Retro Handhelds That I Am Looking Forward To This Year

I feel like this year is going to be a big year for the retro handheld scene, not because there’s going to be lots of releases, I actually think this year we’re going to see less, because of the huge spike in memory prices, but because innovation and uniqueness are now in high demand.

Most of us already have numerous handheld emulators or a smartphone that can scratch most of our emulation needs on the go, so new shiny shells or minor power bumps just aren’t going to cut it anymore.

I want something different, and I am already seeing a number of teasers this year from handheld manufacturers in the space who are doing something different, almost like they already know that their target demographics are bored with the constant same specs coming to market.

ANBERNIC RG Rotate

The first one on the list and one that was recently officially announced is the ANBERNIC RG Rotate a Android handheld that uses a rotating screen that flips up to reveal a small control pad.

It’s ANBERNIC’s first jab at a rotating display, which likely takes inspiration from mobile phones in the early 2000’s and maybe even their old RG Slide that released last year. It’s caught a lot of attention, and for good reason, it’s different, and although we all have a device that can emulate what this likely can, it’s undoubtedly going to be a unique way to emulate your GAME BOY games on the go.

And this is what I mean when I say manufacturers have to innovate, ANBERNIC know that sales are declining and is thinking outside of the box to keep the sales coming in, and this is one that I think will do just that if priced competitively.

It will likely only power up to PS1 games, and won’t have a huge battery life, but it… rotates, in a very satisfactory way. ANBERNIC are even offering the choice between a metal or plastic body, with removable L2/R2 shoulder buttons, should you want high or low height.

This device is gimmicky for sure, it is likely uncomfortable, but I’m all for it, I dig it, and I like that ANBERNIC are taking risks in the space.

OneXSugar Wallet

Next is probably the craziest handheld I’ve seen in a long time, made by ONEXSugar and named the Wallet. It’s a crazy, ambitious and likely expensive take on a folding, dual-screen handheld for those wanting an incredibly powerful portable, likely Android handheld with more screen real estate than your pupils can handle.

Opened, it will house an 8” display with a resolution of 2470 x 1860, front-facing speakers, dual hall-joysticks, more buttons than you need and packed with a Qualcomm processor to help power your high-end games.

I have no idea what the battery capacity is on here as that’s yet to be announced, but it's a first look at a folding, dual screen device from a company who renowned for creating monstrous, ambitious handheld gaming devices.

If anyone can do it, it's ONEXSugar. Will it be overwhelming? Probably. Will it have terrible battery life, probably. Is it incredibly badass, absolutely.

GAMEMT E5 ModX

One new handheld that was revealed recently is by a company called GAMEMT, they’ve made some… i’ll admit, underwhelming handhelds of the past, but are making a name for themselves, especially afte the announcement of their E5 MODX handheld that comes with a modular display that can be replaced with a MagSafe attachment for your smartphone, enabling you to use the controller wirelessly with other devices, and they’ve even gone as far as adding a kick stand at the back of the display so that you can detach it and use it wirelessly like you would a Nintendo Switch.

The body seems to be made with plastic, but the shell around the display is made with CNC-ed metal, giving it a premium feel and one that can likely take some bumps and bruises when transported.

The MagSafe attachment will be sold separately and offers you the choice to switch gaming to your smartphone, even if it's likely that your smartphone will do the exact same thing, but it's the first time we’re seeing manufacturers dabble into modular displays, and I’m all for it, especially if a friend can connect to the device with their smartphone offering two controllers on the one detached screen, which would make multiplayer games slightly more personal, again like a Nintendo Switch.

This one is deep in the prototype stages, as there have been leaks of images showing it being tested, so this one could come to fruition, which would be interesting to see in person, if done correctly, of course, which is no doubt a huge task for GAMEMT, a new name on the block.

AYANEO Pocket Play

Another handheld that is coming out soon, although pushed back a little because they’re undergoing a customer service overhaul, is the AYANEO Pocket Play, an Android smartphone with a slide-up screen that reveals a control pad that feels very… PSP Go. It is technically a smartphone, so it’s certainly going to be a pricey device when all is considered.

It features a 6.8” slide-up OLED 20:9 display, dual smart touchpads, an MTK Dimensity 9300 processor, and a 5000mAh battery and is likely paired with AYASpace, which is AYANEO’s installed front-end for organising your retro games.

It’s going to target those who are after a new Android smartphone, with serious power and a gaming-focused control pad to enable customers to game on the go efficiently and comfortably, though I do worry about the 5000mAh battery life when you consider it will also be dealing with your typical, daily smartphone usage on top of gaming.

This is the type of handheld that doesn’t excite me personally, but it's likely going to do well because there’s a market for this, and I’ll give it to AYANEO. It looks very sleek, too, but it all comes down to price.

TRIMUI Brick Pro

One of my favourite handhelds is the TRIMUI Brick, a small, metal handheld with a minimal design and sleek UI, packaged into a pocket-friendly device with modular shoulder buttons.

TRIMUI recently teased a bigger version being called the Brick Pro, featuring a bigger display, and two added analogue sticks for those that love the Brick design but want something a little more powerful for higher-end emulation.

This device has been in development for many, many months now, and I have a funny feeling it will soon come to light because of the leaks of packaging and nearly finished design. My hope is that this will emulate PS2 games effectively; it's just going to be another vertical handheld that can “almost” do it, that ends up in a box somewhere in my attic.

But if it can pull off great PS2 emulation, be priced reasonably and stick to TRIMUI’s great minimal build quality, I think it could do well, as many of us trust TRIMUI to deliver great products, but only time will tell. Hopefully, we will see this release in the next couple of months. There are also rumours that TRUMUI are working on a clamshell handheld, but I’m a little hesitant about sharing more info on this, as only one image has leaked from an unknown source.

GKD 350H Ultra

Then lastly, there is one being made by GKD, called the 350H Ultra, which is a huge upgrade from their original 350H device that they launched way back in 2020. It kinda looks like the AYANEO Pocket Micro; it’s very minimal, will likely feature a 3.5” display with a high resolution of 1600 x 1440, offering GB emulation at 10x pixel rendering, alongside a TMR joystick and an all-metal casing.

It could be GKD’s statement handheld, one that's saying they're back in the game, which would be great to see as they were the big dogs back when I started reviewing handhelds in the late 2010’s. 

Retroid Pocket Flip DS (Not Real)

You may be wondering where Retroid is, and I would have loved to have added them to this list, but I have a funny feeling they aren’t working on anything at the moment. I was initially hoping for a dual-screen device from them, but Retroid and AYN are owned by the same parent company, sharing likely the same suppliers and team between them. Because AYN’s Thor is selling so well and taking up a lot of the parts for dual-screen devices coming out of China, there would be no real need for Retrod to invest more time and money into a device that would literally compete with itself.

Retroid recently discontinued the Pocket G2 because they couldn’t get memory in for it, so at this moment im time i think they are very comfortable with no real need to invest into the space when they have the Pocket 6 selling so well, they have a seperate screen attachement that, in my opinion looks bloody awful and their sister company is selling the AYN Thor like hotcakes.

But I would love to be proven wrong here. Retroid always make great, affordable devices, so I’d welcome a dual-screen device under $250, but I just don’t think it's going to happen anytime soon while they wait for the AYN Thor to do its thing.

So there you have it, a look at upcoming retro handhelds, hopefully coming to fruition this year. Even with what's going on in the world and the price hike for storage, I do still think this year will be a fun one for those wanting to explore more retro handhelds.

Mediocrity doesn’t sell anymore, so we can just sit back and watch these guys battle it out to make something that genuinely interests us.