This Low-Cost Android Box Is An Awesome Emulation Machine! Hands-On With The HK1

[@RCfromtheNYC]

I bought another media box with the S905X3 chip as a gift during the holidays, and after trying out frontends, EmuElec runs much better on this chip than Batocera. And I agreed that N64 runs better using the Android app.

[@RCfromtheNYC]

@@okene After using a few coupons, it cost me $42.17 shipped.

[@desi_bhai_]

I was looking at this a few months ago, you cleared my doubt, i will get one

[@ETAPRIME]

I’m actually really impressed by this one, I’ve tested a few and for the price this is at the top of my list

[@desi_bhai_]

@@ETAPRIME thanks man, tech channels like you do a lot of work for us consumers so we can be sure when buying something

[@alexmeek610]

@@ETAPRIME I've seen these going for 60 bucks in the USA and my question is does this outperform a s7 I can get for 50 bucks ?

[@Mondochrome]

@@ETAPRIME How does this compare to the T95 Max+ that you looked at like a year ago? I *think* the specs are the same but I’m not sure.

[@uncaringbear]

I would love to see more reviews of these types of Android boxes and sticks. I've been using an Amlogic box that's several years old now but it's held up well.

[@neogen23]

Yeah, well I'm holding my breath for RPi5. We're getting close to the Pi's 10th birthday, and it's been almost 3 years since the launch of the Pi4 (time really flies, doesn't it?) so I think we're in for a treat soon ...

[@mickeymickey9914]

Pis are overpriced

[@natecw4164]

@@mickeymickey9914 which is ironic as heck when you consider their original intent.

[@wanderingakii8729]

@@mickeymickey9914 do you have any android box recommendation? One that functions as an android not an android tv?

[@mickeymickey9914]

@@wanderingakii8729 I think the retroid pocket 2+ is the best bang for your buck. It has hdmi out

[@fukov3400]

I have to remind myself during this video that I already have hardware that does all that and I don't need to buy this... But I still want it.

[@TheRealAlpha2]

I feel like the problem with some of these boxes is that they seem to use the exact same name and box designs. Like it's a generic design that comes in different hardware configs making it hard to know if you have an S905 or S903. Back when I was searching for one, depending on the seller I found descriptions could either be poorly worded or a straight scam, so buyer beware.

[@matta9358]

I haven't tried it yet, but some of these boxes can be modded with heatsinks and fans to prevent throttling (which is very common with a lot of s905x3 models) which would theoretically improve performance on harder to emulate stuff. Also I noticed that despite being 64bit capable cpu, they always seem to come with 32bit versions of Android. Not sure if there's a custom Android on XDA yet that solves this, but worth looking in to.

[@markhamilton3215]

the WHOLE industry despite offering 64bit cpu bottleneck them to 32 in order to block all of us to install emulator and play rom for free (piracy). I spit on their face

[@kohakkanuva3224]

My question is, would it be theoretically possible to then run dolphin?

[@davidmateus681]

Really thanks for this video and your time to provide always qualitative perspective about devices and software, I love this HK1:)

[@McLovin20004]

04:16 my Fav. Emulator Frontend is Reset Collection, I love it

[@Nobe_Oddy]

i thought you were gonna leave a link to the EMUelec tutorial.... :( I guess I'll just have to search for it lol :) Thanks for the vid bro, this has got me thinking about putting one of these together with a 256gb card and giving it as a gift to my daughter, or niece, or nephew.... super cheap yet super useful :) TYVM!

[@PatrickC139]

I don't know how in the world you got the price down that far. Even with the coupon that's available it's still around $45 shipping to the United States. But congrats on that price. Sometimes on these boxes I do prefer to use Amazon because of the shipping speed and return ability. Just depends on how much more you gotta pay.

[@joeyjojojunior4886]

Got this box running Emuelec. Far cheaper than the Pi4 and better performance.

[@lakojake4215]

My Pi 4 performs better than this. It can run Dreamcast games no problem. I run it at 2.4Ghz.

[@devl547]

Also sold under Vontar X3 name with 100% same internals.

[@askdavidhow]

Hoot! I am actually looking for an Android box now. Thanks for the review.

