This Analogue Pocket Rival Is the Best Cheap Handheld You Can Buy

As wonderful a retro handheld because the Analogue Pocket is, at $220 it’s an costly piece of {hardware}—pricier than even the Nintendo Switch Lite. Analogue’s use of {hardware} emulation delivers a flawless retro gaming expertise, however don’t write off software program emulation simply but. For $60, the Miyoo Mini is an excellent little handheld with wonderful controls, a strong display screen, and efficiency that punches nicely above its price ticket.

The subsequent technology of handheld emulators popping out of China is simply across the nook, however as these gadgets get extra highly effective and costlier, the cheaper alternate options are additionally persevering with to be additional refined and polished—and that virtually sums up what you’ll get from the Miyoo Mini. It isn’t breaking any new floor and you may overlook about attempting to play video games from extra highly effective retro consoles just like the N64 with it, however for somebody trying to dive again in to their favourite 8- and 16-bit video games of their youth, the Miyoo Mini is an all-around wonderful system with a really interesting price ticket.

Note: A pattern of the Miyoo Mini was supplied to Gizmodo by on-line retailer KeepRetro.

A Perfect Size

As chunky as the unique Game Boy was, the hand-held that arguably took transportable gaming mainstream nonetheless feels extremely comfy to carry and play. It’s undoubtedly one of many causes Analogue selected to make its Pocket practically the precisely identical dimension because the Game Boy, however in a time when ultra-slim telephones can slip effortlessly right into a pocket, there’s additionally some attraction for a extra compact handheld gaming machine.

Devices just like the FunKey S and the Thumby take the thought of a tiny gaming machine in your pocket somewhat too far, however the Miyoo Mini, which is noticeably smaller than the Analogue Pocket, strikes a fantastic stability between portability and precise usability.

Roughly two-thirds the scale of an iPhone 12 Pro, the Miyoo Mini feels related in dimension to the Anbernic Retro Game 280V, however with a barely improved format that’s extra comfy to carry.

Feels Premium for the Price

Yes, you will get a handheld console for less expensive than $60, however you’ll undoubtedly be dissatisfied with not solely its terrible efficiency and recreation choice, however the construct high quality, too. This is the place the $60 Miyoo Mini genuinely stands out.

The shell is produced from prime quality plastic and the general construct feels fairly strong. There’s no creaking or flexing of the shell or any parts as you battle your manner by way of a button masher, and the controls themselves really feel very, excellent. One of my few complaints with the Analogue Pocket was its fully clean D-pad that also doesn’t really feel fairly proper below my thumb. The D-pad on the Miyoo Mini options indented triangles that add some welcome texture.

On the again, positioned a few half-inch beneath the highest of the hand-held, are two units of shoulder buttons. They have a pleasant click on and sit at completely different heights so that they’re straightforward to distinguish by really feel, however I’ll admit, given the compact dimension of the console, I typically have to alter up how I maintain the Miyoo Mini for video games requiring me to succeed in and use these shoulder buttons. I’m undecided anybody has solved the shoulder button placement concern for vertically oriented handhelds (I even struggled to make use of them on the folding GBA SP) however right here they’re satisfactory.

My solely actual grievance with the controls on the Miyoo Mini is the font used to label the motion buttons: particularly the “X” button that appears extra like an “H.” I hate it, and on a number of events have come near fixing it with a Sharpie.

The remainder of the Miyoo Mini’s {hardware} is pretty simple. On the highest you’ve obtained an influence/sleep/wake button subsequent to a set of three LEDs used to point energy and charging standing.

On the underside you’ll discover a headphone jack positioned within the appropriate place, a slot for a microSD card the place recreation recordsdata and emulators are saved, and a USB-C charging port.

In lieu of a pair of up and down buttons to regulate quantity, the Miyoo Mini makes use of an old-school analogue wheel, which I’ll admit I a lot favor. It makes nice quantity changes a lot simpler, and it’s simpler to rapidly silence the console whenever you overlook the final time you performed you had it cranked. The Miyoo Mini does embrace a tiny mono speaker, and whereas it may get louder than you’d count on, the standard of sound it pumps out will most likely have you ever rapidly reaching for headphones if you happen to truly care about listening to your video games.

Another welcome shock is a panel on the again that opens to disclose a detachable battery. Rated at 1,900 mAh, it powers the hand-held for roughly 4 to 6 hours relying on how vibrant the display screen is and the way processor demanding the video games you play are. If you journey so much it means you may maintain a charged spare available to double the hand-held’s runtime, as a result of whereas the included battery is Miyoo-branded, it’s uncertain an identical third-party alternative will probably be arduous to seek out.

