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The Retro Pixel Pocket is a 3.0 inch 1:1 Android handheld that plays everything up to PS1 well, made by Funny Playing. It came out in May 2023 at $80. Inside is the Allwinner A64 with 1 GB of RAM.
Who it's for
Buy it if
- You want to play everything up to PS1, plus some Dreamcast.
- You want it in a jeans pocket: the front is 75 x 130 mm.
Skip it if
- You want N64 games: it scores 50 out of 100, so many games struggle.
- You want N64 and 3D PS1 games on analog sticks: it has none.
Retro Pixel Pocket videos
What it plays
Plays up to: PS1. Chip: Allwinner A64.
Scores out of 100. 100 means the system runs at full speed with no known issues on this device. 80 or more plays well (green), 50 to 79 plays partly (yellow).
What the specs mean
1:1 screen
Game Boy and Game Boy Color are 10:9, almost square, so they fill most of it. Everything else shows wide bars.
Based on: Display math: native screen shapes of each system
Sharpest fit: Game Boy
At 4x, Game Boy fills 71% of the screen with even pixels. Filling the rest means stretching, which some people smooth with a filter.
Based on: Display math: largest whole-number scale that fits the screen
Small battery for its class
Only 6 of 103 Android handhelds in our database have a smaller battery than this 3,000 mAh (the middle one has 5,000 mAh). The heavier the system you run, the sooner it runs out.
Based on: Our handheld database: battery of 103 Android handhelds
Only one pair of shoulder buttons
PS1 games that use L2 and R2 need those moved to other buttons.
Based on: Layout data; the PS1 controller has four shoulder buttons
No analog sticks
N64 games and later PS1 games were made for a stick. Here they run on the d-pad, which works for some and ruins others.
Based on: Layout data; N64 and PS1 DualShock games use analog control
DS without touch
There is no touch screen, so DS games that need the stylus use a pointer moved by a stick.
Based on: Layout data: no touch screen
Android 7.1
Besides emulators it runs Android games and game streaming apps, from your PC or the cloud.
Based on: Operating system data
Rating
How we score: what it plays 30%, how many players own and recommend it 20%, screen 15%, price compared with handhelds that play as much 10%, controls 10%, size and weight 10%, battery size for its chip 5%.
Good
- Plays everything up to PS1 well
- Low price
Not so good
- No analog sticks
- N64 games can struggle
Screen fit
Screen: 3.0 inch, IPS, 1:1, 720 x 720.
| System | Original | Sharpest scale | Screen filled |
|---|---|---|---|
| Game Boy | 160 x 144 | 4x (640 x 576) | 71% |
| GBA | 240 x 160 | 3x (720 x 480) | 67% |
| NES and SNES | 256 x 224 | 2x (512 x 448) | 44% |
| Genesis | 320 x 224 | 2x (640 x 448) | 55% |
| PS1 and N64 | 320 x 240 | 2x (640 x 480) | 59% |
| DS, one screen | 256 x 192 | 2x (512 x 384) | 38% |
Whole-number scales keep every pixel the same size. Screen 720 x 720.
Size
75 x 130 x 24 mm. Fits a jeans pocket
- Retro Pixel Pocket (75 x 130 mm)
- iPhone 15 (71.6 x 147.6 mm)
True scale, front view. Jeans pocket = front no bigger than an iPhone 15 Pro Max in a case (160 x 82 mm).
Specs
| Performance | |
|---|---|
| Chip | Allwinner A64 |
| CPU | Cortex-A53 |
| Cores | 4 |
| Clock speed | 1.3 GHz |
| GPU | Mali-400 MP2 |
| RAM | 1 GB LPDDR3 |
| Screen | |
| Size | 3.0" |
| Type | IPS |
| Resolution | 720 x 720 |
| Refresh rate | 60 Hz |
| Pixel density | 339 ppi |
| Aspect ratio | 1:1 |
| Dual screen | No |
| Controls | |
| D-pad | Cross, Upper placement |
| Analog sticks | No |
| Stick layout | No Thumbsticks |
| Shoulder buttons | No L2/R2 |
| Connectivity | |
| Storage | 8 GB eMMC |
| SD card | Yes |
| Wi-Fi | Yes (?) |
| Bluetooth | No |
| USB-C | Yes |
| Headphone jack | Yes |
| Build | |
| Form factor | Vertical |
| Dimensions | 75 x 130 x 24 mm |
| Battery | 3000 mAh |
| Shell | Plastic |
| Speakers | Front |
| Software | |
| Operating system | Android |
| Android version | 7.1 |
Questions
Can the Retro Pixel Pocket play PS2 games?
Not well. PS2 scores 0 out of 100. It plays everything up to PS1 well.
Is the Retro Pixel Pocket good for GBA?
GBA runs at full speed. At 3x it fills 67% of the screen with even pixels.
Does it have a headphone jack?
Yes.
How big is the battery?
3,000 mAh. The middle Android handheld in our database has 5,000 mAh.
How much does the Retro Pixel Pocket cost?
It launched at about $80 in May 2023. Prices on the used market change, so check current listings.
Price and newer models
$80 at launch $60 to $120
The newest in its line in our database, out since May 2023.
Similar handhelds
Specs and emulation scores from the retrocatalog.com handheld database. The score out of 10 is our own.