Retroid Pocket Flip 2 (Cows Ascended)

[wind geyser]

I feel pretty comfortable I got in my order with plenty of time (& I did DHL), mainly just a concern about potentially trying to switch too late or to add another order on too late,

I guess mainly I’m just curious about how the Flip 2 ergonomics hold up compared to something like the non-xl New 3ds (which I couldn’t stand).

However, while feedback is good, comfort is pretty subjective/personal.. so another option is, perhaps, doing the bundle and then choosing from there, then selling the one that doesn’t click with me? However that is a decent chunk of change to put down..

[long lagoon]

did people cancel their pre-orders due to the tariffs?

[long lagoon]

Why would the ergonomics be compared to the non-xl new 3ds? thats way smaller

[wind geyser]

That’s kind of what I was feeling out I guess? That new 3ds kinda turned me off of the idea of any clamshell for a while bc of how uncomfortable it was, so I was just trying to feel out if that’s something I should worry about.

Not to mention the Flip 2 seems to sorta sit in between the two 3ds sizes

[long lagoon]

I just recently got a non-xl 3ds and that thing is tiny and my hands constantly meet and its annoying, I had a new 3ds xl and it was much better.

And I wouldn't say it sits in between, I didnt see more direct comparsions but russ video of the flip 2 vs new 2ds xl it seemed like the flip 2 is slightly bigger if anything

[naive hollow]

I did not

[wind geyser]

Ooh I think you’re right, looks like it’s a little less wide but a bit more tall

[long lagoon]

the 2ds is a bit more ocmpact than 3ds xl iirc

[wind geyser]

Oh, then this would be quite similar to that

[long lagoon]

So it might just be very close to a n3ds xl

[wind geyser]

Damn, this is really helpful but also makes things more difficult on my “which to buy” question, lol

so thanks 💔

[long lagoon]

what are your options

[wind geyser]

This was my initial post ^-^ originally was headed towards a Classic

[long lagoon]

Well I dont really see the classic being any more ergonomic, those vertical handhelds are usually known for anything but being ergonomic. But I mean i think the quetsion is just what good enough and not great.

if you can try to get your hands on 3DS XL it will be the easiest I guess. generally speaking its really hard to combine great ergonomics with pocketability bc usually you need grips or something, like curved backs or whatever and those are kinda.. impossible to do if you want something compact too so it is what it is.

[wind geyser]

I think I had somehow missed that about verticals, maybe in part bc everyone I could find was talking about how great steam deck ergonomics were, while it was definitely too big for me. I think I started to equate ‘ergonomic’ with ‘for dudes with big hands’ with regards to how the handheld community talks about things which maybe led me to not understand some things, lol

[severe ridge]

bruh

the flex

bruhhhh

[manic grove]

stinky

but not earth shattering

[plush silo]

Eww

[long lagoon]

Well, it is ofc personal taste but I think if you polled people here I think most would agree that vertical tends to be the less ergonomic of the bunch. Doesnt mean they are bad mind you but like its not really the point of them.

[strange ivy]

What’s wrong with this though? Realistically, softer plastics would do better at absorbing impact, making it less likely to be damaged if you drop it.

[arctic scaffold]

not a good gif because you don't actually know how much force is being used

[strange ivy]

Also how many people will be pressing their devices like that when using

[severe ridge]

the more plastic flexes the more stress builds up too

[wind geyser]

Yea tbh from what I’m gathering the flip 2 is maybe one of the most pocketable options to still be decently comfortable to use.. Though I do almost exclusively wear like, light streetweary cargo pants, so, above average pocket size. Seems like for a lot of people even the flip 2 is probably a little big for pocketing

[long lagoon]

sometimes you have to take risks, it is what it is.

[strange ivy]

What do you mean?

[severe ridge]

you can clearly see its just two fingers, hes not standing over it

[wind geyser]

Anyway thanks @long lagoon this was really helpful

[strange ivy]

Stress gets distributed better at point of impact on softer/dampened material

I literally studied material science as part of my degree.

[long lagoon]

It seems a bit on the thicker side but a lot of people had 3ds on their pockets, it all depends on how long you are talking about and what you wear, etc etc. I much rather have the option than not, even if it means dedciating a pocket to it and not doing it al the time. we'll see.

I use to have a 3ds xl in my pocket a lot.

it was just not in the level of "you forget its there".

[strange ivy]

People complaining about flexing, y’all try dropping a soft plastic bottle, a hard plastic bottle, and a glass bottle on a concrete floor.. And see which one breaks first.

[wind geyser]

Yea i think that size works for me for that. The reason the whole pocketing situation even matters so much to me is that I’ve pretty much phased out carrying my phone. This is going to be half of my daily carry (the other half is my Boox Palma 2 reader). Love the Boox but my ADHD ass needs an option somewhere in between “hate yourself on social media” and “read book”

[wind geyser]

Which, tbh, neither of these probably will be, the classic is an inch thick

So I’m pretty consigned to that part of things lol

[long lagoon]

I dowish this was slimmer

[arctic scaffold]

did they show all these flex tests on comparable devices

[long lagoon]

hopefullly aya neo will release a clamshell, they are the only ones bold enough to let it cook and not care about it getting hot.

[arctic scaffold]

rp flip

just devices in general with large flat plastic area

[restive totem]

🙃

Hopefully the GC is better tbh

[strange ivy]

I still don’t get why people consider flex a bad thing

Rigid is worse if you drop it

[sleek birch]

makes it appear it could break more easily?

[restive totem]

All fun and games until it cracks

[severe ridge]

it will break more easily
the constant flexing at low pressure will build up the stresses and crack it
some flex is good yes, but constantly flexing easily in plastic is bad

[strange ivy]

A more solid device is more likely to crack

[severe ridge]

hence why nintend and others dont use super flexy plastic

[restive totem]

That hinge in 5 months will be interesting

I am 100% avoiding the first batch of these tbh

[strange ivy]

Larger devices, I understand a higher rigidity to maintain structural integrity but it is a trade off.

Hence why all these “protective cases” are made of rubber/silicone, soft material

[warm crypt]

With luck orange turd will blink by then and drop the tarrifs

[strange ivy]

What I’m seeing in that Joey video doesn’t show it’s super flexy though. It’s just shows him pressing it to the point of flex.

[restive totem]

Politics aside
It's obvious they rushed it so their US costumers wouldn't cancel their orders. This is a recipe for QC issues and it's a given.
Maybe the second batch will be better , "maybe"

[wind geyser]

Yea it’s about 1.5mm thinner than the classic but both are definitely thicker than something like any sort of DS; also in looking up those dimensions I also checked against those of the new 3ds/new 3ds xl on retrocatalog and it’s looking quite a bit closer to the non-xl than the xl

[random tulip]

Eh. Hard to assume that without having a clue as to what their original timeline was

[strange ivy]

Huh. Retroid’s timeline was always mid-April so they weren’t rushing for US customers tho

[random tulip]

Like units were already clearly in production if they think they'll get all preorders out in time

[restive totem]

Final result still looks rushed.

[random tulip]

Wait why are we saying this now?

[strange ivy]

We haven’t seen any final results though?

[random tulip]

Did I miss something?

Because a rubber bumper fell off

[strange ivy]

Yeah.. All I see are reviewers getting engineering samples

[blazing burrow]

Yes these brands usually only send pre-prod units if they show up early

[restive totem]

I'm saying now because only now we can see reviews and how the hardware really looks

[arctic scaffold]

It's just telling me there's big flat surface + gap between plastic and internal

[strange ivy]

No one’s done a review though. And no one in their right mind would do a review of engineering samples

[restive totem]

We've been in the speculation and trust me bro zone since like 2 days ago when these showed up on YT

[blazing burrow]

But these Flip 2 units appear to be final beyond software updates like patching in the RA return / Home functionality

[wind geyser]

New 3ds: 142 x 80.6 x 21.6 mm
New XL: 160 x 93.5 x 21.5 mm
Flip 2: 140.5 x 89.5 x 24.4 mm

So the length closer to non-xl, the width closer to xl ^-^

[blazing burrow]

I would feel confident reviewing the unit I have now, Russ is also reviewing his

With the caveat on the software fix for the function button

Working on it and releasing Monday

[strange ivy]

That’s fair. I personally don’t trust reviews of prototypes and samples, only production units

[blazing burrow]

Then also following up with my retail unit video when I get that to compare

I would be surprised if there was any hardware different between the 2, but that is part of the journey

[restive totem]

We had some pretty good " first impressions " though
They were just shipped to the reviewers now. So far they're being transparent with the pros and the cons they could find ( so far ) , i don't like the cons to gamble with one right now , so i'll wait. It's not like these are going out of stock

[blazing burrow]

If it was a classic pre-production unit that has problems and things they say are needing to be fixed on the hardware front, then i'd wait as well, I can think of plenty of examples of those, this is not that situation from my experience with the device so far

[random tulip]

And we were expecting things to be very different?

[arctic scaffold]

is this the same guy that sold and shipped a high-end device with just the original box + plastic bag?

[strange ivy]

I also think it’s weird that people think some degree of flex is bad. Perhaps this can be addressed in the review.

