Best retro handheld emulator consoles: Anbernic, Ayn, Miyoo & more

Looking for the best retro handheld emulator consoles in 2024? We’ve assembled a handy list of some of the best. You just need to know what you are shopping for.

Retro gaming now covers a huge range of different consoles and games from the 80s right up until the early 2000s. Nostalgia can have a powerful effect on us all, and luckily there are a range of devices on the market that can help gamers relive the glory days. But, you’ll need to focus on exactly what you want from a retro handheld emulator console first.

People who are interested in early titles like those for the NES or GameBoy will have a broader range of options than people who want to emulate the Nintendo 64, or the notoriously tricky SEGA Saturn.

The next thing to consider is the budget. There are some inexpensive handheld emulators out there, but they’re going to lack features compared to the more expensive premium competitors.

We’ve listed a few of our choices for the best handheld retro emulation machine, along with the pros and cons to help you make the right choice.

1. Anbernic RG556

Anbernic, Pexels

The Anbernic RG556’s biggest advantage is its impressive specs. It features a Unisoc T820 CPU, 8GB of RAM, and a large battery. All of this means that it is capable of handling emulation of pretty much anything right up to the PlayStation 2 era.

The Anbernic RG556 can even take on the task of emulating tricky consoles like the Saturn, though not every game will run well. The stand-out feature of the Anbernic RG556 is the 5.4-inch AMOLED screen, which shows everything in crystal clear quality.

The downside of the Anbernic RG556 is that the user interface can be counterintuitive and can often require a lot of fiddling to get it right. Thanks to its other great features like its power, screen, and ergonomics it should be considered worth its $184.99 price tag.

2. Ayn Odin 2

It might not be the first device to come to mind when the words ‘retro gaming handheld’ are thought of, but this Android-based device is a very capable emulation machine.

Thanks to its modern Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor, the Ayn Odin 2 has some serious power inside its shell. It can handle anything that the Anbernic RG556 can, plus more besides. It isn’t quite as compact and ergonomic as the Anbernic RG556, or other devices on this list, but it is still quite comfortable to use, and its Android interface should be familiar to most people.

The major downside of the Ayn Odin 2 is the price. At $299 for the base model, it’s a bit difficult to justify if its main job will be acting as a retro emulator.

3. Analogue Pocket

Analogue built its reputation by delivering superb quality and extremely accurate hardware emulation. Many modern devices rely on software emulation devices to recreate the gaming experience, but Analogue products instead uses something named FPGA.

FPGA, or Field Programmable Gate Array allows the internal circuitry to behave more like the electronics found inside old retro hardware. This improves the quality of the emulation for a more authentic experience.

The Analogue Pocket was highly sought after when it first launched since it could not only emulate the Game Boy, Game Boy Color, and Game Boy Advance, but it could actually use the cartridges created for those systems.

At $219, the price might put some people off, but the build quality and the ability to use original cartridges are likely to attract more than a few users.

4. Evercade EXP

Evercade

The Evercade series of handhelds takes a slightly different route when it comes to emulating games. Instead of having a host of game ROMs built into the device, it instead uses cartridges. This throwback method allows users to collect physical media as well as trade and lend out games just like in the good old days.

There are now well over 300 games available for the Evercade, and each one is officially licensed. Users of the Evercade EXP will never need to worry about a lawsuit bricking their device, as a huge range of developers such as Atari, Capcom and Namco have all given their blessing to Evercade.

The Evercade EXP has been praised for its build quality, and it supports a horizontal and vertical mode, a rarity amongst handheld devices.

5. Miyoo Mini+

If you want something that is super portable and suitable to just slip into your pocket or bag whenever you are out and about, then the Miyoo Mini+ is a definite contender.

Despite the diminutive size, it sports some decent specs, with a 1.2Ghz CPU, 128MB of RAM, and a 3000mah battery.

It has an excellent screen which can deliver clear and crisp graphics for a surprisingly large range of games. It is particularly well-suited for titles from the Game Boy line, and there are certainly much worse ways to spend your time than playing some Golden Sun as you wait for a train. Remarkably, it can handle anything up to the PlayStation 1 era, making it an impressively versatile device, and at only $84.95 it is quite affordable.

There’s a reason it got high marks during our review.

Honorable mention: Retroid Pocket 2S

Retroid, Pexels

The Retroid Pocket 2S is a fairly blocky-looking device that conceals something quite capable. It can emulate anything up to the Dreamcast and GameCube with a fair amount of success and can handle a wide range of PSP games to boot.

Though costing a modest $99, it has some lovely premium features, such as the Hall Effect analog sticks and redesigned shoulder buttons. For an extra $20, it is even possible to upgrade the RAM to 4GB, which is a pretty good investment.

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