If you want something easy to use, PS2/Xbox needs to be remove from the equation unless you're prepared to setup a powerful handheld PC where that's the only option for Orginal Xbox emulation with Xemu. PS2 emulation can be achieved with Android but again that will still require a lot of set up in addition to a good front-end to make it easy to access your game.
Let's go down a couple notches and focus on systems from NES up to the the orginal Playstation, with the possibility of adding Nintendo 64 & dreamcast into the mix. A Linux based handheld with a good operating system option will get you a long way. I would recommend looking into devices that work with the MinUi custom firmware. It gives you a very simple interface that focuses on getting you directly into your games. I'll leave the sub's recommendation guide below and you can do some research on a device that might suit you. !recommend
Alternatively, the Miyoo Mini + paired with OnionOs is the golden standard of easy to use operating systems so you should look into that as well for games from NES all the up to PS1.
If you are dialing it back to PS1, get a Raspberry Pi 4 and put RetroPie on it. It's very easy to use and will boot directly into the frontend. You can do a similar setup with an older PC as well, and price to performance will tend to be better. Raspberry Pis are nice though because they are very low power and can be left plugged in and running all the time. If you choose that route and need any help or have any questions with the setup/configuration you can message me
You cant hook the mm+ to a tv. But yeah. It is super easy and intuitive to use with onion os..
For on the couch gaming I would just take some old pc or and install batocera/Knulli
Looking for advice on which handheld/retro emulator to buy? Start by reading through our pinned post, and some of the comments within: https://www.reddit.com/r/SBCGaming/comments/1bl9oky/which_device_is_right_for_me_if_youre_new_to_the/
If that doesn't answer your questions, please follow-up with a specific question about a device, or the devices that you're comparing. There are few 'bad' choices; each device fits a unique use-case, and there is no single 'best' device.
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Xbox would be the limiting factor.
You basically need a computer (Or laptop/minipc/steamdeck etc)
Setup isnt particularly hard with projects like batocera (A custom OS designed for emulation without needing anything more than a controller after setup)
If you ditch xbox. PS2 and below can be handled with high end android systems that do come mostly preconfigured. Odin2 or Retroid Pocket 4 pro.
You're going to get a lot of handheld rec's because the direct to tv "console" equivalents are hot trash.
Good news is most handhelds above $50 have some form of HDMI out and bluetooth for controllers.
Its more of a matter of budget and high end system performance you want.
The recs from earlier Odin2 has hdmi micro? and usb-c video and RP4Pro has usb-c out.
Both should play most of the PS2 library without issue (and anything below).
8 bitdo Pro (Snes style) or Pro 2(Sorta PS2 style) with hall sticks are pretty good cheap options.
If you order direct from the manufacturer on aliexpress they're half the price of most retailers/amazon.
I would just get a mini pc (or however large a computer he can tolerate in the living room) and set it up with retrobat or similar. Use a wired controller or wireless Xbox or 8bitdo controller with their respective USB receivers for least amount of headache.
New Intel n100 mini PCs can be had for $160, older used 6-8th gen Intel i5 machines for under $100, and ryzen 5000 mini PCs as low as $250, etc. there's lots of options out there and you can run up to PS2/GC even on older Intel i3-6100. I paid $37 for one with 8gb of RAM and a 256gb SSD.
So I see since you dialed it back up to PS1 is your line. Which makes for good news because so many things can run PS1 and below with relative ease. So the short answer here is basically any device over $20 and under $100 is gonna have that power. And more good news: [retro game corps has a video specifically for setting up a handheld that is to be used by people who aren't great at fiddling with stuff.](https://youtu.be/BfauEyoadjM?si=WCdtfWictT8M2qNU) I haven't followed the video completely myself, you may have to change a few of the set up things if you want a huge library of games for your dad but the video does make it look really easy to do.
Highly recommend this: https://youtu.be/BfauEyoadjM?si=aiRtnUrRhRzD45kh
With that OS you can make it as accessible and plug and play as it can get. The device in the video has Bluetooth for remotes and hdmi out for TV. The written guide is just as good.
These guys are under $150 on ebay and can also play some lighter steam games. I set my dad up with one and an Xbox controller.
https://youtu.be/97enzfkRg2o?si=D5GxKCLCrpxr03cA
Maybe you could consider getting something that is always plugged into his TV?
Amazon Fire TV stick can emulate games; with the 4K & 4K Max versions I believe having greater processing power and emulating up to N64/SATURN/DREAMCAST/PSP/NDS etc.
Retro Game Corps has a few videos: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1H3dTVuNvzs](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1H3dTVuNvzs)
You could set it up for him and get a bluetooth controller, shouldn't be too complicated for him to use after that. 8bitdo are pretty popular and decently priced controllers.
Its worth noting that amazon has a long history of updates locking down sideloading on their hardware. So long as retroarch is still on their app store its fine.
But recently they went out of their way to nuke emulationstation so its hard to say what the future holds.
