So, strangely, TRIMUI got in touch with me and asked if I’d like to review their older handheld, the Brick Hammer. This one released six months or so, but the claim to fame for it is being made (almost) entirely out of machined metal. It sure gives it a premium feel.
I feel like I’m a little lucky with the reviews, not doing this full time or anything means I get to be picky on what I let these companies send me. I’m not obligated to review everything ASAP, since the site I share these on doesn’t even have ads.
For the most part, I just say yes to the interesting or different handhelds.
tldr:
Beautifully made, truly feels premium
To me it really feels like a modern take on the Game Boy Pocket
Can play up to PSP, DS, N64 and so on, but those are more of a risky and not entirely 100% successful event. It shines most with PlayStation, GBA, SNES and so on. Being 3:2 means its perfect for the older-older systems
I feel like saying one of these ‘retro handhelds’ is perfect is just…hyperbole. But in this case, that might be the case. It’s so slim and sleek, and the metal makes me so damned happy to hold.
ANYWAY.
You can find the following link here to read my review, if you’re at all interested. Inside my article, I also reached out to the developer of NextUI to ask him about how it is to create an alternative OS for the TRIMUI Brick Hammer (kinda like a mini interview), and chatted to a creator of 3D printed triggers which were designed to showcase the nice RGB lighting on this one:
I’m currently waiting for an Anbernic rg-35xx to arrive, but this was definitely on the shortlist during my research! In the end, availability and the joysticks were the deciding factors, but interested to hear how you think those two compare.
A stonemason’s hammer, also known as a brick hammer, has one flat traditional face and a short or long chisel-shaped blade.[1] It can thus be used to chip off edges or small pieces of stone, cut brick or a concrete masonry unit, without using a separate chisel. The chisel blade can also be used to rapidly cut bricks or cinder blocks. This type of hammer is also used by geologists when collecting rock and mineral samples and is one of several types of geologist’s hammer.
If I’d known this, I’d have put it in my review! Thanks for sharing!!!
Just to be clear, this is basically a guess but feel free to add it if you want, if I am right I didn’t come up with it, it was just lost in translation.
Ive got the brick. Not the brick hammer. And it’s really quite fun to have. I’d whip it out on public transport or a plane faster than my steamdeck just because it’s less bulky. I mostly play pico-8 games on it.
That’s the nicest part of this kind of handheld. While being relegated to older games (unless you’re using something like the Odin 3 for example!), the convenience and portability are unmatched.
I love how slim and unobtrusive the Brick and Brick Hammer are, its been so easy to take on the go!
That’s not an easy comparison to make between the two.
The Analogue Pocket does one thing extremely well, while the Brick Hammer covers many more systems. Not to mention the difference in cost!
But the Brick Hammer feels premium (that metal shell is perfection), gives you a multitude of community built and supported operating systems, all manner of apps.
They’re too difficult to compare. If you want Game Boy? Go Analogue. If you want a very slim, sleek retro handheld that you can play a ton of consoles on (PortMaster!) then go for this one!
This thing looks slick. How does it do with sleeping it mid-game session and resuming later? That’s the biggest make-or-break feature for me with any of these handhelds.
It does really well. The default OS which TRIMUI ships it with performs really well on the sleep front, but the community OS I’ve installed (NextUI) is known for how well they implement their ‘deep sleep’.
The overnight power draw I’ve seen has been 1% of the battery. NextUI’s use of it has by far been the best I’ve seen for a device’s sleeping. I saw someone say it lasts around 2 months in their deep sleep.
The brick hammer is great for everything up to Snes and GBA. It is my most used device of 7 or 8 that I own. It isn’t good for n64 and up, not because it won’t play them, but because it has no joystick. Even so, for Snes, nes and GBA I really believe that there is no better platform to play them on.
I think you can pick and choose the N64 games, there’s definitely some which are quite playable with the lack of the N64 claw’s odd controls. I’ve found that like you, sticking to those 3:2 systems are where its shined the most! Though right now I’m enjoying FFVII on there :)
Looks nice. I am not a huge fan of the form factor though, I prefer the GBA style layout. I have a RetroSnap Play I got as a gift, I wonder how it compares. By biggest issue is it can never tell me the battery percentage, and it drains quickly when I close it with a game running. This combo sucks and makes me constantly nervous about keeping it charged so it won’t shut off in the middle of an important game.
