I already have a 200 game backlog on steam i promised myself to play imagine if I told myself to play my retro library as well. Immorality can't come soon enough
Same. I imagine lots of people would get it as impulse purchase. But since the delivery of AP is pushed to unspecified month of 2023, no chance for this either.
Apologies for the audio issue at 17:30 - the initial export was fine but after one other touch-up, the second export introduced this audio bug. Thanks Premiere! If you want to hear that section, I made a tweet for it! twitter.com/dark1x/status/1470432603195027470?s=20
Thank's for the review there ^^ But John....im worried about your eyesight :( I noticed for a while now that you seem to have problem with your glasses(maybe the weight?) and you are often squinting your eyes. Im no Doctor, but...man...if possible go see a Doctor and let that get checked. Sorry for beeing so off topic!
I very much wish that (a) I never sold my GameBoy Color selection for sheckles at my local GameStop to buy PS2 games at the time, and, (b) that I pre-ordered one of these ages ago when they went up. Great review, John!
It was an extremely limited pre-order when it was announced leaving a lot of people frustrated. So bad in fact that Analogue has been cast in a very negative light on Twitter and in UA-cam comment sections ever since. All the major UA-cam channels got one though!
A) It could be worse: I was forced to practically give away my collection of CIB Game Boy games after being recently displaced by an EF-4 tornado. As the original owner of these games who would never dream of trading his games into GameStop, mine somehow managed an even worse fate. :( B) You couldn’t preorder it even if you were ready and trying desperately while enlisting all of your friends and family to help. Ask me how I know. :(
You might think you want to go back and play Gameboy color games on original hardware, but I promise you the experience is more miserable than you remember it and you'd very likely quickly tire of not having a backlight.
@17:25 "The m2 collection however sounds like it has an even stronger low pass filter applied. So it's slightly more muffled but with even less hiss"... So strong that it removes the audio all together! Impressive!
@@alexandruc.5647 You might think it because you're watching a recording on your device. I can assure you can hear a nasty hissing on most original hardware up to the gba once you turn the volume high enough or use headphones, so any improvement will be miles ahead of the original.
Seen several reviews of this unit now. This one is by far the best and most thorough review (as always when John is behind it), and the system itself is clearly stellar.
@@siphillis A better complement to this one is the 5-month review by "Siegarettes"... he's a person who's actually used it in real life. He covers usability and practicality in a lot more depth than these early reviews.
@@Linkale_ Miyoo Mini (v2) makes this thing look like an overpriced crock of shit. It's truly pocketable (the size of a deck of playing cards), comfortable to hold, has great battery life, and has compatibility with many more systems, including PS1. It doesn't have a meme bajillion pixel screen, it's 640x480 and that's more than enough. 4x the pixels of most of the systems it's capable of emulating. Analogue is for hipsters that want a pretty thing to put on a shelf and collect dust next to their Bluetooth record player and ironic Red Canadian Nintendo Wii.
DF is the hair splitting capital of UA-cam channels and I’m used to that. But dang man if I couldn’t find a difference in the Shantae music old vs new to save my life 🤣
John, what we actually used the high-latency GB screen for, was to add three extra shades to the screen. Effectively giving us seven shades of grey (that's the maths, if memory serves, we lost two shades, as they were so close to existing shades that it wasn't worth flickering them).
It's really interesting, but in the video I found that those flickering clouds in the background of castlevania were barely lighter than the rest. Was it more noticeable on the real screen?
My mind is blown by this effect. Was it memory/CPU intensive? Why didn't all games use this effect to get 7 shades instead of 4? If more games had this, it would make me regret getting the IPS mod for my gameboy.
@@KnightMD If memory serves, it wasn't too much of a hit on the GB. We used it mainly to improve sprites, add transparency effects, and increase the number of sprites on-screen. Once we'd figured it out, we never went back.
This would be awesome indeed. However, I'm not sure how this could be possible from a legal stand point given that PS1/PS2 would also require its BIOS (which I believe is propietary and illegal to use). I would appreciate is someone can help me clarifying this as I'm not super versed on this topic.
Saturn and PS1 core on the MISTer is already at a playable state. The PS1 in particular already has save states and soon next year will have sound implemented.
@@Moravia90s Some PS1 emulators use their own emulated bios’s nowadays, compatibility isn’t as good as a real bios but that’s something that could be improved upon especially if it was needed for a shipping product. Ultimately the bios for a game console of that era is just the “OS” that games run on top of, so that can be reimplemented just like the hardware side can.
@@StrangerHappened Yup it's an okay option, I do have one but it still has emulation issues (glitches, artifacts, slow down, etc.) So I still prefer FPGA.
@@michaelharrington5906 Gullible people? No. There isn't some big marketing campaign to convince people to buy this. There's no attempt to persuade people it's comparable to modern game systems. It's a way to play retro games in a modern way, and that's all it presents itself to be. If you buy this based on the information provided by Analogue or in video reviews like this, you're not gullible to do so - the information is clear enough to know exactly what you're getting. This is a product people have been eagerly awaiting for years. There's no gullibility in that, especially as niche products of this type are things you tend to seek out if you're interested, not things that are presented to you. Just because you're not part of the target market and don't understand the appeal doesn't mean this product doesn't have a place or that those buying it are gullible.
