The Ducky Obrien Show

Ducky Obrien Show 058 - SBC Gaming (WiPadRetro and AdvanceMenu Guides) Video Game News, Reviews, and Guides (and sometimes random things) Today's episode covers two neat apps for the Miyoo Mini Plus. WiPadRetro will let you use your Miyoo Mini Plus as a wireless controller over a WiFi network. The OG Miyoo Mini cannot be used for this since it does not have WiFi. WiPadRetro Github: https://github.com/adildsw/WiPadRetro AdvanceMENU is an alternative front end for Onion OS. It has video previews for each game! You do need to scrape and convert the videos yourself unless you use the snap pack created by shaquille. Official Documentation: https://onionui.github.io/docs/apps/advancemenu Snap Pack: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1KoHhrSxNa3u--W2rhGIwRdPQguP52tqD/view?pli=1 Thank you for listening! Video Guide for Controller: https://youtu.be/f6jmf9e7bEA Video Guide for AdvanceMENU: https://youtu.be/WkNYwm2f8aw Written Guide for Controller: https://duckyobrien.com/2024/04/02/how-to-use-your-miyoo-mini-plus-as-a-controller/ Written Guide for AdvanceMENU: https://duckyobrien.com/2024/04/05/neat-frontend-for-the-miyoo-mini-plus-advancemenu-onion-os/

Ducky Obrien Show 057 - SBC Gaming News (Confusing New RG35XX, Future of Switch Games, and more) Video Game News, Reviews, and Guides (and sometimes random things) In today's SBC gaming news, one of my videos made it to Reddit! Yeah boi. A slew of new consoles were announced or prototypes leaked. We recently saw the price for the OrangePi Neo. It was $499 for the 7840U model and $599 for the 8840U model. If those prices are real then it's actually a pretty decent price for the chipset. The flip wars are heating up with Anbernic releasing sneak peaks of their RG35XXSP. It features a rather garish logo that lights up on the front. I hope it doesn't make it to the final version. Handheld PCs aren't free of problems and we go over a few fixes for some common issues. And more! Thanks for listening! YouTube Video: https://youtu.be/g0LD7lz4k_g Blog: https://duckyobrien.com/

Ducky Obrien Show 056 - SBC Gaming (How to Safetly Shop on Aliexpress) Video Game News, Reviews, and Guides (and sometimes random things) Today's episode covers how to shop as safely as possible on Aliexpress and TikTok Shop. I'll be blunt, the safest way is to not use these store fronts. However, Aliexpress is usually the cheapest way to buy retro handheld devices. To keep it short and summarize the three easiest things you can do: To prevent being scammed: Thank you for listening! Video Guide on YouTube: https://youtu.be/SrK-Ya61Css Written Guide on My Blog: https://duckyobrien.com/2024/03/30/how-to-shop-safely-on-aliexpress/

Ducky Obrien Show 055 - SBC Gaming News (New Miyoo Consoles, So Many Flip Variants, and more) Video Game News, Reviews, and Guides (and sometimes random things) In today's SBC gaming news, I spent two weeks making a video because of one careless mistake lol. Never again. Miyoo announces more information on two new consoles, the A30 and the Miyoo Mini Flip. The A30 looks very appealing to me since it looks very much like a Game Boy Micro, one of my favorite consoles of all time. Hopefully it's priced affordably. A webstore announced that the A30 and the Flip should be coming out mid to late April. I'm very skeptical since the Manufacturer themselves released a notice saying that the A30 would ship first and the Flip afterwards. We shall see. In a related note, a lot of other companies are teasing their variants on the flip form factor but since most of the teases were in the concept phase we shall see if any actually release. 2024 is shaping up to be an interesting year for retro handhelds. And more! Thanks for listening! YouTube Video: https://youtu.be/4zFnjQmO6UU Blog: https://duckyobrien.com/

