So a month ago I bought an Anbernic RG35XXSP. This is a clamshell form-factor emulation device. It has two SD card slots, a common directional pad setup with four buttons and R+L 1 and 2 buttons. There are no analog sticks on this handheld.

I like how this device feels in my hands. It fits into them perfectly, and I have big wide hands. It has a nice big bright IPS 3.5 screen that has good ratios for most systems I wish to play such as Gameboy Advance and Nintendo Entertainment System games, as well as a smattering of Super Nintendo games.

There's also a good choice of custom firmware. I use Knulli, but many folks will swear by MuOS or TrimUI. Knulli has a good choice of systems and I prefer it's setup and usage over the others. I did not enjoy or use the stock firmware much.

Basically, I like the experience this handheld provides. I didn't like the stock OS much and I don't suggest keeping it. Remember to switch the SD card it arrives with with a new one!

In June of 2020 I wrote an article about the Evercade by Blaze. At the time I wrote that, the Evercade was a single handheld system with a very small library of games. I was not very impressed with Evercade at the time. Of course, they have done more in the many years since I wrote that article, such as expanding their library of available games and releasing more expanded systems such as a handheld with Wi-Fi and more system storage called the EXP line, and consolized versions for your TV called the VS line.

I also bought one, meant to review it, but had my accident before I could get to it. Whoops! That being said, in the intervening years I have changed my mind about the Evercade. My main complaint was the limited library of games that it had available to it (Seriously why own Data East's catalog for a hundredth time…).

Since owning my own Evercade I have come to like it quite a bit. It's fun to collect for now and I'm looking forward to buying an Evercade Alpha, a bar top arcade version of the Evercade when I am able to get into my wheelchair since my accident. My favorite carts are the Duke Nukem Collection 1 for the exclusive Duke Nukem 1+2 remasters and the exclusive RogueCraft DX cart, a fun rogue game.

So hey, guess I was wrong so many years ago. Instead of sitting here with egg on my face I'm gonna go die for the hundredth time in RogueCraft DX. 

I made an Evercade Cart and System Checklist. It's a Google Doc. You can access it below:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1DgE85aQcDwAapLG5E8JGI-x3CC2fHZF3mDzgPYsCyX0/edit?usp=sharing

Going to do my best to keep it updated into 2026.

Walk is still shitty, but a little bouncy now. #pixelart #spriteart

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— RETROCADEROMP.COM (@retrocaderomp.com) September 29, 2025 at 3:30 AM

Recently a type of retro handheld has been flooding the market thanks primarily to predatory social media marketing campaigns. 

The R36S 'Game console' series of handhelds are by themselves not horrible handhelds. But they require some extra love that an inexperienced player may not be able to grasp. Even that, by itself, isn't the issue I have.

Heck, the issue I have isn't even with this console itself. In fact most retro handhelds may require extra love to work well primarily with flashing a new custom firmware.

No. The issue I have is that these predatory social media campaigns aren't selling a legit R36S series console. They are poor quality bootlegs that are made poorly, and do not run correctly... made with inferior cheap parts.

There's a few ways to avoid buying a bootleg. 

One is to avoid buying it on social media shops such as the ticktock shop. These are often advertised on the social media themselves. 

Another is to examine the build quality of the device. If the type on the buttons is skewed, and it feels like it might break apart in your hands, it's probably a bootleg.

Of course the old adage rings true here, if the deal is too good to be true it probably is. The bootlegs always seem to be sold for sub fifteen to ten dollar prices.

If you think you have bought a bootleg/counterfeit R36S Games console, and the shop you bought it from has return policies or buyer protection, please document the console with pictures of things such as imperfections or videos of it running poorly. You should submit the evidence you now have to the shop you bought it from, along with why you think the system is bootleg.

If the shop you purchased it from lacks such protections you will be out of luck. There may be a way to make your bootleg at least a little useable by flashing a custom firmware on it meant for the 'clone'/bootleg consoles, which you can find here: https://github.com/lcdyk0517/arkos4clone. Be sure to do so on a fresh, new, SD card!
 

Started work on a new project, a guide for users new to Retro Handhelds- detailing how to start looking for one and so on. I know I'd had found such a guide useful early on in my own journey looking for one. It's going detail how to start looking for one, all the way to searching for custom firmwares for them. I've finished one section already so it's off to a great start!

Hanheldssss! The First Frontier. Yup, that's a RG-350 I bought for cheap because it wouldn't boot. Just opened it up, replaced the SD card and closed it back up and bamf.

