Nintendo had a choice when designing the Switch 2. They could iterate on the formula that made the original a cultural phenomenon, refining the single-screen hybrid into a faster, sharper, better version of itself. Or they could reach back into their own history, pull out the design philosophy that once made the DS family the best-selling handheld hardware line of all time, and merge two eras of thinking into something genuinely new. They picked the first path. Designer Juan Manuel Guerrero just sketched out the second.
The concept arrives as a series of beautifully lit 3D renders: a folding Nintendo Switch with dual screens, a hinge running through the center of the body, and Joy-Cons in the familiar blue-red split attached to either end. The renders carry the finish of product photography, which makes it genuinely easy to forget this never shipped. Closed, it looks like a sleek, pocket-ready device with a tighter footprint than the original Switch. Open, it recalls something older and warmer, the quiet satisfaction of flipping a DS open on a long car ride, except now the screens are large, the controllers are proper, and the whole thing feels built for today. The proportions are deliberate, the design choices are considered, and the whole thing wears its Nintendo identity without apology.
Designer: Juan Manuel Guerrero
The Nintendo DS sat at 154.02 million lifetime units for years, the gold standard for Nintendo hardware, until the Switch finally crept past it in early 2026 with 155.37 million. Two hardware generations, both cultural touchstones, separated by fewer than two million units across a combined history of roughly three decades. The closeness of that race matters. The DS built those numbers on a genuine design idea, a spatial logic where two screens gave developers room for two distinct kinds of information at once, and players responded to that for fifteen years. Guerrero’s concept asks whether the Switch era ever had to leave that behind.
Phantom Hourglass let you draw on the bottom screen to annotate your own maps and solve puzzles, an idea original enough to win awards at the time. Pokemon Diamond and Pearl split the party menu from the battlefield, giving battles a spatial clarity the GBA never had room for. GTA: Chinatown Wars ran the full city map on the lower display and handed the top panel entirely to the action. These were designs built entirely around the format, dependent on the split in a way that made them fall apart on a single screen. That vocabulary has been sitting idle for the better part of a decade.
Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 6 runs a 7.6-inch interior display and represents the sixth generation of the company working foldable hardware into something genuinely reliable. Motorola, OnePlus, Google, and Huawei all have competitive entries in the space. Display durability and hinge reliability have been largely solved through successive product generations and real commercial pressure. A dual-screen Switch in 2025 wouldn’t be asking anyone to invent something new; the foldable category has already done the hard engineering work. Guerrero’s concept asks someone to point that already-mature technology at a gaming audience.
The DS touchscreen read as a toy gimmick in 2004. The Wii’s motion controls got laughed at before that console sold 101 million units. The Switch itself looked like a confused category play until it climbed past 155 million units and became Nintendo’s best-selling platform ever. That history of moves that look sideways before they land is the context Guerrero’s concept actually lives in. The foldable technology exists, the Joy-Con design language holds across both halves of the fold, and the IP is coherent. Someone drew it. Now it’s genuinely difficult to look at the Switch 2 without wondering what the other path could have looked like.
At some point in the last couple of years, something quietly shifted in the gaming world. Not in the blockbuster, billion-dollar-franchise sense, but in the more personal, “why am I actually having more fun with this tiny device than my main console” sense. Search interest in retro gaming handhelds jumped 400% year-over-year, hitting 90,500 monthly searches in January 2026 alone. That’s not a blip. That’s people rediscovering something they forgot they wanted, and then telling everyone they know about it.
What’s driving it isn’t hard to understand. Modern gaming has gotten heavy, with big installs, long tutorials, and games that feel like part-time jobs. A retro handheld sidesteps all of that. You pick it up, you’re playing something in thirty seconds, and it fits in your jacket pocket. The designs themselves have become worth caring about, too, from machined aluminum bodies to translucent clamshells to square screens that look like props from a ’90s anime. These aren’t budget toys. Some of them are genuinely beautiful objects that happen to play games. Here are seven that are worth your attention.
