PowKiddy RGB30 Starter Guide

[@RetroGameCorps]

Update: the JELOS installation process is slightly updated now, you have to select a function called "create game directories" to populate the second SD card with the ROMs folders. It's all been explained and updated in the written guide: retrogamecorps.com/2023/10/27/powkiddy-rgb30-starter-guide/#Setup

[@LordFener73]

Hi why I cant create game directories in my 4GB sd card ? (fat or fat32 with or without roms folder tip) ... is it too small?

[@melvinsin641]

Hi Russ, as always, thanks so much for taking the time to review (you did 3 videos about the RGB30) and writing starter guides for users to get into retro handhelds and this device. I'm considering getting this device, but my experience with JelOS on anbernic rg353p was not so great due to the fact that the battery drained so quickly in sleep mode. Is there this similar problem here for JelOS on RGB30?

[@pupunoob]

so should we start using Rocknix for the RGB30 right now? Or is the last update of JELOS just fine for now?

[@oorkenc1]

I have tried to sort my rgb30 for the last month. I did an update and it wiped my full games list I think. Is there anyway I could post my device to you to set it up for me, what a riot I cant play anything I have the 128gb version too!

[@TechDweeb]

Amazing guide as always! This is such an awesome sleeper device, I hope it takes off and other companies learn why love this thing so much.

[@RetroGameCorps]

I hope so too!

[@sworddomo1951]

I'm going to use both of your videos when I fix the x55 for a child.

[@I4getTings]

ooh! Hi TechDweeb! Always cool seeing you pop up in the comments 🙂

[@anno5936]

I was just out to get some root beer...

[@andoryuu3]

I largely wrote this handheld off as an insignificant odd aspect ratio device. But for anyone wanting to try JelOS, it's a pocket powerhouse. Now I understand the appeal.

[@kennethd4958]

Everyone else talking about the Odin 2 and I’m over here buying the RGB30!

[@Noodur1]

I treated myself to an RGB30 last week after passing an important exam. Should be here in another week or two. This video will be a big help. Thanks!

[@ilpastor]

I have loved the modding section! Your videos are always 101% completed

[@Pridetoons]

I loved it too!

[@tantrumus7186]

I would like to thank you for this. I received the RGB30 today, 16GB and 256GB Sammy sdcards and started loading her up, so far so good, my daughter is going to freak for xmas when she realizes what this thing is and what it can do.

[@suntorytimes1]

I received my RGB30 yesterday, just what I needed, thanks Russ!

[@modena2010]

Found this channel recently and it has quickly become one of my favorite! Congrats on the amazing content!!!

[@minimoe2807]

The side by side for integer scaling was brilliant. Thanks Russ you're crushing it.

[@mobiusone3923]

Just got mine! Plan to do some of these settings this week, so far it's super comfy to play, and the screen is EPIC!!!

[@MADMANGAM3R]

Wow, amazing guide Russ, I'm so glad I ordered this handheld, mostly because of the detailed video guide, as well as the written guide, and on top of that you do a teardown with mods!! Bravo!

[@TruSuCiO23]

Pulling the trigger on this, lost my sister's gameboy advance sp years ago and she reminded me a while back so this will make up for it!

[@UEGGOTH]

I would like to thank you for two things: Always having great, easy to follow content and showing Die Hard Arcade. I used to play this with my older brother in an arcade in Puerto Rico when I was a kid and could not remember for the life of me remember what the name of the game was. I love you, dude!

[@ripleyevil9135]

Wanted my game boy games in that lime green tone - thanks for all your advice with this setup. I’ve had my eye on this console for a while and now I’ve finally got it up and running. The retro gaming community on KZbin is the greatest 💚💚💚💚

[@roqueadeleon]

Just got mine in the mail yesterday, can’t wait to go through this entire video since i had a lot of questions

[@jefflolson]

For hardware mods you can also add a rumble motor you can see the white circle already on the board, I got a 10x3mm coin vibrating motor that already has adhesive so you just have to solder 2 wires . It currently only functions with ArkOS but I believe it'll work with jelos when they mainline the rgb30 version.

