Emulation for consoles sure came a long way, but i want know which is the best handheld console for PS2 and GC games i listed even for demanding ones.

[Santana2011]

While PCSX2 And Dolphin are some of the best emulators out there, you really need a decent enough computer to handle those games even demanding ones. So out of these two i mentioned which is the best for me for PS2 and GC Games, I heard Anbernic RG477M has suprisingly great build quality, while i heard Retroid 5 might be the most popular one. So I want to know which two is the best for me, because im going on a budget here, and before you said anything, Yes im aware of the insane RAM prices because of the whole 'AI' BS.

 

[Boo Man]

i have an RP4 and its awesome, RP5 looks cooler and has an oled screen but costs more and has the same chipset. Retroid seems to be able to handle more ps2 games than Anbernic devices
which are cheaper and better quality but the chipsets aren't as powerful
i run something called daijisho on mine instead of pcsx2

 

[Boog111]

I have a Anbernic RG Vita Pro. It's played most of the PS2 games that I've tried, although I haven't tried more than 10 or so.

 

[bobsaget30]

While PCSX2 And Dolphin are some of the best emulators out there, you really need a decent enough computer to handle those games even demanding ones. So out of these two i mentioned which is the best for me for PS2 and GC Games, I heard Anbernic RG477M has suprisingly great build quality, while i heard Retroid 5 might be the most popular one. So I want to know which two is the best for me, because im going on a budget here, and before you said anything, Yes im aware of the insane RAM prices because of the whole 'AI' BS.

probably a pc handheld i think ima just get a steam deck for emulation cuz windows 10 got hardcore rug pulled lol def wanna go with linux or android tho
preferably linux imo

 

[saturnsh2x2]

I use a Retroid Pocket Flip 2 for PS2 and GameCube emulation. It has a Snapdragon 865, which is the same chip used Retroid Pocket 5 that you mentioned, as well as the AYN Thor's Lite model (higher end models use the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2). It's not the best chip for 6th gen emulation, but if you're willing to mess with settings, its more than serviceable. I've been able to run games like Kingdom Hearts, Devil May Cry, F-Zero GX, Sonic Heroes, and OutRun 2006 on my device.

If you can afford one, aim for a SD8 Gen 2 device like the Retroid Pocket 6 or aforementioned higher-end AYN Thor models, though if that's not realistic, a SD865 device should do just fine.

Honestly, the biggest bottleneck for PS2 emulation on Android right now is software more than raw power. NetherSX2 is basically a series of mods for AetherSX2, a closed-source abandoned Android fork of PCSX2, and while improvements are being made, things are a bit limited at the moment by that fact. There is ARMSX2, another fork of PCSX2 for Android that looks promising, however, performance isn't quite at NetherSX2's level, from what I've heard.

 

[Onicat]

Just in case, what's the budget?

@Vardalis recommended the RP5 to me in the neighboring thread, so I started looking at reviews, and it looks like exactly (or almost exactly ;D) what I need:

Retro Handhelds General Thread

I can second the RG28XX. It's a small form factor, just large enough to be comfortable, but easily pocket-able. I swapped to MINUI for the firmware and only put one game per system; a "Five Game Handheld" ala Retro Game Corps. Pros: Affordable, portable, headphone jack, powerful enough for most...

retrogametalk.com

I also like the RG476H (the RG477H isn't available where I live), but I need to think it over and check out a few more reviews

But keep in mind that when emulating consoles of this level, your battery won't last very long. So you'll also need to buy a power bank (or stay close to an outlet).

And some offtopic...

Don' know much about Android GC emulation sorry but PS2 emulation on Android isn't in the best shape right now. Not many people are working on it. For example, the most popular PS2 Android emulator right now is NetherSX2, and it has two different (from software engineer point of view) versions/branches. And some games work better on the Classic-branch, while others work better on the Patch-branch. And you can't install both at the same time. So even if you buy a super-powerful device, you might still run into some kind of software issue with the emulator. These range from minor glitches (like water in a puddle appearing pink instead of blue or billboards flickering when they shouldn't) to major issues like invisible game assets or even completely black screens after loading new location. Some problems can be fixed through software settings by toggling some obscure options in menus with confusing names. Some issues can’t be fixed by the user at all, and you just have to hope that the next emulator update will fix them.

 

[Graw]

I use my phone, a 2022 Motorola Edge, with a controller usually for both of those. I run GC games at 1080p with HD texture packs, generally at full speed without issues. I haven't tried any 4k packs becsuse they take up too much space. I use NetherSX2 and generally i can run most games full speed at 3 or 4 times resolution. A few games I have to lower to 2x resolution. The only games I found that didn't really work well were the ports of the Meta Slug games but I think that's because they're actually emulating a Neo Geo.

