A $35 Hidden Gem? // M17 Retro Handheld Review

Is it possible to find a decent gaming handheld for under $40? In this video, we review the new M17 gaming handheld.
Available Here: s.click.aliexp...
or
~$35 with shipping for new users: s.click.aliexp...
USB Cable: s.click.aliexp...
M17 Repo: github.com/Tak...
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[@TakiUdon]

Future specs @00:55 "2014" Resolution is 480x272 I need sleep 🛌

[@kHz]

Good save time traveler

[@YourAverageReviews]

I was going to say...

[@turbochargedfilms]

Having been playing Cyberpunk 2077 Phantom Liberty constantly, my mind didn't even flag that as odd lol

[@ravichandus4032]

😂

[@smugmode]

In 10 years or so 2024 will be "all the way back" 😟

[@IcebergTech]

I’m guessing they found a batch of cheap bezels that had that M17 label on it from the factory and said, “okay, that’s the name of our console”.

[@Fleshlight_Reviewer]

😂

[@SailorMercury6449]

hilarious and probably true

[@EmblemParade]

LOL, maybe the original "M17" was for some industrial device's monitoring panel. The Hitachi Soda Bottling Validation Temperature Controller Revision M17. Enjoy your Marios!

[@BlueCrashFigurineHoldingWumpa]

​@@EmblemParadeIs it that Hitachi...? 😳😳👀

[@takehirolol5962]

Hahaha, nice seeing you here Iceberg.

[@uncaringbear]

It's great that Taki still reviews low end devices. I've always been interested in these really cheap devices. Just like the better-known brands, they also improve and become more powerful over time so it's neat to see what $35 buys you today compared to several years ago.

[@CYPH3RsD0M41N]

Don't you just love it when a cheap handheld has a game that it can't run advertised on its box?

[@TakiUdon]

That's a sign of quality.

[@YOUR_NARRATOR975]

M2 chip. Biggest scam ever.

[@atom_zero5413]

Also the "idgaf" attitude of the ones making those boxes. I call it "copyright yoink"

[@M4rio21]

Why not go all out and put cyberpunk on the cover?

[@gumiho.c]

​@@M4rio21 it would ruin the "made ten years ago" aesthetic

[@Kalaheo39]

The fact it runs things the miyoo mini can't at that price point is beyond impressive

[@glazedbelmont]

absolutely, but the miyoo has an amazing community support, a LOT of devices wish they had their own OnionOS

[@jesusiskingofkingss]

i wish there were more things like the miyoo that are very high build quality and well designed, even tho it doesnt have the highest hardware power, and cost a little cheaper. if you want to play silly NES and SNES games like me but still want something of decent build quality, you end up having to pay a lot

[@MikeTheGamer77]

37 bucks AND it has stacked shoulder buttons. Unbelievable

[@mikec4694]

Just got mine from aliexpress for $35 and delivery in 2 weeks from day of ordersd. got a 128gb samsung micro SD and installed the software that you uploaded added all the roms plus some of my own now it works fairly good and is well worth the price

[@JessicaFEREM]

this would be an awesome console for the kid. not too expensive to replace but good enough to where they could theoretically grow into a more powerful handheld when the time comes.

[@JessicaFEREM]

like this would be an excellent stocking stuffer, or token birthday gift.

[@Fleshlight_Reviewer]

​@@JessicaFEREMhell yea it was. Wish it was $20

[@user-qy2wf2lt6v]

Kids want Fortnire.

[@zachman893]

Yeah kids don’t care about these honestly. If yours really does that’s awesome but I doubt it

[@iTheBeep]

What I find kinda funny is that this device is almost neck-and-neck with the PSVita for emulation performance. Not to say you shouldn't buy a PSVita, the Vita is best for Vita games, but still. Was worth bringing up.

[@hikerclarence7092]

I love my vita but i will always warn people that it's a pretty bad emulator. It barely runs snes games. There's a weird myth that the vita is a good emulator handheld

[@xxKrazyKxx]

​​@@hikerclarence7092it's good for Vita and psp emulation.

