Retroid Pocket 2S now live. What's your preferred handheld for retro gaming?

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.

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.

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!
- Yeah, I don't have a spare $300-500 on me.
  
  LPT: buy the base model. You can get a matte screen protector and a 1TB ssd for like $150. It's stupid easy to replace the ssd.

My steam deck is kinda perfect for retro gaming. But this handheld looks neat too, so I might check it out.

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.
- Same, I've been dabbling in these handhelds for about a year or so now and I always tend to go right back to the Vita, it's such a solid device.
  
  Same here! It has wonderful buttons, a gorgeous screen, long battery life, comfy form factor (compared to other handhelds, at least), plus is powerful enough to handle anything I'd want to use it for. If/when I pick up a Steam Deck I suspect I'll use that more, but for pocket-sized handhelds the vita can't be beat imo.
- I also had a GP2x. Would be nice to play with it still but unfortunately it doesn't turn on anymore. No idea what's wrong with it. Though it also had a rubbish joystick so would need to fix that too in order to make it playable.
  
  Mine has a similar problem, it would turn on under AC power but not battery. Maybe capacitors? I'm not sure I still have it anymore.
  The joystick was terrible I agree. I loved the mods people did adding the Neo Geo Pocket joystick or a d-pad but they looked too difficult for me.
- GP2X? That's a name I haven't heard in a long time.
- Wiat, I have a vita, how do I get retro games on it? Specifically snes games.
  
  https://vita.hacks.guide/ has all the info you need to hack your vita. From there just install retroarch, put your roms on, and you're good to go.

I use the Retroid Pocket 3, but I really just want something in the same form factor that can reliably emulate GameCube.
- That’s what I’m holding out for too. Once they can reliably emulate 99% of the GC catalog I’m in. I’m saving up so I may be at the steam deck price before that happens. Lol.

To be honest I am extremely happy with my N3DS and Steam Deck. The second can let me change between a 40 years old game in a game released last month in a few seconds.

If anyone is interested, I have a magazine on kbin dedicated to retroid devices.

Shame it’s android only
- Not really. Android has been doing great in terms of emulation.
- Why? You can install Dajisho and it’s great.
  
  I just prefer an open source Linux/community supported OS so my handheld won’t be left to die like my old Nvidia Shield Portable.
  I’m not dissing Retroid devices but the Android only thing puts me off buying one

Hacked Wii U gang checking in!
- There are dozens of us! Ripped all my GC discs on my Wii and installed them on my Wii U. Such an incredible homebrew scene.

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.

My preferred handheld is the only one I've got: RG35XX, the only thing, I play a lot of, that it struggles with is Future Cop LAPD.
I'll eventually upgrade when a relatively flawless PS2 device hits my relatively low budget, or I get a Steam Deck. Until then I have other money sinks.
- I have a RG35XX and a RG353M. I feel guilty about it, but I typically prefer playing on the XX and have to force myself to use the M sometimes. The XX is a great device even if it lacks some power.

The Miyoo Mini+ is perfect for me. Runs everything I want to play extremely well, and has Wifi for Retro Achievements!

NDS :)
- Imagine an adaptor that connects a second small screen via HDMI. I wonder if the device is capable is sending two different signals to the screen and HDMI port… that would be an instant buy.
  Meanwhile I do DS on my iPhone with Delta and an active capacitive stylus.

My RP2+ is...dying. 😭 Paint is dinged and chipped, sticks drift, and the R1 button just...stopped working. I'm not dying to upgrade to a 3+, so this is right up my alley. Better analog stick placement, and hull sensor analog sticks fix my two main complaints I had with the 2+.

