**Last updated: 25SEP2026 (seeChangelog for details)** The Retroid Pocket handhelds are seemingly simple devices to set up — they run on Android, so how hard could it be? But it turns out there are some orientation quirks in setting up these handhelds; this guide is meant to take you from the very beginning of your journey with the device to the point of being a superstar. This guide will work for a number of Retroid Pocket devices. The major difference will be the performance for each, which can be summarized in the table below. This guide will be focused on the more recent Retroid Pocket releases, with notes for some older devices/CPUs. I have video reviews for each device on my YouTube channel, which you can find either by checking out my Retroid Pocket playlist or the embedded videos below. **Are the Retroid Pocket devices pre-loaded with games?** No, the devices ship as a general Android phone or tablet, with only essential apps (Play Store, Chrome, etc.) pre-installed. You are on your own to find the emulated game files (ROMs) to play on this device. There are no links to copyrighted files on this website. **Table of Contents ** Where to buy Recommended accessories Prepare your ROM library Initial setup and orientation Install emulators and other apps Turnip drivers Updating your apps Adding your games Setting up RetroArch Per-system recommendations Consider a fancy frontend Consider PC gaming Game streaming Sync your saves with Syncthing Linux options 1080p overlays RP Nova screen considerations Changelog **Where to buy** All models are sold directly via Retroid’s website. They also have official AliExpress and Amazon stores, but it will take longer for inventory to appear on those stores. The fastest way to get a new Retroid device will often be their website. I would expect at least two weeks from the time of purchase to delivery, but that fulfillment may be delayed due to high demand. You can check their delivery dashboard to get a sense of what they are currently shipping. **Recommended accessories** Sandisk (left) and Samsung (right) microSD cards I recommend using a card from reputable brands like SanDisk or Samsung for the most consistent experience. Other brands like Lexar, Silicon Power, and Microcenter also make nice microSD cards. In general, I recommend the cards listed below. The prices fluctuate all the time, so keep an eye out for deals. A 128GB or 256GB card will allow you to load EVERY 8-bit and 16-bit game out there, just all of the arcade games that work, and quite a few CD-based games (those systems have the largest file sizes). A 512GB or 1TB card will allow you to store even more of those larger games. 128GB cards: PNY Premiere-X Samsung EVO Plus SanDisk Ultra 256GB cards: Lexar Blue Samsung EVO Plus SanDisk Ultra 512GB cards: Lexar Play Blue Samsung Evo Plus SanDisk Ultra SanDisk Extreme Samsung Pro Plus 1TB cards: Lexar Play Blue SanDisk Ultra Samsung Pro Plus If you don’t have a nice **microSD to USB adapter** , you might want to think about getting one. This allows you to plug a microSD card into your computer to transfer files. A nice adapter like this one from UGREEN will give you the fastest transfer speeds possible, and can be used with USB-A or USB-C ports. The Anker USB-A version is also great. Additionally, the Retroid Pocket devices double as a pseudo home console, thanks to its HDMI output function as well as the ability to connect to controllers via bluetooth or USB. The older Retroid handhelds had a micro HDMI port, so you will either want to grab a micro HDMI cable like this one from Amazon Basics, or a micro HDMI adapter to use with an existing cable. Starting with the Retroid Pocket 4 Pro, their devices provide video output via USB-C, so you would want to use one of these adapters or their USB dock. Note that the Retroid Pocket Classic handheld does not have video-out. There are plenty of controller options out there, if you want to plug this into a TV. I prefer to use something that’s somewhat retro-friendly. You could use a bluetooth controller like the 8BitDo SN30 Pro, or a wired controller like the Betop BD2E. Note that in order to use a USB controller, you will also need an OTG adapter to plug the controller into the device’s USB-C port. **Prepare your ROM library** Since the Retroid Pocket devices can take a while to ship, I would recommend that you **build your ROM library now** , if you haven’t already. Here is a general list of systems that can be played on the Retroid Pocket devices. For older Retroid handhelds (RP3+/Flip/2S), I recommend getting PAL region ROMs for PS2/GameCube, because they cap out at 50Hz which will give you better performance than struggling to reach the standard 60Hz found in NTSC region ROMs. The NTSC versions should be fine for the RP4/RP5 generations and beyond. **ROM file sources will not be shared on this website.