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The Android gaming handheld market is rich with choices, yet the Retroid Pocket 5 arguably offers the optimal performance for its price among current retro handhelds. Launched late last year, this elegant portable features robust hardware capable of playing high-end native Android games and applications, while also serving as a superb device for streaming console and PC games. It includes a customized frontend for retro titles and is powerful enough to handle games from the sixth and some seventh-generation consoles. Initially available only through the manufacturer’s web store, the device is now accessible via Amazon, priced at $259 with complimentary shipping.
As of May 16, Amazon offers four different color selections. The retailer recently sold out swiftly, and current delivery estimates are around two weeks.
Retroid Pocket 5 handheld available at Amazon:
Amazon’s rate is higher compared to Retroid’s $219 base price, but shipping is free from Amazon, whereas Retroid charges a minimum of $30-$50 for shipping, based on your location and delivery speed, making a purchase from Amazon potentially the same cost or even less, depending on your region.
Retroid Pocket 5
$259
If you haven’t heard of the Retroid Pocket 5, it’s among the leading Android handhelds on the market today. It features a 5.5-inch 1080p touchscreen, dual thumbsticks, a D-pad, and standard face and shoulder buttons typical of a contemporary gaming device.
It boasts robust specifications for its size and cost, equipped with an Adreno 650 GPU, Snapdragon 865 processor, 8GB of RAM, and 128GB of internal storage, which can be expanded using the included microSD slot. It comes preloaded with Android 13. In addition to the standard Android OS interface, the Pocket 5 offers a custom frontend launcher for retro gaming.
The device is robust enough to natively run a variety of Android games and has sufficient power to manage GameCube and PS2-era titles that you own. However, it does not come with any preinstalled games, necessitating you to download and install them through Google Play or other platforms such as the Epic Game Store, or stream them using the Xbox Game Pass Android app, Nvidia Now, or through remote play apps for Xbox, PS5, or Steam.
Fortunately, the Retroid Pocket 5 is compatible with WiFi 6 and Bluetooth 5.1 connectivity, making remote gameplay a smooth experience, provided your home network is reliable.
Brendan Hesse on Google+
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