Features
Check out our thoughts on the latest retro handhelds, and retrospectives on ones we still can’t put down.
The Latest
Ayn Odin 2: One Year Later
In a hobby where the hottest newly hyped device is always around the corner, sometimes it's easy to get caught up with what's coming next. Incremental improvements and hardware changes are all well and good, but I think we could use a reminder that these devices...
Retro Handhelds Weekly: Anbernic RG34XX, RPCS3, MSI Claw 8 AI+, and So Much More!
Welcome to the latest edition of Retro Handhelds Weekly. This week saw a bunch of news in both the world of hardware and software, our writing team continues to be on an absolute tear, and there’s even a surprise or two sprinkled in! So sit back, grab a cup of coffee,...
Help Us Pick the Best Handheld of the Year!
As the days get shorter and the nights grow colder, it's clear that the end of the year is nigh. 2024 has been an absolute roller coaster, not just in the emulation space, but with retro handhelds on the whole. With so many different options to choose from, it would...
Analogue Pocket Worth It? 2024 Re-Review
Hey, remember when I talked a ton of smack about the Analogue Pocket and made some people mad in Ban's article here? To summarize my thoughts, I had a Pocket from the first batch released and after a year was annoyed with it. The things that bugged me were the lack of...
Ayaneo Pocket Micro Review: The Best 3:2 Handheld?
One of my first handhelds was a Game Boy Advance SP. A small clamshell that played some of my favorite games from the time, as well as some of my least. I’m looking at you Kong. But with that in mind, I’ve always been on the hunt for a handheld that plays GBA in my...
How to Set Up PS Remote Play on the Retroid Pocket 5
"It's shockingly convoluted" - Gandhi, GC-colored RP5 owner, and avid PlayStation user Setting up PlayStation 5 (or 4) remote play is easy and can be done before you're done reading this paragraph. Step 1: Download PS Remote Play from the Play Store. Step 2: Open it...
Exclusive! First Look at the MSI Claw 8 AI+
Greetings friends and fellow enthusiasts. This is Mikhailov from Team Retrogue where we like retro games and the devices that bring them to us. This week, I, along with Stubbs, Rob, Russ, and several other YouTube personalities, got our first hands-on with the MSI...
From Retro to Modern: An Interview with Riley Testut, Creator of Delta
Delta is one of the most developed and thoughtfully curated emulators available on mobile platforms. Delta is only currently available on Apple devices, unlike the various emulators found on Android-based handhelds like the RG406H or Retroid Pocket 5. We got a chance...
TrimUI Brick Setup Guide
Scored yourself a new Brick, have ya? Congrats! The TrimUI Brick has proven a hit with reviewers across the board, and now that early adopters are getting their hands on units as well, it's about time for some setup tips and tricks. If you've set up a previous TrimUI...
The Games That Skipped America
On the whole, when it came to console gaming, Americans tended to have it better than Brits. Japanese games and hardware are released earlier, and usually at a better price. Occasionally, in the worst cases some games never made it to our shores – some of them "best...
Beitong Zeus 2 Elite Review: Worth the ‘Elite’ Tax?
When I think of pro controllers, my mind almost immediately goes to things like the Xbox Elite Series 2, the SCUF controller lineup, or more recently the DualSense Edge. And if you pull back a little on the features, you can drop to something like the Xbox Elite Core...
Game Console R36MAX Hands-On: No Goal!
The new Game Console R36MAX is a fairly unremarkable device. It's another clone - this time with a tall 1:1 form factor and a curvaceous rear end. In an apparent attempt to stand out from the crowd, its designers have given the latest RK3326 on the block some boldly...
Retro Handhelds Weekly: MSI, Lenovo, 8Bitdo Xbox, and Much More
Welcome to the latest edition of Retro Handhelds Weekly. This week saw a bunch of news in both the world of hardware and software, our writing team continues to be on an absolute tear, and there’s even a surprise or two sprinkled in! So sit back, grab a cup of coffee,...
Steam Deck OLED: Worth It a Year Later?
Valve released the first LCD Steam Deck at the beginning of 2022. Since then, they have been on the top of the game in the retro handheld space. The phrase "just get a Steam Deck" has become a cliche and joke at this point when any other handheld comes out exceeding...
Dills of the Week: Cyber Monday Edition
With the days getting shorter and colder, it can only mean one thing — the 2024 holiday shopping season is underway. Coming as a bit of a surprise, many retailers kicked off their Black Friday deals early. With Black Friday in the rearview mirror, we set our sights on...
