The Z Pocket Game Pro is a handheld that’s been teased for almost a year now. But due to its Chinese exclusivity, us Western folk have had very little chance of getting hold of one… until now.
The Z Pocket Game Pro isn’t made by a company, it’s made by a retro gaming enthusiast in China named LaoZhang. He simply wants to put more of his creations in other peoples hands.
We first heard that the pre-orders went live through the Retro Gaming Facebook Page, and it was lucky we did, because only 30 units of the metal edition are available outside of China.
That is the biggest downfall with this handheld, that it cannot meet the demand due to it being made by one individual.
You will also notice that the specs below are near identical to the ODROID Go Advance, that’s because it is. Some say “it’s a OGA clone”, no, just because it uses the same internals, it doesn’t make it a clone of another handheld.
That’s like saying two cars from two brands are identical, because they use the same engine. This is far superior to the ODROID Go Advance, because it doesn’t feel like a cereal box toy.
Z Pocket Game Pro Specs
- Screen Display: 3.5 inch Full Viewing Angle with OCA Tempered Glass Screen Lenses
- Screen Resolution: 320 x 480
- CPU: Quad-Core Cortex-A35 CPU, Frequency up to 1.5GHz, Mali-G31MP2 GPU, support OpenGL Es3.2, Vulkan 1.0, OpenCL 2.0
- RAM: 1GB LPDDR3-1600
- Memory: Standard 64GB TF Card, up to maximum 512GB Card Buttons: D-button, ABXY Buttons, L1/L2/R1/R2, Volume Buttons, Power Button, SS Buttons, 2 Custom Function Buttons and Same Analog Stick with Switch with a Push down Button.
- Interface Connector: HDMI, USB Type-C, OTG, 3.5 Audio, Micro SD and 1W External Speaker
- Connection: WIFI/ Bluetooth 4.2, Type-C and OTG adapter for connect external USB WIFI/Bluetooth Module
- Size: 151 x 66 x 17mm
- Weight: 211g Game Supports: Almost all below PSP, FC, SFC, MD, CPS1, CPS2, CPS3, FBA, Neogeo, NGP, PS1, PSP, N64, DC, GBA, GB, GBC, SMS, GG and others. (need to copy your own roms)
- Battery: 2830mah Lithium Polymer Battery with life up to 6+ hours
- Accessories: 64GB SD Card, USB Type C Charging Cable, Quick Manual Guide
How Does It Look?
The Z Pocket Game Pro comes in plastic and metal editions, with the metal costing $129.99 which seems to be the average nowadays for metal handhelds.
It looks very similar to the Powkiddy RGB10, which makes sense as the case structures are probably everywhere through China, making it easier and cheaper to source.
It comes with four shoulder buttons, which look to be nicely spaced apart. The glass display is actually curved on the edges, which gives it a nice modern touch, we haven’t seen this in many Chinese handhelds.
The face of the device is simply, with the 3.5″ display in the middle, your ABXY buttons to the right, located near the start/select buttons and menu buttons.
On the left, your sturdy d-pad and an analogue stick similar to that of the RG350M. Wait… just one stick?
That’s right, unfortunately the Z Pocket Game Pro only comes with one analogue stick. Disappointing we know, especially when customers are paying $129+ for this handheld. Why it didn’t go with two, we do not know, must likely to increase profit margins.
On the top of the Z Pocket Game Pro you are greeted with a Mini-HDMI port, USB-C for charging, a headphone hack ( on top? really?) and your SD card slot for adding ROMs.
The four shoulder buttons are also curved, and sit out of the shell which we like, this should make it easier to hit. They are also nicely spaced too, so this will help stop double pressing.
On the sides of the Z Pocket Game Pro you have your on/off button and volume buttons.
The back has been left blank which we prefer, we hate seeing lots of white text across the back, it usually ruins the handhelds aesthetic.
Overall the look of the Z Pocket Game Pro is simple, the metal case will make the handheld feel incredibly premium. Once we started picking some of the best retro handhelds in metal variants, it’s hard to go back to plastic.
But the Z Pocket Game Pro is far from perfect. It’s a basic looking handheld, and the lack of two analogue sticks will certainly stop many customers from picking this up.
But, we think that’s what LaoZhang wants, he doesn’t want to much demand, because he quite simply cannot deliver many units, and we don’t mind. He’s created something great, and for now, it looks as if he wants to build his brand, before going all out.
The Z Pocket Game Pro is a great start, but what can it emulate?
Z Pocket Game Pro Power?
It’s packing, that’s for sure. The Z Pocket Game Pro has a quad core processor and 1GB of RAM, which as we know from our previous RK2020 review plays N64, Dreamcast and even PSP games.
Below is the official list of what consoles the ZPG Pro can emulate:
- PSP
- FC
- SFC
- MD
- CPS1
- CPS2
- CPS3
- FBA
- Neogeo
- NGP
- PS1
- PSP
- N64
- DC
- GBA
- GB
- GBC
- SMS
- GG
- and more.
We can trust this list for sure, the Z Pocket Game Pro is going to be a mighty handheld and one we can see making it’s way into our pockets throughout our travels this year.
There’s no official reveal about what firmware they will be using, but we can imagine it may be RetroArch but this is subject to change. Whatever it is, no doubt it will be very user friendly, and hopefully in English…
The Z Pocket Game Pro is a great handheld for those that want an exclusive rare handheld for their collection that can play their N64, PSP and even Dreamcast games smoothly.
It’s came at a good time, but we’re not sure how long it’s going to take to deliver, they need to be quick as the Retroid Pocket 2 is already shipping and the RG351P is coming out very soon.
Getting this handheld in users hands fast will be the best thing they can do, as it then stops others from cancelling their order.
Our full review will be coming as soon as our unit arrives. Be sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel for an in depth video.