[@red5ants]

Cool, I hope that there’s a tutorial for that when it’s available in Jelos

[@jinty83]

Thanks for such a detailed guide. My RGB30 arrives next week and I can't wait to get started!

[@Blackbird9070]

I have absolutely no intention of ever buying this - but still love watching these videos. As always - great job Russ 😂

[@MasDouc]

Why not?

[@mattbtv]

Thank you for turning us on to the RGB30 Russ. Definitely my favorite handheld of the year.

[@mattbtv]

Actually, it’s split between this for the screen and the RG35XX overall (in no small part thanks to MinUI)

[@LeeMc007]

Your guides are absolutely second to none Russ, I will be buying an RGB30 so this will be a great reference for me when I do, I must say you totally deserve your channels growth, from the guides to the reviews there is nothing but excellence, the way you explain and articulate is superb, so professional and you can really tell when you're gushing over a device with genuine excitement.

[@MasterToke]

I managed to get one off Aliexpress for $51 and this video made that a reality. Thank You bro! Love the content and Thank You for Your Service!

[@kaedeshirtoto]

I finally got this and i CANNOT believe hoe much I love it. I can't stop playing SNES on it. 8:7 with integer scaling/ over scale is amazing

[@LucasFowler]

I found that for GB, GBC, GG, NES, SNES and Genesis, I really like to set the video filter to "Grid3x" and the shader to "sharp-bilenear-2x-prescale" and either 10:9 or 8:7 aspect depending on the system. This gives fantastic crisp pixels that are defined via the grid, which I love the look of, but also takes up essentially the full screen minus the bars from the aspect ratio difference. I use the "Grid3x" filter for GBA as well, but I don't use a shader since it integer scales perfectly. Hope that helps someone!

[@Seako_2708]

It will certainly help me, thank you!

[@thatzaliasguy]

install the maximus-royale-CRT shaders. Best shaders for everything up to PS2, as it's a proper recreation of a Sony Trinitron phospher diffusion mask with plenty of tweaking options to scale with.

[@davidframe3457]

@@thatzaliasguy Is the RK3566 powerful enough for royal-CRT? I thought it brought most handheld chipsets to their knees.

[@andresmar2000]

I got mine a few days ago and I’m completely satisfied, it’s just what I wanted. The build quality is very good, buttons are nice and the screen is the best part, I’ve mainly played SNES, GBA, NDS, N64 arcade and oh boy It works and looks absolutely amazing, battery is surprisingly good too. I’m in love. Only thing I can say is PSP looks a little small on the screen, I’ve only played patapon and it runs great but I just wish it looked a little bigger, that’s the only real complaint I have, other than that it’s a 10/10, if you’re interested in this device I’d say go for it, it’s not too expensive and works great, also this is an amazing starter guide that just buffed my device hahaha

[@davidhoffman6509]

THANK YOU for this. Just got my RGB 30 and you've made my time with it so much better.

[@SirPootaso]

Great guide. I'm recieving a yellow unit next week and can't wait to try it. I'll change the membranes and joysticks eventually, but by the moment I just ordered that case. Thanks for the video!

[@DanMacWilliams]

Absolutely valuable setup advice. The written instructions on the website also. I got an RGB30 last month and something happened with the stock SD cards and I somehow lost everything on the second card they gave me. I used these instructions when I got my own SD cards (which I was about to do anyway), and everything worked perfectly, out of the box. I noticed SNES didn't give me a tiny window when I did my own install with my own roms, which is what the install they gave me did. Good stuff.

[@DisgruntledPigumon]

I got mine on Ali for $71, I ended up going against the norm and bought the card with games just to be plug and play. I’ll go ahead and curate the games at some point. But this is the best handheld ever. The simple fact that very arcade games are the same size as horizontal console games is the best selling point for me. ❤

[@manuelcapela7620]

Are you happy with the games (Game Boy/Boy Color, for instance)? Thank you.

