The JRPG Players Guide to Handheld Game Consoles, Part 1: The New Toys

In this decade, the handheld consoles on everyone’s lips are Valve’s Steam Deck and Nintendo’s Switch 2. Between these two choices, a lifetime of JRPG re-releases and modern epics would undoubtedly keep any gamer satisfied until the next age of home and portable consoles.

These two portable computers make the most powerful pair of first-party handheld consoles we have ever seen on the market, but they aren’t truly as portable as what we’ve had before. This guide explores handheld gaming options for people who want a daily driver for busy lives, who want to fit an epic adventure into lunch breaks and between loads of laundry, and for gamers who want a small device with easy access to retro entries of their favorite series. We will also talk in specifics about popular JRPGs and the best place to play each one.

If you want a gaming handheld that fits in a pocket or purse today, you have two main options and many nuanced choices within each. The first option is to repurpose old hardware, namely the Nintendo 3DS or the PlayStation Vita. You could certainly also choose an older generation of handheld, but I have the most hands-on experience with these two, so they will be the focus of this guide. The second option is to look into modern retro handhelds being designed by reproduction companies such as Retroid or Anbernic. For the right person, these can be the greatest hardware available for purchase. For the wrong person, they can become an expensive fidget toy.

So, why choose an outdated piece of tech over the power and convenience of the newest tablet-sized console? Technically, anything you can do on these smaller devices, you can do on a Steam Deck (outside of some niche features like the 3DS glasses-free 3D). Personally, I wanted an everyday carry with long-term games so that I have the save file of the RPG that I’m the most invested in at the moment, no matter where I am. I didn’t like carrying the Steam Deck everywhere, but a smaller device fits right into my cross-body bag and has become as normal to carry as my wallet.

I’ve heard a few times that a handheld console can avoid fights in a relationship when deciding what should be on the TV after work. I’d like to offer that from a different perspective: handheld gaming affords frictionless quality time with your partner if that’s what you both value in your week. You can grind mobs in the dungeon AND get hopelessly attached to your partner's favorite TV binge. But perhaps you miss the feel of a Game Boy Advance in your hands. Maybe you want a device so small and so quiet that you can play Suikoden with one hand while you rock your baby to sleep with the other. Whatever your reasons are, these devices offer endless games at half the price of a retail console.

If you are happy with your home console or portable PC, then venturing into the handheld space may not add any value to your hobby. But if you want something a bit more low-profile that doesn’t become a burden on the go, then I present Part 1 of a JRPG players' guide to choosing a device that works for you. This part will focus on the newer offerings from trusted Chinese manufacturers; Part 2 will cover the benefits of sprucing up your old first-party hardware.

Shopping Mindset Considerations

In handheld gaming, a common saying when recommending a device is: “The best gaming handheld is the one you use.” With that mindset at the forefront of our process, we have to start with what games we will actually use this thing for. The guide will focus on JRPGs and your options for popular titles since that is my expertise and genre of choice. You can use my method here to research the games you want to play the most in other genres and make an informed decision from that.

When you decide on one of these pieces of hardware, basically any game from the first 6 generations of home and handheld consoles will suddenly become available to you. I agonized over squeezing every possible game I could ever be in the mood for onto the handheld, but it’s best to start with knowing which games you'd rather play on a big TV. For instance: I love racing games, so I researched for hours and tried many games on handheld, finally realizing I prefer to do my racing on PS5 playing Gran Turismo 7. There's no handheld replacement for that game to me, and that’s okay.

This will NOT become your all-in-one gaming solution, and realizing what you don’t want to play on this device will save you money in the long run. If you like playing something on a device that you already own, keep playing it there and don’t gamble on the new format unless you genuinely want the portability.

So the first decision's been made: we know what games we don't want to play on a handheld. But what are the new experiences that we want to have? What comfort games do you want sitting in your pocket as you go through the day? What game boxes do you want people to see and associate with you when you show them this cool new device you’ve just set up? The world is your oyster, but it’s best to have a focus in mind. Even the device that seems to do it all, like the AYN Thor, will feel awkward playing games from certain consoles. If you know you only want to play Pokémon games, you can start your search with a device made to play your favorite entry in that series. Especially for JRPGs, you will have a much easier time choosing a device if you know which specific series and games you want.

Not everyone who buys these things actually ends up playing games on them, and that’s okay! This device will make you feel like a professional game collector. But if this is you, it’s best to choose a specific console or handful of similar consoles so that it still feels like a purposeful gaming device rather than a hard drive for your ROM collection.

Lastly and most obviously, consider your hardware needs. Some things you won’t really know for sure until you have the device, like how the ergonomics feel in your specific hands. But note the battery life, check the physical button audibility (the clicky sound), look up the dimensions, and see how it compares to the size of your phone. There are tons of videos about almost every device available; the research portion of each handheld has become a popular hobby in and of itself, considering the community of people dedicated to just trying out new hardware as it comes out. Even with all the options available, there's no singular device for every occasion without a caveat. Keep your needs limited to games from just a few consoles, and you will find a device that is exactly what you need.

