Lost In Consoles · Original Data
Handheld Capability Index
You can play PlayStation 2 games on a handheld for $114 — the Retroid Pocket Classic — while the median PS2-capable device sells for $599.
We graded every handheld we track against 18 retro systems and joined those grades to the street price we track for each device. That is 7,835 individual grades across 443 devices — and it is the only place you can find out what the cheapest hardware that can actually run a given system really costs.
443
Devices graded
7,835
Individual system grades
18
Emulated systems
376
With a tracked price
Download the full dataset (CSV) Free to cite — a link back to this page is all we ask.
The cheapest handheld that can actually play each system
A system counts as playable at grade B or better — the same bar our console pages use. Only devices with a tracked price are ranked, so every number below is checkable against a live product page.
| System | Cheapest entry point | Price | Median price | Most expensive that plays it | Spread |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Game Boy | GB300 Data Frog | $15 | $135 | $1,800 MSI Claw 8 EX AI+ | 120.0× |
| NES | RGFC520 Anbernic | $13 | $131 | $1,800 MSI Claw 8 EX AI+ | 138.5× |
| Sega Genesis | GB300 Data Frog | $15 | $139 | $1,800 MSI Claw 8 EX AI+ | 120.0× |
| Game Boy Advance | GB300 Data Frog | $15 | $139 | $1,800 MSI Claw 8 EX AI+ | 120.0× |
| SNES | X6 BOYHOM | $25 | $150 | $1,800 MSI Claw 8 EX AI+ | 72.0× |
| PlayStation 1 | G28 Dealbay | $30 | $150 | $1,800 MSI Claw 8 EX AI+ | 60.0× |
| Nintendo DS | U8 Game Console | $30 | $165 | $1,800 MSI Claw 8 EX AI+ | 60.0× |
| Nintendo 64 | R39S Game Console | $40 | $199 | $1,800 MSI Claw 8 EX AI+ | 45.0× |
| Dreamcast | R39S Game Console | $40 | $200 | $1,800 MSI Claw 8 EX AI+ | 45.0× |
| PSP | Action Pi 兀 Helegaly | $65 | $319 | $1,800 MSI Claw 8 EX AI+ | 27.7× |
| Sega Saturn | Action Pi 兀 Helegaly | $65 | $369 | $1,800 MSI Claw 8 EX AI+ | 27.7× |
| GameCube | Pocket Air Mini AYANEO | $70 | $549 | $1,800 MSI Claw 8 EX AI+ | 25.7× |
| Wii | Retroid Pocket Classic Retroid / Moorechip | $114 | $599 | $1,800 MSI Claw 8 EX AI+ | 15.8× |
| Nintendo 3DS | Pocket Air Mini AYANEO | $70 | $549 | $1,800 MSI Claw 8 EX AI+ | 25.7× |
| PlayStation 2 | Retroid Pocket Classic Retroid / Moorechip | $114 | $599 | $1,800 MSI Claw 8 EX AI+ | 15.8× |
| Wii U | Retroid Pocket 6 Retroid / Moorechip | $209 | $799 | $1,800 MSI Claw 8 EX AI+ | 8.6× |
| Nintendo Switch | AYANEO Next Lite AYANEO | $299 | $799 | $1,800 MSI Claw 8 EX AI+ | 6.0× |
| PlayStation 3 | AOKZOE A2 AOKZOE (One Netbook spinoff) | $599 | $899 | $1,800 MSI Claw 8 EX AI+ | 3.0× |
Most handhelds can’t run the systems they’re sold on
Sorted worst-first. This is the share of graded devices that clear grade B on each system — the drop-off from 8-bit to 3D is where retailer claims and reality part company.
| System | Devices graded | Playable (grade B+) | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| PlayStation 3 | 425 | 55 |
|
| Nintendo Switch | 435 | 78 |
|
| Wii U | 429 | 84 |
|
| PlayStation 2 | 408 | 131 |
|
| Wii | 412 | 133 |
|
| Nintendo 3DS | 436 | 144 |
|
| GameCube | 419 | 144 |
|
| Sega Saturn | 442 | 170 |
|
| PSP | 443 | 187 |
|
| Dreamcast | 443 | 244 |
|
| Nintendo 64 | 443 | 264 |
|
| Nintendo DS | 442 | 309 |
|
| PlayStation 1 | 443 | 370 |
|
| SNES | 443 | 387 |
|
| Game Boy Advance | 443 | 430 |
|
| Sega Genesis | 443 | 431 |
|
| Game Boy | 443 | 437 |
|
| NES | 443 | 438 |
|
PlayStation 2
Retroid Pocket Classic — $114
128 of the devices we track play PS2 at grade B or better, and only 131 of 408 graded devices clear the bar at all. Median PS2-capable price is $599 — a 15.8× spread for the same capability.
See how it graded →GameCube
Pocket Air Mini — $70
Only 144 of 419 graded devices play GameCube, and the median capable device costs $549. Every one of the 141 ranked devices also plays PS2.
See how it graded →PSP
Action Pi 兀 — $65
Handhelds that claim PS2-class power routinely stumble on something as old as the PSP: only 187 of 443 graded devices run it well. The median is $319.
See how it graded →How this is measured
- Each device in the Lost In Consoles catalogue carries a per-system emulation grade from A+ to F, set from tested emulator performance on that device.
- A system is playable at grade B or better. That is the same threshold the console pages, the widget API and the compatibility matrix all use, so a device never reads as playable here and unplayable there.
- Prices are the tracked street price published on each device’s page, in USD. Devices with no tracked price are excluded from price rankings so no entry point is estimated.
- A device counts toward a system’s coverage if it publishes a grade for that system at all; the share is playable ÷ graded.
- The dataset is re-derived from the catalogue, not hand-entered. Corrections are welcome and are logged publicly on our corrections page.
Citing this? Use the stable URL https://lostinconsoles.com/capability-index and quote the headline figure: You can play PlayStation 2 games on a handheld for $114 — the Retroid Pocket Classic — while the median PS2-capable device sells for $599.
Grades reflect tested emulator performance at time of writing, not vendor specifications. Prices are typical street values and vary by region, colorway and seller. 443 devices, 7,835 grades, 18 systems.