Ducky Obrien Show 054 - SBC Gaming (How to Know if Your MicrosSD Card is Counterfeit) Video Game News, Reviews, and Guides (and sometimes random things) Today's episode covers the issue of counterfeit microSD cards. They impact the retro handheld scene in a huge way since counterfeit cards are not reliable. These card will get corrupted easily, resulting in lost save data. If the operating system files get corrupted as well, then the device will not boot. The best way to avoid counterfeit cards is to buy from a physical store like Best Buy, Walmart, Target, or most photography stores. Avoid Aliexpress and Temu at all costs. Ebay and Amazon should be avoided. If you have no choice but to buy on Ebay, buy only from the manufacturer or reputable reseller. If you have no choice but to buy on Amazon, triple check the listing to make sure no 3rd party seller is shipping from Amazon. This is an issue called commingled inventory where all the items are dumped into one bin even if they are from separate sellers. This means that even if you order from Amazon itself, you can still get a counterfeit card. Finally, use h2testw, Crystal Disk Mark, and the Samsung Authentication Utility to verify your microSD cards are legitimate. ►Video Guide on YouTube: https://youtu.be/u3DHOFZOObk ►Written Guide on My Blog: https://duckyobrien.com/2024/03/26/how-to-know-if-your-microsd-card-is-counterfeit/ Thank you for listening!

Ducky Obrien Show 053 - SBC Gaming (Using the Miyoo Mini Plus as a MP3 Player - Onion Os) Video Game News, Reviews, and Guides (and sometimes random things) Today's episode is about using the Miyoo Mini Plus as an MP3 player. We'll be using the Gmu app that's available on Onion OS. The listening experience is surprisingly decent! The only real drawback is a tiny blip sound after each track ends. I would recommend a few tweaks however. I would either turn off the system sleep timer or set it to 30 minutes. I would also rebind the previous and next track buttons to Menu+L1/R1. If you plan on pocketing the Miyoo Mini Plus, the trigger buttons are very easy to press unintentionally. Rebinding it to Menu+L1/R1 will prevent it from being pressed accidentally. ►Official Onion OS Documentation on Gmu: https://onionui.github.io/docs/apps/music-player ►Video Guide on YouTube: https://youtu.be/36kDTkMrovs ►Written Guide on My Blog: https://duckyobrien.com/2024/03/13/using-the-miyoo-mini-plus-as-a-mp3-player-onion-os/ Thank you for listening!

Ducky Obrien Show 052 - SBC Gaming News (It's a Me, a Lawsuit) Video Game News, Reviews, and Guides (and sometimes random things) In today's SBC gaming news, Nintendo sues Yuzu and they settle. This is one of the few times an emulator developer had no defense because they were actively decrypting the games during runtime and doing so is circumventing Nintendo's copyright protection. Few emulators do this sort of decryption which is why most emulators have won their lawsuits and are still around to this day unless it died due to lack of developer interest. Yuzu has shut down everything and turned it over to Nintendo. As part of the fallout, Emulation Station has been removed from the Amazon App store. You can still purchase it from their patreon with a one time purchase that comes with future updates. Emulation Station has taken more steps to protect itself legally by removing Yuzu and Citra from their future updated versions. (You can still use it with a little bit of editing). The Turnip team has also closed down shop as well. Out of the ashes rises Ryujinx to take over the void. This all happened so quickly. And more! Thanks for listening! YouTube Video: https://youtu.be/QRcDE4vauxI Blog: https://duckyobrien.com/

Ducky Obrien Show 051 - SBC Gaming (A Deep Dive Into What's New in Onion 4.3) Video Game News, Reviews, and Guides (and sometimes random things) In this episode we cover over every single change listed in the release notes. The audio format can't cover everything but I did try my best to edit in audio notes to clarify the changes as much as possible. I will link the video portion below for those wanting more information as well as the official release notes. The most notable change is the addition of native DS support through Drastic but there are also so many small but significant quality of life changes and interesting new cores and standalone apps to experiment with. The standalone scummVM app for example provides way better performance than the retroarch core. ►Official Release Notes: https://onionui.github.io/blog/release-notes/4.3.0 ►YouTube Video Guide: https://youtu.be/OZ-VaApCgbA ►Written Guide: https://duckyobrien.com/2024/03/05/a-deep-dive-into-whats-new-in-onion-os-4-3-0-miyoo-mini-plus/ Thanks for listening!

