Name the category before the seller
A handheld console, a refurbished console and a PC-based gaming rig need different checks, so settle the category first. Anbernic lists handheld and controller in its range, built around portable play, and its units connect wirelessly.
Scan sits at the other end of the market. Its product types are laptop, gaming laptop and desktop, so a console or controller order from it often arrives as part of a wider computer order. Browse the Consoles and gaming handhelds rankings first to see which category each seller genuinely covers before you compare prices.
asgoodasnew runs a third model, selling graded refurbished hardware with condition grades like new, excellent and good. Read the asgoodasnew review before you treat a graded unit as a substitute for new stock.
Price, currency and where the seller sits
Prices across these sellers do not share a currency, so compare amounts rather than headlines. Anbernic lists from $12.99, Scan lists from £48.98, and across the listings we hold, entry prices run €6.96 to €436.90. That span mixes currencies and markets, so read it as the scale of the market rather than a like for like quote.
Location decides what you actually pay at the till. Scan is headquartered in GB and lists markets GB, so a listed price excludes shipping, duty and any import charge for other countries. asgoodasnew is based in DE.
How long a seller has traded is a softer signal, but a useful one when a warranty claim goes wrong. Scan has been operating since 1986, asgoodasnew since 2008 and Anbernic since 2017.
Battery figures only count against the same machine
A battery number means very little until you know which device produced it. Anbernic lists 21 hours across its handheld range, while the 8 hours figure at asgoodasnew comes from a Steam Deck listing. Different hardware, same word.
Scan's 70 hours belongs to a wireless gaming headset, so it tells you nothing about a handheld console. Treat every battery claim as a property of a single product and check what the seller states for the exact model you are considering.
Ask two follow-up questions whenever you see a figure. Is it quoted for typical or heavy use, and does it assume a dimmed screen or full brightness? Those two details move the result more than the model name does.
Platforms and the parts that decide what runs
Platform support sets the ceiling on what you can play. Anbernic covers pc, switch and mobile, pairing PC style ports with mobile and standalone titles. Scan lists pc, playstation and xbox for its controller and console range, covering the major living room systems in one place.
Operating systems matter for anything you will install, update or sideload yourself. Scan lists Windows and Linux. If you rely on a library manager, a homebrew store or a modding tool, confirm the operating system before you fall for a screen size.
The graphics parts tell you which software path a device can take. Scan lists nvidia, amd and intel for its systems, while asgoodasnew refurbishes machines built around apple and intel. Older integrated graphics cap resolution and frame rates, so on a refurbished unit ask for the exact chip rather than the product family.
Warranty, returns and build to order
Warranty length is the sharpest difference between these sellers. Scan covers its systems for 3 years, Anbernic offers 1 year, and across the listings we hold, warranty terms run 1 to 2.5 years. A shorter warranty is easier to offset with a cheap price than a long one is to replace.
Both Scan and asgoodasnew sell an extended warranty on top of the standard cover, which is worth pricing against the cost of a screen or mainboard replacement.
Returns and build to order shape the waiting. Scan gives a returns window of 14 days, and it builds machines to order, so a configured system arrives later than one pulled off a shelf. asgoodasnew does not build to order, which suits anyone who wants a unit ready to go.
Support, collection and the name on the invoice
Support channels decide how fast a fault gets sorted. Scan offers email, chat and phone, including live chat and phone, so a dead handheld is a same day conversation. Anbernic offers email, help centre and community, leaning on email, a help centre and its community, which suits a buyer who is comfortable troubleshooting.
Scan adds click and collect, which suits anyone near a branch and removes the shipping wait entirely. Anbernic ships direct, so delivery time and courier reliability matter more there.
Before a large order, check the legal entity printed on the invoice, because that is the party your claim runs against. Scan sells as Scan Computers International Ltd and Anbernic as HK YANGLIMING ELECTRONIC TECH CO., LIMITED. Check the Scan review and the Anbernic review for the service picture behind those names.
Display and accessory specs worth a second look
Screen specifications show up mainly in the displays and accessories that ship with a console setup, and they set the expectations for any external screen you connect. Scan lists ips, va and oled for its panels and a top refresh rate of 720 Hz, alongside 8k video output on its camera ranges.
Match the panel to the console you own. A high refresh rate only matters if the panel can drive it at the resolution you plan to run, and a TV with a lower ceiling will cap a handheld before any handheld setting does.
Scan's store categories are computers, audio and gaming, so accessories, audio and gaming gear tend to sit in the same basket as a console. That makes it easy to bundle a spare controller, a dock or a case at the same time, and easy to forget them in the return window if the console itself disappoints.