WINLATOR on Retroid Pocket Mini (and 5) // PC Gaming on a MINI Handheld - Setup Guide & Showcase

[@retrotechdad]

Would you like to see more Winlator on the channel? 🙏🙏👀👀

[@MaxHasManyHobbies]

Yes, I want to do it on the Odin 2 Portal when it is released. I am going to try following this video for that. It is a way more powerful processor so I believe it should run better.

[@LandonElsberry-if3rh]

Absolutely yes please!

[@thegrayzero]

Yes please, I wanna see how some games play like Sea of Stars, Berserk Boy, Nine Sols, Axiom Verge, etc. Basically PC games that seemingly rely on sprites

[@hyperplayrpg]

Yes please. On Snapdragon 888 phone please, lol!

[@tktk5197]

Absolutely!

[@ThePhawx]

This is what we call "A great video"

[@retrotechdad]

First Russ, now Cary? This has been an awesome day! 🔥🔥

[@matrioshkabrainn]

I’m glad apps like Winlator are finally gaining traction! I posted some gameplay of Halo 1 & 2 and Skyrim, but I got a bit of negative feedback from certain subreddit communities. Hopefully, this will help boost legitimacy and awareness. Trying out these games was the first thing I wanted to do when I got my device. Thanks again

[@retrotechdad]

Wow, I'm not sure why anyone would be negative about this. The Winlator project is super impressive and it just keeps getting better!

[@kidzanarkand]

Ignore the haters and keep posting for the little guys like me!!!

[@guillemmayoral4133]

Just found your reddit post! I guess you made me rethink about the power and the usability of it (after all, I don't think I'm going to be playing more than Skyrim on the go). Thank you for your post and keep doing them please :D

[@matrioshkabrainn]

​@@guillemmayoral4133 hey thank you I really appreciate that ❤

[@snowzZzZz]

Receiving negativity from, subreddit communities? Impossible!

[@ninjason57]

POP 2008 on a handheld like this?! We are truly living in an amazing time for retrogaming handhelds! If steam ever gets working on ARM chips thatll be the pinnacle!

[@retrotechdad]

Right?!!? Absolutely blown away as well. 🤗🔥

[@SpoonTaco]

The rp5 fans are going to have so much joy seeing this video

[@retrotechdad]

It's going to be really nice with the 16:9 aspect ratio for a lot of these games!

[@fredgoodlord8094]

@@retrotechdad And 8GB 👍 👍

[@Stevanvel]

I honestly can't wait 🎉

[@briansloops4724]

It is truly unbelievable were able to play older classic PC games on such small handheld devices, mind blowing! Also makes me want a Retroid Pocket 5 that much more! Awesome video and setup guide, thanks!

[@devinrobertson5251]

I've been running Fable on mine. For anyone curious, it runs perfectly

[@RedBullAddict-_-]

Where did u get fable from it’s not on gog in uk

[@kevinkev1530]

Whr do u get games

[@Enrygoesbrrrrr]

To the two guys above me, you can search for repacks or abandonware on google

[@2annie1chalice11]

Just in time. My Mini is arriving tomorrow. Earned a sub

[@retrotechdad]

Thank you, I appreciate it! 🤗

[@bassderek]

Retro Tech Dad? More like Retro GIGACHAD Dad! 💪

[@retrotechdad]

🤣😅 Derek

[@kidzanarkand]

Top comment fo sho

[@dainschroeder]

I really appreciate the fantastic video! I’ve already been absolutely loving my Mini, and have been incredibly impressed with its gaming performance. I somehow had no idea Winlator was even a thing, and I’ll absolutely be playing some of my GoG library on the Mini - all thanks to you!

[@thegrayzero]

Fuck yes, ever since you did that podcast i was always curios when you'd do this

[@retrotechdad]

😅😅 Haha, I love the enthusiasm!

