cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/4790038
I got the new Retroid Pocket 2S in clear black. It worked out about 105 quid delivered, and took just over a week to arrive.
It's a lovely little device, with some really nice sticks and triggers. But it really hammered home how easy it is to set up a Miyoo Mini Plus (which was largely just a case of copying over the ROMs). This one comes pretty much barebones, and it's up to you to install all the emus and a decent front end. So you end up with a weird combination of Retroarch and stand alone emus, and a confusing set of different configs. Retroarch alone is an absolute beast to understand and get right...it seems to have a slippery complexity that is very difficult to hold in your brain.
That said, once it's set up, it is lovely. I'm using Daijisho as a front end, and it pretty much hides all the underlying complications. 4:3 systems look great on the tiny screen, and it runs up to Dreamcast really well, with some GC games running nicely. The only downside is that the PSP's 16:9 screen looks a little titchy letter-boxed on the screen, but it's a small price to pay for portable Outrun 2.
Overall, very impressed... though concerned that this is my second retro handheld and I'm already thinking about things that would make me pick up a third. These things are compelling, eh?
Ii would like to add Taki Udon as a recommendation. I find his insight better when he's comparing consoles side by side or across spending tiers. Watch a bunch of reviews before commiting and you'll have a good idea of what you're getting into. Also, don't be afraid to just put your own OS's onto devices when you do get them. You'll see that most of everyone's reviews assumes you're willing to.
Also, personally, a suggestion: At roughly 70-110 monetary units you'll be buying consoles that play up to the PS1/PSP plus a number of smaller PS2, Dreamcast and Gamecube games fine. But if you want to go further... just go all the way, get the steam deck. The gap in between those two tiers is far more variable and has a lot worse diminished returns than the rest, so finding the right thing is a lot of exhaustive effort and then... the quality to price ratio has an astronomical jump when the deck and maybe the ally enter the scene.