Recently, Retroid asked if I’d be interested in reviewing their latest handheld, the Pocket 6.
This one is particularly interesting because, due to what I’ve been calling the “RAM apocalypse,” prices have increased and the 12GB version of the device has been discontinued. On top of that, Retroid also had to scrap an entire handheld (the Pocket G2 pictured below), which came in my favorite color, turquoise, and has now disappeared as well :(
These are just some of the many victims in the retro handheld scene lately. Prices are rising across the board, and specs are likely to trend downward in the near future.
Keeping all of that in mind, I thought it would be interesting to take a different approach in the beginning of my review: speaking to developers from various projects to get their perspective on how viable 8GB is now and in the long term. I spoke with devs from GameNative, GameHub, Eden, Retroid, and more. Asking how they thought 8GB would be with running PC games on the RP6.
(I mean, just look at how beautifully it upscales PSP games!! This screenshot from Daxter just amazed me)
The rest of the article is my full review of the RP6, and it really is impressive. If you’re focused on emulating platforms like Switch, along with lighter (older) and indie PC games, as well as upscaled PS2, Wii U and so on, then 8GB will be more than sufficient. The only real bottleneck, unsurprisingly, is that RAM when it comes to newer PC emulation.
If you’re interested, you can read my review of it here:
https://gardinerbryant.com/hands-on-with-the-retroid-pocket-6-the-8gb-sweet-spot/
…and naturally if you have any questions on it at all, feel free to ask!
I don’t think I play enough retro games to warrant owning one of these, and if I was to buy a handheld it’d probably be a Steam Deck. But they are such nice objects I kinda want one anyway.
Great article as always, I love your content. I especially appreciated the developer interviews about the 8GB RAM limitations.
I always think about buying the Ayn Thor.
I do have the money to buy it but I debate always if I’d use it more than a more general device like my phone or my already existing SteamDeck.
On the one hand, it’s way more portable than a steamdeck but 300€ isnt free money either ;-;
My recommendation: If you’d buy a laptop to play on the couch, etc. etc. that isnt your desk with your PC, than a steamdeck might be worth it.
If you primarily play mouse games like shooters: It’s complicated. IMO it’s more meant for gamepad games or at best in a dock with a mouse/keyboard separatly.
Thank you Coelacanth!!!
The joke is that 90% of the people who buy these don’t either! They just spend all their time setting things up ‘just so’, setting up new front-ends, tweaking settings, scraping covers then curating ROMs lists :P
How DARE you to call me out like that >:(
I’m curating my ROMs as I type this
I feel attacked.
Jokes aside, I did spend a couple weeks setting it up and now I’m just enjoying the fruits of my labor.