[@atharvasuralkar6113]

Mi box is android box

[@moviemania1137]

@@atharvasuralkar6113 And the Shield is better than the Mi Box

[@koalitaDormilona]

3:14 wow that ancient KZbin logo 😆

[@zotenga]

Awesome video. I would really like to see some parsec tests as well, there are some android boxes that do not work properly.

[@josemarprete]

Congratulations for the excellent video. As said, if you want to use EmuELEC (or CoreELEC) be careful to buy your Tv Box with the SoC Amlogic S905X3 or S922X. You can also use S905X3 with Batocera, but EmuELEC will perform better. Some of the TV Boxes on the Amazon link are made with SoC's RockChip (RK) or Allwinner, and are incompatible with EmuELEC or CoreELEC. Nor should you buy with the Amlogic S905X4, which is incompatible with EmuELEC, CoreELEC or Batocera.

[@Tgrovez]

Well, maybe the S905x4 is not compatible at the moment. Maybe they'll be compatibility in the future.

[@josemarprete]

@@Tgrovez "Yes, because AMLogic has blocked access to some features of the SoC S905X4 to open source developers, and that includes the CoreELEC developer team. So they failed to develop CE for SoC S905x4. As EmuELEC is based on CoreELEC, it cannot develop EmuELEC for S905X4 either. And it seems that this will not change, which may even affect the future development of CE and EmuELEC. So for now, support for EmuELEC is still ongoing for S905X3 and S922X, to mention the most current and still performing great." That was the comment I posted yesterday in response to MarksGoneWicked's comment. I tried to give a specific answer to your comment, but it was deleted. Hope they don't delete this answer too. Take a look at the forums for those open source systems and search for "S905X4".

[@Tgrovez]

@@josemarprete I have been fighting with the Raspberry Pi trying to get something going. Konstakang made a really nice Android TV image for it. Seems to be really flakey at times.

[@josemarprete]

@@Tgrovez I have a Rasp 4, but I was a little disappointed with the system. I don't know this image you mention, thanks for the information, I'll look into it.

[@DLWang]

I disagree. Batocera runs better for me on s905x3

[@markwhite3783]

We actually call it a MUB and it has a whole community on Discord as support

[@DLWang]

I use x96air s905x3 with batocera. Dreamcast runs great! I play soul calibur and heavy metal a lot. Not sure why you have issues

[@dandiaz19934]

Im interested in the controller to some degree. I havent found good replacements for the PS3 controllers. Even the OEM ones were so shitty

[@TheRogueBro]

$80 canadian on amazon... Daaaaaaamn. $51 Canadian on aliexpress. 4gb Pi's selling for like $80 up here (plus shipping) is the cheapest i can find, and out of stock of course.

[@Myjacob99]

Controller he bought is like "it's not bad but I wouldn't steer a submarine with one"

[@MatthewJohnCrittenden]

Yep, got one recently, great little box for the outlay.

[@4nk8r]

I have this box. But... it has the RK chip . Never thought of trying a emulator with it . Hopefully we see some better software for the RK chips this year . Great video ,

[@travelwithoutmoving8842]

Not going to happen sorry. RK chips are a mess and the emuelec programmer does not focus on that.

[@sahatelric123]

In low cost it's actually impressive not gonna lie.

[@wenxuye3566]

Will you make a video showing us how to install emulect on this little device ? Thanks

[@bleeb1347]

8:35 - he does show us…… 😉

[@bleeb1347]

Don’t you hate it when people ask questions in the comments before watching the WHOLE video? Or…..reading the description? Lol. You’re funny.

[@y2bogus]

I have the Vontar X3, which is the same board, but different vendor. Works great as a pi4 Replacement with emuelec. The version of Android that comes with this box is absolute trash, so I originally overwrote the flash with emuelec. Later on though I wanted the android part back, but came to discover that I didn't have the original firmware file. After lookingon XDA I opted for a custom rom, Aidan's Custom Rom, which is miles beyond the stock android OS. It's based on the MiBox S's OS so it actually can work with Disney Plus with native TV controls instead of that air mouse stuff. Still no luck with Netflix though.

[@christopher5248]

The wifi stopped working on mine, searching around it's happened to a few people. Ethernet still works though.

