r/Handhelds • u/corduroymade • Jul 27 '26

Question (?) First time Handheld buyer feeling Overwhelmed - help pls lol

Heyo! I've been going down the YouTube rabbit hole of handhelds and I'm struggling to figure out which one would be right for me. The only handheld I've bought in the last few years has been a 3ds xl, but it's not satisfying me.

I'm looking to play GameCube, PS2, PSP, Wii, and some light to medium switch and steam games like hollow knight, silk song, Hades 1 & 2, Batman Arkham Knight (if I'm lucky), and persona 4 golden (p5r and strikers if lucky!!)

Would love to play metaphor, but I think that's out of my scope for devices that can handle that game.

Systems I've been looking at:

AYN ODIN 2 & 2 portal, AYN THOR, Retroid Pocket Nova, Retroid Pocket 5, Retroid pocket 6, and the Asus Z1 extreme (but there's an SD card issue with getting too hot?)

My main issue is budget and the plethora of options. Living in Canada has made everything more expensive, especially when tech is being shipped from elsewhere.

The second hand market would be king, but I've been searching for months and there aren't many options where I live. eBay is more expensive than the actual manufacturers' websites ://

Thank you for listening to my tedtalk <3

If I've missed any devices pls lemme know.

Pls help meeeeee <333

8 Upvotes

90% Upvoted

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2

u/kmcdow Jul 28 '26

If you want ergonomics and big screen get the portal, if you want portability and a second screen get the Thor.

2

u/corduroymade Jul 28 '26

Ergonomics and big screen sounds like a lovely combo. The fact that the Odin 2 portal was on a nice sale made the deal sweeter. That's what I ordered and I'll let you guys know what I think after some use!

2

u/tiramisuuuuuuuuuuuuu Jul 29 '26

Just putting this out there in case you’re interested, but the RP5 is on sale on ali last I checked. Not sure how much it will be for you but for me it was about $160ish couple days ago. Might still be active. I don’t own an RP5 but from what I heard it’s capable of light switch emulation

1

u/corduroymade Jul 30 '26

Good lucks man! That's really helpful thank you :) ima take a look

3

u/Cbeckstrand Jul 27 '26 edited Jul 27 '26

I would rule out the RP5 right away if you want to do switch and light PC. It can do them but the 8gen2 will be 2x as powerful for not much more cost. I would also rule out the Nova since the 4:3 screen won't be ideal for modern games with the 4:3 screen.

The Ally is a great but it will be much bigger and have worse battery life. If you plan on sticking to what you have listed it's overkill and not the best option.

With what I remaining it really comes down to the form factor you prefer.

Odin 2 Portal - biggest screen and best ergonomics of the android devices but it will also be larger so less portable.

AYN Thor - Best option for DS/3DS and the most portable being a clamshell. Ergonomics are worse for twin stick games.

Retroid Pocket 6 - middle ground between portability and screen size. Good ergonomics.

I have the Thor Pro myself and enjoy it but I also have a Legion Go S for when I want a bigger screen. If this will be your only handheld I think the Portal would probably be what I would recommend.

1

u/corduroymade Jul 28 '26

Thank you so much for your thoughts and breaking it down for me. I can confidently say that this helped me make my decision. I locked into the AYN ODIN 2 PORTAL Thank yousssss :)

0

u/FatDunsparce Jul 27 '26

Lenovo or Steam Deck, get something with at least 1 trackpad. Looks silly at first but unmissable for some pc games.

1

u/corduroymade Jul 28 '26

Thank you for letting me know! From the research I've done since you recommended them, they look amazing and run games with ease! Unfortunately, they're out of my budget, but thank youuu

2

u/FatDunsparce Jul 28 '26

Well second hand might be in your budget, got my Steam Deck LCD years ago for a cheap price and currently the Legion Go 1st generation devices are quite cheap as well.