I'm SUPER stoked for this, but I just can't justify $400 for the Pocket + accessories I'd need for it right now. Hope they keep them around for a while after pre-orders ship.
There is ways to remedy for the amount of money that is costs to afford the product though, through the use of certain Android apps. All of the ones that I have are least used for a bit of time actually pays out. Few of them within 3 to 5 days once you build up the right amount of credit and others that operate based on how many are aware of the application with and without ads being involved in the process.
Few of them have been around for at least 7 years and you could have had them already installed on your previous phones, and the one prior to that one. The credit even stays on the application if you forget to click on it for a while as well. You start at 0 credit in the very beginning of the application and have to work your way up to actually get the money. If there is spinning involved try to do it every 2 hours if possible. There apparently is another application that can be used under yours and take the spins for the 2 hours though as well. I never found it, but you would know immediately if you did.
Yeaaaaaa $219 is steep. Especially when emulation is very good. This is fantastic for speedrunners though, gets as close to original as possible with HD out.
Said this in another comment but, NO handheld should have the potential to lose your game progress by accidentally touching the cart. That is a HUGE flaw we should not overlook. Hard pass for me.
It's not a flaw, it will do that with any dirty cartridge. Simply cleaning the contacts will keep that from happening. Trust me. And if that bothers you then stick to a system that loads roms. Or watch for the inevitable jailbreak for this.
@@videogameobsession It's a huge flaw. Cleaning the contacts will not prevent the cartridge from moving in the loose slot. Did you even watch the video? 11:06? 11:30? You think you're going to fix that by cleaning the contacts?
@@mjc0961 Yes. Knocking the cart out with your fingers just doesn't happen. Have you watched any of the 50 or so other reviews? The only one that shows that is Joe Reddifer's video, and it was a gag. And the second part of this video shows him tapping on the cartridge, causing it to glitch. That's the part I was referring to. Which is 100% caused by dirty contacts.
@@videogameobsession I'm sorry, but you're wrong. The card slot isn't deep enough, and in turn causes inadvertent dislodging. For something that is $250+, there shouldn't be such a simple problem. They should be concerned with it as a company, and put a simple toggle or something that will hold it in place. I'll wait for the second or third iteration, because I do really think this is an amazing product.
it's 100 times the resolution though. 10x on the horizontal times 10 on the vertical. 160 x 144 = 23 040 1600 x 1440 = 2 304 000 so every original GB pixel is now a grid of 10 by 10 = 100 pixels. the "scale" is indeed 1 : 10, which means 10 in every dimension, of which the screen and hence its "resolution" have 2. i can't stop editing this comment and adding explanations.
I like almost everything about it but those loose cartridges kind of irk me. I would hope that Analogue, or someone else, would make an accessory to keep them more secure, because that seems a little annoying for such a premium product.
Wulff, you’re savage in the best way possible! I don’t know if single other TH-cam creator who could turn B-roll footage and turn it into the highlight of the sponsor ad !!! Love the in depth review, but the cherry on the cake was seeing Wood get rocked! Thanks
USBC to USBC is the new standard. Reason is: USBA doesn't support power delivery (PD). You should see more of these in the future, and you can get really high throughput chargers now. Both in brick form and wall form, you can easily find 45W or 60W chargers that charge basically anything, including laptops. Oh, and they can charge the Switch. :)
@@CleverGirlAAH I think little strips of electrical tape would work best, I'm only assuming though, I was able to play a good number of old systems but I never got the opportunity to play on the gameboys and other older systems like it other than the PSP and PSvita
This thing is beautiful. That screen is waaay cleaner than I expected. 220 is not a crazy price for this. I think analogue is doing great things. Id love to see even more competitors in the market that utilize original carts like this. I also need a mister 100%
@@michaelharrington5906 There are $80 worth of FPGA chips and $30 in screen alone in there, add in R&D as well as all the other crap and it's not too ridiculous. The adapters on the other hand are just highway robbery for some re-routed pins.
$220 is absurd for a system where the cartridge slot is so loose that simply nudging it the wrong way will break the connection and end your game. DOA, one of the worst retro products I've seen in a long time.
I will never understand design flaws like the L and R buttons right next to the cartridge and the cartridge slot not being super tight. Have they only tested these things with games that don't need L and R? Did nobody ever accidently touch the cartridge and have their game freeze? Was it a money thing because they would need to make an adapter for GBA games if they made the cartridge slot deeper and thus less prone to malfunction? 200 $ and a nervous twitch of your index finger can ruin your game.
This is a huge flaw and it's crazy how many people are ignoring it! No game console should have the potential to crash simply because of poorly placed buttons.
It was clearly designed as a gameboy first, so everything about GBA, from screen ratio to the shoulder buttons is somewhat of an afterthought, which I can understand, but yeah the loose cartridge slot is pretty unacceptable.
Yeah the easily knocked carts is pretty much inexcusable, but just to disambiguate things, the buttons themselves aren't a big part of the problem. They should've just put in a deeper slot or downward cartridge interface--as someone who occasionally plays a GBA SP to this day I'll vouch that the buttons are ergonomically where they need to be, and don't forget they'll almost exclusively be used for GBA games which sit the lowest and are probably least subject to jostling issues of any Game Boy cartridge.
