The handheld gaming arena is slowly getting saturated with tons of options for gamers with specific sets of needs. That has changed the balance of hardware on offer and the corresponding prices, which have become ever more competitive. Retroid is one of the strong contenders in this keenly contested arena, and their next handheld has been all the rage in the last few weeks.
Following a stint of leaks and rumors around the probable specifications of the handheld, the Chinese OEM has finally announced the latest gaming handheld that’s powered by an SoC similar to the one on the Galaxy S23 Ultra. The portable gaming console is directly pitted against the Ayaneo Pocket Micro 2 (Limited Edition, 110 units sold out in all configurations and colors) and the Anbernic RG 55G1, both released just a few days ago.
Designer: Retroid
This 4.5-inch AMOLED screen (4:3 screen resolution) handheld operating at a peak 120Hz refresh rate is ideal for playing retro titles from the early 2000s, like the ones from the PS2 and GameCube libraries. Powered by the Qualcomm QCS8550 chip mated to an Adreno 740 GPU (clocking at 680MHz) which is equivalent to the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor on the flagships of 2023, sans the cellular modem. Just in case the handheld doesn’t get hot and drop off in performance, there is an advanced active cooling system in the mix.
Weighing under nine ounces, the gaming machine comes with a 5,000mAh battery and the ability to fast charge via a USB-C port. The maker is claiming a play time of around eight hours on the fly, which should get you through a day’s gaming spree without having to recharge again. The base version of the device comes in an 8 GB RAM and 128 GB storage configuration, while the 12GB RAM paired with 256GB storage variant is well suited for gamers who don’t mind spending a few extra dollars. If you want even beefier storage, expansion via the microSD slot is also an option.
Connectivity of the handheld for OTA updates is taken care of by the WiFi 7 and Bluetooth 5.3 modules, which should be less power-consuming. In the hands-on video of the engineering prototype, we can clearly see the handheld with a highly flexible DPAD and 3D Hall effect joysticks. The handheld will be compatible with a second-screen accessory – just like the Pocket 5 and Pocket 6 – which should catch Nintendo DS fans’ attention.
Retroid Pocket Nova can be pre-ordered right now, but there is no confirmed date for the shipping timeline. That said, the see-through black version in the base 8GB/128GB configuration is priced at $229, and the 12GB/256GB variant costs $269. Spend a little more, and you can grab the retro-futuristic translucent colors like Ice Blue, Crystal, Watermelon, and Clear Purple for $234 and $274, respectively, for the same configurations.
