We've been waiting for GoRetroid's announcement for some time now. Their Retroid Pocket 5 sat at the top of our best retro handhelds list for over a year until AYANEO's Pocket Air Mini took the throne this week.
With all the new devices being released, such as the Pocket DS, Mangmi Air X, and ANBERNIC's RG476H, GoRetroid has been sleeping for too long, in my opinion.
However, that rest has stopped, and they have announced not one, but two retro handhelds (check out the new Retroid Pocket G2 here), the newest and likely more popular one being the Retroid Pocket 6.
It's an upgraded and updated version of the Pockte 5, with a new look and a boatload of new specs. Could this be GoRetroid's new attempt at taking the throne back?
The New Look
The new look is a slight change to what they've typically gone for, and is welcomed. It looks closer to the AYN Odin 2 Mini or a PS Vita rather than a typical retro handheld from China.
It comes with a large 5.5" AMOLED 1080P display at 120Hz, making it great for not only retro emulation but Android gaming and Cloud Streaming too.
It comes with two hall-analogue sticks, runs on Android 13, oversized shoulder buttons and great ergonomics, very similar to the KONKR Pocket FIT, which is where many of these larger devices go because this design is the "go to" for comfort.
The biggest change visually is at the chin of the device. It looks like a control bar, between two front-facing speakers. This could be a much more organised way to control your Android device.
Retroid Pocket 6 Specifications
- Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 Processor
- 5.5" AMOLED Display - 1920 x 1080 @ 120Hz
- 8GB - 12GB RAM
- Up T0 256GB Storage
- 6000MAH Battery (27W charging speeds)
- Android 13
- WiFi 7 & BT5.3
On paper, that's an impressive amount of power and should likely emulate your PlayStation 2 games well at upscaled resolutions. But we'll confirm that when we have a unit into review.
Pricing
The pricing has surprised me a little, I'll admit. Only because competition like AYANEO is being so aggressive this year. I was hoping GoRetroid would keep this under $200 retail as a bit of a retaliation and to put their flag in the "sub $200 category", but I was wrong.
This creeps just over, retailing at $229, or you can get $20 off by pre-ordering when it goes live (no confirmed dates yet).
If you want the 12GB of RAM version, it's an extra $50, coming in at $279 at retail, or $259 for early birds who pre-order. This makes it a "premium" Android handheld in my opinion, and directly competes with the KONKR Pocket Fit, which is an absolute beast and comes with some extra features such as the trigger-locking shoulder buttons.
But again, only time will tell how these compare. It's good to see GoRetroid back in the game, and no doubt this is going to be a very impressive device, which we look forward to reviewing.
