Recommend me an old handheld console

[Lexicus]

Gameboy Advance's library is actually crazy good. Nintendo DS can run GBA games and also has a cool library. If you get a GBA, make sure you get the... I think the one named the GBA SP? It's less comfortable in your hand but has a backlight.

Advance Wars 2 and the gen 3 pokemon games are fire

 

[Angst]

Advance Wars 2 and the gen 3 pokemon games are fire

there's so much good stuff. indeed this but also like where fire emblem broke into the western market, there's kirby magic mirror which is like kirby metroidvania and really good and actually challenging, ports of several snes titles, like donkey kong country, mario and luigi superstar saga which is kind of the same tone as og paper mario originated there, and then a bunch of minor titles i can't even remember. there's a lot of really good stuff

if one is generally into strategy as i presume you are on a civ forum, indeed advance wars and fire emblem are honestly great

 

[The_J]

Why not just play some really old games on your laptop instead?

Work laptop, can't do anything on that.
I could play some old games on my old Kubuntu PC, but....meh.... I'd like to use my couch.


Checked today a 2nd hand gaming shop, they had a 2DS for 80-90€, and a range of crappy games for 5€ each. They had a range of 3DS games too, but nothing older. I'll see what else will come up.

 

[Zelig]

Note that the 2DS/3DS are different than the New 2DS/New 3DS. The “New” models are strictly better than the old ones. If you’re not using 3D functionality, the New 2DS is the best model - it’s functionally the same as the new 3DS but thinner/lighter and without 3D.

(And there’s no difference between 2DS and 3DS games - they’re all consoles in the “3DS” family. The “New” models have some titles that are exclusive and not playable on the non-New models.)

 

[Ordnael]

I think you really need a Nintendo Switch, you'll have to pay for those retro games Nintendo games, but the price tag for that is 20 bucks a year, I don't have it myself because I am not interested in playing retro games, or anything multiplayer.
Check these links

Memberships | Nintendo Switch Online | Nintendo

Nintendo Switch Online is a paid service that includes online play on Nintendo Switch in compatible games, a growing library of hand-picked classic games, and other member-exclusive benefits!

ec.nintendo.com

Nintendo Switch Online - Nintendo - Official Site

Learn about the different memberships and their benefits, so you can decide how to take your Nintendo Switch gaming experience to the next level.

www.nintendo.com

There are also many other old games being ported monthly for the Switch by the Hamster Corp on their Arcade Archives line

Arcade Archives - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

They'll cost u about 7 bucks a pop,
But you can also get a collection by Sega from the Genesis era which can get as low as 6bucks on sale, also a Contra collection, a castlevania collection and some more from capcom and i am sure there might be more but i don't follow the releases too much, but you chan check this site for current deals

Deku Deals - Nintendo Switch price tracking and wishlist notifications

Find the deepest discounts on Switch, Playstation, or Xbox. Get alerted for the next big sale. From physical games to digital codes, never miss a deal with Deku Deals.

www.dekudeals.com

 

[Broken_Erika]

Blip console is superior

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blip_(console)

 

[The_J]

https://www.theverge.com/2024/1/9/2...or-cartridges-handheld-hyperkin-95-mega-drive just saw this, essentially a kinda-remake of the Sega Nomad, so a handheld Genesis/Mega Drive.
Could be interesting, but looks clunky.

 

[Kyriakos]

You could go full-nostalgia and play Caveman.

Doesn't even have sprites; just already drawn segments on the screen, which get lit by the program's logic.

 

[Zelig]

https://www.theverge.com/2024/1/9/2...or-cartridges-handheld-hyperkin-95-mega-drive just saw this, essentially a kinda-remake of the Sega Nomad, so a handheld Genesis/Mega Drive.
Could be interesting, but looks clunky.

The only Genesis game on my personal to-play list is Castlevania: Bloodlines, which has cartridges going in the $70 range, which is... prohibitive compared to the entire Sega Genesis Mini console, or the Castlevania Anniversary collection for modern consoles/PC for $20.

 

[GoodEnoughForMe]

https://www.theverge.com/2024/1/9/2...or-cartridges-handheld-hyperkin-95-mega-drive just saw this, essentially a kinda-remake of the Sega Nomad, so a handheld Genesis/Mega Drive.
Could be interesting, but looks clunky.

Please don’t get this, Hyperkin products are garbage. They’ve also promised like 3 other consoles that were never released. They are a scam company.