Retro games are great. Old classics like Super Mario, The Legend of Zelda, Sonic the Hedgehogand a ton of others across a span of consoles are some of the greatest games of all time. Modern technology allows you to play them anywhere, and these are some of the best ways you can enjoy the classics no matter where you go.
1 Smartphone emulators
Everyone’s heard of Delta
Delta is a Nintendo emulator that was recently released on the Apple App Store. It’s been sideloadable for years, but you can finally officially install it on your iPhone and play some of the older classics. The consoles it supports are the following:
- NES
- SNES
- Nintendo 64
- Game Boy
- Game Boy Advance
- Nintendo DS
On Android, there are even more options. You can install a ton of emulators for basically every retro and even modern console. Anything from the oldest of consoles to even a Nintendo Wii or GameCube is downloadable on an Android smartphone, making your smartphone one of the best ways to enjoy retro gaming on the go. You can even pick up a gaming controller attachment for your smartphone if you want to make it even easier to play games anywhere.
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2 A dedicated retro gaming handheld
The Miyoo Mini+, the Anbernic RG35XX, or countless others
If you want something dedicated to gaming, there are a ton of options you can choose. I love both the Miyoo Mini+ and the Anbernic RG35XX, but there are genuinely countless numbers of handhelds out there that you can try out.
These devices are especially interesting because they’re pocketable, and also don’t require you to drain your phone’s battery to play them. They tend to be cheaper devices too that are built around gaming, and they’re designed to be turned on, played for a bit, then turned off again. The biggest limitation is that you’re typically limited to, a maximumthe Nintendo DS. Most of these can really only do up until the PlayStation 1.
If you want to get in on retro gaming in any serious way, a retro gaming handheld is the best option to go for. Do some research, see what ones you like, and take the plunge. You won’t regret it.
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3 A PC gaming handheld
A Steam Deck, an Asus ROG Ally, a Lenovo Legion Go, take your pick
If you want something that can play heavier games as well as retro titles, then a PC gaming handheld might be up your alley instead. EmuDeck is a conglomerate of emulators that you can install all at once, and it makes it really easy to play countless consoles on the Steam Deck or any of the Windows handhelds that are out there.
There are a ton of different PC gaming handhelds to choose from, so I recommend doing some reading to see what suits you best. If you want something that just works out fo the box, you can’t go wrong with the Steam Deck, but you’ll need to do some work in its desktop mode before you can properly emulate games on the go. In contrast, a Windows gaming handheld is essentially always in a desktop mode, so you’ll be used to navigating around.
The only downside to these devices is that they tend to be a lot bulkier and aren’t something you can carry around with ease or in your pocket. Aside from that, they’re more powerful, tend to have longer battery lives for this kind of gaming, and often have more comfortable controllers, too. If you think you’ll carry one around everywhere, the Steam Deck would be my pick for the best PC gaming handheld when it comes to emulation.
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The best device is the one you have
If you don’t want to go out and spend money on a whole new device, then the best is the one that you have. For most people, that’ll be their smartphone. With Apple recently opening up the App Store to emulators and emulators already being a mainstay on Android for the last few years, there are countless to choose from. You can play a ton of games on your smartphone, but if you have another device like the Steam Deck, definitely read into EmuDeck and see if it’s worth your while setting up. I know it was for me, and I absolutely love it.