Best Retro Handheld

Tempted to pick up a handheld for my trip to the US. 11 hour flight to kill. Up to the end of the 16 bit era will do me. Or I might just get a 3ds XL and a card.
 
KraniX said:
Been using my Odin 2 a lot while on holiday this week in Greece. Performance of this thing is pretty incredible. I loved both Wipeout Pure and Pulse on my PSP but being able to up res and have stable 60 FPS is awesome.

I would have liked a white version but went with the base model at the time which was only available in black.

I think I'll pick up the super dock as was considering putting together a new retro mini pc but it isn't that pricey for the dock and looks decent, can include some some official skittle coloured buttons too.
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How's the battery on the Odin 2? I've been tempted as it seems a little more portable than a Steam Deck and seems to be mightly powerful!
 
Flibster said:
Tempted to pick up a handheld for my trip to the US. 11 hour flight to kill. Up to the end of the 16 bit era will do me. Or I might just get a 3ds XL and a card.
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You could do that, especially if you already have a 3DSXL.

If not, then the RG35XXH or the regular 35XX or Miyoo Mini Plus is great for this purpose. USB-C charging means no need to separate charger.
 
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naefeart said:
At least I’d have something to play whilst in the dog house :D

I’d been wanting one for ages, but they were constantly out of stock and there was no chance of getting a LE one previously, despite repeated attempts.

Keen to try out the additional cores, plus being a handheld it might be more accessible. I haven’t had a handheld since my PSP 1000!
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They're still in stock as of 19th @ 9pm so either most people have already got an ABS version or these are priced a little too high.

I snagged a 2nd hand one on Ebay (plastic version) and have finished Mario Land 1 & 2 I'm the last couple of days and it's great. Can't believe I never played them as a kid! I had blades of steel and Gremlins 2 and that's about it! Oh and Tetris but I think everyone had that one!

I'd say get one if you can afford it and don't mind the extra weight of the alluminium.
 
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chrismscotland said:
How's the battery on the Odin 2? I've been tempted as it seems a little more portable than a Steam Deck and seems to be mightly powerful!
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It's excellent, being an Android tablet the power saving works unlike a lot of the Linux based handhelds.

I think the Steam Deck looks great, especially with an oled screen, but is pricey and very large like you say.

I do find the Odin a bit big but is class, I'd think about the Retroid Pocket 4 Pro as an alternative option if you want portability and good value for money.
 
Flibster said:
Tempted to pick up a handheld for my trip to the US. 11 hour flight to kill. Up to the end of the 16 bit era will do me. Or I might just get a 3ds XL and a card.
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I've had a few Anbernic devices and much prefer the Miyoo Mini Plus with Onion OS, these can be had pretty cheap and are great for Mega Drive, SNES and below.
 
KraniX said:
It's excellent, being an Android tablet the power saving works unlike a lot of the Linux based handhelds.

I think the Steam Deck looks great, especially with an oled screen, but is pricey and very large like you say.

I do find the Odin a bit big but is class, I'd think about the Retroid Pocket 4 Pro as an alternative option if you want portability and good value for money.
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Yeah I have considered the Retroid Pocket 4 Pro; seems like it would play the odd PS2 and Gamecube game that I would fancy trying.
 
GSXRMovistar said:
I've been playing my Retroid 4 Pro a fair amount recently, whilst not really into Ps2 games Gamecube and 3DS games look and play amazing on it.
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I think given the size its probably my preferred option given it seems nicely powerful; its likely I'd really be playing 16 bit stuff, N64, PS1 and DC more than PS2/GC anyway; also fancy dabbling with some 3DS and GBA stuff I've not had a chance to play (although I'm also very tempted to mod a GBA I picked up recently with a new screen, etc!)
 
Rp4P apparently has pretty much same spec as the RG556 (which I have) and upscales PSX beatifully to 5x. Some games really come to life with this (FF8 being current example - really impressed with the tech / detail of older games when upscaled).

Also look amazing on OLED.
 
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I'm quite tempted getting an Odin 2 and primarily using it docked to my TV. Does anyone do this and can comment on the experience? I hear playing with a wireless/bluetooth controller can be annoying as you have to set the controls every time you launch into certain apps?
 
chrismscotland said:
How's the battery on the Odin 2? I've been tempted as it seems a little more portable than a Steam Deck and seems to be mightly powerful!
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I've been buying and selling loads of handhelds and the Odin 2 that I currently have has a ridiculous battery compared to others.

On standby it can last literally weeks and if you're playing 3DS/GC, it can last for 6-8 hours easily.
 
Dsteviedee said:
Struggling to decided between the RG556 and Retroid Pocket 4 Pro.
I know the Retroid is more powerful, it's just the screen and comfort side I am fighting with, oh and fifty quid difference in price!
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I can't comment on the RP4P as only have the RG556 - but I'm very happy with it. It feels great to hold, and the screen is a thing of beauty. Reminds me of my 1000x Vita screen.

Admittedly I haven't pushed it with loads of PS2 / GC games, but the heavily upscaled PSX / NDS is great, and all android stuff is the same (inc steam link / moonlight). Played a few 3DS / Dreamcast / N64 too with no issues).
 
Turns out I've ended up going the opposite way to handheld. Oops.
Picked up a really cheap Tab S7+ locally and have been paying around with that and a spare xbox controller over bluetooth. Stuck a 256gb sd card in it too.

Been playing with Drastic, PPSSPP, Citra MMJ/Lime3ds, NetherSX2, Dolphin amongst others. Pretty impressive. So many versions of Mario Kart have been played. :D

Just need to get a small USB-C dongle with 3.5mm, USB-C charging and USB-A. Maybe an HDMI too.
 
Flibster said:
Turns out I've ended up going the opposite way to handheld. Oops.
Picked up a really cheap Tab S7+ locally and have been paying around with that and a spare xbox controller over bluetooth. Stuck a 256gb sd card in it too.

Been playing with Drastic, PPSSPP, Citra MMJ/Lime3ds, NetherSX2, Dolphin amongst others. Pretty impressive. So many versions of Mario Kart have been played. :D

Just need to get a small USB-C dongle with 3.5mm, USB-C charging and USB-A. Maybe an HDMI too.
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I have a Tab S7, great for PS2 emulation, love a bit of Burnout on it.

It's a great way to play but when I'm travelling I found it's handy to have an all in one device and not need to carry around a separate controller.

If you like the 16 bit era and want something pocketable I'd still recommend the Miyoo Mini Plus or similar as pretty cheap and is ace.
 
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