diff --git a/librz/core/cmd/cmd.c b/librz/core/cmd/cmd.c
index a57d21bfc3..2069dca904 100644
--- a/librz/core/cmd/cmd.c
+++ b/librz/core/cmd/cmd.c
@@ -908,12 +908,24 @@ RZ_IPI RzCmdStatus rz_push_escaped_handler(RzCore *core, int argc, const char **
 	return res;
 }
 
+static RzCmdStatus pointer_read(RzCore *core, const char *expr) {
+	ut64 n = rz_num_math(core->num, expr);
+	if (core->num->dbz) {
+		RZ_LOG_ERROR("core: RzNum ERROR: Division by Zero\n");
+		return RZ_CMD_STATUS_ERROR;
+	}
+	if (!rz_io_read_i(core->io, n, &n, core->rasm->bits / 8, core->print->big_endian)) {
+		return RZ_CMD_STATUS_ERROR;
+	}
+	rz_cons_printf("0x%" PFMT64x "\n", n);
+	return RZ_CMD_STATUS_OK;
+}
+
 RZ_IPI RzCmdStatus rz_pointer_handler(RzCore *core, int argc, const char **argv) {
 	int ret;
 	switch (argc) {
 	case 2:
-		ret = rz_core_cmdf(core, "?v [%s]", argv[1]);
-		return rz_cmd_int2status(ret);
+		return pointer_read(core, argv[1]);
 	case 3:
 		if (rz_str_startswith(argv[2], "0x")) {
 			ret = rz_core_cmdf(core, "wv %s @ %s", argv[2], argv[1]);
diff --git a/librz/core/core.c b/librz/core/core.c
index 83b4957a94..d654a44251 100644
--- a/librz/core/core.c
+++ b/librz/core/core.c
@@ -576,21 +576,10 @@ static ut64 num_callback(RzNum *userptr, const char *str, int *ok) {
 		if (ok) {
 			*ok = 1;
 		}
-		ut8 buf[sizeof(ut64)] = RZ_EMPTY;
-		(void)rz_io_read_at(core->io, n, buf, RZ_MIN(sizeof(buf), refsz));
-		switch (refsz) {
-		case 8:
-			return rz_read_ble64(buf, core->print->big_endian);
-		case 4:
-			return rz_read_ble32(buf, core->print->big_endian);
-		case 2:
-			return rz_read_ble16(buf, core->print->big_endian);
-		case 1:
-			return rz_read_ble8(buf);
-		default:
-			RZ_LOG_ERROR("core: invalid reference size: %d (%s)\n", refsz, str);
+		if (!rz_io_read_i(core->io, n, &n, refsz, core->print->big_endian)) {
 			return 0LL;
 		}
+		return n;
 	} break;
 	case '$':
 		if (ok) {
diff --git a/test/db/cmd/cmd_pointer b/test/db/cmd/cmd_pointer
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..9d24b72d11
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/db/cmd/cmd_pointer
@@ -0,0 +1,18 @@
+NAME=pointer read
+FILE=malloc://1024
+CMDS=<<EOF
+wv8 0xdeadbeefdeadbeef
+*0
+*0 @e:asm.bits=64
+*0 @e:asm.bits=32
+*0 @e:asm.bits=16
+*0 @e:asm.arch=6502,asm.bits=8
+EOF
+EXPECT=<<EOF
+0xdeadbeefdeadbeef
+0xdeadbeefdeadbeef
+0xdeadbeef
+0xbeef
+0xef
+EOF
+RUN