I collected a Retroid Pocket Classic (RPC) in the Classic 6 variant from the post office a month ago. The next day, I went on a business trip, took it with me, and played it a lot during my flights. I've enjoyed it at home and have been carrying it in my backpack daily since I came back. Many posts have already been written about it, but few focus purely on emulation of SEGA consoles, so at first I thought I would share my experience in case someone searches the internet for the RPC in the context of the Sega Genesis or Sega Saturn. I made a post on Reddit about the RPC a week after I got it, where I mostly compared it to the Anbernic ARC-S. At this point, I think the RPC should also be compared with the Retroid Mini v2. This blog post extends the review, as I've had more time with the RPC and have a better understanding of where it stands versus the Mini v2 and the ARC‑S.

I have owned many handheld devices, a Retroid Mini v2, a Flip 2, a Steam Deck, and a number of budget handhelds, including an Anbernic RG ARC-S and an Anbernic RG Cube XX. While the Mini v2 used to be my go-to travel device, the ARC-S and Cube XX were still my favorites for playing at home because of the controls and ergonomics. As much as I love the Mini v2 for its screen and performance, it's not the most comfortable device to hold for extended gaming sessions (don't get me wrong, it's still good, but I can certainly feel some fatigue after 30+ minutes of interrupted gameplay). And its buttons are so loud. I feel guilty if I play it while my wife is sleeping.

The ARC-S has great ergonomics and amazing controls, but the screen leaves a lot to be desired, and it isn't capable of emulating Saturn.

Therefore, because of the ergonomics, screen, and performance, the RPC took a significant share of my playtime, but it didn't fully replace the Mini v2 or the ARC-S.

The RPC vs the ARC-S

If you already own an ARC-S/D or are in the market for a handheld with a 6-button layout, the ARC-S/D and the RPC are your only options unless you’re ready to connect a gamepad to something else.

What differs the RPC

1. The effective screen area is smaller for 4:3, but OLED is amazing. Honestly, I don't miss the bigger screen of ARC-S. I don't notice the black bars, but if you know that might annoy you, go for the black version (Classic 6 SG). You won't notice the black bars because of OLED.
2. The D-pad isn't shaped like a Sega Shield D-pad. I quickly got used to it, and it doesn't distract me while I'm playing, so I don't notice it as long as I am not playing fighting games.
3. The face buttons are smaller, but still work well. They are also much quieter than the buttons on the Mini V2. Initially, I thought the smaller size would lead to occasional incorrect inputs, but that has not been the case (and I have big hands).
4. The RPC emulates the Saturn at full speed.

A similarity with the ARC-S is that the RPC doesn't have the power to handle heavy-duty CRT shaders, so I stick with zfast-crt. It still looks gorgeous because of the OLED screen, though. If you don't like zfast-crt, check this Reddit thread from Russ, Retro Game Corps, where he lists other CRT shaders that work on the RPC.

I pick up the RPC to play most Genesis and Saturn games, but not all of them. There’s still a niche where the ARC-S is better and truly shines: fighting games. Whether it's a Genesis game or an arcade game, if it's a fighting game that relies on motion inputs (quarter-, half-, full-circle motions), the ARC-S is still the only solid choice. For the sake of comparison, I recently bought an 8BitDo Neo Geo controller (a licensed clone of the original Neo Geo CD controller) that I thought would be a better fit for fighting games when emulating on PC, yet I still prefer the 8BitDo M30, a Saturn-style controller, over an 8-directional joystick. And the ARC-S's d-pad is very similar to the one on the 8BitDo M30.

So, if you are wondering whether upgrading to the six-button version of the Retroid Pocket Classic from the Anbernic RG ARC-S or the Anbernic RG ARC-D is worth it, the answer is yes-but only if you are not a fighting game enthusiast. Though, if you stick with Anbernic, I recommend choosing the ARC-S over the ARC-D.

The RPC vs the Mini v2

In contrast with the ARC-S, the RPC is not an upgrade over the Mini v2 unless you need a six-button layout and are fine with the ergonomics and loud face buttons of the Mini v2.

What differs the RPC

1. The Mini v2 is a horizontal handheld. The RPC is a vertical handheld. It's a matter of preference. The RPC is more ergonomic, IMO. However, the Mini v2 improves a lot with a grip.
2. The Mini v2 is much more powerful (and expensive). Unlike the RPC, it has enough power for CRT-Royale, CRT-1tap, and so on, as well as for GameCube and PlayStation 2 emulation.
3. The Mini v2 has better triggers and analog sticks. The RPC has better (quieter) buttons. The RPC offers both Nintendo and Sega layouts.
4. The Mini v2 is discontinued. Unless you can still find it in stock at some online retailer, you will have to buy a used one or wait for the Mini v3. The RPC is sold on the official Retroid website.

I love playing arcade games, SNES, NES, and PSX on the Mini v2 (because of better shaders and/or upscaling), and I occasionally play GC and PS2 on the Mini v2 at 2x native resolution. What the RPC and the Mini v2 do nearly identically is GBA; GB and GBC; and NGP and NGPC. Either can use the LCD3x shader, and the screens are identical.

In conclusion

Retroid Pocket Classic is not a perfect device. I wish we had a device with a 4:3 OLED 120 Hz screen, a GPU capable of CRT-Royale, full-size six face buttons, and a Shield D-pad. But we don't have it. After a month and many hours of gameplay, I think this device is the best choice for Genesis and Saturn emulation today if you have the budget for it-as long as you don't need to play fighting games.

For better or worse, the ARC-S and the Mini v2 stay in my rotation, but the RPC has definitely become my go-to device and default "Sega" device.

I hope this blog post helps you if Genesis and Saturn are the main platforms you want to emulate, if you are debating between the ARC-S/ARC-D and the RPC, or between the Mini v2 and the RPC.