Analogue Pocket Orders Will Finally Start Shipping Out Again In August

If you're looking to play Game Boy games on a quality, modern device compatible with your old cartridges, chances are that you've thought about buying an Analogue Pocket. But preordering one doesn't necessarily mean you'll immediately get it; the Pocket has been notorious for how long it takes to ship. Fortunately, if you've preordered an Analogue Pocket before July 20, you can expect one this year, possibly even as early as August.

That's when Analogue, Inc. says it will begin shipping out its latest wave of Analogue Pockets. It's unclear how long it will take for this wave of orders to complete shipping, so even if you have preordered before July 20, you may not get your hands on a Pocket until late summer, if not later. The Analogue Pocket retails for $219.99. Accessories for the Pocket will also be shipping out, but Pocket Adapter Sets will ship separately sometime later this year.

If you have preordered a Pocket already, it's quite possible that you've moved since then. Don't worry — Analogue will email you before sending out your Pocket to confirm or change your shipping address. (You can also change your address ahead of time.)

Some customers have claimed to have been waiting over a year since preordering their Pocket, but they'll likely find it was worth the wait once they start playing. The device, which comes in black or white, looks like a modern, minimalist version of the original Nintendo Game Boy, with a very similar button layout. The Pocket can play over 2,780 games using cartridges made for the Game Boy, Game Boy Color, and Game Boy Advance. Adapters can be used to play games from other handheld systems, as well, including the Sega Game Gear, Atari Lynx, and Neo Geo Pocket Color.

Its 3.5 inch LCD display is made with Gorilla Glass and has a 1600 x 1440 resolution, which is ten times that of the original Game Boy. The screen can precisely emulate the visuals of the particular Game Boy device compatible with the cartridge you're playing. The Pocket can also connect to PCs and Macs, as well as dock with TVs, and supports wireless controllers. Up to four Pockets can be connected for multiplayer games, as well.

Along with being able to play vintage handheld games, the Pocket is also a synthesizer and sequencer that can be used for music creation, thanks to a built-in digital audio workstation called Nanoloop. With all these features, it's no wonder why there's such a high demand for the Analogue Pocket. But that high demand is only part of the reason why it takes so long for Analogue to ship out its coveted gaming devices.

Analogue, Inc. was founded in 2011 by current CEO Christopher Taber. The company is dedicated to creating sleek, aesthetically-pleasing devices that allow users to play beloved video games from previous generations with well-made, modern technology. It has won multiple awards for its work, including the Innovation Award at CES. Its lineup includes the Analogue Nt, which can play original NES and Fanicom games, the Analogue Super NT, which plays Super Nintendo games, and the Analogue Mega Sg, which can play games from various Sega consoles.

Analogue, as its name suggests, doesn't manufacture digital emulators, but instead builds devices physically compatible with original gaming cartridges. Part of this process requires finding older, original parts to use in Analogue's devices, which partly explains why its products are both expensive and slow to roll out. Another reason is the company's relatively small size, which is less than 50 employees.

The Analogue Pocket was originally meant to launch in 2020. That date was pushed to May 2021, then again to October 2021, and then yet again to December 2021. The company has been shipping out the Pocket in waves, but there are customers who claim to have preordered over a year ago that have yet to get their hands on one. According to Analogue's latest announcement, they can finally expect to get a Pocket later this summer. If you're hoping to get one and haven't preordered yet, Analogue says new orders could still arrive at your doorstep sometime this year.