** **Home Consoles:** Atari 2600, 5200, etc Atari Jaguar Colecovision Panasonic 3DO PC Engine (TurboGrafx-16) PC Engine CD (TurboGrafx-CD) NES / Famicom Disk System Super Nintendo Nintendo 64 Nintendo GameCube Nintendo Wii Nintendo Wii U Sega Master System Sega Genesis Sega CD / 32X Sega Saturn Sega Dreamcast Sony PlayStation Sony PlayStation 2 Microsoft Xbox **Handheld Consoles:** Atari Lynx Game & Watch Nintendo Game Boy Nintendo Game Boy Color Nintendo Game Boy Advance Nintendo DS Nintendo 3DS Nintendo Switch Nintendo Virtual Boy Sega Game Gear Sony PSP Sony PS Vita Neo-Geo Pocket / Color Wonderswan / Color **Home Computers:** Amiga Amstrad CPC Atari ST Commodore 64 (and C16/Plus4, C128) Intellivision MSX PC (DOS) ScummVM ZX Spectrum **Arcade Systems:** MAME Final Burn Neo Neo-Geo / CD Atomiswave Naomi When organizing ROM files, I recommend using the “No-Intro” naming convention, which is the standard naming used for ROM sets within RetroArch and other emulation communities. By using no-intro naming, you will be more likely to get box art automatically added when you load up your games in RetroArch or most frontends. If you have a question as to how a game should be named, I recommend checking out the Libretro thumbnails directory, which is what many emulators pull from for their media files. If your game name matches the thumbnail name found in this directory, chances are that it will properly download the media for it. **Compress your files** : many disc-based systems have file types that can be compressed into a single, smaller file. This will save space on your microSD card! Here is my guide on how to compress some of the most popular game files: > The Ultimate ROM File Compression Guide **An important component of your ROM library is maintaining BIOS files**. BIOS files are system files necessary for some emulators (GBA, Sega CD, or PS1/PS2), and are helpful in improving accuracy with other systems. These files are also copyrighted. Note that PS2 BIOS files can be easily extracted from the PS3 firmware file following my guide. Here is more information about BIOS files. **Recommended BIOS files: ** **GAME BOY / COLOR: ** gb_bios.bin gbc_bios.bin **GAME BOY ADVANCE: ** gba_bios.bin **SWITCH: ** prod.keys firmware zip file (match prod.keys version) **PLAYSTATION 1 (many options!): ** scph5501.bin **PLAYSTATION 2 (many options!): ** scph70012.bin **PS VITA: ** PSP2UPDAT.PUP PSVUPDAT.PUP **SEGA CD: ** bios_CD_E.bin bios_CD_J.bin bios_CD_U.bin **SATURN: ** sega_101.bin mpr-17933.bin **DREAMCAST: ** dc/dc_boot.bin dc/dc_flash.bin **NEO GEO (place in Neo Geo ROM folder): ** neogeo.zip **TURBOGRAFX-CD: ** syscard1.pce syscard2.pce syscard3.pce **XBOX: ** mcpx_1.0.bin complex_4267v1.03.bin **Community compatibility sheets** : if you want to see how specific games run on any older Retroid device, I would recommend checking out its corresponding community compatibility sheet. This will also provide tips and tricks to get the best performance for each game too, so if you are struggling with any certain game/emulator, this will be an excellent resource. Retroid Pocket 2+/3 Retroid Pocket 2S Retroid Pocket 3+/Flip Retroid Pocket 4 (Odin Lite sheet, same processor) Retroid Pocket 4 Pro Retroid Pocket 5 (Retro Ryan’s site has best settings) For more modern devices, then the EmuReady website has become an excellent consolidated resource. **Initial setup and orientation** When it comes to initial setup, the setup process will generally be the same, since these are all Android devices. We’re going to focus on the Retroid Pocket 6 and Retroid Pocket Nova in this guide but it will apply to the other devices. The general process is to: * Set up Android * Install apps via the Play Store * Side-load apps via Obtanium * Add games and BIOS files * Configure each emulator * Tie everything together with a frontend Let’s take it one step at a time, with setting up Android first. When first starting your Retroid device, it will have you go through some initial setup for WiFi, time zone, etc. There is also a screen that will pre-install emulators and apps for you — I recommend skipping most of these because we are going to install our own (more recently updated) versions in a moment. However, if trying to run GameCube on the Retroid Pocket 3+/2S, I recommend installing the “Dolphin for Handheld” emulator that can be pre-installed on your device during the initial setup. This app provides an excellent mix of accuracy and performance, and allows for easy adjustment of the resolution to below-native figures. When you get to the last screen, it’ll ask you which launcher you want – choose the AOSP (Android Open Source Project) option. Once you have gone through the first setup screens, I recommend restarting the device once before going further. Go to Settings > System > **Updates** and run a system update so you are using the most recent version of the Retroid image. Then, you can go into Settings > **Handheld Settings** and adjust them as shown in the guide video. I recommend the Xbox ABXY button layout since it will work natively with Android games and streaming apps. While in the Settings menu, also go to Display > **Screen timeout** and change the timeout from 1 minute of inactivity to something more reasonable (I personally set mine to 30 minutes), and turn off notifications by enabling “Do Not Disturb” mode. Finally, within the Security settings you can disable the need to swipe the screen every time you