3mo ago

The TrimUI Brick Takes Inspiration From The Analogue Pocket | Time Extension

www.timeextension.com The TrimUI Brick Takes Inspiration From The Analogue Pocket

It won't play physical carts, though

The TrimUI Brick Takes Inspiration From The Analogue Pocket

TrimUI has recently announced the release of their new device, the TrimUI Brick, which features a design heavily influenced by that of the popular Analogue Pocket. With its wide range of FPGA cores and software emulation capabilities, the Analogue Pocket continues to draw interest from fans.

The announcement of the TrimUI Brick highlights an ongoing trend in the market—companies copying successful design elements of established products like the Analogue Pocket to create their own versions.

While the TrimUI Brick may not support physical game cartridges, it boasts an Allwinner A133 Plus chipset, providing a 3.2 inch 1024×768 IPS display, and offering the Analogue style for enthusiasts on a lower budget.

One unique feature set apart from its inspiration is the inclusion of an RGB light at the top of the device. While it shares some similarities like a stepped back design (lacking a cartridge slot) and three function buttons on the front, the overall functionality isn't as directly emulated due to the device's reliance on software emulation.

Would you consider purchasing the TrimUI Brick based on its design and features in comparison to the Analogue Pocket, or do you prefer physical console releases that support original game cartridges for authentic retro gaming experiences?

14 comments

The overall design is very similar, and you've even got the 'stepped' back (minus a cartridge slot, as this runs entirely on software emulation)
The author of this article doesn't realize that FPGA hardware emulation doesn't need a cartridge slot. Software emulation doesn't preclude it either. Either way, the big difference here is that Analogue is FPGA hardware emulation and this new device is all software emulation. It is a nice looking device though!

i didnt know this website so i decided to have a quick look through their articles:
https://www.timeextension.com/reviews/saroo-a-usd60-sega-saturn-flash-cart-thats-worth-every-penny
https://www.timeextension.com/news/2024/09/please-stop-buying-unofficial-saturn-mini-consoles
Lol.
- The second article seems actually reasonable. It even links to the first article. What it’s saying is that a Chinese company is butchering the already extremely limited number of working Sega Saturns in existence to resell them for use exclusively with their own brand of flash cart. So they basically remove the CD drive and hook up the cart directly or something.
  
  I know, i did read them, it just seems absurd to keep a review up that tells people to buy them, and also at the same time do an article that talks about how those consoles are hurting the retro scene and you shouldnt buy them

I still don't see how this can beat an R36S? Is it far more powerful? Or is it for people who want to get into emulation consoles and haven't heard of the R36S, yet?
- Is there a "real" or primary manufacturer? I looked it up and it looks cool, but it's an endless sea of knockoffs with very different prices.
  
  It's an “open source” design, so there's no brand but anyone can make one, so many manufacturers do. Perhaps it's one of the factors that drives the price down.
- I personally like the Miyoo Mini Plus (with onion). It's such a good time to get into retro games with these consoles.
- It's comments like this that I trust with my life
  
  I'm not sure what you mean by this. You trust my questions with your life?

14 comments