Analogue Pocket review: I've been using this retro console for a year, and it remains the best Game Boy alternative

Analogue Pocket is not only a slick bit of kit, but easily the most ideal way to play Nintendo’s most cherished portable back catalogue. A year of use, and it's still my preferred retro console.

Analogue Pocket review; a handheld retro console on a sofa
(Image: © Analogue / Future)

Our Verdict

The Analogue Pocket is the most premium way to play Game Boy titles that currently exists. It's a well-built piece of hardware that improves upon the legacy its aping with latency-free gameplay, an improved screen and great battery life that is unlikely to be bettered any time soon.

For

  • Reinvents the Game Boy design
  • Fantastic screen
  • Multiple screen filter options
  • Great battery life

Against

  • Flimsy D-pad and shoulder buttons

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The Analogue Pocket has been a revelation for many retro game fans. Although modern consoles like the Nintendo Switch have since blurred the line between home-based and handheld gaming, there's still a great amount of affection for that era when all things Game Boy brought portable play to the masses. For the longest time, however, a reliable way to play original, Colour and Advance cartridges didn’t exist outside of using the original hardware – that is until the Analogue Pocket arrived on scene.

I've had my hands on one for just over a year now, and can confidently say that it's now my go-to way to experience all three Game Boy eras, and one of the best retro consoles I've used. This is primarily because Analogue's products use a chip based on a unique technology called FGPA (Field Programmable Gate Array), which circumvents the need to emulate games. Rather, the Analogue Pocket looks and feels just as great to play as Nintendo's handhelds ever did as it actually reads game files off the cartridge. 

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The Verdict
10

out of 10

Analogue Pocket

The Analogue Pocket is the most premium way to play Game Boy titles that currently exists. It's a well-built piece of hardware that improves upon the legacy its aping with latency-free gameplay, an improved screen and great battery life that is unlikely to be bettered any time soon.

Carlton Hill
Games writer

Carlton is a video game journalist who grew up playing 16-bit consoles in the late 1990s, quickly developing a love for all things RPG and FPS. His favourite video game is Crash Bandicoot 3: Warped on the original PlayStation, which he’ll defend as having the very best 3D platforming in a game that doesn’t include the word “Mario”. In addition to Creative Bloq, you can find him writing words about games in places like Debug Magazine, WhyNow Gaming and more.