The Analogue Pocket's Broken Controls

[@gargladdy]

curious what the "custom modifications" are that you mention in the video to fix the dpad! Wish you went into a solution in this video

[@fekbutchers]

you didn't watch the video

[@gargladdy]

No u

[@GottZ]

you didn't read the video description

[@remusracingro3884]

I didn't notice this on my 2 analogues.

[@Suicoo]

Same, just tried mine again and didn't notice this.

[@rerez]

I've used the Analogue Pocket quite a bit but I've never seen this issue pop up. Keep in mind that earlier reviews might have used different product runs early on. So something could have changed in the production pipeline as more systems were made. My biggest issue was the cart getting nudged and the game disconnecting mid play. Did that not happen for you? Also just to confirm are you only seeing these dpad problems with GBA games?

[@ced214]

Try to play Ms Pac Man on Sega Genesis and tell me how good the d pad works

[@travissmith8017]

Sorry for the long explanation, but this might help you out. I had a similar issue with an older 8 bit do wireless controllers, the diagnol input was horrible. I replaced the factory d-pad membrane with an authentic snes controller membrane and it fixed all the input issues I was having. After closer inspection, it appeared that the black conductor circles on the pads weren't the proper size to reliably read diagnol inputs.

[@greenmkyd]

I've had similar hit and miss experiences with 8bitdo controllers (who probably designed the controls here). Including an 8bitdo DN30 dpad with hard to hit diagonals being fixed by swapping the dpad from an old SN30 with sloppy diagonals. The stiff dpad seemed just a sliver thicker than the older one. I think the QC is just bad / inconsistent, and the same applies to the Pocket. My Pocket dpad is fine - not amazing, but pretty good.

[@Hughginvaini]

I noticed my d pad a little funky when I first had it but the more I play it and use it the d pad seems to be breaking in and it much better now

[@xavierramirez6194]

I have the same issue when my Pokémon character is moving and then it stops for a brief moment and then continues again. It’s not game breaking but something I noticed which I’m glad that you mentioned it

[@odinpurrmiau]

I’ve got two Pockets and they work great

[@jonnyeh]

This is 100% true. The Pocket is great… except for the d-pad.

[@Mike_jmg9]

Thank you, most people does not acknowledge this issue. And I don't understand why. I had this issue since day one of having my analogue pocket. Playing pokemon or zelda is almost impossible, and just downright annoying, I had some success increasing the size of the central pivot using sugru moldable glue and just extending it. But the issue is still there and pretty much keeps me from enjoying the device. I'll look into the links you posted, hopefully I can find a solution, or I'm just going to have to sell the damn thing On a side note, I'm extremely picky when it comes to controller d-pads, lol. For me the best one ever made is the one on the snes, specifically the ones on the controllers for the snes classic mini, NSO snes controllers are a close second, Sega saturn would actually be third. PSP 2000 and 3000 used to be some of my favorites, PSP 1000 one was horrible, probably close to what the analogue pocket has

[@SeanCarreon]

I definitely noticed these d-pad issues on my Aluminum Analogue Pocket. I really don't like that the d-pad literally slides around when using it. I can move it across the opening and see the space underneath.

[@19AGJ86]

Me too, there's a gameboy game that I like to play that has a top down view but I need to move the character diagonally. I can't play the game because the D-pad won't allow to to move properly.

[@Zeldaboy2k2]

Wow, that sucks! I've had the pocket for 8 months now and I love it! My Dpad has never given me an issue, this is definately a defect. I hope Analogue can address this issue.

[@memes_jack]

"to a casual user who is not nit-picky" Do those exist for the Analogue Pocket? It's a $200+ FPGA retro handheld.

[@danielm5477]

Yes, they do exist, although it's more due to lack of time than not wanting to use them

[@davidfaustino4476]

​@@danielm5477no actual casual would EVER spend $200 for something like this. You're talking about an enthusiast with less free time..

[@-DeScruff]

It depends on your definition of casual. Random people? No. Random person at a videogame convention: Yes. The Pocket is a much more casual device then a modded Gameboy I would argue.