Ducky Obrien Show 050 - SBC Gaming News (RGB20SX Announced, GameForce ACE is More of a Miss and more) Video Game News, Reviews, and Guides (and sometimes random things) Today's episode is a recap of retro handheld news from the most of the retro handheld and PC handheld subreddits. The Powkiddy RGB20SX has been announced. It'll run a RK3566 and have the same 720p 1:1 square screen the RBG30 has. It may be worth keep an eye on, especially if they can keep the price low. The GameForce ACE has some unfortunate build quality issues, mainly with the controls and screen. The Switch Lite has an OLED display mod with video out coming up for around $50 or so. It should be a relatively easy mod and upgrade the look and feel of your handheld. Emulation Station is out for android (effected indirectly by legal drama from Nintendo vs Yuzu but you can still get it for a one time payment from their Patreon). And more! Thanks for listening! YouTube Video: https://youtu.be/CIu9Xrgmhk0 Blog: https://duckyobrien.com/

Ducky Obrien Show 049 - SBC Gaming (Streaming PC Games to Your Miyoo Mini Plus) Video Game News, Reviews, and Guides (and sometimes random things) You can stream anything that can run on your computer to your Miyoo Mini Plus if you have a robust wifi network. Mine was unfortunately on the weak side so I have to be close to my router. Simplified Steps Install Sunshine onto your PC/laptop. Install the automatic resolution script (optional but does help). Install Moonlight onto your Miyoo Mini Plus. Start Sunshine, start Moonlight, and pair the devices. Stream your desktop or Steam Big Picture mode to the Miyoo Mini Plus. YouTube Video Guide: https://youtu.be/VbKkk6Hv04k Written Guide: https://duckyobrien.com/2024/02/28/streaming-pc-games-to-your-miyoo-mini-plus-w-moonlight-sunshine/ Thanks for listening!

Ducky Obrien Show 048 - SBC Gaming News (Bazzite Reaches Feature Parity, Native Android on Steam Deck and More) Video Game News, Reviews, and Guides (and sometimes random things) Today's episode is a recap of retro handheld news from the most of the retro handheld and PC handheld subreddits. In today's SBC gaming news, the Gameforce Ace has some teething pains. Switch emulation on the Retroid Pocket 4 Pro is actually OK if you run games at .5 resolution. Bazzite updated to have Steam OS feature parity on the Lenovo Legion Go. Mad lad gets native Android working on the Steam Deck. And more! YouTube Video: https://youtu.be/tl_bnLYCBfQ Blog: https://duckyobrien.com/ Thanks for listening!

Ducky Obrien Show 047 - SBC Gaming News (A List of Handy Hotkeys for the Miyoo Mini Plus) Video Game News, Reviews, and Guides (and sometimes random things) Onion OS is incredibly feature rich and has many convenient hotkeys to make using the Miyoo Mini Plus so much easier. This episode will go over most of the hotkeys available. If you need more assistance, I will have a video and written guide linked below along with the official documentation. ►Official Documentation: https://onionui.github.io/docs/apps/shortcuts ►Video Guide: https://youtu.be/5rtw6bVDCV0 ►Written Guide: https://duckyobrien.com/2024/02/23/a-list-of-handy-hotkeys-for-the-miyoo-mini-plus-onion-os/ Thank you for listening!

Ducky Obrien Show 046 - Indie Games Galore (Lightyear Frontier, Pacific Drive) Video Game News, Reviews, and Guides (and sometimes random things) Lightyear Frontier I am a survival crafting fan, especially when you can build a massive base as well as sprawling production lines. I was drawn to this game because of the colorful aesthetic and the mech! I love mechs and I love survival crafting, combining the two would be a no brainer for me. So how did the Lightyear Frontier demo pan out? It’s a little rough to be honest. There were things I liked and things that definitely annoyed me. ►Steam Store Page : https://store.steampowered.com/app/1677110/Lightyear_Frontier/ ►Article: https://duckyobrien.com/2024/02/17/my-thoughts-about-the-lightyear-frontier-demo/ ►Video: https://youtu.be/AeStjHxy3E0 ►Gameplay: https://youtu.be/dOcSywjv2NM Pacific Drive I was first introduced to Pacific Drive from the Game Awards show. The trailer was very atmospheric but what piqued my interest the most was that the trailer made the game look like it was mostly you and your car against a hostile world. Your car wasn't just a mode of transportation, it was your home, your shelter against an ever changing and uncertain landscape. And since the focus appeared to be on the car, it looked like there would be a lot of driving. I'm not making a stretch here or projecting what I want. If you go and take a look at the earlier trailers, all of them make it look like you spend a significant amount of time driving. There was something charming about the idea of driving alone with only the picturesque and sometimes otherworldly scenery to keep you company. ►Steam Store Page : https://store.steampowered.com/app/1458140/Pacific_Drive/ ►Article: https://duckyobrien.com/2024/02/19/pacific-drive-isnt-about-driving/ ►Video: https://youtu.be/Rf55WZcB0EY ►Gameplay: https://youtu.be/2r-naJOwgfc Thanks for listening!

