In today’s crowded market, finding the right handheld emulator can be a huge task. Not only do you need to look for computer power that can accurately run your favorite childhood memories, but there’s form factor and controls and even size to consider. That is to say, there are a lot of ways to load up on retro games for your coffee break, and that only lasts fifteen minutes before you get yelled at so you’ll have to stop pretty quick. That’s why we created this list to help you navigate the best handhelds for a deep glance into the void of what you used to be.
Of course, before we talk about these handhelds, we should remind you that emulators are a grey area of the gaming world. We can’t tell you where to find roms, but a good place to start is by Googling the name of your favorite game, then the system it was on, and then, “When did looking to the past start feeling better than looking to the future?”
5. The FunKey S
You’d think with its tiny screen and even smaller controls, the FunKey S would be impossible to enjoy. But its easy-to-use interface, crisp screen, and surprisingly comfortable buttons make for true portable: A system that fits anywhere except the hole in your heart left by the fact you’ll never be a child again.
Like many portable emulators on the list, the FunKey S can run basically everything up to the PS1, allowing you to load up Vagrant Story for fifteen minutes before being distracted by a phone alert that reminds you of the adult responsibilities that the cruelty of time has foisted upon you. Unfortunately, some of the more intense PS1 games run a bit slow on the FunKey S and there’s currently no N64 support, meaning you won’t be able to get the first star in Mario 64 before turning it off and staring at the wall until it gets dark or someone comes home.
4. PocketGo S30
At first glance, the PocketGo S30 looks a bit like the Hyperkin SupaBoy, a system that dared you to play full SNES carts on a portable without everyone looking at you in sympathetic despair. But the PocketGo S30 feels and plays much better - not to mention lets you load up on more Japanese role-playing games than you could ever finish, promising yourself that if you just really tried hard you could feel the excitement you had at the opening of Final Fantasy 7. Or maybe you’ll finally get through that English fan translation of Live a Live because there’s still a pre-teen part of you that believes Square could do no wrong despite years and years of them doing some wrong.
Like the FunKey S, the PocketGo S30 can emulate almost every system you enjoyed until you got to college and suddenly realized that memories are a saccharine lie. The analog stick certainly helps with PlayStation games, although fans used to dual analog sticks will be disappointed. Just like you’ll be disappointed when you realize that Bloody Roar 2 wasn’t good - playing it with friends you don’t even remember the names of anymore was good.
3. RK2020
This one plays Dreamcast games, which will remind you of the time you held a garage sale and sold your old StarCraft strategy guides to just get a little money toward SoulCalibur. Remember that? Remember when the Dreamcast actually arrived? That soft opening sound? The feel of the controller. The Internet connection! God, it felt like touching the future. Anything was possible.
Anyway, you can play some of those games on this if you download them off a shady website that might give you Skies of Arcadia or a computer virus. 50-50 really.
2. Retroid Pocket 2
This cheap, fun handheld comes in a variety of colors to remind you of a system that the Retroid Pocket 2 is not. This Android-based system can run basically every retro console you can think of, except the GameCube, which is now a retro console. Sit there and think about that. The GameCube. You weren’t even an adult when it came out but you said on a forum it was for babies. You made fun of it, you were a little embarrassed to own it, you bought the Xbox versions of games because of the “graphics.” But now look at you. So tired, so worn out, so beaten by life - and now all you want is that sweet, sweet GameCube emulation. Maybe a little F-Zero GX. Just a taste. Just a small second chance to get it right this time. To appreciate what you forgot you even had.
1. RG351M
Every day you look into the mirror. Sometimes you see the face you grew up with. Sometimes you see the face of a stranger inhabiting a version of your body you would’ve been horrified to see as a child. You work endless hours. All you want is escape. All you want is to play A Link to the Past for the first time again and look at that rain and think, “Wow - this is how video games will be forever!” But you won’t think that this time. You haven’t thought that for years. But you’ll play the opening at Hyrule Castle. You’ll even get a little deep in that sitting, saving your game for later.
But why? You’re never come back to that save. Next time you play A Link to the Past, you’ll only start from the beginning because it’s the part you remember best since it’s the part you’ve played the most… because it’s the part you remember best. Time is a long hallway of mirrors, and you don’t know where your memory of having fun starts and your memories of memories of having fun begin. You spend more time downloading roms than you do playing roms. You wish any of them could hold your attention the way they did when you were a child. You wish so many things were the way they were when you were a child.
Great design on this one, though!