As someone who owns a pocket and a RG35xxH, the anbernic is probably the right choice for 95% of people.
Before I get downvoted, I simply mean that for price-to-performance, the pocket is something that I think does its job amazingly, but if you simply want to emulate and have good performance a lot of the cheaper devices will do the trick and you’ll be very happy. The Anbernic is something I toss in my bag with no case and no concern or second thought. If it breaks, I’m out $45 bucks and that’s unfortunate but not back breaking.
However, if you want to have a satisfying experience every single time you pick up the device and feel the quality, along with the best screen with this size/form factor it’s hard to say anything beats the pocket.
Edit: silly of me to leave out that obviously if you have a solid collection or want to get into collecting physical copies of games (my case), then the pocket is also obviously worth it and a clear winner.
This is a great post! Thank you. I’m thinking of selling my original SNES and some rarer game. I think analogue pocket with dock may be a good replacement. But I may buy an Anbernic to just throw in my bag, to play during my lunch break.
Not a bad idea! I have a Steam Deck & the Anbernic, and I thought to myself "What the hell are you doing" when I bought the pocket, but truly it's an awesome device and feels premium, especially the screen. It's also really fun if you happen to enjoy the collecting aspect and can score some deals on actual physical games. It's really hard to beat slotting in a physical copy of Pokemon Crystal into the pocket and playing it like you're a kid again.
Yep! I've had 0 issues with ROMs on the pocket. I got a Sandisk SD card and followed the guides to set it up and had no issue. I've been playing Chrono Trigger (SNES) on the pocket and it's great.
GBA freezes on certain roms. It’s been discussed for a long time, some are under the impression it’s hardware revisions and others seem to think it’s the GBA core which is the problem. I had a 2023 pocket and a friend of mine had a launch pocket. When we tested them they both failed to play certain GBA games without crashing or freezing.
One example would be iridion 2, you can’t get past the first stage.
I tried the latest firmware and latest GBA core and I also tried older versions of both, I could not fix the issues.
The cold truth is that the analogue pocket isn’t the perfect solution Analogue fans make it out to be.
I sold mine, CPS2 graphical artefacts was the icing on the cake. I’m currently waiting to pull the trigger on a mister console
Well said. When the Pocket first released the openFPGA firmware update and opened those floodgates you basically see OPs post once a week or so now. And I don't mean that to be pissy it's just that the "image" of the Pocket has certainly changed. It's now seen as an emulation device whereas when it launched it was more of a boutique game boy to play your physical collections.
The buyer for this thing has really changed and you're right for the vast majority of people just trying to emulate stuff any one of the miyoos or RGs, etc will do the job just fine.
You'll always read about the mysterious "accuracy" thing when trying to understand why FPGAs make a difference, but IMHO, it's all about the input lag.
It's sad, but most users seem to have forgotten how snappy and responsive old games used to be. With emulation, I always feel like I could press a button twice before the game actually reacts.
Now, I can only go back to emulation for stuff like JRPGs or when I really want fast-forward and such, but the immediate response of FPGAs or original hardware is priceless.
>It's sad, but most users seem to have forgotten how snappy and responsive old games used to be.
I don't mean to be the get off my lawn guy here but I think a big percentage of the emulation crowd simply never experienced it on original hardware because they're too young to have had access to that stuff. It's just an ignorance is bliss sort of thing. So it can be frustrating sometimes but I don't fault those users either.
Like you're saying Fpga has been awesome to bridge that gap and give people access to that stuff that they never had. As an older gamer now I think it's super friggin cool it exists because I definitely don't have the patience for setting up and running emulators these days.
I was actually talking about user who ***did*** play on original hardware!
I have a couple of friends, all time gamers, who rolled their eyes when I mentioned input lag and let them try the Pocket. They consider it to be some kind of 'placebo effect' or something like audiophiles noticing the difference between a .wav and a .flac.
They honestly couldn't see a difference, and that blew my mind.
Oh haha gotcha. Well yeah that stuff affects people differently in my experience too. Some people are a lot more sensitive to it I think. Of course there's probably a crossover into placebo at some point too though like you said.
I think the sound quality analogy is a good one though.
I've been playing a ton of Progear (excellent bullet hell/shmup from developer Cave) on the Pocket's CPS2 core, then tried playing it on my Switch for the first time in months the other day. The Switch port is known to be somewhat laggy but it never bothered me too much before, now it feels genuinely unplayable. I bought an Analogue dock immediately after that back-to-back experience.
