expired
BOYHOM R36S Retro Game Handheld (various)
$21
$40
47% off
+ Free S&Hat AliExpress
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+ Free S&Hat AliExpressDeal Details
BOYHOM Local Store via AliExpress has BOYHOM R36S Retro Game Handheld (various) on sale as listed below for $24.04 - $3 (apply promo code USDEAL3 or SSUS03 at checkout) = $21.04. Shipping is free.
Available:Specs:
- Note: Price may fluctuate slightly with currency exchange rates. You must be signed into your AliExpress account and have your address added to add items to your cart and place an order. You may have to manually type in the promo code to apply it at checkout. This item ships from a USA warehouse. For expedited customer service, please email [email protected].
Available:Specs:
- 3.5" 640x480 IPS non-touchscreen display (4:3 aspect ratio)
- Rockchip RK3326 Chipset
- 1GB RAM
- 2x micro SD card slots
- 2x USB-C ports
- Dual joysticks | 3.5mm headphone jack
- Single speaker (front-facing)
- 3500 mAh battery
- Linux-based operating system (ArkOS)
- Note: No built-in Wi-Fi / Bluetooth (can use a plug-in external Wi-Fi adapter via the USB-C port, if desired)
- Can emulate most retro systems/games up to PlayStation 1 and Game Boy Advance very well; plus a limited amount of Nintendo DS
Editor's Notes
Written by megakimcheelove | Staff- This offer is $3.46 lower (14% savings) than previous Front Page deal.
- Please see the original post for additional details & give the WIKI and additional forum comments a read for helpful discussion.
Community Notes
About the Poster
Deal Details
Community Notes
About the Poster
BOYHOM Local Store via AliExpress has BOYHOM R36S Retro Game Handheld (various) on sale as listed below for $24.04 - $3 (apply promo code USDEAL3 or SSUS03 at checkout) = $21.04. Shipping is free.
Available:Specs:
- Note: Price may fluctuate slightly with currency exchange rates. You must be signed into your AliExpress account and have your address added to add items to your cart and place an order. You may have to manually type in the promo code to apply it at checkout. This item ships from a USA warehouse. For expedited customer service, please email [email protected].
Available:Specs:
- 3.5" 640x480 IPS non-touchscreen display (4:3 aspect ratio)
- Rockchip RK3326 Chipset
- 1GB RAM
- 2x micro SD card slots
- 2x USB-C ports
- Dual joysticks | 3.5mm headphone jack
- Single speaker (front-facing)
- 3500 mAh battery
- Linux-based operating system (ArkOS)
- Note: No built-in Wi-Fi / Bluetooth (can use a plug-in external Wi-Fi adapter via the USB-C port, if desired)
- Can emulate most retro systems/games up to PlayStation 1 and Game Boy Advance very well; plus a limited amount of Nintendo DS
Editor's Notes
Written by megakimcheelove | Staff- This offer is $3.46 lower (14% savings) than previous Front Page deal.
- Please see the original post for additional details & give the WIKI and additional forum comments a read for helpful discussion.
Community Voting
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Community Reviews
The R36S is a budget retro handheld that stands out for packing a lot of games and decent playability for the price. It can come with thousands of ROMs, and adding your own games is straightforward once the folders are set up. The biggest recurring caution is the included microSD card, which is often described as unreliable and worth replacing or cloning right away. Charging also needs care, since low power USB A adapters are recommended and no charging brick is included. A solid low cost pick if you are willing to do a little setup.
Replacing the included storage with name-brand microSD cards can improve day-to-day reliability and reduce failures.
The handheld can run for over a year after setup, with ROM loading and menu refresh working as expected.
The device supports adding your own ROMs by placing files into the correct SD folders and refreshing the game list.
Using a low-powered USB-A adapter and charging through USB-C to USB-A can help avoid bricking or non-charging issues.
The included microSD card can fail quickly, including DOA cards and cards dying after writing ROM data.
Some included games may be the wrong language, which can reduce usefulness without curating your library.
Button membranes can clog or jam, which may require opening the device to nudge them back into place.
Applying a coupon can increase the checkout price, creating a pricing mismatch during purchase.
Common Questions (5)
AI-generated summary based on comments from the community. Updated ago
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31 Comments
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I keep one in my travel bag to have on hand at the airport or when flying
Some of the games may be not the correct language, but depending on the game it may not matter.
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Even not tinkering, you NEED to replace the cards on these. They are all bottom of the barrel.
I know memory is expensive, these have 2 card slots (OS and Games)
They come with one card, with the OS and all games on one. Simply clone it over to a healthy namebrand card.
Or move to a 2 card setup (easy to do)
Even if you have some old 16gb for the OS card and use another for games you're going to be fine.
I just set one up for my son, 16gb for OS and a 32gb for games (all I had) and came no where near filling it up.
Just remember, Quantity isn't quality. - these cards have tons of Duplicates and foreign language and pure shovelwear / junk games too to get their ridiculous 10k+ game claims. You want to curate the ones they include or Google for a 1G1R complete set (1game =1rom)
For tinkering folks...
Another note - most of these R36s have multiple variants on parts, as they are built from whatever is available to build the boards and screens. This only matters to you if you plan to change to another OS. You can watch some YT on how to figure out what revision board and screen you have to make sure you download the right OS edition to match.
also side note...
some of the buttons are clicky (especially the back triggers) so don't expect to play this in bed next to a sleeping partner or any other place where silence is valued. 😜
If you're worried about your CC use a burner number
1. the SD card is a ticking time bomb. Replace it immediately and clone the data.
2. the button membranes have a strange tendency to clog and jam. You have to open it to nudge it back into place. It got really annoying how often that happens.
It's good out of the box. Comes with a good amount of ROMs. You will need to tinker with it some to get it to stop annoying you. File that under "get what you paid for". But overall if you are willing to tinker some, it's a damn good bang for buck.
Not that using a charger above 2A is a fire hazard; it's just that the higher power chargers can potentially increase the risk of eventually bricking the R36S or often, not even charge the device at all. You'll also want to charge using a USB-C (inserted into the R36S) to USB-A cable (inserted into your 5W charging adapter). A USB-A to USB-C cable is included in the box.
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