The Analogue Pocket Experience: Two Years of Broken Promises

Two years after the release of the Pocket, can Analogue make good on its unfufilled promises and make this the ultimate handheld? Nah, of course not.
Original Review:
• The Analogue Pocket Ex...
All music is from the Sonic Frontiers OST.

[@siegarettes]

Games featured in this video: Avenging Spirit Kirby's Pinball GG Aleste 3 Progear Seiken Densetsu 3 Gradius the Interstellar Assault Mega Man the Power Battle Cosmo Gang the Video Tanzer Panzer Bandit Bulk Slash Sin and Punishment Twinkle Tale Metal Black Smash Remix GS Mikami Streets of Rage 3

[@Necrotheshadow]

You disgust me with this sheer level of courtesy. It's very clear that for software emulation devices the market either breeds Innovation or just more clones of the ones that are successful. Sadly we haven't seen this yet for analogue pocket save for the fpgbc which while a nice option doesn't quite tick all the boxes for me.

[@siegarettes]

yeah it's definitely a harder space to get into, especially since you kind of need dedicated engineers for this hardware and can't really repurpose open source software like you can for software emulation. probably why analogue wants to keep their stuff so locked down, to prevent people from copying it. but also if you're actually the best you don't need to convince people to not buy the copycats...

[@Necrotheshadow]

@@siegarettes could not agree more I do think that it requires dedicated development to enter any Market with items this complex. I think analog is scared of competitors but know it won't shake their sales unless it's a product of similar quality they are also using very cringy business tactics to keep sales high.

[@nosouponhead]

What's the game at 6:29?

[@nosouponhead]

Ah, Twinkle Tale. Thank you Bard 🙏

[@scotchnichols]

I appreciate your frank look at the Pocket and it's current features. Haven't seen a video taking Analogue to task on the Pocket in awhile.

[@theprophet2444]

There are plenty videos pointing out the flaws especially of the company analogue themselves, their high shipping fees and lackluster support and long wait for restock. I heard some had to wait about a year for their device and that was just about half a year ago. That said they stepped up their game, I ordered mine 2 weeks ago and it has been shipped on feb 1st like they promised and it's already in Germany since Friday and should arrive by monday at my place. Also Analogue had some great firmware updates since December 2023, like allowing all filters to run on any core and the addition of the smoth looking trinitron CRT filter that really looks great(judging from what I saw on youtube at least)

[@futuristique5927]

Also! Please keep making videos, you've got a really nice voice and I love the depth of your stuff.

[@siegarettes]

thank you thank you! hoping to make more, as long as my work schedule cooperates

[@JamesStevensonPhoto]

Interesting perspective and refreshing to hear a review that isn't just gushing praise. I own one, alongside two other Linux based handhelds, and indeed those are getting more use - save for one case: Amiga. I grew up with this machine and it's my most emulated system. The Amiga core on the pocket and the image on its display is close to flawless, thanks enthusiastic devs. My other handhelds simply don't run a PAL signal well despite long hours in retroarch tweaking and fiddling. Fast scrolling games are stuttery and simply not enjoyable to play on other handhelds, where the pocket shines. On the pocket, they're perfect. For almost everything except Amiga - and that includes Nintendo handhelds - I find I'm favouring the Miyoo Mini + and Powkiddy RGB30. I have a MiSTer too and like yourself continue to enjoy it's evolution. I hope that the pocket goes the same way and that the flaws you mentioned are addressed. Analogue seem to have the right outlook, but are getting in their own way a bit with execution and a horrible customer service reputation.

[@siegarettes]

will admit I am not an Amiga person (mostly familiar with ports to the Mega Drive) so that def sounds like a good use case. and yeah if they were transparent about ANYTHING it'd be much easier to be sympathetic but they seems to prize their image of perfection and marketing more than building a community

[@sevak1631]

Love to see a video from you popping up!

