We've covered many Raspberry Pi projects before, with the most recent being the Raspberry Pi mini retro gaming PC. However, today's project is powered by something other than the Raspberry Pi. Built using the Radxa CM5 Compute Module, this impressive creation is called the Retro Lite CM5, a more powerful and capable upgrade to the Retro Lite CM4. The handheld is packed with advanced gaming capabilities and also offers an optional OLED upgrade to create the suitably named RetrOLED.

Although the Raspberry Pi is a powerful SBC (single-board computer), the developer wanted to create a handheld capable of handling 3DS, PS2, and GameCube emulation. According to the developer, the Retro Lite CM5 is “a much more viable low-powered ARM SBC gaming PC than the Raspberry Pi 4”.

“The Retro Lite/RetrOLED CM5 is an upgrade to the Retro Lite CM4 handheld. The project goal is to create a more powerful handheld that can handle 3DS, PS2 and GC emulation (none of which the Pi can do). I also would like to be able to play some games via Box64/86. It has a relatively large battery so run time should be excellent, considering it is ARM based.”

RetrOLED developers

Breaking down the Retro Lite CM5

As we mentioned earlier, the Retro Lite CM5 is powered by the RK3588s compute module from Radxa, an SBC SOM module featuring an ARMv8 64-bit processor. It offers 8 cores/threads, with 4 ARM Cortex-A55 cores clocked at 1.8GHz and 4 Cortex-A76 cores clocked at 2.4GHz. For graphics, it includes a built-in Mali G610 GPU. Its modern gaming capabilities are complemented by advanced connectivity options, including a DisplayPort via USB Type-C, USB 3.0, and HDMI 2.1, along with built-in PCIe WiFi 6.0 and Bluetooth 5.2.

The original build uses a 5.5-inch 720p IPS display with touchscreen support, though an optional OLED upgrade is available. For the OLED screen, the developer has utilized a 5.44-inch 1920×1080 AMOLED display sourced from Alibaba. Be sure to check the Q&A section for details on selecting the correct display as per the developer’s guidance. Additionally, the device includes dual tactile trigger buttons for full GameCube support.

A powerful but pricey project

In terms of power, according to the developer, this handheld should be capable of running the entire PS2 library at 1x native resolution for all games, as well as GameCube games at 1x on Linux with OpenGLES drivers. That said, there's a lot more planned for this project, and you should definitely check out the project's GitHub page for all the details and a complete breakdown of how it's made so you can build one yourself.

However, one thing to note is that the cost of parts to build one of these is around $350–$400, which is undoubtedly on the pricier side. But this isn't meant to be an alternative or a cheaper emulation handheld compared to those available on the market. Instead, it's a fun way to challenge your technical and creative skills by building a fully functional OLED gaming console entirely on your own!

About the Author

Hassam Nasir

Hassam boasts over seven years of professional experience as a dedicated PC hardware reviewer and writer.