Retroid’s first dual-screen handheld has arrived, here are some (lengthy) first impressions.
Retroid Pocket Duo Lite:
use code “DUOLITE” for $14 off during pre-order phase (ends 9/30)
Retroid Pocket Duo Lite Plus:
use code “LITEPLUS” for $20 off during pre-order phase (ends 10/31)
Retroid Pocket Duo:
use code “DUO” for $20 off during pre-order phase (ends 10/15)
shipping starts mid-October
Qualcomm v615.50 Vulkan drivers:
This was a review unit sent to me by the manufacturer. All opinions are my own, they did not see this review ahead of time, and no money was exchanged in any way.
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Timestamps:
00:00 introduction
01:37 specs and pricing
04:12 RP Duo Lite Plus
07:12 unboxing and impressions
07:54 size and weight comparisons
10:46 pocket tests
12:05 overall design
13:30 controls and hinge
20:30 ergonomics
21:44 screen testing
27:14 audio and fan noise
28:42 software experience
30:22 NDS emulator options
32:48 NDS testing
38:43 3DS testing
42:46 multitasking
45:02 PSP and Android games
46:37 teardown
47:03 summary and conclusion
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#Retroid #emulation #3DS #DS #NDS #gaming
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I got the 6gb ram model and I can’t wait for it to come waiting on a setup guide for the duo lite.
“Is that a Retroid in your pocket or are you just happy to….” 😂 , awesome video as usual 👏
I love the Nova stick cap I want some for my Odin 2.
Are you getting a review unit for the Duo or will we have to wait for your order to come in? Was this a review unit?
You review so many consoles. What do you personally play on? I play the RGSP as my daily driver, with an Odin 3 when I crave a PS2 game.
Very excited about this! Quick note on terminology: you keep referring to buttons as being "dampened". The correct term in this case is "damped".
what watches Ross wearing?
Even on the Mini V2 I find the stick to be kind of oversensitive, so It's good to know what I'd be getting into if I were to upgrade to this one.
Personally I'm pretty content with the Mini. The main incentive to switch to a Duo is the wide screen, especially if you're watching subtitled modern anime on Netflix or something.
a handheld with a DS form factor should play most DS/3DS games flawlessly, without weird quirks. That is all I have to say.
A crying shame they brought two new handhelds before bringing back the G2, they said they would do it and instead they got rid of it on their website. I'm DAMN GLAD I could get mine on AliExpress, but this just feels like the rudest of slaps to the face. The regular duo looks pretty promising, but the chipset is disappointing to say the very least. I know it's supposed to be a mid tier option, but the fact it may struggle with some 3DS emulation (which is what it's supposed to do) is a pity.
Thank you Russ for an informative impressions video of this device. I’m on the fence for the Lite Plus variant. Looking forward to your deep dive video
To me, the Retroid Pocket Duo Lite is a total flop; none of its versions are worth it. It’s a dual-screen handheld that doesn't seem to know what it wants to be. It lacks the power to run 3DS games well, and Nintendo DS emulation suffers from terrible lag. If you're buying it for DS games, you can get the ANBERNIC RG DS/Plus for much less. And if you don't mind switching screens, even the R36S—or other handhelds in the $50 range—runs DS games very well. Sure, it runs PSP games great, but why buy a dual-screen handheld—which fails to emulate dual-screen consoles properly—just to play games from a single-screen console? There are better, cheaper options for PSP: the RG52MINI (with AURKNIX) and the Kinhank K56 run PSP games at 2x resolution smoothly for under $99. In short, this Lite model is ridiculously bad, with a far too weak CPU. Retroid is simply capitalizing on the current hype for dual-screen devices by releasing this ridiculous handheld.
No interest in 3DS emulation handhelds until there's one with full proper 3DS support with stereoscopic 3D.
packing pants to hawaii for the pocket test. a true professional.
Im going with OLED during the presale discount as the viewing angles on my sample lite kinda sucked. The light plus makes no sense if for $30 to $50 more you get that OLED.
15:54 to be fair, Mario 64 DS was NOT programmed to work with sticks. We learned this back when the 3DS first came out. Doesn’t matter what input you’re using if the game was literally not programmed for that kind of movement. A better test would be the original Mario 64.
Am I crazy or is the bottom screen 4.5 inches as opposed to 4.2?
It claims 4.5 on the website, but I don't think Russ is wrong…
Gonna need those back pocket tests from now on chief
I'm getting the base duo as my first android system. I'm sure you have explained before but is there a way to make it seem less like a phone? I love my linux devices feeling like actual hardware rather than apps so I was wondering if some frontend was possible and if so how do you do it? I'm assuming you probably will cover customization and etc when you do the review on the base duo but just in case figured I'd ask the comments on how to "hide android"
I got my Duo Lite today, an immediate OTA update and the bottom screen is black, the touch screen works and acts as navigation for the top screen, but is black as if not on at all. Pushing Home button or any other buttons doesn't change it, nor a restart. I read someone with the same issue after the update d9na factory reset and it still didn't fix it.
I went with the regular Duo. I don't put handhelds in my pockets anymore, so I may as well get analog triggers and more power.
What do you think about the grey bezels Russ? Is it weird having 2 different color bezels while playing games that don’t fill the whole screen?
Зачем нужен девайс с экраном 16:9, если он не тянет широкоформатные системы?! Форм-фактор явно под 3ds, а начинка тянет максимум psp 🫠 играть в ретро-консоли с чёрными полями по краям за 160 баксов 🤷🏻♂️
So apparently, from what I found – QCS6125 does not support more than 1 screen, which should explain all the issues? It's trying to handle more screens that it's designed for.
It's a pretty baffling screw-up and it kinda kills this specific machine unless the community will do some homebrew firmware magic.
Not a fan of left analog on the bottom. Missed opportunity on my end but it is cheaper and more affordable. Anbernic had its chance to get my money but their DS is soooo weak lol.
Dear Russ, since having discovered your channel i started suffering from RHEDA (retro handheld emulation device addiction)
and the only cure is more devices!!!
Bonjour Est-il possible que dans vos prochaines vidéos ou bien un short sur le retroid pocket duo. Vous essayez de monter la possibilité et le rendu du plein écran supérieur ( Widescreen top un game ) lorsque vous jouez pour DS et 3DS,merci
Please, anyone.
A clamshell pocketable handheld with good battery, full PlayStation/X360 controls and 5G support.
I want to enjoy games I installed on my PC when I'm outside via streaming, and having to use a hotspot is redundant.
Great news! Qualcomm is beginning to add native support for frame generation, DLSS, and DirectX 12 directly to its Android processors. Moreover, they have started developing their own drivers for game emulation; consequently, the question of when ARM-based handhelds will surpass x86 devices is no longer a matter of wishful thinking, but simply a matter of time.
I feel like as people become more familiar with these chips and retroid has time to push out more firmware updates, things will be much better….hopefully. Is it possible to load another lighter OS on a device like this that won't eat up so many resources?
How do you of all people, not wear cargo pants? 😂
Please do a video on doing standalone emulation of sega CD, Genesis, GBA, GB Color, GC Emulation on android handhelds like this & Ayn Thor without RetroArch …..
So will the plus version be able to do 3ds emulation
is the highest volume not high enough?
Are you still releasing a video on emulation on the new MSI claw?
I have a thor but if i could get a handheld with a dual nova screens and a chipset that can do a sure 2x scale for DS games I'd be in heaven.
I wonder if I can take out the joy sticks and replace them myself with the ones the ayn Thor has only thing I would change tbh
Setup guide please for the pocket duo lite.