Powkiddy's Best Handheld Yet? Rgb 30 Hands-on Review

[@nathanstrik]

And of course, a screen like this practically screams Pico-8 games, which are all 1:1 aspect ratio and scale amazingly on this screen. And if you connect a keyboard to the unit and use the official Raspberry Pi build of Pico-8, you can even develop and test your own games right on this unit. Awesome stuff!

[@genblob]

The 1:1 screen makes this really unique and cool. Looks perfect for vertical arcade games

[@duranium4445]

It's the perfect fusion for running old consoles and Gameboy games.

[@Leeki85]

1:1 screen aspect is really good idea. All retro resolutions scale well and it really shines in arcade games that use tate mode (CRT screen rotated 90 degree for 3:4 aspect). It's also great for Game Boy, NES, SNES, while being good enough for 320x200-ish systems like Sega Genesis, Neo-Geo, Amiga etc. If I ever buy such handheld device it will definitely have 1:1 aspect ratio. Especially that we all have multiple 16:9 devices. Keep in mind that the more square screen aspect is, it's area gets bigger for a given diagonal. This is why just 5.3" 1:1 screen will display 16:9 image at the size of 4.3" 16:9 like PSP had.

[@Leo80310]

@@Captain_Dunsel watara have good games?

[@edlifannarra]

As others have mentioned, it's absolutely amazing for Pico-8 but also of course Game Boy and Neo Geo Pocket. And since the internal resolutions of the NES and SNES are in 8:7, it's actually great for those systems as well. Also according to some reviews 4:3 on this 4" display is the same size as it is on the more common 3,5" 4:3 displays. Obviously not for everyone but it has it's strengths

[@johnmichaels4330]

I miss my neo geo pocket and Gameboy.

[@uncaringbear]

Love the form factor, love the size and absolutely love that screen. Unless PSP and 16:9 games is a priority for you, I think this little handheld looks amazing. It even has HDMI out, which is a feature that companies like Anbernic seems to be leaving out in their newer systems.

[@Bootyhunter1971]

Agreed, and these things dont run psp well anyway. I have psp's and a vita for those games and 3ds/dsi for those games. This, for me, is for really retro stuff, dreamcast and back.

[@Honethite]

I have the RP4P preordered but decided to pick one of these up too. Pico-8 looks great on it and older handheld classics will be a dream to play on this. Can't wait to see what Anbernic release with a 1.1 screen, it's a great idea.

[@lnrdo49]

It's kind of a niche device but I love the look of it. Even though I'm not really into the games that suit this thing I'm tempted to get one as a gateway device to get me into the libraries of the NES, SNES, GB, GBC, Arcade, etc., that I've so far overlooked.

[@Markr7855]

Had a raspberry PI 4. Bought this 2 days ago. Forget the negative stuff it’s amazing.

[@zgillet]

Mine comes tomorrow! It will double as my CRT gaming console as well, with adapters of course. Replacing my Anbernic 351p that doesn't have built in networking, bluetooth, or video out.

[@LuccaRPG]

He didn't really show it, but this system is AMAZING for emulating Game Boy and Game Boy color. The screen makes these games absolutely pop!

[@titiojack]

Agreed! SNES too

[@SensibleChuckle]

For the plethora of outstanding Pico-8 games (they run 1:1 and integer scale up on this nicely) this is a god send! It even has the Splore game catalog and downloads them directly to the system. PLUS HDMI out works perfectly (reboot it tho to recognize it) This is outstanding. My only real complaints are it's Pow Kiddy, not a metal Anbernic device with the better D pad. This one isn't good for Pac-Man types of games as a result of the d pad. Playing old Mame games like Gauntlet is great. Vertical games like great too. It was concerned the screen being only 3.5 in diagonal was going to be too small, but it actually works good I think because a lot of games scale well within 720x720. I bought it specifically to test my own Pico 8 games on, But I find it surprisingly good to play other classic games on. I really wasn't expecting that. The screen is stunning. If you like classic arcade, including vertical shooters, and square screen handhelds, this is a tough one to beat!

[@pillowgood1318]

I got one. I find it great for MAME, Game Boy Color, Super Nintendo and Nintendo. I really like having that lightweight big square screen. I threw on some old 80s TV shows and again the screen ratio works out very well. I also tried it for some 80s movies, but unfortunately they were filmed in a 1.85:1 ratio and don't fit well with the system. How did you get those bezels? Downloading on the system itself or using your desktop? A guide video on that would probably get a lot of clicks.

[@hassanger8128]

How to get a Super Nintendo emulator for this?

