TECNO, the brand best known for its budget handsets, surprised the gaming world at the Mobile World Congress 2024 in Barcelona recently with a new kind of video game console. Dubbed TECNO Pocket Go, it is not a traditional video console. Neither is it a handheld video game console. It is, in my humble opinion, a new breed of gaming device that I would describe as a wearable video game console.
No. It is not an AR or VR, nor is it an MX/MR. The TECNO Pocket Go comprises two components: a handheld video game console with an integrated controller, and wearable video eyewear.
The console/controller is the heart of the system. It features controls including thumbsticks, d-pad, ABXY buttons, trigger buttons, and whatnot, and it is outfitted with a removable 50 Wh battery. It is not clear the runtime for this battery but it is hot-swappable which technically means you can keep playing as long you have fully charged batteries on standby.
Powering the device is an all-new flagship processor, the AMD Ryzen 7, backed by 16 GB of LPDDR5 RAM and a terabyte of PCIe 4.0 SSD. TECNO Pocket Go is a game anywhere device since it has its display in the form of a wearable headset.
Billed as the world’s smallest AR handheld, it is 50% smaller and 30% lighter than a typical headset of such nature, and it offers a display equivalent to a 215-inch TV viewed from 6 meters (20 feet). As far as the display goes, the wearable is said to boast 0-600° diopter adjustment, making it friendly to glass-wearing folks.
The device offers a “6D immersive gaming experience” realized through vision tracking, adaptive posture, immersive audio, ultra-precise vibrations, audio vibrations, and sensory sync. These are what we know for. Visitors to MWC 2024 will have a chance to experience it in person and possibly learn more.
Images: TECNO.
