Retro
Handhelds
Your complete retro handheld gaming source
We’re glad you made it! Retro Handhelds is a news, reviews and guides website, youtube channel, discord and facebook community dedicated to the celebration of classic gaming on the go. Whether you’re replaying old favorites or digging for hidden gems, RH is here to offer camaraderie, support, and news on the latest portable gaming developments!
The Latest
AYANEO Promises To Do Better
AYANEO responds to criticism from creators and the retro handheld community, promising to do better and releasing some service improvement plans for 2026.
AYN Sending Bag to Thor and Odin 3 Backers
AYN has been sending mystery packages to members of the retro handheld community, which turns out to be an AYN branded sling bag for Thor and Odin 3 backers.
AYANEO Reveals Pocket DMG Aura Yellow
In an early morning sharing session, AYANEO revealed yet another special edition color for their Pocket DMG. This time, we’re getting Aura Yellow.
MagicX One 35 First Impressions
MagicX hits the scene again with the One 35. A sub $100 Android handheld with a good experience AND TATE mode? This could be the one for a lot of people.
CES 2026 Recap: 8BitDo, MSI, OneXPlayer, ASUS, Genki, and Everything Else We Could Find
It’s been a long week but CES is finally over. With a lot of announcements, here’s what stood out as some of the most interesting to the Retro Handhelds team.
Tinkerer’s Treasure: dArkOS Brings Debian Linux to RK3326/3356 Devices
dArkOS CFW has arrived for a large number of RJ3326/RK3356 handhelds, bringing Debian Linux into the handheld scene.
GameSir Debuts New Driving Peripherals at CES ’26
Accessories maker GameSir has debuted two exciting new control accessories at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas.
Ohsnap Announces Two Sleek Variants of the MCON Controller
Ohsnap announced MCON Slim and Lite at CES 2026: thinner MagSafe controllers for iPhone at $60+. Lite ships summer, Slim arrives this fall.
MiniLoong Pocket 1 Is Competing For Best Handheld Of 2023
MiniLoong Pocket 1 is a new RK3566 handheld with 1GB RAM, a 4″ 960×720 screen, single stick, and 4000mAh battery, all wrapped in a distinctive shell.
AceMagic M1 Review: CPU Power Isn’t Everything
AceMagic is back again with an update to their Matrix M1. With an upgraded CPU, and GPU, is this going to come out ahead? Or is it still behind in the long run.
The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess 4K Just Got Better!
Henriko Magnifico’s Twilight Princess 4k project has received its biggest update yet! Let’s check out the release notes and where you can download it yourself.
Lenovo Reveal SteamOS on the Legion Go 2
Lenovo announces a new version of the Legion Go 2 at CES, and it’ll be here in July, offering the same specs as the current iteration, just with SteamOS.
GameSir Pocket Taco: $35 Controller for Portrait Gaming on the Go
GameSir’s $34.99 Pocket Taco is a Game Boy-styled controller that clips to your phone’s bottom for portrait-mode retro gaming. Preorders live, ships March 15.
DSpi Turns A Raspberry Pi Into A DIY DS
The DSpi is a 3D-Printed, CM5-powered dual-screen handheld, with a breakout board that will eventually power a whole suite of homebrew handhelds.
Retro Handhelds Weekly: AYANEO, OneXSugar Wallet, PICO-8 on iOS, NHL ’94 Updates and Much More
Catch up on the week’s biggest retro handheld headlines: Another AYANEO debacle, foldable handhelds, and upcoming price hikes, plus fresh emulator and software updates.
AYN Thor Lite up for Preorder
Do you remember the AYN Thor Lite? Seems like AYN finally does. Despite being initially listed for pre-order with the rest of the AYN Thor models, the Thor Lite had been placed as out of stock for the last few months, but that seemingly changes now as we approach the...
Gorf Gets A Lovingly Robust Port For GBA
Gorf for GBA is a fan-made, arcade-perfect port with sampled speech, all stages intact, a 24-mission challenge mode, and a gallery celebrating the cult shooter.
AYANEO Announces a Change to Their Order Process With the Mini PC AM03 Release
AYANEO has shared launch details for their upcoming Mini PC AM03, and this time they’re directing consumers to order the product from their website.
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Retro Handhelds Youtube & Podcast
Stubbs & Zu review, mod, showcase & setup your favorite retro handhelds on camera! Also, every Monday night @ 6pm Pacific Time, Stubbs, Rob (The Retro Tech Dad), Ban & Andrew get together for a live podcast where they discuss the latest handheld and emulation news, games they’ve been playing, and interview guests from around the retro scene about their latest projects!