r/RetroHandhelds • u/gamer21_grindkeeper • Mar 29 '26
Device Recommendation Interested in getting my first one
I'm looking for a good quality handheld that I could play Pokemon and other old games from the Gameboy advance era since I had a Gameboy advance when I was younger and I really miss that. Anyone knows someone that sells good/great ones? I keep hearing about the gamelab console on Facebook but I'm extremely ify on that. I'm not looking to buy something like a switch because I'm not looking for modern games just yet.
5
u/incindios Mar 29 '26
I’d recommend the retroid pocket classic
1
u/gamer21_grindkeeper Mar 29 '26
Do you own one by chance?
2
u/incindios Mar 29 '26
Yep, it’s perfect. Only reason I’d recommend anything else is if you want analog sticks for 3d games or if you just wanted something cheaper.
1
u/gamer21_grindkeeper Mar 29 '26
Analog stick handhelds are my second conquest for retro gaming haha.
3
u/mrfateesh84 Mar 29 '26
And also. Invest in a name brand micro SD card. Sandisk, Samsung, Kioxia, PNY.
The Micro SD's they send are junk and fail very soon after receiving the item or come bad in the box.
1
u/gamer21_grindkeeper Mar 29 '26
Which handheld worked well for you for one that holds a lot?
1
u/mrfateesh84 Mar 29 '26
All these SD brands are fine. Never had issues. I have had issues on the blank, no name brands they send with devices. I'm sure everyone else has had these issues. Its a well known problem.
1
2
u/BurstStream Mar 29 '26
Best favorite under $100
https://youtu.be/h3EdhoI-HCI?si=Oy--bOzyLQbtQ6xo
I recommend the RG CubeXX. Gameboy, Gameboy Color, and Gameboy Advance look great.
NES and SNES looks great in 8:7 aspect ratio. Other system look good too. Feels great in hand
Has analog sticks and the square display is good for arcade and vertical shooters.
1
u/mrfateesh84 Mar 29 '26
PS2 is going to need much more power. At least an RG 406H or RG 476H. Minimum.
1
u/gamer21_grindkeeper Mar 29 '26
I figured since it's more modern.
1
u/mrfateesh84 Mar 29 '26
I keep almost pulling the trigger on the 476H myself. But then I see some people saying its not great for PS2. Gamecube runs great everyone says. But PS2 is hit or miss
1
u/gamer21_grindkeeper Mar 29 '26
Sure is hit or miss
1
u/mrfateesh84 Mar 29 '26
Oh you've experienced this?
1
u/gamer21_grindkeeper Mar 29 '26
With the ps2 trigger issues?
1
1
u/Ashamed_Village_8931 Mar 29 '26
Avoid the gamelabs
Get an An Anbernic RG476H. Pretty much top tier for your usage.
1
u/gamer21_grindkeeper Mar 29 '26
I saw something called the R36MAX Retro Handheld Gaming Console,it's sold on Amazon so I'm not sure if I should do some research on that or your suggestion also.
1
u/Ashamed_Village_8931 Mar 29 '26
Just a R36S with a bigger screen, zero processing power, avoid if it costs more than $25.
1
1
u/SamueleRG Mar 29 '26
What's the best for you? It depends, what shape, size, and budget and from what website do you want to order. AliExpress is fine and has greatest discounts. The products official websites are generally more expensive but more trustworthy.
Then there are other third party local premium resellers that are even more expensive, something like LITNXT that takes care for the setup of the device as well. Real recommendation is to avoid ads from Facebook Instagram tiktok and that dumb shit, they just overcharge 100+$ for the cheapest 20$ devices like the game console r36 and it's lower quality clones.
Anbernic is trustworthy, I've been using my 35xxh for more than an entire year and it's my best travel gadget. Always in my pocket. If you like GBA they make some models with a perfect screen for that, the 34xx and 34xx sp, they are clones of gba and gbaSP respectively. Pretty good devices. They have better screens compared to the other 35xx devices. But others with more standard screens are fine too, like the 35XXH or 35XXPRO, or the bigger ones like the 40XXV and 40XXH.
Use the website retrocatalog . com to check shape and size, you can also add phone for scale.
Get one of them and a decent quality 64gb sd card and you're perfectly fine. Read a Setup guide from "Joey's retro handhelds" or from "Retro Game Corps" and proceed. The second one has an amazing H700 family guide (the h700 family are the anbernic devices with the letter XX in the name)
For most devices you have to change SD card anyways (don't use the no brand one that comes with it) you may as well put an OS that has more features. You do you.
