Just a few days after the reveal of the Retroid Pocket Mini, GoRetroid decides to reveal the bigger brother, the all new Retroid Pocket 5, which has drastic visual changes when compared to the older Retroid Pocket 4 Pro.
It was revealed on GoRetroid’s official X account with the description “Broaden your horizons”, which I believe maybe a hint that they have also increased the screen size, but as of now we have no information regarding specs or pricing, GoRetroid have simply revealed a couple of images for now.
But that doesn’t stop me from nosing around and speculating. Just like the Pocket Mini they have moved to a more rounded casing, with what looks like a glass front that covers the entirety of the face, just like the AYANEO Pocket Micro that we reviewed recently. It certainly adds a premium touch, but I worry that all handhelds in this category will eventually look the same, all thanks to AYANEO’s design team.
It terms of what’s changed visually, there’s a lot to pick at. The display looks bigger, the analogue sticks now feature the LED lights which ANBERNIC started adding to their mid-range devices, the shoulder buttons look different, menu and smaller buttons are also on the face and I believe this will work with their newly released GoRetroid Dock, allowing it to be docked to your TV/Display and bluetooth controllers.
It’s certainly looking more modern, and i can imagine it will pack a punch, to put it in the same category as the RG556 by ANBERNIC, the AYN Odin and even AYANEO’s Pocket Micro, which means it may have a higher price tag as usual.
It’s the trend recently to go beyond the $200 price tag, probably because $99 handhelds these days can emulate up to Gamecube games, meaning there’s a barrier to entry for smooth PS2 emulation that requires much higher specs. Many fail to emulate PS2 well, but I will say the AYN Odin is leading the way, all GoRetroid needs to do, is pack this with enough power and make it more affordable to create an even more competitive $200 – $250 arena for the players to fight in.
But only time will tell. Also, because of the bigger screen it’s likely Android games and Cloud Streaming will be much more comfortable to play on compared to the Retroid Pocket 4, and it’s likely to come with more power too.
It’s a handheld many of us have wanted GoRetroid to create for sometime now, I just hope they can pull it off and price it competitively. I also hope they don’t launch a Pocket 5 Pro version a few months later like they did with the 4, as it certainly caused an uproar in the handheld community.
Finally, I believe this will be ready to ship before Christmas to provide a good surge of sales, it will also likely come in a few unique colours, maybe even transparent ones. It doesn’t look like it will have a finger printer reader which may cut costs but also means it feels less premium, but I can live without it.
Update 29th August 2024
GoRetroid have revealed that the GoRetroid Pocket 5 will feature a 5.5″ OLED Display with a 1080p resolution in a 16:9 format.
Update 30th August
GoRetroid tease an array of color combinations for the Retroid Pocket 5, alongside revealing transparent backshells that can be purchased separately.
The color combinations are very sleek featuring a more passive black and white version, alongside the retro themed “SNES” and Gamecube variants. I’m not going to lie, I’m really digging the purple colour schemes with the class yellow analogue stick, that’s a nice touch and one I can imagine will be very popular.
The back shells are replaceable and can spice up the designs slightly. I do think these colours are a little more vibrant and i’m not sure how well they will pair with the 4 colour options, but its a nice touch and one i know many will enjoy customising.
GoRetroid has also said that “all information will be revealed next week”, which means pricing, release dates and specifications.
