Dingoo A330 Emulation Handheld review

[Turnarcades]

Been busy with various projects for a while now so haven't started any new topics in some time, but as this is one of the more interesting I've been looking at I thought I'd post a review and share my thoughts.

After following the homebrew handheld scene for quite some time, I took the plunge and finally ordered a Dingoo A330. For anyone who doesn't know, this device is one of the more superior of these chinese-made handheld media devices that has been springing up on gadget websites and ebay for the last couple of years. There are plenty of cheaper machines that barely handle emulation of some hacked NES games alongside some iffy MP3/PMP functions, but as many know there are also some slightly pricier, but more serious, alternatives out there that have proved to be more viable development platforms for the homebrew community. The original Dingoo A320 was one of these and although significantly less powerful than the competitors like the GP2X Wiz, Caanoo, or the rare troubled Pandora, it proved fairly easy to port to and came in at around half the price of the cheapest alternative. The A330 is the successor console to the original A320.

The reason these type of consoles first caught my attention is not only are they an excellent mobile solution for retro-gamers like us, they are also now coming in at a price that makes them viable hacking platforms for compact arcade projects. I could go into detail about the history of the console and all the additional features etc., but as my A330 was bought to test it as a viable mini-arcade project core, I've done a video review that mainly details the emulator performance and user-friendliness as these are the most important points to consider if it is to be a viable 'brain' for such a project.

The audio is a bit quiet so I've added notes where necessary, but if you've also been contemplating one of these devices for a compact arcade build or simply for a mobile retro gaming fix, then please take the time to view it below:



Overall, I've found the Dingoo A330 to be a very competent gaming platform with plenty of community support and coming in at the right price. Many will already be getting their mobile gaming fix by way of their iphone, PSP, Android device or some other means by now, but the only direct comparable competitor is the PSP. PSP's may now be cheap second-hand but arcade emulation is not great on them and the software installation is better suited to mobile use. As mentioned there are better devices out there but cost will always be a factor and at over £100 for the competition, the Dingoo is certainly the best value and close at least to the power of the Wiz. I've yet to take the console apart to see what would be possible in terms of joypad hacking, but at least with native TV-out and a supplied RCA cable, connectivity would be easier and certainly be more compact than using a small profile PC like a thin client or Pico ITX motherboard, which would be costlier and require more 'add-ons' to work as well.

I'd recommend anyone considering a compact project give these a try, or indeed their A320 predecessor (if you can find them as they're now out of production). I am currently working on a couple of tiny arcade builds and with the wireless joypad addition for this console, it may even be possible to keep the system fully intact so it can be installed for static use and still completely removed to take away and play on the go!

Any thoughts/suggestions welcome.

[Bender]

I've been workin on a tiny project with a Wiz as the base
I have an A320 too but it's not as powerful
I've taken them both apart to hack and it's pretty straight forward very similar to a gamepad hack
They have a common ground which is good but the traces are tiny
I had to scrape away the common side a little to make sure my solder didn't connect the circut
but I was able to hack all the buttons and d-pad, speaker, power, and usb

[Turnarcades]

Yeah the Wiz is much better, but like I say it's also a lot more pricey (in the UK anyway) and getting harder to find now the even pricier Caanoo is out, so it would grieve me to hack up a Wiz. From my long look at the scene, the Dingoo strikes a good balance between performance and cost.

Good to know I'm not the first to consider a build using one of these types of units though, and even better to know it's hackable without having to take it apart myself first. I'm assuming it's the A320 you've taken apart though so I'll eventually have to take apart my A330 to see how it differs but hopefully it's mostly the same. Let us know how that Wiz project progresses though!

The build that inspired me was in this video I found on youtube:

[ChurchOfSolipsism]

Nice review man. Btw are you from Northampton? You talk just like Alan Moore 

[Turnarcades]

Nice review man. Btw are you from Northampton? You talk just like Alan Moore 

Is it bad that I didn't know who the dude was? Just checked it out though and I kinda do, though I'm not a hippy-looking old bloke. I'm actually from Wolverhampton, so I'm glad for once no-one called 'Brummie' cos we hate that. I suspect Alan Moore spent a lot of time in the Midlands which explains the similarity, whilst my frequent need to enunciate when dealing with customers means my Midland accent is slowly dropping!

[ChurchOfSolipsism]

Nice review man. Btw are you from Northampton? You talk just like Alan Moore 

Is it bad that I didn't know who the dude was? Just checked it out though and I kinda do, though I'm not a hippy-looking old bloke. I'm actually from Wolverhampton, so I'm glad for once no-one called 'Brummie' cos we hate that. I suspect Alan Moore spent a lot of time in the Midlands which explains the similarity, whilst my frequent need to enunciate when dealing with customers means my Midland accent is slowly dropping!

Ha no problem man, not everybody reads comics... although Moore wrote tons of amazing stuff. Check him out if you like graphic novels.
Had to check where Wolverhampton is, I gotta admit I haven't been to England's north much. I do love the accent, though; it makes me think of old armchairs and pipe smoke curling in the lazy autumn sun...

[Turnarcades]

Yeah I had a look, though I can tell you that being from the Midlands is more like sucking in industry and car exhaust smoke dodging the rain! Sunny at the moment though and we're making the most of it!

Working on the PS1 emulation on my Dingoo now, which is a bit hit and miss with low compatibility at the moment, but could be OK for some games.

[BobA]

Thanks for that video.  Looks like a great little cab.  It took me a bit but I found the guide by expanding his description.

Build Guide

[Turnarcades]

There's a few on youtube; another guy did one that also permanently housed a Dingoo A320 permanently. As the A330 has a wireless joypad function, I think I'll do a joypad hack on that instead so at least the Dingoo can be removed and doesn't necessarily have to be hacked up.