How We Test: Our Review Methodology
Every review on Held Games is based on extended hands-on use — not spec sheets, not press releases, not a two-hour unboxing. Here's exactly how we evaluate devices and what our scores mean.
Our Testing Process
We use every device for a minimum of two weeks before publishing a review. That's enough time for the honeymoon phase to wear off and for real-world friction to surface.
During that period, the device becomes our daily carry. We use it for commutes, couch sessions, and dedicated testing blocks. We install custom firmware where applicable and compare it against the stock experience. We run it until the battery dies, repeatedly.
We purchase devices ourselves unless a review unit is explicitly disclosed in the article. Manufacturer-provided units receive the same scrutiny as anything we bought.
What We Test
Emulation Performance
We test each device against a consistent set of systems, from the easiest to emulate to the most demanding. Here's what "passing" means for each:
| System | Passing bar |
|---|---|
| NES / SNES / GBA | Locked 60 fps, clean audio, no frame drops in any title tested |
| PS1 | Full speed in 95%+ of the library; minor edge-case slowdown acceptable |
| N64 | Full speed in the majority of the library; we note which marquee titles struggle |
| PSP | Full speed in mainstream titles; we call out demanding exceptions |
| PS2 | Playable (30+ fps) in tested titles; we list which games we tested |
| GameCube | Same standard as PS2; noted separately since few budget handhelds handle it |
We test at least 8–10 games per system, mixing easy-to-emulate titles (to check for regressions) with demanding ones (to find the ceiling).
Battery Life
We test battery life with screen brightness at 70% — roughly what most people use indoors. We note the game being played since demanding emulation draws more power than simpler systems.
We run each device until it shuts itself off. We test at least twice and average the results.
Build Quality
- Buttons: Travel, tactile feedback, actuation force, d-pad diagonals
- Screen: Color accuracy, brightness ceiling, viewing angles, glare handling
- Shell: Material feel, flex, seam quality, button wobble
- Hinges/clamshells: Torque, durability over repeated open/close cycles
We're hands-on here. A button that feels mushy after 20 hours of use is more meaningful than one that feels fine in the first five minutes.
Software & Firmware
We evaluate the stock OS first, then the best available custom firmware for that device. We note how easy the firmware installation process is for a non-technical user.
Areas we look at: UI responsiveness, scraper quality, save state reliability, controller mapping, RetroAchievements support, and community update frequency.
Value
Price-to-performance is context-dependent. A $200 device is judged against other $200 devices, not against a $60 budget pick. We always frame our value assessment relative to the alternatives available at that price point at the time of writing.
Our Rating Scale
We use a 5-point scale in 0.5 increments.
| Score | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 5.0 | Exceptional. Best in class. No meaningful flaws. We're recommending this to everyone. |
| 4.5 | Excellent. Highly recommended. Minor nitpicks that won't bother most people. |
| 4.0 | Great. A solid choice with real tradeoffs worth knowing about. |
| 3.5 | Good. Does the job, but has notable weaknesses that will matter to some buyers. |
| 3.0 | Average. Not bad, but outclassed by alternatives at the same price. |
| Below 3.0 | Not recommended at its current price. May still have niche use cases. |
We don't use 0.1-increment scores, and we don't inflate ratings to be polite. A 3.5 from us is an honest 3.5.
Our Affiliate Policy
Held Games earns commissions through the Amazon Associates program and the Anbernic affiliate program. When you buy something through a link on our site, we may earn a small cut at no extra cost to you.
This never influences our ratings or recommendations. We've published critical reviews of devices we earn commissions on. If a device earns a 3.5, it earns a 3.5 — regardless of who makes it or whether a link pays us.
If you see something on this site that feels like it was written to push a sale rather than to inform a purchase, that's a problem. Tell us.
For the full breakdown of our affiliate relationships, see our Disclosure page.
Our Emulation Ethics
All of our emulation content is written with the assumption that you're playing backups of games you legally own. We don't link to ROM download sites. We don't write "how to get free ROMs" content. We never will.
Emulator software itself — RetroArch, PPSSPP, Dolphin, MelonDS — is completely legal. Installing custom firmware on a device you own is legal. Playing a ROM of a game you own is a legal grey area that varies by jurisdiction. We're not lawyers and this isn't legal advice, but we take the position that game preservation matters and that playing your own games is legitimate.
For a longer treatment of this topic, see our ROMs, BIOSes, and Legality guide.