Time to cover a big one. The handheld that cemented the fact that there was a world of full-featured gaming was possible on the go. The little black & white Mario machine that could: Nintendo’s Game Boy.
I never got to have a Game Boy growing up. It probably has something to do with why, now, as an adult, surrounded by modern homages to the original Prince of Portable. The original Game Boy remains beloved today, not just because of nostalgic views of a childhood passed, but because it had one hell of a great games lineup that often still stand up when held under a modern microscope. So come check out my personal picks off the shelf for anytime I want to play the most iconic handheld of them all.
Some Background
The Game Boy came about after the success of Nintendo’s Game & Watch handheld series. Now I never had one of those, but the licensed Tiger Electronic LCD games that copied them, those I was lucky enough to have a few of. So, as a kid consumer, the concept of portable gaming wasn’t new in 1989, but when the Game Boy dropped that summer in the USA, it was a whole new ballgame.
A lot of kids spent the next few birthdays and Christmases asking for a Game Boy, or if they were lucky enough to have landed one (a lot of us never did!), some sort of new game or ridiculous light or magnifying accessory for it.
To say that it was everywhere at the time is almost an understatement. The Game Boy became interwoven in the culture almost as soon as it was released. Is there a more iconic handheld gaming image than Tetris being played on the original DMG-01?
The Analogue Pocket came along a few years ago, and rightly made a lot of folks interested in revisiting their Game Boy libraries. Nothing against that amazing device, but not everyone has Analogue Pocket budgets.
And with the price of classic Game Boy cartridges being what they are at the moment, emulation may be the best way to get a high-end Game Boy experience without having to take on debt to do so. You can have champagne tastes with only beer money. Not too many other hobbies can claim that little feather in our caps.
Now, for the purposes of this article, I only wanted to look at the original Game Boy, and not the Game Boy Color. The Color has its own exclusive lineup, and I don’t want to necessarily intertwine the two here, but it’s safe to say they’ll make for great options as well.
The One That Got Me Hooked: Miyoo Mini Plus
Honorable mentions go to the Anbernic 35XX and Game Console R33S. They’re all essentially the same devices when it comes to playing Game Boy games, but the Miyoo Mini Plus was my first DMG-style emulation handheld, and it will always hold a special place on my shelf because of that. When I first got the Miyoo Mini Plus, I knew that it was something special.
I still love classic DMG green
If devices that came before it were for niche hobbyists, this was the one that could cross over to the mainstream audience. Of course, the hobby ended up exploding in ways I’d never imagined at the time, but I’ve still yet to meet the person unhappy with the Mini+ as a starter device. It’s a great way to dip your toes in the pool, and certainly a wonderful way to recreate the original Game Boy experience in new ways.
The OG Evolved: Anbernic RG40XXV
I was late to the party of the RG40XXV. I didn’t see a need to own one. Not only that, but I had my beloved R36S if I needed something in that form factor to play old stuff, and I had other devices from the XX lineup that I thought were already more interesting, like the RG35XXSP.
Reminder to dust your shelf handhelds
I only broke down and ordered one during an AliExpress sale in early 2025 because I was consistently told that it was the preferred daily driver for a lot of people in the community. The lack of new releases from Anbernic for the first part of the year certainly didn’t hurt my taking the leap either, I need my new device fix every now and again, after all. The white on white sleek design certainly helped its case.
After using the RG40XXV, I get what all the fuss was about. It’s just the perfect version of what it is. It doesn’t need to be more. The design is comfortable, and everything in the design just feels polished and distinctly “just right”. Nowhere does this feel more apparent than with Game Boy games. They are simply a joy to play on these controls, and a wonder to behold on the device’s beautiful 4″ display.
RG40XX at Anbernic RG40XXV at AmazonRG40XXV at AliExpress
The Tie, But They Belong Here: R36XX & G350
It’s nearly impossible to give one of these handhelds the edge over the other, as they are nearly the exact same thing. Hell, we could throw the new Anbernic RG35XX Pro in the mix too if we wanted three identical devices, but I think you get the idea.
When there’s trouble, you call DW (or two)
The handhelds are as budget as it gets before you get down into the actual e-waste category, and I stress that they should not be considered to belong anywhere near that category. I lump them together because they’re so similar.
But at the end of the day, they’re also both fantastic devices that will give you a very similar experience in emulating the original DMG experience. Sub in the R36S here, and you’re still going to have a great time, but the refinements made in these newer designs take it up a notch in the QOL department.
R36XX at AliExpressBatleXP G350 at AliExpress
Dense Pixels: TrimUI Brick
The Brick deserves a place on the list for two reasons. One, its small form factor makes it the perfect pocketable tribute to the original Game Boy design, and second, because the display is incredible value for money, which pushes more pixels than the competition. There’s a reason that everyone is so excited that they’re making a metal version of the Brick, because it’s a brilliant device.
The definitive Game Boy experience
I doubt that there has been a week gone by since the time I wrote my initial review of the Brick that I haven’t grabbed it off the shelf for something. Check it out if you want to know why I believe it belongs here.
TrimUI Brick at AmazonTrimUI Brick at MechDIYTrimUI Brick Hammer
The In-Betweener: Anbernic RG34XX
The RG34XX is a tribute to a console that I never owned as a kid (the GBA). Now, while that handheld was the sequel to the Game Boy, it did have a slot for the original cartridges, offering an improved experience to the original with one feature that distinguished it most from the original DMG, a backlit screen. Other upgrades like battery life made the GBA a great place to enjoy your original Game Boy library, and I imagine it’s how many people first experienced older titles when they were young.
Feels right at home
Perhaps you had a GBA as a kid and were passed down Game Boy carts from an older relative. Whatever the case may have been, what was true then remains true today: Game Boy felt at home on the GBA, just as it does on the RG34XX.
RG34XX at AnbernicRG34XX at AliExpress
Final Thoughts
The emulated consoles that I’ve covered so far in this series have been those that are considered to be included as part of the base package of emulation. These are the systems that you expect any device to run flawlessly in the year 2025. The Sega Master System, Game Gear, NES, and now the Game Boy are not systems that require any real strength to emulate.
This might make them appear boring. Milestones in emulation that were long since crossed. Of course, a new emulation handheld can play them, and you’re generally going to get a pretty decent experience these days across the board with these systems.
What makes this hobby so exciting, though, is that it offers new ways to experience the oldest memories. Whether it’s in a new form factor, through a new modern filter, or in a totally new way with homebrews and ROM-hacks.
If I had a GKD Pixel 2, it might have made the list
It’s difficult to say “this handheld is the perfect modern Game Boy” because what that phrase means to you might be entirely different from what it could mean for someone else. It’s all about capturing your favorite aspects of the original experience and dialing them in to your personal modern preferences.
As such, if I were to have to pick one handheld from the list to play Game Boy on over all the others, I think it would have to be the Brick. The pixel density on that display is difficult to ignore, and if there’s one handheld on the list that I think is punching close to the Analogue competition, the Brick would be it. That’s not to take away from any of the other devices on the list. These are all fantastic picks and great ways to explore the Game Boy library.
Did your favorite make the list? I really wanted my RG CubeXX to arrive in time to possibly make a spot on the list, but fate and the mailman had other plans.
What are your favorite ways to play? Let us know in the comments below, and chat with us in our Discord!
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