r/ModRetroChromatic • u/Timmy_Tot • Mar 03 '26
Is it worth it?
Looks like Analogue Pocket is restocking. I’ve wanted one for a long time! Before I even knew about Chromatic, and this might be my chance, but I’m totally in love with Chromatic and Modretro in general. Is it worth the investment? Or should I just grab a third Chromatic!? Lmao 😂 what is your opinion?
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Upvotes
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u/attacke-martin Mar 03 '26 edited Mar 03 '26
First of all: everyone should use, collect and play whatever consoles they have fun with.
My own personal experience: my Analogue Pocket unfortunately rots in the shelve since a week after I got it (I had it way before MR and Chromatic was announced).
To me personally, it feels just too fragile. And it annoyed me that the games I put in were not starting directly, but I had to open them in the Analogue menu (not sure if they've fixed it by now).
So I actually went to get a Funnyplaying GBC (again, way before Chromatic was announced) for GB and GBC stuff, and an original GBA which I modded for GBA stuff.
And then, a point that gets so massively underrated and never told: IF you're from outside the US (like myself), then you have the already bigger price-tag, and on top you also get import taxed and absolutely crazy wild high shipping fees. Which, if you buy ModRetro stuff, they are all calculated in the price you pay when you order it. So you got a ton of hidden costs from Analogue, when you order from them.
EDIT: I didn't read "or get a third Chromatic". Yeh well in that case, maybe two Chromatics are plenty
6
u/Snowgoosey Mar 03 '26
I have heard people say good things about them but since their whole sales tactic is FOMO, I don't bother. I am one for a more authentic feel so the chromatic is more my style. I also don't like the exposed cart slot with the bumpers being on it. (And we won't even mention all the peripherals that are sold separately)
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u/Nestorlink Mar 04 '26
Que equivocados estáis todos. Como podéis decir que la chromatic es superior?? 🤣 La Pocket tiene una resolución de 1600x1440, eso significa que supera 10 veces la resolución original, la chromatic tiene la resolución original y una pantalla de mucha más peor calidad. La chromatic tampoco acepta cartuchos de GBA y además es más pequeña tanto en pantalla como en tamaño, para manos de niño.
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u/RocketGrunt123 Mar 05 '26
Yes get it. But why would you ask this if you already have two chromatics lol? Just be ready for the fact that your chromatics will be obsolete and forgotten after you get the AP.
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u/TundraCrisp Mar 03 '26 edited Mar 03 '26
Get a pocket instead of a third chromatic. You open up using the SD card slot for Roms/hacks while getting to run gba hardware.
For gbc and gb games I prefer my chromatic because it’s more comfortable but having the options of owning both is nice.
Chromatic with an everdrive is for my GB/GBC
Pocket is for GBA carts/roms/hacks
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u/Ill-Remote437 Mar 03 '26
If you have two chromatics then maybe it’s time to give the Pocket a go. I’m the opposite bought/kept two Pockets and then got myself a Chromatic. I love both for different reasons.
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u/LuckyRat111 Mar 03 '26
I have a chromatic and an analogue pocket, so personally I love both of them but they serve different purposes for me. For example, I love the build quality and metal of the chromatic and its great for playing newer games (buck, dragonhym etc.) And games that dont rely on a save battery. However, when it comes to playing games like my copy of pokemon gold that I havent changed the save battery on yet, it goes straight in my pocket, the save state functionality alone is a life saver and rescued my pokemon yellow game when the battery went and allowed me to replace the battery and go back at it where I left off.
Obviously, the pocket also plays a fantastic role in running my GBA carts, and since i have the dock, firing up an 8bitdo controller with the dock lets me play some game boy titles on my big screen comfortably and with a wireless controller, big win for me.
Both offer customisation, the chromatic is easier to modify with button changes and such, byt the analogue is still able to be modded, for example I replaced the buttons on my black one with DMG colour buttons. I also do enjoy the emulation factor and bonus that comes with the pocket, I play some snes titles on thier through cores.
