Is the Analogue Pocket Worth its Luxury Price Tag? (In-Depth Review)

The Analogue Pocket is the first FPGA handheld, promising cycle accurate gameplay for your beloved Game Boy, Game Boy Color, and Game Boy Advance cartridges with a brilliant display and modern features. But does this experience warrant its hefty price tag?

Other devices featured in this video:

Timestamps:
00:00 introduction
01:37 tech specs and pricing
05:16 unboxing and impressions
09:13 software interface and testing
15:34 sideloading GB & GBC games
21:59 using a GBA flashcart / Everdrive
25:16 NES emulation
26:40 summary (likes and dislikes)
31:32 alternative devices & cat break
37:54 conclusion

Theme song written by Jim Gray of Our Ghosts:

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This video is for entertainment and educational purposes only.

#Analogue #AnaloguePocket #GameBoy

[ruhtraeel]

It's interesting to see the difference in perspective from a hobbyist like Russ and a purist/enthusiast like Modern Vintage Gamer. Russ focuses more on the look/feel of a device and price to performance, whereas MVG focuses on the precise emulation quality, sound, and intense detail. Watching them both gives a good perspective of some usability/accessibility stuff that MVG misses, and some emulation detail that Russ misses.

[BigmanDogs]

It is pretty ironic that the main selling point (using real cartridges) makes the system less ergonomic

[MJosephJr]

Oh I can’t wait to see this video and add some commentary because man oh man, I really don’t see how you can take something like even the RG351V and the Analogue Pocket and really compare the two. Feels like you get way more value out of the RG351V. Thanks again Russ!

[ghettosteeve]

It’s important to note that a 10x scale means times ten on BOTH the vertical and horizontal axis. So it’s 100 pixels for every single game boy pixel. For the display modes, this means a lot of room to replicate the original screen, using the pockets pixels like the original game boys subpixels

[DanFinnen]

Pretty much exactly my experience. I found playing on the pocket for long periods of time was a bit uncomfortable and I don’t like taking my vintage cartridges with me when I travel. I ended up getting a RG552 which I use all the time instead. The pocket is def the best game boy ever and a work of art (I have the game gear adapter and it’s actually my fav system to use on it) but it stays home and safe.

[gogolplex]

Yeah this definitely seems more like a collectors item than a convenient handheld for someone who wants all retro games in one system

[jonathaningram]

At first I wanted the Analogue because I really loved the design but after learning a bit about the device I knew it wasn't for me. So I decided to buy the Miyoo Mini thinking it wouldn't be really good but at the end of the day I spent a looot of time on that Miyoo and I love it. It's not perfect (shoulders button are really annoying, should be more clicky) but it's so nice to be able to bring it everywhere and it's just cute. I play game on it I never played before simply because it feels appropriate. Like I don't want to play DuckTales on a 48" TV but on the Miyoo it's perfect.

[pavlvs_maximvs]

I had a similar experience with the Mister FPGA versus the Raspberry Pi. I don’t know why emulation gets such a bad reputation if precisely today it works better than ever and nearly perfectly. With today’s tech, most people won’t notice the difference between an FPGA and an emulator, so by all means buy an FPGA if you prefer (I did) but when it comes to just enjoying the games, a Raspberry Pi or an Anbernic portable console do the job perfectly.

[wickersticks]

I'll admit, I got mine in the first wave, and I haven't used it much at all since acquiring it 😅

[David-rosb]

A boutique item that’ll start conversation more than it’ll warrant actual play time. Exactly what I expected… Thanks for the in-depth and honest review.

[wizdude]

I would love to see a “9 month later” follow up video to cover the new cores that have come out, and also how the device has physically fared in terms of condition. I’ve heard some people comment on the plastic scratching and damage around the USB-C port. Cheers!

[Michaelschwab-jc]

This is the first video I’ve watched of yours and I am very impressed. I rarely subscribe to a channel but it was so well done, you left me no choice. Great work my friend. Thank you.

[RobertKirkpatrick]

They should have made the screen wider and given full gba aspect ratio and black bars for gb/gbc

[PixelShade]

The Analogue Pocket is definitely a very niche product primarily for those collecting GB and GBC games, or obsessing over the cycle-exact nature of fpga-cores. I am a retro geek myself, but It has come to a point in which I value convenience over authenticity. I think the most important feature of a modern retro device is its ease of use and portability. Like many people I live a busy life. I have short burst of time over in-between stuff, but it's not enough for longer "sink into a couch" retro gaming sessions. Having something like the Miyoo Mini with Onion OS and the "Game Switcher" app, retro gaming becomes EXTREMELY pickup 'n play-friendly. I have completed both Phantasy Star IV, Wonderboy in Monster World and Tales of Destiny. A feat that I haven't been able to do the last 15 years... I really believe that the convenience of easily being able to load in- and out of save states and games + having a device that can come with you wherever you go is one of the key features to make retro gaming possible to many people. :)

[Belgarathe]

Thanks for honest opinion. I was pining for it but after your review I realize that it wouldn’t satisfy my retro craving

[OlGregDraws]

Excellent review as usual! Even though not relative to the Analogue Pocket, I thought the section in the video where you showed off your favorite Rom Hacks was awesome. Would love to see a video on your other favorite/recommended Rom Hacks for other consoles/handhelds as well

[bradleystone]

I think it’s interesting that at $220 it’s luxury. It isn’t to far from what buying a fully modded gba would cost you.

[CedricBale]

31:33 When you were showing the side-by-side with Link's Awakening DX on the Miyoo and the Anbernic, that was the most impressive thing to me in this whole video. The picture on the Analogue blew the Miyoo out of the water, and while the Anbernic had a noticably better picture (imo) than the Miyoo, it still couldn't compete with the Analogue. I still probably won't be betting an Analogue Pocket, it's just too expensive for how few systems it supports, and the super limited and inconvenient sideloading capabilities, but man that screen is mindblowing to me.

[markhaus]

If you’re an electronics enthusiast, then having the open FPGA chip in the device is a pretty great thing to have on top of the gaming. Getting into FPGA experimentation is usually an expensive proposition, this lowers the barrier for entry. The only other device that can also do this is the MISTER console FPGA. This is just the price of FPGAs they’re still not common enough devices to get those mass production cost reductions but this is about as cheap as it gets when getting an FPGA device

[Extralargebuttss]

I appreciate you taking the time too review this in such detail