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expiredRevOne | Staff posted Aug 12, 2025 03:46 PM
expiredRevOne | Staff posted Aug 12, 2025 03:46 PM

R36S Retro Game Emulation Handheld Console

+ Free Shipping

$25

$35

28% off
AliExpress
49 Comments 27,232 Views
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Deal Details
BOYHOM Local Store via AliExpress has R36S Retro Game Emulation Handheld Console for $30.45 - $6 w/ promo code AEUS06 applied at checkout = $24.45. Shipping is free.

Note: Ships from within the U.S. Price may fluctuate slightly due to currency conversion. If it says it cannot ship to your location, please make sure you have the correct address added in your profile. You need to manually type in the promo code for it to apply at checkout.

Thanks to Deal Editor RevOne for finding this deal.

Specs:
  • 3.5" 640x480 IPS screen (4:3 aspect ratio)
  • Rockchip RK3326 chipset
  • 1GB RAM
  • Dual micro SD card slots (w/ 1x 64GB card included)
  • Dual USB-C ports
  • Dual joysticks
  • 3.5mm headphone jack
  • Battery: 3200mAh (R36S) or 3000mAh (R36H)
  • Linux operating system (ArkOS)
  • No built-in Bluetooth / Wi-Fi
  • Can emulative most titles up to SNES, SEGA Genesis, PS1and Game Boy Advance reliably well.

Editor's Notes

Written by powerfuldoppler | Staff
  • About this deal:
    • Please see original post for additional details & give the WIKI and additional forum comments a read for helpful discussion.
    • Refer to AliExpress's Return Policy here.

Original Post

Written by RevOne | Staff
Community Notes
About the Poster
Deal Details
Community Notes
About the Poster
BOYHOM Local Store via AliExpress has R36S Retro Game Emulation Handheld Console for $30.45 - $6 w/ promo code AEUS06 applied at checkout = $24.45. Shipping is free.

Note: Ships from within the U.S. Price may fluctuate slightly due to currency conversion. If it says it cannot ship to your location, please make sure you have the correct address added in your profile. You need to manually type in the promo code for it to apply at checkout.

Thanks to Deal Editor RevOne for finding this deal.

Specs:
  • 3.5" 640x480 IPS screen (4:3 aspect ratio)
  • Rockchip RK3326 chipset
  • 1GB RAM
  • Dual micro SD card slots (w/ 1x 64GB card included)
  • Dual USB-C ports
  • Dual joysticks
  • 3.5mm headphone jack
  • Battery: 3200mAh (R36S) or 3000mAh (R36H)
  • Linux operating system (ArkOS)
  • No built-in Bluetooth / Wi-Fi
  • Can emulative most titles up to SNES, SEGA Genesis, PS1and Game Boy Advance reliably well.

Editor's Notes

Written by powerfuldoppler | Staff
  • About this deal:
    • Please see original post for additional details & give the WIKI and additional forum comments a read for helpful discussion.
    • Refer to AliExpress's Return Policy here.

Original Post

Written by RevOne | Staff

Community Voting

Deal Score
+25
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Top Comments

WooHoo2You
8844 Posts
1827 Reputation
Like VegaTheChosen suggested, throwing a new OS is as simple as flashing an image to a new SD card, then swapping cards. You could even install a new OS (on the SD card) before the handheld ever arrived and change OS's within seconds (as fast as you can install an SD card) the moment you take the new unit out of the box...before ever powering it on. The SD card is functionally your device's 'hard drive.' The only real consideration is you just need to make sure the OS is compatible with the target device.

P.S. Even with the Miyoo, many people ditch the stock OS within seconds of unboxing them.
VegaTheChosen
1057 Posts
92 Reputation
This is misleading as you can put a whole new OS on these fairly easy. And most people trash the SD card and replace it with a new one, which you could load a new OS on.

48 Comments

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Pro
Aug 15, 2025 04:53 AM
2,836 Posts
Joined Jan 2007
bonuscow
Pro
Aug 15, 2025 04:53 AM
2,836 Posts
anyone want my R35. i hate the form factor but also the battery is now being wonky.
Aug 15, 2025 12:17 PM
1,035 Posts
Joined Nov 2017
SDJP2020Aug 15, 2025 12:17 PM
1,035 Posts
This is a good entry level device, and the screen is actually amazing and better than the Smart Pro/PKX55 in terms of how colorful and vibrant it is (panel 4). The downside is the d-pad and buttons. The d-pad is alright, but it's a little fatiguing and has slightly sharp diagonals.