[@thegrayzero]

@retrotechdad oh man it's because I'm a big fan of smaller and pocketable devices that have a lot of power, and this one seems to be currently the best in that regard

[@retrotechdad]

I love it, same thing for me! There's just something very cool about small tech that can do all of this. 🔥🔥

[@thegrayzero]

@retrotechdad finally, someone who gets it, I can never fathom buying a large handheld like the odin devices even the odin mini is still large to be put in a pocket, I already have to put my GF's stuff in my bag everytime, I don't have space for a large device. It's nice.to have a device that has all that power packed in a compact form factor that I can just put in my pocket or in my small bag if my pockets are full

[@KyleRuggles]

Great guide man! I skipped through most of it given I don't have a handheld powerful enough to use it, aside of an Odin 1, but when I do have a more powerful one, this will be the guide I consult. Thanks Rob! Hope you have a great hump day!

[@grzegorz__]

Wow, the performance is great. You convinced me to install Winlator on my Odin2 :D

[@retrotechdad]

It's going to be REALLY solid on the Odin 2. 🔥🔥

[@Kotaakirakun]

On the odin 2 you can even play spiderman remastered and gta 5

[@EliasPfaiffer]

@@Kotaakirakun and 1000 other games....BUT - the battery will go to death in a short time :/

[@kevinkev1530]

​@@Kotaakirakun where do u get those game files

[@ThatOneZombie21]

I really thought about doing Winlator on my Odin2 and this was a solid benchmark! Would love your insights and testing on a Odin2 device or something in that same powerhouse. Great info and vid as always

[@gregorybolivar5712]

A little PC Gaming Handheld in your Pocket... 😎🧐🤔... Well Done...Sir... Tech Dad...

[@retrotechdad]

Amazing what can be done nowadays! 🔥🔥

[@forrestharrell9081]

Finally!!!! Your awesome cant wait to get this

[@Stunnax757]

Your intro is smooth AF, at times I like it better than Russ's.

[@damianabregba7476]

10:06 If you want to install game from iso unpack the file to a folder and then add another drive here pointing to that folder. Managed to install multi disk game by swapping its content(or easier just swap names of folders) at each ,,insert disk x" step.

[@medvedec]

This really convinced me, that buying RP5 was the right choice.

[@fillerbunnyninjashark271]

Odin 2 mini would have actually been better, since it can play way more PC games

[@medvedec]

@@fillerbunnyninjashark271 If I had mony I would have bought the Steam Deck Oled... But I am a poor pleb... soooo.... u know.....

[@davidbryant02]

​@@fillerbunnyninjashark271Also much more expensive

[@harieth8]

@@fillerbunnyninjashark271 Yep, but double the price, nahh, I already had steam deck oled. Sold it

[@ironmaniacxd5658]

​@@fillerbunnyninjashark271 Its bigger and more expensive though

[@mattdavis9601]

I've been reluctant to try Winlator because my highest performance emulation "handheld" is a repurposed Android phone with an SD845. Based on some other tutorials I'd seen I was under the impression that this emulator would be annoyingly difficult to configure. Then, after all that, I likely wouldn't have enough performance to actually run anything worth playing. That last sentence might very well be accurate. However, your tutorial has made the setup process for Winlator look very accessible. When I've got some free time I think I'll use it to try Winlator. Thanks!

[@retrotechdad]

Yay Matt! I say go for it and give it a shot. I was pretty impressed by the performance with just the SD865. 🤗🤗

[@mattdavis9601]

​@@retrotechdad - Ordinarily I'd give you the last word; but, I just had to reply to let you know that your tutorial worked like a charm for me. Thank You!

[@borf42]

Great video! I've been meaning to check out Winlator, this is giving me the encouragement I needed to get started😁

[@L319HV]

I cant wait for the retroid 5 im gonna try winlator and the windows versions of the old need for speed underground games 🙌

[@TvPatativa]

Excellent as always! Hope to see a video like this with the Odin 2 Mini.

[@gazetronix]

Thanks! I'm really looking forward to seeing this up on my Retroid Pocket 5 and having better access to the GoG games I've had for years.

[@BenisBroductions]

My friend, you are doing gods work. Had no idea I could play new Vegas on this thing

[@IORI_YAGAMI_0]

Que brutal!! El Snapdragon 865 es una bestia!! Ahora me imagino que los actuales son monstruos en potencia! Increíble que el SD865 a día de hoy siga siendo potente. En mi caso tengo un smartphone POCO F2 Pro va como el primer día de uso y su SD865 (el mismo de la retroid) es brutal!! Claro!! En la Retroid debe ir mucho mejor, ya que tiene disipación por ventilador.

