Are these handhelds any good?

[Commash]

I keep getting these sort of handhelds recomended to me on Temu, but I have never owned or seen any reviews on them yet. Does any of you guys own one of these or do you know if they're any good? If not, do you have any reccomendations, preferably something on the cheaper end, maybe something under 150 euros?

 

[Spike's iconSpike]

The best brands are Anbernic and Retroid.
I recommend you go for either of those brands, your budget is good enough for them.
Here this will get you started

 

[Scotty]

Pretty sure those are scams; it's Temu, after all.

 

[Waffles's iconWaffles]

I haven't owned those specifically, but I have had those which looked like PSPs in the past and I can tell you right now that most of those claims are BS -- I remember mine being TECHNICALLY able to play SNES games and up, but at the frame rate of a ViewMaster at best. Very glitchy, too.

I'm not saying these are the same, but experience has led me to believe me that you are much better off investing on a mid-end phone and putting emulators on it instead.

 

[JPchicre]

Speaking as a pro bad financial decision maker,I don't think expending more than 10 Euros on TEMU is a good financial decisions.

 

[vulonkaaz's iconvulonkaaz]

we got a whole thread about those devices somewhere else on the forum, and lots of communities and reviews of those things (like r/SBCGaming on reddit)

i'd recommand to not cheap out too much, get something that seem solid and play everything that you want, and most importantly don't fall in the trap of getting every single one of them as soon as they come out

edit: also don't buy from random temu vendors go to the manufacturer's shop

 

[Crosser19]

I can't speak on most of those emulation handhelds but I have a Miyoo Mini Plus and after replacing the OS with OnionOS its honestly pretty fantastic for how cheap (I think I paid something like $50 USD for it?) it was. It plays most systems up until the PS1 pretty well. Even games a lot of emulators struggle with for certain consoles, like DDS Megami Tensei 2 and Lagrange Point on Famicom, ran essentially perfect. The only issues I really had with it were strangely MSX system based games which is fine if you're just focusing on console and CD games up until the Playstation. It even played a lot of the MAME arcade games I threw at it, PC engine CD, and Sega CD games perfectly. But if you want to play anything past the PS1 I heard that the Retroid and Anbernic lines are pretty good, just a little bit pricier.

 

[moonbits]

I got a Retroid Pocket Mini, it's fantastic. Though a bit on the expensive side, but in general Retroid does great products.

 

[Not_Red]

Temu is not the best place to buy these sort of handhelds, Aliexpress on the other hand is a lot more reliable. The main problem the Temu ones have is that they use clone consoles with weaker hardware to trim their dev costs but still sell at a profit. You can still use the cheaper ones that are copies of the RG35 ones, but don't expect them to run anything past PS1 games without stuttering, and even some games from that console will be too much for it too.

 

[Heinzu]

Great caution is required with Temu because they only sell junk and they attract people with low prices. Better not buy anything from them.

 

[Boo Man]

buy directly from Retroid or Anbernic sites imo
miyoo mini is good too but cramps my hands

 

[nobitakun]

I wonder why there is so many people scared about these kind of consoles. Not every portable should come from known and famous brands.

The issue is not the device but the site trying to sell it. I own a R36H and a R36S and I assure you both consoles are worth their price. One costed me 26€ and the other 20€, there is nothing as powerful as those for the price. If you don't care about tags and don't want to pay extra just for having a "premium" device which at the end has issues like any other, I would defenitely go for one of these. R36S is GameBoy style and R36H is horizontal style.

Both consoles have exactly the same SoC and the same screen panel (which is surprisingly good for the price), although the R36S has different revisions, but that's not an issue at all.

With them you can play up to PS1, most of N64 games and a few Dreamcast games not very demanding. From GBA going down, everything works perfectly. I use ArkOS and 0 issues. I am not a fan of portable consoles, but when I feel like playing one, these are my ones to go. I used the SF2000 before, and it was really nice, but it struggles with many SNES and GBA games not so easy to emulate, because it's a very basic device without any custom firmware.

I only buy retro consoles that cost 30€ or less, that's my rule and it will remain forever. Being said that, you can get things like these and enjoy tons of games.

So, my recommendation, if you want something cheap, functional and don't care about brands, get one right away, but take care because there are clones here and there.

 

[Commash]

The best brands are Anbernic and Retroid.
I recommend you go for either of those brands, your budget is good enough for them.
Here this will get you started

I had no idea there are brands dedicated to making these sorts of consoles, I have always thought they're made by no name companies in China lmao.

Thanks for the recommendations and the video, I will check them out!

Post automatically merged: Saturday at 4:59 AM

Pretty sure those are scams; it's Temu, after all.

Idk what I was expecting from that site but it was worth asking

 

[sparkychechard]

I got a retroid flip 2 recently its scratching that itch for retro gaming and some pc stuff but what I love about it is the clamshell form factor ❤ just ordered the AYN Thor so that I can enjoy the nds and 3ds library hoping my hands don't get too cramped

 

[Soupmancer]

If you're in the market for one without breaking the bank, I love my Miyoo Mini+. I think I got mine on sale for like $37 but they're usually around $50. It's not for everyone because it is on the smaller side, but I loooooove feeling like I'm a kid with my gameboy again. It unfortunately can't run PS2, PSP, Saturn, GameCube, etc., games and doesn't have dual analog sticks. But it is one of my favorites to play with. I did 100% Spyro 3 with it so I can vouch for it being pretty good.

