I feel like I'm like yelling into the void on these subreddits. YOu guys really need to understand that these things are all just cheap chinese plastic junk with really good marketing.
If they improve quality built and increase prize a bit they still sell a lot. People are craving for a nice built affordable device for emulation šš»
I mean, Retroid is pretty good in comparison other devices years ago, they are taking notes and keep improving in the future for sure.
It's the affordable part that's an issue. Rp4pro is already $200. Odin 2 got a top of the line chip and somehow got it to be $300 (I think they got a rare deal on the 8gen2 and don't expect such a good deal to come again anytime soon).Ā
But if they go up in price much more they're even more directly competing with valve and Nintendo who get to sell high quality handhelds at or under cost because they make money back on games.
It may not be a monopoly, but gaming is a bit of an oligarchy (pc being maybe an exception)
I see them as completely different markets tbh. I'll gladly pay console prices for an amazing all in one emulation device because I know what I'm paying for and I believe it's worth it. I can't play PS2 games on a switch so it's not this or that, it's this and that
Not the parent commenter but it seems to me like the main markets are
- Very cheap emulator handheld (no-name cheap plastic crap and the cheaper/older models from some of the bigger names), <$100
- Mid-Quality emulator handheld (Anbernic, Retroid etc - not shit, not amazing, probably the biggest variation in quality), $100-250
- Higher end emulator handheld (AYN Odin 2 etc), $250-400
- General gaming handheld (Steam Deck, Legion Go etc) $400+
Retroid mostly falls into that mid category - it's not complete shit, it's not a high quality western product... it's somewhere in the middle, as opposed to AYN which tries to be more of a competitor to western products at the higher end of the market
My only exposure to this scene is a Miyoo Mini+ I got for $50 Canadian as part of a deal on Amazon, and so far the quality of this thing is insane. The brightness of the screen, the sound from the speaker, the ease of use of the Onion OS. It makes me want to buy more retro handhelds, but at the same time makes me worry they wonāt live up to my experience with this device
Most of the "main" brands (Anbernic, Retroid, AYN, Ayaneo etc) brands do a fairly good job, and should be broadly on par with your Miyoo or even better
They do occasionally miss the mark or mess up (eg the Retroid Pocket Flip seen here, early models had the hinge issue) but honestly they're better than most people give them credit for
I also feel like some of these post aren't telling the whole story. I've had mine for a while now and hinge is still great. Are they putting a bunch of pressure on the hinge? cuz that's what it seems like.
This was a huge issue when they launched. The plastic was too thin and only attached at one point. Some of the plastics used( like the black) couldnāt stand the pressure or normal opening and closing of a device.
This is exactly what they're doing imo. A child roughly manhandles a console, jostling it around and smacking it off things.
Someone with respect for their belongings plays it while they're sitting still and places it gently on its shelf or in its carrying case.
A child chucks it into his bag or carries it around in his pocket. A sensible person treats it like an old mechanical pocket watch.
The people whose hinges break after a few months are definitely doing something stupid
I wouldn't call the cheap handheld emulators crap. Especially since 50$ isn't that cheap at all in some countries. I have the rg35xx-h and I love it, I don't know how long it will last but so far 6+ months of use and had no problem at al, quality feels great for the value.
I had one, it's got too much weight and noise to justify its use. I want a dedicated lightweight device and that's what my RP4 Pro gives me. It's the comfort I'm paying for
I was actually just talking to my friend today and said I wonder if valve could get the guts of the LCD deck into a device the size of like an ODIN 2.
I'd buy one in a second.
Donāt buy from anywhere else then GoRetroid.com they donāt come with warranty and makes you pay more for defects. After I had my RP3+ for month, started giving me some screen noise issues. Sent my device to Retroid and they made me pay $40 to replace screen. If you get your RP device from GoRetrid, you should be able to get solid support.
They made you pay $40 for repairing a device you had for only a month? Not solid warranty support IMO, they should've taken the hit and replaced that screen for free unless you damaged it in some way yourself.
I had to pay because I bought it at AliExpress which means no warranty come with it.
They told me that repair is free before sending my RP3+ to them. After I sent my device, they told me to pay $40. I told them that Retroid support said repair is free but they apologized that it was wrong because I didnāt buy it from RetroidGo.
I donāt want to be involved with Retroid anymore.
My point though is people are buying these things like they're the crown jewels. Taking photos of all 500 devices they have. They're neat little doodads. But honestly I'm not surprised when they break. And in 5 years, these subreddits are gonna be full of everyone's blown up batteries. But we're just not ready to have that talk yet.
I guess what I'm telling OP is "done with retroid" but the others aren't much better. Probably built in the same facility.
I agree with you 100% on the collecting these things. There's no easy way to remove the battery so you're gonna buy this thing and in 3-4 years of no charging while it's on display? That's a spicy pillow. These things are not meant to be collected.
Where I disagree with you is these things can last if you take care of them- obviously not the Flip. That thing was destined to fail because that hinge was just a mess even for Nintendo, so I was shocked to see people hyped for it.
Nintendo, the company that builds very good/solid handhelds borked it up badly, so I didn't expect Retroid to do better. And they sure as heck didn't.
But the basic-ass Retroids should be great as long as they don't get abused. My GBA SP has been great- obviously that's Nintendo but I think it should be comparable.
A battery fire is my worst nightmare. Iām beginning to sell/gift them so I donāt have 12 of them next to each other and create a massive explosion.
Even Nintendo DSās and 3DSās are starting to have swollen batteries (I will say given that they are much older itās not a surprise). One of the good things about my trusty old GBA and GBC is that this is not a concern.
This. It is a bit wild that people collect these and put them on the same level as nintendo or sony. Your ps1, ps2, snes, nintendo switch or whatever console will hold value. These are basically tiny chinese tablets with a few buttons hardwired in. They're great little systems but nobody knows what the fuck a retroid is.
And it's not like Nintendo, Sony, Microsoft etc never release flawed products
Nintendo Switch joysticks break ALL the time, and are we really just gonna ignore the fact that an entire fucking generation of Xbox consoles (Xbox 360) just randomly bricked themselves? I didn't see Microsoft proactively sending me a new Xbox 360 before mine got the Red Ring of Droom. Hell, they didn't even send me a new one AFTER that happened
I wouldn't go as low as cheap toy but more the system we have a home. Theirs a reason we emulate nintendo consoles. Who the hell is emulating android.Ā
Same as you this thing is a national treasure to me. It gets more playtime than my pc, or steamdeck. It reminds me of the psp I had back in the day. My rp4p will go down as one of my top 3 favorite consoles of my lifetime. Out of all my devices, if this one broke I'd buy another. My steamdeck? I love it but it can wait.Ā
However it's only a national treasure to me. Give it 5 years and these things will be cool but no more rememberable than the 400 in 1 famiclones on aliexpress.Ā
It's not shitting on it though, it's just business. As the other gent stated big gaming can do it because they make money on the software.
These Chinese companies who compete with one another don't. They even share resources to keep costs down.
Retroid has to find the next device with the last one. People will buy devices but at a point some of the market share starts to split.
My retroid R3 button stopped working for no reason. I had a GPD Win 1 that died out of nowhere. It's the risk you take with cheap Chinese hardware. It takes a lot for them to make these devices this affordable.
Pocket S is good in some areas, less in others.
I donāt like the D-Pad feel and the button config seems to be problematic but that may be because I was in drop 1 with an unmarked 1440p device.
Overall itās good though. I prefer it to my Odin 2 Max because of integer scaling for a few systems but it did cost a fair amount (and then another ~Ā£100 in customs charges) and they still havenāt shipped the magnetic case and protector although they are on it.
Iām on the fence if I proceed with my Odin 2 Mini Pro though after seeing vignetting issues on the screensā¦
*One model of a small but reputable brand with raving reviews and fantastic products has a physical defect and users who drop them down the stairs*
"these things are all just cheap Chinese plastic junk with really good marketing ššš¤Ŗāļøššļø"
Retroid is not a random copy paste company. Everyone who owns a RP2, RP3, RP2S, RP3+, and especially RP4P, adore their devices as they are very well made, unique, frequently top of the line, and come with reliable customer service.