[@PhoenixKeebs]

Prince of Persia 2008 was the first game my dad bought me on my PS3 and I played it all the time.

[@guillaumequintin]

Absolutly yes for winlartor content

[@kidzanarkand]

Great video, might just be the one that pushes me to purchase it, BIA hells highway and Prince if persiia are 2 games i love and being able to play those on this device is simply amazing

[@pranze3484]

Nice! I'm more interested in trying to install steam on linux, via box32/64 once my RP5 arrives but this will for sure be a lot of work; this is nice and easy.

[@retrotechdad]

It's exciting, there's so much potential with all of this! 🤗🙏

[@liamness]

Yes I wonder if that would give better results, as Winlator uses proot to create an isolated filesystem to run Wine, DXVK etc within, and that isn't needed if you're running Linux. Valve are also rumoured (based on steamdb scraping) to be working on ARM native versions of the Steam client and Proton... which is thought to be related to their mystery upcoming headset but hopefully could help handheld devices like this too.

[@myaul8157]

OMG, TY !!! I love this, and it also detects the controller on the "Game force ACE" . I unfortunately can't use my Bluetooth keyboard since it kills the built-in controller, for some reason. Probably need to use an onscreen keyboard solution. Either way , its amazing.

[@solidust573]

You may have just sold a metric ton of these devices. Incredible work

[@Luodai235]

Just wow. I had no idea the Winlator performance on the Mini is THIS GOOD.

[@retrotechdad]

Believe me, I was equally surprised! 🤗🔥

[@Luodai235]

@@retrotechdad Man this just opened a whole new door for me. Can't wait to spend days to load it up with all my favorite classic windows games and never play them😅🤣

[@Thediscoverynick]

THANK YOU FOR THIS!

[@Fleur_de_lis2k]

Dead Space, Fallout NV & Far Cry 2 on a pocket device is nuts!

[@kabl00muk94]

Top man! I just turned my old oppo x2 pro in to a dedicated emulation device (SD865/12GB Ram- +12gb swap)... Good to see these titles will run this well! As long as it'll run og dead rising, I'll be a very happy chappy 😂👌🏻👍🏻

[@retrotechdad]

Very nice, the results should be similar and possibly more stable because of the extra RAM. 🙏

[@kabl00muk94]

@retrotechdad I'm expecting some thermal impact tbh, but I'll be happy to cap these at 40fps. That was part of the thinking with the 120hz screen too, latency should hopefully still be good fingers crossed 🤞🏻

[@Gabzz90]

It could be interesting to have a list like this with SD 8gen2 , to see some games that can run and choose between RP5 and Odin 2

[@RetroMannGaming]

No Slyrim? No Crysis? Whole video is worthless. 😜 Love your content ❤

[@retrotechdad]

😅🤣 I got to save something for the RP5. 🔥

[@RetroMannGaming]

@ nice 😁 can’t wait

[@TeamRetrogue]

And just like that I’m now browsing GOG. Great video, Dad. Keep cooking.

[@tort5715]

This is coolest thing I have seen, its like having ps3 console on yo pocket.

[@-Airwalk1616-]

@retro tech dad question. When you get thr game installed, do the files need to stay in whatever folder (downloads) you have them in? Or are they installed to WINLATORS folder and can be deleted from downloads folder?

[@retrotechdad]

You can delete them from the downloads folder once the game has been installed 🙏

[@Drivenby]

Where’s the y700 review Robb!!! Btw awesome video

[@remondobriyard1]

So beautiful it's call innovation

[@guillemmayoral4133]

It was just yesterday that I saw a guy playing Fallout 3 on the mini like you did. That is perfect timing! I am debating on which one to pick: the Odin 2 Portal or the RP5, but seeing the results... I'm impressed of what you can do with such a small device. Do you think that it would run Borderlands or Skyrim? Also, did the fan turn on during your playtimes? Great content!!

