Top 10 Emulation Handhelds
Because we just can't stop making lists of stuff!
Hey all, it’s ya boii Glen AKA Mama CoCo, AKA Glenjamin, AKA Corran450, back at it again with a new top ten list! There’s absolutely no way you’re getting sick of my inane lists yet, so today we’re counting down my Top Ten Retro Emulation Handhelds!
Also joining the fun are, of course LunarHades and Random Access Emory , so go check out their lists, too! I’m actually pretty sure their lists will be more interesting, as they are way more eclectic with their handhelds, as you’ll see from my list (four Anbernic XX devices? You lack imagination, Glenjamin…)
Anyway, a couple ground rules:
As usual, these are my opinions, they may not align with yours, and that’s okay. It doesn’t mean your opinion means any less.
I am only including handhelds I have owned at some point, and only handhelds I have actually used for emulation. So no Nintendo Switch, no Steam Deck, no Game Boy anything.
Just for the record, the device I have done the most emulation on by far is a Raspberry Pi 4b with RetroPie and EmulationStation. But that’s not a handheld, so it’s not on the list.
Also, I actually ranked the 14 handhelds I have emulated on, but the bottom four are not good enough to make the list for one reason or another. In case you are curious, they are (in no particular order) the PowKiddy V90, the Trimui Model S, the Mangmi Air X, and my iPhone 17 Pro Max.
On to the list!
#10 - Anbernic RG40XXH (Gifted to a friend)
The Anbernic XX line will be well represented on this list.
When I was first starting out with handheld emulation, I picked up a number of these things looking for the perfect form factor. Do I like horizontal handhelds? Vertical? Clamshell? Anbernic took the same guts from their breakout hit, the 35XX+, and stuck it in a bunch of different shells to cater to as wide an audience as possible.
They must have accidentally ordered 7 million AllWinner H700s and needed some way to use them up…
Anyway, they are (were?) pretty cheap, so I could buy one on a whim just to tinker with, and not spend a bunch of money doing it. It also meant I didn’t care if I bricked them or not (I never did, but I wouldn’t have cared if I had).
The 40XXH is probably the most imperfect of the bunch. It’s pretty big, which is nice, but also kinda thin, which isn’t as nice because it gets hot… this was my main complaint with it, but honestly, I only had it for about two months, because I actually purchased it specifically to give it to a friend. I wanted as seamless an experience as I could get, and something that was kinda durable, because he has a seven year old daughter who I thought might want to get down on it. In the six months since I gave it to him, I don’t think she’s even looked at it. Oh well.
My buddy likes it very much though, which is a good lesson for us connoisseurs… It may not be perfect to us, but it is perfect to somebody.
I don’t miss it, though.
#9 - New Nintendo 3DS XL
Hey, wait a minnit, buddy… you said “no Game Boys”!
Yeah that’s right… it’s not a Game Boy. It’s a 3DS XL. Die mad.
Alright, maybe that’s a little aggressive… But this console totally counts and I’ll tell you why. But first, an unhinged rant:
Nintendo pisses me the hell off with their anti-consumer bullshit. They lock their ecosystems down with arcane code magick and charge full-ass price for 10 year old games (I was gonna link Breath of the Wild here, but it turns out it's actually on sale, for once. Until 7/8, anyways, which is when this article goes live, so haha, suckers, I’m still right!) In 2023, they decided to sunset the Nintendo 3DS eShop, dealing a massive blow to the games preservation community, and essentially ending support for the handheld.
Now, a method for jailbreaking a 3DS had already been refined and perfected, allowing it to be used to play *ahem* legally acquired backups of games, as well as a ton of homebrew applications and emulation platforms. As one final “fuck you” to 3DS owners, Nintendo pushed out a mandatory update that closed the exploit, just days before the 3DS eShop closed forever. It’s as though they believe that you don’t actually own the 3DS you bought from them.
