Analogue has announced the Analogue Pocket, an upcoming handheld gaming device that also happens to bake in a few extra functions. If you yearn for the glory days of the Game Boy and similar handheld consoles of the era, you're about to be seriously tempted to pick up this new product.
As highlighted by Retronauts, the Analogue Pocket is a powerful little device that is deceptively capable. To start, it works with the nearly 3,000 Game Boy, Game Boy Color, and Game Boy Advance catridges that have been released to date. No, this isn't an emulator — it actually works with the genuine Nintendo cartridges. That's not the only way you can game, either. Catridge adapters will make it possible to play with other handhelds like the Game Gear, Neo Geo Pocket Color, Atari Lynx, and more.
The Pocket features a 3.5" LCD screen at 1600x1440 resolution — ten times that of an original gameboy, and more or less equivalent to a modern smartphone. Of course, it supports color, but it can also deliver black and white graphics with no problem. And best of all, the screen is properly lit — no need to add on a hulking external light like we had to back in the day.
It also has a rechargable battery and an optional dock to keep things powered up. But, let's suppose that you don't like handheld gaming. That's no big deal for the Pocket — you can also use the HDMI out and USB inputs to hook up a couple of wired controllers and a television, essentially treating this device like a retro mini console that hooks up to your television. Neat.
Analogue Pocket Does More Than Just Gaming
A brand-new gaming console that can play pretty much any old-school handheld game under the sun is pretty cool, but that's far from everything that the Pocket does. A "digital audio workstation" called Nanoloop is built in which serves as a synthesizer and a sequencer, making it possible to use this device for both music creation and live performances.
The FPGA-based hardware side of things leaves open the door for people to create other things for the Analogue Pocket beyond just games, should the desire or need arise. Everything was created from scratch by Analogue, so the odds are good that this product is going to be sticking around for a while.
You'll be able to pick up an Analog Pocket at the price of $199.99 or your regional equivalent sometime in 2020; the Analogue Dock and catridge adapters will have their prices and release dates announced at some point in the future.
What do you think of the Analogue Pocket? Do you think this is a worthwhile device for the price? Let us know in the comments below!