[blazing burrow]

But these are about to ship out in a few days

[arctic scaffold]

the guy doing the flex tests

[restive totem]

Specially since it's such a short Window between the pre - production units and final mass prodction ones

[south mantle]

I keep my sunglasses loose, so they’re less likely to bend a break if they get smashed or dropped. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve picked up a kid in Sunday school and forgot that I had my sunglasses on and my glasses get twisted five different ways

[random tulip]

Oh god. We're still on about the flex

[sleek birch]

interestingly, I thought the shoulder and trigger buttons on the transparent model would be black, but they are the same as the main body... o.o

[south mantle]

lol nah I just read through

[restive totem]

Not at all or we could have a Flip1 situation when the hinge got fixed
I don't mind waiting tbh

[warm crypt]

Let hope second batch removes the hideous top design, it’s so random

[random tulip]

Oh. So we're just speculating.

[fast sonnet]

When you're squeezing it if looks like you're gonna take a bite out of it like it's a sandwich

[blazing burrow]

Yes please 😂

[arctic scaffold]

yea that looks normal, it's just what plastic does if there's no support directly under it

[random tulip]

Yeah. I can understand aesthetic complaints

[arctic scaffold]

you can put a lot of force with two fingers, i feel like he swapped from just one to two fingers in the other gifs for """demonstration"""

not stubbs, joey

[random tulip]

Yeah. The flex honestly doesn't worry me at all. More worried about what others are planning to do with these things, and how weird it could get

[blazing burrow]

Yeah this is normal flex, you'd have to really push hard to do damage, like JRE hard 😄

That Ice Blue plastic, I don't know though, transparent plastics are a little thinner

[coral valley]

It'd be the coolest thing ever if they made swappable shells like the new 3ds

Not gonna happen but

[limpid ledge]

It's depends because ice blue does look very cheap than other model

[random tulip]

I love how everyone has already moved on to V2 😆

[strange ivy]

Technically you can still get transparency with the same thickness, but at the cost of structural integrity

[blazing burrow]

yeah

[severe ridge]

whats crazy is a few standoffs like on a mobo would have stopped it from flexing

[blazing burrow]

that would be my guess if there's a difference between them

[strange ivy]

Miyoo Flip V2 moment?

[random tulip]

A little engineering secret. Flex isn't always a bad thing. In many cases it's a good thing

[coral valley]

Living in the moments overrated

[blazing burrow]

its like how a building flexes, yeah

[strange ivy]

Embrace some flex

[random tulip]

When things don't flex they crack. Give me flexy hinge pls

[blazing burrow]

Now with Flexbrace Technology (tm)

[strange ivy]

Not too flex though. That just leads to deformation instead

[blazing burrow]

Yeah Miyoo Flip is a good example of something that needs flex 😂

[restive totem]

The engineers at Retroid did it on purpose with AI tech to keep our hands comfy while playing

[random tulip]

For sure. But none of what I've seen of the blue leads me to believe it's that flexible. Haha

It's like people bending and breaking iPhones

[spare anchor]

If Stubbs thumbs can’t make it bend, it’s indestructible!!

[strange ivy]

Someone send JerryRigEverything a Flip 2

[severe ridge]

well he literally did bend it lol

[random tulip]

If it's stiff you need to make sure tolerances are perfect. Otherwise stress leads to issues. Precise tolerances usually increase costs. Adding some flex reduces the need for costly precision. Etc.

[strange ivy]

Bit of flex is good. Too much flex no good. Joey’s video shows it flexing, doesn’t show how much force he’s applying to get that flex.

[gentle badge]

The flex being enough to make the dpad touch the screen is bad

[warm crypt]

Just saw the tariff pause news, I really don’t think this is gonna happen, just a stupid game of chicken -.-

[gentle badge]

The China tariffs already started

[strange ivy]

Yeah that still depends on how much force is being applied. With enough force, that happens to any clamshell

[long lagoon]

Wouldn't overthink it this much tbh.

[random tulip]

Yeah. I mean we have nothing empirical. I'm assuming the amount of flex you'd need to reach PCB components to actually break the device would be a ridiculous amount. Which brings me back to, what are y'all up to with these devices...

[strange ivy]

Using it as a pry tool

[random tulip]

Got rid of all my power tools. Just use a flip 2 now 🚧

[blazing burrow]

I will push it with an unnatural amount of force for the review (after I capture all the other footage though) 😂

[opaque harbor]

they did it was like 1100$

[strange ivy]

https://youtu.be/qDxyVPv8LvM?feature=shared

Adin’s done 6000+ open/close test on the Flip 2 @ 5:34 mark onwards. @blazing burrow y’all gonna do that test too?

[blazing burrow]

LET'S DO IT

[arctic scaffold]

the main design flaw i see w flip2 is not having clearance for screen protector

3ds owners prob know

[naive hollow]

It’s a nonissue to me

[opaque harbor]

I find a screen protector on a clamshell silly

unless the screen is on the outside

[arctic scaffold]

have you owned a 3ds

that one top screen's not even touchscreen

[naive hollow]

I’ve owned every DS model

[arctic scaffold]

well the new 3ds xl anyways

[blazing burrow]

I used to use one on my GPD XD but it added a little gap and ditched it a few years ago

[naive hollow]

Never saw a need for a screen protector besides maybe the touch screen lol

[strange ivy]

If it wasn’t a touch screen. Sure.

[opaque harbor]

from what I have seen the rp5 screen is fine

[random tulip]

I mean it was more needed for the 3DS as there was literally a non flexing ridge that pressed against the screen

[gentle badge]

pocket sand gets in clamshells and can actually lead to worse scratches than pocketing a non-clam

especially if you have a bunch of case flex to push that grit into the screen

if the flip 2 screen is the same scratch resistant glass as the RP5 glass front it's probably fine though

[naive hollow]

Glad I’ve never experienced that

[strange ivy]

https://tenor.com/view/king-of-the-hill-dale-gribble-pocket-sand-pocket-sand-gif-3699662

[opaque harbor]

poket sand because we are all dale gribble

[random tulip]

If you got pocket sand you're eventually killing any screen you put in there. Heh

[strange ivy]

I’ve always managed to scratch whatever screens I own. I ain’t taking that risk

[rose swift]

if you have any protector the screen will be safe

[gentle badge]

I mean everyone's gonna get tiny specs of dirt in their pocket eventually

screen protectors are life

[arctic scaffold]

yes

no reason to not put screen protector on any non-curved screen

[naive hollow]

I don’t have screen protectors on any of my devices

[opaque harbor]

I have to wonder why my old ds lites are fine then 🤔

[random tulip]

I dunno. I can only imagine all of you were traumatized by a 3ds in the past. I've carried the flip 1 for 6 months now and have had no issues

[strange ivy]

I respect your risk-taking nature

[naive hollow]

Yeah my DS lite is still perfectly fine minus the touch screen

Which is to be expected

[rigid thicket]

Have you scratched every screen you've owned or every cheap screen protector you've owned? 🤔

[random tulip]

Because they never flex! Made of vibranium

[strange ivy]

Both. I’m cursed

[opaque harbor]

its like clamshells have screen protection

[strange ivy]

Unless you touch the screen. Ain’t got protection from that

[random tulip]

https://tenor.com/view/life-uh-finds-a-way-it-be-that-way-it-will-work-itself-out-gif-16077053

[arctic scaffold]

touch screen -> finger oil -> clean -> rubbing motion cause scratch

[naive hollow]

[vivid seal]

I heard if you can do those operations in the right order, it opens up like the Hellraiser puzzlebox

[naive hollow]

If you use sandpaper sure

[opaque harbor]

man some people here abuse tech, and I have a giant crack in my old laptop screen 😅

[random tulip]

People need to just buy ES-DE. Everyone touching their screens so much

[naive hollow]

I’ve never scratched a screen from cleaning it lol

[arctic scaffold]

im not talking deep grooves

[blazing burrow]

Yeah man i've been trying 😆

[strange ivy]

I baby my tech. Still gets scratches on screen no matter how careful

[random tulip]

As long as I don't throw my microfiber on the floor of my truck I'm usually ok

[opaque harbor]

hey @blazing burrow did you scratch your flip 2 screen yet?

[blazing burrow]

So far no scratches

surprised

[random tulip]

I dunno. If this was a thousand dollar phone or a Ayaneo flip I'd be more concerned

[arctic scaffold]

buy used tech
great condition! like new
notice no screen protector
scratches

[naive hollow]

Maybe I should start a YouTube channel doing abuse and handheld durability tests like jerryrigeverything

[arctic scaffold]

aside from initial application what are the downsides of screen protectors

[opaque harbor]

imagine people who get flip phones that cost 2,000$

[arctic scaffold]

it's a risk reward thing

[naive hollow]

I used to have a flip

Z flip 5 to be exact

[random tulip]

I carry a pixel fold 1. No screen protector on inside and soft screen. Open it up daily. Zero scratches. It's as close to a clamshell test as I can get

[naive hollow]

Thing about flip screens is they don’t scratch like glass screens cuz they’re plastic

Soft plastic

[random tulip]

Man dunno how often you look at the used market 😆

[naive hollow]

They more so get indented

[random tulip]

Well they've found a way

[opaque harbor]

those folding phones seem way less durable then a clamshell handheld

[dense heart]

they are c:

[random tulip]

As an owner, guaranteed

[wary briar]

come visit me too if you visting ❤️

[blazing burrow]

Auckland?