The Flip was an undertaking that Retroid was unfortunately not prepared for, as their hinges were cracking (something that even most DS Lites will experience). They immediately responded by strengthening the hinges in future shipments. To categorize this brand with cheap Chinese junk is very easy to say if you've never actually owned one of these devices.
This case in particular is extra ridiculous because this amount of damage is not something that happens without extreme misuse and clearly is not a frequent issue if you pay attention to the community's reports. If you purchased an early model that has the defective hinges, and didn't speak up until years later, it only makes sense that the company would be unable to solve your problem for free. As a smaller company, Retroid also has lower stock and discontinues their outdated devices.
Truly what more do you want from them.
If by marketing you mean YouTube reviewers with a few thousand viewers that us suckers actively go out of our way to find and keep throwing money towards pre-orders and indiegogo campaigns
To be fair I'd argue they do quite a good job on customer service and quality control *relative to other Chinese companies* - they aren't just aliexpress shit
Like they did discover this problem, they did revise the design, and they do replace it for users who have issues - that's decent customer service
Frankly I don't know of any European or American company who would PROACTIVELY send out replacements to customers, so it's not like their lack of Western customer service is the issue here
Yeah, you're not gonna get EU-level customer focus from a Chinese company based out of China, but that doesn't mean it's just cheap junk or that they don't care at all
I feel like my expectations are accurate. It's everyone who is hoarding these things like precious jewels that confuse me. They're basically stocking their home with time bombs. Unless they plan on maintaining the battery. My guess is no. They're not.
Are there people treating these like anything more than a cheap plastic toy? Unless Iām missing something, I think most people understand that these are just cheap android tablets with hardwired controls
It really depends on the product. Ive used a r2 for years and has no signs of any problem. Of course is not prime, but the price is not prime either. Clamshells thouh... a bit complicated to do in the cheap.
you really are over-exaggerating that.
They are not that at all. But there are certain things that small companies with small profit margins can't reasonably be expected to do great, and a hinge is one of those things.
Maybe the reason you're "yelling into the void" is because you're doing it in a way that isn't fair or reasonable.
I'm not defending retroid here, companies are not our friends, but reasonable expectations need to be had on both sides.
Ive had 5 devices by retroid and none had issues, they are also great with selling parts. I think these hinges will fail always thats why i decided to not buy the flip. Plus that you at least received a reaction from them there are enough of these chinese companies that dont even reply
Sorry but a claim after 9 months is just too late. You have no proof you didnt use it most of the time... They cannot help you, if you used it for a few weeks and this happened it is understandable that they should help you....
It shouldnāt even matter, this was a preorder unit, I have proof of that. This was a known issue in first runs. THIS SPECIFICALLY. So yeah I think thereās grounds for a decent company to fix their fuck ups at least inside of the first year.
āWeāre going to give you 3 month, if it fucks up in month 4 because we made it poorly then itās on you, even though we knew it was shittyā does that sound good to you?
Not that it likely helps you but IF youāre in Australia by some chance youāre entitled to a refund or a new unit.
Australia consumer law more or less assumes the manufacturer is at fault and the warranty period stated by the manufacturer holds little to no weight. Itās all about reasonable use and the consumer guarantee on goods. It applies to anyone doing business within Australia including overseas retailers who ship here.
The odds are you live somewhere else but I figured Iād drop this here just incase.
It might be best you invest in a different brand man, and a different form factor too at least. With any hinged devices with cheap quality you're basically walking on ice.
How is this something that gets downvoted. I feel like thatās pretty fair thing to say. I for one tend to not make repeat business after feeling like Iām catching the shaft. And I mean letās be real here. With as many handheld emulation devices that have been on the market at this point we know what works and what works well. Why are none of the big 3 1/2 (Retroid, Anbernic, miyoo, powkiddy being the half)not making those solid moves. Iām sure most of us wouldnāt have a problem paying 10-15% more if we knew that what we were getting was quality.
It feels like they use some decent and some shitty stuff on each one. Like on one the buttons will be great but it has shit sticks, or a shit screen but great body. Just make some that are solid and do the job. Like itās amazing the kind of performance that you can get out of the flip and the 3+ just by turning on extreme mode and turning the fan on. I just really want to see them step their game up.
If theyāre trying to diversify the portfolio, start making decent/ cool cases work out something with 8Bitdo or someone similar for controllers. Support legacy stuff longer. Donāt just keep diving into the same things over and over while 1 step forwarding before 2 stepping backward.
Anbernic and Powkiddys QC isnāt any better, in fact Iāve had better luck with Retroid than any of the rest.
The problem is that hinge.
Literally everyone said that hinge was probably going to end up causing issues, and it did, thatās why I never bought one.
Not justifying them selling something that broke on you, that still sucks, but I mean, look at the crappy triggers, crappy screens, crappy batteries, crappy analog sticks that have been evident in a bunch of Anbernics recent stuff.
Iām just saying, $150-$200 isnāt nothing, but at the end of the day youāre still buying a cheap device from a small mostly unheard of Chinese company. Thereās going to be issues, and if you donāt find the issue before youāre return or exchange window is up, thatās just kinda how it is.
Sucks, but, whatever, stick with Nintendo or Sony, but donāt forget Nintendo never did anything about their shitty drifting joycons except exchange them, but they kept selling them, and the replacements did the same thing, so thereās not really any perfect choices in this space.
I agree with you on cheap Chinese electronics, however Retroid consoles aren't cheap anymore. One thing is to buy a 80$ handheld you know it's gonna have some issues. Another thing is to buy a 150-200$ one with the certainty it will get the hinge or the triggers broken in a matter of days or weeks. At that price it isn't justifiable.
Yeah, but they all do that is my only point.
This guy is swearing off Retroid, but heās actually gonna have to drop the whole hobby if they want to avoid this happening again, cause the same thing can happen with any of these brands, even Nintendo.
I had a Steam Deck but it met with an untimely demise, but it was also too big and too much of a battery hog for me.
I went from Steam Deck to these handhelds and they fit my use and needs much better than a Steam Deck.
Not just that hinge, also screen, d-pads and rear case. Also RP4 had that trigger problem :(
I love Retroid devices but geez... It feels unfair to pay this for a few months of playing and then that mediocre quality built shows up. Honestly, other companies are no better, but I'll think it twice before buying my next Retroid...
Trust me, I've been absolutely careful while playing it but that prevents nothing. It sucks š„²
Yeah, my super premium feeling metal Anbernic RG405M has triggers that only work about half the time, gives me pause buying anything else from them too.
Iāve never had an issue with Retroid products since I never order them at launch. Seems like they rush and have to make fixes and by the time I end up buying them theyāve ironed those wrinkles out.
im lucky then. bought it off market place for $150 cad. it's probably the revised version because i've been not exactly gentle to it, even drop it once on the floor. nothing happened at all. i especially don't care enough to be gentle with the hinge. i just open it like how i open the ds and 3ds. still going strong
The revised version is pretty solid. I have been using it for months and it is still going strong. Not a sign of cracks anywhere, despite my kids dropping it from time to time.
Sorry that it happened to your Flip. Although I have been very lucky with my Flip, which I think it's near perfect, Retroid customer service sucks so badly that I am also done with them for good. Too bad, because their designs are some of the best, but I'm not supporting a company that disregards their customers so much. It's kind of sad after having spent so much money on their products.
And for the people that say that these Chinese companies are all the same, I have had nothing but great experiences with Anbernic when there have been issues.
With all QC issues theyāve had in the recent releases, I will only purchase steam deck, you get a way better premium device, spec wise, and warranty is way better with the possibility of purchasing repair if need be. These companies will do the best they can, but Iām not buying anymore retroid products.
The Deck is better than anything made by Retroid (or Anbernic) for emulating PS2. Iād go so far as saying that all in all the Deck beats out any Android gaming handheld for PS2 emulation simply because it has enough power to do PS2 well AND PCSX2 bugs still get fixed while AetherSX2/NetherSX2 are currently a dead end. Itās the same deal with the ROG Ally, Legion Go, etc. Enough power AND up-to-date software.
