Good to see that hall effect analog sticks are starting to become mainstream.
Steam Deck for me. Though I do like the idea of the really tiny retro handhelds. The Deck is super comfortable though, and with EmuDeck it’s an absolute joy for emulation.
If anyone is interested, I have a magazine on kbin dedicated to retroid devices.
My Steamdeck is my preferred method of handheld gaming. Works amazingly.
The only problem is the size. I’m 6’3 with large hands and it fits me perfectly, but my wife is 5’2 and has to buy children’s gloves, so she can’t use it.
Great device but a bit big for my pocket :)
Cargo pants!
@2tone right now using a Miyoo Mini and Retroid Pocket 3+. Enjoy both of them. The Miyoo is my daily carry since it’s so tiny.
The best retro gaming console is the one you already own. Any old hand-me-down or thrift office PC can handle the majority of retro titles, as can most consoles with custom firmware.
If you already own anything from the DS-3DS-PSP-Vita lineups you should be looking into making the most of the hardware you already own.
That being said, my partner is very happy with their Deck, and I’m pretty pleased with my RG351V running ArkOS. I’ve also been very happy with running my RP3B+ with Retropie.
But to be very honest, I don’t do a damn thing that my gaming PC two builds ago, and my PSP1000 I’ve had since high school wouldn’t be able to handle with flying colors.
The best retro gaming console is the one you already own.
As a former user of the original Retroid Pocket 2 I strongly disagree.
Many handhelds after that one improved a ton IMHO.
Currently I am settled for up to PSX games with my Miyoo Mini and my Anbernic RG351v, but I still want a more capable one, GCN, Wii and PS2 would be desirable.
I was more making a point about people already owning capable machines in regards to the consoles, PCs, old smartphones etc they already own being capable emulation machines.
Someone should try and rule out what they already have before buying one of the SBC-style handhelds. It’s more economical, prevents more e-waste, reparability is way more accessible on other hardware than SBCs, etc.
PS2, GC, Wii compatibility is a good point. The only argument I have against that is just going to devolve into Old Man Yells At Clouds so I’ll let you win on that.
Yeah I hear you, you got some good points, actually I would recommend for everyone who is very doubtful about this niche market to use their Android phone with a controller, that way they get a glance of what the experience would be (and any current phone is powerful enough to run plenty of stuff tbh).
Vita for me, does everything I want.
I love following these Chinese handhelds but there is always one deal-breaker which turns me off in each device. Maybe they’ll get it right one day.
I owned a GP2x back in the day, that was a fun device at the time. Playing portable SNES was unheard of but I could do it.
GP2X? That’s a name I haven’t heard in a long time.
I only really have the Powkiddy X55 and the Nintendo 2DS XL. I like both but lately I’ve been enjoying the x55 a lot more. Great scaling for retro games and there’s a ton of ports available for it.
For a handheld the x55 is surprisingly ergonomic, though I kinda wish the grips went out further, more like a modern controller. I don’t really care about pocketability though.
My PSP 1000 kicks ass :)
The Miyoo Mini+ is perfect for me. Runs everything I want to play extremely well, and has Wifi for Retro Achievements!
I recently picked up the Miyoo Mini+ as well as Retroid pocket flip. Honestly the Miyoo is so much better being Linux based. So much easier to get going. The only thing I prefer the flip is it can play DS games and a handful of gamecube/ps2 games. Its also more comfortable for playing PS1 games. But I have been exclusively picking up the Miyoo Mini+ to play most things. They are both great handhelds, but like I said. The set up for the Miyoo Mini+ was like 5 minutes versus the couple hours its taken me with the Retroid pocket flip.
The Linux devices are fantastic. For Android, are you using Daijisho? It’s an excellent solution
Yes I am! It makes the interface much much nicer. But was another thing I had to set up and get working properly compared to the linux device. It was much more of a project than a pick up and play. Not a bad thing for me but for someone who is new to handhelds, is a good thing to be up front about.
I suppose its a tie between the Nintendo Switch and the Analogue Pocket. 3dsxl gets an honorable mention for its unbelievable service record.
I got in early on the Analogue Pocket preorders and it’s been very nice, especially once they opened it up to third party cores.
I’ve got a homebrewed 2DS XL and a RPFlip, just love the clamshell form factor!
I recently purchased a Retroid Pocket 3+ but I haven’t had the time to really set it up yet. I was hoping it was plug-and-play simnilar to a mini console I bought a few years ago that was ready to go immediately. Unfortunately the Pocket 3+ is going to take some time to get going.
The Android setup took a long time on my Retroid, mainly due to all of the tweaking. I got a Miyoo Mini + afterwards and it was so much simpler that I may stick to more Linux oriented handhelds, or ones that dual boot.
I was hoping the Android side would give me more options for newer Android games. But honestly I just didn’t think it would be that big of a deal, but I feel like it’s a big step backwards from a user’s perspective that so much tweaking needs to be done.
On the RP3+ at least it does offer some good options for android games and ports of games that people have done. It is definitely a good PSP machine, but I definitely could not just set one up and send it out without telling people how to use it and why it launches different apps.
In some ways it’s a problem of too many choices. I get it that there are a lot of front ends to pick from and a lot of emulators and lots of roms but at some point I just want to play a game and not endlessly fiddle with shit to get an extra 1/2 FPS. I want to watch the Retro Gaming Corp videos and just follow them step by step (if that’s how the videos are laid out) and just get it going.
Take a look at RetroGameCorps’s tutorials, if you haven’t. You’ll be good to go in no time.
https://retrogamecorps.com/2022/01/16/retroid-pocket-2-starter-guide/
