For years, the entry-point for EmuELEC was defined by cheap Android TV boxes. The landscape was ruled by the Amlogic S905 series.
| Device | SoC | RAM | Best for | Approx. Price | |--------|-----|-----|----------|----------------| | X96 Air (S905X3, 4GB) | S905X3 | 4GB | Best budget TV box | $40 | | Odroid-N2+ (4GB) | S922X | 4GB | Best SBC performance | $110 | | Anbernic RG351MP | RK3326 | 1GB | Best handheld | $90 | | Beelink GT King Pro | S922X | 4GB | Premium box (WiFi 6, metal case) | $140 | | Vontar X3 (S905X3) | S905X3 | 2GB | Lowest cost (but 2GB limits some cores) | $30 | emuelec supported platforms best
Before looking at the list, understand the why. EMUELEC is built on Buildroot, not Debian (like RetroPie). This means it is leaner, faster, and boots directly into EmulationStation. However, it relies heavily on the Mesa graphics drivers and the mainline Linux kernel. For years, the entry-point for EmuELEC was defined
EMUELEC supports ARM64 and ARM32 devices only. (Sorry, x86 users; stick with Batocera). Before looking at the list, understand the why
This is where EMUELEC was born. The RK3326 chipset changed the budget retro handheld market forever.