[@t.terrell7037]

So you never swapped out your sd card and are just using the one that came preloaded? No issues? How long did shipping take?

[@LudoArcadeGames]

Great and useful starter guide to configure the RGB30 ! Finally, I prefer no integer scaling on Game Boy with this beautiful screen 🙂

[@hotchoclateguy]

took me sometime but i was finally able to set it up - amazing device, I got the red color. Thanks Russ!! Maybe I will try hardware mod sometime

[@kahlilmichaelpastoriiescur9493]

Man....I watch your reviews....talk about being a beginner.....that's what I call a thorough walk thru 😮‍💨😇

[@TheRetroLime]

great content as always , i just got delivery of my green rgb30, happy with it so far

[@darkchild130]

Just bought one, can’t wait to get it, I’ve been using a PSP Go for Emulation for as long as I can remember. It’s time to move on!

[@amgardner8464]

Awesome guide Ross! Much appreciated! I’d love to see a video of you discussing accessories for these plethora of devices. Being that a number of these handhelds only charge using a certain wattage USB-C, I think some users find power bricks and cables to be a little overwhelming. Maybe toss in some of your favorite battery packs, carrying case options (kinda hard because of the varying ergonomics but maybe an all in one type deal). Headphones, earbuds, or my personal favorite IEMs, varying IO adapters, etc. Maybe you’ve already posted a video regarding accessories and I missed it. If so, my apologies. Thanks again for all you do!!!

[@tamphex]

Thanks for this informative guide; I just received my RGB30 today so this made things a lot smoother going in.

[@xSpJiGo]

I used 17mm with the tape mod on mine today but ended up trimming a touch off, so I think your 16.5mm pretty much nailed it.

[@Superb_Owl80]

I heard that Powkiddy's pre-loaded sd card is actually pretty good - things are well named and without a lot of duplicates. I ordered the rgb30 with a 128 gig card, I'm looking forward to checking it out!

[@GeordiLaForgery]

This is a superb definitive starter guide. I think I'll get one of these just need to pick a color.

[@PinkDan12345]

You're doing the lords work Russ

[@radical_dog]

Aha, good timing. I put my order in yesterday because of the Pico 8 and DS possibilities (above and beyond what other pocketable devices do), so happy to have something else to stoke my excitement with.

[@MRCAB]

Oh my gosh thank you for this! Just got this last week and couldn’t really find a good setup guide.

[@michaelbenny659]

It’s the best device powkiddy has ever made

[@obvious_giraffe8386]

Not sure if thats a compliment or not

[@SzymonSaysStuff]

That's like being the healthiest McDonald's meal but yeah for sure

[@alexdoodt]

Elaborate on that

[@diegocobo8]

Man, I came from a patched Nintendo Switch, and speaking of retro emulation, this machine is a complete beast: fully customizable with themes, music (better than any Atmosphere OS theme), with Arkos OS Systems as Dreamcast, Naomi, Atomiswave, PSX, N64, NDS, runs smoothly, near to excellent...Battery life per gaming is about 4,5 or 6 hours (depending on the game requirements). I'm specially impressed with the Dreamcast performance: it can runs games as Neo Geo Battle Colisseum, Hokuto no Ken, Soul Calibur, Crazy Taxy, near to perfection. On the Nintendo Switch (patched) most of this Systems/games can't run, or you need to do tricks as playing it with Lakka, Ubuntu, overclocking, etc.

[@mauriciofreitas9439]

I got mine and I’m really enjoying

[@EmuIskic]

mine is literally showing up TODAY, you couldnt have picked a better day for this video.

[@DeadEyeJ]

Why don't you have a millions subscribers, yet? You just made my RGB30 that much better. Never thought about the analog stick and membrane switch. I'm going to have to pick those up soon. I also put a diagonal cut out of electrical tape on my device, and I don't have false diagonals anymore.

