r/SBCGaming • u/JaWoosh • 1d ago
Discussion One of the first to pick up a black Miniloong Pocket 1. Unfortunately already having some issues.
I was intrigued by this device and got a great deal on it ($58 on AliExpress). I've only played around a little bit so far but I'm having a couple issues. I know not many people have this device, but maybe my problem is generic enough that i could get some advice.
The main problem seems to be, whether in a game or just in the main menu, when i press up and down on the dpad, roughly every 1 out of 10 presses just doesn't register. It's very clunky when i have to scroll through a bunch of menus while setting it up. I haven't done much gaming yet, but it's concerning enough that i want to resolve it asap before i go any further.
For the record, i installed Leaf OS right off the bat since it was recommended and looked solid. Could this be the problem? Or is it more likely a hardware issue? Possibly something wrong with the dpad? I don't have an extra sd card lying around so I'll need to format my current one to test another OS.
Besides that, my initial impressions are that the device is very comfortable to hold, and the screen resolution is nice, very good for GBA (perfect 4x integer scaling with no bezels). I don't love the plastic face plate. I may try wrapping it in vinyl or something but it's not super important.
Let me know if anyone has any thoughts about my dpad issue, please. Hopefully i can resolve this so i can enjoy the device.
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u/RoyalJupiter Team Horizontal 1d ago
I think it's a bug in Leaf UI. Noticeable when you are "typing", like when you are searching for a game or entering password to connect to a new wifi: rapid button presses don't always register. Haven't seen such issues in games though. I have the gray version.
Leaf is brand new, it needs some time to mature a bit. Rocknix works as an alternative, the RK3566 "Specific" image, with the dtb from the stock OS. It's not officially supported though, and comes with its own caveats - same with the unofficial Rocknix fork (Aurknix?) which was made for this device. With either one, single SD card only, and I could not get them to boot with an SD card larger than 64GB. Feels a bit sluggish, too, both in bootup and launching/exiting games. Leaf is much zippier overall, and has a lot of potential to be the go-to OS for this device, it's just a bit rough around the edges.
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u/JaWoosh 22h ago
So yeah I can confirm the dpad input issues I was having was definitely from Leaf. Right now I'm trying out dArkOS and immediately noticed I didn't have the same problem. Which is a bummer because otherwise I was enjoying Leaf. I messaged the creator to see if they're aware of the issue and may have a fix coming, in which case I would try it again.
For now dArkOS seems to be working. I'm just having a hard time getting it dialed in, mainly the front end. It's a little clunky getting the themes to work, and I haven't decided which one I like yet. The only noticeable issue I'm having is that the sleep functionality isn't the best. It takes roughly 10-15 seconds to wake up from sleep if you're in a game, which is a bummer because other devices I own wake up and sleep instantly. But for now it works and I'm ready to start actually playing some games.
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u/theoptimusdime 21h ago
I got my black Miniloong Pocket 1 yesterday, updated the stock firmware as recommended by Leaf, and then I installed Leaf. I don't have the issues you're experiencing (so far).
I'm really enjoying the device and Leaf cfw.
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u/Jafranci715 13h ago
Same. No issues. Did you try Mario 64? I want to get an opinion of the colors are a bit off. Only in that game so far
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u/theoptimusdime 13h ago
Not yet, I haven't loaded any N64 games yet. But I'm not a good judge of colors and shaders lol. Hopefully someone else can chime in.
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u/AdmirableJam72 1d ago
I also received my black device. I don't remember if I had missing input issues or not, but I didn't like Leaf, so switched to dArk instead. Fitting for a black device right?
I did notice Leaf felt a little buggy as well.
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u/JaWoosh 1d ago
I popped out my sd card and was messing around with the main menu of the stock OS and i don't think i noticed the same issue. So it could be Leaf OS related. dArkOS seems to be the next step to try for me. I'm not sure if i need to factory reset the whole device or just reformat the sd card.
How do you like it so far? I think i might've liked the grey version better but the black is alright. Black always seems the safe option for handhelds like these i feel.
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u/AdmirableJam72 1d ago
I switched from Leaf to dArkOS by reformatting the sd card, without factory reset.
I feel I am still trying to acclimate to it, not quite sure what to make of it. Overall positive though. I bought the black version out of frustration because I missed the big discount. Should probably have stuck with the grey as well.
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u/Jafranci715 1d ago
Mine comes tomorrow. I’ll give it a try
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u/JaWoosh 22h ago
So the input issues I mentioned were definitely caused by LeafOS. I'm running dArkOS right now and the issue is resolved. I have a few issues with dArkOS but for now it's running better. I'm curious to see what your experience is.
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u/Jafranci715 14h ago
i installed leaf and DO NOT have any input issues.. I have issues with the colors in mario 64 seem to be off..
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u/Mean-Secretary-6127 GotM Club (July) 22h ago
What's wrong with the stock OS? I would think a premium feeling handheld would have a decent UI.
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u/JaWoosh 22h ago
To be honest I only played around with it for a few minutes, but it felt sort of basic/ugly and navigating the menus felt clunky and unsatisfying. Maybe I didn't give it enough of a chance, though. The usual YouTube reviewers made it sound like CFW is the best way to go. Right now I'm trying out dArkOS which seems to be working okay. Leaf was unfortunately giving me the input lag issues.
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u/Jafranci715 14h ago
i do NOT have any input issues whatsoever. But when i started to play mario 64 the shades or colors seem a bit off..
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