[@yellowblanka6058]

@@hikerclarence7092I think that would depend on the emulation core used - if you’re trying to use a super-accurate core like higan or bsnes, of course it won’t run games well, that emu stresses even reasonably fast PC CPUs.

[@hikerclarence7092]

@yellowblanka6058 no just the regular snes9x core. A lot of games require a 500 mhz overclock to run full 60, and even then some require frameskip. Super mario world can run choppy with frameskip. It's just a known fact that the vita isn't a great emulator compared to what you can get for under 100 dollars. For some reason a lot of vita fans refuse to acknowledge this. Of course it doesn't emulate well - it wasnt designed for emulation in the first place

[@evshrug]

@0:52 the specs hail from 2024… Taki s speaking to us from the future!!

[@Ataraxia_Atom]

I just received my R35S last week and its been such a pleasure of a device. My new SD cards should be here this weekend for some new ArcOS and optimizations

[@JonathanHolt1988]

It's pretty mind blowing that you can get a device that runs everything ps1 and under for this cheap. Even if you have to do a lot of setup, that's very cool. I managed to pick up the RG Nano on TEMU for $33, and it has similar performance but is already setup with decent software and a good (but tiny) ips lcd screen.

[@Yixdy]

Honestly the ones that cost $180+ can't run above PS1 so like, what's the point?

[@budgetking2591]

Yeah, and for PS2 emulation we can just use our phones anyways.@@Yixdy

[@No1Noz]

Thanks for the video. Got mine yesterday!

[@t0m_fr]

This outro is absolutely adorable

[@ikunaruLIVE]

NO WAY. I literally just asked for this when I saw your R35S video lmao. Thanks!!

[@Pumble27]

Your son making the outro makes me feel so happy, cuz my wife is pregnant and my desire to the future is share with my boy/girl this hobbie. So, I am happy for you Taki. Have a good day

[@clpr635]

only retro handheald i can buy btw taki pls keep up the cheap handheald reviews

[@TheLinkhawkins]

Ok, the Taki out at the end was adorable.

[@degas_]

I love how your baby entered at the end!! ❤

[@motokrockle514]

Ive taken it on a few school field trip it lasted around 2 hours as i was playing in the bus. Pretty cool thing for field trips and use without internet

[@Pridetoons]

The original GPD XD has the same Chipset. This Chipset will give you basically PS1 and Below Emulation.

[@jakequi]

0:53 Ahh... those were the days

[@patsk8872]

2024 kids post here

[@vaguerant]

'We shall soon see their like again."

[@ZDevelopers]

Taki is recording these videos in the future

[@Fourskin69569]

I got mine for $66, it's still being shipped, however I think for what it offers, it's most definitely worth it.

[@glittlehoss]

They are selling it for half that price today. What a deal. Do you still like it?

[@Fourskin69569]

@@glittlehoss so far yeah, just the N64 and PSP emulation is glitchy and the PS1 emulation has a few flaws, the rest of the emulators work great though so I love the product

[@Fourskin69569]

@@glittlehoss I find it crazy how I bought that thing for $66 and yet if you bought each console and cartridges the thing runs well, it would cost thousands of dollars

[@Fourskin69569]

@@glittlehoss oh and all the buttons and everything feel great, the console seems so sturdy!

[@zsjdddfw]

I love the super cute outro!

[@numberoneappgames]

I like it. It's cute. The psp panel isn't that bad. But it makes sense with the price though. I would say if the emulec community can work on the soft ware it would be great for up to ps1. :D :D

[@jonathan__g]

I didn't think I was going to be triggered by seeing the pixels on screen off centered but here we are and I can't unsee it now.

[@VTuber_Clipp3r]

i love this channel, it focuses on gaming and how video games are fun only, any other western channel it'll be whining about wish/aliexpress/temu and chinese this and that

[@manny1524]

I was hoping to play some N64 gauntlet legends. From the sound of it. Doesn’t seem like it will run it correct?

