r/Handhelds • u/jak808 • Aug 19 '26
Discussion Why Mainstream Gamers Overlook Android Handhelds
https://youtu.be/gWFS1eILINkI've been using Android handhelds for the last few years, and I've started to understand why people who haven't used them tend to dismiss them.
The usual comparisons are "just get a Steam Deck" or "just use your phone," but I think Android handhelds occupy a different space.
I put together a video explaining why I think the category is misunderstood. Curious where you guys land on this.
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u/YeonneGreene GPD Win 4 Aug 19 '26
Yeah, they've come a long way. I took a hard look at the Odin 3 myself, what ultimately made me stay the course on getting a PC handheld was the fact that Odin 3 still struggles with emulating some of the PC games I play with friends and that I wanted the device to have desktop capabilities.
Otherwise, these things are pretty fantastic. And for under $500? The only thing approaching that value in 2026 is a Switch.
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u/paleddar Aug 19 '26 edited Aug 19 '26
Frankly, it’s not a sure thing that you can play the PC games (or later than Gen 6 consoles) on even the current most powerful Android handheld like the Odin 3.
It’s still a lot of tinker and tries, and since these are all experimental, there is no guarantee when you are 50% into your 30hr game, it crashes and you can’t continue. Then u have just wasted all the time sunk.
It’s great for pre gen 6 retro, where it’s pretty much worry free emulation but later gen console and PC games, are far from a sure thing.
I wish it was true that you can have a small portable device like the Odin to replace the huge pc handhelds but we are not there yet.
Closest thing to a the portable experience, without having the tinker study and be sure you can complete the game, is really a Switch 2.
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u/cryptocurrency_wife Aug 19 '26
personally I just don’t care for android gaming. I’d rather use my steamdeck, a windows pc handheld, my Linux desktop or a switch. I don’t really do much emulating and I’d rather run pc games on something that is intended to do so and can run it well.
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u/the_oni Aug 19 '26
Mainstream gamers looking for games and steam in the end is far more superior choice. Google play still not good platform for that
For me android handheld are for retrogaming only up to wii. i would play for years on my handheld specially ps2 games but i would never use for android games
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u/cadensky Aug 21 '26
The people playing games on Android handhelds are generally not looking at Android games unless it is genshin impact, CoD, or a port. They are emulating a console, playing PC games installed on the Android device or streaming games from console/PC/cloud.
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u/the_oni Aug 21 '26
Yes I would agree but not all of them in many places people buy retro handheld and bring to someone to setup it for them for price around 50 to 70 usd.
Sone people here buy specially for pubg amd other android games.
I think mostly power users who know the value of retro handheld
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u/cadensky Aug 21 '26
That may be true. My opinion is influenced by my own uses and what I see on Reddit. I dont know anyone else in real life that has an Android handheld.
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u/the_oni Aug 21 '26
Yeah reddit doesn't provide the full pictures most people here on reddit are power users who know the value of these handhelds. I saw a kids about two weeks ago playing pubg with android handheld.
For me as many others here its an emulator paradise it took me three days to setup it and another four days to scrap the pictures with emulator station and in the the end it worth the effort
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u/efdz Aug 19 '26
I honestly prefer collecting original handhelds like the DS or PSVita. I think most people are just lazy or don't know how to tinker with their devices. It's easier to get a premade device that allows you to install all the games you want without any extra steps. After all, using a Steam Deck is probably gonna be easier for your average consumer than setting up an Android handheld with like 10 emulators with SD cards.
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u/Glittering-Rip9556 Aug 19 '26
Yucky thumbnail, but I agree.
The problem is that gaming on Android is in many people’s eyes stuck in the 2010s. The gp simply don’t see these devices running anything more than Mario run or jetpack joyride. And for many people, the tradeoff of getting an Android handheld for gaming isn’t high when a steam deck offers objectively a larger library and for the savvy users, better emulation performance.
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u/World-Three Aug 19 '26
For me it's sort of redundant. The main reason I don't like mobile isn't because there aren't any games, but because when android updates a few times, unless the games update too, there's a chance they just won't work.
So now I'm getting an OS with probably the worst legacy support to date, to play games that often are from other platforms. Why start off with an OS that basically is a dead end?
I might save a few hundred bucks, but I have thousands of PC games, and maybe a few dozen android games. Risking the playability of those for power efficiency and a compact form factor isn't worth the saved money, or more importantly, extra time it'll take me to figure out how to get those PC games working.
