Retro Handhelds General Thread

[Vardalis]

the nano is just way too small this one is kinda a good size i also use it as a mp3 player so ye

Yeah, absolutely agree with the Nano. I figured I'd like it specifically as a Pokemon GB/GBC thing but I just never brought it with me because I'd either be too tired to play it on a typical morning or on an extended trip from home I know I'd rather take a dedicated gaming device like the TrimUI Smart Pro.

 

[kaiju]

Yeah, absolutely agree with the Nano. I figured I'd like it specifically as a Pokemon GB/GBC thing but I just never brought it with me because I'd either be too tired to play it on a typical morning or on an extended trip from home I know I'd rather take a dedicated gaming device like the TrimUI Smart Pro.

ye fair i have other hand helds too so i use it more of a always in my bag hand held and if im out and about and stuck for a wile bored i got something to do

 

[thetwaz]

I know this is sort of handheld gaming, but it's emulation really.

I've been eyeing up the RP34xxSP, Miyoo Flip and some of the other devices in a similar category. I know some had teething issues, but now some of the manufacturing and OS issues (including non-native ones) have bedded in, how are people finding them?

I love my steam deck, but have been craving something that's a bit less of a chore to carry around for GB, GBA, Game Gear and perhaps SNES, NES and Mega Drive emulation. Maybe PS1 and N64 at a stretch.

Edit: I had also wondered about getting hold of a real GBA and an Everdrive. Equally interested in that.

 

[Bonkers225]

Absolutely. There are only 2 I recommend. Avoid the Miyoo Flip.

Powkiddy V10
RG34xx

 

[rootCompute]

I've had an RG35XXSP for over a year now, it's great, I still use it. I've had to replace the internal button membrane but otherwise, I can't complain much. Has great custom firmware and support for a lot of different games. PortMaster is awesome for playing modern indie games, though mine is currently broken for some reason.

Should handle all the systems you just mentioned, I've had good luck with PSP too. The controls are going to be limiting if you want to play anything that requires thumbsticks. If you don't need the thumbsticks, I think it's still a great buy! It's easily pocketable too, though if you want something smaller, I've heard good things about the GKD Pixel 2

 

[Deleted member 660650]

I love my steam deck, but have been craving something that's a bit less of a chore to carry around for GB, GBA, Game Gear and perhaps SNES, NES and Mega Drive emulation. Maybe PS1 and N64 at a stretch.

Edit: I had also wondered about getting hold of a real GBA and an Everdrive. Equally interested in that.

At the time I did consider using GBA as emulator device but then I learned it suck at SNES so I scratched the idea and ended up using a PSP for it.

To answer your question for example these days I keep hearing the best around is Anbernic RG405V regarding "easier to carry around" ones for it can even play PS2 games and it looks like this lol:

 

[Zooey]

Miyoo Mini Plus, probably the best bang for your buck, and the battery can be replaced later on.
Retroid Pocket Classic. A newer device that is well made and quite powerful.

 

[diet_orange]

I have an older Bittboy Pocket Go and it's pretty good for Gameboy, GBA, PC-Engine, NES, and most Genesis titles, but struggles to do much beyond that (PS1? Yeah, no thanks and it can't even handle the transparencies in Super Metroid)

Newer handhelds certainly have me considering upgrading

 

[thetwaz]

Thanks - definitely need to look into the Pixel. From my brief read of the reviews, the analogue sticks on the 34 are really uncomfortable to use, so I think I would need to limit it to buttons.

Absolutely. There are only 2 I recommend. Avoid the Miyoo Flip.

Powkiddy V10
RG34xx

I've missed the powkiddy for some reason. Any opinions on the strengths of one over the other?

Post automatically merged: Sep 8, 2025

Also - has anyone got any thoughts or experience with the RG slide?

 

[Gbafan118]

I personally haven't use any gba handheld clones, since I've only played my physical gba sp/gbc.
(not yet at least, I might get a gba handheld clone, but I have seen them in stores every blue moon, bit not recently, if I would give a gba handheld a try, I'm unsure which one to pick.)

 

[thetwaz]

I personally haven't use any gba handheld clones, since I've only played my physical gba sp/gbc.
(not yet at least, I might get a gba handheld clone, but I have seen them in stores every blue moon, bit not recently, if I would give a gba handheld a try, I'm unsure which one to pick.)

Do you use original carts or an everdrive?

 

[revck]

Absolutely. There are only 2 I recommend. Avoid the Miyoo Flip.

Powkiddy V10
RG34xx

I opened this thread to say that I just ordered a Miyoo flip (I actually did it)... Ooops..!
Anyway hoping mine is fine..


The original reason to open the thread was: yes modern handelds are very powerful for retro gaming, most can play effortlessly up to PS1 (I believe quite.. all). Whereas if you go above 50/100$ mark you can get to PSP/Dreamcast/DS/3DS.

