There’s no shortage of cheap retro gaming handhelds these days, but even still, you don’t find many great options for under $40. That is, except for the new Game Console R36S Plus. This lovely little portable powerhouse offers both great specs and incredible value, and it’s now available to order.
As a potential contender for our list of the best retro handhelds, the R36S Plus undercuts a lot of the competition, as it’s around $150 cheaper than alternatives such as the Retroid Pocket 5 and the Ayaneo Pocket Micro. For that low price, you’re getting a device with an Allwinner A133P chip, which is more than capable of running most of the picks from our list of the best retro games, plus a 4-inch 720p display and a 3,000 mAh battery that promises eight hours of charge.
Not only are the specs impressive for the price, but the form factor of the R36S Plus is a clear nod to Nintendo’s iconic Game Boy, which, if you’re a nineties kid like me, really hits those nostalgia buttons. The big difference between this handheld and the classic Nintendo console is that you’ve got a pair of analog sticks at the bottom of the screen, which is ideal if you’re playing a game that requires precision movement that the d-pad just can’t deliver.
The RS6S Plus is currently available for $37.97 via AliExpress, and you can pick between yellow, purple, blue, white, and black colorways. There’s also the option to double your storage from 64GB to 128GB and opt for the $42.72 model. Which you go for depends on the size of your digital collection, but for an extra $5, the 128GB version is pretty generous.
For more tech buying advice, check out our guides to the best gaming phones and the best gaming tablets while you’re here, with a bunch of great options across a wide price range. Or, if you’re looking for a portable piece of kit that can keep up with all the latest triple-A games, check out our list of the best handheld consoles.