This was gonna be a immediate purchase for me until I saw the issue with games freezing tapping the cartridge. Unfortunate. Hopefully they fix this in future revisions and this will be a definite buy from me! Great review!
12:29 The answer about the USB-C to USB-C is in the documentation and on their website. USB-A cannot provide the proper amps to charge the pocket properly. USB-C can provide that the required amps. They even warn you that if you put an adapter on one end you will drastically increase the time required to charge it.
Looks worth every penny, but goodness those carts look really loose in that slot. I'm weirdly super interested in how the adapters for the other consoles work. Seems easy enough but tech wise its always intriguing to see how people arrive at solutions like that.
They need to make cartridge stabilizers for something. Something like the adapters but for the GB carts to secure them a bit better (while not covering the shoulder buttons for GBA games, of course).
I was a little concerned about the adapters because if the gb carts were that loose i figured the adapters would be worse, but honestly the adapters were MORE stable. Didnt have a problem knocking the game gear cartridge around.
Honestly, with a flaw like that I DON'T think it's worth every penny. NO handheld should have the potential of accidentally losing your game progress by accidentally touching the cart. Hard pass for me.
Bet ya' someone could pretty easily 3D print a TPU support to keep cartridges securely in place but it does seem like a pretty odd oversight on their part there.
For retro GBA collectors, this is basically the most premium handheld device they will ever own. Just the resolution alone and able to play original games, not emulated. I think it is worth the price. The additional features are a bonus.
Thats what I thought as well, but when I went to the website there were other link cables so this confused me. But to be fair they could have included it for 220.
I don't think I would feel comfortable playing that with real cartridges inserted. For the price, I would want a more secure cart slot. Also, repairability - how available are parts going to be for this thing? Parts for Game Boy consoles are readily available.
I imagine it's a warranty kinda thing. This thing is kinda made so you don't have to do repairs or mods like you may have to do when buying a used GBA. For me though, I only care about the ability to record gameplay with the dock.
What's worse is how many people are not taking this issue seriously. Imagine pouring 10s of hours on a game just to potentially screw it up because poorly placed buttons.
MVG actually takes off the back I believe. He doesn't tear it completely down. But he was able to show that the battery appears to be easily swappable, and it looks to be a standard lithium battery type with a standard connector.
I'd imagine someone would make third party shells for this. Could really use an anodized aluminum shell and a removable shield plate for the cartridge slot. Could just be held in by screws and be as tall as a gba game.
Pinball neon matrix refers to the digital display screen that Pinball cabinets have, which is typically amber colored. They display images and text using the grid of amber lights.
I’m not sure that he would honestly. I think he’s more into gaming for the hardware modding than the gameplay experience. I think that in one of his most recent videos he didn’t even know how to turn on an Xbox so I think he is more than happy with actual retro consoles. I could be wrong though. Edit: Nevermind he’s actually got one and already made a review of it.
I can’t wait to hear how the retroid pocket 2+ does for GameCube and ds, I think depending on that, that’ll be when one of bobs video turns into a purchase for me
While I think a ds is likely idk about a game cube. I think it would be sick!!! Imagine a GameCube with a wireless controller and able to replay and download other games via emulation!
Honestly, this video is what convinced me and one of my friends to each invest in a Pocket. Not only does it give me a reason to start collecting GB/GBC/GBA games, but it also gives me a way to play them on an actual TV with the dock, which means that I can use a capture card to play these games on real hardware, and not with an emulator or a GameCube peripheral that would take up more space in my already small room. Sure, I have to wait until 2023 before mine even ships, but I believe that it'll be worth the wait and the $400+ price tag for the accessories I need.
I didn't know people still had USB-A wall chargers, honestly. I have been using USB-C to USB-C for about two years, if you measure amperage output they tend to perform better and charge high-input devices faster. My partner and I have seven C-to-C throughout the house and one A-to-C.
RG351MP owner here, love the GBA-like form factor more, still can't deny that this thing is cool, If I wasn't so cozy with the MP this thing would have been tempting to save for. Sadly I with the MP already in hand and only having a couple Cartridges left that arn't for the DS or Switch, I'll probably just stick with emulation, especially with my sights set on a Steamdeck later this year sometime that will be able to run emulators for gamecube, Wii, and even the Switch (so my switch will probably go to my sibling) leaving no room for this thing
I'm interested to know what the connectivity options this console has, I'm pretty sure it can connect to other gbas, but can it be connected to a gamecube?? Update: "My in Life Gaming" confirmed this to work on their video at around the 50min mark. 🤙
It's definitely still emulation. It's *FPGA* emulation, but it's emulation, and so it's only as good as its emulation code. Fortunately, Kevtris is a genius, and so his code is (almost) perfect.
@RockManLP_Radio which is what any software emulator does: emulate the hardware, which then runs the game software. If you're using SameBoy, a software emulator, it emulates the GameBoy hardware so that it can play GameBoy games. If you're using the Analogue pocket, an FPGA emulator, it emulates the GameBoy hardware so that it can play GameBoy games. They're nearly the same. They both require knowledge of hardware and code to emulate that hardware, and are both subject to the same kind of emulation flaws based on the accuracy of that knowledge and code. The only meaningful difference is that FPGA hardware can provide accurate emulation at a far lower computational cost, and without the input latency introduced by an operating system--although the amount of input latency you get using something like RetroArch is still very low, on the order of one to two frames.