Anbernic RG Cube: The one with the square screen that somehow works
The first thing you notice about the RG Cube is the screen shape, a perfect square, and your brain immediately goes: that can’t be right. Gaming moved to widescreen fifteen years ago. A 1:1 display in 2024 looks like a design mistake, or at best a gimmick. It is neither. The 3.95-inch IPS panel at 720×720 turns out to be native to more retro games than you’d expect, with Game Boy, arcade titles, and Nintendo DS with dual-screen stacking all living here without compromise.
The broader package is hard to argue with. An octa-core Unisoc T820 processor and 8GB of RAM run Android 13, with emulator support up through PS2 and GameCube, though more demanding titles on those systems will push its limits. The asymmetric thumbstick layout borrows from the Steam Deck playbook, and the Saturn-inspired D-pad is precise without drama. At around $170, it comes in Beige White, Radiant Purple, Black, Grey, and the radiant purple has no right looking as good as it does.
What we liked
Square 1:1 screen is genuinely ideal for Game Boy, arcade, and DS emulation
RGB lighting and color options make it a genuinely attractive object
What we disliked
Widescreen games require letterboxing or aspect-ratio compromise
Demanding PS2 and GameCube titles push the processor to its limits
ModRetro Chromatic: The Game Boy Color that Nintendo never made
There’s a version of this product that could have been embarrassing: a magnesium alloy Game Boy Color clone bundled with a new Tetris cartridge, sold at $199. On paper, it sounds like a premium nostalgia trap. In practice, it’s one of the most carefully considered handheld devices released in years. It’s FPGA-based, meaning it reconstructs the Game Boy hardware at the circuit level rather than emulating it in software, which produces zero input latency and a millisecond-accurate match to original hardware behavior.
The physical design earns its price in ways spec sheets can’t capture. The curved battery compartment gives your hands something to grip. A physical volume wheel, a detail so obvious it’s shocking how rarely it appears on modern devices, lets you kill the sound without touching a menu. Colors run from Inferno and Bubblegum to a very wearable Wave blue, with English or Japanese button labeling as an option. It plays physical Game Boy and Game Boy Color cartridges only, which is either a dealbreaker or a feature, depending on how you think about focus.
What we liked
FPGA hardware delivers true zero input lag, not a software approximation
Magnesium alloy shell feels premium and genuinely durable
Comes bundled with a new Tetris cartridge
What we disliked
Plays only Game Boy and Game Boy Color cartridges, no ROMs or other systems
AA battery requirement adds ongoing cost; rechargeable Power Core is sold separately
Analogue Pocket: The one photographers keep picking up
The Analogue Pocket is the device that made the retro handheld conversation respectable. It uses an FPGA rather than software emulation and plays Game Boy, Game Boy Color, and GBA cartridges out of the box. Via cartridge adapters, it adds Game Gear, Neo Geo Pocket Color, Atari Lynx, TurboGrafx-16, PC Engine, and SuperGrafx. Via its microSD slot and the OpenFPGA community platform, it loads cores for nearly every retro system that ever existed. The 3.5-inch LCD at 1600×1440 and 615 ppi is, simply, one of the sharpest displays ever put in a handheld.
At $239, it sits at the premium end of this list, and it’s also frequently out of stock. Firmware updates require a microSD card reader, which feels like friction that shouldn’t exist on a $239 device. TV output needs the separately sold $99 Dock. These aren’t dealbreakers so much as signals that Analogue built this for the dedicated enthusiast first. If you want one device to handle everything in your retro library for the next decade, this is probably it.