PS2 and Switch are for the most powerful devices out there like the Ayn Odin 2 and require modern CPUs like SnapDragon 8 Gen 2 forward.

 

[thetwaz]

Thanks - very aware that the wider set of handhelds can do some pretty awesome things, my Steam Deck can do most of what I want; I'm interested in the more pocketable devices and a bit obsessed with the GBA SP format for some reason!

 

[Vardalis]

Yeah, they're pretty decent I'd say. Not too expensive now either really.

If you want something that looks like the real thing, go for the RG34XX (Gameboy Advance) or RG35XXSP (Gameboy Advance SP). If you want something more like a PSP that's cheap as well, go for the TrimUI Smart Pro. Otherwise, a Miyoo Mini will probably do the job.

Keep in mind, the suggestions I made above cap out at around Dreamcast (RG34XX, RG35XXSP) or below (TrimUI Smart Pro, Miyoo Mini). If you want anything better you'll need to go for one of the higher end devices.

 

[thetwaz]

Thanks - I think PS1 is probably about as far as I'd go, though I know from reading that N64 emulation can also be a bit problematic. I may though just look at handheld emulation only on these devices. Have been really enjoying jumping into the GBA and GBC libraries recently.

 

[AryaAk]

I never had any consoles besides my xbox360 and i love the idea of having a portable console.
I bought a handheld console named X6 a month ago. it was cheap but is not that great and for GBA games it is for the most part unplayable.
I wanted to save for R36S handheld but wanted to see what other people recommend.(i would appreciate if it's budget friendly)

 

[PhrawzT]

Personally, I would say a Sony Vita. They are not difficult to install custom firmware onto and then you can play anything up to PS1 era games, Gameboy Advance, and the whole PSP and Vita library.

 

[AryaAk]

Personally, I would say a Sony Vita. They are not difficult to install custom firmware onto and then you can play anything up to PS1 era games, Gameboy Advance, and the whole PSP and Vita library.

my budget is a bit tight and i can't afford it. i was thinking something around 70 dollars, but thanks for your recommendation.

 

[Bonkers225]

Miyoo Mini+ or rg34xx. Both will cost you around that $70 range or less.

 

[throughdarkness]

For around $50 you can pick up an RG35XX SP. Great screen, great firmware options out there, can output to a TV via HDMI mini, has wifi & bluetooth. Takes a little tinkering due to scaling but once you get it figured out, GBA looks pretty dang good.

 

[Sorion]

my budget is a bit tight and i can't afford it. i was thinking something around 70 dollars, but thanks for your recommendation.

for that price, maybe the Anbernic RG ARC-s is a good option, it's a bit bulky but it's got a good grip, a 4-inch 4:3 screen and decent performance, it should let you play up to PS1 and maybe some light n64/Dreamcast games, even tough it looks like a saturn it's not fast enough to emulate that platform unfortunately, But for the price you're getting good ergonomics and a large screen, I'd say it's worth it.

 

[AryaAk]

Miyoo Mini+ or rg34xx. Both will cost you around that $70 range or less.

Thank you. rg34xx looks decent actually.

Post automatically merged: Sep 24, 2025

For around $50 you can pick up an RG35XX SP. Great screen, great firmware options out there, can output to a TV via HDMI mini, has wifi & bluetooth. Takes a little tinkering due to scaling but once you get it figured out, GBA looks pretty dang good.

i don't know about performance but i am not a fan of clam shell design. Is the performance and console power that good that i can ignore the design?

Post automatically merged: Sep 24, 2025

for that price, maybe the Anbernic RG ARC-s is a good option, it's a bit bulky but it's got a good grip, a 4-inch 4:3 screen and decent performance, it should let you play up to PS1 and maybe some light n64/Dreamcast games, even tough it looks like a saturn it's not fast enough to emulate that platform unfortunately, But for the price you're getting good ergonomics and a large screen, I'd say it's worth it.

Thanks for your recommendation

 

[Turbo Kid]

Check out the Techdweeb youtube channel. He covers everything about this sort of thing.

 

[freebie#47]

I use a raspberry pi 4 with a handheld screen and can connect my xbox controller which i can connect to my tv easily. Weird part is that the sega saturn emulator on my pi4 actually plays better and faster than the pc version I use. Man I love it and was definitely worth it...though It cost me around 200$ back in 2019 for everything. There is used and refurbished around 50-90US$ and HDMI screens are really cheap.

 

[throughdarkness]

i don't know about performance but i am not a fan of clam shell design. Is the performance and console power that good that i can ignore the design?

All the Anbernic devices from that line are basically the same with different case designs. Can run up to PS1. Saturn too but it's a rough system to emulate, choppy.