SF2000 Retro Handheld- All You Need To Know About it! Review
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- čas přidán 30. 07. 2024
- Hello guys, it's MashTec here,
today i want to present you a very interesting low budget handheld called SF2000 from the company DataFrog.
It's a very popular retro-gaming handheld at a low-budget price of only around 20 dollars or euro, but still it is a decend device for the price. We'll take short but brief look to it, check out the display, the buttons and the overall layout and i share my impressions about it.
Additionally, in this video, we'll fix the bootloader problem, install the latest firmware version, take a brief look at the screen tearing problem, go through the steps of adding your own games and check out some gameplay and the limits of this device. Enjoy!
Basic Menu navigation:
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START = enter menu
SELECT = leave menu
B = strart game
START + SELECT = open in-system menu - resume, quit, safe, load
Tools:
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WinRAR : www.winrar.de/downld.php
balenaEtcher: etcher.balena.io/
Files:
-------------------------------------
FrogTool:
github.com/tzlion/frogtool/re...
Firmware 1.71:
datafrog.site:52/s/evNhn?path=%2F
or (alternative)
sf2000.co.uk/firmware/
Bootloader fix:
drive.google.com/file/d/1VWYQ...
Timeline:
-------------------------------------
0:00 Intro
1:09 Unboxing
1:38 Overview
2:30 Connections
3:37 Battery
4:04 Technical specs
5:02 Start-Up & Features
7:55 Fix the bootloader
9:35 Install new Firmware
11:39 Add roms (easy)
12:38 Add roms (advanced)
15:31 Screen Tearing Problem
16:25 Gameplay
19:23 Conclusion (Pro's & Con's)
22:19 Alternatives
Music:
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Upbeat Instrumental Corporate by Fretbound
Music provided by protunes.net
Video Link: bit.ly/3TUZaqS
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#DataFrog #SF2000 #handheld #budget #MashTec - Hry
I paid $12Cdn INCLUDING SHIPPING from AliExpress for this bad boy. How can they even make money on that? It's about $9.50USD equivalent. I am amazed how well it does especially with arcade games. It's SNES emulation could definately be better, especially SuperFX games but for that price! The screen is beautiful if a bit tiny and the controls are great. The whole thing just feels like quality. To think I paid more for dinner then I paid for a handheld that plays what would have taken up a warehouse once upon a time is mindblowing.
Awesome deal dude! 👍🏻 Nice catch.
I will soon try the multicore firmware with it and see how it performs with this cfw. This could improve performance for some emulators and introduce some more. May come around with a video about it ;) Enjoy your device!
@@MashTecThank you, and yes your info for the firmware updates and bugfix are very useful, I have to check the firmware on mine, it may be a newer run that is already updated to the newest official build but if not ima fix that pronto. Will definately be interested in the multicore performance as well!
I waste my money on so many emulation handhelds, yet I love this! I love how straight to the point it is and how I wouldn't mind losing it hahah
haha 😂 i 100% share this feeling about this device with you. It‘s kind of a hate-love. You can‘t love it, but you also can‘t really hate it. I love the concept and design but i hate (too hard of a word) that it ain‘t a little better. But that‘s what you pay with the price :)
I have one of these and it really is superb value for money. Highly recommend it.
Thank you for your feedback. Absolutely share this opinion with you.
I‘m curious to see what‘s coming up for this device, especially with the Multicore (cfw) project.
Yes, but who would want it?
@@Evilkingus Hi dude, that‘s a really good question. And i also asked it myself many times with this device. It‘s not too easy to nail down, since i have mixed feelings about it.
If you‘re fine playing mostly 8bit consoles (up to some 16bit titles), or look for something to hand out to your kids to share your retro gaming experience with them, this might be a good option for the price. I‘ve seen many cheap Chinese handhelds for around 15$ that are really bad. Bad design, bad control buttons, no joystick, no IPS display, no TV-out, horrible menu,…that‘s very different with the SF2000. So it is low budget but comes with some premium features (so to speak).
For sure this is not the device for you if you‘re looking for a daily driver retro gaming handheld. It‘s too weak to emulate all the systems i‘d like to see on a retro gaming handheld. As i recommended in my video: rather spend 20-30 bucks more and get a solid R36S instead if you‘re looking for a "real" retro gaming handheld.
But still i think also this device has it‘s
target group.