[@pillowgood1318]

The device comes with two sd card slots. You can buy the system with one card for the operating system, or with an additional card full of ROMS (games). On either card find the "snes' folder and put your own ROMS in there. The games will then appear in the menu system. In other words the emulator is already there for you, but it will only show if there are games in the snes folder. @@hassanger8128

[@yates6608]

Just purchased two of these for my kids, I think they will love them

[@roamingism]

This is my plan too, but I need to get 3, any idea how to copy config or such so I can set them up easily?

[@yates6608]

@@roamingism they come fully setup with the software and all the games, pretty good consoles I must say, especially for the price, just make sure you purchase it with 16gb and 128gb cards

[@MrZattack101]

I like how the ports and buttons are basically symmetrical

[@rodgerfisher219]

For vertical arcade shooters, this system is amazing.

[@SebasHCG]

the pad is the weak point, ETA said if you put down, you'll go down-left or down-right, seems annoying.

[@jarod3371]

​@@SebasHCGcan be fixed by taping some of the contacts on the board

[@jelly8594]

@@SebasHCG Takes 10 minutes, tape and scissors. Done

[@sidsubba1414]

I am getting this one next week!! I like the interface and it seems like --it;s a good one to take one with you ..a travel one!! PoWKIddy!!

[@Moes_Prep_and_Tech]

Where did you get the Custom Bezels, Does the Bezel Project work with this device? If so how do you set it up

[@TheRestartPoint]

I love the form factor and screen area to compactness ratio of this and as a vertical shmup lover this makes so much sense but i'm going to wait for a similar design with a more powerful CPU, the fact this has a slightly innacurate d-pad and cant quite do DreamCast at 60fps across the board is a dealbreaker, sadly.

[@nathanjones1008]

If you like your shmups the Anbernic rg503 with 64gb sd card has hundreds of shumps ready to play in Tate mode honestly it's a fantastic handheld, oled display aswell highly recommended really underrated in my opinion.

[@TheRestartPoint]

cheers@@nathanjones1008

[@IronbugVR]

I think this is going to be my next handheld i purchase. The screen looks amazing for all the systems from the 80s and 90s and really that is all i want to play on one of these retro devices. The quality of the dpad is my only real concern and I don't even see myself touching or using the analog sticks.

[@HellaNorCal916]

Now that's a cool handheld! The 1x1 screen is definitely going for the retro crowd that want a true to form presentation. Definitely makes for a smaller device too. It actually looks portable.

[@luxorcephrenSE23]

I have wanted a square screen for yeeeeears!! I'd say that for mega drive, snes, PS1, Neo Geo and DC it's absolutely perfect! Will deffo get this for these specific consoles!

[@theowlandthepen]

I ordered one just to play Pico8 natively on it. I’m planning to remove the thumbstick for additional mobility.

[@Synthematix]

The look of this thing in white attracted me to buy one, theyre great devices, ps1 is perfect on this so are 90% of dreamcast games, half the slowdown is cause by the poor SD card, you need the SANDISK Extreme Pro cards for this console to run properly

[@vlesmeries]

As others have pointed out, 2d arcade vertical shmups this is the champ

[@murdock94]

I kind of like this idea of this. Looks small for my hands, but $90 plus shipping isn't a horrible thing.

[@JustinEmlay]

Best Pico8 device ever. The screen is fantastic and it's great for vertical games as well.

[@-edsense-rivera3716]

I was looking to buy a retro handheld. I was debating between this and the RG35xxplus . Which one do you think is a better buy ?

[@mikenaisbitt]

Where did you get the bezels from? Are these available within JELos or have you downloaded them from elsewhere??

[@TakisEnjoyer]

3:2 is still the best screen for retro gaming imo, but 1:1 is really interesting too, especially with small bezels.

[@timothyvreeland7477]

Why 3:2 and not 4:3? The reason 1:1 is great, is you can scale different aspect ratios easier and they look correct. 3:2 you will have trouble scaling most systems to look proper without distortion.

[@mmpsp693]

3:2 a middle ground between 4:3 and 16:9 and is also the AR e of the gba. This powkiddy device is good for vertical shooters and arcade, not much else

[@mmpsp693]

Oh, and old handhelds like GB/GBC/WS/GG/Lynx

[@rustyshakelford1466]

@@timothyvreeland7477 3:2 is the best compromise between all systems. So if you're really going to use 1 screen for everything, it makes sense. It's great as a PC productivity aspect ratio too. But I get people preferring to have different handhelds for different systems.

