Analogue has announced that their FPGA N64 console, th??e Analogue 3D, will be up for preorder starting October 21, 2024.

The N64 is one of my favorite consoles, and yes, I’m absolutely aware of all its shortcomings. It may not have the impressive library of the P??S1, and all its games have a blurriness to them, like your eyeballs were just hosed down with chlorine, but�uh, listen, I don’t need to explain my affections to you, I just love the console.

Unfortunately, it looks horrid on modern displays, even if you’ve gone to the length??s I have to boost it RGB output and put it through a fancy upscaler. So, if you want the best possible picture, t?he Analogue 3D might be for you. It outputs through HDMI with support for up to 4K resolution. That’s upscaled resolution, mind you, so the picture is just stretched from its original 240-480i resolution. It’ll still look ugly on modern displays, which is why Analogue has built CRT filters into the OS. That way, you can hide the blurriness behind grill lines and simulated phosphor glow.

It’s also region-?free. Technically, so was the N64, but regional cartridges wouldn’t fit in other regions, so it was region-locked by form factor, but there was an easy workaround to this. It supports both the original N64 controllers as well as bluetooth controllers like 8BitDo’s wireless N64 gamepad. It has built-in wi-fi for some reason, but I assume it’s for updates and general tinkering.

Perhaps the most important feature is the fact that it’s FPGA hardware emulation rather than typical software emulation. The N64 is notoriously difficult to emulate, so even the best emulators typically have compatibility issues. FPGA means that all software should be compatible and work exactly as it originally did. It boasts absolutely no graphical or audio glitches and no input lag. It also says there are no frame rate problems, but I’m assuming that means no additional frame rate problems since your typical N64 game struggles in terms of FPS. Just try Perfect Dark as it was originally released.

The price is set at $249.99. I don’t thi?nk that’s too terrible. It’s maybe more than you’d want to spend if you just want to dabble in the N64 library, but if you’re any sort of enthusiast and the idea of an FPGA-enabled reproduction? interests you, you could do a lot worse.

For me, I’m not sure. As I said, I have my N64 modified for RGB output, and I put it through a Retrotink 4K upscaler, which has CRT filters already. However, if you want to do the same, it’s much more expensive than an Analogue 3??D. If you just want to replace your composite N64, this is a much better prospect. I still see value in the Analogue 3D, even in my setup, but not enough to justify the cost.

Preorde??rs for the Analogue 3D open on October 21, 2024. I don’t see an estimated shipping time, but I will update this article if it gets clarified soon.

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Analogue has announced the next special edition color lineup for their Analogue Pocket consoles. These ones are base??d on the colors of Nintendo’s Game Boy Color handhelds.

The GBC Colors Edition (I know, Game Boy Color Colors, but it’s an understandable distinction) brings 6 new special edition, er, colors. There’s Dandelion, Kiwi, Grape, Teal, Berry, and Gold. Now, if you’re really astute, you might be thinking, “Why Gold and not Atomic Purple,�since that was the actual six colors available at release. I can’t tell you for certain, but it’s probably because they already had a translucent purple as part of their transparent series. Correct me if I’m wrong, but I believe the Pokemon Gold/Silver special editio??n?? GBC was gold? I researched this, but couldn’t find one in good lighting.

Anyway, the GBC Colors Editions are functionally the same as previous models. They’re FPGA-powered handhelds that can run  Game Boy, Game Boy Color, and Game Boy Advance games using hardware emulation, which is significantly more accurate than the usual software emulation that cheaper clones use. People like them. I like their Analogue Duo. More colors are neat.

I got the Kiwi Green shade of GBC when I was younger. I also got a matching green carrying case with a Pikachu on it. It had a thin shoulder strap and my sister and cousins teased me, calling it the Poképurse. In retrospect, that’s not very insulting, but they called it that in a really mean way, so I kind of felt ashamed. This is why I have sham??e and guilt issues as an adult. A contributing factor, at least.

The GBC Colors editions of the Analogue? Pocket will go up for sale on September 12th at 8am PDT and ship within 24 to ??48 hours. A restock of the original black/white versions are also coming at that time. The special Editions run for $249.99 USD, which is $30 more expensive than the normal, non-limited colors.

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Analogue’s new version of their Pocket console is now available on their storefront. This?? version of their FPGA console is made of aluminum, so if you decide to w??ield it like a brick, whatever it hits will take more damage than it does.

Aside from materials, the new version of the Analogue Pocket is functionally the same as their plastic counterparts. It appears as though it’s compatible with all the accessories. However, it’s made of sterner stuff. Solid billet 6061 aluminum, to b??e exact. Whatever that is. It's metal and it plays Game Boy games; that's the important part.

