Retroid Pocket 5 Setup Guide (and Mini!)
Retroid Pocket 5 Setup Guide (and Mini!)
Finally, in late 2024, two of the year's most interesting handhelds appeared. With some rather remarkable improvements over the Retroid Pocket 4 series, the Retroid Pocket 5 and Pocket Mini were released with great fanfare.
This setup tutorial can help if your new handheld has just arrived and you're unsure where to begin.
Differences Between the Retroid Pocket 5 and Mini
We can help if you want a new handheld but haven't decided between the Retroid Pocket 5 and Mini. Although they have the same Snapdragon 865 chipset and run Android, these handhelds differ in a few significant ways that make them unique.
Retroid Pocket 5
- Screen: 5.5-inch AMOLED
- CPU: Snapdragon 865
- GPU: Adreno 650
- RAM: 8GB LPDDR4X
- Storage: 128GB + microSD
- Battery: 5,000mAh
- Connectivity: Wi-Fi 6 / Bluetooth 5.1
- Triggers: Analog L2/R2
- Joysticks: 3D Hall Sticks
- Colors: GC, 16Bit, Black, White
- Price: $219
Retroid Pocket Mini
- Screen: 3.7-inch AMOLED
- CPU: Snapdragon 865
- GPU: Adreno 650
- RAM: 6GB LPDDR4X
- Storage: 128GB + microSD
- Battery: 4,000mAh
- Connectivity: Wi-Fi 6 / Bluetooth 5.1
- Triggers: Analog L2/R2
- Joysticks: 3D Hall Sticks
- Colors: Saturn, Orange, Black, SFC, 16-bit
- Price: $199
Recommended Accessories
Purchasing a new handheld device is only half the fun; you also need to set it up with accessories, such as a dock and a microSD card.
Retroid DIY
Retroid focuses on customizing handhelds with the Pocket 5 and Pocket Mini. Retroid is providing new parts; we are not discussing the software here. This is fantastic because it allows you to customize the look and feel of your Pocket 5 or Mini.
- Retroid Pocket 5
- Clear Backplate
- ABXY Buttons
- D-pad
- Full Set Buttons
- Hall Joystick
- Retroid Pocket Mini
- ABXY Buttons
- D-pad
- Full Set Buttons
- Hall Joystick
microSD Cards
- Micro Center MicroSDXC (16GB – 2565GB)
- SanDisk Ultra (32GB – 1.5TB)
- Samsung PRO Plus (512GB)
- Silicon Power Superior (1TB)
- SanDisk Extreme (1TB)
SD Card Readers
- UGREEN 2-in-1 SD Card Reader
- Anker PowerExpand+ 2-in-1
- uni USB-C SD 4.0 Card Reader
Build Your Emulation Library
The next step you should take after acquiring all the accessories you need is to organize your game collection. Depending on the systems you wish to play with, this also entails having any BIOS files available.
If you're unfamiliar with ROMs and BIOS files, you must find them yourself. Any other queries should be answered with a short Google search. In light of this, we have included the suggested BIOS files for every machine.
BIOS Files
- 3DS
- aes_keys.txt
- DS / DSi
- bios7.bin
- bios9.bin
- firmware.bin
- dsi_bios7.bin
- dsi_bios9.bin
- dsi_firmware.bin
- dsi_nand.bin
- Game Boy (Optional)
- gb_bios.bin
- Game Boy Advance (Optional)
- gba_bios.bin
- Game Boy Color (Optional)
- gbc_bios.bin
- Switch
- prod. keys
- title.keys
- Wii U
- keys.txt
- Sega CD
- bios_CD_E.bin
- bios_CD_J.bin
- bios_CD_U.bin
- Dreamcast
- dc_boot.bin
- dc_flash.bin
- naomi_boot.bin
- Saturn
- Kronos
- saturn_bios.bin
- Beetle Saturn
- sega_101.bin
- mpr-17933.bin
- PS1
- scph5501.bin
- PS2
- scph-70012.bin
- scph-70012.MEC
- scph-70012.NVM
- scph-70012_BIOS_V12_USA_200.BIN
- PSP
- PSVUPDAT.PUP
- PSP2UPDAT.PUP
- PS Vita
- ppsspp.zip
Recommended Apps
Android's capabilities allow you to choose from various apps to enhance the overall experience. We have some suggestions if you're unsure where to begin with your Pocket 5 or Mini.
Obtainium
I have always installed this Android app since it became a fast mainstay. If the apps aren't installed from the Play Store, Obtainium eliminates the hassle of maintaining their updates.