Wow, that's a pretty cool little device! You certainly can't beat the price. This would be great to hand out to the kids during a long road trip. I'd be curious to see any future cfw options in the future, the screen tearing is a bummer but can't ask for much in this price range. Great video MashTec, love your work!
Hey Jon, thanks for your comment. I absolutely share your point of view. This device gives me mixed feelings. Can‘t love it, can‘t hate it 😂
Need to watch your Raspi 5 video later. Sounds very interesting to me.
After modding the console with buttons and rubber membranes from a SNES controller and installing updated firmware, customized to my liking, this thing is so sweet. It was fun to mod, and plays all my favorite 90s games. I think every game needs this $20 device.
Cool project dude :) how do the rubber membranes improve it and what firmware did you install? Did you go with multicore?
I fully agree that every retro gamer should have this device. Not just because of the nostalgic look and fell, but also for the fact that it plays 8-bit and most 16-bit games with no problem and for the unbeatable price ;)
@@MashTec The rubber membranes from the snes have a larger contact point with more firm rubber. It makes the buttons and d-pad more responsive and feel a bit better. I am on the latest Data Frog OS until I get a new sd card, then I am putting on multicore.
@IronbugVR cool 👍🏻 i‘d appreciate your opinion about it. I also wanted to test multicore on it bit haven‘t found time yet to do it.
Really good complete and helpful video. Thank you!
Hey dude, thanks. I‘m glad you like it.
Impressive video which hits every important point on that device and easy understanding howtos❤
Thanks a lot for your positive feedback my friend. Glad to read you ;)
I believe it is actually only 128MB RAM. For screen tearing, there are a couple community mods that can improve it somewhat. There are also community options to use custom emulator versions.
Hi dude, actually i also doubt the claimed 1GB of RAM are real. But since there is no way to verify it my own i can only forward DataFrog‘s specs here :)
What improvements did you test to get rid of the screen tearing problem?
I‘ll definitely take a look on the 'Multicore' project for the support of furthers emulation systems and see if they improve the screen tearing.
Either way, thanks for your feedback! :)
I liked the d-pad, buttons and controls in general. They are really adequate. They look like they are worthy already . This cannot be compared to the "jelly" of the SUP console.
Thanks for great video
Thank you for this video
Thank you for your kind feedback :)
Very comfortable grip, nice to hold in your hands, and especially in active battles. The screen would be 3.5 inches...
How fast the turbo function for FC/NES games? (X, Y, L, R)
I noticed the original files were with a Z eg ZGB, instead of GBC. Can I use these over GBC files? Or both okay?
At what format did you downloaded the roms? I downloaded roms put it in roms file and doesn't start..
This is a decent emulator for the price the only problem with it is the D pad wont go diagonal.If your playing Contra for example you cant shoot at an angle with the D Pad you have to use the analog stick.The analog stick is surprisingly though and I think it's the best one by far on a device this cheap.
Interesting. I will try this with my device and come back to you. I think i never tried with the D pad (always used the analog stick) :) i let you know if it‘s the same here or if it‘s a problem with the device or firmware.
I can confirm this. It‘s not possible to make diagonal shorts in Contra with the D pad only. This is only possible using the analog stick.
Nice review, i'm thinking of getting this one as well, but i already bought a GB300 and they say it's the same as this one, it's just vertical, not sure if it runs SNES and GBA better :/
Hi dude, thanks for your feedback!
I wouldn‘t recommend buying this handheld for SNES and GBA gaming. I’m not familiar with the RG300, but it really seems pretty the same in emulation power but in a different orientation and lag of a analog stick. Some games will work fine but most demanding titles run poor on this device. But if your looking for easy 16bit gaming in a cool form factor and may want to make use of games with a joystick i can recommend it to you. For the price of ~20$/€ you can‘t get wrong with it. Enjoy!
I need to correct my impression about GBA emulation here. After testing more games i have to say that lots of GBA titles habe significant video glitches. Not as bad as SNES but still noticeable.
Sorry for the confusion, but i want to clarify this here.
was curious but when connected to a tv via av is the screen tearing still an issue?
Hey Luuka, indeed a good testing idea to sort out if it is related to the screen or cpu. I actually tried it an screen tearing was still happening even via A/V out.
@@MashTec appreciate the feedback, thanks
@@Luuka-Chan389 I appreciate your constructive input 👍🏻
Please make a video like this for the multicore 0.1 firmware. This shit is so hard to install and comprehend, we are still lacking a solid tutorial for that.
