# Recent Alternative (Android) Gaming Handhelds (& Smartphone Mountings)



## Evilengine (Mar 29, 2016)

I recently looked a bit throught all devices I found.
This list is by far not complete. Some older brands are not listed.

*some thoughts*


Spoiler



My conclusion: You won't find a device, that supports all you need. You can't compare them totally by performance per dollar, because some points are highly subjective. The overall feeling in your personal hands. There are some steps, where you have to think what you really need, where the development is at the moment, and how much this will cost you. My decision: I stick mostly to the original systems together with original games and flashcards/cfw. One good 1000€ gaming PC for stationary use together with Retroarch and Hyperspin or a similar frontend. Playing all emulators as good as possible to date. Together with many consoles, if I need the real feeling together with a good old CRT and RGB. If I can live without Gamecube, Wii, PS2 emulation, a RaspberryPi3 should be very cool. Like previously said, you can have a dead cheap emulation system, but only to a certain degree. Afaik Raspberry can handle Dremcast, maybe PSP but that's it. Portable Devices: Special case: GBA SP for GB/C/A. best System for it imho. 3DS and PSP/Vita are too big and the screens are good but don't have the ideal dimension, the AGS101 is ideal. For GB/C a backlight modded GB/C would be best, but GBA is just right imho, because you can have it all on one device.. For emulator needs I use the n3DS XL at the moment. n3DS gets better and better but imho only a good option if you really like 3DS games. For emulation as a main purpose the second screen plus the wide screen format are annoying. Also not very ergonomic... Really like it, favorite Handheld atm, but it has it's flaws... PS Vita seems to get better and better emulation also. I don't check the status so often, but it has more power than 3DS, not ideal screen dimensions, but at least only one screen. Has all the PSP homebrew plus everything that comes new, maybe it will get a good n64 emulator? Dreamcast and Gamecube seem not very realistic. Relatively good PS1 emulation is a pro, A few exclusive PS Vita games are also good. And then there is a huge amount of systems that are mainly for Android stuff and homebrew / emulators. Under that there are two categories: Tablet/Smartphone made for gaming with integrated buttons and sticks and tablets able to use a shell or a holding for a regular gaming controller. Personally I think integrated controls are better, but they often seem to be not as good as a mainstream device like 3DS/Vita, so the look of a smartphone with a PS4 controller can be kinda awkward, but it is best for your hands. An Android tablet with integrated buttons looks cool at first sight, but then you realize that the buttons aren't perfect... I haven't tried all these exotic chinese android gaming tablets, emulation should be ok, some reviewers tell about the bad building quality. I will wait 2 years for a machine that can handle GC/Wii/PS2 to a near perfect PC-like state that won't cost more than 300€."]My conclusion: You won't find a device, that supports all you need. You can't compare them totally by performance per dollar, because some points are highly subjective. The overall feeling in your personal hands. There are some steps, where you have to think what you really need, where the development is at the moment, and how much this will cost you.

My decision:
I stick mostly to the original systems together with original games and flashcards/cfw.
One good 1000€ gaming PC for stationary use together with Retroarch and Hyperspin or a similar frontend. Playing all emulators as good as possible to date. Together with many consoles, if I need the real feeling together with a good old CRT and RGB.


If I can live without Gamecube, Wii, PS2 emulation, a RaspberryPi3 should be very cool. Like previously said, you can have a dead cheap emulation system, but only to a certain degree. Afaik Raspberry can handle Dremcast, maybe PSP but that's it.




*Portable Devices:*

Special case: *GBA SP* for GB/C/A. best System for it imho. 3DS and PSP/Vita are too big and the screens are good but don't have the ideal dimension, the AGS101 is ideal. For GB/C a backlight modded GB/C would be best, but GBA is just right imho, because you can have it all on one device..

For emulator needs I use the n3DS XL at the moment.

n3DS gets better and better but imho only a good option if you really like 3DS games. For emulation as a main purpose the second screen plus the wide screen format are annoying. Also not very ergonomic... Really like it, favorite Handheld atm, but it has it's flaws...