What we liked
OpenFPGA community support covers an enormous range of retro systems
Plays GBA in addition to GB and GBC, plus many more with adapters
MicroSD slot enables ROM loading
Premium aluminum build with a distinctly modern design language
What we disliked
Frequently out of stock; restocks sell out within minutes
Firmware updates require an external microSD card reader
TV output requires a separately purchased $99 Dock
Retroid Pocket Flip 2: The clamshell that brought the GBA SP back with PS2 power
The GBA SP was the handheld that arguably peaked the clamshell form factor: it folded, it protected its own screen, and it had a backlit display before that was standard. The Retroid Pocket Flip 2 arrives in 2025 with that same closing-hinge energy, but with a 5.5-inch 1080p AMOLED screen, a Snapdragon 865 processor, and enough emulation horsepower to run PlayStation 2, GameCube, and Wii. When closed, it has roughly the same desk footprint as a modern smartphone. Closing the lid puts it to sleep; opening it wakes it up.
Color options include a translucent Ice Blue, GameCube Purple, a two-tone 16-bit US, and Black. Retroid clearly understands its audience. The AMOLED panel brings deep blacks and accurate color to games designed for CRTs, and the results are often striking for titles you’ve played a hundred times. At $229 for the Snapdragon variant, there is no meaningful clamshell competitor at this performance level. One persistent note from extended use: the form factor rewards shorter sessions more than marathon ones, which is maybe appropriate for a device meant to live in a bag pocket.
What we liked
5.5-inch AMOLED at 1080p is impressive for the price
Handles PS2, GameCube, Wii, and Dreamcast emulation
Translucent Ice Blue colorway is a design highlight
What we disliked
Thicker than it looks in product photos
Extended sessions can feel less comfortable than flat handhelds
AYANEO Pocket Micro Classic: The one that fits in an actual pocket
The Game Boy Micro launched in 2005 as Nintendo’s most polarizing hardware decision. It was tiny, it was beautiful, it only played GBA games, and it was discontinued within a year. Design historians were kinder to it than the market was. The AYANEO Pocket Micro Classic is clearly in conversation with that history. It removes the analog joysticks, uses a CNC-machined aluminum alloy frame with a seamless all-glass front, and produces something that slides into a front jeans pocket without catching on anything.
The 3.5-inch borderless IPS display at 960×640 in a 3:2 ratio is built for GBA emulation, with 4x pixel-perfect upscaling. Available in Obsidian Black, Charm Red, Vintage Grey, and Gold, each colorway has a different character. The Gold skips “gaming device” and lands somewhere closer to “considered object.” The MediaTek Helio G99 handles everything up through PS1 confidently. If your retro library is 8-bit and 16-bit with a strong GBA presence, the Pocket Micro Classic is probably the most beautiful way to play it.
What we liked
CNC aluminum and all-glass build is genuinely premium for the category
No joysticks make it notably slimmer and more pocketable
Android 13 with Play Store access expands utility beyond emulation
What we disliked
No joysticks limit N64, Dreamcast, and PSP playability
The original TrimUI Brick arrived in 2024 with an unusually sharp 3.2-inch IPS screen at 1024×768, giving it a pixel density of 405 PPI, a number that belongs on a premium smartphone, not a $55 device. The Brick Hammer edition, launched in 2025, replaces the plastic shell with a full CNC-machined aluminum alloy in Gunmetal Gray, Rose Gold, and Fluorescent Green. The metal shell doubles as a heatsink, dropping operating temperatures noticeably. Three interchangeable shoulder button sets ship in the box.
The software runs CrossMix OS on a Linux base: clean, fast, minimal overhead. Load your ROMs, pick a game, and play. Battery life lands around four to six hours. The processor handles Game Boy through PS1 without complaint; N64 gets through most titles; Dreamcast is inconsistent. The CNC backplate can be engraved, which no other device at this price point offers. The Rose Gold aluminum version sitting next to a MacBook on a desk looks less out of place than it has any right to, and that’s a strange and interesting thing to say about a $99 handheld.