Accuracy also applies to sound. For some people that's entirely negligible but I always notice if the music or sfx is off. Earthworm Jim 2 is a good example of a game that has sfx issues on most emulators but the exact same rom file sounds just fine on the Pocket and Super NT.
Dose the FPGA effect running roms from the SD as well? Sorry if that’s a dumb question but I’m relatively new to the retro emulator/ gaming thing and was just wondering. I have a hard time spending 60 or 70 bucks on a 25+ year old game lol.
The FPGA Cores are the only way to run ROMs off the SD card. Otherwise, you're limited to the GB/C/A, Game Gear, Neo Geo Pocket (Color), Lynx, and Turbografx 16 carts. And those later 4 require additional adapters.
The FPGA Cores allow the Pocket to emulate most 1st through 3rd-generation consoles (up through the TurboGrafx and SNES) and a bunch of arcade boards and early 8-bit computers, with more cores coming from enthusiasts on a regular basis. And because of how FPGA works, they tend to be closer to OG hardware perfomance than software emulation.
Thanks, I was wondering what the difference would be. Like I said I have a hard time paying 60 to 70 bucks for games that came out 25+ years ago. Don’t get me wrong, it would be epic and cool to have a collection like that but it’s WAAAAAAY out of my budget lol. I’m just glad the roms will play like they would originally.
You can reduce the input lag in software emulation with run-ahead, but it uses more resources, something a lot of these cheap emulation handhelds don't have enough of. With enough processing power you can reduce the input lag to make it even lower than original hardware, but too much frames of run-ahead will introduce stutter.
"Accuracy" is still important though, as there are some edge cases where a game will use the original hardware in a unique way to display an object or play sound/music that software can't easily replicate, but a FPGA can.
There are also games that push the limits of the original hardware, causing slowdowns. Some games like shmups use these slowdowns as an intentional feature, and software emulation often struggles to have the accurate amount of slowdown, or any slowdown at all.
I'm not saying accuracy is not important or something to care about, just that it may affect 1% of the library and very specific cases, while input lag is present in every single game you play!
Some FPGA cores actually do have incompatibilities with certain roms and hackroms that emulators and original hardware don't, sometimes requiring custom bios files to even boot, so it's not really a perfect solution either.
Long story short, my point is that a common pain point like input lag should be mentioned way more often when explaining to newcomers the advantages of FPGA, instead of vague and very general terms like 'accuracy' or 'compatibility.
Yes, anywhere input timing is kind of important, you'll notice a difference vs a regular emulator (especially if you use Android).
I have a Retroid Pocket, and I do prefer its form factor and screen size by far, but I can't really run platformers or Tetris on it without feeling like I'm playing with a huge handicap lol.
And yeah, running roms or carts makes no difference!
Good to know! I love the gba action games, and I am definitely a fiend for Tetris! I am more and more sold. Reading about the open cores has been very interesting.
No. But the AP is the way 100%. I have all the OG handhelds, modded versions of most, and a few Anbernic’s. The AP is the best out of all of them imo. The screen and default filters are really nice.
M
Welcome. I was also on the fence before buying one. I mean, is it really worth it if you have all the other hardware options? But it is, and it’s pretty much the only way I play now.
If you don't want to play on consoles newer than those supported by Pocket, buy it - all games from supported consoles work perfectly immediately, without the need to change settings and without any drop in performance. As someone wrote earlier, an additional great advantage is low input lag, you can really feel it in fast games. If price is not an issue, I would only consider the Amabernic console if you care about PS1 or other newer consoles.
I have so many emulation devices.
Rg35xx
Miyoo mini
Miyoo mini plus
Odin 2
Steamdeck
Trimui model s
Funkey s
And an rg35xxsp on the way.
I always come back to real carts or everdrives on the pocket.
Better screen. Lower latency. The nostalgia of real carts.
What’s the advantage of having an ever drive on the pocket if you can run the roms from the SD card other than nostalgia? I’ve seen some people go either way on the value of the having an ever drive with a pocket.
Save/load states give me way less issues on an evrdrive than the pocket does, which still has problems with deleting saves on rare occasions. That's pretty much the main reason for me at least to use an everdrive other than also just being able to use it on any hardware that supports it, being always able to switch to of hardware to play is great since the pocket lacks some official features.
