Retro Handheld recommendations and best place to buy?

[DCWalt]

Hey, i tried posting this in Hobby Electronics but didn't get a response so i thought i would try here.

 

The three I'm looking at are the Ambernic RG280V, Ambernic RG351P and the Retroid Pocket 2.

 

I know the Retroid Pocket 2 is technicaly the most powerfull of the three but i'm leaning toward the Ambernic RG280V for it's size and I'm mostly just interested in Gameboy, Gameboy advance and PS1 and everything i've looked at says it runs all of them just fine and it's the cheapest of three.

 

I'm also trying to figure out the most trustworthy place to buy these things. I don't really trust Ali Express. One youtuber that does exclusively retro handhelds linked to a site called Retro Mimi?

 

Any input would be much appreciated.

thanks!

[GhostRoadieBL]

https://retromimi.com/

I'd be using these guys to buy, it seems to be their bread and butter with nearly everything on the market. 

 

Best bang for the buck is definitely RK2020, not as pocketable as the RG280V but you get the analog sticks back

 

it's not on your list but the RG350 or RG350M (basically the same but different screen) has a dual core which isn't great for N64 but perfect for PS1 and handheld emulators and keeps the battery running for a bit longer compared to the quad core ones. Very similar to the RG280V but with the extra sticks and some better grip so you don't end up with claw hands.

The RG351P steps up to a quad core so you can run certain N64 games but it still lags in SM64 and Zelda so I returned mine, did fine with PS1 for Final Fantasy games but I never tried a faster paced Crash Nitro Kart or anything like that.  

 

[DCWalt]

3 hours ago, GhostRoadieBL said:

https://retromimi.com/

I'd be using these guys to buy, it seems to be their bread and butter with nearly everything on the market. 

 

Best bang for the buck is definitely RK2020, not as pocketable as the RG280V but you get the analog sticks back

 

it's not on your list but the RG350 or RG350M (basically the same but different screen) has a dual core which isn't great for N64 but perfect for PS1 and handheld emulators and keeps the battery running for a bit longer compared to the quad core ones. Very similar to the RG280V but with the extra sticks and some better grip so you don't end up with claw hands.

The RG351P steps up to a quad core so you can run certain N64 games but it still lags in SM64 and Zelda so I returned mine, did fine with PS1 for Final Fantasy games but I never tried a faster paced Crash Nitro Kart or anything like that.  

 

I was mainly considering the RG280V because i'm only interested in Gameboy, Gameboy advance and PS1 and none of them use analogue sticks... ok i guess the PS1 did eventually get them... i'll have to look into how many games actually use them. i wanted to play silent hill. Point being, the RGS351p looks great and it does have the analogue sticks but practically speaking, it still can't play anything that the RG280V can't. like, ok it can run N64 better but it still runs it badly so there's really no point in paying for the extra power if ultimately it makes no difference.

[GhostRoadieBL]

55 minutes ago, DCWalt said:

I was mainly considering the RG280V because i'm only interested in Gameboy, Gameboy advance and PS1 and none of them use analogue sticks... ok i guess the PS1 did eventually get them... i'll have to look into how many games actually use them. i wanted to play silent hill. Point being, the RGS351p looks great and it does have the analogue sticks but practically speaking, it still can't play anything that the RG280V can't. like, ok it can run N64 better but it still runs it badly so there's really no point in paying for the extra power if ultimately it makes no difference.

Silent hill can use the D pad, The 280V will do pretty much everything handheld so if that's the only focus then it will be the best for portability and battery life. 

[WaggishOhio383]

From what I've heard the Retroid Pocket 2 is generally considered to be the best option as of right now. It runs full-fledged Android 9.0, so you can get Retroarch running on it pretty easy and it will handle the consoles you want fine. You can even use Steam Link to play games from your PC on it. I was planning on getting one myself, but opted to just get a controller for my phone instead.

 

If you go with it, just make sure to select DHL as the shipping option. They're more expensive, but I've never heard of the other company and they have absolutely terrible reviews. Lots of complaints about packages never arriving, and the company not doing a thing about it.

[DCWalt]

On 11/22/2020 at 3:56 PM, WaggishOhio383 said:

From what I've heard the Retroid Pocket 2 is generally considered to be the best option as of right now. It runs full-fledged Android 9.0, so you can get Retroarch running on it pretty easy and it will handle the consoles you want fine. You can even use Steam Link to play games from your PC on it. I was planning on getting one myself, but opted to just get a controller for my phone instead.

 

If you go with it, just make sure to select DHL as the shipping option. They're more expensive, but I've never heard of the other company and they have absolutely terrible reviews. Lots of complaints about packages never arriving, and the company not doing a thing about it.

I ended up going with the RG280V. it wasn't much cheaper but it's smaller and i really came to the conclusion that the more expensive handhelds really can't run anything this one can't... i mean, they CAN but not well enough for me to want to use them in the first place so what's the point of having more power if it's just waisted? And for the consoles i want to play, i don't need the dual sticks so i opted for something that was more easily pocketable.

 

Plus, and i know it's probably silly but the sticks on the retroid pocket 2 are completely mismatched. one is a proper stick but the other is one of those annoying sliding puck type of things and both sticks are different heights so it didn't seem like it would be nice to play on. That, and i actually wanted to avoid android.

 

we'll see if i made the right choice in about a week when it gets here i guess