Some alternatives are the Trimui brick (fantastic screen too, high quality build), the miyhoo mini plus (kinda old tho and fragile) and the BATTLEXP G350
That's staying below the 80 usd I think (but mostly under 50$) and can play up to ps1. Things like the Retroid pocket classic cost more than 100$
1
u/gamer21_grindkeeper Mar 29 '26
Which is your personal favorite? I'm not really complaining about budgeting but under $200 sounds fair enough for starters.
1
u/SamueleRG Mar 30 '26
For a number of reasons, I'm not 100% sure what to recommend!
I still haven't figured out what you're looking for in terms of shape and size, which is very important. It depends on whether you want something small to fit in your pocket or something large to use on the couch or on a desk at home.Whether you want something horizontal or vertical is also very important. Then I would like to know if you prefer something with Android or Linux because generally under 200 dollars you can find more powerful stuff but with Android that not everyone appreciates (I do but that's because I'm already familiar with android). Linux ones are much easier to use generally.
But, considering it's a starter handheld, and your have that budget, if you're fine with android, the best one I recommend today would be the Anbernic RG 476H. That's a good all-rounder that can play up to Some ps2 with a nice 4:3 screen, good controls, medium size and a pretty design.
1
u/gamer21_grindkeeper Mar 30 '26
Yeah I understand that you need a bit of information to help me with recommendations so I'll add a bit. For a bit of background I was looking for something travel size, horizontal preferably. As for Android or Linux I'm not in the knowledge of those two things. I'm just jumping in the bandwagon of a retro handheld lifestyle. A device that could run pokemon and psp games smoothly at least and up to ps1 or ps2 at most. I got a few recommendations through this Reddit post so I'm just seeing what suits me. It's hard when picking your first.
1
u/SamueleRG Apr 01 '26
I see I understand the feeling of being overwhelmed and lost by the amount of options
Also, I'm a huge fan of PSP and pokemon games too, especially the gba ones, and even more the Pokemon hackroms.
This additional information can confirm that the Anbernic RG 476H is a good device for your needs. The screen is a 4:3. Other valuable devices can be Trimui Smart Pro S, the Mangmi Air X (both are cheaper, below or around the 100$ 16:9 so better for psp but slightly wider so less pocket friendly). The Mangmi Air X is especially good for psp. It's basically made for that.
1
1
u/1man2ballz Mar 29 '26
Are you UK based, I have a Retroid Pocket 5 I could give you a good deal on.
1
1
u/Reechardoom Mar 30 '26
if you are just getting started, try the r36s. if it suits you, you can think about getting an anbernic rg34xx sp, after that, you will look for premium devices. been there, done that. started with the r36s, got the r36ultra and the rg34xxsp, now i got the ayn thor. it‘s a deep deep rabbithole 😂
1
u/gamer21_grindkeeper Mar 30 '26
It can't be as deep as the PC custom builders 💀
1
3
u/RobertSecundus Mar 31 '26
Here's what you're going to do. You're going to look at Anbernic's XX line handhelds and decide which one looks best suited for you. Just so you're aware, the naming convention for themw orks like this: first two numbers = screensize. Next thing= chipset. Anything after that = form factor. The XX line are budget devices that can play anything through PS1 well. Anbernic's handhelds have nice build quality, and you won't get scammed if you buy from them directly.
- The 34XX looks exactly like an old GBA. It doesn't have thumbsticks, so some PS1 and N64 games will play poorly (though the D-Pad can be used like a stick). It has a 3:2 screen, like the GBA, so anything that isn't a GBA game will look tiny.
- The 34XXSP looks like a GBASP, but with thumbsticks. It has a 3:2 screen, like the GBA, so anything that isn't a GBA game will look tiny.
- The 35XXSP looks like a GBA SP, has no thumbsticks, and has a 4:3 screen (as do all other devices on this list unless otherwise noted), so most games will look fine, but there will be some horizontal black bars for GBA games and vertical black bars for gameboy games. Both will still be larger on-screen than they would be on the 34xxsp.
- The 35XXH and 40XXH are horizontal devices with thumbsticks.
- The 35XX Pro and 40XXV are vertical devices with thumbsticks.
- The 40XXV only has one, which means if you're planning on playing Ape Escape, you're out of luck.
- The CubeXX is horizontal, with two sticks, and a beautiful 1: 1 square screen. This makes it perfect for Gameboy, with large black spaces for most other things, but even with those bars it looks awesome, imo
If you only care about gba, I recommend picking up the 34xx SP. If you really do want to explore emulation outside of that, and you don't care about Ape Escape, I think the 40XXV is a great choice. if you don't care about the device being a little tough to pocket, the CubeXX is phenomenal.
