What feels like a million video games with online multiplayer seem to arrive every week, but good games you can play on the couch with a loved one have only become rarer. If you’re looking for some cooperative fun, let us help. Below we’ve rounded up several of the best couch co-op games we’ve played across the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, Xbox and PC. Just note that we’ve limited our selection to genuine co-op experiences, not games that have local multiplayer but aren’t truly cooperative in practice. (So, no Mario Kart or Jackbox Party Pack.) Still, our guide covers everything from platformers and puzzlers to RPGs and arcade shooters.

Best couch co-op games for 2025

Couch co-op games FAQs

What's the difference between a multiplayer game and a co-op game?

A co-op game is a type of multiplayer game that's designed to let two or more players to play together as a team — or, cooperatively. For this guide, we specifically focus on couch (or "local") co-op games, which allow you and your partner(s) to play from the same device, in the same place. Online co-op games have you play together from separate devices over an internet connection. The latter are much more common these days, but they can be a bit less intimate. (This guide would also be a much more daunting endeavor if we had to keep track of every new game that supports online co-op.) A multiplayer game, meanwhile, is simply any game in which multiple players can play in the same in-game space at the same time, be it cooperatively or competitively, locally or via the internet.

Recent updates

April 2025: We’ve added Split Fiction as a recommendation and noted Donkey Kong Country Returns HD as another good option in our Tropical Freeze write-up.

Check out our entire Best Games series including the best Nintendo Switch games, the best PS5 games, the best Xbox games, the best PC games and the best free games you can play today.

Handheld gaming systems are having a moment. While people have been gaming on the go since the halcyon days of the Game Boy, recent years have brought an avalanche of devices that let you play all sorts of games anywhere you want. But new machines seem to arrive every week, and figuring out which ones are actually worth buying can be overwhelming. You already know that the Nintendo Switch is great, but depending on your tastes, the right handheld could be a $70 emulator or an $800 portable PC. To help you narrow things down, we’ve spent months researching the best handheld gaming consoles and testing several top contenders. Here are the ones we like the most right now.

Editor’s note (4/24/2025): We have received retail units of the Retroid Pocket Flip 2, Retroid Pocket Classic and TrimUI Brick and begun the testing process for each. However, we’re starting to see more concrete effects of the Trump administration’s newly imposed tariffs and forthcoming repeal of the “de minimis” exemption for shipments from China. One retro handheld maker, Anbernic, has suspended all shipments from China to the US. Separately, Retroid has cancelled certain SKUs of its Pocket Classic for US buyers, while suggesting that US-bound packages from China will stop on April 25. Other unconfirmed reports say that AYN will temporarily pause shipments on April 25, too. (We’ve reached out to AYN to verify this but have not received a reply.) Hongkong Post has suspended mail services to the US beyond that, while DHL has paused shipments valued over $800 to US customers.

We are leaving our current picks in place for the time being, as the tensions between the Trump administration and China are still somewhat fluid. (And since these issues largely do not affect non-US users.) But if the current policies hold, it seems inevitable that retro handhelds that are manufactured and sold from China — such as the Retroid Pocket 5 and AYN Odin 2 we recommend below — will either be unpurchasable or drastically more expensive for American buyers. If this shift becomes permanent, we’ll overhaul this guide with new buying advice for those who want a device to play retro games on the go. Other top picks like the Steam Deck and ASUS ROG Ally X are still available at their usual prices for now, but we’d expect devices like those to become more expensive the longer the increased tariff rates are intact.

Table of contents

• Best gaming handhelds for 2025

• Other gaming handhelds we've tested

• What to know about the gaming handheld market

Best handheld gaming devices for 2025

Other gaming handhelds we've tested

Sam Rutherford for Engadget

Note: This is a selection of noteworthy gaming handhelds we’ve tested, not a comprehensive list of everything we've ever tried.

MSI Claw 8 AI+

The original MSI Claw was a flop, but the newer Claw 8 AI+ is much more appealing if you’re willing to pay for a larger and slightly more powerful alternative to the ASUS ROG Ally X. With its Intel Core Ultra 7-258V chip and 32GB of RAM, it typically pumped out 10 to 15 percent higher frame rates than other high-end models like the Ally X and Lenovo Legion Go in our testing. Battery life is relatively strong, while its 8-inch 120Hz IPS display is plenty bright and supports VRR. There are smooth Hall effect thumbsticks and triggers, two Thunderbolt 4 ports and a built-in fingerprint sensor beyond that.

The Claw’s main issue is its price: At $1,000 after a recent price hike, it’s hard to justify over the ROG Ally X, which is already too expensive for most people. ASUS' handheld is smaller, lighter and generally more portable on top of that— though the Claw is thinner — and its Armoury Crate software, while far from perfect, is still a bit more polished than MSI’s Center M hub. There's also a smaller 7-inch version of this handheld for $829, but we haven’t tested that one yet.