What we liked
CNC aluminum Hammer shell runs noticeably cooler than the original plastic
Swappable shoulder buttons and engravable backplate are genuinely rare customization options
Rose Gold and Gunmetal colorways punch well above the budget tier
What we disliked
No analog joysticks, which limits 3D game compatibility
Dreamcast and demanding N64 titles run inconsistently
Miyoo Mini Plus (and Mini Flip): The one that started the whole obsession
If there’s a single device responsible for bringing this category to mainstream attention, the Miyoo Mini Plus is probably it. It weighs 200 grams, fits in a jeans pocket, has a 3.5-inch IPS screen at 640×480, and runs OnionOS, a community-built firmware that turns a modest Cortex-A7 processor into a near-perfect front end for everything from the NES to the original PlayStation. The interface is clean, the emulator library covers over a hundred platforms, and save states work the way save states should.
The Miyoo Mini Flip takes the same hardware and wraps it in a GBA SP-style clamshell, adding screen protection and an extra wave of nostalgia. Early production runs had hinge concerns, though those appear to have been addressed in more recent batches. At $69-99, this is the gateway to the category that doesn’t feel like a compromise. The honest question isn’t whether this device is worth the money, since it clearly is. It’s whether starting here will satisfy the itch, or simply make you want to own the other six devices on this list as well.
What we liked
Genuinely pocketable at 200g, fits in a jeans pocket without bulk
Covers NES through PS1 with confident performance
Mini Flip clamshell adds nostalgic GBA SP energy and screen protection
RPCS3 is asking handheld PC users for feedback as it works on improving the portable experience for its PlayStation 3 emulator. Planned updates include a redesigned in-game home menu, better button mapping, quick settings, and the ability to add games to Steam directly from the emulator.
Lenovo has opened beta registrations for the Xbox Full Screen Experience on the Legion Go. The console-style interface aims to streamline Windows handheld gaming by booting directly into the Xbox app and reducing background tasks.
Lenovo Legion Go with the Xbox app
Lenovo has opened beta registrations for the Xbox Full Screen Experience on the Legion Go.
Decky Loader unlocks powerful plugins for Steam Deck and Bazzite handhelds. This guide highlights the five best plugins that improve performance, usability, and library organization.
Reports have shown that the Xbox Ally X is now $200 more expensive in Japan, which could potentially lead to price hikes in the rest of the world. In contrast, the Xbox Ally hasn't changed prices yet and is still enjoying its 18% discount from January, taking its price below $490.
Xbox Ally running full screen mode
Play on the go for less while the Xbox Ally avoids "RAMpocalypse" price hikes
Valve has acknowledged that Steam Deck OLED stock shortages are due to memory and storage supply issues, raising questions about pricing and how this will affect the Steam Machine.
Steam Deck OLED with a sad face
Valve has acknowledged that Steam Deck OLED stock shortages are due to memory and storage supply issues.
It's the end of January, but we've found a major discount to close it out in style for portable handheld gaming users. The critically-acclaimed Xbox Ally, whose performance and hardware is on par with the iconic Steam Deck, is now on sale with a 18% discount.
Xbox Ally on its back with the default Windows background showing the ASUS ROG logo and the Xbox logo.
Windows Smart App Control in Windows 11 is blocking Armory Crate on Xbox Ally and ROG Ally devices, preventing users from accessing essential settings and updates.
Handhelds are a modern marvel, but they're getting way too big. Is the PSP Go an example of what we should have done, or is that space filled by smartphones?
Sony PSP Go handheld resting above a Steam Deck on a purple card stock background
The Xbox Ally, the Xbox spinoff of the critically-acclaimed ASUS ROG Ally gaming handheld, has received a 30% discount sale as part of Amazon's Super Saturday event.
Xbox Ally on its back with the default Windows background showing the ASUS ROG logo and the Xbox logo.
I played dozens of games on my handheld gaming PCs this year, but 14 of them stood out from the crowd. Here are my favorite games I played on handhelds this year.
Various video game characters coming out from an Xbox Ally X that is floating on a colorful background.
The Xbox Ally X offers powerful handheld gaming, yet early setup issues, software problems, and what I call "jank" show it needs serious refinement before it can shine.