[wary briar]

Yeap

I'm too much of a city boi

[strange glen]

So happy to have the confirmation that the purple GC Flip 2 is close to Indigo RG34XX! Excited to make my childhood dream of owning GBA+GC come true (sort of)!

[blazing burrow]

I love Auckland! The food is awesome for one 😆

[rigid thicket]

If this were a $1000 phone I'd be less worried honestly, glass on those are basically scratch proof outside of sandpaper.

[wary briar]

Right? people give Auckland too much hate

[random tulip]

I guess. I just don't have the scratching issue people have on most of these. Maybe I baby them. Cut considering I put the DMG in my pocket sans any protection I doubt that's it 😆

[rapid echo]

I'm gonna put sandpaper in my pockets for now on.

[floral pebble]

https://tenor.com/view/king-of-the-hill-dale-gribble-pocket-sand-pocket-sand-gif-3699662

[floral pebble]

After 4 years with it I've managed to get 2 little scratches on my phone screen, but mostly this

[fathom geyser]

@errant pine can you do the flex/squeak test on ur Ice Blue Flip like Joey in the message I replied to, that might determine whether I change my color or not

[south mantle]

I’ll lend a hammer if you need it

||By hammer I mean Galick Gun||

[worn pike]

a bit confused, so are US folks gonna get hit in the bum by tariffs if I order now?

[jolly kayak]

No one is hitting my bum

I have a feeling Flip 2 will be much like the RG35XXSP success.

[fossil timber]

Who knows at this point, seems like a lot of the tariffs are being walked back now that the adults called the Cheetos bluff, China is the big hang up, they made him look really bad so they may keep those tariffs or drop them at the last minute.
I suspect the tariffs are deferred another 90 days as soon as the Cheeto realized he has to sign a bunch of paperwork but we will see.

[jolly kayak]

TDS in full swing

[south mantle]

I mean the markets liked it?

[gentle badge]

Can’t walk it back “last minute” when it’s already in effect

[south mantle]

And countries did renegotiate?

[gentle badge]

Unless you mean the de minimis thing

[south mantle]

Its like it’s impossible to recognize when something tactful is done

Regardless of party affiliation🥲

Also let’s just please focus on the Flip 2

[naive hollow]

Cast your vote flippers

[jolly kayak]

BIASED UNFAIR POLL

Ice Blue cultists in here

[steady osprey]

Once you go Black...

[worn pike]

im focusing. just need to focus on if its a $220 or $400+ device

from the previews ive seen, gamecube seems solid

[steady osprey]

GameCube on the RP5 is fantastic so feel good about that

[worn pike]

the rgbs are too wild on the clear one lol

and joey said its flimsy?

[steady osprey]

Hell even Wii is fantastic if you can get the controls dialed in

[jolly kayak]

I got black for the same reason the Steam Deck is black. Most of my handheld gaming is done after 10PM before I go to bed, so the lights are off. Black devices with an oled screen creates the best immersion there.

I do like SNES look the most otherwise.

[naive hollow]

Icy blue gang

[jolly kayak]

Ice Blue users

[worn pike]

that sounds like the opposite of every doctors recommendation lol. (not like im any better, i have a tablet mounted on my bed frame and watch stuff too late)

[naive hollow]

Perfect indeed

[jolly kayak]

Cant say it's good for my eyes yes

[worn pike]

does the preorder code still work?

[naive hollow]

Glad you understand

[south mantle]

Should?

I mean they haven’t shipped yet so I’d imagine

[coral valley]

They need to make a Jolly Rancher sticker for the ice blue

[naive hollow]

Baja blast sticker

[coral valley]

Both

[south mantle]

So uh

Someone should make a bunch of different stickers that perfectly fit

[coral valley]

Someone will make an etsy shop for it I guarantee it

[rapid echo]

retroid sold skins for the pocket 4.

[jolly kayak]

I got some tuf stickers i thought about putting on my rpflip2

[coral valley]

https://tenor.com/view/goofy-ahh-gif-12078960866158309265

Fuck wrong gif

https://tenor.com/view/shannon-sharpe-suit-meme-man-wearing-suit-meme-suit-slideshow-sparkles-and-champagne-gif-26378137

[jolly kayak]

It made Red Dead 2 and especially immersive experience

What're u saying lol

[coral valley]

The stickers are a bit too gamerey imo

[left turret]

flip 2 black with heisenberg sticker

[jolly kayak]

That's why they're not on my pc xD

[jolly kayak]

He looks like Shannon

[strange ivy]

You get annoyed by all the smudges and fingerprints that you'll never buy a black device again? Yep that's me

[rapid echo]

That's why I didn't get a black odin 2.

[random tulip]

it's too bad they don't just switch up their formula, lol. Cause there are def black devices that don't have these issues

[jolly kayak]

They all need to collab with Valve and ask for the special construction site ABS military FBI grade black plastic

I have a black DSi i love.

[wind geyser]

Bouncing back some of what was lost /=/ gain, and market are volatile and mostly vibes-based anyway. What matters in the long-term is bonds. Notably, the bonds market going into free fall is what triggered the change in position/pause. The question now is.. does the bonds market stabilize? & Does the damage these kinds of moves can do to it keep things economically in check? or will the strategy of multi-front aggression continue to escalate?

Not a party judgment, just doing my best at a market judgement.

In terms of how this affects the handheld market… well, bearing in mind this is my best bet conjecture.. confusion and instability is generally not ideal for consumers, or for consumer-facing companies. But on the other hand, if no additional tariffs show up, and what’s escalating with China gets resolved.. it’ll probably be back to normal. Well, normal plus 10%, so, a slow boil. Not enough to dramatically change manufacturing, but enough to make the consumer more price-sensitive?

All conjecture, all open to disagreement, just wanted to push back a little on the idea that we’re 100% home free rn.

[left turret]

meanwhile og 3ds black

[wind geyser]

Also just gonna say I decidedly don’t think it’s all that unreasonable for someone to think this is an absolute mess, to be upset about it, to blame the instigator of said (perceived) mess, and to vent said frustration. It’s one thing to disagree, and another to just flatly accuse anyone you disagree with of being some variant of crazy/stupid/delusional. Try and have the empathy to understand why someone would feel this way about the current circumstance. They’re not attacking you, yet you jumped to attacking them. This is a forum about fucking computer toys, not a political battle royale debate server.

[sour ore]

So there's no possibility to put a screen protector on the flip 2 I read above?

[gentle badge]

Maybe a thin film style one

[sour ore]

Darn

[gentle badge]

Yeah I mean even if you look at this as “oh now everyone can just do what Nintendo did and move shop to Vietnam” that ignores that Nintendo started that process over 4 years and two presidents ago, it can’t happen overnight

And with many goods can’t happen at all. Vietnam is not at China’s level as far as engineering and manufacturing expertise

[random tulip]

It's only slightly less crazy then pretending factories will just spring up across the US

[lilac sable]

Why tho

[lilac sable]

Ah gotcha

[floral pebble]

Stubs needs this one

For his battery cover

[jolly kayak]

Gloss is the reason:p

[jolly kayak]

So why the hell are they venting in here.

"Adults called the cheetos bluff" that is not calm and tempered language.

[strange ivy]

Nor is it permitted in this Discord

Welcome to complain about tariffs in relation to these toys.. But nothing beyond that

[gentle badge]

You know somehow I don’t think he is in this server so the mild ribbing about his spray tan is unlikely to upset him

[strange ivy]

Watchu mean? The US surveillance system is an all-seeing panopticon

[south mantle]

It’s kind of getting annoying

Like I’m here to talk about the Flip 2 or games

I thought I was here to not talk about politics

And if you wanna discuss tariffs, you can discuss costs without the politics

[strange ivy]

People forget. Just remind them

[south mantle]

Other than that, it’s making me wanna dip after Flip 2 release. I was really looking forward to figuring this thing out with people

[dense heart]

people are upset just give it some time

[south mantle]

There’s other places to do that

[dense heart]

plus the two topics go hand and hand it can be hard to separate when there is already a lot of emotion about it

[gentle badge]

1: the costs are literally the result of politics
2: politics currently threatens the existence of this entire hobby for Americans (and I’m sure the whole scene will slow way down without access to American consumers even if you’re not American)

That being said I am 1000% on team “you probably have 10+ devices in your home right now that can play chrono trigger go play some games rather than spending all day shopping for the next device that could play games in the future”

[south mantle]

All I’m gonna say is I don’t even have a handheld yet, so I don’t have anything to fall back on, but I still don’t wanna hear about it all here

You can talk about costs without bringing up the politics

[dense heart]

not when the costs change daily due to politics

[noble canyon]

yea like the whole politics discourse does affect the scene so its just too hard to ignore

it specifically affects our scene more than any other gaming scene

so it's pretty much unavoidable

[dense heart]

I honestly feel like we're at the peak of it all things will cool down soon

[noble canyon]

yea i agree

its still fucked

but hopefully things dont get worse

[copper sequoia]

Bring in the cows

[noble canyon]

flip 2 prolly last handheld i was gonna get anyways cuz i just needed good pocketable gc/ps2 without compromise

and flip 2 is basically that with good ergos

[south mantle]

The political commentary can be left out

[noble canyon]

so everything i need

[south mantle]

