The Miyoo Mini Plus is the perfect size for retro gaming on the go (2024)

The Miyoo Mini Plus is straight-up fun to play, and you can toss it in your pocket when you’re done.

Editor’s note: We purchased our review unit through Amazon for $63, but prices will fluctuate depending on which reseller is chosen. Purchasing the same device model through Miyoo’s Aliexpress storefront, for example, costs $55.54, but will take longer to ship from China.

About the Miyoo Mini Plus

The Miyoo Mini Plus is a larger version of the GameBoy-style Miyoo Mini handheld but otherwise retains the same ARM Cortex-A7 processor, 640 x 480 screen resolution, and ABXY button layout. Although the battery capacity has been increased by 50%, the increase in screen size means that the battery life is approximately the same at 4-to-6 hours, depending on use.

The Miyoo Mini Plus is available in three configurations; without an included SD card, with an included 64GB SD card, and with an included 128GB SD card. We reviewed the white colorway with an included 64GB SD card, but models without an SD card retail for as low as $49.

Miyoo Mini Plus specs

• Price: $63
• Processor: ARM Cortex-A7 dual-core at 1.2GHz
• Memory: 2GB LPDDR4x RAM
• Storage: 32GB EMMC
• Battery: 3000mAh
• Display: 3.5 inch IPS screen, 640 x 480 pixels (4:3)
• Connectivity: 3.5mm headphone jack, USB-C 2.0 in (cable included, charging only)
• Operating system: Custom Linux distribution
• Colors: White, Grey, Black Transparent, Purple Transparent
• Dimensions: 6.02 x 3.19 x 0.79 inches
• Weight: 5.71 ounces (163 grams)
• Special features: Micro SD card slot, included screen protector, removable battery, rear L1, L2, R1, and R2 shoulder buttons, included carrying bag

New handheld gaming devices like the Nintendo Switch OLED or Valve’s Steam Deck can easily crack $300, but retro enthusiasts who just want to emulate older games have myriad options under $100.

For gamers who just want to play PlayStation-era games and below, at $63 the Miyoo Mini Plus will likely tick all of the right boxes. The original Miyoo Mini used the same chipset as the Plus version but paired it with a smaller 2.8-inch screen and was about 2.4 inches shorter and 0.6 inches narrower overall. That size increase is a welcome one, because while the Miyoo Mini was certainly portable, it was less than ergonomic for users with larger hands. The original Miyoo Mini also sold out quickly, whereas the updated Plus version is easy to find.

So how does the Miyoo Mini Plus actually feel to play? Great, with a few caveats. The face buttons use rubber domes, are appropriately springy with a good amount of give to them, and feel responsive when gaming. Although the X button on our review unit felt stuck or deadened, this isn’t a common defect from what we’ve seen, and I fixed it by disassembling the Miyoo Mini Plus and sanding down a jagged edge on the back of the button. The D-pad is responsive and slightly contoured so that it flares upwards towards the outer edges. It’s nothing to write home about, but more than serviceable for hitting combos in 2D fighting games like Street Fighter or the Guilty Gear series. Not that you have a choice, as the Miyoo Mini Plus lacks thumbsticks.

The back of the Miyoo Mini Plus is a little less well-thought-out. The L2 and R2 buttons are clustered at the back of the device and elevated so that your index fingers naturally rest on them while playing, but this also makes these buttons much easier to press than the lower L1 and R1 buttons, even though the latter are used more often in games. This means that remapping them is often a more comfortable way to play. Not that it’s an exceedingly comfortable device, as we found that our hands cramped after longer play sessions, but I’d expect to game for an hour or two before that happens.

The screen is bright (though it doesn’t get bright enough to play outside in the sun), color-accurate, and our test unit lacks the backlight bloom (bright patches that persist even when the on-screen content is dark) that cheaper IPS panels can sometimes exhibit. Games from the GameBoy Advance and Super Nintendo era look particularly good, as flat, basic colors are vibrant and really pop. The battery on the Miyoo Mini Plus might be about 50% larger than its predecessor, but the increased screen size balances that out and the battery life remains the same at about 4 to 6 hours of gameplay.

While the single front-firing speaker on the bottom right corner sounds reasonably good and gets quite loud, it experiences noticeable distortion if you increase the volume past about 70% or so. It’s a bummer that the Miyoo Mini Plus doesn’t have stereo sound or Bluetooth support, but at least there is a 3.5mm headphone jack.

Should you buy the Miyoo Mini Plus?

Yes, if you want a retro handheld you can carry in your pocket

For retro gamers who want a small, cheap device that can play all of the old classics while they’re out and about, the Miyoo Mini Plus ticks nearly every box apart from its lack of analog sticks. If you can find it for around $60 or less and aren’t going to bother with the Nintendo 64 games or the PlayStation 1 titles that require them, then you’re in luck.

If, however, you’re not a fan of vertically-oriented, GameBoy-style devices, there are more compelling alternatives like the $90 Retroid Pocket 2S, which includes dual Hall effect joysticks and real triggers. The Anbernic RG353VS is even pricier at $108, but it sticks to the GameBoy Color layout and adds dual thumbsticks at the bottom, as well as Bluetooth 4.2 and HDMI-out support for gaming on a larger screen. Both devices run Android, which will be a step up over the Miyoo Mini Plus’s very basic Linux-driven OS.

Still, there’s a reason the original Miyoo Mini, and now the Miyoo Mini Plus, have sold like hotcakes. They’re dead simple to set up, affordable, and fun to play.

Prices were accurate at the time this article was published but may change over time.