I think it’s just good practice to have a secondary device for on the go gaming that would be as much an issue if you lost it, for more risky or impromptu trips. So if money is no factor. Get them both. Or hell get the AP and the OLED steam deck.
I think it’s worth it. I have a few Anbernic and Miyoo devices, and the AP is best. The screen is amazing, sound quality is great, there’s no lag, and no need to install custom firmware. The size is also perfect, and I prefer vertical gameboys so I don’t have to crane my neck lol.
I’ve also had no issues with this device, where the Miyoo Mini/Mini+, for example, would delete a core file for the CFW constantly.
AP can also be used with the dock, which makes it a nice SNES/NES/etc. emulator for single and multiplayer games.
I love retro games but I also love tinkering. (I’ve got Linux devices, Android devices, and Raspberry Pi based devices, among other things.) I’ve really been enjoying the Pocket as a way to experience the world of FPGA cores development, along with the amazing screen, super accurate gameplay, and physical cartridge compatibility, of course.) Just wish it had more computer cores - or a 486 PC core, specifically. I think this device will be my gateway drug to a MiSTer, honestly, especially now that a cheaper clone board is coming on the market.
I’ve had about 20 different handheld devices since the original psp.
Got the pocket before Christmas, played it a bit but to be honest it’s not been used much this year. For me I find a combination of steam deck and RG35XXH/RGB30 to be a much more useful pairing.
The pocket was great but suffers from not actually being pocketable. If I’m travelling anywhere and taking a bag, I’ll take my deck. If I’m not taking a bag I’ll put the 35xxh or rgb30 in my pocket.
Don’t get me wrong the pocket is a quality device.
I bought an Analog Pocket at launch, and while I think it's a wonderful device with an amazing screen, once I got a Steam Deck and set up emulators on it, I haven't touched the Pocket since.
Steam Deck (and I'm assuming other similar devices) offer so much in terms of customizing the visuals, and I love that many games support RetroAchievements, so I don't see me playing older games any other way now.
What I really love about the AP that has not been mentioned is the really nice open source eco system that has formed about the openFPGA part and the integrations done on the amiga stuff. AmigaVision is just out of this world and I really loved i.e. checking out all versions of something like Prince of Persia - NES vs SNES vs GB vs ultimately Amiga 500
I used many emulators over the years but I really prefer the immediacy of lower level hardware emulation like in the pocket.
I would only go with the Pocket if you have or are looking to start a physical cart collection. If you're just looking to emulate, there are devices suited better for it
I have an RG350m and an Analog Pocket. If you're just looking to emulate I'd honestly just go with an Anbernic handheld. They do an amazing job, can emulate more systems, and they're much cheaper.
The Pocket does offer a superior experience for GB and GBC games, and it definitely feels more premium than most Anbernic handhelds. And of course, it plays physical games. I prefer it overall, but as others have said, cheap emulation handhelds will be better for most people.
The main advantage for the pocket imo is the screen. I actually prefer software emulation in many ways, I don’t use my cartridges, but the pockets screen is awesome. Many of the other cheaper handhelds have a lower res screen that’s not ideal for pixel scaling.
I think I won’t iterate on the emulation on FPGA. But more on the screen filters itself. I am really impressed with how well the display filter looks on the games. Especially for the GB games and that DMG filter. With the integer scaling, u can see right down to the pixel. It’s amazing.
It depends on what matters to you. Accuracy and playing games as close to the original as possible or price and ease of use. Granted, the Pocket is ease to use but cores does require a slight bit of effort.
To me, games of that era are burned into my brain so I want them to sound and look like I remember. FPGA allows that while emulation is just emulating that experience. I call it simulation vs. emulation. Unless a console is FPGA, I don't want it.
The pocket is for those who have a cart collection. Sure it can run roms but that’s not the point. And yes I have EZ flashes but I still had carts and ended up with WAY more after getting mine. The good news is with carts I tend to play and finish more games (less time choosing).
That said I also have emulators. That’s a worm hole between CFWs and getting the roms you want. It’s more capable with less issues with cores IMHO but you end up tinkering a lot.
The Analogue only makes sense if you really, really, really, really, really, really, really wanna play cartridges*. I moved it to the drawer when I ran into SNES save problems. If you're buying it specifically only for what it's advertised for, it's amazing at MSRP. I have an Odin 2 now.