@@michaelharrington5906 eh... there's worse things to spend your money on isnt there.. but yeh, you can get something emu based of almost comparable quality (to the less keen eye) for a fraction of the price with a far greater library. Nobodies getting 'fooled' by this, but again I kinda get why you say that. It is what it is. This is for a certain somewhat niche group of collectors and enthusiasts and I say good for them. Its very impressive what they've accomplished with this. If it makes the people that are into this and have the disposable cash happy- great. I personally wouldnt fork out for it, I cant afford such luxuries...but Id love to have a try on one. I've still got some Game Gear carts knocking around somewhere from a million years ago... with this I wouldnt have to be permanently tethered to the wall socket or paying the same amount in AAs to enjoy them haha
Just for the record, you don't have to slice the cable to get the game cube link adapter to work, just unscrew the end connecting to a Gameboy and take out the two clips, then put it back together. Also works with the wireless adapter.
I would've been all over this if I'd heard about it earlier. FPGA is cool as it is, but the screen simulation is something I never knew I needed until now.
To be fair, it's a fairly recent development, and a newborn science. People are just now realizing the need to emulate the original presentation, and getting around to implementing display emulation shaders into the usual emulators. Currently, the most advanced emulator on that front is RetroArch, even featuring CRT TV emulation shaders for the games that looked their best before LCDs came along. But for the CRT ones in particular to look proper, you need a beefy GPU, and a really high-end, extremely bright display, with 4K and HDR support. Otherwise it looks like garbage due to downscaling of the phosphor matrix and not enough color precision to properly emulate the analog physics, contrast and brightness of a real CRT monitor. Or you could get an actual CRT and just use the composite signal emulation part of the effect. Early LCDs like the ones seen in GB hardware, though, are much easier to emulate by comparison, so those can fit in a portable device like this one. And having a screen this high-end with the correct, native aspect ratio and a resolution & density high enough to properly emulate the original subpixel layout is 80% of what makes this look so good.
While this device is awesome and I've been trying to get one ever since I barely missed the pre order window, I very much bemoan the fact the gaming and its associated hardware is becoming increasingly illusive and expensive. More and more, gaming is becoming a hobby for those with means. With the hardware locked behind low production numbers (like here) or ever-increasing price (also here) I fear people like myself will be gated out of our own hobby. I know some of you can afford to pay $1000 for a GPU or handheld like this, but I just can't. I guess that's my problem.
Nope, definitely not just your problem, wealth inequality continues to grow across countries like the US and UK, so many gamers are being priced out of their hobby. Thankfully Series S and Game Pass are great ways to affordably enjoy contemporary games with good performance, and Switch is good value as long as you shop around for the best software deals, but enjoying retro games in an authentic manner is definitely prohibitive.
It’s $200 not $1000. Not cheap, but hardly ridiculous for the quality - it’s about the same price as an original GameBoy was, accounting for inflation.
You can easily play any game from the GBA and before on a potato computer, oftentimes straight from a browser. Retroarch runs on android phones. There are cheap to free ways to access these games. This device is for enthusiasts, and in most hobbies something that is literally market defining would be hundreds of dollars more.
@@Zveebo While that's true, it's $1000 if you're looking to actually buy one after hearing a review like this, they're sold out for the foreseeable future so your only option is the secondhand market.
@@sagewaterdragon they're sold out until 8 AM PST tomorrow. I doubt the pre-orders are open long, but that's hardly "sold out for the foreseeable future"
I am always baffled by audiophiles. With my eyes closed I would not able to pinpoint when the sound changes between the original and the analogue pocket if my life depended on it.
Just how different sprites look by adding the pixel grid is stunning. And the fact that you can only achieve this look on an ultra high DPI screen makes this a very attractive device.
I've been waiting for a device like this one for a very long time, with great video and audio quality. I'm sold! Thanks a lot for the extensive review and also for the mention, John!
Looks cool. I'm afraid to turn on my old gameboy advance out of fear its filled with battery acid leakage.. pretty sure I never removed those batteries like I should have So this might be a great modern solution
Get rid of those old batteries now! If they're still in there, leaving them in is just going to make things worse. If there is leakage, scrubbing the battery contacts with a toothbrush and alcohol should get rid of the acid corrosion.
That sound difference on the GBC is remarkable, it makes it seem as if there is more detail to the audio that is "missing" from the originals, I really like it.
I know it’s taken such a long time but Analogue are doing a really good thing here. The hardware and the interface look awesome. The big three console makers should pay attention to how to present games to consumers otherwise they’re going to lose their positions in the market to newcomers that do it better. Great review John. You’re the man to go to for retro.
Newcomers making hardware to play 30 year old games from said "big 3"? Nintendo gives literally 0 shits if you want to play Gameboy games they make 0 money from fifth hand cartridges...
Ironic. In our infinite wisdom, and with technology so supreme and nostalgia so consuming, we gear our technology to reproduce the limitations of what we left behind. I want one.
lol so I just had a look, and the Pocket doesn't come bundled with anything but a USB-C cable for $220 -- if you want the dock, the case, a charger, and the four adapters for Game Gear, Neo-Geo Pocket, Lynx, and TG16 it's wait for it.... $500! Yeah screw that noise when it can't even play ROMs without a flashcart despite having an SD slot. This is an overpriced novelty that will go up in smoke after selling a few thousand units.