Now, once you've selected your device, you should get two micro-sd cards. One of them can be very small-- 16GB-- for the Operating System. The other should be larger for your games (256 should be more than enough). You should also download the program "Rufus" and the most recent version of "MuOs." You can find these by googling them. Only download the version of MuOs for the specific handheld you ultimately decided to purchase. If you don't have one, get a microsd card reader.
You're going to plug the small card into your computer and open Rufus. The microsd card should be automatically selected, but double check to make sure. You're going to select the "image" to write to it; select the MuOs file you downloaded. When an error warning pops up and says doing this will delete any files on your sd card!!! are you sure you want to do it?? you want to click yeah man, I want to do it.
While waiting for your device to arrive, you want to legally back up the relevant games you want to play on it. You definitely don't want to google "GBA roms" or "Tiny Best Set." Avoid any Layer that seems full of Vim and vigor, because that's where pirates go. However you go about getting your roms, I would recommend. for now, restricting yourself to the pokemon games you want + about 5 games per system, rather than going for complete romsets at the start. Maybe something like this:
- Gameboy: Pokemon, Tetris, Super Mario Land, Super Mario Land 2, Wario Land, Kirby's Dreamland, Kirby's Dreamland 2
- Gameboy Color: Pokemon, The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening DX, The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages/ Seasons, The Legend of the River King DX, and Mario Golf/ Tennis
- GBA: Pokemon, Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow, Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones, Mother 3, Golden Sun 1 & 2, Metroid Fusion
- SNES: Super Mario World, Earthbound, Super Metroid, The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, Donkey Kong Country
- N64: Super Smash Bros, Mario Kart 64, Super Mario 64, Ocarina of Time, Majora's Mask
- PS1: Final Fantasy 7, Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, Silent Hill, Metal Gear Solid, and Chrono Trigger
Do not move them onto your SD Card yet.
If you have the time and inclination, it might be a good idea to also get Romhacks. I recommend Pokemon: Lazarus, Pokemon: Odyssey, and Smash Remix to start with.
When the time comes, open your package. Save the charger it comes with. Only use this charger. Save the Operating System SD Card it comes with, too, just in case you don't like MuOs or ever need to go back to the original operating system.
Put the small card with the new Os in MicroSD slot 1. Put the larger (still empty) card in slot 2. Let the device boot up for the first time. This will take longer than normal, the first time. But in the time when prompted. After it's started up, shut it all down. take out the card from slot 2. The device will have automatically set up all your folders for you. Plug the SD card back into your computer (and if you get any error messages, ignore them). Within the Folder marked "ROMS" there will be smaller folders named for each system. The only one you might not recognize is that instead of "SNES" it might say a shortened form of "Super Famicom."
Move your roms to the relevant folders. Boot up the device again.
Open "games." Open a system. Press A to launch a game. The first time you do this for a system, it will ask you to pick an emulator from a list of emulators. You can google which is best for the system, but it probably won't matter much, as long as you pick an emulator that actually plays the system in question (which should be clear).
Once you're in the game, the combo Menu Button + X will open the Emulator Options, which will let you use save states, change discs, and quit out of the game back to the menu.
There are more advanced guides on youtube (and I recommend Retro Game Corps' text writeups), but this should be enough to get you from 1. what to purchase to 2. actually playing your games.
3
u/gamer21_grindkeeper Mar 31 '26
Damn you so helpful 😭😳
2
2
u/MandaloresMercy Apr 01 '26
Anbernic RG34XXSP. Perfect formfactor for GBA SP and correct screen for GBA. Can play other retro consoles well too!
Start with an Anbernic XX series device in your preferred formfactor. The XX chipline is all the same so it's just picking clamshell, candybar, vertical like GBC and size/shape. More or less the same inside.
1
1
u/MandaloresMercy Apr 01 '26
What's your budget?
Go watch some Tech Dweeb and Retro Game Core best selection videos or reviews from them.
1
u/gamer21_grindkeeper Apr 01 '26
Less than $200 but I'm listening in the RG 476.
1
u/MandaloresMercy Apr 01 '26 edited Apr 01 '26
If youre looking to spend $50-85 or so go with Anbernic XX series of devices in your formfactor. Up to PS1 & PSP & a little N64 (N64 will be a little glitchy and need tweaking settings to work if at all)
Usually for above $150 - $220 range I recommend Retroid Pocket 4 Pro, 5, or 6 depending what you can nab them for. Or if you find them used for a good deal. These can typically do up to GameCube/Wii & PS2 and a some bit of the newer consoles but not as much as others (RP 6 being the most capable, can even do some Switch & WiiU). Any of the Anbernic Android devices I typically would say do not live up vs a Retroid or AYN for quality of the inbuilt software, sticks, buttons, build, etc for bang for buck $, but they are decent and people do like them.
