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The Odroid Go Advance is a 3.5 inch 3:2 Linux handheld that plays everything up to DS (no touchscreen) well, made by HardKernel. It came out in February 2020 at $63. Inside is the RockChip RK3326 with 1 GB of RAM.
Who it's for
Buy it if
- You want to play everything up to DS, plus some PSP.
- You want it in a jeans pocket: the front is 155 x 72 mm.
Skip it if
- You want N64 games: it scores 50 out of 100, so many games struggle.
- You want N64 and 3D PS1 games on two sticks: it has one.
Odroid Go Advance videos
What it plays
Plays up to: DS (no touchscreen). Chip: RockChip RK3326.
Scores out of 100. 100 means the system runs at full speed with no known issues on this device. 80 or more plays well (green), 50 to 79 plays partly (yellow).
What owners say
“I miss my Odroid Go Advance but the button membranes have gone stiff.”
“I have the Odroid Go Advance and I'm struggling to get N64 ROMs to run smoothly.”
What the specs mean
3:2 screen
GBA games fill it edge to edge. Home consoles from NES to PS2 were 4:3, so they show bars at the sides.
Based on: Display math: native screen shapes of each system
GBA at exactly 2x
240 x 160 times 2 is the screen's own 480 x 320, so GBA pixels stay perfectly even with no filter and no bars.
Based on: Display math: native resolution x whole-number scale = screen resolution
Same chip as 22 other handhelds
The RockChip RK3326 also powers the Anbernic RG 35, BATLEXP G350, D-007, GAMEMT E6 and more. The same chip means similar speed, though memory and cooling can differ.
Based on: Our handheld database (chip field)
Only one pair of shoulder buttons
PS1 games that use L2 and R2 need those moved to other buttons.
Based on: Layout data; the PS1 controller has four shoulder buttons
DS without touch
There is no touch screen, so DS games that need the stylus use a pointer moved by a stick.
Based on: Layout data: no touch screen
Rating
How we score: what it plays 30%, how many players own and recommend it 20%, screen 15%, price compared with handhelds that play as much 10%, controls 10%, size and weight 10%, battery size for its chip 5%.
Good
- Plays everything up to DS (no touchscreen) well
- Metal shell
- Low price
Not so good
- N64 games can struggle
- TFT screen, not IPS or OLED
- No Wi-Fi
- No video out
Screen fit
Screen: 3.5 inch, TFT, 3:2, 480 x 320.
| System | Original | Sharpest scale | Screen filled |
|---|---|---|---|
| Game Boy | 160 x 144 | 2x (320 x 288) | 60% |
| GBA | 240 x 160 | 2x (480 x 320) | 100% |
| NES and SNES | 256 x 224 | 1x (256 x 224) | 37% |
| Genesis | 320 x 224 | 1x (320 x 224) | 47% |
| PS1 and N64 | 320 x 240 | 1x (320 x 240) | 50% |
| DS, one screen | 256 x 192 | 1x (256 x 192) | 32% |
| PSP | 480 x 272 | 1x (480 x 272) | 85% |
Whole-number scales keep every pixel the same size. Bold rows fill the screen with a perfect fit. Screen 480 x 320.
Size
155 x 72 x 20 mm, 170 g. Fits a jeans pocket
- Odroid Go Advance (155 x 72 mm)
- iPhone 15 (71.6 x 147.6 mm)
True scale, front view. Jeans pocket = front no bigger than an iPhone 15 Pro Max in a case (160 x 82 mm).
Specs
| Performance | |
|---|---|
| Chip | RockChip RK3326 |
| CPU | Cortex-A35 |
| Cores | 4 |
| Clock speed | 1.3 GHz - 1.5 GHz |
| GPU | Mali-G31 MP2 |
| RAM | 1 GB DDR3 |
| Screen | |
| Size | 3.5" |
| Type | TFT |
| Resolution | 480 x 320 |
| Refresh rate | 60 Hz |
| Pixel density | 164 ppi |
| Aspect ratio | 3:2 |
| Dual screen | No |
| Controls | |
| D-pad | Cross, Upper placement |
| Analog sticks | Yes |
| Stick layout | Single, bottom |
| Shoulder buttons | No L2/R2 |
| Rumble | No |
| Gyroscope | No |
| Connectivity | |
| Storage | External MicroSD |
| SD card | Yes |
| Wi-Fi | No |
| Bluetooth | No |
| USB-C | No |
| Video out | No |
| Headphone jack | Yes |
| Build | |
| Form factor | Horizontal |
| Dimensions | 155 x 72 x 20 mm |
| Weight | 170 g |
| Battery | 3000 mAh |
| Shell | Plastic, or, Metal (Aluminum) |
| Speakers | Front |
| Software | |
| Operating system | Linux |
| Custom firmware | ROCKNIX, UnofficialOS |
| PortMaster | Yes |
Questions
Can the Odroid Go Advance play PS2 games?
Not well. PS2 scores 0 out of 100. It plays everything up to DS (no touchscreen) well.
Is the Odroid Go Advance good for GBA?
Yes. GBA games scale to exactly 2x and fill the whole 480 x 320 screen.
Does it have a headphone jack?
Yes.
How big is the battery?
3,000 mAh. The middle Linux and other handheld in our database has 3,000 mAh.
Can it connect to a TV?
No, it has no video out.
How much does the Odroid Go Advance cost?
It launched at about $63 in Feb 2020. Prices on the used market change, so check current listings.
Price and newer models
$63 at launch $60 to $120
The newest in its line in our database, out since Feb 2020.
Compared with
Similar handhelds
Specs and emulation scores from the retrocatalog.com handheld database. The score out of 10 is our own.