Miyoo Mini Plus Review: A Reminder That Bigger Isn't Always Better

Last year, the Miyoo Mini retro gaming handheld was a surprise hit. However, it had one major issue.

They were constantly selling out within minutes because of high demand. If you didn't spend your whole day monitoring stock, it would almost always sell out and be nearly impossible to purchase the console. The company's answer to that issue is the Miyoo Mini Plus, but an enlarged design has brought another fatal flaw: a larger screen.

For two reasons, the original Miyoo Mini took a lot of work to locate. Above all, for about $60, it was a fantastic casual gaming device that captured the essence of the original Game Boy in a much more compact, portable format. It could emulate vintage games, including those from the original PlayStation.

However, the company found it extremely difficult to reliably get the 2.8-inch, 640 x 480 screen for the Miyoo Mini. You have a great handheld that everyone wants to get, but your company needs help producing enough of them. Numerous gamers became frustrated as it was a surefire way to be disappointed.

The Miyoo Mini Plus is the company's second attempt at a product rather than an update to the original Miyoo Mini. The Miyoo Mini 2 was released more than a year after the original version. This delay gave competitors the opportunity to release their own retro gaming handhelds.

The Miyoo Mini 2 is now easily found in stores. It is now widely available in stores. Even though I like the Miyoo Mini, I would not choose the Plus over the original because of the poor quality of the screen.

Familiar Hardware With Some Welcome Improvements

The 2.8-inch LCD screen of the Miyoo Mini Plus has been upgraded to a 3.5-inch screen, making it a slightly larger handheld that is much more comfortable to carry and use than the original.

Compared to the original Miyoo Mini (right), which had a 2.8-inch LCD screen that made manufacturing the handheld challenging, the Miyoo Mini Plus (left) has a larger 3.5-inch LCD screen.

Although I have played many games on the original Miyoo Mini over the past year, my hands still get cramped after about 30 minutes of use. I will acknowledge that I have larger hands than most people. The D-pad and action buttons on the Miyoo Mini Plus are the same size as the original. Still, they are slightly more widely spread, significantly improving the handheld's comfort when used for extended gaming sessions.

Although the Miyoo Mini Plus (bottom) is marginally thicker than the Miyoo Mini (top), this only facilitates gripping the more oversized handheld.

In addition, the Miyoo Mini Plus is somewhat thicker than the original, which makes it marginally less portable. However, this extra thickness is a good compromise because the extra mass made it easier for my hands to hold. Like the previous year's model, the Miyoo Mini Plus has three ports on the bottom:

• A USB-C charging connector.
• A headphone jack.
• A microSD slot that stores the OS and games.

Compared to the Miyoo Mini (right), the Miyoo Mini Plus (left) has shoulder buttons on the back that are significantly easier to press and have a more prominent J-shape design.

The recipe didn't change all that much between the original Miyoo Mini and the new Plus version, except for being more extensive, but there are a few other minor enhancements I've grown to love. The Miyoo Mini Plus has two shoulder buttons on the back. These buttons now have a J-shaped design. This design makes them easier to hold with my fingertips.

The shoulder buttons on the Miyoo Mini Plus are easier to tell apart. The inner pair is slightly higher than the outer pair.

This difference in height makes it easier to distinguish them by touch. This makes it easier to differentiate them by touch. Although it's a little design tweak, it significantly improves the playability of games from the 16-bit era, when gamepads and controllers got shoulder buttons.

The rocker-style button on the Miyoo Mini Plus (bottom) has replaced the analog volume wheel found on the Miyoo Mini (top), enabling it to be utilized for additional purposes, such as adjusting the screen brightness.

The last notable update I also appreciated was the replacement of the analog wheel for the volume control with a rocker button. The Miyoo Mini Plus has volume buttons on the side.

These buttons can be used for different purposes, such as changing the screen's brightness. However, adjusting the volume quickly is much easier with a thumbwheel. However, using a thumbwheel to adjust the volume quickly is much easier.

No Performance Gains, But You’ll Want to Ditch That Stock OS As Fast As You Can

The slightly more extensive battery of the Miyoo Mini Plus doesn't increase the time you can play because of the bigger screen. The handheld's 1.2GHz CPU and 128MB of RAM are the same as the original's. Thus, in terms of performance, the Miyoo Mini Plus can run classic games that go back to the first Atari models and even the PlayStation.

When choosing which games to imitate, the PS1 is a safe cutoff because the Miyoo Mini Plus doesn't have analog controls. However, you might find some success with less demanding games from subsequent systems, including the Sega Dreamcast.

