The NES was my first home console, and while I loved it dearly at the time, I am not overly nostalgic for it as-is. I have found that being able to play the games on a handheld device with an independent save feature makes them a lot more appealing, and the Nintendo Online rewind feature is icing on the cake. I can play a lot of things on my Playstation Classic but it requires I set up in front of the downstairs TV undisturbed, which is impossible if Minnow is awake. By contrast, I’ve found it’s comparatively easy to carve out a few minutes here or there to play a game on Switch and I’m able to enjoy these games a lot more that way. The Switch will always be my preference, the 6.2 inch screen is just right, but I’d like to play games I know won’t be supported, like Mother 3 and other games with translation patches, as well as a way to casually try games and see if I’m even interested in them for more than 5 minutes. The Switch Online library has been very hit or miss for me so far.
I’m looking at the ODROID-GO Advance, but it just started shipping this month so the reviews aren’t in yet. Since I own a DS Lite (3 inch) I’m also looking into Flash cart emulation. I’ve looked at NDS Flash a few times over the years, and at this point it looks like many have moved on to the newer 3DS, but NDSL flash carts like the R4i and Acekard 2i are still around. I broke out the DS Lite about a year ago to play an Animal Crossing game and the small screen legitimately bugged me but the carts are so inexpensive it might be worth a try.
Two useful links: Obscure Handhelds and Retrododo