I don’t know how many people in this sub/magazine/community would consider themselves experts in the realm of retro handhelds, but I suspect the average knowledge here is a bit higher than “the old place”. But, as more and more users migrate (fingers crossed!), I thought it might be a good idea to have a space where users can post what device(s) they have. Other users can ask their opinions on their devices or other more technical questions.
Sure, there is a lot of information already out there, but there is frequently more to a handheld than just the specs. Comfort is a big issue, support is another, and these and other issues may be hard to quantify just off of a few popular YouTubers reviews.
I’m hopeful this, or some other post like this, could become a safe haven to just ask questions directly to people that own and have used their device for a good period of time.
First, I’d like to offer some great info that I refer to quite frequently!
Spreadsheet of all current/upcoming emulation handhelds
Secondly (and finally), my devices are: RG280v, RG351v, Retroid Pocket 2+, Retroid Flip, PlayDate, Miyoo Mini Plus, Logitech G Cloud, AYN Odin Base, and Steam Deck.
Well I don’t have much in the way of questions at the moment, but I can at least provide answers about the few devices I have. I have a Steam Deck, PSP-1000 (a.k.a. PSP Fat), and formerly a Dingoo A320.
Did the A320 break? Was given away? Sold? Just curious. I completely missed the boat on the A320 but I’m fascinated by the device.
Anything you’d care to share? Some good (and bad?) emulation moments? How were the controls? Did it feel good in the hands?
I gave it away, as a present actually. Emulation on it was pretty good I have to say, at least for what it could handle. The built-in CPS-1/2 and Neo Geo emulator is weirdly picky about what games it’ll run but it’s not hard to find a comprehensive set of everything it’s capable of running. Battery life was great, the controls were responsive, and the screen was very clear. Only problem I ever had with it was the plastic slider for the power breaking, which is such a common issue that replacements were trivial to find. Might be a problem now though.
As far as how it felt, it had the same downside a lot of other “lots of sharp right angles” designs have in that it can be a little awkward to use for extended periods if you’re playing something that requires heavy use of the shoulder buttons. Other than that it was really light, really comfortable. I used it daily for literally years.
Oh yeah, it had a handful of features that I never really used, like the FM tuner and the video output. Can’t really review those. I did use the audio/video playback out of curiosity and it worked well enough, but codec support is obviously out of date by modern standards.
Thanks for the response! You’ve only made me want one more!
But looking at those auction prices, I think I will have to just content myself with looking at reviews of the device and talking to owners like yourself.
I’m not really a collector or anything, I only buy devices to fit my specific use cases. I have:
- Nintendo 2DS XL (for DS and 3DS)
- Powkiddy X55 (for everything through 32 bit and occasional light Dreamcast or PSP)
- Samsung Tab S7 FE (for Dreamcast, PSP, PS2, and Gamecube)
Didn’t know the S7 FE was that strong
It’s surprisingly good. GPU is a weak point, but most games will run at 2x and the rest at 1.5x.
You have to use “max fps” in the game booster plug-in though, which forces the display to a 1080p equivalent or close to it. Native res is like 1600p and the GPU chokes on it.
Nintendo 3ds (XL, new non-xl, new 2ds) Nintendo Switch (V1 and lite) Retroid Pocket (2 and 2+) RG350 Pocket sprite TrimUI
Nice! That pocket sprite…wow is it tiny. Not quite as tiny as the Thumby, but I think it beats the Funkey S and the Nano? I don’t think my old eyes could handle that one or the TrimUI…though I was close to buying that one several times!
My most recent device is the Miyoo Mini Plus and I thought it would also be too small for these eyes, but I’m loving it so far. It’s funny; I bounce between my smallest and biggest screen and pretty much ignore most of the others in between on average! (The MMP and the G Cloud)
The pocket sprite is nice just to look, the resolution is lower than the Gameboy. TriumUI is awesome just to have it to kill time. It is my Tetris machine.
Glad to see you find my spreadsheet useful, was thinking about posting a link to it in this community if that’s ok.
as for my devices, I never really set out to be a collector, I just wanted the best possible experience for my use case of older 16-bit 4:3 games, which to be honest 90% of what I play are kaizo mario world romhacks. So I currently only use an Anbernic RG353M and an Analogue Pocket for handhelds, and a Raspberry Pi 4 and MiSTer FPGA for playing on a TV.
but at some point I want to get a powerful handheld capable of PS2 (like I mean all PS2). At this point it seems like only the windows handhelds are at that level but tbh I’m not interested in something huge like a Steam Deck or even windows in general actually. Odin seems nice but seems like it’s not quite 100% PS2 capable, something in that form factor with a little more power would be ideal though.
