If you have been missing that CRT gaming experience we might have the right handheld for you.
There have been a lot of different takes on the R36S open source Handheld Emulator the last couple of years, but this one is a first. I can honestly say in all the variations of the R36S that I never thought I would see a company attempt the CRT experience with more than just shaders.
There is something uniquely cool about the R36T. Somehow with a combination of the curved glass and shaders it’s gives you the feel of playing on a CRT TV. I’ve played with it for over 30 hours and still don’t know if what I’m seeing is real or a placebo. Either way this CRT fits in your pocket.
Finding Firmware
Most everything else about the R36T is similar to the R36S. The other somewhat puzzling change is the use of a single SD card instead of two. It’s not often we see an RK3326 SOC that’s not running separate cards for the OS and Game Library.
This isn’t a deal breaker for me. In fact I normally prefer only having a single SD card because it eliminates something else that could go wrong in the system chain. This does however create a somewhat unique problem for a handheld in this line.
Currently there isn’t any offerings for CFW (custom firmware) that doesn’t attempts to separate your OS from your ROMs. There are many that will allow single card operation however so that’s where my testing to find a custom OS is beginning.
The last problem with CFW is the display. There are 4 or 5 displays used amongst R36 devices and it’s often a guessing game on CFW versions until you find one that works. The R36T is obviously equipped with a screen that is unique to this handheld and likely will have compromises needed to work with any of the current CFW versions.
Worth it?
I think when looking to purchase or pass there are a couple variables needed to be decided before pulling the trigger. These variables are visuals and power.
If getting as close to the visual experience you had on older NES, SNES, Genesis, NeoGeo, MAME, etc is important to you, than the R36T definitely is a step in the right direction. As stated previously I’ve not seen another handheld with this take on a display, that was successful anyways.
Then we come to power. Technically the majority of console systems that were available to play on a CRT TV are represented with the RK3326 SOC in the R36T, but this is an older tired chipset.
There have been so many innovations in this space since the RK3326 released that I’m no longer convinced a handheld that reliably plays through PS1 and dabbles in N64 & GameCube is worth it anymore. The cost of handhelds with much more powerful chips are falling near the same price range.
If you ask me directly I’ll tell you why I love this handheld, because I do. I wish it was more powerful but I find the CRT effect so unique that I forget about that. There are a dozen or more home consoles you can play on the R36T plus the addition of generational handhelds that you’ll never not have something new to play.
Value wise be prepared for the R36T to come in more expensive than the R36S. Outside of it being unique this is common when we see new updates to this device. With the R36S being the Budget King the last couple years, that hasn’t included the plethora of handhelds separate from the main line.
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I’m really glad to see companies continue to innovate in this space. I’m also grateful to be in a position where I get to test this fun new technology.
If you want to pickup the R36T checkout the button link below:
What do you think of the R36T? Is this a handheld you are going to add to your collection?
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