Just picked up two of these for 50% off. Going to gift one to family for Christmas. Immediately after purchase I was pleasantly surprised to see that the Spruce CFW just got a huge update that makes this very close to Onion OS. I figured I would have to spend lots of time tweaking and making it presentable before I would feel okay giving it as a gift. Looks like I owe the guys putting the hard work into Spruce a big thank you ❤
Miyoo definitely underestimated how much of the Mini/+’s success was due to the community software work with OnionOS, rather than their own work on the hardware of those devices
This is one of if not the best RH review I’ve seen for any device. You point out the A30’s flaws without resorting to attention-grabby hyperbole, focus a lot on the strengths of the device, contextualize its release and reception based on the company’s history, and really go into why someone might want this or want its direct competition. Well done, this was a pleasure to watch 👍
The reason they use these outdated processors is because they get them for super cheap from phone manufacturers. These chips have been sitting in storage for years and were basically considered as e-waste. No Miyoo or Anbernic devices would exist if not for that.
This is pretty much what I conjured up in my imagination just the other day when I was thinking about these cheap handhelds. Also the mini PC's that are super small and super cheap. Brilliant business strategy to reclaim these less than desirable components and make a profit. Makes me actually feel good about supporting a company like that.
Why complain about it not performing better than the Og miyoo when it's so cheap? I literally just bought one for $33, absolutely incredible at that price point!
The reason usb storage mode is failing for you will be that youre not safely ejecting it on the PC side before leaving that mode. It acts like a usb storage device in that mode meaning filesystem corruption if you don't cleanly unmount, and the most common manifestation of that will be that the files you most recently copied to it won't appear, but at worst, new files will become corrupted too. If you've become used to the way current smartphones mount by usb (which uses MTP instead) you could forget that the old USB mass storage mode used to do that.
This will also explain the corruption you're experiencing in retroarch! Including the issues when saving configs and corrupted text! You need to reformat or at least chkdsk that card. It's been uncleanly unmounted.
I got the A30 with the help of the link you sent a couple of weeks ago on twitter. I immediately installed MinUI on it and I lOVE IT. The controls are perfect for its size, it’s comfortable to hold, and I even think it doesn’t need OnionOS at all, as for such a small devices Onion’s features are mostly overkill. In short: redemption arc is already here!
If they ever revisited this design and addressed the issues, I'd be stoked to own one. The fact that the brightness issue got resolved maybe gets my hopes up
Great video bud👍🏾 I believe that released this a little too late. I do like the controls and the case. But to me, it does feel as if they developed this device on the cheap.
Hey man I really enjoy your content especially about the gaming console you were making, are you planning on continuing the project? Or did you just give up?
Hi there! Actually I did kind of give up on it for a while, but I've improved my 3D CAD skills and have made a lot of good progress on it recently and will definitely finish it really soon and make a video! Actually I have three DIY gaming projects right now: the RB-2H handheld from before, an 8-inch tablet-based handheld, AND a 5" all-in-one desktop games console. That last one will have a video releasing this week!
Honestly, I Iike the A30 in spite of not having Onion. The quick menu, the membrane controls, the dpad pivot. It’s a snack sized comfortable handheld. And my screen is plenty bright. It does get warm, retroarch needs tweaking, and Onion would truly level this up.
Absolutely. And I would go as far as saying I prefer it over the OG MiyooMini, since its horizontal form factor is far more comfortable to use, and MinUI easy to use and enough for what it can do!
I believe the new improved chip was used on this model so they can put it out there with the horizontal form factor and the analog stick as a test run to gain feedback on it and use it to see how they can improve the issues for the upcoming Miyoo Flip GBA SP clone model with dual analog sticks they have yet to announce. Seeing how Anbernic beat them to the punch and made a product that's hard to compete with at their level, Miyoo has to punch well above their weight to meet that standard to make a strong first impression and meet consumer's needs. So this is how I think they were trying to go about it.
Great review! I picked one of these up for $35 just for pick-up-and-play use during downtime at work. I just wanted a simple small device to play for a bit then put down, and this one looked good. I'm not expecting it to be a killer device, and definitely not going to be my primary handheld, so I'm willing to accept the compromises. We shall see what turns up!