[@aboutstu]

Hello there, just to say thanks for the vid….. All new to this but have created a custom RGB30 exactly to my needs. It’s a great device and recommend to newbies like myself. I use the system just for mostly pre 32bit stuff and its absolutely perfect. Happy gaming all. :-))

[@Raphtor13]

So glad you put this out as I will be receiving mine soon. Thank you!

[@reeeeeeeee8775]

Just ordered mine, thanks for the guide!

[@chiefenumclaw7960]

As a complete lameo, el-Newbo I don't think I would purchase this device without a video like this. Much obliged, good Sir.

[@foreignhorrorandmore-uf2zl]

Russell I never comment on your video so here's 1000 thanks for all your great content!

[@AlexLog314]

and the "You are the man!" award goes to Russ! thank you so much!

[@versusforward]

Love this channel, thanks for this guide! I just got my RGB30 in the mail, and have given away countless handhelds prior to it, your videos are all so thorough and digestible. I did get the black screen on boot after updating the OS/Firmware once I got wifi enabled, which was an easy enough fix (brightness turned all the way down - there's a video somewhere that addresses this bug, but once you adjust it it won't happen again). Ultimately I got this to try pico-8, and wow am I impressed and inspired. Very very cool. This is a really cool and unique device - though if someone had to choose one I'd still say a miyoo mini or + would better suit most people. The shape of the device is just slightly less convenient here, but if you even have the slightest inkling for playing pico-8 this is it.

[@Kalsarikannit72]

Got mine today and upon startup the black screen comes on. How does one go about fixing that?

[@versusforward]

@@Kalsarikannit72 you have to shine a cellphone flashlight or bright light at the screen to see and try to get to the settings. There's a guy who gives you the specific button presses but I'd need to find the video. Basically the screen is just turned all the way down, but once you adjust it it shouldn't happen again.

[@BobSure_AKA_PotatoSmasher]

Great work on ALL your starter guides.

[@kazzerism]

Perfect timing, mine should hopefully come next week! I think I'm most excited for Pico 8 :)

[@TotallyRandomForever]

Oh wow, right when I was considering buying one of these based on your recommendations!

[@muratgel]

My order is on the way and I can't wait.

[@prema9878]

I’ll be getting my rgb30 next week and will certainly use this guide!

[@arekhautaluoma4276]

Wee! Just got mine and went with Ark OS. Really enjoying it so far. I've been thinking about one of these retro handhelds for a couple of years now, and this was the one that really jumped out to me :D

[@marcopalezzato630]

Thank you for this guide, it's what I needed to set my RGB30 to hero. Except for the external controller part. It was a lot more complex to set them up in RA. I understand RA is meant to use autoconfig for those, but my device came with an empty folder. Mapping my device manually and saving it's profile didn't work inside a content and messed up the rgb30 controls instead. And my ext controller profile file had the rgb30 controller ID in it. The solution was to update the controller list and then adding manually both the profile of my controller and the rgb30's. This way everything worked inside and outside content. Still, thanks again for your amazing work!!

[@Winchumbo]

My JELOS is up to date but none of the select shortcuts work in game except SEL START R + L to exit, no other shortcut works. any ideas on the fix?

[@wyicehockey]

Update to Rocknix as they have taken over development of jelos and renamed it

[@gvipaiva]

Thanks so much for the video, Russ! Been enjoying my RGB30 a lot

[@bclikesyou]

0:22 There's that Russ smirk we all know and love Great timing - mine just arrived last night. Setting it up for the weekend ✌

[@ericjv41]

Just picked this up on AliExpress without a second SD card for $65 with shipping and taxes. Can't wait to get my hands on it. I have the RG353V and the X28. I still want to add the rg405v to my collection but I'm feeling really good about what I've got.

[@minimoe2807]

Fantastic guide for an awesome system!

