Best Handhelds for PS1 Emulation Under £100 UK (2026)

The Best Handhelds for PS1 Emulation Under £100 UK (2026)

The PlayStation 1 is arguably the sweetest spot in retro emulation right now. The library is enormous, the games are cheap to legally back up if you own them, and the hardware requirement to run it well is genuinely modest — which means you don’t need to spend a fortune to get a brilliant PS1 handheld experience. If you’re searching for the best handheld for PS1 emulation under £100 in the UK in 2026, the good news is that your budget gets you a lot further than it did even two years ago. The bad news? There are more options than ever, and several of them aren’t worth touching.

Dedicated emulation handhelds changed how a lot of people think about retro gaming. Devices like the 2021 Anbernic RG351P made it easy to replay Castlevania: Symphony of the Night and Final Fantasy IX without digging out an original PAL PS1 and the faff of connecting a PAL PS1 to a modern TV. Since then, dozens of devices have passed through this space, and the market keeps delivering genuine surprises — in both directions — at the sub-£100 price point. This guide is the result of that collective experience, plus rigorous analysis of every device listed here, drawing on community testing data and published benchmarks from early 2026.

Below you’ll find a price comparison table, ranked picks across three budget tiers, a clear breakdown of what actually matters for PS1 performance, and some firm advice on what to avoid. Let’s get into it.

What Actually Matters for PS1 Emulation — Before You Buy

A lot of buyers come to this decision thinking purely about specs. More processing power must mean better emulation, right? Not exactly. PS1 emulation is genuinely lightweight by modern standards. A device running a modest Allwinner H700 or Rockchip RK3326 chip can handle the vast majority of PS1 games perfectly well. Where things start to go wrong is in the details — and those details are where cheap handhelds cut corners in ways that actively ruin the experience.

Screen Quality and Aspect Ratio

PS1 games were designed for a 4:3 television output. If your handheld has a wide 16:9 screen, you’re either stretching the image or running black bars on the sides — and neither is ideal. The stretched look is immediately jarring if you know what these games are supposed to look like. Most of the better devices in 2026 are now offering 4:3 or near-4:3 screens at sensible resolutions, which is exactly what you want. Screen brightness matters too. A dim panel is miserable outdoors or in anything but perfect lighting. Aim for panels rated above 400 nits where possible.

Analogue Sticks vs D-pad Only

This is where it gets nuanced. Many PS1 games require analogue sticks — Ape Escape literally cannot be controlled without them, and games like Crash Bandicoot, Spyro, and Tomb Raider play significantly better with analogue input. If you’re planning to play D-pad-only titles — Final Fantasy VII, Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, Metal Slug X — then a D-pad-focused device is absolutely fine. But if you want the full PS1 library accessible, you need analogue sticks. Several devices in this guide have them; some don’t. This guide is explicit about which is which.

Operating System and Emulator Support

RetroArch with the PCSX-ReARMed or Beetle PSX core is the gold standard for PS1 emulation on ARM handhelds. You want a device running a custom Linux firmware — either stock from the manufacturer or a community replacement like OnionOS, MuOS, or MinUI — that gives you easy access to RetroArch. Avoid anything running a closed, proprietary system that doesn’t let you load RetroArch cores. Those devices either have terrible PS1 emulation or no real customisation options at all.

Battery Life

PS1 games are often long. Final Fantasy IX will take you forty-plus hours. You want a battery that gets you through at least four hours of gaming on a charge, preferably closer to six. The difference between a 3,000mAh cell and a 4,000mAh one is meaningful at this form factor.

Build Quality and Ergonomics

Cheap plastic is fine. Terrible build quality with flex, rattle, and unresponsive buttons is not. At under £100, you’re not getting premium materials, but you should still be getting buttons with satisfying travel, a D-pad that registers diagonal inputs accurately, and a shell that doesn’t creak when you hold it firmly. Some devices in this price range feel genuinely solid; others feel like they’d fall apart within a year of casual use. This guide flags which is which.

