After watching a few videos by Retro Game Corps, it looks like the RG DS has acceptable, perhaps good, performance with Rocknix, which is pretty cool! Similar experiences can be found when looking at other reviews online. I run Linux on the desktop, and I have successfully installed postmarketOS on a OnePlus 6 (not as a daily driver, but as a secondary device for music and games!), so I am comfortable with installing alternative operating systems.
I am looking at the RG DS since it looks to be a good dual-screen option, I would rather get a handheld that can do something my smartphone cannot.
I have a few other questions about the RG DS before I go ahead and purchase one though:
What kind of systems is the RG DS able to run with Rocknix? It looks like most DS games will work while 3DS games won’t fare all too well, but what about PSX, N64, and perhaps higher end systems like PS2 and GC?Is there any reason to dual boot the stock OS with Rocknix on an SD card, or is it better to simply install it on the internal storage (for faster data speeds)?And most importantly, which colour should I get? I personally like more colourful options, so I’m between the red/black dualtone and bluish colour. Is the blue closer to a teal, or is it a strong blue? I would prefer the former, since teal is objectively the best shade of blue, along with violet (normal blue is the worst colour of the six). How fingerprinty are both colour options? etc.
And yes, the Ayn Thor is the superior device, but it is far too expensive and I will not utilise its full power, so it’s not for me.
I am fine with the lack of RetroAchievement support on the RG DS w/ Drastic.
edit: Looks like it will be able to emulate PSX and under, and there is not a great performance loss when using the microSD card. Still a bit curious as to why you would keep the stock OS, maybe for warranty reasons?
My only question now is which colour to pick! Is the blue closer to a teal, or is it very blue? And how fingerprinty is it compared to the red/black dualtone colourway? The white is cool too, but I want some colour!
edit 2: I will be going with the turquoise colour, since everybody says it leans more towards the greener side and is closer to teal. Plus, it will be less fingerprinty than the red/black, which is nice.
Several people have already mentioned that the RG DS, with an alternate OS, is able to emulate DS and under, PSX, and some PSP, N64, and Dreamcast, but the hardware cannot emulate PS2 and GameCube well. That’s good to know!
Thanks everyone!
I just see it in a different way. I had an original DS as well as currently own a modded New 3DS XL. The entire line of the DS to me is just one console with improvements over the years. The 3D is a gimmick, otherwise it’s just a DS with different games. The DS line of console however is a very specific device and thus I wouldn’t compare it to traditional console generations. An emulation handheld designed like a DS is very much targeting a certain console (the DS lineup). I wouldn’t care if it emulated other portable consoles from Nintendo, or Xbox, or PS, Sega, etc. All those consoles could certainly fit your perspective and make perfect sense but the DS is very very specific and to make a recreation that can’t do the whole lineup is a disservice in my mind.
The 3DS (2011) was originally released around 7 years after the DS (2004) did! It was a pretty big generational leap, and the games are indeed more intensive than those on the DS. If you look at the specs between the two, it’s a pretty big jump.
The 3DS was much more powerful than the DS was, they are not very comparable. The difference isn’t just the 3D bits, the games are larger and more graphically intensive. The RG DS does DS well, if you want 3DS you need a higher end handheld like the Thor (or a used 3DS would also work)