Pimax, the developers behind the Pimax Portal that I have showcased in several videos on my YouTube channel, have stealthily released a new version of the Pimax Portal. Known as the Pimax Portal-Retro, it is more or less exactly what I (and a significant portion of the community) had wished for right from the start. In other words, it’s a Pimax Portal devoid of VR and other gimmicks (such as joy-cons), and it comes at a considerably lower price compared to the standard Pimax Portal. The Pimax Portal-Retro can be ordered for $299, while the cheapest Portal model starts at $369, going up to a staggering $549 for the QLED version. This pricing places it almost on par with the highest-priced Steam Deck version.

The Pimax Portal QLED truly surprised me in my tests, as it delivered impressive raw power and could effortlessly emulate a wide range of content, including Nintendo Switch games. This speaks volumes about the device’s capabilities. Therefore, it’s gratifying to observe that Pimax is retaining the same specifications otherwise, while removing the unnecessary VR compatibility.

The overall design of Pimax Portal-Retro is same as before, but the VR-capabilities and detachable joy-cons are gone.

Unfortunately, Pimax doesn’t go all the way, as they opt to retain the subpar d-pad controller, which might be a nuisance when playing older retro games. However, it’s likely a cost-saving measure to simply reuse as much as possible from the units they have already manufactured.

In any case, it will be very enjoyable to test the Pimax Portal-Retro as soon as I can get my hands on a review unit. Pimax deserves a great deal of credit for actively listening to the community’s feedback.

Source: Pimax