Retro Handhelds General Thread

[AryaAk]

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

thanks i'll check it out

 

[throughdarkness]

Also I recommend Taki Udons youtube channel. Covers a ton of these handhelds with good detail.

 

[AryaAk]

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.

Was that easy to set up?

Post automatically merged: Sep 24, 2025

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.

saturn is not my main concern. GBA and old home consoles + some PS1 and NDS(just dawn of sorrow) games.

 

[throughdarkness]

saturn is not my main concern. GBA and old home consoles + some PS1 and NDS(just dawn of sorrow) games.

Yeah you'll have no issues with that.

 

[AryaAk]

Yeah you'll have no issues with that.

That's great to hear. Thanks.

 

[Soupmancer]

I personally love my miyoo mini+ even if it is missing some more modern features (bluetooth) and is slightly less powerful than the rg34xx. But it feels comfortable to hold even if the shoulder buttons take some getting used to. I 100%ed spyro 3 on it so all the buttons, especially the dpad, work fine. And, imo, it has some of the nicer default color options if you don't wanna go through the hassle of physically modding a console.

I got mine for about $40 on sale and it was worth every penny.

 

[AryaAk]

I personally love my miyoo mini+ even if it is missing some more modern features (bluetooth) and is slightly less powerful than the rg34xx. But it feels comfortable to hold even if the shoulder buttons take some getting used to. I 100%ed spyro 3 on it so all the buttons, especially the dpad, work fine. And, imo, it has some of the nicer default color options if you don't wanna go through the hassle of physically modding a console.

View attachment 113602
I got mine for about $40 on sale and it was worth every penny.

It looks good. I don't really care about WiFi or Bluetooth or even HDMI. all i really care is the diversity of consoles and emulation power. of course it is a bit hard to find with this budget but this console looks solid.

 

[sneakyguts]

ps vita and n3ds

 

[DjQuick2008]

A powkiddy X55 with a custom SD card has been my go to at night. This is my exact model. Its been a dream cuz its so light your hands don't get tired.

 

[AryaAk]

A powkiddy X55 with a custom SD card has been my go to at night. This is my exact model. Its been a dream cuz its so light your hands don't get tired.

View attachment 113608

It looks Solid and good. Thanks for recommendation.

 

[NOTthatHARD]

Get the most powerful smartphone you can afford and a good controller and use emulators for the games.

 

[AryaAk]

Get the most powerful smartphone you can afford and a good controller and use emulators for the games.

I use emulators on my phone and laptop using xbox 360 controller, but i really like having a portable handheld and feeling the console itself in my hands.

 

[Bakuma1997]

Too broke to get one, so i can only reccomend your phone and some Emus

 

[AryaAk]

Too broke to get one, so i can only reccomend your phone and some Emus
View attachment 113624

Same here. been saving money for 2 years and still have to borrow money from my parents

 

[Lokgamer]

PSP is your answer. You're welcome.

 

[Turbo Kid]

Retroid Pocket 5 and Odin2 Portal are the best, but they don't come cheap

 

[PSVitaForever]

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

You may find used Nintendo 2ds (the one you can't fold) around that price on ebay, if you can mod it you would be able to play ds gba gb and snes I think, and maybe also other retro consoles with twilight or other app (I use twilight menu but I only got ds and a couple of gba titles). And 3ds games too, but it depends on what you want to play (more nintedo or ps games).

 

[PhrawzT]

Get the most powerful smartphone you can afford and a good controller and use emulators for the games.

I got a secondhand Razor Kishi controller for $45 off eBay and that works like a champ for playing games on my phone.

 

[NOTthatHARD]

I got a secondhand Razor Kishi controller for $45 off eBay and that works like a champ for playing games on my phone.

That's a good quality controller, take care of it, it will last you a long time.

 

[DjQuick2008]

It looks Solid and good. Thanks for recommendation.

Can get custom SD cards ordered for it so its versatile. Plays dreamcast no problem.

 

[freebie#47]

Was that easy to set up?

youtube helped a lot...also YES. Plus even the DOSBOX emulator is much easier to setup.

 

[Turbo Kid]

That's the beautiful thing about handheld gaming, there are more options now than ever before. It's become quite popular. And a decent phone can get the job done too.

 

[fbnaulin]

With a low budget you can't go wrong with Miyoo Mini+ ($40 in AliExpress) with OnionOS.

 

[Sh4gg1xx]

Any of you hear of the Ayn Thor yet? I'm thinking of replacing my Odin 2 Mini with it.

Man, i'm really looking forward to see the reviews of this one, it seems like a good upgrade for my RP4P. My main concern is the hinge...

 

[thetwaz]

If anyone is interested - I just bought an RG35XXSP, it seemed like a low risk price point (there's a sale on) and the most what I wanted in terms of form factor. Will try the tape mod when it comes and see how I get on!