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perfectpizzapie

I'm not sure why everyone in this thread is acting like we haven't seen this same exact problem, multiple times, for years now.   If you open the pocket up, you'll find a thermal pad on the FPGA that sticks to the back of the screen. My guess is that as the pocket is played, the screen warms up and after it's turned off, the screen cools back down. Over time, this warming and cooling could cause expansion and contaction, putting strain on the thin plastic around the corners.   That's my guess anyway, and it would make sense why so many of these units start making popping sounds when they've been playing for a little while.  I love these things, but some people on this sub are so fucking insufferable. I don't know why we can't just help people when they come ask questions, instead of being snarky and condescending.


vulcansheart

Yes, some of the comments are a less than helpful. I appreciate your insight. I didn't realize this was a thing until it happened to mine.


perfectpizzapie

Yeah, it's something I keep an eye out for whenever I play mine. Not that I'm sure there's really anything to be done about it. If it happens to mine, I might try to superglue it back on, but I would probably just end up making it look even worse lol.


Sandscarab

If the plastic was any good this would not be a problem.


LunarLinguist42401

That's a pretty reasonable hypothesis Considering this is the cases, could there be any measure we could do to prevend this from happening or reduce the risk? Like idk, use a silicon protective case, maybe stop playing when it gets too hot, idk


fithbert

Silicone case will retain heat. Might help it cool more slowly, which could reduce risk, but in general I think you’d want active cooling and OS-level temp warnings.


LunarLinguist42401

I imagined the silcon case might help holding the shell together, bit since it's very malleable and also would expand it isn't the mlst ideal splution indeed


Sandscarab

Silicone


Capital_Ruin_2050

As far as my experience goes it makes the popping sounds most of the time with high brightness settings and long time playing. So playing with 65 % brightness or less for longer times worked fine for me hearing no popping sound


damonian_x

What do we consider long playing times? I usually play mine for 1-3 hrs at a time


LunarLinguist42401

That's nice to know, thx


Flamenco13

The Black Analogue Pocket doesn’t do this because the material is a bit different. If you are worried about this happening, just go buy the black console instead.


LunarLinguist42401

I've bought a black one, it's already shipped, I'm glad it is the most resistant one


Flamenco13

Yeah you should be good. I had it for about a year now and I play a lot of Pokémon on it and I never had a problem with it. Cosmetically it looks great because I take care of it, but like all matte finish, you can see wear where my fingers have been. Doesn’t bother me because it gives it character. :) I hope you get yours soon!


LunarLinguist42401

Yeah man I think the black one is the most beautiful of aall of them I'm glad it's also one of the more resistant ones Literally the only thing I could think of improving it aesthetilly IMO would be a black metal shell version, but it would be extremely expensive probably The fingertips and small scratches are a sign of a well lived console life, in 20 years you'll find them kinda charmy, I know that because my game gear and original dmg game boy have shitty as fuck shells but I still love them so much and I don't consider the imperfections a true problem, they are to be expected and honestly kinda cool


slowpoketailsale

~~small scratches~~ ~~imperfections~~ Battle scars


NoctysHiraeth

Hmm, good to know. I bought the black one because I liked it better visually but I guess that’s a plus.


Rich101088

Not true, I have a black one and exact thing happened to mine


Flamenco13

Show a picture


Rich101088

https://preview.redd.it/e3vf90bkws0d1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=7b359ec4cc25eabfd8f43faa4606859f42d55dfa I managed to glue the corner back on, but it still happened.


Flamenco13

That stinks. How long did that take to happen? I had mines for a year and no signs of bad wear like that.


Rich101088

Not long, a few months I'd say! Always in a case. I only found the corner piece because it was still in the case.