I just preordered my Analogue Pocket. I choose the white version because I think it looks nicer, although the black one looks good too. Getting the white color may also be a benefit to getting it faster because i think the black one is going to be more popular, but I have no idea. I would love to see if the GBA Video carts will also work. I wouldn't mind watching Shrek in gorgeous 160p lol.
I wonder if the other systems work from the everdrive because my everdrive x5 can play gb/gbc/gba/gg/master system and Nes if all those work without the need for the adapters then happy days
Fwiw, Pocket works with an Everdrive cart... Mine is currently en route for delivery. Feels like forever since I ordered it at the original pre-launch. Can't wait!
The cartridges being loose in the back is actually hugely disappointing and a pretty big deal. I think this is a REALLY cool product, but the seemingly easy potential to knock out the cartridge while playing is a major design flaw that would ruin my experience. It would only take a few mid-game crashes to frustrate me for something that isn’t cheap, and I don’t want to feel like I have to baby the thing when I use it just to not accidentally nudge the cartridge wrong. Also, it sold out instantly when it was first up for preorder, and I imagine it’ll take forever to even get one anyway. Also, I would have been disappointed if a modern device like this DIDN’T come with a USB-C to USB-C cable. To be honest, the USB-C charging port was one of the key features to me. I rather future proof myself, and have already converted most of my batteries and plugs and things to USB-C.
Yeah I agree I'm just gonna stick with my gba advance sp I love that little thing never had any problems other than having to replace the battery after 12 years lol
Still heavily interested in this thing, which largely looks like a total dream, but knowing about the looseness of the cartridge slot and the placement of the L/R buttons definitely made me feel a little less lame that I proberbly won't be able to get one of these right away. Beyond those potential refinements, I'm glad that this thing so far's really following up on its own hype...though, Analogue *definitely* know how to make great hardware, so its not too much of a shock.
Same if they come out with a sequel vs or a pro or something that addresses these and packs in some of those extra console compatibility features into one package I would 100% pick one up but as for now a PS Vita with an OLED is good enough for me.
Would love to see basically this company and this same feature set in the wide Gameboy advance form factor. All that being said, I might actually pick this up for my wife and I. She loves the Legend of Zelda Minish cap. This looks like an amazing way to replay that game.
Orange neon tubes that used to be used in older pinball machines and especially old home a/v equipment. If you look carefully, you'd see a squashed honeycomb style netting
Before watching, I was pre-inclined to say that casemodding an actual gameboy is a more fun way to go, and that it results in a more impressive piece of gaming treasure. But after watching the video I now agree that the analogue is a very premium device and it looks like a good choice for the portable retro gamer with modern needs! I just like the silly DIY method more I suppose, lol. Great video!!
I only have 3 gba games so sadly I’ll be passing on this. Does seem like a better option than a gamecube gameboy player though. But I’ll be sticking with my RG351V for now. Also hopefully they can fix the cartridge depth in the future.
....I cannot believe you already have had this for long enough to make a vid AND they also sent you seemingly every addon, my god. Hope mine arrives soon, been waiting a long time. Thanks for the quality coverage as always- omg Did you just drop yours-
This looks phenomenal. About the price: If you take inflation into account, the price is around that of the original Game Boy (That selling for originally $90 USD in 1989 or about $200 nowadays).
FPGA doesn't perfectly mimic the original hardware, that's why the 'cores' are always being updated. FPGA is emulation. Emulation using hardware but emulation none the less.
I'm not sure emulation is an interchangeable word for a programmable circuit. The physical cartridge is still being read, and I'm assuming it's just running through some upscaling formula.
@@sromnorba It's emulating how the real consoles worked using new hardware. They aren't using the FGPAs to replicate each individual chip and capacitor, rather it's an emulation of how that real hardware combined did the job. Don't get me wrong, I think the work is absolutely amazing but it is still emulation.
Damn, i was super excited for this since 2019 until the moment bob lightly tapped the cartridge and the game froze. If thats all it takes because its not secured then its unfortunatley garbage in my opinion.
It is emulation. It's just hardware emulation. Which makes it much better emulation for strict timing accuracy and input latency. It is super nice. We don't have enough hardware control for software emulation to be fully scanline accurate. Yet. But it is still emulation. Saying otherwise is just their marketing.
@RockManLP_Radio hmm. replied earlier, but it seems to have deleted it because I linked to a wikipedia article. I was using "scanline accurate" as a loose term to mean "properly timed HBLANK interval interrupt". Despite having an LCD, that interrupt still exists on the gameboy, and emulating that properly is a big part of how to improve responsiveness on retro computers and consoles.
I just got in a conversation last week with someone about USB-C charge bricks. I have one because it seems to charge my PS5 controller better… but had no idea that some phones and such are coming with them now. I thought it was still all the same.
Would be nice if they made the shell out of metal instead of such a common and cheap material such as plastic but other than that it’s a Great looking system
I was able to get in on the third shipment of the original pocket and I absolutely loveeeee it. Also the limited edition transparent models dropped today and I was able to get in on the first drop. I’m so pumped so I’m watching all the videos again haha
They also allow you to upload your own FPGA designs to it, then you might want to use those extra buttons. that's part of the beauty and also why it's so expensive (FPGAs are expensive)
5:20 I think that this is not 10 times the resolution but 100 times. You improve from 160 x 144 = 230,40 pixels to 1600 x 1440 = 2,304,000 pixel that is x100
It still hasnt come out, but i am currently wrestling with myself with the thought of preordering it. The Game Boy has been my favorite console of my childhood, i have a ton of games for it and i've been at war with Nintendo ever since the DS for getting further and further away from a dedicated handheld games console and further diving down the "Entertainment console" idea... This does everything the Gameboy does, but also everything good about the Switch is included too!
