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Thread: Analogue Pocket - new handheld for GBA/GG/NGPC/Lynx

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    Default Analogue Pocket - new handheld for GBA/GG/NGPC/Lynx

    Came across this news article today: https://hardware.srad.jp/story/19/10/18/1622231/

    Here's the overview: https://www.analogue.co/pocket/

    Considering what it's built with, maybe the $199 initial price isn't so bad. It has HDMI support so does this mean there is finally a convenient way to play Game Gear games without emulation with a TV? I gotta wonder how it handles regions, since some GG carts behave differently based on the region of the GG it's running on, and the game content can really change as a result...

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    This will be the be-all end-all for Lynx, GameGear, and NeoGeo Pocket Color. The Lynx is a battery monster, buttons are crap, screen is crap. GameGear wasnt a whole lot better besides the buttons. Cant wait for this. Hope the cartridge input doesnt have a death grip like Hyperkins products

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    this will be the first fpga clone i purchase

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    Quote Originally Posted by FoxNtd View Post
    I gotta wonder how it handles regions, since some GG carts behave differently based on the region of the GG it's running on, and the game content can really change as a result...
    I never heard this before with Game Gear games, is there a list of the games that run differently? I thought portable games ran the same on all systems.

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    Neat this is definitely a cheaper alternative to a consolized gba.

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    not really part of the subject, but i really wish analog could have done a genesis/snes combo system in that same price range...$250...i may have bitten on that, but i have a hard time justifying close to $300 for a snes or genesis clone

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    Quote Originally Posted by Gameguy View Post
    some GG carts behave differently based on the region of the GG it's running on, and the game content can really change as a result...
    I've never heard of this either, and I've considered myself pretty deep into the GameGear over the years.

    The ergonomics on the Analogue Pocket appear to be pretty bad. The buttons appear quite cramped, no idea about the shoulder buttons, and the edges are nearly squared-off = doesn't look like it will be comfortable or conducive to long play sessions.

    Analogue never came through or updated what happened to the Game Gear adapter for the MegaSG.
    How long will buyers be waiting for the
    * Cartridge adapters required for Game Gear, Neo Geo Pocket Color, Atari Lynx [ Sold Separately ].
    as they aren't shown to exist or function?...

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    Yes the Game Gear has regions despite having no region lock. I would be surprised if there is not already a list of games that are affected by the region of the GG they're running on. For example I was glad to play Tails Adventure with the JP cart, but because I have a US GG, the whole game ran in US mode. Couldn't muster any info on the topic of how to set the region of a GG either.

    If I'm not mistaken someone on this very forum spoke of Ristar or some similar adventure game that had an entire game section missing unless you ran the cart on a JP GG.

    Other carts are likely equipped in the same manner some Mega Drive carts were, detecting the region of the console and loading the ROM content accordingly. I wouldn't be surprised if the GG Bare Knuckle games also do this.

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    Quote Originally Posted by ncman071 View Post
    not really part of the subject, but i really wish analog could have done a genesis/snes combo system in that same price range...$250...i may have bitten on that, but i have a hard time justifying close to $300 for a snes or genesis clone
    A combo genesis/snes woud have been too clonish for my taste. Sort of a non emulation version of the Retron 5.
    These FPGA consoles are under $200, which seems pretty reasonable to me. In fact I bought 2 Analogue Super NT's and 2 Analogue Mega SG's myself. I wanted an American and Japanese version of each. The Mega SG plays Master System carts as well and also attaches itself to a Sega CD drive, making itself incredibly useful to me.
    I would have bought an Analogue Pocket no matter what, but when I saw that you could dock it and play games on an HD TV with regular controllers, I was ecstatic!

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    Quote Originally Posted by FoxNtd View Post
    Yes the Game Gear has regions despite having no region lock. I would be surprised if there is not already a list of games that are affected by the region of the GG they're running on. For example I was glad to play Tails Adventure with the JP cart, but because I have a US GG, the whole game ran in US mode. Couldn't muster any info on the topic of how to set the region of a GG either.

    If I'm not mistaken someone on this very forum spoke of Ristar or some similar adventure game that had an entire game section missing unless you ran the cart on a JP GG.

    Other carts are likely equipped in the same manner some Mega Drive carts were, detecting the region of the console and loading the ROM content accordingly. I wouldn't be surprised if the GG Bare Knuckle games also do this.
    So I could just buy the JP version of Tails Adventure and its basically the same as the US one I owned as a kid? Okay, glad I know this....