That’s what I’m talking about

I don’t wanna hear people opinions on Trump in here constantly

I’m not here for that

[dense heart]

that's fair I agree but for the most part it been rather tame other then a few jabs

[noble canyon]

im not saying people should be 24/7 really be talking about politicians here but its also admittably kinda hard to not bring up stuff Trump is doing in the world that affects the retro handheld scene. So there's like nuance to it

but yea most political discussions i see throughout are very very tame really

nothing that particularly biting

[dense heart]

I don't see a lot of cow gifs so we must be doing okay

[noble canyon]

mostly because this is a scene that doesn't have a lot of 14 year olds

im grateful to not hear the political opinions of literal 14 year olds ❤️

anyways u guys think flip 2 running garfield kart or nah?

actually i forget that some adults do have worse politics than 14 year olds i retract my statement

🔥

[dense heart]

"pink haired liberals"

if anyone remembers that

[gentle badge]

Yeah, unfortunately they’re in charge right now, which is why politics are relevant to this server suddenly

[noble canyon]

yea hahaha

shhhhh we have to be discreet

moooooo

[south mantle]

Yea I just wish people would stop

Cause this is a handheld channel

Not a political discourse channel

[noble canyon]

so far nothing that extreme tho

when we bring up which garfield era was best

oh boy

[tropic surge]

we’re evolved cows here

[dense heart]

I mean for the internet

[noble canyon]

it gets heated

[south mantle]

Has anyone made multi-disk games work?

I’ve tried it, but no success

[noble canyon]

on android?

[south mantle]

Given I didn’t put a lot of effort into it

[dense heart]

what front end and emulator?

[noble canyon]

for ps1 i just use retroarch

[south mantle]

It was just dolphin on Windows

[gentle badge]

I don’t imagine m3u files work any differently on the flip 2 than other retroarch running devices

[noble canyon]

most ppl use duckstation standalone but i wanted less universal setup

[south mantle]

But ig going forward it’ll be on Android

[noble canyon]

yea true but frontend bullshit

beacon launcher it works great

beacon's really been worth the money lately

es-de i find to be really mediocre for navigating android apps and going across many titles

beacon scrolls fast

daijisho both aesthetically and in terms of features feels kinda dated

like serviceable, good for a free app

idk how good retroid launcher is

[south mantle]

I didn’t even need the words to understand

Also this is stolen

Just to be clear

If the compression isn’t evident enough

[gentle badge]

Honestly not a fan of android ES-DE but big fan of non-android ES-DE

I hope retroid hurries up with flip 2 dev units

[south mantle]

I will use my Flip 2 with a Wii remote

Bc reasons

[noble canyon]

funnee

[noble canyon]

i liked android es-de more than daijisho at least

cuz it looked less like a mobile phone that way

but i basically avoided android apps l ike the plague

beacon feels more like a console launcher esp once i get a flip 2

and once beacon improved the scraping to let me pick my own box art compared to before where u hadd to roll with whatever it gave u

i startedd using it

i wish beacon fixed a few things like navigation when midway thru consoles, they tried fixing it but it didnt work

and it allowed for menu music variety and customizing how loud it sounds

i want chill bossa nova music on it but i dont want the same track over and over

so i just dont have menu music on it yet

beacon also gets updates pretty fast, but its rarely noteable ones

they recently added azahar support a week ago so it'd launch correctly which was cool

[steady osprey]

Call me crazy but the latest Retroid launcher actually looks pretty good and I might give it a chance

[noble canyon]

some ppl told me that retroid launcher was terrible and unusable even with updates a month or so back

it might be better now

but i heard it used to be quite bad

[steady osprey]

It looks completely different on the Flip 2

[noble canyon]

like it had some weird problems

visually it looks good

i wish i could pick more than one theme tho

[steady osprey]

Yes it absolutely was quite bad before

Never liked it on my RP2S

[noble canyon]

honestly if retroid was awesome they'd allow hotkeys for stuff like changing brightness andd other stuff

like going out of their way to really minimalize that touchscreen

[steady osprey]

A lot of that is super simple within Android tho

[noble canyon]

would be awesome since flip 2 is weird

yea

but i dont want to install a bunch of apps that fix it

feels finnicky

[steady osprey]

Oh WITHOUT touch? Yea I can see that

[noble canyon]

GammaOS on 405M sorta did that

stuff like keyboard prompts dont quite work without touch input

[steady osprey]

Esde is good in that way, no touch-y

[noble canyon]

yea

because es-de basically makes accessing anything android hard without a third party app

and even then it feels not very motivating to go thru android apps

but i liked es-de just for that reason

but switched to beacon

flip 2 probably better for streaming than rp5

screen closer to face makes smaller screen less of a problem

and better stick layouts

i wish rocknix had good battery life and standby compared to android

i'd switch for sure

but it doesn't so its not worth it in my eyes since ps3/xbox doesnt run well anyways and ur mainly just getting a nice consolized UI and maybe better ps2 emulators and native pico-8/portmaster

oh and dolphin retroachievements that s cool

[sour ore]

Is the reflectiveness of the rp5 annoying when playing?

[cyan seal]

Hot take - if I get the GC color I'd swap out the yellow stick and colored buttons for all gray

I like the indigo but dislike the mismatched sticks and buttons. I know they're classic GC, but I had a RP3+ that was all indigo and gray and loved the design.

Right now deciding between black and GC

[restive totem]

I'd swap it for all black buttons to look even classier.
Seems to be a pain to do so though

[tranquil elbow]

Ive seen the flip 1 with the indigo color and the all light grey controls and hated it

so hard disagree there haha

[cyan seal]

I think I may go black. Looks best with the RGB sticks

https://tenor.com/view/bad-movies-rule-bmr-passenger-57-movie-always-bet-on-black-wesley-snipes-gif-3340254407167767069

[restive totem]

I like the Indigo because it looks cool with the RGB turned off

[opaque harbor]

I went with the clear blue but am not sure how that will go

[tired cypress]

Does anyone know if Rocknix looking to improve battery and sleep? That's the only thing holding me back

The input lag is worse on Android

[cyan seal]

Pulled the trigger on black

DHL shipping hits like a brick though. Total was $267 for the black 865, lanyards, and case.

[tranquil elbow]

I went for 4px cause I had very good experiences with aliexpress and other chinese sellers (Keychron)

[strange glen]

Not sure about that but that’s my hope too. I need Rocknix due to RetroAchievement for Dolphin. I hope there will be RetroAchievement added to the android version soon. But I heard the devs were a bit burnt by adding support to the desktop version and so taking a pause on that front.

[opaque harbor]

Will have to wait and see for any rocknix updates

[jolly kayak]

Nintendo pleaseeeee and make it work with skyward sword HD and galaxy

[icy bramble]

https://youtu.be/r_A0TiD6CPQ

Sonic Lost World 3ds mentioned

Once again I express my desire for a native Android version of Sonic Lost World 3ds.

[strange glen]

SNES color looks great on TechDweeb’s video. I think it’s the lighting and how he edits the video

[icy bramble]

I'm actually a little frustrated by how the colors interfere with how the device actually looks lol

[tranquil elbow]

I love the snes color but the buttons, nah

GC gang

[uncut knoll]

I like the black one, simple but effective

But it could be better with the buttons and sticks of the game cube version like this custom RP5

[strange glen]

Yeah it doesn’t show the real color. But you know, he is TechDweeb. Or Russ.

[strange glen]

I am so annoyed that there is no emoji for GC. Don’t know what to react to. GC gang!

[sleek birch]

Meh, GC is overused lately ... 😒
😛

[uncut knoll]

We need a video disassembly the flip 2 to know if the buttons and the sticks of the rp5 are compatible

[sleek birch]

I'd like to see something new than always having the same option insipred by corpo console's colors

[naive hollow]

Yeah I need some variety

[sleek birch]

I'll maybe go ice blue or SNES... Whichever turns out to have sturdier plastic

[naive hollow]

Ice blu gang

[jolly kayak]

Ice Blue cultists, Black enjoyers

[sleek birch]

My rp3+ was this kind of colour, the old naming was transparent turquoise, I think, but it's basically the same imo

I sold it however

[tranquil elbow]

so question. Im watching the android handheld starter guide and some emulators require you to press the back button to open the menu to do some stuff (disable overlay etc). If I understand correctly the flip2 doesnt have a back button?

[random tulip]

On screen it does. Swipe left side or use nav on the bottom

[tranquil elbow]

oh okay

[random tulip]

Yeah. Personally I prefer physical but

[tranquil elbow]

right you can just use the screen as if it was a phone

but yeah a physical back button would've been nice

[random tulip]

You can also remap stuff to back. I have mixed feelings about how makers are messing with android. Personally I wish every console had one or two extra buttons. Hehe

[tranquil elbow]

extra buttons are always nice

[lilac sable]

yay classic

[random tulip]

The double click home button is more annoying. But usually you can use Ayn toolbox app or whatever to make it single click. Then a remapper to make it single click for hotkey, double click for home. It's a process. Having an extra one avoids all that. But it's what I use for Anbernic/Retroid/Ayn/etc

Like hate on Ayaneo all you want for price, but they throw on some buttons

[cyan seal]

I’m American so I’m playing Beat The Clock on tariffs because of our Mad King

[tranquil elbow]

Yeah, totally fair.

