Analogue Pocket
The Analogue Pocket is a handheld game console designed and manufactured by Analogue. Announced in October 2019 and released on December 13, 2021, it uses field-programmable gate array (FPGA) chips to play games from various handheld consoles up to the sixth generation.
Analogue Pocket

Sergiy Galyonkin from Raleigh, USA · Analogue Pocket in Yellow · CC BY-SA 2.0
- Field
- handheld game console · FPGA based video game console
VALÉORINE Encyclopedia
VALÉORINE documentary reading
Documentary summary
The Analogue Pocket is a handheld game console designed and manufactured by Analogue. Announced in October 2019 and released on December 13, 2021, it uses field-programmable gate array (FPGA) chips to play games from various handheld consoles up to the sixth generation.
Admitted source layer · organised and presented by VALÉORINE
Note VALÉORINE
No house-authored Note is published until its assertions and sources pass the VALÉORINE evidence contract. The documentary article remains available in full while that enrichment is being consolidated.
Documentary enrichment in progress · no unsupported statement published
Reference Check
Propose documentary evidence for Analogue Pocket. A contribution is never written directly as fact: identity, source, rights and evidence gates still decide.
Sign in to contribute
Documentary evidence
Evidence Panel
not yet certified
- Identity
- resolved
- Independent source families
- 0
- Admitted assertions
- 0
- Open conflicts
- 0
Authority files
wikidata · Q85741461 · wikipedia · Analogue Pocket
In this article
Design
Design
The Analogue Pocket is designed around an Altera Cyclone V FPGA chip, which can be reprogrammed to mimic the hardware of various game consoles. Unlike an emulator, an FPGA can function nearly identically to the original hardware. Out of the box, the Analogue Pocket is designed to replicate the hardware of Game Boy, Game Boy Color, and Game Boy Advance consoles. The Pocket has a physical cartridge slot at the rear of the console which accepts most Game Boy Game Pak titles. This FPGA can also be reprogrammed to replicate the Game Gear, Neo Geo Pocket/Pocket Color, Atari Lynx, TurboGrafx-16 and adapters (sold separately) allow their game cartridges to be plugged into the cartridge slot. Due to the near identical hardware of the Sega Master System and Game Gear, Master System cartridges can also be run from the cartridge slot via a third-party adapter in addition to the Analogue Game Gear adapter. An additional Altera Cyclone 10 FPGA handles system management within the Analogue Pocket. For expanded connectivity, the Analogue Pocket offers a microSD card slot. A USB-C port is included for charging the built-in lithium-ion battery and to connect to a proprietary docking station, Analogue Dock, which enables wireless controller support and HDMI output.
Release
Release
The Analogue Pocket was announced on October 16, 2019. but its release was delayed several times due to global chip shortages related to the COVID-19 pandemic. It finally launched on December 13, 2021 in black and white colors. Since then, Analogue has expanded the Pocket's lineup with a glow-in-the-dark version in September 2023, transparent colors in October 2023 and models in classic Game Boy colors in November 2023. Analogue released all-aluminium models of the Pocket in white, black, gray and indigo colors on July 15, 2024.
Post-release software updates
Post-release software updates
Initially planned for January 2022, the 1.1 software update arrived in July of that year. This update introduced openFPGA, a framework which allows third party developers to develop FPGA simulation cores using Pocket's hardware. It introduced emulation for the PDP-1 computer with the classic game Spacewar!, along with save states ("Memories") and informative "info cards" ("Library") for inserted cartridges. In December 2023, Analogue released firmware updates 1.2 and 2.0. Version 1.2 addressed sleep/wake and save state issues, improved compatibility between adapters and FPGAs, and allowed cores to detect the docked state. Version 2.0 brought custom color palettes for Game Boy games, allowed FPGA cores to switch aspect ratios when docked and resolved a video issue with certain openFPGA cores in docked mode. Firmware update version 2.2 brought support for the Lynx, TurboGrafx-16 and Neo Geo Pocket Color cartridge adapters.
Hardware
Hardware
The Analogue Pocket has the following hardware specifications:
Reception
In a 2021 review, Sam Machkovech of Ars Technica praised the Pocket's screen, accuracy in simulating Nintendo hardware, audio quality, controls and other features, but criticized its uneven weight distribution and lack of clarity on how the add-on functionality would work. His verdict reads, "What, did you miss all the glowing praise? Buy it—if you can." In 2022, Brendan Nystedt of Wired gave the Pocket a score of 8/10, praising its screen, controls, compatibility with Nintendo cartridges and potential with OpenFPGA, but criticizing its volume and power buttons as "annoying", the lack of protection for the cartridge slot and the inferior layout for Game Boy Advance games. He wrote, "If you don't care about the nostalgia brought on by using an actual Nintendo Game Boy, the Analogue Pocket might be the ultimate upgrade for your retro games collection."