Great video,thanks! I'm saying nothing new here but I really wish it was possible to smash the a30 and rg28xx together and get aesthetics and controls from the a30, internals from the rg28xx, keeping the HDMI from one side, the wifi from the other, and adding Bluetooth... Well... Theta how these people get us buying multiple devices in most cases, or none as for me in this specific case
To sum up. A great device with "alpha" software which, after being repaired by the community, will be as iconic as the Miyoo mini. I didn't expect anything else. Spruce is the answer to most software flaws
I agree with all your points. Playing devil’s advocate here if they hadn’t tried to upgrade the device they’d fall under the same criticism anbernic does for releasing the same thing over and over again. Props to Miyoo for trying to innovate. I’d also like to point out that I don’t feel like this thing will break when the wind blows. I went through 3 Miyoo mini’s because of how fragile they were. You know this already but the custom firmware fixes a few of your points as well. Great review!
Knulli is also working on a cfw for this device. If that happens, a lot of people will be happy. I also agree about the 28xx completely. I'm reaching for the a30 while my 28xx stays in its case.
their biggest mistake was competing directly against the 28xx, have they launched this at a lower price so people wouldn't have compared it, for the full price is not great, but if you think of it as a horizontal micro r36s is actually not bad
People like to hate on this device but after using it for some time, I now carry it everywhere. It’s smaller and more powerful than the Mini and it’s lighter which begs me to take it with me at all times in my pocket
Great review. Had this simply contained the same chip as the MM+ and run OnionOS I would've bought one for sure. Now I'm not interested. Same probably for the Flip if they ever actually release it, which is a shame.
This theoretically is exactly the kind of device I always wanted, something super pocketable that doesn't skimp on controller inputs and at a cheap price. But the performance is shockingly bad, and it seems purely due to software issues. The trimui smart is older, lower specs, and smaller than this and somehow plays better (downsides are no analog or L2R2 buttons and mid U.I). Maybe when the community gets onion OS on it it'll be better; but that'll take forever if it even happens. I have no clue why these companies rely on that kind process constantly as it just decreases sales for a long time.
This review is very outdated, because suddenly games on the N64 turned out to be playable thanks to the better chip. Just compare Mario Kart 64 on stock firmware and on Spruce. This is simply another device released with alpha software
The A30 is ok. But when you consider all the other options we have now for small retro handhelds, at its current state, i rank it as one of the worst options.
@@dariovargas9477 objectively, it is both the RG35XX H and the RG40XX H, with mostly only size separating the two. BUT, if you have a strong nostalgia with the game boy's vertical design or the GBA's flip design, you can never go wrong with the RG35XX Plus and the RG35XX SP.
No idea what all the fuss is about. I was expecting garbage after my research. This thing is a joy out of the box (In my case). $50 Cnd with a 64Gb cart. I got this to play GBA, was surprised to play N64 Smash Bros so satisfyingly with included thumb stick. The performance is great for what you pay
There really is zero reason to pick this up over the RG35XXH. If you want a horizontal retro emulation handheld for less than $70, th Anbernic is the best choice.
This device is complete trash. I've had nothing but problems and I've been emulating since 1999. Save states don't work and freeze at 0%. My MD and MS folders are filed with roms and none work. My FC roms folder is empty and yet it says I have the complete library and I'm able to play them. Even though I don't have a single rom for that core. Not even sure how the hell that's possible. Anything you ever learned about mass storage, transferring files, etc don't apply here. The thing is total garbage.
the device is not great, but is far from being trash like most people said. This "miyoo vs anbernic" thing is becoming so awful as the "apple vs samsung" debate
In order for something to not be trash it has to work more often then not. You should be playing games more than trying to figure out what just went wrong to cause the entire device to malfunction. It's a total waste of time and effort.
Looks like the "analog" stick is an 8-way joystick... ruclips.net/video/YccB8ji83Lc/видео.html At least in this calibration tool it looks to jump to max levels. Boo. That so disappointed me about the 35xx-H. Why?! WHY?!
Another owner of both, and for what you are going to play on this size screen, the a30 is definitely more enjoyable to carry around. The rattle of the 28xx that can not be fixed with any amount of dampening mods is a nail in its coffin.
Just picked up two of these for 50% off. Going to gift one to family for Christmas.
Immediately after purchase I was pleasantly surprised to see that the Spruce CFW just got a huge update that makes this very close to Onion OS. I figured I would have to spend lots of time tweaking and making it presentable before I would feel okay giving it as a gift. Looks like I owe the guys putting the hard work into Spruce a big thank you ❤
Miyoo definitely underestimated how much of the Mini/+’s success was due to the community software work with OnionOS, rather than their own work on the hardware of those devices
The community just launched a new os for this
I hope the Onion devs decide to work on this device. The hardware is charming. Onion is just such a great system and medium
@@bballbg6is it spruce?
