So today we’re unboxing something super nostalgic, a pocket friendly gameboyesqe portable gaming system. So let’s get unboxing shall we.
This portable gaming system brings back memories from my childhood of hours wasted *cough* spent in front of the TV gaming.
Removing the outer shipping cover we reach the box of the portable console, named the RETRO FC, the FC in the name being family computer. This one has a 168 games available on it’s internal memory. We have here the black version, also available are white, yellow, red, gray transparent and white transparent versions. I paid $21.99 for this which is around Rs 1623.
Opening up the box we have the handheld device wrapped in translucent plastic, also included are the av cable and mini usb cable, and of course a instruction booklet which is in English.
This is how the device looks, out of the cover. The design cues from a gameboy is pretty evident, more from the classic version than the color.
The control placements and weight are very comfortable, and the tactility of the keys is great.
Above we have the on off switch, a mini usb port for charging, and an AV out port.
On the left side we have the volume dial, which also brings back memories of the portable cassette players. You know, audio cassettes, which we used to listen to.
On the back, we have a battery bay, and the battery included looks very similar to the ones we had on Nokia phones. This is great as we can get a spare one or replace this one if it get damaged or doesn’t charge anymore. So the removable battery is a big plus.
Now for the moment we’ve all been waiting for, let’s start it up. Oh, it’s instant, like how our games used to be on the consoles, plug in and switch on. The theme on the main menu is from the Mighty Final Fight game, if you wanted to know that.
The volume gets loud, so if you would like to irritate the people around you, you can really successfully.
So on the main screen we select the language, and press start to get to the game list.
There are quite a lot of games in here, as the name had suggested 168 in one. So, they were not lying. There are some awesome games in the list which i haven’t played in years , so looking forward to it.
The Mario series games are available and are presented top of the list, as it is the most popular. If that’s not your favourite, tell me in the comments which one you liked on your NES and why.
Let’s start Mario up. The overall scrolling looks quite smooth and the controls are responding without any lag.
Lets reset and try another game. This is done by the key on the face marked R. This resets the device and brings you back to the language selection screen.
No all games are Nintendo licensed , some are homebrew or custom developed.
Contra, loved playing this for hours with my friends and have completed the game multiple times.
The display viewing angles aren’t that great. If you look at the screen more from the left it starts to get more washed out or more an inverted view.
There’s no way of adding new games, the games included are the only ones you can play, which out of 168 you are bound to like some of them.
The overall build is not solid but for the price is decent.
The volume on the device can get loud enough.
The screen surprisingly is pretty good, only extreme viewing angles washes out the colors but looking at it straight ahead, the colors are accurate and there’s no ghosting during fast motion.
The AV cable provided, allows to connect the device to a TV for big screen gameplay. The cable is a 3.5mm to a video and 1 audio rca jack.
The games looked good on the big screen and the cable is a decent length to sit a bit away and play.
The charging port is mini USB, which is surprising but not a deal breaker. We just need to be careful of not losing the cable if you don’t have many mini usb port devices.
The device displays a red light to indicate it’s charging, and it turns green when complete.
So overall thoughts, i really love this device, the controls are quite responsive which is not generally the case for these kinds of portable devices. The screen is quite big and other than the viewing angle problem is really good straight on. Connectivity to a big TV is a plus. The speakers are also quite good, you hear all the music and the sound effects quite clearly.
Overall, I found this device to be one of the best implementations of a cheap handheld gaming device and complete paisa vasool (value for money). So, if you’re looking for gifting ideas this could be a great choice.