I'd love to see something like this in the original gameboy advanced form factor. I've never been too fond of how close you have to have your hands for both the original, color, pocket, and SP. If they did do an original advanced version, I'd hope they make the slot far enough down the back so the original and color cartridges don't stick up (or, not too far) out the top, I always hated that about the advanced.
Agreed. So far the only device I've found that really satisfies the formfactor and exact 3:2 aspect ratio itch has been the Anbernic 351M (though it's still emulation-based)
![My two favorite emulators are now GB Micro style [+🔲••]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/pyJhAahuW5E/mqdefault.jpg)
![The most Premium Game Boy money can buy right now 💲[AYANEO Pocket DMG]](/img/n.gif)
HERE I GO SPENDING MONEY BECAUSE OF BOB AGAIN
Luckily I’m just waiting on mine to arrive. Although I may pick another one up
Did you see the part where it doesn't even hold the cartridges properly and crash from tapping it? It's trash.
its sold out so u can save ur money :)
a living sponsor. but a good one
( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) ᵒᵒᵖˢ
I'm SUPER stoked for this, but I just can't justify $400 for the Pocket + accessories I'd need for it right now. Hope they keep them around for a while after pre-orders ship.
There is ways to remedy for the amount of money that is costs to afford the product though, through the use of certain Android apps. All of the ones that I have are least used for a bit of time actually pays out. Few of them within 3 to 5 days once you build up the right amount of credit and others that operate based on how many are aware of the application with and without ads being involved in the process.
Few of them have been around for at least 7 years and you could have had them already installed on your previous phones, and the one prior to that one. The credit even stays on the application if you forget to click on it for a while as well. You start at 0 credit in the very beginning of the application and have to work your way up to actually get the money. If there is spinning involved try to do it every 2 hours if possible. There apparently is another application that can be used under yours and take the spins for the 2 hours though as well. I never found it, but you would know immediately if you did.
Yeaaaaaa $219 is steep. Especially when emulation is very good. This is fantastic for speedrunners though, gets as close to original as possible with HD out.
I wish I could justify it, but I can't, I need a new PC for work and those are super expensive these days too.
@@IR4ndI0mIL0wIb0Ib I can justify a Steam Deck (for many reasons) but the screen real estate isn't there on the AP.
It's really cool to see Gameboy Advance hardware still being talked about in 2021, especially after knowing it is literally 20 years old.
I feel like literally 90% of products made prey on millennials love for nostalgia.
It's literally 32 years old.
@@cawkbawls Indeed
@@cawkbawls thanks for correcting that dude lol
@@cawkbawls he said game boy advance, not the original Gameboy or Gameboy colour. The GBA came out in 2001
Said this in another comment but, NO handheld should have the potential to lose your game progress by accidentally touching the cart. That is a HUGE flaw we should not overlook. Hard pass for me.
Hell yes. Sometimes my emulator does it with some games only has happen once and don't want to go through that again
It's not a flaw, it will do that with any dirty cartridge. Simply cleaning the contacts will keep that from happening. Trust me. And if that bothers you then stick to a system that loads roms. Or watch for the inevitable jailbreak for this.
@@videogameobsession It's a huge flaw. Cleaning the contacts will not prevent the cartridge from moving in the loose slot. Did you even watch the video? 11:06? 11:30? You think you're going to fix that by cleaning the contacts?
@@mjc0961 Yes. Knocking the cart out with your fingers just doesn't happen. Have you watched any of the 50 or so other reviews? The only one that shows that is Joe Reddifer's video, and it was a gag. And the second part of this video shows him tapping on the cartridge, causing it to glitch. That's the part I was referring to. Which is 100% caused by dirty contacts.
@@videogameobsession I'm sorry, but you're wrong. The card slot isn't deep enough, and in turn causes inadvertent dislodging. For something that is $250+, there shouldn't be such a simple problem. They should be concerned with it as a company, and put a simple toggle or something that will hold it in place. I'll wait for the second or third iteration, because I do really think this is an amazing product.
I love that they were just like “screw it let’s make it 10x the original resolution”
it's 100 times the resolution though. 10x on the horizontal times 10 on the vertical.
160 x 144 = 23 040
1600 x 1440 = 2 304 000
so every original GB pixel is now a grid of 10 by 10 = 100 pixels.
the "scale" is indeed 1 : 10, which means 10 in every dimension, of which the screen and hence its "resolution" have 2.
i can't stop editing this comment and adding explanations.
@@calinguga Ha yeah I realized it right after posting, because it's squared. Thank you for doing the math! 🍻
@@calinguga Big brain
Now we just need someone to do it for the original 3:2 GBA resolution. Should be easier to source screens for too.
It's crazy how it's called an anologue pocket with no analogue sticks
"Pinball Neon Matrix" refers to the neon lamp dot-matrix displays in old pinball machine backboards. Amber and "black" (off).
Today I have learned.