PS Vita seems to get better and better emulation also. I don't check the status so often, but it has more power than 3DS, not ideal screen dimensions, but at least only one screen. Has all the PSP homebrew plus everything that comes new, maybe it will get a good n64 emulator? Dreamcast and Gamecube seem not very realistic. Relatively good PS1 emulation is a pro, A few exclusive PS Vita games are also good.



And then there is a huge amount of systems that are mainly for Android stuff and homebrew / emulators. Under that there are two categories:
Tablet/Smartphone made for gaming with integrated buttons and sticks and tablets able to use a shell or a holding for a regular gaming controller.

Personally I think integrated controls are better, but they often seem to be not as good as a mainstream device like 3DS/Vita, so the look of a smartphone with a PS4 controller can be kinda awkward, but it is best for your hands. An Android tablet with integrated buttons looks cool at first sight, but then you realize that the buttons aren't perfect... I haven't tried all these exotic chinese android gaming tablets, emulation should be ok, some reviewers tell about the bad building quality.

I will wait 2 years for a machine that can handle GC/Wii/PS2 to a near perfect PC-like state that won't cost more than 300€.





I will clean this thread up maybe.
I will add more devices if there are noteworthy, please feel free to post them, maybe In a way I did so i can implement them easy.



Here is what I found:

*Dragonbox Pyra* - Follower of the Pandora - unreleased no final price yet >300€


Spoiler



https://pyra-handheld.com/boards/pages/pyra/
https://www.dragonbox.de/de/45-pyra







*Technische Spezifikationen:*

Texas Instruments OMAP 5 SoC
2x ARM Cortex-A15 @ 1.5Ghz mit NEON SIMD
2x ARM Cortex-M4
PowerVR™ SGX544-MP2
Vivante GC320 2D Beschleunigung

2GB RAM
720p 5" LCD
Hochwertige Lautsprecher und analoger Lautstärkeregler
Headset-Anschluß, Internes Mikrofon, HDMI-Ausgang
Verschiedene Sensoren (Beschleunigung, Gyro, etc.)
Vibrations-Motor


Größe: ca. 140 x 84 x 29 mm
Großer Akku für lange Laufzeit (6000mAh)
Spielsteuerungen (DPad, 4 Schultertaster, 6 Action-Buttons)
Zwei präsise analoge Controller mit Taster
QWERTY Tastatur mit Hintergrundbeleuchtung
Integriertes Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/n und Bluetooth 4.0
Zwei SDXC-KArtenslots
2x große USB-Host-Ports (einer kann mit Adapter als eSATA-Port verwendet werden), 1x Micro USB 3.0, 1x Micro USB (Debug und Laden)
Voll konfigurierbare RGB-LEDs für Systeminfos
3G/4G/UMTS und GPS



*GPD G7 RK3188* - 120$


Spoiler










Android 4.2 OS, Quad-core, Cortex A9, 1.4GHz
1GB RAM 8GB memory
Quad-core Mali-400 GPU, fully compatible with APK, 3D games
Virtual key mapping function and almighty simulator game
Screen: 7 inches, HD TFT 1024*600 resolution
with Mini HDMI, with Micro USB and USB, with G-sensor,with two vibration motor, analog variable L2,R2
Professional design for hand shank, Excellent handle control(exterior patent)
Contain Android game center and classic simulator game center
Battery capacity: 5000mAh
Wi-Fi business, Email, Word, Excel, online downloading, MSN, SKYPE, GOOGLE, etc.
0.3M Front Camera .Support 1080P(1920x1080pixel)decoding; support RM/RMVB/PPTV, web TV, online movie
Support NGE&SGM format patent games and 8bit NES/FC, GB, GBC; 16bit SMC, SMD, SFC/SNES; 32bit GBA, MAME; 64bit N64 and SONY PS games
Support HD 3D(800x480) android APK 3D game. Flash11 and Flash online games; support full screen touch games, gravity sensor direction games, web multi-player games
E-bookDF,TXT,CHM,UMD,HTML
accessories: earphone, USB cable, OTG cable, Charge and manual