[@misterkeebler]

I agree with a lot of your points as far as promised features that have yet to materialize, and i also dislike Analogue's marketing approach, but i do feel you undersell the main reason this product exists and that is to play cartridges. The only way to get a halfway comparable experience for a cart is to either buy a premodded gameboy or gba (maybe both), or to buy the systems and addons for some DIY work. And even then, a modded device will not hit the same high points for the screen and definitely not the audio. The tradeoff is as you mentioned, the Pocket is on the larger side and a bit clunky and not as pocketable as much of the gb/gba line...really just the dmg original is similar. So for people that just want a modernized game boy, the Pocket is a solid buy, albeit expensive and somewhat large. I love all of the chinese emulation devices as much as the next hobbyist in this space, but they are not remotely as user-friendly. Just going by whats pictured on your desk, i think only the RP Flip is a good buy for someone fairly green to this, and even that will require quite a bit of setup. Even with CFW, something like the Rg351p (i think thats what i see) has battery issues and controls that can disconnect just from putting the device to sleep mid-game. And the Arc imo is borderline disappointing in regards to what it could have been. TTT is doing his best to salvage it with Retro Arena, and that is not a very user-friendly cfw for a beginner either (though extremely comprehensive). Not trying to discredit anything about your own experience since it's valid, but i feel like you are more of what i consider a power user that is willing to do some work to max out what you get from certain devices, and the Pocket leaves you wanting a bit more. But for the average person, i think the Pocket is still pretty much a top tier choice even with its most basic feature set from Day 1, whereas the software emulation devices are almost reliant on the community to make it convenient to use, and will always require some research from the consumer. The subreddits would be much less active if they actually were user friendly and not problematic in function...tons of the posts are pleas for assistance or mild complaints from newcomers, lol. I did like the video for your personal takes.

[@siegarettes]

yo! thanks for the comment. some of what you're talking about I did address in my first review: kzbin.info/www/bejne/l5Koep-dpa2JjJYsi=1Y_9I08yXGMmu0Ck tldr I mostly find the Pocket excels in the screen and GB/C play, and found it actively painful to play for gba. and if I'm mostly playing carts I'd rather do it on original hardware that's smaller and more comfortable to me. I do agree emulation devices take a bit of setup, but I don't find it much more complex than what a first time setup for the Pocket's extra features requires. Aside from edge cases like the ARC which are a hot mess thanks to Anbernic. I'm definitely the power user type, but I also feels like a lot of people would be willing to do a little more work to get more if they knew their options, especially since outside the hobbyist space that extra 100-150 is A LOT to drop on playing old games. anyhow thanks again for the comment, I can tell you put a lot of thought into it

[@itranscendencei7964]

Kind of hard to say that it's good for the average person that just wants to play Gameboy games when it costs over $200 and availability is consistently trash. You can buy a modded GBA for the same price or less, or just do the work yourself and save money. I'm sorry, but the average person playing GB games absolutely does not care about this device. It is solely for collectors and enthusiasts.

[@Jerome-C]

Loading time is not the big deal except for the largest NEOGEO games for exemple... but that's make me stay on that game like if i plug the big cardridge on the Neo !! Price for what you get, ok it's a bit expensive due to shiping cost and taxe, a choice to make for RetroGamers like me. But for my personal experience return, it's by far the best way to play 24 bits console and lower !

[@theprophet2444]

Good video but I think you're overdramatizing the loading screen, sure it doesn't boot the SNES ROM immediately but waiting a few seconds isn't really that bad, what you give up in convenience you gain in lag free audio and amazing screenfilters oh and the amazing screen itself that makes them possible in the first place. Not having save states for the SNES core sure sounds offputting but most SNES games have save files as a feature.

[@siegarettes]

it's more all the process on the way to starting up the game that's the big deal. it's nearly a whole minute which is fine if you're at home but not if you've got like five minutes to play at say, a bus stop or in line. and most like rpgs have saves on SNES but A LOT of action games don't and make you start from the beginning or use a password system

[@6mazing]

@@siegarettesa bus stop or in line lol ? My guy, you need to be aware of your surroundings in these times. There’s a time & place for everything.

