While we sit around waiting for Nintendo to release a Game Boy Classic edition and celebrate the Game Boy's 30th birthday, retro-gaming hardware maker Analogue has seized the opportunity to launch its own throwback handheld console; the Analogue Pocket.
The company has described the Analogue Pocket as a portable console that allows you to play cartridges from pretty much all portable gaming systems on a high-resolution backlit LCD screen.
The Pocket will be "compatible with the 2,780+ Game Boy, Game Boy Color & Game Boy Advance game cartridge library," and users will also be able to play titles from Game Gear, Neo Geo Pocket Color, Atari Lyna, among other gaming systems by using a cartridge adapter.
Analogue has used the same FPGA (field-programmable gate array) processors for the Pocket as its older siblings; the Analogue NT, Super NT, and Mega SG retro consoles. This allows players to play titles like "Legend of Zelda" "Pokémon," and "Super Mario Land" as they were intended, simulating the function of the original silicon that was found in the consoles that these games were made for.
The result is a seamless gaming experience that feels just like the original minus the sloppy emulation that would otherwise cause all sorts of sound and visual inaccuracies. The Analogue Pocket's other hardware features include a 3.5-inch, 1660x1440 LCD display at 615 PPI, which is 10 times the resolution of the original Game Boy, making it the most advanced screen that has ever graced a dedicated gaming handheld console.
Like the Nintendo Switch, the Pocket can be connected to a dock, which will be sold separately, and hooked up to a TV with an HDMI cable. The player can play their favourite classic handheld games on a giant screen. The dock comes with support for Bluetooth wireless and USB-tethered controllers.
Analogue also aims to woo music creators with its latest offering because The Pocket includes an onboard music synthesizer and sequencer, called Nanoloop, which can be used to create music and live performances.
The Analogue Pocket will retail for $200 and is slated to arrive in 2020, with a more specific date to be announced later.
