R36S Pocket Games Console Review (Cheap + Great!)

R36S pocket games consoles and devices like it have been extremely popular over the last few years, but it is only recently that I really started taking notice and that is because the community have stepped up and taken the raw materials and made something truly brilliant.

If you opened this article just to find out if I thought it was good then there you go – I do!

But why do I like it so much?

And how does it compare with the alternatives?

What is the R36S?

The headline answer to what the R36S is (and why you should care) is that the R36S is a low-cost, compact, and fun handheld retro emulation console.

But unlike the absolute plethora of cheap emulation consoles on the usual online marketplaces, it is actually good and not just cheap.

I need to qualify what I mean by “good”, though, to set expectations of what my criteria are when looking these things.

What I Want in a Retro Games Machine

What inspired me to seriously look at this device is Christmas gift ideas. My brother regularly commutes to London so I thought about what would make his journey more fun and/or less inconvenient. He used to enjoy his PSP so I naturally thought about a portable games console.

When I was reminded of the positive buzz around the R36S and how inexpensive it could be bought for, I realized I could also give my friend and myself one too (why not!) for less than a single unit of some of the others. Low risk, high reward, and heck I get to write about it here.

That is not to say it is perfect, you can hardly expect super cheap without some limitations.

My gaming sweet spot ends well before the really powerful systems. In fact, for me “retro” pretty much ends with the PS1. I am much more likely to play 1980s and early 1990s 8/16-bit games, and I am certainly not a person who puts hours and hours into them. Think “pick up and play” games like Outrun or Metal Slug rather than hoping to play something from the PS3 era!

Even so, the system benefitted greatly from updating the OS to the latest version from the community, which I will write up in detail in another post to prevent this becoming too long.

The Benefits and Advantages of the R36S

The R36S is inexpensive compared to other options, that is for sure, but it is also a real convenient size, with a decent screen, good enough controls, and useful battery life.

There are a whole bunch of other, similar devices, but this being so popular and open means there is a huge community contributing to it.

Your console comes with an SD card stuffed full of games, most of which actually work! This means right out of the box you can get playing a classic.

R36S Specifications

• Rockchip RK3326 quad-core 1.5GHz processor
• 1GB of RAM
• 3.5-inch IPS screen
• Screen resolution 640×480
• Two SD card slots (I use slot 1 for the OS and slot 2 for the games/roms)
• Provided emulators (MAME, Megadrive, SNES, PS1, PSP, Dreamcast, GBA, etc)
• USB-C power and USB-C OTG
• Replaceable 2900-3200mAh rechargeable battery (enough for 6-8h gameplay apparently)
• Dual analog sticks, D-pad, ABXY buttons, L1/L2/R1/R2 shoulder buttons
• 3.5mm headphones socket

I purchased from this Aliexpress store because I was informed they sold “original” R36S units. There’s no way I could know for sure but as mentioned earlier mine did update to the latest OS release with no issues.

Do try to get a “legit” version as far as humanly possible because that will help with keeping the software updated and then you get maximum juice out of the hardware.

Understandable that companies would cash in on the name because it is so popular and open source, but they all can run the majority of what I would want to play apparently.

I bought the 128GB versions (in black), but considering the SD cards are by most accounts “back up and bin” quality, you can probably do better getting a lower capacity version then putting the savings towards a branded card.

How Does the R36S Compare to Alternatives?

So all-in-all, this is a portable game console that I could gift with a certain level of confidence.

While I am a huge fan of the Raspberry Pi, and the Pi5 especially has better specs (the R36S is approximately equivalent to a Raspberry Pi 3B), buying the components to match this is in a different league of expense and time.

It’s also a much more compact unit than, say, the SteamDeck (which I also love) for lugging around. You can fit this little guy in a sweater pocket or your bag, and I never fear damaging it or showing it in public, unlike my pricier systems.

You might think the Pi has an advantage in that it is based on, well, the Raspberry Pi. That is true to an extent, but the R36S is also a Linux based system so it is not quite as clear cut as you’d at first think.

R36S Review Conclusion

Recall that I initially looked at the R36S as a gift, and for that it is absolutely freaking perfect, but I also found I turn to this little guy often even though I have “better” options already.

It arrives ready to go, albeit with a slightly sketchy SD card, so it avoids that Christmas morning gift unwrap remorse when you have to wait before you can enjoy your new thing.

Why do I recommend the R36S?

• Low cost retro gaming handheld console
• Well supported by open source community
• Zero setup, just fire it up and start playing (comes with preinstalled emulators and lots of games)
• Good performance, especially for classic arcade, 8/16/32 bit systems
• Perfect everyday carry for when you want to fire up a quick game at the bus stop or on a break.