Your phone does all of this.

You're just never going to hand someone your phone. Turn One is the one screen in the room that's safe to pass: it sits on the table, and whoever picks it up is playing ten seconds later.

$59.99everything's already on the card

Buy oneThe full spec
Turn One handheld console, white, front
  • 3.5″ screen
  • 4–8 h a charge
  • charges off a phone cable

Pick a shell.

Same console inside, twelve shells outside.

Turn One in White White Turn One in Black Black Turn One in Purple Purple Turn One in Lake blue Lake blue Turn One in Pink Pink Turn One in Red Red Turn One in Yellow Yellow Turn One in Pure white Pure white Turn One in Transparent blue Transparent blue Turn One in Transparent green Transparent green Turn One in Transparent orange Transparent orange Turn One in Transparent red Transparent red

What you're actually buying

Two sticks, a d-pad and four buttons

Two sticks, a d-pad and four buttons

Enough buttons for everything on the card, PlayStation games included. The d-pad is the one you'll live on, and it's a good one.

A 3.5-inch screen

A 3.5-inch screen

About as wide as a credit card. Bright indoors, and you can read it from the side. That helps when two of you lean over the same screen.

Everything's already on the card

Everything's already on the card

Arcade, Game Boy, SNES, Genesis and PlayStation, sorted by system. Two button presses from the menu and you're in a game. (Other shops print a game count here. It's always made up.)

Two hands passing the Turn One across a kitchen table at night

Whoever's holding it is playing.

It lives on the table. Hand it over and they're in — it saves your spot in any game, at any point, so the next person picks up right where you left it.

Buy one
Turn One sliding into a jacket pocket

It fits the pocket you already reach into.

3.5-inch screen, two sticks, four to eight hours a charge. It charges off the same cable as your phone, and the battery lifts out when it stops holding a charge.

Buy one

The full spec

One factory, one version, written down here. Roughly 40% of the consoles sold under this name are copies; this one isn't.

Screen
3.5-inch IPS, 640×480, 4:3
Controls
Two analog sticks, a d-pad, four face buttons, four shoulder buttons
Runs well
NES, SNES, Genesis, Game Boy, GBA, Game Gear, PlayStation, old arcade games
Runs some
N64, PSP
Doesn't run
PlayStation 2, GameCube
Battery
Four to eight hours a charge. USB-C, off any phone cable. Lifts out when it stops holding a charge
Card
64GB, loaded and sorted by system
Wifi
None. Nothing to sign into, nothing to check
Size
About as wide as a credit card. Fits a jacket pocket
Model
R36S, one factory, one version, named here
Price
$59.99

Questions

Why is this more expensive than the cheap ones? +

Because this one arrives working. The thirty-dollar ones come with an empty card. You supply the computer, the card reader, the game files and an afternoon of sorting them out. Same plastic, same chip. The difference is that this one turns on and plays the day it lands.

Where does it ship from? +

China, direct from the factory. That's most of why it's $59.99. How long it really takes to reach your door goes on this page the day we know.

What is on the card? +

Old arcade games, plus console games up to the PlayStation. They're sorted by system. Pick a system, then pick a game. Most people settle on a dozen or so and leave the rest alone.

Is the memory card any good? +

It's the weak part. These cards can fail after a few days, and your saves go with them. Copy the card the day it arrives. Then put a name-brand one in before you rely on it.

Is it well made? +

It's cheap plastic that plays old games well and survives being passed round a table. We buy them all from one factory, and it's always the same model: the R36S. Plenty of shops won't tell you which version you're getting. This page tells you.

What if it shows up broken? +

Email us with your order number and a photo or two, and we'll sort it out. Shipping a sixty-dollar console back across an ocean costs more than the console. So we settle it over email.

Can two of them play together? +

No. One screen, one player: whoever's holding it is playing and everyone else waits their go. A couple of games can be forced to work over wifi. It takes extra kit on both consoles and matching files on each. Treat that as impractical.

Do I need a computer to set it up? +

No. Charge it, press power, and the list of systems is there. You'd only need a computer to put your own games on the card later. You'd want a card reader too.

How long does the battery last? +

Four to eight hours, depending which version you get. It charges over USB-C, off any phone cable. The battery lifts out when it stops holding a charge.

Which systems does it play? +

NES, SNES, Genesis, Game Boy, GBA, Game Gear, PlayStation and old arcade games all run well. N64 and PSP run some games and stutter on others. PlayStation 2 and GameCube are past what it can do.

R36S handheld console, $59.99. The card comes loaded, so it plays the day it lands. Game Boy, SNES, Genesis, PlayStation and old arcade games. Spec, limits and the rest of the category below.

Spec

  • 3.5-inch IPS display, 640x480.
  • Two analog sticks, a d-pad, four face buttons, shoulder triggers.
  • USB-C charging. The battery lifts out.
  • microSD card, supplied loaded and ready to play.
  • Runs ArkOS, with RetroArch for the emulators.
  • NES, SNES, Genesis, Game Boy, GBA, Game Gear, arcade, PS1.
  • $59.99. One factory, one model: the R36S on the RK3326 board.

Limits

  • Wifi needs a USB dongle. There is no video out.
  • PS2 and GameCube do not run. N64 and PSP run some games and stutter on others.
  • Four to eight hours a charge, depending on the version.
  • Two of them playing together needs extra kit and matching files on both. Impractical.

The rest of the category

  • Anbernic RG35XX Plus — about the same money, better chip, wifi and HDMI out. It arrives with an empty card.
  • Miyoo and Retroid — both cost more than this.