I'm happy with my RP3+. Surprisingly, I mostly use it to stream PC & PS5 games.
But the retro games are all there when I decide to quit playing Yakuza Kiwami...
- I like being able to do both those things too. Stream when possible. Local otherwise

Currently using my hand-me-down vita from my bro, jailbroken and set up with the slew of homebrews and plugins. I ordered two Anbernic devices two weeks ago but honestly vita is just an emulation heaven, the hardware and button layout is perfect for playing Kirby games. One downside is that my left analog started having drifting issues. Plugins like retroVita works to some extent, other than disabling the stick completely.
I'm open to any advice for fixing it aside from replacing it completely (Im living remotely so I don't have access to a good fixer and I don't really trust myself to do on my own)
- You can get replacement joysticks on AliExpress. Apparently it's not a difficult swap. Look up guides on iFixIt or YouTube. Make sure you get the correct stick for your device, 1000 or 2000.

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.

@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.
- For pocketability, my Miyoo Mini and RP Flip are my favourites

love my RG353M, can't really see how the form factor for a pocketable horizontal device could be improved beyond it, besides a more powerful chip of course.
- Maybe the RG405M? I'm super keen on that one

Rg35xx
- Same here, I find I use my RG35xx more than my RG353M. It's just so easy to use with garlicOS.

Personally I prefer using my smartphone that has all the power (and memory) needed for emulation in combination with a controller like the Gamesir X2 Pro

I tend to play on my AYN Odin Pro, but I also like my RG351V for certain games and my ROG Ally has VRR, which is neat for getting the weird refresh rates to match old consoles.
- Odin is so amazing. It's still a great purchase now. I have the Lite

The green one is such a beauty, especially if one were to install the black buttons. Can't justify buying one though since I already have a 2+ which is still running fine
- There seems to be a green and purple transparent plastic trend going on at the moment and I'm totally into it

Just recently picked up an RG353V. Works great though I have come to realize that the GameBoy form factor doesn't do well for dual analog sticks and trigger buttons. Playing Doom on it runs amazing but the way you hold it feels off. Same process as the landscape devices, pressed between your palms, but it feels less stable.
Other than that I've been basically playing it every night.
- I printed this grip for mine and it feels so much better. I also replaced the triggers with the ones from Better Buttons.
  https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:5663850
  
  Great now i need to buy a 3D printer

I love the button placement and the Hall effect sticks. But the T610+Mali G52 being under clocked probably resulting in it being 30% slower is disappointing. The price is fantastic, however.

The Retroid Pocket 2+ is my favorite, and it looks like this one addresses literally every complaint I have about it.... That is tempting.

I love my RG35XX. I'll stick with this until we have handhelds that can play the full (or at least most) PS2/Gamecube libraries.
- Yeah, the Steam Deck is probably the best option for those atm

I really want one of these, or something similar in the near future. A Steam Deck would be nice, but that's much more expensive and hard to get here. Honestly I just want my PC's emulation power, but in a form I can lay down in bed and play while chilling. I usually go with my Switch Lite for that, but having access to hundreds of retro emulated games would be even better!
- If you have the right device with wifi, you can stream from your PC. I do that a lot. It's a great solution for gaming generally but no reason it wouldn't be excellent for emulation too

Cool

My PSP 1000 kicks ass :)

My Android phone and the pizza boy application.

I use my DSi to play emulated games. It works for what I want to play so far.

I suppose its a tie between the Nintendo Switch and the Analogue Pocket. 3dsxl gets an honorable mention for its unbelievable service record.

- This is a new release. I haven't kept up on details but it looks like a cheaper re-shell of the 2+ with the analogs moved to the bottom.
  
  They said in the launch email:
  The Unisoc T610 delivers a much more powerful performance than RP2+
  Whether that's true or not, well have to wait and see.

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.
- 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/
  
  Yeah that was the plan, but wanted to rewatch all his videos on the 3+ first but just haven't had the time to do it.
- 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.

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 handhelds of choice are the Analogue Pocket, the AYN Odin, and the Steam Deck. All three of them are awesome in their own way, and honestly I'm happy there are so many cool options nowadays for portable gaming.

I've got a homebrewed 2DS XL and a RPFlip, just love the clamshell form factor!