[@siegarettes]

@@6mazing don't tell me you're one of those boomers who gets mad seeing people on their phone sitting on the train or waiting in line 😂

[@snesei]

You can boot right from the cart, it’s in the settings

[@moshawnla]

This.

[@leuguimerius]

That's just not true. Even if you choose that option in the settings, you STILL have to watch analogue's and FPGA's splash screen and then it takes you to a menu where you STILL have hit play to start the cartridge. So, no it does not boot right from the cart.

[@NerdyOutdoorVeteran]

@@leuguimeriusthis is the weirdest complaint here. It’s literally like a single extra second than the original software. The operating system running is extremely more complicated and has much more features then the original hardware so that extra second is more than worth it. People hating on that make no sense.

[@J-Chiptunator]

The one advantage FPGA/Hardware emulation has over the software approach is removing input lag altogether. It's only added depending on which controller and display you use, and Analogue Pocket eliminates all these factors if you play solely on the handheld. But really, you only need 8ms (in 60fps) of input lag in total or less for it to be humanely imperceptible, as in to not making controlling a character feel heavy or delayed. That's easily achievable with MiSTer FPGA, original handhelds and original consoles outputting through a CRT or a good upscaling devices like the RetroTINK products. Although I'm not sure if the software emulators can reliably pull that feat.

[@siegarettes]

software emulators have actually started supporting runahead now! as I understand, it's kinda like reverse rollback, where it makes several states of possible input that could happen and then plays em when it receives input. basically preprocessing what could happen so it doesn't have the lag of catching up with the input

[@fukuoka-musician]

Was seconds away from ordering this about a year ago; so glad I didn't. Thank you for making the point about hardware emulation and software emulation both being emulation. Analogue's marketing is not entirely on the level.

[@siegarettes]

yeah. I don't exactly regret it, since its been a curiosity to pick at, but with so many other devices coming out it showed me that convenience is way more important than a perfect picture when it comes to actually playing the games.

[@MrAdam802]

lol you missed out

[@amr-OH]

​@@MrAdam802on reselling it for scalper prices?

[@Sung_Jam]

Not buying the analogue was the right choice. It is indeed just thrash compared to others @@MrAdam802

[@NerdyOutdoorVeteran]

That was probably his dumbest point. The difference between software and hardware emulation makes a huge difference. When you emulate the hardware, the game plays flawlessly just like the original. When you emulate software, the game has input lag, laggy sound and it’s just not an original experience. Yes they are both a type of emulation, but one type is very superior over the other.

[@AlexaLily]

another great video, love your work!!

[@siegarettes]

😊

[@keestar8740]

I knew I recognised those 3 beds from that one game respect to you including trials of mana in this 🔥

[@discordinc]

Im in a similar place for the Analogue. I appreciate the novelty and abilities of the community cores, but rarely use it to play games. Heck I recently exported game boy camera photos from it usinf the commuity made Pocket Sync, because analogue still has not added the ability to dump photos to the SD card even though the promised it qith the official firmware 1.1 release back in 2021

[@siegarettes]

it's amazing how much the community has made this thing a usable device. really contrasts with how silent dev has been on the company side

[@ChorbySP]

Your knowledge and exerptise in the field is always so appreciated amr. Incredible work on all fronts, especially on filming all these handhelds and screens so crisply!

[@siegarettes]

thanks! I'm learning as much as y'all are as I make these videos! and I'm glad the effort to get these things in focus is noticed!

[@RGGeek]

That’s why I bought an Odin and have been very content with my decision.

[@xxsemb]

Completely unrelated to the video - the Odin is in no way a Pocket competitor.

[@RGGeek]

@@xxsemb Just telling my story man. I wanted a Pocket, then realized an Odin would be around the same price and realized I'd prefer to have that. I'm even typing this comment on my Odin. 😎

[@NGreedia]

I just received my pocket after ordering in december. Not sure what to think as I've been occupied with my recently ips modded gbc, gba and rg35xx plus devices. I heard amazing things about the display, but i don't really notice much of a difference side by side, at least in gba games due to the aspect ratio. I appreciate the larger screen more on gbc and gb games as it uses the full real estate

[@siegarettes]

yeah it's like, screen is really crisp, and you do notice when it comes to things like screen modes but also how crisp can you make a square pixel before it doesnt matter?