*GPD XD* -around 200$:


Spoiler



http://www.gpd.hk/
http://boards.dingoonity.org/gpd-devices/gpd-xd-review-in-progress-ask-what-you'd-like-to-see/
http://www.trustedreviews.com/gamepad-digital-gpd-xd-review








*CPU:* Rockchip RK3288 Quad-Core (ARM Cortex A-17)
*GPU:* ARM Mali-T764 (600MHz)
*RAM:* 2GB (DDR3-SDRAM)
*GPU memory:* Shared with RAM
*WIFI:* Supports 802.11b/g/n/ac (2.4GHz)
*Bluetooth:* Not supported
*OS:* Android 4.4.4
*Storage:* Built-in 16GB/32GB. Supports microSD up to 128GB
*Screen:* H-IPS 5.0” capacitive touch screen.
*Resolution:* 1280x720
*Controller:* Two control sticks, D-pad, Buttons (volume/power/start/select/back/home/menu/controller/A/B/X/Y/L3/R3), Triggers (L1/L2/R1/R2)
*Battery:* 6000mAh (3.8V, 22.8Wh)
*Dimensions:* 155x89x24mm
*Weight:* 300g



*GPD XD 2*(not released yet):


Spoiler



http://www.gpd.hk/
http://boards.dingoonity.org/gpd-devices/some-suggestions-for-the-new-gpd-xd2/
http://boards.dingoonity.org/gpd-devices/windows-handheld-device/225/
Design concepts:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLXPqQ3mj-_IcZb115b0zlvMnHRNpSt--9






*GPD WIN* - not released yet, 500$:


Spoiler



http://www.gpd.hk/
http://www.gpd.hk/news.asp?id=1316&selectclassid=002001
http://www.cnx-software.com/2016/02...gaming-console-launched-on-indiegogo-for-299/








GPD Win specifications:

SoC – Intel Atom x5-Z8500 quad-core Cherry Trail processor @ 1.44/2.24 GHz (Burst) with Intel HD Gen8 graphics @ up to 600MHz
System Memory – 4GB LPDDR3-1600
Storage – 64GB eMMC 4.51 flash + micro SD slot up to 128GB
Display – 5.5″ capacitive touch IPS screen; 1280×720 resolution; Corning Gorilla Glass 3; full lamination technology
Video Output- mini HDMI
Audio – mini HDMI, 3.5mm headset jack, microphone and speaker; Realtek ALC5645 audio codec
Connectivity – WiFi 802.11 b/g/n and Bluetooth 4.0
USB – 1x USB 3.0 port, 1x micro USB port
HID – QWERTY keyboard with DPAD, two ALPS Joysticks (including one acting a mouse when needed), ABXY controls, volume and gaming buttons
Sensors – Gravity and hall effect sensors
Misc – Power LED
Battery – 6000 mAh non-removable Li-Po battery, good for 6 to 8 hours playing online games, or watching videos.
Dimensions – 15.5 x 9.7 x 2.2 cm (when closed)
Weight – 300 grams



*GPD Q9* - 130$


Spoiler



http://www.willgoo.com/gpd-q9-psv-gamepad-analog-stick-same-as-gpd-xd-p-643.html





Features:

Game features: CPU: ARM Cortex-A17 1.8GHz; GPU: ARM Mali-T764 3D graphics acceleration hardware
Game center: Support emulator games and Android gravity and touch games. ARCADE games:The King of fighters 97/98,Sanguo,Street Fighter series,Metal Slug,etc. PSP games:Monster Hunter series,The God War,Final Fantasy,Hatsune Miku,etc. NDS games:Mario Kart DS,Pokemon Black,Metal Slug 7,Metal Max 3,etc. GBA games:Mario Kart Advance,Dragon Ball Z,Kirby and the Amazing Mirror,Naruto Saikyou Ninja Daikesshuu 2,etc. N64 games:Cat and Mouse, SNK,Vinda legend,,Contra,Super Smash Bros,Mortal Kombat 4,etc.DC games: Guilty Gear X,IKARUGA,Shenmue,Resident Evil 3,Star Craft 64,etc
Special Game Button: Dual joysticks, dual LR buttons and dual speakers, crossing, ABXY physical button