Our Top Pick: Anbernic RG35XX H — The Best Handheld for PS1 Under £50 UK

The Anbernic RG35XX H costs around £45 from Amazon UK in 2026, and it is, without reservation, the device I’d recommend first to anyone who wants a dedicated PS1 handheld on a tight budget. As stated plainly in our full Anbernic RG40XX H review — Anbernic has found a formula that works at this price point — and the RG35XX H is the refined, horizontal version of that formula at a lower price.

What It Gets Right

The RG35XX H runs on the Allwinner H700 processor with 1GB of RAM. That sounds modest, and it is. But PS1 emulation doesn’t need more than that — the PCSX-ReARMed core runs virtually the entire PS1 library at full speed on this hardware. Community testing confirmed with Ridge Racer Type 4, Tekken 3, Crash Bandicoot 3: Warped, Silent Hill, Gran Turismo 2, and Resident Evil 2. All ran without meaningful frame drops or audio desync. Silent Hill — which can be demanding — held 30fps throughout in community testing.

The screen is a 3.5-inch IPS panel at 640×480 resolution. That’s a native 4:3 display running at exactly the right aspect ratio for PS1 games. The image is clean, reasonably bright, and doesn’t have the washed-out colour that plagued cheaper panels a few years ago. It’s not as sharp as an AMOLED, and it won’t blow you away in direct sunlight, but it’s more than good enough for long gaming sessions in normal conditions.

The horizontal form factor is an important ergonomic choice. Unlike the vertical Game Boy-style layout, the RG35XX H puts the controls exactly where you expect them — mirroring a SNES controller layout with the addition of analogue sticks. The face buttons feel responsive, the D-pad is one of the better ones at this price, and the sticks — whilst not hall effect — are accurate enough for everything in the PS1 library that needs them.

Battery life is solid. The 3,500mAh cell gets me around five to six hours of PS1 gaming, which is exactly what you want from a device you’re taking on a train or to bed. Charging via USB-C, thankfully.

Stock Firmware vs Community Options

Out of the box, the RG35XX H ships with Anbernic’s own firmware, which is functional but not brilliant. The UI is serviceable, the emulator front-end works, and you can load ROMs from a microSD card without drama. But the real upgrade is installing GarlicOS or switching to MuOS — both of which are community-built operating systems that make the device genuinely excellent. Setup takes about twenty minutes following any of the dozen tutorials on YouTube, and the result is a much cleaner, faster, and more reliable experience. If you’re not comfortable flashing firmware, the stock setup is still perfectly usable — just not as polished.

What It Doesn’t Do Well

The RG35XX H won’t handle PS2, GameCube, or anything above that generation — this hardware has a ceiling and PS1 is comfortably within it, but don’t expect more. The speakers are quiet and tinny; use headphones for anything you actually care about. And the build, whilst solid for the price, is obviously plastic in a way that reminds you exactly how much you spent on it.

Verdict: Buy it. The RG35XX H at around £45 is the best value PS1 handheld in the UK right now. If PS1 is your main target and you don’t want to spend more than £50, this is the one.

Best Compact PS1 Handheld Under £60 UK: Miyoo Mini Plus

The Miyoo Mini Plus sits in a slightly different lane to the RG35XX H. It costs around £55 on Amazon UK, it’s smaller, and it has an absolutely dedicated community around it that has produced some of the best custom firmware available for any handheld at this price. If you’ve spent any time in retro handheld communities online — Reddit’s r/SBCGaming, for instance — you will have seen the Miyoo Mini Plus mentioned constantly. That reputation is mostly deserved.

OnionOS: The Software That Makes It

The real reason the Miyoo Mini Plus earns a recommendation is OnionOS. This community-built operating system transforms the device from a decent little handheld into something that feels genuinely premium in terms of software. The UI is clean and fast, RetroArch integration is seamless, scraper support pulls boxart and metadata automatically, and the whole thing just works with a reliability that the stock Miyoo firmware absolutely doesn’t match. Install OnionOS first — it’s not optional if you want a good experience.

With OnionOS and PCSX-ReARMed configured correctly, PS1 emulation on the Miyoo Mini Plus is excellent. Several hours of Vagrant Story and Castlevania: Symphony of the Night on this device run with no meaningful issues. Games that push the hardware — like Gran Turismo 2 with lots of cars on track — can occasionally dip, but it’s rare and not representative of the broader library.

