PocketGo v2 Portable Retro Gaming Handheld with OpenDingux OS ; Dual-Core CPU, 32GB Storage, 3.5" IPS Display

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The first generation BittBoy PocketGo was a great start in handheld retro gaming, and now with the second generation BittBoy has improved on almost every aspect of their handheld. For quick pick-up-and-go gaming, this is a great device however there are a few strings attached and some flaws present.What's in the box?In the box, I received the PocketGo V2.1 (with 32GB micro SD card already loaded), USB-C charging cable, micro SD to USB 2.0 adaptor, a spare set of retro buttons, a joystick cover, and some paperwork with basic usage instructions. While previous models had the retro GameBoy-inspired coloured face buttons installed, mine had the SNES-style coloured buttons installed with the retro set of buttons spare. The included micro SD card was pre-formatted with the stock RG350 firmware, so the device can be used right away.It should be mentioned that there are actually two models of the PocketGo V2. The original V2 model had some sensitivity issues with the D-pad while the updated V2.1 not only fixed this issue but also includes a new reset button on the bottom as well as a completely different firmware architecture. While this product listing doesn't make it clear which model you're buying, the one I ended up receiving is the newer V2.1 model. For much of this review, I will be drawing comparisons with the original V1 PocketGo, and not the original V2 model.Build qualityThis second-generation PocketGo is just as solid as before, the casing is now built from a glossy and almost pearlescent white plastic as opposed to the original's matte white texture. Personally I liked the matte texture more but this new style also looks great. The entire unit is about the same size as the original GameBoy Advance, but with a much bigger and brighter screen. Weight-wise it's also perceptibly heavier than the original V1 PocketGo given the 2000mAh battery (the original was 1000mah) and larger internals. It's sturdy and along with the tempered glass screen cover, you get a reliable device that you can put into your pocket without a case and not have to worry about scratches or other damage. Mine did come with a few manufacturing faults and flaws but we'll get into those later.Just like its smaller sibling it still doesn't have a proper SD card retainer so take care when ejecting the card otherwise you might end up launching your games into oblivion. Or down a drain. Whichever's the nearest.Display specsWhile the IPS panel keeps the original's 320 x 240 resolution, it's now bigger. Much bigger. At 3.5 inches, it's more than double the surface area of the V1 and is easily the best feature of the PocketGo V2.1. It's bright yet maintains excellent contrast and saturation. From my comparison pictures, you can see that it dwarfs the size of most systems it emulates while providing even better clarity and backlighting.Size and brightness aside, the display panel also gives much better contrast, with deeper black pixels and wider dynamic range. It's no OLED, but it's pretty high up among the ranks of LCD panels. Colour reproduction is also top-notch, with noticeably better saturation than even the Nintendo Switch Lite. In my tests, the PocketGo V2.1's display tended to be considerably warmer than the other consoles but not to the point where it becomes problematic. From what I understand, it has a refresh rate of 60Hz.Controls and ergonomicsIf the controls on the original PocketGo are superb, then the PocketGo V2.1 is nothing short of amazing. The D-pad uses the same pivot design but now has rounded edges which provides better comfort than the squared-off edges of the original. It's now possible to rest your thumb on top of the pad and instead of repositioning it every time you want to change direction, and you can now comfortably rock your thumb in place.The face buttons have slightly more travel while using the same soft membrane structure, which provides the same satisfying tapping feel as opposed to the loud clicky microswitches often used in cheaper devices. Combined with the D-pad, the feel is a lot like the controls on the GameBoy Pocket, which is one of my favourites.We now have an extra set of shoulder buttons and while they are a bit louder to click than I'd prefer, they are well-positioned and you can quickly switch between the main and secondary shoulder buttons with ease. The original also had a volume slider on the side of the device that could easily be accidentally moved by your palm, this has now been replaced by a pair of volume up and down buttons on the top that are much harder to accidentally touch.A new feature is the analog slider pad that somewhat resembles the Circle Pad of the Nintendo 3DS. It's got a creaky feel and the thumbstick rotates which is a little annoying. It does come with a rubber cover that makes the joystick feel more comfortable although the entire stick can be pulled off so care must be taken not to lose it.With the larger body, you can now rest the entire console in your hands, which is far more comfortable than the original tiny console. I got hand cramps after using the original after a few hours but the V2.1 eliminates the issue entirely.Gameplay and softwareAs mentioned earlier, there are two versions of the PocketGo V2. This newer model uses the same firmware as the RG350 and can handle more complex software than both the V1 and V2.0 PocketGo models.Again, the different emulators are all from different sources but the button mapping is now much more consistent so they all use the same controls in their menus. During my testing, there were no issues emulating the NES, SNES, GameBoy, GameBoy Color, GameBoy Advance, and PlayStation. After playing for about 2 hours, I still had about 70% battery left although the battery percentage gauge might not be very accurate as it seems to fluctuate a lot.Setting up the system is a little tricky as it involves flashing a disk image to one micro SD card while loading ROMs on a second micro SD card. I encountered problems as my unit had a faulty secondary card slot, effectively preventing me from loading my own ROMs. I was able to bypass this issue by mounting the system drive as an Ext4 volume on my computer, but this is an unnecessarily complicated process that no end-user should be expected to do.What's been fixed however is the power-down process. Previously you had to select a menu item, confirm, then flip a switch to safely power down and missing any of these steps could cause an error or even damage the data stored on the micro SD card. On this new unit, powering down is simply a matter of holding down the power button at the system menu. Another improvement is the elimination of the master power switch, which prevents accidental shut-downs.The default firmware has an audio problem where the lowest volume level is very loud so you either had to mute the system or run it at an uncomfortably loud volume. This can be fixed with a firmware update.Faults, flaws, and problemsThe unit I received has a few problems. Firstly, there was a large speck of dust inside the screen. While it's not really visible in dark or moving scenes, it really stands out on bright backgrounds and can be very distracting. Because the new V2.1 model has an embedded display panel that cannot be accessed from the back, the only way to clean the inside of the screen is to apply heat to the front glass and remove it from there, which is very risky.A more serious fault was the fact that the secondary micro SD card slot was not properly soldered to the main board and instead it was tilted both sideways and upwards. Cards inserted into the secondary slot cannot be read and would also be jammed by the plastic housing and could only be removed by disassembling the entire unit. Some of the pins are also not properly connected to the main board, so if a card was inserted it would cause the system to continually fail to read and when powering down it would cause the entire system to freeze until the card was forcibly removed. A quick check on Reddit shows that I am not the only one with this issue as others have also reported the same. It seems QC was not very thoroughly done on these units.Overall verdictIf all you wanted was something to simply dump your ROMs onto and start playing, then this is the system for you. It's reasonably priced and offers a wide range of systems to emulate (I only really used about half of the emulators though). Of course, that's provided you don't receive a faulty unit like I did. When it works, it works brilliantly and improves on the original V1 PocketGo in every way. With the spotty QC, you are making a bit of a gamble but Amazon should cover you should things go awry.

Great device when it works. It turned on when I put it on charge. It was great for an hour or so. I turned it off and put it away. I got it out the next day and I couldn't turn it on. After a couple of hours of fault finding on the net, the situation was no better. It turned on a couple of times by opening up the device and removing the battery, but there was no consistency with this process either. Moreover, that is not the way it is meant to operate. Hopefully, it is just an issue with my device and I'll have it replaced with one that works. When it works, it is awesome. Another great handheld, when working.