Retroid Pocket 5 Review: I Sold My ODIN 2 For This

I'm an old gamer. (I'm a little over a year shy of 60.) I have fond memories of my first console - Super Pong.
I'm in IT and I've been a gamer for life. I started exploring console emulation in the '90s. I built my own M.A.M.E. arcade cabinet around 2005. I hacked my original Xbox back then to play emulators and I've done the same for my PS2, Wii, PSP, NDS, and 3DS. But a couple years ago I started to get interested in handheld systems for emulation. Though I love the old classics, I was a HUGE PS2 fan. I have over 200 PS2 titles. I really love that system. So the thought of being able to play some of those classics on the go and to have them upscaled?!?! On a 1080p AMOLED screen?!?! I was sold. I wanted something small and portable. The Steamdeck seems awesome, but it's just too big. The RP5 has the balance of power and performance with size and portability. Is it the be all end all? No. But it will suit my needs for a few years until something comes out that is similarly portable that allows me to play Xbox, Xbox 360, and PS3 games. In the meantime, I have thousands of games to keep me busy so I'll be fine. Heck, I've been amazed how much I enjoy using the original Gameboy emulator to play Tetris on this thing. Oh, and the marvelous Genesis and TG16 shmups! (We called them "shooters" back in the day, but the FPS genre seems to have taken over that title.) There is so much fun to be had!

no way in Heck I'd sell my Odin 2 for an RP5

I took the RP5 exactly for the same reasons, a retro handheld powerful enough to move without problems Ps2, GC and Wii (and below that) but portable enough for travelling, I have Steam Deck, that is much more powerful and it has way better emulation, but it's too big to be a portable device, I was considering the Odin 2, but again the size and the price are a deal breaker to me, Im so happy with this RP5, it's even better than I expected.

I have both and I would never sell my Odin 2 for this the Odin is way better.

The RP5 has the best standby battery I've ever seen. It just doesn't seem to lose anything overnight or even for a few days at a time.

Solid vid, it came up as recommended on my youtube feed. I love my RP5 two weeks in I'm happier with this purchase than anything I've bought in a while. It was the size-to-power combo that got me.

I have a GKD pixel and a steamdeck, so this device was the middle ground for me. It does more than a pixel while the steamdeck for me stays in the house. RP5 is perfect for travel and i cant wait to take it with me internationally soon!

I was playing my modded PSP and it's sooooo close to being a portable PS2.
This device can be that and also play EVERYTHING ELSE I could want to play from that era.
I got the White model and bought the extra hardware in all black.

I have both. Can’t imagine selling my Odin 2 until the 3 comes out

I love my RP5 Black model. It feels like a hack, with the bezels disappearing

What you said at 1:49 has pretty much been my experience as well! I couldn’t believe Retroid produced a device like this within its price point.
I usually will film my reviews over a course of a week. For a period of time I ended up just playing the device, until finally finishing the video. It’s definitely one of my favorite devices to date! I have an Odin 2 portal coming as well. I will admit, I definitely miss the performance of the snapdragon 8 gen 2 compared to the 865 in the RP5. I definitely find myself having to mess around with the settings a bit more when it comes to PS2 emulation on this device.

I push my odin 2 to its limits, I can't imagine enjoying a downgrade in performance

Great review

Oled screen ps2 performance and price
That why I put trigger 😅

In terms of the left analog stock, I got a couple of cheap grips and the problem is solved. It's a great handheld and does everything I've wanted

Sell this for odin 2 portal? 🤔

whats the rom you're playing @5:31?

...kinda wish people would stop calling these devices an "emulator". The device runs emulators. And you can tell it affects newcomers to this space as they are totally confused when trying to understand what all these terms mean in trying to create their own setups.

I'm thinking about selling my odin 2 for the much improved odin 2 portal. No performance upgrades but the screen is amazing. I don't like the glass front face though, very finger print magnet.

