The Retroid Pocket Nova is the first retro handheld that makes me think I’ll never need to buy another

The Game Boy Advance was where it started to go wrong. I bought a flash cart to dabble in the burgeoning homebrew scene and discovered there were emulators for Nintendo’s handheld. I’d dabbled in emulation before on the PC and Mac, but the thought of carrying around chunks of gaming’s history in my pocket? Well. It’s probably not a great admission to say it became a bit of an obsession, but… it became a bit of an obsession.

On the Game Boy Advance, there were huge technical limitations, due to the hardware’s piddling performance and dinky screen resolution. But my stack of original carts quickly became peppered with retro remakes (Speedball 2! IK+!) and SNES-ish efforts (F-Zero! Mario Goes Jumpy Jumpy ARGH!), while the flash cart was plugged in whenever I fancied playing ZX Spectrum greats.

I tell myself I could have stopped there. But no. Because once I had one favourite old platform in my mitts, I wanted more. The DS ramped up the power and what was possible. Then smartphones became an option, before retro handhelds became my gateway to madness. Seemingly, new entries would arrive daily. I’d buy far too many of them, gleeful at how each one inched towards portable retro-gaming perfection. But now I’m done. Maybe.

Black in black

People talk of an ‘end game’ device – one that finally does everything you need for a specific activity. For me and retro gaming, that for the longest time meant a 4:3 aspect ratio incarnation of OutRun 2006. (Yes, I own the original shiny disc too.) Sure, there was a solid version of that racer on the PSP, but it turns out 4:3 gives me the warm and fuzzies in a way that new-fangled widescreen output never will.

The PS2 (one of the platforms on which OutRun 2006 appeared) has been within reach of handhelds for some time, but the Retroid Pocket Nova (from $239) runs its games without even blinking. Beyond that, it’s so comically overspecced for older fare that you can slap on all kinds of fancy filters and pretend you’ve time travelled back to 1985. Albeit as some kind of giant, given that it’s like holding a CRT TV in your hands. (Kids who grew up with LCDs: don’t hold a CRT TV in your hands! They are heavy!)

The Nova isn’t my first Retroid handheld. It’s, erm, my sixth. I think. But given my experience with the Retroid Pocket 6, I was expecting great things. After all, the Nova basically is a Pocket 6, but with a plastic shell (no all-glass front to smash!), a flat back and a display specifically suited to ancient games.

Thumbs up

I’m not disappointed. My model’s in ninja black, and it looks very smart, although there are loads of other colours to choose from. In the hand, I prefer its flat back to the Pocket 6’s ergonomic bumps, and its reduced heft is welcome. The controls are fab and the battery lasts for ages.

But much of my love for the Retroid Pocket Nova comes down to the display. It’s smaller than the Pocket 6’s – run 4:3 games on that device and they’re about the same size. However, there’s something about being rid of black borders, how optimised the Nova is for older fare, and how great it feels when flipped 90 degrees for portrait games. 

That’s not to say the Nova’s perfect. The $239 price is a bit spendy, even if it does represent good value for what you get. The D-pad is a touch clacky. The audio feels slightly muted (although JamesDSP solves that). And the fan whine is annoying. Then again, you don’t need the fan on for games the Nova is aimed at.

If this was a review (which it isn’t, because ‘editor said no’), I’d be tempted to give a second Retroid device a five-star rating. Because, odd niggles aside, the Nova really is an end-game handheld – at least for me. That’s not to say I’ll never be tempted by something else, but I’m finally at the point where I genuinely can’t imagine what that would be.