Can anybody tell me why retro game handhelds are on the rise lately?

[XRTerra]

TDLR at bottom

I know they've been around for longer than "lately", but a lot of retro game handhelds are weaker than most smartphones. Obviously there are some that are on par with flagships, but.. why? In fact, a lot of older phones could easily emulate ps1, and some could do n64, but we're up to a point where most people already have a phone in their pocket that can be used as a pocket ps2 or pocket n64 running at full speed. Plus, you can buy a controller grip if you so please and don't have to worry if a part breaks on the controller.

I can understand using a psvita or n3ds as a pocket emulator, as they already have amazing build quality and can natively play the games that they're supposed to. Most retro game handhelds cannot even emulate the psvita and 3ds games also use the touchscreen a bit, so thats room taken away from the main game. Plus, both consoles have near perfect nes/snes/gb(a)/ps1(is slightly slow on n3dsk) and n64(also slightly slow on n3ds, but sm64 got a 60 fps port),the ps vita runs vita games perfectly, and the 3ds runs 3ds, ds, perfectly, because, y'know, they were made for it.

I don't have any hate towards retro game handhelds, I may be slightly biased against them but the switch is also an option, and with a potential switch pro on the horizon for later this year or next year, plus the fact that the switch already has an amazing library that requires no emulation, I still will never see the point to buying a RGH.

TDLR, most smartphones(also have the ability to use your own controller or controller grip), the psvita, n3ds, and switch can do what retro game handhelds can do, but better. So why should I buy a RGH?

 

[M7L7NK7]

Then don't buy one?

 

[Latiodile]

because the vita, 3ds and psp don't run a variant of linux/android, and the psp/vita/3ds have reached a plateau of what we can emulate reliably, where android and linux is still... a thing, people tend to very easily port the latest updates to various emulators sooner to these things, and then if someone feels like it they can attempt to port it to the handheld consoles, usually with a ton of sacrifices

 

[MartianMSK]

what the...? Do you want people to justify themselves for buying RGH or what? The smartphone+controller grip is not something really fun to do, especially when you're on the go. You would run out of battery on you main device and you wouldnt be able to use it while playing. The experience of something like the Odin is absolutely uncomparable to a more powerful device but with c. grip instead of built in controllers. And also... ps vita and 3ds? You would have problems just to perfectly emulate the SNES on those! Now you can have a handheld that can run anything up to ps2 and GC with almost no problems and you think the psvita or the 3ds are better? they would be better at what they are meant for, but like any other console And no, the switch can't even emulate ps1 as good as an rg351 (unless you use android, but then a dedicated handheld would be way more practicle). If you personally don't like them, don't buy any, easy.

 

[AWESOMEGAMER]

They never played retro games before. That and C19.
C19 will make you do anything. I changed my avi three times in one day one here.
BRUTAL Im a rebel (ﾉ≧∇≦)ﾉ ﾐ ┸━┸

 

[Taleweaver]

Supply and demand. In this case: the supply is so much you don't need much more than a raspberry pi, a manufacturer and some software licenses to legally create a fun experience.

Not everyone wants to tinker with their device to get it to work. Heck... I could've stick to my psp as well, but got a good handful of fixes afterward that ended up able to play most of those games as well. Why did i do that if i haven't played all 16-big games that could be great if i gave them a spin?

But even so: i think most nostalgics simply have their dream device by now. So my opinion on the market is actually aspiring young gamers with a tight budget. They sometimes got no idea what masterpieces were made before they were born but are curious. So i presume many buy these

 

[hippy dave]

They never played retro games before. That and C19.
C19 will make you do anything. I changed my avi three times in one day one here.
BRUTAL Im a rebel (ﾉ≧∇≦)ﾉ ﾐ ┸━┸

What is C19 and where can I score some?

 

[AWESOMEGAMER]

What is C19 and where can I score some?

C(ovid) 19 are you sure you did not alrady have it.
Shorted C19
TLR
That covid 19 BTW

 

[hippy dave]

C(ovid) 19 are you sure you did not alrady have it.
Shorted C19
TLR
That covid 19 BTW

Ah gotcha. No I haven't already had it to the best of my knowledge. Might not seek it out after all...

 

[Kioku]

I want a handheld device capable of playing retro titles with local wireless multiplayer support. Especially for Gameboy titles and the like.

 

[AncientBoi]

[sits here playing with my PSP, not even caring of this thread] Happy with what I got. [though I'm still thinking about getting a switch, or a steam deck]

just saying.

 

[XRTerra]

Supply and demand. In this case: the supply is so much you don't need much more than a raspberry pi, a manufacturer and some software licenses to legally create a fun experience.

Not everyone wants to tinker with their device to get it to work. Heck... I could've stick to my psp as well, but got a good handful of fixes afterward that ended up able to play most of those games as well. Why did i do that if i haven't played all 16-big games that could be great if i gave them a spin?

But even so: i think most nostalgics simply have their dream device by now. So my opinion on the market is actually aspiring young gamers with a tight budget. They sometimes got no idea what masterpieces were made before they were born but are curious. So i presume many buy these

because the vita, 3ds and psp don't run a variant of linux/android, and the psp/vita/3ds have reached a plateau of what we can emulate reliably, where android and linux is still... a thing, people tend to very easily port the latest updates to various emulators sooner to these things, and then if someone feels like it they can attempt to port it to the handheld consoles, usually with a ton of sacrifices

Thank you both for giving me legit answers! I still am gonna stick to my n3ds (and one day ps vita if I get one) but its nice to know exactly why they're better.