I've got one on the way! I have an RG353V and a Miyoo Mini Plus. I wanted something to play 6th gen (especially PS2, GC, Sega Saturn) on-the-go without breaking the bank. The next one I was considering was the Odin Portal 2, it's just too expensive and I'd rather leave anything 7th gen and over to my PC/home consoles.

yo great your video you gain a like and a new subscriber. I almost sold my rp5 for an odin 2 luckily I saw your video I'm going to keep my rp5 I love this console so much (and I would like to know what pokemon games you play in the video I don't know this version)

How paper mario gc run ?

it is not true.
ps2 games such as sly2, xenosaga 3 got slowdown using snapdragon 865
but it runs okay under 8 gen 2.
winlator, switch emulator will definitely needs 8 gen 2 power to run properly. therefore the extra processing power is important. that why buy odin 2 portal as it is worth investing for oled , 7 inches and most important the impressive 8 gen 2 power.

can you play 3ds games like pokemon X

Luv my RP5!!

Well, my friend,
I am a AYN ODIN 2 Pro (All Black Edition) owner...
And I do like the RP-5... but I could pick one up because It's an "All In One" Android Gaming Handheld with the Snapdragon chip 865 which I am still Rocking in my Samsung TAB-S7 11inch screen. Like I mentioned in other RUclips channels comment section before the release of the RP-5... That is depend on how RetroiD implyied their optimization Android skin software with the 865 chip.
With RP-5, You still win, with decision..
How, there are certain benefits AO-2 PRO wins due to more powerful chip and ram + graphics + storage options...
In the end we all winners...
🙃🤣🧐🤓😎🥸🤯
Happy Gaming EveryonE

Don't like the left stick position, enough to stop my purchasing, I ordered the AYN portal instead.

l have ayn odin 2 base version with 8gb ram, and i never sold for RP5. RP5 have a nice design, looks really comfortable RP5 and therefore i want to buy it, but RP5 is not a beast for now. This is my opinion☺

odin 2 wont stand out to people who play parallel analogs , i go from a 5kill type guy on xbox layout to 16+kills with ps layout , it matters and not enough handhelds have parallel sticks *personal opionion*

The extra power is great for upscaling all games and for playing switch and other higher end systems. Would take the ODIN 2 over this all day.

That the Retroid 5 it's a good handled, the Amoled screen it's amazing and that it has performance, I agree. On the rest I don't.
For starters, if you want to review handhelds, you must not confuse what is an handheld. You said that the Odin 2 and a machine like the Rog Ally X are not handhelds, confusing form factor with portability. They are called handhelds because you can play holding them in your hands, not because they fit in your pocket. And the Retroid 5 it's not that pocketable has we could see in the video. It filled up the pocket completely, with the triggers obviously bullging and most certainly with the joysticks being pressed down against the leg.
Secondly, the Odin 2 IT'S NOT OVERPOWERED. Both the devices, the Retroid 5 and the Odin 2 are powerful, but the Retroid looses to the Odin for a very simple factor, the fact that the performance it's restrained solely by the capabilities of THE EMULATORS.
it's not true that the Retroid can run the same games that the Odin 2 can. The scope of games that the Odin 2 can run it's far more vast, running a lot more Windows and Playstation 3 games.
Both emulators, for Windows and PS3 are in constant development, and the more they develop, more the power of the Odin will make the difference to the Retroid 5, leaving it behind..
Even though the development of the RPCS3 for android has stopped, it will be a matter of time for someone to pick up the project and give it continuity, once that even PS4 emulation it's on the works.
So, ultimately, with the Retroid 5 your're merely trading performance for an Oled screen, and that too has already been addressed by Ayn with the Odin 2 Portal.
The Portal it's not that portable, being almost the size of the Rog Ally X, but so it's not the Odin 2 and both share the same specs. That means that those who still don't have the Odin ( because if they do have the Odin 2, I don't think it's worth it the upgrade for the Portal) or the Retroid 5, have a very good choice on the Portal over the Retroid 5, with much more performance and a Oled screen bigger than the Retroid 5, provided that they can afford the price, once even if the cost of the Retroid makes a big difference to the Odin 2 Portal, the price difference between the Odin 2 and the Portal it's not that much, motive for which I'm willing to bet that the Odin 2 sales must have decreased since the Portal launched.
And all this considering how amazing it is that Ayn is offering an amazing product with the specs of a flagship cellphone for the price they're doing.
So, not only the Odin doesn't have to move over has it sill is king on the android emulation handheld devices world.

Wish I could buy this without all the expensive import/shipping fees :( If I ordered one it would cost me about 90$ extra in fees, which makes it quite expensive for me. Ah well :D

Sold the GOAT for a plastic toy with an gpu and cpu from 2019?
Ok...fail of the Decade hahaha