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

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!

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.

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.

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!

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.

Thanks as always. One of the channels I got into miyoo mini plus. Would love to see your starters and setup guide for steam deck emulation 😊

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.

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.

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

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.😊

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 😅

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

very informative video, Im going for that RP 2s

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.

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!

thanks joey - personally im happy with my r36s i think its a fantastic introduction to handheld gaming for the price - but my next handheld will have to be the retroid 4 pro

I can’t say I disagree with anything here. Very solid advice Joey!

Great list dude! Odin 2 is king for me

very informative vid...ty!!

Great video!!! You just turned me into a retro player! You did It!

Dude. You just sold me the retroid pocket 4pro hahaha. Here I’ve been thinking on getting a modded GameCube which is almost half of what the retroid pocket 4pro costs which offers all I’m looking for. Great video!

I'm stuck between the RP 4 Pro and the Odin 2 for ps2 games. is it worth the extra to spend on the Odin 2?

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

I just paid ~$270aud for an RP2S metal. This was including all the discounts I could find on aliexpress. It ended up being ~$30aud more than the standard RP2S. Way more than I was originally intending on spending, but the jump between an RP2S and RP3+ is huge in australia.

Awesome vid as always :) ironically I have like 90% of what you listed. Only thing I don't have but do kinda want is the OLED steam deck

I've had my R36S for a few weeks now and am loving it. I do get your criticisms of it though. I bought it for $40 shipped, which is hard to beat, and for the games I play it does really well: mostly rpg's and some super mario/mario kart. It does play Super Mario 64 and Mario Kart 64 well. The analog sticks make the device a bit longer, which to me is more comfortable in my hands. Once I buy another new 3DS to replace one that finally croaked (kicking myself for not buying a spare), I'll be looking at a more powerful one in the future - but I think it's a great entry point.

Thanks for the information! Just a question, RP4pro its good enough to play cloud gaming? Gamepass and GeForce now, thanks

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.

Good luck finding a Miyoo Mini Plus at $50 at your locations. In mine, it's pretty hyped up and mostly even overpriced to around 70-90 usd equivalent, not even including shipping yet. Id say the RG35XX Plus and the RG35XX H are a very close sub. The retroid pocket 2S is definitely one of the best choices.

Modified Switch OLED takes my heart though in a higher price bracket for the emulation

Good video Joey 😊

Im so happy everyone was so into miyo mini that rg35xx plus wasnt sold out....the fact that rg35xx plus was way better in everyway with wifi and bluetooth , i could buy it without wasting money...in time i know people gonna switch to rg35xx plus...

Hi Joey! I'm new to your channel and am just getting into the retro handhelds. Is the Anbernic RG405m worth it?

I would buy the first one myself, but not a portrait gamer I like the landscape design always have since the GBA. AS FOR SOME, I agree the second device is definitely a perfect handheld I love it those front firing speakers should of been a thing on their next device. Now the third device, you need to own the others you mentioned being Ayn as I honestly loved my Odin 1 Pro I got the Lite model. I hated the third device, it's an OLED and is going back to where it came tomorrow the Ally is my go to. Then there we go the Android beast of course made the list! GO LEAFS!

nice video, thanks. Question: which one is the best for Neo Geo games? budget is under 150$ and display should be bigger than 3.5 inches.

Great video and I agree with your choices. I think the Steam Deck is great too, and I don't have the OLED model. I remember when the big choice was between the RG351P and Retroid Pocket 2. How far we've come in a few short years.

I own one Miyoo mini plus, and like you said it's amazing, everybody should have one 😂 For my next handheld i would like it to have an oled screen and of course good buttons and hall sensor analogues and triggers!!! But i must wait a little longer because i wanted to emulate until ps3/xbox 360 and we are not quite there yet.. Maybe next year who knows!! Until there i have a lot to go thru with the Miyoo 😂😂😂 Fantastic video great job 🙏

The logic behind the choice of the sub 50$ hardware to get is simply spot on, having tinkered with a lot of stuff for hobby and personal projects with little experience of software/hardware modding, I can't stress enough how important a solid and active community is, for long term longevity of the product (which these chinese manifactures don't even bother providing) is the real deal.

What Will you choose: Retroid pocket 4 Ayn Odin No pro version each side...thanks and have a good day 😊

Great video thanks Added sub👉🏾👍

I’ve got an LCD Steam Deck and was thinking of offloading it to get myself an RP 4 Pro (I mostly play GC, N64, and Saturn). I’ve got a decent PC so I could always stream my games but fear the RP4 screen may be too small. Is it worth it to keep both if I’m mostly looking for a small portable?