Sensor: 3-axis gravity sensor
Screen: 7 inch 1024*600 IPS capacative touch screen
CPU: RK3288（ARM Cortex-A17 1.8GHz CPU, ARM Mali-T764 3D graphics acceleration hardware GPU）, GPU
OS: Android 4.4.4
RAM: 2GB DDR3 ROM(Storage): 16GB (new version) Extend Card: Support TF card up to 64GB extended
Display: 7" Multi Touch IPS G+G Capacitive Screen Resolution: 1024*600-pixel
Front Camera: 0.3MP Support Video Recording; Support JPG, BMP and PNG etc., browsing and slide show
HDMI: Yes OTG: Yes, for conecting keyborad, mouse, external 3G, Flashdriver,etc
WiFi: b/g/n
Speaker: Dual Speaker
Battery: 5000mAh Built-in rechargeable lithium-polymer battery Power



*JXD S-7800b* - $154.98


Spoiler



http://www.jxd.hk/game-console/s7800b/
http://www.jxdofficial.com/





Quad Core 1.4GHz,2GB RAM, ARM Mali-400 MP4 GPU
IPS 1280*800,216PPI Pixel Density
Game Handle Entity Key Layout
USA CTS Dual Joysticks,Extraordinary Buttons Mapping Function
Game Center Cloud Service, 18 Emulators
1080P HDMI Output
Storage:16GB


*JXD Singularity S192* around 300$


Spoiler



http://www.jxd.hk/game-console/s192/








Connected via Wireless Bluetooth and WiFi
Android 4.4 OS
7 inch 1920*1200 FHD Retina capacitive touch screen.
ARM Cortex-A15 NVIDIA Tegra K1 Quad-core 2.0GHz CPU
NVIDIA Tegra K1 192 core Kepler GPU, fully compatible with APK, 3D games
2GB LPDDR3 RAM + 32GB NAND FLASH ROM, T-Flash card 128GB max
5.0MP front camera
10000mAh large Li-polymer battery, long standby time
Support OpenGL 4.4 and OpenGL ES 3.1 special effects
Support multi game types: PSP / DC / ONS / NGP / NDS / N64 / PS1 / ARCADE / MAME / GBA / AFC / FC / MD / WSC / GBC/Arcade Games / Android Games / Computer Games, Nvida GRID cloud streaming games, etc.



*JXD S5110B* - 80$


Spoiler











*Smach Zero* - around 300$ Steam handheld


Spoiler









http://www.smachz.com/



The final specs of SMACH Zero are the following:

- AMD embedded G-Series SoC "Steppe Eagle" with Jaguar-based CPU and GCN-based Radeon graphics.
- 4 GB RAM memory
- 32GB internal memory and SD Card Slot
- USB OTG
- 5-inch Touch screen with 720p resolution
- Configurable tactile gamepads
- HDMI video output connection
- Wi-Fi conectivity
- Bluetooth connectivity
- 4G mobile network connectivity (PRO model only)

The hardware specification offers a balance between performance and cost, that will permit to play more than 1,000 games in Steam from the day one.

The console keys scheme will be similar to the latest version of the official Steam Controller, making use of two touch pads, a control stick, 7 buttons on the front face and 6 in the rear.

SMACH Zero is expected to be launched in 2016. More information about price and availability will be given during the next Gamescom, in August 2015.




*BLAZE TAB* Android Retro Gaming Tablet (16GB Edition) around 130€


Spoiler



http://www.funstock.co.uk/blazetab-android-gaming-tablet







*Nvidia Shield* - up to 400€?