[@basilandrigsby]

I get what you’re saying, but they didn’t promise all of these features. FPGA is getting better every few weeks or so. I love mine for the in and out of the dock experience. If I had a Mister (like yours) I might feel differently

[@damonalbarnbusukabis]

I agree with your statement. I rarely use my analogue pocket. It feels not fun. My modded DMG feels way more fun, I can set custom palette on it. I tried to love my pocket, but it's simply not fun.

[@inellly]

Great video and liking the production values!! I share many of your sentiments about the Pocket... I find myself playing cheaper Anbernic devices more than the Pocket as they're more convenient with save states and instant resumes. Which is a shame as they are less than half the price!

[@siegarettes]

yeah the instant resume and saves do SO much for getting in and out of games fast

[@Wuss2ns]

u have radicalized me against this company to a mighty degree but i honestly appreciate it bc i know if i had one of these things it would also just be sitting in a drawer.

[@siegarettes]

gotta say it's kinda wild to hear such a strong reaction but hey sounds like you've saved 300 bucks

[@Wuss2ns]

thats a lot of money! @@siegarettes

[@AxfNPn3l]

I really appreciate this review. I think it was fair and hit on many things dozens of other reviewers ignored in mostly positive reviews. All the little things you point out just keep adding up and go against how Analogue has positioned themselves as a premium brand. I view them as kind of a boutique brand that I'm curious about what they're doing but when it comes down to features offered for money, it doesn't take much to beat them if you' try.

[@siegarettes]

yeah it you need an fpga device AND it has to be portable AND you want to play more than gameboy it looks like the only choice, but if you compromise on one of those suddenly there's such a huge list of alternatives

[@heta04]

Tbh, if you need to be this nitpicky to be that disappointed about the AP, im quite getting conforted in my choice of going for it

[@siegarettes]

yeah! I could definitely have more fun with it if I lowered my standards

[@heta04]

@@siegarettes since this post I actually bought a mint one to a scalper and its absolutely great. Definitely love it

[@siegarettes]

hey if you enjoy I'm not going to tell you not to lol

[@JT.PlaysGames]

I have a Transparent Blue (really purple/grape) Pocket and I have a hard time picking it up to play. Don't get me wrong, I love the screen and plethora of games I can play on it with lag-free controls, but I don't want to take it out of the house because of how fragile it feels.

[@siegarettes]

yeah even now that I've got a good way to carry it I'm scared it'll get damaged and if it does who knows when I'll be able to replace it

[@JT.PlaysGames]

@@siegarettes Totally get that. I have a nice 3DS XL case for it, but I'm not sure I want to know what happens if it drops.

[@MrAdam802]

Its already the ultimate handheld. Its like the ultimate portable mister/retro Switch. Way better than all the crappy software emulation handheld out there by far.

[@siegarettes]

sorry but it doesn't hold a candle to the features of the mister and it costs more than a switch before you even buy the 100USD dock required to play it on a TV

[@MrAdam802]

@@siegarettes Mister can't go portable, and the price is well worth it compared to modded game boys lol

[@siegarettes]

even if I agreed on that, is it like 4x better than anything else than can play that, other systems, do sleep mode AND video out? cuz that's the price difference. hell at that point you're spending steam deck money and that's a whole ass computer. For the record, I do have the dock and I have used it maybe like 5 times because half the time I need to wait for an update to use the controller I want, and they took forever to add stuff like screen filters and resizing.

[@siegarettes]

honestly if you really want the whole argument I made a whole video that includes comparisons of the mister and pocket, and that's before it got all the new features I mention here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/l5Koep-dpa2JjJYsi=6f0DWwBtQlQ2xIwI

[@fixurheartVODs]

so many goobers! where do they go when you sleep?