The Budget Handheld

For only around $100 USD, you could be the proud owner of a small handheld that fits easily in your pocket and doesn’t strain your budget. Consoles like the Miyoo Mini Plus or the TrimUI Brick are often lauded as perfect consoles for playing JRPGs with only one (adult) hand. These devices use a chipset that lets you play games from the original PlayStation and older. What I love the most about these devices is their small screen. With generally high pixel density for their screen size, any retro game with pixel art will look a little better than on a device that blows up the image to fit a larger display. The downside is that it is easier to spot when integer scaling isn't used, causing some text or graphics to appear slightly morphed and blurry. Not everyone will notice or care, but it’s good to research screen compatibility with your favorite console before taking the plunge.

If you specifically want older titles and think that paying $49.99 USD for Lunar Remastered is highway robbery, these devices may be for you. The first golden age of JRPGs was the SNES and the PS1, and you get all of that here, plus the GBA, which has many JRPGs remade from both systems. These devices are limited, but you can’t beat their price and form factor. They make a great pair alongside your regular console gaming if you just want something to play fan-translated Japanese titles or ROM hacks, and it’s still cheaper than buying a copy of Xenogears.

This was the Wild West era of the JRPG genre, and you will probably want titles from series that don’t exist anymore, like Chrono Trigger, Grandia, Terranigma, or Golden Sun. I really loved my TrimUI Brick for playing the English translation of Shin Megami Tensei and the Breath of Fire games, and I loved researching older titles and trying them out. The limitations of PS1 and earlier consoles really forced me to look at older games I may not have tried otherwise, and I had a blast doing it. Even though I had fun, if you see a SNES JRPG and yawn, this may not be the best option for you.

Final Fantasy enthusiasts can rejoice as the first nine mainline games, along with Tactics, are playable on these devices. Choosing the NES or GBA versions of the games became pretty difficult, but it feels a bit wrong to play the PlayStation Final Fantasy games on such a small screen. The first six games in the series feel at home on a device like this, though, and I sometimes wish I had dedicated my time here instead of the recent Pixel Remaster because of how right it feels. But then I remember being able to skip encounters in the final dungeon of Final Fantasy II Pixel Remaster, and I am once again grateful for modern technology.

I don’t recommend these devices if you want Dragon Quest, although I have seen people who love the original Dragon Warrior trilogy and you can run the great Game Boy Color versions of those games pretty easily. Dragon Warrior VII is also a good game to have in this format, since it’s so long you’ll want the optimal couch position for those longer play sessions.

If you really only want GBA Pokémon and ROM hacks, this will do it for you. Truly, that is all some people want and need. But if you are looking for the ultimate Pokémon machine, you’ll want to save up for a dual-screen device. I am not a Pokémon person at all, but even so, this device made me feel like I would be wasting its potential if I didn’t at least try some Pokémon ROM hacks.

Those are some of the more popular games, but for this range of devices specifically, you want to look at games that weren’t as popular too. Research games like Albert Odyssey and find the hack that makes Fire Emblem Sacred Stones at least twice as hard. A low-power device like these options will get you out of your comfort zone, looking for ways to get the most out of it, and that’s the charm of something this small.

The Premium Handheld

These devices cost around $200+ USD and contain chipsets that can typically handle any game up until GameCube and PS2, and some Switch titles. This includes anything from the Retroid Pocket line or AYN devices like the Thor. They can become tiny Steam Decks for your indie games and use custom frontends to endlessly customize your ROM manager. If you buy this device, you will pick it up for the first time and think, “If this is $250, why is a cell phone $1000?” This is the closest that you will get to an “all-in-one” device for any retro game that you can imagine.

The problem with some of these devices is screen ratio. If you get a widescreen device as I did, it can feel like a PSP machine that makes games from other consoles work if it has to. The newest devices in this range typically have 4:3 screens, which make them perfect PS2 and GameCube handhelds. The downside is that PSP and DS titles look and play a little awkwardly, even though they will run on these chipsets without breaking a sweat. If you don’t know what you want, this can be a great catch-all, or it might be complete overkill and a waste of money.

The PlayStation 2 was a fantastic console with a ton of JRPGs, and if you want a device specifically for this console, you can stop looking. There aren’t many options that can run PS2 as well as a Retroid Pocket or AYN Thor. These are also great for GameCube, which didn’t have a whole lot of JRPGs, but being able to throw Skies of Arcadia Legends and Baten Kaitos into your collection is still a big bonus. I mainly use my higher-end handheld for PS2 games, but I still used it to try Pokémon Colosseum, which has more potential to finally sell me on Pokémon than any of the mainline games.

When you get a device this powerful, the hardware's nuances become more evident over time. For example, if you still mainly want to play PS1 and older games, you probably want a device that places the D-Pad where your thumb normally rests instead of the analog stick. Screen ratio feels like a bigger deal than before when it’s so tempting to get the 16:9 powerhouse devices. The Retroid Pocket 6 or the AYN Odin 3 feel like the end-game device, but the screen only perfectly fits PSP and modern games. So if you want to play something other than Genshin Impact and Persona 3 Portable, you could end up feeling like you made an expensive mistake when the games you love most feel a little off, with bad screen scaling and huge black zones on the screen. But if screen size doesn't matter to you, the 16:9 handheld will be your all-in-one solution for PS2 and older. DS screens fit side by side neatly, arcade Taito games play neatly sideways, and with enough tinkering you can even put your own cool overlays to fill up the black areas around your games to make them feel a bit more at home.