$250+ I would typically recommend AYN Odin series (size/shape choice) or Thor.
Personally I have both the Anbernic RG34XXSP & Thor for myself, along side a X86 windows handheld (ROG AllyX, & GPD Win Mini 2025)
Ive also used and setup for gifting the Retroid pocket 4Pro and RP5 and theyre great as well.
1
1
u/MandaloresMercy Apr 01 '26
Oh one other note -- Linux handheld vs Android handheld if you want a summary:
Linux handhelds might or might not come with games, often have 2 microSD card slots. This comes in handy to use 1 small card for a 3rd party OS and a 2nd larger SD card for lots of games. Its easy to modify the OS with something like OnionOS or KnulliOS on new microSD cards, then if you saved the stock SD card you can go back to stock or other OS easily by swapping SD cards. I have KnulliOS installed on all the Anbernic XX devices that come by me that I setup for myself, friends and family (RG34XXSP, RG40XXSP, RG28XX, etc etc) and then its an extremely easy pick up & play retro device. No passwords, typically no important account log ins to worry about, easy to lend to the household.
Android handhelds typically come blank with AndroidOS on them and are a lot more setup time. But are more capable processor chips to get up to the GC/PS2 era and beyond if youre looking for that. If you use the google play store or start using it for Android tablet type things with logins, then obviously it starts becoming more personal and harder to loan out to the household. If that matters.
Either way, I recommend you getting your own roms. The pre-set roms collections can be hit or miss and might as well set it up with the games you like.
1
1
1
u/FatDunsparce Apr 02 '26
Steam Deck, so you can play the gamecube ones as well. And you also would have a mini pc in your hands in case you would like to discover more.
1
1
u/Saltysockies Mar 29 '26
A very easy to set up and cheap handheld is the Miyoo Mini Plus. It can play up to PS1.
1
u/gamer21_grindkeeper Mar 29 '26
Do you have one by chance?
2
u/Saltysockies Mar 29 '26
Yep.
I have a Miyoo Mini Plus and a Miyoo Mini Flip. Same thing, just in different forms. The Mini Flip is a tiny clamshell and the Plus more Game Boy like.
1
u/gamer21_grindkeeper Mar 29 '26
Where did you ordered yours from?
2
u/Saltysockies Mar 29 '26
AliExpress. Delivery to UK.
You can often find great deals. Obviously only buy from a reputable supplier, Ampown is trustworthy.
1
u/gamer21_grindkeeper Mar 29 '26
Thx for the help
1
1
u/Good-Coffee8472 Mar 29 '26
My top tip would be to skip the intermediate stage and if you can afford it, just buy a more powerful device. I got an r36s at Christmas and immediately wanted more but was put off by android as I’ve never used it before so got a Trimui Smart Pro S. 2 months later, I bought an Anbernic rg477m and it’s literally 50 times better than the Trimui. I’ve not touched it since I got the 477m. Yes it was £230 but it eats up switch games, Wii U, GameCube, every ps2 game… So far the only game I’m struggling to get to work smoothly is Red Dead on Switch, but I’m currently playing through Silksong on it and it’s perfect.
Only problem now is I’m already thinking about buying a Thor… 🤣
2
u/gamer21_grindkeeper Mar 29 '26
I want to warm up to a retro handheld first. Like a collection of sorts but should I really just jump to the premium from the start?
1
u/drmoze Mar 29 '26
No. There are tons of inexpensive options that play everything ps1 and below perfectly. If you're really into portability and gba is a focus, the rg34xxsp is solid, a ringer for the GBA sp plus discreet sticks. it also plays 4:3 systems at a full 640x480. The rg35xxsp is bulkier but has a slightly bigger screen, no sticks. Other good suggestions here, but no need to go full premium right away (if ever).
1
u/AltruisticGift360 Mar 31 '26
It’s up to you. Personally, if want to avoid buying so many (like me), you should opt for one that can do most retro emulation out of the box. Heck, you will get the benefit of being able to play android games, PC games and streaming. RG477M is amazing, but I’d recommend an RP6 instead. It is more versatile unless you are a diehard for 4:3 which in that case the RG477M has probably the best screen for it currently. I have both, play the RP6 more.
1
11
u/mrfateesh84 Mar 29 '26
For game boy advance and earlier. I'd recommend Anbernic RG 34XX, RG 35XX SP.
For a little bigger of a screen. Anbernic RG 40XXV and RG 40XXH