Analogue Pocket

[dataDave]

James built ours when he was three and a half. I had to supervise, but all I really did was apply a little extra pressure to the sandwiching of the boards and torque the screws to make sure everything was secure.

[Cepp]

I misread.

Anyway yeah, I too would like MISTer

[Nu-Eclipse]

Did I mention I sold my Analogue Pocket? Irony there considering how hype I was for the thing.

Wow! Didn't see that coming at all!!

What made you decide to part with it?

[speedlolita]

Wow! Didn't see that coming at all!!

What made you decide to part with it?

There were a handful of factors. Primary was that I was still reaching for OEM hardware over the Pocket. The Pocket is a nice device but it is pretty heavy compared to say an SP which doesn't lend itself well to portability.

The Pocket is great for GB/C absolutely but GBA feels somewhat of an afterthought comparatively. The SP has pretty lackluster shoulder buttons and the Pocket ones are even worse. Despite not being an integer scale the screen handled the upscaling of the games well enough though, can't fault it for that.

Analogue's business decisions (or lack of) the last few years has been frustrating as an owner. Even though I've sold mine we're still waiting on functionality and availability of certain adapters. You can blame COVID all you like but that extends beyond reason. Also the API for openFPGA cores to gain access to the screen filters.

I also didn't like how flimsy the materials used on the device are, I feel like they're much too soft to be deployed in a handheld. I used mine pretty lightly but the bottom had cracking and it also had various light scratching where I know something made of Nintendium wouldn't.

OpenFPGA cores are a nice value add for the owner but all Analogue is doing is providing a platform for devs to work with, if you were to look at that cynically you could say that some of the strengths of the device aren't due to Analogue at all. No doubt the success of openFPGA cores and steady demand for the hardware is enabling Analogue to be as complacent as they've been in recent times.

Ultimately I won't be giving Analogue my business again, not after this experience.

[Nu-Eclipse]

There were a handful of factors. Primary was that I was still reaching for OEM hardware over the Pocket. The Pocket is a nice device but it is pretty heavy compared to say an SP which doesn't lend itself well to portability.

The Pocket is great for GB/C absolutely but GBA feels somewhat of an afterthought comparatively. The SP has pretty lackluster shoulder buttons and the Pocket ones are even worse. Despite not being an integer scale the screen handled the upscaling of the games well enough though, can't fault it for that.

Analogue's business decisions (or lack of) the last few years has been frustrating as an owner. Even though I've sold mine we're still waiting on functionality and availability of certain adapters. You can blame COVID all you like but that extends beyond reason. Also the API for openFPGA cores to gain access to the screen filters.

I also didn't like how flimsy the materials used on the device are, I feel like they're much too soft to be deployed in a handheld. I used mine pretty lightly but the bottom had cracking and it also had various light scratching where I know something made of Nintendium wouldn't.

OpenFPGA cores are a nice value add for the owner but all Analogue is doing is providing a platform for devs to work with, if you were to look at that cynically you could say that some of the strengths of the device aren't due to Analogue at all. No doubt the success of openFPGA cores and steady demand for the hardware is enabling Analogue to be as complacent as they've been in recent times.

Ultimately I won't be giving Analogue my business again, not after this experience.

That's pretty damning. Fair enough, though - ultimately you've had the product in your hands. We've talked about if before: it would be a damn shame if Analogue are cynically cutting corners on QC just to meet demand for their products. That's never a good sign.

I will say that you mentioning "Nintendium" got me in two minds. Classic Nintendo hardware was arguably the most durable console hardware around (we all know about the DMG-001 that survived the Gulf War!), but I'd argue that modern Nintendo hardware hasn't been up to that standard for quite some time now - I've had all sorts of issues with my DS Lites and my 3DS models: shoulder buttons failing, hinges cracking, wear/tear on SD card slots (Nintendo Service Centre asked for £80 to fix it out of warranty lmao!!), etc....the kind of stuff that just never happened with Nintendo products before. On top of that, we all know that the Switch (and especially the Joy-Con) has all the strength and solidity of origami.

[speedlolita]

That's pretty damning. Fair enough, though - ultimately you've had the product in your hands. We've talked about if before: it would be a damn shame if Analogue are cynically cutting corners on QC just to meet demand for their products. That's never a good sign.