[@matrioshkabrainn]

It runs Skyrim

[@cydragon2.099]

BTW you can still use games from steam but once installed on PC you have to use a Steam tool called Steamless to remove the DRM (unless the game uses other drm)

[@retrotechdad]

Oh yea, for sure! I was trying to keep it simple for viewers to get started with Winlator. 🙏

[@-Airwalk1616-]

@retro tech dad my Tomb Raider worked so great up until the part where she's falls down I side the rotted plane and hits the glass of the cockpit. Then it crashed and when I try to open it now, it just goes to the "profile" screen and I can't do ANYTHING

[@retrotechdad]

Have you tried adjusting the Box64 presets? The stability or compatibility option could be a good one to test. Also, are you running the game straight from the shortcut or within the container?

[@MRDLT00]

2:13 Hell yeah GOG!!!!

[@victormgc20]

Wow, I wonder if it can run Skyrim and Hollow Knight. It would be crazy to have my favorite games in such a small device. But I guess running the switch version would be easier

[@xkxxxx]

Thanks Dad!

[@jahimsankoh5451]

For sure!!!!

[@L0ki71]

Can i get Winlator to recognize an SD card so i can transfer the games from my download file?

[@L0ki71]

Do you copy the main file from GOG over to the downloads? Thank You so much for this!!!

[@retrotechdad]

Yup, straight into the downloads folder on your device. It’s usually the installer and bin files. You can put it into its own folder as well to organize better.

[@L0ki71]

@@retrotechdad and those files stay in the downloads folder or can i remove them? if not can i move them to the micro sd?

[@cho-v4n]

Just amazing rob. Thanks for this 🙏

[@retrotechdad]

You can remove them from the downloads folder after the game has been installed 🙏

[@retrotechdad]

My pleasure, this was fun to put together!

[@wtvhdentertainmentpro6064]

Incredible if it works so easily. Anyway, I would love to know does older pc games can work, like Lord of the rings return of the king, or prince of persia sands of time. Probably they do. Also, this is great if tomb raider legend pc works. But i wonder regards android gaming - can it play alien isolation android edition? If it can I will definitely buy it as soon as I can. Especially because android version is better than switch version because it has performance settings while switch doesn’t.

[@retrotechdad]

A lot of older games will work really well, they just might require a bit more effort to get the inputs to work correctly with the built-in controls of the Retroid. I wanted to keep it simple and focus on games that work out of the box. 🙏

[@guest21984]

@@retrotechdad Control wise, did you ever notice the dpad and left stick register the same inputs in games but in Winlator the bindings appear fine? e.g. left stick registers as A instead of cursor left.

[@RyanRetro1]

Thanks for this!

[@DelightfulVideoGames-do3zm]

Great content I'm gonna buy pc handheld console instead 😊

[@bobfox4437]

Will this guide mor or less work for the Pocket 4 pro or just the Mini/5? (Guess which one is in the post for me haha)

[@retrotechdad]

Unfortunately with the RP4 Pro you won't be able to use Turnip drivers so the performance/compatibility will be greatly impacted.

[@TWFTonline]

Are you going to make another Winlator video for the Retroid Pocket 5? If you do can you please do Halo 2 Project Cartographer. That's the main game I'm trying to get to run on mine. Can't seem to get picture working after the initial loading screen. Any suggestions?

[@Artimas89]

Tomb raider doesnt seem to be on GOG right now. Is it possible to get it running from the syeam store. Or does DRM make it impossible?

[@retrotechdad]

Tomb Raider should be on GOG here: www.gog.com/en/game/tomb_raider_goty It's on sale as well! 🙏

[@cydragon2.099]

looking at this hopeing to have a handheld cheaper than a Steam deck that can hopefully play some of my PC collection... hopefully my GTA games are playable (above 30fps to 60fps)

[@RedBullAddict-_-]

I’ll do this on my rp5 when I get it but how do I get games on gog just buy them on website? Also do resident evil 2 & 3 work ? not the remakes obviously 😂 Great video subbed Also am I better off getting like a 512gb SD and putting it as removable storage in android settings for all my gog games and emulators ?

[@justinshelly3850]

My container won't open after setting it up like this on the rp mini... any suggestions???

[@retrotechdad]

What happens when you open the container after you hit play?

[@franciscobutte]

Nice to see it capabilities looking forward the RP5, but that screen size is waste for emulating PC games.

