The best retro handheld for beginners

What makes a handheld beginner friendly

Our data tags four handhelds as good for beginners: the RG35XX Plus, the RG35XX Pro, the TrimUI Smart Pro and the Smart Pro S. They share four traits:

• A low price. A first purchase that turns out not to suit you costs less to replace.
• Linux, not Android. All four run Linux. An SD card with games and a menu is the whole system; there is no Play Store to configure. Our Linux or Android guide explains the trade.
• Active custom firmware. muOS and Knulli list the H700 family, and spruceOS, NextUI and Knulli list the TrimUI models. CrossMix-OS targets the Smart Pro. You can keep the stock system or change it later.
• Systems that fit a beginner library. 8-bit to PS1 is rated great on the H700 devices, and N64 and Dreamcast are rated great as well, in the provisional ratings.

The cost of that choice is a ceiling. These handhelds do not run PS2 or GameCube (H700 rated no for both). If you already know you want those, skip this page and read best for PS2.

The beginner picks

Anbernic RG35XX Pro: first pick

$50 (third-party aggregator (heldgames.com street price), Nov 5, 2026). It has two analog sticks, mini HDMI, Wi-Fi 5 and Bluetooth 4.2, and Held Games says it comes with a 64 GB card. Ratings: great for GB to SNES, PS1, N64, Dreamcast and DS, good for PSP. Cons: 1 GB of RAM and the 3.5 inch screen.

Anbernic RG35XX Plus: no sticks

$65 (third-party aggregator (heldgames.com street price), Nov 5, 2026). The same chip and ratings, but no analog sticks. This is fine for GB, GBA, NES, SNES and PS1 and unfit for N64, DS and PSP games that need a stick.

TrimUI Smart Pro S and Smart Pro: wider screen

Both have a 4.96 inch 16:9 screen and a 5000 mAh battery. The Smart Pro S has Hall sticks, Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.4 and an A523 chip; it is rated great for N64, Dreamcast and PSP and playable for GameCube and 3DS. The data has no price for it, so check TrimUI's online store. Both have no video out per Retro Catalog, black bars on 4:3 systems, and 1 GB of RAM (the Smart Pro S has 8 GB of eMMC). The older Smart Pro has no L3/R3.

Which Anbernic for beginners?

People search for "best Anbernic for beginners". In our data the answer is the RG35XX Pro, then the RG35XX Plus if you do not want sticks. The H, SP and 40XX variants share the same chip and ratings; they differ in shape and screen. The H is $50.32 (Anbernic official store, Nov 5, 2026) and the SP $52.19 (Anbernic official store, Nov 5, 2026), both Anbernic official store prices. The RG35XX SP is a clamshell tagged for kids; see best for GBA for shapes. Anbernic's Android models, such as the RG DS, cost more and have narrower ratings in our data.

Handhelds with games preloaded

Many sellers offer a handheld or an SD card with thousands of games already on it. Our advice:

If a listing includes a card, treat it as blank storage. Held Games notes a 64 GB card with the RG35XX Pro; buying a separate card of your choice is covered in the SD card guide.

Setup services

Some sellers offer to set up a handheld for you. We do not recommend a specific service. A setup takes a few steps (card preparation, a firmware choice, folders, scraping art), and the setup guide walks through them. If you do pay for setup, ask what software goes on the card and where the games come from.

Importing as a beginner

Price comparisons between shops hide import costs. For a US buyer, small parcels from China no longer get duty-free treatment, and tariffs changed several times in 2026; see the notes and sources in the AliExpress and tariffs guide. The safest first purchase is from a shop that ships from inside the US and has a return policy. Joey's Retro Handhelds recommends Anbernic's own store first and AliExpress second, and Amazon only as a last resort because of markups.