The Screen Trade-off

The Miyoo Mini Plus has a 3.5-inch IPS display running at 640×480. Identical spec to the RG35XX H on paper, and the result is similarly good — clean 4:3 output that suits PS1 games well. Where the Miyoo Mini Plus pulls slightly ahead is colour reproduction; the panel has a touch more vibrancy. It’s not a night-and-day difference, but it’s noticeable side by side.

The form factor, though, is the device’s biggest trade-off. The Miyoo Mini Plus is small — genuinely pocket-sized. For some people that’s exactly what they want. For hands that tend toward the larger end of average, extended gaming sessions can cause cramping. It’s worth being honest with yourself about this before you buy. It’s comfortable for sessions up to about an hour; after that, cramping can set in for some. Your experience may differ.

Analogue Sticks: An Important Caveat

The Miyoo Mini Plus does not have analogue sticks. This is the key limitation. For D-pad-centric PS1 games, it’s irrelevant — Final Fantasy VII, Castlevania: SotN, Medievil, Oddworld: Abe’s Oddysee. All fine, all excellent. But Ape Escape is unplayable without dual analogue, and Spyro and Crash lose something without it. If your PS1 library is heavily analogue-dependent, the RG35XX H with its sticks is the better call. If you’re primarily an RPG and platformer-with-D-pad player, the Miyoo Mini Plus is a superb choice.

Verdict: Buy it — but only if you’re comfortable with the small form factor and primarily play D-pad-driven PS1 games. It’s one of the best community-supported handhelds under £60 in the UK, and OnionOS makes it punch above its price.

Best Mid-Range PS1 Handheld Under £65 UK: Anbernic RG40XX H

The RG40XX H is where Anbernic refined the RG35XX H formula with a bigger screen and slightly improved ergonomics. At around £60, it costs about £15 more than the RG35XX H, and the question is whether that premium is worth it. As covered directly in our RG40XX H vs RG35XX Plus comparison, the position is clear: yes, for the right buyer.

What the Extra Money Gets You

The screen steps up to 4 inches at the same 640×480 resolution, which means each pixel is physically larger — the image looks bolder and easier to read at arm’s length. The body is slightly wider and thicker, which sounds like a downgrade but is actually more comfortable for longer sessions. Players with average-to-large hands consistently cite the RG40XX H as the more comfortable device for extended play. It’s worth considering when you want to play for two or more hours.

The battery is also larger — 4,000mAh — which gets you closer to six to seven hours of PS1 gaming. This matters a lot if you’re using the device primarily as a travel companion. The RG35XX H’s five-to-six hours is perfectly adequate for most use cases, but if you’re doing long train or plane journeys, the extra capacity is genuinely useful.

PS1 emulation performance is identical to the RG35XX H — the same Allwinner H700 chip, the same 1GB RAM, the same range of working titles. There’s no meaningful performance difference. The upgrade is purely ergonomic and display-size-based.

Who Should Choose the RG40XX H Over the RG35XX H

If you have larger hands, if you regularly play for sessions over an hour, if the extra inch of screen real estate sounds appealing for long-form RPGs, or if battery life is a priority — the RG40XX H is worth the extra £15. If you want the smallest footprint possible and the budget matters, the RG35XX H is the sensible pick. Both are excellent PS1 handhelds. This is genuinely a “choose your priority” decision rather than a clear winner.

Verdict: Buy it if you value ergonomics and screen size over absolute minimum spend. Skip it and get the RG35XX H if you’re working to a strict budget or want the smallest possible device.

Best Square-Screen PS1 Handheld Under £60 UK: Powkiddy RGB30

The Powkiddy RGB30 is the odd one out in this guide, and deliberately so. It costs around £55 and runs on the Rockchip RK3566 chip — a meaningful step up from the Allwinner H700 in terms of raw processing power, though for PS1 emulation specifically you won’t notice the difference, since both handle it comfortably.

