R36MAX Retro Gaming Console, Retro Handheld Games Console with 64GB TF Card, Portable Hand Held Open Source Linux System, 4.0 inch IPS HD Screen Video Game Consoles, 4000mAh Battery (Blue)

You entire Childhood Gaming Memories, right in your pocket!
You HAVE to get one. Pretty much any R36Max will work. They are all essentially clones, so brand does not matter for the most part.I choose this one because it had the highest reviews and seemed to have some custom software (but was shipped the wrong brand and slight color variation by Amazon)- but oh well.This is one of those devices that you just do not need to download new games and simply use the pre-loaded library. You can, but you have to research it and also get a new SD card (since you don’t want to overwrite this one with all the games and the operating system in it). Thats what makes this what it is.If you DID have to download all your own games in this Tier 1 devices, it would not be worth it. Since it’s not that much less expensive than a more capable device.This makes it a really coolGadget for anyone. Since you don’t have to load all the Bios files and ROMs. This is entry level and you can play right out of the box.It DOES come with 18,231 games preloaded on the SD card, and there are lists online of the games if you search for “R36S game list”… but on this one, not all of them are there. I think the 128GB version has more games, but again, you are limited by the chip. Just because the game is on the device doesn’t mean it’ll play well, although they seemingly all play… even if they stutter on the newer games for newer consoles.Still, it’s nice to have all the games (well most of them) I grew up with.For hobby enthusiasts- This level of device is called a Tier 1 device (in terms of processing power) so it can play pretty much all 8-bit, 16-bit, most 32-bit, and some 64-but games. But suffers the newer the console. Although if you want Gameboy Advanced and down, it’s flawless.N64 (Goldeneye 007) plays at about 30 frames a second which means it stutters and has some static with noise, but somehow plays Tony Hawk on PS1 just fine… with all the music… so it’s a matter of the N64 emulator.It has 27 PSP games, but they mostly run 25-40 frames per second (meaning they are not very smooth). But they have Vice city Stories (my favorite PSP game) and it has audio, meaning you can listen to the radio stations that are hilarious and still play the game, although it gets choppy.For 64-bit games, you have to bump up to a Tier 2 processor, like a H700…Almost all these devices have RK3326 chips which have about 1GB of ram… you need at least 4GB ram to play newer games (ex: Tier 2 processors).Tier 3 is going to be Snapdragon 85 (Gen 2 or 3) processors, and Tier 4 (like Steam Decks and Odin and other $250+ devices) will be using Snap Dragon 8 processors.I think this is my new hobby, so this is a great starter device with games preloaded, so you don’t need to learn all the technical stuff with “Single Board Console” gaming, and emulators and ROMS.So, great stater device that plays most games and comes loaded with 18,000+ games on the 64GB version.But if this is your hobby, and you already have a preloaded device… bump up to a Tier 2 device or a Tier 3 device, to play more intense games, and also learn how to load up your own games.There are websites that you can get the files from for free… although, as a disclaimer “you should only download the games you own or have owned”.Amazon sent the wrong color (I ordered transparent gray but got matte black, which I normally would order, but wanted the “see through” nostalgia effect). I asked to ship ASAP, so maybe they grabbed a similar one in stock at a local hub, to help expedite? I dunno.Amazon, I believe, also shipped the wrong brand, since this particular brand has a little more refinement than other brands… but again, they are all cloned devices (meaning all the devices are the same, and brands just slap a sticker on… but some add some special games or operating systems to the SD card), so whether you get the most expensive one or the cheapest one… it’s mostly going to be the same.It only matters on Tier 2 or above, for the brand.Anyways, solid device for all platforms until you start to get to 64-bit, but you can play some lighter games even on 64-bit systems.All games are preloaded, so this is literally pull out of the box and play.You can even switch the themes to have 2 completely different user visual interfaces.One theme is old school but very functional (like all the images in the customer photos) and one looks super modern and shows a big image for the console. It looks way more modern and totally changes the look and feel of the device.I like both, but the “other” non pictured interface is pretty smooth.This is Linux based, just like all the other ones, and I think Linux is super clean and doesn’t look like a mobile phone (like the Android operating systems).I would totally rate this a 5/5, but was sent the wrong color transparency, and possibly the wrong brand (for that “extra refinement”)- but I cannot stress enough that they are all clones of clones, so branding does not matter.In fact, wha the heck, updated to 5 stars.If you look through every other listing for the R36Max, they all ship in the same box. Since again, these are all clones. There literally is no such thing as a real “R36Max”. There are real R36S’s, but you probably won’t find them on Amazon… you find the clones, which is fine at this entry level Tier.These are supposed to cost $35-45 dollars for these Tier 1 devices, but are getting expensive due to tariffs. For $40, this would be 6 stars, since I wouldn’t expect it to play large games, but for a HUNDRED bucks, I expected more.For $40 more I could have gotten a brand name Tier 2.5 device, with WiFi, Bluetooth, huge 4K screen, and Hall effect buttons (which are magnetically controlled)… so these tariffs, or whatever the heck is going on, is making this normally $40 device, more than double the price.No Matter, this is not going to be my last device, so am only getting started. This is such a cool premise, I am going to get other models at different tiers… to finally find one that seamlessly plays even PS2 games, which requires a lot of power. But am glad I got one that had preloaded games! They are good games too, but are using some in the list that I think are only in the 128GB model (like twisted metal and Grand Turismo).Device Recap:-Comes with 18,000+ games across about 15 consoles and has multiple emulators to auto switch to, if a game is running choppy. But you have to switch on that “auto” setting, since it defaults to the most popular emulator, which is not always the best.-Plays Gameboy (all variations) and NES, SuperNes, Sega, and all the older consoles seamlessly and has most of the AAA games-ready to play right out of the box. No downloads or internet… just switch in, choose your game and play-SUPER IMPORTANT: you can save at any point in game, but you have to do it on the device and when you come back to the game, you have to hit another button to load exactly where you left off (it does not auto load your save)… so it does not auto save or save when you finish a level. Remember that. You don’t want to invest an hour in a game and then have to start over… but all you have to do is press a button combo to save and your good.-it comes with every genre of game so you’ll always have something to play-if you grew up playing PS1 and below it works great (minus N64, because it’s hard to emulate)-for the price of this device, being the price of a single game, it’s a bargain-the screen is great, better than any Gameboy ok or or advanced, but I can see some minor light bleed though, so it’s not a pro screen, but it’ll work for most people and is 720×720, unlike some low grade clones that have 640×480, so it’s sharper than some other clones.-probably the coolest “general” device for about $75, on the market.-would make a great gift, or just a great pocketable game device that you don’t have to baby like a switch or a Steam Deck.-controls are decent. Not cheap, but not something to write home about, although the joysticks do have silicon on them and are not plastic. There is NO RGB effects even though the images alluded to it, and some text hints at it. They are referring to the screen… instead of LCD, they say RGB-Battery is huge, and will last hours upon hours. Charging is cool, it shows an animation on the screen and a red light comes in that I imagine turns green when done.-speakers are a single cheap mic, that plays through the little soccer field holes on the front and crackle a little when games stutter, but sound great on older games. It can also sound worse than a Gameboy, if the device trying to play a newer game and crackles… but mostly only on very intensive games.-it feels fairly well made, but you can tell it is a $35 device.-while it has 3DS games, good luck remapping the controllers. Since 3DS was touch based, I have tried for like 39 minutes to remap them both in the game and on the device operating system, but it eludes me. I’m Sure there is a way, but for the most part, expect not to be able to play 3DS/DS games.m, not because they are to intensive, but because the DS was made with touch in mind and a pencil to control things, which doesn’t transmute well to a controller.Overall, this is worth it, even if it is not perfect. It plays what is expected at Tier 1.I just hoped it would play some Tier 2 titles better.If you like games, long for the days of your youth when gaming was an adventure, or want to explore games you ever got to play, this is your pick.Just don’t expect it to emulate more modern N64, Dreamcast, or PSP games very well… that’s for Tier 2 devices.But at least they’re in this device! They do play, they just stutter a lot and slow down a lot making it hard to coherently play.Buying this, while not perfect, and definitely entry level, made this a new hobby, so I’m going to buy a lot more different devices in the future… and load up specific games and specific operating systems… but until I learn how to do that, this is a fantastic device that comes ready to play… and technically you CAN still load new games and emulators in it using the second SD card slot… but I would just leave it as it.This is like a little arcade with all your favorite games, but in a handheld device that lasts hours and hours. You’ll be able to choose from 18,000 gosh darn games in every single category on every single device (pre-2001)… and it has almost all the AAA titles!Get one! Have your childhood memories at your fingers and be able to play anywhere at any time with no internet and no cables.It comes with a cool carrying case too, so you can bring it anywhere… and for the price, who cares if you drop it, just bother one (but save the add card, since that has all the games in it).Someone went through a lot of trouble to go through and load up that SD card up with all those games, emulators, Bios’s, and ROMS. Thats really what you are paying for… the SD card with all the games and the operating system.Some sites sell simulator SD cards that are preloaded and they cost $40 alone, so the card is valuable.But some people say you should still get a brand name card and copy the stock card into it, since I guess these nameless SD cards fail after a while… and if it fails, you can always get a new card, but you’ll lose all your games and emulators.Solid pick, even if Amazon may have messed up a little on my order… just get it. It is the perfect gift for any age, and the perfect little device to treat yourself to, if you like games and like nostalgia… or just like neat gadgets that help pass time.