wake the device from sleep. **Remove the white bar** : when playing games, you will see a faint white bar on the right side of the screen. This is a menu bar that you can swipe from the right to access things like the Key Mapper tool or adjust the screen brightness on the fly. If you would like to disable this, swipe down from the top of the screen and turn OFF the “Floating Icon” option (or tap on the right part of the button to adjust its visibility down to zero). **Sleep mode:** The Retroid Pocket devices can enter sleep mode by tapping the POWER button, much like a tablet or phone. And like with a tablet or phone, you could simply leave this device in sleep mode when not using it, and it will slowly discharge over the period of a week or two. However, if you are playing the device frequently (like every day or a few times a week), I recommend just keeping it in sleep mode and charging it as needed, like you would a phone. Powering on the device takes quite a bit of time, which can add up if you play the device often. When not using the device for an extended period of time, be sure to fully power it down. **Install emulators and other apps** The process for installing apps is simple: grab what you can from the Play Store, then load the rest yourself using an app called Obtainium. You can actually install just about everything you need from Obtainium without having to use the Play Store. Here are individual links to most of the common apps you’ll need: RetroArch (Aarch64 version) -- classic systems Duckstation (free, Play Store) -- PS1 Mupen64Plus FZ (Pro version, Play Store) -- N64 Redream (free, in-app upgrade, Play Store) -- Dreamcast Yaba Sanshiro 2 (Pro version, Play Store) -- Saturn PPSSPP (Gold version) -- PSP Dolphin (latest build) -- GameCube & Wii Dolphin forks -- GameCube & Wii (for older handhelds) NetherSX2 Classic (see note below) -- PS2 ARMSX2 (see note below) -- PS2 HakuX -- Xbox MelonDS (and nightly version)-- Nintendo DS Azahar -- 3DS Citra MMJ -- 3DS (for older handhelds) Vita3k -- PS Vita Cemu -- Wii U Eden -- Switch **Streaming apps: **NVIDIA GeForce Now (PC cloud streaming) Shadow PC (PC cloud streaming) Moonlight (PC remote play) Steam Link (PC remote play) Parsec (PC remote play) PXPlay or Chiaki (PS4 & PS5 remote play) XBXPlay (Xbox remote play) **PC gaming:** GameNative -- Windows/Steam/GOG/Epic GameHub -- Windows/Steam GameHub Lite -- Windows/Steam (no login required) Winlator -- Windows **Other apps: **Syncthing-Fork (free) -- save syncing (guide) Apps that are not in the Play Store have to be downloaded manually and then _side-loaded_ , which simply means you install them yourself. It’s an easy process. You can do this manually, by navigating to this guide on your Retroid’s web browser, then tapping on each link above to go to the download page for that app. Once downloaded, find the app in your Downloads folder, tap on it, and it will install**.** **My preferred way to side-load apps isObtainium.** This app will check the app versions on your device, and notify you when a new version is available, and you can update that app directly within Obtainium too. **There is also ahandy update script that will auto pull the apps for you into Obtainium.** To get started, download the latest Obtanium release (the “app-release.apk” version) and install it on your device. Next, download the latest Emulation Pack json script and save it you your device. Open Obtanium, tap on “import/export” then “Obtanium import” and find the json file you downloaded. It will show you a list of emulators you can download and install — choose one, then tap on the “install” button at the bottom of that screen; repeat for other apps as needed. | **RP2+/3**| **RP3+/Flip/RP2S**| **RP4/Pro**| **RP5/Mini/Flip 2**| **RP6/Nova** ---|---|---|---|---|--- Retro systems| RetroArch| RetroArch| RetroArch| RetroArch| RetroArch PSX| DuckStation| DuckStation| DuckStation| DuckStation| DuckStation N64| Mupen64Plus FZ| Mupen64Plus FZ| Mupen64Plus FZ| Mupen64Plus FZ| RetroArch Saturn| Yabasanshiro 2| Yabasanshiro 2| Yabasanshiro 2| RetroArch| RetroArch Dreamcast| Redream| Redream| RetroArch| RetroArch| RetroArch NDS| MelonDS| MelonDS| MelonDS| MelonDS| MelonDS N3DS| Citra MMJ| Citra MMJ| Azahar| Azahar| Azahar PSP| PPSSPP| PPSSPP| PPSSPP| PPSSPP| PPSSPP PS Vita| N/A| N/A| Vita3k| Vita3k| Vita3k PS2| N/A| NetherSX2 3668| NetherSX2 3668| NetherSX2 3668| ARMSX2 GameCube| N/A| Dolphin forks| Dolphin| Dolphin| Dolphin Wii| N/A| Dolphin forks| Dolphin| Dolphin| Dolphin Wii U| N/A| N/A| N/A| Cemu| Cemu Switch| N/A| N/A| Yuzu (Android 10 build)| Eden Legacy| Eden Recommended emulator apps for each Retroid generation **Individual app recommendations:** For **RetroArch** , I strongly recommend going through my RetroArch Starter Guide to orient you to the platform itself. I consider this to be a necessary part of the process when it comes to mastering emulation on an Android device, particularly for retro games. It has a learning curve to it, but once you get the hang of it, you can use these skills for a variety of devices that use RetroArch. The Retroid starter guide video will show you the very basics to get started. Regarding **Dolphin (GameCube and Wii)** , **most games will run well at a 2x (RP4/Pro) or 3x (RP5/Mini and beyond) upscaled resolution with the Vulkan backend**. If you run into issues, try toggling to the OpenGL backend. On older Retroid devices, there are several forks that may give better performance with certain games over the official app, but will introduce hacks to get them working. I would recommend using those forks only if the official app’s performance is not to your liking, especially for the RP3/3+/2S. The MMJR 11505 (final) and MMJR2 17878 versions are generally the best among that group. For **PS2 emulation** , there are two main NetherSX2 options: NetherSX2 “patch” (4248) and NetherSX2 “classic” (3668). Note that performance between the 3668 and 4248 versions can vary — some games just run better on one over the other (for example, _Sly Cooper_ runs better on 3668). Sadly, you can’t have both installed on the device at the same time, so you will have to swap between the two. **For most devices, I have found that NetherSX2 Classic (3668) generally provides more stable performance**. If you have a more modern device (Retroid Pocket 6 or Nova), I would recommend trying out ARMSX2. It’s a newer app that still has some bugs, but its performance is improving weekly. The standalone **Yabasanshiro** app generally has the best Sega Saturn performance, at the expense of some accuracy. For the Retroid Pocket 5/Mini and beyond, I recommend the Beetle Saturn core within RetroArch, which is highly accurate. This is a similar setup with **Dreamcast** ; the Redream app’s auto-frameskip can sometimes help with performance on lower-end hardware, but the RetroArch Flycast core is excellent if you have the power to use it. The Retroid Pocket devices can do more than just emulate games: they can also play the vast majority of **Android’s game library**. The trick is to find games that have controller support and will scale correctly for your device’s screen. This collection of Android game testing for the Retroid Pocket Classic is a great starting spot; while it was tested for the RP Classic’s unique aspect ratio, you can see which games have controller support. **Turnip drivers** When using a Snapdragon-based handheld like the Retroid Pocket 5 or 6, you can install third-party drivers built by the Mesa Turnip team to certain emulator apps to improve compatibility and performance. Emulators that support this feature include Dolphin, Azahar, Vita3K, and Yuzu (plus its forks). I find it to be a necessity for PS Vita and Switch emulation, but rarely provides a benefit with Dolphin or Azahar. The main places to find third-party drivers are from K11MCH1, StevenMXZ, and Mr. Purple. There are several versions of these drivers available from the main repository, and they are being updated all the time. However, keep in mind that the most updated drivers may not be the best for your device — it’s all very specific to the GPU found in each Snapdragon chip. **Snapdragon 865 (RP5 etc)**| **Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 (RP6/Nova)** ---|--- Mr. Purple T19| Mr. Purple T26 (Mr. Purple) v24.3.0 Revision 9v2| v26.3.0-R3 (StevenMXZ) v24.1.0 Revision 18 (A6XX fix)| v26.0.0 Revision 8 (K11MCH1) v24.1.0 Revision 18| For emulator apps like Eden, you can load several different Turnip drivers at once within the GPU Driver Manager section, and then set one as the default driver. They even provide you with a recommended driver for your device’s GPU. Often I will check Eden first, see what they recommend, then download that driver to use in other apps. If you encounter crashes or other issues, then long-press on the game in the emulator’s menu, then choose the per-game GPU driver manager and try an alternative (or even just the default Qualcomm drivers that come with the device). **Updating your apps** For apps that you installed via the Play Store, updating the app is as simple as going to the Play Store and then updating the apps under the “Manage Apps” function. For apps installed via Obtainium, simply go back to Obtainium and follow the prompts to install any updates that are available. **Adding your games** Now that we have our apps installed, and the system is configured, now we can add our games and point our emulators to them. To start, plug your microSD card into the device. On older versions of Android, you may get prompted to “set the SD card up”; it will ask you to choose between the default portable storage option, or using the card as internal storage. **Portable storage** means that you will be able to freely take the SD card out of the device and plug it into your PC, and that is what I would recommend. If you plan on using the ES-DE (EmulationStation Desktop Edition) frontend, which is my favorite frontend option, **I recommend installing and running it once BEFORE you start adding your games**. The ES-DE setup process will create ROM folders on your SD card; once those are created, you can add your ROM files to their respective folder so that ES-DE will automatically find them. This will save you a lot of time in the long run. Even if you don’t plan on using ES-DE initially, I