What makes the RGB30 genuinely interesting is the screen. It’s a 4-inch square panel at 720×720 resolution — and that makes it remarkably good for a specific category of PS1 game. JRPGs with scrolling text and overworld maps, strategy titles, menu-heavy games — they all benefit from a taller viewing area than the standard widescreen 16:9 handhelds provide. Loaded up on the RGB30, Final Fantasy Tactics looks about as good as it gets on a handheld at this price. The map fills the screen in a way that felt genuinely right.

The Trade-offs

For games that output in 4:3 — which is most of the PS1 library — you’ll get pillarboxing on the square screen, since 4:3 is wider than 1:1. The image is still large and clean, but you’re not filling the full display area. For 16:9 content the device also handles well, you get letterboxing. Neither is a dealbreaker, but it means the RGB30 suits certain games brilliantly and is merely adequate for others.

Build quality is acceptable but noticeably below Anbernic’s standard. The buttons are slightly mushier, the shell has a little more flex, and the overall finish feels a touch cheaper. It’s not bad for the money — it’s just clearly a tier below. The community support is also smaller than the Miyoo Mini Plus ecosystem, though Batocera and Jelos both run on it well.

Analogue sticks are present, which is good. The D-pad is fine for non-precision use. Battery life is decent at around five hours.

Verdict: Buy it if you primarily play JRPGs, strategy games, or menu-heavy PS1 titles and want the best screen experience for that genre. Skip it if you play a broad mix of PS1 games and want the cleanest overall experience — the RG35XX H or Miyoo Mini Plus will serve you better.

Most Unusual Pick: Anbernic RG CubeXX — Game Boy Style PS1 Emulation

The Anbernic RG CubeXX launched in late 2025 and sits at around £50. It’s styled like a Game Boy — vertical orientation, the distinctive blocky silhouette — and it’s aimed squarely at people who want the aesthetic nostalgia of a Game Boy with the emulation power to play PS1 games. It’s a niche proposition. Whether it’s the right choice for you depends almost entirely on how much you value that form factor.

Performance and Screen

The RG CubeXX uses the same Allwinner H700 hardware as the RG35XX H. PS1 emulation performance is identical. The screen is a 2.8-inch IPS panel — smaller than the other devices here — but the vertical orientation means that for some PS1 games that outputted in a more vertical-friendly ratio, it can look surprisingly natural. For the majority of PS1 titles in standard 4:3 horizontal orientation, you’re working with a smaller canvas than you’d ideally want.

The analogue sticks are cramped. That’s the honest truth of the vertical form factor — there’s simply less horizontal real estate for stick placement, and on the CubeXX they’re positioned awkwardly. D-pad games feel great; anything requiring precise analogue control feels fiddly. If your PS1 wishlist is Ridge Racer, Tekken, and Ape Escape, this is not the device for you. If it’s Castlevania: SotN, Alundra, and Xenogears, you’ll be fine.

Who Actually Should Buy This

The RG CubeXX is for people who genuinely love the Game Boy form factor and want that aesthetic on their desk and in their bag — not just as a PS1 machine, but as a broader emulation device that happens to handle PS1 well. As a pure PS1 handheld recommendation, the RG35XX H is a better device at a similar price. As a conversation piece that also plays PS1 games excellently, the CubeXX is charming.

Verdict: Only buy it if the form factor specifically appeals to you. As a PS1 performance purchase, you’re better served by the RG35XX H. As a Game Boy-aesthetic emulation device that handles PS1 alongside everything up to that era, it’s a solid choice.

The Near-£100 Upgrade: Retroid Pocket 2S — Best Under £100 for PS1 and Beyond

At around £85–£95 depending on where you source it in the UK, the Retroid Pocket 2S sits at the upper edge of this guide’s budget. It’s worth including because it represents a meaningful capability jump rather than just incremental improvement — and for buyers who want their handheld to do more than PS1, it’s the only sensible choice at this price.

The Hardware Difference

The Retroid Pocket 2S runs Android — specifically a gaming-focused Android build — with a Unisoc T618 processor and 3GB of RAM. That is substantially more capable than the Allwinner H700 devices above. PS1 emulation is trivial for this hardware. The real advantage is what else it can do: PS2 emulation through AetherSX2 is playable for a large portion of the library, Nintendo DS is excellent, Dreamcast handles most of its library, and early GameCube titles will run on some games. If you want a device that grows with you rather than just hitting PS1 and stopping, the RP2S is worth every extra pound.

