How does anyone choose which handheld to buy when better, cheaper hardware appears nearly every week? The answer (at long last) is the Retroid Pocket 5. However, like solving a good math problem, it’s important that I show my work.

For the past two years, I was stuck in a loop I like to call the Handheld Buyer’s Dilemma. A YouTube channel — like my beloved Retro Game Corps — would introduce a new, incredible handheld that emulates practically every console and platform released before the PlayStation 2. I’d open the store page in a fresh tab, then spend a week fretting over the cost of the gadget and the time it would take to set up to my liking. When finally I was prepared to open my wallet, I’d instead open YouTube, and the loop would start all over as I discovered a new video about a new handheld that promised to be even better than the last.

Abundance should be a boon. Companies like Anbernic, Retroid, and........

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