@@akagihideo547yes
@@akagihideo547yeah Spruce, which is based on RA30, which was developed by one of the devs of the original Onion OS.
This is one of if not the best RH review I’ve seen for any device.
You point out the A30’s flaws without resorting to attention-grabby hyperbole, focus a lot on the strengths of the device, contextualize its release and reception based on the company’s history, and really go into why someone might want this or want its direct competition.
Well done, this was a pleasure to watch 👍
The reason they use these outdated processors is because they get them for super cheap from phone manufacturers. These chips have been sitting in storage for years and were basically considered as e-waste. No Miyoo or Anbernic devices would exist if not for that.
Do u have link source for that so i can watch/read them? If u do, plz share to me, i want to know more🙏
This is pretty much what I conjured up in my imagination just the other day when I was thinking about these cheap handhelds. Also the mini PC's that are super small and super cheap. Brilliant business strategy to reclaim these less than desirable components and make a profit. Makes me actually feel good about supporting a company like that.
What strain are u smoking, I want
Like the original miyoo mini uses blackberry screens
You are so right about start and select. Having select on top just feels completely unnatural. Why is that?
Great vid.
No idea, it kills me honestly lol
Why complain about it not performing better than the Og miyoo when it's so cheap? I literally just bought one for $33, absolutely incredible at that price point!
The reason usb storage mode is failing for you will be that youre not safely ejecting it on the PC side before leaving that mode. It acts like a usb storage device in that mode meaning filesystem corruption if you don't cleanly unmount, and the most common manifestation of that will be that the files you most recently copied to it won't appear, but at worst, new files will become corrupted too. If you've become used to the way current smartphones mount by usb (which uses MTP instead) you could forget that the old USB mass storage mode used to do that.
This will also explain the corruption you're experiencing in retroarch! Including the issues when saving configs and corrupted text!
You need to reformat or at least chkdsk that card. It's been uncleanly unmounted.
This is informative! Need to test to see if it works
I got the A30 with the help of the link you sent a couple of weeks ago on twitter. I immediately installed MinUI on it and I lOVE IT. The controls are perfect for its size, it’s comfortable to hold, and I even think it doesn’t need OnionOS at all, as for such a small devices Onion’s features are mostly overkill. In short: redemption arc is already here!
If they ever revisited this design and addressed the issues, I'd be stoked to own one. The fact that the brightness issue got resolved maybe gets my hopes up
Great video bud👍🏾
I believe that released this a little too late. I do like the controls and the case. But to me, it does feel as if they developed this device on the cheap.
Great review. I just bought the same color as your from the local retail. Hope to get it soon. By the way, what is the game5/system ou play in 12.10?
Blazing Star - Neo Geo. Thanks for watching!
Hey man I really enjoy your content especially about the gaming console you were making, are you planning on continuing the project? Or did you just give up?
Hi there! Actually I did kind of give up on it for a while, but I've improved my 3D CAD skills and have made a lot of good progress on it recently and will definitely finish it really soon and make a video! Actually I have three DIY gaming projects right now: the RB-2H handheld from before, an 8-inch tablet-based handheld, AND a 5" all-in-one desktop games console. That last one will have a video releasing this week!
Here's the most recent design update: x.com/RetroBreezeYT/status/1800429466210218153?t=esxCvos1VrYi9eTARTgQNQ&s=19
Honestly, I Iike the A30 in spite of not having Onion. The quick menu, the membrane controls, the dpad pivot. It’s a snack sized comfortable handheld. And my screen is plenty bright. It does get warm, retroarch needs tweaking, and Onion would truly level this up.
Absolutely. And I would go as far as saying I prefer it over the OG MiyooMini, since its horizontal form factor is far more comfortable to use, and MinUI easy to use and enough for what it can do!
Awesome video as always man, but not a fan of the A30 sadly
I believe the new improved chip was used on this model so they can put it out there with the horizontal form factor and the analog stick as a test run to gain feedback on it and use it to see how they can improve the issues for the upcoming Miyoo Flip GBA SP clone model with dual analog sticks they have yet to announce. Seeing how Anbernic beat them to the punch and made a product that's hard to compete with at their level, Miyoo has to punch well above their weight to meet that standard to make a strong first impression and meet consumer's needs.
So this is how I think they were trying to go about it.
That's a massive, massive financial risk (or just burn) to take. Besides, the flip is supposed to ship with an RK3566!
@@RetroBreezeYT I'm not all that savy on how that works, so may I get an explanation?
