The retro handheld market is interesting, to say the least. Many of us have fond memories of playing handheld consoles such as the original Game Boy, Game Boy Advance, Nintendo DS, and Nintendo 3DS, as well as the PlayStation Portable and PlayStation Vita. Since then, however, the gaming landscape has greatly changed. The Nintendo Switch and Switch 2 function as handhelds, and handheld PCs like the Steam Deck and ROG Ally occupy a similar space. PlayStation, on the other hand, has shifted toward a dedicated handheld streaming device, while most mobile devices can access streaming apps to play PC, Xbox, and PlayStation games on the go. At this point, releasing a standalone handheld gaming console might not seem to make much sense, but that does not mean fans have completely moved on from "the good old days." This is where the new retro handheld craze comes into play.
To be completely honest, the market is already oversaturated, but thanks to that, players interested in joining the scene have plenty of options to choose from. Many of these devices are mini PCs similar to the Steam Deck or ROG Ally, though many operate on Android instead. Thanks to this OS, they can handle a vast library of titles—including games on the Google Play Store itself—and access all the previously mentioned streaming services. I have mentioned in the past that my Retroid Pocket 4 Pro allows me to access nearly my entire game library from anywhere in the world (as long as I use my phone as a mobile hotspot), and apps like Droid Deck let me download my Steam games directly. It is an extremely useful tool for me and something I continue to use daily. However, these higher-end devices come with a price tag typically in the $200–$300 range, making them a less ideal choice for everyone. This is where "lower-end" budget models enter the frame, which includes the AISLPC RG52 Mini that arrived at our doorstep recently.
Unlike other, more popular devices, the RG52 Mini—not to be confused with Anbernic's RG line, though I am sure the naming choice was intentional—operates on a Linux-based operating system and totes itself as ready right out of the box because of it. Other devices feature their own frontends to streamline setup, but they remain Android devices at heart, complete with standard Android features and customization options. With the RG52 Mini, what you see is basically what you get, though more tech-savvy users can certainly work around its limitations if they wish. Given its choice of OS, I was curious to see how it operated and whether it would truly serve as a beginner-friendly entry model. With a price tag of $110, I will admit I expected a bit more, especially when more capable devices exist in a similar price range. Overall, the device accomplished what it was designed to do, though that does not mean the ride was entirely smooth.
The Initial Setup:
The AISLPC RG52 Mini is both the easiest and most difficult device of its kind that I have ever had to set up. With other retro handhelds, an initial setup will often ask you which apps you would like to install, or you can simply track them down yourself. For these devices, the primary go-tos are RetroArch and PPSSPP, but those looking for standalone apps that perform better than RetroArch cores will need to find and install them manually. From there, controls must be configured within each app and fine-tuned to your personal preferences. It is a bit of a time sink, but it does not need to be done all at once, and you can always make adjustments as you use the apps and discover settings you want to tweak.
With the RG52 Mini, everything comes preinstalled and is "ready" to use; however, that is not entirely the case. By default, all games are stretched to fit the 5.5-inch IPS display, which looks horrible. While younger players might not notice or care, the vast majority of users will find this unacceptable. Sadly, RetroArch cannot be accessed directly because all underlying apps running on the device are hidden. Instead, you must load a game first and use a special button combination to bring up the menu. This is done by holding Select and pressing one of the face buttons to navigate RetroArch from there. Unfortunately, the device interface does not inform you of this; it is only listed in the included mini instruction manual (so be sure not to lose it!).
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Once inside RetroArch, things do not get much easier. While the default UI works fine, players should be aware the scaling is set higher before changing it to more popular options, such as the XMB menu. Forgetting to lower it will mean the XMB layout renders heavily zoomed in, hiding key menu options. I had to rely on muscle memory to navigate back to the UI settings and revert to the default interface. Anyone who accidentally switches options and cannot navigate blindly will be left with an unusable RetroArch menu, and might even need to do a complete reset to default settings across the device.
On the PSP side of things, we run into similar issues. The manufacturer's official website promotes the device as a budget PSP substitute, yet the default controls are mapped incorrectly out of the box. Pressing Select + B brings up PPSSPP's menu, where you can remap the inputs. Oddly enough, button mapping is the only setting that really needs adjustment here, which begs the question: why was it not configured correctly to begin with?
Beyond emulator settings, there are a few additional system options available. You can connect to Wi-Fi to use the built-in "Download" function—which I am honestly surprised was included, and will most likely be shut down in the near future. You can also adjust screen brightness or customize the color of the device's ambient lighting (or turn it off completely). Outside of these tweaks, the rest of the system is functional right away, and it surprisingly comes preloaded with a handful of games. However, anyone wanting to add their own title library will need to connect the handheld to a PC and manually edit an XML file to input each game's metadata into the launcher—a process that is far from user-friendly.
