Quick answer
Retro handheld jargon falls into four groups: hardware, the software that runs the games, the file format each game is stored in, and shopping terms.
- Terms defined here: 40, across hardware, software, formats and shopping
- Learn first: ROM (the game file), emulator (the software console), firmware (the system running both)
- Most common confusion: an in-game save versus an emulator save state
- UK vs US naming: Mega Drive and Genesis are the same console
- Needed just to play? None — a pre-loaded handheld arrives configured
Retro handheld listings use a shorthand that assumes you know it: IPS, RK3326, CFW, CHD, integer scaling. Almost all of it describes four things — the hardware, the software, the file format, and what the shop is promising. Here are 40 of them in plain English.
You need none of it to start playing: every GameBro R36S arrives already loaded and configured. This glossary is for when you want to add your own games, change a setting, or judge whether a cheap listing is honest.
What do the hardware terms mean?
IPS screen
IPS (in-plane switching) is an LCD panel type with accurate colours and wide viewing angles, so the picture does not wash out when tilted. It is the main thing separating a good budget handheld from a bad one.
Resolution (640×480)
The number of pixels the screen has, written as width by height. The R36S panel is 640×480 — exactly four times a Game Boy Advance screen, and whole-number multiples keep pixel art sharp.
RK3326
A Rockchip system-on-chip with four CPU cores and a Mali graphics core, used in many entry-level handhelds including the R36S. It handles everything up to PlayStation 1 comfortably; N64 and Dreamcast vary by title.
H700
A newer Allwinner quad-core chip used in several Anbernic RG35XX-family handhelds, generally a step up from the RK3326 on demanding systems.
D-pad
The plus-shaped directional pad used for eight-way movement. Almost every pre-PlayStation game was built around one, so D-pad quality matters more here than stick quality.
Analogue stick
A thumbstick that reports how far and in which direction you push it, rather than just on or off. Essential for N64, PlayStation and Dreamcast games; the R36S has two.
Hall-effect stick
An analogue stick that senses position with magnets rather than contacts, so nothing wears out and it should never drift. Found on higher-end handhelds such as the Retroid Pocket 5.
mAh
Milliamp-hours: the size of the battery's fuel tank. Bigger usually means longer play, but only within the same device — the R36S gets 6+ hours from 3500 mAh.
USB-C
The reversible oval charging port used by almost every modern handheld and phone, so you charge with a cable you already own. Cheaper devices sometimes still use micro-USB.
microSD card
The fingernail-sized memory card holding the system and the games. Many handhelds, the R36S included, have two slots — one for the system, one for games — and you only touch the second.
HDMI out
A video output for playing on a television instead of the built-in screen. The R36S has none; the X2 Plus is built around it, plugging into a TV with wireless controllers.
What do the software and emulation terms mean?
Emulator
Software that imitates an old console so its games run on new hardware. One emulator usually covers one system, which is why a handheld ships with a dozen or more.
Firmware
The system software built into the handheld: the boot menu plus the emulators behind it. On these Linux-based devices it lives on the first microSD card, not inside the console.
Custom firmware (CFW)
Community-built replacement firmware, flashed onto the system card in place of the software the device shipped with. People install it for more emulators and better menus; it is optional.
ArkOS
A popular Linux-based custom firmware for Rockchip handhelds, known for being stable and well organised. The R36S runs an ArkOS-style system out of the box.
EmulationStation
The front-end menu most retro handhelds boot into: the scrolling list of systems and games with box art. It is not an emulator — it is the shop window that launches one.
RetroArch
One program that runs many emulators behind a single interface, with shared settings, save states and shaders. Most handheld firmwares use it under the bonnet even if you never open its menu.
Core
An individual emulator plugged into RetroArch — one for SNES, another for PlayStation, often several per system. Switching core is the usual fix when one game misbehaves.
BIOS
A copy of the startup software that lived inside the original console. PlayStation 1, PSP and Dreamcast emulation needs one to boot games accurately; NES, SNES and Mega Drive do not.
ROM
The game file itself, named after the read-only memory chip inside a cartridge. In the UK, keep backups only of games you own — see our guide to whether retro handhelds are legal in the UK.
Save state
An emulator snapshot of the whole console at one instant, reloadable to the exact frame. It is not an in-game save, and it makes brutally hard older games practical on a short commute.
Shader
A display filter laid over the emulated picture — softening pixel edges, mimicking an LCD grid, or recreating a CRT glow. Cosmetic, and it costs a little performance.
Scanlines
A shader drawing faint dark lines between rows of pixels to imitate a tube television. Some feel it makes pixel art look right; on a 3.5" screen it is subtle.
Integer scaling
Enlarging the picture by a whole number — 2×, 3× — so every original pixel becomes an identical block and nothing blurs. Stretching to fill the screen gives uneven, smeared pixels.
