I get people’s arguments about getting the odin 2 over this but the rp4 pro is one of my dream machines. A vita sized handheld that can play gc and ps2 has been in my wishlist for a while and I’m so happy it’s real. I’m definitely pre ordering this asap!

Can i say i just love how Russ conveys information in a very understandable way for someone who is new for retro consoles while also giving veterans of the space what they need to hear

I ended up getting Odin 2 but if I didn’t, this would be serious must get for me. I still love my old Retroid 3+

Awesome. This is pretty much the most I hoped for when the Odin 2 came out. The Pro looks like a real winner for a pocketable.

The 4 Pro really seems like what I’ve been waiting for in terms of a device worthy of an upgrade. My 2+ has been perfect for what i’ve wanted to do, other devices have been tempting but would either be too expensive or not have enough power to justify it for me. That translucent red model definitely has my attention lol.

I literally had just ordered the RP3+ as my first retro handheld like 5 hours before the news dropped. Luckily, I'll be able to return it and I'm going for the 4 pro instead. I'm glad they seemed to have addressed all the complaints about the RP3+. I'm also super happy they kept the same form factor rather than increasing the screen size like so many seem to be asking for. It seems like there are a ton of options with bigger screens like odin or steam deck but none of those are as portable as the RP3/4.

I'm certainly looking forward to making a grip/case for them!

Here's hoping they make a Flip 2. Hopefully they'll add a bottom screen as well, so that we can properly emulate upscaled DS and 3DS games

I have been into the idea of a hand-held GameCube/wii device for well over ten years. I remember, waaay back in the day, when youtubers were taking GameCube consoles apart and reconfiguring the actual hardware into a somewhat portable design. Many of those designs still required the game disc. I never thought we would get to this point in handheld gaming. I was excited about the rp3+ because it was so close to being capable of what I wanted. I knew the next thing retroid put out would be "the one" for me.

This is exactly what I wanted from the RP4. It looks like they addressed every issue I had with the RP3. I'm in for the Pro model.

I saw the announcement and was more than thrilled you made this video. Thank you 🎉

Got mine ordered. You got me so pumped up for it! Cannot wait!!

Having a gamecube/ps2 that fits in my pocket had always been my dream handheld so im incredibly excited for this to come out

Really appreciate you leveraging your knowledge and experience to now look ahead to these devices. Retroid knocked it out of the park with the 2S, so I'm hoping they continue to be the device that all other devices within respective price points can aspire. Always excellent content.

Thanks for the update, been looking to update my handheld for a few months now and this one looks like the one I am putting on the list. Looking forward to the review from you for the final call.

Between my retroid 3+ and Oled steam deck, I don’t feel like I’m missing out by not getting any of the retroid 4 skews. Looks to be another great device for those looking for it.

I think the 4 pro will be my first dabble into the world of handheld emulation. There is just so many options, and I would love to play up to ps2 with little to no issues. Anyway, have a great christmas/holiday everyone.

It looks like they FINALLY perfected it! This is like, *Everything* I wanted from an emulation handheld! Symmetrical sticks, SNES button layout and colours, sensible Select and Start button placement, Android, full speed GC, Wii and PS2, US$200 or less, Smaller than a Switch Lite, 16:9 screen for PSP and Wii games (I don't mind the black bars on the sides for everything else) Yeah, I think I may well go for this, but not immediately, I'll wait and see...

Just stumbled on your channel and love the content. Very excited about the 4 pro!

This is the video I've been waiting for. Ya just give the most common sense perspective in a convoluted, newer gaming space. Keep up the good work!

I'm excited to hear some rumblings on the anbernic rg406 sometime soon as a consequence of this

Loving my Odin 2, I don't see a crazy reason to go for this RP4, but as for the Odin 2 bulky build, I've found it to work really well with Switch cases, so if anyone want's a rough comparison, it's just about the size of a switch, with the back ergonomic grips to add a tad more to it.

I think it's amazing that we're getting all these devices and see competition rising as the price falls.. But for me what we are really needing now is evolution on the emulator's side!

looking forward to a full review on this in the future

God Damn Russ. That handheld comparison chart was a knockout move.

I think The RP4 Pro is a no brainer with all those extra features. I will hopefully pull the trigger for this model next year.

excellent video as always. i'm in for a 160bit pro. happy holidays everyone!

Just wanted to say thank you for the videos. I found your channel searching for handheld emulator and ur videos are by far the best with explanation and honest feedback. I ended up pre-ordering the 4 pro based on this video.

