Video Overview

Taylor Martin of Best Damn EDC says a game you can start in a waiting room belongs with the rest of what you carry. He splits portable play into five levels. The first level is the phone already in a pocket. The top level is a handheld computer you can hold in two hands. Thanks to Taylor Martin for showing the devices he actually takes on a trip, not a shelf of unopened boxes. He thanks channel sponsors in the video, including Big Idea Design and Work Sharp. The description also marks a Nitto tire spot.

Items & Gear List

• GameSir Pocket Taco – Purchase on Amazon
• 8BitDo FlipPad – Purchase on Amazon
• GameSir Nova Lite 2 – Purchase on Amazon
• 8BitDo Ultimate Mobile Gaming Controller – Purchase on Amazon
• OhSnap MCON – View at OhSnap
• Miyoo Mini V4 – Purchase on Amazon
• Miyoo Mini Plus – Purchase on Amazon
• Anbernic RG Rotate – View at Anbernic
• TRIMUI Brick – Purchase on Amazon
• TRIMUI Brick Hammer – Purchase on Amazon
• Retroid Pocket 5 – View at Retroid
• Retroid Pocket 6 – View at Retroid
• AYN Thor – View at AYN. The maker page is a pre-order, so the unit may not ship right away.
• AYN Odin 3 – View at AYN. The maker page is a pre-order, so the unit may not ship right away.
• Steam Deck – View at Steam
• Nintendo Switch 2 – Purchase on Amazon
• ROG Ally X – View at Best Buy
• ASUS ROG Xbox Ally – Purchase on Amazon. The listing he linked includes a hub.
• ASUS ROG Xbox Ally X – Purchase on Amazon. The listing title says Japan Version.
• AYANEO NEXT 2 – View at AYANEO. The maker page is a pre-order, so the cart may not be open yet.

Editor’s Insight

Taylor Martin makes a simple case. A long wait is an everyday-carry problem, and a game can fill it the same way a small tool does. The phone already in a pocket is level one. He shows full games that now run there, including ports he already owns on a computer. The weak spot is not the chip. It is the controls. On-screen buttons get in the way, and a text alert pulls you out of the game. A spare battery helps the phone last. It does not fix the feel.

Level two is a controller you add to that phone. The GameSir Pocket Taco clips on and connects over Bluetooth. He also holds up an 8BitDo that stretches around the phone, and he does not name that one on camera. The description links both the 8BitDo FlipPad and the 8BitDo Ultimate Mobile Gaming Controller, so those are the two pages to use. The OhSnap MCON sticks on with a magnet and folds out. Taylor Martin says the feel is poor, and he would not pick it for daily play. Heat is the other limit. A phone still has to cool itself while it runs the game.

Level three is a dedicated retro handheld. Taylor Martin would rather carry one small console than a phone plus a second controller. The first Miyoo Mini is discontinued. He still likes the Miyoo Mini V4, and he likes the metal shell of the TRIMUI Brick Hammer more than the plastic Miyoo bodies. He is clear about the files. These machines arrive empty. Finding games is the owner’s job. He does not walk through that, and this post will not either. He also warns that a no-name copy looks the same and has no community software behind it. For setup help he points to Russ at Retro Game Corps, not to a product page.

One description line, labeled Miyoo Mini Alternative, does not belong in this list. That short link opens a YouTube video, not a shop page. This post does not guess a handheld to fill the gap.

Level four is an Android handheld. Taylor Martin says the Retroid Pocket 6 takes the place of the Retroid Pocket 5. The AYN Odin 3 is the one he kept. He plays more on that Odin 3 than on anything else he owns, including computer games through an app on the device. The AYN Thor looked like the travel pick because the screen closes. He says the hinge cracks, and he would not toss it in a bag with no case. Both AYN pages are pre-orders, so a unit may not ship right away.

Level five is the handheld computer. He has traveled with a Steam Deck and found it too bulky for the way he packs. The description also links a Nintendo Switch 2, a ROG Ally X, a ROG Xbox Ally, a ROG Xbox Ally X, and an AYANEO NEXT 2. The Ally X link opens a Best Buy page. The Xbox Ally listing includes a hub. The Xbox Ally X listing is the Japan version. The AYANEO page is a pre-order, so the cart may not be open yet.

His own answer sits in the middle. For a long wait he can pocket a small retro unit. For play at home, and for most trips, the Odin 3 is what he reaches for. The phone still covers a short wait if you can stand on-screen controls. That is the trade Taylor Martin wants you to see before you buy the biggest device on the list.

Closing Remarks

Watch Taylor Martin’s video before you buy from the list. He shows why a phone controller still loses to a dedicated handheld, why the AYN Thor did not stay his travel pick, and why the Odin 3 did. The links above follow the description he posted. One of those links, the Miyoo Mini alternative, opens a video instead of a shop page, so it is not in the list. Hit play, then say which level you would actually carry. If your pocket already has a phone and nothing else for a long wait, that is the gap Taylor Martin is talking about.