Thank you for all of your hard work in maintaining that spreadsheet! It looks like a bear to handle with all of those notes…
I hear you on the Windows front. I was close to grabbing a Rog Ally, but I just keep seeing more and more problems with it. I’m hopeful within a year or maybe two that we will start to see Linux and Android handheld devices with full 100% Gamecube and PS2 catalogs available to them with zero/minimal tweaking needed.
I have RG280V. And I use PinePhone Pro that runs GNU/Linux with telescopic controller to play some heavy games.
Waiting for a small ARM handheld with GNU/Linux that can handle PS2.
I love my little 280v. Do you find it as indestructible as I do? I’ve never seen a PinePhone in the wild! How does it compare to the other common OS? (iOS / Android)
I’m mostly convinced we might see a small-ish ARM handheld with full PS2 and GC compatibility with minimal or zero tweaks needed per game within the next year or two. What do you think?
RG35XX. Love it. Am considering cancelling my pre-order for the Analogue Pocket because I’m blown away by how good the RG35XX is with GarlicOS. I’m not sure I could go from this to a device that doesn’t have SNES save states.
That’s amazing. I was torn for the longest time between the RG35xx and the MMP. I think the RG is better built, but I had to go with the MMP for the wifi (for retro cheevos!). But, I see there may be a version 2 of the RG35xx with wifi??
I agree with you on the Analogue devices. They are very pricey for me and I think I would prefer a Mister or a Polymega if I wanted to go FPGA.
I think Garlic (and Onion) absolutely make those devices shine!
I don’t have a lot since I’m broke lol, but I have a Retroid Pocket 3, a Miyoo Mini Plus and a Steam Deck
That sounds like a lot of fun to me. =)
I don’t know why…I have much more powerful devices with much bigger and better screens, but I can’t stop playing on my MMP! I literally take it with me everywhere and have to hotspot it so I can get my Retro Cheevos lol!
There’s really no reason to have more than one. You can only carry one at a time. I buy one and keep it until it breaks or is obsolete.
I currently have a 2 year old RG351MP.
I have a Retroid Pocket 2+, a Retroid Pocket Flip, a PSP 3000, PS Vita 1000, N3DS XL, DSi XL, 2DS, Steam Deck, and an RG3XX on order. I also run multiple Raspberry Pis. Lots of Android tablets and other devices like an iPad Air and PCs.
You sound like me; I just have random tech lying around everywhere, lots of Pis, tablets, etc.! And it seems you have a similar attraction to clamshells!
What are your thoughts on the Flip? I like mine quite a bit, but I’m willing to overlook a lot, just because it is a clamshell.
As many others here, I am also not a collector. For some other, mysterious, non-collector reason, I have all of the following devices:
- Nintendo DSi - homebrewed
- Nintendo DSi XL - homebrewed
- Nintendo 2DS - homebrewed
- Nintendo 3DS - homebrewed
- Sony Vita 2000 series - homebrewed
- Anbernic RG350m - running Adam image
- Anbernic RG351p - running AmberELEC
- Powkiddy v90 - running MiyooCFW
- Miyoo Mini+ - running OnionOS (technically, I gave this to my sister, but she lives with me, so I can compare my other handhelds to it)
- Steam Deck - Emudeck installed for emulation
No collector, but at the moment, I have a New 2DS XL, an RG351P, an RG552, an RP2+, and an RG505 :)
I might plan to give the RP2+ to a friend since the stuff I want it to do I now do on the RG505. They’ve been wanting their own handheld for almost 2 years now but they don’t make any money yet, so I would love to give them a jumpstart =)
That’s really great! And what a machine for their first! I think they might get a bit spoiled tbh…
I have a Miyoo Mini, an Odroid Go Advanced (got it on sale and I like DIY kits), a PlayGo, a GPD Win 2 (got it from the IndieGoGo early on, so it’s one of the models with rumble), and a GPD Win (later model with the metal top).
I have trouble justifying buying newer devices when my GPD Win 2 still works great and can play anything up to Gamecube on its own in addition to having Moonlight on it to stream my main gaming rig. That’s why all of my newer devices are mostly cheaper ones.
I can’t wait for a high quality clamshell formfactor device that’s at least as powerful as a Steam Deck so I can upgrade from the Win 2.
Clamshells are my favorite as well. I hope the Retroid Flip and possibly the Miyoo Flip will usher in a new era of retro clamshells.
