We started Retro Pulse because the retro handheld market was full of shovelware, opaque manufacturers, and 30-day Chinese shipping that arrived broken. The hardware deserves better. The community deserves better.
What we do
We curate the best of the budget retro handheld category, stock it in a U.S. warehouse, and ship fast. We test every batch before it goes on the shelf — we don't sell anything we wouldn't put in our own backpack.
Why the R36S
It's the best $40 retro device on the market. The 3.5-inch IPS screen is bright and sharp. The form factor is comfortable for adult hands. The Linux base means the open-source community has built a remarkable ecosystem of custom firmware around it. PS1 emulation is flawless. Battery life is honest.
It's not perfect. N64 is hit-or-miss. There's no WiFi. The shoulder buttons are mushy. But for $79 with our preloaded library, U.S. warehousing, and a real warranty, nothing else in the category comes close.
Where we're going
Phase 1 (now): one device, done well. The R36S, with our curated firmware and a one-year warranty.
Phase 2 (Q3): expand to one or two more devices in adjacent categories — probably a higher-end Anbernic for the GameCube/Wii crowd, and a tiny pocket option.
Phase 3: our own manufactured-to-spec device, with the things the community asks for that the off-the-shelf options miss. (We're sketching.)
The team
Two people, an LLC, and a lot of microSD cards. We answer our own emails. We pack our own boxes. If something goes wrong with your order, you're talking to a human within 24 hours.
Where we are
Our warehouse is in Connecticut. Our team is distributed across the East Coast. We don't have an office; we have a Slack channel and a shared spreadsheet of every game we've tested.
What we're not
We're not the manufacturer. The R36S is a Chinese-made handheld that we resell. We're not pretending otherwise. What we add is logistics speed, curation, support, and warranty. If those things matter to you, we're a good fit. If you just want the cheapest possible R36S and you don't mind 30 days of waiting and a dice-roll on quality control, AliExpress is a click away.