This little handheld console has been so great. My PC and Steam Deck must be so disappointed with me.
I had been following r/SBCgaming for a while and never felt the need to play very old console games. But now it seems that these consoles have really come a long way in what they can play. I saw reviews for the Retroid Pocket 5 and thought it looked amazing. Then I saw the prices of the Retroid Pocket 4 pro and it was a no brainer.
I bought the Retroid Pocket 4 Pro on eBay for £120 (probably could have gotten it cheaper, but I rushed to buy this). The fact that such a tiny and pocketable handheld can run Nintendo Switch games (less demanding ones) really blows my mind. I carry this with me everywhere. It fits in pretty snug trouser pockets and is only slightly bigger than my phone (although my phone is an S23 Ultra with a chunky case). I’ve had it for over 2 weeks and I’m still in the honeymoon phase and using this instead of my gaming PC or Steam Deck. I’m discovering consoles I never owned (3DS and Wii games). The fact that it plays Android games as well is such a great bonus (mainly Balatro with save game sync online) is such a great bonus. It has WiFi 6, hall effect analog sticks (much better than the Switch!), an IPS display, headphone port, analog triggers, bluetooth 5.2 and a decent battery. This this has no business being this good.
For anyone else interested:
· If you’re looking for an affordable, pocketable console with good performance then the Retroid Pocket 4 Pro is amazing and I would recommend it. Buy this on eBay as people are unloading these to upgrade to the new console.
· If you want better performance then the Retroid Pocket 5 has a better SOC and much better screen, but is twice the price and much less pocketable. Order on AliExpress when there’s a sale/coupons.
· Buying a console like this is a bit like adopting Linux.... You’ve got to be willing to tinker and troubleshoot. It took me hours to set it up (use this guide) and I still haven’t sorted out Vita emulation.
This is a device I didn’t know much about and really didn’t expect to enjoy this much. If you haven’t come across these little consoles, definitely take a look! If you want to test the waters and see if this is for you, then starting with emulation on your phone will is a good way to start.
Why would you go for these devices over a steam deck + emudeck? My steam deck is my powerhouse that plays all my Indies, sreams more demanding games from my gaming PC, has a massive retro library and works as a Plex media streamer for travel. It's my dream all-in-one device. The only reason I could see to add this as well would be the form factor?
Confort and battery life.
I love my ROG Ally, it's amazing for a bunch of games, but I honestly don't find it comfortable to play GBA or PS1 games for example, and the battery life is like 4 hours tops.
I recently got a Trimui Smart Pro and been playing GBA games on and off in between work meetings or when I go out. It fits on my pocket alongside my phone and the battery lasts like 6 hours depending on the system.
Different uses cases, and for $50 it's honestly not a hard sell
Yeah pocketability.
I have a Deck, but unless I’m taking a backpack already for a longer trip, I’ll just pocket the Miyoo Mini or 6” Kobo ereader. Double if I’m heading somewhere shady
Interesting, ive been OK lugging my deck around but i mainly travel for work so it just goes in my daybag for train use/hotel use. And as i work from home mostly thats not daily - it gets most of its use around the house plugged into various chargers i have scattered by every casual seating spot...
Different strokes for different lifestyles i guess.
Pocketability is the biggest bonus for me. This doesn't replace my Steam Deck, it supplements my gaming by making games available in situations where I can't carry around a giant Deck.
The other issue is that my 4 yr old son has really gotten into gaming (Mario Odyssey) and takes the Deck off me a lot of the time 😄
Interesting, i love the size of the steam deck - its a positive for me not a con. Im tempted to check out one of the smaller ones for fun if the price is right, but i also love the 'all in one' solution (so i dont have to sync game saves between devices etc) My 5yo daugher got heavily into Mario Odysee too! We have a switch so we let her on it, but had to wind back game time as she got a bit too obsessed. She went from being barely able to jump on boxes (as jump + move at the same time was hard) and like 3 weeks later she bet the basic game, and now is nearly 400 moons... She keeps asking me for help finding them and im like 'kid, you surpassed my knowledge of the game a month back'
My younger one (4) gets scared by Bowser and comes to me. I have to do the same stages over and over for him. But he's getting better.
The older one (6 now) finished Super Hexagon (all stages) and Ori to 100% completion at the age of 4. He used to ask for help with the last stage of Super Hexagon..... That was way beyond my abilities. Really need to get this kid onto Street Fighter to male use of these skills.
while i don't have one of these handhelds, i do have a 2ds xl and i had a steam deck that i eventually sold. for me it's mostly size. i took it to three countries and several states and it was mostly just a burden to carry the deck around, meanwhile the smaller device was easier to toss in a bag.
part of my choice was also that i don't play a lot of modern games so i didn't need the horsepower that the steam deck provided. it's all nuance and preference, i think.