Ducky Obrien Show 045 - SBC Gaming News (Playing Nintendo DS Games on the Miyoo Mini Plus) Video Game News, Reviews, and Guides (and sometimes random things) DS emulation is drastically improving on the Miyoo Mini/Plus...see what I did there haha. Onion OS now has native Drastic support and most DS games are actually playable on the Miyoo Mini/Plus. You can even safely overclock the handheld to squeeze out even more performance for games that are not running optimally. The audio format may not be the best so here are other formats if you need more information: YouTube Video Guide: https://youtu.be/Wq0gfPtUe_s Written Guide: https://duckyobrien.com/2024/02/15/playing-nintendo-ds-games-on-the-miyoo-mini-plus/ Thanks for listening!

Ducky Obrien Show 044 - SBC Gaming News (What's Going on with Xbox, RG556, and More) Video Game News, Reviews, and Guides (and sometimes random things) Today's episode is a recap of retro handheld news from the SBC Gaming subreddit. There are a lot of rumors floating around about Microsoft exiting the hardware business and bringing first party exclusives to Sony while another rumor is suggesting Microsoft will have a new Xbox ready for 2026 along with a handheld console much like the Steam Deck. The RG556 is out and a lot of reviewers have quick looks on it already. It seems like an ok device other than the plastic feeling a bit cheaper than normal. Retroid Pocket 4 Pro shoulder button woes. And more. YouTube Video: https://youtu.be/UC8JAypEm9o Blog: https://duckyobrien.com/ Thanks for listening!

Ducky Obrien Show 043 - SBC Gaming News (Miyoo Mini Plus Review) Video Game News, Reviews, and Guides (and sometimes random things) Miyoo Mini Plus Review Excerpt of Transcript: This is my review of the Miyoo Mini Plus. I’ll get all the relevant information out of the way to be completely transparent about this review, so you can judge for yourself whether or not my perspective covers everything you’re looking for. I’ve used the Miyoo Mini Plus for approximately twenty six hours as of this writing according to the Activity Tracker app. The device is running the latest firmware and Onion OS with screen brightness set to the lowest setting, WiFi turned off, and volume set to low. I’ve spent most of this time playing Link’s Awakening DX and Lunar Silver Star Story Complete indoors. I played in about four hour chunks for Link’s Awakening DX and around thirty minute chunks for Lunar Silver Star Story Complete. I bought mine new from Amazon for around sixty four dollars shipped and with my own money. No one payed me for this review and is completely my own opinion. OK now that’s out of the way, let’s get into the review. ►Article: https://duckyobrien.com/2024/02/07/the-miyoo-mini-plus-in-2024/ ►Video: https://youtu.be/234bz9mpQ9k Thanks for listening!

Ducky Obrien Show 041 - Indie Games Galore (Palworld) Video Game News, Reviews, and Guides (and sometimes random things) Palworld ’ll cut straight to the chase, I had a lot of fun with the game. Now, in my opinion, the fun does run out and the game does have what I perceive to be an inherent flaw but I’ll get to that later. The game may not be for everyone but Palworld is this delightful amalgamation of many different genres cobbled together into a Frankenstein’s monster of delight. When it works, it feels amazing. It’s not just a straight up survival crafting game. It’s not just a production line design game. It’s not just a monster hunting and taming sim. It’s not just an action adventure game. It’s all of that combined and it somehow works. ►Steam Store Page : https://store.steampowered.com/app/1623730/Palworld/ ►Article: https://duckyobrien.com/2024/02/10/my-honest-palworld-review/ ►Video: https://youtu.be/mQTvbptCcMI Thanks for listening!

