The Retroid Pocket 3 – Your Portal To Retro Gaming Bliss

The Retroid Pocket 3 Plus handheld gaming console is a decent choice for those looking to play old games without having to dedicate a lot of time to figuring out emulators and tweaking settings. Less demanding games like Sonic Generations and Crazy Taxi run well, but the lag in more complex titles is noticeable.

Specs

The retroid pocket 3 plus is basically a slightly bigger and more expensive version of the Pocket 3. It has a 4.7 inch screen, built-in gaming controls and software that runs on Android 11. It has the same case as the Pocket 3, which makes it a smooth, slim slab that feels comfortable in your hands. It’s also not too heavy or fatiguing to use for long periods of time, which can be a problem with some emulator handhelds.

It has a much better front end than the Pocket 3, and getting all your favorite emulators and games to work is significantly less of a hassle than it was on the Pocket 2. However, you’ll still need to wrestle with configuration menus and spend a while tinkering to get everything to run properly. This can be a bit of a chore, especially for people who are new to this type of thing. Luckily, there are lots of tutorials and YouTube videos to help you out.

Design

The retroid pocket 3 plus has an elegant, minimalist design. Although it isn’t as sleek as the Nintendo Switch Lite, it still has an attractive look that makes it comfortable to hold and use. Unlike many other handheld gaming consoles, which try too hard to stand out by adding extra buttons or unique designs, GoRetroid kept things simple with this design. Its sliders may be met with scepticism by some due to their departure from traditional analog sticks, but they’re actually brilliant. They offer excellent control and fidelity, making them the perfect choice for racing games.

The touchscreen is also a big improvement over its predecessor. It now has a higher pixels-per-inch (PPI) of 326, which is almost retina quality. This makes it easy to play games in full resolution. The device also has HDMI output to connect it to a TV or monitor for big screen gaming. The Retroid Pocket 3 Plus is a great option for those who are interested in emulation and want something affordable to play older games on.

Performance

For its price point, the Retroid Pocket 3 Plus is a handheld gaming dream. It can run pretty much everything up to the PlayStation 2 (with some upscaling) smoothly and lag-free. The device has a beautiful 4.7-inch, 1334 x 750 IPS screen. It’s a big improvement over the Pocket 2+, which featured a smaller 3.5-inch screen and an annoying chin under the display. The Pocket 3+ is also lighter and has a more ergonomic design. It does away with the chin and adds volume and home buttons on the left edge of the body. It also ditches the directional buttons and opts for a d-pad that has soft, responsive feel.

For its $150 price, the Retroid Pocket 3+ is a great choice for anyone who wants to play classic games on the go. It’s even a better option than the excellent Ayn Odin 2, which costs more than $240 and has worse battery life. The Pocket 3+ has a nice frontend that indexes your game library and provides useful system information.

Value

With a great bang-for-the-buck price point, this handheld is an outstanding choice for anyone looking to play classic games. At $99, it’s cheaper than a Nintendo Switch Lite and beats out similarly priced emulation handhelds like the Anbernic RG353M, which struggles with text clarity (see this guide for a workaround). The only downside is that Retroid doesn’t include any ROMs or console BIOS with the device, so new owners will have to spend time setting things up. This isn’t a dealbreaker, but it will be frustrating for people who don’t already have experience sourcing ROMs and tweaking emulator settings.

Another potential frustration is that the Pocket 2+ doesn’t come with a carrying case. While it’s a minor gripe, people who want to use this device for other purposes will need to buy their own. Hopefully, Retroid will release one in the future. This will make the Retroid Pocket 3+ Plus a more appealing option for gamers that need to carry it with them on the go.

Conclusion

The Retroid Pocket 3 plus is a pretty decent handheld gaming console. It’s easy to set up and capable of running a wide variety of games. The design is sleek and comfortable. The analog sticks feel great and the triggers are clicky enough to be satisfying. The D-pad feels a bit shallow and mushy, though.