Miyoo A30 for USD 30, what does it compete with? Because probably not with RG28XX for USD 50?
Great review! I picked one of these up for $35 just for pick-up-and-play use during downtime at work. I just wanted a simple small device to play for a bit then put down, and this one looked good. I'm not expecting it to be a killer device, and definitely not going to be my primary handheld, so I'm willing to accept the compromises. We shall see what turns up!
Excellent video as always, thank you!
Thanks for the review. Thanks to you I'll be buying one. I didn't know they had a firmware update for the screen.
Great video,thanks! I'm saying nothing new here but I really wish it was possible to smash the a30 and rg28xx together and get aesthetics and controls from the a30, internals from the rg28xx, keeping the HDMI from one side, the wifi from the other, and adding Bluetooth... Well... Theta how these people get us buying multiple devices in most cases, or none as for me in this specific case
Why is nobody talkign about the fact the miyoo mini actually has a bigger screen but it's supposed to be the same size?
real shame that they didn't match the buttons to the darker red shade of the case
Oh yeah, I didn't notice that!
Apparently Miyoo has decided that ARCADE is now spelled ADRCAE 3:28.
Love the review! Finally someone who sees the positives. I love the Miyop build quality and this review has finally convinced me to get one.
Shem. The box art bit was so relatable.
I really like the Famicom and Black & White decos, and the Spruce modified stock OS seems to have really spruced it up... 😜
I just got the black edition and custom buttons. Can't wait to get them installed!
I'm grateful that you mentioned the buzzing. I'm assuming it's like the MM+ where if you turn the brightness all the way up the PWM buzz stops, eh?
Solid video! Thanks
Thanks for watching!
Knulli is in development for the A30
on the trimui smart pro you have to restart the device after copying files over in usb mode so its probably the same with the a30
To sum up. A great device with "alpha" software which, after being repaired by the community, will be as iconic as the Miyoo mini. I didn't expect anything else. Spruce is the answer to most software flaws
But the screen itself is the major flaw , it's very dim
@@eswaran6453 from what I remember, the screen was a software issue and it has been fixed
I agree with all your points. Playing devil’s advocate here if they hadn’t tried to upgrade the device they’d fall under the same criticism anbernic does for releasing the same thing over and over again. Props to Miyoo for trying to innovate. I’d also like to point out that I don’t feel like this thing will break when the wind blows. I went through 3 Miyoo mini’s because of how fragile they were. You know this already but the custom firmware fixes a few of your points as well. Great review!
Great review. The USB C is also for Audio with the Adapter… that nobody will ever use. Yes charging only
It's the plastic version of the rg280m we never got from anbernic. I like.
Did you know how to refresh your roms you press home on game menu to find all new games?
Knulli is also working on a cfw for this device. If that happens, a lot of people will be happy. I also agree about the 28xx completely. I'm reaching for the a30 while my 28xx stays in its case.
Another thing that pissed me off was no Ds emulation ??? Come on
I'll stick to Anbernic Arc because of fighting games 😊
That's a pretty good plan!
The arc is amaaaaazing, but sadly not pocketable. Can't just throw it in your pocket as you're heading out the door.
@@strikelight Yes i agree on that
I think this has the same processor as the Pocketgo S30. It'll be funny if these could run the same software.
their biggest mistake was competing directly against the 28xx, have they launched this at a lower price so people wouldn't have compared it, for the full price is not great, but if you think of it as a horizontal micro r36s is actually not bad
I think the a30 was in development for way longer than the 28XX. Unfortunate timing for Miyoo for sure.
Today A30 - 30USD, RG28XX - 50USD. A30 is very interesting device for 30-35USD not 50USD
I just ordered this for $19 without the card, i only plan to play GBA and GBC games on the go 🙂
I've seen it insanely low on sale recently. $19 is amazing for the A30!
All it takes for this to be a "GBA Micro" legend is the community software...
People like to hate on this device but after using it for some time, I now carry it everywhere. It’s smaller and more powerful than the Mini and it’s lighter which begs me to take it with me at all times in my pocket
Great review. Had this simply contained the same chip as the MM+ and run OnionOS I would've bought one for sure. Now I'm not interested. Same probably for the Flip if they ever actually release it, which is a shame.
The flip I think will be a totally different beast for sure.
@@RetroBreezeYT LOL, I bought an A30 after all. 😛Arriving later today. Plan to install Spruce.
does this device get hot when playing modest games like GBC and GBA?
This theoretically is exactly the kind of device I always wanted, something super pocketable that doesn't skimp on controller inputs and at a cheap price.