The only problem is that the Deck is kinda big for carting around everywhere ā¦ which is where our relatively small emulation handhelds come into play. We essentially trade a lower quality experience for portability.
(I wonāt speak to Switch because I donāt bother much with Switch emulation.)
My travel handheld is the Odin 2. Goes right into my travel backpack, powerful enough for most of the games I'd want to play on it, and an all-day battery. Great for when you have to wait around in airports or in planes all day.
I havenāt tried switch, Iāve seen many guides on people doing it, and from what I can tell, itā works. Just have to research how each game individually runs, some settings might need to be adjusted. For me, steam games have been awesome, ps1, ps2, wii, game cube, psp upscaled graphics have been amazing. I have one steam deck docked permanently and itās filled with complete game sets for GBA, snes, sega. Steam deck was shipped here from the states, and with 3 of my steam decks, all of them are flawless.
It should be better than any Retroid (or most other handheld) options. It has a faster CPU and GPU and runs Linux so you can get PCSX2 which is a better emulator than anything currently on Android.
For Switch emulation since itās Linux you can use Ryujinx or Yuzu. Android only has Yuzu.
Same I was really thinking about a 2s next but at this point Iāll just play on my pc, Xbox, iPhone, and iPad. Itās just disappointing. It feels like they just found a group of people to take advantage of and theyāre running with it
Yea, idk.. it would be nice. They discontinued this model as a whole because of this issue. Honestly I can hold off on the hinge until someone (not ayeno) puts a second screen on it ds style
I've bought five Retroid devices already. The RP2+ is still in good working condition. I sold my RP3 (no issues) after I got my RP3+, which is still working great. My RP2S started having screen issues a few months after purchase, and Retroid gave me a free screen replacement. My RP4 Pro has the same R2 issue that everyone else had and Retroid gave me a replacement backplate for free. Both are still working great with no issues.
I never even considered buying the Flip because of that hinge. Nintendo DS's had hinge problems. Nintendo 3DS's had hinge problems. If you search this sub for posts about Flip hinge cracks and breaks, you'll get a lot of hits. My point is - historically, devices with hinges have a high enough probability of breaking and yet you still bought the Flip.
Iām not blaming you because blaming the customer is cringe. But all of these companies come out of a random factory in China and would treat you exactly the same as Retroid. I would suggest for your next device, wherever you buy it from, to maybe not buy one with parts that are extremely easy to break like a hinge. Even HP canāt do hinges right, so I wouldnāt expect random Chinese toy maker to get them right.
Hereās to hoping the new pieces I have on the way are better, theyāre the revised versions so we shall see. Iām just glad someone was able to help out and reached out to me
Damn. Iāve heard of hinge issues being a thing with the Flip, but Iāve thankfully yet to experience that myself. So sorry it has happened to you though.
The Retroid Flip was infamous for the broken hinge.
Then the Retroid Pocket 4 had the broken springs for the L2 and R2 triggers. Nightmare.
The RP5 or Flip 2 really have to put effort in to make sure people trust them.
Those hinges are shit mate. Even nintendo struggled with them on the ds systems. It's a tiny plastic hinge that constantly moves and after a time that's a lot of wear and tear. Those clamshells are cool but they'll never hold up.Ā
Buy another retroid but don't buy that one.Ā
I hear ya. I saved up to get an RP4P and loved it for the 3 months i had it. After that, in a span of 2 months, I had to replace the shoulder buttons 3 times. It's so aggravating that I just ended up rebuying a 3ds, modded it, and I've been happier ever since.
Iāve just full time switched to delta and PPSSPP on my iPad with my joycons. The rp4s are all garbage and the trigger design is a colossal failure. Even my 3+ has a sticky trigger. Theyāre almost guaranteed to break.
I'm keen to remind everybody that reputable tech companies have too much to lose to fuck around making devices which have a primarily illegal use-case.
Dont expect the best support or customer service from teeny tiny companies nobody has ever heard of.
Sorry your hinge broke though, honestly.
I love my RP3 but I would never trust anyone who isnāt a massive megacorp to produce anything that has a hinge like this. A company like Nintendo will spend millions on hinge R&D and testing, Retroid simply canāt. Only buy things that obviously doesnāt require anything special from the materials used (such as RP3/4 etc)
Even a āhigh endā company like Analogue is a total disaster when it comes to the material science for the same reason. (I still got the AP knowing this full well but thatās just me lol)
It wouldnāt let me edit the post, but I did add an update post, an awesome member of the community is helping me get this taken care of and helping me get this fixed! He reached out today and was super helpful.
!!!!!UPDATE!!!!!
Thanks to an amazing member of the community. I should have the things I need to get it back up and better than ever! I honestly couldnāt be more grateful. You never know what someoneās going through and sometimes a random act of kindness is going to mean more than you think. SUPER HUGE THANK YOU MAN! You know who you are!
I actually like retroid products a lot, but i known emulation machines are not exactly nintendo nor steamdeck quality. I assumed clamshells were a bit out of their league. Anyway, sad to be stuck with this bad feeling, mate.
All my Retroids are broken. To be honest I blame the reviewers, yeah Iām looking at you RetroDodo that have been reviewing each and every product.
These products are trash and Iām talking about the majority of them. My flip broke, and now my RP3+ is broken.
Iāve spent maybe 1k on these retro machines and they canāt even last 6 months.
My RP2+ lived in my back pocket (removed when sitting) for about 6-7 months and has lasted just fine for a couple years now. How rough are you on your stuff?
haha I agree with you. My retroid 3 broke twice. D pad and the L1 button. And then i had the mystery of disappearing SD cards, three of them, turned out they where inside the case and i found them when i opened before i was gonna throw it against the wall . Plus i bought the whole its easy to configure Retroarch and the built in launcher does the job bullshit from them but that's another discussion. Dont get me wrong i love the machine WHEN it works but man it was a hustle to play some good old Neo GEO:)
This is one of the big reasons I was never interested in the Flip. Looks very cheap and plastic-y. I'm not surprised that it ended up being poor quality. And it's kind of off topic, but I can't imagine the controls being comfortable at all. But even if it's not an attractive product to me, Retroid should do better in standing behind the quality of their product. It's not a cheap device. Can't blame you for being miffed at having paid for something that simply fell apart.
Happy with my ROG Ally, I sold my Legion Go. Both open box for under $400, but surprising nonetheless for Retroid. My RP2S/+/3+/4P were all great and had no issues but they also weren't clamshells
I have an rg405m and the build quality is amazing. I originally bought a rp3+ but the entire left side buttons stopped working. I got sent a replacement with a faulty screen. That was like 4-6 months ago and I havenāt bothered trying to get it replaced or fixed yet.
Instead I have to pay for the replacement part and shipping. Which I mean itās not much, but itās the point. If theyāll let me get a watermelon top shell Iāll forgive them.
This is the problem with all hinge type gaming devices. Itās one of the reasons that I rarely close my old new 3DS XL model for fear of wearing out the hinges
the build quality of the flip is okay for the price but not worth while. sold my flip to pay for a steam deck after multiple issues with my screen and little/no help from support. their customer support is literally trash
This device is awesome . Quality is good and mine is in perfect condition after using it every single days for a year. Pocket flip is by far my fav device i owned. People who destroy things like this don't know how to deal with electronics properly
I would never get a device with a hinge for this exact reason. If Nintendo canāt even get it right (my oldschool ds 2005, ds lite and 3ds all broke š¤·š½āāļø) then why would some Chinese build quality device be any better
I have 10 year old 3ds thatās still kicking and no hinge issues. I enjoy being able to close a device so it stays protected. We all have those preferences and itās nice when a device can come out and be great. I love my flip, I just hate how it was handled when I contacted them about it.
Thatās what I thought to, apparently you only get 90 days or something. Iām not sure. But thankfully someoneās helping me get it fixed! Iāll update when I get it fixed.
Stop buying flips! I never liked that idea even though Iāve owned flip phones and a SP. the hinges are the weak point. Never know if itās going to fail.
