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The team behind the upcoming Multisystem 2 Pocket has revealed what it hopes will be the final design of the FPGA-powered handheld before it goes into full production later this year.
Factoring in feedback from the community, the team has tweaked the design over the past few months to come up with what it hopes will strike the perfect balance for retro game fans.
The most welcome part of this new version, in my opinion, is the inclusion of a six-button setup – something that Sega favoured on its Mega Drive and Saturn consoles, but an arrangement that has fallen out of favour in recent times.
This means the Multisystem 2 Pocket will be excellent for playing arcade fighting titles like Street Fighter II.
Another revision for this latest prototype is the switch from a PS1-style segmented D-pad to a Nintendo-style cross design (and yes, I know the PS1's pad wasn't really segmented, but I prefer this revised approach as it's more comfortable on your thumb). It sits in the optimal upper-left position on the case and works with dual analogue sticks.
Another big reveal is that the Multisystem 2 Pocket will have its own dock that will allow it to connect to your TV or monitor, as well as charge the battery and add expansion hardware – such as, as the team behind the project hints, a second FPGA chip which could allow the setup to run Dreamcast games.