What will most likely give you pause is the $499 price tag. That’s more than twice the price of a standard-issue model, which is already quite the luxury purchase. To be fair, Analogue’s FPGA consoles are targeting the higher-end market of retro console consumers. If the price seizes your heart functions, there are plenty of lower-end options out there. At least with it being made of?? sturdy aluminum, it will pr??obably last a while. You could think of it as a new family heirloom. Something you can pass down to your favorite child or underling.

They also did the aluminum treatment a long time ago for the Analogue NT.

I’ve nearly bought an Analogue Pocket a few times, but I always stop when I start to think about the additional purchases I’d need to make. I don’t really play handheld very often, and if I want to play a Game Boy game, I’d probably just use my Super Game Boy. So, if I wanted to get used to it, I’d need to buy a dock separately. Then I’d want the adapter so I could play my Atari Lynx and Game Gear games, and at that point, after shipping, I’m past the $500 range, and that’s USD rather than my typical Ca?nadian Loonies.

Don’t get me wrong, I think Analogue makes fine consoles. I have an Analogue Duo for my Turbografx-16 and PC-Engine games, and it’s pretty great. I just have a lot of financial obligations that prevent me from making these s??orts of extrava?gant purchases very often.

If you’re down for an extravagant purchase, you c??an order the Analogue Pocket Aluminum Edition on their website now. It comes in Natural, Noir (French for black), Black (English for noir), and Indigo.

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Before they offered to send me a unit for rev?iew, I had the Analogue Duo preordered. It would have been the first of the company’s consoles that I ponied up for. That’s because, beyond just being a very nice boutique console, it solves a few problems for me.

The Turbografx-16 is a nightmare to collect for. Sketchy capacitors mean that a lot of them just die on the shelf, and the typical price of a Turbografx game is ridiculous. Pricecharting has the average price ??of a game for the console at over $100. Forget the best games the console has to offer; if you want anything aside from sports titles, you’re paying out the nose. And that’s not even taking into account Turbografx??-CD games.

Because of this, the Analogue Duo is a pretty strange console to produce. Someone who is curious about collecting for the console is probably going to get discouraged quickly. This is almost a “who is this even for?�situation, but there’s an answer to? that we’ll get to. It’s extremely niche. The niche-est console Analogue has taken on.

“It isn't really financially viable in terms of development investment,�Analogue CEO and founder Chris Taber told me. Analogue didn't make the Duo to bring in a pile of money, they did it b?ecause they love the platform, and you can easily tell.

I have a modest stack of Turbografx-16 games already in my collection, but that isn’t the reaso??n I wanted an Analogue Duo. I want to start collecting for the PC-Engine, which is the Japanese equivalent to the TG16. While the Turbografx was a tremendous flop her?e in North America, the PC-Engine was a huge success. NEC was able to compete with Nintendo, initially outselling the Famicom before holding a firm second place in the market next to the Super Famicom.

As such, a lot more games were published in Japan, and the market, as a whole, is a lot cheaper. It’s still kind of pricy if you want the case they came in, but ?it’s not as galling as the North American prices.

But the TurboGrafx-16 and the PC-Engine are both region-locked. I spent a lot of time considering how I was going to start collecting. Was I going to buy a core PC-Engine console and build from there? Wa??s I going to spring for the PC-Engine Duo that comes with a built-in disc drive (and is also where the Analogue Duo takes its aesthetic)? I couldn’t decide on an elegant solution that would cover all my needs.

Then, the Analogue Duo came along and provided that. I??t can play all the games that the TG16, the PC-Engine, and their attachments can. Plus, if I was planning on springing for the PC-Engine Duo, I would already be putting myself in the price range of Analogue’s offering. More than just a convenient upgrade, the Analogue Duo is exactly what I was looking for.

Out of the box, the Analogue Duo is a slick piece of ki?t. It’s slightly less wide than a TurboGrafx-16, but it has a lot less height. It’s flat enough that if I turn around and look at the shelf it’s on, I can barely see it. There’s also much less junk in the trunk compared to a TG16 with a Turbo-Booster. It feels sturdy, it looks modern, and I don’t want to touch it too much and ruin its pristine look. Speaking of which, it comes in TurboGrafx black and PC-Engine white. I went with the black because I hate white electronics. They just don’t age as well.

If there’s one downside to the design, it’s that the controller port is on the side of the unit rather than t??he front. Also, it uses the PC-Engine miniDIN port, so if you have TurboGrafx controllers, you’re going to need an adapter to plug them in. That’s kind of a bummer because those adapters aren’t particularly easy to find.

