OS

• New: ‘Auto Dim’ and ‘Auto Off’ power options
  • Navigate to ‘Settings → PocketOS → Power Saving’ to adjust automatic screen dimming and power-off/sleep when Pocket is idle
  • By default Auto Dim is set to 5 minutes and Auto Off is set to 2 hours
• Improved: Menu layout and organization
• Fixed: Bugs related to Sleep/Wake and Dock usage

GBA

• Improved: Cartridge bus timing adjustments

openFPGA

• New: Recent category saves the most recent usage activity
• Improved: Quitting a core now returns to the openFPGA menu
• Improved: openFPGA menu opens faster when cached

Dock

• New: Support for 8BitDo Pro 3 controllers
• New: Support for 8BitDo 64 controllers
  • Note: To enable simultaneous C button input, update your controller firmware to 2.05 or later

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/48026195

Analogue Pocket Adapter Set - $ 99.99

The Analogue Pocket Adapter Set expands the Pocket’s compatibility to even more classic systems, including the TurboGrafx-16, Neo Geo Pocket Color, and Atari Lynx. Play your original cartridges from these handheld systems on the Analogue Pocket.

Compatible with Analogue Pocket only

In The Box:

• TurboGrafx-16, PC Engine & SuperGrafx Adapter
• Neo Geo Pocket Color Cartridge Adapter
• Atari Lynx Cartridge Adapter

Ships in 24-48 hours

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/47830979

Hey there!

I recently acquired an analogue pocket after 2 years of being avid MiSTer owner.

So I knew what I was getting and expected a similar experience but of course not identical.

That's exactly what I got and it's an awesome device. And with that, enough context.

I planned on playing through rondo of blood and ys on the pocket, utilizing the Pcengine cd core. Setup and everything went fine, games are booting. However, they're not persisting saves.

To be clear, not save states but saving ingame. After saving, leaving the core and restarting the games there's no save game to load.

I would be fine if it was impossible but the core even mentions that for each game a separate memory card is initialized (https://github.com/Mazamars312/openfpga-pcengine-cd#memory-cards), bringing me to the conclusion that the core should do it.

Does anyone have experience regarding this? Extensive searches.l brought up much regarding the setup of pcecd, json files (obsolete), image formats, loading issues and audio sync problems but nothing like my case. Or maybe nobody else needs the pcecd save function? 🤷

Anyhow, i'd be grateful for any advice.

Solution in the xpost source. It's a bug you can fix.

I still need to make a new shell but I did confirm this version works with the eReader.

What would be the minimum specifications/features that an Analogue Pocket 2 should have for you to buy it?

For me:

• OpenFPGA
• FPGA chip that can handle up to Nintendo 64
• 6 front main action buttons (like Saturn)
• Dual analogue sticks
• Horizontal format
• Dock with DAC

As an extra, I would say that I do not need cartridge slot. I have a lot of physical games, but I do not use them in my AP.

Looks like a bunch of bug fixes and some new display modes. No DAC

The price isn't great.

Just another option for people looking to buy a extender (though really consider investing learning how to build one yourself). InsideGadgets is very well known in the community for the GBxCart Flasher and their flash carts so no risks on quality in my opinion.

Disclaimer: I am the developer of the project and have not been compensated in any way from InsideGadgets.

To add context, I'm the developer of this PCB and in no way affiliated/compensated by the seller. Selling is permitted by the license so that's all cool. I do think you're better off learning basic soldering if you really care about original carts and doing fully diy, but there is now an option for buying.

Had to run the dock through a HDMI to component converter, then into a gbs control to get it to scale correctly. After that the filters look fantastic on this little display.

Wish the Super Gameboy core would be updated so it doesn't crash.

I've searched around, but the only GBA core that seems to exist is spiritualized's, which doesn't have RTC support and hasn't had a release in over a year. I was actually under the impression that RTC support in cores wasn't possible, but then budude2 just released his GB/GBC core that does have RTC support. So now I'm wondering if it's possible for GBA.

I ask because I play a ton of Pokemon ROM hacks that take advantage of time changes, and it would be nice to have some of the core features of the Pocket. For example, sleep/wake doesn't work for Everdrives, and save states / memories are iffy.

Just in time for Christmas!

Hi hi, Pocket owners, this has been a question on my mind for a while. I've done a ton of research, watched countless reviews, and read so many threads and posts for a while. Most of this took place last year, so it was mostly theoretical. I had no job, and was unsure of when I would even start investing in a retro collection.