Spoiler



https://shield.nvidia.com/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shield_Portable






*Also known as* Project Shield
*Manufacturer* Nvidia
*Product family* Shield
*Type* Handheld game console
*Generation* Eighth generation
*Release date* July 31, 2013; 2 years ago
*Introductory price* US$199[1]
*Operating system* Android 4.2.1 (_Jelly Bean_) (upgradable to Android 5.1 Lollipop)
*System-on-chip used* Tegra 4
*CPU* 1.9 GHz GHz quad-core ARM Cortex-A15
*Memory* 2 GB DDR3L RAM
*Storage* 16 GB flash memory, microSD card reader
*Display* 5 inches (13 cm) 1280 x 720 px(294 ppi) IPS LCD
*Graphics* 72 GeForce graphics cores (24 vertex shaders + 48 pixel shaders)[2]
*Input* Multi-touch capacitive screen, microphone, 3-axis accelerometer, gyroscope, GPS
*Controller input* D-pad
2 × Analog Sticks
L/R bumper and trigger buttons
X, Y, A, B buttons
NVIDIA/Power Button
Start button
Home button
Volume buttons
Back button
*Connectivity* 2×2 MIMO 2.4 GHz + 5 GHz Wi-Fi 802.11n, Bluetooth 3.0, micro USB 2.0, mini HDMI, 3.5mm audio jack
*Power* 7350 mAh (28.8 W·h)
*Online services* Nvidia TegraZone
Google Play
*Dimensions* 6.22 inches (15.8 cm) _(W)_
2.244 inches (5.70 cm) _(H)_
5.315 inches (135.0 mm) _(D)_
*Weight* 579 g (20.42 oz)
*Related articles* Shield Tablet, Tegra Note 7
*Website* shield.nvidia.com


*Archos Gamepad 2* - dunno if it is still in production?


Spoiler



http://www.engadget.com/products/archos/gamepad/2/specs/






some of the controller mountings


Spoiler











Nyko Nyko Smart Clip - PlayStation 4 17.39




8bitdo SNES30 Wireless Bluetooth Controller Dual Classic Joystick for IOS / Android Gamepad 42.90






*Mad Catz C.T.R.L.i Mobile Gamepad (MFi)* 50€








IPEGA Extendable gamepad Game Controller Portable Bluetooth Wireless Gamepad Joystick Control for Android and iOS Smartphones and Tablets 28.98

https://www.reddit.com/r/AndroidGam...eview_the_ipega_telescoping_controller_pg9023







some links:


Spoiler



http://obscurehandhelds.com/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steam_Machine_(hardware_platform)

https://www.reddit.com/r/emulation/comments/2rgkc9/what_is_the_best_handheld_emulation_device/

http://boards.dingoonity.org/gpd-devices/(new)-gpd-q9-rk3288-gamepad-vs-jxd-s7800b-which-one-do-you-like-best/15/

http://manguiro.blogspot.de/


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## Bazooka_Face (Nov 4, 2021)

Why would you even want any of these? Android has pretty terrible games, and there are better alternatives for emulation.


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## esmith13 (Nov 4, 2021)

#1 - you're a bit out of context here since this thread is from March 2016... Things were different then.

#2 - Android is one of the top methods of accomplishing excellent portable emulation. Funny you should say otherwise considering the Powkiddy X18s is finally out and it is the first 'next gen' emulation handheld running some gamecube, wii and ps2 games as its top tier and still under $200. Also the Ayn Odin is coming very soon along with the GPD XD - both of which are android based as well and should outperform the Powkiddy X18s. The Retroid Pocket 2+ is orderable now as well for $100 and uses the same chipset family as the X18s albeit a little less powerful and also uses Android. Hell, with Android, you even have the ability to build your entire emulation setup on a windows PC and both play it there and 'export' it to Android to play without re-setting up anything manually (via the Launchbox frontend software). I'm not saying Android is the end-all-be-all for emulation but it is definitely a top contender.


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## Evilengine (Jan 21, 2022)

A lot happened in the mean time, if I find any ambition, I can update the list, but response wasn't that great back then. 
But it's giving some insight, how fast those devicesd developed since then, isn't it?


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