Retro Gaming Handhelds - General Discussion

Lifetime subscriber

#307009 12-Sep-2023 09:18

I ran a search and saw a couple of these pop up in the Offers & Wanted forum but no general discussion in the Gaming forum. Is there any interest in here to warrant a general discussion thread?

I can't believe I've only just discovered them, and now that I know they are thing I'm keen to pick one up so doing a bit of research. I do own a PS Vita which I know can be jailbroken/modded to run a number of emulation systems but I'm not sure I want to do that to my Vita and it sounds like it is still compromised experience up against the current crop of dedicated devices.

At the moment I'm leaning towards a Retroid Pocket 3+ as for the price point it seems the most capable. I was considering a device with a 4:3 screen like the Anbernic 405M which runs a similar chip but the reviews still suggest the Retroid is a better device if you want a run a mixture of older 4:3 systems and slightly newer 16:9 systems like the PSP etc... Rumours suggest a Pocket 4 is not far away so might not be the best time to pull the trigger on the 3+. That said, the 3+ is capable of running all of the games that I'm interested in.

Anyone with real world experience of these devices or is there another I should consider?

1 | 2

Networkn
32247 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#3126401 12-Sep-2023 09:22

I have fond memories of Bomber Man on Gameboy, playing against my best friend at High School.

There is an OK Port of it on Xbox.

xpd

Geek @ Coastguard NZ
13726 posts

Uber Geek

Retired Mod

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#3126416 12-Sep-2023 10:00

Evercade is an option as well, they are legally supplied games etc, not the grey area the other handhelds offer ;)

Downside though, is because they are legal, the library is quite a bit smaller but have good support etc.

Whatever you do, do NOT buy anything Evercade related from Desertcart.nz - they charge 2-3x retail.

Gavin / xpd / FastRaccoon / Geek of Coastguard New Zealand

Support Kiwi music! The People Black Smoke Trigger Like A Storm Devilskin

gehenna

8462 posts

Uber Geek

Moderator

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#3126458 12-Sep-2023 12:08

I have a PowKiddy handheld, similar to Gameboy design, which has a bunch of emulators from old 8-bit to Nintendo 64/PS1 generation. Works really well.

Senecio

2693 posts

Uber Geek

Lifetime subscriber

#3126484 12-Sep-2023 13:14

xpd:

Evercade is an option as well, they are legally supplied games etc, not the grey area the other handhelds offer ;)

Downside though, is because they are legal, the library is quite a bit smaller but have good support etc.

Whatever you do, do NOT buy anything Evercade related from Desertcart.nz - they charge 2-3x retail.

I hadn't heard about Evercade so I'll look into it.

Wasn't planning to discuss how to source ROMs here for fear of crossing a line.

Senecio

2693 posts

Uber Geek

Lifetime subscriber

#3126487 12-Sep-2023 13:17

gehenna:

I have a PowKiddy handheld, similar to Gameboy design, which has a bunch of emulators from old 8-bit to Nintendo 64/PS1 generation. Works really well.

Cheers. I was looking into vertical Gameboy style vs horizontal styles. I think a horizontal would suit my gaming preferences better but I can also see myself picking up a Gameboy style at some point down the road.

dazzanz

214 posts

Master Geek

#3126490 12-Sep-2023 13:20

I've got a Miyoo Mini and an Analogue Pocket. The Analogue Pocket is definitely the premium option, it's a really nice device and it's great I can play my old gameboy cartridges directly on it.

xpd

Geek @ Coastguard NZ
13726 posts

Uber Geek

Retired Mod

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#3158067 10-Nov-2023 14:57

Curses. I'm now looking at these things again as I have some birthday $$ :)

Abernic and Powkiddy seem to be popular....

Might look at second hand one to start with and decide if its worth putting more $$ into ;) Already have a more than capable PC for emulation along with Rasp Pi, Mini Amiga etc... :D

Anyone have one they want to re-home ? :D

Gavin / xpd / FastRaccoon / Geek of Coastguard New Zealand

Support Kiwi music! The People Black Smoke Trigger Like A Storm Devilskin

Sharesies kids

Free kids accounts - trade shares and funds (NZ, US) with Sharesies (affiliate link).

