Analogue Pocket
Analogue · Released Dec 2021 · 2021
A luxurious FPGA handheld that plays original Game Boy, GBC, and GBA cartridges with hardware accuracy on a jaw-dropping high-res screen.
Pros
- +Stunning ultra-high-resolution screen for pixel-perfect retro
- +Plays original cartridges via accurate FPGA (not emulation)
- +Thriving openFPGA community cores
- +Premium build with an optional TV dock
Cons
- −Expensive, and cartridge adapters cost extra
- −No Wi-Fi (updates via microSD)
- −Stock play needs real cartridges (openFPGA for digital)
What can it play?
Emulation performance by platform, based on real-world testing.
Full specifications
Hardware
- Chipset (SoC)
- Dual FPGA (Altera Cyclone V + Cyclone 10 GX)
- CPU
- FPGA logic (hardware-accurate)
- GPU
- FPGA logic
- RAM
- 128 MB
- Storage
- Cartridge + microSD Original cartridges + microSD (openFPGA cores)
- Weight
- 256 g
- Dimensions
- 104 x 88 x 19 mm
- Cooling
- Passive
Display
- Size
- 3.5″
- Resolution
- 1600x1440
- Panel
- LTPS LCD (615 ppi)
- Refresh rate
- 60 Hz
- Touchscreen
- No
Battery & Connectivity
- Battery
- 4300 mAh
- Real-world life
- ~8 hours
- Wi-Fi
- None
- Bluetooth
- None
- Ports
- Game cartridge slot, microSD, USB-C, 3.5mm headphone, Dock (HDMI)
- Expandable storage
- Yes (microSD)
Controls
- Analog sticks
- 0
- D-pad
- Yes
- Face buttons
- Yes
- Analog triggers
- No
- Gyroscope
- No
- Hall effect sticks
- No
Software & custom firmware
Ships with: Analogue OS
Also plays natively: Game Boy / Color / Advance cartridges, Game Gear / NGP / Lynx (adapters), openFPGA cores
Custom firmware
Our verdict
The Analogue Pocket is the connoisseur's retro handheld. Rather than emulating, its dual FPGAs recreate original hardware to play real Game Boy, GBC, and GBA cartridges (plus Game Gear, Lynx, and more via adapters) with remarkable accuracy, all on a gorgeous 1600x1440 screen built for pixel-perfect integer scaling. The open-source openFPGA platform adds a growing library of community cores. It is pricey and Wi-Fi-free, but as a premium preservation device it is unmatched.