This convinced me. I'll be picking up a Retroid Pocket 4 Pro asap.

Amazing video!!!!!💯💯💯💯

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.

I prefer the r36s over the pricier mm+ and 35xx. The screen is much brighter and the sound is a lot louder and clearer. For $35+ vs $65+ I would still prefer r36s.

I have a Retroid Pocket 3 (with 3gb ram), a r35s with the latest ArkOS - Emulation Station and a Powkiddy q90 with the miyoo cfw. With some optimization and effort you can play PS2 and gamecube games on the RP3 ( psp and lower will run perfectly out of the box), with the R35S everithing up to PS1 will run flawlessly but due to the buttons quality it is better to use it only for tactics and turn based RPG games, last but no least the old but good Powkiddy q90 is good for everithing under SNES and GBA (not powerful but pocket friendly) size and price excellent for retro retro if you don´t care about screen size. BTW Miyoo cfw 2.0 for powkiddy q90 coming soon with a lot of new features (New TV-Out feature, New USB driver features, Safer File System, Built-in RetroArch and more)

i just ordered the m17 handheld as a starter console what is your opinion on it

I just can't with the 3.5" on the 2s. 4" is a perfect size for 4:3 content like N64 and DC.

I just got an ally and ps2 emulation like ssx3 is butter smooth and its amazing. What a game to play handheld. Also, i typed "an ally" without a space by mistake which spells, "anally" 😮😮😮

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

Great video! I think the RG556 at leats deserved an honorable mention on the under 200$ section if you preferf a bigger, oled screen and better ergo. Watching while waiting my RG35xx H

Yeah I'm new to this and will pay for the learning experience which will involve some selling as I move up the price ranges.....if I enjoy the experience Started with an rgb 30 and amazed at what's on offer in the game menu In a way there is too many to choose from and I may end up with one upmarket console like the steamdeck

Love all your picks I just wish all the X86 handhelds weren’t so massive. To me the size of the steam deck just makes it unusable and definitely not portable. I can’t wait for the day where things get small enough to where we can have something that powerful in an Odin two size.

My favorite/owned handhelds Miyoo mini V3 v4 (trans blue) Miyoo Mini Plus (trans purple RG35XX (Trans white) RP3+ (Trans blue) Ayn Odin pro (Trans White) Switch v2 Rog Ally 9coming soon) considering RGB 10 Max 3 (new one) R35S/R36S Legion Go

What about all the build quality with the RP4 and pro?

So if i buy odin 2, and i want to download these emulators. Do i have to pay to download or it’s free to download?

Sorry for being slightly off topic... but which device is most comparable to the PS Vita performance and feature wise? Thanks for another great video!

Does the RG35xx H change anything about this video? Been looking to get a horizontal as I currently have a Miyoo Mini plus and I want something that can do a little more without breaking the bank. Right now I’m eyeing the XXh or RP2s

The Retroid Pocket 3+ is only $125 right now and I’m strongly considering it. The 4 is only $25 more than that, but the 4/4pro seems like overkill since I’ll mainly be playing PS1 and below. I’d rather have something bigger like the Odin 2 for anything above that. As for the R36S I like mine much more after getting some custom buttons from SakuraRetroModding. It makes it feel way more premium. I just wish someone made a better dpad.

Good video. My list would be a little different, though. RGB30 > RP2S.

I don’t know anything about emulation thanks for making it easy lol

My daily gaming is primarily on the Legion Go, but for portability, i bring my Retroid Pocket Flip everywhere. Too bad it's not on the retroid page anymore, but maybe they'll make another clamshell based on the 4+.

Shinobi in beginning 🎯

I think i'll be waiting for the next Retroid Pocket since I can literally put it in my pocket unlike Odin 2. I hope it will be as powerful or very close to Odin 2 to play some Switch games. Because if not, then I'll just buy a Switch Lite.

Does the Retroid Pocket 2S play Mortal Kombat: Deception, GTA San Andreas, or Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater?