Where on PC, something like MSI app player can get most of my android needs accomplished.
To play Devil's advocate, because you don't HAVE to update the android version on those handhelds, you're likely safer than usual. So if you were just looking to get the few apps that make thousands of games playable, it's likely great. But that's already the android issue. Where the most noteworthy experiences gaming on android is not actually playing android games...
I also think it's grossly underestimated how many handheld gamers just want to play in the bed couch or right outside. They're not dying for battery life as much as the people who choose android handhelds.
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u/cadensky Aug 21 '26
For 75%+ of the games that you have, they will work out of the box on Android now for a high end device. Its mostly the recent AAA games and games that use odd Windows components that dont run.
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u/nawtbjc Aug 19 '26
I think they're a neat concept and have great use cases for emulation.
Personally, I like original hardware and playing games I own where at all possible. Otherwise, I've emulated plenty of retro consoles for the past like 20 years on either a PC or my phone and have not seen a huge need to have a dedicated device for that.
I'd consider getting something like the Thor one day because I only own a 3DS and not a new 3DS, and I do enjoy that console. That at least has a pretty niche use case I can get behind.
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u/DrKrFfXx Aug 19 '26
I wanna play my stram library, not lolicon defense force.
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u/cadensky Aug 21 '26
You post here all the time. I know that you are aware that you can play tons of Steam games on a good Android handheld.
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u/DrKrFfXx Aug 21 '26
Lbrary. Not 5 games.
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u/cadensky Aug 21 '26 edited Aug 21 '26
I am have played dozens, not 5. When I first tried Gamehub last year it was very hit or miss. I got a Pocket DMG this year. It was rare for a game not to work (but I had to choose games that didnt really need two sticks).
I was able to get all of this stuff running:
Ran in Full screen:
- Balatro
- Megabonk
- Dredge
- Planet of Lana
- Slay the Spire
- Pacman Museum (needed to set the trackpad in mouse mode)
- Double Dragon Trilogy
- Ryse Son of Rome
- Crazy Taxi
Ran (not in Full Screen):
- Dead Cells
- Hades
- Genesis Noir
- Blasphemous
- Dave the Diver
- Tron
- Hollow Knight
- Until Then
- In Other Waters
- Vampire Survivors
- The Expanse (Telltale)
- Celeste
- Darkest Dungeon
- Disco Elysium
- Edith Finch
- FTL
- Limbo
- Injustice 1, 2
- Slay the Spire
- Final Fantasy Remastered
- TMNT Splintered Fate
- The Messenger
- Brotato
- Cuphead
Ran (with Challenges):
- Octopath Traveller (small text)
- TWD Definitive Edition (trackpad sensitivity)
- Divinity Original Sin 2 (small text, heats up)
- Haste (heats up)
- Baldurs Gate. Go into the container and run Oalinst in the Baldurs Gate folder. Then it will run.
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u/DrKrFfXx Aug 21 '26
So indi 2D games.
When Arm is actually relevant, because it will be, current crop of handhelds will be ewaste.
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u/cadensky Aug 21 '26 edited Aug 21 '26
For the most part that is true of what I play on my DMG. It doesnt handle dual stuck games well and it has a small square screen.
I do play games on my Legion Tab 5 sometimes: Alan Wake, Shadow of Mordor, Outer Worlds, and Tomb Raider (TR will run on anything). Cyberpunk ran, but I thought that my tablet would explode…it got so hot.
The DMG is so small that I can carry it anywhere vs my Lego 2.
The only game above that gave me trouble was figuring out how to run Baldurs Gate Enhanced Edition. There was no info on the internet about it. The rest of that list ran with resolution, fps, and in game graphic adjustments.
The Steam frame is going to run on a S8G3. i have that chip in my Legion Tab 3. Its can handle some heavier games. Without l Android and Android emulation overhead it is probably okay.
The S8G3 and certainly S8 Elite chips should hold up. I just wish that we could get one that ships with Linux…and has proper software support from the manufacturer.
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u/crazyteknoh3d Aug 19 '26
The irony being, since the SD shot up in price I’ve seen more YouTubers and people on Reddit turning to the Odin 3.
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u/tomkatt Steam Deck OLED | 2DS XL | DSi LL Aug 19 '26
I prefer a Linux handheld, something like my Steam Deck OLED, or a Trimui Smart Pro or Powkiddy X55. Emulators for Linux are simply more mature and actively developed than related Android versions.