Frame skip
Letting the emulator drop occasional frames to hold the correct speed when hardware cannot keep up. It trades smoothness for pacing; leave it off unless a game runs slowly.
Rewind
A feature that records the last few seconds so you can wind back a mistake instead of reloading. It uses extra memory, so it is usually off by default.
Cheat file
A small text file of codes — infinite lives, unlocked levels — that RetroArch applies to one game: the modern Action Replay cartridge.
What do the game file formats mean?
.zip
A standard compressed archive. Most emulators read a ROM straight out of a .zip, and arcade sets must stay zipped — unzipping them is a common reason a game vanishes.
.chd
Compressed Hunks of Data: one compressed file replacing a disc image, used for PlayStation 1 and Dreamcast. The tidiest option — one game, one file — and it saves space.
.iso
A plain, uncompressed copy of a disc, used mainly for PSP games. It works everywhere but takes the most room; .cso is the compressed equivalent.
.cue and .bin
The older two-part PlayStation 1 disc format: the .bin holds the data, the small .cue describes the track layout. Both must sit in the same folder, and you launch the .cue.
.gba
A Game Boy Advance cartridge dump, one file per game and a few megabytes. The Game Boy and Game Boy Color equivalents are .gb and .gbc.
.nds
A Nintendo DS cartridge dump. DS emulation needs two screens and touch input, so treat DS support on a budget handheld as a bonus, not an expectation.
.pbp
A PlayStation-format container holding a whole multi-disc PS1 game in one file — useful for a four-disc RPG. Our guide to adding games to the R36S lists the right format for every folder.
What do the shopping terms mean?
Pre-loaded
The microSD card arrives with games already in the correct folders, so the device plays the moment you switch it on — the difference between a handheld you enjoy on day one and a weekend project.
128GB card
The capacity of the games card — on the R36S, 128 GB holding 40,000+ titles across 20+ systems. It matters most for disc systems, where one PS1 game outweighs a thousand 8-bit ones.
Clone
A copy of a popular handheld: same shell, weaker internals, a dimmer non-IPS screen or a half-finished card. It is why two identical-looking listings can differ by £20.
"Official" vs unbranded
Most budget handhelds come from factories rather than famous brands, so "official" on a marketplace listing means little. What protects you is the seller: a named UK retailer with stock, returns and a warranty.
RRP
Recommended retail price — the reference figure shown struck through beside a lower selling price. It is context, not a promise; what matters is the price you pay today.
Warranty
The period in which the seller will repair or replace a faulty unit. GameBro ships from UK stock with a 12-month warranty and 30-day returns — the practical advantage over an unnamed overseas seller.
Which retro console names differ between the UK and the US?
Several systems were sold under different names on each side of the Atlantic. Handheld menus use both.
| UK / Europe name | Also known as (US) | Folder you will see |
|---|---|---|
| Sega Mega Drive | Sega Genesis | megadrive or genesis |
| Super Nintendo (SNES) | Super NES / Super Famicom | snes |
| Sega Master System | Master System | mastersystem or sms |
| PC Engine | TurboGrafx-16 | pcengine or tg16 |
| Analogue stick | Analog stick | — |
Which terms actually matter when you are buying?
Five matter most: IPS (the screen looks good), pre-loaded (it works out of the box), mAh (how long it lasts), analogue sticks (PlayStation and N64 are playable) and warranty (someone is accountable). The rest matters later, when you load your own backups or pick a faster microSD card.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between a ROM and an emulator?
An emulator is the software that imitates old console hardware, and a ROM is the game file it loads. The emulator is the console; the ROM is the cartridge or disc.
Do I need to know any of these terms to use a retro handheld?
No. A pre-loaded handheld such as the R36S boots straight into a menu of games with everything already configured. The vocabulary only matters once you start adding your own games or tweaking settings.
What does CFW stand for?
CFW stands for custom firmware: community-built system software that replaces the software a handheld shipped with. It usually adds more emulators, better menus and more settings.
Why do some games need a BIOS file?
Systems such as the PlayStation 1, PSP and Dreamcast ran startup code stored on the console itself, so the emulator needs a copy of that code to boot games accurately. Simpler systems such as the NES and SNES do not need one.
Is a Mega Drive the same thing as a Genesis?
Yes. Mega Drive is the UK and European name and Genesis is the North American name for the same 1988 Sega console, so a megadrive folder and a genesis folder mean the same system.
What is the difference between a save and a save state?
An in-game save is created by the game itself at a save point. A save state is created by the emulator and snapshots the entire console at that exact instant, so you can stop anywhere and resume at the same frame.
Where to start
A pre-loaded handheld lets you play first and learn the vocabulary later.
The R36S at £34.39 is the usual starting point: a 3.5" IPS screen, dual analogue sticks, 3500 mAh for 6+ hours and a 128 GB card of 40,000+ games from UK stock. Our R36S setup guide puts these terms into practice.
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