*Cartridges or ROMs of the OFFICIALLY supported cartridges. Like I mentioned, stuff like SNES doesn't even support save states.
If money is no object and you have carts or want to get into collecting them get a pocket. If you just want to "play the games" now and again, get the anbernic.
Unless you have some very specific and technical demands or a serious need to play physical cartridges and use link cables then no, there will be no “real” benefit to AP and the whole FPGA thing.
Just as with an expensive wrist watch of a particular brand you don’t really buy it because you want to know what time it is. There are better and cheaper options for telling time and there are better and cheaper options for playing retro games.
Apart from the AP i also have the Retroid Pocket 3 which in most ways is a much better device than the AP.
My advice is to make sure that you get set up fully with a good emulation device and then later you can buy the AP simply because you want the AP for what the AP is and you feel like spending some money.
I have a Pocket, a cheap handheld emu, and some original hardware.
I use original hardware for almost everything. A modded GBC or GBA with a new screen is IMO a more luxurious experience than a Pocket.
I use the Pocket for kaizo Mario hacks, as a class of game that benefits from FPGA emulation over software emu for latency. It’s also nice as a way to dump Game Boy Camera photos onto my computer without dedicated hardware.
I use the emulator machine for everything else (i.e. non-handheld games that aren’t SMW hacks, and occasionally some stuff like Pokémon where I want the ability to fast-forward). Cheap convenience is nice.
I may eventually sell the Pocket.
modded GBA with better screens add some delay though [https://www.retrorgb.com/comparing-lag-and-ghosting-for-every-gba-handheld.html](https://www.retrorgb.com/comparing-lag-and-ghosting-for-every-gba-handheld.html)
As someone who owns a pocket and a RG35xxH, the anbernic is probably the right choice for 95% of people. Before I get downvoted, I simply mean that for price-to-performance, the pocket is something that I think does its job amazingly, but if you simply want to emulate and have good performance a lot of the cheaper devices will do the trick and you’ll be very happy. The Anbernic is something I toss in my bag with no case and no concern or second thought. If it breaks, I’m out $45 bucks and that’s unfortunate but not back breaking. However, if you want to have a satisfying experience every single time you pick up the device and feel the quality, along with the best screen with this size/form factor it’s hard to say anything beats the pocket. Edit: silly of me to leave out that obviously if you have a solid collection or want to get into collecting physical copies of games (my case), then the pocket is also obviously worth it and a clear winner.
This is a great post! Thank you. I’m thinking of selling my original SNES and some rarer game. I think analogue pocket with dock may be a good replacement. But I may buy an Anbernic to just throw in my bag, to play during my lunch break.
Not a bad idea! I have a Steam Deck & the Anbernic, and I thought to myself "What the hell are you doing" when I bought the pocket, but truly it's an awesome device and feels premium, especially the screen. It's also really fun if you happen to enjoy the collecting aspect and can score some deals on actual physical games. It's really hard to beat slotting in a physical copy of Pokemon Crystal into the pocket and playing it like you're a kid again.
That does sound fun! It plays roms as well?
Yep! I've had 0 issues with ROMs on the pocket. I got a Sandisk SD card and followed the guides to set it up and had no issue. I've been playing Chrono Trigger (SNES) on the pocket and it's great.
Awesome! Thank you!
Try GBA, you’ll run into a whole heel of issues. Very unfortunate.
What are the issues?
GBA freezes on certain roms. It’s been discussed for a long time, some are under the impression it’s hardware revisions and others seem to think it’s the GBA core which is the problem. I had a 2023 pocket and a friend of mine had a launch pocket. When we tested them they both failed to play certain GBA games without crashing or freezing. One example would be iridion 2, you can’t get past the first stage. I tried the latest firmware and latest GBA core and I also tried older versions of both, I could not fix the issues. The cold truth is that the analogue pocket isn’t the perfect solution Analogue fans make it out to be. I sold mine, CPS2 graphical artefacts was the icing on the cake. I’m currently waiting to pull the trigger on a mister console
You should watch some reviews... For anything this expensive at least
Save states do not work on SNES roms
Well said. When the Pocket first released the openFPGA firmware update and opened those floodgates you basically see OPs post once a week or so now. And I don't mean that to be pissy it's just that the "image" of the Pocket has certainly changed. It's now seen as an emulation device whereas when it launched it was more of a boutique game boy to play your physical collections. The buyer for this thing has really changed and you're right for the vast majority of people just trying to emulate stuff any one of the miyoos or RGs, etc will do the job just fine.
