/ch3/ - Video Games

stop buying shit

Honestly I can only think of buying a handheld I can verify that is actually decent. Steamdeck and the Switch provide okay mobile gaming experiences, obviously the Switch only becomes good if its hacked but its got a whole host of issues. Vita is a solid portable I've had over 10 years but of course its an older system. If you want a decent portable system don't buy chinkhelds cause you can't verify their quality. I can at least say the steamdeck by valve is (((okay))) if you have to play pc games on mobile.

I have 4.
Trimui Smart Pro is really big (bigger than a vita)
Trimui Smart (not pro) is about the same size as a GameBoy Micro
Miyoo Flip is the same size as a GameBoy SP
R36S is a little bigger than the GameBoy Color.

Trimui Smart Pro or Trimui Brick is probably my top general recommendation. (I don't own a Brick, but the Trimui build quality is top notch, no one can find any real fault with it).
The other 3 I own I still like quite a bit, but each have some issues or quirks , so I wouldn't give them a blanket recommendation like with the Smart Pro or Brick.

But in OP's case the Brick might be too small.
My recommendation for OP is the Anbernic CubeXX. It's a much more recent console than the ARC-D or ARC-S but with a similar build.

You can compare chinkhelds using this site.
https://retrocatalog.com/compare/rg-arc-d/rg-cube-xx
https://retrocatalog.com/compare/trimui-smart-pro/rg-cube-xx
>>12947
These Chinese game consoles are really good now, they've made really big advances in the last 5 years.

Lastly, here is a spreadsheet with a list of Aliexpress deals and coupons.
Make sure you're using some kind of coupon when you buy one of these things, and don't buy them on Amazon because Amazon sellers are resellers that markup the cost of everything by $20+.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1x_PmVHiQNHyw5t05peEDG1DcCKDCvH_UPd3p7yCw4xg/edit?gid=0#gid=0

According to spreadsheet right now Brick is available for ~$41, Smart Pro is available for ~$46, and CubeXX is available for ~$48.
If you buy something like an R36S you'll need to do some diy maintenance on it, but it will only cost ~$24.

>>12945
Wait on the Retroid Pocket 6 &/or the mini version of it, the chipset in it should allow it to emulate everything up to mid-intensity PS3/XB360 (which is basically where all emulation is up to right now anyways). Ambernic targets the cheaper market (if you insist on trying to get a $50 cheapshit emulation handheld, focus more on Ambernic, but expect the quality that comes with that), but the bang for your buck just isn't as effective as Retroid imo. The Ambernic RG477M is actually a pretty solid recent release, but again, with the RP6 and it's ecosystem coming along within the year, it's better off waiting.

>>12957
I'm mostly worried about ergos as my hands are huge but I still want a reasonably small device. I'd mostly be playing up til 5th gen systems anyway and some random gba and MAYBE psp or dc games at max but I can easily ignore those, which is why I was looking at a system that didn't even have an analog stick. I just think most of these chinkhelds look supremely uncomfortable and all the reviews seem overly positive - not suspiciously so, but moreso in that these people collect these as a hobby so don't care as much about how the ergos themselves are if you only end up with one system… I do think I want to lean into the cheaper end for that reason also, so do you have any more advice? Any way to get a better feel for which ones will be comfortable or not?

>>12958
Aliexpress listings almost always show dimensions and the device from every angle
you can use this website for size comparisons, and it also has major mainstream handhelds catalogued as well, so if you've held a nintendo handheld, psp, or steam deck you can gauge the size of them better https://retrocatalog.com/compare/psp-3000/steam-deck

>>12959
Thank you, that website especially will be really helpful.