Functional, Not disappointed. Could be better for NDS games & N64.
Customizable, can add more games to the SSD card by plugging the card directly into a pc or phone,Everything seems to work pretty good – though some 3D games, especially for N64, are struggling. But I think that has more to do with the pre-installed emulator for n64. Ps1 does fine with more demanding ps1 games.Overall, would love a little more RAM to compensate – but maybe I can add more? Haven’t fully dived into it hardware-wise, but eventually.The price is great for a retro hand-held, but expect some quirks.The joysticks feel a little…. oddly placed. I feel like it’d be better if they were above the buttons, or atleast have the left one above the d-pad. But, that’s conditioning from modern controllers like Xbox.The D-pad itself feels a little spongey, I’ll probably replace it at some point. But, it’s functional. I find myself using the joystick more on games i’d normally use DPad.The screensize works – but I find that for wide-screen games as you’d expect on the Nintendo DS, it has a bit of struggle; but with some configuring, it does work. Just not right out the box.Oldschool consoles up to Ps1, including NES, SNES, etc.. I can recommend playing, no trouble at all.N64 struggles some due to a bad emulator installed or maybe a bad BIOS.I do NOT recommend it if you’re looking for something to play Nintendo DS games on, especially ones that require you interact with what would normally be the touch screen alot. I got Mario 64 for DS to work on it, and it RUNS fine, but just very inconvenient because of the bottom-screen expectation of the game. So maybe something like Final Fantasy would be a better experience.I will say, it would be nice if the software was better sorted. it comes with A TON of games, over ten thousand.That sounds good – but – unfortunately it’s missing some big titles, and it’s flooded with more than 2000 oldschool sports games.I recommend plugging it up to a PC, manually deleting games out in bulk, and making your own library per console.

Not for the faint of heart
So many of the games are broken!! And you need to buy a new SD card because the one it comes with barely works. I would not sugguest this device to anyone who doesn’t want to tinker with frustrating OS installs for dozens of hours.