Analogue Pocket review: The best way to play those old Game Boy cartridges, period (2024)

My very first video game device was a Game Boy Color when I was eight years old. My parents got me Pokemon Blue and Red (along with some Mary-Kate and Ashley-licensed garbage), and I spent a couple of years scrounging the house for AA batteries and finding every free instance to play. I fell off handhelds for a long time until the Nintendo 3DS came along, but the Game Boy series still looms high in my mind as one of the best consoles of all time. But as these devices got older, it became tougher to even play those games without pirating or spending a ton of money on eBay.

The lack of modern devices and services that can play older games is a big problem, but products like the Analogue Pocket are looking to fix that. It can play any Game Boy, Game Boy Color, or Game Boy Advance cartridge, but it's also open source, so developers can create games and apps for it, which makes it great for emulation. Best of all, it looks like a Game Boy, even coming in some of the device's most iconic colorways. That's why when I saw a transparent Pocket up for sale, I immediately grabbed one.

I had some decently high expectations for it, and it's reached most of them. It not only makes those decades-old games look great, but it's easy to use, both in terms of playing the games and exploring software. It has a few flaws, including how difficult it could be to purchase, and it won't be a complete replacement for the originals, but it could signal a shift in how we think about retro games and cater to those who want to relive some memories.

About this review: This review was written with an Analogue Pocket purchased by the writer. Analogue had no input into this article's contents.

Going old school

Analogue Pocket

A great way to play some of your old Game Boy cartridges

8.5/ 10

If you miss your Game Boy, the Analogue Pocket is an excellent modern substitute. It's not a clone of the older console and instead simulates the feeling of playing retro games without any of the problems. Plus, with openFPGA, it can support other apps and even some emulation on the hardware level. It's one of the best ways to play retro games.

Screen

3.5-inch LCD, 1600x1400, 615PPI, 60Hz variable refresh rate

Game support

Game Boy, Game Boy Color, Game Boy Advance cartridges

CPU

2 FPGA

Connectivity

USB-C charging

Ports

USB-C, microSD slot, link port, HDMI (dock only) 3.5mm headphone jack

Dimensions

5.86x3.46x0.86 inches (148.8x87.9x21.8mm)

Weight

9.7 ounces (275g)

Battery

4,300mAh lithium ion

Charging Time

4-5 hours (estimated)

Pros

• Easy to set up, insert cartridges, and start playing
• Comes in some excellent retro designs
• Supports emulation, third-party apps on a hardware level
• Surprisingly great battery life

Cons

• Accessories, like the dock, are quite expensive
• Not great for larger hands
• Stock can be inconsistent and limited

See Also

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$220 at Analogue

Pricing and availability

The Analogue Pocket is only available on the Analogue website for $220. However, it's often out of stock since the company makes its flagship products in limited batches. You'll have to sign up for notifications or follow Analogue on social media to get alerts for stock. And you'll have to act fast on the day the listings go live since they can go out of stock within minutes.

At the time of this writing, there are only black and white listings on the website, but Analogue has had other colors available, like orange. It also occasionally releases very limited-edition Pockets, like the transparent line (which was slightly more expensive than the regular model at $250). I have the transparent blue model, but other colors were available, like purple and green.

Design and setup

Retro meets contemporary

Using the Analogue Pocket for its base functions is extremely simple. It's built to support Game Boy, Game Boy Color, and Game Boy Advance cartridges, so all you have to do is take one and slot it into the back. It'll click into place, and once on, all you have to do is hit Play Cartridge and start playing. And if you purchase one of the adapters, which you also just slot into the back of the console, you can play Game Gear, Neo Geo Pocket Color, and Atari Lynx games. There's no other setup required if you want to play some of your old game cartridges. The Pocket is as close to an old-school Game Boy as you can get beyond getting one secondhand.