recommend adding the ES-DE file structure to your microSD card anyway. That way if you do end up using that app in the future, everything will be set up accordingly. I have made a handy ES-DE Directories tool that you can paste into any microSD card. If you plan on running Nintendo Switch emulation, be sure to grab the two XML files from Jade’s repository and place them in the ES-DE/custom_systems folder of your SD card; this will expand the number of supported emulator apps within ES-DE. **Setting up RetroArch** For more specific RetroArch settings, I recommend using my RetroArch Starter Guide as a reference. This will explain the basics of the app and how to properly configure settings. **Recommended RetroArch cores:** ** **Arcade (FinalBurn Neo) -- fighting games and beat'em ups Arcade (MAME 2003-Plus) -- all-around arcade emulation NEC PCE/TG-16/PCE-CD/TG-CD (Beetle PCE) Nintendo GB/GBC (Gambatte) Nintendo GBA (mGBA) Nintendo Virtual Boy (Beetle VB) Nintendo DS (melonDS) Nintendo NES (Nestopia) Nintendo SNES (Snes9x Current) Nintendo 64 (Mupen64Plus) ScummVM -- point-and-click PC games Sega Master System/Genesis/CD (Genesis Plus GX) Sega Saturn (Beetle Saturn or Yabasanshiro) Sega Dreamcast (Flycast) SNK Neo Geo (FinalBurn Neo) Sony PlayStation (Beetle PSX HW or SwanStation) Android Starter Guide RetroArch Starter Guide **Run-ahead bug with GBA** : when using the mGBA core in RetroArch, save states will sometimes not work properly if you have run-ahead enabled. If you want to use both, consider turning off run-ahead for that core (save it under Quick Menu > Overrides > Save as Core Override), or use a different core. You can also try preemptive frames (found in the Latency quick menu) instead. **Per-system recommendations** Per-system configurations can vary by device, but for the best general settings, I would refer to my Android Emulation Starter Guide. For RetroArch-based emulators (32-bit and below systems), use the recommendations from the RetroArch Starter Guide. There are some specific configurations for the Retroid devices detailed below. Recommended button mapping for major emulator apps (click to enlarge) One of the biggest challenges in setting up these devices is mapping the controls to mimic the original controllers from retro systems. For many, the control setup will be intuitive: it’s easy to figure out how SNES, PS1, PS2, or Dreamcast games should be mapped, since their control schemes are not too different. The rub comes with Nintendo systems like the Wii, or six-button layouts like the Sega Saturn. The images above are what I personally use for mapping, but there are many ways to do this depending on personal preference. **Nintendo 64 ** Emulator: **Mupen64Plus-FZ** standalone (Pro version will remove ads) for RP4 and below, **RetroArch Mupen64 core** for RP5 and beyond By default the N64 A and B buttons will be mapped to the A and X buttons. If you want to adjust your mappings, you will need to copy the Android Gamepad controller profile and make your own mapping. One handy trick is to map the Z button to multiple buttons on your console, to make things easier for some games (like _Cruis’n USA_ which by default requires you to press the Left Trigger for gas, which can be awkward). When using a frontend launcher like ES-DE or Daijisho, autosave and autoload will not work properly in the FZ emulator. Instead, you can either launch games directly from the standalone emulator, or use the Save/Load State functions within the emulator quick menu to manually save and load states. In-game saves still work fine either way. Mupen64 FZ also allows for per-game configuration. For example, if a certain game is presenting graphical issues with the default emulation profile (like with _Mario Tennis_) you can tap on it once in the main menu, then select Settings > Emulation Profile and experiment with other options (I use GlideN64-Medium for _Mario Tennis_). You can also use this method to adjust other options per game, like rendering resolution or controller profiles. If you want to use the **RetroArch N64 cores** with a frontend (like ES-DE), there is a bug where sometimes the controls won’t register after launching a game. To fix this, open up an N64 game and then go into the RetroArch Quick Menu. Back out to the main Settings menu, then Input > Polling Behavior > EARLY. Now go to Quick Menu > Overrides > Save Content Directory Override. Exit out of the game and now every N64 game should control correctly. **Sega Saturn ** Emulator: Yabasanshiro 2 (or Pro version to remove ads) for RP4 and below, RetroArch Yabasanshiro core for RP5, and RetroArch Beetle core for RP6 and beyond Notes: You will need to remap your controls. I recommend using YBA for ABC, and L1, X, R1 for XYZ buttons. If you want the original Saturn boot video sequence with the standalone Yabasanshiro app, you must place the BIOS file (saturn_bios.bin) in the yabause/bios folder on your internal storage (this folder will only appear once you have opened the app at least one time). **Sega Dreamcast ** Emulator: Redream for RP4 and below, RetroArch Flycast core for RP5 and beyond Frameskip: ON (default) Resolution: 480p