Verdict
At just £ 50 for heaps of colonnade classic , the Super Pocket is a wondrous talent or payday treat . With support for the wonderfully tacky Evercade pickup library , it ’s a great classic handheld that is set to give and give , too .
Pros
Cons
Key Features
Introduction
The Super Pocket line of handhelds from Hyper Mega Tech may look like the run - of - the - mill retro game knockoffs you used to see on your jollies all around the short market place , but there ’s something truly special go on here .
right license by Blaze Entertainment and built with evidenced care for the core colonnade experience , they ’re incredibly reliable and faithful means to deform back the clock – just for a footling mo .
In the face of a mature marketplace of hand-held microcomputer and agio machines that look to give fresh purpose to your dusty quondam collection , these relatively bargain bin affairs are a breather of wise air . A system you could gather away in a drawer or get slide down the back of the sofa without concern .
Design
The Super Pocket comes in two different intent : a fun - exuding blue and scandalmongering shell , or a sort of teal affair .
The differences do n’t block up there , though . For skillful or worse , the colour schemes relate to the games let in , Capcom classic for the former , and Taito titles for the latter – the colours of the eggshell being the signature stylings of each famous game maker , in instance it was n’t obvious .
The form of the eggshell itself stays the same regardless of the colour waving . It ’s a absolutely - grippable rounded rectangle of a equipment , being a small bit chunkier than the Gameboy Pocket but nowhere near as blockish and encumbering as the original Gameboy . Though it ’s an entirely plastic chassis , it feels strong , sturdy , and ready to take a beating .
There ’s a trivial lip on the back for your index fingers to rest ( and rive ) for the nerve-racking moments that inevitably follow dally any centime - tweet arcade biz from the fourscore and 90s , and four extra buttons just below . These are quite sly to push in the here and now , but those moments seldom ( if ever ) arrive with the games built into either of these machine .
In all , it ’s a figure very reminiscent of the wrapping of emulation equipment being popularized on TikTok over the last span of years .
It would have been nice to see those rear push jut out more like the gun trigger of similar devices , but the Super Pocket ’s flatter approach shot does lead to them feeling immediately more sturdy than more squeezable campaign on the Powkiddy / Anbernic handhelds floating around the web . I ’ve busted ( and fixed one ) up before , so I have it off how brittle they can be .
A single speaker between the Select and Start push button serves up a amazingly tatty speech sound that can have the India phase of Street Fighter II waking the whole house up . gratefully the volume cradle is positioned at the top back of the machine for easy reach in the midriff of the action .
Further on the front , you ’ve receive a spacious full - circle d - pad , slim , inflexible face buttons , and a small computer menu button right below the screen for quickly access handy system check .
On the bottom , there ’s a USB - C charging , a 3.5 mm headphone doodly-squat for still those elephants , and a power switching that add to the nostalgic electrical dada of the whole thing firing up like a classic handheld . Bliss .
Display
Each Super Pocket system uses a 2.8 ” IP video display . It ’s modest , bright , and wo n’t look off at queer angles .
Covered by a pane of glass embellished with the logo of whichever publisher variation you went it , it is still slim enough to belike take a scene of rage that ’s honestly justified against some of the hellishly hard offering built in .
Through the system menu , you’re able to change the aspect ratio between original , full - screen , and pixel - perfect in seconds . secondly to that , you could add or remove scan stock of two unlike strengths to have any game look however you care .
The configurations may not be as deep or detailed as you ’ll find on some other emulation efforts , but at this price , it ’s in all likelihood not gunning for absolutely unadulterated reproduction . Those into that degree of faithfulness will want something like the Analogue Pocket or a TV - tie down machine like a SuperNT ( if you’re able to get your work force on one . )
For a hyper - daily retro fan like myself , it ’s essentially staring . It ’s lustrous , and clear , and does n’t have any right away noticeable issues with input signal lag , ghosting , or any that might negatively impact the experience of someone who has n’t analysed every frame of the game they ’re playact on the original ironware .
What is surprising , however , is a lack of brightness dominance , which might make playing this in the wickedness before layer a slight harsh on the eye .
Performance and Games
Even from the moment you scroll through the EULA at start - up , the processor under the tough keeps everything incline more swimmingly than I ’d have expect from something at this price .
With how tough accurate emulation can be on some of these variety of comparatively antiquated title , there was no publication with inconsistent frames , jitter , or hitching on any of the 8 + game I tested .
grant , I admittedly played them on easy mode , which could have had a positive operation impact with few enemies – yes , a major special effort here is that there ’s a system - wide difficulty set up to make stomaching the rough retro titles a little easier – but the few I tested at their default difficulty faired just the same .
The back of the box will tell you that “ light Mode ” is great for young players , but rest assure that even that wo n’t make these titles a walk in the common . Nothing could . At least you could slam the Select push button repeatedly to wreck up the credits needed to see it through .
There ’s even a save state feature under the system bill of fare you may use to avoid decease right back to the start of a stage when you ’re trying to beat the foreman that might have bankrupt your childhood .
