Handheld Console reviews from Reddit

Summary

We analyzed 443 Reddit reviews across 38 subreddits and 78 posts to rank the best Handheld Console brands recommended by redditors, including communities like r/JRPG, r/SBCGaming, r/Handhelds, r/consoles, r/gaming. Top-rated brands include Nintendo (4.5/5), Steam Deck (4.9/5), Sony (4.4/5).

Stats

Reviews443

Subreddits38

Posts78

Brands56

Products63

Top communities

r/JRPG91 r/SBCGaming64 r/Handhelds53 r/consoles46 r/gaming25

443 reviews from

and

By Brand

By Product

Nintendo

4.5

(78)

"3ds or retroid flip would be your answers"

"3ds is king."

"Nothing touches the 3ds in terms of portability."

"Definitely an oled switch or steam deck."

"Nothing beats the nintendo switch game library."

"Got me a switch, modchip done by me, never looked back."

"GBA SP!!"

"A 3DS can also play DS games, so it's probably the best."

"Personal favorite: A tie between a homebrewed 3DS and Homebrewed Switch."

"Definitely the 3ds. All the smt games, the etrian odyssey series, radiant historia, pokemon."

Steam Deck

4.9

(56)

"It's running great so far."

"I run mine on steam deck and love it."

"If you want to be able to play any fangame that might come out you are probably gonna need an x86 handheld like a Steam Deck."

"If battery life is your #1 priority, there is no argument: Steamdeck Oled is the king."

"Best battery life + quick suspend-resume"

"Steam deck"

"The steamdeck is excellent! It is bigger than a switch (and my switch was an OG) but it is so worth it."

"I got a steam deck last year, after my laptop stopped working for good, and it was honestly the best purchase I made."

"I only own a Steam Deck, but I love mine."

"I would say get the Steam Deck, I have one myself."

Sony

4.4

(43)

"PS Vita. The homebrew scene makes it insanely easy to own."

"It’s sexy af playing with the colorful oled on the vita 1k."

"Vita and 3DS, as someone who loves Megami Tensei."

"Hacked Vita will provide a lifetime of Jrpgs."

"My Vita has been my favorite JRPG handheld for a decade now."

"Vita."

"Persona 4 Golden on PS Vita."

"Currently I prefer the Vita. It's JRPG library is just too huge."

"The PSP has an endless amount of JRPG gems."

"Probably VITA, I must've spent tons of hours playing the jrpgs on it."

Retroid

4.3

(30)

"Loving my Retroid Pocket 4 Pro, which I just got recently."

"RP4Pro, docks And charges while doing video out through its USB C port."

"Personally I feel the best the $200 price point is the Retroid Pocket 5. Small, powerful, great build quality."

"The retroid pocket 4/ 4 pro is a no brainer really, can emulate anything upto gamecube and ps2."

"RP4 pro . No arguing here."

"I have one and love it. It's on the smaller size but it's great for portability."

"I'd recommend the Retroid Pocket 2. It's got a solid build and handles retro games really well."

"Retroid Pocket 3+ or Flip, depending on your choice of form factor."

"Retroid 5 will play up to PS2 generation with little effort."

"Retroid 5 or mioo mini+ both are daily drivers for me"

Valve

4.4

(28)

"The versatility of the Steam deck is amazing."

"Steam deck 100% wins this"

"Steam deck 1000% Best hardware I have purchased in hears"

"How is this even a question, the steamdeck"

"Steam Deck OLED is hard to beat."

"The SteamDeck used on like Facebook marketplace is the deal of deals in this space."

"Steam Deck obviously"

"Steam deck"

"Steam Deck, ez."

"I have a Steam Deck and love it. One of my favorite pieces of tech and I would absolutely recommend it."

Anbernic

4.2

(26)

"RG406H was around 95-110$ in the last sale. It simply cannot be beat at that price point."

"Rg406h would be my pic in fact I think it's the best device they've ever made"

"I use my Anbernic RG556 for PS2, GC and PSP."