[@siegarettes]

this is not even half of them. and I simply let the massive stack topple over me for maximum comfort

[@hectorleon465]

At least you were honest in your review. I just simply bought it cause i wanted to play my GBA games that were just sitting there at an unused resources... And it does its job just fine. Due to the fact i had NO WAY to play em. My sp has seen better days and the shoulder buttons no longer work, cant find the chargers, my og DS is out of commission and has a broken hinge, shoulder button doesn't work either, i dont have a gamecube even though i have the gameboy player with start up disc. And the retro advance adapter from retrobit the AV cables dont work anymore... Just no way.... And most SPs sold on Ebay are usually damaged with unresponsive trigger buttons... See where im coming from? This device works for some but not for all. And happily i only paid $360 for it 2nd hand on ebay. Im happy with my purchase. And i can careless aabout all the extras it has like game gear adapters etc cause i dont see myself playing those period 🤷

[@siegarettes]

are they really going for that much secondhand?? that's wild considering how many versions of those they released

[@keaton718]

You own a lot of cool stuff my dude.

[@siegarettes]

thanks, homie. it is kinda like a mini arcade in here

[@nakamura6116]

Naw I need to know where you got that mf shark bruh

[@nakamura6116]

Found it

[@siegarettes]

nice nice nice. pretty fun little guy.

[@Cardinalryo]

Hi, thanks for this interesting review of the Analogue Pocket. I would like to know: what is your screen for your Mister FPGA on this video? It seems great.

[@siegarettes]

it's this one recommended by retrogamecorps kzbin.info/www/bejne/nGTUZWygo5aJsNEsi=GbeA0uZ_tn60ClF-

[@MrRipsta703]

I started my retro gaming journey with a RG35XX in translucent purple. I had an atomic GBC as a kid. I was lucky enough to order a Translucent Purple AP. I also got lucky to get a RG353M from Temu for $11. The best handheld out of the 3 is my RG353M. I can run android or Linux on it. It has a touch screen, hdmi out, aluminum body & Hall effect joysticks. I have tried to enjoy my pocket but it always fall short for me. I even bought the dock for it. To me its biggest selling point is the screen and being able to play original cartridges.

[@siegarettes]

yeah, the screen is so crisp but for getting in and out of games any other device feels effortless by comparison

[@tyrcipher8811]

All valid criticisms simply due to the fact the that device has now been on the market for 2 years, and has yet to see a price cut or discount. Now the market is filled with cheap Chinese handhelds that will do the same thing plus more for half the price, so long as your fine with buying from a Chinese company.

[@siegarettes]

yeah they've made tons of models but not a single revision to fix the problems people brought up most of the parts in the Pocket are manufactured in China anyhow so that's kind of a moot consideration hah

[@tyrcipher8811]

@@siegarettesThey have made some slight revisions. But not big enough revisions to be like here an Analogue pocket 2.0 or slim. They have slightly fixed one of your and other people complaints about the cartridge port. It a lot firmer on new batches, you need actual force to get carts out. Yes, it manufactured in china. What isn’t manufactured in china? But it still an American company, and a local PNW company at that.

[@siegarettes]

I'm glad that at least the cartridge slot issues got fixed, tho I'm still not a fan of the design since it interferes with the buttons my point wasn't that having parts made in China is a negative, because yeah that's just any tech, more that the "made in the US" thing comes off as the same thing as Apple's "designer in California". it feels little more than marketing like the point of buying US made is that it provides jobs for American laborers. if the parts and assembly are done outside the US and a few dudes on the coast make a profit that's not really compelling

[@tyrcipher8811]

@ Now unfortunately there really nothing they can do about that unless they do 2.0 device… Maybe an GBA/SP style device? Sure if you want to look at that way.

[@bagzhansadvakassov1093]

IMO screen resolution is overkill.

[@LeebeeLink]

the best!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@Mike-B-Jackson]

All said, it’s just not comfortable to use and I truly hate the controls. Terrible D-pad and buttons. Anyway, great honest review.

[@strika52]

Great informative video. Thank you. I just liked and subscribed. Can you please tell me where you got your hitbox like controller?

