Hi there.
I have had this goal in the back of my mind for about a year after building the Retro Lite CM5 back in 2023. It was a great leap over the CM4/CM5 from Raspberry Pi and left those in the dust from a GPU perspective. Now that we have almost mainlined the device, its time to look to the next project.
The goal - a functional dual screen clamshell handheld powered by the latest Qualcomm processor (that isn't hindered by Mali graphics stack and an older GPU generation from 2021).
The current problem - Qualcomm is usually locked down, requires copious amount of NDAs to even get your hands on their SoCs - and lets not forget, lots and lots of money to make a PCB (think HDI, lots of MOQ, etc). Essentially, it's always been out of reach for hobbyist builders.
That's where Radxa come in - with their new 2026 product lineup announced at the Qualcomm x Radxa conference in Shenzhen in June, they are releasing Qualcomm based compute modules in 2026- specifically, my interest peaked when they announced the CM-Q87 (essentially, Dragonwing Q8, casually known as Snapdragon Elite). This device is seriously powerful and would be a large leap over the RK3588 unit in terms of CPU and GPU performance.
My goal for 2026 is to build a handheld console which takes heavy inspiration from the 3DS - but with my own modern twist.
I don't have much worthy to share at the moment, but I can at least share some of the specifications I have planned and a quick CAD picture.
Retro Flip CMx
And hey - now that Autodesk EAGLE is officially dead, it will be my first complex attempt at PCB design in KiCad, which I am looking forward to tackling.
Until my next update, sayonara!
I have had this goal in the back of my mind for about a year after building the Retro Lite CM5 back in 2023. It was a great leap over the CM4/CM5 from Raspberry Pi and left those in the dust from a GPU perspective. Now that we have almost mainlined the device, its time to look to the next project.
The goal - a functional dual screen clamshell handheld powered by the latest Qualcomm processor (that isn't hindered by Mali graphics stack and an older GPU generation from 2021).
The current problem - Qualcomm is usually locked down, requires copious amount of NDAs to even get your hands on their SoCs - and lets not forget, lots and lots of money to make a PCB (think HDI, lots of MOQ, etc). Essentially, it's always been out of reach for hobbyist builders.
That's where Radxa come in - with their new 2026 product lineup announced at the Qualcomm x Radxa conference in Shenzhen in June, they are releasing Qualcomm based compute modules in 2026- specifically, my interest peaked when they announced the CM-Q87 (essentially, Dragonwing Q8, casually known as Snapdragon Elite). This device is seriously powerful and would be a large leap over the RK3588 unit in terms of CPU and GPU performance.
My goal for 2026 is to build a handheld console which takes heavy inspiration from the 3DS - but with my own modern twist.
I don't have much worthy to share at the moment, but I can at least share some of the specifications I have planned and a quick CAD picture.
Retro Flip CMx
- Analog triggers via RP2354B gamepad - hall sensors - custom molded
- Shoulder buttons - custom molded
- BQ25792 IC, with dual power path support for VBUS input
- 2S battery configuration with buck reg and balancer
- TPS65988D (for 2 USB-C ports) - one port supports USB 3.0, OTG and DP. Other port supports USB 2.0 and PD
- DisplayPort support
- Hall sensor for lid switch - auto sleep on lid close
- 3DS sliders. Rear back buttons for L3/R3
- Custom heatpipe plus finstack design for cooling
- Switch lite fan
- Button for entering maskrom mode/eMMC programming
- Top screen - DSI (7" OLED top display, 1080p, 16:9)
- Bottom screen - DSI (4.16" IPS LCD, 960p, 4:3)
- Two 3DS XL hinges
- Switch joycon rumble motors
- Switch joycon ABXY
- Internal skeleton - removable base shell (inspired by Tschiki's PS2 portable)
- Blackberry 8520 finger IR touchpad x 2 via SPI (think steam deck trackpads, but small!).
- 2 x hotkeys for various functions
- Gyrometer
- CM-Q85 (QCS8550), CM-Q87 (QCS8750) compatible
- Custom PCBs - controller and carrier
- Custom capactive stylus
- 2x 21700 Tesla cells (10Ah capactiy) w/ battery clips
And hey - now that Autodesk EAGLE is officially dead, it will be my first complex attempt at PCB design in KiCad, which I am looking forward to tackling.
Until my next update, sayonara!
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