Thanks for your input dude.
I actually think about doing it. Did it already for mine and it‘s absolutely worth doing the upgrade 👍🏻 the upgrade process itself it pretty easy to explain ;)
Hi, sorry for my poor english but i have a question:
if i upgrade with a brand new sd card with the full image new firmware 1.71, have i do the boot bugfix to it, too? or is in 1.71 the bugfix included? thank you for reviewing.
Hello dude, thanks for your question.
After you applied the boot-fix once, there is no need to do it again for any further firmware updates. It applies to the boot-loader that is independent to the rest of the firmware.
I hope that answers your question :)
Completely random question again but how do you add arcade games and which are supported? Arcade roms are zip files already.
Also can you technically add a PC Engine and a Master System/Game Gear emulator or I'd need an entirely new firmware?
Hey dude, thanks for the questions. Actually i‘m not 100% sure how it handles arcade games, but i think it works with MAME roms, so they should be able to be added the same way i showed in the video.
If you are looking for support of further emulators the multicore project seems interesting. They added quiet a lot more emulators to this system already.
I think SEGA Master System is already supported. GameGear and PC Engine are also technically supported by the system. But only via a different fw called Multicore. I hope that helps you ;)
@@MashTec Okay thanks. I'll check the multicore then.
As for Mame I think I found where the zips were meant to be.
HELP!
Hello, I bought a new console, and I just removed the memory to copy some games, then I returned the memory to the console and it does not turn on, the light comes on, but the screen is still black, nothing comes out, someone could help me? or did it ever happen to you? thanks.
@@jimmyvillegas9141 Hey dude, no worries, follow the link in the video description and create a new sd card with the lates OS version. You should be fine 👍🏻
If you fix the boot then when you install the new firmware do you need to reinstall that fix or it's not necessary?
Hey dude, it‘s not necessary to do the fix again, once you did it. It effects a different area that is independent on the firmware.
I‘m sorry i didn‘t mention this is the video, so thanks for your question 👍🏻
@@MashTec Thanks!
We are waiting for the headphone jack and brightness adjustment in the new revisions. )) But otherwise it's super.
Hi dude, didn‘t know they plan a new revision on it. That‘s interesting news :)
Do you know if they also fix the screen tearing problem and/or plan to give it a stronger CPU?
@@MashTec sorry, bro its just was my dream =) I hope that it'll be so
@@Lets_Talk_About_GOD oh, alright :) then i hope for you your dream comes true. But to be honest, i doubt that they make another revision of it. You may want to take a look at the Anbernic RG353P, if you look for a major "upgrade".
Do you think it’s ok to replace the rechargeable battery with a 5000mah one?
Yes it is, as long as the voltage remains the same you can exchange the battery to any other compatible one.
Bigger capacity is always better 👍🏻
What battery do you plan to buy?
Have you tried Mutlicore? In my experience the SD card can affect the screen tearing. On a cheap Microcenter 16gb(class 10), minimal or no screen tearing. On an old Sandisk 16gb I had, there was constant screen tearing. I think the speed of the SD is a major factor with this device's performance(at least with NES/SNES/MD/PCE).
Hey Hexapus, i haven‘t found the time yet to try it out, yet. But that‘s an interesting finding with the ad card. I will give this a try too. Got some sd cards lying around here from different brands. Thanks for this hint. Actually the screen tearing is the only annoying problem with this device for me. Thanks!
SD card speed can't affect game performance because the ROM is loaded in the RAM when you start up a game. The only thing it could affect is the boot up time, but the read speeds are probably bottlenecked on this thing anyway it hardly matters what SD card you use in it.
You probably flashed a newer firmware than what you had on the sandisk card. v1.6 supposedly improves the clock speed slightly. Or it's a placebo effect because I haven't really noticed any difference tbh
Thanks for your feedback. Actually i think the same and can‘t see any performance relation to the sd card.
@@DecibelAlex What would be the cause of the extreme difference in performance then? I'm not trying to argue with you but it was like night and day. Constant wave going diagonally across the screen as the image scrolled. This was an old(like 10+ years) SD card, Sandisk. Someone on Reddit suggested it was the SD speed and I know read/write speed is a factor when choosing an SD for a game device. If not the speed then it was the SD card itself? Also, it was the exact same firmware/image.