[@vherostar]

Be very careful with this branding of box. I got one and it did NOT play emuelec, tried a bunch of memory cards and configs and none of them worked. I got it working on other boxes but this one simply would not. I spoke to the seller who advised me to simply return it to china at my own cost of £18. That was half the price of the device. The issue is I believe is the firmware on these. A bunch of these have a firmware on them that actually blocks emuelec. the fact there's a firmware available that blocks it for me is enough to warn against.

[@shedbuiltcars2999]

upon searching for this box, there is one oue with the S905x4 now, its like 100 mhz faster, and better av1 support, that is literally about it, oh and has android 11 Im sure it will be much the same

[@brendanmcknight3164]

Got one similar to it (HK1 Rbox). I sent it back to the ebay seller after 3 days. Wifi did not work only the ethernet did. Blutooth kept dropping, the box overheated constantly even with a fan underneath it and kept freezing. If was just unusable. You're better off getting an Onn 4k android TV streaming box. Modify it with the troypoint app, a flash drive, and an OTG cable and it easily out performs this thing. At least that os usable.

[@gfdggdfgdgf]

Isn't this box 99% the same as something like t95 max plus and h96 max?

[@Bear-cm1vl]

Prime, you talk a lot about loading emulation and games onto Android TV boxes. For a complete Newb like me, where can I find information on how this is done, the specifics of sourcing the emulators, the games and loading everything to run normally? I also find a group of "retro game consoles" on Amazon, however the 'bricking' issues seem to be common and am wondering if this is an easier route to get started in playing the older games I know from my time in the arcades and early game consoles with a short learning curve. Do you have any suggestions?

[@JaykPuten]

I wouldn't mind seeing *final fantasy tactics* on PSP as well as well as *tactics ogre: let us cling together* on PSP If they run slow then the psx versions... I mention the psp versions as they're remasters n have added features better graphics n way better translation... As since my psp went down 2 years ago I haven't wanted to spend pi4 $ to play it on my TV when after getting that nes style case n good SSD drive is similar to another psp .. Tho something I can connect to my gaming tv, use android or a Linux os on (w a SD card, wifi keyboard/mouse n play games w a PS4 controller both I own) for like $30-50 So I'm really intestes in how those 2 games play on PSP emulator or (at very worst) psx emu I also like that I could basically buy a 2nd for my nephew to use on his tv to watch Netflix KZbin and such, while also being able to install a Linux distro (batocera) so he understands how to use Linux as well as he does Windows, is always good, esp teaching him to program.. as for 50$ I can get the HK1 a wifi mouse n kb n cheap controller for him... Even cheaper if I look through my "extras I've upgraded" device drawer Awesome video tho thanks!!

[@TeamPandory]

Those games should be fine, but you may need to apply a fix to the rom. Psp version of ff tactics was buggy / not well optimized meaning it chugged.

[@rosyidankayan5066]

I want to know can we play the emulator on chromebook??

[@xaddict]

Your videos are always great! There’s one tiny issue with them though. You have really silent (like, 0db) pauses in the video and my tv and surround sound system trip over that. Some super silent background music or even drone sound would help a lot.

[@MrDrewseph]

That's interesting 🤔 I don't know anything about surround sound but why... would a sound system have a problem with silence?

[@VanisherXP]

This seems like a problem with your hardware, not the video here. What exactly do you mean when you say it "trips over"? Does it have some kind of problem with sound normalization or some kind of feature like that?

[@Mondochrome]

@@VanisherXP I’ve seen this referenced in settings in some apps/devices. Apparently some audio equipment gets aggressive with no signal/silence. The exact problem that results is never specified but some things have the option of playing an “invisible silent tone” instead of just nothing to keep the device/connection active. I think my nvidia shield, or Kodi on it, offers the option.

[@xaddict]

@@VanisherXP the system (both the tv and surround sound) has Dolby Atmos and absolute silence disables and then re-enables sound. It is a known problem but most movies/series/online content introduce background noise so it doesn’t happen there

[@legin3753]

People on drugs on eBay 130 euro for a pi3 lmao

[@psnap777]

Would you say this box is more powerful than an Amazon Firestick 4K Max, (the newest version) for emulation? I’m specifically wondering if it would perform better for N64. Thank ETA Prime for sharing your knowledge and experience in these excellent videos you put out.

[@WickedGamerCollector]

HK1 Box is really awesome for the money. 😄👍 Edit ...ETA Prime .. what monitor do you use ?