They can't promote the use of pirated roms on their console. If they did Nintendo would immediately come after them. That said nearly every analogue console is hacked to play roms like a week after they release.
8:00 I kinda like how the water looks better on a Gameboy precisely BECAUSE of the ghosting. It smears those dark and light pixels together into something that looks closer to a waterfall than the crisper modern alternatives.
That Robocop song will always be such a banger of a song, impressive what they were able to do on such limited hardware. Same composer made music for the NES Jurassic Park game, and the music there is just as amazing.
They nailed the look of the screen and i'm super happy they managed to handle flicker sprites for transparency so well, unexpected but great it's there.
I'm disappointed there wasn't a more thorough analysis of the GBA and GBC color palette accuracy, since mere desaturation isn't enough to achieve their different color space.
So many videos coming out for this magical device imagine if only you could order one, or let’s say you can order one (as another order slot is opening up) you still have to wait years anyway to get it…..so really what’s the point Analogue? I gave up when they took the items out of my cart last August when it sold out in 2 minutes.
Can anyone watching tell me if Analogue has fixed or commented on the gba scaling issue mentiontioed at 11:05? I think they did say they fixed something similar.
Relieved to hear about the sturdy hold the system has on cartridges. Seeing so much stick out was worrisome, but now I can be glad to play and still see the game art.
Great review. I missed the first pre-order of the pocket so i pre-ordered one yesterday. Update: I received my Analogue Pocket two weeks ago and am enjoying it ,playing gb,gbc and gba games. Said games look so much better on the AP screen makes the games ten times more enjoyable.
Steller video always from you John. Boy do I want one. Still got a box with all my GBs, GBAs, DSs and 3DSs but a better device and screen for those old GB, GBC and GBA games would be awesome. Bought as soon as my wallet can afford it!
I get mine tomorrow. I got all the “vital” accessories when i ordered mine, like the dock, screen protector and link cable. Now that preorders are open again, I’ll def be ordering additional protectors, cart adapters and the a hard case. Great video as always. This video somehow made me even more excited for this thing.
I don't think the FPGA inside Pocket can physically fit the PS1 core from the MiSTer. the pocket has about half as many logic gates as it's MiSTer equivalent and the developer of the PS1 core said he was using nearly the entire chip.
It's funny how the screen ghosting of the original Game Boy actually improves some of the details in the graphics. The flowing water in Duck Tales looks much better on the original, slow screen. Similarly, transparency effects created by flickering sprites actually look transparent on the original screen, but not on newer screens. But I guess asking for selective ghosting, where something like animated water is rendered using ghosting, but other things aren't, is a step too far. Although I guess frame blending is pretty close.
What an absolute joy of a video to watch. I was just posting on reddit last week about the importance of grid pixel simulation to preserve the Gameboy look. The Q5 IPS screen mod does a much better job than fun playing btw. The issue with the Analogue Pocket is 1) Availability (2023 if you reserve it now) 2) Ergonomics. It still feels better to hold a DMG. Best thing about it is the sleep/wake function, but you lose that with flashcarts which is what most people will be using. Honestly, I'd get a modded DMG with a Q5 display since I'm only interested in Gameboy simulation.
Nanoloop is a fantastic music app, you can make proper stuff with it. In general I really appreciate the consideration you and Audi have for all the things audio in games. Sound is something of crucial importance that gets systematically ignored by most people, even by industry insiders, so again huge kudos to John and Audi.
If I had one critique on these "overly critical" reviews, is all the stuff I can't unsee or unhear after they bring it to my attention. I even had headphone on and couldn't tell one sound from the next.
The Analogue Pocket seems to be a device for people who already have a decent sized game collection rather than for people looking to get into retro gaming.
Great discussion of this device, especially regarding that screen. Now I see what makes the Pocket different from the cheaper handheld emulators on the market.
Yes and yes. I believe someone on twitter mentioned their being a firmware update that allows you to save your GB camera photos to the SD card. Also gamexplain did a analogue pocket livestream using the gb camera as their webcam so it definitely works.
Hope they get the everdrives x7 worked on working. They sent me a x7 rev. A. Thought i did good getting it on boxing day. Ohh well. Rev C (I think) and E (rev E for sure) work.
What racing game is the playing on the Switch? 7:48: Holy shit. That comparison is tough without the severe ghosting that accompanies the Game Boy-it's hard to imagine it without it-but that Analogue Pocket is beautiful. The pixels, especially the darkest shade of green, almost floats off the background of the lightest shade. I almost expect it to have horrible viewing angles like an old calculator, but obviously it wouldn't.
I'm going to be that guy and say I don't really want to play old games with limited colour and controls etc. I love games like Doom but I vastly prefer the source ports with more modern features, the same with a lot of retro FPS games, I like the core gameplay but I prefer them updated with smoother controls etc, very rarely will I play an old game and go this feels great, it usually feels clunky but I'm not sure if this applies to gameboy games etc. I just don't really see the appeal at least for me of old limited scope games like these, I know there must be a big enough niche for it but I'd like to know why, are these games good or is it just nostalgia? Regardless, it's great this exists and people can enjoy it.
most of the people are nostalgic. Some of these old games will never get a remake. some of these old games will get a remake and it will be bad. some people have a large backlog of old games. some people like the retro look. To some extent humans haven't evolved a lot since video games came out and we have the same brains basically. So what was fun then can still be fun now, kind of like how most sports played today are really old even though we basically have vr where we can do anything.
