Thanks bud!

Retro gaming is definitely interesting because the hardware and emulators only get better, but the game library doesn't change. So it's really only a matter of waiting until you find that perfect do it all platform. By all accounts, the Odin 2 isn't perfect, but it's dang close.

I suppose the definition of "retro games" will change as time goes on... but for somebody my age, I don't really consider anything past the PS1/Dreamcast era to be retro gaming. Everything beyond that is pretty much modern / 3D gaming.

So I'm just sorta sitting and waiting for the perfect system that can play all the games that I personally consider retro. And that's pretty much what we are seeing hit the market right now so it's pretty exciting.

Yep, the retro gaming market is in an awesome place. It's clearly become big enough for a bunch of Chinese companies to be making competing devices. There's a ton of good options out there. Check out the spreadsheet below, I think it'll be super helpful if you decide to take the plunge. The devices above the red line haven't been released yet, and everything below it has. Over to the right you'll find performance based on system, specs like screen size, video out capabilities, etc.., and pricing/where to buy.

I've been pretty into this hobby and the community for about a year now and it's addicting. The Odin 2 is pretty much an end game Android device for now so my hunt may be over for a while, but that spreadsheet was really fun to keep tabs on and investigate.

Master Retro Handheld Spreadsheet

Fantastic spreadsheet!

I too have been following this stuff for almost a year now, but not nearly as detailed as you. At first I was researching the best turn key device. I don't want to mess with any setup or ROM downloads... just give me the box and all the games. But the more I looked, the more I kept finding the same thing... systems bloated with way too many roughly organized games, some of which won't run and many of which you don't want to play.

I'm now much more in favor of finding a really great system and building it small, adding a handful of great games at a time. I can play all the way through the ones that hook me or I can spend a short time with them before the inevitable "yeah, this game was great back in the day... moving on".

I will add that the closest thing I have right now is I bought one of those mini SNES a few years ago. It's really awesome. Even did a sideload hack that let me add in my own ROMs that were frustratingly missing from the collection. I also tinkered with some older Windows emulators 10+ years ago to replay a lot of SNES games.

Between my time with the original SNES and with emulators, I've played through some of the best games many times. Contra 3, Zelda Link to the Past, Super Metroid, Super Punch Out, Super Mario World, OG Mario Kart, F-Zero, Pilot Wings, TMNT Turtles in Time, Final Fantasies.

But watching retro youtubers, I'm discovering a ton of great SNES games that I flat out missed as a kid. Also found a new respect for a ton of great games on Sega consoles that I never played. I've also ignored everything Nintendo since the N64 because in my 20's I got hooked on the PS and eventually Xbox Live & Online gaming.

So, while I do have a pretty large collection of retro games that I've more than played out, there is a crap ton of stuff that I would love to dive into. I'll be an empty nester in ~ 4 years, maybe I'll have more time then!!!

I've curated my own ROM collection and it definitely takes some time and effort, but I love that it's clean and exactly what I want. It's more or less a one time thing too, you can move SD cards loaded with your hand selected games from device to device pretty seamlessly now. Not always the case, but typically pretty easy.

A lot of these devices have wifi too so you can just directly download a new game without ever booting up a computer. I personally use an old laptop to download ROMs because, yeah... ROMs and shady websites... and I keep them all there as a backup location so I don't ever have to re-download hundreds of games.

Yeah, I run a small business and we have a few older computers that I keep around... when I decide to give it a go, I will most likely get one of them booted up again to do all my ROM hunting. I know from past exploring that you'll usually pick up some unwanted guests.

I love the handheld + dockable idea for the Odin 2 when it comes to old consoles gaming. Lots of really great wireless/USB controllers to play just about everything. Will be great option on the go & at the house.

But I would also love to build my own arcade cabinet one day. Not a full free standing unit... I'm thinking a wall mounted bar top with classic arcade sticks (either built in or free standing usb units) and a box underneath that can fit a mini PC. Frame it all up, wall mount a Flat screen in the middle, throw in some LED lights and a couple cup holders and let's go!

Only problem is I don't really have a great place for this at my house. This might be a great project to liven up my warehouse though!!!

Heads up... the ASUS ROG Ally is $200 off at best buy right now!

I spent a lot of time this weekend watching reviews on different devices. Lots of great options... I think my biggest hang-up right now is trying to decide if I want a full gaming system or just something that will play retro games.

The Steamdeck is definitely attractive... only problem is I'm an Xbox guy and the lack of Gamepass compatibility really hurts it.

I really liked the Odin 2. Full retro gaming, can emulate Switch, and would be solid for streaming modern games. I think my only hesitation is the size... the smaller form factor puts the face buttons directly above the right analog stick and I think that might really bother me for retro gaming. I'm also not sure if I would prefer a device with a larger 7" screen.

The Loki and ROG Ally were also very nice Window devices and their prices are starting to come down. Larger screens with a more comfortable looking controller/button layout was a big plus as well.

At the end of the day, I think we are seeing so much great stuff launching that it might be a good time to sit and wait a bit. Those old retro games aren't going anywhere... prices will continue to go down and/or new and improved hardware will continue to come out.

Sitting tight and waiting for the perfect device for you probably isn't a bad play. These things are coming out at warp speed and filling difference niches all the time.

I've gotta say I am in love with the Odin 2. It's the perfect size for a handheld for me. I'm a PC gamer first, so while it's pretty cool being able to stream PC games from my beefy gaming PC to the 6" screen on the Odin 2, I only do that for something that feels like it should be played on it, like Sea of Stars. I tested streaming the Final Fantasy VII Remake to it and while really cool, I was like, I'd rather play this on my 32" gaming monitor. I also prefer mouse and keyboard to controller for almost every genre too so that makes a bit of difference in my gaming approach.