Photo by Sam Rutherford/Engadget

Lenovo Legion Go

The Lenovo Legion Go is another capable alternative to the ASUS ROG Ally X with an even larger display. It runs on the same Ryzen Z1 Extreme chip and offers a similar set of performance modes, but it has a mondo-sized 8.8-inch panel with a sharper 2,560 x 1,600 resolution and a higher 144Hz refresh rate. It also borrows some ideas from the Switch, including detachable controllers and a built-in kickstand for playing games in a tabletop mode. Those controllers have touchpads to make navigating Windows a little easier, something the ROG Ally X lacks.

But it’s still a Windows handheld, and Lenovo’s software tweaks aren’t as intuitive as what ASUS has done with Armoury Crate, so the UX can feel half-baked by comparison. The jumbo design is bulkier and heavier than the ROG Ally X, so some will find it too fatiguing to hold. Its fans are louder as well, plus the display lacks VRR. Lenovo teased a Legion Go 2 at CES earlier this year, though it hasn't shared a release date or pricing details as of our latest update.

Sam Rutherford for Engadget

Lenovo Legion Go S (Windows version)

The Lenovo Legion Go S has a relatively comfortable design and a commendable 8-inch 120Hz display, but its performance lags too far behind the ROG Ally X, Claw 8 AI+ and original Legion Go for a device priced at $730. Windows is still as clunky as ever, too. We’re more excited to test the SteamOS version that’s scheduled to arrive in May, as that should be one of the first non-Valve devices to utilize the Steam Deck’s software.

Photo by Jeff Dunn / Engadget

Ayaneo Flip DS

The Ayaneo Flip DS is a cool concept: a powerful Windows machine with a clamshell design and dual displays, sort of like a supercharged Nintendo DS. It feels sturdy, it performs roughly on par with the other Ryzen 7 7840U (or 8840U) handhelds in this guide, and its 7-inch top display is sharp, fast and bright. The second screen makes it a natural fit for emulating Wii U or 3DS games, but you could also, say, look up a guide or play a YouTube video without having to close whatever you’re playing. 

Unfortunately, this is more of a neat idea than a fully thought-out product. The folding design means that the joysticks have to be short and recessed, while the face buttons and d-pad are uncomfortably flat. The whole thing is overly thick and heavy, plus it runs very hot. Battery life tops out around two hours, and actually managing two displays on a Windows handheld is about as clunky as you'd expect. With prices starting above $800, the Flip DS is hard to recommend unless you’re (oddly) desperate for a handheld Wii U emulator. We're always happy to see more weird hardware, though.

Photo by James Trew / Engadget

Ayaneo Kun

The Ayaneo Kun is among the most decadent Windows handhelds we’ve tested. With a sharp 8.4-inch display, a Ryzen 7 8840U chip, up to 64GB of RAM, up to 4TB of storage, a sizable 75Wh battery and a 54W max TDP, it’s both a capable gaming device and a feasible replacement for a desktop PC. But it costs well over $1,000, it’s huge and it suffers from the usual Windows-related issues. It also lacks VRR. It’s still a fine device if money is truly no object, but it’s more handheld than most need. The ROG Ally X is a much better value. This is technically an older model for Ayaneo, too, as the company seems to launch a new handheld every other hour these days.

Ayaneo 2S

The Ayaneo 2S is another high-power Windows handheld with a sharper display and higher configuration options than the ROG Ally X. It also uses the same chip as the Kun above. But it’s limited to a 60Hz refresh rate and costs a few hundred dollars extra. Ayaneo announced a decked-out successor called the Ayaneo 3 toward the end of 2024; we'll try to test that one out when it becomes widely available. 

Jeff Dunn for Engadget

Retroid Pocket Mini

The Retroid Pocket Mini is essentially a smaller version of the Retroid Pocket 5. It runs on the same Snapdragon 865 chip and feels just as sturdy, but it has a smaller 3.7-inch display with a 4:3 aspect ratio. This makes it a more natural fit for older retro consoles, as you won’t get the black boxes you’d see on a 16:9 display like the one on the Pocket 5. If you mainly want to emulate systems like the SNES, Sega Genesis or Game Boy Color and don’t mind paying extra for a rich OLED display, it’s a good little device. But the tiny screen is limiting if you ever want to play newer games, and we wish there wasn't so much empty space around the display. 

This device has also generated some controversy within the retro gaming community for having persistent issues with inaccurate shaders (and for the slapdash way Retroid has handled the matter). That shouldn't be a dealbreaker for most people, but those who prefer to use effects like those should look elsewhere. 