@@pleasedontwatchthese9593 Thanks for the reply yeah that make sense I suppose. I do enjoy some older games like pacman or Tetris but I wouldn't go out of my way for them if that makes sense. I loved the Tetris effect game which was a more modern take on the game with really nice visual in the background so it was almost a zen like experience. I wouldn't mind trying something like Castlevania as I heard that's pretty good, I just don't think I'd pay 200 ish for the device personally but judging by it selling out a lot of people do want it so I'm glad there's a device for people who love these games, I was a bit too young to experience these games back in the day, I'd of more of been on the Nintendo DS and then playstation 2 and 3 before I moved to PC. Never got to experience the saga Saturn or game cube but my uncle always played them 😃
I dont see why not. Most of analogue's consoles work with 8bitdo's controllers since they often collab. Also there is a usb port on the dock to support usb wired controllers.
I got a Anbernic RG315V and dont even know if this is worth it over a $100 device that emulates everything up to a PS1 flawlessly. I may check it out if the price goes down.
any idea when they're supposed to ship? i was able to get in on the pre order, but there doesn't seem to be much if any communication from analogue. not too enthused with that price tag. a little communication would be nice
Part of me wants one…the other part knows I’ll never play it.
Same here
I already have a 200 game backlog on steam i promised myself to play imagine if I told myself to play my retro library as well.
Immorality can't come soon enough
@@namonaite this comment made me feel…and feel attacked….and laugh. Thanks 😊 🤝
@@namonaite This typo made me laugh so much 😂
Same. I imagine lots of people would get it as impulse purchase. But since the delivery of AP is pushed to unspecified month of 2023, no chance for this either.
Was it just me or were the m2 sound sections missing? Otherwise, great video about what looks like an amazing product!
same thing happened to me!
Yeah, just came on to say
Like John said, really strong low pass filter ;-)
Same here, commenting for visibility so he sees it.
@@OriginalChrizum The strongest :D
Apologies for the audio issue at 17:30 - the initial export was fine but after one other touch-up, the second export introduced this audio bug. Thanks Premiere! If you want to hear that section, I made a tweet for it!
twitter.com/dark1x/status/1470432603195027470?s=20
DaVinci Resolve ftw.
Could work as a joke, though, a REALLY strong filter :D
I assumed it was a joke
Thank's for the review there ^^
But John....im worried about your eyesight :(
I noticed for a while now that you seem to have problem with your glasses(maybe the weight?) and you are often squinting your eyes. Im no Doctor, but...man...if possible go see a Doctor and let that get checked. Sorry for beeing so off topic!
lol thanks - thought it was hit for copyright notice for a second
I very much wish that (a) I never sold my GameBoy Color selection for sheckles at my local GameStop to buy PS2 games at the time, and, (b) that I pre-ordered one of these ages ago when they went up. Great review, John!
I'll sell u my gameboy color
It was an extremely limited pre-order when it was announced leaving a lot of people frustrated. So bad in fact that Analogue has been cast in a very negative light on Twitter and in UA-cam comment sections ever since.
All the major UA-cam channels got one though!
A) It could be worse: I was forced to practically give away my collection of CIB Game Boy games after being recently displaced by an EF-4 tornado. As the original owner of these games who would never dream of trading his games into GameStop, mine somehow managed an even worse fate. :(
B) You couldn’t preorder it even if you were ready and trying desperately while enlisting all of your friends and family to help. Ask me how I know. :(
Pre orders up tomorrow, fren!
You might think you want to go back and play Gameboy color games on original hardware, but I promise you the experience is more miserable than you remember it and you'd very likely quickly tire of not having a backlight.
@17:25 "The m2 collection however sounds like it has an even stronger low pass filter applied. So it's slightly more muffled but with even less hiss"... So strong that it removes the audio all together! Impressive!
😂
This
That GBA sound "improvement" is nothing more than a gimmick. It doesn't improve anything in my opinion :))).
@@alexandruc.5647 You might think it because you're watching a recording on your device.
I can assure you can hear a nasty hissing on most original hardware up to the gba once you turn the volume high enough or use headphones, so any improvement will be miles ahead of the original.
@@V3Efreet I know very well how the original GBA sounds, don't worry :).
Seen several reviews of this unit now. This one is by far the best and most thorough review (as always when John is behind it), and the system itself is clearly stellar.
Friend-of-the-site “My Life in Gaming” has perhaps the most in-depth review, and a great compliment to this one.
Personally I wouldn't trust any of those youtubers who are constantly saying how great every chinese emulator console with a 320x240 screen is
Most in depth review on youtube goes to My Life in Gaming quite easily but this one is a close second.
@@siphillis A better complement to this one is the 5-month review by "Siegarettes"... he's a person who's actually used it in real life. He covers usability and practicality in a lot more depth than these early reviews.
