Retroid Pocket 6

What kind of person interested in computers does not like videogames? I guess there must be some, but I am not one of them.

I started, like many others, with MS-DOS games and a lot of patience. Since then, and without ever being a hardcore gamer, many little machines for playing have passed through my hands: computers, consoles, handhelds, and almost every flavor from Nintendo, Sega, Sony, Microsoft, and a few more along the way.

So, why another one?

In this case the Retroid Pocket 6 is part experiment, part small need. I wanted to leave the phone aside in some specific moments of the day. Those moments where the hand goes to the screen almost without asking: before sleeping, in the bathroom, while waiting for something, or during any other tiny gap that usually ends in doomscrolling.

The idea is simple: can I replace that habit with something that is still fun, but a bit less rotten for the only neuron I have left? Instead of letting it enter full cannibal mode with an endless feed, maybe I can wake it up with some retro fun.

There is also something else there. In a world that seems to be moving at 200 km/h, where being in a hurry feels like the default way of living, going back to something retro, simple, and sometimes a little demanding sounds very appealing to me. Slowing down, playing old games again, accepting their pace and their rules… maybe it is a small way of revisiting the past, or at least of trying to recover a tiny bit of that feeling.

And why the Retroid Pocket 6?

Partly because a workmate pushed me into it, of course. But the truth is that it fits very well with what I was looking for.

The form factor reminds me a lot of the psp, probably the handheld that felt better in my hands from all the ones I had. It is small enough to be around, but not so small that playing becomes uncomfortable. On top of that, the compatibility with emulators goes quite far, even reaching some xbox and ps3 titles. Then there are Android games, the possibility of using rocknix, the Linux distribution focused on gaming for arm devices, and all the recent progress around Steam on Linux with Proton and other engines.

Add to that streaming with Moonlight and Artemis, plus xbox cloud gaming, and the result is a device that covers almost everything I can imagine playing in those short sessions. Almost everything, because I do not think this is going to run Path of Exile 2 properly, but that kind of game asks for longer, more serious sessions anyway.

So far I have only tested the Android side of things. The SD card for rocknix has not arrived yet, so that part will have to wait a little. With emulation, up to what I have tried around ps3, I have not found any big problem. The battery is more than enough for my use, although it does take quite a while to charge.

I am honestly very happy with the result. I still need to properly test xbox and steam, because I need to be able to play Hollow Knight on this thing. That is not optional.

For now, the Retroid Pocket 6 is doing exactly what I wanted from it. I am replacing some bad habits with other habits that are maybe not that bad, and having fun in the process. That is already a good enough excuse for another little gadget in the house.