Retro Handhelds General Thread

[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: Oct 25, 2025

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.

 

[JustLooking456]

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: Oct 26, 2025

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.

View attachment 122359View attachment 122360
View attachment 122361View attachment 122362
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

 

[AceWhatever]

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?

Like others said, while the pictured retro handheld is a device that exists, buying something like that from Temu is definitely a "do at your own risk" action.

I've tinkered with one type of these devices (Retroid Pocket 2S) and watched alot of videos on other kinds. But you need to be clear with yourself on the below:

I noticed no one asked the important question...

What systems are you looking to play?

This will help alot with making an informed purchasing decision. The retro handheld market is a bit flooded with a lot of choices in different performance/cost ranges, and until you can practically recognize chipsets by name it'll be daunting at first to remember what each device can handle.

At the very least it's a fun rabbit hole to fall into in terms of research.

 

[Zerpina]

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

Sorry to hear about the screen....

Ya I forget which version of CMOS I have on mine off the top of my head, but I haven't updated it in well over a year. So, I never got the PSP chop.

 

[Commash]

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.

I think it's fine if it can play up to PSP games, I'm not looking for something too advanced, I just don't want to get ripped off.

I don't really know what to expect as I'm not very familiar with the market, the price range I gave is just how much money I can afford to spend.

 

[bfinch]

There's gotta be some gems! And, of course, there's fan translations for quite a few games!

No console is bad because of a better console existing! The Wonderswan has it's charm in it's own way like pretty much any other console!

 

[Zerpina]

My advice @Commash ....

Find one that looks interesting to you, get the name of it, and do a YouTube video search on it.
Get a few videos on each system. That’s how I decided to buy mine.
Wishing you the best in deciding, and I hope you enjoy the one you choose.
And as a lot of people said here, ya.... Temu is a shot in the dark, you may not even get what you ordered at all, let alone something good.

The old saying "You get what you pay for" is still around for a reason.

 

[AceWhatever]

I think it's fine if it can play up to PSP games, I'm not looking for something too advanced, I just don't want to get ripped off.

I don't really know what to expect as I'm not very familiar with the market, the price range I gave is just how much money I can afford to spend.

In that case you're in luck.

For a while the poster child for budget handheld that can play up to PSP was the Retroid Pocket 2S for around 100$. Unfortunately that model got discontinued at the end of 2024.

Anbernic released about half a dozen handhelds with similar performance around that time, but they were all pushing up to a price range of 150+$.

Right now there are at least two new contenders for best budget up-to-PSP handheld:

- Mangmi Air X
- Ayaneo Pocket Air Mini

(Yes two devices from two different companies both having Air in the name will not at all create confusion :p )

Mangmi is a newcomer to the market while Ayaneo has been around for a while but all their releases are generally high end machines and half of them run Windows. The Pocket Air Mini is probably their first sub-100$ handheld.

The main difference between the two devices is that the Air X has a bigger wider screen, so if black bars are a deal breaker for you you should keep that in mind.

In case you didn't already know, the Retro Game Corps Youtube channel is generally the go-to for performance demonstrations on these handhelds and he did videos on both devices. The newer Pocket Air Mini video has a small comparison with the Air X. If I were to repeat what I did last year (setting up 4 Retroid Pocket 2S devices), I would do it with one of the above two.

One tiny issue is how you acquire either device. The Air X is available direct from the manufacturer's website (don't know if there's a good reseller for it) while the Pocket Air Mini is still a backer reward from the device's Indiegogo campaign set to ship sometime next month.

The elephant in the room is how much work you're willing to put in to setup these devices. Most of the low-end devices use chipsets that run Linux-based OS and have several all-in-one solutions that you just pop into the SD card along with the games and you're off to the races. The problem is that these chipsets won't reliably play games past PS1. Any N64/Dreamcast/PSP games running will involve alot of tweaks (frame skipping, etc. And often per game), though that's all 2nd hand accounts I read online.

All the mid-high range devices that run post-PS1 consoles reliably out of the box are Android-based. Android requires that you setup each emulator one by one (including Retroarch) on top of setting up a front end (although you don't have to set one up. It's more of a nice bonus). I posted a bit about this in another topic and most of what I wrote applies here.

I'm not trying to scare you off. I just want you to be as well informed about this as possible. Do some more research and see other impressions of the devices I recommended.

 

[Zerpina]

In that case you're in luck.

For a while the poster child for budget handheld that can play up to PSP was the Retroid Pocket 2S for around 100$. Unfortunately that model got discontinued at the end of 2024.

Anbernic released about half a dozen handhelds with similar performance around that time, but they were all pushing up to a price range of 150+$.

Right now there are at least two new contenders for best budget up-to-PSP handheld:

- Mangmi Air X
- Ayaneo Pocket Air Mini

(Yes two devices from two different companies both having Air in the name will not at all create confusion :p )

Mangmi is a newcomer to the market while Ayaneo has been around for a while but all their releases are generally high end machines and half of them run Windows. The Pocket Air Mini is probably their first sub-100$ handheld.

The main difference between the two devices is that the Air X has a bigger wider screen, so if black bars are a deal breaker for you you should keep that in mind.

In case you didn't already know, the Retro Game Corps Youtube channel is generally the go-to for performance demonstrations on these handhelds and he did videos on both devices. The newer Pocket Air Mini video has a small comparison with the Air X. If I were to repeat what I did last year (setting up 4 Retroid Pocket 2S devices), I would do it with one of the above two.

One tiny issue is how you acquire either device. The Air X is available direct from the manufacturer's website (don't know if there's a good reseller for it) while the Pocket Air Mini is still a backer reward from the device's Indiegogo campaign set to ship sometime next month.