"I would check out anything from the Anbernic RG35XX line. They all run the same, the only difference is form factor."

"The handheld I use the most is the rg35xx plus got it for $30 stacking coupons."

"If you can afford the extra for the new RG35XX its an awesome upgrade."

"I like the RG35XX. It is bigger than the Miyoo Mini and just as powerful."

"I'm having a great time with Mario 64 on my Anbernic 405m."

"RG406H"

"Anbernic RG406H (OR RG406V)"

Steam

4.5

(16)

"If you have no PC nor console, it's steamdeck."

"Steam deck, easy peasy"

"Steam Deck OLED: Best PC Handheld console in the market."

"Steam deck by far my switch hasn’t been played in 2 months."

"Either the steam deck or the switch or the legion go or the portal or the PSP or the Vita or the ROG ally or a DS"

"Steam deck has the best software and support."

"If you can swing it I'd highly recommend getting one."

"Got a Steam Deck and now 6 mo the later still couldn't be happier."

"Well, the Steam Deck most likely."

"Steamdeck, rog ally o kaya hintayin mo na lang ung switch 2"

Nintendo Switch

4.4

(16)

"I'd say a switch or switch lite."

"Fantastic for gaming on the go."

"Switch and then steam deck"

"The Nintendo Switch is really the only one on the market."

"1 - Nintendo Switch"

"Vita is pretty cool, but Switch>Vita anyday sooo."

"Buy a switch if you don't have one. Seriously the best thing ever."

"I use a Switch and a Playstation Portal. That combo serves me well."

"The switch is most powerful hand held console."

"Switch barely gets the edge from me because Steam Deck is still missing out on certain Nintendo first-party franchises."

PS Vita

4.4

(14)

"Sick with modded software."

"Hack that thing and you will have access to a lifetime of JRPGs."

"Hacked Vita is the best thing you can get for that."

"I only have DS lite and PS Vita. They're equally good but Vita has persona 4 golden."

"I'm playing 6 on my vita right now, it is exactly the same as the psp version but there aren't any loading issue."

"For more *wink wink nudge nudge* methods I'd say the vita."

"Most games including emulation: Vita."

"Vita"

"PS Vita and Switch."

"If you can play on Vita I would recommend Vita."

#10

Ally

4.5

(11)

"You can play most switch games with your legally aquired game backups, windows games, steam games, lots of power, adaptive sync 120hz screen, big battery, not too big, not too small. it’s pricey but you get what you pay for."

"Ally x ftw"

"Ally X is the best pc handheld."

"Ally x all day. More options. More ram More everything"

"Definitely go for the X."

"If you are a “beginner” and use windows please get the Ally X. You will thank me later."

"Personally I lean towards the Ally X out of all of these or possibly the new MSI Claw 7 AI."

"The smaller ones like Steam Deck and ally, other ones are alot more expensive and bigger like the legion go is massive"

"Ally is small but otherwise devices like GPD Win are even smaller."

"Have the Ally so I can only recommend that but honestly any one of those 3 is fine by me."

#11

Miyoo

4.5

(10)

"Its so good"

"The Miyoo Mini Plus is a no brainer, especially cos it's not just good on it's own, but OnionOS elevates it to a whole other level as well."

"I'd recommend starting with the Miyoo Mini plus. Follow the guide on retro game corps website and watch the video to Install onion os."

"I went with the Miyoo mini plus and loved it so much I bought another one and the OG miyoo mini."

"Miyoo Mini is a great retrogaming handheld - ultra portable, great screen."

"Great little console"

"Miyoo mini plus"

"Miyoo mini plus? Or if you want to go full on novelty, go for the Play Date"

"Take a look at the Miyoo Mini Plus or the Anbernic RG35xx. Both good budget all-rounders"

"The Miyoo Mini works great."

#12

GPD

3.9

(8)

"GPD Win 4 is the closest you'll get."