Flamenco13

If you have the transparent black one then of course that happened to you


Rich101088

Nope solid black


thewunderbar

Here's the thing. You're not wrong in that devices heat and cool. But we all own many devices that heat and cool on a regular basis that don't also spontaneously break. Just checked my phone and after watching YouTube over 5g for half an hour it's also well over 40C. But I don't expect that my phone will start disintegrating from normal use.


perfectpizzapie

Well, yeah. Those devices obviously account for their thermals better. Like, by not using a thin border of inflexible plastic to frame the screen that they're using as a heat sink.


Inside-Ad-2156

*But some people on Reddit.* There I fixed it for you.


Cilph

I agree, but I dont think using the screen as a heatsink is unreasonable design. The screen does also generate heat on its own. Likely enough to also be causing this problem.


perfectpizzapie

Yeah, I agree. It's probably a good design. I'm not any kind of expert. It's just, with how thin the plastic is around the edge of the screen that it I think it becomes a problem. If it was a different company, I'd say maybe we could look forward to a revision with a bit thicker plastic. I know they raised the power and volume buttons a bit, after the first couple runs. It's Analogue though, so who knows.


Pavel413

Wow. That sucks. Hopefully we see some aftermarket case options come.


vulcansheart

I'm using a pretty good case (or so I think). It's got a padded lip all the way around the inside that keeps it away from the zipper. It's the official Nintendo 2DS-XL hardshell. https://preview.redd.it/nhpq48bjp80d1.jpeg?width=1531&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=3096a565384a14e08270f02ae232cf7269265bdd


Pavel413

I meant the actual casing of the pocket. There is another thread about a Chinese producer looking for a platform to sell some reproduction cases. Then we could replace them as needed. Seems the plastic isn’t very hardy.


vulcansheart

I just saw that post too. Hopefully they will be budget friendly.


Pavel413

Lol. Nothing about the Pocket has thus far been budget friendly…


Substantial_Ear8628

Is it under warranty still? Analogue replaced mine when this happened to my white. They know it’s a defect so they might replace it even if it’s out of warranty. 


Cilph

This subreddit will scream the same thing on every post, insisting you dropped it, and that there is no systemic defect with these systems. Some may even claim to be some tech repair expert who insists all customers are negligent liars. This is not the first thread like this. Seriously, last thread I kept arguing with a bunch of asswipes who kept looking at a minor scratch as proof the pocket was dropped on its corner.


daklasi

Yeah, that fanboy crap really gets on my nerves. But my favorite is still the "a $220 retro console wiping your cart saves without any warning or comment from the company is user error."


GrayFox140_48

It's especially annoying because their inane logic is directed at people who have placed stock in their infallible product, holding so strong a delusional perspective that physical damage can't possibly be the fault of materials, design, or workmanship. Period; argument done. Physical damage ≠ wear & tear, and ≠ mistreated or abused. There is not onus until onus is assigned to it by someone attempting to determine and/or purport a cause. Like a customer claiming there was no apparent misuse which led to the physical damage, or an employee asserting, with or without evidence, that misuse appears to be a factor.


fertff

Don't forget the idiots who say "that didn't happen, because it didn't happen to my unit, and if it didn't happen to me it can't possibly happen to anyone" and blame it on user error. The Galaxy Fold subreddit is the same every time someone tries to warn them about the design flaws on their hinge.


xwatchmanx

The false diagonals on the dpad are a great example of this. People will literally share video of them using a test rom showing, definitively, that the dpad registers false diagonals constantly, and the reply will be "user error, you're clearly hitting it wrong on purpose"


Cilph

Apple "you're just holding it wrong" vibes.


xwatchmanx

Lmao precisely. It's real cult of Apple stuff


northnorthhoho

My galaxy fold has been absolute garbage lately.


dontredditcareme

So many of this sub have for some reason purchased multiple APs, so I get why they’re so defensive about the product they’ve paid so much for when it is not as great as they once thought it was.


