Retro Handhelds

[Hitesh]

Good evening

Looking at getting a Retro Handheld for mobile gaming on holidays.

I know not much. Saw a R35s on FB and then on for £ 36 Amazon but there seem a lot out there.

Question is what should I get. Budget is ideally £50 max

Regards, Hitesh

 

[Deleted member 7540]

Look at Anbernic products on Ali Express. around £26 - £38 depending on model and they are in old 'game boy' style or a horizontal style (RG35XX H) with 3.5" i think it was IPS screens which look AMAZING.

I highly rate the Anbernic brand, though Chinese they put out some decent gear. I've owned loads of them never had a problem, just swap out and copy the micro SD card for a branded one when you get it as the Chinese ones aren't the best.

Or if you want dirt cheap but perfectly functional get the Datafrog SF2000 I have one at he moment and it's awesome, good screen and battery again though swap out the micro SD card.

 

[cools]

Miyoo Mini Plus

I keep picking up/selling other handhelds but nothing has surplanted this one - specifically because of the dpad and buttons that are very Nintendo/SNES like.

 

[eliotcole]

I wanted the 6-button one ... but I'd ideally like Dreamcast + Saturn level emu there, if I had it ... and it's not quite there ...
So I'm kinda making my own ... but also ... I've recently found a nice 'mechanical' 6-button pad and ordered a couple.
I mention that because if time is of the essence and you have a capable phone or small tablet, then your favourite controller + adaptor and a mobile 'pinch' type dock thingy could make a very convincing setup, too.

 

[cools]

I wanted the 6-button one ... but I'd ideally like Dreamcast + Saturn level emu there, if I had it ... and it's not quite there ...
So I'm kinda making my own ... but also ... I've recently found a nice 'mechanical' 6-button pad and ordered a couple.
I mention that because if time is of the essence and you have a capable phone or small tablet, then your favourite controller + adaptor and a mobile 'pinch' type dock thingy could make a very convincing setup, too.

I'm looking forward to this: https://shop.8bitdo.com/products/8bitdo-micro-zero2-clip @FrancoB already did me a 3D printed mount and it works amazingly well.

 

[Wahoobies]

good suggestions. Check ArkOS compatibility list. You'll have to fiddle around a bit to get it nice and work like any retroarch install.. but they are a hoot. I personally recommend RG353m (metal case) as a near perfect handheld for up to n64 (mostly working).. though a bit over your budget depending on Aliexpress prices.

One thing with anbernic (and other emulation handhelds), they sometimes come with not-great batteries, and it takes a little searching to find the right replacement. If you're patient and enjoy getting them working though, it's quite fun to set up and perfect them!

 

[pubjoe]

Hitesh, I know you're a Pico 8 fan.

The 1:1 screen, Linux (native Pico8) and WiFi for Splore support made me buy an RGB30 a year ago.



They're under £50 now on AliExpress.

I'm out of date on better options that tick those Pico8 boxes. There's also the RGB20 which is the same system in Game Boy form.

My son has a Miyoo Mini which is a great little device for the money too.

 

[Hitesh]

Thanks to all for the input. Very helpful and much appreciated.

Its good to see that everyone has positive thing to say about the system they bought.

My main requirement is Thumbsticks for Mame and PS1 footy games.

Been watching reviews on YouTube and like the look of R36S and RGB30.

The RG406V seems to be the Dog's B*l*cks but I cannot justify the price for something that is mainly a "tinker with" item.

 

[davey d]

How about an old Sony PSP?

 

[channel27]

I've got an Anbernic RG35XXH and it's great (Around £80 on Amazon at the mo)

Echoing above - the SD card that came with it was crap (The system only booted 50% of the time)
A new 64gb sandisk card flashed with the stock OS modified image (that expands to the whole card on first boot) and it's flawless.
The downside is that the modified image is rom-free so you'll need to copy roms over manually from the original card. (I had no problem accessing the original card with a PC though)

 

[eliotcole]

@Hitesh ... in terms of YT ... I'd just advise avoiding any videos by the YouTuber ETAPrime ... they think everything is a 'beast' ... and ... yeah ... they are basically just fluff.

 

[cools]

Thanks to all for the input. Very helpful and much appreciated.

Its good to see that everyone has positive thing to say about the system they bought.

My main requirement is Thumbsticks for Mame and PS1 footy games.

Been watching reviews on YouTube and like the look of R36S and RGB30.

The RG406V seems to be the Dog's B*l*cks but I cannot justify the price for something that is mainly a "tinker with" item.

I've also had (and loved) an RGB30 however I did need to swap parts to make the controls reasonably comfortable.

It's above your budget a bit but the Anbernic RG CubeXX beats the pants off it in terms of comfort, its far higher quality and the stacked shoulder buttons mirror a PSX controller nicely

 

[Hitesh]

Thanks again everyone.
The options just seem endless!

I like the look of R36S

but doing a little research ended up with these options:

• R33S (R35S/R36S in a Miyoo Mini+ shell)
• R35S (clone of the POWKIDDY RGB20S, released 1-2 months before the R36S)
• R36H (horizontal R36S/R35S)
• R36MAX (soccer ball menu button, square buttons, 1:1 screen)
• R36PRO (R36MAX with 4:3 screen)
• R36S (probably the reason why you're here)
• R36S Plus (inverted R35S with 1:1 screen)
• R36S Pro (probably does not even exist)
• R40S Pro (R36S with a rounded bottom)
• R50S (horizontal 5.1", not sure if it was ever released)

Now thinking of getting two : R336H & R36H bit the R36S Plus also appeals

 

[kuato_lives]

The options just seem endless!

It’s a rabbit hole! I picked up a Miyoo Mini Plus last year and it’s excellent. There’s so many handhelds available today it’s hard to know which is “best”, but if it’s in your price range and plays the systems you’re into well, you probably can’t go too wrong.

I’m now thinking of upgrading to the RG406V for some PS2 games.

 

[cools]

Thanks again everyone.
The options just seem endless!

I like the look of R36S

but doing a little research ended up with these options:

• R33S (R35S/R36S in a Miyoo Mini+ shell)
• R35S (clone of the POWKIDDY RGB20S, released 1-2 months before the R36S)
• R36H (horizontal R36S/R35S)
• R36MAX (soccer ball menu button, square buttons, 1:1 screen)
• R36PRO (R36MAX with 4:3 screen)
• R36S (probably the reason why you're here)
• R36S Plus (inverted R35S with 1:1 screen)
• R36S Pro (probably does not even exist)
• R40S Pro (R36S with a rounded bottom)
• R50S (horizontal 5.1", not sure if it was ever released)

Now thinking of getting two : R336H & R36H bit the R36S Plus also appeals

Your mileage may vary, but all the noname ones vary wildly in quality control and you end up in a no mans land for getting decent software. Cheap for a reason.

 

[kingtreelo]

for me, as someone mentioned above, the Miyoo Mini Plus is my personal favourite, ive playe don other better spec'd handhelds but that has a good form factor, you can pick it up for about £42 and also play pico 8 on it these days, its a great little machine