Retroid Pocket 4 Pro and Retroid Pocket 4

The 4.7-inch Retroid Pocket 4 Pro is the predecessor to the Pocket 5. Its performance isn’t significantly far off the newer model, so it remains a nice value if you’re determined to spend less than $200 on an emulation device. It misses out on the larger OLED display and more ergonomically-friendly design of its follow-up, however. The base Pocket 4 may also be worth a look if you want to stay under $150, but its weaker chip makes it less adept at emulating games from the PS2, GameCube and up.

Photo by Jeff Dunn / Engadget

Miyoo Mini Plus

The Miyoo Mini Plus is a highly affordable handheld with a well-built, Game Boy-style form factor that fits nicely with older games. Its 3.5-inch display really pops for something in the $60 to $80 range, its battery lasts as long as it needs to and it can emulate consoles up to the original PlayStation without much issue. Its Linux-based software is extensively customizable, though it requires some tinkering to get it working optimally. Like many cheapo handhelds, it also lacks fast charging. Still, of the many Game Boy-like emulation devices floating around the budget end of the market, it’s the one we’d recommend first. Since it’s from a smaller Chinese firm and isn’t available at major retailers, however, it can be difficult to actually buy.

Anbernic RG35XX Plus

The Anbernic RG35XX Plus is another wallet-friendly vertical handheld — or at least, it was before Anbernic paused shipments to the US. For about the same price as the Miyoo Mini Plus, it offers a faster chipset, more RAM and a bigger battery alongside a similarly impressive design. Its stock OS is overly sloppy and cheap-looking, however, and while the stronger processor is nice, the small screen and lack of analog sticks means you won’t want to emulate much beyond the PS1 anyway.

Jeff Dunn for Engadget

Anbernic RG35XXSP

The Anbernic RG35XXSP is a variant of the RG35XX Plus based on the same internals, only it apes the clamshell form factor of the old Game Boy Advance SP. That’s a great design to rip off if you must pick one, and the hardware doesn’t feel nearly as cheap as its (pre-tariff) price tag of $60 or so would suggest. But the software issues noted above still apply (both here and with the many other devices in the same RGXX family). We’ve also seen several user reports of quality control issues with the RG35XXSP’s battery, which is automatically disqualifying.

Anbernic RG405M

The Anbernic RG405M is another 4:3 handheld with a 4-inch display and a pleasing metal frame. It's an OK alternative to the Retroid Pocket Mini if you want a little more screen space for less cash, but it’s slower, and it lacks the Mini’s OLED display. We find the Retroid’s grooved back to be comfier to hold over time as well. And again, Anbernic has paused handheld shipments to America as of this writing.

Photo by Devindra Hardawar/Engadget

PlayStation Portal

The PlayStation Portal is an odd accessory that’s designed to stream games from a PlayStation 5. It lacks built-in apps, so it doesn’t support traditional emulation. Because it’s entirely dependent on the quality of your home Wi-Fi, we can’t guarantee how well it’ll actually perform. It doesn’t work with Bluetooth earbuds either. 

The 8-inch display is fine and the DualSense-style controls are great, so PlayStation diehards who want a second screen for local PS5 streaming may see the appeal. Sony recently added the ability to stream a selection of games via the cloud, which is a step in the right direction, but you need an expensive PlayStation Plus Premium subscription to take advantage. In general, there’s little here that you can’t do with a smartphone and mobile game controller, so most people are better off saving their $200.

Logitech G Cloud

The Logitech G Cloud would’ve been a great Android pick when it launched if it cost about $150 less. Its 7-inch 1080p display is bright, vibrant and generally more pleasing to look at than the panel on the AYN Odin 2, its battery lasts a good 10 to 12 hours per charge and its design is comfy to hold for hours at a time. Alas, the G Cloud still tends to cost between $260 and $300, which is just too much when the Retroid Pocket 5 offers more power at a lower price.

What to know about the gaming handheld market

Jeff Dunn / Engadget

You can break down the gaming handheld market into three broad tiers. At the top, you have x86-based portable gaming PCs like the Steam Deck or ASUS ROG Ally X. These are the most powerful handhelds you can buy, as they seek to replicate the experience of a moderately specced gaming desktop. The Steam Deck runs on the Linux operating system, but most others use Windows. If you want to play modern, recently released PC games on the go (and need something stronger than a Switch), this is the type of device you’d get. They can also emulate the widest range of retro consoles. They’re typically the largest and most cumbersome devices to hold, however, and their battery life can be short. Naturally, they’re also the most expensive, costing anywhere from $400 to more than $1,000.

Further down on the price spectrum are "mobile handhelds" like the Logitech G Cloud or Retroid Pocket. These devices often run Android or Linux and can range from under $50 to $400-ish. They aren’t equipped to play modern console or PC titles, but they’re usually more compact than a portable PC, and you can still use them for mobile games and cloud streaming. While most are marketed toward those ends, many gamers actually buy them to emulate classic games through software like RetroArch. Getting emulators to work can be complicated, and accessing the BIOS and ROM files required to play games this way is legally murky. One lawsuit from Nintendo recently led to the shutdown of the most prominent Switch and 3DS emulators, for instance. (Engadget does not condone piracy.) Backing up files of games you already own for personal use only is considered more defensible, though, so for that a mobile handheld can be a more user- and wallet-friendly way to play the classics — provided you don’t want to just use your phone.