The Default UI "EmuELEC":
The RG52 Mini actually ships with two UI options, with the first being the EmuELEC; however, this system was not designed for the RG52, and it shows.
When it comes to navigating the device, there are only a handful of options on the main screen. "GAME" leads to your console selection list to launch your titles; "FAV" is where you can store your favorites for quick access; "SETTINGS" lets you adjust the device's limited options; "APP" is where you can add your own software, though none are preinstalled; "HISTORY" displays your recently played games; "SEARCH" allows you to find specific titles; and "DOWNLOAD" connects to a server to download games—again, a feature I do not expect to remain active for long. It is all extremely basic, but it functions despite a few annoyances along the way.
The biggest issue is that menu navigation itself can feel sluggish, and pressing the D-pad or analog sticks sometimes fails to register right away. Additionally, when scrolling down through a list of games, the highlighted selection remains fixed at the bottom of the screen. Why the cursor cannot simply move up and down through the list, rather than forcing the entire list to scroll beneath a stationary bar, is baffling and feels very clunky. It still gets the job done, but with such a simple UI, you would expect smoother navigation.
On top of that, the previously mentioned issues with RetroArch and PPSSPP persist. The emulators function fine once you figure out how to access their in-game menus, but the inability to launch the standalone apps directly is a strange design choice that makes configuring settings far more tedious than necessary. Furthermore, exiting a game causes the handheld to automatically reset to maximum volume until you press a volume button to adjust it back down. While this is merely a minor annoyance at home, it can be embarrassing in public if loud menu beeps or game music suddenly blast from your device every time you quit to the main screen.
All of that said, the UI is functional, but it clearly has rough edges that could use further refinement. This is why I recommend skipping this UI altogether, and to use the second one instead—though you can visit the official website to download new versions of EmuELEC as they release.
The Second UI "RGBox":
The second UI available is known as RGBox, and it is honestly what I would recommend switching to immediately. While players will still need to perform some of the initial setup mentioned above, this UI makes things much easier with a more "advanced" quick menu that allows for full customization. Yes, it is less friendly to complete beginners, but even newcomers to the retro handheld scene should be able to navigate it and find what they are looking for. Is the screen aspect ratio messed up? There is an option for that. Want to customize RetroArch without launching a game first? There is an option available for that as well.
Not only are these menus easier to use, but each game is nicely categorized within a quick and snappy interface that avoids all the issues found in the default launcher. It functions exactly as a UI should and is far easier to navigate. The "Download Game" option is missing here—though I personally feel it should not have been included on the device in the first place—but everything else you need is front and center.
The RGBox UI single-handedly transformed the RG52 Mini into a much more enjoyable experience. You might still have to tweak individual RetroArch cores from time to time, which requires a bit more technical familiarity with RetroArch, but overall RGBox is a major step up from EmuELEC. That is not necessarily EmuELEC's fault, but rather the result of it being installed on hardware it was never properly tailored for.
The Physical Hardware and Specs:
Putting aside the UI, the hardware itself and its build quality are really going to be the deciding factors for many. It is not what you would call perfect, but it is serviceable.
Despite being called the "Mini," there is nothing truly small about it. When I heard the name, I assumed it would be a more pocketable device, but without a carrying case, it is not leaving the house. Surprisingly, the entire unit is not much smaller than the Nintendo Switch 2, though most of that extra footprint comes from the controller layout rather than the screen itself. It is also on the lighter side, feeling a lot more like a toy when held rather than a premium device—which is not necessarily a bad thing and is to be expected at this price point.
When it comes to the grip and overall shape, the device fits well in your hands and can easily be held with one hand without fear of dropping it, making it quite comfortable overall. On the downside, the buttons themselves are a bit awkward depending on the game you are playing and could have been designed better. While the analog sticks resemble what we have seen on Nintendo's Joy-Cons, complete with the little grip notches in the rubber, the face buttons are rather flat with little travel distance when pressed down. For general use, they are fine, but in titles that require you to hold down one button while sliding your thumb over to hit another, it feels off and can be a bit straining on your hand. If the buttons were just slightly taller or had a crisper feel rather than a squishy one, it would have been ideal, but that is not the case. In general, it is fine, and it isn't too difficult to adjust to the feel, but with some titles, I can see it becoming a problem when playing for long periods. Of course, there is always the option of opening up the device and replacing them with something else—there are tons of replacement parts for the 3DS and Vita that I can see working well here, but that requires the technical knowledge to do so.