[@leonardomarques3057]

Great, I bought one because of this video.

[@andreibuzdugan5471]

Hello ETA, by any chance to make a review in the near future in regards to A95X F4 TV Box?

[@dumbkoffcrow974]

It's now July and the price of this thing doubled.

[@TuPhonez4Free]

cool video and box bro. this is interesting.

[@OnijJokuma]

Those gameplays are highly informative! I was hoping for an Android box great for PS2. However, I knew the moment I saw those specs... It was going to cap at dreamcast.

[@javiles2331]

It will be nice to have the android box and make it portable!

[@lordgino77]

You mentioned you made a tutorial of installing emuelec on an Android box. Can you link, please? I was able to install it, but I don't know how to install PS2 emulation on it. Thanks a lot for all your work!

[@MarksGoneWicked]

Picked up the 64mb edition. Can't find the EmuElec tutorial. You mentioned in the video it needed an update. I hope it comes out soon.

[@johnv968]

that color tho ... beautiful !

[@ok-my3ho]

Cost is low but not so powerful but value for money. PUBG run on 25 fps-30fps which is not playable. But cloud gaming like Geforce Now is perfect with controller.

[@PootWindbreaker]

Really enjoy your videos, but I'm just curious why Xbox always gets a "qualifier" when you mention it? We can use PS3, PS4, PS5, or even an Xbox controller if we have one! We can stream from Stadia, GeForce Now, or even xCloud! As a further example, if I said: "I want to watch some of my favorite content creators, like Classy Gaming, RetroGameCorps, or even ETA Prime!" Do you see how that colors the information given?

[@IRWPD]

This seems well worth the price

[@SadSackGaming]

With there being so many android boxes, what would you say is the best of what is out/theoretically coming out this year? Is the Pi4 still where you would go? Let’s say you were going to spend the 100 or so that Pi4s are going for. Best bang for the buck. What about +$25? So 125? Where you dropping your cash?

[@josemarprete]

The best performance, with the best cost/benefit is the Beelink GT King WiFi6 TV Box, with SoC S922X and which costs around US 125.00, on Ali Express.

[@MarksGoneWicked]

If you had released this video a few weeks ago, I probably would have bought one. I was looking at S905X3/S905X4, and Rockchip, and I even saw an Allwinner box. I really didn't want to get stuck with Android 9 though, because I didn't see any longevity beyond a year.

[@josemarprete]

If you want to use EmuELEC or CoreELEC, do not buy with SoC S905X4 as it is not compatible and probably never will be.

[@MarksGoneWicked]

@@josemarprete yeah, I recently went and looked at the EmuElec project after going back and looking at the older video. It didn't look like much has happened since then.

[@josemarprete]

@@MarksGoneWicked Yes, because AMLogic has blocked access to some features of the SoC S905X4 to open source developers, and that includes the CoreELEC developer team. So they failed to develop CE for SoC S905x4. As EmuELEC is based on CoreELEC, it cannot develop EmuELEC for S905X4 either. And it seems that this will not change, which may even affect the future development of CE and EmuELEC. So for now, support for EmuELEC is still ongoing for S905X3 and S922X, to mention the most current and still performing great.

[@TeamPandory]

Better change that automatic subtitle. In the intro "can't install something like emu elect or bottosera"

[@JoshuaMattingly]

Any suggestions for a low-cost Genshin Impact setup? I keep watching ETA PRIME's videos hoping for a solution, but I'm not having any luck finding a low cost build.

[@ETAPRIME]

PC or Android? For android a used refurbished S8 can be picked up for pretty cheap. For PC at least right now it will be more expensive

[@JoshuaMattingly]

@@ETAPRIME Thank you very much. Going to make my niece very happy. I'll check out the S8 refurbs. I'm very interested in a PC option too, since they can be easier to repair and change components.

[@jovanmalic9259]

I have an A95X F3 Air Android box with Amlogic CPU and 4GB of RAM. It worked well at first but now it often starts lagging so I have to close all apps in RAM and restart the device to make it work better. Is there some kind of good and light Android skin that can be installed on device like this to make it work better?