Anyway, you can’t hold the community down, and people are both determined and creative, and probably know Nintendo’s code better than Nintendo does. So the exploit is back. And I’ve emulated a ton of DS games, and even some Game Boy and SNES games on mine. It’s the one pictured above, the coveted golden “Hyrule” edition. Even open box, these things can go for upwards of $600, depending on condition. I’ll never sell mine, though. It’s precious to me.
As an emulation platform, it’s not exactly ideal. But I still believe you can’t beat original hardware when it comes to DS and 3DS.
#8 - Trimui Smart Pro S
An upgraded version of the original Smart Pro, with essentially the same hardware but upgraded innards, the Smart Pro S is essentially purpose built for one thing: PSP emulation. It has a 5-in 720p screen in 16:9 aspect ratio, and enough power to upscale PSP to 2x or sometimes even 3x native resolution, depending on the game. It’s pocketable, powerful enough, and the battery is decent. It’s also adorable in red, although those tiny toothpicks it calls analog sticks are silly and practically unusable. I would prefer sliders instead, as on the original PSP, but handheld companies seem reluctant to go that way for some reason.
The Smart Pro S released around the same time and at a similar price point to the Mangmi Air X, and for some reason (probably the 16:9 screens), the custom was to compare the two head to head, a contest which the Air X often won.
My friends Brend and Lunar were kind enough to gift an Air X to me recently, so I’ve been lazily comparing the two over the past month or so, but I’ve come to the conclusion that the world doesn’t need another full article about that, so I’ll just leave some thoughts here:
The Smart Pro S was a pretty clear winner to me almost immediately. The Air X is technically more powerful, but not more enough to make a difference to me. It feels cheap, the quality just isn’t there like it is on the Trimui. The controls are unremarkable, aside from the D-pad, which really sucks. It’s bigger than the Smart Pro S, which is fine for home use, but not for pocketability. And it runs Android, which at this performance level, isn’t necessary. I prefer Linux, even to GammaOS.
So the Smart Pro S is on my list today, and the Air X is not. But either one is pretty much only suited to PSP and maybe GBA. I have other devices that do everything else better.
#7 - Anbernic RG40XXV (Gifted to a friend)
Okay, I actually really liked this one. In fact, from here on out, I’d say these are proper, full-on recommendations (sometimes with an asterisk…)
This is a comfortable doodad. It was spacious, with a pretty good, bright 4-in IPS screen, decent controls, and room on the back for my man-bear hands. The plastic felt good, and it had… a joystick, for some reason. I also really liked the color, even if it felt more “blueberry” than “indigo” to me.
AllWinner H700 again, which meant it had decent performance up to and including PS1, and a smattering of N64, Dreamcast, and PSP too, although I would never play PSP on a 4:3 screen. Sound was good, form factor very retro. No real complaints, except maybe a bit big in a pocket. I did use it for a whole Disneyland trip as a pocket player, though, so not too bad.
So what happened? Well, I got another doodad in a similar form factor that just did everything a bit (or sometimes more than a bit) better, and the 40XXV languished in a drawer unused. Every so often I would take it out and caress it, lamenting that I didn’t feel the need to play it more often. It deserved better.
So I sent it to my friend akorithi_sidepiece, and he uses it daily. A better home I couldn’t have asked for. Godspeed, purple friend.
#6 - Anbernic RG35XX SP
Anbernic really cooked with this one. They weren’t the first to come out with a GBA SP clone, but they were the first to do it well.
It’s not perfect. It’s a little bigger than a real SP, and the buttons are almost nightmarishly clicky and stiff. You can eventually break them in a bit, but they’re always gonna be kind of uncomfortable after a while.
At least you will already be deaf by then, so the clicks won’t bother you anymore.
