Recently I came across the launch of the Retroid Pocket 3, a device that has the same specs as this one but a larger screen, I was interested but felt that the price gap didn't justify it, not to mention early batches seemed to have issues - so in my neverending search to find the perfect emulation device, I picked the 2 Plus for about $130 (USD).
Shipping was free and it arrived here quickly enough.
Now, what exactly is this thing? I won't go into detail on the specs here because for me mobile parts and SOCs are way too alien.
But it's a quad-core CPU, 32GBs of internal storage and 2GBs of RAM, the GPU is "good enough"
Nothing impressive right? Well, it's pretty much enough for what it claims to do.
And it claims to run Android and emulators all the way through to the Gamecube!
Before I get into the software, I need to stress that DAMN, the build quality on display here is impressive. This feels like a professional solid device that would be made by some company like Nintendo.
Its similarity to the Switch Lite is pretty evident, but things end at looks.
On top you've got two sets of bumpers and triggers (digital, not analog), the power button and the volume buttons.
The ports are USB-C and mini HDMI which I'll test eventually once the cable I purchased arrives. Mini HDMI makes a lot of sense since it can take bluetooth, so using it as a retro console is totally doable. Some matches of Mario Party 2 will probably be pretty fun on this thing.
On the bottom you've got an SD card slot and a headphone (wow).
The sound quality on this thing is of course really good through the headphones but I found the speakers to also deliver a nice sounding... sound.
Listening to music out loud on it at max volume was actually not terrible at all, and I'd say it beats my phone due to the speakers having a larger surface area.
I've been using it as a Youtube Music box ever since it arrived, because that way I save up on my phone's battery and it's just convenient. Not to mention saving up on storage space as well.
This is Retroid's own launcher for Android which you can configure and use but I found it to be way too clunky, so I'm using the more normal like Android launcher. However I can totally see the appeal here. Looks fancy like the Nintendo Switch, and is a nice way to cathegorize everything.
My current "setup" for my home screen is this.
A shortcut for the Retroid Launcher, in case I want to use it, the compatibility chart for the more demanding systems here on Google Docs and my games, emulators and streaming tools on top.
For streaming I've got Steam Link and Moonlight, which work really well on 4:3 games on this 4:3 screen.
The emulators I'm using are:
Retroarch for older titles (all the way up to the SNES/MD/PCE/more).
Duckstation for PS1.
Yaba Sanshiro 2 Pro for SEGA Saturn.
Redream for Dreamcast.
PPSSPP for PSP.
AetherSX2 for PS2, and Dolphin MMJR for Gamecube.
So how's the performance?
Basically:
Anything up to the 5th generation, including SNES titles with special chips or 32x games will run flawlessly through RetroArch. This was to be expected but it's nice either way.
PS1 via Duckstation ran all 15 games I threw at it, with only giving me any trouble which was Doom, with tons of visual glitches, however these are common in other devices as well so it's more of a Duckstation/renderer problem.
Saturn via Yaba Sanshiro 2 runs pretty much anything 2D and simpler 3D titles (such as Nights Into Dreams) but will struggle heavily with more demanding 3D games such as SEGA Rally or Panzer Dragoon.
Dreamcast is flawless on everything I've tried. With its version of SEGA Rally running better than the Saturn one, and even fast paced games such as Sonic Adventure, Crazy Taxi and more running perfectly.
PSP is a solid 90% perfect. All games I've tried worked, but some needed to be played on 1x resolution with some frame skipping. I found it to be an enjoyable experience still however. The only two games that struggled like this were God of War: GoS and Outrun 2006, but they're still totally playable.
PS2 on the other hand is a 20%. Simpler titles such as the Crash games will work perfectly, but more demanding titles or things that came out near the end of the PS2's lifespan won't run at all such as Black, Burnout 3 and Midnight Club 3 (runs fine on PPSSPP though).
Gamecube is pretty hit or miss but lots of games that I love ran quite well, including Mario Sunshine, Pario Mario TTYD, Automodellista and R: Racing Evolution.
That's pretty much it for emulation, it's an impressive showing but not good enough to deliver on its PS2 and GC promises, however for the price it's still totally worth it.
Android games also run well enough, but the aspect ratio, resolution and screen size don't help. Games like Alto's Odyssey or the Castlevania SoTN port are enjoyable, but Call of Duty has its text way too small, despite running just fine and with keys being mappable to console buttons which is great.
Would I recommend this thing?
If you're like me and hate using your phone for emulation, it can be a good little handheld for not a lot of cash, however if you're actively searching for something like this, there are better options if you save up a little.
Not that I'm discontent with it, I loved it, it's just that right now it's appealing to a niche and I just happened to fit in it - still, it's pretty good and I've been using it quite a bit to kill some boredom either by playing games or listening to music.
Either way, thanks for readings guys and gals.