[sour ore]

I hate to say but I am starting to get some doubts. I don't know if I should get the flip or normal rp5

[tranquil elbow]

They're the same device in a different form factor

So just pick the one you like better

Me I love clamshells, I don't even carry them around that much, I just think they're neat

[lilac sable]

What are you doubting

[pallid pilot]

I don't like the all glass front so I'm more into the flip 2 than the rp5

[sour ore]

I love clamshells too, but seeing how most probably can't use a protector on the screen and some issues like the dpad scratching the screen when closed kinda bums me out

[lilac sable]

Did you see these specific issues on the flip2?

[sour ore]

Russ mentioned it

Wait, Russ is the person behind retro game corps right?

He said it on twitter

[tranquil elbow]

Scratching is a big word. It touched the screen cause a small rubber bumper on the top shell came off

Even then, a plastic dpad can't scratch glass. That's like. Physically impossible

[sour ore]

I am used to plastic lcds, sorry

[naive hollow]

Not physically impossible but very unlikely

Constant physical contact with inevitably cause permanent marks

Like the rubber 3DS circle pad marring the 3DS screen

[tranquil elbow]

Yes, on the dpad. A softer material can't scratch a harder one

The 3ds screen was plastic

[sour ore]

That's kinda what I was thinking about.

While I prefer clamshells and the flip 2 is pretty close to my ideal for these things, I'd like to get the format it holds up the best because I'll just use one for years.

[tranquil elbow]

Besides according to russ it only happened cause the bumper came off

[sour ore]

I tend to overthink this stuff a lot but simply because I don't want to get something I don't enjoy using.

[tranquil elbow]

So there was less clearance

[sour ore]

Yeah, i understand the bumper thing,

[tranquil elbow]

I do get your worries believe me I have OCD and with my tech toys it's particularly nasty

But I don't think this'll be an issue

[sour ore]

Thanks for understanding.

[tranquil elbow]

You can also probably use a film screen protector, they should be thin enough to allow the device to close

[sour ore]

I'll still keep an eye for reviews. It really feels like I wanted for a long time. Pretty big screen, pretty decent power, clamshell... but then my mind starts playing tricks lol

[tranquil elbow]

They're not great cause you need to replace them more often than glass ones, but for peace of mind it's not a big price to pay

[sour ore]

i guess so, but they're a pain to apply

[tranquil elbow]

Yeah lol I tried and failed 5 times on my tablet and gave up. But on a 5" screen it should be easier

[sour ore]

Oof

[tranquil elbow]

Always a piece of lint sneaking between the screen and the glass

[sour ore]

Yeah, or a magically warping hair appears

Agh

[tranquil elbow]

At this point I just accepted that I'll use it without one. At some point you have to settle for less than perfection

And I think it's healthy

[sour ore]

It's not perfection, it's a need to preserve things I guess.

[tranquil elbow]

Yeah I mean, my tablet will prolly get micro scratches

I'll just have to accept that, cause I know it's only in my mind and they don't affect the enjoyment of the device at all

Not like you can see them unless you angle the screen at e very specific angle under a strong light

[sour ore]

That's the thing, i don't know how glass holds (my phone always has a protector) but I had some nasty scratches on gba and I have seen absolute murders on ds touchscreens

[tranquil elbow]

Yeah, those are plastic

Glass holds up really well, expecially on a clamshell

You WILL get micro scratches when cleaning it but they're practically invisible

[sour ore]

Good to know

[tranquil elbow]

And if you get them, a screen protector will make them 100% invisible anyway

My steam deck doesn't have a screen protector and 0 scratches

My tablet has a couple but again to see them I need to use my phone torch and angle it a certain way

And it's impossible to see them if the screen is on

And honestly with as much as I babied it, I suspect it came out of the factory like that lol

[sour ore]

I do take care of my stuff, that's why i was mentioning something like the dpad as worries

[tranquil elbow]

That's fair

If it really bothers you, wait until more people get their hands on the production units

[sour ore]

I am one of those weirdos that didn't want to use the touchscreens on ds/3ds unless protected lol

Yes, i was going to wait for more info regardless

[tranquil elbow]

A plastic dpad can't scratch a glass screen, but if you're anything like me, logic doesn't help my intrusive thoughts

So I understand

[sour ore]

Kinda

Specially a mark or scratch near the middle

[naive hollow]

I do see the dpad potentially being an issue in the future

[jolly kayak]

I'm still hoping I can buy some 3rd party spacers that leave enough room for a glass screen protector

[naive hollow]

Long term

[sour ore]

The world is ending drama for me hahaha

[tranquil elbow]

Could be an option yeah

[sour ore]

Spacers?

What is that

[tranquil elbow]

The bumpers that keep the top shell separated from the bottom

[jolly kayak]

Little rubber legs the size of a silica ball, usually from 3M or something

[sour ore]

Oh, so it doesn't close entirely?

[tranquil elbow]

Yeah it closes less

So there's room for a protector

[sour ore]

As long as the hinge doesn't suffer from what it could be an option, yeah

Anyway I will keep on the look, sorry for the rant

[tranquil elbow]

Don't apologize haha

[strange glen]

The more I look at it the more I like black. https://youtu.be/XmDd9SWIXAg?si=unkALQMbLBXBRfI6 I am not regretting getting GC color, but black is really slick

[tranquil elbow]

Black is cool

[south mantle]

@random tulip got the email about three hours ago. I’ve swapped to DHL now

[jolly kayak]

All the black flip 2 owners at the flip 2 meeting

[copper sequoia]

I’m surprised none of the reviews have tried to slap on a protector yet. Seems like that’s a big sticking point for some folks

[sour ore]

Folk here

Nah, full reviews are days away, it's to be expected

[copper sequoia]

Maybe hard to find one that will fit?

[sour ore]

Maybe

[jolly kayak]

Supposedly trim ui smart pro screen should fit

[random tulip]

Let's goooo

There's only one way DHL could backfire. But we'll just pray that doesn't happen

[copper sequoia]

Ohh yeah duh. That should fit. What a smart pro 😉

[dense heart]

idk my aliexpress order has almost cleared customs and it's been only like 2 days

I still think DHL is a bit overkill

[random tulip]

Backlog at months end at airport gonna get massive

[south mantle]

Yea…

We’ll see tho

I’m hopeful

[gentle badge]

That isn’t quite what he said - he said the bumper fell off so that might be related, but Joey showed on his discord that it happens even with the bumpers installed

There simply isn’t enough clearance given how flexible the plastic is

[dense heart]

I don't think people are going to risk tariffs for some cheap ali stuff

[random tulip]

Ali isn't the only shipper that uses those planes. Or the only storefront. Etc.

They don't have like AliExpress planes that fly around

It goes through with the rest of the mail. 4px, etc.

DHL is at least a dedicated exit. Even then there might be delays

[dense heart]

honestly I wish I hand't said anything I'm exhausted on debating this one

[random tulip]

I mean is there a debate? 😆

Or are we talking about flex

Cause yeah, flex gate has broke me

[dense heart]

yeah 4px stands a good chance still and blah blah

[random tulip]

Tru tru

Best case is whatever you do just try to make sure it's out of China before May 2nd at the latest

I still expect people coming in here in the weeks following complaining about charges

[dense heart]

I'm expecting china tariffs to rise to 500% but it's on hold for every other week

[random tulip]

Belief in the 90 days actually being 90 days is some real copium

Think they've proven out that they can pump and dump every 3-4 weeks and maybe not kill the country. I expect it to continue that rotation

[floral pebble]

By the time May 2nd rolls around they won't even be collecting tariffs, you'll just go directly to jail

[sour ore]

sentenced to 20 years for wanting a powkiddy

[dense heart]

lol

[coral valley]

Seems fair

[random tulip]

Lol

[sour ore]

how much more for a polystation?

[steady osprey]

Wow so they sent Russ a GC and SNES colourway?! 😏

[random tulip]

In a please don't be rp mini mean to us gesture

[sour ore]

https://bsky.app/profile/joeysretrohh.bsky.social/post/3lmdeqywlzs22

Joey's Retro Handhelds (@joeysretrohh.bsky.social)

If you're wondering why the Retroid Pocket Flip 2 using cheap, bendable plastic matters, here's my dpad imprinting onto the screen from being closed.

Any sort of pushing on the top of the lid will cause this because of how bendable it is.

Bluesky · Apr 8, 2025, 9:03 PM

why it doesn't show

Okay, now

[coral valley]

Okay what am I supposed to be looking at here

[uncut knoll]

The marks of the dpad on the screen

[floral pebble]

The crux of the complaint seems to be that the plastic is too flimsy, allowing the screen to flex into the sticks when pressure is applied, regardless of any bumpstops

[sour ore]

I'd like to see them as well

[coral valley]

I must be blind because I really can't tell what he's talking about

Is it these

[atomic sphinx]

Who knew plastic is flexible

[viscid veldt]

OG 3DS says hi

[atomic sphinx]

https://tenor.com/view/flex-seal-lotta-damage-happy-gif-14334678

[viscid veldt]

https://tenor.com/view/crypto-easy-fix-fixed-job-done-just-a-small-leak-gif-10337269660110233852

[atomic sphinx]

https://tenor.com/view/extreme-bucket-demo-phil-swift-flex-seal-sad-oh-no-gif-10871835

[viscid veldt]

https://tenor.com/view/flex-tape-flextape-gif-9341697

[atomic sphinx]

https://tenor.com/view/billy-mays-you-shittin-me-you-shitting-me-are-you-shitting-me-are-you-shittin-me-gif-20082889

[jolly kayak]

Bending not an issue for case users

[rigid thicket]

I...don't think I've ever held any clamshell device and put pressure on the centers like that.