The Pocket isn't just a carbon copy of the Game Boy line, though. For one, the control scheme is updated, with an AXBY button array on the right, a d-pad on the left, and bumpers on the back near the bottom of the cartridge slot. Even when playing original Game Boy games, I never felt like this was to its detriment. The design is meant to evoke a retro handheld while still catering to modern sensibilities. Plus, it means the Pocket can play games from multiple consoles without making the player feel like they have to compensate or remap any buttons.

However, as much as I adore the design's clear retro inspirations, a couple of aspects could've been improved. First off, almost every button is unmarked (the only exceptions are the Analogue button and the volume carousel on the side). You do have to rely on muscle memory quite a bit, which is fine for seasoned gamers, but I kept forgetting which button opened the Start menu and which one was the Analogue button, for instance. I also often forget the shortcuts for taking a screenshot, but that's definitely a me problem.

The controls are responsive for the most part once you figure out which one you need, but for some reason, the side buttons were slimmed down to the point where they're not as tactile as they should be. It can be a hassle sometimes to register your input. The power button on my unit even gets stuck occasionally, although a second press usually gets it to work. Going onto the back, I thought the left and right bumpers were in an odd place. They're just slightly lower than where your hand expects them to be, but I understand the logic behind its placement: how else do you leave room for different-sized cartridges unless you move them out of the way?

This, unfortunately, can lead to some discomfort for players with larger hands. I have small hands, but I was dangerously close to adapting the dreaded claw grip after a particularly long play session, especially with the bumpers. My fiancé has much larger hands than me, and while he loves the Pocket, he can't play fast-paced, stressful games like platformers due to cramping. Like other consoles with smaller controllers, such as the Nintendo Switch, you can buy grips from third-party sellers or creators on Etsy, but that'll add money to your Analogue Pocket purchase.

Hardware

Making games look better

See Also

Analogue Pocket review: the ultimate retro handheld

Sticking to this modern-meets-retro sensibility, the Pocket also makes these games look gorgeous. The Pocket has a 3.5-inch 1600x1440 screen made from durable Gorilla Glass. That resolution might not sound high, considering we're now getting Steam Decks with OLED displays, but it doesn't need to be any higher. The screen is small enough that games look properly bright and colorful, and, frankly, none of the games you're playing need to be played in 4K at 60FPS. Plus, it was an excellent choice since it's upscaling the games that would've played on the 160x144-resolution Game Boy and Game Boy Color screens (the Game Boy Advance had a 240x160 display). That also means you don't get any weird issues on other devices where a game is stretched to fit the resolution.

The Pocket also adapts the screen for the type of game you're playing. Throw in an original Game Boy cartridge, and you'll play games in that iconic shade of monochromatic green. Slot in a Game Boy Advance title, and it'll truly pop, with bright colors and crisp outlines that make the games feel like 21st-century remasters.

The handheld has some other modern touches, including USB-C charging for a built-in 4,300mAh battery, a microSD slot (more on this later), a 3.5mm headphone jack, and two stereo speakers. A very nostalgic addition is a link port on the bottom, so you could theoretically use a Game Link Cable to connect two devices. I don't have a cable, so I couldn't test the functionality, but based on how the rest of the Pocket works, I assume trading Pokemon is fully possible.

As for the battery, Analogue promises 6-10 hours of game time and over 10 hours when put into sleep mode. Playtime during my tests fell within that range — usually around seven hours, but Analogue is selling itself short on sleep time. Hitting the power button puts the handheld into sleep mode, and I found that even after weeks of not touching it, it still almost completely maintained its battery. I've never seen battery drain quite this low on a modern device. Charging it up is, unfortunately, quite slow; it took around 90 minutes to get from 75% to full. But depending on your usage, that shouldn't be a big problem.

Emulation

Tying it to hardware is key

Because it just works out of the box, there's nothing technical you need to do – if you don't want to, that is. Analogue built the pocket with two FGPA chips: one that houses the OS and another that is open to developers. These aren't the most powerful chips, but the OS is extremely lightweight. The main menu features six options with white text on a black background. A battery indicator is the only bit of flavor. Button shortcuts allow you to save screenshots (Analogue + Start) and save states (Analogue + Up), and that's basically it. It's a bit basic, but it doesn't need to be much more. It goes along with the simplicity of the device.