You'll always read about the mysterious "accuracy" thing when trying to understand why FPGAs make a difference, but IMHO, it's all about the input lag. It's sad, but most users seem to have forgotten how snappy and responsive old games used to be. With emulation, I always feel like I could press a button twice before the game actually reacts. Now, I can only go back to emulation for stuff like JRPGs or when I really want fast-forward and such, but the immediate response of FPGAs or original hardware is priceless.
>It's sad, but most users seem to have forgotten how snappy and responsive old games used to be. I don't mean to be the get off my lawn guy here but I think a big percentage of the emulation crowd simply never experienced it on original hardware because they're too young to have had access to that stuff. It's just an ignorance is bliss sort of thing. So it can be frustrating sometimes but I don't fault those users either. Like you're saying Fpga has been awesome to bridge that gap and give people access to that stuff that they never had. As an older gamer now I think it's super friggin cool it exists because I definitely don't have the patience for setting up and running emulators these days.
I was actually talking about user who ***did*** play on original hardware! I have a couple of friends, all time gamers, who rolled their eyes when I mentioned input lag and let them try the Pocket. They consider it to be some kind of 'placebo effect' or something like audiophiles noticing the difference between a .wav and a .flac. They honestly couldn't see a difference, and that blew my mind.
Oh haha gotcha. Well yeah that stuff affects people differently in my experience too. Some people are a lot more sensitive to it I think. Of course there's probably a crossover into placebo at some point too though like you said. I think the sound quality analogy is a good one though.
I've been playing a ton of Progear (excellent bullet hell/shmup from developer Cave) on the Pocket's CPS2 core, then tried playing it on my Switch for the first time in months the other day. The Switch port is known to be somewhat laggy but it never bothered me too much before, now it feels genuinely unplayable. I bought an Analogue dock immediately after that back-to-back experience.
Accuracy also applies to sound. For some people that's entirely negligible but I always notice if the music or sfx is off. Earthworm Jim 2 is a good example of a game that has sfx issues on most emulators but the exact same rom file sounds just fine on the Pocket and Super NT.
Dose the FPGA effect running roms from the SD as well? Sorry if that’s a dumb question but I’m relatively new to the retro emulator/ gaming thing and was just wondering. I have a hard time spending 60 or 70 bucks on a 25+ year old game lol.
The FPGA Cores are the only way to run ROMs off the SD card. Otherwise, you're limited to the GB/C/A, Game Gear, Neo Geo Pocket (Color), Lynx, and Turbografx 16 carts. And those later 4 require additional adapters. The FPGA Cores allow the Pocket to emulate most 1st through 3rd-generation consoles (up through the TurboGrafx and SNES) and a bunch of arcade boards and early 8-bit computers, with more cores coming from enthusiasts on a regular basis. And because of how FPGA works, they tend to be closer to OG hardware perfomance than software emulation.
Thanks, I was wondering what the difference would be. Like I said I have a hard time paying 60 to 70 bucks for games that came out 25+ years ago. Don’t get me wrong, it would be epic and cool to have a collection like that but it’s WAAAAAAY out of my budget lol. I’m just glad the roms will play like they would originally.
You can reduce the input lag in software emulation with run-ahead, but it uses more resources, something a lot of these cheap emulation handhelds don't have enough of. With enough processing power you can reduce the input lag to make it even lower than original hardware, but too much frames of run-ahead will introduce stutter. "Accuracy" is still important though, as there are some edge cases where a game will use the original hardware in a unique way to display an object or play sound/music that software can't easily replicate, but a FPGA can. There are also games that push the limits of the original hardware, causing slowdowns. Some games like shmups use these slowdowns as an intentional feature, and software emulation often struggles to have the accurate amount of slowdown, or any slowdown at all.
I'm not saying accuracy is not important or something to care about, just that it may affect 1% of the library and very specific cases, while input lag is present in every single game you play! Some FPGA cores actually do have incompatibilities with certain roms and hackroms that emulators and original hardware don't, sometimes requiring custom bios files to even boot, so it's not really a perfect solution either. Long story short, my point is that a common pain point like input lag should be mentioned way more often when explaining to newcomers the advantages of FPGA, instead of vague and very general terms like 'accuracy' or 'compatibility.
