AYANEO have been going big with the descriptions of their new Pocket Vert handheld, though when you're bringing a new vertical handheld into a scene run by the Analogue Pocket, the ModRetro Chromatic, and of course the OG Gameboy, you need to say things like 'a refined visual vocabulary' to entice gamers in. But does all of the accompanying narrative live up toe the console's design?
From what I've seen, I would have to say yes.
AYANEO have finally shown us the Pocket Vert in a clip on their YouTube channel with the accompanying statement 'a collectible art piece on the form of a retro handheld'. They've got it spot on; this thing looks sleek thanks to its CNC-milled unibody shell, its precision cut grill, and diamond-cut shoulder buttons that look like glass (or rubies in the case of the awesome red variant!). The MagicSwitch key looks rugged too - this is a console built to endure.
A screen born for retro gaming and perhaps the sharpest high-resolution screen on an Android device - thats the narrative we've been getting from Arthur Zhang for a while now, and again, I'm forced to agree with him from what I'm seeing. The 3.5" 1600x 1440 LCD screen upscales Game Boy games 10 times with pixel perfect graphics, an idea born from Arthur's love of the Game Boy and creating clarity for gamers to enjoy both old and new titles.
The full coverage front glass panel oozes cool. It's not something I would want to take with me to the skate park or to the park while walking the dog in case I dropped it, even though it's made with high strength processed glass. But for playing in the house, it's a stylish piece I wouldn't think twice about keeping out on display using my Throne coastal edition stand. I don't imagine it would withstand us driving over it like the Chromatic did, but still, it will probably withstand some little knocks and bumps.
One thing Arthur was keen to point out was the large bezel around the screen on the Analogue Pocket. The glass front on the Pocket VERT does away with the need for a large bezel and does indeed look more premium than my translucent orange Pocket, especially in the white version - it's super slick and would look awesome next to my new Analogue 3D!
The buttons look nice too; they're unassuming and don't blare out at you when you look at the design. Arthur explains that by removing the markings, the buttons blend in with the design - it's very well done! They're smaller than the Analogue Pocket, though they still look big enough to do the job at hand i.e mashing moves when playing Killer Instinct.
It reminds me a lot of the Analogue Pocket if one were made for an art gallery, which probably is going to have a direct effect on the price of the Pocket VERT.
I really like the grills and speakers on this thing too, as well as the sleek start, select, and home buttons on the bottom of the front face - everything has been designed elegantly and with extreme precision, right down to the milling for the USB-C charging slot and the headphone jack.
What do you think to the Pocket VERT now we've seen an actual physical console? It looks ergonomically pleasing, but we'll need to get our hands on one before we can know for sure! More information about release date and price to follow!
