Guides

Setup

Step-by-step walkthroughs for installing firmware, configuring emulators, and getting your handheld running.

25 guides

AYANEO Pocket Micro 2 Setup Guide: Best Emulators and Settings — Setup guide for retro handhelds | Held Games
Guide
AYANEO Pocket Micro 2 Setup Guide: Best Emulators and Settings
A full setup guide for the AYANEO Pocket Micro 2. The best emulators, the right settings for its 3:2 screen, microSD tips, and how to get the most from the Snapdragon 865.
2026-06-26
Atari Emulation on Handhelds: 2600, 7800, and Lynx — Setup guide for retro handhelds | Held Games
Guide
Atari Emulation on Handhelds: 2600, 7800, and Lynx
How to emulate Atari's classic systems on a handheld, covering the 2600, 7800, and the underrated Lynx, with setup tips and the games worth playing.
2026-06-04
Commodore 64 and Amiga Emulation on Handhelds — Setup guide for retro handhelds | Held Games
Guide
Commodore 64 and Amiga Emulation on Handhelds
How to emulate the Commodore 64 and Amiga on a handheld, two legendary computers with huge libraries, including BIOS, disk handling, and the games to start with.
2026-06-04
How to Pair a Bluetooth Controller With Your Retro Handheld — Setup guide for retro handhelds | Held Games
Guide
How to Pair a Bluetooth Controller With Your Retro Handheld
How to pair a Bluetooth controller with your retro handheld for couch play and local co-op. Pairing steps by firmware, plus how to fix lag and connection drops.
2026-06-04
How to Scrape Box Art and Game Artwork on a Retro Handheld — Setup guide for retro handhelds | Held Games
Guide
How to Scrape Box Art and Game Artwork on a Retro Handheld
How to add box art, screenshots, and metadata to your retro handheld game library. On-device scraping versus Skraper on a computer, plus how to fix missing covers.
2026-06-04
How to Set Up Netplay: Online Multiplayer on Retro Handhelds — Setup guide for retro handhelds | Held Games
Guide
How to Set Up Netplay: Online Multiplayer on Retro Handhelds
How to set up RetroArch netplay to play retro games online with a friend. Hosting, joining, lobbies, and the settings that keep matches smooth across the internet.
2026-06-04
How to Transfer ROMs to Your Handheld (SD Card, WiFi, and FTP) — Setup guide for retro handhelds | Held Games
Guide
How to Transfer ROMs to Your Handheld (SD Card, WiFi, and FTP)
Three ways to move games onto your retro handheld. Card reader, WiFi network transfer, and FTP, with the pros and cons of each and how to avoid corrupted files.
2026-06-04
Integer Scaling and Aspect Ratio Explained — Setup guide for retro handhelds | Held Games
Guide
Integer Scaling and Aspect Ratio Explained
Why do your retro games look slightly blurry or stretched? Integer scaling and aspect ratio are the reason. Here is what they mean and how to make games look right.
2026-06-04
Sega Naomi and Atomiswave Emulation on Handhelds — Setup guide for retro handhelds | Held Games
Guide
Sega Naomi and Atomiswave Emulation on Handhelds
Sega's Naomi and the Atomiswave arcade boards hosted some of the best 2D and 3D arcade games ever. Here is how to emulate them on a handheld with Flycast.
2026-06-04
PICO-8 on Handhelds: Complete Setup and Best Games — Setup guide for retro handhelds | Held Games
Guide
PICO-8 on Handhelds: Complete Setup and Best Games
PICO-8 is a fantasy console packed with thousands of tiny free games, and it runs perfectly on handhelds. Here is how to set it up and the best games to play.
2026-06-04
PortMaster Complete Guide: Native Game Ports on Handhelds — Setup guide for retro handhelds | Held Games
Guide
PortMaster Complete Guide: Native Game Ports on Handhelds
PortMaster brings hundreds of native game ports to retro handhelds, from indie classics to open-source remakes. Here is how to install it and start.
2026-06-04
ROM Formats Explained: CHD, CSO, and Compression — Setup guide for retro handhelds | Held Games
Guide
ROM Formats Explained: CHD, CSO, and Compression
Confused by file types like CHD, CSO, BIN, and CUE? Here is a plain-English guide to ROM and disc formats, what compresses safely, and what your emulator expects.
2026-06-04