But this set off a wave of imitators, and all of them had a smattering of imperfections. The 35XXSP just had the fewest, in my opinion. Still have mine. It’s my “5 Games” handheld. I put just five games from each system in order to focus myself on a more curated library. It’s great for a flight or a trip somewhere. Or shoving in a pocket to take to the DMV or doctor’s office. AllWinner stays winning, I guess. And the screen is… fine.
Boy, these ones down here are a little less wordy, eh? I’m sure I’ll have plenty to say about…
#5 - AYN Odin 2 (gifted to a friend)
This should’ve been my endgame handheld. At least, endgame for a couple years. But it wasn’t meant to be.
To be fair, it was the entry level base model, so not a ton of RAM or internal storage. But that fancy Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 should’ve been all the emulation brawn I’d need for a good long while. And it did perform well. And it was pretty. And comfortable… those ergonomic grips on the back were so lovely, as was the texture of the plastics all around. The screen was fine, 1080p, 60hz, and 6-in 16:9. I played a handful of PS2 and GC games on it, upscaled, and they looked magnificent.
But I never felt… connected to it. It never wowed me enough to fall in love with it. That’s a silly, irrational thing to say, but it’s the only explanation I have for why this $300 device spent so much time languishing in its case and not being played. Every time I thought about getting it out, some other thing would pop into my brain and I’d do that instead. Maybe my inexperience with Android was the culprit? That doesn’t explain other entries on this list. Maybe it’s just that everything felt kinda more of a hassle than I cared to deal with. And when my Steam Deck arrived in October of last year, well… that was kinda all she wrote for the Odin 2.
Again, like the 40XXV, it deserved better, so I packed it up and sent it off to fabulous human Brend, so he could give it some love. As far as I know, mission accomplished. Though I also know the Thor bug has bitten my friend Brend. Perhaps the Odin 2’s days are yet again numbered… I guess we’ll see.
#4 - Trimui Brick Hammer
This is, I think, a case of wanting to love it more than I actually do. But then again, it’s up here at #4, so it must be doing something right.
It’s just a lovely thing to behold and hold and touch. The cast aluminum shell is doing a lot of heavy lifting here. (It’s also pretty heavy just in general, haha.) It feels sleek and premium, and sturdy. Rugged isn’t exactly the right word, but it’s brawny and durable, and I feel like if I threw it at a brick wall, it would damage the wall. And still work afterwards. It feels like an Apple product, and I mean that in the best possible way.
It’s just… way too small. I talked about this in my review. It’s too small to play with my clumsy fists of ham for more than 15-20 minutes. The controls are fine, they’re just too close together. And this is one of the best IPS screens I’ve ever seen, the pixel density is off the charts for a 3.2-in display. Maybe it’s a little small for my ancient eyes, but I can get by.
I had high hopes for the Brick Hammer Pro U, but Trimui is smoking crack if they think it’s worth $200. Alas, that prices me out for a 4-in 4:3 display with vestigial thumbsticks I don’t want.
That said, I have found new life and purpose for the Brick Hammer by curating a list of turn-based games I can play with one hand. My fingers are long enough to comfortably reach pretty much all the controls. So this is fine, and the small stature of the doodad works in its favor as a pocket player on vacation.
There are still some software kinks to work out… I don’t think there’s a “perfect” firmware for it just yet. But good enough? Aye.
#3 - Anbernic RG35XXH
Along with the Odin 2, this was my first retro handheld emulation device. It’s… almost perfect.
That might be overstating things a bit, but I did fall in love with this thing almost immediately. It’s still the same damned AllWinner H700, but it never felt more at home in anything I’ve used than right here. It’s the perfect combination of size, shape, performance, and durability you want in a daily driver. Unless you need PS2 or Gamecube for some reason. (I’d rather play those systems at home, tbh.)
Plus, just look at it… It’s adorable. In Atomic Purple (ish), with those colorful face buttons and the overengineered cross-style D-pad? Even the little analog sticks, useless though they may be, kinda resemble little dimples on its wide friendly face.