@@MashTec The SD card is not just storing the games but it's also running the OS. From one of the multicore devs "The firmware for the SF2000 is actually located on the microSD card, in a file called bisrv.asd located in the bios folder. This file is a monolithic binary blob, which contains the device's OS, the emulators, their settings... basically everything."
The link for the bootloader fix is no longer valid. Do you have another link? Thanks
I uploaded the file to my google drive to share with you (link in the description is updated). So i don't need to depend on any external source ;) thank you!
@@MashTec thanks for your support and swift action. You are awesome. I got the file. All is good.
@@digitizer3627 Glad to hear 👍🏻 You’re welcome and thank YOU for reporting the link issue.
Hey Brudi. Nur für die Zukunft: Tearing wird "Tähring" ausgesprochen, da es sich auf das zerreißen (to tear) und nicht auf die Träne (Tear) bezieht. ;) Ansonsten tolles Video!
Danke für dein Feedback. Ich arbeite weiter an mir und versuch das zu verbessern 👍🏻
Mega like ist raus
Danke mein Freund, freut mich :)
@@MashTec immer wieder gerne
I just wish it had a slightest better processor, cos IMO this is easily the best form factor for a small retro handheld....I honestly don't know why it hasn't been upgraded by somebody yet
I wish the same dude.
The processor is the main issue of this device. Maybe also responsible for the screen tearing. Apart from that it‘s a handy device.
tried 4 different brand 16gb cards, and all of them too small for flashing. how you made it?
Ough, that sounds weird. I'd rather say this is a different problem. What sd-card brand(s) did you use? I know there can be size problems with cheap micro sd-cards.
You can also try this step from my homepage to get the sd-card prepared correctly: www.mashtec.online/post/prepare-used-sd-card-for-flash
I hope this helps.
flash the fw with win32diskimager
@@MashTec tried many brand cards. no worry found another way
@@DecibelAlex i did it using tadpole tool
Thanks for sharing your solution with us 👍🏻
Te recomiendo lo actualices con el firmware purple neo👌🇲🇽🇪🇦
Thank you for this feedback. I will try it my friend and see if there are more improvements. Greetings from germany ✌🏻🇩🇪
The GBA performance seems like its debated a lot... many people say it's a hit or miss, a few say it doesn't run at all, and some (like you) says it works very well. I don't know why! I'm getting my handheld soon so we'll see.
Hey dude, first of all, thanks a lot for your feedback and statement here.
Actually i need to correct my impression about GBA emulation on the SF2000. Seems like i didn‘t test enough games to get it right :(
Now that i played more games, i‘d say it‘s close to SNES emulation. Not as bad as SNES emu but close. Some games just work great others have some significant video glitches. Hit or miss would describe it the best.
I‘m sorry for the confusion. Next time i need to test more games before giving my statement.
@@MashTec Ah- that's okay! Thank you for clarifying that. Did you test any of the mario games? How did they run?
@@Everything-Wii Super Mario World and Super Mario Kart on the SNES work fine. Just Super Mario World 2 - Yoshi‘s Island has frame drops and audio glitches as shown in the video.
@@MashTec That's awesome- because I love both mario kart and mario world but the sequel I never got into. I guess it makes sense considering how demanding Super Mario World 2 is.
@@Everything-Wii Absolutely. Sill i have high hopes that the situation can improve in future. The device already received a few updates that improved the performance significantly. Most likely some cfw could give another major improvement when they also optimize emulators for the hardware. We‘ll see :)
Anyways it‘s a neat little device that definitely handles all 8-bit titles with no problem and many 16-bit titles. So i bet you won‘t regret your purchase 👍🏻
playdate vs sf2000 which is better?
Hey dude, that‘s a strange comparison. Both devices are basically very different and can‘t really be compared IMHO.
The SF2000 is a retro gaming handheld that is able to play almost all 8bit and 16bit titles.
The PlayDate is a new machine running it‘s own games that make use of the unique wrench input of this device. Working on a monochrome display. Very unique games. You wither love it it hate it :)
Does it have donkey Kong and super punch out?
Yes, it got Donkey Kong Country for the SNES and GBC and Super Punch Out for SNES 👍🏻
I found similar device but older .... The FC3000, what do think is better?
Hey dude, thanks for your comment! 😃 actually i wasn‘t aware of this device and so i‘m not familiar with it.
From a first sight it looks similar in terms of performance, supported systems and price.
I prefer the form factor of the SF2000 more and also like analog stick.
