{"id":2895,"date":"2021-10-14T13:35:08","date_gmt":"2021-10-14T12:35:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/droix.co.uk\/blogs\/?p=2895"},"modified":"2025-09-11T14:56:12","modified_gmt":"2025-09-11T13:56:12","slug":"the-best-retro-gaming-handheld-with-video","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/droix.net\/blogs\/en-au\/the-best-retro-gaming-handheld-with-video\/","title":{"rendered":"The Best Retro Gaming Handheld with video"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The handheld gaming emulator scene is booming at the moment, but what is the best<\/em> retro gaming handheld<\/a>, really? With new devices being released every couple of months, it is easy to become overwhelmed. So check out this list of DroiX’s favourite retro gaming handhelds<\/a> to get you started on the purchase of your first (or next) device!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is a Retro Gaming Handheld?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

A retro gaming handheld<\/a> is, as the name implies, a handheld device that is intended for retro gaming. Typically, these take the form of small SoC (System-on-a-chip) devices with a built-in display and controls.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Often, these handhelds will run some form of open-source operating system, such as EmuElec<\/a>. This grants these handhelds the ability to play a huge variety retro games directly on the device (no fancy “cloud gaming” here!).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why should I buy a retro gaming handheld when I have a mobile phone?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

This is a question we often receive, and it is a reasonable one. With better versions of Android emulators being made every day, most people already pretty much have a portable gaming handheld in their pocket all the time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While we can’t offer you one catch-all, “this is why” type of answer, we can provide a couple of arguments as to why you might buy a retro gaming handheld<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Keeping Things Separate<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Some people simply like to keep their gear separate, and focused!<\/p>\n\n\n\n