The best handheld console for emulation and retro gaming

The best handheld console for emulation

Our pick for serious emulation is the Steam Deck OLED, with the cheaper Steam Deck LCD a close, more affordable second. The reasons are simple: the Deck has enough power to run demanding systems, an open Linux base that makes setting up emulators straightforward, a superb OLED screen for older games, and the best battery life here for long retro sessions. A Windows handheld like the ROG Ally X is also very capable and slightly more powerful, but the Deck is the easiest and most enjoyable to use for emulation, which is what matters.

Why the Steam Deck leads

The Steam Deck's biggest advantage for emulation is software. Because it runs Linux, the community tool EmuDeck installs and configures a full suite of emulators for you, then presents them in a console-style front end called EmulationStation, so you browse your retro library exactly like Steam games. There is no wrestling with individual emulator settings unless you want to. Add the lovely OLED screen, which suits the bold colours of older games, and the strong battery life, and the Deck becomes a genuinely brilliant retro machine as well as a modern one.

It also has the trackpads and a comfortable layout that help with systems designed for a mouse or stylus, and its 800p screen is a near-perfect match for the resolution of most older consoles. None of this requires you to be technical: EmuDeck does the heavy lifting, and the result is a tidy, controller-driven retro setup that just works.

What the Steam Deck can emulate

The Steam Deck handles the entire history of older consoles with ease and reaches into the more demanding ones too. At full speed it runs the NES, SNES, Mega Drive, Game Boy and DS, the PlayStation 1, N64, Dreamcast and PSP, and the PlayStation 2, GameCube and Wii, all comfortably. It can also run many PlayStation 3 and Wii U games, which are far more demanding, though those need more tweaking and do not all run perfectly. The most demanding systems, including some Switch emulation, push the hardware hard and vary game by game. For the vast majority of retro gaming, though, the Deck is more than powerful enough.

Windows handhelds for emulation

The ROG Ally X, Legion Go and MSI Claw 8 are all capable emulation machines, with slightly more raw power than the Deck in the most demanding cases. The trade-off is setup: on Windows you install and configure emulators yourself, or use a launcher like LaunchBox, which is more work than EmuDeck's one-click approach. If you are comfortable with that, and especially if you want the absolute best performance in the heaviest PS3 or Wii U titles, a Windows handheld is a strong choice. For most people, the Deck's simplicity wins.

The legal facts: please read this

The legal position is straightforward, and it matters. The emulator software itself is generally legal to download and use. What is not legal is downloading game ROMs and ISOs you do not own, which is copyright infringement under UK law. The lawful route is to create your own copies, dumping the games from cartridges and discs you already own using the appropriate hardware. We cover the consoles here and do not provide, host or link to ROMs of any kind. Please make sure you own the games you choose to play. Treating emulation as a way to enjoy your existing collection on the go keeps you on the right side of the law.