The retro handheld market has been booming for years, and there’s no shortage of options to choose from. From devices designed to play physical retro media collections to those with emulation in mind, there’s an option fit for everyone’s pockets out there. With so many choices, it’s always worth researching to find a device that suits your specific preferences.
That being said, after testing a handful of unique retro handhelds, we’ve narrowed down our three current favorites. Your mileage may vary, but here’s to hoping these will, at the very least, help you figure out what types of things you’re looking for on your own retro handheld journey.
Analogue Pocket
Price: $219.99
The Analogue Pocket rapidly earned its place as the retro handheld king when it first landed on the scene in 2021, and it has maintained that crown ever since. It offers an absolutely incredible OLED screen, various retro filters that provide a classic feel, top-tier build quality, and a solid battery life of up to 10 hours.
Additionally, the Analogue Pocket is designed to be a true game preservation machine, allowing you to play classic handheld cartridges from the Game Boy, Game Boy Color, and Game Boy Advance (as well as other systems with the appropriate adapters). Its use of openFPGA is also a huge boon for emulation enthusiasts, though it’s important to remember that we always advocate for legal emulation only.
The Analogue Pocket is truly the cream of the crop, making it easy to recommend to anyone willing to pay its admittedly premium asking price.
Evercade EXP-R
Price: $99.99
Evercade has made a name for itself by leading the push for cartridge-based game preservation, releasing officially licensed cart collections that can be played across multiple Evercade consoles. And the company’s newest device, the Evercade EXP-R, continues the trend of its comfortable, durable handhelds for those seeking quality at an affordable price.
The Evercade EXP-R has a cozy form factor, reasonable battery life, and some unique functions — such as its TATE button that lets you flip the device’s screen 90 degrees to play vertical scrolling titles. And while we would prefer an OLED screen, the Evercade EXP-R’s bright LCD display is still gorgeous and a worthwhile tradeoff for a $100 handheld packing so many other great features.
This is definitely Evercade’s most successful handheld yet, and we’re here for it. For more, read our review of the Evercade EXP-R and Evercade VS-R.
Super Pocket
Price: $69.99
Hyper Mega Tech!’s Super Pocket is a cheap and effective way to play some of your favorite classics. This handheld comes in multiple editions that contain on-board arcade game collections from popular publishers, including Capcom, Atari, Neo Geo, Taito, Technos, and Data East. And while experiencing these beloved titles may be the initial draw, there’s more to these little handhelds than you’d think.
Perhaps most exciting is that the Super Pocket also comes sporting a slot that allows you to play Evercade cartridges. This means you get to pick a color scheme and publisher collection that suits your tastes out of the box while also getting plenty of options for additional games from other publishers. We also love the device’s unique difficulty menu that lets you tune the challenge of the on-board games, as well as its comfortable back buttons and surprisingly durable build quality for a $70 machine.
If you’re on a budget but still want a quality handheld that can play plenty of games, you can’t go wrong with the Super Pocket.