[@Pridetoons]

Thank You for posting this video Russ!!! I'm about to buy an RGB30 and a Trimui Smart Pro. 😁

[@reyhanmmm]

the video dropped at the same time mine was delivered 😁 thanks!

[@spoonito]

You are doing the lord's work here. I was just dreaming and wishing you'd make a video like this and here you are! LOVE THIS DEVICE

[@kakashi99908]

I tried using the Samsung endurance micro SD cards as they are much more reliable than regular SD cards. They are slower but the types of games you will play on the RGB30 wont come anywhere near the max read speed of it so it is a good choice if you want something more reliable. Will probably work good as the flash storage too.

[@glennshoemake4200]

I use the SanDisk Max Endurance in my Model 3 and had no issues with it constantly recording for almost 4 years. The Endurance cards are definitely worth the slight premium in price.

[@N02tradamus]

Just ordered yesterday. Perfect timing

[@Vanniberna]

Russ, thank you so much for all the time and effort you invest in these guides, I just got my RGB30 and the set-up has been a cinch thanks to you! This is my first retro handheld and so much of the experience would have been daunting without these videos... I was wondering if you, or any of the people here, have had any experience with RetroArch's AI translation service? My expectations are fairly low, I hardly think I'll be able to fully enjoy an RPG or any other text-heavy games with that, but they might make some of the WonderSwan's puzzle/adventure offerings a bit more comprehensible, for one thing... Anyhoo, thank you so much again, and all the best from Naples (Italy, not Florida) ^^

[@Bibvock]

Absolutely love this device

[@roqueadeleon]

I love filling up the screen with a game (even if it means cutting some of the content off). I've found that for PS1 you can squish things in a little bit to make it more square-ish and have it fill up the screen vertically. You will still cut off a little bit of the sides but for action games etc it should be fine. Obviously won't work for every single game.

[@jvillaro]

Daaaaaaang dude you go all out, thanks for all the hard work you put into your videos

[@edtuckerartist]

Tried my Pi 400 mouse plugged in with a usbC adaptor and it works perfectly in Pico8 games that support mouse input. 😁Just need a small usb keyboard now to write my own games.

[@martin_from_sweden]

I love this machine. I bought it as soon as I saw your review. But I have installed ArkOS and now I can’t get the wifi to work, so I’m thinking of switching back. Thank you for all your fantastic videos. I’m impressed by how well made and detailed they all are and the time and passion that you but in.

[@azenyr]

You need to go into tools > advanced > wifi and configure your wifi from there

[@azenyr]

Sorry I said it all wrong. Just confirmed. In the main systems menu scroll till you find Options. There you access Advanced and select wifi on. It will reboot. Now go back to options, and in the first list go to the bottom and select wifi, configure it in there and it should get connected. To check your connection, on the home screen open the menu with the start button and in the bottom of the first page it says the wifi status

[@martin_from_sweden]

@@azenyr I have. But it says something about “secrets needed but none were shared” or something. It worked at first, but recently I haven’t gotten it to work.

[@thomaschipman]

arkos can be configured to save state, quick shutdown and then load state on startup as well. it is one of the features that makes it feel like onionos and that also helps with the sleep battery drain issue

[@WhoIsLudwig]

I spent a decent part of my morning setting mine up under ArkOS, but seeing your video, I wanna do it all over again on JELOS, now 😅

[@briancherry8088]

I love your setup guides! Thanks.

[@stephencurah1059]

Nice review, I like the music of the intro

[@pipedream690]

Taking notes even though I don't own or plan to buy one!

[@EduardoCostaLisboa]

What a great masterclass 😊

[@chedhead3278]

Great guide, cheers Russ.

[@l3oomll7]

Nice starter guide as always, appreciated your work.

[@speedvr829]

My rgb30 has shipped. Only interested in vertical arcade and game boy games. Nice.