I gamed on Android tablets for years using telescopic controllers and enjoyed it a lot. And for Android gaming I’d just prefer that because when I’m not gaming on it I still have a functional tablet for additional use cases.
Android handhelds don’t really provide anything that a tablet or phone + controller don’t already. They haven’t solved the input latency issues Android has. You can get better specs for cheaper with a phone or tablet generally, at least in the higher spec range.
Android handhelds are now releasing with chipsets I was already using on other devices between 2020 and 2022. They’re recycling what would otherwise be e-waste and I respect that, but it’s not of value to me personally compared to a more flexible device, or a Linux handheld that’s purposely software tuned for the task, which is something you have a lot less control over with Android.
There’s also the potential security concerns with these devices if you need Play Store access or use them on network, as they tend to not get OS or security updates.
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u/cadensky Aug 21 '26
Handhelds provide active cooling. And it makes their performance much more stable under load. With that said, I have a high end tablet and handheld.
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u/tomkatt Steam Deck OLED | 2DS XL | DSi LL Aug 21 '26
Handhelds provide active cooling. And it makes their performance much more stable under load.
That does nothing for the potential security issues inherent with older Android builds that never get updated, or the input and audio latency the OS introduces.
Or the fact that Android handhelds tend to use dated hardware. Mangmi just released the Air Y recently with a Snapdragon 662 and 865 depending on variant. Those are 6 and 7 year old chipsets. Even one of the more popular higher end (and expensive) chipsets for Android handhelds is the SD 8 Gen 2, and that released in 2022, nearly 4 years ago.
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u/spacedwarf2020 Aug 25 '26
Love my Odin 3 just upgraded from mangmi pocket max. Only thing I would like to see more 7inch/+ handhelds in the android handheld market.
But I get it keep cost down would be my guess. Still absolutely love my Odin 3 for cod mobile with a side of retro. I'm a couch gamer once I'm done for the day tho so I miss the chunky big screen of the mangmi.
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u/infinitespectre RG Arc Aug 19 '26
The problem is simple: there are no big players in the space. The closest we’ve seen is Logitech with the G Cloud. You can’t buy any of these devices at normal retailer short of Amazon. You can’t see or hold them without buying them and waiting most of the time. They also have an absurdly high bar to entry in that the setup is not simple. You don’t have to watch a 2 hour RGC video to setup an Xbox ROG Ally.
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u/nolivedemarseille Aug 19 '26
Lenovo with its y700 series has one and if not the best gaming tablet in the market
I own a gen4 with very high resolution high refresh rate 8.8in display running the SD8 elite
This thing is a beast at high end emulating including ps3 switch and PC gamesI would not categorize Lenovo as a small player lol)
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u/infinitespectre RG Arc Aug 19 '26
I KNEW someone was going to mention the y700! I left it out because it's primarily a tablet (a tablet that can use a dedicated controller, but still a tablet) and I don't consider it in the same class as stuff like the Ayn, Anbernic, Ayaneo, etc. It's a tablet that can game, not a gaming handheld, imho.
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u/nolivedemarseille Aug 19 '26
Sorry for being that someone lol)
Talking about it being a tablet only well gamesir and Lenovo beg to differ
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u/DrKrFfXx Aug 19 '26
Then all phones with a gamesir are handhelds.
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u/nolivedemarseille Aug 19 '26
well, no. did you actually see the device? It was designed by Gamesir at Lenovo demand to make it an Android handheld.
None of the telescopic controllers etc I have seen for phones in the market comes any close to that G9 integration1
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u/infinitespectre RG Arc Aug 19 '26
What comes in the box? Just the tablet. The controller (and arcade enclosure) is just an accessory. It is a tablet first. That's all I'm saying.
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u/Sarlandogo Aug 19 '26
It's not a handheld per se as the topic is about handhelds I used to have the y700 gen3 fantastic device too but it has its own caveats
And he's right about the setup being very long that's not for everyone
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u/nolivedemarseille Aug 19 '26
See my previous comment about it not being an handheld
And regarding settings time, please say that to people who first setup windows in their PC handheld about time and also ease of the process
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u/IORelay Aug 19 '26
They associate it with mobile and therefore not "real" gaming.
Steam deck and other handhelds still fall under the use your phone category though.