📰 New article from Retro Handhelds
120Hz Gaming for under $100: Leaf on the MINILOONG Pocket 1
https://retrohandhelds.gg/120hz-gaming-for-under-100-leaf-on-the-miniloong-pocket-1/
### The $80 Power Move
If you’ve been hunting for a budget handheld, you know the drill: you usually have to choose between a price you love and specs that make you weep. But the MiniLoong Pocket 1 is officially breaking that cycle, and it’s all thanks to a new custom firmware called Leaf.
Until now, the MiniLoong was a bit of a “diamond in the rough”—great hardware, but held back by a clunky, frustrating stock OS. Enter Leaf, a snappy, lightweight Linux alternative that actually makes this $80 device feel premium.
The headline feature? 120Hz support. While most budget devices struggle to stay smooth, Leaf unlocks the MiniLoong’s 720p screen for high-refresh-rate gaming. This means:
- Butter-smooth menus and responsive gameplay.
- Black Frame Insertion (BFI) options to boost motion clarity.
- A much faster UI that doesn’t feel like it’s running through molasses.
It also includes quality-of-life wins like automatic game art scraping and a “5 Game Mode” to help you stop scrolling and start playing. If you want a pocketable retro beast without dropping $200 on a Retroid, the MiniLoong + Leaf combo is officially the value king.