[@KtotheL]

I'd say out of all the ones I've seen this is the best one yet and it's reasonably priced considering ! Wow this thing is fabulous with all your capabilities I have to have this I already have all the add-on stuff why not thanks for pointing it out dude

[@rendyred9096]

I finally got my handheld received it yesterday 10/06/24, I absolutely love it, I'm so bummed that I need to have it returned, either for an exchange or refund. The battery lasts for max 30 mins.

[@UrbanHim]

I honestly don't know where i'd be without your videos! Keep them coming, its hugely appreciated!

[@EmuIskic]

After 2 weeks of using, I literally just want like 3 things from it. A little more power, a little more compact and maybe a metal shell. Other than that I love this thing

[@dreamsky66666]

最爱看你做的掌机测评视频，在KZbin上你做的是做好的。😊

[@retroblue-p9g]

I've got two RG35xx, might use one to swap out membrane and D-pad, give Anbernic a shout on the analogue sticks. Amazing video as usual, Russ. Keep up the good work.

[@NIVO1972]

thx russ great guide!

[@jwithington]

YAYYY mine is likely arriving tomorrow. Great timing!!! I really hope the buttons aren’t x55 style clacky

[@soaremicheledavid6020]

TIP : Use only one SD card, if you use a separate card for roms you will have a decrease in performance by 5-10% in FPS! Tested this on all my devices, works everytime.

[@bclikesyou]

How'd you do it? I partitioned my card, flashed the OS to one partition, but still can't get the OS to populate the other partition with folders.

[@davidframe3457]

This doesn’t make any sense for smaller ROMs since they’ll be fully loaded into the device’s RAM. The CPU doesn’t need to do anything extra.

[@maldjulio]

How?

[@AScribblingTurtle]

Ordered mine from Amazon (because our customs can be "picky", when it comes to shipping tech from non-European countries to private addresses.) Can't wait for it to arrive. Could you also make a video that compares ArkOS and JelOS ? Would love to see how the two stack up on this Device.

[@olivermirez6667]

Gracias, Russ!

[@SilversKr]

Thanks!

[@jvogler_art4708]

I want it, I just am not sold on the dpad. The display is very appealing though. Of all the models, I love this tall mini arcade look to the display

[@MrDLYouTube]

Some info to people struggling getting their RGB30 to find WiFi connections. Seems like PowKiddy are delivering their devices with old JelOS versions. If you have a USB-C to ethernet adapter, connect it to the OTG port, and it will connect via cable and you can update without any problems. The latest version of JelOS works fixes the WiFi problem.

[@seadx6]

Hi man, which would you recommend me to get this Christmas? The RGB30 (this one), the X55 or the Ambernic RG503? I asked this in the retro handhelds discord and they suggested me the RG503 which they told me was better than the X55 and its on release problems were already solved but TBH I want to get advice from you What I want is mostly to emulate PSP Dreamcast PS1 GBA and Saturn games on a Linux based retro handheld, the games I would emulate on Dreamcast and Saturn are fighting games

[@p__o__l__s__k__y]

Amazing ❤

[@martinh4982]

This is my favourite handheld of the last couple of years. The battery could be better, but otherwise the device is great. Also a big shootout to the JELOS team for putting in so much work. I've said it before, and I'll say it again, if you've got a spare $80 and you're on the fence, get one. It's great.

[@wayofthekodiak3118]

I'm almost ready to pull the trigger but having to set up and install games is a bit of a turn off. I like to just turn on and head right into gaming. Not spend 3 hours goofing off looking for roms that may or may not work. Same thing with the various bios files. On a scale of easy to pain in the ass where does this device fall as far as set up?

[@martinh4982]

@@wayofthekodiak3118 very easy! If you want games with it specify one of the storage options when buying, 128gb is a good bet. Otherwise I find the Internet Archive to be a very good site for sets. Plonk ROMs in the correct folders, job done. Many systems don't require bios files, but same again for those that do. Either way, you'll be up and running quickly.