Analogue Pocket review: the ultimate retro handheld

This is it, the Analogue Pocket, the closest we’ve come yet to the definitive retro portable, capable of playing a wide range of handheld cartridge games including the entire Game Boy Catalogue and Sega’s Game Gear. It’s a beautifully crafted device with a huge screen, based on an FPGA processor. Think of this as a chip that can be reprogrammed to match the actual logic of the original hardware, giving nigh-on perfect simulation of how those old consoles worked. So that’s the theory but does the Analogue Pocket deliver? For this review, Analogue sent us a black review unit along with the dock and associated accessories to find out.

There’s no denying that the Analogue Pocket is a beautiful device – precise lines, subtly rounded corners and a beautiful Gorilla Glass screen lens impress when you first pick up the unit. It instantly feels premium in a way that exceeds anything Analogue has done in the past and this is important because, unlike, say, the Mega Sg, you’ll be holding the Pocket in your hands most of the time. The unit feels solid yet reasonably light – the face buttons are configured in the traditional diamond shape while start and select buttons rest near the bottom, straddling the menu button, which has multiple uses in this case.

The d-pad is always a challenge as it’s crucial to the feel of the system. In this case, it’s pretty good. I’d say it’s slightly better than the d-pad functionality on a modded Game Boy. Just like those systems, however, diagonals can be slightly problematic in specific games but, by and large, it’s solid. Around the back, you have two shoulder buttons for Game Boy Advance games and a moderately exposed cartridge slot. This is an interesting design choice as it suggests that carts might wobble without the additional support brace provided by original hardware but it’s remarkably solid – plus you get to see the beautiful label artwork adorning many games.

By default, it accepts cartridges for Game Boy, Game Boy Color and Game Boy Advance. As of this review, an adapter for Sega Game Gear games is also available with support for Neo Geo Pocket Color, Atari Lynx and more promised next year. The unit charges via USB-C, features a 3.5mm minijack output for headphones, a micro-SD card slot and includes a Game Boy style link-cable connector which allows you to play multiplayer games – even with original Game Boy Color and Advance hardware.