Obtainium functions like an App Store because GitHub offers many programs and emulators for download. You can import lists of apps and search for apps to install, eliminating another possible hassle.
- Obtainium
- RJNY Obtainium Emulation Pack
- Crowdsourced App Configurations for Obtainium
Frontends
The regular launcher isn't made for gaming handhelds, even though having Android on the Retroid Pocket 5 and Pocket Mini is fantastic. With the Pocket 5 and Mini, Retroid debuted a new launcher, but you might also want to look into a few other possibilities.
- ES-DE for Android
- Daijisho
- Console Launcher
- LaunchBox
- Beacon Game Launcher
- Plain Launcher
- Pegasus
- ARC Browser
- RESET Collection
Recommended Emulators
You don't want to play just those games, even though the Play Store is a tap away. But with so many emulators available, you may be unsure which ones you require. Here is a list of emulators for the Retroid Pocket 5 and Pocket Mini that we suggest utilizing.
- RetroArch
- DraStic (DS)
- MelonDS (Nightly) (DS)
- Lime3DS (3DS)
- CitraEnhanced (3DS)
- M64Plus FZ Emulator (N64)
- Yaba Sanshiro 2 (Saturn)
- Dolphin (GameCube / Wii)
- Cemu (Wii U)
- DuckStation (PS1)
- AetherSX2 / NetherSX2 (PS2)
- PPSSPP (PSP)
- Vita3K (PS Vita)
- Winlator (Windows)
Setting Up RetroArch
If you look through the list above and see any old systems missing, it's not because there aren't emulators available. It shouldn't be a massive surprise, given that we advise depending on RetroArch for those systems.
Yes, you may download the app and begin playing. However, RetroArch's fantastic range of customization choices is one of the reasons.
Recommended Cores
- NES
- Mesen
- FCEUmm
- SNES
- Snes9x
- bsnes
- Nintendo 64
- Mupen64Plus-Next
- Nintendo DS
- melonDS
- DeSmuME
- Game Boy & Game Boy Color
- Gambatte
- Game Boy Advance
- mGBA
- Sega Dreamcast
- Flycast
- Sega MS/GG/MD/CD
- Genesis Plus GX
- Sega Saturn
- YabaSanshiro
- Beetle Saturn
- Sony PlayStation
- Duckstation
- SwanStation
- PCSX ReARMed
- Sony PlayStation Portable
- PPSSPP
GPU Drivers
Playing old games from many different systems is fantastic because the emulation sector has advanced. Furthermore, we can manually install GPU drivers, which may resolve any performance problems you may be having.
If you're wondering which emulators allow you to install custom drivers, the list is rather short:
- Dolphin
- Citra (and Citra forks)
- Vita3K
- Skyline
- Strato
- Sudachi
- Suyu
- Winlator
- Yuzu (and Yuzu forks)
You must leave the downloaded file in its ZIP format because extracting its contents will prevent it from being installed. Launch your preferred emulator to install the Turnip drivers, navigate to the in-app settings, and follow the instructions.
Where's Android 13 for the Pocket Mini?
We were overjoyed when Retroid decided to take a different approach and release Android 13 for the Pocket 5 and Mini. Because of this, the Pocket 5's shipment was delayed, even though the Pocket Mini, running Android 10, is already widely available.
Retroid held off on releasing any significant improvements until it successfully released the Pocket 5. As a result, we anticipate the Pocket Mini will receive the Android 13 upgrade in the coming weeks.
Want to Install ROCKNIX or Batocera?
The Retroid Pocket 5 is the greatest Android handheld in the mid-range. It's a treat, especially with the stunning OLED screen and Snapdragon 865. However, shortly after its announcement, Retroid declared that ROCKNIX or Batocera could be played on the Pocket 5 and Mini.
This allows you to access even more features, including native support for PICO-8 or PortMaster. Additionally, thanks to Xemu, original Xbox games are supported.
We can help you, even though the installation procedure isn't the most straightforward. Team Retrogue has created a Linux installation guide for these newest devices; click the icon below and follow the instructions. If you're still unsure about running Linux on the Retroid Pocket Mini, read Ban's evaluation to understand better what to anticipate.
Conclusion
We are thrilled about the Retroid Pocket Mini and the Retroid Pocket 5, and I'm not sure about you. Retroid is, as we had hoped, establishing a new benchmark for powerful retro handhelds without having to shell out more cash for something like a ROG Ally or Steam Deck.