Don't wait for Prime Day for this recommended retro gaming handheld, it's already less than the price of a chip supper – and with 20,000 free games

R36S Retro Gaming Handheld on a gold background — (Image credit: Amazon / Deluisho)

This year is proving to be challenging when it comes to retro gaming and, in particular, new handhelds. The ongoing RAM crisis has hit the industry hard, leading to fewer new devices, stock shortages, and higher prices.

However, Amazon Prime Day has always been good for snagging retro gaming deals and I fully expect this week's event to carry on that trend. In fact, I've found one unbelievable deal in the UK already that you don't even need to wait for.

Regular T3 readers might know that I'm somewhat a collector of retro games handhelds, with around 20-30 of them and ever growing. And so I'm always on the hunt for a good deal.

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And the R36S for less than £30 is particularly good, especially with many thousands of games included. Indeed, if you tot it up and exclude the console itself, you're getting each game for around 0.0013 pence.

I own two of them already (in different colours) and the Rockchip RK3326 processor the R36S runs on is capable of emulation up to original PlayStation. That means you'll be absolutely fine playing the 8-bit and 16-bit games of yesteryear (NES, SNES, Master System and Mega Drive/Genesis). You'll also be able to play a fair few later 3D games.

And unlike many other handhelds in its category, the R36S comes with two thumbsticks, so you have bit more of an option on how you play.

Its 3.5-inch IPS screen is decent too – especially for the price – with a 640 x 480 pixel resolution and 4:3 aspect ratio. That's great for most of the older systems, while the likes of Game Boy and Game Boy Color look decent on it, too.

I'll also be looking for more retro gaming deals across this Prime Day week, and will continue to share what I find. So come back to T3 often.

But if you are looking for a cheap as chips retro gaming handheld you can just pick up and play, this pre-Prime Day deal is a no-brainer.

Rik is T3’s news editor, which means he looks after the news team and the up-to-the-minute coverage of all the hottest gadgets and products you’ll definitely want to read about. And, with more than 35 years of experience in tech and entertainment journalism, including editing and writing for numerous websites, magazines, and newspapers, he’s always got an eye on the next big thing.

Rik also has extensive knowledge of AV, TV streaming and smart home kit, plus just about everything to do with games since the late 80s. Prior to T3, he spent 13 years at Pocket-lint heading up its news team, and was a TV producer and presenter on such shows as Channel 4's GamesMaster, plus Sky's Games World, Game Over, and Virtual World of Sport.