PC gamer goes Analogue
A blast from the past and lots of nostalgia
EVEN BEFORE JOINING this esteemed publication, I considered myself a hardcore PC gamer. I waited patiently for GodofWar and HorizonZeroDawn to make their way to the PC so I could unleash my RTX 3090 on them for true 4K resolution and unlocked frame rates. Suck it up, PlayStation 5.
I started out as a console gamer though, in particular, on a handheld from the 1990s called the Game Gear. So when I heard friends in my Discord group talking about the Analogue Pocket, which recreates handheld consoles of this era from the likes of Sega and Nintendo, my ears pricked up.
I convinced one of them to let me come over and play on their new console, just as I did with my teenage friends all those years ago. I marveled at the Analogue Pocket’s craftsmanship, particularly the LCD screen that can either slavishly recreate the original console’s display, or give it a modern overhaul with brighter colors and better contrast.
The Analogue Pocket plays the original games, warts and all. I needed to blow the dust away from some of the cartridges before inserting, and then spend the boot-up time praying for it to load. The nostalgia hit immediately took me back to being a 10-year-old, when I might only get a couple of games per year, but would play them to death, good or bad.
I’d forgotten how enjoyable it is to play games on a dedicated console again. Sure, I can play ForzaHorizon5 and Halo Infinite anywhere on my Lenovo Legion 5 Pro laptop, but I’ll also have to ignore the barrage of work emails, Steam messages, and other social updates. As a result, I end up playing 30-minute gaming sessions on my PC before I’m distracted. With the Analogue Pocket, the hours melted away.
So there you have it. My trusty RTX 3090 is gathering dust, I’m on eBay bidding to win games from 30 years ago, and I’ve subscribed to our sister publication, Retro Gamer. Well done, Analogue Pocket.