for RP2+/RP3, 960p resolution for RP3+ and beyond Notes: You will need to remap your controls. Upgrading the Redream Pro version will be associated with your Google Play Store profile and can be used on other devices with the same account to get upgraded rendering resolution. If you want the original Dreamcast boot video sequence in Redream, you must rename the dc_boot.bin BIOS file to boot.bin and place it in the Android/data/io.recompiled.redream/files/ folder on your SD card (this folder will only appear once you have opened the app at least one time). **PlayStation Portable ** Emulator: PPSSPP (or PPSSPP Gold to support the dev) Resolution: 1x for RP2+/RP3, 3x+ resolution for RP3+ and beyond For **PlayStation Portable** emulation on the RP3 and RP2+, check outthis handy guide from EmuChicken over at Team Pandory. For the Retroid Pocket 3+ and Flip, you can set most games to a 3x resolution, and reduce it to 2x resolution for some games as needed. PPSSPP allows for per-game configuration profiles so that you can set the desired resolution per game. The Retroid Pocket 5 and beyond can handle a 4x resolution upscale for maximum effect. **Nintendo GameCube ** Emulator: Dolphin for Handheld (pre-installed) for up to RP3+/Flip, official app for RP4 and beyond Internal resolution: .5x for RP3 and RP2+, 1x for RP3+/Flip, 2x for RP4/Pro as warranted **Notes: Use PAL ROMs as available for everything up to the RP3+/Flip.** The RP4/Pro and RP5/Mini can generally use NTSC ROMs without issue. The official Dolphin app supports **VBI Skip** , which can be found under Graphics Settings > Hacks > VBI Skip. Turning this on can significantly improve the gaming experience on lower-end devices like the Retroid Pocket 3+. Note that some games (like _Twilight Princess_ and _Wind Waker_) will not work properly with this setting turned on, so you may need to experiment. Within the Dolphin settings, I would recommend making these changes: * Config > Interface > Use Panic Handlers > OFF * Config > General > Enable Cheats > ON * Config > General > Enable Savestates > ON * Graphics Settings > Shader Compilation Mode > Hybrid Ubershaders * Graphics Settings > Compile Shaders Before Starting > ON For the best results, you will want to swap between Graphics Settings > Video Backend > OpenGL and Vulkan. Generally, Vulkan will provide better performance but won’t work with many games. For the Retroid Pocket 2+ and 3, I recommend using the “Dolphin for Handheld” emulator that can be pre-installed on your device during the initial setup. This app provides an excellent mix of accuracy and performance, and allows for easy adjustment of the resolution to below-native figures. If you do not have access to this app, you can try some of the Dolphin forks available in this archive. If you want to dive further into Dolphin, check out these video guides. The first one will show you how to add that cool GameCube boot logo to your games, and the second will show you how to set up Wiimotes and accessories. **Sony PlayStation 2 ** Emulator: NetherSX2 Internal Resolution: .5x for RP3 and RP2+, 1x for RP3+, etc. Preset: Fast/Unstable for lower-end handhelds, Normal for RP4 and beyond ****Notes: Use PAL ROMs as available for everything up to the RP3+/Flip.**** If using the Retroid Pocket 3+/Flip, then I recommend setting it to the “Fast Preset” when first setting up the device, but use a 100% EE Cycle Rate and no underclocking under EE Cycle Skip, and adjust them as needed for each game. For the best results with the RP4 and RP5 devices, use the Vulkan backend and toggle the following settings in this order if it isn’t running at full speed by default: * Graphics > Hardware Download Mode > Unsynchronized (experiment with others) * Graphics > EE Clock Rate / EE Cycle Skip > decrease values as needed **Consider a nice fancy frontend** The Retroid Pocket frontend is pretty good, one of the best built-in launchers available on retro handheld devices. However, I have found that it is limited (for example, some systems or emulators aren’t available), and won’t be as feature-rich as other options made by the community. Check out the videos above for setup instructions. My favorite is ES-DE (EmulationStation Desktop Edition), but Daijisho is pretty great too! And don’t forget about Beacon, or Reset Collection — long story short, you have lots of options to choose from. The way I see it, apps like Beacon and Daijisho are a little easier to set up initially, but will take more maintenance in terms of upkeep (like adding/removing games) and scraping media. ES-DE takes more work up front but is largely automated after that, and feels more console-like once configured. If you are using ES-DE, there was an update in 2025 that allows you to integrate your Android apps and games directly into the interface. Check out my video guide on the process! **How to fix the ES-DE Theme Downloader error:** On the Retroid Pocket G2 (and potentially other handhelds), if you try and download ES-DE themes you may get an error (“Failed to Lock File”). The fix for this is simple, but unintuitive: Go to Android Settings > Handheld Settings > Advanced, and you should see a