[@LoganE01]

Might be able to run the PS1/Arcade version, or a downscale Dreamcast version, but if I'm not mistaken that's one of the hardest N64 games to emulate.

[@sepsawink]

Poor man's Anbernic. For that price - I love it. 😁

[@vlesmeries]

Damn you Taki. You keep tempting to buy these value handhelds.

[@Scriven42]

OH MY GOD BEST OUTRO EVAR!

[@Ryzaki961]

Man I loce you Taki Udon! Your videos always make my day!

[@doalittletrolling8896]

I was just about to buy this thank you

[@Leopez02]

Ooh this M17 retro handheld is only $35/€z, it's music to my ears and M17 looks small but really nice for my tiny hands. I will buy that M17, it would be so cool to play old Gameboy advanced games like Pokémon Ruby, Sapphire and Emerald what are my childhood. Taki Udon thank you for this awesome video of that cheap handheld console, I don't have much money to buy the most expensive handheld gaming pc like Aya Neo Kun, Onexplayer 2 pro, Asus Rog Ally or Lenovo Legion Go so I will try this one. Games looks good on M17 defienitily gameboy games like Pokemon. 😊❤

[@wll1rah]

Thanks for you better stock SD it's helped a loting the M18/ R43 Pro going very well and a lot of your items work between the two system, grant not completely. 😃

[@tomoprime217]

0:52 "In terms of specs this hails from all the way back from 2024"? Back to the Future rules!

[@AlsPlays]

Do you plan to continue updating it? Nice video How you change the aspect ratio?

[@chedhead3278]

Cheers Taki, love these sorts of videos. Getting the most out of a slightly trashy handheld warms my heart. Wondering how easy joystick and battery replacement might be?

[@greenshell5735]

My dream handheld is something this size that easily plays PS2 and GameCube

[@javiergonzalezcalvo1544]

Thanks Udontech !

[@wongwwy]

I see this as the direct next step upgrade from datafrog sf2000. From 20 to 35 you earn a lot. No screen tearing. Most low end sys covered. The screen is pretty bad but a 8 yrs old can stand it. The funny thing is the stack buttons and the right analog stick which won't even be used for the systems it runs. With ego and fantastic sw. support and all that I might still choose sf2000 over this. Just hope sf2000 can upgrade their screen and I'm good to go on the low end side of the spectrum.

[@Dec4AllTimeAlways]

I had the SF2000 and it was crap. Played it for 30 minutes. Next morning, it wouldn't turn on any more. Thank goodness I got a full refund but threw the device away in a trash bin where it belonged. I'm good with my hacked PSP 2001 model. It doesn't play Super NES as well but that's ok. My hacked Vita 2001 model runs them mostly flawlessly.

[@lionoh]

Taki Out here Finding and showing off Holiday Stocking Stuffers for The Nephews and the rest of the little Family Gnomes.

[@JaykPuten]

Thanks for doing this "retro handheld ballin on a budget" video, as I've slot of family and now my nephew is gonna get schooled in the retro, as all kids who started in the fortnight generation should be Maybe I'll spend the time on this or go for the v90 as it's smaller and better and the same cost IMO

[@travis8106]

Everyone should be allowed to fall in love with trends from their own generations too. I grew up with the Genesis and N64, you don't see me playing or praising Atari or Commodore 64 titles.

[@jasonyu3651]

The usb c cable is just way too cool!

[@earthcoolsoncemore]

I bought this about 2 weeks ago from ali and it arrived about a couple of days ago. This thing doesn't have a bezel with m17 on it anymore. More importantly it has an IPS panel similar to the psp 1000 aftermarket IPS panel. It also now says 2gb of ram It plays a lot of psp and ps1 games really well and the screen is really good for the price. i paid about 5 bucks less just for the IPS screen for my psp1k so I feel like I got my money's worth My

[@TakiUdon]

Big if true

[@kelvinlam2002]

did they fix the button mappings?

[@norswil8763]

Yes! Can confirm, received mine today. Screen and improvements check out👍

[@eustab.anas-mann9510]

​@@norswil8763What about the battery?