The elephant in the room is how much work you're willing to put in to setup these devices. Most of the low-end devices use chipsets that run Linux-based OS and have several all-in-one solutions that you just pop into the SD card along with the games and you're off to the races. The problem is that these chipsets won't reliably play games past PS1. Any N64/Dreamcast/PSP games running will involve alot of tweaks (frame skipping, etc. And often per game), though that's all 2nd hand accounts I read online.

All the mid-high range devices that run post-PS1 consoles reliably out of the box are Android-based. Android requires that you setup each emulator one by one (including Retroarch) on top of setting up a front end (although you don't have to set one up. It's more of a nice bonus). I posted a bit about this in another topic and most of what I wrote applies here.

I'm not trying to scare you off. I just want you to be as well informed about this as possible. Do some more research and see other impressions of the devices I recommended.

I am actually thinking really hard about ordering a Mangmi Air X myself.

From what I saw, it can do up to PS2 (not the stupidly hard stuff, mind you) and Dreamcast pretty well. Dreamcast has almost sold me on it. I just really don't want an Android based device. I really want something I can put Batocera on.

I usually hit up Techdweeb for handhelds. He's very passionate and honest about this kind of stuff, and he gave it pretty high praise as well.

Post automatically merged: Oct 27, 2025

Edit - Mind you this was when it was 75$ at launch. its 90$ now

 

[Darklink]

My Ayn Thor got here today. It's pretty neat. I will say dpad centric games that use the L/R buttons a lot are not comfortable to play at all.



But I will stick around with the device a while and then if I find that aspect a deal breaker I'll sell the thing to someone else. I do still have the Odin 2 Mini after all.

 

[Zacek]

My Ayn Thor got here today. It's pretty neat. I will say dpad centric games that use the L/R buttons a lot are not comfortable to play at all.

View attachment 122779

But I will stick around with the device a while and then if I find that aspect a deal breaker I'll sell the thing to someone else. I do still have the Odin 2 Mini after all.

What do you plan to play with it? I'm curious to know if I can connnect an HDMI cable and have both screens on the TV.

 

[Darklink]

What do you plan to play with it? I'm curious to know if I can connnect an HDMI cable and have both screens on the TV.

Well I started a run of Sonic Rush on it, since I have a decent amount of nostalgia for that game.

As for the second part, I'm unsure. I've never actually done video out with any of these devices.

 

[Dyne]

My Ayn Thor got here today. It's pretty neat. I will say dpad centric games that use the L/R buttons a lot are not comfortable to play at all.

View attachment 122779

But I will stick around with the device a while and then if I find that aspect a deal breaker I'll sell the thing to someone else. I do still have the Odin 2 Mini after all.

Nice! I'm still waiting for mine to get here. They notified me its being shipped.

 

[Soulless Emperor]

My Ayn Thor got here today. It's pretty neat. I will say dpad centric games that use the L/R buttons a lot are not comfortable to play at all.

View attachment 122779

But I will stick around with the device a while and then if I find that aspect a deal breaker I'll sell the thing to someone else. I do still have the Odin 2 Mini after all.

This rainbow model of the Ayn Thor reminds me of the new 3ds ll super famicom edition from japan. Very unique for an android dual screen handheld! If it had cameras on it, then it would be truly be the definitive version of the 3ds/dsi like it was brought to the modern day.

 

[mortuz]

Here you can post about old obscure handhelds, but also about new portables that you discover.
You can post your own handhelds or anything related to handhelds.
It's a place to share collections, ideas, tips, tricks and secrets.

Screen Utility - https://shauninman.com/utils/screens/
Handheld Comparison - https://retrocatalog.com/
Google chart - https://tinyurl.com/AllHandhelds
Compare handheld sizes - https://retrosizer.com/
Handy Handheld info - https://handhelds.wiki

 

[Turbo Kid]

At the moment, I am loving my Retroid Pocket 5 and Odin2 Portal. I finally got a Switch emulator (Eden) working on the Portal after a lot of trial and error and frustration and it was worth it. I had a lot of fun trying different games on it and most of them ran beautifully.

I've recently being finding some of my old Vita games and its kind of got me wanting to pick that up and play around with it too. I have one that is hacked so it can do a lot of fun stuff.

I really love handhelds, they are becoming my preferred way of playing things, though I will still turn on the TV occasionally when I am playing something that I really want to see on a big screen.

 

[PSVitaForever]

I always loved handhelds more than home consoles: only one I've had was ps2.
Handhelds, I got original ds, 3ds, psp, psvita, all of them non-modded and with lots of physical games.
Some years ago I slowly sold ds (when getting 3ds) and then Vita, thinking I already played all the best... then, last year, I got hit by nostalgia and decided to buy a used Vita again. This time I modded it, I played some other Vita titles and put there lots of psp games and also some ps1. Same with 3ds, after eshop closure I decided to try and so I have it full of 3ds and ds titles.
These are my FAVS; I tried Steam Deck (used one), but I don't know, I found it really heavy as handheld and good for me I've been able to sold it shortly after, getting back the money I spent. Also, I have so many games already in backlog, didn't really need to add pc games, also for emulation I only need my pc that can run the ps2 one, so no real need for Steam Deck either.

 

[Matricks]

My MSI CLAW A1M 135H is the cheapest @350 tweakingsGaminglaptop replacement just disable the 10 all low cores for best gaming perf.
Running on Quad P Cores is the secret sause and disable npu, noby want to understand for gaming perf.

 

[YULEcannon]

Really digging my Anbernic, but everytime I play a NGPC game, it reminds me of how much I miss that systems clicky thumb stick.