My Favorite Handhelds for Each Retro System

Let's break down my favorite handheld to use when emulating (or streaming) every major console release.

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Timestamps:
00:00 introduction
00:51 some ground rules
02:29 Game Boy and Game Boy Color
04:35 Game Boy Advance
06:50 Nintendo DS and 3DS
10:12 Sony PSP and PS Vita
14:04 NES and SNES
16:56 Sega Genesis, CD, 32X
18:10 Sega Saturn
19:20 PS1, N64, Dreamcast
22:34 GameCube, PS2, Xbox
26:34 Nintendo Wii U
27:55 PS3 and Xbox 360
29:50 Nintendo Switch
31:42 streaming (Xbox and PS5)
33:55 summary and conclusion

Theme song written by Jim Gray of Our Ghosts:

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This video is for entertainment and educational purposes only.

#emulation #retrohandheld #SteamDeck #odin2 #handheldpc

[RetroGameCorps]

Aw crap I forgot to add Nintendo Wii to my spreadsheet. It would have had Steam Deck as my #1 choice because there are a lot of things you can do with Steam Input and gyro to (almost) replicate the original experience.

[EdgarBot]

Retro Game Corps is my comfort content. ❤

[tayjn]

DSi XL is my personal favourite to play DS games. Large 4.2" screens, better ergonomics due to the larger size, better battery life, and guaranteed dual-IPS panels as all units were produced with them

[sandplasma]

I've been waiting for a video like this for a year. Some people don't want to play everything in one device. I personally been hunting for the best way to play GBA outside of a regular GBA and this really helped. Thanks!

[GameTechTalk]

That really has inspired me to take my DS's and 3DS's out of retirement, haven't played with them in quite a while.

[CrimsonDawn]

So very happy to see the G Cloud get a little love it’s such an awesome handheld.

[zanzabar]

I'm new to your whole scene but I gotta say, the effort you put into your videos is amazing. Detailed and nuanced with high production quality to boot. Thank you

[E.Cristian]

The intro is like a retro hug. Always so cozy... The older intro was sugar on steroids haha
Another hit from Russ! Thanks for the awesome content

[LoveatFirstHike]

Here’s a for real real question.. for Russ or really anyone. How often do you actually play games outside of making/watching videos about them. Like how often do we sit down and play either a full game or significant amount of time in one game? With SO many options at our fingertips, how do you decide what to play? Do you play multiple games at once? Genuinely curious because find myself watching content about games and researching devices/building devices rather than actually playing games. When I do, I spend maybe 10-20 minutes here and there on retro games.

[jwithington]

I have to admit: I got my Odin 2 Pro to play Dreamcast (especially) and GameCube with no fuss…but the thing I do the most is Game Pass! So much so that I got an Xbox for my birthday, and now use the Odin for remote play a lot as well. Great video! You always inspire me to play instead of just mucking about with emulators and setting up systems. ☺️

[AChunkyOtter]

Hi Russ, I cannot thank you for getting me into this hobby. I just got my Miyoo Mini plus and RG35XX H. Setup both with Onion OS and Batocera with your guides.

Playing Pokemon red on my miyoo mini plus with the colour scheme of Gameboy Pocket almost brought me to tears cos of the nostalgia and memories. I remember working at a local Food Centre washing dishes at 10 years old to save up to get the GB pocket and Pokémon red. That GB pocket and Pokémon cartridge got me through some really tough times growing up the years after. Love you Russ for showing me a way to reconnect to those memories ❤ Cheers!

P.s. I find the miyoo mini plus the perfect handheld to emulate Gameboy pocket😁

[YamiMilo]

Seeing this video pop as soon as I open YT and its been up for 9 seconds, must be a sign, have a good day Russ !

[JohnSmith-jgqd]

I've watched this 4 times now while researching different retro handhelds over the last few months.

[Man_of_Oil]

Honestly did not expect the RP2S to get a mention here but I'm so glad it did. I think that device is killer for Dreamcast and N64. I also really enjoy it for GB/GBC/GBA, once you get the right combination of video filters and shaders it looks spectacular and is roughly the same size as the original hardware.

[sendoh]

This might be my favorite video that you have made Russ. This was a great idea and topic to cover. I haven't seen much vids done about this so I thank you for covering this. I have quite a few handhelds myself: Steam Deck LCD model, Switch OLED, Powkiddy RGB 10 Max vers 1 & 2, Miyoo Mini & Miyoo Mini Plus, Anbernic RG353P, modded Vita 2000 model, new edition 3DS LL (XL), DS Lite, og non modded GBC & og non modded GBA. I found that the RG353P is my favorite to use to play anything from NES to Sega 32x/TurboGrafx CD and MAME (also GBA) because of the ergonomics and Super Nintendo style controls even tho I'm not a fan of the small 480p screen. GB & GBC, I actually like the Miyoo Mini Plus because playing on a vertical handheld just feels nostalgic (also having small hands like me makes the Plus ergonomics much more tolerable). Vita, PSP & PS1 (PSP eboot versions) games, I play on my modded Vita. 3DS & DS, I play them on my new edition 3DS LL/XL for obvious reasons. While I love the Steam Deck, I'm just not a fan of using that dpad for retro games. If the dpad was better (I heard the OLED model has an improved dpad so maybe if I get that in the distant future I'll change my opinion on that), I would play more retro games from 8 bit to 16/32 bit era on it. Dreamcast, N64, GameCube, PS2, & Wii U I love playing on the Steam Deck. Xbox emulation & PS3 emulation, I'm not going to spend so much money on a handheld just to play those systems, not worth it. Switch games, as much as we can emulate Switch on the Steam Deck, even though I hate the official Nintendo joy cons, I just use the Switch since I already physically own most of the Switch games I want to play. But for games like Breath of the Wild & Tears of the Kingdom, I use my Binbok RGB Slim joy cons. For Smash Bros, I use a Mayflash GameCube controller adapter that can be used with the Switch and I just use my og Gamecube controller.

[aaritron]

I just found your channel and I can’t stop watching. You helped me narrow down my first emulator pick up, Miyoo Mini +, and I’m sure there will be more to come. Even though I don’t plan on buying anymore for awhile, I just can’t stop watching your break downs. Strangely comforting. Well done on a fantastic channel!

[lucifuru]

Why did you forget the Wii ? I'm playing a lot of Wii games on my Odin 2 like Mario Galaxy 2, Fragile Dreams, The Last Story, Kirby Epic Yarn, and Wario Land The Shake Dimension, they all work very well.

[joles-gaming]

Thanks Russ, have been waiting for a well needed guide for each system. So this is spot on!

[WickedRibbon]

Thanks for making such a comprehensive video. If I go retro handheld shopping in the future, this is gonna be my reference point :)

[thefoxhouse]

Another great video! Thank you

Small note - I think Celeste was mislabeled in the Switch segment