Every R36 handheld, compared

Screen size and resolution

The split is clean: the R36S, R36H, R40S Pro and R36 Pro use a 3.5-inch 640×480 panel, while the R36 Max, R36 Ultra and R36S Plus use a 4.0-inch 720×720 one. The larger panel is both bigger and denser, so menu text and pixel art are noticeably crisper.

Both are 4:3 or square rather than widescreen, which is correct for this purpose — the consoles being emulated output 4:3, so a widescreen panel would only add black bars.

Battery

The R36 Max and R36 Pro carry 4000 mAh cells, the R36S 3200 mAh, and the R36H and R36 Ultra 3000 mAh. Two sellers publish no figure at all for their model, and we leave those blank rather than guessing.

Capacity is only half the story. Emulating PlayStation 1 draws far more power than emulating Game Boy, so identical hardware can differ by hours depending on what you play. The R36H is the only model with a battery you can replace yourself, which matters more over a two-year horizon than 1000 mAh does.

Vertical or horizontal

Six of the seven are vertical, in the Game Boy shape. The R36H is horizontal, held like a normal controller. This is the single most divisive thing about the family and it is entirely down to your hands — there is no better answer, only the one that does not cramp.

If you have never owned a vertical handheld as an adult, be aware that they are taller than they look in photographs, and that the strain lands in the thumbs rather than the palms.

The features only one model has

Two differentiators exist in this family and each belongs to a single model. The R36 Ultra is the only one with WiFi, and therefore the only one that can do networked multiplayer. The R36 Pro is the only one with hall-effect joysticks, which sense position magnetically and so cannot develop the stick drift that eventually affects every conventional potentiometer stick.

If either of those matters to you, the decision is already made. If neither does, choose on screen size and battery instead.

Why we do not rank on game count

Listings advertise anywhere from 10,000 to 40,000 preloaded games. These numbers count every file on the bundled card, including regional variants, ROM hacks and straightforward duplicates of the same title. A console claiming 40,000 games does not have twice the library of one claiming 20,000; it usually has the same library counted differently.

We repeat each seller’s figure in the table because it is the number you will see on the listing, but it should carry almost no weight in the decision.

The short version

• Buying your first one? The R36S. Best support, most firmware options, fewest surprises.
• Want the most comfortable long session? The R36 Max — biggest screen, biggest battery.
• Vertical handhelds hurt your hands? The R36H.
• Want online multiplayer? The R36 Ultra is the only option.