It’s also worth noting that the TurboGrafx-16 supported 5 players. It only had one controller port, but using a TurboTap, you could plug five controllers in. You can still do this with the Analogue Duo, but there’s a caveat: it only supports 4 wireless controllers. If you want a fifth player for something like Bomberman '93, yo??u need to plug a controller in alongside the 4 wireless ones or plug in a TurboTap and connect all five controllers the old-fashioned way. You can’t have, say, two wireless controllers and three original through a TurboTap. You either have one classic controller or five. There is no in-between.

Analogue shipped two 8BitDo 2.4G PCE controllers alongside my unit. These controllers are (very) slightly smaller and sleeker than the stock TG16 controllers while maintaining the same form factor. The biggest difference is an easily missed home button and turbo buttons rather than switches. The down??side to that is there is no way to control the speed of ??the turbo unless there's a setting that can be tweaked with 8BitDo's software. Unfortunately, the TG16 controller isn’t very ergonomic. The d-pad is small and crammed in the bottom-left of the controller, too close to the edge. My thumbs would always cramp up during long sessions.

Thankfully, you can sync quite a range of Bluetooth and 2.4G controllers, as well as some USB. I have built quite a collection of 8BitDo controllers, and everything from my M30 to my Arcade Stick works great. I also tried a RetroBit Sega Saturn Pro controller, which connected without complaint. The do??cumentation also lists commo?n controllers like the Switch (and Wii U) Pro and DualSense. You might lose some of the authentic feel, but your thumbs will thank you.

Booting into the console ge??ts you a quick walkthrough of the features of Analogue OS. I read the instructions, then promptly forgot them. I only know that Select+Down takes you to the home menu because I keep mistakenly hitting it, leaving me wanting to disable the button combo. Which I couldn't find a way to do so in the OS settings.

The Analogue OS is a pretty neat slice of cheese on the ret??ro console. It keeps track of games you’ve played and for how long. You’re also able to change settings to alter the visuals to suit whatever version of the console you want. There are filters that emulate the Sony Trinitron (a CRT screen), as well as the Turbo Express and PC-Engine LT handhelds. Analogue says these aren’t?? “Filters�since they’re created on a hardware level through the FPGA, but I really don’t know what else to call them. They also say FPGA isn’t emulation, but really what they mean is it’s not software emulation. I understand why they want to make the distinction clear, because it really isn’t the same thing, but it’s hardware emulation, which is still emulation.

The “filters�are convincing. Anyone who feels that old games only look right on CRT screens will probably appreciate them. Whether I personally prefer sharp pixels or soft glow varies with my mood. I find t??hat the Trinitron mode sucks a lot of the color out of the screen. Other people working with FPGA for this sort of thing have? been using HDR to boost the color, but that’s not an option right now. Perhaps it can be patched in with firmware updates, but if not, it's not a huge problem.

Speaking of firmware, the Analogue Duo touts the ??feature of allowing save states, but it’s not implemented yet. Chris Taber says that the reason is because CD games are proving to be a challenge, but it’s supposed t??o be added through a firmware update sometime after launch. Likewise, sleep mode is not yet implemented, which I imagine is due to the same complication.

If you don’t want to deal with the OS, there is the option to just b??oot directly to the HU Card or C?D when it’s detected. I think it’s pretty neat, though, even if there’s room for improvement.

In terms of running games, however, it’s flawless. The image that you get is bright and sharp at 1080p, and the screenshots here don't really do it just??ice whatsoever. Compatibility is also perfect, as far as I know. I have eight TG16 games, so I can only test to that extent. Upon getting offered a review unit, I ordered some PC-Engine and CD-ROM² games in hopes that they’d arrive in time for this ??review, but alas, they didn’t make it.

However�/p>

The CD-ROM² and TurboGrafx-CD weren’t exactly picky about what kind of disc you put in them. It was a problem with early disc consoles and one of the reasons Nintendo stuck to cartridges for the N64. So, I put together a Little CD-R and, bam, we’ve got Super Air Zonk. The OS even recognized the game. I then tried Tengai Makyou: Ziria with the fan translation patched into it, and while the Analogue Duo just referred to it as “CD,�it? ran just fine.

While we’re on the subject, Analogue states that the Duo will run anything the original hardware would, and this includes Everdrives. I feel like buying a console for this is most valuable for people who like collecting the physical software, but I’m not going to judge if you stick an Everdrive in there. It would at least hel?p with r??unning fan translations.

The Analo??gue Duo is my first console by the company, and I am impressed. It effortlessly does everything it says on the tin with potential to do more in the future. Save states? have yet to be implemented, but the store page doesn’t list them as a feature, so I’m not certain if they were ever even announced.