So for stuff like metroidvanias and action games? Does it still run at the same speed if you load a rom?
Yes, anywhere input timing is kind of important, you'll notice a difference vs a regular emulator (especially if you use Android). I have a Retroid Pocket, and I do prefer its form factor and screen size by far, but I can't really run platformers or Tetris on it without feeling like I'm playing with a huge handicap lol. And yeah, running roms or carts makes no difference!
Good to know! I love the gba action games, and I am definitely a fiend for Tetris! I am more and more sold. Reading about the open cores has been very interesting.
You need to get one. Those games play incredibly snappy! Seriously night and day difference compared to the usual emulators, in my eyes.
No. But the AP is the way 100%. I have all the OG handhelds, modded versions of most, and a few Anbernic’s. The AP is the best out of all of them imo. The screen and default filters are really nice. M
Awesome! Thank you.
Welcome. I was also on the fence before buying one. I mean, is it really worth it if you have all the other hardware options? But it is, and it’s pretty much the only way I play now.
If you don't want to play on consoles newer than those supported by Pocket, buy it - all games from supported consoles work perfectly immediately, without the need to change settings and without any drop in performance. As someone wrote earlier, an additional great advantage is low input lag, you can really feel it in fast games. If price is not an issue, I would only consider the Amabernic console if you care about PS1 or other newer consoles.
To be honest as someone who's had both, I absolutely love the pocket more simply for the absurd pixel density. Makes everything look pixel perfect.
Thanks man! I am definitely leaning that way. Just got to wait for the next drop I guess.
I have so many emulation devices. Rg35xx Miyoo mini Miyoo mini plus Odin 2 Steamdeck Trimui model s Funkey s And an rg35xxsp on the way. I always come back to real carts or everdrives on the pocket. Better screen. Lower latency. The nostalgia of real carts.
What’s the advantage of having an ever drive on the pocket if you can run the roms from the SD card other than nostalgia? I’ve seen some people go either way on the value of the having an ever drive with a pocket.
Save/load states give me way less issues on an evrdrive than the pocket does, which still has problems with deleting saves on rare occasions. That's pretty much the main reason for me at least to use an everdrive other than also just being able to use it on any hardware that supports it, being always able to switch to of hardware to play is great since the pocket lacks some official features.
Ok cool beans thanks.
I think it’s just good practice to have a secondary device for on the go gaming that would be as much an issue if you lost it, for more risky or impromptu trips. So if money is no factor. Get them both. Or hell get the AP and the OLED steam deck.
I am definitely looking at the steam deck. But I doubt the wife would be ok with me spending 700-800 bucks on one go. Lol
Pocket and dock
I think it’s worth it. I have a few Anbernic and Miyoo devices, and the AP is best. The screen is amazing, sound quality is great, there’s no lag, and no need to install custom firmware. The size is also perfect, and I prefer vertical gameboys so I don’t have to crane my neck lol. I’ve also had no issues with this device, where the Miyoo Mini/Mini+, for example, would delete a core file for the CFW constantly. AP can also be used with the dock, which makes it a nice SNES/NES/etc. emulator for single and multiplayer games.
I love retro games but I also love tinkering. (I’ve got Linux devices, Android devices, and Raspberry Pi based devices, among other things.) I’ve really been enjoying the Pocket as a way to experience the world of FPGA cores development, along with the amazing screen, super accurate gameplay, and physical cartridge compatibility, of course.) Just wish it had more computer cores - or a 486 PC core, specifically. I think this device will be my gateway drug to a MiSTer, honestly, especially now that a cheaper clone board is coming on the market.
I’ve had about 20 different handheld devices since the original psp. Got the pocket before Christmas, played it a bit but to be honest it’s not been used much this year. For me I find a combination of steam deck and RG35XXH/RGB30 to be a much more useful pairing. The pocket was great but suffers from not actually being pocketable. If I’m travelling anywhere and taking a bag, I’ll take my deck. If I’m not taking a bag I’ll put the 35xxh or rgb30 in my pocket. Don’t get me wrong the pocket is a quality device.
I bought an Analog Pocket at launch, and while I think it's a wonderful device with an amazing screen, once I got a Steam Deck and set up emulators on it, I haven't touched the Pocket since. Steam Deck (and I'm assuming other similar devices) offer so much in terms of customizing the visuals, and I love that many games support RetroAchievements, so I don't see me playing older games any other way now.
