So she sends me this clip for something called Retro Snap, I do a little reading up on it and discover that it’s overpriced, cheap hardware, made by a “business” that ghosts you when you need support, takes down negative reviews and even tries to bribe mods to take down critical posts. For starters. So fuck them.
Looking for alternatives, I learn about Anbernic, and as I’m reading up on them I very quickly feel overwhelmed by the huge variety of consoles on the market and vague info on what games you’ll get or how to get the ones you might want (yes I understand why but still).
So you, smart people, can you help a brother out?
I have the Anbernic rg351v and really love it for SNES, GBA and NES games. I can play N64 games but without the C buttons it’s harder. Great for arcade and rpg style games like Zelda and Secret of Mana, etc. I haven’t used it in awhile since I got a steam deck, but is a solid device in my opinion. Should be able to find around $100.
There are better ones that are landscape, larger screen, dual sticks, but for retro stuff I wanted as close to Gameboy form factor as possible
You might also consider checking https://retrocatalog.com/ if you don’t have the time or desire to watch YouTube videos (Although Russ from retro games corp is cool.)
I really like the Miyoo Mini Plus. I have two of them. There’s an alternative OS called OnionOS for it that’s awesome. It adds a bunch of great features. I also have the Miyoo Mini, and I think it’s just too small to game comfortably. The Plus is way more comfortable.
My friend has a Retroid Pocket 5, and he loves it. It’s way more powerful (and also more expensive) than the Miyoo, but holy cow, it is really amazing. It can play a lot more systems than the Miyoo can. It runs Android, so it can run a bunch of applications to help, like file browsers and transfer apps and such. It can also run Android games like PUBG.
Then there’s the Steam Deck. It can do anything. It’s the GOAT. Buuuuuuut, it’s really big compared to the others. There’s no putting one of those in your pocket.
If you have a decent phone, I’d try that first. What era of “retro” are you thinking?
The Steam Deck works really well for retro gaming, with the added benefit that your friend can also play modern games easily enough as well.
I love my steam deck for old games. Especially ps1 games
My phone and a cheap AliExpress telescoping controller.
Check out the Youtuber Retro Game Corps. Excellent in-depth videos on these devices with a focus on price relative to quality.
This is his most recent overview video of the best handhelds in each price/performance category.
You can feel good about buying any of these, and not feel the need to go any deeper, but the video is 3 months out of date, so if you really want to determine what the absolute best is for you, you may want to watch some of the corresponding more recent vids for the price class you’re interested in.
Edit: My ideal was ultimately to buy a controller to attach around my phone (RGC makes these vids as well, and add-on controllers’ quality is surprisingly high nowadays) instead of buying a dedicated handheld, so you may also want to consider whether you can get the experience you want with the hardware you already have as well.
+1 for this channel, it’s great. Personally I have a Retroid Pocket 3+ and love it. Since then they’ve only gotten better, you’d benefit from the improvements if you want to emulate higher-end systems or play more demanding Android games. Otherwise pick up a previous-gen unit at a discount if possible as they keep pumping out new ones!
Eh. That channel seems like paid marketing to me in retrospect. I bought the Anbernic GBA clamshell clone based on his glowing recommendation, and was very disappointed.
I almost got one of those but landed on something else. Curious about what was disappointing
Uncomfortable to hold. Buttons are too clicky, even after the tape mod. Screen is too tiny for games intended to be played on TVs.
Depends on what you want to spend and what retro games you want to play. You could emulate a lot of things on a cell phone, or steamdeck. A company like analogue 3d has handhelds that can do a lot as well.
Seconding this. Use case is a big part of the decision. Is dual screen DS/3DS important? Do you want to play past PSX and into GameCube, PSP games, etc? Are you going to be playing more widescreen or 4:3, or even some of the weirder ones like portables with non-standard aspect ratios? Are analog sticks important? How important is pocketability? Do you want HDMI out and the ability to connect a second controller to “consolize” the device? What kind of headphones will you want to use, if any, Bluetooth or wired?
Phone with a Bluetooth controller (PS3 with an aftermarket phone cradle in my case). Hard to beat the handheld you already own
I have friends with various Miyoo and Anbernic form factors and they are basically all decent for emulating everything up to 16bits. 32/64bits are more hit and miss. Something like the Retroid Pocket 5 is much more powerful, but costs like 5 times as much as most Miyoo/Anbernic models.
I have an Anbernic RGCubeXX which is great for vertical shooters and square screens (think OG Game Boy).
If you want to emulate up to PS3 or PSVita, the Steam Deck is unbeatable.
The miyoo mini plus is my goto. Its very fun.
Same, really enjoy my miyoo mini. Not expensive and hours of old school fun. After a while I did start looking at more powerful handhelds to try and play n64 and early PlayStation games, but they all seemed too pricey. But it really depends what you want to play.
Awesome glad to hear someone else likes theirs too!
I like to play old gameboy titles with pokemon, RPGs, ect…etc… Itch.io also has some fun games from people still making gameboy games to this day. That and genisis. Got eartheon recently and itvpkays beautifully on the MMP.
I have an Anbernic, it’s solid for what it is.
Maybe try [email protected]
Honestly, my phone does a great job playing most retro games, and for a controller I have a razor Kishi 2 and it’s perfect for that application
Ayn, Anbernic, retroid, those are three reputable companies. Ayn is top of the line with Thor, retroid is midrange, and Anbernic has a bit of everything, but they have the most affordable units i would trust.
