Notes on retro handhelds, emulation setups and small hardware fixes.
After a few months with the OLED model I finally settled on a setup that boots straight into a frontend, keeps saves in sync and does not need a keyboard for anything. The short version: one frontend, standalone emulators where they beat the cores, and a single folder layout shared with my other devices.
A Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 phone with a clip-on controller is a surprisingly good handheld once you strip it down: no SIM, no notifications, emulators only. Thermals are the main issue, so I keep the GPU driver up to date and cap the frame rate on heavier systems.
The OLED screen and the size make up for the modest chip. With a community firmware it runs everything up to the PS1 era without fuss, and the battery lasts a full evening.
My last budget clone arrived with a display that died within weeks. The price difference with a proper model is small compared with the time spent on returns, so these days I only buy from makers with a track record.