Awards
The Analogue Pocket won a Red Dot Design Award in 2022 It was nominated for Wallpaper's 2019 Design Awards. The Pocket was also awarded two Fast Company awards for Best Product Design of 2020 and Best Design Innovations of 2020 in the North America region.
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.Doolan, Liam. Analogue Pocket Is Getting Its Own OS – Allowing Users To Explore, Discover And Preserve Video Game History. Nintendo Life. 19 October 2021.
- 2.Souppouris, Aaron. Analogue's $200 Pocket could be the ultimate retro gaming portable. Engadget. 16 October 2019.
- 3.Nero, Dom. I'm Falling In Love With the Game Boy All Over Again. Esquire. 17 December 2021.
- 4.Extension, Time. Review: Analogue Pocket Adapters - Lynx, PC Engine And NGPC Support Is Finally Here. Time Extension. 2024-03-09.
- 5.Blips 'n Pips. The Master System Convertor on the Analogue Pocket!. 2022-02-08.
- 6.Jones, Darran. Analogue Pocket: A Monster in Your Pocket. Retro Gamer. 229. February 2022.
- 7.Analogue Pocket FAQ. Analogue.
- 8.Kuchera, Ben. This $199 handheld will be the most decadent way to play Game Boy games. Polygon. 2019-10-16.
- 9.Stein, Scott. The $200 Analogue Pocket looks like the best Game Boy ever made. CNET.
- 10.Zhang, Jenny. The Analogue Pocket Will Begin Shipping In December. GameSpot. November 22, 2021.
- 11.Moon, Mariella. A glow-in-the-dark Analogue Pocket will be available in September. Engadget. 2023-08-28.
- 12.Cunningham, Andrew. Analogue's supercharged modern-day Game Boy now glows in the dark. Ars Technica. 2023-08-28.
- 13.Webster, Andrew. The Analogue Pocket is getting a delightful limited-edition transparent version. The Verge. September 25, 2023.
- 14.Parrish, Ash. The Analogue Pocket now comes in a rainbow of classic Game Boy colors. The Verge. 2023-11-15.
- 15.Cunningham, Andrew. $500 aluminum version of the Analogue Pocket looks like the Game Boy's final form. Ars Technica. 2024-07-12.
- 16.openFPGA. www.analogue.co.
- 17.Machkovech, Sam. Analogue comes out swinging with Pocket 1.1 update: "We're not f-ing around". Ars Technica. 2022-07-29.
- 18.Cunningham, Andrew. Flurry of firmware updates makes Analogue Pocket an even better retro handheld. Ars Technica. 2024-01-05.
- 19.Firmware 2.2 - Pocket. www.analogue.co.
- 20.Pocket FAQ. www.analogue.co.
- 21.Developer FAQ. www.analogue.co.
- 22.Machkovech, Sam. Analogue Pocket review: The greatest Game Boy ever made. Ars Technica. 2021-12-13.
- 23.Nystedt, Brendan. The Best Way to Play Old Game Boy Cartridges. Wired. 2022-12-20.
- 24.Analogue Pocket Red Dot Design Award. Red Dot.
- 25.Cleary, Mary. 'Save' separation toilet by Laufen wins Wallpaper Design Award for Life-Enhancer of the Year. Wallpaper. 2020-01-06.
- 26.The best product design of 2020. Fast Company. 2020-09-30.
- 27.The best design innovations of 2020 in the North America region. Fast Company. 2020-09-30.
References
Citations
References
Each reference names the institution holding it, so a reader may go to the document itself.
reference work
Partially resolvedreference work
Partially resolved
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 14 August 2026.
Elsewhere in Collectables
20,755 published records in this field, each with its sources named.
- Analogue 3DTerminology
- Analogue Mega SgTerminology
- Analogue NTTerminology
- Analogue Nt miniTerminology
- Analogue Super NtTerminology
- anandalahariTerminology
- Anarchy OnlineWork
- Anarchy ReignsWork
Best supported in this field
For owners
Own an object connected with Analogue Pocket?
A specialist will read what you send and tell you what the house can establish, what it cannot, and whether the object is suited to sale. There is no charge and no obligation. The object stays with you throughout; nothing is shipped to us unless it is arranged in writing beforehand.