You probably need to be a very specific type of person to really find value in an Analogue Duo. It’s a weird crossover of a retro-loving, TurboGrafx-appreciating, import-willing gamer. It’s such an incredible niche thing, that it’s amazing that Analogue w??ent to such efforts to reproduce the console in such luxurious depth. I’m deeply impressed.?? I’m also thankful, because it’s exactly the console I was looking for.

There’s only room for improvement because Analogue allowed it to be there. I’d still be recommending the Analogue Duo to my fellow niche-goblins even if there weren’t still forthcoming firmware improvements. It’s a slick modern version of the TurboGrafx 16/PC-Engine that brings the retro platform into the present with a? 1080p HDMI output and other modern comforts. You can tell the team was passionate about the project because they were clearly insistent on getting it right on the first try.

The post Review: Analogue Duo appeared first on Destructoid.

Analogue has announced the next in their line-up ?of FPGA-powered console recreations. This time, they’ll be revisiting a personal favorite of mine, the Nintendo 64, with the Analogue 3D.

Analogue is playing it pretty coy with the Analogue 3D. The only thing I have in terms of news is some shadowy images of the hardware and controll?er and the promise that it will be 100% compatible through the use of FPGA hardware emulation.

This is sort of big news because the N64 has been notoriously hard to emulate accurately. Even Nintendo’s own attempts at software emulation through the Virtual Console or Nintendo Switch Online haven’t been perfect. Through the use of FPGA they can emulate the hardware, rat?her than the software environment, ensuring maximum compatibility.

The Analogue 3D will output at 4K via HDMI, and supports both Bluetooth controllers as well as Nintendo’s original T-rex feet. They’re also collaborating with 8BitDo to create an N64 style controller. While the controller is also occluded by shadow, it looks to be similar to their “Ultimate�style controll?er but with the six face buttons of the N64.

Signature blur

While I recognize all of the N64’s faults, it’s still one of my favorite consoles. However, it??s native video output leaves a lot to be desired. I’ve modified mine to support RGB and run it through an upscaler, but I don’t think it’s even possible to make it look good on modern displays. Analogue says that the Analogue 3D will have filters to replicate CRT and PVM displays, which may help, but I’m wonde??ring if they’ll go further and have the option to remove the system’s blurry filtering.

We’re waiting for more information, like what the console looks like in action. I’m very interested, but if it simply outputs in 4K with filters, then it might not be for me. I’d probably just stick with my modified N64 and run it through the upcoming Retrotink 4K, which would yield essentially the same result.

Nonetheless, for anyone without the setup (or time to create the set-up), the Analogue 3D will be the best, easiest way to play N64 games. As with their other consoles, the Analogue 3D will only run games through cartri?dge, though that would likely include Everdrives if you’re not keen on having a collec?tion.

The Analogue 3D will be coming sometime in 2024.

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Keep one hand on your wallet because Analogue is coming around with a special, glow-in-the-?dark edition of their Analogue Pocket. This radiant version of t?he beefed-up Game Boy goes on sale on September 1st. There is no pre-order period, so you can expect it to ship by September 5th.

The Analogue P?ocket is Analogue’s take on portable handhelds. It uses FPGA to create a hardware environment close to the Game Boy line of handhelds. There are also a number of adapters available that let you play games from other consoles, like the Atari Lynx and Sega Game Gear. It also has various display modes to bring you clos?er to the original platforms without having to deal with all their warts.

[caption id="attachment_399525" align="alignnone" width="640"] Image via Analogue[/caption]

It’s a pretty slick enthusiast-level device. I’m a bit envious since it’s sort of out of my price range. Also, I don’t really play handheld games that much, even though I’ve got a rather substantial library of titles. Still, if I had one, it would get used.

The glow-in-the-dark luxury edition is exactly that. The shell has been made of glow-in-the-dark plastic. It gets charged via available?? light sources and can apparently continuously glow for 8 hours, just like those plastic stars you have all over your bedroom ceiling. That’s all you get in te??rms of special features, which I feel is to be expected.

The Analogue Pocket Glow-in-the-Dark Limited edition will be available in “highly limited�numbers. It goes on sale September 1st at 8 am PDT for $249.99.

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Here's a hands-on look

If you haven't heard of Analogue before, and are a fan of retro gaming, you definitely want to look into them. They're one of the current champions of game preservation, with products spanning the NES, SNES, Genesis, and NEC. Now they're s?etting their sights on the port??able realm. Here's our Analogue Pocket impressions.

