I feel like the Retroid Pocket Duo announcements are going to come thick and fast, as it was only yesterday when they teased a shadowy look at the screen of this device, and now, just 24 hours later, we have a full image of the device, and even a little bit of information regarding the screen format.
This reveal comes before many Retroid customers have got hold of their previous Pocket Nova handheld, so there are some unsettled retro gamers amongst social media stating they should prioritise fulfilling orders before announcing a new device. Heck, I'm personally still waiting for Pocket Nova accessories to arrive, products I ordered over 7 weeks ago...
That said, Retroid revealed a first look at the Pocket Duo, a dual-screen device featuring two 120HZ OLED displays, with the top display being 16:9 and the secondary screen 4:3, likely one similar to that being used in the Pocket Nova, their new and very popular 4:3 retro handheld that is still being shipped as I write this.
It feels like a hybrid of the Pocket Nova and old Pocket Flip, with dual joysticks being recessed below the DPAD and action buttons, a very small screen bezel, and stacked, flared shoulder buttons and what looks like dual facing speakers too. It's a very plain-looking device; I'm not even sure if it has LED joysticks, to be honest, but only time will tell.
Though, in Retroid fashion, they usually spice things up with colour combinations and unique transparent variants for users to choose from, and if they follow the Pocket Nova's strategy, the nostalgic transparent versions usually come with a slightly higher price tag, or are locked behind a higher RAM variant. Some users on X have even begun designing concepts of what Retroid's transparent variants could look like.
I personally think it looks great, and I'd love to see ambitious colour variants come to fruition, which is highly likely. If I had to guess, I think this will have the same specs as the Pocket Nova, which offers great PS2 performance on a beautiful AMOLED display, and it's priced competitively too.
Retroid's parent company also owns AYN, which has produced the incredibly popular AYN Thor dual-screen handheld that has likely sold hundreds of thousands of units since its announcement, so it would be smart not to directly compete with itself and lower the power and price of this one to target retro gamers who don't want to spend $400+ on a retro handheld. But that's just my guess; we'll likely hear more information over the coming weeks, so be sure to join our free weekly newsletter to keep informed about the Retroid Pocket Duo.