 

[J.B’s rabbit den]

Anbernic is my spirit animal

 

[DjQuick2008]

A powkiddy X55 works just fine and a custom sd card stuff like dreamcast plays perfectly.

Post automatically merged: Saturday at 2:14 PM

Anbernic is my spirit animal

Yeah bedtimes are certainly better with retro gaming

 

[Stookymalarkey]

For handhelds, go to Aliexpress and check the reviews from the seller to make sure you're not getting ripped off. A Miyoo Mini Plus or the BatleXP G350 is good if you just want to do up to PSX emulation on a budget.

 

[ciaociao90]

Pretty sure those are scams; it's Temu, after all.

I had no idea there are brands dedicated to making these sorts of consoles, I have always thought they're made by no name companies in China lmao.

Thanks for the recommendations and the video, I will check them out!

Post automatically merged: Saturday at 4:59 AM

Idk what I was expecting from that site but it was worth asking

That dude doesn't know what he's talking about. Anyway, I heard that the r36h is a bit uncomfortable when compared to r36s. But by spending a little more you can get BatleXP G350 which is even better.

 

[TallGrass]

Surprised to see shout-outs for the Miyoo Mini plus, but not for the Trimui Brick. While the Brick is a bit more expensive, I have heard that the build quality is a lot nicer, and the screen is much sharper and more vibrant. It's my first foray into this world of retro handhelds, and I like it a lot. That said, there's definitely something to be said for the option of just using your phone. Even if it's a shitter of a phone, it'll still be just as capable as these mini handhelds - I was emulating GBA on my HTC Dream, after all, and that was literally the first Android phone, ever. Keep an eye on Amazon, and you'll likely find some good deals on controllers. The GameSir X5 Lite is only $35 MSRP, and the spacing around the USB port manages to fit my S25 Ultra in a thick case just fine. I also picked up the 8BitDo Ultimate Mobile Gaming Controller (what a mouthful) for 50% off during a Prime sale just recently.

 

[random0nonsense]

I personally love my Retroid. I've owned a couple of them and they've always been high quality.

 

[Guinea]

I've always wanted to buy one of these pre-loaded emulator handhelds, or one of those that you plug into the TV and play. But I have a feeling they would break somehow after a few months.

 

[Boo Man]

best value handheld rn is the Retroid Pocket 4 Pro imo
its on sale for like 150 usd and can play 95% of PS2 games
but they are almost out of stock and only have a couple of black ones left
the RP5 is Oled yes, and it looks way slicker, but it costs more
and the RP4 has a more efficient and potentially more durable chipset

Post automatically merged: Sunday at 1:47 AM

I've always wanted to buy one of these pre-loaded emulator handhelds, or one of those that you plug into the TV and play. But I have a feeling they would break somehow after a few months.

just get a cheap Anbernic device like the RG35XX they are well made
but the SD card that comes preloaded with games is trash and you can biff that
get a sandisk SD or something that wont constantly get corrupted and then load it yourself with working roms from the repo
then you can plug it into a TV and connect a wireless controller and use it as a console

 

[Zerpina]

I keep getting these sort of handhelds recomended to me on Temu, but I have never owned or seen any reviews on them yet. Does any of you guys own one of these or do you know if they're any good? If not, do you have any reccomendations, preferably something on the cheaper end, maybe something under 150 euros?

I noticed no one asked the important question...

What systems are you looking to play? I actually have a TRIMUI Smart Pro, got it on sale for about 50 bucks. I think they are 60 or 70 now, I don't know. Anyway, it's a good little handheld, capable of playing everything up to PS1 and PSP and light 2D Dreamcast games.

It has a nice screen, is comfortable to hold, and can last about 5-6 hours on battery if you're not playing PS1 games, roughly 3 1/2 to 4 for PS1/PSP. It charges quick to via usb-c.

It's about the size of a PSP. It actually has two speakers, and you can install your own OS on it, like Batocera (well, a custom build of it) or Knulli Linux, basically Batocera. Of course, I don't know what you want.

All I can tell you is about the one I have. I absolutely love this little device, and when powered off, the battery lasts forever, about a week in sleep mode.

Pic's of mine

 

[Boo Man]

I noticed no one asked the important question...

What systems are you looking to play? I actually have a TRIMUI Smart Pro, got it on sale for about 50 bucks. I think they are 60 or 70 now, I don't know. Anyway, it's a good little handheld, capable of playing everything up to PS1 and PSP and light 2D Dreamcast games.

It has a nice screen, is comfortable to hold, and can last about 5-6 hours on battery if you're not playing PS1 games, roughly 3 1/2 to 4 for PS1/PSP. It charges quick to via usb-c.

It's about the size of a PSP. It actually has two speakers, and you can install your own OS on it, like Batocera (well, a custom build of it) or Knulli Linux, basically Batocera. Of course, I don't know what you want.

All I can tell you is about the one I have. I absolutely love this little device, and when powered off, the battery lasts forever, about a week in sleep mode.

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Pic's of mine

yeah they are definitely good! i think i was using Crossmix OS on my one
but there was a bad update like a year ago and it made psp games run a bit choppy on that version so i kinda stopped using it, also i dropped it and cracked the screen :( :(
nooo0o0o0