I was planning on getting the retroid pocket 3+ as my PS2 emulator in February or March. Since I just got the RG405v and now I'm really glad I made that purchase I'm happy with 405v and now by the time I wanted the RP3+ I can get the RP4Pro and have an even better emulation experience (hopefully) which makes me really excited. I'm probably one of the few people the timing in this announcement and speculated release actually works out for. I'll definitely wait and watch for retro game core as well as a few other KZfaqrs to review the device first but all reports show this is going to be a great device!!!!

Even owning the Odin 2, I still want the RP4 pro. I'm so greedy. I get excited about the tech as it becomes more and more capable.

I'm so used to the retroid ecosystem and have great experiences with it. So as long as it plays PS2 smoothly I'm going to love it! Like with Pocket 4 I don't have to learn how to flash an entire front end on it, it already has the retroid front end which I'm used to.

The 4 will be disruptive at the 150 price point...there are a bunch of t618 machines at different form factors at 150 and above. The 4 kinda forces the t618 to lower in price to compete. Heck, I could see Anbernic dump the 505 to $100 usd, which is insane... The 4 pro is pretty much all by itself as Russ said...great video.

Waiting for the Flip 2.

I finally bought a 2S during their Black Friday sale to replace my 2+ (the button placement on the 3 and 3+ were too wonky for me), but if I hadn't I definitely would have picked one of these up. It seems like the perfect handheld for me.

Can't wait for your review of this beast.

This is what I've been waiting for. Super excited for it.

I've had a non plus Pocket 3 for a while now and I LOVE it so I'm seriously looking forward to the 4 Pro, PS2 era was my favorite era so this is like a dream come true to me. I'll gladly keep my good old 3 as a backup or as a show piece.

Having an ROG Ally means I'll never buy one of these probably ever again yet I still watch all these videos fascinated with what these companies put out there and how far along the retro gaming handheld market is coming

Thank you for the breakdown man! I know we’re still in speculation phase, but I think this is finally convinced me to buy into an emulator device for the GC/PS2 tier. I really appreciate your videos, I use them above all other channels to get a really consistent and clear baseline of devices on the market!

Doh! Loved the colour buttons on the transparent model.

I've been holding out for a new handheld, and to me, the RP4 pro seems to hit most of the bases at once I'll still wait for the reviews when it comes out, but there's a good chance this is what I've been waiting for

Personally, I'm not really into playing systems like Gamecube and PS2 on a handheld, '90s era games like sprite-based stuff and early 3D rpgs and such like you'd see on the PS1 and the systems that came before it feel much better to play on a handheld than the more demanding high-speed 3D stuff that became more common in the '00s, so I'm not really looking for anything more powerful than the RGB30 I'm pretty sure I'm getting for Christmas. That said, I am quite interested in the prospect of maybe picking up a used RP3/3+ for a good price from someone who upgraded to the 4 or 4 Pro, mostly just for the widescreen aspect ratio, the generally good build quality of RP devices, and access to the Android ecosystem. I do think that the shift in business model is a good idea for Retroid, its reassuring for customers who felt burned by the release of the 3+ and additionally it will allow them to more easily do what I'm pretty sure they're doing here: price the base and pro models in such a way that for most people it won't make much sense to get the base model when the pro is a better value proposition.

That chart showing price and relative performance is very useful. Thanks a lot Russ!

Love how thorough your videos are. It all looks very good, but I'm very much enjoying my flip. A more powerful device does appeal to me. Very much like the Odin 2. But I like it in flip form and a smaller device. I mainly play dreamcast on mine. So I don't think it's going to be something I will purchase. Even in flip form (maybe convinced by another gorgeous limited edition though 😂). Sensibly though I feel I will upgrade with a high resolution screen and most importantly a higher resolution output. But I think at the price points they aim at, is sometime away. But I'm fine with that. Nice to check out what's going on.

I would love to see a Retroid Pocket Flip +/Pro/2 The clamshell handhelds have by far been my favorite, and the retroid pocket flip is my favorite of them so far Id like a retroid flip that has dual screens for DS, 3Ds, and WiiU emulation Obviously this (most likely) isnt happening anytime soon But its sometging neat to think about

If the 4 pro can do 3DS emulation at at least 1x, I'd definitely go for that. Gamecube and 3DS are my favorites and the analog triggers are something they should've had by the RP3 imo

I got my Odin2 just the other day and I love it so much but good for retroid.

I was waiting for your thoughts on the RP Pro. Thanks =)

I received my RP3+ today 😅. I knew that RP4 is on the way but I expected a different form factor. RP4 resolved what made me hastate the RP3+. Sticks, Analog triggers, Home/Start/Select buttons placement. I can return mine but i got it for $107 shipped. Half the price of the Pro excluding shipping/Tax

I’m gonna be really torn on RP4 Pro vs Odin 2. I know there’s a decent price difference, but both are really enticing. Won’t complain about having options though! The emulator space is in such an awesome spot right now. This was basically the dream during my GamePark32 days.

