Analogue Pocket firmware update 1.1 is here: No jailbreak yet

The beta release for the highly-anticipated 1.1 version of the operating system which powers the Analogue Pocket has finally been released, half a year after it was scheduled to be released in January. While it comes with support for additional controllers while docked, the Memories feature which stores savestates, and the openFPGA feature (which promises support for new consoles via third-party core development), the beta doesn’t include all of the expected features.

The full Library function, which automatically populates your game data whenever you insert a cartridge with the appropriate information and the screenshot feature that will populate the save files in Memories is absent. Less officially, but perhaps of most interest to Pocket owners, it’s unclear if this AnalogueOS 1.1 milestone has been what’s holding up the long-awaited jailbreak which, following all previous Analogue products, promises to replicate the built-in functionality while adding support for sideloading ROM files.

The Pocket was only compatible with a few 8BitDo controllers at the time of release. The new 1.1 beta brings with it support for a host of new 8BitDo controllers, along with support for the PlayStation 5’s DualSense controller. There is no support for Xbox controllers. We’ve asked Analogue whether support for Xbox controllers is still planned.

As promised, the Memories feature functions as expected. While the original Pocket release had support for savestates — D-pad up or down plus the Analogue button would save or restore a state while in game — it wasn’t possible to save those and move between games. You can now save up to 128 Savestates in the Memories section, available from your home screen. Analogue’s press materials say, “In the near future, Memories will evolve to features that display each Save State with a screenshot showing exactly where you were in game when the Save State was captured along side sorting options to view Save States organized with your preference.”

The Library feature makes an appearance here, but it’s only half-baked. When you insert a cartridge, it sure enough loads up the game’s title, system, developer, publisher and more on the Game Detail screen. But it’s not possible to peruse your games, or all games available on a console, or make playlists — all features originally intended to be included. Again, Analogue promises additional development here: “In the near future, Library will evolve to a reference level database to play, explore and share. The scholarly cataloging and analysis of all videogame history. You will be able to search and explore through its full breadth; system by system, game by game, region by region, developer by developer, publisher by publisher, revision by revision.”

And lastly, the so-called openFPGA component of the Pocket, intended to allow third-party developers access to create additional cores beyond the console’s built-in handheld cores, launches with a core recreating one of the very first video games ever made: 1962’s Spacewar!For the PDP-1 legendary computer. Spacemen3 will distribute the core. Analogue’s Chris Taber told Polygon to expect more third-party cores today, while notable MiSTer core developer Jose Tejada polled his Patreon supporters to gauge appetite for porting his cores to the Pocket. It is up for discussion whether these open-source efforts should be ported to a platform run by a private firm. RetroRGB founder Bob.

While we wait and see which cores might be launching on Pocket today, Taber tells us that Analogue has “received a few thousand applications” to its developer program, and should be getting access to a “proper development documentation section” of its site today. When asked if he anticipates MiSTer cores being ported to Pocket, Taber said, “Due to Pocket being purposefully designed for FPGA development of video game hardware it will be able to support virtually every third-party core out there, even when you compare the LE [logic element]Differences between things like [MiSTer’s] DE10-Nano.”