Polygon.com / 14.01.25

This Game Boy Micro homage is trying to do too much

The Ayaneo Pocket Micro is the modern Sony Walkman of gaming handhelds that is to say, its boxy, high-end design is strangely appealing, and because of its high price and narrow focus, its only going to please a certain type of person. To stand out from the crowd of Android gaming handhelds, of which there are countless models that all emulate the same games, Ayaneo reimagined the Game Boy Micro as an enthusiast device. It costs $191 to pre-order via Indiegogo for a limited time before it becomes pricier, but Im not convinced its worth the current price, either. As someone who always wanted to get my hands on Nintendos sophisticated, candy bar-sized handheld, I was excited to try the Pocket Micro. It felt like a second chance to reconnect with the long-discontinued handheld one with dual analog sticks, two sets of shoulder buttons, and, oh yeah, Android OS. That might sound enticing to some, but in reality, the Ayaneo Pocket Micro feels overstuffed with inputs, some of which arent comf...
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