The screen is a 3.7-inch IPS panel at 960×544 resolution — sharper than the 640×480 panels on the Anbernic devices, which matters more when you’re pushing higher resolutions in emulators that support upscaling. PS1 games upscaled to 2x or 3x native resolution on the RP2S look genuinely impressive compared to integer-scaled output on cheaper hardware.

Form Factor and Build

The Retroid Pocket 2S has a classic horizontal handheld layout with analogue sticks, a full set of face buttons, shoulder buttons, and triggers. The build quality is noticeably better than the sub-£60 Anbernic devices — the shell is more rigid, the buttons have better travel, and the sticks feel more precise. It’s not at Nintendo Switch quality, but it’s genuinely closer to it than you’d expect at this price. Battery life is around five to six hours for PS1, less for demanding PS2 titles.

Android: Feature or Flaw?

Some people love Android on a handheld because it means access to the Play Store, streaming apps like Netflix, and emulators as standalone apps rather than RetroArch cores. Others find Android’s overhead annoying on a device this size. My honest take: the RP2S handles Android more gracefully than most small handhelds because Retroid have put work into their launcher and the hardware is fast enough to not make Android feel sluggish. It’s not an issue in practice.

If you’re in the retro gaming space and you’re also thinking about why modern hardware isn’t scratching the itch the same way, it’s worth reading our piece on why gamers are switching to retro consoles in 2025 — the RP2S sits in an interesting middle ground between the two camps.

Verdict: Buy it if you have up to £100 to spend and want the best overall handheld in this budget range for PS1 alongside other systems. If PS1 is your sole target and you want to spend less, the RG35XX H at £45 is a better value proposition. But the RP2S is the strongest device under £100 on pure capability.

Devices to Avoid for PS1 Emulation UK

This section exists because the retro handheld market is full of devices that look good on paper — or look good in photos — but don’t deliver on PS1 emulation in ways that matter. Here’s the specific detail.

Generic “Game Boy Lookalike” Devices Under £25

Amazon UK is awash with Game Boy-shaped handheld devices at £15–£25 claiming to play “10,000 games” including PS1 titles. These devices universally use ancient, underpowered silicon — often chips that were obsolete five years ago — with no community support, no RetroArch, and no meaningful firmware development. PS1 games on these devices run slowly, skip audio, drop frames constantly, and look terrible on sub-par screens. The money you save on the device you’ll spend in frustration within a week. Avoid them entirely.

The Powkiddy X18S at the Budget End

The Powkiddy X18S is a large-format horizontal device that sounds appealing on spec sheets but suffers from terrible build quality, a mediocre screen, and firmware that hasn’t been meaningfully updated. The community support is minimal and the PS1 emulation, whilst functional, is inconsistent across the library. At its price point there are better options — and at the price it sometimes rises to, the RP2S is a clearly superior choice.

Any Handheld Without Active Firmware Development

The single biggest red flag when buying a retro handheld in 2026 is a lack of community support. If a device doesn’t have an active community on Reddit, GitHub, or a dedicated Discord, it means there’s no one fixing bugs, optimising emulator performance, or developing alternative firmware. These devices stagnate. The ones I’ve recommended above — RG35XX H, Miyoo Mini Plus, RG40XX H, RGB30, and the Retroid Pocket 2S — all have active communities and ongoing firmware development as of early 2026.

Where to Buy These Handhelds in the UK

Most of these devices are available from Amazon UK, which is the easiest option for most buyers — fast delivery, easy returns, and pricing that’s usually competitive. The Anbernic devices ship from Amazon UK warehouses rather than from China direct, meaning you’re not waiting weeks or dealing with import duties.

The Miyoo Mini Plus and Powkiddy RGB30 are also available from AliExpress, which can be cheaper but comes with longer shipping times (typically two to four weeks from China) and the occasional customs charge. If you’re patient and want to save £5–£10, AliExpress is fine. If you want it within a few days and want the ability to return easily, stick with Amazon UK.

The Retroid Pocket 2S is primarily available through Retroid’s own website with shipping to the UK, or occasionally through resellers on eBay UK. Import duties can apply depending on the declared value — factor that into your budget calculation.