I like almost everything about it but those loose cartridges kind of irk me. I would hope that Analogue, or someone else, would make an accessory to keep them more secure, because that seems a little annoying for such a premium product.
Wulff, you’re savage in the best way possible! I don’t know if single other TH-cam creator who could turn B-roll footage and turn it into the highlight of the sponsor ad !!! Love the in depth review, but the cherry on the cake was seeing Wood get rocked! Thanks
The loose cartridge slot looks like a dealbreaker.
My thoughts exactly
Perhaps a 2nd gen version will have a deeper slot.
@@niktrek what so gba games dont work with it?
@@tedofuentes6525 deep enough just like in the gba would work.
@@niktrek At the rate they’re going at we’ll be seeing that in 2024 😭
USBC to USBC is the new standard. Reason is: USBA doesn't support power delivery (PD). You should see more of these in the future, and you can get really high throughput chargers now. Both in brick form and wall form, you can easily find 45W or 60W chargers that charge basically anything, including laptops.
Oh, and they can charge the Switch. :)
It’d be cool if they released an update to the design that makes the cartridges more secure in the cartridge slot
50$ for a roll of tape. 90s cartridges need 90s solutions.
@@CleverGirlAAH I think little strips of electrical tape would work best, I'm only assuming though, I was able to play a good number of old systems but I never got the opportunity to play on the gameboys and other older systems like it other than the PSP and PSvita
I think it's essential.
Ok we were FILMING OUTSIDE, I didn't realize this man was SWEATIN' over the dub 😑 1v1 me on stream.
loooooool
he did you rlly dirty
The GBA actually did have a sleep mode on supported games! Usually pressing select+L+R on supported games put the system in sleep.
In all the years I've owned a GBA I never knew this.
WHAAAAAAAT?!
It’s a gorgeous looking machine. I wish I had a large enough handheld cartridge collection to justify the purchase.
Thank you for confirming that my $400 will be well spent on the Pocket and its elite squad of accessories.
Why did you miss the part at 11:26? He did kind of breeze past the fact that this thing doesn't even function.
This thing is beautiful. That screen is waaay cleaner than I expected. 220 is not a crazy price for this. I think analogue is doing great things. Id love to see even more competitors in the market that utilize original carts like this. I also need a mister 100%
220 is absurd.
@@michaelharrington5906 There are $80 worth of FPGA chips and $30 in screen alone in there, add in R&D as well as all the other crap and it's not too ridiculous. The adapters on the other hand are just highway robbery for some re-routed pins.
220 is not absurd it costs more for a refurbished game boy advanced sp on Amazon which are probably in garbage conditions
$220 is absurd for a system where the cartridge slot is so loose that simply nudging it the wrong way will break the connection and end your game.
DOA, one of the worst retro products I've seen in a long time.
LOL if the slot is the problem then you may have been looking for reasons to hate the thing.
I will never understand design flaws like the L and R buttons right next to the cartridge and the cartridge slot not being super tight. Have they only tested these things with games that don't need L and R? Did nobody ever accidently touch the cartridge and have their game freeze? Was it a money thing because they would need to make an adapter for GBA games if they made the cartridge slot deeper and thus less prone to malfunction?
200 $ and a nervous twitch of your index finger can ruin your game.
they want you to buy another one
This is a huge flaw and it's crazy how many people are ignoring it! No game console should have the potential to crash simply because of poorly placed buttons.
It was clearly designed as a gameboy first, so everything about GBA, from screen ratio to the shoulder buttons is somewhat of an afterthought, which I can understand, but yeah the loose cartridge slot is pretty unacceptable.
@@Old_Man_Jay It's easy to ignore when a company gives you $500 worth of goods to keep.
Yeah the easily knocked carts is pretty much inexcusable, but just to disambiguate things, the buttons themselves aren't a big part of the problem. They should've just put in a deeper slot or downward cartridge interface--as someone who occasionally plays a GBA SP to this day I'll vouch that the buttons are ergonomically where they need to be, and don't forget they'll almost exclusively be used for GBA games which sit the lowest and are probably least subject to jostling issues of any Game Boy cartridge.
This was gonna be a immediate purchase for me until I saw the issue with games freezing tapping the cartridge. Unfortunate. Hopefully they fix this in future revisions and this will be a definite buy from me! Great review!
@RockManLP_Radio you don’t design something to compromise the entire purpose of the device. Dumb design plain and simple.
I haven’t had one issue with carts coming loose, if you fiddle with it it will jiggle free but if I don’t touch it it never loosens
I hope the GB Studio really takes off. I'd love to play 'new' Gameboy games.
12:29 The answer about the USB-C to USB-C is in the documentation and on their website. USB-A cannot provide the proper amps to charge the pocket properly. USB-C can provide that the required amps. They even warn you that if you put an adapter on one end you will drastically increase the time required to charge it.
this thing is gonna change game capture for me. being able to record directly from my childhood carts without ripping or anything is great
Even though I love the review, Bob's pride in his Falcon Punch is the highlight of the video for me.
Looks worth every penny, but goodness those carts look really loose in that slot. I'm weirdly super interested in how the adapters for the other consoles work. Seems easy enough but tech wise its always intriguing to see how people arrive at solutions like that.
They need to make cartridge stabilizers for something. Something like the adapters but for the GB carts to secure them a bit better (while not covering the shoulder buttons for GBA games, of course).
