I'm a retro gaming expert and this handheld is a Black Friday steal for under $50 / £50

I have been covering games almost all my life, having started as a journalist in the 1980s, and so have a big collection of vintage consoles. I also regularly play classic games, but mainly using emulators on modern handhelds and there's one that I turn to most often – the Anbernic RG35XX,

Styled like a Game Boy but capable of playing games up to the PlayStation 1, it is a friendly 3.5-inch, full colour device that's great when you want a quick retro blast. And, thanks to the Black Friday sales, it's now cheap and chips – even with 1,000s of classic titles preinstalled.

It's currently under £50 in the UK, $50 in the States – a proper bargain. So check it out now, you won't be disappointed.

Anbernic RG35XX retro handheld with 5,400+ games (UK): was £54.95 now £49.95 at Amazon

Usually priced around the £55-60 mark, the RG35XX has a 3.5-inch full-colour display and can emulate multiple games consoles and machines from the 80s on. It comes pre-loaded with a microSD card containing more than 5,000 games.

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Anbernic RG35XX retro handheld with 6,800+ games (US): was $62.99 now $47.99 at Amazon

The clear purple edition of the Anbernic RG35XX comes with more than 6,800 games preinstalled across the multiple supported platforms. That includes SNES, Genesis and arcade machines.

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As previously mentioned, I already own an RG35XX myself, which I always keep in the top drawer of my desk for quick gaming sessions.

It runs on Linux, has a 3.5-inch iPS colour display and comes with Anbernic's own user experience, giving you access to the many 1,000s of games playable via multiple console emulators. This includes Game Boy, SNES, NES, Mega Drive, PC Engine and arcade coin-ops.

Dual system support means it can run Garlic too. And you can add your own game ROMs easily.

The pocket-sized handheld can even be plugged into a TV via its HDMI port, so you can play games on a bigger screen, too.

Get yourself a case too

If you want to protect your Anbernic RG35XX when it arrives, you should also consider getting yourself a carry case. Luckily, one of those has a discount too.

was £15 now £11.60 at Amazon

This black case is specifically designed to hold the Anbernic RG35XX retro gaming handheld and any accessories, such as a charging cable.

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was $12.99 now $11.04 at Amazon

This US case deal includes a pocket to store your charging lead and can be used with larger Anbernic models too.

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While you don't have to be an Amazon Prime member to get the discounts above, there are extra retro gaming deals to be found as part of Amazon's Lightning quick-fire deals this Black Friday, which are exclusive to subscribers.

Thankfully, you can sign up on a 30-day free trial right now and have a month to decide if you want to continue to subscribe or cancel at any time.