Some of the most exciting retro hardware work in the world is happening here in Britain. The MiSTer Multisystem 2 Pocket is a brilliant example: a genuinely portable FPGA machine being developed in public, shaped by community feedback and engineered with far more ambition than a simple “MiSTer with a screen”.
In The Retro Collective's September 2026 update, Richard and the team at Heber show the latest working electronics, explain the difficult display choices and reveal a dock concept that could eventually let two FPGA modules work together. Industrial-design specialists Relay Industries also open up the process of turning prototypes into a robust, injection-moulded product.
Watch the full update on YouTube and subscribe to The Retro Collective for future development reports.
British retro engineering worth shouting about
What makes this project special is the combination of serious electronic engineering and unusual openness. We are not seeing a polished marketing render with all the difficult questions hidden. We are seeing exposed boards, 3D-printed housings, revised controls, test results and the thousands of small decisions that turn a promising prototype into hardware people can actually live with.
The team's response to feedback is visible. The D-pad has been reconsidered, the central buttons and thumb sticks have moved, and the six-button area has been shaped so players can feel where their thumb sits. Softer silicone membranes are replacing clicky prototype switches. The battery, screen, board and joystick modules are all intended to be accessible for servicing rather than sealed away.
The specifications serve the experience
The most encouraging detail is that the headline numbers are not there simply to win a comparison table. They support the qualities people come to FPGA gaming for: timing, responsiveness and compatibility.
About 3.5 watts
Heber says the complete prototype—including FPGA, screen, backlight, amplifier, speakers and charging circuitry—draws roughly half the power of its desktop Multisystem 2.
Long real-world battery life
The twin high-capacity cells are said to deliver around 11–12 hours on most cores, with approximately 10–11 hours demonstrated on more demanding PlayStation and AO486 use.
720 × 720 display
The square industrial panel provides room for landscape and portrait-era games without physically rotating the handheld, while using a direct parallel interface intended to minimise processing and lag.
Up to 180Hz
The display can run at high refresh rates, helping the machine preserve the immediate feel that distinguishes a carefully implemented FPGA system from a generic software handheld.
There is USB-C Power Delivery for charging, two practical USB-A ports, a headphone socket, stereo speakers and an internal I²C connection. The latter is already being used for battery information in Zaparoo, while the team is exploring a built-in tap area for its NFC-based game-launching system.
Why the square screen makes sense
The 720 × 720 panel will be the most debated part of the design, especially among players expecting OLED or a conventional 4:3 screen. The video gives a convincing explanation. The chosen Cyclone V FPGA has a direct parallel display interface; many inexpensive modern panels depend on different interfaces, are natively portrait-orientated, introduce conversion work or have uncertain long-term supply.
Heber's priorities are a dependable industrial panel, a high-speed path from core to screen, long-term availability and full compatibility with the established MiSTer ecosystem. That means accepting a less fashionable aspect ratio in return for low latency, clean scaling options and support for both horizontal and vertical systems. It is a decision grounded in how the device will play, not how it looks on a specification sheet.
The dock could make this much bigger than a handheld
The standard docking idea is already attractive: charge the Pocket, connect it to a television, add USB devices and use analogue or digital video outputs. The more ambitious prototype goes further. Its high-speed connection is designed to let a second compatible FPGA module communicate with the first.
This is still an invitation to developers, not a promise of finished Dreamcast or upgraded PC cores. But the possibilities are fascinating. Richard discusses splitting work across two FPGAs, exploring more capable 486-style systems, attaching expansion hardware and even building desktop or laptop forms around the same module. Crucially, the intention is to extend MiSTer without abandoning compatibility with the current platform.
That modular thinking is excellent engineering. The hardest board could become a reusable building block, leaving creators to concentrate on specialised docks, controls, cases and expansions. It gives the community room to invent things the original team may never have considered.
A healthy way to develop retro hardware
The Pocket is being improved in conversation with the people who may eventually use it. The Retro Collective's viewers and Discord members have questioned the display, controls and ergonomics; the teams have answered with engineering detail and visible revisions. Relay shows the unglamorous work of wall thickness, screw bosses, materials, assembly order and injection-mould tooling. Heber discusses power draw, EMC testing and compromises rather than pretending they do not exist.
That transparency makes the project more credible. It also makes the video valuable even if you never buy the finished machine, because it is a rare look at how a small UK team takes specialist retro hardware from idea to production.
What happens next?
At the time of the September update, the Pocket remained a working prototype. The first board had performed strongly, early EMC testing was comfortably within the stated limits, and only modest electronic changes were planned. The team still needed to finalise joystick options, complete further enclosure testing and commit to the expensive injection-mould tooling.
There was no confirmed launch date in the video, and details such as colours, dock configurations and final finishes were still being decided. Treat every specification as part of an active development programme until Heber announces the production model.
Our verdict
The MiSTer Multisystem 2 Pocket looks like exactly the sort of project the British retro scene should celebrate: technically adventurous, community-minded, repair-conscious and unashamedly built by people who understand why tiny timing details matter.
The handheld alone is shaping up beautifully. The prospect of a reusable FPGA module and expandable dual-FPGA dock makes the wider project even more exciting. Heber, Relay Industries and The Retro Collective are not simply repackaging nostalgia; they are doing the difficult, imaginative work that could give classic systems an extraordinary new home.
MiSTer is a community-developed FPGA platform. Product details quoted here come from the 14 September 2026 development video and may change before release. Game images and trademarks shown in the embedded video belong to their respective owners.