So the Analogue Pocket is an incredibly intriguing device that will set you back $199.99 (both the white and the black version are the same price). For that amount of cash? you're getting what Analogue calls a "multi-video-game system" built with no emulation to handle nearly 3,000 games spanning the Game Boy, Game Boy Color, and Game Boy Advance library. You can also pick up addons for Game Gear, Neo Geo Pocket Color, and the Atari Lynx. When it comes to fringe support, "many flash carts," the Game Boy Printer, old link cables, the e-Reader via a link cable (it needs a link cable to fit), Game Boy Camera carts, and tilt/rumble/gyro sensors work. The only big no-gos are solar sensors (because of the way the cart is fashioned in th?e system) and unlicensed Wisdom Tree carts.

As far as what you get with the Pocket, it comes with a USB-C cable for charging, as well as the unit itself. The screen is a 3.5" 615ppi LCD at 1600x1400 (which is roughly 10x what the original Game Boy displays). Button-wise, there's L/R on the back, four face buttons, start, select, a home button, volume + and - on the side. On the bottom it has a USB-C port, 3.5mm headphone jack, a link port, and an IR transceiver for specific GBC titles. It's sturdy, too. The screen ??is made with Gorilla Glass, and the entire frame of the Pocket is incredibly high quality, from the case to the buttons.

Out of all the Analogue products I've tried so far, the Pocket was by far the easiest to manage. It's?? literally plug and play, as I popped a game in and wa??s playing it immediately (by default it can take GB, GBC, and GBA carts). You can even toggle the home screen to automatically boot games if there's one in the hopper, or head directly to the OS home screen.

OS features include audio, video, control, and hardware settings for each core platform (Game Boy, Game Boy Color, Game Boy Advance, and Game Gear), a general brightness setting, and two audio options (low impedance, which is for certain headphones so you drain less battery). I was also given access to the new firmware, which adds a "beta" feature of quick save/load, also known as "save states." It works flawlessly, with a quick combination press of the home button (the analog symbol on the bottom middle of the device) and up to save, and down to load. Full button mapping is coming in a? future update.

Yep, optional firmware updates are on the table, facilitated through a microSD ca??rd download. Analogue has them available on their official site, and the process is super painless: stick a microSD card into your PC, copy over the file, then put the card into the Pocket and turn it on. My unit installed it automatically in around five minutes. The only minor issue I had was getting the microSD card in the Pocket, as I had to press really hard to get it to stay in (though the SD card doesn't even need to stay in once the transfer is complete).

So let's talk about the display for a second. Amazingly, you can go as hi or low fi as you want. The Game Boy suite has five visual options, as well as five color palettes, a sharpness toggle, and the option to blend frames. Translation: you can make it look as clean or as janky as you want, and alter the position of the display. Each Game Boy menu allows you to turn on Super Game Boy controls, and GBA has a toggle for swapping L and R. There are less options for the Game Gear, with three display modes, f?rame blending (adjusts flickering graphics), sharpness/desaturation settings, and a size/position swap. TATE mode is also possible with full screen rotation.

My favorite part of all this is that? you can change basically all of the above in real time. While playing a game you can hit the Analogue home button, head to a menu for any system, and see how you like something as it's running. It's one thing t??o annoyingly pause a game in an official remaster and watch a static screen, and another to do it while something is in motion on the Pocket. The seamlessness continues on to the sleep/suspend mode, where you can hit the green button on the side, have the system rest, then go back to a game (the system tells you when something is sleeping and waking, so you don't have to guess, or assume something is wrong). In tandem with save states, it makes the Pocket the most convenient way to play portable games to date. Analogue contends that the battery life is around "6-10 hours," and I got around eight in my tests.

The enhancements I noticed the most were for Game Boy games. I tried them side by side on multiple devices, and found that the Pocket not only offered multi-tiered options, but it enhanced Game Boy titles to the point where they still felt authentic, but more crisp and clear. The extra color palettes really shined with the classic GB library, as I was able to change things up on a game-by-game basis. For instance, Batman: The Animated Series, a by all means dated game, has a much ?different look to it when you go c?razy with the system menu.

There are extra considerations for digital audio creators with a baked-in app called Nanoloop (with MIDI cables to connect to instruments), as well as a game-creation system (GB Studio): which we weren't able to extensively test, since we were focusing on trying out as many games as possible. Speaking of extras and add-ons, we were sent the fol??lowing after the arrival of the un??it: the dock ($99.99), a Game Gear adapter ($29.99) and several other extras like a hard case ($29.99) and a screen protector ($15.99).

