This ultra-affordable Game Boy-style handheld just got an upgraded successor

Game Boy-style vertical handhelds are having a moment right now. At the top end, we’ve got premium Android machines like the ANBERNIC RG 477V and AYANEO Pocket VERT pushing serious performance in a nostalgic shell. But not everyone wants to spend $200 or more to replay games from the 90s. There’s still a steady stream of cheap, Linux-based options — with a new one on the way.

A post on X by Retro Gaming With Deadfred (via NotebookCheck) just teased the Game Console R36 Max 2. The user highlights differences with the original R36 Max, such as improved sticks and a larger display, while noting that it keeps the same Rockchip RK3326 chipset as last year’s model.

The original R36 Max arrived at a similar point last year as a sub-$40 vertical handheld. It packed a 4-inch IPS screen with a square 1:1 aspect ratio at 720 x 720 resolution, and it ran on the RK3326, which is a common chip in ultra-budget retro consoles. That means four Cortex-A35 cores and a Mali-G31 GPU, which isn’t winning any benchmark battles but is perfectly fine for 8- or 16-bit gaming, plus maybe some light emulation.

The R36 Max 2 looks like a refresh rather than a full overhaul. The screen grows to 4.5 inches and switches to a more traditional 4:3 aspect ratio with a 1,024 x 768 resolution. For many classic systems, that’s actually a better fit than the old square panel. The D-pad and left joystick also appear to have swapped positions, with the latter switched out for a more arcade-style version.

As far as we know, nothing else changed under the hood. The same RK3326 sticks around, which isn’t really a shock at this end of the market. When a handheld is aiming to be cheap first and powerful second, stability and cost tend to win out over silicon upgrades.

There’s no word yet on pricing or availability, but given the original’s budget roots, it’s safe to assume this won’t be competing with the higher-end verticals any time soon. And with retail-style images already circulating, it probably won’t be long before we see it pop up on the usual marketplaces.