I love a 4:3 device, though. Give me a dedicated PlayStation 2 and GameCube handheld (with some Super Nintendo thrown in), where all the games feel just right, filling up the entire screen at a beautiful 2x integer scale. This device is something like the Retroid Pocket Nova or the Anbernic RG 477M. I collect PS2 games, so the system is near and dear to my heart. Having a device on hand that feels like a pocket PS2 is something my younger self would have never believed possible. I used to feel some guilt over choosing the handheld over the CRT television, as I still have a love for the original hardware. But I believe that we live our lives in broad seasons.

Currently, it makes more sense to have the handheld because I value that quality time with my partner in the living room while she watches something on TV, and I’m playing the handheld while we chat about our day. Perhaps down the road when I have kids, I will place greater value on time spent teaching them how to play SSX Tricky on my old setup. This is all to say that a handheld should fit your lifestyle; don’t feel guilty about getting one to play the same consoles that you already own if it enables you to better fit them into your daily life.

We've now established that the 16:9 device is the perfect all-in-one. I love that I can put every game imaginable on my Retroid Pocket 4 Pro (with some concessions), so no need to go over the specific JRPGs that go on there. But I ended up switching to the Retroid Pocket Nova when that came out, partly because I make questionable financial decisions, but mostly because my heart lies with the PS2; I wanted my handheld to feel like a perfect fit for my favorite system. So what JRPGs fit nicely on the 4:3 handheld?

There is a PS1 or PS2 version of every Final Fantasy game up to the 12^th entry, with the exception of Final Fantasy III (but that's the worst game in the series so it’s fine). Since we have all this power and Android, just go ahead and buy the Pixel Remasters of the first 6 games on the Google Play Store. Final Fantasy III lovers, rejoice once again. 4:3 handhelds will also fit GBA games pretty well, so if that’s your flavor of classic Final Fantasy, you could definitely go that route as well.

With a 4:3 handheld, you will get a really good experience playing Dragon Quest VII and VIII on PlayStation, but I recommend the AYN Thor as the ultimate Dragon Quest machine. You still get that beautiful 4:3 bottom screen to play the single-screen games while utilizing both screens to play the DS versions of each game perfectly. The same goes for Pokémon; the AYN Thor will be your one-stop shop for everything through the 3DS era.

Ah, Shin Megami Tensei (SMT), my beloved. For these games on an all-in-one, I still have to say that the AYN Thor is what you want. The dual screens give you perfect access to the 3DS titles like Strange Journey, Devil Survivor, and SMT IV. You still get that 4:3 PS2 experience on the bottom screen with Persona 4, Persona 3 FES, SMT Nocturne, and Digital Devil Saga. And you can watch the Persona 4 anime on the top screen while playing Persona 4 on the bottom screen or something. I still have my 3DS (more on that later), so the 4:3 handheld covers all of my PS2 SMT needs while also giving me a great place to play the English translations of SMT 1 and 2. You’ll want the PSP versions of Persona 1 and 2; they’ll feel a little weird on 4:3 but look great on the AYN Thor top screen. Luckily I still have my PS Vita (more on that later too).

As a PS2 collector, this is a great opportunity to check out some lesser-known JRPGs from that era. Games like Baroque, Xenosaga, .Hack, and Shadow Hearts are seeing a resurgence in popularity as emulation makes them playable once again. This is also the era where action JRPGs came into their own. If you are thinking about a retro handheld for JRPGs, it’s pretty safe to assume you don’t mind turn-based combat, but there’s nothing wrong about mashing some buttons in Kingdom Hearts or Tales of the Abyss every once in a while.

Of course, along with all of these options, you have everything that we talked about in the budget section. The real deciding factor between this higher-end tier and the budget tier will be size and price. If you truly want something to throw in your pocket with your phone, you want the cheaper budget option. As a warning, there are a lot of third-party retro handhelds on the market, and it has become a hobby of its own for a reason.

If you start, you will want more as you discover your preferences. Even though it seems like you could spend $100 and call it good, I would budget closer to $1000 over the course of 2 years as you collect 3 or 4 handhelds, before you finally settle on the one you like best. This sounds insane from an outside perspective; hell, it sounds insane from my perspective too, but this is the truth of the hobby. Hopefully my personal experience and feelings help you prepare for the realities of starting down this possibly expensive path.

Brand New Toys

That's all for the first half of our exploration into retro handheld devices. The new toys on the block offer great experiences for players who don't mind taking the time to set them up and tinker with their settings. For anyone who is tech-inclined, these devices are a hobbyist's dream with tons of potential. But for those wanting a dedicated experience right out of the box, it may be a good idea to bring out that old PSP or 3DS. Stay tuned for Part 2 of this guide, where we explore which JRPG player stands to gain the most from an old PS Vita or Nintendo 3DS.