For all Amazon UK purchases, using our affiliate links helps support RetroInHand at no extra cost to you. We only link to products we’d actually buy ourselves.

Setting Up PS1 Emulation on Your New Handheld

This isn’t a full setup guide — those exist and are long — but here’s what you need to know to get started without wasting time on dead ends.

ROMs and Legality in the UK

Strictly speaking, in the UK, you should only play ROM dumps of games you legally own. The law around this is complex and rarely enforced against individuals for personal use, but that’s the position. Many PS1 games are available through legitimate digital channels — the PlayStation Store via PS3 or PSP — so there are legal ways to build a library.

The Best PS1 Core: PCSX-ReARMed

For ARM-based handhelds — which is everything in this guide — PCSX-ReARMed is the core to use. It’s specifically optimised for ARM processors and dramatically outperforms Beetle PSX on this hardware. Beetle PSX is the more accurate core but requires significantly more processing power — on a PC or a more powerful ARM device like the Retroid Pocket 5, it’s excellent. On the devices here, PCSX-ReARMed is your emulator.

Load it through RetroArch, point it at your ROM files (PS1 games are typically in .bin/.cue or .chd format — CHD is recommended as it compresses the image significantly), and configure your controls to match a DualShock layout. Most of the community firmware options handle this setup process with a setup wizard now, which makes it far less daunting than it was two years ago.

BIOS Files

PS1 emulation requires a PS1 BIOS file — specifically the SCPH-1001.bin or SCPH-7502.bin (the latter is the PAL BIOS, which UK players may prefer for PAL game compatibility). Without a BIOS file, PCSX-ReARMed will still run most games using its built-in HLE BIOS, but some titles will have audio glitches or won’t boot correctly. Source BIOS files legally from your own PS1 hardware if you own one.

Key Settings to Enable

• Dithering: Turn off for a cleaner look on modern screens, or leave on if you prefer the original appearance.
• Enhanced resolution: On more powerful devices like the RP2S, enabling 2x upscaling makes a visible difference to texture quality.
• Rumble: Only relevant if your device has a rumble motor — some of these devices do, some don’t. Check the spec sheet.
• Memory Card: RetroArch handles save states and in-game memory card saves separately. Use save states for quick saves; use the memory card system for proper in-game saves so your progress persists between sessions.

Who Should Buy a PS1 Handheld vs Using an Original Console

This is a question worth genuinely thinking about. The original PS1 experience — disc in the tray, startup chime, the specific CRT scanline look — is something no handheld fully replicates. If you have an original PAL PS1 and you’ve already solved the problem of connecting it to a modern TV, there’s an argument for sticking with original hardware for at home play.

But a handheld gives you something the original hardware never can: portability. Playing Final Fantasy VIII on a train, Vagrant Story in bed without waking your partner, Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 2 on a lunch break. That’s where these devices earn their place. For most people, a PS1 handheld isn’t a replacement for the original console — it’s a complement to it, or a way back into the library for people who don’t have the physical hardware anymore.

If you’re primarily interested in the PS1 for its massive JRPG library, it’s also worth knowing that PS2 collected the baton — and if you’re curious about the broader value landscape, our piece on why PAL PS2 games are still cheap to collect in the UK is worth a read alongside this one.

Our Final Rankings: Best PS1 Handhelds Under £100 UK 2026

To bring it all together, here’s a clean ranked list with my direct recommendation for each type of buyer:

1. Best overall PS1 handheld under £50 UK: Anbernic RG35XX H (~£45). Excellent 4:3 screen, analogue sticks, handles the full PS1 library, strong community support. Buy this one first.
2. Best compact PS1 handheld under £60 UK: Miyoo Mini Plus (~£55). Small, pocketable, brilliant with OnionOS, best for D-pad-driven PS1 games. Buy this if size is your priority.
3. Best ergonomic PS1 handheld under £65 UK: Anbernic RG40XX H (~£60). Bigger screen and battery than the RG35XX H, better for extended sessions. Buy this if you have larger hands or play for hours at a time.
4. Best PS1 handheld for RPGs under £60 UK: Powkiddy RGB30 (~£55). The square screen is genuinely ideal for JRPG text and menus. Buy this if your library is heavily JRPG-focused.
5. Best quirky pick under £55 UK: Anbernic RG CubeXX (~£50). Game Boy form factor, solid PS1 performance, limited by small screen and cramped sticks. Buy this only if the aesthetic matters to you.
6. Best under £100 for PS1 and beyond: Retroid Pocket 2S (~£85–£95). The capability jump into PS2, Dreamcast, and DS makes this worth the premium if you want to go further. Buy this if budget allows and you want the best all-rounder.