@@Linkale_ Miyoo Mini (v2) makes this thing look like an overpriced crock of shit. It's truly pocketable (the size of a deck of playing cards), comfortable to hold, has great battery life, and has compatibility with many more systems, including PS1. It doesn't have a meme bajillion pixel screen, it's 640x480 and that's more than enough. 4x the pixels of most of the systems it's capable of emulating. Analogue is for hipsters that want a pretty thing to put on a shelf and collect dust next to their Bluetooth record player and ironic Red Canadian Nintendo Wii.
DF is the hair splitting capital of UA-cam channels and I’m used to that. But dang man if I couldn’t find a difference in the Shantae music old vs new to save my life 🤣
17:30 - The M2 version is so muffled, you can't hear it at all!
John, what we actually used the high-latency GB screen for, was to add three extra shades to the screen. Effectively giving us seven shades of grey (that's the maths, if memory serves, we lost two shades, as they were so close to existing shades that it wasn't worth flickering them).
It's really interesting, but in the video I found that those flickering clouds in the background of castlevania were barely lighter than the rest. Was it more noticeable on the real screen?
My mind is blown by this effect. Was it memory/CPU intensive? Why didn't all games use this effect to get 7 shades instead of 4? If more games had this, it would make me regret getting the IPS mod for my gameboy.
@@Linkale_ It doesn't seem to work on video. It relied on the low quality GB screen. It was really effective though.
@@KnightMD If memory serves, it wasn't too much of a hit on the GB. We used it mainly to improve sprites, add transparency effects, and increase the number of sprites on-screen. Once we'd figured it out, we never went back.
@@DougHolmes Does it have to be for a static element (e.g. Background) or can it be part of a character's pixels?
More than anything I really want to see FPGA clones of the PS1, Saturn and N64 if that's even possible. I could also die happy with a PS2 FPGA clone.
This would be awesome indeed. However, I'm not sure how this could be possible from a legal stand point given that PS1/PS2 would also require its BIOS (which I believe is propietary and illegal to use). I would appreciate is someone can help me clarifying this as I'm not super versed on this topic.
Mister has you covered ps1 and saturn cores incoming
Saturn and PS1 core on the MISTer is already at a playable state. The PS1 in particular already has save states and soon next year will have sound implemented.
@@Moravia90s Some PS1 emulators use their own emulated bios’s nowadays, compatibility isn’t as good as a real bios but that’s something that could be improved upon especially if it was needed for a shipping product. Ultimately the bios for a game console of that era is just the “OS” that games run on top of, so that can be reimplemented just like the hardware side can.
@@StrangerHappened Yup it's an okay option, I do have one but it still has emulation issues (glitches, artifacts, slow down, etc.) So I still prefer FPGA.
@DigitalFoundry These are finally shipping out to customers, maybe time for a one year update on what's new since this initial video?
luckily I just grabbed one today! cant wait to get my hands on it
I’m so happy companies like Analogue exist
I'm sure they're just as happy gullible people will spend this much money on a Gameboy in 2021.
@@michaelharrington5906 Gullible people? No. There isn't some big marketing campaign to convince people to buy this. There's no attempt to persuade people it's comparable to modern game systems. It's a way to play retro games in a modern way, and that's all it presents itself to be. If you buy this based on the information provided by Analogue or in video reviews like this, you're not gullible to do so - the information is clear enough to know exactly what you're getting.
This is a product people have been eagerly awaiting for years. There's no gullibility in that, especially as niche products of this type are things you tend to seek out if you're interested, not things that are presented to you. Just because you're not part of the target market and don't understand the appeal doesn't mean this product doesn't have a place or that those buying it are gullible.
@@dandavidson4717 100
@@michaelharrington5906 eh... there's worse things to spend your money on isnt there.. but yeh, you can get something emu based of almost comparable quality (to the less keen eye) for a fraction of the price with a far greater library. Nobodies getting 'fooled' by this, but again I kinda get why you say that. It is what it is. This is for a certain somewhat niche group of collectors and enthusiasts and I say good for them. Its very impressive what they've accomplished with this. If it makes the people that are into this and have the disposable cash happy- great. I personally wouldnt fork out for it, I cant afford such luxuries...but Id love to have a try on one. I've still got some Game Gear carts knocking around somewhere from a million years ago... with this I wouldnt have to be permanently tethered to the wall socket or paying the same amount in AAs to enjoy them haha
@@dandavidson4717 the big marketing campaign are all these reviews/review copies as well as hype lololol
hey DF,
would you like to revisit this device for a second go with the newly released fpga cores like SNES, NeoGeo etc.?
John, heck of a review, great job! I cannot wait to get it this week. Woot! First game I'm playing is Metroid 2.
I started replaying Metroid 2 recently. That game holds up surprisingly well.
thank you John for testing the Robocop theme
Digital doing Analogue?
I never thought I'd see the day...
You and My Life in Gaming have the absolute best screen captures. Extra points for Tokimeki Memorial Pocket.
@@Cardamander you are not alone
Just for the record, you don't have to slice the cable to get the game cube link adapter to work, just unscrew the end connecting to a Gameboy and take out the two clips, then put it back together. Also works with the wireless adapter.
I would've been all over this if I'd heard about it earlier. FPGA is cool as it is, but the screen simulation is something I never knew I needed until now.