We’ll call the last tier “handhelds that do their own thing.” This is a catch-all for things like the Switch or Playdate: portable devices that run heavily customized software and aim to provide a unique gaming experience. They aren’t necessarily ideal for emulation or playing the latest multiplatform titles; instead, they often have distinct game libraries. They might not have the widest appeal as a result (Switch excluded), but they’re often easier for less tech-literate folks to just pick up and use.

Recent updates

March 2025: We’ve edited this guide for clarity and added testing notes for the MSI Claw 8 AI+ and Lenovo Legion Go S (Windows version). Our main picks are unchanged. Looking ahead, we’re keeping an eye on upcoming Windows handhelds from Acer and Ayaneo, a pair of new emulation devices from Retroid, the first third-party devices to ship with SteamOS and more machines that run on AMD’s Ryzen Z2 chips, among others. 

January 2025: We have a new top pick among emulation-focused handhelds: the Retroid Pocket 5. Beyond that, we’ve added notes on a few other devices we’ve tested, including the Retroid Pocket Mini and Anbernic RG35XXSP; lightly edited other blurbs to reflect changes in the market; and removed a couple write-ups for products that’ve been discontinued. We're also keeping an eye on new handhelds that’ve recently been announced or are strongly rumored to arrive in the near future, including devices from MSI and Lenovo.

August 2024: We’ve replaced the ASUS ROG Ally, our prior pick for the best Windows gaming handheld, with the new and improved ROG Ally X. We’ve also checked to make sure all availability and pricing details noted throughout the guide are accurate.

June 2024: We’ve updated this guide to ensure all of our recommendations are up to date, adding a note on ASUS’ upcoming ROG Ally X in the process. We’ve also included details on two new handhelds we’ve tested since our previous update: the MSI Claw and Ayaneo Flip DS. Staying on top of this market is a tall task, but we’re currently looking at recent noteworthy releases like the PSP-esque AYN Odin 2 Mini and the GBA-style Anbernic RG35XXSP as well.

The Google Pixel 8 Pro remains the large-screen Android smartphone we'd recommend to most people, and right now it's back on sale for $749 at Amazon, Best Buy and Google's online store. We've seen this deal before, but it matches the largest discount we've tracked for an unlocked model outside of trade-in or carrier-exclusive offers. The phone technically has a list price of $999, though it's often sold for $799 since it was launched last October. Either way, you're saving at least a bit more than usual. This price applies to the base model with 128GB of storage, but higher-capacity models are also $250 off their MSRP if you need more space.

If you don't mind trading in an old device, however, Google has also raised the trade-in values for certain phones when they're put toward a Pixel 8 Pro. If you're upgrading from a Pixel 6 Pro, for instance, you can tack on a $400 refund, while a Pixel 7 Pro in good condition can give up to $500 back. Those are higher than what the company is offering for the smaller Pixel 8 or foldable Pixel Fold. Google says this promo will run through June 22. (Just be sure to follow Google's instructions if you go this route, as the company uses a third party for its trade-in program.) Best Buy will also take an extra $100 off if you activate the phone with a carrier.

We gave the Pixel 8 Pro a score of 93 in our review last year, and it still offers top-notch camera performance, a vibrant 6.7-inch OLED display and a relatively clean take on Android, with OS updates guaranteed through October 2030. The screen supports a variable refresh rate up to 120Hz, which makes scrolling feel smooth, and the soft glass finish looks and feels nice. The software, meanwhile, is aided by a few AI-based features that are actually handy (and don't involve eating glue): A Magic Editor tool lets you cut out unwanted objects in the background of photos, for one, while an Audio Magic Eraser feature helps eliminate ambient noise from videos. (You can use Magic Editor features with other phones, but you're limited to 10 uses per month unless you own a Pixel or pay a subscription fee.)

You'd get the Pixel 8 Pro for the camera and software first, though. Its Tensor G3 chip can handle just about anything you throw at it, but alternatives like the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra are technically faster and may not get as warm when stressed. Likewise, while the phone's battery can get you through a full day, it's not quite class-leading, and its 30W charging speed could stand to be faster. Still, there's plenty to like here. Our biggest issue with the Pixel 8 Pro was that it costs $100 more than its predecessor out of the gate, but this deal helps soften that blow.   

If you want a smaller or more affordable handset, the 6.1-inch Pixel 8 offers most of the same features and is also on sale for $549. That's not the lowest price we've seen, though it's a better value than Google's newer midrange Pixel 8a phone when it's discounted to that extent. 