A Beautiful Screen That’s Almost Perfect

It’s good to see 640 x 480 screens changing into all however normal on tiny handhelds like these now, and the two.8-inch IPS show on the Miyoo Mini seems fairly good with very minimal bezels, wonderful coloration saturation, and good distinction.

The newest firmware replace additionally expands how one can customise the looks of the Miyoo Mini’s show, together with controls added for its saturation, hue, and distinction, along with brightness. My solely grievance with the display screen is its comparatively restricted viewing angle. Tilt the hand-held ever so barely and also you’ll instantly discover a drop in distinction. But because you’ll be staring on the display screen straight all the time you play, I definitely don’t assume the viewing angle points are a deal breaker—particularly not with a $60 price ticket.

Easy-to-Use Software

The Miyoo Mini is powered by a Sigmastar SSD202D Cortex-A7 twin core chip working at 1.2Ghz with 128MB of RAM. Like with most different cheaper, smaller handhelds, there’s no devoted graphics processor for 3D, which implies that whereas some video games from the unique PlayStation period can run on it with first rate efficiency, it can usually require tweaks to the emulator, together with body skipping, to realize strong gameplay. I like to recommend sticking to basic 8-bit and 16-bit titles from techniques just like the NES, Genesis, and Super Nintendo, in addition to video games from older handhelds just like the Game Boy, GBA, and even the Sega Game Gear, so that you received’t be dissatisfied in what it’s able to. If you need one thing extra highly effective, you’re going to must splurge.

Unlike the Analogue Pocket, which requires authentic recreation cartridges, the Miyoo Mini is totally depending on ROM recordsdata loaded onto a microSD card. As a outcome, a sure stage of competency with copying recordsdata from a pc is required, and as an necessary reminder, enjoying video games utilizing ROM recordsdata, not the unique cartridges or discs, is a authorized grey space which might additionally make sourcing some of these recordsdata a problem.

I’ve been testing and reviewing handheld emulators for a couple of years now, and one function that’s turn into extra necessary to me is how straightforward they’re to make use of. It looks as if an apparent factor, however most of those gadgets are constructed on Linux with a entrance finish that just about appears like an afterthought. Most require fairly a little bit of follow to seek out your manner round, or the usage of particular button combos to navigate an emulator’s menus or just exit a recreation. This is one space the place I really feel Anbernic’s handhelds are missing, however the Miyoo Mini delivers a comparatively simple and painless expertise.

The Miyoo Mini I examined got here with standalone emulators pre-installed for all the hottest consoles of yesteryear (you may set up further ones for extra obscure techniques if you happen to select), and whereas the precise person interface isn’t going to have Apple’s designers taking notes, it’s not hideous both. The Miyoo Mini additionally comes put in with RetroArch, which is an alternate entrance finish with its personal emulators and cores that’s extra customizable for skilled retro avid gamers. So whereas I discover the Miyoo Mini straightforward to navigate, configure, and use, it’s not a tool that essentially solely caters solely to retro gaming freshmen.

I particularly recognize the inclusion of a context-sensitive button positioned proper beneath the display screen that may be pressed at any time to load, save, or exit again to the Miyoo Mini’s house display screen, or entry a specific emulator’s personal distinctive customization settings. It’s an added stage of polish that makes the Miyoo Mini simpler to leap proper into, however I’m not going to faux just like the {hardware} is ideal. For $60 you’re not going to get as clean an expertise as you’d from a Nintendo handheld, and that was made apparent when performing a current firmware replace which particularly required the Miyoo Mini’s battery to be eliminated and the console as a substitute powered by a USB-C to USB-A cable related to a standalone energy adapter to make sure the system didn’t brick itself. Yeesh! Here’s to hoping bizarre points like that will probably be ironed out in future updates.

Impressively Good

If all of the hoopla across the Analogue Pocket has made you additional nostalgic for retro gaming however you missed out on Pocket preorders or don’t need to drop $220 on one other console, the Miyoo Mini is totally value contemplating instead. Software emulation could by no means be as good because the strategy Analogue takes, however so long as you follow 8- and 16-bit titles, it’s uncertain you’ll discover a lot to complain concerning the Miyoo Mini’s efficiency. It’s solidly constructed, has a stunning display screen, and includes a pleasant however customizable UI that each skilled and newbie retro avid gamers can soar proper into.