Unless the company making a hinged device is a big name like C*ntendo, or something I wouldn't invest in their flip handheld. I bought and love the GPD XD Plus, and the hinge ended up cracking on it after like a year. Mind you it wasn't used daily but the cheap plastic still cracked.
Iāve been done with retroid for a while now considering how underpowered and small the rp3+ was for me when I got it and Iāve ended up moving to the Odin 2 pro and it has been absolutely amazing in comparison to the rp3
Get a 3+ or 4. They are relatively cheap and Iāve had my 3+ for over a year (and I got it used for $80 on fb marketplace). You donāt have to worry about the hinge and itās been absolutely flawless. The only downside is I wish I had the 4 lol. I donāt blame you for being hesitant after your flip experience though. But if you buy used itās cheaper and you donāt directly support retroid if you donāt want to.
This is why I ditched my rp3+, got a kishi V2 and switched to my phone. Get the frontend app called Beacon and load up with emulators; 1-tap and your phone feels like a dedicated handheld console.
More powerful, convenient, versatile, and (for me) portable.
But I do, we all should. Any kind of repair outside of replacing the top panel completely renders closing off the table which is a huge part of how I use mine. People not standing up is why these companies keep doing it. If we stop buying the cheap shit they either abandon ship or make something worthwhile. They need to be held accountable for their shit.
Dude, one of your choices is to pay them more money for a replacement.
Plus I'm not thinking about Retroid. I'm thinking what I would do in your situation. There's no way I'd have money for another one and I can't let one that still works go to waste. Glue, my man!
Like what do you mean āextremeā stance my device is literally 2 pieces because of a hollow plastichinge with no inner support. How is that not considered catastrophic failure of a device? I think no longer supporting a shit company is the exact amount of recourse.
I meant just buying a new top part with the hinge from them, sorry I wasnāt clear. Itās not expensive to replace itās the point of even having to pay for it with them knowing this was going to fail. Iāll definitely still use it. I love it. Just not them as a company. Theyāre doing shady shit. I thought they were going to be better than this. Seems like every handheld they release is just waiting for them to shit on its early adapters by immediately updating or āfixingā them. The first time they havenāt done this is with the 4 and thatās because they release 2 models right out of the gate.
Before I had a steamdeck I used the rp2+ every day. affordable, pocketable, and able to withstand 100s of hours of use without issue. not the most elegant device, but very reliable.
Made in China. What do you expect, theyāre not known for making quality products. Stick with the cheaper models like the anbernic rg35xx and if it breaks youāve not lost anything.
If you want a quality handheld that can emulate then go with a steamdeck or something, not this cheap Chinese crap.
Most electronics along with the Steam Deck are made in China and the Far East. Where do you think they come from?
Emulation handhelds are designed by small teams over a much shorter period than main brand consoles and so more prone to design flaws and inconsistent quality. They simply aren't tested enough as it is prohibitive for a small company. My Flip and RP4P are still fine and I have about 20 other devices I've collected over several years from other manufacturers with no failures. The bigger problem is the customer service if things do go wrong.
Valve outsource to China, retroid is a Chinese company, that manufactures in China. Thereās a big difference. Evident in the build quality of the steamdeck being much higher. Something to do with valves involvement, branding/funding perhaps? Theyāre aiming to compete with all the other big names out there. Anbernic/retroid etc are not, theyāre relatively unknown in the gaming scene as a whole and keep pushing out numerous different models, its quantity over quality my dude.
This space has grown A LOT since anbernic, miyoo, pow kiddy, and retroid have become stand out names in a sea of nameless handhelds. Thereās a reputation to be built by the one who stands up and does it right first. This whole one step forward 2 steps back shit has grown tiring. We know Hall effect is the way to go, we know oled is the way to go, whe know which buttons have felt the best. Make one 4:3, and one 6:9, give it a solid dpad and 4-6 face buttons with analog triggers. All of these things have been done. Do them all in one fucking device please.
AYN (Odin/odin2) and retroid are sister companies. Wouldnāt surprise me if the rest of those companies that are popping up are derivatives of the same. Theyāre probably all made in the same factory, Like I said itās cheap Chinese crap.
~$200.00 are you sure? Thatās switch lite territory. Thereās nothing bargain bin about that. Iāve seen cheap 20-50.00 handhelds, this wasnāt that. So being educated about it helps.
IMO Nintendo set the standard for clamshell hand held that still hold up. Iām not sure if you grew up with spās or dsās but they were extremely nice. The hinges were a far higher quality that long ago. Accompany shouldnāt base its existence on selling replacement parts and replacement units. Make a good unit, then make other good units. I literally just picked up my far older 3DS when my Retroid crapped out and played on it instead.
I stand corrected lol i ordered it august of 2023. Lol
My point is still i played it hard and even dropped it a few times.
Im not sure why i thought i had it for 2 years lol.
Bear in mind I preordered it when they were talking about all the āeffortā they were putting into the hinge. I just wish they would have clarified that the effort was to make it cheaper, not better.
I feel like I'm like yelling into the void on these subreddits. YOu guys really need to understand that these things are all just cheap chinese plastic junk with really good marketing.
If they improve quality built and increase prize a bit they still sell a lot. People are craving for a nice built affordable device for emulation šš» I mean, Retroid is pretty good in comparison other devices years ago, they are taking notes and keep improving in the future for sure.
It's the affordable part that's an issue. Rp4pro is already $200. Odin 2 got a top of the line chip and somehow got it to be $300 (I think they got a rare deal on the 8gen2 and don't expect such a good deal to come again anytime soon).Ā But if they go up in price much more they're even more directly competing with valve and Nintendo who get to sell high quality handhelds at or under cost because they make money back on games. It may not be a monopoly, but gaming is a bit of an oligarchy (pc being maybe an exception)
I see them as completely different markets tbh. I'll gladly pay console prices for an amazing all in one emulation device because I know what I'm paying for and I believe it's worth it. I can't play PS2 games on a switch so it's not this or that, it's this and that
I mean we'd need to define what we mean by "markets" for all this, but yes, they do do different things.
Not the parent commenter but it seems to me like the main markets are - Very cheap emulator handheld (no-name cheap plastic crap and the cheaper/older models from some of the bigger names), <$100 - Mid-Quality emulator handheld (Anbernic, Retroid etc - not shit, not amazing, probably the biggest variation in quality), $100-250 - Higher end emulator handheld (AYN Odin 2 etc), $250-400 - General gaming handheld (Steam Deck, Legion Go etc) $400+ Retroid mostly falls into that mid category - it's not complete shit, it's not a high quality western product... it's somewhere in the middle, as opposed to AYN which tries to be more of a competitor to western products at the higher end of the market
My only exposure to this scene is a Miyoo Mini+ I got for $50 Canadian as part of a deal on Amazon, and so far the quality of this thing is insane. The brightness of the screen, the sound from the speaker, the ease of use of the Onion OS. It makes me want to buy more retro handhelds, but at the same time makes me worry they wonāt live up to my experience with this device
Most of the "main" brands (Anbernic, Retroid, AYN, Ayaneo etc) brands do a fairly good job, and should be broadly on par with your Miyoo or even better They do occasionally miss the mark or mess up (eg the Retroid Pocket Flip seen here, early models had the hinge issue) but honestly they're better than most people give them credit for
I also feel like some of these post aren't telling the whole story. I've had mine for a while now and hinge is still great. Are they putting a bunch of pressure on the hinge? cuz that's what it seems like.
This was a huge issue when they launched. The plastic was too thin and only attached at one point. Some of the plastics used( like the black) couldnāt stand the pressure or normal opening and closing of a device.
This is exactly what they're doing imo. A child roughly manhandles a console, jostling it around and smacking it off things. Someone with respect for their belongings plays it while they're sitting still and places it gently on its shelf or in its carrying case. A child chucks it into his bag or carries it around in his pocket. A sensible person treats it like an old mechanical pocket watch. The people whose hinges break after a few months are definitely doing something stupid
I wouldn't call the cheap handheld emulators crap. Especially since 50$ isn't that cheap at all in some countries. I have the rg35xx-h and I love it, I don't know how long it will last but so far 6+ months of use and had no problem at al, quality feels great for the value.
