Despite selling over 80 million units in its day, the Game Boy Advance had avoided the retro hardware remakes that have left Nintendo fans spoiled for choice over the past decade—until now. Twenty-five years after its debut, we’re finally getting a next-gen remake.
The upcoming Konkr Pocket Advance comes from Ayaneo, a Chinese firm known for its budget Windows gaming handhelds and the Pocket Micro line, its ongoing tribute to the Game Boy Micro. The latest entry in that line, the Pocket Micro 2, launched in June.
According to Ayaneo’s official announcement, spotted by Engadget, the Konkr Pocket Advance will feature a 3.5-inch LCD with a 960-by-640 resolution. It will roughly maintain the original’s 3:2 aspect ratio, but at a notably sharper resolution.
The device is expected to add modern features, including a USB-C port, a microSD card slot, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity, a 3.5mm headphone jack, and a volume wheel. Gamers will have the choice between two color options: Navy Blue and Coral Orange.
The new handheld also adds extra L2/R2 triggers to handle PS1 and N64 controller layouts. The Android-based handheld won’t be able to run vintage cartridges and will instead rely on emulation like the Pocket Micro. This means it has the bonus of being able to match other titles from previous console generations, including the PS1 and GameCube eras.
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Ayaneo has not announced an official release date or price for the new handheld, or its under-the-hood RAM or storage specs. But it could be pricey. Ayaneo recently increased the price of its long-delayed Next 2 gaming handheld by $1,000 across all variants due to the RAM crisis.
If you don’t want to wait for the Konkr Pocket Advance, there are plenty of other options. Not only can you play old-school Game Boy Advance games on the Switch or Switch 2, but options like the Analog Pocket allow emulation while retaining the classic Game Boy design; it can also run period cartridges. And if appearances are all you care about, you can also build your own Game Boy in Lego for $60.
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Will McCurdy
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I’m a reporter covering weekend news. Before joining PCMag in 2024, I picked up bylines in BBC News, The Guardian, The Times of London, The Daily Beast, Vice, Slate, Fast Company, The Evening Standard, The i, TechRadar, and Decrypt Media.
I’ve been a PC gamer since you had to install games from multiple CD-ROMs by hand. As a reporter, I’m passionate about the intersection of tech and human lives. I’ve covered everything from crypto scandals to the art world, as well as conspiracy theories, UK politics, and Russia and foreign affairs.
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