When it comes to gaming on the go, there are a ton of options ranging from smartphones, to full blown systems like the Nintendo Switch or Steam deck.
But what if you're looking for a way to play hundereds of thousands of games from multiple console catalogues, and for an extremely affordable price?
Enter the R36S.
The R36S is a Linux based handheld console, running on ArkOS, a popular custom operating system that features a simple but customisable user interface, online updates, and a very stable experience thanks to years of development work.
Below is a downloadable PDF that has help for the below topics, which includes adding new Micro SD Cards and how to update ArkOS:
1. CHARGING
2. MEMORY CARDS
3. LIST OF COMPATIBLE EMULATORS
4. FIRST USE: ARKOS AND/OR NEW MICRO SD CARD
5. FIRST USE: CONFIGURATION AND MENU
6. KEY COMBOS AND BUTTON LAYOUT
7. ADDING AND MANAGING GAMES
8. SCRAPING BOXART ON YOUR PC
9. SHADERS
10. REMAPPING BUTTONS
11. MS-DOS, COMMODORE, ATARI MSX, COLECOVISION GAMES
12. BACKUP AND DUPLICATION
The console itself looks like a revamped GameBoy, featuring the usual A,B,X,Y and D-pad, along with two analog sticks and L1/L2, R1/R2 shoulder buttons. But when looking at the unit, the standout feature is the 3.5-inch 640×480 IPS screen.
It's a gorgeous display that looks crisp and sharp, with pretty good viewing angles - although you'll likely only use it facing forward. Colours are bright and vibrant, and for the games you'll be playing, it's more than enough.
Available in a variety of colours - Pure White, translusent black/purple/orange/red, they all look great, although I would have liked to have seen some more solid colours.
**UPDATE
We were sent a version of the brand new yellow option from R36S and it's a gorgeous unit - looking very similar to the Yellow Gameboy Color, only with stunning red analogue sticks and that vibrant 3.5-inch 640×480 IPS screen. It's a beautiful console, and it's an excellent new addition to the options you get from R36S - and you can use promo code PVP to get 10% off.
Gallery added below with updated images.
The R36S sports a Mali-G31MP2 GPU and a RK3326, ARM 64bit quad-core Cortex-A35 CPU, which handles most of the library pre-installed on the device, and you are able to add more of your own using the MicroSD cards provided, although you'll want to upgrade both the game storage MicroSD and the OS card for a more reliable and speedier experience - we recommend the Samsung EVO Select as a great low cost card with excellent speeds and reliability.
There is no Wi-Fi on board the R36S, but connecting a dongle via USB-C allows you to set up a connection in order to perform any updates or to scrape game art for the menus.
Emulation is achieved via RetroArch, and running games on the R36S is a breeze, and a whopping pre-installed selection of over 15,000 titles means you're good to go straight out of the box, including titles for CS1, CS2, CS3, MAME, PC- Engine, NES, SNES, N64, Game Boy, Game Boy Color, Game Boy Advance, Nintendo DS, Mega Drive/Genesis, Dreamcast, Game Gear, Neo Geo, PlayStation One (PS1) and PlayStation Portable (PSP).
Now, the murky water side - the games. Whilst I'm a big believer of game preservation, the art of emulation is in a very grey side of the conversation - and due to the repercussions of the big mighty Nintendo, we won't be covering the games that fall into the realms of the Big N - but yes, you can catch them all, you can save the princesses, and you can do it all with smooth gameplay and great controls.
Titles that surprised me were Dreamcast - the R36S handles the likes of Crazy Taxi and Marvel VS Capcom with ease, the latter in particular being a welcome surprise due to the fast paced nature of the game. Some games play just fine but struggled with the audio (a certain FPS 007 Agent in particular) but it didn't prove too problematic - just turn the audio off or tinker with the settings within RetroArch.
The fact that this (reasonably) tiny device can play titles from systems like the Sega Mega Drive/Genesis, SNES, DS as well as Playstation 1, Dreamcast and PSP games is no small feat.
The emulation of a popular duel-screen flagship handheld (that shall not be named) plays remarkably well, and whilst there's no touch screen, using the shoulder buttons to switch layouts allows you to use the right analog as a mouse in order to press what's needed - it sounds more cumbersome than it actually is, but in practise it works quite well!
Control wise, the R36S is comfortable to hold, but the buttons themselves are very clicky - they control just fine, not bad but not premium, but they are very loud and audible when pressing, especially quick button hit games like Marvel VS Capcom.
The 3,500mAh removable battery gives you 5-8 hours of playtime, and the R36S can still be used while it's being charged.
There are replicas of the R36S out there, but the official version can be found via the link below - the latest version, V5, includes improvements and the latest features, and the the team at R36S are also creating tutorials on how to install and update ArkOS, change memory cards, and add more games
The R36S is a fantastic little device and is a great travel companion, the amount of games available straight out of the box means there's something for everyone, and you can add your own games easily. The screen is glorious - particularly for such a low price point, and the power compared to other comparable handhelds such as the Miyoo Mini Plus (£79) or the ANBERNIC RG35XX (£45/£60) makes the R36S a great choice at the lower price of £40 on sale - or even cheaper over on AliExpress - just be mindful that you're getting the official version before you buy.
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