You technically get more build - in games with the Taito edition ’s 18 over the Capcom version ’s 12 , but Capcom arguably has the edge with more 16 - bit hits on offer . The inclusion of Street Fighter 2 , Final Fight , and Mega - Man is more crucial for me in person than Puzzle Bobble and Bubble Bobble on the Taito , despite how much I do it those lovely dragon . Rainbow Island would have been the kicker .
Despite all that , the real boon of the Super Pocket is that it ’s not a one - and - done machine . The built - in games are n’t all you ’ll ever get . Though you wo n’t be able-bodied to wager the title of respect of one on another ( they ’re exclusive to their various variant ) you may elaborate your depository library massively thanks to support for the Evercade lineup of cartridges .
Costing between £ 15 - 20 a pop , there are over 40 cartridges you may slot into it , collecting over 500 classic games from publishers and machines like Team17 , Taoplan , Commodore , and PCEngine that can all be played on this cheap and upbeat handheld . And yes , they make that ultra - satisfying ka - chunk sound as they go in .
Included in my review unit was the Irem Arcade 1 pickup , featuring games like the iconic R - case shmup , and one of the best side - scroll beat em ’ ups of the generation – Lightning Swords . It ’s the first home plate release of the game , and the first meter it ’s even been uncommitted to play formally outdoors of the UK and Japan . Exciting stuff .
Between the familiarly frenzied fun of those title , I took the opportunity to try the American Football game 10 - cubic yard Fight .
Being from the UK , I had perfectly zero clue what was go on . And it was big . It did make me wish the lovingly included newspaper manual of arms had more to say than just the simple control ( which can be catch through the system menu , too ) , though . A little infographic highlighting the differences between the on - filmdom histrion maybe . I was n’t anticipate a full maneuver - by - manoeuvre breakdown of the sportswoman , but something a little more robust would have been nice .
Still , it ’s the sort of bewildering experience you do n’t get with today ’s title . At least you ’re not jamming quid after quid pro quo in there just to figure out how to dodge a frame queen ’s combo ( spoilers : you likely ca n’t , the 80s were cruel . )
Battery
A little disappointing is how much juice you ’ll get out of the Super Pocket . Though I did n’t see the battery ikon dip in my first time of day or so apace bouncing between games I could n’t desire to beat , I had lost a bar when I checked back in the following daylight .
What that forge home is that the 4 + hour runtime mentioned on the boxful is about correct . And while that suffer toe - to - toe with today ’s democratic handhelds like theNintendo SwitchandSteam Deck , it does n’t if you count the type of games you ’re set it through .
Sure , it ’s quite a bit smaller , but it ’s still noticeably lower than the 6 - 10 + hour spirit the Analogue Pocket parades , but it ’s hardly got the runtime of a GameBoy on a couple of disposable cells . It ’s hard to imagine pulling this out of the draftsman in a few months with juice left in the tank .
Charged via USB - C , there ’s no plug in the box , so you ’ll in all probability need to repurpose the one used for your earpiece . If you ’re giving it as a giving , keep that in mind if it ’s go to a family with iPhones and introductory laptop . They may not be equipped to keep it awake . And afford it only supports 1amp burden , it ’ll take a picayune while to juice back up , too . But you may represent it while it does so .
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Should you buy it?
With a wonderful selection by nonremittal and easy access to the vast Evercade library , the Super Pocket is an low-priced way to support and delight retro gambling and saving exploit .
Being condensed or stretched to fit screenland tech that did n’t exist when they were created , the Super Pocket will never be the more organic way of life to act some classic titles .
Final Thoughts
At a buy price degree , the Super Pocket is an unbelievable value and a wonderfully easy gift choice . Support for 500 + game via the equally affordable Evercade telephone circuit - up means it can be built upon for twelvemonth , too .
establish like a brick and compact with features to make enjoy the era of gruellingly unmanageable titles easier to enjoy , it ’s a handheld you’re able to keep in a bag for bus journeys or , dare we say it , in a draftsman by the can . If Nintendo could advertise the Gameboy Advance as something you’re able to play on the John , why ca n’t this ? Just please wash your handwriting .
For around £ 200 , you could get aNintendo Switch Liteand perhaps one game on a good deal . Or anXbox Series Sif you ’re not interested in gaming on the go . But for a fourth of the price , you’re able to get a Super Pocket and 12 - 18 gem and put the rest of the cash away to grow your solicitation over time .
If you want handheld multiplayer , the Evercade EXP is regularly discount . And for the specifically at - home experience , the Evercade VS is another option . But for the hyper - casual and radical - portable gamer , the Super Pocket is star .
Trusted Score
How we test
We tested the Super Pocket by playing a range of built - in games as well as extra Evercade cartridges . Along with test the biotechnology , over a week , we essay the battery living and overall functioning . Further , we compared its economic value with other options on the marketplace .
FAQs
No , the Super Pocket can only get at pickup from the Evercade lineup .
There ’s no official modding support for the Super Pocket .
The only means to officially add Modern game to the Super Pocket is through the utilisation of strong-arm Evercade cartidges .
No , buy both version of the Super Pocket wo n’t allow you to combine the libraries together onto a single gimmick .