toggle named something like “force start selinux”. Toggle that ON and you will now be able to download ES-DE themes properly. **Try out PC gaming** Advancements in PC translation layers now enables us to play PC games on Android devices. Many of these apps allow us to log into our Steam account, sync our Steam Cloud Saves, and more. My preferred app is GameNative, which is actively developed and open source. The video above will explain how it works, and give you some tips and tricks along the way. My buddy Retro Tech Dad also has several guide videos on the subject, which are super handy. GameNative — Windows/Steam/GOG/Epic GameHub — Windows/Steam GameHub Lite — Windows/Steam (no login required) Winlator — Windows **Game streaming** Newer Retroid handhelds have beautiful AMOLED screens, which makes them a wonderful way to stream games locally from your PC, or over the cloud with apps like NVIDIA GeForce Now. The video above will show off a couple of my favorites, with Apollo/Artermis quickly becoming my go-to recommendation. Artemis – Android client (Moonlight fork) Apollo – PC host (Sunshine fork) **When using the Retroid Pocket 6, here are my recommended Artemis settings:** * Video resolution: 1080p * Video frame rate: 120fps * Video bitrate: 40 Mbps (adjust for your local network) * Video frame pacing: Warp 2 (Experimental) * Ultra Low Latency: ON **Sync your saves with Syncthing** Once your device is up and running, and you’re ready to jump into some games, I would recommend Syncthing. This will allow you to sync your saves with your computer or other devices, so you can back them up and also resume your games on other handhelds. Here is my full guide on the process; it’s definitely a weekend project but it’s nice to have some peace of mind that your saves aren’t going to disappear. **Linux options** The Retroid Pocket devices with Snapdragon chipsets are unique because they can support booting into Linux-based operating systems. Right now two options are Batocera and ROCKNIX, with the latter being a little further along in development. These are still very much in the experimental phase, but once we have stable and mature builds I will make further guides on the project. What makes Linux OS options attractive is that they generally are faster to get up and running, since its emulators will be installed as part of the OS and pre-configured. It also gives access to some emulators that aren’t available on Android, like the official Xemu (Xbox) and RPCS3 (PS3) emulators. For now, you can test out the latest development builds, and use the instructions in the video above to boot into them. Batocera test build ROCKNIX nightly dev build (further discussion in to their discord) Note that it is possible to dual-boot ROCKNIX and Android with the same microSD card, and share the same ROM files between the two. This Reddit post spells out the process in detail, but be warned that because ROCKNIX is still in a test phase, this process should be attempted only if you are tech-savvy and willing to deal with bugs and periodic incompatibilities. In order to have ES-DE recognize all of your ROCKNIX folders, be sure to use Jade’s custom XML files. **1080p overlays** Community member Watomsk made some overlays for 16:9 1080p displays, like the Odin 2, Retroid Pocket 5, and so on. You can find the packs here, and the installation process can be found in my Shaders and Overlays Guide. Additionally, L3x19H made a collection of similar (16:9 1080p) overlays but for playing the games with integer scaling ON. This will provide an even sharper image at the expense of a slightly smaller game image. Check them out here! Note that because newer Retroid devices have an OLED panel, there could be some risk of eventual screen burn-in when displaying a static image for extended periods of time. Most modern OLED panels don’t have this issue (even after thousands of hours at max brightness), but it’s always worth considering. Left: no shader Right: crt-gdv-mini-ultra shader **RP Nova screen considerations** When it comes to setting up CRT shaders, you have two fundamental options: with or without shader sub-frames. Because the RP Nova has a 120Hz display, you can use one of two tools known as Black Frame Insertion (BFI) or CRT Beam Simulator to insert a frame between your game frames, increasing motion clarity and provide a more pronounced CRT-like effect (here is a video I made about the feature). This trick makes retro games look silky smooth and clear, but has some downsides like making the screen darker and causing occasional flickers. **Note that this mode works only with NTSC (60Hz) games, not standard PAL (50Hz) games.** Below are instructions on how to set up CRT shaders both with and without the CRT Beam Simulator feature, so you can try them out between the two. **WITH CRT Beam Simulator:** 1. Make sure your device is running at 120Hz (toggle is in the Android quick menu, which you can access by sliding down from the top of the screen). 2. Open RetroArch and navigate to Settings > Video > Synchronization and set Shader Sub Frames to “2” 3. Start up a game in RetroArch, then go to Quick Menu > Shaders > Load Preset, and navigate to shaders_slang > subframe-bfi > crt-beam-simulator. 