[@timothyvreeland7477]

@@mmpsp693 The GB and GBC are 160x144, which is 1.11:1 aspect ratio, so pretty much 1:1. 3:2 is pretty far off. Game Gear is technically 160x144 but it only lights up pixels to fill a 4:3 aspect ratio. So yeah 1:1 or 4:3 would seem to be the most useful. More retro consoles use 4:3 than any other aspect ratio. 1:1 is awesome to have too as you have 720 pixels in both directions, you can scale however you want and dial in something accurate while at the same time using as much screen as possible. 3:2 I love for my monitors and computers, but for something that is solely a retro console, it doesn’t fit 1.11:1 or 4:3 well so you end up with distortion on all systems, and janky problems if you try to scale.

[@Caidezes]

This is the first of this new wave of handhelds that actually seems worthwhile. So compact and cheap.

[@Kalsarikannit72]

Rg351 was good

[@Schatten.mensch]

The 1:1 screen is a really interesting idea, but I'd still prefer a 4-5inch 4:3 screen with a high enough resolution to get good integer scaling without losing too much screen space.

[@rustyshakelford1466]

The problem has always been sourcing screens. There just aren't many options out there and the market isn't big enough for custom screens. I just hope for general higher resolution, at any aspect ratio.

[@JarlBarbossa]

You should check out... 99% of the other ones available. 🙄

[@thomaschipman]

dude totally missed how beautiful this screen is for vertical arcade games and how well this screen handles overscaling for certain systems by cropping the small overscan. maybe watch some of the other videos on this device?

[@Bob_Smith19]

Maybe? Always watch other videos. This channel has been horrible for a long time.

[@TheRestartPoint]

Yeah, Retro Game Corps video on this is MUCH MUCH more informative

[@bigemugamer]

Clearly Powkiddy got a hold of yhose 720x720 screens at a RIDICULOUSLY low price and decided to use them this way. Looking forward to your next Linux handheld that looks siimilar than but more powerful than the x55 powkiddy. =)

[@Qce-i6d]

Man these handhelds have been getting better, even within the last 2 years. Its amazing but also a little irking, when you just drop some dolla$ on one, only for it to be outmoded within like 5 months 😅 cool video still!

[@Leopez02]

Powkiddys are so nice small handheld devices, I've been interested of Powkiddy handhelds a long time over one year. Defienitily im interested of buying and playing Powkiddy X70 what looks just perfect to my hands because it's joysticks are same places where joysticks are on Nintendo Switch, for me it would be weird playing handheld device where joysticks are on same places but that Powkiddy RGB30 looks awesome. 🔥🔥

[@icaromiranda9981]

You forgot to mention the two best reasons to buy this, arcade vertical shooters and Pico-8

[@Vaskomyr]

would be cool to see some vertical arcade shmups on this thing.

[@exodous02]

This is the first cheap handheld that seemed interesting to me. I ordered it and it is in my city for a few days but hasn't been delivered for some reason. Hopefully it comes today or tomorrow.

[@vlesmeries]

Mine was held up in California for a week. Just arrived yesterday.

[@SikSlayer]

I'm mostly interested in this for vertical games and Pico-8. Can you do some testing with those?

[@illbelieveanything]

Pico-8 runs awesome on it, same with vertical games. Totally worth it

[@therunawaykid6523]

I’ve ordered that same blue one with an included 128 gb card with pre loaded games and a free case from Ali express for £73 including tax should receive it by next week

[@jonathonearl482]

I like the concept of this RGB30, though I think the display size would have been better if it was a 4.3 inch bezel-less display. That 1:1 display has too many extra bezels causing too much wasted game screen space. The 1:1 ratio also makes the games smaller.

[@Markr7855]

Have had no issues with platform games 😊

[@JittikMieger]

Pico8 runs great on this with it's 1:1 screen.

[@Smaug1]

What is out there that is better for retro? Playstation and earlier. Something that will run them all fine, with excellent controls and a 4:3 screen? This is the closest I've seen, but I'm new to this, so I don't know.

[@DennisFranz]

Mine came with a defective motherboard as the R1 button was broken. I ordered directly from Powkiddy and they want me to pay return shipping of $46 for a $79 unit. Don't buy this as there is no customer service.

[@ghidew7]

Which one better? RGB30 or RG35xx?? Im contemplating between the two and still no decision

[@maximushornet]

Can a retro handheld run sega rally and Daytona??? If so which ones thanks

[@ALIEN19740]

I think this is awesome for NeoGeo Pocket Color, GB, GBC games.

[@daakrolb]

I have one of these. I need a user guide to get into the perks of the system- save states, settings, etc.

