Looking at various ads that inevitably pop up on social media, saw some handheld emulators. What are good options for the Gameboy style emulators? Are there some that can play a large variety of consoles? Im talking Nintendo to PS3 range? Are the drop ship ones like GameLab any good or should I look elsewhere?

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This has become a BIG niche hobby and there's some awesome options out there. I'd recommend checking out the SBC Gaming Subreddit at the first link below and also the master spreadsheet that is maintained by some trusted contributors at the 2nd link below. That master spreadsheet will show you what devices are capable of emulating system wise plus other specs like screen size and price.

SBC Gaming Subreddit

Retro Handheld Master Spreadsheet

I wouldn't recommend picking anything like this up from a drop shipper, you're gong to pay way more than you should. Buy directly from the manufacturers or AliExpress if you want to pay the right price. Amazon is a decent option for some devices if you want them quick and are ok with a little bit of a markup.

Also, PS3 emulation is really demanding and complicated. You'll only be able to do that well with some of the x86 handhelds and you're looking at probably $500+ to get there, unless you go Steam Deck which is a bit cheaper. If you drop your PS3 requirement you'll be able to get something way more affordable.

I have the Miyoo Mini Plus. I've got GB, GBA, GBC, Nintendo and SNES games on there. Its a little bit smaller than an old Gameboy, but the screen and performance is fantastic. I do wish it was a bit bigger since my hands get sore holding onto it for extended periods.

https://www.amazon.com/Miyoo-Version-Emulator-Handheld-Console/dp/B0FD3WHNCF

That being said I have Nintendo switch online account and play retro games on my Switch 1 more often. But the library is much, much smaller than what I've dumped on that Miyoo.

Is SNES the most it can handle? I know higher Sony consoles etc would be harder to run, so hoping for at least N64, PS1, maybe PS2 sorta capability.

AggieMac06 said:

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Is SNES the most it can handle? I know higher Sony consoles etc would be harder to run, so hoping for at least N64, PS1, maybe PS2 sorta capability.

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Nah. Most handhelds of this type stop short of N64 and PS1 level games.

I have a Miyoo Mini Plus and an Odin 2. The Miyoo is small so I use it mostly for Gameboy games. The Odin 2 is a more premium handheld, but it plays everything up to Switch pretty well. I play a lot of PSP and SNES games on it.

At a lower price than the Odin 2, the Retroid Pocket 5 and 6 will handle up to Switch as well at around $200.

Retroid Pocket 4 pro should handle up to PS2/Gamecube pretty handily at sub $150, but stops short of Wii & Switch. Wii is a pain in the butt to emulate anyhow because of the motion controller requirement in most games.

What's your price point? We can probably steer you towards the best handled that plays up to PS2 at that budget.