[@espinozajuan8591]

Hello, is this device still worth it in 2023? Do you know if fighsticks are supported? Thank you

[@delax0r298]

Hey Can you make a tutorial for installing os like the One that is on this box on rpi cuz i like this interface

[@nando13colon36]

I bought this box and I'll be trying to install Emuelec or Batocera with no luck. I don't know what I'm doing wrong or this box isn't Amlogic one. Any help would be appreciated thanks!

[@abdelrahman_helmy]

How to download Google tv os on this?

[@petehall1900]

You should budget windows laptop streaming steam games and emulators to android and Linux hand helds

[@gongatots4115]

Do usb zero delay encoders work with this? Would like to pop one in a bartop and with rp4's sold out everywhere I'm looking at other options.

[@wolffactor56]

Should be fine I did it with mine. But using a 905xm version.

[@deanstyles2567]

If only they ran proper Android TV... I've owned a box using the mobile apps and it was a shitty experience. Now using a Chromecast with Google TV 🙂

[@markanthonysantos3272]

That's very handy and travel friendly... What's the name of the theme for emuelec/batocera?

[@josemarprete]

Alekfull Solo theme;

[@deedd4401]

this was my favorite low cost setup - but the hw in android tv boxes would really need some refresh ... how long it's been since we got those s905x3 ? maybe some tigersoc ?

[@danielkirk5660]

I've got another s905x3 android box but I hate the fact that pressing the power button on the remote always completely powers it down no matter what setting I use it never goes in to sleep mode for some reason

[@TaniaCarmona]

Awesome review! Just one question, do you know if it will perform good with Kodi installed? I kinda want an emu station/media center for when I'm too lazy to connect my laptop. With this, I can just have it installed permanently and always available

[@markusuerschels3916]

*Got same HK1 Box Model today! Works very well with Kodi on my Samsung 4K TV. No lags in Performance. DLNA works fine. So far I'm very happy with this bargain Media Center!* ☕️😉👌

[@Pnrch]

But how did you get to the end flagpole on super Mario DS … I wanted to see that 😂🤣

[@introvert2917]

Have you reviewed the x-cube yet? Curious of your thoughts

[@SorenBorgquist]

Ahh, I just ordered one of these 5 days ago. I couldn't find it cheaper than $48 though. Can I use a "first-time buyer coupon" sometime in the future, perhaps with a different e-mail? ;-) Oh, and how IS the performance of this box compared to a RPI4?

[@3boodPhotography]

Looks cool!

[@everx7]

is there a reason not using duckstation or hw beetle core emulating ps1 in retroarch ? im just curious why pcsx rearmed is a better choice, or is this something do to with hw, lower end works better with pcsx ?

[@InternalCombustionedits]

next video: install chimera on it

[@joek1978atyahoo]

Is this a plug n play?? What Sega cd games are on it?

[@hualni]

What do you think is the best, most affordable way to emulate GC and play all the Zelda games? My niece wants to play a bunch of GC games. I honestly don't want to spend a lot. One of those Office PC's?

[@juangsantos]

@etaprime this seems like a treat buy! Would you know if Bomberman online or PowerStone 1&2 would work on this? I use my rasp pi with my students and lean more on local multiplayer games.

[@citizenjamesford]

I had one of these low end Android boxes I was hoping to use for streaming and emulation when I traveled. The OS was horrible. It's basically the phone OS so you can't use remote with it. Do any of these have legit Android TV on them?

[@madgodzilla12465]

Basically can't get any better than the $50 Chromecast with Google TV. Only problem is to add storage you gotta get a USB hub and of course storage which adds cost. It emulates up to Dreamcast but you can try the $30 model if you don't care about 4k but idk if it emulates as well.

[@diablo127]

Does it support screen rotation on Android? It would be a great choice for my virtual pinball setup.

[@TrippleBoing]

Hello ETA Prime. Again one of your very helpful videos. one Question, do you know if Netflix can run 4k on that one? I am looking for such a machine.

[@josemarprete]

No, it doesn't. Netflix certified TV Box is hard to find. I think you will find it among Mecool's products. A must have is the Mecool KM2.

[@dr_noob]

@@josemarprete Thank you very much. I apreciate it. It really does look neat. Can you tell me up to what console you can emulate?