4. Once enabled, you’ll be back in the main Shaders menu. Go to Shader Parameters and set **LCD Anti-Retention** to 0.00, and **Scan Direction** to 0.00. 5. Go back to the main Shaders menu, then select Append Preset and navigate to shaders_slang > crt and choose your CRT shader of choice (we’ll go with crt-gdv-mini-ultra in this example). 6. Back in the Shaders menu, go back to Shader Parameters and set **CurvatureY** to 0.00, and **Saturation Adjustment** to 1.10. 7. If you are happy with how it looks, go to Shaders > Manage Presets and save it as a global (system-wide), core (just the emulator), or content directory (ROM folder) preset. **WITHOUT CRT Beam Simulator:** 1. Start up a game in RetroArch, then go to Quick Menu > Shaders > Load Preset, and navigate to shaders_slang > crt and choose your CRT shader of choice (we’ll go with crt-gdv-mini-ultra in this example). 2. Back in the Shaders menu, go back to Shader Parameters and set **CurvatureY** to 0.00, and **Saturation Adjustment** to 1.10. 3. If you are happy with how it looks, go to Shaders > Manage Presets and save it as a global (system-wide), core (just the emulator), or content directory (ROM folder) preset. * * * **Changelog** **25SEP2026 ** – added note about RetroArch run-ahead bug in mGBA **15AUG2026** – added RP Nova screen considerations section **12AUG2026 ** – lots of updates in anticipation of RP Nova starter guide video **10FEB2026 ** – lots of updates in anticipation of RP6 starter guide video – changed Winlator section to PC gaming – added Game Streaming section **19JAN2026 ** – added notes about RPG2 – updated frontend section to account for ES-DE updates and RPG2 theme downloaded fix **22MAY2025** – added section about Android games – added notes about RP Mini V2 **13APR2025** – added note about N64 RA core polling behavior – added RP Flip 2 review video **02APR2025 ** – added additional 1080p overlays pack **28MAR2025 ** – added 1080p overlays – updated RP Mini screen issues section **31DEC2024 ** – added Jade’s custom XML files for ESDE w/ ROCKNIX **21DEC2024 ** – added RP5 guide video and assets – added Turnip drivers section – added Syncthing section – added Linux section – added Winlator section **16DEC2024 ** – lots of updates in anticipation of RP5 starter guide video **13OCT2024 ** – added section regarding frame pacing issues on the RP Mini – updated frontend section to reflect ESDE **02JUN2024 ** – updated links for compatibility sheets and AetherSX2 archives **05MAR2024 ** – removed Yuzu and Citra links **17FEB2024 ** – updated NetherSX2 section to account for NetherSX2 “patch” and “classic” versions **07FEB2024 ** – added video guide **06FEB2024 ** – more updates including performance tweaks for PS2 and GC/Wii with RP4 Pro **05FEB2024 ** – updates and cleanup in anticipation of RP4 guide video **25AUG2023 ** – added RP2S as applicable – general cleanup of links – added context for AetherSX2 v1.5 3668 in the notes **07MAY2023 ** – added display setting recommendations – added wording re: Retroid Pocket Flip **30APR2023 ** – removed other Dolphin MMJR links **11APR2023 ** – added updated tips for Dolphin/GameCube emulation **05APR2023 ** – updated Dolphin section link to fork archive and official app **22MAR2023** – added sleep mode trick section **20MAR2023 ** – added link to powered USB hub in accessories section for maximum controller compatibility **28JAN2023 ** – removed links to “Dolphin for Handheld” apk at the request of the Dolphin team **31DEC2022 ** – added screen saturation instructions **06DEC2022 ** – updated links to community compatibility sheets **24NOV2022** – added Retroid Pocket 3+ as a supported device – added the Dolphin for Handheld emulators – added information about remapping the Home button – added Daijisho information **14SEP2022 ** – added notes about bug related to RA not recognizing the A Button after mapping it as a hotkey **11SEP2022** – added Team Pandory PPSSPP guide – added link to AliExpress store – added section about fixing microstutters (in RetroArch section) **08SEP2022 ** – added RP3 starter guide – added Where to buy section – streamlined guide to reflect new launcher and updates **23JAN2022** – added detailed N64 configuration instructions – added note about 32-bit PSX emulation core **22JAN2022** – added new systems – added Starter Guide #2 video **20JAN2022** – added RetroArch playlists section – added system art and additional recommended systems (like Sega Genesis) **17JAN2022** – added retroarch.cfg file and instructions (removed) **16JAN2022** – published guide – added portable vs internal storage note ### Spread the word: * Share on X (Opens in new window) X * Share on Reddit (Opens in new window) Reddit * Share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook * Share on Pinterest (Opens in new window) Pinterest * Share on Telegram (Opens in new window) Telegram * Share on Tumblr (Opens in new window) Tumblr * Print (Opens in new window) Print * Email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email * ### _Related_

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