Retroid Pocket Nova First Impressions: The 4:3 Handheld I Didn’t Know I Wanted

The day finally arrived, as the 16Bit Retroid Pocket Nova that I preordered arrived in my mailbox just a few hours ago. Thankfully, I’ve had an extra day and a half with the Nova, as Zu sent over the RH review unit once he wrapped up his recent onslaught of videos.

Of course, barely 48 hours with a device isn’t nearly long enough to formulate enough of an opinion for a full review. So instead, I figured that I would at least share some of my first impressions and initial thoughts about the Retroid Pocket Nova while I’m working on the review.

Retroid Pocket Nova Specs

What I Like

When it comes to a lot of Android handhelds, I usually tend to prefer the larger handhelds like the Odin 3, Retroid Pocket 6, etc. One exception until now was the AYANEO Pocket ACE, which I enjoyed when I had one for a little while. So far, I think that the Retroid Pocket Nova might be the second exception to the rule, especially with the Bumped Back Shell installed on my retail unit.

I was a bit worried about how the gray bezel around the display would look in person, and while I did (for a split second) think about swapping out the screen with the black model, I decided against it. Since I also have the “Retro” (DMG) buttons, I think this combination looks gorgeous, and the bezels don’t actually bother me that much.

When it comes to software and performance, there’s not much to write home about. It’s the same Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 Dragonwing QCS8550 that we’ve enjoyed for years, and it’s no different here. If you know me, you’ll know I opted for the 12GB Nova, just to have a bit of overhead which could come in handy as PS3 emulation development picks up.

Usually, grabbing a device with more RAM means you also get more storage, but unfortunately, you’re stuck with 128GB regardless of which Nova you go with. It’s definitely a bit annoying, but I immediately threw in a 1TB microSD card to help alleviate any storage issues.

Actually playing games has been a delight so far, even if I’m probably not the target demographic for a 4:3 handheld. I lived in an Xbox household growing up, so I didn’t even play a PS2 until later in life, and I missed out on the GameCube craze almost entirely. That being said, those are the two systems I’ve been primarily focused on playing with the Nova, and it hasn’t disappointed me yet.

Even with football season around the corner, I’ve been in the mood for some good baseball games. The first one I tried out was All-Star Baseball 2004, which I remember playing on my cousin’s GameCube when they came up to visit. Then, I switched over to MLB SlugFest 2004, a game that I had never actually played. Before I knew it, almost an hour had passed, and it was way past my bedtime. Before you baseball savants start yelling at me, yes, I also played MVP Baseball 2005, but decided to switch it up a bit.

Seeing as there’s a bit of an ongoing craze around recomps and decomps, I of course, tried out Gen1Recomp and Dusklight. While Gen1Recomp has been fun to revisit my childhood, Dusklight feels like a completely different game from the original. The improvements that were made are incredible, and it’s been an absolute delight to play. If I were to have picked up the GC Nova, I would say that Dusklight and the Nova were made for each other.

What I Don’t

So far, I haven’t found too much to really complain about with the Retroid Pocket Nova. There are really only two exceptions to that, with the first being the button placement along the top.

For reasons I can’t explain, Retroid opted to place the Power button in between the M2 and Volume Up buttons. I understand why it was done, as I assume Retroid wanted to keep some uniformity along the top for those who regularly use the M1/M2 buttons.

Plus, it’s not like there are buttons on the back, since the default design config is with the flat back with no real place for those buttons to reside. And since you can replace the back plate with one that’s more ergonomic, having buttons back there would be a real pain. Nevertheless, in my brief time with the Nova, I’ve pressed the M2 more times than I can count when I was trying to just press the Power button.

That leads me to my second gripe with the Nova, and one that was immediately solved when my retail unit arrived. Having a handheld with no rear bump-outs just isn’t my cup of tea. It would only take 15-20 minutes of playing a game before my hands and wrists would start getting uncomfortable.

The very first thing I did after my retail Nova landed in my mailbox was swap out the 16Bit buttons for the DMG ones, and install the Bumped Back Shell. Although it might not seem like a big deal, I immediately felt the difference, and thoughts about needing to pick up a grip were squashed.

There’s More to Come

It would appear that waiting for Retroid to release the “mortgage screen” with the Pocket Nova has paid off. Even for someone like me, who didn’t understand the hype of a 4:3 screen, it’s been an enjoyable experience up to this point.

Over the coming days, I’ll be putting it through its paces, including benchmarks, finding 4:3 patches for Switch games, and trying to stop looking through the ever-growing list of Gen1Recomp mods. If you have any questions about the Pocket Nova, or want to see something specific covered in the review, leave a comment and let me know!