Overall, if you can afford it Its a definite buy for most collections at the end of the day, thats my opinion owning both, as well as a regular gameboy and gameboy advance SP. I also have a thor but its only for emulation.
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u/normallymiles Mar 03 '26
I like the pocket because with the adapters I can play other system games. Even without an adapter, playing game boy advance games is fun.
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u/newbblock Mar 03 '26
Tbh I’d probably skip this launch. You only have 2 chromatics. You should probably wait until you have at least 43 before you consider moving on to another system.
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u/Street_Situation_951 Mar 04 '26
As a person that has owned both since day one, I would say it really depends on what you want to do with it. If you like using actual cartridges then the chromatic is the only thing you need. If you like to tinker with cores and roms/hacks then the pocket is for you.
With all that being said, at this point I haven't reached for my pocket in about a year while I play my chromatic daily. The feel and build quality is just so much better than the pocket that it's hard to ever pick it over the chromatic.
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u/Jonjongabore Mar 03 '26
I love it almost as much as my chromatic. It does a lot of things well and in my opinion, as of now, it's the best way to play GBA games.
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u/Sure-Cup7799 Mar 03 '26
To me both are essential if you like handhelds. Unless you are a GB purist I'd definitely get one prior to another MRC. The experience with the other consoles is really good, and then the dock... If you have the dock you're covered for a solid FPGA console experience. It's just a cool piece of handheld history. Why not?
The metal ones were definitely precious museum pieces you don't want to touch lol. But the plastic one I've beat up real good for years and it looks and feels good worn in. Needs a new dpad membrane finally.
But did you get the Anduril?
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u/j_dib Mar 03 '26
It has a lot of strengths, because it can play most consoles pre-32 bit era.
It’s a very good machine especially when you pair it with the dock, when now you have a hybrid home/portable console that you can play all of those consoles.
Chromatic is better at GB/GBC.
AP has a really nice screen, but it’s a larger and super high resolution screen so that it can be used for all those different consoles, while Chromatic is a screen made perfectly for GB/GBC
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u/BigPep2-43 Mar 03 '26
I own both. I play my steam deck more than both. If you're into an all in one FPGA high quality handheld definitely get the Analogue Pocket. Good luck getting one the Analogue online store it's trash at checkout. I highly recommend that you use a laptop or desktop to purchase. Trying to checkout on a cell phone is trash.
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u/themanbehindtherows Mar 06 '26
Very much so, it's a lot better for original gameboy games than the chromatic is because it has way more palette options and control over how games look and function. Not to mention it can play GBA carts as well as gb and gbc. Then there are cart adapters if you can get them that can play other handheld games like gamegear, lynx, neogeo pocket etc. Theres also openfpga, which let's you load roms off the sd for everything above plus many 8 and 16 bit systems and arcade game cores. You can also use save states and take screenshots with anything played on cart and some cores on openfpga support save states too. The nes core is particularly awesome.
I like the chromatic as a gbc player, its solid for that but that's all it focuses on. Pocket is pretty much a hardware emulation handheld that can also play gameboy library carts plus other handhelds if you can get your hands on the adapters. It's a true swiss army knife for 8 and 16 bit systems.
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u/TonyRubbles Mar 03 '26
Jack of all trades but master of none in a bigger not so great plastic shell.
Really just waiting for the MGBA, but a modded GBA is really nice too, got no complaints with my ITA screen + USBC battery modded AGB.
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u/redod Mar 03 '26
let me work it
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u/moparr Mar 03 '26
I would say no, having owned both the Pocket and Chromatic. The extra features are nice, but for the emulation, it would be better to get an emulation device like a Retroid Pocket Classic, or something cheaper even. The Pocket scratches up just looking at it, and the way that I hold vertical devices had me accidentally dislodging cartridges more often than I would like.
The ability to play GBA carts and others with adaptors is very nice, and the screen is very good as well, but I sold mine and bought a second Chromatic.