I was a little concerned about the adapters because if the gb carts were that loose i figured the adapters would be worse, but honestly the adapters were MORE stable. Didnt have a problem knocking the game gear cartridge around.
HELLOOOO :)
Does anything when the rest of the adapters are releasing?
Honestly, with a flaw like that I DON'T think it's worth every penny. NO handheld should have the potential of accidentally losing your game progress by accidentally touching the cart. Hard pass for me.
Bet ya' someone could pretty easily 3D print a TPU support to keep cartridges securely in place but it does seem like a pretty odd oversight on their part there.
The pinball matrix setting does look like a virtual boy but it really is just emulating a pinball machines display where your score etc shows up.
Glad to see how much your community has grown very under rated and this is an excellent channel
Bob's excitement about the Falcon Punch just makes me smile! Also maybe I'll consider buying this since I've been wanting to buy a modded GBA.
I love that you can make the game screen absolutely tiny!! it's completely impractical but a funny novelty
For retro GBA collectors, this is basically the most premium handheld device they will ever own. Just the resolution alone and able to play original games, not emulated. I think it is worth the price. The additional features are a bonus.
From what I understand, the C to C cable is for wired connectivity with other Pockets
Thats what I thought as well, but when I went to the website there were other link cables so this confused me. But to be fair they could have included it for 220.
@@MechaDray That does make things confusing
I bought minish cap and now i'll finally get to experience it the way Nintendo perhaps always intended, even better than they intended!
bob I just wanna live in the aesthetic of your b-roll, it's so good man
I don't think I would feel comfortable playing that with real cartridges inserted. For the price, I would want a more secure cart slot.
Also, repairability - how available are parts going to be for this thing? Parts for Game Boy consoles are readily available.
I imagine it's a warranty kinda thing. This thing is kinda made so you don't have to do repairs or mods like you may have to do when buying a used GBA. For me though, I only care about the ability to record gameplay with the dock.
What's worse is how many people are not taking this issue seriously. Imagine pouring 10s of hours on a game just to potentially screw it up because poorly placed buttons.
MVG actually takes off the back I believe. He doesn't tear it completely down. But he was able to show that the battery appears to be easily swappable, and it looks to be a standard lithium battery type with a standard connector.
I swear - this was the best ad inclusion ever seen on youtube - this cpt falcon push sound/image was so satisfying :D
I'd imagine someone would make third party shells for this. Could really use an anodized aluminum shell and a removable shield plate for the cartridge slot. Could just be held in by screws and be as tall as a gba game.
IM SO GLAD YOU GOT ONE! mine will be shipped today I’m so excited oh my god, liking the video before even watching! I’m hyped
I hope to buy this in the future, to make up for my older sister's Game Boy Color I lost as a kid 😅
Oh you’ll make up for it.....
Pinball neon matrix refers to the digital display screen that Pinball cabinets have, which is typically amber colored. They display images and text using the grid of amber lights.
Sounds like something The Retro Future would want
I’m not sure that he would honestly. I think he’s more into gaming for the hardware modding than the gameplay experience. I think that in one of his most recent videos he didn’t even know how to turn on an Xbox so I think he is more than happy with actual retro consoles. I could be wrong though.
Edit: Nevermind he’s actually got one and already made a review of it.
The bromance between Wulf and Wood is beautiful.
I have been dying for this damn thing for the past to years, I actually got a pre-ordered a year ago. Hopefully it shows up in the next couple days!!
I've been following since it's announcement. Being able to play my carts as well as record them with the dock, is all I want.
I can’t wait to hear how the retroid pocket 2+ does for GameCube and ds, I think depending on that, that’ll be when one of bobs video turns into a purchase for me
I'm more looking forward to PSP emulation on the RP2+.
@@SomeRandomJackAss it can even do ps2 now, psp is finnaly old news after 10 years
While I think a ds is likely idk about a game cube. I think it would be sick!!! Imagine a GameCube with a wireless controller and able to replay and download other games via emulation!
Honestly, this video is what convinced me and one of my friends to each invest in a Pocket. Not only does it give me a reason to start collecting GB/GBC/GBA games, but it also gives me a way to play them on an actual TV with the dock, which means that I can use a capture card to play these games on real hardware, and not with an emulator or a GameCube peripheral that would take up more space in my already small room. Sure, I have to wait until 2023 before mine even ships, but I believe that it'll be worth the wait and the $400+ price tag for the accessories I need.
@RockManLP_Radio Thanks for the advice, but I'd rather use actual cartridges instead of an Everdrive.
I didn't know people still had USB-A wall chargers, honestly. I have been using USB-C to USB-C for about two years, if you measure amperage output they tend to perform better and charge high-input devices faster. My partner and I have seven C-to-C throughout the house and one A-to-C.
These videos look more and more beautiful each week my God
I've been following this thing for a long time. I love my R351V, but this thing with the dock just looks so nice and crisp.
RG351MP owner here, love the GBA-like form factor more, still can't deny that this thing is cool, If I wasn't so cozy with the MP this thing would have been tempting to save for.
Sadly I with the MP already in hand and only having a couple Cartridges left that arn't for the DS or Switch, I'll probably just stick with emulation, especially with my sights set on a Steamdeck later this year sometime that will be able to run emulators for gamecube, Wii, and even the Switch (so my switch will probably go to my sibling) leaving no room for this thing
I follow / watch religiously with about ten others and i have to say, you are the King my friend. I love me some NEW Wulff Den
I'm obsessed with all things fire emblem. I would love to get that and play through all of them! I also would love to watch you play one!
