Best Retro Handhelds 2024 For Every Price Point!

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Timestamps
00:00 - What is this video?
00:40 - $50 US & Under
03:46 - $100 US & Under
06:35 - $200 US & Under
08:27 - $200 US & Over
11:10 - Recap

[jersheybone]

Just got my retroid pocket 4 pro working with all my libraries installed and no joke I almost busted a cashew. It’s perfect

[samnite]

Miyoo Mini Plus running OnionOS with a gripcase for price/portability is my favorite.
The SteamDeck OLED is my favorite for more demanding games and emulation when I am at home or near an outlet.
I don't find the value of the mid-tier devices to be worth it but I understand budget constraints are different for everyone.

[angrygnome]

Onion OS for Miyoo Mini Plus makes it a must have handheld. It's so good that it prevents me from enjoying other more powerful handhelds with worse operating systems.

[mattb]

Thank you for this video! There are so many many retro handhelds and I appreciate you consolidating them in these different price categories! It can get a bit overwhelming with so many of them on the market right now!

[williamegan]

Thanks Joey - agree with all your choices! Still saving up for a SteamDeck OLED myself, but I have and love the Odin 2, Retroid Pocket 4 Pro, and Retroid 2S. The Odin 2 for me is the best all-rounder, and just a great return on your investment on so many levels.

[Aperturex]

I know these videos are very time consuming to make. I really appreciate you putting this list together!

[skateandfingerboard]

I recently picked up an R36S as my first emulator/handheld, the price is what sold me (paid $26 usd shipped). I’m very happy with it. Checked out your video to see the other options available further up the range if I decide to invest in something more capable. Good info.

[-roetaka]

I was thinking about doing a video like this and I think you did a better job than I could! Very informative and helpful for people wanting to make the right choice jumping into handhelds now.

[ADHDreams]

I have a RG351P and I recently upgraded to the RP2S And the little bit of PS2 and GameCube it can run make this device endgame for me. Fun tip, if there’s a PS2 game that you can’t run, try to see if there is a Gamecube port of that game, specifically the PAL rom. GL!

[DeshanNaidoo]

Excellent video, Joey. I couldn't agree more. The Steam Deck is a fantastic device, but not for everyone, I owned one for 1 month and decided to sell it, although it was the LCD model. It wasn't the screen so much. I just felt myself tweaking settings more than actually playing. For those who just want to pick up and play emulation, Odin 2 is king!

[ranchman]

Got my Retroid 4 pro back in March for my birthday and I think I've used it everyday. It connects nicely to my USBC dock in the living room.

[KingKalosth]

Great guide brother it surely will help a lot of people to choose their first emulation device. What I think is that combination of 2 devices is what most people are going for nowadays. I only own LCD SD but am very happy with it. Switch emulation 4-5h is perfect for me as a full time working dad (gets me a week with 1 charge😅). The problem with it is that sometimes I just want something small for a very short gaming session that I can bring everywhere. MM+ or RP2S for those lightweight emulation titles are probably the best partners for my case scenario. Also the price points for LCD SD plus any of those two will be close to owning 1 higher end device .. just food for thought for people just stepping into this zone.😊

[jakesmith]

This is exactly what I've got. My RP4 pro is on its way.

[ColinRowlands]

Good solid list, even if somebody disagrees with any of them, they can readily see the reasoning for those choices. Think it would have been nice to give a mention to some of the niche devices that weren't quite enough of an allrounder to win their price tier, things like the RG Arc, RGB30 etc would only be runners up but still more interesting options than lesser allrounders like the R35/R36.

[tecqnize]

ordered the R36S and just got it a day or 2 ago and gawd damn its pretty good for only 40bucks, also this is my first emulation handheld and i was a bit worried with ppl saying that the dpad sucks but for me its perfectly fine i feel like ppl are over reacting or got some shitty model lol. besides that its pretty great having the analogue sticks for DS games and such and that it can play some PSP games like Patapon/Locoroco/Little big planet (which the last one surprised me cause i didnt think it would run perfectly stable, 30fps). i do wish that the A, B, X, Y buttons were a little bit bigger though. but the choice is yours at the end of the day. personally im happy with my purchase, i dont think anything can beat it at its price point.

[pipedream]

I bought a RG35XX standard for £12. Installed Garlic and having a blast. Now I want more!!

[goyban]

I have these:
Original Miyoo Mini,
Retroid Pocket 4 pro,
Odin2,
SteamDeck LCD.
I sold these:
RP3+, RG35XX, RG353V.
So yeah I'm mostly agree with you 😅

[vexorian]

The Miyoo Mini/+ dpad really needs more credit. At that price or even for far more, you are not getting a better dpad, period.

[sahabatgamerID]

There's another class to consider. Switch CFW, it able to play Dreamcast, N64, and PSP when using Android. no GC, and PS2 but it can play Switch games.

[cycloid]

Me watching this video to validate dropping over $200 on a Retroid Pocket 4 Pro