Although Miyoo Mini Plus Onion OS isn't yet officially available, you can install a beta version of the OS to enhance the user interface of the handheld significantly.

The Miyoo Mini Plus has a Linux-based operating system. This makes it easier to use RetroArch for playing game emulations.

Fortunately, you don't have to use it even though it is unattractive. The Miyoo Mini became popular because of its loyal fans. These fans developed miyoo mini plus Onion OS, a unique operating system made just for the device.

OnionOS improved the Miyoo Mini by adding interchangeable themes and optimizing RetroArch for its hardware. Now, the handheld has a polished look similar to products from big companies like Nintendo.

Additionally, it is free. However, as of this writing, OnionOS is only officially supported by beta releases; to install it on the Miyoo Mini Plus, you'll need to use a beta release. Other than that, the software has worked flawlessly for me.  

Should You Choose the Original Miyoo Mini or the New Miyoo Mini Plus?

This question could be more straightforward since the original Miyoo Mini is no longer being produced. The company has fully committed to the Miyoo Mini Plus and has given up on finding a source for the handheld's 2.8-inch screen. However, if you're prepared to pay a premium, you can still see the smaller Miyoo Mini on websites like eBay, as scalpers had a field day with the original. But ought you to?

Although the original Miyoo Mini (left) screen wasn't the best, it still looks far better than the one on the larger Miyoo Mini Plus (right).

I like the bigger size of the Miyoo Mini Plus for gaming. However, I am not satisfied with the quality of its 3.5-inch, 640 x 480 LCD screen. Others share the same opinion. Other people have complained about display problems in several forums, but my main gripe is that it looks terrible.

I made changes to the OnionOS settings to improve color accuracy. However, games like Yoshi's Island for the SNES still look muddy, lack saturation, and are unattractive. It does have slightly better viewing angles than the screen on the original Miyoo Mini.

While the Miyoo Mini Plus screen quality has no bearing on gameplay, games appear far friendlier on the original Miyoo Mini. Though I'm not sure if spending $200 on an out-of-production Miyoo Mini is a better option, it's a deal breaker for me.  

Miyoo Mini Plus vs Anbernic RG35XX?

As mentioned before, the makers of the Miyoo Mini had trouble keeping up with demand. Meanwhile, companies like Anbernic have been making great portable game consoles for under $100 for a while now. They saw an opportunity with the shortage and high demand."

The peculiarly called Anbernic RG35XX, released earlier this year, was the outcome. I was impressed with the quality and performance of the hardware, which cost $65, when I reviewed it in March. However, I was unsure about recommending it because the Miyoo Mini Plus was still coming soon."

The Anbernic RG35XX has bigger J-shaped shoulder buttons than the Miyoo Mini Plus. This makes them easier to press with your fingertips. The buttons on the Anbernic RG35XX are more comfortable. The Miyoo Mini Plus has smaller shoulder buttons.

After testing both systems, I have concluded that the Anbernic RG35XX is the superior option. The device now has better controls. These include large shoulder buttons.

There are also two microSD card slots for organizing game and OS files. Additionally, there is a Mini-HDMI port for playing games on a bigger screen. It performs on par with the Miyoo Mini Plus, simulating thousands of retro games up to the PS1 era.

Sadly, the wonderful OnionOS isn't compatible with the Anbernic RG35XX. However, you can replace the front-end and stock OS with GarlicOS, a far superior substitute created by Black-Seraph. While it's not nearly as stable as OnionOS, it still makes the RG35XX look great and streamlines and improves RetroArch.

Both have 3.5-inch LCD screens. The Anbernic RG35XX screen is better than the Miyoo Mini Plus screen in terms of quality, brightness, and color saturation.

The Anbernic RG35XX screen is on the right side. The Miyoo Mini Plus screen is on the left side. The Anbernic RG35XX screen outshines the Miyoo Mini Plus screen.

However, the significantly better screen of the Anbernic RG35XX—a few dollars less expensive than the Miyoo Mini Plus—makes it a better purchase. When comparing the two, the display on the Miyoo Mini Plus looks terrible next to the RG35XX's. It's like I forgot to take off the tinted screen protector. (One didn't exist.)

The screen on the RG35XX isn't the best Anbernic has ever put on a device. Still, it performs significantly better than the Miyoo Mini Plus, which, in my opinion, makes choosing between the two simple: get the Anbernic RG35XX.