[@norswil8763]

@@eustab.anas-mann9510 it’s not too bad, you can get a few hours out of it. Can also plug in a power bank if you want to play all day🤷‍♂️

[@SleepyGhostly]

man udon literally woke up and chose violence

[@johnsouthern6089]

I just got an R35S and it's really really good for $43. Considering how pain free it's been? I would just say go for an R35S honestly.

[@SpiceofLifevariety]

This is interesting to me as my main unit is the super console x pro. A handheld with emuelec would be an easy transition. It would also be my first handheld of this nature. Good video and am considering making this purchase

[@SpiceofLifevariety]

Oh snap, it can run ffix. Now I gotta cop

[@S1eepy1]

Hi Taki! Was happy to help you with M17 and glad to see that this video is finally released!! 👍 Thank you for sharing your tweaked image for M17! :)

[@welingtonlima9292]

Como faço pra colocar essa imagem

[@OGTechNick]

I love seeing the community come together like this. I’m still learning the ropes but hopefully I’ll be able to step my foot in pretty soon. Thanks for your help @S1eepy1

[@elenivarveri]

This is a CPAR PRODUCT!!!! Just got mine and it has many problems!!! Nos sound, and most of the games don't work!

[@krzysztofkasztan9243]

Hello, after starting the game, press the PLUS button to turn on the sound. It is located at the top on the right.@@elenivarveri

[@lucasLSD]

Going up until ps1 is enough for me, would definitely buy it since the USD stopped falling.

[@tedlonge8322]

I got this for 20. Not bad for the price. I like the durability. I wish the Trimui was this durable because love it or hate the trimui is solid for the price.

[@DavenEmpireHQ]

just got one, gonna be perfect for my gba, gbc, and gb games

[@storm8216]

15:31 lol this game.. Thanks for bringing back some memories about it- even tho i didn't completed the game never

[@whitesilver1093]

still waiting for the day to come where handhelds in this price range will be able to play PSP games on 60fps at 1080p they're getting closer to that

[@henrygeek7811]

Hi Taki, im using your M17 Repo. Thanks for all. The Question is. ¿how can i disable the Video Statistics on N64 and PSP? There are enable by default. And the Languaje in PPSSPP is French and i cannot find how to change that setting. Thanks in advance for all your effort.

[@jacu27]

same for me , french language in the games and don't know how to jump to set ups

[@cmbaz1140]

With all these emu handhelds you have done so far I believe it is time now to rank them by years Meaning the best of year 20xx and so on...

[@kattz753]

Looks like it's worth picking up. It works well enough with a few tweeks. You can't buy stuff and hope that someone will release custom firmware but this one at least has a chance. Another reviewer complained that the processor was from 2011. That's kind of funny since most of these games are a lot older than that....

[@RGB-Gamer]

Hi Taki, Thank you for providing us with this better version of Emuelec😀 But can you maybe tell me how to set all emulators back to full screen?? Thank you 

[@taggoat8263]

haha piracy in 2024 hits different, but way better than a 3ds, as soon as i saw spiderman swinging i wanna buy that

[@RealziesCuts]

Thank you for the preview. It says coming soon 💫✊🦍

[@Nadia-dc1jc]

“alll the way back from 2024” had me giggling 😂

[@jaymatthew738]

I think he meant 2014

[@f3ryx]

Budget handhelds have come a long way in the last 5 years jeez

[@enthused7591]

Not gonna lie, as much as I love the Switch, I've always wished there was a Switch Mini with these exact proportions, but maybe smaller bezels. This is exactly the perfect size horizontal handheld in my opinion.

[@gavinbarnes6310]

Just ordered my r36s for £19 can’t wait

[@therunawaykid6523]

$35 is an absolute steal for a device like this that can play multiple systems - I’m looking up about this now on the Ali express app if you get the 128 gb version it comes with over 30,000 games!: 708 ps1 games, 302 psp games, 999 Super Nintendo games, 148 n64 games, 548 gameboy colour games and many others 😳😳

[@burnzy3210]

Screen issues aside this is a nice little system. Some nicer colour options would have been good too.

