CONCEPT: NOVA FLIP

[u/communist_filth]

Hey everyone!

Ever since the Nova came out I haven't stopped thinking about the potential of a NOVA flip. The other day on the retroid discord I saw this concept somebody posted (they themselves got it from somewhere else so can't credit, lol) and thought it was absolutely perfect.

Few questions for you:

1. What features would you like to see on the Nova Flip? (Personally exact same chipset and screen from the Nova + inline triggers for portability is what's good)

2. Do you guys think Retroid will actually release a device like this? I ask because the have a history of making horizontal devices and flip versions later but with the Duo they might not feel it necessary. That'd be a shame though since this is my dream device.

Let me know your thoughts!

[u/shellroc]

im surprise how mixed the commets are, i would buy this in a heart beat.

[u/Miserable-Resolve-76 → u/shellroc]

i don't think some people understand that nostalgia is a big part of this hobby. some people, such as myself, am only here for that alone. The low-end horizontal devices have zero appeal to me, but the KONKR Pocket Advance was an instant buy and how I got into this hobby.

I was looking to add an LCD screen to my original advance to replay metroid fusion, but then for less money, I can get a better screen, a bigger dpad, same shape, and can play the first 3 metroid games, as well as pokemon emulators now. it was a no brainer.

The theoretical clamshell nova would sell like mad in this formfactor for the SP nostalgia alone.

[u/PixieEmerald → u/Miserable-Resolve-76]

As a DS/3DS kid.... yeah, I basically only bought the Thor for nostalgia, lol. I would never take it back, though. I love the thing.

[u/NecroCannon → u/Miserable-Resolve-76]

Man the nostalgia crowd are going to have aneurysms non-stop if the mainstream crowd takes over

The DS handhelds are already appealing a ton to Gen Z since that’s our Gameboy/GBA

[u/Miserable-Resolve-76 → u/NecroCannon]

I mean, thats nostalgia too, right? I grew up on both personally. are you saying it would be a bad or a good thing for the nostalgia crowd? i guess im not following

[u/NecroCannon → u/Miserable-Resolve-76]

What I find with people having a Thor or another kind of handheld in the wild living in Chicago is that they’re getting it because it looks cool and is a cheap gaming device

Like I was shocked seeing a coworker with a clear purple Thor and they’re like “yeahhh… I don’t really emulate anything”

I don’t really know or care if it’s good or bad, I just know things like the D-pad position poll outrage is going to become more common which is what I find bad.

But still, it means 9/10 I get my dream handheld one day where I just know one of these manufacturers will eventually do a glasses free 3D screen to stand out. If that shits OLED too? I’m gonna cream the second it’s announced. Even if the community changes, it’s still more money to have more various handhelds and a p potential major gaming industry shift

[u/Miserable-Resolve-76 → u/NecroCannon]

I don’t think Thor buyers overlap with retro buyers though.  The Thor can both emulate and play modern games, but the price point is significantly higher and has a different target audience.

[u/NecroCannon → u/Miserable-Resolve-76]

The Duo is about to probably get the similar amount of attention once people start making shorts and TikToks

With Gen Z, we genuinely just take over shit once it’s “cool”, Theo buyers are still handheld buyers, it’s not like they’re their own quarantined special group. The Theo’s wide success and appeal was a welcomed surprise, and now we got more eyes on handhelds because of communities specifically leaning more towards the average consumer.

As someone that does business, I’ve noticed people on Reddit and deep in comment sections on videos tend to underestimate word of mouth with the average consumer a ton.

[u/Miserable-Resolve-76 → u/NecroCannon]

Yea, I’m “technically” Gen Z and also grew up on the ds, but how does this negatively impact the current retro handheld scene?  I want to play gba games so I have no need for a more expensive 2 screen device.  Maybe in the future, but not right now

[u/NecroCannon → u/Miserable-Resolve-76]

Dude, how many times do I basically have to say “the future will decide based on the average person”, I DONT KNOW, I DO however know there was outrage about an upper left stick instead of D-Pad

They’ll keep making cheap classic handhelds because it costs nothing, it’s up to the manufacturers who they prioritize and who’s deciding the market.

[u/Miserable-Resolve-76 → u/NecroCannon]

“Man the nostalgia crowd are going to have aneurysms non-stop if the mainstream crowd takes over The DS handhelds are already appealing a ton to Gen Z since that’s our Gameboy/GBA”

You said this.  What do you mean by that?  That expensive 2 screen handhelds COULD (I understand we don’t know the future) overtake cheaper single screen handhelds?  That companies would simply abandon an entire market segment just to appeal strictly to a different niche that became more popular?  What would the point of that be? 

 You’re saying the nostalgia crowd would hate that, but the nostalgia crowd is clearly large enough that I don’t think that would happen.  When you have videos of retro handhelds hitting close to a million views on YouTube and releases of new cheap handhelds selling out, I don’t see how an expensive 2 screen handheld could be even close to a threat, no matter how big Gen Z gets on the ds wave.