*cut because I don't want to make this post to big*

Snes emulation is pretty damn good on the n3ds(I never specifically mentioned the old 3ds). And ps1 emulation also runs pretty good. It isn't perfect, but if the n3ds has pretty decent ps1 emulation, the switch should be able to emulate ps1 really well. I'll mod my switch when I get to it and try it out. And after watching some youtube videos on ps vita snes emulation, THATS not good? Most games run at around 60 fps, which is perfectly playable in my book.

 

[The Real Jdbye]

TDLR at bottom

I know they've been around for longer than "lately", but a lot of retro game handhelds are weaker than most smartphones. Obviously there are some that are on par with flagships, but.. why? In fact, a lot of older phones could easily emulate ps1, and some could do n64, but we're up to a point where most people already have a phone in their pocket that can be used as a pocket ps2 or pocket n64 running at full speed. Plus, you can buy a controller grip if you so please and don't have to worry if a part breaks on the controller.

I can understand using a psvita or n3ds as a pocket emulator, as they already have amazing build quality and can natively play the games that they're supposed to. Most retro game handhelds cannot even emulate the psvita and 3ds games also use the touchscreen a bit, so thats room taken away from the main game. Plus, both consoles have near perfect nes/snes/gb(a)/ps1(is slightly slow on n3dsk) and n64(also slightly slow on n3ds, but sm64 got a 60 fps port),the ps vita runs vita games perfectly, and the 3ds runs 3ds, ds, perfectly, because, y'know, they were made for it.

I don't have any hate towards retro game handhelds, I may be slightly biased against them but the switch is also an option, and with a potential switch pro on the horizon for later this year or next year, plus the fact that the switch already has an amazing library that requires no emulation, I still will never see the point to buying a RGH.

TDLR, most smartphones(also have the ability to use your own controller or controller grip), the psvita, n3ds, and switch can do what retro game handhelds can do, but better. So why should I buy a RGH?

- Vita has no games
- Vita uses an odd screen resolution which is not ideal for emulation
- 3DS is too weak to emulate many consoles well such as PSX, Dreamcast, N64.
- Smartphones don't have dedicated controls and carrying a controller with you for emulation makes it bulky. A device with integrated controls is just more convenient. Also, battery life on smartphones is bad for gaming.
- Switch Pro is just a rumor, and we already have 3 different Switch models, I don't see them releasing another improved Switch after OLED. There have been endless Switch Pro rumors and not a sign that any of them are true. It may be the case that they were working on one behind the scenes to find out its viability but that doesn't mean they have any intention of releasing it.
- The Switch is a great system for emulation, but you need to hack it, and hackable systems are hard to find these days, HWFLY chips are overpriced and tricky to install.

All these things considered, dedicated retro emulation handhelds are still a good option. Cheaper than a hacked Switch, more powerful than a hacked 3DS or Vita, more convenient than a smartphone with an external BT or USB controller.

Sidenote, RGH has a very different meaning around these parts, so it's a bit confusing when you abbreviate it like that

 

[Veho]

Because they have become very cheap and very capable, and are a simple all in one, plug and play solution for retro gaming.

Most of those devices come with all emulators already included and integrated in the firmware, but also support Retroarch or other popular distributions, so all you have to do is copy your *ahem* backups to an SD card and off you go. You can get a serviceable retro gaming device for $50, and a device that runs Wii games for $99. And there's no need to hunt down a console with a specific exploitable firmware (if you don't happen to have one), hack, crack or mod anything.

 

[AncientBoi]

I think the word for All this is Manipulable.

 

[Taleweaver]

Thank you both for giving me legit answers! I still am gonna stick to my n3ds (and one day ps vita if I get one) but its nice to know exactly why they're better.

Slight objection here: I didn't say these devices are better for the simple reason I see no reason to even try those mini consoles.

 

[such]

- Vita has no games

Well, that depends.

For one thing, I love my Evo Trails, and those I can't get outside of the Vita - not until Vita games start running on the Switch, but that's still a ways off, if anyone'll even bother to get that done.

And the form factor of that system is perfect for a portable, more so than the rather cumbersome Switch (Lite). So... yeah, I dig it.

 

[AWESOMEGAMER]

-update
The store is shutting down for the wiiu and the 3ds so people are buying brand new ones and physcal games.
But IMHO they are way to much, i did not pay that much for mine when it was new
Some of them smell like re-sellers, but the might be legit players
That is physical games and the 3dsxl system.
But trust me that is way to much money even in euros, mine was brand new with brand new physical games and those prices are a lot.
They smell like re-sellers, （￣へ￣）maybe not

 

[Archolm]

TDLR, most smartphones(also have the ability to use your own controller or controller grip), the psvita, n3ds, and switch can do what retro game handhelds can do, but better.

You are wrong in your assumption.

 

[Jayro]

Given the fact that SoC's have become considerably more powerful while also being more power-efficient, there's a lot you can do with a portable now that you couldn't do with say... the Revo K101, for example. That thing is GUTLESS, and about as bare-bones as it gets for a retro portable, but now we have a huge variety to choose from, and a few have great RK-based (RockChip) chipsets in them. These things can emulate PS1, N64, and Dreamcast... On-the-go! That's attractive to MANY people in their 20's and 30's who grew up with these systems as kids and teenagers, such as myself.