[@mattdavis9601]

This is really neat. I can see how this would be really good for a kid or even an adult who just needs something basic. It's a shame that it takes a lot of effort to whip it into shape. Still, for $35 I think I'd look at it as a challenge to beat instead of an actual turnoff.

[@Dominicn123]

Lol thats always the case with these emulation things, the more money you save, the more work you gotta do.

[@DeathMetalThrasher]

There's an updated version of this without the huge bezel. I just got another one today and they're different.

[@davidrhodes9997]

Where?

[@Victus36]

Video up for 15 minutes and price already up to $45 on the link....

[@TakiUdon]

Don't joke... "34.00 -$68.00- 50% off"

[@outsidemynexthome]

Same her 100€ 50 % off = 50 € at least for me.

[@JamesAmbrose3]

Getting this price as well 😢

[@NazmaShahidullah]

How big is it? I really wanna buy a good sized carrying case, but I can't find the size of the whole thing 😭 nice vid btw

[@therunawaykid6523]

The screen is 4.3 inches so i think maybe the whole device is maybe around 7 or 8 inches

[@NocturnalRS]

Why does it seem with n64 emulation that the audio is usually more likely to show signs of lag than the animation rendering.

[@jimbotron70]

Because decent video emulation with laggy audio is more bearable than laggy video emulation with decent audio.

[@ChaossX77]

0:55 Ah yes the golden age of 2024. I remember those days fondly. Lol

[@Nick-hz9no]

Ok, after tweaking things for over a week, I love this thing. But there's one BIG problem now. The battery! I get less than 1 hour of PSX game time on this 1500mAh POS. I tried unscrewing the back but got nervous after sticking a wedge in a seam. Hope someone does a teardown and battery replacement guide because I'm scared to do it!

[@norswil8763]

I’m keeping my power bank at the ready😅

[@LoganE01]

I personally hope to see this modded with custom firmware and optimized then itd be a great little handheld. Also I'm sure there's some physical mods that can make the dpad better

[@jacu27]

@TakiUdon I've done that update but cannot see where to go on psp set up, plus everything is french on the every single game, R2 is just for load and save state plus quit no more set ups for psp ?anyway thanks for you effort :D

[@shellshock7043]

I think really really cheap devices will always be interesting. You can't exactly give your 4 year old a 1700 dollar Ayaneo Kun

[@minacapella8319]

You definitely can. It's just an extremely bad idea

[@shellshock7043]

​@@minacapella8319 Lmao

[@thecryingsoul]

Headphones also outputs only mono from my testing, could be a per device issue though

[@Pridetoons]

Eeeeee... 😬

[@TakiUdon]

It's stereo for me. - This video features line out audio in the emulation section. You can verify for yourself with headphones.

[@thecryingsoul]

@@TakiUdon Sounds like a QC issue on my device then, shame

[@uncraftbar]

seems to work for him

[@mikedonalds]

Might be per device - The direct audio Taki has recorded plays in stereo for me. I don't know what you were outputting to (whether headphones or speakers) but bear in mind that 3.5mm jack cables can be either mono or stereo, which is indicated by whether the plating on the connector is separated into multiple parts. My apologies if you already know this - just mentioning it in case anyone who reads it finds it useful.

[@barneygumble7300]

Hello Taki. Thank you for This Video and the better Stock FW on github Today i Tried your better Stock on my M17. Great - because i like to Play those Games in their native Aspect Ratio. But can you Tell me How to disable the FPS and Other onscreen stuff in the N64 Emulator - left side - is there a hotkey to disable? Also in FPS shown in PSP Emu. Will there be a Version 2.0 of your better Stock? Or an CFW?Thank you very much

[@Pumble27]

btw, make a video with the $3 handheld that you found recently, at least a short, I want to see it

[@ashwalker1]

Actually it not really the price hanhelds but the sipping prices are the major concern sometimes they cost double the price that of handheld itself.