The ROG Ally is amazing and the update support is surprising good. I really wish to like the Steam Deck more, but SteamOS, the lower resolution and the weaker CPU/GPU make a difference. Xbox(360), PS3 and Switch emulation are noticeable better on Windows and the 780M make a difference too. If you want to play Starfield, you can play at a higher resolution and more details on the Ally. In many games like Star Ocean, Baldurs Gate e.g, the Steam Deck struggle with playable framerates or you have to deal with very low details / resolution that even the hud is pixelated. The ROG Ally has a nice screen, but of course not a 1000nit OLED screen and it lacks these pad controls to play RTS. Talking about smaller handhelds, I would go for the Retroid Pocket 4 Pro, because you won’t miss many games that the Odin 2 can play and you don’t need to upscale that much. For Switch games, get the Switch OLED. If you don’t have a Switch and want to play these games on a handheld with emulation, than you are some sort of Jack Sparrow :-)

Wait how are you playing world of warcraft on the handheld? Does this work on the RP4 Pro as well? I assume you stream it from your computer? You do mention Moonlight.

im waiting for a ps vita slim model size handheld that can do most ps2/gamecube games

I ordered it from your link and I haven't heard from them since 😢. it's been a week. has anyone else experienced this??

hello joey - a good topic would probably be what you think the future of handheld gaming is - because i dont expect to be tempted by anything after the retroid 4 unless they make one that can emulate ps3 and xbox 360

Good emulator that will play nds and GameCube ? 😊

Thank you for this. I think you could probably have added an extra tier, the "super cheap", under $30, like the V90, Q90, SF2000, Sup+, etc. I don't think these devices belong to the same tier as the Miyoo Mini Plus and the RG35XXs, The extra cheap ones should have their own category, something like "the best gift to give to your 6yo nephew".

9:22 my favourite game ever. id love to play that on handheld :D

Has the ROG Ally fixed their issue with burning up the sdcard or is that still a problem?

Hey bro, What about the Anbernc Rgxx H ??

9:08 is that Emulation Station DE? What is the theme/frontend? It looks great. Also at 10:22. A Steam OS theme?

Been debating between Odin 2 pro vs OLED Steam Deck. Given the price difference makes me kind of iffy as I already have a gaming PC and my only focus would be emulating older systems. If the Steam Deck cannot do PS3 games then I don't see the benefit of something bigger and worse battery. (even though OLED is soooo nice)

Man, I have an old Galaxy J7 with a Exynos 7870 chip - I believe it's around RK 3566 levels of performance. I can play Conker's Bad Fur Day with few, sparse hiccups. And I have an 8BitDo Pro 2 with the phone clip. So I keep telling myself I don't need a handheld for up to N64 - I don't need - I don't need. At most, a telescopic (bluetooth) controller for portability. But man the RP2s is calling me like the Batman sign. 😂😂😂. But at the same time I dig the bigger screen from the phone, and it's AMOLED too. A 4" screen on the 2s would seal the deal for me. (The real issue is that the dollar conversion is quite pricey in my country, things get expensive real quick :/ )

Unusable steamdeck unless an oled is the most first world gripe I’ve heard in a long time 😂

RG556 is better than the RP4 Pro overall, the AMOLED screen is significantly more noticeable than the minor processor difference.

What about the lenovo legion go 🥺🥺?

Joey, do you see it making sense to own Odin 2 and Steam Deck OLED? If so, why?

Does the retroid 4 pro come with games installed on it

RGB30 is the goat for everything retro around a 4:3 scale. It’s the perfect form factor and screen size. Everything else sub $100 is just too small of screen for all that 4:3 content.

which one is better between retroid pocket 4 pro vs Anbernic Rg 556 in overall performance ??

I dunno if I should get the rp2s or the anbernic 405m. I just want to play banjo kazooie and put it in my pocket.

rg35xx non plus with garlic is the actual 50$ choice

What is the second best handheld in the second tier bro!

The retroid pocket 2S costs around 140-160 dollars on average in my country, rather than it being just around 100 dollars :'))

Just get the Odin 2, Steam Deck OLED and Switch ( wait for the switch 2 )

Is the 2s 4gb ram worth it? Or is the 3 fine

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

I would almost GOAT my SteamDeck and it’s pretty damn Good but yeah I don’t have the 512GB or 1TB OLED model. 🙄 Guess I will get a better one in 2025 or ‘26! 😎 Why did you exclude EverCade EXP?!?

TrimUI smart pro or miyoo mini plus?

Have you fallen out of love with the RG405M, Joey?

Whats good for ps3 emulation

Making me feel bad for getting the LCD Steam deck 😭

Team Miyoo Mini and Steam Deck here let's gooo

I recentky got the Odin 2, awesome device. However, I found myself trying to emulate switch all the time, so I thought, why don’t I just get a switch? So I just ordered an unpatched switch from eBay for super cheap lol. If it’s good enough for game streaming, it might take the place of the Odin 2 all together.