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It's Friday, which means it's time for another curated roundup of the week's best tech deals. This week's selection is highlighted by a new low on Apple's entry-level iPad, which is down to $300 at Amazon with an on-page coupon. That's about $50 less than buying direct from Apple. Beyond that, a new PlayStation sale has cut $50 off the PlayStation 5 — and if you already subscribe to Sony's PlayStation Plus service, you can get a year of Netflix thrown in on top. We're also seeing discounts on year-long Peacock memberships, various Sonos speakers, the newest MacBook Air and Roku's Streaming Stick 4K, among other gadgets we recommend. Here are the best tech deals from this week that you can still buy today.

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Apple's 10th-gen iPad has become a much better value after a permanent $100 price cut earlier this month, and now a new discount has made it even more affordable. The 10.9-inch tablet is on sale for $300 at Amazon, which is the lowest price we've seen to date. Just note that you'll need to clip an on-page coupon to see the full discount, and that the deal only applies to the blue and silver finishes as of this writing. For reference, Apple sells the slate for $349, though we previously saw it drop around $330 a couple weeks back. 

Be aware that this deal is for models with 64GB of storage; if you need more space, 256GB versions are also $49 off and down to a low of $450. Again, just clip the on-page coupon to get the final price. All of these offers are available at Costco as well, but only for subscribers to that retailer's membership plan. (Amazon's deals are likely price matches.) Costco's listing says the sale will run through May 31.

We gave the 10th-gen iPad a review score of 85 back in October 2022, and it's now the budget pick in our iPad buying guide. The latter is somewhat by default, since this is the only iPad available for less than $350. Still, it's a great tablet for the money. It has a similar design as the more expensive iPad Air, with a crisp display, a clean aluminum frame, thin bezels, a Touch ID reader and a USB-C port. Its battery life is about the same at 10-ish hours, and its A14 Bionic chip remains plenty fast for the things most people do with an iPad, be it streaming Netflix, playing the occasional game or doing basic work. Like Apple's pricier tablets, its front camera is located on its long edge, which is a more natural location for group FaceTime calls.

To be clear, if you can afford one of the new iPad Airs, we think it's worth it. Those are available in 11- and 13-inch sizes and include a host of upgrades that add up to a more pleasing experience. Those include a faster and more futureproof M2 chip, double the RAM and default storage and a laminated display (which means there's no visible "gap" between the front glass and the display itself). The Air is also compatible with better accessories, such as the new Pencil Pro stylus. Here, you're limited to the cheaper USB-C Pencil, which lacks pressure sensitivity, or the old first-gen Pencil, which requires a mess of adapters to charge. If you can find a last-gen iPad Air for cheap before it goes fully out of stock, that should remain a better value as well. Still, if you just want a tablet for the essentials and are looking to spend as little as possible, the entry-level model gets you the core iPad experience at a good price. This deal only furthers that.

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Here’s an open secret: Every cheap streaming stick kind of sucks. Yes, it’s great that people can access so many shows and movies with devices that cost less than $50. It’s great that the best of them no longer force you to suffer through constant lag and performance hiccups, too. But over time, the Faustian bargain we make with these things becomes increasingly obvious. We save cash upfront, then we repay our debt through a shoddy user experience.

I’ve been thinking about this since buying Amazon’s Fire TV Stick 4K Max a couple of months ago. It’s a good example of that handshake: It’s been on sale for $40 for most of the past few months, and at that price, its hardware is a tremendous bargain. It’s fast, it works with the major HDR formats and Dolby Atmos and it supports all the requisite apps.

But Amazon’s Fire OS is shamelessly bloated. Big honking ads dominate the UI, most of which put Amazon services like Freevee or MGM+ or Prime Video — still the Blockbuster bargain bin of streaming services — front and center. Some ads straight up promote products you can shop on Amazon. Friend, you have not seen the dystopian future until the top third of your 55-inch TV suggests you buy a KitchenAid espresso machine. Once I’m actually streaming something, the Fire TV Stick 4K Max is great. But I have to resist all the ads it peddles to me, to mentally block parts of the device I bought with my own money, to get the most out of it.

So why did I still buy one? Mainly because I’m not using it the way Amazon intends. Instead, I’m using it to emulate old video games, which is forever the easiest path to my heart. It’s possible to run retro games on just about anything today, of course — a PC, an iPhone, a million different handhelds, a fridge and more. You can do this kind of thing with other Android streamers such as the Google Chromecast or Amazon’s cheaper Fire TV Stick 4K as well. The Delta emulator was newly allowed on iOS, and you can also get at it with an Apple TV too, albeit over AirPlay instead of a native connection. I settled on the 4K Max simply because it seems to have more of a performance safety net than most other low-cost streamers. And it’s much cheaper than a higher-end box like the Apple TV or NVIDIA Shield.

