In a nutshell: Ayaneo's Pocket Vert, a Game Boy-style handheld designed for emulating games from retro consoles including the Dreamcast, GameCube, and PS2, is now available for pre-order. The device starts at a fairly hefty $269 if you register for the early bird promotion; otherwise, it starts at $339.
Announced earlier this year, the Pocket Vert has a very Game Boy/Game Boy Color aesthetic. But while it can emulate games from Nintendo's classic handhelds, the Pocket Vert can do a lot more.
The Vert features a 3.5-inch 1600 × 1440 high-resolution IPS LTPS touchscreen display (615 PPI) with a 60Hz refresh rate and 450 nits peak brightness.
Internally, there's a first-generation Snapdragon 8+ mobile platform built on TSMC's 4nm process, 1+3+4 eight-core architecture, and Adreno 730 GPU. It also has 128GB or 256GB of storage, a 6,000mAh battery, stereo speakers, a USB Type-C connector, a fingerprint sensor, a 3.5mm headphone jack, and a microSD slot.
Controls come in the form of a D-pad, ABXY buttons, four shoulder buttons, four customizable side buttons, scroll wheel, and a hidden touchpad that can act as dual analog sticks.
Games are run through Android, with the Pocket Vert featuring a customized version of Google's OS designed specifically for handheld gaming. This gives users access to the Google Play Store alongside popular emulation apps such as RetroArch, Dolphin, AetherSX2, and PPSSPP.
According to Ayaneo, the Vert's SoC is powerful enough to run most sixth-generation console emulation smoothly, including PlayStation 2 and GameCube titles, with some lighter seventh-generation games also being playable depending on optimization and settings.
Ayaneo's AyaSpace software serves as a central hub for managing games, system performance, and controls. Users can adjust CPU and GPU power limits, set performance profiles, remap buttons, and tweak fan behavior on a per-game basis. The goal is to deliver a more console-like experience rather than a typical Android device with physical controls bolted on.
The Pocket Vert includes active cooling with an internal fan and heat pipe to help maintain stable performance during longer play sessions. Battery life is rated at up to eight hours depending on usage, screen brightness, and workload, with support for fast charging.
Connectivity options include Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.3, allowing for wireless accessories and multiplayer gaming. The inclusion of a microSD card slot is especially useful for storing large ROM libraries, particularly for disc-based systems. The device also supports video output over USB-C, enabling users to connect it to an external display for a more traditional console-style setup.
Ayaneo is offering the Pocket Vert in multiple color options, with pricing varying depending on storage configuration (above).