[@siegarettes]

yo thanks! the controller is a FightingBox Mini which I customized. It goes cheap on aliexpress a lot tho I believe you can find listings for it on Amazon now

[@strika52]

@@siegarettes thanks bro!!

[@fryke]

I think you're a bit off with the "still have to prove" that their solution's better than software emulation. Most software emulation has (much more) input lag and some audio lag, too. That's why playing even the simplest GB game just feels "better" on an Analogue Pocket and real hardware. That was proven when the first ones came out.

[@siegarettes]

you should look into emulation again. its improved dramatically, especially with things like runahead which lower it even more. the Pocket is also just worse in featureset compared to emulation, which was my other point, and even if you want to talk only about FPGA it doesn't have anything on the MISTER, which seems like a way more expensive device until you factor the cost of the dock and shipping.

[@fryke]

I consider the Analogue Pocket a portable device, so I won't dock it. But should I consider a MISTER, I'd of course buy the Pocket's dock instead, since I've already got the Pocket. The software emulation with runahead is better than before, but of course can't beat the hardware still. The fpga solution is at the goal, waiting, while software emulation is trying. So if anything, it's the opposite, and software still has to prove stuff. If it catches up, it catches up. But my criticism stands. There's no need to fight. Sometimes, we make mistakes. It's all good.@@siegarettes

[@siegarettes]

won't deny hardware feels better, but at a certain point lag because imperceptible to most people, and the greater featureset of software emulation cannot be overstated. hell, it's the reason FPGA cores are even able to be made in some cases. I def also consider the Pocket a portable, but if they're putting out a product and selling it based on a feature I'm gonna do my dilegence and review it based on those claims.

[@fryke]

I think it's all a game of one foot in front of the other. Hardware emulation is always a step behind software emulation in the sense of what newer platforms you can emulate, while at the same time hardware emulation will get it feeling right from the get-go, whereas software emulation needs many iterations to reach more of an "acceptable" state. The fact that you might get a MISTER slightly cheaper than the Pocket+Dock maybe true, of course, but it's not really an argument, as the MISTER has a different purpose, which is only a partial feature of the Pocket. The MISTER misses out of being a portable device completely (and ofc isn't meant to have that). @@siegarettes

[@siegarettes]

yeah I mean I'll give you that MISTER and such is def not a replacement for a Pocket, and is doing a different thing. my point was more that in terms of featureset this is a device that does one thing real well (play gameboy games) and is kinda underbaked with the rest of it to the point that I personally prefer original hardware.

[@TreeskoTHQ]

Just got mine for $450, not including the dock, screen protector and hard case. More like $700 after all that

[@siegarettes]

godDAMN that's a lot of fucking cash.

[@rezzidoke599]

more like Analogue out of Pocket

[@jecisthetruth]

What game is at 6:07?

[@siegarettes]

Panzer Bandit! it's a beat em up in the style of Guardian Heroes, and has a shared designer with it.

[@VUVURECORDS]

there is people essentially unsatisfied with life, who always will decide to choose a view regarding the lack over the how many things you can get from something. the analogue is a piece of hardware with lots of virtues, a dream come true for the kids who grew up in the late 70s-80s. the system has objeticvely grown up and has been updated with cores and features. That´s a fact. And it will be growing for sure. It´s not enough for some people, it´s a pity.

[@siegarettes]

homie it's a review. if there's a fault ima point out especially since it costs nearly 300 bucks (or more depending on where you live) after shipping

[@DeoxysChao]

Curious what kind of portable monitor you've used for your Super NT showoff?

[@siegarettes]

it's this one that retrogamecorps showed off kzbin.info/www/bejne/nGTUZWygo5aJsNEsi=SACWiG5IyE3BHYX_

[@misterretrowolf1464]

Nice video!

[@snesei]

If you want to play games it’s good

[@pspsmallz]

Your original video is what convinced me to not get a pocket and just mod some of my gameboys instead. Best choice I ever made for handheld stuff. Analogue stuff is just way too overpriced and not worth it most of the time. Their best product is still the super nt, which really did get carriee by the community. Also got into more emulation handhelds and have been enjoying the miyoo mini+ and gonna pick up an rgb30 and odin 2 eventually for pico 8 and ps2/gamecube emulation respectively later on. What are some of your favorite emulation handhelds that you currently use by the way?

