I’ve been trying to get into playing some old games I’ve either missed out on or have completely forgot I’ve even played. I now find myself wanting to play games from SNES and the Gameboy line and can’t settle down on which handheld to play all these games on.
I have my old 3DS handhelds, and XL and non-XL version (proprietary charging), Analogue Pocket (no SNES save states), Miyoo Mini + (currently shipping), a Switch, and a Steam Deck (too heavy for long playthroughs). I find myself constantly switching between them all and can’t settle down to actually play a game.
Anyone have any opinions on what’s the best handheld experience?
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I love my Anbernic handhelds. Pretty much any of them, but I draw the line at the Android ones. Might as well just get a controller for a phone at that point. The Linux ones are neat though - currently my daily driver is the 351V. Debated getting a 351P, partially because I mostly play GBA and the screen is made for that but also because I collect them.
This - I have an RG351P and I honestly love it for playing GBA and even SNES games.
I have a Steam Deck as well and I feel like the two devices complement each other nicely.
RG35XX
I think a modded PSP would be the best bank foe the buck.
It can emulate tons of retro classics (and of course the original PlayStation)
And the PSP catalog is full of hidden gems as well.
Honestly depends on whether you want power or portability. If I were you I’d probably play retro games on the Miyoo Mini, and use the Steam Deck for more demanding stuff.
IMO Steam Deck is the best overall option, as it’s beefy enough to run PS3 or even Switch games.
If it’s too heavy, the Retroid Pocket 3+ is a decent emulation competitor with a lighter, smaller form factor.
I find myself constantly switching between them all and can’t settle down to actually play a game.
This sounds like one of those problems where buying more hardware doesn’t help. Ruminating about the “best” handheld choice is an easy way to forget about playing the games themselves. I’ve been there. The solution is to just pick a device at random, and go outside to play it. There will be pros and cons, but if you’re not even getting to the point where you can actually play the game, then the pros and cons don’t matter either.
Yep, steamdeck here, and once it’s fully set up it’s a great machine for emulation. I honestly don’t notice that it’s too heavy. Just re-adjust how you’re sitting or laying down or whatever I guess? Maybe put a pillow on your lap to give your arms some support? Not sure what the answer is there, but steamdeck is a great route to go.
For handhelds, I have a Supaboy, a PSP, a PS Vita, a 3DS old, a New 3DS XL and a Switch.
Out of those, the Switch is the only one I can’t play emulated games or homebrews, given I haven’t modded it nor there is flashcarts for it.
And among the ones we both have, the 3DS XL models seem like the best ones. Not very heavy while still being decently sized, good resolution and color palette, buttons with good pressure, and for emulating Nintendo games, Nintendo’s own devices are usually the best for their given release period.I have Miyoo Mini and it’s great. Community is very helpful, and OnionOS is simply awesome. But it’s really small, and my hands cramp if I play a bit longer. Also, any game that requires shoulder buttons frequently is pretty much unplayable without remapping, also due to the ergonomy. I am thinking about getting a 3D printed holder for it…
Miyoo Mini Plus and Anbernic RG35XX, hands down. I love the vertical form factor and they are perfectly sized in my opinion. Playing GBA games on a Steam Deck gave me headaches because the screen was too big while too close to my eyes when I got in a comfortable position.
I keep buying them and then going back to the (modded) NEW 3DS. It helps that most of the retro games I like are Nintendo games. GBA, DS, and 3DS run native. And the Nintendo made emulators for SNES, NES, Genesis, etc run super well. Anything more demanding than 3DS I use a steam deck for the bigger screen anyway.
I personally just use my phone…I picked up a PS4 controller and a bracket that holds the phone and that setup works great for my needs
I had a lot of success with this back when I took the bus a lot. Very great way to cheaply get into it.
The Odroid-Go series is pretty nifty. I liked the Advance better because it came as a DIY kit, but the Super adds the second analog stick and a bigger screen. Sort of fun to be able to SSH into your handheld if you need to. I suspect it’s more of a known platform in terms of custom software than your random AliExpress device.
I’m a fan of my Anbernic RG280V - it fits in my pocket and is really portable. Playing pokemon unbound on it right now. If you’re already getting a Miyoo Mini in, try it out and see if it works. It’ll probably be good - it’s a popular system
Yeah, I’m super excited for it to come in. I’m not sure if it’s true or not to set up a system of cloud saves to continue playing on my desktop or not.
For the games you’re trying to play maybe retroid pocket flip would be a good choice. I’ve had it for about a month and I love it.
Personaly I’m using my miyoo mini + for lite gameplay session like 32bits and under era, and I’m using my Odin lite for android, psp, n64 games.
Oh man. The pocket doesn’t have SNES save states? Mine is on order but not due for ages. I’ve been playing on an Rg35xx in the meantime and don’t know if I can go back to no save states!
Unfortunately, no SNES core has the capability of save states. Someone would need to create one with that in mind, but according to some core devs, it’s very difficult. The Analogue Pocket would have been the clear winner if that was the case
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That makes sense. I haven’t done much research into the pocket, but my understanding is that the FPGA allocated for the OpenFPGA cores is quite small, and that the save states on the MiSTer increase the FPGA usage quite considerably, so I guess it’s no superise that there isn’t enough space to a support them. I do have quite a lot of GB and GBA carts, and that’s really why I ordered one, but I’ve found myself using the save states on the rg35xx very frequently. It’s so convenient just to turn it off and for it to save.