Senecio

2693 posts

Uber Geek

Retro Game Corps - YouTube

Lifetime subscriber

#3158089 10-Nov-2023 16:15

I should probably share an update as the OP.

I decided to go ahead and mod my Vita just to try out some emulation. The current mod process is so much easier than earlier methods so it was far less daunting than it would have been a few years ago.

My experience

Running 8 & 16 bit games like NES, SNES, Megadrive etc... is great on the Vita. It runs them really well. I've been enjoying going back over my old catalogue of games from that generation. It will also play PS1 games but without and L2/R2 button its not the best experience. Where it really excels of course is playing native Vita games and once modded you can access the whole Vita catalogue but we won't go into that. For a piece of hardware released in 2011 it is still immensely capable!

I think I might still invest in some dedicated hardware as I'm sure the experience will be much better with hardware that is designed with emulation in mind from the get go. Its just deciding which to go for.

I've found the reviews from Russ at Retro Game Corps very helpful

Handle9

11273 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#3158098 10-Nov-2023 16:49

I've got a Retroid Pocket 3 which I never use. I found it a bit small and plasticy. I should sell it, I just can't be arsed dealing with low ballers.

It's ok if you only want to play up to N64/PS1 but I really prefer something that can play PS2 and up.

Ifyou've got a modern reasonably high end android phone IMO it's a better option just to get a Razer Kishi or a backbone controller. My old P30 Pro is great for emulation and plays up to PS2 really well

The steam deck is also a great emulator and runs some PS3 games well, which is not easy.

IMO start with the games you think you want and go from there. There's heaps of options and it can all get a bit confusing. Retro Game Corp is a great reference.

xpd

Geek @ Coastguard NZ
13726 posts

Uber Geek

Retired Mod

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#3158106 10-Nov-2023 17:28

Handle9:

I've got a Retroid Pocket 3 which I never use. I found it a bit small and plasticy. I should sell it, I just can't be arsed dealing with low ballers.

Whats your low baller price ? ;)

Gavin / xpd / FastRaccoon / Geek of Coastguard New Zealand

Support Kiwi music! The People Black Smoke Trigger Like A Storm Devilskin

Handle9

11273 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#3158108 10-Nov-2023 17:35

xpd:

Handle9:

I've got a Retroid Pocket 3 which I never use. I found it a bit small and plasticy. I should sell it, I just can't be arsed dealing with low ballers.

Whats your low baller price ? ;)

Getting it to NZ is the issue, I'm in Dubai.

xpd

Geek @ Coastguard NZ
13726 posts

Uber Geek

Retired Mod

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#3158125 10-Nov-2023 21:27

LOL yeah, shipping may kill me :D I knew someone who visited Dubai quite often, but since COVID they havent been back..... oh well :)

Gavin / xpd / FastRaccoon / Geek of Coastguard New Zealand

Support Kiwi music! The People Black Smoke Trigger Like A Storm Devilskin

Goosey

2793 posts

Uber Geek

Subscriber

#3158142 11-Nov-2023 07:03

Nintendo switch has emulator packages for

Sega

Gameboy

Nintendo 64

and the other Nintendo console that the name escapes me now.

good selection of games within each package and you can save as you go!

I believe the packages only become available if you also purchase the online subscription add on.

edit; there’s a tonne of retro games via Nintendo switch online….check it out.

Handle9

11273 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#3253928 27-Jun-2024 19:49

I decided a while back I should get my Pocket 3 going properly. I spent a bit of time with it, curated some ROMs and have been playing it a lot more.

The D-Pad did fail but as mine was an early model it shipped with a replacement capacitive D Pad board. Changing it was a 30 minute excercise and pretty easy. It's nice how serviceable it is and that parts can be easily replaced. I have been pretty frustrated by Android/Emulation Station problems but Daijisho seems to be pretty solid.

I am going on holiday in a couple of weeks and wanted something even more compact so I ordered an Anbernic RG35XX H in the Aliexpress summer sale. It turned up today and I'm well impressed with the hardware. It is was more solid and feels much higher quality than the Pocket 3 and the screen is much nicer.

The software is hot garbage but I'll throw an alternative firmware (probably Knulli) on there tonight and have a good play.

Senecio

2693 posts

Uber Geek