9s]

I hit all the buttons by mistake how do I get back to factory mold

[@JoeBleeps]

@@user-kd3xq7zo9s was that for remapping all the buttons? I did this too! A lot of trial and error to work out which button was up, down, a and b then went to the remap settings again and set them all properly

[@user-kd3xq7zo9s]

Thanks I did the exact same as u..so all the buttons and analog/joystick work properly 😁

[@JoeBleeps]

@@user-kd3xq7zo9s glad to hear that!

[@FrankJonen]

I think square is the proper aspect ratio for retro games. It just fits the most ratios without having to do stunts.

[@JoeBleeps]

It's surprisingly versatile and even works well with some slight borders at the top and bottom

[@coentertainer]

Assuming you want to play the systems that look good on this screen, this is a fantastic device. Now that people are receiving their Orders, the main talking point I'm seeing on Reddit, is its bad battery life. If you do make a video upgrading it to a better battery, I think that could get a lot of traction.

[@JoeBleeps]

Thank you, I definitely need to take a peep and see if I can find a better alternative

[@user-kd3xq7zo9s]

So just change the battery

[@user-kd3xq7zo9s]

Turn off things like the music.. putting on the power saver and config until u get it right

[@user-kd3xq7zo9s]

Mine last several days without charging..also you can play while it's charging

[@JoeBleeps]

@@user-kd3xq7zo9s this is the best way. The screen is so vibrant it's still really good on a lower brightness

[@keepcalm1182]

thanks for the informative video! may I ask, whats that game at 23:50? looks nice! thanks

[@JoeBleeps]

That's Celeste running on Pico-8, Celeste is wonderful no matter the platform 😊

[@deadox]

Regarding the two sticks it's quite nice to have them for Smash TV 😏

[@JoeBleeps]

I'll give it a try!

[@EnjoySynthSounds]

Can you map the save/load buttons to the shoulder buttons on some systems? Does it support Spectrum and C64 with keyboard overlay.? Thanks in advance.

[@JoeBleeps]

You can remap buttons but I'm not sure about that specific case. I haven't tried spectrum or c64 yet sorry!

[@ASAN2042]

Great review 😎🎮 im wondering..do you get a considerable amount of screen heating on your device? I recently acquired the purple one and my screen heats even at half brightness. It heats particularly at the bottom of the screen 🤔 wondering if anyone else is having this problem? Thank you in advance.

[@JoeBleeps]

I've played it a lot and I've not noticed that happening. I wonder if it's specific to the new ones or maybe I just don't pay enough attention 🤣

[@dark2deeds]

I dread to think how many handheld and android devices I have for playing retro games and dare I say I've had to get this one

[@JoeBleeps]

I'm the same but I really feel this one offers something different

[@Eye_oftheBeholder]

Does it come preloaded with games?

[@JoeBleeps]

You can get it with a preloaded SD card. I wish I'd done that myself!

[@AndrewHelgeCox]

Can you plug in a keyboard and mouse to make a game on it in pico8? External monitor too.

[@JoeBleeps]

No, you would still need a computer for that (edit: what do I know lol - see replies below 🤣)

[@mattsephton]

Yes, you can as these sorts of devices all run Linux and support OTG adapters. This one has HDMI out so it's even better than many others. Pico8 has editor mode built-in.

[@jfroco]

Yes via USB... and 99% sure via bluetooth (I haven't tested it with the RBG 30, but it is supported by JELOS on other similar consoles). HDMI out is working out of the box.

[@socalrcguy1]

Can you check if the game invader is included? Its a shmup for GBA

[@JoeBleeps]

I didn't get it with any games, sorry, I added all my own roms

[@socalrcguy1]

@@JoeBleeps 👍🏼

[@AndrewHelgeCox]

Is there a handheld with a 3:2 aspect ratio? That would be perfect for GBA.

[@JoeBleeps]

Not that I know of. GBA on this is still pretty good

[@jfroco]

Yes, Anbernic RG351P and RG351M have 3:2 aspect ratio, but the Powkiddy RGB 30 has integer scaling for GBA with a very similar screen real state.

[@exodous02]

Mine didn't come with a case. What did the case look like?

[@JoeBleeps]

It's available separately on the website for about $10, you'll see it briefly at the start of the video

[@exodous02]

Ah, that one PowKiddy sells for a lot of their handhelds.@@JoeBleeps

[@jazzybeat28]

Got mine with a defective R2 button. I'm trying to return it, but getting customer support to answer the email or messages is impossible. Also, the screen has a lot of bleeding lights at the bottom, and the battery has issues with charging to 100%. Disappointed.