The buttons also work, but they feel "linear" like a keyboard in that there is some travel when pushing them down before they actuate. If you can live with those control flaws, this is an amazing machine for the money. Just install ArkOS, get a few roms on here, and you're good to go. Alternatively, the BatleXP G350 is a more premium version of this and generally regarded as better, but also a bit more expensive.
Aug 15, 2025 12:58 PM
2,793 Posts
Joined Jun 2005
slugbugAug 15, 2025 12:58 PM
2,793 Posts
What's the battery life on this, playing old MAME games like dig dug, pac man, etc.?
Aug 16, 2025 05:18 AM
1,393 Posts
Joined Sep 2008
ColoradoFoxtrotAug 16, 2025 05:18 AM
1,393 Posts
Quote from WooHoo2You :
Like VegaTheChosen suggested, throwing a new OS is as simple as flashing an image to a new SD card, then swapping cards. You could even install a new OS (on the SD card) before the handheld ever arrived and change OS's within seconds (as fast as you can install an SD card) the moment you take the new unit out of the box...before ever powering it on. The SD card is functionally your device's 'hard drive.' The only real consideration is you just need to make sure the OS is compatible with the target device. P.S. Even with the Miyoo, many people ditch the stock OS within seconds of unboxing them.
What about the game ROMs? Do you have to go find those? Any pointers on that? Or the flashing tool?
Aug 16, 2025 02:32 PM
8,844 Posts
Joined Mar 2018
WooHoo2YouAug 16, 2025 02:32 PM
8,844 Posts
Quote from ColoradoFoxtrot :
What about the game ROMs? Do you have to go find those? Any pointers on that? Or the flashing tool?
ROM's aren't hard to source but due to the fact they can be a legal gray area I probably shouldn't provide links. Archive.org is a good website that has 'megapacks.' You need a login to download but that is free. Also a simple search of 'rom megapack' (perhaps add the system name, for example 'SNES'), you'll figure it out pretty quick for other websites. Random ROM sites can be decent but others will try to trick you into download not so nice programs, so be careful.

Not sure what you mean by the "tool" though. Unless you are trying to replace the handheld's OS (which is generally 'flashed' to the SD card), you shouldn't need anything tool add roms or get the handheld going, just drag ROM into their respective folders and the stock OS should see them (some handhelds have a 'sync' or scan function to update their directories after adding / removing files). Note, some of the ROM folders can be named oddly, like FC for NES, MD for Sega Genesis (short for Famicom and Megadrive).
Aug 16, 2025 06:45 PM
548 Posts
Joined Nov 2022
NumberNineLargeAug 16, 2025 06:45 PM
548 Posts
I think better investment is to just buy a clamp on controller for your android phone. Play store has up to date emulators and your phone has way better specs and is much more secure. The clamp on controllers can also generally be used on their own with other devices like say your laptop when you arrive on vacation.
1
Aug 17, 2025 12:40 AM
13 Posts
Joined May 2017
boofbatchAug 17, 2025 12:40 AM
13 Posts
Quote from bonuscow :
anyone want my R35. i hate the form factor but also the battery is now being wonky.
Let me try it out

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Aug 17, 2025 03:02 AM
1,393 Posts
Joined Sep 2008
ColoradoFoxtrotAug 17, 2025 03:02 AM
1,393 Posts
Quote from WooHoo2You :
ROM's aren't hard to source but due to the fact they can be a legal gray area I probably shouldn't provide links. Archive.org is a good website that has 'megapacks.' You need a login to download but that is free. Also a simple search of 'rom megapack' (perhaps add the system name, for example 'SNES'), you'll figure it out pretty quick for other websites. Random ROM sites can be decent but others will try to trick you into download not so nice programs, so be careful.

