RetroGame RS-97 2019 Edition

The hugely popular RetroGame RS-97 from December 2017 has already seen one update in the form of the RS-97 Plus, which features an “analog” nub tacked on to the lower left corner. Unfortunately for the early adopters this first version of the Plus model also swapped out the LCD for one locked at 30hz. This meant that many games suffered from screen tearing and the community developers refused to support the hardware due to this.

Newer versions of the Plus variant now have the 60hz LCDs in them and aren’t a bad choice if you really want that analog nub.

But this week has seen yet another new variant of the device hit the shelves, the RS-97 Plus V3.

Currently this version is only available in the “Anniversary Edition” colourway which features a transparent purple shell and some rather tacky silk screening on the front and the back.

The V3 has the analog nub seen in the Plus models, but it also comes with a real LCD upgrade in the form of a 60hz 320×480 IPS panel.

The IPS panel promises superior colours and viewing angles over any of previously released versions, and due to this is around $15 more expensive currently costing just over $70 on Aliexpress.

If you’re in for the upgrade but aren’t sold on the Anniversary Edition colourway, there should be some more standard colours released in the coming days or weeks. I’ll update this post once they’re available too.

This version should have developer support so you can expect to be able to flash a RetroFW variant to it shortly.

Aliexpress “Anniversary Edition” RS-97 v3

20 thoughts on “RetroGame RS-97 2019 Edition”

  1. Does anyone know where to find a replacement lcd screen for the 2017 version? Or is it possible to upgrade the 2017 version with a 2019 version screen and where would I find one of those?
    Thanks in advance to anyone with tips!

    Reply
  2. Does anyone know which RetroFW cfw version is the correct one for this model?
    None of them I found online work. Always end up with a white screen at boot up. (fresh format, used Etcher)

    Reply
  3. Am I reading their post on aliexpress correctly? That if you buy the new version it comes with a free 32GB SD card as well as the RG 300 black translucent unit?

    Reply
  4. Hello! Wasn’t sure where to ask this so I’ll ask here. What’s the current most powerful handheld emulator that emulates the most systems (Gameboy, PS1, N64, SNES, etc.) out there right now? I won’t get one right away and keep an eye out in the future, but I’d like an idea now if it’s not too much trouble.

    Reply
  5. This is interesting. I’ll wait for reviews and support in the form of custom firmware. I have a New Bittboy, and while I like it I’ve been wanting something a bit more (faster processor, bigger screen, shoulder buttons). But at $70 I’m wondering if something like a used PSP might be better. For now I’m holding out because these machines are improving so quickly.

    Reply
      • I meant PSPs in general. It’s finicky on some, impossible on others. And the version of snes9x available is way out of date. Sorry about the potential misinformation.

        Reply
        • I bought one, and so far everything works great. It only cost me $21, so if I run into some issues it isn’t any big loss. Good to know about SNES. A lot of the SNES games I want to finish are RPGs, which may be easier to run than mode 7 heavy stuff.

          Reply

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