Retro Handheld Gaming Devices, Which Do You Think Is Best and Why?

mickyb80 on 08/11/2023 - 14:22
Last edited 08/11/2023 - 14:23

So, as the title says - which of the Retro handheld gaming devices do you think is the best and why?

Let's put it into pricing brackets…

$10 - $50
$51 - $150
$151 - $300
$301 - $500
$501 +

With Christmas approaching, i've seen a heap of these things popping up. Obviously, a couple of clicks in and BAM, I'm going down that rabbit hole with spam all over the place.

Another thing i've noticed, a lot will do the usual old school console roms/games like PS1, PSP, NDS, etc.
While others will do one of my old man fav's, Amiga etc… :) Oh, how I miss the days and nights playing good old quality game titles (joking of course) from the the late 80's and 90's on the old a500. Amazing bit of gear back in the day…

So, which do you all recommend and why?

(Yes, i'd done some searching and found threads on 'what device do you have'… and the likes, but not one that is targeted at 'Which device is best and why'?

Hope I'm not pushing any button's creating this thread… hahahah

(Not sure why I couldn't add any tags for this… )

Gaming Game Console Retro Gaming

Comments

  • joeyg4343 on 08/11/2023 - 14:25
    +1

    As a pokemon fan, I can't go past the DS. I never actually got to play one til my mid 20s and I was amazed after my previous experience was gameboy colour. I played through heart gold on my partner's little console. The kids in the school I work at love the emulators. Timeless fun.

    Is the console for you?

    • MrMcHairyHead on 08/11/2023 - 14:35

      I think OP is referring to emulation devices - Anbernic, Powkiddy etcetera

      • joeyg4343 on 08/11/2023 - 19:33

        Ahh over my head.

        • MrMcHairyHead on 08/11/2023 - 19:59
          +1

          But hey I agree the DS was fantastic. I miss that era. Elite Beat Agents. Multiplayer MarioKart. Cool creative unique games like Another Code. Great times.

          • joeyg4343 on 08/11/2023 - 20:03
            +1

            @MrMcHairyHead: Actually, I mention to the young people I work with to give it a go. They are nuts for fortnite and it seemed so much more wholesome. I've converted the wiser ones

      • mickyb80 on 08/11/2023 - 23:17

        Correct. :)

        • MrMcHairyHead on 08/11/2023 - 23:19

          I just picked up an R35s from Ebay for 100$ and it was great, for the 2 days it worked before the screen got stuck on black. If it didn't break it'd be good for the price

  • barge-in hunter on 08/11/2023 - 14:34

    I know the feels; personally, I love my old DOS games. Unfortunately they're not amazing on these little handhelds though, as many require different buttons across a QWERTY keyboard, which can be tricky to map to your 10 buttons. Possible? Yes. Tricky and annoying to setup… I think so.

    Back to your question, I have a Miyoo Mini Plus which I find is awesome.

    Console: Miyoo Mini Plus

    Price: ~$80-$100
    Capability: Without a 3d graphics chip, it maxes out at mid 486 DOS and Playstation 1 games. It will run custom OS' that are essentially RetroArch underneath, so any of the older platforms and many arcade systems also run fine.
    Pros: Very capable & portable, beautiful colours on the IPS screen, long battery life, capable of multi-console multiplayer by wifi, and generally great value
    Cons: No bluetooth (so no wireless earbuds or separate controller), no TV out, and a bit too small for long sessions

    In short, if you're looking for a very portable device, I wouldn't hesitate to recommend one of these.

    • RichardL on 08/11/2023 - 14:40

      Just to add, Miyoo Mini Plus (OnionOS) is also in the process of getting DS games supports too (a few working titles now, but obviously no touch-screen support).

  • AustriaBargain on 08/11/2023 - 14:39

    Analogue Pocket has to be the best, especially for GB/GBC. But then again may as well buy an actual GB and get a flash cart at that price, go full nostalgia. The Analogue will play some more modern games too but don't know how "jailbroken" it is, would not be fun using all those adapters and flash carts.

    • RichardL on 08/11/2023 - 14:41

      Note: Analogue Pocket is also expensive and hard to get especially in Australia.

      • AustriaBargain on 08/11/2023 - 14:41

        Yeah. I wish I had one. I bought a Miyoo Mini but I haven't touched it in a year. Maybe I should just play that some more.

  • jugsy on 08/11/2023 - 14:45

    I use retropie at home, you could easily install it on a pigrrl for a cheap and expandable solution:
    https://learn.adafruit.com/pigrrl-2/overview

  • onetwothreefour on 08/11/2023 - 14:59

    I have the Miyoo Mini plus, I only really play sensible world of soccer on it. Most other games don't hold my interest for very long.

  • Miami Mall Alien on 08/11/2023 - 15:01

    I'm still using my Bittboy v3.5 from way back.

    I don't think there's been any retro handheld emulator since that has packed as many features/supported consoles as the Bittboy did for ~$40AUD.

  • Jimothy Wongingtons on 08/11/2023 - 15:48

    Rg351mp build quality is fantastic but I hate the shoulder buttons tbh. Crap ergonomics

    • BewareOfThe Dog on 11/11/2023 - 09:31
      +1

      Mine died after 6 months. :(

      They're sending a new battery, to see if that works.

      • Jimothy Wongingtons on 11/11/2023 - 09:41

        Chinese seller ? If yes and they are actually making any response other than ignoring I call that a win haha

  • Gunnar on 08/11/2023 - 15:56
    +1

    GOAT gaming rig
    https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=KZErvASwdlU

  • mskeggs on 08/11/2023 - 16:09

    Hand heads are good for handheld games. I like the Anbernic linux machines.
    An emulator will be better for newer consoles and older computer games like amigas.

  • CyberMurning on 08/11/2023 - 16:24

    ps vita

  • fossilfuel on 08/11/2023 - 19:26
    +1

    Nearly pulled the gun on the Anbernic RG35XX until I saw this comment, looked at reviews and ended up buying the POWKIDDY RGB30 from Aliexpress. Got it for roughly $75USD/$119 AUD and have been grinding fire emblem ever since. The neat thing is it runs Pico 8 without bezels.

    It is a hella neat device and everything runs smoothly. I wish it had longer battery life, it claims 8 hours of battery life but I'm getting around 4-5ish. Have a look at the reviews. Very customisable. I'm running ArkOS at the moment but heard JELOS is a super nice interface.

  • AndyC1 on 08/11/2023 - 20:00

    Ebay and check out what are available.

  • seraphim2017 on 09/11/2023 - 09:39

    Hacked New 3ds xl for all previous Nintendo generations, and if you can get it working PS1 titles.

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