If you want something easy to use, PS2/Xbox needs to be remove from the equation unless you're prepared to setup a powerful handheld PC where that's the only option for Orginal Xbox emulation with Xemu. PS2 emulation can be achieved with Android but again that will still require a lot of set up in addition to a good front-end to make it easy to access your game. Let's go down a couple notches and focus on systems from NES up to the the orginal Playstation, with the possibility of adding Nintendo 64 & dreamcast into the mix. A Linux based handheld with a good operating system option will get you a long way. I would recommend looking into devices that work with the MinUi custom firmware. It gives you a very simple interface that focuses on getting you directly into your games. I'll leave the sub's recommendation guide below and you can do some research on a device that might suit you. !recommend Alternatively, the Miyoo Mini + paired with OnionOs is the golden standard of easy to use operating systems so you should look into that as well for games from NES all the up to PS1.
I didn’t know that was such a limiter. Yeah, dial it back to ps1 then.
If you are dialing it back to PS1, get a Raspberry Pi 4 and put RetroPie on it. It's very easy to use and will boot directly into the frontend. You can do a similar setup with an older PC as well, and price to performance will tend to be better. Raspberry Pis are nice though because they are very low power and can be left plugged in and running all the time. If you choose that route and need any help or have any questions with the setup/configuration you can message me
You cant hook the mm+ to a tv. But yeah. It is super easy and intuitive to use with onion os.. For on the couch gaming I would just take some old pc or and install batocera/Knulli
Right, forgot to mention that part, thank you.
Looking for advice on which handheld/retro emulator to buy? Start by reading through our pinned post, and some of the comments within: https://www.reddit.com/r/SBCGaming/comments/1bl9oky/which_device_is_right_for_me_if_youre_new_to_the/ If that doesn't answer your questions, please follow-up with a specific question about a device, or the devices that you're comparing. There are few 'bad' choices; each device fits a unique use-case, and there is no single 'best' device. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/SBCGaming) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Xbox would be the limiting factor. You basically need a computer (Or laptop/minipc/steamdeck etc) Setup isnt particularly hard with projects like batocera (A custom OS designed for emulation without needing anything more than a controller after setup) If you ditch xbox. PS2 and below can be handled with high end android systems that do come mostly preconfigured. Odin2 or Retroid Pocket 4 pro.
I can dial it back. But it needs to be able to connect to the tv. He’s not much on hand helds
You're going to get a lot of handheld rec's because the direct to tv "console" equivalents are hot trash. Good news is most handhelds above $50 have some form of HDMI out and bluetooth for controllers. Its more of a matter of budget and high end system performance you want. The recs from earlier Odin2 has hdmi micro? and usb-c video and RP4Pro has usb-c out. Both should play most of the PS2 library without issue (and anything below).
I’m new to all this. So I could plug the handheld into the TV and he could play with a separate Bluetooth controller, I’m assuming?
Exactly.
Recommend a good bluetooth controller that’s compatible with say the RGB30, if that’ll work for what I’m trying to do.
8 bitdo Pro (Snes style) or Pro 2(Sorta PS2 style) with hall sticks are pretty good cheap options. If you order direct from the manufacturer on aliexpress they're half the price of most retailers/amazon.
Awesome. Thank you for all your help. I’m looking at the RG353VS. Thinking I might go with this one.
I would just get a mini pc (or however large a computer he can tolerate in the living room) and set it up with retrobat or similar. Use a wired controller or wireless Xbox or 8bitdo controller with their respective USB receivers for least amount of headache. New Intel n100 mini PCs can be had for $160, older used 6-8th gen Intel i5 machines for under $100, and ryzen 5000 mini PCs as low as $250, etc. there's lots of options out there and you can run up to PS2/GC even on older Intel i3-6100. I paid $37 for one with 8gb of RAM and a 256gb SSD.
So I see since you dialed it back up to PS1 is your line. Which makes for good news because so many things can run PS1 and below with relative ease. So the short answer here is basically any device over $20 and under $100 is gonna have that power. And more good news: [retro game corps has a video specifically for setting up a handheld that is to be used by people who aren't great at fiddling with stuff.](https://youtu.be/BfauEyoadjM?si=WCdtfWictT8M2qNU) I haven't followed the video completely myself, you may have to change a few of the set up things if you want a huge library of games for your dad but the video does make it look really easy to do.
Highly recommend this: https://youtu.be/BfauEyoadjM?si=aiRtnUrRhRzD45kh With that OS you can make it as accessible and plug and play as it can get. The device in the video has Bluetooth for remotes and hdmi out for TV. The written guide is just as good.
Watching that, it looks really helpful. I most likely will try this…. I’m Not too tech smart though
These guys are under $150 on ebay and can also play some lighter steam games. I set my dad up with one and an Xbox controller. https://youtu.be/97enzfkRg2o?si=D5GxKCLCrpxr03cA
Honestly it seems like any emulation device is more complicated than an actual console. The easiest in my opinion is a Nintendo switch.
Maybe you could consider getting something that is always plugged into his TV? Amazon Fire TV stick can emulate games; with the 4K & 4K Max versions I believe having greater processing power and emulating up to N64/SATURN/DREAMCAST/PSP/NDS etc. Retro Game Corps has a few videos: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1H3dTVuNvzs](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1H3dTVuNvzs) You could set it up for him and get a bluetooth controller, shouldn't be too complicated for him to use after that. 8bitdo are pretty popular and decently priced controllers.
Its worth noting that amazon has a long history of updates locking down sideloading on their hardware. So long as retroarch is still on their app store its fine. But recently they went out of their way to nuke emulationstation so its hard to say what the future holds.