Both have the exchangeable battery. Still, this FC3000 looks interesting since it supports an additional controller and use of external game cartridges. Thanks for pointing it to me, i may order it check it out ;)
@@MashTec thank you for replying👌
how to install game mame
Hi dude, you can just copy the roms to the MAME Roms folder on the device and start it from the main menu.
It's a shame they didn't just put a slightly better chip in it. I would've gladly paid a bit more to have good performance and no screen tearing. That being said I probably wouldn't pay 20€ for it today or even 10 when I can get something like the R36S for 20€ more
Yea, i fully understand your point dude! :) i thought exactly the same first. And i also recommend the R36S over this device if you look for a daily retro gaming driver.
Still, if you are just into 8bit and 16bit (low demanding) gaming you can be really happy with this device.
Having this device with all it features (maybe a bigger screen), but a slightly better chip to run ALL 16 consoles/handhelds without any problems would still be awesome.
Useless without headphone jack unfortunately. Would have bought for my kids for car travel. Ended up with used nintendo dsi. Great alternative. Found for 25 bucks a piece...
Hey dude, usually i‘d say a headphone jack is not really necessary but if you hand it out to your kids for a holiday trip in the car i understand that it‘s crucial 😂 our son keeps watching Disney movies on longer trips on a tablet. An man, i don‘t want to miss that silence in the car. Very relaxed.
Glad you found a good deal with the DS. It‘s still a great device 👍🏻
Did you mod the DSi to play older games? I'm curious if your kids actually enjoy retro games.
Da höre ich doch deutschen Akzent! :D
Ja richtig gehört :) ist das so offensichtlich 🙈 ich hoffe das Video hat dir gefallen.
@@MashTec Naja, ich finde als Deutscher hört man deutschen Akzent gut raus. Aber alles gut! Ich mir dann doch den R36S bestellt. Der SF2000 ist mir dann doch zu leistungsschwach.
@ScienceofLogicTV Eine gute Entscheidung 👍🏻 das Teil ist klasse für den Preis. Wenn du ihn hast empfehle ich dir unser Image drauf zu spielen. Du wirst viel Freude damit haben:
czcams.com/video/sGg651-2_cY/video.htmlsi=mKlaQRpB38KdyMoH
@@MashTec Wärst du so nett, mich mal grob aufzuklären? Ich bin jemand, der sich den geholt hat, um nur noch ein Gerät nutzen zu müssen. Kiste an - Spiel aussuchen und nach 20 min wieder weglegen. Was würde mir ein anderes Image an Vorteilen bringen, bzw. reicht der Auslieferungszustand nicht aus?
@ScienceofLogicTV Na klar gerne doch:
this one is upgraded and improved:
* more ported games
* more emulation systems
* newer firmware version ArkOS 2.0
* more and improved themes
* sorted out broken games
* improved emulator settings in terms of video and performance
* supports more than 15 retro gaming handheld devices
* supported by www.mashtec.online community
A colleague keeps asking me to recommend him a budget emulation handheld. He sees my Anbernic devices and assumes they are like £25. It's always disappointing to tell him they're more like £80-120.
Finally, this looks actually good enough to bother setting up. Not phenomenal, but good enough for someone who doesn't really care about perfect emulation.
Hey dude, if you ask me, i‘d rather recommend getting a GameConsole R36S instead. It costs around 40£ and is much better. Better build quality, bigger screen, stronger processor.
I bet your friend would love that device for the price ;)
@@MashTec I've seen a couple of reviews. It looks like the RG351V, but with two analogue sticks and about half the price. I'll take a look. Thanks 👍
Exactly. A used RG351V may also be a good choice my friend 👍🏻
I just wouldn‘t recommend the SF2000 for a serious retro gaming handheld.
fyi, 'bootloader fix' link reports "this content is no longer available" when clicked.
Hey dude, thank you for your feedback, but i can‘t confirm. I just tried the link and it works perfectly fine for me. Can you retry, maybe with a different browser?
@@MashTec How strange! It gives me the same results under Chrome and Firefox. I will try with a reboot later and see what happens.
@@MashTec Still the same result: Can you try getting someone outside your network or your discord to try? If they can it must be on my end somehow but can't think what, it's certainly not a DNS issue or I wouldn't even get that link with the message.
Looks like a SNES controler.
Is unable to run SNES games properly.
Scumbag handheld.
Joke aside, you get something decent for the price.
Some games are unplayable.