What you need to know
- Retroid has announced its new gaming handhelds, the Pocket 4 and Pocket 4 Pro.
- These are the successor to the popular Retroid Pocket 3 Plus that was released earlier in the year.
- Pricing starts at $149 for the base model, while the Pocket 4 Pro will start at $199.
As if there weren’t already a plethora of great gaming handhelds to choose from, Retroid is jumping in right before the end of the year to announce two more. Leading up to the unveiling, Retroid has been teasing the Pocket 4, likely as a way to drum up some excitement.
Not only did the company announce the Retroid Pocket 4, but it will also be releasing the Retroid Pocket 4 Pro. The overall design for both of these devices doesn’t stray far from what helped to make the Retroid Pocket 3 Plus so popular. From the outside, it looks a lot like the Nintendo Switch Lite, but there’s a lot more going on under the hood.
Retroid is leaning on MediaTek, as it’s opting to move away from Unisoc this time around. The standard Pocket 4 is powered by the MediaTek Dimensity 900, while the Pocket 4 Pro uses the Dimensity 1100. Both of these chips are a couple of years old, but they still provide ample power for playing many of the best Android games and retro emulators.
In terms of what you can expect from these chips, you’ll likely be able to emulate games from the GameCube and PS2. However, that doesn’t mean your entire library will be playable, as some games could still struggle with these chipsets.
With the Retroid Pocket 4, the Dimensity 900 is paired with 4GB of LPDDR4x RAM, while the Pocket 4 Pro is equipped with 8GB of RAM. In terms of the software, both devices are running Android, but Retroid opted to go with Android 11 on the Pocket 4, and Android 13 on the Pro model. The only difference between the two is that you’ll be able to plug the Pocket 4 Pro into a monitor and enjoy 1080p gaming on a bigger screen via the USB-C port.
Besides that, you’ll find 128GB of expandable storage, support Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.2, and a 5,000mAh battery across the board. The really exciting aspect of the new Retroid Pocket 4 series is the price, as the Pocket 4 is set to start at $149, with the Pocket 4 Pro coming in at $199.
Unfortunately, while Retroid spilled the beans on pretty much everything, it stopped short of revealing when these new retro gaming handhelds would be available. Currently, all we know is that the “launch details will be announced at a later date.”
No matter what, it’s pretty clear that 2024 is going to be exciting, as we’re expecting to see the Pocket 4 series, Ayaneo’s Pocket S, and more. I just wish we would be able to get our hands on these sooner rather than later.