[@JoeBleeps]

That definitely sounds like a bad unit. No light bleed on mine. As for the shoulder buttons, my L2 wasn't engaging very well. It also bothered me how the buttons would rattle. I took it apart and improved them, an will be putting together a video about it, but in the meantime I hope you have success in getting a replacement unit

[@user-kd3xq7zo9s]

So I've had my device now for a little over two weeks and let me tell you it was a lot of trial-and-error but this device is awesome.. what can I say I have several devices already so why would I buy this one the screen every game including the pathetic Atari 2600 games look amazing on this system and with the vertical shoot'em up I mean what else can I say the vertical so looks amazing to it's a great learning curve and a great start of system that teaches you how to navigate certain things to make games look way better but to be honest the default is still badass what I'm learning now is how to load up my own second-place certain games that didn't come with the system and yes the DS games in the PSP games are still awesome the play on here because I can connect them to my and play them on the bus

[@JoeBleeps]

I'm still loving mine

[@GeordiLaForgery]

How well does wave race 64 run on there? Is it choppy?

[@JoeBleeps]

I'll have to try it! I used to love that game on the N64

[@GeordiLaForgery]

​@@JoeBleeps I'm guessing it wont run well but would be nice to know before splurging 80 bucks

[@kbocuts1359]

Does it run sega saturn ok?

[@JoeBleeps]

I haven't tried Saturn on it yet but I expect it might struggle with some. I'll have to give it a go, I don't think there was a Saturn emulator on mine

[@Mosestylez]

How is the battery on this thing, any good? 😁

[@JoeBleeps]

It's alright. Not amazing but I did a bit of searching around and the capacity is about as good as you'll get, they didn't skimp on the battery thankfully

[@Mosestylez]

@@JoeBleeps Can we at least get like 5 hours gameplay when playing SNES?😁🙏

[@JoeBleeps]

@@Mosestylez planning on a bit of gaming on it this week so I'll keep an eye on the time

[@Mosestylez]

@@JoeBleeps Thank you!🙏

[@turnbasedtoddy7664]

It’s also great for DS games!

[@JoeBleeps]

I've not tried DS games yet! Does it suffer much from the lack of a touch screen?

[@turnbasedtoddy7664]

@@JoeBleeps Not really you can use the right analog stick, kinda like a mouse to use the touchscreen if you need to. I mainly just try to play games that don’t need the touchscreen too much. As far as the form factor, it works out pretty well for the top and bottom screen being stacked together.

[@JoeBleeps]

@@turnbasedtoddy7664 I never knew that about the right stick! Good idea

[@Comfarol]

real world battery expectations?

[@JoeBleeps]

To be fair this is one of this machine's weaknesses and I want to investigate alternative options

[@AlexLog314]

A random question. Since it has Bluetooth, can you connect AirPods with it? I see no reason why it shouldn’t.

[@JoeBleeps]

I can't find any settings for it, just had a look now

[@AlexLog314]

@@JoeBleeps oh nooo 🥲

[@JoeBleeps]

@@AlexLog314 maybe someday someone will figure it out

[@AlexLog314]

@@JoeBleeps I ordered it yesterday anyway 😂 I got it in blue

[@JoeBleeps]

@@AlexLog314 it's a great machine, you'll love it.

[@lothar2304]

Can I play C64 games with RGB30?

[@JoeBleeps]

Not sure, haven't tried yet

[@DroidLocks6971]

I Sent My Miyoo Mini Plus Back . Very Generic And The Seller Lied About The Number Of Games On The SD Card . Ima Try X55 256gb version and it says 30K plus Games so ima give it a chance .

[@JoeBleeps]

I build up my own game libraries on these things as the included cards aren't often up to the task.

[@DroidLocks6971]

@@JoeBleeps i don't have the ability or know how to do that like the vast majority of people who buy these other there'd be way fewer sales of these retro handhelds

[@DroidLocks6971]

@@JoeBleeps i do plan on buying one of these as well though

[@JoeBleeps]

@@DroidLocks6971 I know just what you mean. And as I said in this video, I wish I'd bought it with the pre-built SD card so I had something to play while I set up my own collection!

[@DroidLocks6971]

@@JoeBleeps I want to play the Pico games

[@jakesmith5278]

Not bad but the Retriod Pocket 2S blew this one and all the others like this out of the water.

[@JoeBleeps]

I'll have to check that out. I'm absolutely hooked on Pico-8 with this thing

[@DroidLocks6971]

Just Make A Back Up Copy Of SD CARD And Use It

[@JoeBleeps]

How do you mean?

[@frostedbutts4340]

This is really petty but I wish it had a flap or something for the bottom, the amount of buttons and slots on every surface looks really busy. Can it put out video from USB C?

[@JoeBleeps]

I don't think so