Regardless, having a dedicated device for TVs is convenient in a way those non-streaming sticks aren’t. I’m not lugging a giant gaming PC from my desk to my living room, and I’m not paying extra for a mini PC when I can spend so much less on a dongle that emulates well enough. Official consoles like the Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 5 have plenty of retro games in their libraries, but far from everything. And while I’m a collector who has spent way too much on consoles and games from decades past, the process of getting that original hardware to run decently on a modern TV is famously laborious. Sometimes I just want to play a half-hour of NHL ‘94, Ken Griffey Jr. Presents Major League Baseball or Chrono Trigger without having to pull out the SNES (or Genesis), upscaler and heap of cables from my closet. (Related: I’d also like a bigger apartment, but c’est la vie in NYC.) Emulating on the Fire TV Stick isn’t as faithful as the real thing in terms of image quality, but it’s certainly playable and generally less of a hassle to just turn on and use.

After you get it set up, that is. Turning a Fire TV Stick into a retro game center isn’t especially complicated but requires a little prep. There are plenty of tutorials out there that’ll walk you through the full process, but here’s how I got it to work. First, I needed a few accessories: a Bluetooth controller, some sort of USB thumb drive (any older USB 2.0 model will do) and an OTG adapter with a microUSB connector that can power the Fire TV while connecting that external storage. I’ve been using this old SNES-style 8BitDo controller, just to get a more period-appropriate feel, though a PS4 or PS5 gamepad would also work. The USB drive holds the ROM and BIOS files for the games and systems I want to emulate. This is where I remind you that Engadget does not condone piracy, and while emulators are perfectly legal, sharing ROMs on the internet is not, so tread lightly. But backing up files of old games I’ve already bought, for personal use only, is at least fuzzier.

After formatting my thumb drive and loading it up with my games, it was simply matter of downloading the popular frontend RetroArch from Amazon’s app store, downloading the “cores” for each console I wanted to emulate within RetroArch, pointing the app toward the right folders on the USB drive and configuring my gamepad’s controls. I’ve done this on dozens of devices over the past couple years as I’ve sunk deeper into the retro-gaming rabbit hole, so the whole process took me well under an hour. Demystifying RetroArch would take me another 1,000 words, so I’ll direct you to this superb video tutorial from Retro Game Corps. It’s long, but this stuff always requires a little pain upfront, and I think it’s worth it. Turning a device like this into something completely different feels like I’m getting away with something. It’s exciting, even if it means I end up sounding like this guy.

As for what’s actually playable on this thing, I’ve found the 4K Max to work best emulating consoles up to the original PlayStation. Games from the PS1, NES, SNES, Game Boy, GBA, Genesis and old arcade machines have been consistently smooth. It’s technically possible to run stuff from the N64, Dreamcast, PSP or Nintendo DS, but those are more hit-or-miss, so I wouldn’t bank on them unless you’re the kind of sadist who enjoys futzing with resolution scaling and cycling between emulators. Still, this leaves me with hundreds of games to enjoy. Some are essential (Donkey Kong), some have been lost to time (U.N. Squadron), some make me want to self-defenestrate (Ecco the Dolphin) and none are live-service dross designed to disrespect my time.

I understand that this is a weird, niche pursuit. Emulators are daunting at first, and many old games feel like relics for a reason. Yet, in a small way, turning this ad-riddled, data-sucking streamer into a mini retro console has felt like reclaiming ownership of the gadget I paid for. The ads are still there, and my home screen will continue to badger me to watch Anne Hathaway’s latest rom-com on Prime Video. (My wife and I caved; it was fine.) But with a little trickery, I’ve bent it to show more of what I want to see — and gained an easier way to engage in some nostalgic fun in the process.

The new iPad Pro and iPad Air — and the internet's reaction to how they've been advertised — may have been the big Apple news of the week, but we're turning our attention to AirPods for our latest deals roundup. More specifically, all four models in Apple's wireless headphone lineup are currently on sale. The noise-canceling AirPods Pro and third-gen AirPods back down to lows of $180 and $140, respectively, while the entry-level earbuds and top-end AirPods Max are both cheaper than usual at $80 and $450. Beyond that, we've also found noteworthy discounts on Amazon's Kindle, LG's C3 OLED TV, Keychron's budget-friendly C3 Pro keyboard and annual Paramount+ with Showtime subscriptions, among others. Here are the best tech deals from this week that you can still get today.

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Apple unveiled a slew of new iPads on Tuesday, and the updates have brought a bit more clarity to the company's tablet selection. Yes, there are still six different models in total, but the lines separating those slates are more firmly drawn: You have a good option (the base iPad), a better option (the iPad Air) and a best option (the iPad Pro). Both the Air and Pro are available in 11- or 13-inch frames, but those SKUs are more or less identical outside of their size. The iPad mini, meanwhile, is still off to the side for the relatively small niche that prefers a compact tablet.  

