The Retroid Pocket Flip was one of 2023’s standout releases. It was a first for Retroid, and became a good indicator or what was possible within the retro handheld market.
Its clamshell design became something that gamers had been clamoring for for years prior. Devices like the GBA SP, DS and all its variants, the 3DS, and even handhelds like the PowKiddy V90 all made gamers realize that the design itself can sometimes eliminate the need for a screen protector, case, or any additional protection. Because of that, it can alleviate the worry of damaging any of the handheld’s parts inside, and truly be bought, set up, and placed in a pocket and ready to go.
Available colors of the Retroid Pocket Flip
Now, it’s been some years since we saw the original Pocket Flip released. The Flip was a massive success for Retroid, but it did come with some faults.
One of the biggest problems was the hinge design. While the clamshell form factor was received with open arms, some users reported problems with theirs cracking over time. Some users faced the problem, while some others didn’t, but the Flip exists in memory as a device that showed the true promise of Retroid and what the company may shape up to be, and what area of the niche they’ll fit into.
Since the Flip’s discontinuation in 2024, device manufacturing processes and the overall build quality of Retroid devices have seen a massive upswing that could result in the sequel having addressed the issue entirely, while also setting itself up as a premium option for retro gamers.
Retroid Improvements Over the Years
In recent years, Retroid has been slowly improving the overall build quality of their flagship and mainline devices. So much so that the company was able to release two handhelds in 2024 that featured OLED screen, high quality plastics for the buttons, glass screens, and resolutions that would bring a tear to the eye of any pixel purist.
The Retroid Pocket Mini boasts a 1280 x 960 resolution at a 4:3 aspect ratio, giving it — on average — a 4x integer scale from any classic retro consoles. The Retroid Pocket 5 followed the same standard widescreen aspect ratio of 16:9, but its 5.5-inch screen pushing 1080p makes it about the same size as a Switch Lite, but with a massively improved panel. Pair that with its aforementioned OLED screen, it’s a dream made in heaven for any mid-range console collector.
Dreaming of the Retroid Pocket Flip 2
The Retroid Pocket Flip 2 could see massive improvements like the ones mentioned above, but it could also directly hone in on specific things the community wants. The original Flip didn’t strive for pushing performance beyond its limits, but rather, gave a community vying for a clamshell design the same processing power of that year’s flagship, but in the design people had yearned for.
So now, the question is posed to you. What would you like to see in a Retroid Pocket Flip 2? Would you want to see the same OLED panels found in the Retroid Pocket 5? Maybe you want to push your luck and see what a dual screen device would look like if released by Retroid? How about just something capable enough to play the major retro consoles you like, like PS1 or GBA, but with all the various build improvements we’ve seen Retroid handhelds receive over the past few years?
We talked about it a bit in our latest podcast episode. You can check it out below to see what various things the team woud change around or what their hopes are for the future of Retroid.
We’ve started a Retroid Pocket Flip 2 wishlist that asks you to answer those questions, and offer your input about what you’d like to see in the Flip 2 should Retroid decide to make one. When it comes to retro handhelds and the community therein, one of the more undervalued benefits is that we, as a community, have some slight say in what we want from these handhelds and, a lot of the time, those things come to fruition.
Retroid Pocket Flip render in banner image made by Baba from our Discord.
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