Where things get more complicated – but also more exciting – is with that second chip. FPGAs are highly programmable on the go by nature, so they're a great way to encourage emulation and third-party apps since everything runs on the hardware level rather than on software. Analogue uses an open-source system called OpenFGA, so even before the Pocket was released, developers were looking for opportunities to utilize it. I immediately went online after getting my Pocket to see what was out there, and because it's been a couple of years since the initial launch, there's a lot to try.

And it's all extremely easy to install. For the ones I tried, all you have to do is follow any basic instructions and get it on a microSD card. This is also how you install firmware updates. My favorite app is Pocket Sync, a GUI interface for your computer that not only checks for firmware updates but also allows you to load handheld and console cores, export screenshots and save states (which are both stored on the microSD anyway), and just organize everything. Once you're done, you just pop the microSD into the slot in your Pocket, and you're ready to go. There are more utilities if you prefer something different, but Pocket Sync is minimalist and intuitive, so it's what I recommend.

We can't tell you where to get cores, but know that there are options out there for almost every retro console or handheld. I even got a Tamagotchi running on my system, which is something I didn't know I needed. I assume how well the cores run depends on a bunch of factors, and I haven't tried all of them, but for the few I tried, everything ran well.

Stock

Just one more thing

Source: Analogue

One of the biggest criticisms I have against the Pocket – and Analogue's business model in general – is the lack of stock to drum up hype and push sales. This was understandable back when the Pocket launched in 2021 since it got hit with pandemic-based delays, so preorders, in some instances, took around a year to ship. However, the company is still going with this release cycle with some special editions, albeit with much shorter shipping times. My limited transparent Pocket took just a couple of weeks to hit my mailbox. Right now, you can still get the white and black editions, but they're going to ship in February.

This inconsistency and batch release cycle makes getting your hands on one quite difficult, especially if you miss the short availability windows. At the time of this writing, certain color variants can sell out within minutes, although I noticed some of the less popular colors took a lot longer to go out of stock. I expect this to happen less as more people get one, but you'll need to check the website to avoid getting off guard.

That's not necessarily the case with some of the Pocket's accessories, like console adapters, a dock, or cables. Those appear to always be in stock. However, they can be quite expensive. The black dock, for example, is priced at $100, while the white version will cost you a whopping $130. The Pocket is great on its own, so I didn't feel the need to get any of the accessories, but as you can see, the costs can increase quickly.

Should you buy the Analogue Pocket?

You should buy the Analogue Pocket if:

• You have old Game Boy cartridges lying around and don't have your original console
• You want to play more retro games in general
• The idea of developing software or games for it appeals to you

You shouldn't buy the Analogue Pocket if:

• You have larger hands
• You don't have the biggest budget

Despite design and release cycle issues, the Analogue Pocket is a must-have retro game console for players looking to relive the good ol' days of what was arguably the world's most important handheld gaming device. All those memories of squinting to see the Game Boy Color screen in the dark are gone, too, as you get a massively upgraded display and excellent battery life.

Of course, the big question is whether you need the Pocket. It's essentially a much newer and slightly bigger Game Boy Color, which is worth it for people who have a ton of old cartridges they want to play and don't want to go the secondhand route. You could save some money if you get a regular Game Boy on eBay, but then you wouldn't get the quality-of-life features and the open-source hardware. You also won't see how good your old Game Boy games could look, which really is at the core of it all. You could get one of the many Steam Deck alternatives out there these days as well, but again, you're not getting a Game Boy experience. And beyond missing out on some outdated features, this is the way to do it.

Going old school

Analogue Pocket

A great way to play some of your old Game Boy cartridges

8.5/ 10

If you miss your Game Boy, the Analogue Pocket is an excellent modern substitute. It's not a clone of the older console and instead simulates the feeling of playing retro games without any of the problems. Plus, with openFPGA, it can support other apps and even some emulation on the hardware level. It's one of the best ways to play retro games.

$220 at Analogue