Oooh, this is exciting. I have two Analogue pockets, and really like the device. For reference, the Analogue pitch is: frame accurate / CPU cycle accurate classic gaming device simulation using a hefty FPGA. The proposal is that this feels better / different from emulators. The pockets have some 'sugar' around simulating CRT colors and bleed for a more authentic experience.
All this is generally my experience with the devices. They feel very like my memory of childhood games, much more so than play in emulation. And I love it.
That said, the software ecosystem side of these devices feels like a near total disaster; I think it's a combination of legal concerns around copyright for ROMs, and the company's DNA. The amount of work to play, say Zelda on an Analogue Pocket, is akin to jailbreaking an Android phone, circa 2013. Lots of sdcard downloads, firmware checks, custom software tools, arcane paths through the OS software. I think they could afford to make a cleaner and easier software path.
At any rate, I will order an N64 capable Analogue console as soon as I can - the idea of having an N64/(PS1? Saturn?) device that will last in my house is irresistible.
I'm also very curious to see what they do on controllers - the N64 had a weirdo wing-shaped controller, and using other control layouts for N64 games seems tough to me. Should be fun!
All this is generally my experience with the devices. They feel very like my memory of childhood games, much more so than play in emulation. And I love it.
That said, the software ecosystem side of these devices feels like a near total disaster; I think it's a combination of legal concerns around copyright for ROMs, and the company's DNA. The amount of work to play, say Zelda on an Analogue Pocket, is akin to jailbreaking an Android phone, circa 2013. Lots of sdcard downloads, firmware checks, custom software tools, arcane paths through the OS software. I think they could afford to make a cleaner and easier software path.
At any rate, I will order an N64 capable Analogue console as soon as I can - the idea of having an N64/(PS1? Saturn?) device that will last in my house is irresistible.
I'm also very curious to see what they do on controllers - the N64 had a weirdo wing-shaped controller, and using other control layouts for N64 games seems tough to me. Should be fun!