GotX: Wish List December Games Arrive!
Christmas time is here! It is now appropriate to start getting out the decorations and watching your favorite holiday movies. Here at GotM, we have plenty of great games to keep you entertained this holiday season! Wish List was the theme voted for by our Champions...
TrimUI Brick Review: A Rock Solid Upgrade
If there were ever handhelds that could be considered the gateway drug to the handheld emulation hobby, it would likely be either the Miyoo Mini+ or the Anbernic RG35XX. These small form-factor Game Boy clones have remained popular since their releases in the early...
Dills of the Week: Black Friday Edition
With the days getting shorter and colder, it can only mean one thing — the 2024 holiday shopping season is underway. Coming as a bit of a surprise, many retailers have kicked off their Black Friday deals early, as we're still a week away from the actual Black Friday....
RH Thanksgiving: What to Be Thankful For
In the USA, we are preparing for Thanksgiving. To those in other parts of the globe, it is time for us to gorge ourselves on dense foods and watch football. For me, it is a great time to be with family and reflect on what to be thankful for. For such a niche interest,...
Our Favorite Deals From the Steam Autumn Sale!
"Something something gobble gobble up them deals.” by Joe Without checking the last Steam sale article I made (Summer), I’m pretty sure I opened with “Full Steam ahead!” or something stupid and corny (corn-ucopia-y?) like that, so instead I will write a 2016-esque...
GKD Bubble: The Good, The Bad, the Basic
In the past, when you think of handhelds modeled after something else you think of Anbernic. The RG353P is modeled after an SNES controller, and the RG-Arc is modeled after a Sega 6-button controller. But what about a handheld modeled after a handheld? No. Not the...
Retro Handhelds Interviews: Arthur Zhang, CEO of AYANEO
It's not every day that you get the chance to ask the CEO of a company like AYANEO a few questions. That's exactly what Stubbs was able to do, as he fielded questions from the Retro Handhelds team before sending them over to AYANEO CEO, Arthur Zhang. At the time of...
XGB36 First Impressions: Throw Another Clone on the Fire
As someone who was around when most of these games we're emulating were originally released, I find myself drawn more to the devices that are doing more-with-less than I am to the next technological behemoth. When I first tried the Game Console R36S, I was blown away...
Retroid Pocket 5 Review: Is This the Perfect Handheld?
Before we get too into the weeds with the Retroid Pocket 5 review, there's something that you should probably know about me. I have a tendency to be a bit of a "snob" when it comes to the devices I purchase, always looking to get the best. This applies to everything...
Retro Handhelds Weekly: Miyoo Flip, MSI Claw 8 AI+, Antec Core, and Much More!
Welcome to the latest edition of Retro Handhelds Weekly. This week saw a bunch of news in both the world of hardware and software, our writing team continues to be on an absolute tear, and there’s even a surprise or two sprinkled in! So sit back, grab a cup of coffee,...
5 Games Where You Can Take Down Turkeys
In the USA, we are nearing the holiday of Thanksgiving. While we have a lot to be thankful for, I am usually thankful for that delicious turkey at the center of the feast. I live near a ton of farms, and our local farmers are cursing turkeys as they have been...
TrimUI Brick First Impressions: SOLID
TrimUI is one of those companies that haven’t released a mountain of products. With that, they’re similar in vein to companies like Retroid and AYN. However, where they focus on Android at higher prices, the TrimUI brand lands on the lower end of the market. Following...
Joe’s Anbernic RGXX Series Tier List
Rated PG for “Poor-ish Gamers" by Joe Ladies and laddies, it's been an exhausting year. Stubbs needs to sleep and Anbernic just keeps the coffee brewing with every H700 device in the XX line. What started as a lukewarm joke became a dead horse, recontextualized in so...
Anbernic RG406V and RG406H Setup Guide
The RG406H and RG406V will probably go down as two of the most solid releases this year. They're currently the only devices that spout a 4:3 720p screen, making them optimal for nearly every console released before 16:9 became the new standard. Their power gives them...
Controllers Under $40: Do You Need More?
When I was younger, our family always seemed to need an extra controller or three. And for me, the youngest child, that meant I was the one using the Mad Catz controller. Or in the case of the Wii, the PDP Rock Candy controller is in transparent green. Fast forward to...