TrimUI Brick first impressions

Background

I enjoy videogames, so for me the platforms they run on are mere means to an end. While it is valid that the original Game Boy, with its blurry greenish colours, has a big nostalgia aspect to it, I have played and re-played way more titles in emulators than on the original hardware without any regrets. In fact, there's one aspect that to me becomes critical when playing anything older than the PSX: save-states. Many 8-bit and 16-bit titles forced you to play in one sit, a few offering passwords to skip levels, and a tiny amount having a save game functionality. Most emulators offer instant saving and loading of the full game state (thus the name of "save state" or "state save") at any point, so I can perfectly do even short 15-minute gaming sessions and achieve some progress.

My sister keeps most of my old systems (Nintendo and Sony consoles) and physical games, but the more time goes by, the more pragmatic and minimalistic I become. So, why keep a physical device, with the extra required effort, if I can just boot my own DVD-dumped PS2 ISOs in an emulator and play? Even at the exact resolution and visual quality if I don't want to enhance it... Or any other of my old systems, from the sofa, with a modern game-pad, and all of them running inside a single device (a PC)...

Recently, and due to the advance of mobile ARM CPUs, cheap memory and storage, and even FPGA boards, there has been a surge of retro-gaming devices. These now can not only emulate most systems, but in fact run either Android or Linux variants to directly boot RetroArch from LibRetro UIs, vastly improving compatibility and customization possibilities. I slowly became tempted to have one, as a "handheld multi-emulation system", as now they can fulfil all my requirements in a portable form.

The Powkiddy systems are well-known, some are really cheap, and they shamelessly clone all known handheld device forms and cases, so there are ample possibilities. A few friends have some medium-tier models, and they are happy with them. They are good in regards to components and quality, but not amazing.

My choice

I decided instead to go for a TrimUI Brick because there's praise for it everywhere, and because the screen looked great. It comes with a higher price, but also superb specs, and it still maintains the Game Boy general shape (all the extra buttons are cleverly distributed to not interfere).

The console is small, way smaller than a Game Boy, but this is not an issue, at least for me, because a) the screen is half of the device and excellent (IPS, high resolution, ...), and b) the controls are small but usable, probably similar in size to the Switch JoyCon buttons. And also, by being so compact, it takes almost no space.

Just look at this "screen test" I made with a CPS Arcade game and almost no lighting, even though it does not do real justice (the screen has a resolution of 1024×768 pixels):

Setup guide

A surprisingly short section, because everything is already nicely detailed. I followed this excellent Retro Game Corps guide to install the MinUI frontend and setup everything. With that frontend, the device is not only noticeably faster, but it also honours its name by being very minimalistic. But don't worry, all the main features are present.

Notes

A few closing tips, and the only minor issue that I've seen in the device so far:

• Console BIOS files should go in the /bios folder. Do not put them inside the /roms folder, or the emulation might fail or glitch (e.g. audio shuttering).
• I haven't tested Bluetooth connectivity, as I had some cable small headphones that now have again a use. This also means more battery life.
• Similarly, I haven't tried the Wi-Fi; I turn off the console, remove the SD card, manage/manipulate files, and place the card back. I have already prepared the games I want to play, so I don't expect to make changes often.
• Keep the USB-A to USB-C cable and use it for charging. Any USB-C to USB-C and/or fast-charging adapter won't work. When charging, the power button should be lit red (not unlit, neither flashing in green), so it is easy to notice if you are doing it right or wrong.
• Some people online complaint about the sound, but I find it quite decent for 8 & 16-bit systems, and it can even get quite loud! As an example, when I don't play with headphones on, I have the volume at around 40%.
• Battery seems to last nicely while playing, but the Brick seems to have a bug, by which directly shutting it off leaves it in a "zombie" mode that drains out battery and/or gets the console stuck. Always put it on sleep mode (quick power button touch, not hold) and let it fully shutdown by itself (after 2 minutes) to avoid it. And, if it happens, grab a torx 6 screwdriver and unplug + re-plug the battery (instructions).