Handhelds in 2026

Over the last couple of years the retro handhelds have continued to be released almost weekly. We have a huge range to pick from if you want to play some retro emulated games on the move.

Before they were experimenting with a mix of OSs. Some using Linux distros such as ArkOS, other proprietary ones, and some Android. Most now seem to be using Android which is good for ease of use, access to the Play store and a bigger guarantee that you will get OS support moving forward.

The Anbernic based vertical clone called the R36S is being produced by all sorts of unknown Chinese companies and they are flooding TikTok, Facebook and everywhere else with adverts. But at less than ?40 you can't really go wrong if you just want something to mess around with. But be carefully where you buy from as some of these clones are not great. Better to pay a bit more for one of the official Anbernic vertical systems.

The main makers though such as Odin, Ayn, Anbernic and Retroid have really been upping their game in both quality and hardware recently. I've been tempted by the Retroid Pocket 5 for some time, but my Steam Deck fills that handheld need so I can't really justify it. But the Ayn Thor is one I am really tempted to get. I love the Nintendo DSi 2 screen design, so you can play all the DS games as intended, but also as it's a full 2 screen Android system it gives you a lot more options to utilise both screens. And it's powerful enough to run a lot of retro systems.

Are there any recently released handhelds you are interested in?

The Switch 2 is another obvious recent one. I have the Switch OLED so I'm not rushing to get the Switch 2 yet until more games get released. Maybe the end of the year.

I've also been tempted by the Sony Playstation Portal. It's now under ?150, but what got me most interested was the update that means if you are a PS Plus Premium subscriber you don't even need a PS5 to use it as it can run cloud gaming. A great update as I don't like the idea of having to have my PS5 running all the time to stream games.