Well here's my Retroid Pocket Duo review! Retroid, the company, has released their higher-end Android-running retro handheld. AMOLED displays in a dual-screen form factor which can handle emulating Nintendo DS and 3DS games, and some more above that.

As part of it, I've been chatting with the developers behind Eden, Eden Duo, SeedlessDS and Cocoon about their work, the challenges of dual-screen gaming on Android, and where they see things going from here. I've incorporated their perspectives throughout the review, alongside my usual hands-on testing and thoughts about the hardware itself.

I've also spent plenty of time testing everything from Nintendo DS and 3DS through to PSP, GameCube, PS2, Switch and PC gaming, seeing where the Duo does well and where the limitations start becoming apparent. There are some fun things I found when reviewing, and a few things I'd still change. Above all, though, Retroid has once again managed to make a handheld that feels nicely playful (something I love about their handhelds), and 'Nintendo-like', and I've had an absolute blast reviewing it.

As ever, this is a written article (and a very long one at that!), so if you're a fan of older gaming-style sites and features that aren't videos, this might be your kind of read. Hope some of you enjoy this!

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13 comments in c/technology@lemmy.world view that post
[–] [S] 21 points 2 weeks ago (1 child)

Well here's my Retroid Pocket Duo review! Retroid, the company, has released their higher-end Android-running retro handheld. AMOLED displays in a dual-screen form factor which can handle emulating Nintendo DS and 3DS games, and some more above that.

As part of it, I've been chatting with the developers behind Eden, Eden Duo, SeedlessDS and Cocoon about their work, the challenges of dual-screen gaming on Android, and where they see things going from here. I've incorporated their perspectives throughout the review, alongside my usual hands-on testing and thoughts about the hardware itself.

I've also spent plenty of time testing everything from Nintendo DS and 3DS through to PSP, GameCube, PS2, Switch and PC gaming, seeing where the Duo does well and where the limitations start becoming apparent. There are some fun things I found when reviewing, and a few things I'd still change. Above all, though, Retroid has once again managed to make a handheld that feels nicely playful (something I love about their handhelds), and 'Nintendo-like', and I've had an absolute blast reviewing it.

As ever, this is a written article (and a very long one at that!), so if you're a fan of older gaming-style sites and features that aren't videos, this might be your kind of read. Hope some of you enjoy this!

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  • [–] 3 points 2 weeks ago

    Hmm, with some kind of border for the top screen to hide the black bars when playing DS, it might seem quite good. maybe the borders can even be fake speakers to make it look more like the DS top panel lol.

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  • [–] 15 points 2 weeks ago (4 children)

    These handhelds keep getting more impressive, but also more expensive.

    So far I’m sticking to simpler, smaller and cheaper units like the Miyoo Mini. I’m much more likely to EDC them because if they get lost/stolen etc it’s a lot less to cry over.

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  • [–] 3 points 2 weeks ago (1 child)

    Yeah, I've been keeping an eye on these things for years but I can never justify it to myself because the cheaper ones can emulate a lot less than my phone can and the best ones cost more than my phone did. I ended up purchasing a regular DSi earlier this month, it's apparently very easy to mod these days and was cheaper than an RG DS.

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  • [–] 5 points 2 weeks ago (1 child)

    Excellent review as always!

    This is the one I’ve been waiting for. I’ll be buying either this or the lite+. Just need to sell my 3DS first 🙃

    Weirdly I don’t think I have a preference for this or the lite+. On paper the pros and cons kind of level out. Ideally I’d want the flat back and the oled screens, but the lcd screens don’t seem too bad, and the back bumps probably aren’t that big of a deal.

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  • [–] [S] 5 points 2 weeks ago

    I think to me my dream was the Duo bit with the in-line triggers. At least before I got to using it. After all of this is said and done, the Duo is just a beautiful handheld.

    Duo Plus or Duo, I really don't think you'll be disappointed for the price this runs at.

    The best part for you is that the 3DS commands a good price these days!

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  • [–] 4 points 2 weeks ago (1 child)

    How well does it handle WiiU emulation?

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  • [–] [S] 8 points 2 weeks ago

    There's a recomp of Wind Waker HD for Wii U, but I tried the same (regular version) game in Cemu and it played beautifully!

    But the emulator itself is quite immature compared to the other systems in emulation, so it is very much a game-by-game basis

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  • [–] 1 point 2 weeks ago (1 child)

    Heck, I meant to read this yesterday, but I guess I'll have to wait till a patch!

    i feel like this could be the perfect little machine

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  • 9 comments in c/games@lemmy.world view that post
    [–] 4 points 2 weeks ago (1 child)

    This is looking closer and closer to my dream device, I'm just waiting to see how FEX matures so this thing can run all my favorite 2D indie games. Whenever the inevitable Duo 2 model comes out, that'll probably be the one I pick up.

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  • [–] 3 points 2 weeks ago

    Considering how GameNative allowed me to play stardew valley, into the breach, and darkest dungeon with very playable fps (worst was into the breach at 27), on a pixel 6a, I'm pretty sure you don't need to wait too long for 2D games

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  • [–] 3 points 2 weeks ago (2 children)

    nice touch interviewing the emulator devs instead of just running benchmarks. One question: on the 3DS the top screen is 400x240 and the bottom one 320x240, so they differ in width. Does the duo use two identical panels and letterbox the bottom image, or do the emulators handle it some other way?

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  • [–] [S] 2 points 2 weeks ago (1 child)

    Thanks! I really wanted to give some of the developers behind these projects a chance to talk about their work, since so much of the experience depends on what they're doing.

    The Duo actually has two different panels: a 5.5-inch 16:9 AMOLED on top (1920×1080) and a 4.5-inch 4:3 AMOLED below (1280×960). Azahar handles the two 3DS screens independently, so the upper 400×240 image is scaled to fit the top display while preserving its original 5:3 aspect ratio, leaving small black bars on either side. The lower 320×240 image is already 4:3, so it fills the bottom panel perfectly. You can upscale the 3D rendering considerably without stretching either screen, and in practice it all works rather nicely :)

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  • [–] 1 point 1 week ago

    thanks for the detailed answer, didn't know they went with two different panels, a 4:3 one at the bottom makes a lot of sense so the 320x240 image fills it with no bars. sorry for the late reply lol

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  • [–] 2 points 2 weeks ago (2 children)

    How are these devices with ps2 titles?

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  • [–] [S] 3 points 2 weeks ago (1 child)

    I covered how this one did with PS2 in my review there!

    Really well, but a dual screen might not be the best one for you if PS2 is your focus. I'd recommend something like Retroid's Pocket Nova (the 8GB one) if PlayStation is the key for you!

    https://www.goretroid.com/products/retroid-pocket-nova-handheld

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  • [–] 1 point 2 weeks ago

    Have you tested any of the Linux-based software available for these Retroid devices? Like Armada or Pocknix? How much better or worse is emulation performance on that side now? I heard there's been a lot of work done lately. I'm guessing that the Duo specifically has no support yet though... Anyway, awesome reviews!

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  • [–] 1 point 2 weeks ago

    not perfect dark

    :'(

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  • 3 comments in c/retrogaming@lemmy.world view that post
    [–] 3 points 2 weeks ago (1 child)

    Looks like the server might be down.

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  • [–] 2 points 2 weeks ago