If you want to go all-out, you're pretty much set for life on all things Game Boy with the Analogue Pocket. If you want to add things on and power it up with other platforms and add-ons, you can, but the base experience has been more than adequate. I'm g??oing to keep this thing for life as I continue to slowly invest in Game Boy games and expand my collection. While owning the original hardware is a joy in and of itself, the Analogue Pocket is the easiest way to enjoy it all.

[Update: Our impressions of the dock are in!

The dock lets you transfer the portable experience to a TV via HDMI at 1080p. There's two USB slots for controllers, with Bluetooth support for 2.4g devices. Right now 8BitDo is the focus a??t launch, along with PS4 and Switch Pro controllers. More support is coming in the rather explosive 1.1 update, including more 2.4g controllers on top of ??Xbox One remotes.

The Analogue Pocket dock is a hefty upgrade based on our time wit??h it. Thankfully, the dock itself comes with a full power adapter (it charges the Pocket while inserted), USB-C cable, and HDMI cable in the box: which is becoming rarer and rarer (though given the price, it better have all the bells and whistles!). The dock is an unassuming little brick, and is basically a plug-and-play operation (the same as the Analogue Pocket), including optional firmware updates (the process for this is the same, but with a USB thumb drive instead of a microSD card). You can find pictures of the dock and the contents of the dock box in the gallery below.

For those of you who were wondering, it has its own UI prompt when updating firmware (with a progress bar), even if the Analogue Pocket isn't rested in it; as well as a notification of four blinking lights on the device. It's a big positive because you won't have to guess if there's an input issue, or you're updating the dock without a TV. In my experience, the sound and picture quality was great, and there's options to manipulate the video/picture si??ze if you want something different.

My first test was a PS4 controller using the provided instructions (hold the PS button and the Share button at the same time for five seconds). It took roughly fiv??e seconds for the device to sync after pressing the pair button on the back of the dock. Mapping is coming later, and by default, the circle button on PS4 is A, and the X button is B. Pressing the PS button on the controller brings up the Analogue Pocket menu: like the proper device, all of the settings can be configured during live gameplay.

The Analogue Pocket dock does exactly what it says it does on the site, and in concert with the core device, has me excited? to play my ?portable collection for decades on end. I hope the worldwide part shortages end, the price goes down, and everyone who wants one can get one.]

_{[This review is based on a retail build of the hardware provided by the publisher.]}

[ga?llery ids="299964,299965,299966,299967,299968,300641,300642?,300643,300644,300645"]

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Industry-wide effects are putting an extra bump on Analogue Pocket price tags

The Analogue Pocket will soon be shipping for those who pre-ordered it, and Analogue is looking at reopenin??g orders too. B?ut when the Pocket goes back on sale, the price will be a little bit higher for the handheld.

Analogue announced that the Pocket will be available ??to purchase again on Dec. 14 at 8 a.m. PT. Their goal, they say, is to ensure that everyone who wants an Analogue Pocket will be able to secure an order.

The first part of this means a fulfillment protocol, pushing orders into groups on a ??first-come, first-serve basis. Group A will get their Pockets in Q1 2022, Group B will receive them in Q4 2022, and Group C will have to wait until 2023.

//twitter.com/analogue/status/1469336147922989061

The other part of this is that the industry-wide component price increase, the Analogue Pocket itself will bump up to $219. All of the Pocket accessories, however, will stay the same pric??e. There will also be a limit to two Analogue Pocket units per customer, and orders can be cancelled for a full refund at any time before shipment.

If you already have an Analogue Pocket pre-order, well, there's some good news for y??ou. All current pre-orders will start shipping this coming Monday, Dec. 13. Analogue has also upgraded every order to FedEx two-day shipping, in order to get Pockets to folks as quickly as possible.

With the global pandemic and supply chain woes still affecting gaming, Analogue's move on both the Pocket price and fulfillment groups is pretty understandable. The Playdate, another boutique handheld, had to make a similar move for its own fulfillment.

For those looking to get their hands on one of these tuned-up handhelds before 2023, you might want to set some alarms and mark some cal??endars for Dec. 14. Analogue will open a new round of Pocket orders at 8 a.m. PT, so brew some coffee too.

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If you need to postpone the delivery until after the holidays, there's a way to do that

It took a while to get here, but as consumer electronics are delayed left and right due to supply-chain shortages and other complications, the Analogue Pocket is finally upon us. The most recent delay pushed this cool cartridge-playing retro gaming handheld to December, and now?? we've got a final date: it's s??hipping on December 13, 2021.

But when will folks with a pre-order actually receive their Pocket???

Citing a situation with "unprecedented shipping congestion," Analogue says that deliveries should happen anywhere from December 14�0. If that'??s going to be tricky with holiday plans you might already have, including out-of-state travel, there's a solution.