[@siegarettes]

I ended up getting a bunch of modded gameboys after the original review and man I would have been so much harder on the Pocket I've personally also been playing the RGB30 and Anbernic 35xx and finished A LOT of games on them. also always keep my Retroid on me for short session gaming.

[@Arr4fingers]

I feel like this is perfect if you want emulation plus preserve playing on carts. I feel you are more of a hater lol but everyone has an opinion

[@siegarettes]

I did say I come off as a hater!

[@NocturnalRS]

Why would they make the cartridge slot so shallow? I've always thought this thing was a dud since release...

[@siegarettes]

just one of many Features that makes me anxious something is gonna break when I play it

[@tyrcipher8811]

While the cartridge slot is a bit shallow... It not as bad as what it was on the launch models which is what the person in the video owns? They seemed to have done a bit of design changes with new models.

[@LucaMolteni84]

"you can get systems... with enough power to get comparable accuracy" - define "comparable accuracy" then. I'd say this is false and it undersells the amount of work the developers have put inside the openFPGA cores. BTW the cores are open sources, even though openFPGA is not.

[@siegarettes]

you can run emulators/cores like mGBA which are frequently used as the benchmark to test the accuracy of emulation due to how close they are to replicating the hardware. along with tricks like runahead you can lower the latency to a degree where it will be indistinguishable from hardware to most people. Similar situation with things like Super Nintendo which have bsnes. And I believe I've emphasized that the community is doing great work several times, I just do not want to diminish the work in other spaces to do it. and yes, that's why I made the point that all the openfpga cores came from mister, an open source project that allowed these cores to exist on the Pocket at all.

[@LeebeeLink]

you should rewatch the video, they address exactly your points and give huge props to the open source developers doing the work

[@leecollins5479]

you will upset some fpga lovers by saying its emulation lol.but yes it is hardware emulation as if your not running a game on original hardware it is emulation.how are you liking your arc s?

[@siegarettes]

as someone who has been wanting a 6 button handheld for forever i love the form factor. the base firmware is total trash tho and not having the power for saturn is a bummer. but the RetroArena cfw has def made this thing way more appealing.

[@SlCKB0Y-sb1kg]

3:50 Sorry, I call bullshit, that cart is not fully inserted before you start wiggling it to prove a point. You can be of the opinion that you’d prefer it had a stronger grip on the cart but your wiggling demo there was straight up dishonesty to exaggerate the point. If it is actually like that then it is 100% faulty.

[@siegarettes]

lol homie this is a documented fault you can even see it in other reviews by people who like the thing

[@SlCKB0Y-sb1kg]

@@siegarettes Yea I know people make noise about the cart being a bit precarious. Invariably though when asked if it has actually caused an issue whilst playing, the answer is “no”. It’s not as secure as an OG console but not once have I seen someone demonstrate an actual practical impact from this during normal playing. Just saying.

[@siegarettes]

@@SlCKB0Y-sb1kg I've definitely seen at least one review where someone has put their cart to sleep, tried to turn it back on and had it fail because the cart dislodged when it was in sleep mode. I've also had this happen to me after as little as putting it down on a chair, and seen people talk about losing save data from that process.

[@SlCKB0Y-sb1kg]

@@siegarettes Fair enough. All I’m saying is I think everyone is making a mountain out of a mole hill. The cart slot had to be designed in such a way that it could accommodate Gameboy carts as well as all 4 adapters for other systems, so I understand that it’s a bit of a compromise. It’s not optimal.

