So, strangely, TRIMUI got in touch with me and asked if I’d like to review their older handheld, the Brick Hammer. This one released six months or so, but the claim to fame for it is being made (almost) entirely out of machined metal. It sure gives it a premium feel.

I feel like I’m a little lucky with the reviews, not doing this full time or anything means I get to be picky on what I let these companies send me. I’m not obligated to review everything ASAP, since the site I share these on doesn’t even have ads. For the most part, I just say yes to the interesting or different handhelds.

tldr:

  • Beautifully made, truly feels premium
  • To me it really feels like a modern take on the Game Boy Pocket
  • Can play up to PSP, DS, N64 and so on, but those are more of a risky and not entirely 100% successful event. It shines most with PlayStation, GBA, SNES and so on. Being 3:2 means its perfect for the older-older systems

I feel like saying one of these ‘retro handhelds’ is perfect is just…hyperbole. But in this case, that might be the case. It’s so slim and sleek, and the metal makes me so damned happy to hold.

ANYWAY.

You can find the following link here to read my review, if you’re at all interested. Inside my article, I also reached out to the developer of NextUI to ask him about how it is to create an alternative OS for the TRIMUI Brick Hammer (kinda like a mini interview), and chatted to a creator of 3D printed triggers which were designed to showcase the nice RGB lighting on this one:

https://gardinerbryant.com/hands-on-with-the-trimui-brick-hammer-metal-perfection/

Or, as always, you can just ask me about it here if you’d prefer :)

  • Buffy@libretechni.caEnglish
    2·
    8 hours ago

    Looks nice. I am not a huge fan of the form factor though, I prefer the GBA style layout. I have a RetroSnap Play I got as a gift, I wonder how it compares. By biggest issue is it can never tell me the battery percentage, and it drains quickly when I close it with a game running. This combo sucks and makes me constantly nervous about keeping it charged so it won’t shut off in the middle of an important game.

    • PerfectDark@lemmy.worldOPMEnglish
      2·
      8 hours ago

      If absolute Game Boy Advance is your fav, then don’t forget this one:

      The RetroSnap Play looks great! Glad you’ve been enjoying it! This is one of the R36S clones, basically its ‘one’ handheld that just keeps on selling and selling, and broke out of the niche hobby scene. That’s why you’ll see it on spaces like YouTube and (apparently, I don’t use it!) a ton on TikTok.

      If you want to change the firmware so you’ll be able to see the battery state, then you can check out this guide on what is available:

      https://retrohandheldguides.com/r36s-custom-firmware/

      • Buffy@libretechni.caEnglish
        1·
        7 hours ago

        Oh yeah, that is exactly what I want out of a handheld! And thank you so much for the link, I didn’t realize the firmware these things ship with is so out of date. If I can get the battery percentage working thanks to this, you’re a real life saver.

        • PerfectDark@lemmy.worldOPMEnglish
          2·
          7 hours ago

          You’re welcome!

          Have a read over it, choose one and then (if it helps) check some YouTube videos so they give you a nice overview on what they bring to your device.

          :)