"GPD Win 4 with the 7840u chip."

"I ended up buying the gpd win 4 because it’s much more portable."

"Have you checked out the GPD Win or the Aya Neo?"

"If you want something to tinker and screw around with, want to play specific games that aren't available on other mobile platforms, or just want a cool tiny gadget, get a win 2."

"A Win 2 is a significant upgrade from the 1."

"Have you checked out the GPD Win or the Aya Neo?"

#13

Odin

4.0

(7)

"The Odin is a fantastic handheld."

"The clear winner is the Odin 2 Mini"

"If you want something with good battery life though, you could do an Odin 2"

"Odin 2 mini is extremely close. Similar looks and shape too"

"Mostly android at retro games? Retroid Pocket 5 , Odin 2 or probably meron ka na high end na smartphone."

"Odin 2"

"Odin 2 portal, the rp5 is less powerful, cheaper and does look very close to the vita"

#14

Lenovo

4.7

(6)

"The ally x still stands as the best handheld for gamers rn"

"It is the best handheld currently."

"Ally x woops the steam deck"

"I use my Go to play RTS games like Starcraft or Warcraft and it's 🔥."

"I have a Legion Go and love just about everything about it except for the battery life."

"Get a handheld PC like a Legion Go and then put out the kickstand and just play with the detachable controllers or another 3rd party controller that is lighter and more ergonomic."

#15

Nintendo 3DS

4.2

(6)

"Taking the Switch out of the equation because it would be unfair, it has to be the 3DS when including DS compatibility."

"The switch and vita is no slouch, but i feel like 3DS had the more memorable offerings."

"Because unlike the Switch it's actually a decent handheld device."

"3DS is excellent, Vita is great too the real winner is the Switch"

"I bought a 3DS because of the nostalgia card."

"3DS is getting amazing games, has gotten amazing games, and can continue to play your old DS games."

#16

ROG

4.2

(6)

"Definitely rog ally x now, especially the news that valve is supporting it with steam os."

"It's almost the same as my usual method of playing with a controller on my PC."

"It is good."

"I've bought all 3 of them and my fav is the Ally."

"ROG Ally."

"The Rog Ally and Lenovo legion Go are both a fair bit more powerful than the steam deck."

#17

ASUS

4.2

(5)

"Rog ally x. Full pc in your palms, can’t get any better"

"I have rog ally and steam deck. I personally use rog ally more bc of the power to play more demanding games."

"Performance rog ally wins"

"ASUS ROG Ally"

"PC Games on the go? May ROG Ally, Steam Deck at Legion GO"

#18

Aya Neo

4.0

(5)

"Aya Neo Air is same size to the PS Vita"

"Great option if you want a handheld console that’s about the same size as a PS Vita and it has good performance and a nice screen!"

"Ayaneo Air 1s is another one"

"Smallest Pc handhelds are the Ayaneo Air 1s, GPD Win 4, and OneXPlayer Fly"

"Aya Neo or a GPD Win 3"

#19

Nintendo DS

4.3

(4)

"GBA,Nintendo DS and Nintendo 3DS have great classic and legendary JRPGs"

"Ds/3ds"

"I feel you can’t go wrong with any out of DS, 3DS, PSP & Vita."

"The DS and PSP are both great for this."

#20

RG35XX

4.0

(4)

"My kids got their RG35xx handhelds for Christmas at 6 and 9 years old over a year ago and both have held up fairly well."

"But the RG35XX is capable of playing pokemon rom hacks like Pokemon Unbound."

"Used rg35xx"

"Get a 35xx, i heard the HDMI scaling is a bit iffy but its still there."

#21

RG351P

5.0

(3)

"RG351P or same chipset or a raspberry pi based device."

"The 60 fps port on the 351P is amazing."

"I’ve got RG351p and I love it haven't had any hiccups at all."

#22

Powkiddy

3.3

3.0

(1)

"Win 2 is a great VN reading device."

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