As long as you contact support by November 28, you can request a "hold" on your Analogue Pocket over the holidays and instead have it shipped on January 3, 2022.

Based on the new shipping timeline, if you want to "change your address, request a hold, or cancel your order," you can do s??o by replying to today's email from Analogue (that went out to everyone with a pre-order) or by separately emailing the support line.

With the Steam Deck and Playdate recently delayed to 2022, I genuinely thought that the Analogue Pocket would? be next. Fans have had their patience tested enough.

Last we heard, a restock of the Analogue Pocket and its accessories will take place "after the holiday season." It'll be nice to have another round of orders once these handhelds are i??n people's hands and we've heard th??eir impressions. I'm sure they'll go fast either way.

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It's just a feel-bad situation all around

No one can fault Analogue Pocket admirers for growing impatient, and with the current state of the world, venting frustrations about a pre-order that still hasn't come to fruition might feel like yelling into the void. The latest update on the "when will it ship?" front was shared this morning on Twitter and via email to customers with?? pre-orders placed:

"Pocket pre-orders will be shipping at the latest in December. Unfortunately, due to new Covid restrictions with our assembly p?artners, their capacity to deliver within our agreed timeframe has been affected. This has created a domino effect of delays beyond our control in what would o??therwise be a seamless process."

Setting more expectations for 2021:

"Pocket will have some hands-on features and reviews coming before it ships. After the holiday season, Pocket and a?ll accessories will be restocked and shippi??ng immediately."

So, December. Hopefully. Admittedly though, after multiple false starts, it's probably best to expect nothing until the literal "Your Analogue order has shipped!" email pops up. Even then, I don't know. Shipping, in general, is going to be a mess the rest of this year.

Analogue says that customers can "cancel for a full refund" if they so choose, and the email is support@analogue.co. Reminder: pre-orders went up in August 2020.

One of these ?da?ys, folks are going to get to take their Game Boy, Game Boy Color, GBA, and other assorted titles for a spin on a fancy new modern handheld device, and I truly hope it was worth the wait. The Pocket looks sick. While I've gotten other Analogue retro-revival consoles, I'm not as much of a handheld player, and that was one big, tempting, potentially financially out-of-control rabbit hole I wasn't willing to go down.

"We understand how frustrating this is," said Analogue. "It's very frustrating for us, too. We are ex??cited to get these amazing devices in your hands as soon as possible."

The post The Analogue Pocket wait continues as pre-orders are expected to ship in December ‘at the latest’ appeared first on Destructoid.

For once, they're still in stock

[Update: Days after the recent restock, Analogue is still taking orders for the Super Nt, Mega Sg, and DAC, including alternate colorways. I didn't expect that at all given what a hellscape shopping for consumer electronics has been lately. Don't tempt me.]

Analogue has broken its silence �more consoles are popping up next week. On August 9, starting at 8:00 a.m. Pacific, there will be another Super Nt, Mega Sg, and DAC restock, and I alread??y feel anxiety for those of you who will undoubtedly be mashing the add-to-cart button to no avail once the store updates. A word of advice: keep at it.

For the August 9 restock, orders will be restricted to "two per customer per console." Analogue also expects "?all orders" to ship by the end of the week.

These systems play your old Super Nintendo and Sega Genesis carts, and they play them well, so there's a lo??t of demand, particularly in the last couple of years as nostalgia has reigned supreme in gaming and other hobbies. Whether or not they're "worth it," that's debatable �I think they serve a particular type of retro gamer very well.

As a quick pricing recap, the Super Nt costs $189.99, the Mega Sg is also $189.99, and the DAC (a digital-to-analog converter) costs $79.99. That doesn't include shipping, which is honestly pretty pric?ey �enough to induce groans fro?m Analogue supporters.

I'll be sitting out this restock round, although I will admit, I'm tempted to complement my Super Nt with the Mega Sg; I've had a wonderful time with the former, even if I never qu?ite use it as much as I'd like. My Sega Genesis collection is comparatively super lacking, and my heart was �and will always be �with the Super Nintendo, so it is what it is.

It would be nice to score some matching wireless 8BitDo controllers without jum??ping through hoops, though. I wish they were more readily available year-roun??d.

As for the sought-after Analogue Pocket, which can (potentially) play all manner of handheld games and looks so sick, no dice on a restock. That saga is still unfolding.

The post Analogue’s next Super Nt and Mega Sg restock is August 9 (Update) appeared first on Destructoid.

The Classic, SF, and Black versions of the Super Nt will be available again at 8:00 a.m. Pacific alongside the Nt Mini Noir

[Update: The Super Nt consoles are now out of stock, and while the purchase process was unsurprisingly nerve-wracking, I got one. How did it go? Here's a quick recap of what ?went down and what to potentially expect next time.

