It is a horizonal handheld, and honestly might be a bit of a higher price/performance than what you’re looking for, but it will play PS2 uspcaled at around 3x - 3.5x resolution (that was my preferred sweet spot, and higher and there’s no need for the AMOLED screen’s output). It will play it at dead solid 60 FPS too.
Here’s MGS3 upscaled to 3x on mine:
And GTA 4 with the same settings:
This handheld can also play…everything. All the older systems, PS2, Game Cube, some PS3 games, 3DS (if you’re okay with the dual screens on one display), Switch (it is a MAGIC Switch system, with this screen it basically feels like a Switch Pro), and even some PC games with GameNative or similar. Super comfy to hold, beautifully perfect display, massive power, and with this one there’s plenty of driver support too.
The only caveat is that the RAM crisis had Retroid drop it from 12GB RAM to 8GB RAM, but, I cover all of that in my review:
But if that is a bit more power and price than you’d like, the previous generation’s Retroid Pocket 5 is still amazing today. Running the SD 865 means it has huge community support, and plays PS2 around 2x. You won’t be playing any higher systems than that though!
Let me know if you have any further tweaks (would you prefer a vertical handheld? Or a certain price?)
Thanks for the detailed response. The pocket 5 is closer to the price I had in mind but the 6 is tempting. The CAD exchange rate hurts a bit so I’m going to take some time later today to read a few of your reviews before I make a decision.
The Pocket 5 is Retroid’s best selling handheld, the performance (and let’s face it, the design and looks being so nostalgic with that GameCube one!) just found its home with users.
The amount of support for the drivers is crazily high. Being the Snapdragon 865 means you can play a ton of systems, some Switch gaming is even doable on it.
The wonderful front-ends! Which are just all-in-one launchers for all your emulators, highly customizable and making it feel like a true ‘console’ experience. You can set one of these up and ignore the Android side, having it boot up straight into one of these. My fav is RetroHrai! - in fact you can find my interview with the developer of RetroHrai! here
You can run it with ROCKNIX if you’d prefer it to be using Linux, too! Or Batocera also, for the same thing
They have an official accessory which adds a pivoting second screen to the top of it, turning it into a 3DS if that is your thing
The size is perfect too, very close to that of a Switch Lite…but to me feeling more premium than Nintendo’s own!
Right now, in the current newish land of handhelds, the best for your money would be the Retroid Pocket 6. Here’s their website link to the RP6’s page if you want to check it out a bit more
It is a horizonal handheld, and honestly might be a bit of a higher price/performance than what you’re looking for, but it will play PS2 uspcaled at around 3x - 3.5x resolution (that was my preferred sweet spot, and higher and there’s no need for the AMOLED screen’s output). It will play it at dead solid 60 FPS too.
Here’s MGS3 upscaled to 3x on mine:
And GTA 4 with the same settings:
This handheld can also play…everything. All the older systems, PS2, Game Cube, some PS3 games, 3DS (if you’re okay with the dual screens on one display), Switch (it is a MAGIC Switch system, with this screen it basically feels like a Switch Pro), and even some PC games with GameNative or similar. Super comfy to hold, beautifully perfect display, massive power, and with this one there’s plenty of driver support too.
The only caveat is that the RAM crisis had Retroid drop it from 12GB RAM to 8GB RAM, but, I cover all of that in my review:
You can find my recent review of that one here with this link, if you’re curious!
But if that is a bit more power and price than you’d like, the previous generation’s Retroid Pocket 5 is still amazing today. Running the SD 865 means it has huge community support, and plays PS2 around 2x. You won’t be playing any higher systems than that though!
Let me know if you have any further tweaks (would you prefer a vertical handheld? Or a certain price?)
(edit)
Retroid Pocket 6 color options:
Retroid Pocket 5 color options:
Thanks for the detailed response. The pocket 5 is closer to the price I had in mind but the 6 is tempting. The CAD exchange rate hurts a bit so I’m going to take some time later today to read a few of your reviews before I make a decision.
The Pocket 5 is Retroid’s best selling handheld, the performance (and let’s face it, the design and looks being so nostalgic with that GameCube one!) just found its home with users.
In fact if you are familiar with the Switch Lite size, and wanted to see how it stacks against it you can use this link to see them both on Retro Catalog:
You can typically find the Pocket 5 second-hand for a great price too!