What games can the Retroid Pocket Duo run?
Reviews show the regular Pocket Duo playing DS, 3DS, PSP and GameCube games well. PS2 and Wii U depend on the game, heavier Switch games slow down, and PC games are hit and miss.
Based on published reviews and videos rather than our own tests or a full compatibility list. A short clip shows one scene on one build, and Duo Lite results are marked as Lite.
Nintendo 3DS game notes
Mario Kart 7Regular Duo reviews and an earlier Duo Lite test give different results, so check the hardware, emulator and driver on each short clip below.Pocket Duo and Duo Lite
Monster Hunter 4GOne reviewer found the game stuttered at 4× after reusing another game’s profile, then improved at 3×. The emulator and driver are not named.Pocket Duo
Super Mario 3D LandReviewers report smooth play around 3×, and a written review saw drops to around 45 fps on the stock driver. 4× worked in the areas shown but could stutter in one video.Pocket Duo
Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga + Bowser’s MinionsOn a Duo Lite running the GammaOS Nano 1.5 beta, the game hard-locked after leaving fast-forward. The reviewer says the issue is still being worked on.Pocket Duo Lite
Senran Kagura 2: Deep CrimsonOn a Duo Lite running the GammaOS Nano 1.5 beta, 2× shows some flickering. Controls then appear stuck after a Circle Pad Pro option is changed, and the reviewer is unsure whether the emulator crashed.Pocket Duo Lite
Shin Megami Tensei IVOn a Duo Lite running the GammaOS Nano 1.5 beta, the reviewer reports good speed at 2× with fast-forward headroom, though much of the short stretch shown is opening dialogue rather than combat.Pocket Duo Lite
Nano Assault EXOn a Duo Lite running the GammaOS Nano 1.5 beta, the reviewer reports 60 fps at the default 2×, with a brief rendering disturbance that clears. Only early gameplay was shown.Pocket Duo Lite
Pokémon Ultra SunThe regular Duo test reports a hardware-shader tradeoff at 3×: leaving it off avoids outlined Pokémon but limits fast-forward. An earlier Duo Lite test on a GammaOS beta used 2× for more headroom.Pocket Duo and Duo Lite
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Kid Icarus: UprisingOn a Duo Lite running the GammaOS Nano 1.5 beta, the reviewer calls it playable but reports slowdown later in the sequence. A stand helps with the original touch controls; no control mod is installed.Pocket Duo Lite
Fire Emblem Fates: BirthrightOn a Duo Lite running the GammaOS Nano 1.5 beta at 2×, repeated black flickering is distracting enough that the reviewer questions the experience, and fast-forward headroom does not fix it.Pocket Duo Lite
Project X ZoneOn a Duo Lite running the GammaOS Nano 1.5 beta, the one short battle shown runs well, without the flickering seen in the earlier Fire Emblem test.Pocket Duo Lite
Ace Combat: Assault Horizon LegacyOn a Duo Lite running the GammaOS Nano 1.5 beta, the reviewer reports slowdowns in the flight footage and suggests trying 1×, which is not tested.Pocket Duo Lite
Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Shadow WarsOn a Duo Lite running the GammaOS Nano 1.5 beta, the footage shows persistent rendering corruption even though the reviewer says speed looks fine, and they question whether it is playable.Pocket Duo Lite
Castlevania: Lords of Shadow – Mirror of FateOn a Duo Lite running the GammaOS Nano 1.5 beta at a confirmed 1×, the reviewer describes the opening as only partly playable and still demanding.Pocket Duo Lite
Donkey Kong Country Returns 3DA regular Duo test reports near-full-speed play at 3× after enabling hardware shaders. An earlier Duo Lite test on a GammaOS beta reports acceptable gameplay at 2×, with slower menus or scenes. Both cover a short stretch of play.Pocket Duo and Duo Lite
Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic GamesOn a Duo Lite running the GammaOS Nano 1.5 beta at 2×, the reviewer plays brief running and judo events. No frame rate or overall verdict is given.Pocket Duo Lite
Tetris UltimateOn a Duo Lite running the GammaOS Nano 1.5 beta, the reviewer plays a short session and praises the D-pad for repeated inputs. No frame rate or latency figures are given.Pocket Duo Lite
Story of Seasons: Trio of TownsOn a Duo Lite running the GammaOS Nano 1.5 beta, the reviewer reports good speed but sees the lower-screen interface disappear around fast-forward changes, then return. The cause is unclear.Pocket Duo Lite
Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of ValentiaOn a Duo Lite running the GammaOS Nano 1.5 beta, a very brief test shows flickering similar to the earlier Fire Emblem test. It is too short to judge the whole game.Pocket Duo Lite
Dead or Alive: DimensionsOn a Duo Lite running the GammaOS Nano 1.5 beta, the reviewer plays several short fights and reports a good result. The resolution is not stated.Pocket Duo Lite
Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3DResident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D remains a poor experience in this Lite test from before GammaOS. The reviewer first misnames the driver and corrects it, tries an unnamed Turnip build, then selects the system driver; the final test still struggles. The Azahar variant, build and resolution are unknown.Pocket Duo Lite
Resident Evil: Revelations (3DS)Resident Evil: Revelations hard-crashes during this earlier Lite 3DS stream. The reviewer also says its fps counter is not working, so no reliable frame rate is available.Pocket Duo Lite
Rhythm Thief & the Emperor’s TreasureRhythm Thief & the Emperor’s Treasure runs at a reported roughly 25 fps on Lite with the system GPU driver. The reviewer cannot play the rhythm section reliably because timing is off; no working setup is shown.Pocket Duo Lite
Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DSAn earlier Duo Lite test reports unstable performance, with only occasional bursts of 60 fps. A later regular Duo video shows a short 3× Azahar clip without a frame rate. Emulator and driver builds are unknown in both.Pocket Duo and Duo Lite
Pokémon XPokémon X gets a positive verdict in a short test on Lite’s GammaOS preview, with shader-compilation stutter and occasional graphical issues reported. The Azahar Nano menu shows 2× with dynamic resolution On, so it was not a fixed 2× throughout.Pocket Duo Lite
Fire Emblem AwakeningFire Emblem Awakening’s opening and tutorial battle get a positive verdict on Lite’s GammaOS preview, with some dips. The reviewer had already run the game once to compile shaders, so a first launch may run worse.Pocket Duo Lite
Luigi’s Mansion: Dark MoonLuigi’s Mansion: Dark Moon remains a poor result in the Lite GammaOS preview. The reviewer lowers resolution to Native (1×) and disables dynamic resolution, then reports little improvement, and it is still not playable.Pocket Duo Lite
Metroid: Samus ReturnsAt 4× in Azahar, one Duo review held around 30 to 31 fps on the stock Qualcomm driver and 27 to 28 fps with Mr. Purple’s T30, so the stock driver did slightly better here.Pocket Duo
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3DOne Duo review found it looks and performs well at 4× in Azahar and named it a standout game to try on the Duo.Pocket Duo
Nintendo Wii U game notes
Nintendo Wii U setup
PlayStation 2 game notes
God of War IIA Duo review reports improved results with a custom Turnip driver in ARMSX2. The same video notes that custom drivers can introduce glitches or crashes.Pocket Duo
Shadow of the ColossusNetherSX2 Classic at 2× was close to playable in one review. A separate native-resolution cinematic looks smooth, but its emulator is unconfirmed and boss-fight performance was not shown.Pocket Duo
Auto ModellistaAuto Modellista shows a nominal 60 fps counter but is not consistently smooth in the Lite ARMSX2 test. The reviewer reports slowdown and about 50 fps near the finish; the initial setup is 1×.Pocket Duo Lite
Shrek 2Shrek 2 is close to full speed but choppy on Lite. The reviewer tries EE cycle skip and cycle-rate changes, then says the result may be worse. No reliable underclock fix was found.Pocket Duo Lite
Twisted Metal: BlackTwisted Metal: Black varies sharply in the Lite ARMSX2 test: the reviewer describes roughly half speed in busy scenes and full speed in emptier areas. They repeat 1× resolution and disabled hardware downloads. Shrek 2’s earlier EE cycle changes may still have applied.Pocket Duo Lite
Need for Speed: Most Wanted (PS2)Need for Speed: Most Wanted performs poorly in the Lite ARMSX2 test, with the reviewer reporting about 20 fps and 35% speed. Shrek 2’s earlier EE cycle changes may still have applied.Pocket Duo Lite
Gran Turismo 4Gran Turismo 4 is well below full speed in the Lite ARMSX2 test. The reviewer reports roughly 35–42 fps and around 62% speed; no fix is shown. Shrek 2’s earlier EE cycle changes may still have applied.Pocket Duo Lite
Final Fantasy XFinal Fantasy X gets a positive verdict in the Lite ARMSX2 stream at 1×. The reviewer reports no slowdown in the shown overdrive sequence; later areas were not shown. Shrek 2’s earlier EE cycle changes may still have applied.Pocket Duo Lite
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Fatal FrameFatal Frame has a slow cutscene but reaches reported full speed during the shown gameplay on Lite. The reviewer is unsure about later ghost encounters. Shrek 2’s earlier EE cycle changes may still have applied.Pocket Duo Lite
Dynasty Warriors: Gundam 2Dynasty Warriors: Gundam 2 reaches a reported 60 fps at 1× during the shown Lite combat. Later, busier battles were not shown. Shrek 2’s earlier EE cycle changes may still have applied.Pocket Duo Lite
Nintendo Switch game notes
Mario Kart 8 DeluxeA stream reports better performance with a custom driver in Eden, without a stable 60 fps, and a written review saw 30 to 45 fps. A later 0.75× sample approaches 60 fps with drops and missing/flickering item icons; its emulator and driver build are unconfirmed.Pocket Duo