How to Set Up a Retro Handheld for a Kid — Setup guide for retro handhelds | Held Games
Guide
How to Set Up a Retro Handheld for a Kid
Setting up a retro handheld for a child? Here is how to pick the right device, load kid-friendly games, and set it up so it is simple, safe, and durable.
2026-06-04
Sharp X68000 Emulation on Handhelds — Setup guide for retro handhelds | Held Games
Guide
Sharp X68000 Emulation on Handhelds
The Sharp X68000 was a Japanese home computer with near-arcade-perfect ports. Here is how to emulate it on a handheld and the games that make it special.
2026-06-04
Virtual Boy Emulation on Handhelds — Setup guide for retro handhelds | Held Games
Guide
Virtual Boy Emulation on Handhelds
Nintendo's Virtual Boy is one of the most curious consoles ever made, and it emulates easily on a handheld. Here is how to set it up and the games worth playing.
2026-06-04
RetroDECK Setup Guide: The All in One Emulation App for Steam Deck — Setup guide for retro handhelds | Held Games
Guide
RetroDECK Setup Guide: The All in One Emulation App for Steam Deck
How to set up RetroDECK on the Steam Deck in 2026, how it differs from EmuDeck, and why the recent rewrite made it one of the easiest options.
2026-05-31
EmuDeck for Android Beta Setup Guide (2026) — Setup guide for retro handhelds | Held Games
Guide
EmuDeck for Android Beta Setup Guide (2026)
EmuDeck for Android is in open beta and turns the painful multi-emulator setup into a one-click install. Here is how to run it on your handheld in 2026.
2026-05-29
Playing Twilight Princess Natively with Dusk on Retro Handhelds — Setup guide for retro handhelds | Held Games
Guide
Playing Twilight Princess Natively with Dusk on Retro Handhelds
Dusk is a native PC and mobile port of Zelda: Twilight Princess, built on the GameCube decompilation. Here is how it runs on Steam Deck, PC, and Android.
2026-05-11
EmuDeck for Android Setup Guide: One-Click Emulation on the Retroid Pocket 6 and AYN Thor — Setup guide for retro handhelds | Held Games
Guide
EmuDeck for Android Setup Guide: One-Click Emulation on the Retroid Pocket 6 and AYN Thor
EmuDeck for Android turns hours of emulator setup into about 20 minutes. Here is how to install it on a Retroid Pocket 6 or AYN Thor, plus key DS tweaks.
2026-05-01
How to Set Up Your Retroid Pocket 5: Complete Setup Guide — Setup guide for retro handhelds | Held Games
Guide
How to Set Up Your Retroid Pocket 5: Complete Setup Guide
A step-by-step guide to setting up the Retroid Pocket 5. Android setup, emulator installation, BIOS files, controller mapping, and library tips.
2026-04-11
RetroAchievements Wii Setup Guide: How to Get Started with Dolphin — Setup guide for retro handhelds | Held Games
Guide
RetroAchievements Wii Setup Guide: How to Get Started with Dolphin
Step-by-step guide to setting up RetroAchievements for Nintendo Wii games using Dolphin. Covers PC, Steam Deck, and Android handhelds.
2026-04-10
How to Set Up Your Retroid Pocket 6 — Setup guide for retro handhelds | Held Games
Guide
How to Set Up Your Retroid Pocket 6
The complete setup guide for the Retroid Pocket 6 — install emulators, transfer your games, configure a frontend, and get the most out of Android-based emulation.
2026-04-04
Steam Deck Retro Gaming: The Complete Beginner's Guide — Setup guide for retro handhelds | Held Games
Guide
Steam Deck Retro Gaming: The Complete Beginner's Guide
The Steam Deck is arguably the best retro gaming device ever built. Here's what it can emulate, how to set it up, and why it belongs in every retro gamer's hands.
2026-04-02
EmuDeck Setup Guide: Steam Deck Emulation in 2025 — Setup guide for retro handhelds | Held Games
Guide
EmuDeck Setup Guide: Steam Deck Emulation in 2025
The complete guide to setting up EmuDeck on the Steam Deck — from storage decisions and installer setup to Steam ROM Manager and launching games from Game Mode.
2026-03-31
How to Set Up RetroAchievements on Your Handheld — Setup guide for retro handhelds | Held Games
Guide
How to Set Up RetroAchievements on Your Handheld
Add trophies and challenges to your retro games with RetroAchievements — works on RetroArch, muOS, and KNULLI.
2026-03-30