The retro edit
Which retro console should you buy?
Choose a handheld for a screen you can carry, or a TV console for shared play over HDMI. Then compare screen size, analogue controls and the complete cost of preparing your storage and files. The table below uses the shop’s current prices.
Quick comparison
Find the right format first, then compare the current prices and product details.
| Console | Format | Current price |
|---|---|---|
| R36S | Handheld consoles | $59.99 |
| R36MAX2 | Handheld consoles | $84.99 |
| Trimui Brick | Handheld consoles | $109.99 |
| Trimui Brick Pro | Handheld consoles | $129.99 |
| Trimui Brick Hammer | Handheld consoles | $134.99 |
| Trimui Smart Pro S | Handheld consoles | $144.99 |
| Game Stick Lite 4K | TV consoles | $49.99 |
| X8 TV Game Stick | TV consoles | $79.99 |
| G99 4K TV Console | TV consoles | $119.99 |
Where will you play?
Our range splits into two families. The TV consoles plug into an HDMI port and come with two wireless controllers. They suit living rooms, families and anyone who remembers games as something you played next to a friend on the sofa.
The handhelds carry their own screen and battery. They suit commutes, holidays, the ten minutes before dinner and anyone who spent their childhood playing under the covers after lights out.
If both sound like you, there is no rule against owning one of each. Our cheapest TV stick and our cheapest handheld together still cost a fraction of a current-generation console.
The TV consoles
Game Stick Lite 4K
The simplest and least expensive way to put classic games on a television. The stick goes straight into the HDMI port, takes its power over USB and has a microSD slot for the card and the game files you supply. It is the one we suggest for families, for gifts and for anyone trying retro gaming for the first time. See the Game Stick Lite 4K.
X8 TV Game Stick
Two systems on one stick. One starts straight into EmuELEC, which opens the files you have put on it, PS1 among the systems it plays. The other is Android 12 for apps and video, with a remote control for the sofa. Choose it if you want the games to reach a little further forward in time, or you like the idea of apps on the same stick. See the X8.
G99 4K TV Console
The G99 is our more capable TV option for the later 3D systems. It has separate memory card slots for the system and game files. Check the current product page for the hardware and accessories supplied, and prepare compatible storage and your own files before playing. See the G99.
The handhelds
R36S
Our least expensive handheld holds upright like the pocket consoles of the nineties, then adds two analogue sticks for 3D games. The 3.5-inch 640×480 screen has the same 4:3 shape as the games it plays, the battery lasts about eight hours, and it takes a microSD card, which you supply. It comes in six colours. A good first handheld, and a sensible one to hand to a teenager. See the R36S.
R36MAX2
The same processor as the R36S behind a much bigger 4.5-inch 1024×768 screen. It adds rumble, light rings around the sticks and Wi-Fi for playing against a second console, and the box includes a carry case, a desk stand and a screen protector. Buy it if small screens strain your eyes. See the R36MAX2.
Trimui Brick
73 by 110 millimetres, so it disappears into a jacket pocket. The 3.2-inch screen is fully laminated at 1024×768, which keeps pixel art crisp. It has a D-pad, four face buttons and four shoulder keys but no analogue sticks, so it is built for 2D games: platformers, puzzle games and role-playing games. Two spare sets of keycaps come in the box. See the Trimui Brick.
Trimui Brick Hammer
The Brick, machined from metal. It weighs 159 grams, comes in five finishes and charges quickly over USB-C. The screen and controls are the same as the Brick, so the reason to choose it is how it feels in the hand. It makes a gift that looks and feels like it cost more than it did. See the Brick Hammer.
Trimui Brick Pro
The Brick Pro adds a 3.95-inch screen, a 5000 mAh battery and two Hall-effect joysticks to the pocket format. Their sensors detect a magnetic field rather than relying on a sliding electrical contact. Choose it if you want analogue controls in a compact handheld. See the Brick Pro.
Trimui Smart Pro S
The widescreen one. A 4.96-inch 1280×720 screen, the most powerful processor of our handhelds, Wi-Fi 6, active cooling and about six hours of play. It is the handheld for long sessions and for the most demanding games we support. See the Smart Pro S.
Which games do you want to play?
Arcade, 8-bit and 16-bit games run well on every console we sell. The differences start with 3D. Every console except the Game Stick Lite 4K plays PS1 games well. The Game Stick Lite 4K is built for older systems, and one of its buyers found it a little short on PS1 games. For N64 and PSP games, the G99 on the TV and the Smart Pro S in your hands have the most headroom, while the R36S and R36MAX2 manage the lighter ones. Our guide to which consoles play PS1 games goes into more detail.
Controls matter too. If your favourites are 3D games, pick a console with analogue sticks. If they are 2D games, the Brick and the Hammer give you a D-pad and buttons with no sticks in the way, in the smallest bodies we sell.
What do you want to spend?
- Under $60: the Game Stick Lite 4K for the TV, or the R36S in your hands.
- Under $100: the X8 TV Game Stick or the R36MAX2.
- $100 to $150: the G99 and the four Trimui handhelds.
Games are not supplied. Check each product page for storage and accessories, and allow for preparing your own compatible card and legally obtained files. A blank card and a ready-to-use system card are different things.
Still torn between two?
Put them side by side on our comparison page, which lines up screens, controls, batteries and what comes in the box. And if you would rather ask a person, send us a message with the games you want to play and we will tell you which console we would buy.