[@Thunderbird1337]

It's really a nice device, but I struggle with the battery life. Especially when playing more demanding systems like NDS, N64 or GBA, I can literally see how the battery percentage falls every minute. What sucks the battery even more is wifi. It definitely helps though if you activate wifi power saving in the settings. But overall battery life is quite poor with this device unfortunately. I haven't measured exact figures yet, but my feeling is that it's really bad. I think I can easily exhaust a full battery within an hour if I play a demanding game with high brightness and wifi. What experiences do you have with battery life?

[@Thunderbird1337]

My experience during the last weeks is that I have a battery consumption of round about 15-25 percent per hour without wifi and with medium screen brightness. With moderate settings 4-6 hourse are realistic. But when using Wifi and high brightness, it can be much worse. Wifi is really a battery killer. Even when you leave the device in standby (screen off) with Wifi on, the consumption can be round about 15 percent per hour (if I remember correctly). But standby is not really usable with this device anyway, the power management of JelOS or ArkOS is really poor. Even without Wifi it takes up to 10% per hour in standby. Overall I'm quite disappointed with the battery life of this device. But ok, for 83€ I can't really complain. By the way, I found many postings from other users in the Internet complaining about battery issues with this device. People are reporting not only about high battery consumption but also about weird battery behaviour like instant dropping from 40% to 0% battery (unplugging the battery from the motherboard for 30 minutes should help, at least for a while).

[@xRostro]

I really thought this did this with DS in mind but not having touchscreen thing bums me out. A lost opportunity

[@AndrewHelgeCox]

The bars top and bottom seem more tolerable than left and right.

[@ronnychernov980]

Is it ready to use straight out of the box?

[@mattdavis9601]

I don't hate this. A lot of handhelds have miles of bezels above their screens. This is just doing what a lot of new phones are doing by putting screen real estate where the bezels ordinarily go. If you can use it, great! If not; then it's not hurting anything by existing. I wish it had more power; but, for $90 it seems to be a fine little device.

[@bigports]

hi, where did you download that theme from? looks awesome

[@CharlsonCKim]

i'd like to see goldeneye running on this. is there a silicone cover ? , might be nice to smooth out the hard edges

[@not_importan]

What would you suggest for higher end emulators that would still be on the budget side? (cheaper than 400$) I'm looking for something that can run psp and Dreamcast games

[@misoglodny]

Is the Powkiddy RGB30 more powerful than a Miiyo Mini Plus? How do i know which PS1/N64 may run on the RGB 30?

[@EKAS007]

its blue broooooo 🥶

[@tdome3000]

6:45 You completely misunderstand integer scaling. It has nothing to do with the aspect ratios, but with scaling by whole pixels. Integer scaling is exactly prone to small screens in the center, which you say it prevents.

[@timothyvreeland7477]

He said higher resolution.. meaning more whole pixels to work with. So yes it’s easier to integer scale, not because of the aspect ratio, but in order to keep the proper aspect ratio while at the same time scaling the pixels.

[@DarkWhiteCrow]

Is possible to play MS-DOS games?

[@Unstable23]

Ok my question. Is the Powkiddy x55 better or is the RGB30 better? Please give me your thoughts. I'm stuck

[@titiojack]

This is console is the king for Pico-8 and SNES

[@jonathonearl482]

This PowKiddy RGB30 seems to better overall than the Max 3 Pro which I find to be quite a disappointment. The PowKiddy X55 is the other PowKiddy that seems to be great. Disappointed that the Max 3 didn't follow the design of the Max 2.

[@santopanda8784]

I think it also has hdmi output. Its one of the reasons I bought it. Hopefully it arrives today 😬😬

[@layol692k7]

@ETA PRIME That is pretty cool what OS and front end comes on it? If it was mention i missed it.

[@adrianfernandez7458]

It’s running JELOS.

[@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.

[@gurkiratsinghbhatia11h37]

What happened bro? Did they return shipping cost charges?

[@theoriginalKland]

I mean.. the size of the psp image is probably the same as any of the other 4:3 handhelds and since psp is imo an extra, I really don't see an issue.

[@LexLuthor0719]

How do you install the bezels?

[@calicafe4209]

what is the first played game called?? pls

[@spokehedz]

I always wonder this, and I have never known anyone that would do this: Could you replace the switch-style sticks with the Gulikit hall effect ones? Honestly, i'm just curious, not for practical reasons, as the placement is not great. I don't need a video, just a "Yep!" or "OH GOD THE FIRE" is okay. I'm still probably going to get one for VB emulation anyway.