Moving past the buttons, the triggers are also a bit iffy and much stiffer than you would expect. While the face buttons have little resistance and the L1 and R1 buttons are generally fine, the L2 and R2 triggers feature much stronger springs that require noticeably more force. As weird of a comparison as this might sound, they offer resistance similar to a standard chip clip, though not quite as strong. It is not a horrible thing, as the stiffer springs should hold up well in the long run, but if they were just a bit looser, they would be perfect. They are Hall Linear triggers, however, which makes them great for racing games—something you do not see in a lot of similar models.
Another thing to note is that the back of the device features a large vent for cooling; however, there appears to be no active cooling, or at least the fan isn't very strong. This is most likely because they reused the shell from the RG52 Pro Max, which comes with higher specs and operates on Android 13. That unit, however, is $250, with an original price tag of $300, which is a pretty large price gap between it and the Mini. Considering the range of games the Mini is limited to, overheating shouldn't be an issue, but long sessions might drain the battery faster as the device begins to warm up.
- 5.5-inch IPS display with a 720×1280 resolution
- RK3562 Cortex-A53 quad-core processor (up to 2.0GHz)
- Mali-G52 2EE GPU
- 2GB of RAM
- 4GB Internal Storage, up to 512 GB expandable storage with an SD card
- 2.4GHz + 5GHz dual-band Wi-fi
While for some this will tell you everything you need to know, for others, it basically comes down to this: the RG52 is a decent little device, especially for its price point. It can handle the vast majority of games up through the fifth generation, as well as some from the sixth—specifically the SEGA Dreamcast. It can also play handheld titles with little issue, including some of the more demanding PSP titles. This was surprising to me, as specific PSP titles are known to be difficult to run using PPSSPP, but the testing I did proved they had little to no issues. Of course, settings still need to be adjusted to make each title run "perfectly," but that is what PPSSPP's built-in "per-game" configuration option is for.
Thanks to this, the RG52 really can serve as a great PSP alternative—something that has been noted time and time again on the store page—though it obviously isn't the only platform it can handle.
On another note, the device's box states it has "Rocker Dazzle Ambient Lighting" while also listing "Ambient Lighting" separately as a feature. This repetitive and awkward marketing gives the impression that the device has little to offer, but it is actually referring to the lighting around the analog sticks. And quite frankly, they're right! It is "Rocker Dazzle." In fact, I kept it off while playing simply because it was so distracting, especially in a dimly lit room! I know I'm nitpicking the box here, but if AISLPC wants to come off as professional, they should rethink how they present their products. Though I do appreciate being able to change the lights' colors—that is a nice touch.
TV Play:
The final main feature of the RG52 Mini is, in fact, the ability to connect to a TV and use it as a "retro console" of sorts. This requires the use of a USB-C to HDMI cable, which is thankfully quite cheap, as well as a controller. Sadly, this device does not support Bluetooth, but Bluetooth adapters are available. From my limited testing, the TV connection works quite well, and using your own controller completely eliminates my previous nitpicks with the physical hardware. Paired with the second UI option, the device is much more enjoyable to use, though this setup does require additional purchases.
Should you buy it?
I know I’ve been quite critical of the device, but that doesn’t mean I didn’t like it—in fact, I actually find it quite charming. Yes, it has flaws, and plenty of room for improvement because of them, but it does exactly what it was advertised to do. It is a device that can serve as a PSP replacement while also handling most games from prior generations. It isn’t as “out of the box” ready as it leads you to believe, but once you take the time to reconfigure things, it offers a much better experience. Yes, the buttons themselves could also be better, but they are serviceable, and the device is light to hold and feels great in your hands. It honestly isn’t a bad device, and the more I used it, the more it grew on me. However, the real issue comes down to its price point and the other devices available on the market.
As a budget model, many of its shortcomings are to be expected, and $110 isn’t a bad deal considering everything it can do. On the other hand, those looking to purchase their first retro handheld should also be aware that other, much stronger models are available for a similar price. My first Retroid Pocket was $130, used Android, allowed me to remote play my PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox without issue, and gave me access to Game Pass, Amazon Luna, and other cloud services. It could also handle more demanding games and had access to all of the titles available on Google Play. It was a much bigger bang for your buck, and other companies still offer something similar even in today’s market. That said, I strongly recommend that those interested fully do their research before settling on a device and decide which one suits their needs best. If the AISLPC RG52 is still your choice, however, you’re not going to be disappointed.
Overall, the AISLPC RG52 Mini is a novel little device that does the job it was assigned. It is a lightweight handheld that can be a great way to experience generally inaccessible games from days gone by, and can even serve as a gateway to fan translations of titles that never made it to the West. It isn’t perfect, and players should always acquire their own legal copies of games they play with it, but it can offer countless hours of fun. Just do your research before deciding to go this route, as even most modern phones can accomplish what the RG52 has to offer.
If you’d like to purchase the RG52 for yourself, you can do so via the store page.
VERDICT: Maybe
Review Unit was Provided
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