The SZDiiER Game Console D-007 aims to be the next best RK3326 vertical emulator in 2023. But there are some possible juicy dramas happening here behind the scenes.
We were first alerted to the existence of this generic budget handheld when it popped up on Aliexpress a couple days ago. It was mentioned in the Retro Handhelds Discord as well, but it didn’t seem to get much attention.
I immediately reached out to my friend here in town (@retrohandheldcollection) and asked him if he knew anything. We both were quick to notice some similarities with a pretty well known device from last year: The Powkiddy RGB20S.
Something that you may not know is that the RGB20S had a surprising viral run on Tik Tok, which made it one of the best selling retro emulators last year. Hundreds of thousands of units.
To see a possible RGB20S clone would not be all too surprising, knowing the numbers it could pull.
So what exactly could one expect IF this handheld is real and actually gets shipped after purchase?
Important notice: According to the AliExpress shop, as of 17th May the device has not been produced and is still in development which will take approximately “15 days to make”. So this listing is a unofficial “pre-order” rather than a product that is available and being shipped immediately.
Update May 29, 2023: The Aliexpress seller has updated their buyers with the following image of finished D-007 handhelds. The general consensus is that these will be sent out soon. From the design images to final build, we can see the Dpad has changed, the screen bezels are larger and the screen is not laminated, and the colors are less appealing.
SZDiiER Game Console D-007
The new SZDiiER Game Console D-007 is said to include the well known 1.5Ghz Quad-Core RK3326 chipset.
That’s the same popular chip inside the Powkiddy RGB20S, Anbernic RG351MP, Powkiddy RGB10 Max, and my number one emulator of all time… the Anbernic RG351V.
This device actually features a pretty unique and attractive design. It’s possibly inspired by the likes of the Powkiddy RGB20S and much more likely the GKD Plus Classic.
Some of the details of this new design are quite interesting, like the LED lighting around the dual joysticks and the unique angles used in the shell design.
The rear of the device features an uncommonly large rounded back, which gives it a unique ergonomic look. Almost like the Game Boy Color, but more pronounced. I kind of love this design choice.
The D-007 also has a 3.5 inch LCD screen, something we’ve seen a lot from other devices. This seems to be that sweet spot for screen sizes on a retro game emulator.
Perhaps the most interesting part is that this new handheld game device is coming in at only $60usd on AliExpress.
You might expect to pay $100ish for something with this kind of specs and design.
With this handheld being one of those no name random game consoles, it’s probably made a bit more cheaply and aimed to sell. So its quality is still to be determined by a hands on evaluation.
Obviously, the RK3326 chip is quite late to the scene, but at $60 this isn’t a terrible option for those who have maybe never had an emulator before.
This is a pretty great looking device that can play everything up to Playstation, Dreamcast, PSP, and N64 on an open source Linux handheld.
Because it’s open source and Linux, that means that this thing could get some custom firmware if the community gets behind it. So I kinda hope this is all real.
Early Impressions
Honestly, I immediately liked the design of this one. I was surprised something this nice comes from a generic handheld. Which is also why so many in the community are starting to talk about it now.
I heard some juicy rumors behind the scenes, and wanted to get some input from the likes of Powkiddy. But no word from them. We would love to hear from them if they have some info.
The company behind this new generic handheld has been credited to SZDiiER by Retro Handhelds. The device and boxes do not make their identity super obvious, perhaps to avoid legal issues.
Whoever is making the D-007, we know that they hope to sell as many of these as possible. Which is kind of what all of these Chinese companies do, right?
I personally do not think this looks like a copy any more than any other handheld coming out today.
Until there is proof of actual “copying” or “stealing”, all we know is that this is a new interesting option for a vertical RK3326 handheld.
Either way, I’ve got my order in (green) hoping to see what this device has to offer.
