AYANEO Pocket VERT preorders now open for $269

AYANEO has launched preorders for its Pocket VERT, an upscale Android handheld in the style of a high-end Game Boy, at early-bird pricing from $269. Underneath its glass front, the boutique device squeezes in a surprisingly versatile touchpad, along with serious emulation horsepower courtesy of Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1.

Preorders and pricing details for early backers

You’ll be able to back the Pocket VERT campaign on Indiegogo in two configurations: 8GB RAM with 128GB of storage for $269, and 12GB RAM with 256GB at a price of $349. The higher-tier model gets a premium Lava Red color option, which costs an extra $20. And per the brand’s usual crowdfunding playbook, prices are expected to go up after the early-bird phase.

AYANEO says the campaign was launched after extra platform checks—Indiegogo has become stricter in vetting projects in recent months to better protect backers. As ever with crowdfunded hardware, availability and timelines are subject to change, so early adopters need to factor risk into the value equation.

Design touches that nod to a luxury Game Boy aesthetic

The Pocket VERT is a more luxurious handheld with premium materials. With a CNC-machined metal chassis, diamond-cut shoulder buttons, a see-through D-pad, and an all-glass front, it feels more like a collector’s item than a toy. AYANEO’s MagicSwitch scroll wheel takes up residence on the face for quick tweaks to performance and system settings without meandering through menus.

That 3.5-inch LCD is a square 1600 x 1440 panel—gamers of old will appreciate the noughties nostalgia of using Game Boy and Game Boy Color as their canvas. That resolution allows for perfect 10x integer scaling for 160 x 144 classics; with the correct shaders, sprites are razor sharp. Handheld community reports indicate the panel is of similar pixel density to Analogue Pocket’s, which has long been known for its museum-quality clarity.

The downside of the square screen is that it has trade-offs. For modern content and wide-aspect-ratio systems, it will heavily letterbox, and the UI can be a little cramped with the display’s size even at high resolution. But for native-aspect handhelds—GB, GBC, GG, Neo Geo Pocket—it’s about as good as it gets.

Hidden MagicTouch pad and smart controls explained

One of the VERT’s signature tricks is invisible, because it’s never seen: a massive capacitive MagicTouch pad stretches across the center of the faceplate under the glass. It can impersonate mouse input for any OS, and mouse and keyboard for a few select games as well (it is particularly well suited to DOS software). Settings also let the pad be split into two left-hand-side/right-hand-side zones, providing a couple of virtual sticks that keep the front uncluttered by extra hardware.

Other usability touches are the built-in (but slightly unreliable) fingerprint sensor inside the power button, the downward-firing speakers (a natural result of that glass-fronted design), and a 3.5mm headphone jack for latency-free audio—still essential if you’re chasing speedrun records or need your chiptunes to be authentic.

Snapdragon power for deeper emulation performance

Running on Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1, the Pocket VERT has more than enough headroom for retro systems and beyond. Community tests of like-specced Android phones have already demonstrated that Dolphin can run lots of GameCube games at full speed, and AetherSX2 is starting to offer support for a pretty big chunk of the PS2 library with good configurations. Nintendo Switch emulation is doable on this silicon but usually requires sacrifices, and the Pocket VERT’s tiny square screen won’t play nice with modern UIs.

AYANEO includes a 6,000mAh battery with the system, which should be plenty for 8-bit and 16-bit tasks but may be lackluster when it comes to heavier workflows like 3D emulation. As always, sustained performance will hinge on thermal tuning and emulator profiles, but it comes at a time in Android’s mature emulator ecosystem—RetroArch, Dolphin (and AetherSX2 forks), PPSSPP, and many more—so buyers have powerful software options from day one.

Shipping time frame and what buyers should expect

AYANEO is currently aiming to deliver in early February 2026, just before the Lunar New Year begins. Sure, the company has delivered a lot of handhelds—from the AIR and SLIDE to the KUN—but it’s also missed targeted dates in the past, and that’s something veteran backers will be all too familiar with. Indiegogo itself even highlights that crowdfunding isn’t like shopping in a store; timelines are estimates, not promises.

For buyers who don’t mind breaking out a soldering iron for some DIY construction work, there are already capable alternatives on shelves—like Analogue’s cartridge-first handheld for purists or Android-based retro devices by Retroid and Anbernic. But the Pocket VERT is targeted at a different lot: those who fancy dense pixel perfection, all-metal-and-glass construction, hidden input tech, and flagship-class Android power in a pocketable square form.

Bottom line on the AYANEO Pocket VERT preorder launch

Preorders are open now for $269, with the AYANEO Pocket VERT making its way into our handheld-loving hands as one of those rare crossovers between luxury design and serious emulation power. If you’re someone who resides in the worlds of Game Boy and GBC, as well as other classic square-aspect content—and enjoys a side order of opulence with your tech—then this might just be the most compelling pocket console of 2026. Just be sure to go in with open eyes about the long lead time and the uncertainties around crowdfunded hardware.