Now, fast forward a year later. Life has changed, a lot. Now that I have a consistent stream of income, a lot of old things have come back to my mind. I feel like I am stuck, this question is not easy. I feel like both options are great for different reasons, but I am not in a position where I believe getting both at the moment is really a smart investment either.

First, the Analogue Pocket, it has many, MANY compelling upsides. OpenFPGA, the glorious screen, modern tech, conveniceces and accessory ecosystem, along with just being a really well built piece of kit overall. Though some things really scare me.

It isn't repairable, and the long term viability of it is questionable. Junky gameboys and mod parts will be available until I'm old and rotten most likely. Some of these consoles have been around for a much greater time than I have, yet mod parts and replacement bits are still being made and are easy to procure. What about the Pocket? In 5, 10, 15 years, what if Analogue just sinks and I'm left with nothing? The device itself seems similar to other modern devices in that it isn't very open or repairable. I just can't see it having the same parts ecosystem as actual Gameboys either. I want to buy sustainable, long-lasting devices and despite the initial upsides I am extremely skeptical on how long I'd be able to make it last. The reports on durability aren't the most confidence inspiring, either. I don't want to have to baby this thing, I want to be able to throw it in my bag in a pouch or something and keep it around for a really long time.

The layout. I'm going to be quite honest, most of my interest and use case would be to play GBA games. I haven't used a vertical format like this in quite some time. It doesn't seem the most comfortable to me, especially for action games that make use of the triggers in their main gameplay. I haven't held it though, so who knows.

OpenFPGA is nice, though I'm unsure how much I'll use it. Like many people I have a bad problem of downloading a bunch of ROMs (or games in general, to be honest), loading up my system, then never touching any of them for more than a few minutes each. Having everything at your fingertips often decreases the value of said thing, and will leas to you not really appreciating it as much. Back when I was a kid, I could only take so many games with me. And appreciate the hell out of those games I did. 100s of hours in each Pokemon game, constantly replaying Mega Man Zero, etc. It may sound like I have rose tinted glasses, but being forced to be intentional and only select a few games usually results in me playing more for longer periods of time. Not to say it's a bad feature, but I'm just saying I have no idea how much it'd be worth it to me when weighing it against the modded GBA.

I think the last bit is Analogue themselves aren't the most reliable company. Their communication is awful, don't deliver on their promises very well at all, and will randomly kill product lines. I know they're tiny, COVID probably hurt them a lot considering their size, but as a consumer it still affects me quite a bit so I can't ignore it. 200$ is a large investment for something like this, and their track record does not inspire much confidence if I am to be honest.

Now, the Modded GBA/GBC. This has quite a few upsides, as well as downsides. It's pretty simple.

Very repairable, parts have and will continue to exist. Not only that, but mods get better and better over time. I'm a technically inclined person who loves to tinker, so modding my own device is a plus in my book. I know that is not the case for most. Either way, this means I'm pretty much set for life when it comes to the device's sustainability. Even though it'd cost more in the short term, it could save me quite a bit in the long run.

It's dumb. Very simple with no real UI, only playing games when the cartridge is slotted in. Lack of reliance on software means less chance for breakage.

More form factor choices, due to various SKUs and mods.

Lastly, the nostalgia will hit harder. Very superficial, but lets be honest that is quite a big factor for everyone here.

Now, for the cons!

Being dumb and simple doesn't come without shortcomings. The Pocket has a lot of nice options. Also, openFPGA has a great use for ROM hacks and fan patches, which I have crazy interest in. One of my favorite games of all time can not be played officially in English, so even if my use of it would be limited there is still a limited use case.

It's more expensive, doubly so if I go for both. It might make it up in the long run, but that's only theoretical. I have no idea how durable the Pocket it is, how their warranty works and their honor system, anything.

Carrying around two systems is kinda dumb. The Pocket in many ways seems more practical in this regard, especially with the decent ecosystem of cases, pouches, and other things that both systems just do not have in the modern day.

I think that's about it. I know this post was long as FUCK, but I think the community here needed some activity. I don't know when I'll bite the bullet, maybe sometime next year or after. Perhaps when they do another random drop of cool shells. Either way, I just wanted to get this out of the way because it has been plaguing my mind since yesterday. I'd love to hear experience from people who own either, or both!

Choosing a color is too hard... but I might be leaning towards orange...

I also posted this in the !analogueinc community: https://lemmy.world/post/5719763