 

[Onicat]

Ha

I'm also playing on Motorola (Edge 50 Neo) for now. I sometimes play PS2 game Obscure (kind of like Resident Evil but set in a university, like the movie The Faculty) on it. NetherSX2 v2.1-3668 (Classic). The graphics are set to 2.5x, and I haven’t had any performance issues so far. But I did run into a compatibility issue.

Spoiler: offtopic details

While descending from the 2nd floor of the main building to the 1st floor, and after the 1st floor loaded, I suddenly(!) started getting a black screen with a white bar at the top. It didn’t happen right away; I’d already been walking up and down there. But then this bug popped up (and the emulator hadn’t been updated). And I was able to fix it by playing around with the VU0 and VU1 options (that's in Advanced menu), selecting the “extra + reserve sign” value there. I don’t know what that means; I just did what one dude on the forum wrote. He had a problem with this game on Android device too (some graphical elements weren't displaying at all in the game; he couldn't press a some button or lever or something like that).

And this is a good example of the kind of visual issues you might encounter even when emulating an old and super popular console like the PS2, even though there don't seem to be any performance issues.

 

[Kiwii_Peww]

I belive a phone good enough is best for emulation (I really really hate emulation consoles specially when it looks like a cool gaming video on intagram/tiktok than they start advertising their emulaiton console ony to most of them barely plays psp games still im sure there is good ones out there but a good mobile will do snything u want and more)

 

[Zulfich]

First of all, if you got a good phone, you might want to use it first and a telescopic controller to not waste your funds that much xD

Anyway, if you truly want a retro handheld, and if a 4:3 screen is important to you, 477M is still one of the best handhelds to play PS2 and GC games, yeah, it should eat them like breakfast with some exceptions like Dirge of Cerberus FFVII (I think it's the heaviest PS2 game to emulate). One more thing to note, the 477M doesn't have analog triggers.

The Retroid Pocket 5 beats that out in almost every way though. The OLED screen, the ergonomics, the snapdragon processor.. If you don't mind the black pillarboxes or if you're gonna play with widescreen patches, pick that one. It's more powerful too.

 

[G.L.a.D.O.S.]

Honestly, a good Android phone and a telescoping Bluetooth controller will be far better for emulation purposes and will probably be able to run PS4 games soon, if it can't already. Something like a Samsung Galaxy S22, S22+, or S23, along with a GameSir G8 Plus, would be ideal. Yes, you're looking at roughly $300 USD, maybe less or more depending on whether you can find a deal on them.

With this setup, using the S23, you can play up to PS3 games, and anything earlier except for a few troublesome titles that are difficult to emulate even on PCs will run fine.

 

[-------]

A smartphone or tablet is all you need but it should have a third-generation Snapdragon processor. Then you have everything you need for a great gaming experience.

 

[Aunt Sarah]

I know that ever since I found out about shader glass, I am using these standalone emulators like Dolphin and PCSX2 a WHOLE lot more. Absolute game changer.

 

[fbnaulin]

If you buy a Retroid Pocket 5, consider NetherSX2-Turnip fork for PlayStation 2 emulation.

 

[nobitakun]

Sadly, there is no perfect console for emulating. ARM stuff is the worst stuff because the way it was made, blocked and not free for installing whatever you want, and x86 consoles are way too expensive for unknown reasons that have nothing to do with architectural gibberish. Also, for another unknown reason they are huge, so no consoles of 5".

The best you can do is search second hand for something very cheap. I got an Ayn Odin Base for 15€ two weeks ago and the console runs PS2 games, but it's very heavy and too big for my taste. If you look enough, you can find.

 

[bobsaget30]

never mind dont get a steam deck
780 dollars lmao valves smoking crack
just get the cheapest used handheld or some android handheld

Post automatically merged: Friday at 7:01 AM

A smartphone or tablet is all you need but it should have a third-generation Snapdragon processor. Then you have everything you need for a great gaming experience.

theres sub 100 dollar tablets you can get on ebay that can run ps2 games

 

[Aunt Sarah]

never mind dont get a steam deck
780 dollars lmao valves smoking crack
just get the cheapest used handheld or some android handheld

Post automatically merged: Friday at 7:01 AM

theres sub 100 dollar tablets you can get on ebay that can run ps2 games

Speculation on their steam box pricing just went to a very dark place when they announced that price hike. Valve actually making Switch 2 look more appealing is really something.