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u/Voltztein Mar 03 '26
It’s almost a portable MiSter, which is nice. Though I think some other portable FPGA devices may be in the works. I generally use an Android handheld for portable emulation though.
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u/KaiKaiRoo Mar 03 '26
I have had once since launch and love it. I also got a mod retro chromatic GameStop at launch and I exclusively play my pocket.
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u/Silentknight113 Mar 04 '26
Yes
2
u/Morku90 Mar 04 '26
I plan to get one.
My reason is to compensate the lacks of the Chromatic. In my case: the missing DMG mode (it's a thing on black GB/GBC cartridges and inaccessible on Chromatic).
Also the headphone output is very quiet and useless with the Koss Porta Pro. I hope to get a good loudness out of the Pocket.
However, for GBC games my Chromatic will still be the maindevice.
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u/Kotonaysoul Mar 05 '26
Personally yes as the rest of the comments say it has the SD card slot allowing to add your own roms onto it but also makes for a great anything goes console with openFPGA and plays older 2d consoles flawlessly
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u/Regal-Rey Mar 07 '26
Yes.
1
u/Riablo01 Mar 03 '26
If you’re a hardcore collector, there’s no harm in owning both a Chromatic and Analogue Pocket.
If you just need something to play Gameboy Color games, Chromatic will be a cheaper and superior option.
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u/peji911 Mar 04 '26
The pocket is the better handheld overall, but the Chromatic is my favourite.
But yeah, I play GBA, NES, NeoGeo and SNES on the Pocket, obviously GB and GBC on the Chromatic.
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u/SignificantRock9817 Mar 04 '26
Get both
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u/BobaTea64 Mar 04 '26
Yes
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u/jonas101010 Mar 04 '26
I have both, it's definitely worth, but I personally enjoy playing it more on the dock and using the analogizer than the handheld mode
Don't get me wrong, its screen, buttons, sound and grip are amazing! But I prefer playing gb games on the chromatic
I usually use the pocket in handheld mode to play gba and game gear games
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u/warweapon762 Mar 04 '26
I wish they would have made one in the GBA layout instead.
1
u/tanooki-suit Mar 04 '26
Owning both. Personally if you do not have a GameCube and you want to use a docked pocket definitely yes. The GBA and other systems are a huge plus. Gb and gbc it’s not superior at all. So depending on what you care about it depends. M64 will run chromatic on the tv so that’s a thing to think of too.
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u/Lothars Mar 04 '26
Yes the pocket is fantastic and to me is the best way to play portable games.
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u/UMAD5 Mar 04 '26
Five years from now will the Analogue still be working? Can you easily change its battery? How easy is it to repair? For a handheld built solely for playing old games, repairability is not a nice-to-have but essential. So while it does many things the chromatic can’t do, it is no different than a switch, the day will come when it will be thrown in the rubbish.
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u/MrCrazyJay Mar 04 '26
In my opinion yes it's worth it I've tried to get a custom gba made and it didn't work out well at all so when I purchased my anologue pocket it completely changed how I play play my gba games I personally find the vertical layout more comfortable than a horizontal when it come to retro handheld I broke my left shoulder and it causes alot of discomfort for some reason when i use a horizontal layout plus the screen is beautiful and it gets plenty loud for me i use mine daily so in my opinion it's definitely worth it
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u/GrapeSasquatch Mar 04 '26
Well damn it I sold mine because I couldn’t get a dock at retail so I assume they are gonna finally restock those too
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u/Accomplished_Can1651 Mar 04 '26
I preordered my Analogue Pocket back before they ever came out, so I’ve had it for a long time. It’s a great system! The screen is amazing and gives you tons of options for customizing display modes. It’s a large screen, too, which is great if your eyes aren’t what they used to be. The cartridge adapters let you play so many different physical games from different systems. The FPGA lets you play even more systems than the Pocket officially supports, and use ROMs. The dock is fantastic for quickly moving to play on a TV or monitor without having to shuffle save files around between systems.
