Over the past five years, Analogue has been making a name for itself among retro gaming enthusiasts with modern updates to consoles like the Super Nintendo, the Sonic the Hedgehog, and now the Game Boy line. We have reviewed many retro gaming devices that rely on software emulators to play classic titles, but Analogue takes an entirely different approach.
Every one of its consoles has a custom chip that is programmed to function like the original electronics in classic consoles did. It allows Analogue's consoles to play retro games. There are no graphical errors, audio sync issues, or games that play and sound better than they did on the original hardware. The Analogue Pocket has one of these chips, too, but the second isn't used yet, so it pairs it with other upgraded features to create a modern Game Boy that's just about perfect in every way.
A modern clone of a classic handheld console that plays the original game.
As a result of the global supply chain issues, the original price has been raised to $219.
The high-res screen is amazing and it can be used to replicate the look of classic retro handhelds.
The volume buttons on the side are small, and it can be difficult to use the cartridge adapters, so we had to wait two years for our hands on it.
My eyes have seen the beauty of that screen.
When I took the Analogue Pocket out of the box, I thought it was a little too big.
The Pocket has the same dimensions as the original Nintendo Game Boy, although the hardware is slightly thinner, and it doesn't come with a ferocious appetite for AA batteries.
Most of the retro handhelds I have reviewed over the past few years are much smaller than the Pocket, but it is the best screen included on a handheld console to date. The 3.5-inch display has a resolution of 1600 x 1440 and is not an OLED like the new Switch uses. The Pocket has a screen that is more than two million larger than the original Game Boy. The screen of the iPhone 13 Pro is over 500 ppi.
Game Boy, Game Boy Color, Game Boy Advance, and the other Game Boy games look great on the Pocket screen. Some games might look a little different than you remember because of the fact that they are tailored to the limitations of the screen tech decades ago. The green grass in the Mario Golf Advance Tour is now bright and colorful. For those who want a retro gaming experience, Analogue cleverly uses the Pocket's high-resolution screen for another feature.
Exactly as you remember, your favorite games.
Analogue recreated how the screens on all the Game Boys actually worked, which resulted in different display modes that can be easily and instantly toggled while you play.
The display modes are my favorite feature of the Pocket. They are available for every handheld console the Pocket supports, but I focused on some of the original display modes for the Game Boy. The standard Analogue mode simply presents games in black or white (or with a subtle splash of color if you prefer) but it can also perfectly emulate how games appeared on the Game Boy Pocket, which toned down the green and improved the contrast.
The Pocket perfectly emulates the look of these old handhelds, but the screen now glows, so the effect is not flawless. You can see how the original screen has been recreated in incredible detail on the Pocket, with even the inactive grid in the background still visible, as it was on the original. The various modes don't affect game play because they aren't filters.
The Pocket doesn't yet support Atari Lynx or Neo Geo Pocket Color titles, but that's on the way, with alternate display modes that make it feel like you're playing a game. The only caveat is that with a square screen, games from consoles with wider aspect ratio screens will get letterboxed.
A minimalist design puts the games first.
The design of the Pocket is minimalist, and while it is aesthetically pleasing and helps put the focus on the games themselves, I do have a few minor complaints.
The controls on the front of the Pocket are unlabelled, which is something I had assumed would be a bigger issue. Sometimes a game will ask for a specific button to be pressed, A or B, and you might mistakenly hit the wrong one, but it is rarely a game over situation. The buttons feel great and feel good to use, but not cheap. There is no texture on the pad. It has a matt finish, but can still feel slippery under my thumb.
The green power button on the left side of the Pocket is used to wake the console up or put it to sleep. The volume up and down buttons can be used to adjust the display's brightness. When pressed together, they switch muting on. I find them too small and close together to be easy to distinguish, and on more than one occasion I accidentally hit the power button when I was trying to turn down the volume.
On the right side of the console you will find a microSD card slot, which is currently used for performing firmware upgrades, but eventually will be used for sharing game save data and other functions. The speaker grills are on either side of the screen. The sound of the Pocket can be loud at full volume, but when it's maxed out, it's a bit tinny. The Pocket perfectly emulates older handhelds.
The Game Boy Color has a basic wireless communication capabilities that are mimicked by the Pocket's link cable port, a status light, and an IR port. Pockets can communicate with older Nintendo handhelds and can link together for a game. You are missing out on something if you have never tried it.
The Pocket has a home screen with a minimalist aesthetic. The simplicity is the real appeal of this text. Every game will work perfectly straight away, because the settings and options are very minimal, and you can mostly change how the games look on a system by system. You don't need to change performance settings for every title to make sure it plays at an optimal frame rate or to get around compatibility issues. Every game plays the same on its original hardware.
Bring your own games.
There is a good chance that the handheld emulators you order will come with a memory card full of questionable legality. The Pocket doesn't. If you want to use the roms, you have to tip-toe into the legal gray area, but Analogue says it should work with many models of flash carts.
The back of the Pocket is where the Game Boy models were found.
The Game Boy and Game Boy Advance can be inserted into the back of the Pocket, although taller carts will stick out farther. The Game Boy locked the game in place when the power switch was turned on, but you can swap the game in place without turning the Pocket off. If you yank out a cart in the middle of a game, it will bring an end to your gaming session, as you have to return to the console's home screen.
The Analogue Pocket can be used to play games from the Atari and NEOGEO brands, as well as games from the Sega and Atari brands. The feature works, and Game Gear titles run as well on the Pocket as they do on the Game Boy, but using those adapters is a bit awkward.
The fact that a single handheld can play original games from several different companies is a real accomplishment, I just can't ever see myself using these in my home. If you use a case, the NBA Jam will stick out a lot over the top of the Pocket, which will make it less portable.
If I were a devoted Game Gear or Atari fan, I would be overjoyed that the Pocket was compatible with those games. I will probably stick to Game Boy and Game Boy Advance games.
It is a must have upgrade for retro handheld gaming fans.
The Analogue Pocket is a must-have upgrade if you still enjoy portable games you played as a youth, and want to enjoy them for years to come. It is not cheap at $219, but it is also not expensive given the hard work and engineering that has gone into its creation.
The Pocket is much easier to use than the other handheld emulators out there, it just works, without requiring deep dives into settings and options to solve the many problems software emulation brings with it. It has been a long time since the Pocket was released, but Analogue has delivered exactly what we wanted: the best way to enjoy our favorite retro handheld games.
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