Gamerz Tek's 8-Bit Boy

[retro junkie]

I am having a NES revival at the moment.

Been diving in over my head in playing NES games on my 8-Bit Boy. Just thought I would share some of my experience with this thing.



First I would like to make this very clear, this thing is not portable in the way that we think portable. Meaning it is not something you put into your pocket. (Unless you have some cargo pants that I don't know about.) But it is portable on a long trip if you are retro and want some of that NES on the go.



This thing comes in a nice bag that will keep the dust away. You also get an HDMI cord, two NES controllers, a two-controller adapter, two screen protectors, one system stand, and AC adapter/charger.



Feels great in your hand and I think that is because of the way it has been designed. It seems to be made to be held. I keep wanting to feel shoulder buttons, but they are not there.



Aspect ratio you can change on the fly. Play your NES the way you want. I would say if you are that concerned, you wouldn't be using a clone system. I prefer full screen. It doesn't bother me to have that little stretch. (Fat little Mario running around.) Really it doesn't look all that bad. Some games it is more noticeable than others. This works with it being hooked to your flatscreen TV too.



With the adapter, you can invite a friend to play along on those two player games. It works with the system whether you are playing using the 8-Bit Boy screen or with your big screen TV.





And the games look good even with their old fashioned blockiness. There seems to be some Anti-Aliasing going on to give a smoothing effect. I think that is good being that you are playing this on a HD TV. The games are going to look dated no matter what you do because they are retro. They come from a different day and age in gaming history. And some people love them, like me, because of their simplicity and addictiveness.



The neat little stand that came with it is a great added bonus with the kit. When you are playing with someone else from just the system or the TV it serves its purpose well. (It has a full size HDMI output.)



I have had trouble adjusting to the button layout. When you are running and want to lean your thumb to jump, or shooting and want to lean your thumb to throw a bomb, (man I missed) awkward. Only a gamer will understand that sentence. The rapid fire buttons don't work for me either.



The battery icon seems to be a complaint to a lot of people. It stays there on the screen whether it is just the system in your hands or on the TV screen. I personally find no problem with it. I did notice it a lot at first but I only think about it now if I need to save and it is getting close to running out. It is helpful to me and I understand why it is there.

Now for the bottom line.
I think this is good to kick back somewhere in the house, take to a friend's house, or a road trip. It is not something you will carry around like your 3DS. I enjoy the large 7" screen. The games look really good on it. And I wish I had a SNES portable with a screen like this. I will use my 8-Bit Boy just hanging around the house.
One thing to really keep in mind is this system is formed around a SOAC, it is a clone system. Meaning that the colors and sound of the original games are not going to be the same as you remembered. There will be distortion as with all clone systems. This thing is no different even though it boasts 97% compatibility. I do not have a complete set of NES game library to test their claims. But I have been satisfied with the games that I do have. Their 8 bit systems do a good job with their hardware emulation IMHO.
Although responsive, there is a difference in the feel of the buttons on the system and their controllers. Their controllers seemed to be highly sensitive. And I haven't had any problem playing any game.
Battery life, I have no idea because I haven't timed or tested that angle of the system. I rarely do unless it is very noticeable. So I do not know if 6 or 8 hours is the norm. It would be effected by the game you are playing as usual.
So... yes.... I like this big awkward thing. It is a handful and I find it very hard to put down. I just keep playing. It just feels right. I smile over the two speakers for a mono system, good volume. It does have a headphone jack too. The hardware does what it is supposed to do the best that it can under the circumstances. The games are why we play. Thumbs up here. Good show Gamerz Tek!

If it dawns on you the size of this system by the photo below, then you have found your mojo.



A link to their site. Also available at Amazon.
https://www.gamerztek.com/

[BLUEVOODU]

@retro junkie Wow... I didn't realize this existed!  Very nice review - This is very cool.   The screen looks very clear - I am very impressed by it.   And the portability lol... a little larger than the Atari Lynx... the Lynx was no slouch device size.  But to have something like this for the NES is pretty cool.  I've seen another device, but cannot remember the name of it at this time.  It was a few number of years back.  Though the screen didn't look as nice as the Gamerz Tek 8-Bit Boy.  I'm also glad to read that it's good in the sound department.   Mobile / handheld devices are getting better and better as small scale speaker technology progresses.

Great review Retro Junkie -    ... we need thumbs up Emoticons.  I will get on that.

Also, if you have a chance...  I suggest providing a link to the company's website.

[retro junkie]

@
Also, if you have a chance...  I suggest providing a link to the company's website.

Done

[BLUEVOODU]

Done

Now if only I had the Thumbs up done that quick   Need to find the proper images.

Dig the review @retro junkie - Good Stuff.

[retro junkie]

Done

Now if only I had the Thumbs up done that quick   Need to find the proper images.

Dig the review @retro junkie - Good Stuff.

Thanks!
I have been into this thing all weekend. If I had one of these for the SNES and one for the Sega Genesis, I would not want for anything else.