If absolute Game Boy Advance is your fav, then don’t forget this one:
The RetroSnap Play looks great! Glad you’ve been enjoying it! This is one of the R36S clones, basically its ‘one’ handheld that just keeps on selling and selling, and broke out of the niche hobby scene. That’s why you’ll see it on spaces like YouTube and (apparently, I don’t use it!) a ton on TikTok.
If you want to change the firmware so you’ll be able to see the battery state, then you can check out this guide on what is available:
Oh yeah, that is exactly what I want out of a handheld! And thank you so much for the link, I didn’t realize the firmware these things ship with is so out of date. If I can get the battery percentage working thanks to this, you’re a real life saver.
It doesn’t need anything more. These emulators are so well optimized now in RA that they just run beautifully. Well, with a couple exceptions I noted in my review.
This is a handheld that isn’t trying to do more than it claims, so 1GB is perfect!
If it can do it with just that then it’s sensible to have less, since idling memory will use power and the less you have the longer the battery will last.
Yeah it depends on how much you’d use it I guess. I remember playing some old titles on a GBA emulator app back during highschool breaks, but it kinda got old quickly. Would be pointless to buy something specifically for it unless you’re really into it, but if so something like this that’s well integrated would be pretty neat to have.
Agreed but battery life is clutch with mobile devices. Dead phone batteries don’t facilitate travel. Or waiting for your car to get fixed and having this in the glove box … I mean your argument is basically against all retro handheld devices.
$10 clip + a used xbox controller + your phone and you have a gyro capable (your phone) mobile gaming system with probably the best gamepad ever.
I don’t think this takes the place of a gadget like the Brick Hammer but I do HEAVILY recommend going this route first as you likely already have an adequate phone and xbox controllers are cheap and plentiful on the used market (and their only real achilles heel is they don’t have gyro… which your phone solves).
notethis clip uses the model 1914 xbox controller to be precise, xbox controller names are so stupid… but also this clip is $10, who cares, fold some post-it notes/cardstock up a bunch and jam em in there and you can make a different controller work if it is a similar shape and size
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Where do you get the games for it from?
/r/Roms Megathread
If you go to archive dot org and search for romsets, or for ‘tiny best set go’, you’ll see a big collection there!
“Tiny best set go”
“Big collection”
I’m currently waiting for an Anbernic rg-35xx to arrive, but this was definitely on the shortlist during my research! In the end, availability and the joysticks were the deciding factors, but interested to hear how you think those two compare.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stonemason's_hammer
They named it after an Estwing! Badass.
I think the name might have to do with the idea of a “traditional face married to a cutting edge” which is actually pretty clever.
Huh. That’s actually news to me, with that kind of detail on it!
If I’d known this, I’d have put it in my review! Thanks for sharing!!!
Just to be clear, this is basically a guess but feel free to add it if you want, if I am right I didn’t come up with it, it was just lost in translation.
Ive got the brick. Not the brick hammer. And it’s really quite fun to have. I’d whip it out on public transport or a plane faster than my steamdeck just because it’s less bulky. I mostly play pico-8 games on it.
That’s the nicest part of this kind of handheld. While being relegated to older games (unless you’re using something like the Odin 3 for example!), the convenience and portability are unmatched.
I love how slim and unobtrusive the Brick and Brick Hammer are, its been so easy to take on the go!
How would you say it compares to an analog pocket?
That’s not an easy comparison to make between the two.
The Analogue Pocket does one thing extremely well, while the Brick Hammer covers many more systems. Not to mention the difference in cost!
But the Brick Hammer feels premium (that metal shell is perfection), gives you a multitude of community built and supported operating systems, all manner of apps.
They’re too difficult to compare. If you want Game Boy? Go Analogue. If you want a very slim, sleek retro handheld that you can play a ton of consoles on (PortMaster!) then go for this one!
This thing looks slick. How does it do with sleeping it mid-game session and resuming later? That’s the biggest make-or-break feature for me with any of these handhelds.