A closeup of the ROG Xbox Ally X's D-Pad, Xbox button, and joystick.
AYANEO makes some pretty wild portable gaming devices, and in 2026 it's going to be making its first phone. 15 years on, we're finally getting a spiritual successor to the Sony Xperia Play.
There's no denying that the Xbox Ally X is expensive. If you still want a solid gaming handheld but don't want to pay that much for one, the original ROG Ally is the device to consider, not the Xbox Ally.
An ROG Ally with a winking face and a finger pointing to it and a Legion Go with a winking face and a finger pointing to it. Behind them is a wooden table with pine needles, pine cones, holly berries, and holiday lights.
JerryRigEverything's teardown of the ROG Xbox Ally X highlights its plastic construction, making a protective case like dbrand's discounted Killswitch a must-have.
Gaming handhelds are supposed to fit in your hands, but AMD’s new Strix Halo processors generate serious heat and drain batteries faster than you can finish a boss fight. The GPD Win 5 and OneXFly Apex responded by strapping external battery packs to their backs, which works, but looks like your handheld is wearing a fanny pack in the wrong spot. It’s practical but awkward, and it raises an obvious question: if you’re adding external batteries anyway, why not just make the whole device bigger?
AYANEO apparently asked that same question and decided to run with it. The AYANEO NEXT II skips external packs entirely, hiding a massive 115Wh battery and a 9.06-inch OLED inside a thick, sculpted body that feels more like a portable gaming monitor with grips than something you’d slip into a backpack. It’s AYANEO’s answer to Strix Halo’s power demands, and the solution involves simply accepting that this thing was never going to be pocketable in the first place.
The design doesn’t apologize for its size. Deep grips flare outward like a proper gamepad, and the body is thick enough to house dual cooling fans without turning into a space heater. Hall effect sticks sit where your thumbs expect them, surrounded by a floating D-pad, dual touchpads, and speakers that actually face you instead of firing sound into your lap. It looks less like a Switch rival and more like someone decided gaming monitors needed handles attached.
That 9.06-inch screen uses an unusual 3:2 aspect ratio instead of the typical widescreen shape most games expect. You get a gorgeous OLED panel with refresh rates up to 165Hz and brightness that peaks at 1100 nits, which sounds fantastic until you realize most games will either add black bars or run nowhere near 165 frames per second at this resolution anyway. Still, it’s lovely for desktop windows and emulators that appreciate the extra vertical space.
The 115Wh battery is where things get complicated. Everything stays hidden inside for a cleaner look and more console-like feel, but that capacity might cause questions at airport security since many airlines cap carry-on batteries at 100Wh. You also can’t swap batteries when one dies, and constantly feeding an 85-watt processor means faster charge cycles and potential long-term wear. You’re looking at two to three hours of heavy gaming before hunting for an outlet.
The dual cooling fans work hard to keep Strix Halo from overheating, and you’ll definitely hear them during intense sessions. AYANEO claims it can sustain up to 85 watts, which should let the integrated Radeon graphics handle modern games at respectable settings, though you’ll also feel warmth radiating from the vents. This is less a grab-and-go portable and more something you carry from the couch to the desk when you need a scenery change.
AYANEO loaded the NEXT II with premium controls that enthusiasts will genuinely appreciate. Hall effect sticks and triggers promise zero drift, dual-stage trigger locks switch between smooth analog and clicky digital modes, and rear buttons plus dual touchpads give you more inputs than a standard controller. A magnetic haptic motor adds feedback that tries to mimic console vibration, and the AYASpace software hides Windows behind a console-style launcher with performance tuning options built in.
The AYANEO NEXT II essentially stops pretending to be portable. It won’t fit in a jacket pocket, might get flagged at airport security, and is almost certainly too heavy for comfortable one-handed play in bed. But if you want something that feels more like a small gaming monitor with built-in controls rather than a device you’d actually carry around town, this oversized approach makes a strange kind of sense. You just have to accept that portability took a back seat to screen size and battery capacity.
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