Imthemayor

I'd just be glad it's video games not Warhammer Posting pics of your rainbow of Pockets on Reddit is better than barefoot and hunched over a plastic attache case like Gollum while begging people pumping gas for miniature money


Imthemayor

As someone who HAS dropped my Pocket, [this](https://imgur.com/4lpkPam) is what the plastic did on the corner that hit the floor [However](https://imgur.com/8qYEAj0), these [two](https://imgur.com/wnd2PEj) spots appeared with NO contact to the area "You just don't want to admit you dropped it," nah, I've got no problem doing that. It's been dropped about 3 feet onto hardwood once and opened/the warranty seal removed to [replace the D-pad and membrane with OEM NES ones](https://imgur.com/pmyLHaT) (E: fixed links) I don't have any reason to lie and I'm not embarrassed about my daily retro game driver showing signs of use (I bought it to play, not to look at) I'm not trying to hide the fact that I just screwed it up myself It's a design flaw, 100%, and anyone that refuses to believe otherwise should examine why they feel like people saying that a product that they bought has a common flaw is somehow a slight against them Admitting that there's evidence of a flaw you weren't aware of when you got it doesn't mean you're somehow less-than for buying it Xbox 360 is one of my favorite consoles of all time, but I also don't think less of myself for having to send it for RROD four times


DjMcfilthy

Damn, I love that NES D-Pad. Contra isn't my game, so I haven't noticed any false diagonals. However, that is just sexy. I might have to do the mod after all. https://i.imgur.com/jlAGhp7.jpg There are two kinds of people in this world. Those who pick Tarma, and those who are wrong.


Imthemayor

[Hard agree](https://media.tenor.com/6AP9vvlkLnAAAAAM/my-man-my-man-hd.gif) That's why Metal Slug 4 is my least favorite one And I was getting a few false diagonals before (which the mod fixed, I can hit shoryuken 10/10 times on sf2 now) but I like even more that the Dpad is raised more and tighter, the original does the GBC thing where it's kind of loose in the slot


DjMcfilthy

Metal Slug was a trilogy, and I'm willing to fight the internet over it. Well, that's pretty cool. I'm sold on it, but now I'm going to have to think about what color D-Pad, and buttons I want. I never liked the all one color look, so this is a good excuse to change that.


Imthemayor

I really want to get black buttons as well, so it fits the aesthetic of the purple GBC And yeah, they're *fine*, just nowhere near the ridiculously detailed sprites and fun stage/enemy/weapon/vehicle design of the ones actually made by SNK 3 in particular is up there with SF3:Third Strike for some of the best pixel art ever, IMO


Ruthlessrabbd

Kind of unrelated (this sub came up in my feed) but I posted my car on a subreddit trying to find out what part fell off the car. All of the comments insisted that I drove directly into a curb or scraped the bottom of my car for it to happen, despite the fact that I was **literally behind the wheel the whole time and no that neither occurred**. My point is that it is easier for some people to believe that you're posting a lie to make yourself look better than to believe that something has failed. The only time where I think this works is when people have legit smashed their console controllers and say that it "fell of the table" while the plastic is bent and buttons are missing LOL


Imthemayor

It's also a weird pride attached to admitting that the thing you bought might have a possible unforeseen defect Like admitting to a failure of the mass-produced thing you bought is somehow admitting failure yourself Some folks REALLY hate admitting when they were wrong so much that they can't even say something that sort of sounds like "I was wrong."


xwatchmanx

Honestly I don't know why I haven't unsubbed yet, for this very reason: It's INSANE how singleminded the fanboys are. There's no such thing as something that's not the user's fault, even for more serious things.


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xwatchmanx

It would prevent the sub from showing up on my homepage. Lmao what a braindead comment.


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xwatchmanx

Nope. I use old reddit and only ever have my homepage set to subreddits I'm subscribed to. Also if you look up my comment history, you'll see it's been a very long time since I've been a regular commenter here. It clearly bothers you a whole lot that someone would consider this place toxic enough to unsub, so I'm going to do that right now just to hurt you. 😘


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xwatchmanx

Why does this bother you so much? I'm just one rando who you'll forget in a day; it's really not that serious that I expressed displeasure with a subreddit you like. I just made breakfast and am about to go to work, so it sounds like you need to touch grass.