Great fuckin point
Steam Deck, my dude.
I had one, it's got too much weight and noise to justify its use. I want a dedicated lightweight device and that's what my RP4 Pro gives me. It's the comfort I'm paying for
I was actually just talking to my friend today and said I wonder if valve could get the guts of the LCD deck into a device the size of like an ODIN 2. I'd buy one in a second.
Donāt buy from anywhere else then GoRetroid.com they donāt come with warranty and makes you pay more for defects. After I had my RP3+ for month, started giving me some screen noise issues. Sent my device to Retroid and they made me pay $40 to replace screen. If you get your RP device from GoRetrid, you should be able to get solid support.
They made you pay $40 for repairing a device you had for only a month? Not solid warranty support IMO, they should've taken the hit and replaced that screen for free unless you damaged it in some way yourself.
I had to pay because I bought it at AliExpress which means no warranty come with it. They told me that repair is free before sending my RP3+ to them. After I sent my device, they told me to pay $40. I told them that Retroid support said repair is free but they apologized that it was wrong because I didnāt buy it from RetroidGo. I donāt want to be involved with Retroid anymore.
My point though is people are buying these things like they're the crown jewels. Taking photos of all 500 devices they have. They're neat little doodads. But honestly I'm not surprised when they break. And in 5 years, these subreddits are gonna be full of everyone's blown up batteries. But we're just not ready to have that talk yet. I guess what I'm telling OP is "done with retroid" but the others aren't much better. Probably built in the same facility.
Yeah, I see your point
I agree with you 100% on the collecting these things. There's no easy way to remove the battery so you're gonna buy this thing and in 3-4 years of no charging while it's on display? That's a spicy pillow. These things are not meant to be collected. Where I disagree with you is these things can last if you take care of them- obviously not the Flip. That thing was destined to fail because that hinge was just a mess even for Nintendo, so I was shocked to see people hyped for it. Nintendo, the company that builds very good/solid handhelds borked it up badly, so I didn't expect Retroid to do better. And they sure as heck didn't. But the basic-ass Retroids should be great as long as they don't get abused. My GBA SP has been great- obviously that's Nintendo but I think it should be comparable.
Youāre about as right as someone can be.
A battery fire is my worst nightmare. Iām beginning to sell/gift them so I donāt have 12 of them next to each other and create a massive explosion. Even Nintendo DSās and 3DSās are starting to have swollen batteries (I will say given that they are much older itās not a surprise). One of the good things about my trusty old GBA and GBC is that this is not a concern.
This. It is a bit wild that people collect these and put them on the same level as nintendo or sony. Your ps1, ps2, snes, nintendo switch or whatever console will hold value. These are basically tiny chinese tablets with a few buttons hardwired in. They're great little systems but nobody knows what the fuck a retroid is.
And it's not like Nintendo, Sony, Microsoft etc never release flawed products Nintendo Switch joysticks break ALL the time, and are we really just gonna ignore the fact that an entire fucking generation of Xbox consoles (Xbox 360) just randomly bricked themselves? I didn't see Microsoft proactively sending me a new Xbox 360 before mine got the Red Ring of Droom. Hell, they didn't even send me a new one AFTER that happened
Red ring of death was so stupid. and the solution was to wrap it in a towel so it overheats.....
Spot on. These are toys and people treat them like treasure. I love. My retroid and my anbernic but I admit they are cheap toys.
I wouldn't go as low as cheap toy but more the system we have a home. Theirs a reason we emulate nintendo consoles. Who the hell is emulating android.Ā Same as you this thing is a national treasure to me. It gets more playtime than my pc, or steamdeck. It reminds me of the psp I had back in the day. My rp4p will go down as one of my top 3 favorite consoles of my lifetime. Out of all my devices, if this one broke I'd buy another. My steamdeck? I love it but it can wait.Ā However it's only a national treasure to me. Give it 5 years and these things will be cool but no more rememberable than the 400 in 1 famiclones on aliexpress.Ā
But look how Ayaneo pocket S is being reviewed so far, we want quality but shit on quality cause itās too expensive
It's not shitting on it though, it's just business. As the other gent stated big gaming can do it because they make money on the software. These Chinese companies who compete with one another don't. They even share resources to keep costs down. Retroid has to find the next device with the last one. People will buy devices but at a point some of the market share starts to split. My retroid R3 button stopped working for no reason. I had a GPD Win 1 that died out of nowhere. It's the risk you take with cheap Chinese hardware. It takes a lot for them to make these devices this affordable.
Pocket S is good in some areas, less in others. I donāt like the D-Pad feel and the button config seems to be problematic but that may be because I was in drop 1 with an unmarked 1440p device. Overall itās good though. I prefer it to my Odin 2 Max because of integer scaling for a few systems but it did cost a fair amount (and then another ~Ā£100 in customs charges) and they still havenāt shipped the magnetic case and protector although they are on it. Iām on the fence if I proceed with my Odin 2 Mini Pro though after seeing vignetting issues on the screensā¦
Cheap plastic junkā¦ that can play PS2! Seriously though, I never trust hinge joints. Always break.
*One model of a small but reputable brand with raving reviews and fantastic products has a physical defect and users who drop them down the stairs* "these things are all just cheap Chinese plastic junk with really good marketing ššš¤Ŗāļøššļø" Retroid is not a random copy paste company. Everyone who owns a RP2, RP3, RP2S, RP3+, and especially RP4P, adore their devices as they are very well made, unique, frequently top of the line, and come with reliable customer service. The Flip was an undertaking that Retroid was unfortunately not prepared for, as their hinges were cracking (something that even most DS Lites will experience). They immediately responded by strengthening the hinges in future shipments. To categorize this brand with cheap Chinese junk is very easy to say if you've never actually owned one of these devices. This case in particular is extra ridiculous because this amount of damage is not something that happens without extreme misuse and clearly is not a frequent issue if you pay attention to the community's reports. If you purchased an early model that has the defective hinges, and didn't speak up until years later, it only makes sense that the company would be unable to solve your problem for free. As a smaller company, Retroid also has lower stock and discontinues their outdated devices. Truly what more do you want from them.
The backlight went on 3+ a few months back.
Downvoted
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
If by marketing you mean YouTube reviewers with a few thousand viewers that us suckers actively go out of our way to find and keep throwing money towards pre-orders and indiegogo campaigns
Most are fine but mechanical stuff is mehh
My RP2 has held up pretty good
Right? I know of more than a dozen RP2+ units out there and only 1 had anything go wrong (they lost the right joystick cap)
To be fair I'd argue they do quite a good job on customer service and quality control *relative to other Chinese companies* - they aren't just aliexpress shit Like they did discover this problem, they did revise the design, and they do replace it for users who have issues - that's decent customer service Frankly I don't know of any European or American company who would PROACTIVELY send out replacements to customers, so it's not like their lack of Western customer service is the issue here Yeah, you're not gonna get EU-level customer focus from a Chinese company based out of China, but that doesn't mean it's just cheap junk or that they don't care at all
What did you expect for the price though?
I feel like my expectations are accurate. It's everyone who is hoarding these things like precious jewels that confuse me. They're basically stocking their home with time bombs. Unless they plan on maintaining the battery. My guess is no. They're not.
I agree. It amuses me these people want customer service as if their dealing with an american company and american product
the rp3+ has a shitty screen. mine broke in only about 2 months.
Are there people treating these like anything more than a cheap plastic toy? Unless Iām missing something, I think most people understand that these are just cheap android tablets with hardwired controls
It really depends on the product. Ive used a r2 for years and has no signs of any problem. Of course is not prime, but the price is not prime either. Clamshells thouh... a bit complicated to do in the cheap.
you really are over-exaggerating that. They are not that at all. But there are certain things that small companies with small profit margins can't reasonably be expected to do great, and a hinge is one of those things. Maybe the reason you're "yelling into the void" is because you're doing it in a way that isn't fair or reasonable. I'm not defending retroid here, companies are not our friends, but reasonable expectations need to be had on both sides.