It does really well. The default OS which TRIMUI ships it with performs really well on the sleep front, but the community OS I’ve installed (NextUI) is known for how well they implement their ‘deep sleep’.
The overnight power draw I’ve seen has been 1% of the battery. NextUI’s use of it has by far been the best I’ve seen for a device’s sleeping. I saw someone say it lasts around 2 months in their deep sleep.
The brick hammer is great for everything up to Snes and GBA. It is my most used device of 7 or 8 that I own. It isn’t good for n64 and up, not because it won’t play them, but because it has no joystick. Even so, for Snes, nes and GBA I really believe that there is no better platform to play them on.
I think you can pick and choose the N64 games, there’s definitely some which are quite playable with the lack of the N64 claw’s odd controls. I’ve found that like you, sticking to those 3:2 systems are where its shined the most! Though right now I’m enjoying FFVII on there :)
And the build? So beautifully made!
Nice. Its a fun one.
I can’t stop picking it up!
Looks nice. I am not a huge fan of the form factor though, I prefer the GBA style layout. I have a RetroSnap Play I got as a gift, I wonder how it compares. By biggest issue is it can never tell me the battery percentage, and it drains quickly when I close it with a game running. This combo sucks and makes me constantly nervous about keeping it charged so it won’t shut off in the middle of an important game.
If absolute Game Boy Advance is your fav, then don’t forget this one:
The RetroSnap Play looks great! Glad you’ve been enjoying it! This is one of the R36S clones, basically its ‘one’ handheld that just keeps on selling and selling, and broke out of the niche hobby scene. That’s why you’ll see it on spaces like YouTube and (apparently, I don’t use it!) a ton on TikTok.
If you want to change the firmware so you’ll be able to see the battery state, then you can check out this guide on what is available:
https://retrohandheldguides.com/r36s-custom-firmware/
Oh yeah, that is exactly what I want out of a handheld! And thank you so much for the link, I didn’t realize the firmware these things ship with is so out of date. If I can get the battery percentage working thanks to this, you’re a real life saver.
You’re welcome!
Have a read over it, choose one and then (if it helps) check some YouTube videos so they give you a nice overview on what they bring to your device.
:)
According to the specs, it has only 1 GB of RAM. Is it true?
https://trimui.com/pages/trimui-brick-hammer
That is actually plenty for retro games. All those old consoles ran on tiny amounts of ram.
Yes!
It doesn’t need anything more. These emulators are so well optimized now in RA that they just run beautifully. Well, with a couple exceptions I noted in my review.
This is a handheld that isn’t trying to do more than it claims, so 1GB is perfect!
If it can do it with just that then it’s sensible to have less, since idling memory will use power and the less you have the longer the battery will last.
You can buy a controller for your phone and have a more powerful emulation device without spending as much money.
Yeah it depends on how much you’d use it I guess. I remember playing some old titles on a GBA emulator app back during highschool breaks, but it kinda got old quickly. Would be pointless to buy something specifically for it unless you’re really into it, but if so something like this that’s well integrated would be pretty neat to have.
Phone batteries are shit, so I prefer to game on a separate device.
I don’t want to use my phone
Agreed but battery life is clutch with mobile devices. Dead phone batteries don’t facilitate travel. Or waiting for your car to get fixed and having this in the glove box … I mean your argument is basically against all retro handheld devices.
True, I recommend an xbox x/s controller and this cheap but great mount the power a moga clip 2.
https://www.powera.com/p/moga/clips/moga-mobile-gaming-clip-2-0-for-xbox-controllers-1519066-01-1519066-01R/
$10 clip + a used xbox controller + your phone and you have a gyro capable (your phone) mobile gaming system with probably the best gamepad ever.
I don’t think this takes the place of a gadget like the Brick Hammer but I do HEAVILY recommend going this route first as you likely already have an adequate phone and xbox controllers are cheap and plentiful on the used market (and their only real achilles heel is they don’t have gyro… which your phone solves).
note this clip uses the model 1914 xbox controller to be precise, xbox controller names are so stupid… but also this clip is $10, who cares, fold some post-it notes/cardstock up a bunch and jam em in there and you can make a different controller work if it is a similar shape and size
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xbox_Wireless_Controller