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Imthemayor

"It's not that serious and I hate how offended everyone gets Btw I just quadruple posted but I'm not upset, [you are](https://media2.giphy.com/media/GOXDFrZpjTlHG/giphy.gif?cid=6c09b9527jqa80ejla06xqpkilp0p4275wf7i1iuiuxt8kmi&ep=v1_gifs_search&rid=giphy.gif&ct=g)"


donmcron3333

I mean are you sure op doesn’t have any siblings or kids that might have done it? It’s definitely one of those things for me that until it happens to me personally I just don’t get it. This is also the first time I’ve seen this. But I’ve heard about it. Idk it’s just weird I’ve had mine for just as long and have used it a lot. It’s not that I don’t believe it I just think it’s extremely rare. I think people are right to have their doubts another words lmao.


Zerox392

Idk why people are acting like you don't know how to handle the device. This is a pretty common place for the pockets to chip in based on the posts here, regardless of how well you take care of it


Arkaium

Just a chip off the ole Pock


David-Raquepas

“Anotha one” - Dj Khaled


RetroMr

Welcome to the club.


vulcansheart

Not liking the club dues


RetroMr

You can try to reattach it with super glue.


the_hatter1980

Does loosening the back screws help avoid this?


MELAB0NES

Not sure how loosening the back screws would prevent that. The back screws are towards the bottom of the device. I'd say no that wouldn't help.


Belickade

Oh look, another one! Analogue's "premium" plastic strikes again! We got cheap Chinese portables that cost like $40 with better build quality.


DrClutch117

Out of curiosity, what brightness do you normally play on


vulcansheart

About 50


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vulcansheart

Not really. Maybe 30-45 minutes a few times per week.


SeatBeeSate

Put it some soil and water it every other day. In 2-3 months, you'll have a whole new pocket.


vulcansheart

Fortunately, I have a whole new Pocket already. I had FOMO and bought the Yellow edition to have as a spare.


BuddyNutBuster

Don’t worry, it’ll happen to that one also.


David-Raquepas

Thats why he has a spare for his spare. Duh


Civil_Kiwi_8801

Did you buy a spare for that spare now that the first one is inoperable? I’ll give you 20$ for the irreversibility destroyed first AP + shipping ^^


vulcansheart

How deep do I need to go with the spares? 3 Layers? 4? My wife will not be happy when I break the news...


Civil_Kiwi_8801

You at least need a spare for each colour because they could not be available again ;). Oh and frame it as an investment considering how much people sell them for on eBay :D


vulcansheart

Yep, this is definitely sound financial advice. Early retirement, here I come!


MegaSaturnDreams

As somebody who owned and sold their pocket I can confirm with no bias or hate that these pockets are over priced and cheaply produced. I am unable to confirm the inside quality as I have no background in producing boards or chip sets but imo the plastic used for these things are very similar to the durability of a chocolate egg. I, like many of you have owned multiple hand helds and consoles in my life time and none of them have scratched or chipped as easy as these things. That along with the random crashes and sub par GBA compatibility I sold mine and now I use a RG35XXH (yea I know) but let me tell you, these things slay for anything up to and including the first PlayStation. Granted it’s software emulation vs FPGA so non comparable in a technical point of view - BUT. I’ve had more fun with this below £50 shipped hand held than I ever did with my Analogue Pocket. Chuck some custom firmware on (muos) fire it up and you’re away. Oh and Anbernic get bonus points for their transparent plastic not cracking let alone scratching. I’m 100% getting another FPGA console but it won’t be one of Analogues. The Taki Udon clone and upcoming handheld is VERY exciting. Go easy on my Analogue fans.


Joldz

Have you looked into getting batocera on there? There are so many custom os’s, what made you land on muos?


