Looking for a budget Game Boy nostalgia device. What's your favorite?
I loved my Game Boys as a kid. I had a Pocket that my parents gave in and bought me after much begging, and later I saved up and bought a Color off eBay. I also had a GBA for a hot minute, though it didn't make the same impression. I gave them all away at some point to a family friend.
I've thought about getting a new handheld for a while now, for the nostalgia and to play all the great games I never got to. Now my kid is getting into Pokemon through the TCG, and I want to give her a feel for the old-school Pokemon experience while I relive it myself. So I'm looking for something that feels like a (pre-Advance) Game Boy. We already have a Steam Deck in the household, so I'm not planning to use this for anything too heavy, or anything which originally played on a larger screen. I really just want to fill that old-school GB niche.
What matters:
- Budget: <$100, or possibly up to $150 for something really worth it, but I don't think I'll need to go that high.
- Vertical
- Ideally no analog sticks, because I don't plan to use them and they'd get in the way, but open to it for an otherwise great device.
- WiFi and Bluetooth, because RetroAchievements seems fun, and I want to use my AirPods as headphones.
- Feels "Game Boy-y" in the hand, in a very subjective way that doesn't have to mean that it's as close as possible in form to an original GB—I'm curious what people who had the same goal have found in practice.
- Nostalgia in general, which again, is super subjective, but I'd love to hear what worked and what didn't for people.
What doesn't:
- Big screen. I'm only planning to play small-screen titles. I don't mind a larger screen, I think, but I don't think it's worth paying more for that alone.
- Anything above GBA, or maybe DS. I'm not trying to put a PS3 in my hand.
What I'm looking at:
- RG-35XX Plus
- Trimui Brick
- RG-40XXV (Is it too big? Or are the smaller ones cramped?)
- Retroid Pocket Classic (but not sure it's worth the higher price to me)
I'm having a hard time narrowing it down among them. What's your favorite Game Boy nostalgia device? How would you compare these options?
Posted Aug 8, 2025, 9:33 PM UTC