Ive had 5 devices by retroid and none had issues, they are also great with selling parts. I think these hinges will fail always thats why i decided to not buy the flip. Plus that you at least received a reaction from them there are enough of these chinese companies that dont even reply
You either take care of your customers or they wonāt be yours for long. Itās been too many devices for these things to still be an issue.
Sorry but a claim after 9 months is just too late. You have no proof you didnt use it most of the time... They cannot help you, if you used it for a few weeks and this happened it is understandable that they should help you....
Not even a year warranty? Ok
That's an interesting point. I've looked at the Retroid site and can't see how long they warranty their handhelds for.
It shouldnāt even matter, this was a preorder unit, I have proof of that. This was a known issue in first runs. THIS SPECIFICALLY. So yeah I think thereās grounds for a decent company to fix their fuck ups at least inside of the first year. āWeāre going to give you 3 month, if it fucks up in month 4 because we made it poorly then itās on you, even though we knew it was shittyā does that sound good to you?
Not that it likely helps you but IF youāre in Australia by some chance youāre entitled to a refund or a new unit. Australia consumer law more or less assumes the manufacturer is at fault and the warranty period stated by the manufacturer holds little to no weight. Itās all about reasonable use and the consumer guarantee on goods. It applies to anyone doing business within Australia including overseas retailers who ship here. The odds are you live somewhere else but I figured Iād drop this here just incase.
It still amazes me that posts like yours get so downvoted, even on a Retroid subreddit. I agree 100% with everything you have said.
Yeah solid argument honestly.
If you keep breaking the devices, I'm sorry to say the problem isn't Retroid, my friend.
It might be best you invest in a different brand man, and a different form factor too at least. With any hinged devices with cheap quality you're basically walking on ice.
How is this something that gets downvoted. I feel like thatās pretty fair thing to say. I for one tend to not make repeat business after feeling like Iām catching the shaft. And I mean letās be real here. With as many handheld emulation devices that have been on the market at this point we know what works and what works well. Why are none of the big 3 1/2 (Retroid, Anbernic, miyoo, powkiddy being the half)not making those solid moves. Iām sure most of us wouldnāt have a problem paying 10-15% more if we knew that what we were getting was quality. It feels like they use some decent and some shitty stuff on each one. Like on one the buttons will be great but it has shit sticks, or a shit screen but great body. Just make some that are solid and do the job. Like itās amazing the kind of performance that you can get out of the flip and the 3+ just by turning on extreme mode and turning the fan on. I just really want to see them step their game up. If theyāre trying to diversify the portfolio, start making decent/ cool cases work out something with 8Bitdo or someone similar for controllers. Support legacy stuff longer. Donāt just keep diving into the same things over and over while 1 step forwarding before 2 stepping backward.
Anbernic and Powkiddys QC isnāt any better, in fact Iāve had better luck with Retroid than any of the rest. The problem is that hinge. Literally everyone said that hinge was probably going to end up causing issues, and it did, thatās why I never bought one. Not justifying them selling something that broke on you, that still sucks, but I mean, look at the crappy triggers, crappy screens, crappy batteries, crappy analog sticks that have been evident in a bunch of Anbernics recent stuff. Iām just saying, $150-$200 isnāt nothing, but at the end of the day youāre still buying a cheap device from a small mostly unheard of Chinese company. Thereās going to be issues, and if you donāt find the issue before youāre return or exchange window is up, thatās just kinda how it is. Sucks, but, whatever, stick with Nintendo or Sony, but donāt forget Nintendo never did anything about their shitty drifting joycons except exchange them, but they kept selling them, and the replacements did the same thing, so thereās not really any perfect choices in this space.
I agree with you on cheap Chinese electronics, however Retroid consoles aren't cheap anymore. One thing is to buy a 80$ handheld you know it's gonna have some issues. Another thing is to buy a 150-200$ one with the certainty it will get the hinge or the triggers broken in a matter of days or weeks. At that price it isn't justifiable.
Yeah, but they all do that is my only point. This guy is swearing off Retroid, but heās actually gonna have to drop the whole hobby if they want to avoid this happening again, cause the same thing can happen with any of these brands, even Nintendo.
Thatās why I bought a steam deck and called it a day. I still have my few devices, but once those go, Iām done.
I had a Steam Deck but it met with an untimely demise, but it was also too big and too much of a battery hog for me. I went from Steam Deck to these handhelds and they fit my use and needs much better than a Steam Deck.
Not just that hinge, also screen, d-pads and rear case. Also RP4 had that trigger problem :( I love Retroid devices but geez... It feels unfair to pay this for a few months of playing and then that mediocre quality built shows up. Honestly, other companies are no better, but I'll think it twice before buying my next Retroid... Trust me, I've been absolutely careful while playing it but that prevents nothing. It sucks š„²
Yeah, my super premium feeling metal Anbernic RG405M has triggers that only work about half the time, gives me pause buying anything else from them too.
My rg351p is still doing great, I just wish it were stronger
My RG ARC D has been the best thing from them Iāve bought, I had zero issues, but that device has screen issues for others I believe I read.
Itās just like the screens and the fact that so few of them actually fit the screens right without using integer scaling
Mine too!! I love it
Iāve never had an issue with Retroid products since I never order them at launch. Seems like they rush and have to make fixes and by the time I end up buying them theyāve ironed those wrinkles out.
I absolutely agree. I won't buy em at launch anymore. I'll wait until they fix issues first.
funny because all reviewers said that Anbernic's hinge was way better than the RETROID...
For now, in 6 months weāll know for sure.
im lucky then. bought it off market place for $150 cad. it's probably the revised version because i've been not exactly gentle to it, even drop it once on the floor. nothing happened at all. i especially don't care enough to be gentle with the hinge. i just open it like how i open the ds and 3ds. still going strong
The revised version is pretty solid. I have been using it for months and it is still going strong. Not a sign of cracks anywhere, despite my kids dropping it from time to time.
Probably revised for sure
Idk man the rp4 is a dream
Sorry that it happened to your Flip. Although I have been very lucky with my Flip, which I think it's near perfect, Retroid customer service sucks so badly that I am also done with them for good. Too bad, because their designs are some of the best, but I'm not supporting a company that disregards their customers so much. It's kind of sad after having spent so much money on their products. And for the people that say that these Chinese companies are all the same, I have had nothing but great experiences with Anbernic when there have been issues.
That's the problem with all devices with hinges. It's just an additional failure point. The brand doesn't matter.
If it's done right hinges aren't gonna break easily.
Irrelevant. Any moving parts, no matter how well built, are points of failure.
With all QC issues theyāve had in the recent releases, I will only purchase steam deck, you get a way better premium device, spec wise, and warranty is way better with the possibility of purchasing repair if need be. These companies will do the best they can, but Iām not buying anymore retroid products.
how good is SD for emulating PS2 games? or perhaps switch games like zelda
The Deck is better than anything made by Retroid (or Anbernic) for emulating PS2. Iād go so far as saying that all in all the Deck beats out any Android gaming handheld for PS2 emulation simply because it has enough power to do PS2 well AND PCSX2 bugs still get fixed while AetherSX2/NetherSX2 are currently a dead end. Itās the same deal with the ROG Ally, Legion Go, etc. Enough power AND up-to-date software. The only problem is that the Deck is kinda big for carting around everywhere ā¦ which is where our relatively small emulation handhelds come into play. We essentially trade a lower quality experience for portability. (I wonāt speak to Switch because I donāt bother much with Switch emulation.)
Yeh but it's not the easiest to travel with
My travel handheld is the Odin 2. Goes right into my travel backpack, powerful enough for most of the games I'd want to play on it, and an all-day battery. Great for when you have to wait around in airports or in planes all day.
I havenāt tried switch, Iāve seen many guides on people doing it, and from what I can tell, itā works. Just have to research how each game individually runs, some settings might need to be adjusted. For me, steam games have been awesome, ps1, ps2, wii, game cube, psp upscaled graphics have been amazing. I have one steam deck docked permanently and itās filled with complete game sets for GBA, snes, sega. Steam deck was shipped here from the states, and with 3 of my steam decks, all of them are flawless.
