Life of Tech

RETROID POCKET 5

What follows is not a review of the Retroid Pocket 5, as this console has been reviewed numerous times, but a case of how useful it was and how well if coped with my needs for the morning.

Retroid Pocket 5

I knew I would be out of the home for an extended period of time this morning so I wanted to have a distraction out with me, I wanted something portable but not necessarily pocketable so I chose my Retroid Pocket 5, which once in its official hard case would fit in my sling bag and luckily enough it just fits alongside a can of coke (just in case).

Retroid Earbuds

I knew I would be sat for quite some time and possibly surrounded by quite a few people so the hunt was on for some earbuds and as my Poounur ear buds were already in my sling bag they would do, I do have some official Retroid ear buds but I couldn't find them. I needed to pair my Poounur earbuds with my Retroid Pocket 5 and unfortunately that just wasn't working so I thought I'd have another look for my Retroid ear buds and strangely enough they were exactly where I thought they might be, under the sofa.

I wouldn't be playing games in the car even though I was the passenger as that would be rude, how could I sing along, badly, to the music in the car if I was trying to concentrate on the game it was only a short drive anyway. We arrived out our destination, sat down and I started playing "Nova" via the PPSSPP emulator and only played for about 5 minutes but had to stop, not because it was a bad game, a bad emulator or a bad console it's just I found myself feeling uncomfortable playing outside which i never thought would happen, I'm used to playing stupid little games on my phone which I can look up from on the odd occasion without losing track of where I was. “Nova” which is quite an emersion game and playing surrounded by people in a waiting room just seemed plain weird.

Could it be possible that a horizontal handheld, no matter how powerful or good looking like this is just not for me when I'm out and about, or could it be that I am just not used to playing outside the home and maybe something more the size of a Game Boy or a mobile phone would suit me better.

I might try a smaller device such as one of the Anbernic devices, some of which are Game Boy size, quite powerful and can play PSP games using the PPSSPP emulator and see how I feel using one of those.

I will have to try a vertical handheld next time, I have many to choose from, and see how I get on. I could also try a clamshell device, because if I remember rightly I never felt uncomfortable playing a Nintendo DS when I was out and about. I still have plenty of options for outside gaming to try and I'm sure I will find a console that suits my needs.

My advice for anyone wanting to game outside handheld consoles come in all shapes and sizes and what suits one person may not suit another.

Michael