To be fair, it's a fairly recent development, and a newborn science. People are just now realizing the need to emulate the original presentation, and getting around to implementing display emulation shaders into the usual emulators. Currently, the most advanced emulator on that front is RetroArch, even featuring CRT TV emulation shaders for the games that looked their best before LCDs came along. But for the CRT ones in particular to look proper, you need a beefy GPU, and a really high-end, extremely bright display, with 4K and HDR support. Otherwise it looks like garbage due to downscaling of the phosphor matrix and not enough color precision to properly emulate the analog physics, contrast and brightness of a real CRT monitor. Or you could get an actual CRT and just use the composite signal emulation part of the effect.
Early LCDs like the ones seen in GB hardware, though, are much easier to emulate by comparison, so those can fit in a portable device like this one.
And having a screen this high-end with the correct, native aspect ratio and a resolution & density high enough to properly emulate the original subpixel layout is 80% of what makes this look so good.
17:36 Did Konami actually go after, and flag the couple of seconds of audio from the M2 collection?! That's insane!
While this device is awesome and I've been trying to get one ever since I barely missed the pre order window, I very much bemoan the fact the gaming and its associated hardware is becoming increasingly illusive and expensive. More and more, gaming is becoming a hobby for those with means. With the hardware locked behind low production numbers (like here) or ever-increasing price (also here) I fear people like myself will be gated out of our own hobby. I know some of you can afford to pay $1000 for a GPU or handheld like this, but I just can't. I guess that's my problem.
Nope, definitely not just your problem, wealth inequality continues to grow across countries like the US and UK, so many gamers are being priced out of their hobby. Thankfully Series S and Game Pass are great ways to affordably enjoy contemporary games with good performance, and Switch is good value as long as you shop around for the best software deals, but enjoying retro games in an authentic manner is definitely prohibitive.
It’s $200 not $1000. Not cheap, but hardly ridiculous for the quality - it’s about the same price as an original GameBoy was, accounting for inflation.
You can easily play any game from the GBA and before on a potato computer, oftentimes straight from a browser. Retroarch runs on android phones. There are cheap to free ways to access these games. This device is for enthusiasts, and in most hobbies something that is literally market defining would be hundreds of dollars more.
@@Zveebo While that's true, it's $1000 if you're looking to actually buy one after hearing a review like this, they're sold out for the foreseeable future so your only option is the secondhand market.
@@sagewaterdragon they're sold out until 8 AM PST tomorrow. I doubt the pre-orders are open long, but that's hardly "sold out for the foreseeable future"
I am always baffled by audiophiles. With my eyes closed I would not able to pinpoint when the sound changes between the original and the analogue pocket if my life depended on it.
Just how different sprites look by adding the pixel grid is stunning. And the fact that you can only achieve this look on an ultra high DPI screen makes this a very attractive device.
hey John, just to let you know, you've got some audio segments muted 17:30! but amazing work as always thank you!
i laughed when the sound muted
Glad someone brought this up.
@@Kysen10 Extremely Low Pass Filter
I thought it was my headphone being defective lol.
Shipping to australia cost $90 USD which is a ... joke
The original GBC has a low frequency cutoff that the Analogue Pocket fixes, That's why it has more "bass"
I actually went "oh wow" about the frame blending feature.
I've been waiting for a device like this one for a very long time, with great video and audio quality. I'm sold! Thanks a lot for the extensive review and also for the mention, John!
Wow - the M.2 audio is so clean it's like listening to nothing at all! Oh..wait...
As someone lucky enough to snag a preorder - this is music to my ears! Thanks for going so in-depth on the review!
Word! Mine is supposed to ship this week!!
@@swissmrkc I can't wait! Going to play so much fire emblem and golden sun haha
Looks cool. I'm afraid to turn on my old gameboy advance out of fear its filled with battery acid leakage.. pretty sure I never removed those batteries like I should have
So this might be a great modern solution
Get rid of those old batteries now! If they're still in there, leaving them in is just going to make things worse. If there is leakage, scrubbing the battery contacts with a toothbrush and alcohol should get rid of the acid corrosion.
That sound difference on the GBC is remarkable, it makes it seem as if there is more detail to the audio that is "missing" from the originals, I really like it.
We almost, ALMOST got there with just the caveat. But no... In, close to the end, the bespoke just had to come and ruin the party! 😭
Does every product release with known faults and shortcomings intended to be addressed in updates? I swear everything you buy now is half-baked.
I know it’s taken such a long time but Analogue are doing a really good thing here. The hardware and the interface look awesome. The big three console makers should pay attention to how to present games to consumers otherwise they’re going to lose their positions in the market to newcomers that do it better. Great review John. You’re the man to go to for retro.
Newcomers making hardware to play 30 year old games from said "big 3"?
Nintendo gives literally 0 shits if you want to play Gameboy games they make 0 money from fifth hand cartridges...
Ironic. In our infinite wisdom, and with technology so supreme and nostalgia so consuming, we gear our technology to reproduce the limitations of what we left behind.
I want one.
lol so I just had a look, and the Pocket doesn't come bundled with anything but a USB-C cable for $220 -- if you want the dock, the case, a charger, and the four adapters for Game Gear, Neo-Geo Pocket, Lynx, and TG16 it's wait for it.... $500! Yeah screw that noise when it can't even play ROMs without a flashcart despite having an SD slot. This is an overpriced novelty that will go up in smoke after selling a few thousand units.
