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FIG. 01In Vault
Horizontal · 4.5"169.9 x 84.1 x 26.3 mm
Horizontal · 4.5"169.9 x 84.1 x 26.3 mmPrice
$229
Above average for Tier price · median $335
Circuit Score
81/ 100Top 61% of Tier 5
Reach 40Polish 26Feel 15
Reach T5 · 74% of 23 systems Great+ · tier median 82
The short version
A mid-priced horizontal handhelds that runs Wii and Wii U playably, though PS3 struggles.
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System Analysis
The Retroid Pocket Nova is a 2026 horizontal emulation handheld running Android. It is built around a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8, 8 cores and 8 GB of RAM. It has a 4.5 inch 1280 by 960 display and a 5000 mAh battery. In testing it runs Wii, Wii U, Switch and PS2 at playable speeds, while PS3 struggles. It launched at $229.
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2 configurations of this device
WHICH ONE TO BUY
| Configuration | ||
|---|---|---|
| RAM | 8 GB | 12 GB |
Only the specs that change between configurations are shown. Values in white differ from the cheapest option. Pick one to update the rest of the page.
Compare the steps
Measured per system, not estimated
PLAYABILITY
Playability by system
Tier 1
CLASSIC 2D
NES
Perfect
SNES
Perfect
Genesis
Perfect
Game Boy
Perfect
GB Color
Perfect
GBA
Perfect
Tier 2
EARLY 3D
PlayStation
Perfect
N64
Perfect
Saturn
Perfect
Nintendo DS
Perfect
Dreamcast
Perfect
Tier 3
ADVANCED HANDHELDS
PSP
Perfect
3DS
Perfect
Tier 4
CLASSIC HOME
PS2
Perfect
GameCube
Perfect
Tier 5
MODERN & HD
Wii
Perfect
Wii U
Playable
PS3
Struggles
Switch
Great
19 of 23 systems graded · the rest are untested, not unplayable
Every recorded field for this configuration
FULL SPECIFICATIONS
Platform
OS / Firmwareandroid 13
Silicon
SoC / ChipsetQualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2
CPU1 × Cortex X32 × Cortex A7152 × Cortex A7103 × Cortex A510
CPU Archarm64
ArchitectureARM
CPU Cores8
CPU Threads8
CPU Clock2 - 3.2 GHz
GPUQualcomm Adreno 740
GPU Cores1
GPU Clock680 MHz
Memory & Storage
RAM8 GB
RAM TypeLPDDR5x
Storage TypeUFS 3.1
ExpandableYES
Card SlotmicroSD
Display
Size4.5 "
Resolution1280 x 960
Panel TypeAMOLED
Technology150% sRGB
Refresh Rate120 Hz
Brightness500 nits
TouchscreenYES
Aspect Ratio4:3
PPI356
Screen LensTempered glass (OCA laminated)
Input
D-Pad ShapeCross
D-Pad PosTop
Face Buttons4
Face LabelsNintendo
Sticks2
Stick LayoutSymmetric
Stick PosBottom
Stick TechHall
Stick ClicksYES
TriggersAnalog
Trigger LayoutStacked
Pad ClicksNO
KeyboardNO
Connectivity
Wi-Fi7
Bluetooth5.3
CellularNO
Video OutUSB-C video out Bottom facing
Power & Thermals
Battery Cap5000 mAh
Charge PortUSB-C
CoolingActive — 1 fan, heatsink, vents
Chassis
Dimensions169.9 x 84.1 x 26.3 mm
Weight255 g
MaterialPlastic
ColorsBlack, White, Gamecube Indigo, Transparent Clear, Transparent Watermelon, Transparent Purple, Transparent Blue
Audio & Sensors
Speakers2 × stereo, front-facing
Headphone JackYES
MicrophoneNO
Ranked against tier 5
HOW IT STANDS
Against Tier 5 devices122 published
Price
$229
Above average · median $335
Circuit Score
81 / 100
Below average · median 82
Battery
5000 mAh
Below average · median 6000 mAh
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