Analogue Pocket Restock 2021: Pre-Order Bot Countermeasures In Place Against Scalpers

Originally, the Pocket gaming system from Analogue was slated to release in 2020, but the global pandemic's supply chain issues pushed it back to 2021. The initial preorder period went live on Aug. 3, 2020, and almost immediately sold out. With the first batch of orders expected to ship out this May, the company confirmed that more units would become available within the year.

“Pocket is not a Limited Edition product. More Pockets will be available for purchase in 2021. With all things considered, we will be doing our best to keep Pocket in stock in 2021,” read a statement posted on the official website.

“Please sign up for a Stock Notification at analogue.co/store and you will be sent an email when Pocket will be available to purchase,” added the manufacturer. Equally important is Analogue’s efforts to address issues brought about by the lucrative resale market.

Much like other big-name product launches, scalpers rely on bots to boost their chances of securing a preorder slot. In fact, some even already presell their purchase even before the item is in their hands. These usually end up on eBay, although some make it to other auction sites as well.

Analogue did not specify details about how its countermeasures would work but claims it will evaluate orders and cancel those placed by bots. The reclaimed inventory will then be awarded to real users instead, says Kotaku.

Another step in their proposed crackdown against resellers is to scour resale websites and report users found to be selling preorders. Based on eBay’s guidelines, these types of activities are not allowed and should be flagged for violations against its user agreement.

The Pocket is a handheld gaming device that bears a resemblance to Nintendo’s Game Boy. It packs a 3.5-inch 1600 x 1440-resolution color LD screen protected by Corning’s Gorilla Glass crystal. Perhaps its biggest selling point is hardware compatibility with physical game carts from various portable consoles.

The Analogue Pocket touts two field-programmable gate array (FPGA) chips dedicated to run games on a hardware level. With the aid of cartridge adapters, users can play classic games intended for the Game Gear, Game Boy, Game Boy Color, Game Boy Advance, Lynx, and Neo Geo Pocket.