PocketGo V2
The PocketGo V2 Portable Retro Handheld is the latest retro games console with the newer and faster performing JZ4770 Dual-Core 64Bit processor running at 1.00Ghz. The increase in speed and performance means smoother emulation than handhelds using older, slower processors such as the original Bittboy PocketGo model.
The PocketGo v2 has 512MB DDR2 RAM. It is plenty of RAM for the emulators it can support. There are two external Micro SD card slots, the first for the firmware and the second for your games if you want more storage.
The new Bittboy PocketGo features a large 3.5-inch tempered glass panel with a resolution of 320×240 which is perfect for an emulator console. There are 11 gaming buttons, a digital D-Pad and an analogue Joystick which will cover pixel-perfect controls.
The handheld console measures just 13.8 x 7.5 x 1.5 cm and weighs only 160gr / 5.64oz allowing for easy carrying around. It is powered by a Li-Ion BM20 2000mAh removable battery which can be recharged via the USB Type-C port.
The big thing for me is the addition of the 4 shoulder buttons. Lots of other consoles out at the moment, don’t have these. So the PS1 emulator becomes useful again! My large fingers did have a problem accessing them, but with practice, I didn’t have any issues. Also, the speaker is loud, like 0 to 32 loud. online it appears to be a hardware issue, so it looks like we are stuck with it.
PocketGo V2 Portable Retro Handheld Review
The addition of a Xiaomi removable battery is nice to see. It gets me around 6 hours, but I have seen you can buy replacements from around £15 on Amazon. So you could have a spare one on hand if needed. The console uses USB-C, which is a great addition and allows for a quick charge.
The size is perfect for me and very reminiscent of the GameBoy Advanced. The buttons are all in the right place and feel nice to touch. Except for the joystick, this is pants, remove it in the next model. It’s not useable and not needed for any gaming.
The PocketGo 2 uses OpenDingux, and this means no N64 emulator for the time being. But it can play everything else and even PS1 games. The UI is unimpressive but functional. You have settings, apps and emulators, you can change the colour but that’s about it.
It arrived with a couple of ROMs already installed for some of the emulators, so I was able to test them straight away. They all played well, and without too many issues. Each emulator has a menu which can be accessed either via the power button, or the start button. They all offer different options such as frame skips etc. PS1 emulation was OK, with Spiderman 2 looking good. Framerate and CPU usage was good, and I didn’t notice any issues.
There are two main issues I have seen around, and both have pretty easy fixes. The GBA emulator has borders, and this is down to the wrong version being installed. All you need to do is download the newest version from here, then follow these steps here to connect your PocketGo 2 to the PC.
PocketGo V2 Portable Retro Handheld Review
The second issue is the sound going from 0 to 32, and it is too loud. There doesn’t seem to be a “soft” fix for this and has to be hard-modded. The easiest fix is to open the PocketGo 2 and place some tape behind the speaker grill. This will muffle the sound and give you more space to increase the volume.
The IPS display is bright and colourful. Any game I played was crisp, clear and looked great. There isn’t any light bleed that I can see, and so can be played at night.
Overall, this is a fantastic handheld for the price. I think there are better emulators out there, ones running on Raspberry pi. But this is all set up and ready to go, with a little online community which love to highlight and solve the little problems you may have with it. Finally, please check out our gaming reviews. Also, don’t forget to connect with the Jabba Reviews team on Facebook or Twitter.
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