I audibly squealed the first time I beheld that little guy. ANd then I played A Link to the Past on it, and it performed perfectly and looked great. About the only thing I’ve played on it that wasn’t pitch perfect was Super Mario Bros 3, because the D-pad is just a skosh too stiff to comfortably do the “slide under a passage where Super Mario doesn’t technically fit” move.
It has plenty of custom firmware options. I went with MuOS to start, then outgrew that (plus the developer of MuOS is kind of a turd), so I’m a Knulli guy now. And it works great.
To top everything off, when I bought my 35XXH, it was less than $50.
I still recommend this to anyone just starting out. The build quality and ease of use is pretty much unmatched in that price point. I rarely actually use my 35XXH anymore, but it’s one that I can’t bear to give away.
#2 - Retroid Pocket Classic
Soooo… This is the doodad that consigned my 40XXV to the drawer.
I have a full review on this one, if you want a more in-depth look. (It was, in fact, my first ever ‘Stack, haha.) But in brief, this is the best screen I have ever seen on an emulation device to date. It’s AMOLED, 4in with very high pixel density, with a weird 31:27 aspect ratio, almost square, but not quite. This makes it pretty awesome for almost any retro system that isn’t 16:9 (PSP). Even GBA (3:2) looks great on here, because the black bezels mean the letterboxing on the screen disappears into the bezel. It’s bright and beautiful, with amazing contrast, and I ruin everything I put on it by saturating the colors as much as possible.
The device itself is packing some serious heat, a Snapdragon chip (not the top of the line, but good enough), meaning it has enough juice to upscale PS1 and N64 and even run some decent shaders. (This is the first device I really started experimenting with shaders.) It can run some limited GC and PS2, but why would I ever do that? It doesn’t have analog sticks. That’s fine, btw. I’m comfortable using this for what it was intended: being a very classy, overkill device for the Game Boy family and NES and SNES.
It’s also just a really good looking and well-built device. I bought it on Amazon and paid a little extra (probably overpaid, tbh) so I could have the PKMN version with the bright yellow and blue shell and colorful buttons. I do not regret my purchase. When it arrived in March (a birthday present to myself), it quickly rose to the tippy top of my handhelds list, and only very recently was a doodad able to unset it from the throne…
#1 - Anbernic RG 477M
My newest device (save for the Mangmi Air X, which I don’t really like). I recently wrote a pretty wild review of this machine in which I laid all the ways it is a terrible recommendation, and yet I absolutely adore it. It is a completely irrational infatuation, given that it has a Dimensity 8300 CPU with a Mali GPU, which isn't as good as the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 in the Odin 2, not by a long shot. The Mali GPU in particular is a drag, because it doesn’t have the custom driver support that the Adreno GPU on the Odin 2 has, meaning it’s not really that good for PC emulation or anything above PS2 and GC. Even those games may struggle a bit compared to the Odin 2.
It’s heavier than the Titanic, and costs $299 for the model I have. That’s absolutely ridiculous, I could never in good conscience tell someone else to buy this for that amount, when you could have a Retroid Pocket 6 for $40 less.
But I love it anyways. The screen, though LCD and 4:3, is a wondrous thing, 4.7-in and 960p. It runs at 120hz, making it super sharp with no noticeable input lag. It sounds great (save for the fan whine, which is insidious), and the controls are the best face buttons and D-pad I’ve ever used. With GammaOS installed, it is a joy to use and it plays everything I ask of it with amazing shader support. I’m playing Shadow Hearts right now, which is one of my favorite games, and I’m having a blast.
I cannot justify this machine to anyone. But it is my current favorite doodad and I can’t put it down. Except when my arms get tired or the battery runs low, haha.
Well, there you have it. My top ten favorite retro handhelds (so far). I hope I didn’t ramble on too much, and you can forgive me for my limited experience, haha. Don’t forget to check out Lunar’s and Emory’s lists, I expect they will be much more exciting than this. But thanks for stopping by anyways!