Not sure what you mean by the "tool" though. Unless you are trying to replace the handheld's OS (which is generally 'flashed' to the SD card), you shouldn't need anything tool add roms or get the handheld going, just drag ROM into their respective folders and the stock OS should see them (some handhelds have a 'sync' or scan function to update their directories after adding / removing files). Note, some of the ROM folders can be named oddly, like FC for NES, MD for Sega Genesis (short for Famicom and Megadrive).
What do you use to set up the SD card? Back when I did tech support, we had a tool to format a bootable USB. That's what I was talking about with the tool to say up the new card
Aug 17, 2025 07:19 AM
888 Posts
Joined Feb 2010
sman789Aug 17, 2025 07:19 AM
888 Posts
What's a good handheld if I'd like to play psp roms?
Aug 17, 2025 01:44 PM
8,844 Posts
Joined Mar 2018
WooHoo2YouAug 17, 2025 01:44 PM
8,844 Posts
Quote from ColoradoFoxtrot :
What do you use to set up the SD card? Back when I did tech support, we had a tool to format a bootable USB. That's what I was talking about with the tool to say up the new card
You shouldn't need a tool to format the SD card, you might need a dongle if your PC doesn't have a micro SD card slot. Perhaps an adapter (full size to micro) SD adapter if your PC / or dongle doesn't do MicroSD. Once connecting to your PC, the formatting is a single as right clicking on the drive and selecting "FORMAT." You then need to pick the right file type which can depend on the device. NOTE: FORMATING ERASES EVERYTHING ON THE DRIVE!!!
The device in this listing should come ready to roll with games. If you wanted to add new games you'd just take the SD card out of the handheld, interface the card with your PC, then drag / drop ROM's into the correct game folder. No formatting needed as the card is already prepared and in use. (some people suggest throwing away the included SD card and buying your own of known quality but I personally think that is overkill for most people.
This video might be helpful for you:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WVKV0j_Agvs
Aug 18, 2025 01:52 AM
16 Posts
Joined Jul 2015
anthonytran3Aug 18, 2025 01:52 AM
16 Posts
Just ordered. 27.35$ total. Not bad. Thanks OP!
Aug 18, 2025 06:01 AM
537 Posts
Joined Mar 2016
DiisturbanceAug 18, 2025 06:01 AM
537 Posts
Quote from RevOne :
No problem!I don't have any hands-on experience with the R36XX, but it looks like it has the same RK3326 chipset as both the R36S and H, so I'd expect the same performance (i.e. also less that the Mini Zero 28).Seems like the R36XX may just be a slight upgrade to the R36S that includes built-in Wi-Fi if someone would be interested in having that feature Smilie
What do you recommend for a horizontal handheld around this budget friendly and equally powerful as this one.
Aug 18, 2025 06:06 AM
537 Posts
Joined Mar 2016
DiisturbanceAug 18, 2025 06:06 AM
537 Posts
Quote from WooHoo2You :
Like VegaTheChosen suggested, throwing a new OS is as simple as flashing an image to a new SD card, then swapping cards. You could even install a new OS (on the SD card) before the handheld ever arrived and change OS's within seconds (as fast as you can install an SD card) the moment you take the new unit out of the box...before ever powering it on. The SD card is functionally your device's 'hard drive.' The only real consideration is you just need to make sure the OS is compatible with the target device. P.S. Even with the Miyoo, many people ditch the stock OS within seconds of unboxing them.
What OS do yall recommend and what game package do you get with emulators? I would appreciate the guidance.
Aug 18, 2025 02:20 PM
577 Posts
Joined Jan 2005
skrilla101Aug 18, 2025 02:20 PM
577 Posts
can you run android games on this? like stardew valley android version, ninja turtles shredders revenge? seems like you might have to replace the OS to do that, anyone with experience with that?

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Aug 18, 2025 02:36 PM
8,844 Posts
Joined Mar 2018
WooHoo2YouAug 18, 2025 02:36 PM
8,844 Posts
Quote from Diisturbance :
What OS do yall recommend and what game package do you get with emulators? I would appreciate the guidance.
OS: whatever it comes with...because I'm lazy!

Game package? Not sure what you mean. You mean like ROM collections? I just kinda made my own or downloaded some of the 'megapacks' and deleted the games I didn't want (takes a little time but to me is far easier than scrolling through 1000 games everytime I browse the NES folder). Also, I haven't downloaded it yet but someone recommended me the "Tiny Best Set GO" set. They have a 64Gb, 128GB, and 256 GB "curated" collections to fit on standard sized SD cards and I believe accounting for the room needed for the standard OS install. I also think they are geared for lower-mid powered devices like this. Not heavy in PS2, Gamecube, or games that can only be emulated on high end devices.

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