Within those announcements, however, the Apple Pencil became even more of a mess. Apple introduced a new top-end stylus, the Pencil Pro, but didn't discontinue any older model. As a result, prospective shoppers now have four (4!) different styluses to choose from. Each has different features, two are the same price, and only the lowest-end model works with every iPad in Apple's now-current lineup. And the highest-end version prior to yesterday is no longer compatible with the latest iPad Air or iPad Pro. 

This is pretty bad! Exactly how Apple got here may stem from what the company calls a "new magnetic interface." This is what the Pencil Pro uses to connect and charge with compatible iPads, which in this case only includes the new iPad Airs and iPad Pros. Those tablets have been redesigned to place their front-facing cameras on the long edge, which is a welcome change in a vacuum, but could have resulted in the devices no longer accommodating the charging system used by the second-generation Pencil. Apple hasn't confirmed any of this, however. We've reached out to the company for clarification and will update if we hear back. 

It's more than possible that we're in an awkward transitional period, with the first- and second-gen Pencils on the way out whenever the entry-level iPad and iPad mini are refreshed. As it is today, though, it'd be hard for digital artists and note-takers to look at the Pencil lineup as anything but chaotic. That there's a "lineup" at all, and not one product that just works with every iPad, feels like a condemnation in itself. But if you're in the market for a new Pencil and not sure which one to get, we've broken down the current offerings below. 

The Apple Pencil Pro is the newest and most technically advanced Pencil. It costs $129 and is up for pre-order now, with full availability starting on May 15. As noted above, it's only compatible with Apple's latest tablets: the 11- and 13-inch iPad Air (M2), and the 11- and 13-inch iPad Pro (M4).

To keep things simple, if you're going to buy one of those iPads, this is almost certainly the stylus you should get. We still need to review it, but it's essentially an upgraded version of the second-gen Pencil, which we previously recommended in our guide to the best iPad accessories. It has virtually the same comfortable shape and matte finish, though it's technically 0.05 ounces lighter. It still supports pressure sensitivity, so your marks will be darker if you press down with more force, and tilt detection, so you can hold it at an angle for light shading and similar effects. It still pairs and charges magnetically, and it can still utilize a "double-tap" feature that lets you quickly swap between tools in certain apps. With certain iPads, a "hover" feature allows you to interact with elements on screen by holding the stylus just over the display. 

The Pencil Pro has a few exclusive perks on top of that. You can squeeze it to open a contextual menu for changing colors, line weights and similar tools. A built-in gyroscope can detect when you roll the stylus, which should make it simpler to change the orientation of shaped pen and brush tools. There's a haptic engine to deliver more tangible feedback as you use the pen. And, maybe most conveniently, it works with Apple's Find My network, so it should be easier to locate if you ever misplace it. 

The second-generation Pencil was released in 2018 and remained Apple's best stylus until this week. It, too, costs $129, though recent sales have dropped it as low as $79. It's compatible with the following iPads: 12.9-inch iPad Pro (3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th gen), 11-inch iPad Pro (1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th gen), iPad Air (4th and 5th gen) and iPad mini (6th gen). 

To reiterate, Apple says it is not compatible with any of the iPad Airs or iPad Pros announced on Tuesday. Yes, paying $129 for a stylus only to be forced into replacing it a generation or two later is obnoxious.

The second-gen Pencil lacks the squeeze and "barrel roll" gestures, increased haptic feedback and Find My support of the Pencil Pro. Otherwise, it includes all of the same core features. If you own one of the compatible iPads listed above and do not plan on upgrading anytime soon, it's the Pencil to buy, as it remains a significant upgrade over Apple's lower-cost models. But if you plan to buy a new iPad Air or iPad Pro in the near future and don't desperately need a stylus today, it's worth holding off and buying the Pencil Pro alongside your new tablet, as much as that sucks. 

The USB-C Apple Pencil was released late last year and effectively serves as Apple's "budget" stylus. With a list price of $79, it's still not outright cheap, though we've seen it go for $10 less with recent discounts. 

This is the only Pencil that's compatible with every iPad in Apple's current lineup: the iPad Air (M2), iPad Pro (M4), iPad (10th gen) and iPad mini (6th gen). Besides those, it works with the the older 12.9-inch iPad Pro (3rd-6th gen), 11-inch iPad Pro (1st-4th gen) and iPad Air (4th and 5th gen).

However, it's also a clear downgrade from the Pencil Pro and second-gen Pencil, as it lacks pressure sensitivity and magnetic charging support. The former means it's less precise for illustrations, while the latter means you'll need a USB-C cable handy when it comes time to recharge the device. You can still attach the USB-C Pencil to the side of iPads with magnetic holders, which is convenient, but it won't power up. It doesn't work with Apple's double-tap feature, either, though it does support "hover" and basics like tilt sensitivity. It's also slightly shorter than the higher-end models.

