Nostalgia lovers have a brand new handheld console to enjoy packed with pre-loaded games.

The Super Pocket comes in two editions, the Capcom version and the Taito collection.

Each has a curated list of in-built titles from the early days of console gaming and you can also plug in compatible Evercade cartridges in the back like a Gameboy.

We tried out the Capcom Edition, and the Super Pocket is a perfectly sized, robustly built handheld console that’s bright and colourful both physically and on-screen.

Blue and yellow, it feels snazzy and thick, with the button placings all in the right position and size on the front. Although the back buttons felt a little more awkward for the fingers.

The Capcom Edition boasts 12 games on boot up, including Street Fighter II: Hyper Fighting, Final Fight, Ghouls ‘N Ghosts, 1942, Captain Commando and Mega Man.

These are late 80s, early 90s arcade video games all packed into a perfectly rendered 2.8in IPS Screen with 320x240 resolution.

They look, frankly, stunning in such short form and like mini versions of exactly how I remember them from back in the day.

And there’s the option of changing the screen ratio to make the games look either crisper or more akin to the original display.

It’s easy to switch between titles with the menu button and, when in, you press the select button to effectively coin-up a title like an arcade machine and then play it.

There’s also a handy save game option in games, something you couldn’t often do originially, which allows you to come back to a title at a later point.

The games play okay, they are very old and will feel clunky compared to today’s modern user-friendly console hits.

But that’s all part of the charm of this retro-fest.

You’ll find yourself reliving that 80s annoyance and failing a jump you’re sure you pressed the jup button for, or the spinning bird kick that never came despite the supposedly right button combination.

For ust under £50, many products in the retro gaming market at this price point often include five games or less, so 12 built-in with access to up to 500 more in cartridge form is excellent for longevity.

One big feature of the Super Pocket is the ability to activate “Easy Mode”. The feature lowers the difficulty of games so that you can get past hard to master levels with ease, and is ideal for younger players struggling with the challenging difficulty spike in the games.

The Super Pocket itself is small enough to fit in your pocket (78mm x 125mm x 25mm) and features four face buttons, a start and select button and a menu button, along with a circular D-Pad. It also includes four rear buttons for games that require expanded controls.

It also boasts a 3.5mm headphone jack for silent gaming and uses USB-C to charge its battery, which will last roughly four hours per charge.

Overall, this is a lovely gift to consider for your retro-loving family member at Christmas.

The games will be recognisable to older generations of gamers and they look great.

The gameplay can be frustrating but that’s what you get with older titles like these.

VERDICT 4/5