Window seat, coffee, one more level.
The R36S stands upright in one hand, the way the old vertical handhelds did. Thumbsticks under your thumbs, a 3.5-inch screen at eye level, 179 g in the bag.
Weight as measured by Retro Handhelds.
R36S retro handheld game console Big fun. Small pocket.
The R36S retro handheld: 3.5-inch IPS screen, two microSD slots, five colors. Build yours in two picks.
Build yoursFrom $7964 GB or 128 GB
The R36S screen: 4:3, for 4:3 games.
- 3.5 inchesIPS panel
- 640 x 4804:3 picture
- RK33261 GB of RAM
A retro handheld for your jacket pocket.
Vertical body, 3,200 mAh battery, and two USB-C ports on the bottom edge: it charges from the same kind of cable as your phone.
Two microSD slots sit on the side, so the storage you pick today is not the storage you are stuck with.
The gift that gets opened twice.
Once for the box, once for the color. Black, orange, red and purple are clear shells; white is solid. Same console inside, whichever you wrap.
Five shells, one R36S.
Black, white, orange, red, purple. Pick yours in the builder above; the photo follows your choice.
The rest of the R36 family
Same RK3326 chip in every model. What changes is the screen, the shape and the slots. Each one has its own page.
- R36 Max4-inch square screen, 720 x 720, 4,000 mAh battery.
- R36HHorizontal layout, 3.5-inch 640 x 480 screen in the center.
- R36H Pro MaxHorizontal, 4.2-inch IPS screen, 1024 x 768.
- R36S PlusBuilt-in 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi, same RK3326 chip.
- R36 Ultra4-inch square screen, 720 x 720.
- R36 Ultra X4.5-inch IPS screen, 1024 x 768, one microSD slot.
- R36XXSame 3.5-inch 4:3 screen as the R36S, seven colors.
- G3503.5-inch 640 x 480 screen, ports on the top edge. Coming soon
R36S guides: read before you buy
Three guides from the FunGrip blog, written from the spec sheets.
What is the real R36S? How to spot a cloneBoard revisions, what the label says, and what to check before you pay.
Retro handheld consoles: a buyer's guideScreen shape, sticks, Wi-Fi and cards, explained without the jargon.
Which microSD card for an R36 handheld, and how the two slots workWhat each slot does and which cards to trust.
R36S console: good questions
Does the R36S have Wi-Fi?
Not as a built-in feature. It varies by revision, and the usual route is a USB OTG Wi-Fi dongle. If you want Wi-Fi in the console itself, the R36S Plus has it built in.
What are the two microSD slots for?
The R36S has two microSD slots. Pick 64 GB or 128 GB in the builder; the second slot takes a card of your own, so you can add room later.
How big is the screen, really?
3.5 inches across the diagonal, IPS, 640 x 480 pixels. That is a 4:3 picture, the same shape as the games most people buy this console for.
What is inside?
An RK3326 chip with 1 GB of RAM, a 3,200 mAh battery, two microSD slots and two USB-C ports. The console weighs 179 g, as weighed by Retro Handhelds.
Which colors can I get?
Black, white, orange, red and purple. Black, orange, red and purple are clear shells that show the board through the back; white is a solid shell.
Is the R36S worth it?
Yes, if you want a pocket console for classic games and know its limits. For $79 you get a 3.5-inch 640 x 480 IPS screen, the RK3326 chip with 1 GB of RAM, a 3,200 mAh battery and two microSD slots, with free US shipping and 30-day returns. It suits 8-bit, 16-bit and arcade games well. It is not built for online play or heavy 3D systems.
What is the real R36S?
R36S is a model name, not one fixed build: the board inside changes between revisions, and so do details like Wi-Fi support. Ours come from the factory we work with, and its R36S uses the V21 and V30 boards. Wherever you buy, check that the listing matches the core specs: 3.5-inch 640 x 480 IPS screen, RK3326 chip, 1 GB of RAM, two microSD slots. Then ask which board revision ships.
Is the R36S legal?
The console itself is legal to buy and own in the US; it runs open-source emulators. What you load on it is your responsibility: use game files you have the right to use, for example backups of games you own. We do not supply or link to games. This is general information, not legal advice.
Can I add more games to the R36S?
Yes. The R36S has two microSD slots, and the second one takes a card of your own. Put game files you have the right to use on that card. A bigger card holds more files but does not make the console faster, and the usable space after formatting is a little lower than the size printed on the card. We do not supply or link to games.
Which consoles can the R36S play?
8-bit and 16-bit home consoles, arcade classics, early handhelds and some 32-bit systems run well on the R36S. Heavier 3D systems depend strongly on the game and the settings, and some are out of reach. That is the level of its RK3326 chip with 1 GB of RAM. Performance changes from one game to the next, so we do not promise any specific title.
How do I get Wi-Fi on my R36S?
Plug a USB Wi-Fi dongle into the OTG port. Built-in Wi-Fi varies by revision, and whether a dongle works depends on the board and the installed system, so it is not guaranteed. Wi-Fi on these consoles is for things like file transfers or updates, not online play. If you want it built in, the R36S Plus has it. So does the R36XX, which keeps the same 3.5-inch screen as the R36S.
What is better, R36S or R36H?
Neither is faster: both use the RK3326 chip with 1 GB of RAM and a 3.5-inch 640 x 480 screen. The difference is the shape. The R36S is vertical and stands upright in one hand; the R36H is horizontal, with the screen in the center and the left stick above the D-pad. The R36S battery is 3,200 mAh on most listings, the R36H is announced at 3,000 mAh. Both are on sale at FunGrip.
Is there anything better than the R36S?
No R36 model is faster: they all use the same RK3326 chip. Some give you more of one thing. The R36 Max has a 4-inch 720 x 720 square screen and a 4,000 mAh battery. The R36S Plus and the R36XX add built-in Wi-Fi. The R36 Ultra X and the R36H Pro Max have 1024 x 768 screens, at 4.5 and 4.2 inches. Each one is on sale at FunGrip.