What Critics Are Saying About The Analogue Pocket
After a few delays and a long wait, the Analogue Pocket has made its way into the hands of critics just before it begins shipping out to the public. For those who don't know, the Pocket is a new console designed to play old Game Boy, Game Boy Color, and Game Boy Advance cartridges. The console comes from Analogue, which has also made new consoles for the NES, Super NES, and more. The Analogue Pocket is designed with a 1600x1440 pixel display and includes an ion battery so your Game Boy games run better than how you remember them.
While the Pocket appears to be a functional and well-made console to play Game Boy titles on, it runs the risk of being a collector's item. People who don't already have a stockpile of old cartridges lying around would need to go out and buy some, which can be more expensive than buying new video games in some cases. Considering that Nintendo is taking its time bringing Game Boy games to the Nintendo Switch, including the five we want the most, this might be the easiest way to play Game Boy games in 2021, but do the critics think so?
The critics love the Analogue Pocket
In IGN's review, Seth G. Macy gave the Analogue Pocket a 9/10, praising the high-quality screen and saying it's closer to a top-notch phone screen than a dedicated handheld — similar to the Nintendo Switch. Macy said that the original Game Boy games are displayed in multiple shades of black and white and the built-in backlight makes the colors pop.
In The Verge's unscored review, Andrew Webster praised the ability to play older games on hardware that not only emulates the original devices, but improves upon it. "Every aspect of it, whether it's the brilliant display or the fine-grain customization options or the very welcome sleep button, all works in service of making the cartridges you already own look and play their best. And that's exactly what the Pocket does," Webster wrote.
In Polygon's unscored review Christopher Grant also praised the quality and performance of the Pocket. Grant did, however, lament the handheld's vertical design, stating that it was occasionally uncomfortable to holdd due to it being a bit small. Ultimately, Grant said the high quality material and design of the Analogue Pocket made it a must-own for anyone with a large collection of handheld games lying around.