I've enjoyed the Odin 2 as an in bed gaming device if my wife wants me there with her. And it's been wonderful for easy access to retro games to introduce to my kids. 90% of the time we're docking it and they can play 2 player whatever it is (we hit Mario Kart Double Dash and Super Smash Bros Melee hard over the rainy weekend).

Yep. I think I too am leaning towards just an emulation device for older games. Xbox is my main device and while streaming those games is a nice option, I'm mostly snobbish about wanting to sit and play on my nice oled TV. If I'm not going to get the full experience, I'd rather just read or do something else.

So we'll see... the Odin 2 is probably the front runner as a do it all retro machine/streaming box/android games. It's also so popular that finding add ons like TV docks, cases, etc will be easy.

Hey WGann3, you have any experience with the Steamdeck? With the new OLED model out, they have dropped the 64 GB original version down to $349.

That's an awfully attractive price that puts it right in line with the Odin 2. As someone who hasn't done much tinkering with modern day emulation, it seems like the EmuDeck and steam compatible emulators are a bit more plug and play compared to the current Android stuff.

I'm still probably going to sit and wait for a little while, but that looks like a nice option. I don't plan on using my device for AAA gaming, but it looks to be a beast for emulation and it has the added bonus of doing some light PC gaming.

I don't have a Steamdeck, but I hear great things. It's just too big for me personally, I'd rather play PC games on my PC. But if you don't have a beefy PC it has a huge advantage over an Android device because it'll give you access to the Steam library and a good chunk of those games, even some AAA titles.

As far as emulation goes on a Steamdeck, it has one huge pro in my opinion and that's compatibility. x86 emulation is a lot more mature than Android. So you can emulate PS3, XBox, Xbox360, and Wii U. Emulators for those systems don't even exist on Android.

The one giant pro for Android over x86 is battery life. Android runs circles around x86, which may or may not be a big deal.

I've heard good things about EmuDeck. I think an Android version is already finished and in the final stages of testing now.

Thanks for your info! I agree with all of that. At the end of the day I would love a do it all handheld, but right now, I don't see myself using it for much more than old console and arcade emulation. Definitely better to start off with stuff that is sub $400 right now and see how much I actually use it. If I end up wanting more, I can always upgrade in a year or two.

Speaking of upgrades, one of the things I learned in my research... devices like the ROG Ally have external GPU's that you can buy which can transform them into pretty high end PCs. They are expensive for sure, but I didn't know that was a thing. That could be a really cool option in the future if I decide I want to spend a couple thousand bucks and join the PC master race!

Steam Deck's touchpads make Wii emulation significantly better.

hph6203 said:

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Steam Deck's touchpads make Wii emulation significantly better.

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Yeah, I've seen some stuff about that. I stopped playing Nintendo consoles after the N64... the Gamecube, Wii, WiiU, & Switch have a ton of games that I'm looking to emulate and catch up on. I hear the touch pad and the gyroscope controls can be utilized for some of those games.

It's funny because I went away from Nintendo for a little over 20 years (my 20's and 30's) because I really got into the hardcore games, online shooters, etc. Now that I'm in my mid 40's, I'm ready to revert back to my earlier years and just play some Mario and Sonic games!

Hey WGann3 (or anybody else that cares to read)... I think I figured out what I want to do with a handheld. Pretty sold on the new Steamdeck OLED. The only real drawback is the lack of Gamepass support (which I already have for my Xbox so that's a big miss). But it will more than make up for that with it's awesome emulation aps and a huge catalog of Indy games. There is also a large number of AAA PC & Playstation games that it can run which I've never played... I'll have plenty to do even without official Gamepass support.



What's fun for me is that I decided to use the purchase of this device as a dangling carrot. I've been around 25 pounds above my ideal weight for 2-3 years now. I've had a few semi-serious attempts to fix it, but I've been derailed by injuries & busyness. So anyway, I'm 45 now... just under 6' and 210 lbs... started really ramping up my workouts about 3 weeks ago and got my diet back in check. We have a family vacation to Aruba coming up in June... my goal is to hit 190-195 range (15-20 lbs loss). If I can make it, I'll have a brand new Steamdeck to play on the plane!

So in other words, this is my TexAgs accountability post. I'll send an update if I make it (which I will) or if I go down in a blaze of glory (which I won't).

You got this! I don't have one but I see almost nothing but glowing reviews of the Steam Deck OLED. The Steam catalog is insane, to the point of almost being dangerous with the sales that are constantly happening. I've been on Steam for over 20 years now, I was a day one user since I was an avid early Counter-Strike player and Steam was initially developed to facilitate Counter-Strike installs and servers. I don't know what I would do with myself without Steam to be perfectly honest haha.

Yeah, the Steamdeck is just too plug and play to ignore. And because it's so popular, the other devices just can't compete when it comes to 3rd party emulation software support, not to mention the countless accessories. I think the Windows devices will catch up, but they aren't there yet.

But for now, I'm absolutely soaked from the workout I just finished. I'm hoping my middle age body still responds well to these workouts. I've been pretty athletic most of my life so I'm counting on some muscle memory to help me out. I got 2-3 months to make it happen!

The ROG Ally continues to go on sale off and on. I know there are a ton of rumors about an Ally 2 being announced soon which probably wouldn't surprise anyone.

To me, the Ally sounds like it's one of, if not the, best Windows based handheld option on the market. It had a few design flaws (comfort and failing SSD drives due to being right beside one of the heat vents). But the pricing and most of it's design options seemed to be in the sweet spot for typical users.

Really looking forward to see where they go with the Ally 2 and what the competition does as well.