[sour ore]

neither did I, but even with clamshells I use a case for them

[coral valley]

So is the flexible plastic exclusive to the ice blue or is it on all colorways

[sour ore]

you put the system under weight for some reason or you force them yourself, I don't see any scenario where I'd put an electronic device in that scenario

Stubbs tried to squish the purple gc one and said it was firm on the stream if I remember right

then he proceeded to say goodbye to the titanic by waving it like a handkerchief like a madman

that gif pops up here often

[coral valley]

Hmm, so it could be for all ice blue or just the one Joey got, guess we'll have to wait for full reviews

[rigid thicket]

Could also be he pressed on it excessively hard just because. Would need a second ice blue opinion.

[sour ore]

it could also be because it's an engineering example

there's a number of possible reasons, so until people start getting theirs we won't be sure

I just shared it because I saw it by coincidence

[viscid veldt]

flexible plastic is exclusive to plastic

[fathom geyser]

Stubbs posted a video of him squeezing his GC Flip and it was pretty quiet, Joey’s creaks which I don’t think is a good thing or what I want in my clamshell 💀

[sour ore]

nothing puts you at ease like creaking sounds on a thin display on top of a hinge

[south mantle]

Give me all metal Flip 2 shell

[fathom geyser]

@errant pine sorry for pinging again. Is it possible if you can post a clip of you lightly squeezing on ur Blue Flip like in this video ^^

[coral valley]

Hell yeah

[stray dagger]

don't worry, nothing will creak if you just throw it onto a shelf like the rest of your handhelds

[uncut knoll]

With the black flip 2, a sticker on the back psp style can work

[sour ore]

honestly, i don't see a metal handheld of this type working well, the heat would be bad

[coral valley]

I'll deal with it

[sour ore]

and it would irradiate to your hands

playing the metal flip 2 with oven mittens

[uncut knoll]

If the ventilation is not enough, it could end bad

[sour ore]

yeah, that's my first thought

[floral pebble]

Team Ice Blue

[coral valley]

https://tenor.com/view/toby-maguire-edgy-edgelord-emo-or-gif-25925750

Team black

[errant pine]

What is the reason/purpose behind squeezing?

[random tulip]

Because everyone is obsessed with it now and won't be happy until you break your device. Now get to it!

[uncut knoll]

Just to test it to see what is the limit the device can hold until break

[random tulip]

Like I'm pretty sure my miyoo flip V1 would explode into a thousand pieces of i pressed on it that hard. And yet I've carried it for 4 months now, hinge still works, device still works. No case. No effort

[dense heart]

what kind of glass are they using?

[gentle badge]

Yeah, you can see a dpad shaped mark in the screen - meaning the flex is enough for the dpad to hit the glass when the device gets pressure put on it in your pocket or backpack etc

[fathom geyser]

Joey’s seems flexier/squeaker while Stubbs GC might be less possibly

[gentle badge]

They didn’t inset the screen enough to avoid that, and putting a screen protector on might be sacrificial from a scratch perspective but would increase the pressure put on the display

[random tulip]

C'mon man. That's not what any of these people did tho. They squeezed it. Hard

Id hardly call that conclusive

[gentle badge]

The video right above your comment is it flexing under pinky press

So either Joey has weirdly strong pinkies or he’s applying a fraction of the force id expect in your pants pocket or with a laptop weight on it in a bag

[restive totem]

Russ had that same issue with the GC

[dense heart]

but in the gc vid hes also kinda cuping it

[naive hollow]

https://tenor.com/view/dirty-docks-shawty-triflin-shawty-triflin-she-gif-22455514

[dense heart]

not a 1:1 comparison

[naive hollow]

Might cancel for 557

[gentle badge]

This video fully debunks the the claim he’s really squeezing it to show the flex

Or he should become the pinky wrestling world champion

[south mantle]

Guys I have a Flip 2 question

When cooking, do y’all follow recipes or freestyle?

[atomic sphinx]

https://tenor.com/view/roman-reigns-yawn-gif-26320012

[errant pine]

Sorry man, that seems pointless for me.

[restive totem]

Back and forth with it because of the (rumored ) D8300 on the 557
But yeah , the Flip2 is looking less and less appealing

[naive hollow]

Bad part is I have classic bundled with my preorder

[restive totem]

Can still cancel though

[naive hollow]

Yeah but I’d have to cancel my classic as well

[fathom geyser]

Why’d they even send you one lol

[naive hollow]

Which I don’t wanna do

[naive hollow]

For review

[coral valley]

Yeaahhh that's not great

[restive totem]

Send them en e-mails and tell them you just want the Classic , they will prob refund

[steady osprey]

I think we've seen enough to realize that hinge-aside the only gamble on this device is the ice blue colour way

[errant pine]

They didn't send me one to break it. 😅

[steady osprey]

Retroid is probably regretting sending one of the most critical reviewers in our hobby the transparent colour way lol

[naive hollow]

The real gamble is preordering a retroid product

[fathom geyser]

I’m not asking you to squeeze it hard. Joey could flex it with his pinky

[coral valley]

Even if it doesn't cause any major issues, it probably wouldn't feel too good in the hands

[steady osprey]

Certainly no more a gamble than a Powkiddy or Miyoo product

[naive hollow]

Lol

[viscid veldt]

or any Chinese handheld

[steady osprey]

So true

[south mantle]

Guys I just want my Flip 2

[atomic sphinx]

i can't wait to see the flex in the switch 2

[restive totem]

Cringe bro , really cringe take of yours as a reviewer

[steady osprey]

Hell let's take it one step further and say a HANDHELD at all, Nintendo I'm looking at you and your stick drifting realness

[random tulip]

Yes. A single point of pressure causes flexing on almost all plastic things. Including every handheld I hold. Are you books in your bag going to be poking in a single spot with force?

In your pocket?

[sleek birch]

I need to hold on and be strong...

[gentle badge]

Literally none of my other handhelds flex like that when I pinky press on them

[random tulip]

Do you setup your pockets like a spike trap and then throw devices in?

[gentle badge]

This flexes like a pencil case

[viscid veldt]

Best I can do is Switch Lite

[steady osprey]

Now you DEFINITELY shouldn't keep this in the same pocket as keys or coins but that would cause a pressure point similar to what Joey is presenting here

[coral valley]

Yeah plastic shouldn't flex to that extent

[atomic sphinx]

HOLY CRAP WHY DIDN'T YOU RETURN IT?!?!?

[random tulip]

I mean I'll take video later. But short of my metal ones, my RP5, miyoo flip, Ayaneo Pocket air, pocket DMG, etc all flex when I push on them with a finger

[random tulip]

Nooooooooo. Impossibru

[gentle badge]

My ally X doesn’t flex like that despite being larger, my rp5 doesn’t flex anywhere near as much as the flip 2 does, my 34xx doesn’t flex like at all, mm+ doesn’t flex at all, 28xx doesn’t flex at all, 35xxSP doesn’t flex at all, 406v barely flexes and only in the spot near the fan

[atomic sphinx]

oh nvm. i forgot dad's got pinkies of steel

[steady osprey]

I'm doing it on my Steam Deck right now and it definitely flexes in the same way

[steady osprey]

I think we're making a mountain out of a mole hill here

[random tulip]

Thank god some people are understanding this

[gentle badge]

But again, I don’t think the flex by itself is the problem, the controls hitting the screen when it flexes is

[coral valley]

Nows the time to point out issues 🤷‍♂️

[gentle badge]

It needs more clearance

[random tulip]

Pope has made it his mission tho

[restive totem]

What !? Nintendo did it !?
I should have know this before , i refrain from my criticism. It's 100% in the right of every company to ship with cheap ass plastics. We're in the wrong to complain

[gentle badge]

So it either needs a deeper screen inset or some type of supports to prevent the screen from flexing into the controls

[steady osprey]

I'm sorry, not trying to tin foil hat here, but there is ZERO possibility of changing the manufacturing process of this device with it shipping this weekend

[coral valley]

Yeah the original 3ds isn't exactly the paragon of build quality

[random tulip]

We should wrap everything in one inch thick steal. No flex then

[fathom geyser]

Og 3DS had no flex

[white prism]

There was someone in here earlier who literally studied this thing at uni and said its fine and normal… Infact better

[fathom geyser]

That shit was a tank

[gentle badge]

I just want enough of a fix to stop the screen from digging into the dpad, why do you think that’s unreasonable?

Do you want the dpad to hit the screen for some reason?

[viscid veldt]

no the OG 3DS just left a round imprint every time I closed it

[steady osprey]

The rubber stoppers (which Joey lost) are the culprit I thought?

