Some people are reporting issues with the d-pad on the New PocketGo V2 and on the black PlayGo. In fact I also require a replacement unit as mine is faulty too. This is why there’s been no review here yet.
I initially thought it was a problem with my unit only, but in the past few days I have seen reports elsewhere too. If you’re on the fence and haven’t ordered one yet I would hold out until these issues are resolved.
I was hoping to cover this in my review, but the new unit is taking longer than expected to get here. So in the meantime, here’s your heads up.
My pocket go v2 has battery issues, I have got a replacement battery and it still won’t turn on… of course no help from any distributor or even a manufacturer to get a hold of…. this sucks…
Just letting the Community (and World + Dog) know that the Pocket Go V2 has absolute zero support from the manufacturer, and quality is poor at best. Issues with my unit right out of the box: Won’t turn off, screen flicker, not booting for for multiple power cycles, emulators very flaky, often running on one boot, then not working on the next.
I have been trying to get Bittboy to let me return it under the “365 day warrantee” for the last 5 months, and after multiple placating emails, they no longer respond to my requests. Special shout out to Luana BittBoy for sending diverting emails for months, then offering me a discount on the new version. Feel free to let him/her know how you feel about your issues with your Pocket Go V2.
Spanky
PS to Luana & Bittboy: I’m still open to you replacing my unit in good faith, but not very hopeful that you will honor your warrantee (“World + Dog” will lead you to my emails if you want to do the right thing). I’ll report the good news if you decide to follow through as you should have in the last 5 months
Truth be told, over time I’ve pretty much gotten used to it, though I did order one of that gamepad silicone pads to mess around with. It’ll take forever to get here from China though.
I got a second pocketgo and it has D-pad issues unfortunately. Everything else is good though. I contacted retromimi about it and have not heard back. Rather than wait for a reply and a long return process I saw that you can actually get a Gameboy classic DMG D-pad and install that. This should be a simple fix as long as the fabrication is even on this D-pad. It’s quite easy to open and install parts on this device even for someone basic like me. In fact I would recommend doing it so you can familiarize yourself with the device and carry the experience forward.
Man, sorry to hear yo all have had a ton of issues. Mine has been awesome (other losing my analog stick in my pocket somewhere along the way.)
So mine showed up a couple days ago and both the dpad and abxy are only working about 80% of the time. It’s weird how they respond with the inconsistency. It doesn’t appear to be a matter of pressure. Has anyone figured out a fix for it yet?
Wolsen said to mash down and rotate the buttons, or loosen the screws.
Others have found success with disassembly and then cleaning the PCB and silicone pads. Some have flux all over the PCB still.
Mine arrived and works ok, the only problem is down on the dpad requires a bit firmer press than anything else, though I still prefer the dpad than my gcw..
I can’t be bothered returning, as it works fine, it has just made me firmer on the dpad in general and I don’t notice an issue..
I will try cleaning with isopropyl..
How can I start a game in MAME on the black progo? Start and Select dont work in mame
Hold right shoulder button when you press start and select
I got my PocketGo a week ago and it was fine. I had a dead pixel, but that wasn’t a deal breaker for me. I didn’t have any issues with button presses on the D-pad or face buttons. I did have an issue with the power button, the case was flexing inward preventing it from actuating, but opening the case quickly resolved this. I recommend opening the case and resetting any buttons or membrane to fix small problems. I actually gave my unit to my cousin, and ordered another one from Retromimi so I am hoping that I don’t have the issues mentioned here.
Also, I read online that Bitboy is like 5 people that assemble these, they also don’t make a lot of money, and probably have no capital to take losses or do proper QA, so you are definitely taking a chance when buying these devices since it’s a bit of a crapshoot. The only thing I would suggest future buyers to do is use PayPal, you can dispute it, they will most likely refund you without you having to return the unit because Retromimi will probably not spring for shipping.
Another fun fact, I read on reddit that these units cost $30 to make so Retromimi is probably making $20 or more off each unit.
I’ve had issues where the dpad and buttons required hard presses to register them. The solution I found (like some on reddit) was to swap the conductive pads (and the conductive part of the circuit board) with isopropyl alcohol. After cleaning them, the response got a lot better, but the X button still required a lot of pressure, so I swapped the dpad and the abxy’s conductive pads and now they work perfectly. I think the team that makes PocketGo just needs better QA on their end.
I meant “swab” them with isopropyl. on that second sentence.
I’ve had no problems with mine whatsoever tbh.
So far i’m enjoying it.