I didn't even know it existed until today, and now I NEED IT
I'm interested to know what the connectivity options this console has, I'm pretty sure it can connect to other gbas, but can it be connected to a gamecube??
Update: "My in Life Gaming" confirmed this to work on their video at around the 50min mark. 🤙
Glad they chose you to do one of the initial reviews.
It's definitely still emulation. It's *FPGA* emulation, but it's emulation, and so it's only as good as its emulation code. Fortunately, Kevtris is a genius, and so his code is (almost) perfect.
@RockManLP_Radio which is what any software emulator does: emulate the hardware, which then runs the game software.
If you're using SameBoy, a software emulator, it emulates the GameBoy hardware so that it can play GameBoy games.
If you're using the Analogue pocket, an FPGA emulator, it emulates the GameBoy hardware so that it can play GameBoy games.
They're nearly the same. They both require knowledge of hardware and code to emulate that hardware, and are both subject to the same kind of emulation flaws based on the accuracy of that knowledge and code. The only meaningful difference is that FPGA hardware can provide accurate emulation at a far lower computational cost, and without the input latency introduced by an operating system--although the amount of input latency you get using something like RetroArch is still very low, on the order of one to two frames.
I just preordered my Analogue Pocket. I choose the white version because I think it looks nicer, although the black one looks good too. Getting the white color may also be a benefit to getting it faster because i think the black one is going to be more popular, but I have no idea. I would love to see if the GBA Video carts will also work. I wouldn't mind watching Shrek in gorgeous 160p lol.
I hope it gets Super Game Boy support via a firmware update.
Also fun fact, this works with Everdrives so in a way you can play ROMs on it already. XD
I wonder if the other systems work from the everdrive because my everdrive x5 can play gb/gbc/gba/gg/master system and Nes if all those work without the need for the adapters then happy days
It's already been covered in other reviews. It works for emulating other consoles on everdrives but it's laggy.
Fwiw, Pocket works with an Everdrive cart...
Mine is currently en route for delivery. Feels like forever since I ordered it at the original pre-launch. Can't wait!
The cartridges being loose in the back is actually hugely disappointing and a pretty big deal. I think this is a REALLY cool product, but the seemingly easy potential to knock out the cartridge while playing is a major design flaw that would ruin my experience. It would only take a few mid-game crashes to frustrate me for something that isn’t cheap, and I don’t want to feel like I have to baby the thing when I use it just to not accidentally nudge the cartridge wrong. Also, it sold out instantly when it was first up for preorder, and I imagine it’ll take forever to even get one anyway.
Also, I would have been disappointed if a modern device like this DIDN’T come with a USB-C to USB-C cable. To be honest, the USB-C charging port was one of the key features to me. I rather future proof myself, and have already converted most of my batteries and plugs and things to USB-C.
Yeah I agree I'm just gonna stick with my gba advance sp I love that little thing never had any problems other than having to replace the battery after 12 years lol
thanx for pointing that out. ima take that risk and use double sided tape 😁
been making pokemon gba mods and I never thought I'd see a device I could use to debug and directly build for in 2021! what a time to be alive
Still heavily interested in this thing, which largely looks like a total dream, but knowing about the looseness of the cartridge slot and the placement of the L/R buttons definitely made me feel a little less lame that I proberbly won't be able to get one of these right away. Beyond those potential refinements, I'm glad that this thing so far's really following up on its own hype...though, Analogue *definitely* know how to make great hardware, so its not too much of a shock.
Same if they come out with a sequel vs or a pro or something that addresses these and packs in some of those extra console compatibility features into one package I would 100% pick one up but as for now a PS Vita with an OLED is good enough for me.
13:07 you're looking good on that wall picture bob... oh wait... oh don't wait, you're indeed looking good...
Would love to see basically this company and this same feature set in the wide Gameboy advance form factor. All that being said, I might actually pick this up for my wife and I. She loves the Legend of Zelda Minish cap. This looks like an amazing way to replay that game.
Orange neon tubes that used to be used in older pinball machines and especially old home a/v equipment. If you look carefully, you'd see a squashed honeycomb style netting
Definitely a buy in the future. I’ve been wanting to play my cartridges, but I also want to persevere my retro handhelds.
1:54 he has mega man zero 😳
Before watching, I was pre-inclined to say that casemodding an actual gameboy is a more fun way to go, and that it results in a more impressive piece of gaming treasure. But after watching the video I now agree that the analogue is a very premium device and it looks like a good choice for the portable retro gamer with modern needs! I just like the silly DIY method more I suppose, lol. Great video!!
Thank you for the very unbiased review of this console. This is the reason why I continue to watch your videos. You just saved me $220.
good video bawb
Thanks, Game Informer 😉
Lol Bob bodying wood and bragging about it is my favorite part of this video
I only have 3 gba games so sadly I’ll be passing on this. Does seem like a better option than a gamecube gameboy player though. But I’ll be sticking with my RG351V for now. Also hopefully they can fix the cartridge depth in the future.
flash cart is a thing
....I cannot believe you already have had this for long enough to make a vid AND they also sent you seemingly every addon, my god. Hope mine arrives soon, been waiting a long time. Thanks for the quality coverage as always- omg Did you just drop yours-
This looks phenomenal. About the price: If you take inflation into account, the price is around that of the original Game Boy (That selling for originally $90 USD in 1989 or about $200 nowadays).
