Succumbing to nostalgia sometimes isn’t worth it, but that’s not the case with 2021’s Analogue Pocket(opens in a new tab). It isn’t just a handheld that plays classic Game Boy, Game Boy Color, and Game Boy Advance games — it’s a marvel of game preservation and a shining example of how something old can be refreshed in a way that amplifies what made it special in the first place.
To be clear, the Analogue Pocket is not an emulating device. The Pocket actually runs classic Game Boy cartridges, bringing that retro experience to a brand-new console — one with much better build quality, a stunning display, and a bevy of fun extras.
The Pocket’s screen is extremely sharp, boasting 10 times the resolution of the original Game Boy and rivaling some of today’s other handheld gaming devices. It even looks great on a TV when you hook it up with the Analogue Dock (sold separately for $99.99) à la the standard Nintendo Switch, which pleasantly surprised us. The audio quality is immaculate and expertly recreated some of our favorite gaming moments of the past. The hardware itself is also incredibly well-made — it has a true “premium feel,” and each of its buttons is super responsive.
The Analogue Pocket features a lot of cool extras, too, like the ability to develop your own games using openFPGA, and even create 8-bit music. We don’t have experience with game development ourselves, but knowing that anyone with a Pocket has access to free programming software is an exciting prospect for us as players. You’ve got the option to apply screen filters that make your games look like they would on original Game Boy consoles, and to pair the device with separate adapters for Game Gear, Neo Geo, Atari Lynx, and TurboGrafx-16 cartridges. We wish the cartridge slot wasn’t fully exposed, but it’s not a big problem at the end of the day. (Just leave a cartridge in there — easy fix!)
The Pocket is truly a one-of-a-kind device and one you need to get your hands on if retro gaming or game preservation is of any interest to you. Now, the debate can finally be put to rest: The best Game Boy is, in fact, the Analogue Pocket.
Recommended games:
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Pokémon Red, Blue, and Yellow
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The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening
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Tetris
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Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones
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Any old Game Boy cartridge you can get your hands on