[@CbazDHaxor]

Awesome! Is there any way you can do a gane that requires a mouse movement for example commandos? I will love to see how that works :( thanks in advance, regards!

[@BloOdYJo17]

just the fact that DEAD SPACE is playable make the wait for my RP5 unbearable !!!!

[@retrotechdad]

I still can't get over how well it runs! 🔥🔥

[@NetflixForeign]

I STRONGLY suggest emulating the PS3 version over the PC in general as the PS3 version still has the best sound. It uses DTS while it was never patched in for PC, complete bs and sound is a second thought, like it always is for PC games.

[@fillerbunnyninjashark271]

There's no PS3 emulator for Android

[@robertnewton2304]

If Winlator has an update, are you able to update in the app itself or do you have to redownload from the github? If you have to redownload, do you have to uninstall the old version, install the newer version and then reinstall all of your games?

[@jasonv6501]

The right stick seems wonky in Alan Wake's American Nightmare, I can look left and right but I can't look up and down. Is there a fix for this?

[@CineMattersToMe]

Wonder if I can run my standalone jackbox games through winlator. Trying to find the best way to run them and this maaay be it (in conjunction with a virtual mouse app I’m thinking)

[@shnoble]

Prince of Persia keeps having rendering problems where everything but the sky flickers. Is there any settings changes that help? I think capping the frame rate to 30 delayed its onset. But maybe I should try different gpu settings?

[@retrotechdad]

Are you trying on the Mini or a different device? I'd probably remove the frame rate cap since I found it to run pretty well.

[@shnoble]

This is the retroid mini. It will be fine and then a few minutes in it’ll be mostly sky everywhere. I followed all your steps except I can’t figure out how to do “low graphics” mode like it says in the corner text description of your video.

[@shnoble]

Changing direct3d to wine seems to have fixed it. Thank you for the great tutorial!

[@thatzaliasguy]

-WineD3D for DirectDraw to DirectX 7 applications. -DXVK for DirectX 8-11 applications. -VKD3D for DirectX 12 applications. -CNC DDraw for legacy DirectDraw compatibility (Debug).

[@Klency]

I'm a bit late on this but I was wondering if you could try Spyro reignited With winlator on the RP5 ? The switch version have a hard time running I think

[@javonte102donuts3]

Any settings for lake? Been having it be slow for me used the settings in the video

[@derekg49]

Really need help with controller, no matter what I do I can't get Fallout 3 to work with any input control scheme

[@retrotechdad]

I haven't personally tested Fallout 3 myself just yet. Did you try to switch between XInput and Standard (Old Gamepads) for the shortcut settings?

[@derekg49]

​@@retrotechdad appreciate your help and love your videos :). Trying it out now

[@derekg49]

Sorry another question - how are you finding load times on boot up? Mine is slow on RP Mini but not sure if it's because I am running off an sd card

[@darkmatterm4a1]

Your best bet with Fallout 3 is the Tale of Two Wastelands mod. It combines New Vegas and Fallout 3 into one big game (both of which running in New Vegas itself).

[@lucaspiedadegarcia597]

Man, I tried a lot of settings but still have problems with the black screen, any tips? It is a RP3+

[@retrotechdad]

It's going to be tough with the RP3+. The combination of the lack of power and the Mali graphics impacts compatibility and performance.

[@janaxelblomberg7768]

Is this some kind of streaming thing or is it really just running on the device? Cuz seeing ps3 era games running on this is crazy

[@hamadalrowaie6882]

Cool !! 😎

[@Phodis]

Like to run Pico8 on that.. it would probably work well.

[@sayodkz0n533]

Is it streaming or running on the device ?

[@retrotechdad]

Everything is running natively on the handheld. 🙏

[@hightforce]

Please test some older call of duty, skyrim and games like that

[@Your_average_hobbyist]

Someone else tested it I can't remember the video but it has been done

[@IDKYHM]

Do you know if it can also run steam games? Mainly asking Since I’m hoping it can play Kingdom 2 crowns and Kingdom Clasic on it

[@xXLoneSoulXx]

Tried and doesn't work at all lol just crashes to the main winlator screen when I start it

[@retrotechdad]

Are you using a RP Mini?