Ducky Obrien Show 041 - SBC Gaming News (Sony Vita 2 Rumor, MSI Claw Pricing Announced, and more) Video Game News, Reviews, and Guides (and sometimes random things) Today's episode is a recap of retro handheld news from the SBC Gaming subreddit. I'm completely obsessed with these devices! There is a rumor of a Sony handheld such as a Sony Vita2 possibly coming out alongside the PlayStation 6. There is speculation that it will be able to handle playing PS4 games natively. This is pretty exciting news for me. A neat PS2 Memory Card, the MemCard Pro is released. A look at the RBG10 Max 3 ($89.99/69.99 w coupon), ONEXPLAYER X1 ($859-$2049), and ROG Phone 8 PRO ($1,199.99). MSI Claw ($699.99-$799.99), and AYANEO Flip KB & DS (~$939-$1479) pricing revealed. And more. Thanks for listening!

Ducky Obrien Show 040 - Retro Game Reviews (Link's Awakening DX Video Game News, Reviews, and Guides (and sometimes random things) I bought a Steam Deck and more recently a Miyoo Mini Plus and it lead me back into replaying the games of my childhood. I decided to check out Link's Awakening DX because that was one of the first Game Boy Color games I ever played, the very first being Pokemon Red. I had a lot of fun playing through the game. It holds up surprisingly well for the most part. Full Article: https://duckyobrien.com/2024/01/26/links-awakening-dx-retrospective-a-link-to-the-past/ Video Review: https://youtu.be/zul-hAm95t0 Thanks for listening!

Ducky Obrien Show 039 - Indie Games Galore (Sunlight Scream, Pretty Girls Escape Plus, Final Stardust Cosmic Nexus) Video Game News, Reviews, and Guides (and sometimes random things) Sunlight Scream Sunlight Scream is a visual novel set in a small town university. The story and visuals seem heavily inspired by anime. There is one major problem however. The original language was not English and let's just say the text feels like it was made using Google translate sometimes. The inconsistent translation makes reading the novel very awkward at times. The occasional spelling error and sloppy grammar would have been OK but the word choices definitely take you out of the story. They use words the average English speaking person would not have in their daily lexicon. Those words may have fit in the narrative exposition of Sunlight Scream but not so much in the dialogue between people. No sane person would speak like that. ►Steam Store Page : https://store.steampowered.com/app/2608440/Sunlight_Scream/ ►Article: https://duckyobrien.com/2023/12/13/sunlight-scream-gameplay-preview-ok-visual-novel-with-translation-errors/ ►Video: https://youtu.be/6wG_550tQjU Pretty Girls Escape PLUS Pretty Girls Escape PLUS is another fantastic puzzle game from the friendly folks at Zoo Corporation featuring some well endowed anime girls. The puzzle design in this game is actually fantastic. I usually blaze through most of their games in about two hours or so unless it has a challenge mode. The later puzzles in Escape PLUS require more thinking and strategy. I was actually stuck on a few levels and had to come back to them later to get past them. ►Steam Store Page : https://store.steampowered.com/app/2670340/Pretty_Girls_Escape_PLUS/ ►Article: https://duckyobrien.com/2023/12/14/pretty-girls-escape-plus-gameplay-preview-i-am-bad-at-this-game-but-it-has-booba/ ►Video: https://youtu.be/t7lm31mWWMg Final Stardust: Cosmic Nexus Final Stardust: Cosmic Nexus is a simple card game that features monsters with elemental properties much like Pokemon. I'm playing the preview build so not a lot of features are in the game yet but I can write about what I've played so far and how it feels. For starters the game is very simple. The playing field only has three character slots and the main cards you have are your basic monster cards, evolution cards, and some spell cards. The monsters have a health and attack rating. The way to win is to defeat all of the opponent's monsters and attack the player directly until their health is brought down to zero. This is very similar to other card games such as Yugioh, Magic the Gathering, and Hearthstone. ►Steam Store Page : https://store.steampowered.com/app/1896570/Final_Stardust_Cosmic_Nexus/ ►Article: https://duckyobrien.com/2023/12/15/final-stardust-cosmic-nexus-gameplay-preview-simplified-pokemon-like-card-game/ ►Video: https://youtu.be/7Y_a5-Z4T4c Thanks for listening!