HardKernel Odroid Go Advance - Black Edition

The HardKernel Odroid Go Advance - Black Edition is a horizontal retro handheld released in 2020 and a revised take on the original Odroid Go Advance. HardKernel added L2 and R2 shoulder buttons, swapped the barrel charging connector for USB-C and built in WiFi, while keeping the affordable, DIY-friendly spirit, with a reference price of around $59.

Inside is the Rockchip RK3326 SoC, with four Cortex-A35 cores clocked from 1.3 to 1.5 GHz, a Mali-G31 MP2 GPU at 650 MHz and 1 GB of DDR3 RAM. That is enough for everything from Atari, NES, Game Boy, Mega Drive and SNES (including FX titles) up to 3D PlayStation games at 60 FPS. 2D PSP titles are mostly playable, while 3D PSP games need frameskip; Nintendo 64 and Dreamcast are mostly playable for the easier-to-emulate games. The library also covers Neo Geo, MAME, Final Burn Neo, ScummVM, MS-DOS, Pico-8 and much more.

The 3.5-inch TFT display offers a 480 x 320 (HVGA) resolution, a 3:2 aspect ratio, a 60 Hz refresh rate and roughly 165 ppi, behind a plastic lens. It is not the most vivid panel, but viewing angles are good and the resolution suits low-resolution retro content well.

Controls follow a classic layout: a cross D-pad on top, a single analog stick below it, four face buttons, four horizontal shoulder buttons (L1, R1, L2, R2) and six function buttons F1–F6, plus a power button. There is no rumble. At 155 x 72 x 20 mm and 170 g, the handheld is light and easy to carry.

The 3000 mAh battery charges over USB-C. Connectivity includes built-in WiFi, a USB-A host port, a 10-pin port, a 3.5 mm headphone jack and a front-facing mono speaker. The system and games live on a microSD card, while volume and brightness are adjusted through button combinations.

On the software side, the device runs Linux, with Ubuntu and RetroArena among the supported operating systems. Its open, DIY-oriented nature makes it a favourite for tinkerers who like to flash custom images and fine-tune their setup.

Ideal for: budget-minded retro fans who want solid emulation up to PS1, DIY enthusiasts who enjoy custom Linux firmware, and anyone looking for a light, inexpensive handheld with WiFi and USB-C.