So I was just on Youtube, and I saw the suggested videos. Now, about 6 months ago, I was doing a LOT of research on retro handhelds.

I eventually settled on the Retroid Pocket Flip 2. The thing about retro handhelds though, is that 3 new handhelds have been released since I started this sentence. There’s a LOT of handhelds out there. Like…a LOT a lot. So in order to figure out which one to buy, I became a regular viewer of channels like Retro Game Corps, and TechDweeb. Even today, I’m not in the market for a new handheld. I JUST bought one a year ago. But I still watch new videos. I try to keep in the know on the industry as a whole. That Ayn Thor is looking SUPER sexy. I genuinely think I made a mistake in buying the Flip 2. I see the Ayn Thor, and I think “Oh god…look at it…”

All I’m saying is, if you look at a woman the way I look at Ayn Thor videos, you’ll get slapped. Probably by everybody in the immediate area. But I do love my Flip 2. I have to. I have what I have, and I have to make due with what I have. Thing was like $430 once you include all the accessories. I can’t just do that AGAIN a few months later just because a new one came out. They come out dozens every month.

And so that’s when I saw this youtube video title.

“I sold my Retroid Pocket 5 for the Retroid Pocket GS”. I am floored. Can you believe this asshole? He sold his RETROID POCKET 5 TO BUY A RETROID POCKET GS!!! See, this is the clickbait bullshit that’s youtube has succumb to! I am not clicking that video, despite having a complete understanding of why that statement is insane!

And this is the moment that I realize that most readers will not understand what I’m talking about. Let me explain.

See, the Retroid Pocket 5 came out about a year and a half ago. It is a very capable device. If the Retroid Pocket Flip 2 hadn’t been released the week after I started researching, I was absolutely GOING TO buy the Retroid Pocket 5. Then they announced the Retroid Pocket Flip 2. I hadn’t bought anything yet, and I knew I wasn’t getting the Retroid Pocket 5 anymore. It was all about the Flip 2. That’s because the Retroid Pocket 5 is a standard handheld shape. Kind of like the PSP, or the Vita, or the original GBA. It had that same form factor. Then, they took literally the exact same handheld. Same motherboard. Same screen. Same buttons. Same ram. Same EVERYTHING. And they instead put it in a clamshell design. Like the DS, but with 1 screen only. But it still closes. Other than form factor, literal exact same handheld. As long as you got the snapdragon 865 version…but we won’t go down THAT rabbit hole.

Instead, the relevant bits are that The Retroid Pocket 5 came out Sept 2024. The Flip 2 came out March 2025. And then on Oct 2025 they released the Retroid Pocket GS.

So, what is the Retroid Pocket GS? Well…it uses the same shell as the Retroid Pocket 5. Same screen. Same buttons. Slightly faster processor. Very slightly. And instead of 8GB of ram, I think it has 12GB. I’d have to double check that. I may be wrong with how badly this ram price situation has gotten. I refuse to call it a shortage. There’s plenty of ram in stores. It’s just that it’s priced in a way that no one is willing to pay.

So let me get this straight. This guy buys the Retroid Pocket 5. Then wants the Retroid Pocket GS. Like me, he can’t afford to constantly buy new handhelds for $200+. But unlike me, he makes a go of it anyways. So he sells his perfectly capable Retroid Pocket 5, to get a Retroid Pocket GS??? Well guess what. The Retroid Pocket GS came out in October 2025. Guess what came out January 2026. Oh yeah. We’re talkin the Retroid Pocket 6! THAT’S RIGHT BABY!!! FULL SEQUEL!!!

This is a major jump from the Pocket 5. This is a major jump from the Retroid Pocket GS. It was also announced that it was coming.

Meaning the ONLY people who should have any reason to buy the Retroid Pocket GS, are people who are buying it as a holiday gift for someone else in the timeframe between October 2025 and December 2025. Otherwise just wait the extra one month, and get the full upgrade.

I mean, I would TOTALLY sell my Retroid Pocket Flip 2 for an Ayn Thor. Difference is, that would never work. The model I want is $550. The Retroid Pocket Flip 2 brand new is like $229. There is zero way for me to sell my Retroid Pocket Flip 2. and buy an Ayn Thor. So I guess this is getting me angry for two reasons.

1. This guy thought it was worth it for such a trivial upgrade, KNOWING he has to set up the Retroid Pocket GS, which he’s already done with his Retroid Pocket 5. Retro Games Corps has a video showing you how to set up your brand new Retroid Pocket 5. It is an hour long. It has received TWO follow up videos. One is 45 more minutes. The other 37 MORE minutes. All to set up and organize emulators and rom files to play old video games. Now imagine doing that process AGAIN a few months later, just so you get a slight performance boost.

And

2. Who is buying a used Retroid Pocket 5 a year after launch, for equal price as a new Retroid Pocket GS? Who is THIS asshole just browsing ebay looking to waste money? Why can’t I find this sucker? I could buy a package of 24 rolls of toilet paper…use 3 rolls, and sell him a 21 roll pack of toilet paper for the price I paid for the 24 pack. This guy is out there. He exists,. Who IS this guy??? Does he hate cheese???

And now that I think about it, there’s the distinct possibility that this youtuber exists soley TO make these videos. Where the real purpose was to document the process to make a youtube video. Which would then insinuate that he doesn’t care about video games at all. He doesn’t care about the performance boost of the Retroid Pocket GS, or the fact that the Retroid Pocket 6 was announced the same day, but would release later with a substantial improvement. It was never about the performance. It was about making a video. To make money. Which means really this guy is just wasting everybody’s time! And you know what? I can relate. I do that a lot. I waste everybody’s time. I’m just not getting paid for it. Give me money! Money me now!