[@bigemugamer]

$61 CAD, runs Mario RPG better than my V90 runs PS1 basically the same as my RG350 including the fact that Bloody Roar does not run 60fps. It's a nice device, would be better if it had 2 micro SD card slots. But for $60 it is not worth it and why such HUGE bezels? They should have made that entire bezel section just pure screen like the RG405M. Great review of a not so bad budget handheld. =D

[@TVsBen]

Thanks for fixing what the maker would never do. That's insane!

[@jesusbarrera6916]

the size and layout looks perfect for PS1 and DC... hopefully we get something similar in the future than can do that

[@RT-bt5ql]

So many handheld emulators every month, bought anBernic a month ago n see all these more powerful ones

[@jimbotron70]

You knew it would.

[@wevved]

Hails all the way back from 2024? I'm watching a video from the future.

[@DennisAdams-y2f]

Question: Since the M17 is using an aftermarket PSP screen. Is it possible to replace it with a better PSP screen. If so which one? Thanks.

[@misiekthcteam]

8:03 what game is this?

[@MrZakuRetro]

hey do you test if the psp screen alternative ips screen is compatible?

[@LostinPlaceV2]

Your better sd mod is amazing. IT works also with rev 3. Most PSP files on the original SD card are compressed. If you play these files as an uncompressed ISO file, the game runs much faster. not all, and not perfect either, but a little better.

[@FoxieTrix]

Is it possible to do the IPS mod on it?

[@GeorgeWeeman]

A 35 dollar handheld that can play PS1 games? Sounds like a helluvah deal to me!

[@Nick-hz9no]

The Square and Triangle buttons are mapped incorrectly after attempting to use your gitrepo. I know this is my fault as I've gone through and made a LOT of manual edits. But I can't find the correct config/ini file to remap JUST the Playstation controls, and the retroarch menu>Options>Controls doesn't seem to save after you quit a rom. Could you tell me what file path & setting I need to change for JUST the PSX controls? Thank you so much for fixing the screen sizes for 4:3 and other consoles, it's GREAT!

[@Nick-hz9no]

Thanks Taki for the reply on discord, it works now! I'm so stoked! For others here's a solution: "core menu - > controls - > save core remap" - Taki

[@WojciechKobus]

Please advice which handheld to buy to play Atari 800 games - like Boulder Dash, River Raid, Montezuma's Revenge? With possibility to upload own games (.atr files) to device.

[@LuccaRPG]

The M17 slapped on the bezel is like 'BUT WHY THOUGH?' My eyes keep going to it, and that's a BAD thing.

[@23SHOOTERS2X]

I bought this one along with the xu10 and the powkiddy rgbs20 tbh if you upgrade the software it’s ok but the screen is choppy but for 30 and it plays I feel like you get what you pay for budget friendly a psp price rn is crazy

[@johnknight9150]

I've been using both the original SD image and your image, tinkering under the bonnet, and although I've managed to get Master System and SG-1000 games working, I haven't been able to launch anything with any other cores. So no Saturn or 32X which use picodrive, and I had to tweak the configs to use Genesis Plus GX for Master System and SG-1000 instead of gearsystem, which isn't launching. Neither is Vice (for c64) or yabasanshiro for Saturn. Are the other cores lying in the cores directory compiled for that architecture? Have you got any of them to run?

[@FoxieTrix]

Is it possible to put a different screen in it?

[@Alitlittlehedgehog]

If its a psp screen cant you swap it for a decent one? Or did they soilder on new connectors too?

[@TakiUdon]

The PSP has two connectors - a main ribbon cable and a smaller one. This one is integrated and it will destroy a PSP screen if you tried to connect it.

[@Alitlittlehedgehog]

@@TakiUdon thanks

[@Gray_Ti]

YES! Happy gaming everyone, Taki out. By little Taki 😊

[@ibrunop]

Hi! I need some advice, do you recommend this M17 or the SF2000, in general? Which one has a better screen, too? Thanks!