[@jonathonearl482]

Does the RGB30 have a KODI Media Center or a video player?

[@UKKNGaming]

Cool thing some emulators actually you change the aspect ratio so you can mess around with them to fit the screen or just the fit to screen option as well lol

[@michawysokinski890]

What theme is that?

[@chriswheatley3146]

How well does this work for hooking it up to a TV and adding extra controllers (I assume via a usbc hub)?

[@ZombieZifiction]

it has bluetooth

[@SimonOBrien]

For 16:9 games you have HDMI out, which scales to full screen on a monitor or TV, so it seems to cover everything but handheld 16:9 really.

[@TxoriCom]

It's a bit expensive for playing Pico-8 😅

[@kyt8863]

Seems like want I want for mame paperboy, star wars, and battlezone

[@mdr8615]

I can only see an advantage for arcade games with a vertical screen or handhelds with a similar aspect ratio (if those exist). Everything else will have black borders on this. Jack of all trades, master of none? I'd stick with a 4:3 up to gen 5 and 16:9 above...

[@jazzybeat28]

I received my Powkiddy RGB30 with a defective R2 button. I'm trying to return it, but getting customer support to answer the email or messages on the website is impossible. Also, the screen has a lot of bleeding lights at the bottom, and the battery has issues with charging to 100%.

[@Idelacio]

Probably should have dropped the sticks if this is what they wanted to go for. Maybe with a nice saturn style dpad instead.

[@gamingtest5026]

Any recommendation for some 3DS Emulation at the same time with Android

[@zinesis]

Just saw this available here but why is the white version cost more than the black and blue, is it touch screen?

[@mannymets5687]

At this price point, does it really matter ?

[@soaremicheledavid6020]

Is not a square is more like rectangular. No PSP, No N64. This is just for Nes/Snes/Pocket Geo/Supervision/GB/C/A, Pico-8.

[@MAD450r2]

Is it possible to run it as stand alone system using the hdmi to say tv and bluetooth controller? the 16/9 stuff will look better on a tv/monitor

[@TheRestartPoint]

Yes, when connect to HDMI this can output 16:9 to a TV, and you can charge and plug in a controller at same time as it has two USB ports

[@SensibleChuckle]

​@@TheRestartPoint I second this response. It's quite a nice handheld to double as a console

[@bigports]

can you add shaders? deffo would buy one if i could have original gameboy green shader :)

[@socalrcguy1]

I only want all 16bit games on it, how does metroid fusion look and play on it

[@Landoftheignorant]

Can someone break down all the techy stuff for me? I just wanna play the old GBC Pokémon games, and N64 Mario kart. Anything else is a bonus.

[@paddyhill7502]

Just got mine today. To early to say whether or not I prefer it over the x55. I do have an issue and was wondering if anyone can help? I have no in game audio. The menus all have audio but the games do not. Any ideas?

[@smurfro]

Are there any retro console that supports fast suspend and resume like a Nintendo switch?

[@michaels-h5539]

Hey, where did you get the bezels/overlays from? I've been trying to find them for days without success yet... they look awesome. Well, I'm assuming they don't come with the console by default in the 16GB card with the OS 'cos other reviewers don't seem to have them. I'm trying to have all ready for when mine arrives...

[@Lord_Maxouel]

It is possible to play Sega Saturn games on it ?

[@jasonx1580]

Old and Busted: Complaining about bezels on the sides. New Hotness: Complaining about bezels on the top and bottom.

[@TheFruitingChamber]

will this play up to ps1? so n64? that was my favorite console i love the design and sticks looks perfect to me but i need my n64 and some ps1 what is the next step up for ps2 and gc games a steam deck?... 😢

[@vlesmeries]

PS1, comfortably. DC, PSP and N64 are more hit than miss but check out other videos if your favorite games play well on this chipset (Anbernic 353 series also uses this).

[@davebhianco4748]

Bro.., how to turn off the green light indicator?

[@iburn2000]

Hi ETA Prime wanted to know can this run Neo Geo. I’ve been searching for a handheld that can run NeoGeo games and emulation 😬

[@adrianfernandez7458]

This runs neo geo. And neo geo pocket color.

[@iburn2000]

@@adrianfernandez7458 WOOHOO!!! Thanks for the feedback👍🏽

[@MarioDoodles]

How many games r preinstalled

[@mindyurmfbusinesshoe5914]

Are the games already on it?

[@vlesmeries]

It's your choice to order one with sd card full of pirated roms already on it

[@HitnRunTony]

I wonder how pinball games would play on it

[@timothyvreeland7477]

Taller screen, Id like to see DS games