    Also one game I recall being affected by regions was, of all things, a Puyo Puyo game that never got localized, but if played on a US GG it has an alternate title screen calling it something like Wizard Kids or something, and english text. Which some speculate means it was meant to be released stateside and it just didn't happen for some reason.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Spartacus View Post
    A combo genesis/snes woud have been too clonish for my taste. Sort of a non emulation version of the Retron 5.
    These FPGA consoles are under $200, which seems pretty reasonable to me. In fact I bought 2 Analogue Super NT's and 2 Analogue Mega SG's myself. I wanted an American and Japanese version of each. The Mega SG plays Master System carts as well and also attaches itself to a Sega CD drive, making itself incredibly useful to me.
    I would have bought an Analogue Pocket no matter what, but when I saw that you could dock it and play games on an HD TV with regular controllers, I was ecstatic!
    I echo those sentiments. If they had released a 2-in-1 or 3-in-1 with a generic controller that can play all of those systems, my thought is "whats the point." The idea is to take the original hardware and modernize it.

    The Pocket I understand because why would someone pay $200 for a console that can only play the 70-some odd Lynx games. I see the add-on as being something that most gamers arent even going to bother with.

    I did hear them say "and other systems" so I wonder if that means the Game.com cartridges will be compatible. I dont know what other systems they could be referring to. WonderSwan?

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    I think it's a great idea from Analogue, given their product line. Granted I won't buy it as I'm original hardware only!
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    I normally go all official with everything, but it's an intriguing product. I'm more than content with my backlit GBA SP for GB/GBC/GBA games, and I don't really mind using my Game Gear, as long as I'm using an AC adapter to power it (though I don't especially like being tethered to a wall). I wish the NGPC was backlit, but I'd never trade the amazing stick on the NGPC for a standard d-pad. But with the Lynx, I've never owned one, and they're a bit pricey. Having access to the Lynx library alone is appealing.

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    I'm really curious to see how they manage the adapters for other cartridges... I can't picture any elegant solution that doesn't end up with a Game Gear cartridge sticking 2 inches out the top, flopping around and resetting the game. I really hope I'm wrong though.

    Also really hoping they do a TurboGrafx HuCard adapter. Probably the only console system that would work well here.

    --Zero

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    Quote Originally Posted by FoxNtd View Post
    Yes the Game Gear has regions despite having no region lock. I would be surprised if there is not already a list of games that are affected by the region of the GG they're running on. For example I was glad to play Tails Adventure with the JP cart, but because I have a US GG, the whole game ran in US mode. Couldn't muster any info on the topic of how to set the region of a GG either.
    I can't remember hearing this at all so it's new to me. It's been years since I've played any of my Game Gear stuff but I think the only console I still own is a Japanese version so it might be problematic, I might have to track down a North American version after all. I only own a few games at this point but I think they're pretty much all Japanese versions, I still haven't tried them out and I'm not even sure if my console is still working or needs capacitors changed. It would definitely be a plus if I could get them to play in English. Dealing with the console reliability issues is the biggest pain with the system.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Ze_ro View Post
    I'm really curious to see how they manage the adapters for other cartridges... I can't picture any elegant solution that doesn't end up with a Game Gear cartridge sticking 2 inches out the top, flopping around and resetting the game. I really hope I'm wrong though.

    Also really hoping they do a TurboGrafx HuCard adapter. Probably the only console system that would work well here.

    --Zero
    I thought about this too. The point of a portable console is for it to be compact and lightweight. I dont look at a Game Boy with the Game Genie adapter and magnifier and think "portable" or even the Lynx itself. Video Game Critic did a write up on the Lynx that kind of pointed out the hilarity of the advertising as these behemoths as "portable"

    I just want a device like the Game Boy that I can shove Lynx carts into and not have to waste a ton of batteries or be stuck next to a wall outlet playing

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    Analogue conducted a pre-order for the Pocket today with a limit of 2 and it sold out in minutes. Lots of unhappy customers complaining about the Analogue store website stalling at the shipping calculator, costing them valuable minutes. It happened to me when I purchased a Pocket as well. Fearing refreshing the web page would lose my place in line, I just gritted it out for a few minutes and was fortunate enough to get my order in time. Several people were posting pics on Analogue's Twitter of presumably confirmed buyers listings the Pocket on Ebay for 2 to 3 times the original price. Many sellers claimed to have 2 for sale, meaning they had only purchased them to resell. It's a real shame and I feel for anyone who only wanted one to play games. Analogue says they will have more in the future, but I know I felt like I've already waited a long time for the Pocket and this batch won't even ship until next year.

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    I'm kind of still waiting to see the NGPC adapter available first, since I primarily want to replay that library of games. It was tempting though, considering it was obvious the system would sell out immediately during the pre-order stage regardless of adapter availability.

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    Quote Originally Posted by ArcadePerfect View Post
    I'm kind of still waiting to see the NGPC adapter available first, since I primarily want to replay that library of games.
    How they haven't been able make the adapters for the Mega SG available is baffling.
    Did they ever even straighten out the GG adapters that shipped?
    Last edited by Koa Zo; 08-06-2020 at 11:06 PM.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Koa Zo View Post
    How they haven't been able make the adapters for the Mega SG available is baffling.
    Did they ever even straighten out the GG adapters that shipped?
    Good question, wasn't aware those might have never released! Never purchased one of those consoles. I'm definitely going to take a wait & see approach until the NGPC adapter is available now.

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