[@siegarettes]

@@SlCKB0Y-sb1kg yeah I meant, I understand *why* they made it that way, I just find it makes it worse for its main intended purpose, to a point where it makes me not wanna play it. its not a problem that should exist for something that sells itself as a premium device

[@leader6303]

fr

[@siegarettes]

for real for real

[@fcf8269]

You need to realize that this company is making bootlegs of console of which they have no IP nor copyright for it; so they cannot make a 1:1 copy for obvious legal reasons. That would cover why most of their devices are not like the real thing. As far as preserving gaming; they are obviously trying to cater to everyone; as they want the collectors that have cartridges, and also the people that buy devices to just play roms... Otherwise why do you think that their "openFPGA" cores miraculously were released under an alias and not officially? Again, they are covering their back, especially because if Nintendo get up in a bad mood, they mostly get sued for reproducing the gameboy or even supporting roms running on their devices. This device is not for people that want to preserve gaming, and is not for people that want to use real hardware; this device exist in that weird space in between. If I have original hardware I use that; I have original hardware because I like the old resolution with all its cons; not because I want a modern version of it; otherwise I play an emulator on my 4K tv. Aging hardware is harder to find, that is true, but that is what software emulators are for. So your message is mostly falling into deaf ears... Collectors don't care much about this device or any other Analogue devices; as they use real hardware; people using roms may not care either as there are better alternatives, including MiSTer if you want FPGA at all costs; and what is left is the niche that this device fan base is made of, which clearly will tell you that you are wrong.

[@siegarettes]

yeah but now I get funny comments from misinformed fanboys that make me laugh

[@fcf8269]

​@@siegarettes Not sure I find anything funny; but if you are having fun, good for you! Also fanboys will defend this device for sure, considering that they probably bought it from a scalper for twice as much as its MSRP.

[@adrian_veidt]

Just save your money, time and patience and get an AYN odin 2, FPGBC, Retroid and Anbernic devices. With all(in exception of FPGBC) are far more capable and versatile than this overrated device.

[@Jaylome]

Not overrated cause those devices can only emulate those games, I don’t think people understand that this device was meant to be a modern replacement for gba gb gbc hardware as it doesn’t emulate.

[@superbn0va]

Too expensive and made purposely difficult to get. No thanks

[@Shronk26]

💪💪

[@DrunkenMonk1]

I can't believe this has to be explained... You don't have a right to access all of these games you didn't pay for. You simply are just very privileged in the fact you are essentially unreachable to all of the IP rights holders. 90% of what you said completely disregards any IP or agreements that may exist behind the scenes etc and typical entitled pirate spiel. However, some actual good points you made are: No remappable controls (seriously wtf analogue, maybe by year 4????) Display modes and pallets being locked out of either side (no CRT Trinitron if you're playing your official carts and no custom pallets on openFPGA. Pretty disgusting that there's arbitrary feature disparity like this)

[@siegarettes]

lol homie nobody who actually worked on these games is making money on them anymore and I do not think I owe IP holders money for simply owning the name, especially since they often don't make these available anywhere else or sell you a worse version. buying a cart only puts money in reseller pockets and is only worth thinking about if you're a lawyer or cop.

[@kperson101101]

The Analogue Pocket price is the biggest scam on the market. The fact people pay 220$-300$ for this is absolutely insane. I just bought a Steam Deck for 250$ used and it can emulate everything up to Switch. While playing AAA PC games. This is a joke. You can play GB,GBC, and GBA upscaled to 4K on a 7' screen for the same price. The fact the company got away with selling this for so much is shocking.

[@MrAdam802]

no the price is great for what it actually is.

[@pasdenom2381]

Le mec oublie que dans son steam deck Il ne peut pas mettre ces cartouches d'origine. Bref...

[@SJA962]

2 years promoting this unnecessary expensive thing

[@karlhanso]

Bad review you are not compel to buy analogue products. You do it becase its the same as having the arcade machine or console. I wont buy mister becase marsfpga is on horizon

[@siegarettes]

as an original hardware sicko I can tell you it is absolutely not the same as having the original hardware you don't got the interface, the screen it would be using, the controllers and there's there's basically no fpga that perfectly replicates the hardware either, just its output

[@futuristique5927]

Dude turns into an old person for like, a heartbeat. Makes sort of a cute squawky elderly sound at 5:10

[@siegarettes]

😭😂