[gentle badge]

No

He reinstalled the stoppers, still hits the screen

[coral valley]

Also an issue lol

[gentle badge]

There is simply not enough clearance

[coral valley]

Why are those falling out

[steady osprey]

Key word there is reinstalled lol

[random tulip]

Because we have no evidence that normal use will do that. Like, none. It's your assumption that it will. Which is fine. But it's not like someone has even carried it for a week yet

[steady osprey]

AND they said they are addressing that earlier this week, they are 1000% aware of this situation

[fathom geyser]

Also the 35xx SP doesn’t have flex issues or feel very cheap, this handheld that’s almost quadruple the price should be better

[random tulip]

Without pressing down on it because the masses demanded

[fathom geyser]

The original Flip if not cracked didn’t have flex issues

[steady osprey]

So we've gone from HingeGATE to FlexGATE?

[random tulip]

Mine does right now? Gah. I can't anymore

[restive totem]

Not tin foiled hat , you're being logic

[gentle badge]

The dpad makes contact with the bumpers in

[south mantle]

I don’t know if this is satire, but wouldn’t the buttons be acting like suspension when trying to push down? Just to be fair about it all

[rough grail]

Are we seriously nitpicking on plastics now?

[coral valley]

No we haven't

[fathom geyser]

I’ve got one that does and doesn’t. The cracked cheaper feeing one does

[rough grail]

I've never had a clamshell that didn't leave small marks on the plastic.

Ever.

[gentle badge]

No we are nitpicking on the screen hitting the controls when closed

[random tulip]

People have lost their minds in the minuteau at this point

[rough grail]

Going back to the GBA SP.

[south mantle]

I’ve pre-ordered a flip two and this will be my only handheld. I’m not concerned about any of this one bit🥲

[rough grail]

But every clamshell has always done that.

[gentle badge]

The 35xxSP does not do that even with a screen protector

[restive totem]

Soon screen scratch audits

[random tulip]

Not true. None of them have. Ever. I rest my case

Bailiff

[rough grail]

The OG GBA SP always did. The 2DS and 3DS always did.

[restive totem]

You're gonna have a scratched screen and you will like it

[coral valley]

Is it the worst problem ever? No. Should it be fixed? Yes. Nobody is being unreasonable here

[steady osprey]

I know the X18S from Powkiddy is not a pillar of quality control or anything but it leaves the same marks on the screen as Joey is showing here and still works to this day with NO lasting effect that wasn't wiped off with a screen cloth

[rigid thicket]

Most laptops do too. Heck, most laptops leave keypad prints on the screen 😅

[random tulip]

I mean what the point. It's clearly a pass for you. Can we please talk about anything else

[steady osprey]

Has any reviewer confirmed it's a glass screen or plastic screen?

[rough grail]

I dunno I won't dwell on the topic but seems like every time Retroid releases something everyone finds something unacceptable about it. It's the only company everyone is hard as hell on. Ok I've said my peace I'll see myself out.

[steady osprey]

I'll still take this conversation over tariffs 😉

[random tulip]

It's def glass since it's touch

Haha. Touche

[dense heart]

what kind of glass

[gentle badge]

Have you considered that they make more mistakes rather than every user holding some type of bizarre personal yet collective grudge?

[steady osprey]

Playing devil's advocate here, Retroid is also the same company that some people give a pass to nearly as much as Nintendo

[gentle badge]

I do think people are way too soft on junk that’s below $100 though (miyoo…)

[south mantle]

Was the DS bottom screen glass??

[restive totem]

Top lid had a different design and seems that the dpad was more sunk into the shell

[sour ore]

All ds and 3ds were plastic

[random tulip]

Don't think so. But it was also not a touch screen. It was resistive so diff

[sour ore]

Those screens are not like smartphone screens

[south mantle]

Ohhhh

[sour ore]

They use different technology

[random tulip]

Or wait no. They were touch no?

[restive totem]

Deserved though

[south mantle]

Yea I’ve never given much thought into what it was. I just assumed

[rough grail]

Vocal minority. Most people are satisfied with them.

[rigid thicket]

The NDS/3DS was a ..resistive? It basically had a separate plastic layer that detected physical touch.

[random tulip]

It's less the issue thats the bizzare grudge and more the constant endless repitition

[gentle badge]

So what’s your theory for why other brands in the same price point don’t get that level of issues?

[rigid thicket]

It's why you could use literally anything as a stylus and the response/accuracy was so high.

[sour ore]

Ds screens are known as resistive screens, smartphone-like ones are capacitive screens

[gentle badge]

Is Max Zhou paying off users to badmouth retroid?

If so where do I sign up for a cheque lol

[random tulip]

Liem yeah. It could have issues. Totally. We also haven't seen production issues. Could have fixed it. Totally. But no. Let's band on about this for the next 90 days

[south mantle]

What I’m hearing is DS screen peak

[steady osprey]

NOW we're talkin!

https://tenor.com/view/yes-evil-headnod-jack-nicholson-gif-8019533

[sour ore]

Resistive screens required harder pressure on smaller points, that's why hard plastic stylus was needed

[rigid thicket]

It's also partly why playing touch NDS/3DS screens just feels bad emulated. On top of input delay from emulation ,capacitive screens just aren't the same.

[steady osprey]

So what reviewers have an ice blue model so far? Joey and Ironclad?

[naive hollow]

Dang what happened here

[restive totem]

Russ had that issue on his GC too

[rough grail]

Retroid doesn't either. They just get shit on the most for them. Don't see anyone shitting on AYANEO and they make worse more expensive products than Retroid. But it's acceptable when they do it. I dunno Pope I'm not gonna change your opinion. I'm just sick of everyone grabbing the pitchforks over something that plays old Mario games.

[gentle badge]

Apple Pencil playing on my iPad feels ok

[random tulip]

Real question is, can it survive reentry into our atmosphere

[steady osprey]

But didn't he say that it wipes right off AND was because of the missing bumper?

[rough grail]

NOW I'll see myself out.

[rigid thicket]

I think it's more noticeable on like, touch rhythm games.

[random tulip]

If it can't then it's pure poop garbage

[gentle badge]

I think people are (rightfully) very hard on ayaneo, you just see it less because they’re lucky to even sell 1000 per sku

[sour ore]

Only things made of nintendium could

[random tulip]

Sure. But like, we don't say that part out loud

[steady osprey]

😏

[gentle badge]

It happens even with the bumpers in.

[random tulip]

https://tenor.com/view/wise-thinking-gif-7768499

[naive hollow]

You know what would fix flimsy plastic?

[gentle badge]

If it doesn’t bother you that’s fine but why lie about it?

[naive hollow]

Making a metal flip 2

[gentle badge]

Would

[random tulip]

Wrapping it in glass

[naive hollow]

This is your sign retroid

Give me a metal flip 2

I’d pay a lot of money for a metal flip 2

[random tulip]

Glass is nice and stiff. Wrap it all in glass and were good to go

Then we could have glass screen protectors on glass wrapped glass screens

[gentle badge]

I’d pay an extra $30-40

[random tulip]

I think at the 8th layer of glass you see some benefit

[gentle badge]

Imagine a metal classic though

[random tulip]

Lol. Dreamin

[naive hollow]

https://tenor.com/view/nod-cat-hyper-gif-9540792418684483949

Easily

[sour ore]

I'd still try ask for some nintendium, nintendo barely uses any now that make tablets, certainly not using them on the joycons

[steady osprey]

I very much doubt we'd EVER see a metal Flip 2 but a metal Classic could DEFINITELY happen if they knock it out of the park

[naive hollow]

That would be metal

[random tulip]

Aluminum cans are cheap. Probably like making an aluminum can

[gentle badge]

Isnt that on par with the usual metal upcharge?

[coral valley]

Yes we need more metal handhelds

[random tulip]

Usual upcharge for metal cases is 1-200

[sour ore]

Tinfoilflip 2 let's go

[gentle badge]

Not aftermarket custom stuff, I’m talking about 405m vs 405v upcharge

[coral valley]

The only way to get new metal handhelds nowadays is basically from ayaneo

[steady osprey]

We're already at TinFoilHatFlip2 so that's not much of a stretch 😉

[gentle badge]

Or metal rp2s

[random tulip]

Cnc machining metal is way more expensive than pushing plastic out of a mold

[coral valley]

And gkd I guess

[gentle badge]

Or metal 3+

Retroid themselves have done it twice

[sour ore]

The only retrohandheld that can be used as a console and a hat

[gentle badge]

And it wasn’t a 100 dollar upcharge

[sour ore]

what a deal

[coral valley]

Metal trimui brick 🙏

[naive hollow]

Hot

[random tulip]

It would be on this. 2 pieces. Hinge, technically 4 pieces

[gentle badge]

Gkd pixel 2?

[fathom geyser]

It was like $30 or more tho. I remember the metal 2S was cool but not worth it for me :/

[coral valley]

Maybe, I don't really like the design as much though

[naive hollow]

I regret not getting the metal 2S

[gentle badge]

Yeah it was awkward because the 2s was already a bit out of date with the 480p screen

Metal flip 2 would be endgame though

[random tulip]

Would be at least 80 more.then you'd have to have the sales for a metal 865 at $300+ to support the MOQ

It'd also be around 2x as heavy as other metal devices

[gentle badge]

865 is the best chip we are gonna have for years in this space. Anything that’s a step up is nowhere near mainline and the 865 is more than good enough for retro games

[random tulip]

Would be good for self defense

[fathom geyser]

Flip 2 still might be endgame for me, but I know that something better will probably be out in the next year or few if we don’t go through hardcore war/recession 💀

[random tulip]

Better devices are inevitable

Along with us purchasing them

[coral valley]

I'd prefer 8 gen 2 tbh

[gentle badge]

Only if qualcomm/mediatek starts mainlining their chips

[steady osprey]

I hesitate to say "for years in this space" because of how quick our hobby moves HOWEVER with all the fuckery going on right now, we'll have to wait and see if we're about to be plunged into the dark ages...