[@BanditsBest686]

all the "paid reviewers" probably wont talk about this, cause they got a FREE analogue pocket and barely play it

[@otterdonnelly9959]

Or because it didn’t happen to them as it doesn’t happen to everyone. For example my d-pad was giving false diagonals the first few hours of playing but went away since. Let’s just relax and stop accusing people of colluding with no proof.

[@ars1602]

How stupid is this comment? Pretty stupid.

[@BanditsBest686]

@@ars1602 truth is real, most youtubers are bought and paid for with "free gifts" aka "review copies" they never send back

[@suluturnip]

Bs

[@pspsmallz]

False diagonals dont go away, pocket owners are so disingenuous 😂

[@pokerev2401]

I would have trouble with the D pad too, but I discovered that it was really dust sensitive, what I did is that I bought a skin and now that problem has deminished considerably.

[@Kamakazie27]

For what it's worth, my Analogue Pocket doesn't have this issue. I would be PISSED if I paid nearly $300 and the D-Pad did this for me. I did have trouble with the d-pad at first though because I felt it was too tight, so I backed out the screws on the case by about a quarter turn and it solved that problem for me. I did this after about 15 minutes of receiving the thing, so I'm not sure if doing that also alleviated this input problem you're discussing before I had a chance to notice it or if that's just an issue with some models.

[@janhantke6497]

Hey thank you for the information, its always great to be critical. I build my own Gameboys (Advance, SP, Color) with funnyplaying and im a freak about it. I never had a Gameboy-Device which was SO clean with the input like the Analouge. I think you just got very bad luck. Greetz and love

[@Ralphpotato]

I haven't used my pocket nearly as much since I tend to prefer my MiSTer, but I'm not experiencing any d-pad issues. I also downloaded the ROM linked and there were no issues involved. Perhaps with more wear the d-pad becomes worse, or maybe the QC on the d-pad just isn't very good, but the d-pad on my pocket seems fine. Not necessarily my favorite d-pad but it's not dropping inputs or any unexpected behavior when hitting diagonals.

[@theseriousaccount]

I had issues right out of the box but they were all resolved by loosening the screws. Over tightened screws seems to be the culprit when it comes to many issues with the AP.

[@yugotek]

I have this same issue. Got my Pocket two days ago, started playing some SNES games and noticed something was off, character would stop while pressing the dpad, etc,. I thought I was rusty, I am, but now I'm thinking it's this exact problem.

[@hideokojimajr]

Interesting perspective! I haven't noticed any issue, for example I hit my dragon punches pretty consistently. I have a first run white unit. Curious about the mod you mentioned, though. Idk if $250 is even premium pricing in 2024, the way things have gotten the Pocket seems like a steal.

[@KINGMAN33]

I noticed all of these d-pad issues almost immediately because one of the first games I booted up was Shining Soul. I noticed extreme thumb fatigue from all the diagonal inputs I was making as I was moving my character around. Additionally the amount of wiggle room that d-pad has, literally leaves it crooked. Extremely frustrating when the device is otherwise so damn awesome.

[@ecoao80]

no d-pad issues here, i have the solid red pocket and playing contra on nes works fine, no issue with pressing down or going diagonal

[@christopherhartsel1282]

Dude. I thought the same thing about mine when playing circle of the moon. I agree 100 percent. It is too loose.

[@Javeton]

Press the dpad on the direction the problem is causing and push it slightly upwards . At least for me it fixed the membrane and I notice less issues with diagonal inputs.

[@Javeton]

I only mention this if you don't want to open the machine.

[@19AGJ86]

My D-Pad is trash on my aluminum pocket. It works with up, down, left, and right, but diagonally it's terrible.

[@pspsmallz]

Pretty much every pocket review where it was given for free cannot be trusted. Paid off reviewers that dont even use the device beyond the "review" are one of the scummier groups in tech and make buying expensive devices or not difficult sometimes.

[@Gingerlion777]

Jup you can't say anything negatieve about it. The build quality is also crap! If you critique the device people on reddit or KZbin act like you try to hurt their family.. good that someone with a platform finally talks about it!

[@ladyfarah]

I wonder if it has something to do with the clear plastics. I know people have reported that the clear ones crack easily. I managed to get one of the first run pockets and haven't had an issue with my dpad.

