By NinjaGuyX
There are so many gaming handhelds out there nowadays that it's hard to keep up! The great thing is that there's usually a unique use for each one. Today, we're looking at the AISLPC RG52 MINI, an entry-level Linux handheld made for retro gaming, including PlayStation Portable and Dreamcast games.
I've spent time with both its stock operating system and the custom dArkOS firmware. There are things I really like about this little handheld, but there are also some problems that are hard to ignore.
RG52 MINI Hardware and Controls
When I first saw this thing, I immediately thought it looked very toyish. The green colour, the design, and even those strange lines around the screen give off that vibe. But I've got to say, it's very comfortable! The bumpy handles on the sides fit my hands well, and the texture feels really grippy.
The handheld also has a 5.5-inch IPS screen, an RK3562 processor and 2GB of RAM. As for ports, you've got USB-C for charging, a microSD slot for your games, and a headphone jack, which is always appreciated these days. There's also a micro HDMI port, which is kind of weird to see in this day and age. I actually had to buy a cable just to test it, since I can't remember the last time I used one.
HDMI output works great with the stock operating system. Unfortunately, I couldn't get it working with dArkOS, so keep that in mind if you're planning to switch. There's no built-in Bluetooth support for controllers either. I've heard you can connect a USB-C Bluetooth dongle, but I'm not going down that rabbit hole. There are some interesting customisation possibilities if you're into tinkering.
Battery Life and Controls
Charging is also finicky. Not every USB-C cable I tried worked, and it's sometimes difficult to tell whether the device is actually charging. I'd recommend using the included cable. The battery indicator is a little annoying too. You can't easily check how much battery you have left without exiting your game and returning to the menu.
On the positive side, there's a 5,000mAh battery. The packaging advertises up to eight hours of battery life, although I'd expect closer to four hours with more demanding games. That's still plenty in my opinion.
In terms of buttons, everything's there. You get two analogue sticks, A, B, X and Y buttons, Start and Select along the bottom, and Home and Back along the top. Honestly, I wish Start and Select were on top. I keep mixing them up and pressing Back by mistake.
And then there's the D-pad, which was easily my biggest disappointment. It often doesn't register my presses, sometimes requires excessive force, and good luck with diagonals because they barely work! I had such a hard time doing my Hadokens in Street Fighter that I think I landed a single Shoryuken. This is definitely not a fighting machine unless you're comfortable using the analogue stick. Thankfully, the rest of the buttons work fine.
Gaming With the Stock Operating System
The out-of-the-box operating system gets the job done. It's pretty ugly, but at least it's easy to understand and navigate. The RG52 MINI comes with either a 64GB or 128GB microSD card preloaded with games. If you don't want to tinker with anything, you can start playing right away.
I like having games included because it lets me discover things I'd never have thought of trying. That's especially true for arcade games, since my knowledge is lacking in that department. That said, the selection is questionable. There weren't many Nintendo games on the included card, and I noticed some big omissions from the PlayStation collection. I would've loved to see the original Crash Bandicoot, the Twisted Metal games, and more JRPGs like Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest.
Connecting to Wi-Fi gives you access to an additional library of games that can be downloaded to the microSD card. It's convenient, but there were still games I wanted that I couldn't find. Based on my testing, NES, Super Nintendo, Game Boy, Game Boy Color, Game Boy Advance and original PlayStation games ran without trouble. Newer systems were less consistent.
Nintendo 64 and PSP Performance
Nintendo 64 performance is a mixed bag. I noticed frame-rate drops, and Super Mario 64 had some pretty strange graphical glitches. It wasn't the only game affected. Personally, I find it difficult to enjoy games when they're not running properly.
Another annoyance is that older games are stretched to fill the widescreen display by default. Thankfully, you can change the aspect ratio in the settings. I also added a CRT effect, which I find pleasant when playing old-school games.
PlayStation Portable performance depends on the game. Most of what I tried worked well, but the more demanding games can be difficult to play. God of War: Chains of Olympus, for example, isn't something I'd want to play on this handheld. Assassin's Creed, on the other hand, ran without any noticeable hiccups during my testing.
I also ran into an annoying emulator problem. If you accidentally remove the directional pad's button assignments, you can lose the ability to navigate its settings. I couldn't find an easy way to restore them, although I didn't investigate every possible solution.
Dreamcast and Nintendo DS Performance
Dreamcast games don't run at full speed, but the frameskip feature works reasonably well. I found the experience stable enough to be playable.
Nintendo DS was a little worse, at least to my eyes. This version of DraStic doesn't display an FPS counter, so I'm going by what I could see. Frameskip helps keep games moving without obvious slowdowns or audio skipping. However, missing frames can make precise jumps difficult. Less demanding games generally run fine.
You can also switch to the EmuELEC interface, which I find a little more pleasant. Unfortunately, you lose access to the download section while using it. Switching back and forth gets annoying after a while.
Installing dArkOS Makes a Difference
I decided to install dArkOS, a community-developed Linux operating system for the RG52 MINI. I used a combination of tutorials from Retro Handhelds and Retro Game Corps to get everything working the way I wanted. And I've got to say, it's a better experience!