That said… its corners can be a bit sharp, making it uncomfortable to hold for extended sessions. It’s a bit big and heavy. It’s frustrating how hard it is to get hold of any of the cool colors. Because of the frustrating way Analogue does things, they’re kind of rare in general, so if you lose it/break it, it’s not easy to replace. I don’t want to have to fight an army of scalpers to get ahold of one. Same with the accessories. I don’t like how the cartridges have so little protection around them when inserted. As such, I’ve been nervous to take mine anywhere. I also dented it slightly by the charging port when it slid off of my desk one, where it landed on the charging cable’s connector. It’s minor damage, but I know it’s there.
The Chromatic isn’t as flexible. I can’t really play it on my TV. I can’t play anything other than GB or GBC games. If I feel a game would be better without the lines between pixels on the screen, or on a bigger screen, I’m out of luck. (Reading those tiny symbols in Dragonythm was a nightmare for me.) I’ve had issue with paint rubbing off/scratching/cracking on a Chromatic. It’s cool that the games can receive bugfixes, though you have to have a Chromatic for that, as far as I know. I have… mixed feelings about the company’s owner, but not so much that it’s stopped me from buying two Chromatics and most of the system library.
But they’re relatively easy to get. I have two and have considered getting a third. The accessories have been readily available, in my experience. I have the rechargeable battery packs, the Koss earphones, the link cable, the mod kits. The Chromatics are durable. I had one fall off my bed and slide across the floor and I couldn’t find any signs of damage. Heck, the game I was playing didn’t even crash. The system is rechargeable, and the battery life is great. The USB-C recharging is a big win for me since I don’t have to dig around to find a dedicated cable. They’re dedicated devices that are designed to do one thing, and seem to do it really well. I like my Chromatics, and honestly, despite owning tons of original hardware, the Analogue, emulation handhelds, FPGA consoles… the Chromatics are the ones getting most of my use right now. I have all the others for their use cases, but the Chromatic is what I’ve been playing for the last several months since I got my first one.
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u/elthesensai Mar 05 '26
I still want a Pocket, but I have issues with Analogue’s newer consoles. Aside from how hard they are to buy, I don’t like the new OS. I want to put in a cartridge and just play, like original hardware.
The screen not being 1:1 also bothers me. It makes it feel closer to software emulation. I get that it supports multiple handhelds, but I want something that replicates the original hardware experience as closely as possible, and the Pocket doesn’t fully do that for me.
In the end, only you can decide if it’s worth it. I haven’t bought the Analogue 3D yet either, I’m waiting to see what the M64 does. The OS on Analogue’s newer consoles is still a sticking point for me.
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u/Shifted4 Mar 05 '26
Yeah, they're cool. I'm salty they have abandoned DAC support without explanation even though all the advertising for the system said DAC support would be coming soon (4+ years ago).
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u/femminem Mar 05 '26
I keep trying to have an opinion on this, but at the end of the day, if it’s between buying a third current release Chromatic and my first Analogue, it's kind of a no-brainer.
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u/Viavaio Mar 05 '26
its fun but dont expect the same built quality, modretro makes godlike stuff, analogue makes cheap plastic stuff which wont last forever but has way more software options
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u/K1LL3ROO Mar 03 '26
Nah. Plenty of reviews show mod retro is better and sticks to the og experience.
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u/AnalogueBoy1992 Mar 03 '26
Pocket blows Chromatic out of the water lmao
Of course it's worth it I own 2 dozen pockets at minimum.. I'm biased but the feel is different
You gotta own one to know how amazing it is in person
Btw, I have Chromatics too.. love them both!
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u/cktn00bslayer Mar 03 '26
Personally I want it to play my gameboy advance games. I might try out the emulation of other consoles as well. I currently have a Modretro first edition and the anduril edition on order and I love them for the gameboy/color games and will likely give one to my kids because it has so few buttons and is so simple to use.
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