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— RETROCADEROMP.COM (@retrocaderomp.com) September 4, 2025 at 5:50 AM

I added a BlueSky account to complement my Twitter (X now? Ugh. X.). You can find RR.com here: 

https://bsky.app/profile/retrocaderomp.com

Check us out and follow me as I get it going!

It's been a moment.

Wow. I'll be frank—so. Around the time of the last post in, uh, September of 2022. I got into an accident on my bicycle. I lost my right leg. And I am on track to losing the left. Both were amputated below the knee. This has left me basically bedbound and left me in a deep depression, as I have been unable to access my retrogaming hobby from a hospital bed in my living room. The idea is to get prosthetics when I get the left leg amputated. I am also now on dialysis, as my kidneys turned to crap. It's unknown if this is related to my accident or not. 

So Retro Handhelds has been my salvation. Effectively emulation devices, tiny handheld computers that have been my connection to my hobby. I've decided that these count, and for the first time since 2022, I've updated my collection page with my retro handhelds and handheld computers. 

I'll try to keep updated now, as I pivot to retro handheld news for a bit. I'd love to thank the Retro Handhelds Discord for giving me the courage to make this post. These guys are great. Go visit them.

You'll also notice a name and avatar change. I've been going by the name 'LemonAid' online, where I've been able to for a few years now, so I've been changing the name where I've been able to. Still the same old me. Just with a fresh coat of paint. RockyCoon, LemonAid? Same guy.

What relatively unknown game are you a fan of? Mine is Namco's Great Greed for the Gameboy, a standard but fun Gameboy RPG. This was also my first RPG video game I ever played aswell, back in the 90's. #retrogames #retrogaming #namco #RPG pic.twitter.com/Z5M7KkTmZB

— Rocky Raccoon @ Retrocade Romp! 🦝 🕹 (@RetrocadeRomp) September 2, 2022

Emulation. Let's talk about it. Good? Bad? Ethical? Unethical? Well this is my opinion. Emulation is important. It allows us to preserve games for the future. Some of the media games are on, such as discs, are threatening to deteriorate after time. That's first and foremost before you answer any other questions about it.

Is it good? Well yes. I believe so. As stated, it's the best way to preserve video games. It's also a good way to introduce people to retrogaming without the need for expensive original hardware. There's also ethical ways to emulate games- such as the NES games and SNES games offered with a Nintendo Switch Online subscription- without resorting to computer emulators and downloading roms.

Is it Ethical? Well it depends. As stated, many companies are starting to offer back catalog games or arcade games for sale or access. This would be ethical and paying the company for it's work. Of course, downloading roms from the internet to play on an emulator would be less so. Even older games may still be copyrighted by existing companies, while some games may no longer have a copyright holder.

Games without a copyright holder are generally considered 'abandoned' by many folks and 'okay' to emulate compared to say, games owned by say a company such as SEGA.

In the end, my original, stated opinion still stands. Emulation is important to the preservation of games.

I'm going to start to review places I buy video games. This might include real, brick and mortar locations, websites and usernames on services like E-bay. So this will be the first of those reviews, in which I review the most recent place I've bought games from, The GOAT Store.

The GOAT Store, or, 'Games Of All Types' Store, is a web-store located online at https://www.goatstore.com/. They carry lots of types of retro video games, not specializing in any particular type. Atari, Master System, Invellivision, Nintendo NES and SNES... lots.

I've had quite a few orders with this store and most have gone well. Orders usually go out within a week of ordering, and everything arrives in the stated condition. During purchase you can buy/pick certain condition carts for various stated prices--- with 'bad label, card only' tending to be the cheapest option. I like stores with this option, as it lets you pick a cheaper version of a game if you don't care about label condition, or tiny cosmetic problems in a cartridge when you just want the game.

I consider their prices fair. They know what certain games are worth, and their prices are never 'Ebay bad'. If I'm looking for a fair price on a game, this is the first website I check out!

I have gotten slightly dirty carts that have needed cleaning before, but that's a minor gripe. They say everything is tested before it's sold, and I had bought the carts in the lowest grade condition available, for the record. I have never had a dead cartridge or disc from The GOAT store.

My communication with The GOAT Store has always been quick and kind, and have always solved my problem.

Overall, I would suggest The GOAT store. Fair prices. A little variety. Great people. I would give them a 9 out of 10 Billy Goats.

My missing package showed up! 2600 Activision goodness galore!