They can't promote the use of pirated roms on their console. If they did Nintendo would immediately come after them. That said nearly every analogue console is hacked to play roms like a week after they release.
8:00 I kinda like how the water looks better on a Gameboy precisely BECAUSE of the ghosting. It smears those dark and light pixels together into something that looks closer to a waterfall than the crisper modern alternatives.
What happened to the M2 music? It's now just blank completely...
I was gonna ask all those ost you guy used. Thanks for putting in credits at least.
Andd I preordered on the dot at 11 am...why am I like thissss
The most important question wasn't answer. Does the game boy sonar works with the analog pocket?
what about sewing machine!
@@pleasedontwatchthese9593 the sonar is more useful in a survival situation... ;)
That Robocop song will always be such a banger of a song, impressive what they were able to do on such limited hardware. Same composer made music for the NES Jurassic Park game, and the music there is just as amazing.
ahhhh!!! I sold my dmg-01 that I used for lsdj and this thing is calling to me! Would be a great way to play some metroid fusion again too 😎
Take a shot everytime he says "every game I threw at it". Next he'll be saying buttery smooth
Looks like everyone’s uploading their pocket videos at the same time.
That'll be an embargo thing for sure
Review embargo most likely
This with costum firmware will be amazing!
*custom
They nailed the look of the screen and i'm super happy they managed to handle flicker sprites for transparency so well, unexpected but great it's there.
I'm disappointed there wasn't a more thorough analysis of the GBA and GBC color palette accuracy, since mere desaturation isn't enough to achieve their different color space.
So many videos coming out for this magical device imagine if only you could order one, or let’s say you can order one (as another order slot is opening up) you still have to wait years anyway to get it…..so really what’s the point Analogue? I gave up when they took the items out of my cart last August when it sold out in 2 minutes.
You sold me on the screen quality, but I think it's too late lol. If I preorder now, I doubt I'd get it before 2023.
Nice console but too expensive ! I prefer original console with Screen Mod IPS LCD OSD 👍
Can anyone watching tell me if Analogue has fixed or commented on the gba scaling issue mentiontioed at 11:05? I think they did say they fixed something similar.
Relieved to hear about the sturdy hold the system has on cartridges. Seeing so much stick out was worrisome, but now I can be glad to play and still see the game art.
John did not eat the silica-gel sachets that came with the unit-
0/10 review!
That high quality audio helps alot!
Is this why mvg made his video private lol
HUH that robocop track is so good lol
What I've learned from this is that the Shantae game has some incredible music, holy smokes
Good but way too expensive. No one wants to pay 200-300 for a game boy
Can't afford to get one right now. Hopefully they keep stock for a year or so.
Great review. I missed the first pre-order of the pocket so i pre-ordered one yesterday.
Update:
I received my Analogue Pocket two weeks ago and am enjoying it ,playing gb,gbc and gba games. Said games look so much better on the AP screen makes the games ten times more enjoyable.
It aint a Digital Foundry video without the word "bespoke"
I love these videos, but they are getting longer and longer.
Steller video always from you John. Boy do I want one. Still got a box with all my GBs, GBAs, DSs and 3DSs but a better device and screen for those old GB, GBC and GBA games would be awesome. Bought as soon as my wallet can afford it!
Can't beat that Robocop track. Such a banger.
*HI. I'm asking about PHOENIX GAMES.*
I get mine tomorrow. I got all the “vital” accessories when i ordered mine, like the dock, screen protector and link cable. Now that preorders are open again, I’ll def be ordering additional protectors, cart adapters and the a hard case.
Great video as always. This video somehow made me even more excited for this thing.
I hope John revisits the pocket with what it’s able to do now
Will it be able to play PS1 games?
I don't think the FPGA inside Pocket can physically fit the PS1 core from the MiSTer.
the pocket has about half as many logic gates as it's MiSTer equivalent and the developer of the PS1 core said he was using nearly the entire chip.
It's funny how the screen ghosting of the original Game Boy actually improves some of the details in the graphics. The flowing water in Duck Tales looks much better on the original, slow screen. Similarly, transparency effects created by flickering sprites actually look transparent on the original screen, but not on newer screens. But I guess asking for selective ghosting, where something like animated water is rendered using ghosting, but other things aren't, is a step too far. Although I guess frame blending is pretty close.
No Golden Sun? I'm very disappointed.
I tell myself i wouldnt use this but i think id actjally use it all the time, esspecially for pickup and play style games like contra or tmnt.
Nice Star Ocean sting there in the beginning, John, lol
At this point this isn't a retro thing anymore.
I don't play old games nor do I own any...yet I want this system 😄
Other reviews be like “I push the buttons and the little guy moves on the screen. It good”
lol
What an absolute joy of a video to watch. I was just posting on reddit last week about the importance of grid pixel simulation to preserve the Gameboy look. The Q5 IPS screen mod does a much better job than fun playing btw. The issue with the Analogue Pocket is 1) Availability (2023 if you reserve it now) 2) Ergonomics. It still feels better to hold a DMG. Best thing about it is the sleep/wake function, but you lose that with flashcarts which is what most people will be using. Honestly, I'd get a modded DMG with a Q5 display since I'm only interested in Gameboy simulation.