D-pad issues for me are that the left press travels further than the other three which Taki Udon pointed out. It also came out the box with screen issues, i.e. a dead pixel, vignetting in the corners of the screen until it warms up. I have encountered a new issue this evening – artefacts from one game left flashing on the screen even though either the ui home screens are running or another game is running. I am furious. This is the third time that I’ve been burned by these guys. First up was the ghost key issue with the Bittboy v2. I put that down to it being an open source gadget and not really a proper proprietary product. I then gave them a second chance with the PG1 which is a decent little device but is a really a bit of a joke with regard to the light bleeding, poorly fitted screen, distortion on the speaker etc. i thought that it would be a case of third time lucky with the PG2. Initial impressions were favourable despite the dead pixel and the vignette issue. The screen artefacts issue discovered this evening is the final straw.
A refund will be sought from Retromimi but I won’t hold my breath. I may well relent and purchase an Odroid Go advance if it reviews favourably by ordinary people rather than the You Tube influencers which despite assurances of impartiality and declaring interests are really quite unreliable, otherwise my days of Chinese emulation handheld buying are well and truly over. The stuff isn’t anywhere near good enough. My own fault really, I didn’t learn my lesson.
To add insult to injury, I bought a PG2 for my daughter – more fool me as it turned up with a screen with a dead pixel.
No more.
P.S. Keep up the good work. Your website is a good resource.
ditto! PocketGo 2 will be my last device from these folks. the vast majority of “reviewers” don’t dare say anything negative so as to ensure they receive new early review units down the road.
I remember around December 20th the retromimi site said something about PG2 is now in stock, but to be patient because they have to test each unit before delivering. Uh huh, yeah right. That statement has since been removed.
A review can be left on the retromimi site for your product. I think you might get a faster response for a refund if you voice your dissatisfaction that way. At the very least it will warn others and hopefully prevent these companies from taking advantage of consumers.
I left a review on retromimi but it hasn’t shown up yet. They probably groom them.
I subscribe to every word.
Retromimi were contacted regarding the faulty screen using the softly, softly approach in tandem with requesting info regarding their giving away analog stick covers. Needless to say the screen issue was completely ignored. Didn’t stop “Leah” asking for $5 for postage for something that would weigh two or three grams.
Typical.
Didn’t expect anything less really.
Damn, the reviewer I saw said the road felt good and was responsive and now this bull. Why is there always something with these things. EVERY SINGLE handheld has some glaring problem. Sometimes it’s the same thing, other times it’s right where others messed up or vice versa. How hard is it to get known good things together in something that doesnt suck in one way another. RG300 is the closest it’s gotten but even that has performance issues
> RG300 is the closest it’s gotten but even that has performance issues
I like my RG300 but the TN screen is awful compared to IPS. I think they make IPS RG300 now, but when I got it the only solution was to buy an RS97 IPS and swap.
Totally agree with you though. I don’t know why they can’t get this right. EVERY one of these has some lame issue. RG350 is close, but stupid dpad arrangement.
Let me guess the reviewer. RetroDodo?
I pre-ordered PG2 on day 1 and tracking says it hasn’t even left China yet.
Seems like disgruntled customers are already leaving comments on Bittboys twitter account. People were burned once by the PG1 and now this…
My PG2 arrived yesterday with same issue. Down and right require a hard press. I haven’t tried the tape trick yet. If it was amazon I’d send it back, but I got mine from retromimi so good luck with that…
Ysk some people are also having issue with their analog nun being totally wonky.
More annoying for me is that the sound is either off or MEGA loud. The first tick up is at 32 out of 100, and can’t be lowered via alsa mixer.
To be honest I’m not willing to start fiddling with sticky tape tricks to get it working. They should have sorted this out before they shipped it.
As for the volume, yeah that’s also irritating but I usually play with the volume off. I would expect a future firmware update may fix this (keep your eyes on the Discord server if you’re not already there).
Totally! Some of the guys are saying the tape trick wears out quickly. Such a bummer. I can’t hang with the rg350 dpad layout for my usage so I guess I have to wait for whatever future unit Taki has been teasing. Goliath something?
I’m on the disco, thanks. Some people are using Rogue FW, but I think that’s a little too beta at this point. Btw if/when you get another pg2, replace regba with the gcw-zero opk to enable full screen options.
Hi, I thought I was the only one with sound problems, I’ve tried the Rogue FW but it’s really loud also, it can be fixed?
Author says “nope” https://github.com/Ninoh-FOX/POCKETGO2_ROGUE_CFW/issues/4…
how does one return a handheld back to Wolsen from USA to China?
Go through the customer service channels on AliExpress (assuming that’s where you got it). Be prepared to show a video of the problem and be patient, AliExpress support usually come through if you’re reasonable with them.
for black PG2 you can return via USPS to New Jersey. surprising.
A Thumbs Up for the Heads Up , lol