Yea except it’s 2021
@@megami215 Yep! Almost 2022! Happy New Year!
The C-to-C cable is probably because of fast charging. A-to-C only supports so much wattage.
A to C may not officially support fast charging, but I've been using quick charge 2.0 and 3.0 chargers with A to C for years.
FPGA doesn't perfectly mimic the original hardware, that's why the 'cores' are always being updated. FPGA is emulation. Emulation using hardware but emulation none the less.
I'm not sure emulation is an interchangeable word for a programmable circuit. The physical cartridge is still being read, and I'm assuming it's just running through some upscaling formula.
@@sromnorba It's emulating how the real consoles worked using new hardware. They aren't using the FGPAs to replicate each individual chip and capacitor, rather it's an emulation of how that real hardware combined did the job.
Don't get me wrong, I think the work is absolutely amazing but it is still emulation.
Not gonna lie I never even heard of these nifty lil products until I hear you talking bout it. This one looks super neat.
Damn, i was super excited for this since 2019 until the moment bob lightly tapped the cartridge and the game froze. If thats all it takes because its not secured then its unfortunatley garbage in my opinion.
Yeah I was biting my nails deciding still whether or not to preorder but that’s a deal breaker
It is emulation. It's just hardware emulation. Which makes it much better emulation for strict timing accuracy and input latency. It is super nice. We don't have enough hardware control for software emulation to be fully scanline accurate. Yet.
But it is still emulation. Saying otherwise is just their marketing.
@RockManLP_Radio hmm. replied earlier, but it seems to have deleted it because I linked to a wikipedia article.
I was using "scanline accurate" as a loose term to mean "properly timed HBLANK interval interrupt".
Despite having an LCD, that interrupt still exists on the gameboy, and emulating that properly is a big part of how to improve responsiveness on retro computers and consoles.
I just got in a conversation last week with someone about USB-C charge bricks. I have one because it seems to charge my PS5 controller better… but had no idea that some phones and such are coming with them now. I thought it was still all the same.
I love how in the end, Wulff uses a box to prop up the analogue pocket so that it doesn't keep on falling! xD :p
Would be nice if they made the shell out of metal instead of such a common and cheap material such as plastic but other than that it’s a Great looking system
For sure, the device isn’t exactly cheap with the building material they are going for but as long as it functions well, it’s worth a buy
I finally beat a stupid level in Spyro season of ice yesterday on my pocket. It's an AMAZING system and that screen is everything.
Thanks for the sponsor, the grip and case actually seem pretty cool
you went way more in depth than other videos and that got me really interested in this. i still have my nintendo cam and i want this so bad now
I'll probably buy one of these eventually. It's not just a gameboy. It's art.
loose cartridge can likely be fixed by just adding some sort of adjustable sliding lock mechanism to the back of the device to hold games in place.
The fact it can be docked for 1080p has me sold
wow! It the coolest thing I've seen this year about retrogaming! Hmm, I think I need one...
That's gotta be the cleanest looking GameBoy playing machine 🤌
There is a way to force YB to be like AB. It’s called Super GB in the options.
I was able to get in on the third shipment of the original pocket and I absolutely loveeeee it.
Also the limited edition transparent models dropped today and I was able to get in on the first drop. I’m so pumped so I’m watching all the videos again haha
In an alternative universe.. Gilfoyle is cheerful and has positive vibes.. and happens to love retro gaming. (Good video!)
Scalpers for this system are already on ebay that was fast! I think it needs more protection around game slot
Just ordered my beatemups grips a few days ago and i love that you rocked him
They also allow you to upload your own FPGA designs to it, then you might want to use those extra buttons.
that's part of the beauty and also why it's so expensive (FPGAs are expensive)
5:20 I think that this is not 10 times the resolution but 100 times. You improve from 160 x 144 = 230,40 pixels to 1600 x 1440 = 2,304,000 pixel that is x100
It still hasnt come out, but i am currently wrestling with myself with the thought of preordering it. The Game Boy has been my favorite console of my childhood, i have a ton of games for it and i've been at war with Nintendo ever since the DS for getting further and further away from a dedicated handheld games console and further diving down the "Entertainment console" idea... This does everything the Gameboy does, but also everything good about the Switch is included too!
The price of this is absolutely predatory. However it hasnt been shut down by nintendo is beyond me.
Would using a USBC to USBA charger hurt the console in any way?? I need to know this before I get it and I can’t find anything online
Mmm, yup. I would absolutely LOVE one of these. Fantastic video, Bob. It was great to see Wood getting wrecked in Smash as well.
I'd love to see something like this in the original gameboy advanced form factor. I've never been too fond of how close you have to have your hands for both the original, color, pocket, and SP. If they did do an original advanced version, I'd hope they make the slot far enough down the back so the original and color cartridges don't stick up (or, not too far) out the top, I always hated that about the advanced.
Agreed. So far the only device I've found that really satisfies the formfactor and exact 3:2 aspect ratio itch has been the Anbernic 351M (though it's still emulation-based)
The LCD dot matrix simulation is not "scanlines". Scanlines are in CRT technology.