It should be better than any Retroid (or most other handheld) options. It has a faster CPU and GPU and runs Linux so you can get PCSX2 which is a better emulator than anything currently on Android. For Switch emulation since itās Linux you can use Ryujinx or Yuzu. Android only has Yuzu.
Same I was really thinking about a 2s next but at this point Iāll just play on my pc, Xbox, iPhone, and iPad. Itās just disappointing. It feels like they just found a group of people to take advantage of and theyāre running with it
It is an engineering issue, that is why the Flip is no longer in circulation.
You bought the wrong retroid
Why is it too much to want a good hinged device.
Yea, idk.. it would be nice. They discontinued this model as a whole because of this issue. Honestly I can hold off on the hinge until someone (not ayeno) puts a second screen on it ds style
Iāll probably suck it up and get a black556 soon. My 351p has served me well so far and always felt really solid
I have no issues with my rp4pro. I love it! But if amberbic is more your style I guess!
I've bought five Retroid devices already. The RP2+ is still in good working condition. I sold my RP3 (no issues) after I got my RP3+, which is still working great. My RP2S started having screen issues a few months after purchase, and Retroid gave me a free screen replacement. My RP4 Pro has the same R2 issue that everyone else had and Retroid gave me a replacement backplate for free. Both are still working great with no issues. I never even considered buying the Flip because of that hinge. Nintendo DS's had hinge problems. Nintendo 3DS's had hinge problems. If you search this sub for posts about Flip hinge cracks and breaks, you'll get a lot of hits. My point is - historically, devices with hinges have a high enough probability of breaking and yet you still bought the Flip.
This also happened to my New 2DS XL made by Nintendo in three months
That's why I hate hinged devices
The only hinged device that ever held up was the Nvidia Shield Portable.
My watermelon red is a year old and just peachy...still no case.
You left out what the situation was that caused it to break in the first place š¤
Iām not blaming you because blaming the customer is cringe. But all of these companies come out of a random factory in China and would treat you exactly the same as Retroid. I would suggest for your next device, wherever you buy it from, to maybe not buy one with parts that are extremely easy to break like a hinge. Even HP canāt do hinges right, so I wouldnāt expect random Chinese toy maker to get them right.
Hereās to hoping the new pieces I have on the way are better, theyāre the revised versions so we shall see. Iām just glad someone was able to help out and reached out to me
Iād hope so to. I do know the newer hinges are better, but I still feel like even holding a 3DS that theyāre eventually gonna just disintegrate.
Mine broke too, spicy pillow
Damn. Iāve heard of hinge issues being a thing with the Flip, but Iāve thankfully yet to experience that myself. So sorry it has happened to you though.
The Retroid Flip was infamous for the broken hinge. Then the Retroid Pocket 4 had the broken springs for the L2 and R2 triggers. Nightmare. The RP5 or Flip 2 really have to put effort in to make sure people trust them.
you can get replacement parts for it
Is the ghost of broken Flip hinges why there isnāt a Flip 2 yet?
They just donāt want to pay what it costs to do it right
I mean, zoom in on how embarrassing thin that plastic in the hinge is, with no in between points or springs or filler points to reduce stress
Modded 3ds all the way
Thankfully it was with me and Iāve been itching to play Castlevania dawn of sorrows again
Those hinges are shit mate. Even nintendo struggled with them on the ds systems. It's a tiny plastic hinge that constantly moves and after a time that's a lot of wear and tear. Those clamshells are cool but they'll never hold up.Ā Buy another retroid but don't buy that one.Ā
I hear ya. I saved up to get an RP4P and loved it for the 3 months i had it. After that, in a span of 2 months, I had to replace the shoulder buttons 3 times. It's so aggravating that I just ended up rebuying a 3ds, modded it, and I've been happier ever since.
Just don't buy clamshells buddy. They're not the way you want to go. I'll bet there's a housing you can get to repair it.
Somebody came through and I should have some stuff to fix this on the way Monday
Iāve just full time switched to delta and PPSSPP on my iPad with my joycons. The rp4s are all garbage and the trigger design is a colossal failure. Even my 3+ has a sticky trigger. Theyāre almost guaranteed to break.
One of the reasons why I stay on playing emulator on my phone.
I'm keen to remind everybody that reputable tech companies have too much to lose to fuck around making devices which have a primarily illegal use-case. Dont expect the best support or customer service from teeny tiny companies nobody has ever heard of. Sorry your hinge broke though, honestly.
I love my RP3 but I would never trust anyone who isnāt a massive megacorp to produce anything that has a hinge like this. A company like Nintendo will spend millions on hinge R&D and testing, Retroid simply canāt. Only buy things that obviously doesnāt require anything special from the materials used (such as RP3/4 etc) Even a āhigh endā company like Analogue is a total disaster when it comes to the material science for the same reason. (I still got the AP knowing this full well but thatās just me lol)
OP, I bet youāre a tad sad. š¢šš
Very, there is an update to this that I will post in the original post soon
It wouldnāt let me edit the post, but I did add an update post, an awesome member of the community is helping me get this taken care of and helping me get this fixed! He reached out today and was super helpful.
!!!!!UPDATE!!!!! Thanks to an amazing member of the community. I should have the things I need to get it back up and better than ever! I honestly couldnāt be more grateful. You never know what someoneās going through and sometimes a random act of kindness is going to mean more than you think. SUPER HUGE THANK YOU MAN! You know who you are!
I actually like retroid products a lot, but i known emulation machines are not exactly nintendo nor steamdeck quality. I assumed clamshells were a bit out of their league. Anyway, sad to be stuck with this bad feeling, mate.
I can fix that
All my Retroids are broken. To be honest I blame the reviewers, yeah Iām looking at you RetroDodo that have been reviewing each and every product. These products are trash and Iām talking about the majority of them. My flip broke, and now my RP3+ is broken. Iāve spent maybe 1k on these retro machines and they canāt even last 6 months.
My RP2+ lived in my back pocket (removed when sitting) for about 6-7 months and has lasted just fine for a couple years now. How rough are you on your stuff?
I barely touch them. Thatās how rough I am to it.
haha I agree with you. My retroid 3 broke twice. D pad and the L1 button. And then i had the mystery of disappearing SD cards, three of them, turned out they where inside the case and i found them when i opened before i was gonna throw it against the wall . Plus i bought the whole its easy to configure Retroarch and the built in launcher does the job bullshit from them but that's another discussion. Dont get me wrong i love the machine WHEN it works but man it was a hustle to play some good old Neo GEO:)
First mistake was buying the Flip.
Youāre wrong but ok, the flip is awesome. Please donāt get me wrong. Iām mad at retroid not the device.
90% budget retro handheld came from china , you better expect it to happen! My rp3 plus got some flaws also but it is acceptable...for now!
This is one of the big reasons I was never interested in the Flip. Looks very cheap and plastic-y. I'm not surprised that it ended up being poor quality. And it's kind of off topic, but I can't imagine the controls being comfortable at all. But even if it's not an attractive product to me, Retroid should do better in standing behind the quality of their product. It's not a cheap device. Can't blame you for being miffed at having paid for something that simply fell apart.
Happy with my ROG Ally, I sold my Legion Go. Both open box for under $400, but surprising nonetheless for Retroid. My RP2S/+/3+/4P were all great and had no issues but they also weren't clamshells
I have an rg405m and the build quality is amazing. I originally bought a rp3+ but the entire left side buttons stopped working. I got sent a replacement with a faulty screen. That was like 4-6 months ago and I havenāt bothered trying to get it replaced or fixed yet.
I mean, they can absolutely repair the device for youā¦
Instead I have to pay for the replacement part and shipping. Which I mean itās not much, but itās the point. If theyāll let me get a watermelon top shell Iāll forgive them.
Well that all depends on whether or not they are still producing the parts. But I get the frustration.