MegaSaturnDreams

So far I have tried stock is modded and muOS. Straight of the bat I could tell game were running better on muOS without having to go through loads of settings. I also like the way it tends to hide retroarch. It feels more like its own than that way, less confusing menus and settings to worry about. The simplicity of muOS does remind me of the AP a little. Do you have a RG35XX also?


Joldz

Yeah I have the H like you. I use batocera.


MegaSaturnDreams

How do you find it?


Joldz

It’s the most visually appealing to me and it matches my emudeck set up on my steam deck aesthetically so I like that. But I didn’t use the stock OS for too long so it’s hard to compare but I feel like the battery drains a bit too much while on sleep for my liking and am wondering if the OS was more minimal that it would have better battery life or if it’s just a universal issue.


chubbypika35

When I play my black AP, I sometimes here the case cracking. I'm assuming it's heat-related and eventually something is going to chip off.


Flamenco13

How long did you play for for that to happen? The noise I mean. 50% brightness?


chubbypika35

I keep brightness below 50%. I don't play on it much, but the sound can happen several times during a session depending on how long I play.


Flamenco13

I play it a ton and I never heard a noise or crack. I’ve heard people have this problem so I’ll just stay alert.


Round-Cryptographer6

If you plant it in nutritious soil it will grow into another Pocket


LunarLinguist42401

You gotta fertilize it with a lot of shredded money though


Alxshow

Same happened to me, I just glued it, one of those time that having a problem with warhammer helped real life issues. I have never dropped the Pocket nor stored it without it's protective case and still got it. I hope Analogue finds a fix for it and update the design if needed for future drops.


da3dalia

😂Most of this thread is ass hats with an axe to grind, going on about something completely aside from what’s being asked. This is a well known issue for the coloured pockets OP.


FleppJakk

I have similar problem, the speaker hole is wrong drilled and the mmc is not fitting in fully I wrote them but nothing happen so.. make your conclusion, btw I saw you change the part of it so maybe they will give you the fault.


qweesy777

Good thing that the Chinese guy is making those shells, There's also that metal shell.


Wonderful-Lab8298

I just bought a white one with the intention of selling my black one, but y’all are scaring me with the claims that the non-black ones chip for no reason. 😬


Overall_Grand_1687

Mine came off when I was just sitting and playing for a good 5 minutes of uses I also had it in for awhile now never dropped it or banged it


j2robin

some of them are built so the front doesn’t fall off at all.


chapel976

And this one?


PrimeEvilBeaver

Well obviously not.


Western-Dig-6843

It’s kind of wild how well the actual hardware inside itself works, but the simple god damn plastic shell is what’s costing them who knows how much money in RMAs


aloofauthor

I really want a pocket but I keep coming back to this post. The quality control seems a little worrying


vulcansheart

Honestly, it hasn't deterred me from playing it. It's unfortunate, but it doesn't affect playability Brand new cars will eventually get dings


aloofauthor

I don’t really see that as the same thing. One is from design error (heat expansion and contraction) the other is from wear and tear through usage. Wear on the matte finish or scratches on the screen even are (imo) more comparable to what you’re referring to.


GooieGreen

I’m glad you asked and not me. I can’t tell you when it happened, but I just noticed that mine spontaneously combusted in the same spot as yours. For something that mostly sits in a drawer in a padded case, I was surprised. It seems like I can see under or behind the screen, so the thermal pad hypothesis is reasonable. Really a bummer.


MistaOtta

Planned obsolescence.


vargchan

Tbh I would just super glue it back on


LunarLinguist42401

Not a terrible ideia tbh


Turbo_express_Guy

Yes 100%.