[gentle badge]

I’m not going back to Bsp kernel nonsense

[fathom geyser]

True. Felt forever to get here though. All I ever fuckin’ wanted was gamecube in a clamshell/in my pocket

[gentle badge]

I don’t think it’s even about that, it’s about the 865 becoming available at a reasonable price after it was already mainlined

Means it’s way better supported than any newer phone chip

[steady osprey]

The 865 DOES have very good support, yes

[gentle badge]

The s8g2 might become available for cheap in the future though

But these niche gaming chips qualcomm is pushing now will probably never be supported like that

The s8g3 actually looks super impressive hardware wise but doesn’t have that support either (hopefully yet)

[sour ore]

I have a question, retroarch uses shaders, do other emus use the same shaders?

[gentle badge]

Some do

[random tulip]

Look at that. Finally got us off flex-gate. Plan worked

[coral valley]

You just brought it back up 😭

[random tulip]

Shit shit shit

[gentle badge]

You’d have to look up the individual emulator and whether it supports slang shaders for Vulkan or glsl shaders for OpenGL

[sour ore]

I see. On pc i found one named shimerless sharp i think, it's really good for non integer scaling while also looking pixelarty

[steady osprey]

It's funny you say that because the go to line for the looooongest time was "all I want is N64 in my pocket"

[gentle badge]

Most of the 2d systems you’d want to use that with you should probably just be using retroarch for

[coral valley]

Ps3 in my pocket would be the end endgame

[gentle badge]

We still haven’t gotten a proper pocket n64 handheld. All the handhelds that have the power don’t have the right controls 😭

[coral valley]

Could've been the classic but no

[steady osprey]

Yea that c button pad is a real bugger

[sour ore]

Yes, i know i could simply use RA, but I was wondering

[steady osprey]

Once again, moving the goal posts lol

[coral valley]

You bet

[fathom geyser]

I would’ve bought the 6 button classic if it had a slider just to have that better N64

[random tulip]

Hey. Anbernic mocked up that dong handheld. Could have been it...

[gentle badge]

A 6 button classic with a slider and an sd865 (for firmware support and beetle Saturn) would’ve actually been my endgame as someone who only really cares about 5th gen home consoles and below

[sour ore]

I am honestly content with sixth gen and wii for quite a few years myself

[gentle badge]

So hopefully we can meme a classic pro into existence

[naive hollow]

Probably gonna be the RP6 sister device

[coral valley]

Nah that's the mini v2

[steady osprey]

Same same. Having never owned a PS2, the library and being able to run it well enough is incredible

And this is my first OLED device of any kind so I'm doubly excited

[naive hollow]

Mini is the RP5 sister device

[sour ore]

I did have a ps2. Funny thing i am more excited to play something "unimportant" to people like Wizardry: tale of the forsaken land portable than most popular games

[white prism]

How does cod warzone and the destiny phone game run on the sd865?

[coral valley]

Right, but they're most likely making a revision with that new screen they're commissioning

[steady osprey]

Is that one more like Ultima Underworld or Heroes of Might and Magic?

[sweet rune]

FUCKING PIECE OF SHIT TRASH

[steady osprey]

https://tenor.com/view/facepalm-gif-6565016535492739421

Shake smh my damn head head

[sour ore]

It's turn based, dungeon crawling. What makes it so cool for me is that the dungeon is really cool to explore, each floor is different and has its own thing going on, ton of events to see even on revisits, and the battle system while simple it has the allied actions system that spices it up

[random tulip]

Throw a stick on and some equal sized and correctly spaced 6 buttons and I'm slamming that buy button

[sour ore]

It became my favourite "cprg" style game

The story is also neat for a game of that vintage,

[versed vigil]

That’s my exact issue. I’m fine with people criticizing Retroid and in the Mini’s case they absolutely deserved it. It’s specifically when they try pulling the “they’ve always been the worst, even Anbernic/Powkiddy-” is when I actually get pissed off since that not only is bullshit revisionism (the reason why the way they handled the Mini is particularly bad is because they outright handled issues a lot better beforehand), but it’s outright just invalidating literally every legit severe issue people have ever had with Anbernic beforehand.

[gentle badge]

Yes, that is the switch lite

Probably one of the lowest quality pieces of hardware in your local shop

[coral valley]

https://tenor.com/view/get-this-man-a-true-lowtiergod-low-tier-god-true-gif-4673422440182131168

[random tulip]

We're lucky it survived his long tho

[naive hollow]

Might cancel flip 2 for 557 tbh

[random tulip]

Of course he didn't show screen. It probably explodes when you power it

[naive hollow]

Flimsy plastic is unacceptable

Typical retroid L

[random tulip]

With that much flex were lucky the world hasn't ended yet

[naive hollow]

Anbernic stay winning

[sour ore]

That 3ds is going to explode on you if you keep poking it

[coral valley]

Honestly a great deal if you pick up one used though

[gentle badge]

I think the flex would be fine if there was more room between the screen and controls. I’m assuming the flex isn’t gonna cause stress and cracking later though

[random tulip]

Sales are pretty good too

[vital belfry]

You forgot about the “day one product spirit” 🗣️🗣️🔥🔥though

[random tulip]

Seen Grandma's walking out with like 4 switch lites for grandkids

[naive hollow]

The flex wouldn’t be an issue if they made the flip 2 out of metal 😔

[coral valley]

Now that's balling

[gentle badge]

Yeah I’ll never say Nintendo is bad at sales. They turned a cell phone from 2014 with drifty joycons into a juggernaut that competes with the ps2 on that front

[random tulip]

Right? I was like, no Victorian hand me downs for them

Sorry. Wrong reply

[random tulip]

Could make it out of carved stone and there'd be even less tho...

[gentle badge]

Why not both

Flint

And steel

[naive hollow]

Fr

Rock and stone

[gentle badge]

https://tenor.com/view/minecraft-movie-meme-pink-sheep-gif-10566659693744964715

[random tulip]

Would have to buy a self defense handbag then

[coral valley]

https://tenor.com/view/smiling-friends-dj-spit-get-out-of-my-head-charlie-pim-gif-25405188

[versed vigil]

So far the flex I’ve seen is outright better than the one in my 2DS XL, and if that thing is still kicking after almost a whole decade of my clamshell careless handling, then the Retroid should be fine (in terms of “flimsy plastic” being the only sign of low quality plastic, and not the more logical situation of “rigid plastic being more brittle”).

[gentle badge]

Yeah as I said more worried about the controls hitting the screen than the plastic itself

[random tulip]

Shhhh. Rigidness has no downsides in engineering

[gentle badge]

Hopefully the screen is the same dragon tail glass as the rp5/mini faceplate

But I could also see them cheaping out on a clamshell

Glass wise I mean

[random tulip]

Best was when Ayaneo put screws on the seam of rigid plastic

[versed vigil]

Hell, the only clamshells I’ve ever personally had break on me was in fact my DS Phat and DS Lite, and that was directly because of those being too brittle.

[gentle badge]

My ds lite is still kicking

[random tulip]

Is it laminated? If so there's a pretty good chance it is

[gentle badge]

Waiting for the day a retro handheld comes out that feels like the ds lite in the pocket (clamshell that size with in-line shoulders)

[random tulip]

Would be more expensive to get cheaper glass at that point

[versed vigil]

It pretty much depends on how well you treat it, because my DS Lite was also my very first handheld, so it straight up was being used by 9-year-old me.

[random tulip]

Is it based off some phone? Probably even less chance of them going with something else in that case

[rigid thicket]

Do we know what the original screen source of the RP5/Flip 2 is? Like, it's a pre-existing part, but what part?

[versed vigil]

It still very much wasn’t designed out of Nintendium though, it was just at least better than the Phat’s outright notoriously brittle plastic.

[random tulip]

Yeah. But we're getting older. So we're stronger, but slowly reverting back to children

[random tulip]

Yeah. This would probably answer the glass question

[gentle badge]

The dragontail glass on the rp5/mini is a custom faceplate that goes edge to edge with control punch outs

So its not an assumed default for that screen afaict

[random tulip]

Makes sense. Wonder what the original screen was then

[gentle badge]

Fair, I got mine as a young adult because I’m old as shit

[sour ore]

my new 2dsxl doesn't really flex after trying, mine when i put the finger just goes all the way down until it fully closes, 1 milimiter or so.I guess because I did the c-stick mod

[steady osprey]

We can never tell what screen they were originally because SOMETIMES bezels cover up what the actual dimensions of the screen are 😏

Ahem

[sour ore]

i have never tried to do this until now

lol

[south mantle]

Us waiting for Retroid shipping notifications

[rigid thicket]

That's what I meant earlier, I don't think most people would ever put pressure on a clamshell in this way normally.