One of the first improvements is the interface. dArkOS uses EmulationStation, and you can download different themes to customise how your games are displayed. You can also scrape your game collection to download descriptions, screenshots and preview videos. It makes browsing the library much more enjoyable.
I've always liked screensavers that play random game videos when you haven't touched any buttons for a while. It's something I wish more front ends offered. dArkOS also gives you more freedom to update and configure emulators and customise RetroArch. That's a big advantage if you enjoy experimenting with settings.
Dreamcast and PSP Performance With dArkOS
Let's start with Dreamcast, where I honestly didn't notice much of a difference. Games ran at roughly the same frame rates as they did with the stock system. They're playable, but I'd only use Dreamcast if you're curious about trying a few games. I wouldn't buy the RG52 MINI specifically for Dreamcast.
PSP performance is similar. Some demanding games simply won't run well, no matter how much you adjust the settings. God of War: Chains of Olympus actually performed a little worse for me under dArkOS. Silent Hill: Shattered Memories had problems too.
Otherwise, most of the PSP games I tried worked great. I was especially surprised to see Soulcalibur: Broken Destiny running at 60 FPS. It must have been well optimised back then! So while heavy 3D games can struggle, there's still plenty of PSP gaming to enjoy here.
Nintendo DS and Nintendo 64 Improvements
Nintendo DS is where things start getting interesting. I initially tried the melonDS core, but it didn't run well at all. The RG52 MINI simply didn't have enough power for a good experience with that setup, so I switched to a newer version of DraStic instead.
At first, I didn't notice much improvement. Mario Kart DS still had similar frameskip behaviour to the stock operating system. Then I tried New Super Mario Bros., and there was quite a difference. I could barely notice any skipped frames. Less demanding games, including the Castlevania series, also worked without issues during my testing.
Nintendo 64 performance improved even more! Those strange graphical glitches I encountered in Super Mario 64 were gone. The handful of games I tested ran at a stable 60 FPS. Mario Tennis was the exception. It still didn't run well, which wasn't entirely unexpected. Everything else I tried worked fine, and I was very happy with the improvement.
PortMaster and the Problems With dArkOS
Another thing I tried for the first time was PortMaster. It lets you run compatible ports of PC games on supported handhelds. Some require you to provide files from a copy of the game you own. Seeing Half-Life running on this little device was pretty crazy!
It was a mixed experience, though. Some games worked, and others didn't. I'm no tinkering wizard. I mostly followed the instructions I found, but I think it's really cool that you can do this at all. I definitely recommend installing dArkOS if you want better Nintendo 64 and Nintendo DS performance.
It's not perfect, though. After experimenting with Dreamcast, I suddenly couldn't launch those games from the front end anymore. I still have no idea what happened. I also couldn't turn the handheld on while it was plugged in to charge. I had to unplug it first.
Then there's RetroArch. dArkOS includes 32-bit and 64-bit versions, and somehow I managed to get their settings mixed up. It was a mess, but thankfully I could fix it. These are the kinds of problems you might encounter when experimenting with custom firmware. If you want everything to work without much tinkering, that could get frustrating.
RG52 MINI Compared With the TrimUI Smart Pro
Another handheld worth considering is the TrimUI Smart Pro. Both target people looking for affordable retro gaming, although their hardware and software options differ. The RG52 MINI has a larger screen at 5.5 inches compared with the TrimUI Smart Pro's 4.96-inch display. It also has 2GB of RAM instead of 1GB.
That's an advantage in the specifications, although more RAM doesn't automatically mean every emulator will perform better. The TrimUI Smart Pro has a more established custom firmware community, with more developers optimising its software. That could mean a more polished experience when it comes to presentation, customization and documentation.
Final Thoughts on the AISLPC RG52 MINI
Reviewing the RG52 MINI took me outside my comfort zone, especially when I started experimenting with custom firmware. In my opinion, it's a great entry-level retro handheld if you want to dip your toes into this hobby. It's comfortable, has a nice-sized screen, and can handle plenty of older games. The price makes some of its shortcomings easier to accept, but the experience depends heavily on whether you're willing to install dArkOS.
If I had to use the RG52 MINI exactly as it came out of the box, with no ability to change anything, I'd probably give it 4 out of 10. With dArkOS installed, that goes up to 7 out of 10. The improvements to Nintendo 64 and Nintendo DS make a real difference, and I like having more control over my emulators and game library. The D-pad remains my biggest complaint, though. If it worked better, I'd happily bump my score up another point.
Have questions about the RG52 MINI? Let me know in the comments, and I'll be happy to answer them!
Liked / Didn't Like
Liked
- Comfortable design with textured grips and a large 5.5-inch screen
- Excellent performance with older systems, including NES, SNES, Game Boy Advance and PlayStation
- dArkOS noticeably improves Nintendo 64 and Nintendo DS emulation
- Custom themes, improved game browsing and PortMaster support with dArkOS
Didn't Like
- Unreliable D-pad makes fighting games particularly frustrating
- Stock operating system has graphical glitches and inconsistent performance with some systems
- Demanding PSP and Dreamcast games still struggle
- Charging quirks, HDMI limitations and occasional custom firmware problems
NinjaGuyX
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