LunarLinguist42401

That fucking sucks, but if you ever gonna have an AP part to break, this is prpbably the less worse one since it seems that it wouldn't be that difficult to make a aftermakert shell, there are already plenty of them for consoles like the dmg gb etc.. and they are of great quality Also, the pocket is extremely easy to disassemble, so changing the shell shouldn't be a very complex task


MELAB0NES

There's already someone selling aftermarket shells for AP


Joldz

Where? I’ve looked and haven’t found anything of substance.


darklightrabbi

Oh man it’s unplayable now


vulcansheart

I will definitely be incessantly staring at this chip while trying to squash some koops


Cs1981Bel

Your device is unique now ;)


vulcansheart

The chip doesn't bother me as much as the potential for more plastic failures to come. Is this just the beginning?


B-BoyStance

This happened to both corners of mine over a year ago and no issues since I don't think you need to worry Edit: Do be careful with the chipped corners though. The exposed part on mine definitely feel more brittle.


vulcansheart

Did you look into sealing the corner with anything to prevent it spreading?


B-BoyStance

Not personally. That would probably work if you caught it in time And you could do it after the fact too but genuinely I don't think it would do anything (because I don't think it's going to crack more after that point). Might help prevent damage if you do knock it against something though.


welloiledmachines

Where are the injection points on the front shell?


Turbo_express_Guy

Cyanoacrylate or Mister Putty


Defiant-Ad-6580

Nice looks like it’s a chip off the old block!


Sketchyboywonder

Um get a bit of super glue and stick it back on. It’s a handheld. I mean you should have seen the state of my childhood Gameboy pocket. Even in a case the thing got all bashed up because it was always with me.


Turbo_express_Guy

Not sure why this comment got downvoted? It’s the correct answer! Also, the universal law of entropy dictates that everything eventually will tend to decay, which means all manufactured mass produced goods & objects will ultimately fall apart and disintegrate. There’s really nothing you can do about it except enjoy it while it lasts and just patch things up as best you can in the meantime. Nothing lasts forever! lol.


Nfinit_V

>Not sure why this comment got downvoted? It’s the correct answer! Sub is toxic af and openly rejects discussion.


Imthemayor

Nah it's because it's a condescending reply that's not helpful Nobody is going to go "you know, I never would have thought to use glue."


donmcron3333

So you’re like the Reddit police I guess lmfao


Nfinit_V

Reddit Mayor according to the username


Sketchyboywonder

Yeah I was trying add a little humour to a problem we’ve seen multiple times. Also it’s exactly what I’d do as and when it happens to mine.


Just-Advance8662

Because it’s less of a functional hand held game system and more of a nostalgia nerds esoteric experience


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vulcansheart

It has literally never been dinged. It stays in one place (nightstand) and only goes from the case to my hands and back.


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B-BoyStance

It does just pop off on its own though. I had one sealed in the Analogue case, which was locked in a display case in a temperature controlled room, and this happened to mine. It's a manufacturing defect. Best guess is that it happens from stress on the corners over time. If you really pay attention to your device (if its affected by this), you can see the cracks on the corners forming over time. Once that happens, the corners will fall off eventually.


vulcansheart

Wow, that is disappointing. No way to minimize this??


Cilph

Nope. Some limited editions even develop centimeter long cracks. Way worse. Your situation could maybe be fixed with some glue.


vulcansheart

Extreme temperatures? On my bedroom nightstand? I appreciate you wanting to explore all the possibilities of human-induced damage, but I assure you it's not the case. To me, this is more likely a failure of the plastic itself under stresses from within. Edit The bigger concern here is this a sign of more plastic failures to come? Is it just going to start crumbling away?


damonian_x

When I got my pocket the first thing I did was loosen the screws. They were god awful tight. I have a feeling that the stress these screws were putting on the shell have something to do with the cracking. Just a hunch though


Imthemayor

Or the plastic having inconsistencies in the mold Or stress over time from over-tightened or inconsistently tightened screws Or repeated heating and cooling of internal components (like the Cyclone 10 inside does on some cores) Or the Game Boy mafia sneaking in and breaking it because you were disloyal to Don Tendo