Nanoloop is a fantastic music app, you can make proper stuff with it. In general I really appreciate the consideration you and Audi have for all the things audio in games. Sound is something of crucial importance that gets systematically ignored by most people, even by industry insiders, so again huge kudos to John and Audi.
It's a good thing I'm not an audiophile, I was struggling to hear the differences in audio lol
If I had one critique on these "overly critical" reviews, is all the stuff I can't unsee or unhear after they bring it to my attention. I even had headphone on and couldn't tell one sound from the next.
When is the hot wheels unleashed video coming?
The Analogue Pocket seems to be a device for people who already have a decent sized game collection rather than for people looking to get into retro gaming.
Wow, what a scoop! Massive fan of the FPGA scene, and great to see that this isn't vapourware. Great video, and a great sign of things to come!
not really a scoop it was in dev and prod state for the past two years
@@gzaos who else has covered the Analogue Pocket yet? Not seen it in the flesh and analysed to this extent by anyone = scoop.
@@jpxdude on my subscription feed I count 4 videos on this, all dropped at the exact same time (when the embargo lifted). Not a scoop at all
@@jpxdude I currently have 12 videos on it in my subscription feed, so definitely not a scoop.
Good review. I'd probably be in line for a pre-order tomorrow, but I have to pass since I'm already in queue for a Steam Deck Q1.
John keeps referring to issues in certain emulators, what emulators is he referring to.
Certain ones
@@shootermcgavin1208 lol any idea what ones.
Great discussion of this device, especially regarding that screen. Now I see what makes the Pocket different from the cheaper handheld emulators on the market.
Haven't seen that jacket in years John! 😀 Reminds me of early DF retro.
Really hoping for a jailbreak, I have all the games I like on cart but swapping them around is tedious and cumbersome on the go.
But can it run Crysis?
Please I need to know, does the gb camera work? And if it does, can you extract the pictures you take to a computer?
Yes and yes. I believe someone on twitter mentioned their being a firmware update that allows you to save your GB camera photos to the SD card. Also gamexplain did a analogue pocket livestream using the gb camera as their webcam so it definitely works.
IAN'S PARKS sweet! Thanks! Now I have to wait till 2023 😭
Hope they get the everdrives x7 worked on working.
They sent me a x7 rev. A. Thought i did good getting it on boxing day. Ohh well. Rev C (I think) and E (rev E for sure) work.
What racing game is the playing on the Switch?
7:48: Holy shit. That comparison is tough without the severe ghosting that accompanies the Game Boy-it's hard to imagine it without it-but that Analogue Pocket is beautiful. The pixels, especially the darkest shade of green, almost floats off the background of the lightest shade. I almost expect it to have horrible viewing angles like an old calculator, but obviously it wouldn't.
I'm going to be that guy and say I don't really want to play old games with limited colour and controls etc. I love games like Doom but I vastly prefer the source ports with more modern features, the same with a lot of retro FPS games, I like the core gameplay but I prefer them updated with smoother controls etc, very rarely will I play an old game and go this feels great, it usually feels clunky but I'm not sure if this applies to gameboy games etc. I just don't really see the appeal at least for me of old limited scope games like these, I know there must be a big enough niche for it but I'd like to know why, are these games good or is it just nostalgia?
Regardless, it's great this exists and people can enjoy it.
most of the people are nostalgic.
Some of these old games will never get a remake. some of these old games will get a remake and it will be bad. some people have a large backlog of old games. some people like the retro look.
To some extent humans haven't evolved a lot since video games came out and we have the same brains basically. So what was fun then can still be fun now, kind of like how most sports played today are really old even though we basically have vr where we can do anything.
Yeah same, this is an amazingly made device…but I was most interested in the homegrown scene.
@@pleasedontwatchthese9593 Thanks for the reply yeah that make sense I suppose. I do enjoy some older games like pacman or Tetris but I wouldn't go out of my way for them if that makes sense. I loved the Tetris effect game which was a more modern take on the game with really nice visual in the background so it was almost a zen like experience. I wouldn't mind trying something like Castlevania as I heard that's pretty good, I just don't think I'd pay 200 ish for the device personally but judging by it selling out a lot of people do want it so I'm glad there's a device for people who love these games, I was a bit too young to experience these games back in the day, I'd of more of been on the Nintendo DS and then playstation 2 and 3 before I moved to PC. Never got to experience the saga Saturn or game cube but my uncle always played them 😃
Can it run NES and SNES cores?
Would the 8bitdo wired USB SNES controller work on the dock?
I dont see why not. Most of analogue's consoles work with 8bitdo's controllers since they often collab. Also there is a usb port on the dock to support usb wired controllers.
@@ians_parks Nice!
I got a Anbernic RG315V and dont even know if this is worth it over a $100 device that emulates everything up to a PS1 flawlessly. I may check it out if the price goes down.
The glowing reviews the Pocket is getting all over makes me so excited to receive mine! Awesome review!
any idea when they're supposed to ship? i was able to get in on the pre order, but there doesn't seem to be much if any communication from analogue.
not too enthused with that price tag. a little communication would be nice
I guess this is great for enthusiasts. But isn't something like the Anbernic RG351V better for the general users?
Probably 🤷🏾♂️ I would say this is definitely a product for enthusiasts, similar to the Playdate.
JEEZ I cannot believe I have not heard that Robocop soundtrack song before... that is a banger