Episode #4 of my Youtube Series is out! - https://youtu.be/KErFU709334?si=izP5e20nuAn75kpC

Episode #3 of my Youtube Series is out! - https://youtu.be/V4_BO1Lj1Ng?si=9u3gccCfO3ZqDVjR

Episode #2 of my Youtube Series is out! - https://youtu.be/PYAFzV4dGPw

Episode #1 of my Youtube Series is out! - https://youtu.be/vdvtcDGYZPg

I'm starting a youtube channel, check it out! - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SI0drSP3P38

A gift from a friend. I'm excited for it! It's an Evercade Alpha, Taito Edition. Loaded with 12 Taito classics and can play Evercade carts for expanding the library! #evercade #retrogaming #bartop pic.twitter.com/FCY4VJ71AP

— LemonAid @ Retrocade Romp! 🍋 🕹 (@RetrocadeRomp) November 22, 2025

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!