I just pre-ordered the 4 pro in ice blue... I love the size of the retroid pocket 3 and always wanted more power so sold for me

Videos helped so much 💯

I wasn't a huge fan of the buttons or dpad on the rp3+ but I REALLY wasn't a fan of the start and select button locations, I had somehow forgotten they were on the top until now. also I'm a bit disappointed there's no front facing speakers this time either. Also they said no RP4+ but they didn't say annnnnything about RP4S 😉

I think RP4 Pro is pretty much the sweet spot as far as emulation handhelds go for now. PS3/XBox360 is a good bit down the road on handhelds, so any additional power is a bit over kill. The PS2 and GC run at 480, so upscale to 720 on this screen should look good (anything more is also a bit overkill?).

Awesome news. Going to wait to see what it can do for real, but very exciting news.

I was already looking at getting a RP 3+ but now I'm definitely saving for a RP 4Pro

I’d been holding off on getting my first “real” emulator (one that costs more than $40) because i didn’t feel like any of them were quite where i wanted them to be to be worth my money. RP4 Pro looks like it may fit the bill. I’m gonna wait until you’re able to review one though.

if this processor can play up to ps2 with no tinkering even without upscaling its a must buy for me, if not its a pass. The odin pro was too weak to do that and the odin 2 is too expensive when i can just do what ever i need too on the win mini. But seperating the ps2 and under library on such a small handheld would be real nice. I guess we will see when the 1100 is tested

We all just gonna glaze over the fact that Russ said he was in his early 20s when PS2 came out? Dude is a vampire and has not aged even a little

Might finally be getting a Retroi Pocket now. Pro looking really really appealing.

Retroid seems to be the benchmark for these emulation handhelds under $200. It would be nice to see them offer a special model called the Retroid OLED at $200 with Retroid 4's hardware or when 5 comes. All these old consoles were originally played on CRT which offers perfect color reproduction while LCD's gray out when the picture goes black.

I’m hoping that the Pro is good enough with 3DS to become the ultimate classic Monster Hunter mobile machine with the PSP and PS2 games to boot. If MH4U runs welll enough then I’ll be very happy with this.

I hope they would come up with one that has the same specs as the Pro version but in a RP2S form factor. I just love its retro design especially in 16bit colorway.

Holding out for the Flip Pro/Flip 2. 2024 is already shaping up to be ANOTHER good year of retro handhelds!

I'm just happy we're moving past the T618 without going Ryzen which is pretty expensive.

I was waiting for this announcement ever since the Odin 2 dropped, I chose RP3+ over Odin 1 so i wanted to get RP4 again, but i think the move is to just get the Odin 2, if it runs up to Switch games then i mean, what more do you possibly want out of an android device? I think im confident in making a purchase now

Very glad they're keeping the dpad located above the joystick

That clear transparent shell with traffic light buttons looks really good...

May get this. May not. Not entirely sure cause I JUST got my 2S like a month or 2 ago.

Wish they would do bigger buttons

Ah, if it was an old iPhone screen (I don’t know any screen out there that has that 750x1334 resolution other than the older iPhones), then that is a very good screen. It’s an LCD, but it’s the best of the best of LCDs, iPhone’s old LCDs are very good. The oldest device that uses this screen is the iPhone 6, and the last iPhone that use it is the iPhone SE 2022. A Dimensity 1100 has an equivalent performance with a Snapdragon 865. The first Odin came with a Snapdragon 845.

The moment they announced the Retroid Pocket 2S I had a hunch that it was in preparation for the 4th instalment. The fact that the RP2S has analog trigger buttons and R3/L3 functions despite not running that much games that uses them was a clear sign of it being a proof of concept, kinda like how the RP2+ was for the RP3.

As a Steam Deck owner, I'd say either is a pretty good buy for a more pocketable on-the-go experience. Definitely going to consider this.

I have a RP3+ and an Odin Lite. Liked the RP3+, really liked the Odin. The size of the RP3+ was just a little too small for me - both in ergonomics and screen size. The Odin was much better in that sense. Then, the Odin 2 came out and I had to have it. It's literally perfect. I am really liking the look of this RP4 but I think I'll have the same issues with it that I had with the RP3. If the Odin 2 didn't exist, I'd be more interested...but as it is, I'm gonna pass on this one.

I received my retroid pocket 3+ an hour before the press release! still a great little console!