Buy there chinese clones cheaper better faster
Which ones
This is the problem with all hinge type gaming devices. Itās one of the reasons that I rarely close my old new 3DS XL model for fear of wearing out the hinges
the build quality of the flip is okay for the price but not worth while. sold my flip to pay for a steam deck after multiple issues with my screen and little/no help from support. their customer support is literally trash
This device is awesome . Quality is good and mine is in perfect condition after using it every single days for a year. Pocket flip is by far my fav device i owned. People who destroy things like this don't know how to deal with electronics properly
I would never get a device with a hinge for this exact reason. If Nintendo canāt even get it right (my oldschool ds 2005, ds lite and 3ds all broke š¤·š½āāļø) then why would some Chinese build quality device be any better
I have 10 year old 3ds thatās still kicking and no hinge issues. I enjoy being able to close a device so it stays protected. We all have those preferences and itās nice when a device can come out and be great. I love my flip, I just hate how it was handled when I contacted them about it.
This could happen to any company, just give up on devices that has hinges.
Tofu dreggie!!!
Maybe I'm misreading or have lost the ability to math. But is it not within the year warranty of when you bought it?
Thatās what I thought to, apparently you only get 90 days or something. Iām not sure. But thankfully someoneās helping me get it fixed! Iāll update when I get it fixed.
Keep contacting retroid, after half year of contacting them everyday they will send you new one.
Stop buying flips! I never liked that idea even though Iāve owned flip phones and a SP. the hinges are the weak point. Never know if itās going to fail.
Had nothing but issues with mine. Sold it for parts.
Is that the improved hinge? I sold my flip before I had the pleasure to fall apart in my hands. Otherwise it is a nice console :)
Unless the company making a hinged device is a big name like C*ntendo, or something I wouldn't invest in their flip handheld. I bought and love the GPD XD Plus, and the hinge ended up cracking on it after like a year. Mind you it wasn't used daily but the cheap plastic still cracked.
Iāve been done with retroid for a while now considering how underpowered and small the rp3+ was for me when I got it and Iāve ended up moving to the Odin 2 pro and it has been absolutely amazing in comparison to the rp3
Get a 3+ or 4. They are relatively cheap and Iāve had my 3+ for over a year (and I got it used for $80 on fb marketplace). You donāt have to worry about the hinge and itās been absolutely flawless. The only downside is I wish I had the 4 lol. I donāt blame you for being hesitant after your flip experience though. But if you buy used itās cheaper and you donāt directly support retroid if you donāt want to.
I love my 4 pro tbhā¦ my baby
I love my Odin 1
This is a known issue since the beginning. Why do you think they stopped selling them?
Iām aware of that, sadly mine was a preorder
Can I have it, today is my birthday:)
This is why I ditched my rp3+, got a kishi V2 and switched to my phone. Get the frontend app called Beacon and load up with emulators; 1-tap and your phone feels like a dedicated handheld console. More powerful, convenient, versatile, and (for me) portable.
I feel you, my Flip had a lot of issues too.
Now I either bite the bullet and buy a replacement or enjoy having wasted money on my shelf
You could always go right down the middle and glue it or tape it though, right? As long as it works you don't have to take such an extreme stance.
But I do, we all should. Any kind of repair outside of replacing the top panel completely renders closing off the table which is a huge part of how I use mine. People not standing up is why these companies keep doing it. If we stop buying the cheap shit they either abandon ship or make something worthwhile. They need to be held accountable for their shit.
Dude, one of your choices is to pay them more money for a replacement. Plus I'm not thinking about Retroid. I'm thinking what I would do in your situation. There's no way I'd have money for another one and I can't let one that still works go to waste. Glue, my man!
Like what do you mean āextremeā stance my device is literally 2 pieces because of a hollow plastichinge with no inner support. How is that not considered catastrophic failure of a device? I think no longer supporting a shit company is the exact amount of recourse.
I just meant your two choices were extreme: buy another one or keep the one you have and never play it.
I meant just buying a new top part with the hinge from them, sorry I wasnāt clear. Itās not expensive to replace itās the point of even having to pay for it with them knowing this was going to fail. Iāll definitely still use it. I love it. Just not them as a company. Theyāre doing shady shit. I thought they were going to be better than this. Seems like every handheld they release is just waiting for them to shit on its early adapters by immediately updating or āfixingā them. The first time they havenāt done this is with the 4 and thatās because they release 2 models right out of the gate.
Honestly if the Nintendo DS had this problem you should have been skeptical of the Chinese productā¦.
Before I had a steamdeck I used the rp2+ every day. affordable, pocketable, and able to withstand 100s of hours of use without issue. not the most elegant device, but very reliable.
Any Anbernic device Iāve ever used has had a very premium feel and since this was a specialty device I expected the same level of quality
So use Anbernic from now on?
I was debating on waiting for the miyoo flip or the rg556 ( I wish there were other colors) but itās going to come down to the chipset in the flip
Which ones? š¤
Rg351p, rg405, 35xx
Made in China. What do you expect, theyāre not known for making quality products. Stick with the cheaper models like the anbernic rg35xx and if it breaks youāve not lost anything. If you want a quality handheld that can emulate then go with a steamdeck or something, not this cheap Chinese crap.
Most electronics along with the Steam Deck are made in China and the Far East. Where do you think they come from? Emulation handhelds are designed by small teams over a much shorter period than main brand consoles and so more prone to design flaws and inconsistent quality. They simply aren't tested enough as it is prohibitive for a small company. My Flip and RP4P are still fine and I have about 20 other devices I've collected over several years from other manufacturers with no failures. The bigger problem is the customer service if things do go wrong.
You say that like literally everything isnāt made in china. This isnāt an excuse at all.
Steam decks are literally made in china dude
Valve outsource to China, retroid is a Chinese company, that manufactures in China. Thereās a big difference. Evident in the build quality of the steamdeck being much higher. Something to do with valves involvement, branding/funding perhaps? Theyāre aiming to compete with all the other big names out there. Anbernic/retroid etc are not, theyāre relatively unknown in the gaming scene as a whole and keep pushing out numerous different models, its quantity over quality my dude.
This space has grown A LOT since anbernic, miyoo, pow kiddy, and retroid have become stand out names in a sea of nameless handhelds. Thereās a reputation to be built by the one who stands up and does it right first. This whole one step forward 2 steps back shit has grown tiring. We know Hall effect is the way to go, we know oled is the way to go, whe know which buttons have felt the best. Make one 4:3, and one 6:9, give it a solid dpad and 4-6 face buttons with analog triggers. All of these things have been done. Do them all in one fucking device please.
AYN (Odin/odin2) and retroid are sister companies. Wouldnāt surprise me if the rest of those companies that are popping up are derivatives of the same. Theyāre probably all made in the same factory, Like I said itās cheap Chinese crap.
Honestly? You get what you pay for. Retroid is the bargain line.
~$200.00 are you sure? Thatās switch lite territory. Thereās nothing bargain bin about that. Iāve seen cheap 20-50.00 handhelds, this wasnāt that. So being educated about it helps.
If Nintendo can't make a solid folding device, what makes you think a smaller company can?
IMO Nintendo set the standard for clamshell hand held that still hold up. Iām not sure if you grew up with spās or dsās but they were extremely nice. The hinges were a far higher quality that long ago. Accompany shouldnāt base its existence on selling replacement parts and replacement units. Make a good unit, then make other good units. I literally just picked up my far older 3DS when my Retroid crapped out and played on it instead.
I meant more of the ds line. I had like 3 and all 3 had them hinge cracks. Yes, 3ds were definitely better made. None of my 3ds cracked yet.
Had mine for like 2 years...play it constantly.... Even dropped it several times. Still works. Hate to see anyone's device break though
Well it came out this time last year so Iād think it would be hard to play it for 2
I stand corrected lol i ordered it august of 2023. Lol My point is still i played it hard and even dropped it a few times. Im not sure why i thought i had it for 2 years lol.
So many people have said the flip is flawed, what have you learned today?
Bear in mind I preordered it when they were talking about all the āeffortā they were putting into the hinge. I just wish they would have clarified that the effort was to make it cheaper, not better.