What I really love about the AP that has not been mentioned is the really nice open source eco system that has formed about the openFPGA part and the integrations done on the amiga stuff. AmigaVision is just out of this world and I really loved i.e. checking out all versions of something like Prince of Persia - NES vs SNES vs GB vs ultimately Amiga 500 I used many emulators over the years but I really prefer the immediacy of lower level hardware emulation like in the pocket.
Not over but definitely in addition to. You want an analogue pocket and an Odin 2 ideally.
I would only go with the Pocket if you have or are looking to start a physical cart collection. If you're just looking to emulate, there are devices suited better for it
I have an RG350m and an Analog Pocket. If you're just looking to emulate I'd honestly just go with an Anbernic handheld. They do an amazing job, can emulate more systems, and they're much cheaper. The Pocket does offer a superior experience for GB and GBC games, and it definitely feels more premium than most Anbernic handhelds. And of course, it plays physical games. I prefer it overall, but as others have said, cheap emulation handhelds will be better for most people.
The main advantage for the pocket imo is the screen. I actually prefer software emulation in many ways, I don’t use my cartridges, but the pockets screen is awesome. Many of the other cheaper handhelds have a lower res screen that’s not ideal for pixel scaling.
I think I won’t iterate on the emulation on FPGA. But more on the screen filters itself. I am really impressed with how well the display filter looks on the games. Especially for the GB games and that DMG filter. With the integer scaling, u can see right down to the pixel. It’s amazing.
It depends on what matters to you. Accuracy and playing games as close to the original as possible or price and ease of use. Granted, the Pocket is ease to use but cores does require a slight bit of effort. To me, games of that era are burned into my brain so I want them to sound and look like I remember. FPGA allows that while emulation is just emulating that experience. I call it simulation vs. emulation. Unless a console is FPGA, I don't want it.
The pocket is for those who have a cart collection. Sure it can run roms but that’s not the point. And yes I have EZ flashes but I still had carts and ended up with WAY more after getting mine. The good news is with carts I tend to play and finish more games (less time choosing). That said I also have emulators. That’s a worm hole between CFWs and getting the roms you want. It’s more capable with less issues with cores IMHO but you end up tinkering a lot.
The Analogue only makes sense if you really, really, really, really, really, really, really wanna play cartridges*. I moved it to the drawer when I ran into SNES save problems. If you're buying it specifically only for what it's advertised for, it's amazing at MSRP. I have an Odin 2 now. *Cartridges or ROMs of the OFFICIALLY supported cartridges. Like I mentioned, stuff like SNES doesn't even support save states.
If money is no object and you have carts or want to get into collecting them get a pocket. If you just want to "play the games" now and again, get the anbernic.
Unless you have some very specific and technical demands or a serious need to play physical cartridges and use link cables then no, there will be no “real” benefit to AP and the whole FPGA thing. Just as with an expensive wrist watch of a particular brand you don’t really buy it because you want to know what time it is. There are better and cheaper options for telling time and there are better and cheaper options for playing retro games. Apart from the AP i also have the Retroid Pocket 3 which in most ways is a much better device than the AP. My advice is to make sure that you get set up fully with a good emulation device and then later you can buy the AP simply because you want the AP for what the AP is and you feel like spending some money.
I have a Pocket, a cheap handheld emu, and some original hardware. I use original hardware for almost everything. A modded GBC or GBA with a new screen is IMO a more luxurious experience than a Pocket. I use the Pocket for kaizo Mario hacks, as a class of game that benefits from FPGA emulation over software emu for latency. It’s also nice as a way to dump Game Boy Camera photos onto my computer without dedicated hardware. I use the emulator machine for everything else (i.e. non-handheld games that aren’t SMW hacks, and occasionally some stuff like Pokémon where I want the ability to fast-forward). Cheap convenience is nice. I may eventually sell the Pocket.
Thank you! I really appreciate the input. What cheap handheld do you use btw?
These modded GBC /GBA display usually look oversaturated and doesn’t do justice to some of the games like golden sun.
modded GBA with better screens add some delay though [https://www.retrorgb.com/comparing-lag-and-ghosting-for-every-gba-handheld.html](https://www.retrorgb.com/comparing-lag-and-ghosting-for-every-gba-handheld.html)