Holy crap.... I'm brand new to this pocket emulation scene and I feel like a kid on a candy store. Your expertise and delivery are so accessible that a completely green newby like myself can follow along and understand. What an amazing age of handheld gaming we live in, my mind is absolutely blown. I'm honestly so glad I've been ignorant to this incredible community until now because this Retroid 4pro sounds like the perfect starting point for my portable retro needs. Absolutely remarkable. New subscriber right here. I'll definitely be keeping an eye out on your upcoming videos for sure. Great stuff! Thank you so much for sharing your passion! Cheers!

They should make a flip 2, the big screen for the relative small form factor is awesome and the controls are much more comfortable.

Even without them doing a Plus i'm still worried about obsolescence, they're releasing these fast enough that i feel like i should always just be waiting for the next rendition.

the 4 pro sounds like exactly what I've been waiting for, but unsure if I should pre-order or wait for impressions videos

excellent video, the RP4 is going to be the sweet spot in this market, love all the improvements they made as well; time to sell my RP3+

I'm not sure the chip in the base model will give enough performance increases to warrant the extra cost over a 3+ (or even a 2s if ps2 is not super important) Of course this is assuming the price of the 3+ will drop before stock runs out

I'd like an RP4 with an oled screen

The Pimax Portal Retro is also currently priced at $199. I wonder how it compares. I know it still has that segmented "d-pad" despite the non-removable controllers.

I've been waiting and a neat thing about this device being a very similar for factor is 3d printed grips can adapt quite quickly to it.

Yay, they finally made start and select more usable. I can't for the life of me grasp how they could have put them in such a horrible position on the rp3.

Best thing about Retroid is they aren’t going for cross diagonal Dpads! Must buy for sure.

Just jumped in & got the RP3+. Great device & my first Android emulator. After some reviews for the RP4pro I may make the jump & get my 9 year old into retro gaming with the older device.

Really tempted to buy this when it launches. My current handhelds (RGB30/RG ARC) just don’t have that flexibility you get with a decently powerful Android. I kind of wish they had a smoky/transparent black colourway, but I think I’ll be getting the black one anyway. Something a little more subdued after my Yellow RGB30 and Grey/Pink RG ARC. Having Android on the ARC had me wanting something with a bit more grunt.

Nice upgrade but already having an Odin 2 there's no reason to get a Retroid 4. My little advice is to invest a little more and get an Odin 2. You will have a way better emulation device for years to come. Maybe even the Retroid 5 won't reach the Odin 2.

I really wish they had considered putting the left joystick up top. As these chips get more powerful the games they are designed to play become more based on analog stick over Dpad use.

Yaaaay I am so happy and excited about this! I can't wait to order a RP4 Pro in that transparent turquoise! 😍 Aside from an old raspberry pi 2 I toyed with this will be my FIRST dedicated emulation device! 💖 I'm going to get the red one for my husband for Valentine's day!! (If he wants one ofc lol)

I just got a Retroid 3+ so of course they come up with a new one.

I got an rg 300 and 2 months later the 350 is announced I got a 353m and 2 weeks later, the RP3 is announced I get an RP3+ 1 month ago and the RP4 gets announced Man... I'm just gonna wait and save for an overpriced thrift party steam deck seller at this point, I must be cursed or something

Why do we need this? I swear if anbernic put out a 4:3 handheld with a stronger chipset that played up to the ps2, that would be a game changer. All this re iterations of these handhelds is just exhausting

As a RP3+ user, i have to say that changin aethersx2 setting and using an eternal cooling vent, i'm able to play gran turismo 4 for ps2 at almost 100% speed. But knowing before the improvement by the cooling vent, back that day i would buy the ayn odin. So for those who are interested on RP4 i suggest to check the performances before the purchase. Hope this was helpful

I’m excited too! I was just about to buy the retroid 3+ this morning because it’s on sale but I’d rather wait for the 4 pro

I think that RP4+ is going to be the go-to. The Odin 2 Pro is insane, too, and it'll probably feel more premium in comparison. It's all about its ability to play GameCube and PS2, because that's what you can't get with something that is cheaper: RG35XX+ and Miyoo Mini+ are the best price-to-playability for the PlayStation, but there are more premium devices that can as well. So, maybe this will be the bottom end for a device that can play the PS2 catalogue, with more premium models like the Odin 2 and Ayaneo Pocket Air.

Looks like my ideal console.

The 4 Pro looks great. I just bought an RP3+, but it is a solid device and plays everything that I need it to play for now.

I watch all your videos and thank you for the very comprehensive transparent reviews. At this point, considering rg405m is the sweet spot for pocketability and performance, do you think it is worth waiting for a 406m with a dimensity 1200 or are there any other pocketable contenders to look out for?