[@6mazing]

My d pad has been working fine.

[@AndrewStottisTheIndiWerWlf]

Totally agree. I picked up a resin 3D printed button set and it is better but now the D-pad presses in all the way. FML

[@ON1MUSH4]

Can you tell me where did you picked up it? Thanks

[@kyledoesntgetit5602]

I've had 3 different Pockets and the issue presented itself on my Glow in the Dark unit more than my Yellow or late 2023 Black unit. It seems to be pretty hit-or-miss, but Analogue will tell you the D-pad is designed to recreate the feeling of the OG Gameboy, which I think was a mistake. By all accounts, they could have designed a better D-pad, and even when a unit has a "good" one, it's still not a great D-pad. Hardware has advanced a lot in 30 years, so it's disappointing that Analogue chose the more authentic experience than a better feeling one.

[@thestaringenclave]

I can confirm the dpad is shit. I just got mine. Played contra on it and immediately noticed the dpad's false diagonals.

[@BornT0Ace]

For mine the d pad sucks too. I bought the glow edition and LOVED the glow. But the d pad wiggled WAY too much. Like wayyyyy more jiggle than there should ever be.

[@zeondidnothingright9477]

yea its a terrible D-pad. I tried playing it with the Castlevania cames on GBA and sometimes pressing down could misinput as going either right or left.

[@AngryGhost114]

I improved my inputs by a good bit by loosening the screws for the motherboard and back shell, it came to me too tight and missed inputs and diagonals were common. Once I did that things were much better, but I agree it is far from ideal. I’d also appreciate a dpad with some texture or grip on it too!

[@kiiro772]

It's totally RNG. My dpad works fine, even diagonals. It's not an incredibly amazing dpad, but it works. Still, at this price, this kind of crappy quality control is unacceptable.

[@aaaa-fc1rg]

For me this is the A button that activated twice sometimes.

[@nerdicusx]

I wish they went with the Neo Geo Pocket D-pad. I dislike the Analogue Pocket D-pad so much and it is the only reason I almost don't use it.

[@Kelvinnen]

It did happen on my new AP received last week.

[@MyNameIsPetch]

how did you fix yours?

[@vlaktorbb]

Controls are horrible; it hurts my hands. I cannot use the triggers. I love the device tho, but controls are fooked.

[@Randomninja47]

The d-pad looks so squishy in this video. I do not like the look of it but maybe that's just me.

[@ActionGamerAaron]

I never trust a review that doesn't do an extensive analysis of a directional pad.

[@foretrosake5216]

I had the same issues with the supraboy by Hyperkin. I got a replacement and that one seems to be ok … I feel your pain, the price for the analog is so crazy that it should be a 9.9 d pad.

[@aaaa-fc1rg]

Also overheating issue my scren a black lines. I'm from france a i have to pay the shipment for repair so 51 euro dont know the converstion. The AP is a scam really. A high price for sometings chip and with issues.

[@ELPapayapa]

I love my Analogue Pocket but the D-Pad is absolute garbage. Might be a faulty unit considering all the glowing reviews and feedbacks.

[@chatdos9]

I like the device. This d-pad is shit.

[@tiamat1628]

Dpad feels so rigid and cheap and sound clicky.. The best dpad was from DSLite

[@kiiro772]

I really dislike mushy dpads like the DS Lite one. You don't have a good feedback if the button is pressed or not. To me, GBA SP and PSVita dpads are the best.

[@ironsienna]

just open it and fix it

[@DonWeaselYeehawEdition]

The more I see of the Analogue Pocket, the less worth it it seems. A beautiful piece of tech for sure, but I’m not sure if it’s much better than a Funnyplay or an RG35XX.

[@Jackbat69]

I never noticed this issue.I play on it constantly

[@f42261]

youtuber's are always given better units

[@rerez]

Nope. I've spoken to many KZbinrs who've received early builds or busted versions of hardware. Reviewers always getting the best of the best is a complete and total myth.

[@f42261]

said by the person with 400k the pc hardware space knows this enough to buy there own instead of getting one sent

[@joeygarcia6647]

Analogue pocket 💩