01
A bigger microSD card
The bundled card is the first thing most owners outgrow. A branded card also fails far less often than the no-name one in the box.
Check PriceAccessories
Three accessories, and nothing else
Most accessory lists for these handhelds are padded out to fill a page. There are three things actually worth adding, and one of them fixes a genuine weak point in every unit sold.
02
A hard carrying case
These handhelds have exposed joysticks and an unprotected screen. A moulded case is the difference between a device that survives a backpack and one that does not.
Check Price03
A tempered-glass protector
The screen sits close to flush with the shell, so it takes the first hit in a pocket or bag.
Check PriceWhy the bundled card is the weak point
Every one of these consoles ships with a microSD card that holds the operating system as well as the games. It is also, almost universally, the cheapest component in the box. When one of these handhelds fails early, a failed card is the single most common cause — and because the OS lives on it, a card failure looks exactly like a dead console.
Replacing it with a branded card is the one upgrade we would call close to essential. It also gives you room to add your own library rather than living with whatever the seller loaded.
What to skip
Silicone skins add bulk to a device whose main appeal is that it fits in a pocket. Grip attachments solve a problem the horizontal R36H solves better. Replacement joysticks are worth buying only once yours has actually failed — and on the R36 Pro, with its hall-effect sticks, that should not happen at all.