[@xXLoneSoulXx]

@@retrotechdad im using a 4 pro lol

[@retrotechdad]

Yea, the Mediatek chips are pretty rough with Winlator. You will want to use one of the forks for Winlator to get the best performance.

[@xXLoneSoulXx]

@@retrotechdad thats the thing...i have no clue on which one runs on the device,u know exactly what version i need with no crashes?

[@lsnmx444]

so you can do it with all phones with snapdragon 855/855+/860/865 cause all those SoC are just similar just with a bit high OC

[@retrotechdad]

Yes, the results should be very similar! 🙏

[@WolfBetter]

big, BIG question: if a game like POP 2008 works can I expect all 2d indie GOG games to work pretty well

[@elemileTLDR]

Winlator is the only thing that has truly failed me on the RP4 Pro. Can get Alice Madness Returns to boot, but never to run above 1-3 FPS... I'd apreciate any advice you can give for Winlator on the RP4 Pro.

[@animationalltout3134]

I would like to see it in action on the OnePlus Tab2 since the Snapdragon 8gen 3 is supported by the emulator.

[@Osman3840]

can u help my fps drops from 90 stable to stable 30 in wzm and fornite it randomly drops any help im using one plus pad pro with sd 8 gen 3 color os14.1 but in diablo of the immortal codm and other games on max settings it is stable 60 fps evdn on codm in 120 fps it keeps it for hours until my device closes pls help

[@richarddeau3059]

Would you agree to test the game Saint Seiya Soldier's Soul?

[@-Airwalk1616-]

Is the Dead Space on the GameCube any different than the PC?

[@gamermixer7953]

I want to test out need for speed most wanted 2007 and dont be shocked but i think it may be dowable death stranding if u can test it please 🥺

[@iksdistek]

Fucking lmao

[@AnuragRavindran1994]

Can it run crysis?

[@BenuraSlingra]

How do Fallout 3 and Oblivion run?

[@retrotechdad]

Fallout 3 and Oblivion should both be pretty solid. I have plans to test it for my next go around. 🙏

[@hicharizar]

Do you think it could run bioshock 1?

[@estebanmendez2728]

Would this work with titles I own on the epic games store?

[@shozzm8154]

Can you do this on the rp4 pro?

[@retrotechdad]

It can be done, but performance/compatibility will be limited because we can't use the Turnip drivers.

[@mrken-yg9wh]

Horizon émulator seems to bring more fps in game and the Retroid pocket 5 Will have 2 gigs ram more so maybe it Will be better on RP5.

[@retrogamingnmore2513]

Gog games doesn't have Halo 😢 is there a place I can get it paid version I don't mind

[@sxixlxnx]

Would this run on a Pocket 4 Pro?

[@ΝΕΚΤΑΡΙΑΜΑΣΤΟΡΙΚΟΥ]

..but it can run Crysis? (you know... the old stupid question😅)

[@kennylender7252]

So not even past the intro and already noticing stutters and frame drops in the game you are displaying I had high hopes for this class of device running a 865 but nope no where near the performance needed to run smoothly

[@retrotechdad]

Which game are you trying to run?

[@kennylender7252]

@@retrotechdad looking for a handheld that can run stuff like cemu and rpcs3 smoothly without slow downs hard in a mobile hand held that isnt the price or size of a steamdeck my current arcade cabinet has a ryzen 7 pro 3700 and a GTX 1650 and runs it all great I don't mind the 30fps but I can't stand the stutters, I play a lot of fighting games and a stutter can make or break your run

[@harieth8]

@@kennylender7252 Then you have to wait 5 more years to get it that cheap bro. Or buy second hand steam deck lcd version. You can't expect a fiat car for small price while having a ferrari performance.

[@silversky3067]

everytime i'm starting the container it crash

[@retrotechdad]

Are you using a RP Mini?

[@silversky3067]

@retrotechdad rp4 pro, it work with the frost version

[@retrotechdad]

Yea, you have to use Winlator Frost with the RP4 Pro because of the Mediatek chip.

[@adrian_veidt]

It's amazing you can play Ff7 remake, unknown 9, gta 5 and cyberpunk on SD 8 Gen 3 If this continues we might be able to use xenia and rpcs3 lol. Emulating those consoles on emulation of windows 😂