Metroid DreadOne Duo review saw a stable 35 to 40 fps in Eden Nightly with Mr. Purple’s T30 driver and a 67% speed limit. Frame generation raised the displayed rate to around 80, though the reviewer notes generated frames do not make the game more responsive.Pocket Duo
HadesOne Duo review saw around 40 fps in Eden Nightly with Mr. Purple’s T30 driver and a 67% speed limit, with frame generation lifting the displayed rate to around 80.Pocket Duo
Sega Dreamcast game notes
Sonic Adventure 2Sonic Adventure 2 runs acceptably in the reviewer’s early 1× Flycast test on a Duo Lite. They say upscaling had felt laggy, and only an early stretch was shown.Pocket Duo Lite
Grandia IIFor Grandia II on Lite, the reviewer tried 2× but settled on 1×, and later gives the shown section a positive verdict. A 60 fps patch is discussed but was not tested.Pocket Duo Lite
NBA 2K2NBA 2K2 slows heavily on Lite despite high-performance mode. The reviewer reports roughly 60% speed in this short Flycast test. Frameskip 1 is suggested, but no retest is shown.Pocket Duo Lite
Dino Crisis (Dreamcast)Dino Crisis looks very dark to the reviewer in this Flycast test on Lite. They ask about a brightness setting; the cause and a fix are unknown.Pocket Duo Lite
Sony PSP game notes
Ridge Racer 2Ridge Racer 2 has intermittent dips during the 3× PPSSPP test on Lite. The reviewer tries Force 60 fps instead of Request 60 fps, then says the same dips remain.Pocket Duo Lite
Kingdom Hearts: Birth by SleepKingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep is described as running reasonably at 3× in PPSSPP on Lite, with stutters when the camera changes. Only a short scene was shown.Pocket Duo Lite
Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars (PSP)Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars runs reasonably in this PPSSPP test on Lite, with hitching and loading-related drops. The reviewer’s comparison with the DS version is a personal preference, not a side-by-side test.Pocket Duo Lite
Dead or Alive ParadiseDead or Alive Paradise is started at 3× in PPSSPP on Lite, then crashes during this test. No working setup was found.Pocket Duo Lite
Rock Band UnpluggedRock Band Unplugged struggles at 3× on Lite. The reviewer reduces PPSSPP to 2× and reports a better result during the shown song, while also playing video on the lower screen.Pocket Duo Lite
Killzone: LiberationKillzone: Liberation is reduced from 3× to 2× in PPSSPP on Lite. The reviewer calls the short gameplay that follows playable; later missions were not shown.Pocket Duo Lite
MotorStorm: Arctic EdgeMotorStorm: Arctic Edge runs at roughly 50–56% speed at 3× in this Lite PPSSPP test. Lowering through 2× to 1× still produces reported drops to about 19–21 fps. Performance cheats are mentioned but were not tried.Pocket Duo Lite
Dissidia 012 Final FantasyDissidia 012 Final Fantasy drops frames during special moves at 3× on Lite. The reviewer switches PPSSPP to 2×; no lasting measurement after the change is given.Pocket Duo Lite
Nintendo DS game notes
The Legend of Zelda: Phantom HourglassThe Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass runs at reported full speed with SeedlessDS high-resolution rendering on Lite. The reviewer reports substantial fast-forward headroom early on; not every touch or lid-close puzzle was tried.Pocket Duo and Duo Lite
LEGO Battles: NinjagoIn LEGO Battles: Ninjago, the reviewer reports the SeedlessDS LCD shader appearing on only the top screen of Lite, and later disables it. The build is not shown, so newer versions may differ.Pocket Duo Lite
New Super Mario Bros. (DS)New Super Mario Bros. shows intermittent scrolling stutter in the reviewer’s DraStic rev i18n test on Lite even while the speed counter says 100%. The build is not shown and the cause is unresolved.Pocket Duo Lite
Mario Kart DSMario Kart DS exposes a hold-button problem in the Lite SeedlessDS test: drifting and holding items behave like repeated presses. A controller test looks normal to the reviewer, and no fix for the emulator or button mapping is found.Pocket Duo Lite
Dragon Quest IX: Sentinels of the Starry SkiesDragon Quest IX: Sentinels of the Starry Skies gets a positive verdict in a short test with SeedlessDS high-resolution rendering on Lite. No frame rate is given and only a short stretch was played.Pocket Duo Lite
Sonic RushIn Sonic Rush on Lite’s GammaOS preview, the reviewer reports smooth motion and closely synchronised screens by eye, with fast-forward headroom.Pocket Duo Lite
The Legend of Zelda: Spirit TracksThe Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks touch controls are described as substantially better than stock on Lite’s GammaOS preview, but the reviewer still notices some delay. They call the short rock-picking and throwing stretch playable.Pocket Duo Lite
Pokémon Black Version 2Pokémon Black Version 2 has a positive boot and title sequence on Lite’s GammaOS preview, including fast-forward headroom. Demanding battles and later areas were not shown.Pocket Duo Lite
Nintendo GameCube game notes
Nintendo GameCube setup
Windows PC game notes
Windows PC setup
Card screenshots come from Libretro, not from a Duo.