For most people who care about drawing or note-taking enough to buy an Apple Pencil in the first place, I'd recommend just paying up for the Pencil Pro or second-gen Pencil, depending on your iPad. But for those who really want to save cash and may only want a stylus for casual writing or generally navigating their device, the USB-C Pencil could make sense. This is especially the case for the iPad (10th gen), which doesn't work with either of Apple's superior models. 

The original Apple Pencil was introduced way back in 2015. Apple still sells it for $99, though these days it's frequently available for $20 to $30 less at other retailers. Most people can safely ignore it: The only modern iPad it works with is the entry-level iPad (10th gen), but even then it requires a Lighting to USB-C adapter to charge, which looks ridiculous and gives you more things to potentially lose. It can't attach magnetically, and it has a glossier, more rounded design that can more easily roll away on a flat table. It also lacks most of the more advanced features found in newer Pencils.

The one thing the first-gen Pencil does have over the USB-C model, though, is pressure sensitivity. Yes, even though it's eight years older, it's technically better in at least one meaningful way. So, if you own the iPad (10th gen) and are willing to deal with the dongle-ridden charging situation in exchange for a more precise drawing experience, there's a world in which the first-gen Pencil is still justifiable. But most people in that situation should just step up to an iPad Air and the Pencil Pro.

Just for posterity, here's the list of iPads that support the first-gen Pencil: 12.9-inch iPad Pro (1st and 2nd gen), 10.5-inch iPad Pro, 9.7-inch iPad Pro, iPad Air (3rd gen), iPad mini (5th gen) and iPad (6th-10th gen).

The new iPads are finally here. Apple has announced four new entries in its tablet lineup, including two revamped iPad Pros with OLED screens and an all-new M4 chip, a refreshed iPad Air with an M2 chip and a new larger Air model with a 13-inch display. Along with the new slates, the company also unveiled a new Apple Pencil Pro stylus with haptic feedback support and an updated Magic Keyboard with a more MacBook-like design. The updates come more than a year and a half after the company last unveiled new iPads in October 2022.

All of the new gear is available for pre-order today at Apple's online store and will be fully available on May 15. We plan to put everything through its paces in the coming days, but if you're already 100 percent sure that you want to upgrade, we'll quickly break down what's new and lay out your current purchasing options below. Here's what to know about pre-ordering the new iPad Air, iPad Pro, Apple Pencil Pro and Magic Keyboard.

We recommend Samsung's Galaxy SmartTag 2 in our Bluetooth tracker buying guide to Galaxy phone owners who want an AirTags-style device that can keep tabs on their keys, luggage and other sensitive items. If that describes you, here's a quick PSA: A four-pack of the little oblong devices is currently $30 off and down to $70 at Amazon. This discount has popped up periodically since Samsung released the tracker last October, but it nevertheless matches the four-pack's lowest price to date. If you'd rather not shop at Amazon, the same bundle is available at B&H for $2 extra.

If you don't need quite so many trackers, meanwhile, single SmartTag 2s are also on sale for $21 each. That's a dollar more than the device's all-time low but still $9 off its usual street price.

The key thing to note with the Galaxy SmartTag 2 is that it's a Samsung-only affair. You need a Samsung phone or tablet running Android 11 or later for it to fully work, and it uses the company's SmartThings Find crowd-finding network to locate items. The latter is Samsung's alternative to Apple's Find My network and Google's recently-launched Find My Device network. (Yes, the names of these things are way too similar.) It's not as large as either of those, so it'll generally be less precise at pinpointing an item that winds up outside of your tracker's Bluetooth range. Samsung hasn't confirmed any plans for the Galaxy SmartTag 2 to support Google's expanded network, either. If you're an Android user who isn't beholden to Galaxy phones, you should wait and see if it's worth buying upcoming trackers from Chipolo and Pebblebee (among others) that are designed to use the Find My Device network.

That said, because there are still a few hundred million Samsung devices that've opted into SmartThings Find out in the wild, we've found the Galaxy SmartTag 2's crowd-sourcing to be effective enough in testing. Its separation alerts — i.e., its ability to ping you when you've left a tagged item behind — worked about as reliably as any model we tested, and it does well to map out its location history over time. It's capable of tracking up to 120 meters (roughly 394 feet) directly over Bluetooth, which is on the longer side, plus it supports ultrawideband tech, which can help it more accurately direct you towards an item once you're close by.

The device itself is simple to set up, and its flat design has a built-in cutout, so it's easy to stash in a wallet or attach to a keychain. It's also IP67-rated, so it can survive a dip underwater. Samsung says the device can last up to 500 days with typical use, and you can replace the battery once it peters out. There are technically more capable options out there (with more to come), and all Bluetooth trackers carry some level of privacy issues. A device like this isn't ideal for warding off theft, either. But for forgetful Galaxy diehards who are looking to save some cash, this is a decent deal.

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