I will say that you mentioning "Nintendium" got me in two minds. Classic Nintendo hardware was arguably the most durable console hardware around (we all know about the DMG-001 that survived the Gulf War!), but I'd argue that modern Nintendo hardware hasn't been up to that standard for quite some time now - I've had all sorts of issues with my DS Lites and my 3DS models: shoulder buttons failing, hinges cracking, wear/tear on SD card slots (Nintendo Service Centre asked for £80 to fix it out of warranty lmao!!), etc....the kind of stuff that just never happened with Nintendo products before. On top of that, we all know that the Switch (and especially the Joy-Con) has all the strength and solidity of origami.

I don't think they're cutting corners as much as having teething issues from releasing their first handheld. Did I mention I had to RMA my unit to get the cartridge slot fixed when it was new? The slightly bent cartridge port seems like a common occurrence that can be put down to how the hardware is assembled.

As for Nintendium, of course I'm referring to DMG to AGB era devices. Definitely agree that their quality isn't where it used to be.

[wakka]

Yeah, the Pocket is a mixed bag in terms of build quality. The screen is great, and it’s covered with glass and has a more premium feel than any other handheld I’ve used. But the plastic of the front is oddly soft and the holes cut for speakers and ports are a bit uneven looking. I also think having the cartridge slot pins so exposed is a strange decision.

I like the buttons and d-pad a lot, though. Some people seem to have d-pad probs but mine has been great.

I really wish they would release the update which allows core developers to use screen filters. That is a real omission right now.

[speedlolita]

I can't really comment on the dpad controls as I mainly used the machine for RPGs. I know a lot of people were complaining about it on the classic gaming discord and reddit for games like tetris but it didn't really bother me. Face buttons are great but those shoulder buttons definitely feel like a weak link as previously mentioned.

[wakka]

Yeah the shoulder buttons are not great, which is a shame.

Overall though, I do really like mine. It’s dominated my gaming since I got it. The form factor is really comfy for me, I like the size and chonk of it. And it’s so great to finally have a way that I can play retro handheld stuff. I just didn’t have a good way at all to do that before.

[cutmymilk]

James built ours when he was three and a half. I had to supervise, but all I really did was apply a little extra pressure to the sandwiching of the boards and torque the screws to make sure everything was secure.

When you search for hardware, various boards from £20 aliexpress stuff to a few hundred quid. So, the MISTer is a project, so software, and are all these boards meant to do the same thing?

[speedlolita]

When you search for hardware, various boards from £20 aliexpress stuff to a few hundred quid. So, the MISTer is a project, so software, and are all these boards meant to do the same thing?

The heart of the MiSTer project is the DE10-Nano from Terasic. That is the bare minimum you need to get started at a cost of around £250. Including import fees and add on boards my MiSTer build totaled £450 to give you a ballpark figure.

[Cepp]

The Pocket is a bit heavy, but apart from that I haven't had any issues with it buildwise personally.

I do worry about damaging the bottom when putting it in the dock though. There's no easy way to slide it in.

[dataDave]

When you search for hardware, various boards from £20 aliexpress stuff to a few hundred quid. So, the MISTer is a project, so software, and are all these boards meant to do the same thing?

misterfpga.co.uk has everything you need under one roof (other than the DE-10). That’s where I got all my bits from and the service and quality of parts has been top notch. Not a single issue.

Are you going to be using a CRT? I can write you a shopping list with explanations if you like.

Let’s take it to the MiSTer thread, anyway.

There’s already a shopping list post here: https://bordersdown.net/threads/1288...=1#post2425236

[speedlolita]

Embedded Tweet

The update everyone was waiting for.

Edit: I misread. Screen filters still not available for openFPGA cores.

[cutmymilk]

The heart of the MiSTer project is the DE10-Nano from Terasic. That is the bare minimum you need to get started at a cost of around £250. Including import fees and add on boards my MiSTer build totaled £450 to give you a ballpark figure.

misterfpga.co.uk has everything you need under one roof (other than the DE-10). That’s where I got all my bits from and the service and quality of parts has been top notch. Not a single issue.

Are you going to be using a CRT? I can write you a shopping list with explanations if you like.

Let’s take it to the MiSTer thread, anyway.

There’s already a shopping list post here: https://bordersdown.net/threads/1288...=1#post2425236

Thank you both and sorry for missing these replies. I really appreciate it and have a decent understanding now.

I don't think I will be using a CRT unfortunately. It would be great to have space for one. Maybe in the future....