Retroid Pocket Nova

The Retroid Pocket Nova - 20 Games Later

This is a long term review of the Retroid Pocket Nova. I got mine about two months ago now, but I wanted to make this review when I had completed enough games on it to know whether the hype was worth it, if the initial annoyances persisted, and if it truly is an ENDGAME device *avengers music plays*

With 20 games finished on it, the Nova is now my most used device of the entire year. Yeah, less than two months in, and it already took over everything, even my

.

Performance and Gaming:

To make sure the Nova was THE handheld for me to keep, and mostly replace everything else, I completed games on everything. From NES and GB to PS2 and PC. Not intentionally, I didn’t set out to do that. I stumbled into something cool completely by accident.

• GB/GBC is 3.6” integer scaled, or 4” not IS, so it’s plenty big, looks sharp as s***, and you can throw every shader you want at it. GBA is 4.1” when integer scaled (my preferred way to play it), 4.3” when not. Also plenty big.
• Most of the retro home systems (NES, SNES, TG16, Genesis, etc) you get the full 4.5” at 4:3, or around 4” if you’re an 8:7 purist.
• DS you can go 4.5” 5x integer scale if you have games that don’t really use the second screen. You can use a set up like I did, where the second screen is small and transparent on a corner for things like Pokemon, where you need it, but isn’t the main focus. Or just go Tate mode and stack them vertically. For a single screen device, it’s a decent experience. Still don’t get this FOR DS. But you can play plenty on it.
• PS1, N64, Saturn, PS2, Gamecube, Dreamcast, Wii, all work and look amazing. Just set it to 4x/2x. And forget about it. Also full screen, and matching the resolution. Performance is never lacking. Many PS2 games will run on the standard performance profile at full speed. It’s an excellent experience.
• 3DS can be fun if you play games that don’t use that much the second screen. You’re not playing Kid Icarus uprising on this one. Performance isn’t an issue at all, but anything that requires touch input, or has too much info on the bottom screen isn’t worth it. But if you wanna do some Mario kart, NSMB, or something like that, go for it.
• Switch also runs fine, if you’re ok with the letterboxing. But from 2D light games to heavier 3D games, if the emulator can handle it, the performance is there.
• Now for PC games… I tested a few, and compatibility is as hit or miss as most devices running Android. But when it works… you can just forget you’re emulating a PC game. I completed “A Short Hike” on it, and yeah, not a demanding game at all, but that’s kinda the perfect type of game for this one: 4:3 support, low poly/retro graphics, chill gameplay. I think this isn’t a handheld FOR PC games, but one that you can install gamenative, try out some of those less demanding indies that you’ve been meaning to play, and have a nice time. I also played a fair bit of Gravity Rush and Hollow Knight, and the games run great, but being locked at 16:9 means you lose some screen real estate.

The Vibes™:

And that’s where I landed. This isn’t THE ENDGAME *avengers music* handheld. The Nova is more about… the vibes™.

The Nova’s biggest constraint is the 4:3 aspect ratio screen. People will tell you to get an

, an

Odin 3

, a

Thor

. And those are all AMAZING devices. Very capable, probably better than the Nova at things like Switch, PC or dual-screen devices. But those don’t have “the vibes™”. And if you got, or you want, a Nova, you know what I mean. That 4:3 screen is also its biggest strength. There’s a sense of nostalgic plastic toy-like wonder that it brings, that the bigger, glass faced widescreen dudes just don’t. Again, this is not to say the other guys are worse. On the contrary, they’re amazing handhelds. I’m just emphasising how the Nova fills a different niche.

Conclusion:

Is the Nova good? Yes. Is the screen amazing? F*** yeah. Is the launch D-Pad still annoying? Hell yes. Is this worth it if you want OLED 4:3? Absolutely. Is it for everyone? Nope. You gotta be sure you want what it offers, and that your needs won’t be better suited by something like the RP6 or a Thor.

Did it become MY endgame device ? *avengers music*

Absolutely it did. I no longer have to pick if I wanna play a retro game on my gameboy, or a modern/ish game on my powerhouse. I can just do it all in one. I can play a couple of levels of Mario Picross on gameboy, and then jump into Need for Speed Most Wanted for PS2, without skipping a beat. This thing is pretty magical.