Right at 8:00 a.m., my cart wouldn't update (a common issue, from what I read), so I had to hammer on the add-to-cart button for about eight minutes. My Super NT Classic finally showed up and I filled in my address, and then I was sent to a queue page that warned me not to refresh. Seven-ish minutes later, I was let in, I filled out my billing info – it would've been faster if I had Apple Pay – and the order was placed. My shipping was $24. I got my confirmation email at 8:17 a.m. and let out a big sigh of relief.

The cart error message showing up the second the clock struck 8:00 a.m. felt like a bad omen that the bots and scalpers had already won again. I'm glad I didn't give up. Assuming Analogue uses a s??imilar setup for future product drops, consider ??setting up Apple Pay to expedite the billing process.

I will say, it was nice to be able to secure a sought-after product just using a phone rather than some multi-browser setup on my PC or a sketchy-looking secret URL to beat the crowd.

At the time? of writing (9:30 a.m.), the Nt Mini Noir is still in stoc??k.]

[Update 2: If you secured a Super NT order and you're wondering when it will ship, it should go out soon-ish. According to my shipping info on FedEx, my system should show up on April 18.]

Super Nt will be restocked in Classic, SF, and Black.
Available April 9, 2021 at 8am PDT.
Limit 2 per customer. pic.twitter.com/yhYeSjeBfW

— Analogue (@analogue) April 8, 2021

I'm going to wake up tomorrow morning and try to grab a Super Nt – but I'm not holding my breath. My lucky streak for successfully placing online orders for sought-after consoles is bound to run out soon. If you're up for it, the Super Nt will be available again t?omorrow, April 9, starting at 8:00 a.m. Pacific.

The transparent design has been discontinued, but the other three models – Classic, SF (Super Famicom), and Black – will pop up in the online shop. The console costs $189.99 (plus shipping), and Analogu?e is limiting two per customer, a move that has spread anxiety about scalpers swooping in.

According to a heads-up newsletter I got today, "all orders will ship by the end of the week." As for 8BitDo's matching SN30 - Classic and SN30 - SF controllers, they're currently still out of stock.

If you're reading this, you're likely familiar – maybe a little too familiar – with the Super Nt. If not, it's a well-crafted FPGA system designed for folks who want to get the most out of their Super Nintendo and Super Famicom cartridges in 2021. I'll kindly direct you to My Life in Gaming's extensive video review.

With the recent Pocket postponement news, we learned that Analogue was planning to restock a few of its products soon. Apart from the Super Nt, the "very last" Nt Mini Noir units will be available on?? Analogue's shop at 8:00 a.m. Pacific on April 9, with a limit of one per customer. It's a $499.99 beast.

"Shortly after" that mad dash, the company will also restock the Mega Sg and DAC.

On the one hand, I'm kind of relieved these systems aren't readily available – I'd feel like a kid in a candy store that was accidentally given a twenty. On the other hand, I want to play my SNES carts on a modern TV without jumping through a bunch of hoops. After a recent splurge, I am so so ready.

I'm sending? you all of my best "online shopping in the Covid era" vibes. Godspeed.

The post (Update) A??nalogue is restocking the Super Nt and Nt Mini Noir tomorrow and, well, good luck! appeared first on Destructoid.

Hold onto your carts

The Analogue Pocket, a new machine that can play a breadth of portable games, is delaying shipments due to a shortage of necessary compone?nts.

Analogue confirmed in an announcement that the current global state of affairs has created supply chain challenges outside the company's control. The new shipping window for the Pocket is set for Oct. 202?1.

"There have been sudden and severe electrical component shortages as well as logistical issues leading to a domino effect of challenges for nearly everyone in the industry," the blog says. It also backlinks two news stories, including one about the Ever Given, the boat that was stuck in? the Suez Canal.

Analogue says it is working to get the Pocket out as fast as possible, and that those who pre-ordered and?? would like to cancel for a full refund should reach out to Analogue Support.

The Pocket was revealed in 2019 as a multi-video-game-system portable handheld. It's set to be able to play Game Boy, Game Boy Color, and Game Boy Advance games out of the box, and ada??pters will allow it to play other systems' games, including the Game Gear and Neo Geo Pocket Color. 

It's also set to have the ability to dock and connect to an HDTV, and on the console itself, it will have a 615ppi LCD wi??th 1600x1440 resolution. Basically, a super-powered Game?? Boy.

Analogue also noted on Twitter that its S?uper Nt will be restocked in April, while the Mega Sg and DAC will follow shortly after.

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