[@josemarprete]

@@dr_noob Are you talking about the HK1? Runs most consoles including PS1, N64, Dreamcast, Sega CD, even Sega Saturn. Does not run PS2, PS3, GameCube, Wii, the heaviest emulators. If you're talking about Mecool KM2, it's with S905X2, and EmuELEC has support for this SoC, but I don't know if its boot-load is not blocked, if it is, it doesn't work. On second thought, perhaps the KM2 is not the most suitable TV Box, as it has the 2nd generation Soc, while the S905X3 is the third. So you might have to look for a Mecool with S905X3, which is Netflix certified, if you want to use NetFlix 4K.

[@TrippleBoing]

@@josemarprete What a pitty. But thanks for the hint. :-)

[@Bankotsu09]

Prices already went up...

[@pjmo83]

You usually test Xbox cloud gaming. Is there any difference in performance between that and Playstation remote play or we will have the same level of performance?

[@ttatman-jh2fv]

How did he remove the lid. I would like to open mine.

[@CharafEddineCHERAA]

Are there any Chinese/cheap android boxes that are better performing than this one and support sd card boot that you can suggest?

[@travelwithoutmoving8842]

No it will atleast be 35$

[@CharafEddineCHERAA]

@@travelwithoutmoving8842 as long as it's not $100+ and is good

[@christophorospanayiotou7222]

Is better than T95 max+ ?

[@TheVentrexian]

Between xcloud and emulation I'm considering getting this

[@hassosigbjoernson5738]

It's very tempting. But since I want to buy a new TV as well I'm looking for a TV with androidTV inside like some models from Hisense. They are not available in Germany yet, (at least the ones with androidTV) but I'm sure, they will come. This together with Game Pass xCloud and I dont even "need" an XBox (Series S) to casuly play games. On the XBox topic: What do you think about MS kinda shutting down dev mode on XBox if you dont upload an app to the store? Is this the end of emulation on XBox?

[@johnnycarter6196]

The most important part is: which wireless controllers are working with Emuelec? As i have teste 3 sets now and none working, Ipega PG9118, SF2000 controllers, Xbox Series S all not working, blotooth is trying to pair but nothing happens. Any tips?

[@MrBrandonbarlow]

I've read a few forums and they said for some reason batocera performance runs better than emuelec. Would be a good video to compare if you are looking for content to create

[@josemarprete]

I saw a video from a Spanish youtuber - which out of respect for ETA Prime I won't mention here - where he compares the performance of these two systems on a TV Box with S905X3 and in the end the EmuELEC performance was good in all tested games; Batocera, on the other hand, did not do well with some consoles. Therefore, EmuELEC performed better. But this is a very simple test to do: if you have a TV Box with SoC S905X3, install the two systems, EmuELEC and Batocera, on two identical SD Cards (can be from 8GB) and compare; In the end, choose the one that performed the best.

[@DLWang]

I use 500gb sd batocera on x96air s905x3 runs great! Dreamcast is no problem

[@kingsantos142]

Hey eta prime Could you do some videos on old windows tablet having the intel atom chips for gamecube emulations? Please!!! Please 🥺🙏

[@Kot_Umka]

I have "TOX1" for TV retro gaming.

[@davidepalladini7771]

you should have added saturn games

[@jackawackamooable]

Is there a video showing how to get emulec from the android box?

[@darexas1602]

Colin McRae Dirt rally 2... Close enough 🤭

[@ReviewCantina]

Hi, Trying to get Emuelec to rotate for a vertical screen. Menu and games are all horizontal and I cant find anyway to rotate them. Hopeing you can help. thanks.

[@rig7078]

Ineed to try use MegaMan dive with this

[@user-bn2mi9ni9e]

Where can I download your sd card image?

[@numberoneappgames]

Do you have a recommendation for an emulation system that can play PS2 games?

[@ajlycar5323]

Hey I'm trying to find the best affordable box that can play games requiring 64bit I got the box in this video earlier this year and it is great but my kid wants to be able to play GameCube games now. Any suggestions?

[@gus051]

Did you find one? My phone can run GameCube games pretty well but I’d much rather play them on a tv

[@marvinlloyd8694]

Bro try and review the hk1 robox

[@math3390]

Hello, I recently bought HK1 BOX but I am having issue with X3 T3 Bluetooth Gamepad Joystick it acts crazy it stops from working after few seconds and it come back after but without disconnect error, I have second spare but its the same its android tv issue. Please help me I would like to enjoy with this box but I dont know how to fix this.