This super-expensive Analogue Pocket is about to go on sale

A new limited-edition Analogue Pocket is on the way, and while it’s pricier than other editions, it might be a way to get the frequently out-of-stock handheld. Analogue announced its aluminum edition Pockets on Friday, revealing that they’ll go on sale July 15 and ship two days later. The new Pocket will come in four colors: Natural, Noir, Black, and Indigo. And, as the headline suggests, it’s been “precision CNC’d entirely in aluminum,” according to the product page. That means it’ll likely be heavier than a regular pocket, but more durable. It also means it’ll be more expensive. The limited-edition model will cost $500. For reference, the regular Analogue Pocket costs just $220 — so the aluminum one will cost more than twice as much. Other special editions have been pricier, but never by this much. And if you want to get any of the Analogue accessories, like the $100 to $130 dock, this will cost more than any current-generation console, and more than many handhelds on the market. If you’ve tried to buy a Pocket before, you know the drill, but for the uninitiated, these will go out of stock fast — sometimes within minutes. The aluminum edition’s high price might mean the orders will come in slower than usual, but you’ll want to be online on at 11 a.m. ET/8 a.m. PT on July 15. Just head to the store page, wait for those checkout buttons to activate, and put in your order. Analogue added that once it’s out of stock, it’ll never be sold again. The Analogue Pocket, which first released in 2021, is one of the best retro handhelds available if you want to play Game Boy, Game Boy Color, or Game Boy Advance cartridges. It uses a special FPGA chip that emulates console hardware. In this case, that means the aforementioned Game Boys, along with the Sega Game Gear, Neo Geo Pocket, and Atari Lynx (although some of these need optional attachments). You can also use it for emulation with just a little bit of tinkering. Pokémon TCG Pocket finally added the trading feature after several months, but it was not well received by fans for its restrictive policies and new types of currency. Since adding the feature in a few days ago, TCG Pocket developer Creatures, Inc has changed its approach and said updates and improvements are on the way, although there is not a specific release window for when the game will implement those changes. “Since releasing the first iteration of the trading feature a few days ago, we have received a large number of comments. Thank you all for sharing your feedback. The item requirements and restrictions implemented for the trading feature were designed to prevent abuse from bots and other prohibited actions using multiple accounts. Our goal was to balance the game while preserving the fun of collecting cards that are core to the Pokemon TCG pocket experience,” the company said in a press release. Pokémon TCG Pocket: Space-Time Smackdown | Coming Soon! Pokémon Trading Card Game Pocket is getting two major updates next week. Trading will finally come to the mobile card game on January 29, while new cards are coming on January 30 via the Space-Time Smackdown booster set. Those hoping that trading will let them quickly fill out their collection might be disappointed by how it works, though. Pokémon TCG Pocket is finally bringing the trading function to the game later this month. One of the hottest titles on the market, TCG Pocket is a more simplified, streamlined version of the regular trading card game with a heavier focus on card collecting than battling. Trading is a big part of that, but the feature has been unavailable since launch. In what should come as no surprise, there are restrictions on how trade works. You will only be able to trade cards with a diamond rarity of one through four or cards with a one-star rarity, and alternate art cards won’t be tradeable. You need to be friends with the person you’re trading with, too. Cards must also be the same rarity to be eligible for trade, so you won’t be able to swap a one-diamond Heatmor for a three-diamond Serperior, no matter how many of them you might have. (At last count, I have 17 Heatmor. Send help.)