But the performance is shockingly bad, and it seems purely due to software issues. The trimui smart is older, lower specs, and smaller than this and somehow plays better (downsides are no analog or L2R2 buttons and mid U.I).
Maybe when the community gets onion OS on it it'll be better; but that'll take forever if it even happens.
I have no clue why these companies rely on that kind process constantly as it just decreases sales for a long time.
Please re-review this device with spruce installed. It’s a night and day difference. It’s so good.
I will definitely be doing that soon!
Love my miyoo mini but only because of onion os. Without that the A30 is not worth it imho...
Spruce is pretty good at this point, but Onion OS is a hard act to follow for sure.
RA30 fixes most of the issues and has themes
I love my MM+, but I pass on this device. Starting to think Miyoo is a one hit wonder. I wont be surprised if the flip is garbage like this one
2 hits if the original mini counts!
This review is very outdated, because suddenly games on the N64 turned out to be playable thanks to the better chip. Just compare Mario Kart 64 on stock firmware and on Spruce. This is simply another device released with alpha software
The A30 is ok. But when you consider all the other options we have now for small retro handhelds, at its current state, i rank it as one of the worst options.
Which one is the best in your opinion? I'm thinking on buying one retro handled
@@dariovargas9477 objectively, it is both the RG35XX H and the RG40XX H, with mostly only size separating the two. BUT, if you have a strong nostalgia with the game boy's vertical design or the GBA's flip design, you can never go wrong with the RG35XX Plus and the RG35XX SP.
No idea what all the fuss is about. I was expecting garbage after my research. This thing is a joy out of the box (In my case). $50 Cnd with a 64Gb cart. I got this to play GBA, was surprised to play N64 Smash Bros so satisfyingly with included thumb stick. The performance is great for what you pay
The RG300X is still my favorite pocketable device.
Dude you’re right on. They should have went with the same chip as the mini. Stupid
There really is zero reason to pick this up over the RG35XXH. If you want a horizontal retro emulation handheld for less than $70, th Anbernic is the best choice.
The H is vastly superior sure, but the difference in screen size is an important factor too!
it is definitely overrated. A big letdown compared to the miyoo mini
It’s happening…
This device is complete trash. I've had nothing but problems and I've been emulating since 1999. Save states don't work and freeze at 0%. My MD and MS folders are filed with roms and none work. My FC roms folder is empty and yet it says I have the complete library and I'm able to play them. Even though I don't have a single rom for that core. Not even sure how the hell that's possible. Anything you ever learned about mass storage, transferring files, etc don't apply here. The thing is total garbage.
Sounds like there's something funky with your software or configuration. I'd recommend installing a fresh copy of Spruce OS. It works really well!
i think this is the my first time on this channel and i have to say, it's a good video but the quality would be way better if you were not so lazy :)
What do you mean exactly?
the device is not great, but is far from being trash like most people said. This "miyoo vs anbernic" thing is becoming so awful as the "apple vs samsung" debate
100% agree with you on all points!
@Pepoalbaro That kind of stupid behaviour will never end. The best thing is to ignore it as much as possible.
In order for something to not be trash it has to work more often then not. You should be playing games more than trying to figure out what just went wrong to cause the entire device to malfunction. It's a total waste of time and effort.
@@retroreviewsroulette2279 the same can be said about the original miyoo mini without onion os. With onion is great. The A30 with Spruce is great too.
Give it a few months. That metal faceplate will start to peel right off.
I have yet to see any actual evidence of this happening at all
@@RetroBreezeYT really...?
m.ruclips.net/video/NlgT-jETs6M/видео.html
Ssssssuffewin sssuckatash!!
Looks like the "analog" stick is an 8-way joystick... ruclips.net/video/YccB8ji83Lc/видео.html At least in this calibration tool it looks to jump to max levels. Boo. That so disappointed me about the 35xx-H. Why?! WHY?!
It's definitely not. Its a full analog stick for sure
@@RetroBreezeYT if only it had a 3.5 inch screen...
@@ryansoucyracing Yeah I wish they would do an A30 Plus!
Whahaha Anbernic RG28xx is way better... why release this... make no sense.
I own both and I would personally disagree. A30 is great for a 2.8inch handheld, super comfortable to use
These are HANDhelds not spec sheets
Another owner of both, and for what you are going to play on this size screen, the a30 is definitely more enjoyable to carry around. The rattle of the 28xx that can not be fixed with any amount of dampening mods is a nail in its coffin.
This thing is trash dont buy