Remember how popular the NES and SNES Classic Edition were in 2016 and 2017? Within a short period of time, they became impossible to find and became a seller’s dream, and the release of the mini consoles started a wave of gaming nostalgia that is still going strong today. offered a simple, plug-and-play way to revisit iconic old-school games like Final Fantasy VI, Star Fox, Super Mario Bros. 3, Metroidand more.
Rumors at the time indicated that Nintendo was pursuing pint-sized consoles with the portable Game Boy Classic, but that never happened. This was a big mistake on Nintendo’s part because companies like it Retroid, Meow, ModRetro, Analogand of course Anbernikthey have taken that mantle in a big way. In fact, many of these devices are so good that even if Nintendo finally gets around to releasing the Game Boy Classic, it’s likely may not be as good or as versatile.
For example, consider Anbernic, a company based in China that sells thousands of purpose-built retro gaming machines. There is unique Spin ($88) (just released), Nintendo DS copy RG DS ($94), like the Game Boy Advance 34XX ($57)Inspired by the Game Boy Advance SP RG35XXSP ($55)and my personal favorite, the RG34XXSP ($65)a slightly smaller GBA SP-like handheld with two analog joysticks.
RG34XXSP is the ultimate retro emulation handheld
This little beast can play almost anything up to the Dreamcast
I’ve used both the RG35XXSP and RG34XXSP extensively, and they feel surprisingly high-quality for retro, emulation-focused handhelds priced at just over $60. ModRetro’s Chromatic ($200) and Analog Pocket ($240)while still offering a capable handheld device. If Nintendo were to release a Game Boy Classic of some sort, I can’t see it being priced under $100, which would make it a tough sell when cheaper, arguably better handhelds are available.
Then, when you open game compatibility, the situation seems even more dire in some ways. Nowadays, if you want to play modern, legitimately retro games offered by Nintendo, you have to have the Switch/Switch 2 and Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Packgives you access to dozens of classic games on the NES, SNES, Game Boy, Game Boy Color, Game Boy Advance, Nintendo 64, Sega Genesis and more, all for $50 a year. It’s a relatively solid deal, and most of the gaming giant’s most popular titles are part of the growing collection.
On the other hand, with a third-party handheld like the RG34XXSP, you can play almost any ROM for any gaming system up to the Dreamcast. There’s no waiting for your favorite retro game to land on your device, and no subscription costs. The only thing that limits what games you can play on the handheld is your ability to find ROMs, and if you know how to Google, that won’t be a problem.
For example, if you want to play a little Super Mario World For the SNES, as long as you have has been obtained ROM, you can do it. Maybe you have plans to play a little The Legend of Zelda: The Ride cover For GBA SP. Then maybe you want to spend some time Crazy Taxi 2, an underrated Dreamcast classic. And thanks to the RG34XXSP’s astonishingly capable H700 quad-core ARM Cortex-A53 CPU, you can. And all this on a device that feels like a modern version of the classic Game Boy Advance SP. It’s kind of wild when you sit down and think about it.
In several ways, the deck is stacked against Nintendo, as companies like Anbernic operate in a bit of a gray area when it comes to emulation. Still, the company had the chance to release a similar official handheld as a follow-up to the SNES and NES Classic, but chose not to. — and at this point, it is arguably too late.
These handheld manufacturers don’t follow the same rulebook as Nintendo
Piracy is hard to compete with
To be fair to Nintendo, it’s not really possible for the company to compete with emulation-based games from the likes of Anbernic and Miyoo as far as game selection goes. For example, in order for a game to land on Nintendo Switch Online, especially when it’s a third-party title, the company is forced to enter into complex licensing agreements with developers and publishers that are sometimes decades old.
On the other hand, Anbernic can, at least for the most part, keep its hands free of this red tape and leave it up to the player to add games to their handhelds. However, if you’ve bought an Anbernic handheld before, you know that they often contain thousands of copyrighted ROMs. It’s far from legal, but if you’re less technical and aren’t interested in hunting down your own ROMs or installing custom firmware Knulli (which is great, by the way), when you buy an Anbernic handheld you already have a built-in ROM library on your finger drives, which is great as long as you’re cool with the potential ethical questions that arise.
It’s a battle Nintendo won’t win anyway
Even if Nintendo did ever release a Game Boy Classic, it would likely cost much more than Anbernic’s cheaper handhelds, and would likely only have a relatively small selection of ROMs. All that said, if you’re looking for a way to play retro games on the go, devices like Anbernic’s RG34XXSP are hard to beat for both price and versatility.
