What you need to know
- AYANEO provided its first look at the Pocket Vert, an upcoming Game Boy-styled handheld.
- It also shared a few specs, such as the 3.5-inch LCD display, with a 1600 x 1440 resolution.
- There are still a few details left unknown, but AYANEO promises more will be “revealed soon.”
The fun never stops for AYANEO, as just last week, the company’s first smartphone was teased, and now there’s another new handheld being shown off. We first heard about the AYANEO Pocket Vert back in July during the company’s “Strategy Sharing Session” livestream. Now, we’re getting our first look at the handheld, along with a few other key details.
The Pocket Vert will be AYANEO’s first vertical handheld to be released since the Pocket DMG, which arrived in 2023. Since its release, the DMG quickly became a favorite in the community, even with its higher asking price. AYANEO is hoping to recapture some of that magic with the Vert, but in a completely different way.
What made the Pocket DMG so enticing was its clear homage to the original Game Boy, especially with the Retro Power color. Not only that, but the DMG is powered by the Snapdragon G3x Gen 2, giving you flagship gaming power in a vertical-styled handheld, which is something we never thought we’d see.
With the Pocket Vert, AYANEO is taking a slightly different course of action, focusing on a refined and ultra-premium design. AYANEO is ditching the plastic in favor of a “CNC-milled Unibody,” complete with what it’s calling “Diamond-cut shoulder buttons.”
However, the aluminum build and “diamond-like” buttons aren’t the only reason why the Pocket Vert stands out. The 3.5-inch IPS display might just be the sharpest display we’ve ever seen on an Android device. The panel features a 1600 x 1440 resolution, equating to a 615 PPI. This also means that you’ll be able to play original Game Boy games at a 10x pixel perfect resolution.
Since AYANEO’s video gave us a look at the entire design, there’s no denying that it’s definitely going to stand out. Unlike the Pocket DMG which featured one joystick and then a “touchpad,” you’ll find no such thing on the Pocket Vert.
This is probably due to the aluminum build, but all we have are the standard ABXY and D-Pad buttons along with, presumably, Start and Select. There is a third, longer, button at the bottom, but that’s likely just going to be a way to quickly bring up the AYASpace software.
There are still plenty of unanswered questions about the Pocket Vert, such as what kind of chip will be used. Perhaps more importantly, we have no idea how much this handheld is going to cost.
AYANEO has traditionally been on the more expensive side when it comes to gaming handhelds, and only recently did it open pre-orders for its first sub-$100 device with the Pocket AIR Mini. However, with a CNC aluminum unibody design and a 1440p screen, we wouldn’t be surprised to see this priced between $200 and $300, at least.
Game Boy on steroids
If you’re on the hunt for a Game Boy DMG-styled handheld running Android, there’s nothing better than the AYANEO Pocket DMG. Sure, it’s overpowered, but if there was ever a modern Game Boy, this is it.
