Retroid Shows Off Its Upcoming Pocket Nova Handheld With New Photos And Videos

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I have found myself infatuated with 4:3 aspect ratios for emulation. Ever since I reviewed the AYANEO Pocket AIR Mini, I fell in love with the use case, which allows GameCube and PS2 games to utilize the full screen without any stretching. That's also why I have been so excited for Retroid's Pocket Nova.

Over the last few days, Retroid has been showing off its upcoming Retroid Pocket Nova on social media channels, and it looks incredible. They showed different pictures showing the full device and its shell.

There was also a chunk of photos posted showing off all of the colorways and how they look:

They also shot off a video showcasing how to play games on it, including a dedicated video to show how 16:9 titles, like PSP emulation, will look.

It’s a very similar design to the Pocket AIR Mini that I recently reviewed, but it’s got a few incredible upgrades that make it worth looking into, even if it is a little more expensive. We have the gorgeous 1280x960 OLED screen, which is the biggest selling point for me. This keeps that fantastic 4:3 aspect ratio for emulation while bringing in the beautiful, vibrant colors.

But it’s compounded by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chip inside, which is a monster. It’s similar in power to the AYN Thor and Retroid Pocket 6, and it should be able to play tons of emulated titles, including the majority of the GameCube and PS2 libraries. And because it’s running the Android OS, we may even be able to get some Android and PC games running on it, so I’m not sure how great it’ll be on the screen of this size and aspect ratio. Still, the power is there, and we have that option.

The fact that this all costs about $229 to pre-order right now makes this an insane deal. You’re getting a gorgeous, pocket-sized device that can play the entire GameCube and PS2 library, tons of different Android games, and some PC games, with vibrant colors. I am a little worried about battery life with the more powerful chip, and we do have restrictions with the 8GB of RAM (though we can pay more to upgrade to 12GB), but for a device like this, it all sounds too good to be true, and may be the best 4:3 device out there. I love my AYANEO Pocket AIR Mini, but with the price increase due to component costs, it’s hard not to see the Pocket Nova as a significantly better deal.

The Retroid Pocket Nova can be pre-ordered on their website starting at $229. However, there is an option to upgrade to 12GB RAM, and the transparent colorways cost $5 more.

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