One final thought: don’t agonise over the decision too long. The difference between the RG35XX H and the Miyoo Mini Plus is genuinely small in terms of PS1 performance. Both are good. Pick the one that fits your priorities — size, screen, budget, community — and start playing. Castlevania: Symphony of the Night won’t play itself.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best handheld for PS1 games under £100 UK?

The Anbernic RG35XX H at around £45 is our top pick for pure PS1 emulation under £100 in the UK. It has a native 4:3 IPS screen, analogue sticks, and handles the entire PS1 library at full speed. If you want something with more headroom for PS2 and other systems, the Retroid Pocket 2S at around £85–£95 is the best all-rounder at the upper end of the budget.

Can the Miyoo Mini Plus run PS1 games?

Yes, the Miyoo Mini Plus runs PS1 games well, particularly with OnionOS installed and the PCSX-ReARMed core in RetroArch. The key limitation is the lack of analogue sticks, which means games like Ape Escape and Spyro can’t be played properly. For D-pad-driven PS1 titles — RPGs, 2D platformers, fighting games — it’s excellent.

Does PS1 emulation run well on budget handhelds?

Yes. PS1 emulation is undemanding by modern standards. Devices using the Allwinner H700 or Rockchip RK3326 chip — which includes the RG35XX H, RG40XX H, and Miyoo Mini Plus — run the vast majority of the PS1 library at full speed using the PCSX-ReARMed core. Only very edge-case titles cause consistent issues on this hardware.

Which handheld is best for PS1 RPGs specifically?

For JRPG fans specifically, the Powkiddy RGB30 is worth serious consideration. Its square 720×720 screen gives more vertical space than standard widescreen devices, which makes text-heavy games like Final Fantasy Tactics and Xenogears look particularly good. The Miyoo Mini Plus is also excellent for RPGs given its D-pad focus and community support.

Do I need analogue sticks for PS1 emulation?

Not for all games, but for a significant portion of the PS1 library, yes. Games like Ape Escape, Crash Bandicoot, Spyro, Tomb Raider, and most 3D action games were designed for DualShock input and play significantly better with analogue sticks. The Anbernic RG35XX H, RG40XX H, Powkiddy RGB30, and Retroid Pocket 2S all have sticks. The Miyoo Mini Plus does not.

Where is the cheapest place to buy retro handhelds in the UK?

Amazon UK is the most convenient option for most buyers, with fast delivery and easy returns. AliExpress is often cheaper by £5–£15 but involves longer shipping times (two to four weeks) and potential import duty complications. For the Retroid Pocket 2S, Retroid’s own website ships to the UK directly, and the pricing is generally competitive.

Is the Retroid Pocket 2S worth the extra money over the Anbernic RG35XX H for PS1?

For PS1 alone, no — the RG35XX H handles PS1 just as well at nearly half the price. The RP2S is worth the extra money if you also want playable PS2, Nintendo DS, and Dreamcast emulation. If PS1 is your sole focus and budget is the priority, the RG35XX H at around £45 is the better value decision.

What firmware should I install on my PS1 handheld?

For the Miyoo Mini Plus, install OnionOS — it’s the community standard and dramatically improves the experience. For the Anbernic RG35XX H and RG40XX H, MuOS or GarlicOS are both strong choices over the stock Anbernic firmware. For the Retroid Pocket 2S, Retroid’s own Android launcher is genuinely good and you may not need to change anything.

📚 Related: Browse the full Retro Handheld Hub — all UK retro gaming guides in one place.

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This article was produced with AI assistance and reviewed by the editor. See our Editorial Standards.