Analogue has yet to release the Analogue Pocket, besides the December 2021 window the company provided in September. However Analogue wants to satisfy players with AnalogueOS which is the custom software that will power the Pocket when it finally arrives.
AnalogueOS is a retro gaming device that features a minimalist, pixel-art design. This is meant to make it easy for you to play your favorite games.
Analogue takes its goal to make the ultimate retro gaming device very seriously. The company created a Library feature with a huge database to serve as a complete historical archive of retro gaming. The Library will allow players to search and explore the history and development of classic games and publishers, organized by region, system, publisher and other criteria. Players can also pull in title screens or box art for the games they are currently playing. They can even read physical cartridges to determine the revision and version. You can also create custom playlists and favorite lists by using playlist support.
AnalogueOS 1.0 will have the most important features, however.
Pocket's Memories is the most intriguing feature. It will allow players to save and load save state directly from their cartridges and share them with other players. This, Pocket claims, is something that has never been done before. Memories will allow players to share and save screenshots. This is a feature that Pocket hopes to add to its older consoles.
AnalogueOS will also offer tools to track gameplay. This includes logging how long you played certain games and when. AnalogueOS will be used as a stepping stone by the company and will eventually be available for all Analogue products.
All of this sounds great, but there are some caveats to Analogues' announcement. AnalogueOS 1.1 will bring the Library, Memories, and Tracking features later.
The Library feature will not be available for Game Boy Advance, Game Boy Color or Game Boy games when it arrives. The cartridge adapters will be compatible with Neo Geo Pocket Color, Neo Geo Pocket Color TurboGrafx-16, and Atari Lynx.
Pocket Analogue consoles will be available for purchase in December.
