So, I'm most sure you've seen some articles and videos about a little cheapo console manufacturer called Powkiddy (or a brand... I dunno). The thing is, since last month I've watched some videos about one of their products called the V90 —the most intelligent name in the world and isn't confussin' in any way with other of their products called the Q90—, and for it's form factor, the systems it can play and some other features (USB type C, 3.5mm jack) I was thinkin' of buying it. Here in Mexico we buy most of these products from resellers, and as resellers tend to do, most of the time these chinese rip off consoles and bootlegs are kinda overpriced, or they apply for importing taxes that are pretty bonkers, so when I saw one of these with 35% off from a local seller (so no extra fees or taxes needed) I decided to buy it. It cost me around $40.00 USD with shippin' and it arrived the next day.
This is it:
What is it to play on it? It's actually pretty cool.
The console came with CFW already installed (MiyooCFW) and a looooot of Gameboy Advance, Gameboy and Gameboy Colour, Super NES, NES, Genesis, Game Gear/Master System, and even PS1 ROMs, and although... yeah, some emulators have some problems as the SNES and PS1 ones, but so far it works great and almost flawless on GBA, NES, GEN and GB(C).
As I told earlier, one of the "main" advantages of this knock off console over an original Gameboy Advance SP is that it includes a headphone 3.5mm jack for earbuds and headsets, it also charges via USB type C, and battery life is kinda ok; is a Nokia clone 1020MAh BL-5C battery, which tends to last about 4 to even 5 hours. For storage, mainly you'll be using the included —as chinese called it— TF Card, which basically it's a microSD card. Oh yeah... now I remember, although the sell page claimed it's a 16 GB card, it is actually a 32 GB one with 16 GB being unallocated, so I just extend the main partition for the 29 usable gigabytes (almost one gig is needed for firmware and stuff, and it's it other partitions), and practically now it can hold the entire GBA library if I wanted. And possibly the biggest point for this console over a GBA, the screen...
It's actually pretty neat, an IPS LCD 3.2 inch screen. Although I don't have the max brightness applied on the screen on the pic (it's 50%), in full darkness it looks clear and crisp.
The thing with the screen, is that it has some problems: it hasn't been confirmed for this product, but as it is based on another cheapo clone console, the Bittboy Pocket Go, the screen is suspected to be a 30Hz refresh rate and it tends to screen tear... but I doubt those claims 'cause an update on the CFW kernel's fixed almost 80% of the screen tear, so I don't know exactly.
And now... not everything is rosy, and it has some drawbacks.
For ex: although the d-pad feels pretty, PRETTY GOOD for a clone console, the face buttons feel kinda meh, and two of the four back L and R buttons doesn't work, specifically L2 and R2 (the manual says they're on the console 'cause debugging, and don't work at the moment), but it's a curious case because there's switched behind the button cap, the thing is (as it appears) those buttons aren't mapped to anything, not even in the driver. It's intended through the next CFW update to map those and make 'em fully functional, as it has already happened with the Pocket Go and the Powkiddy Q90. Also, the volume levels are absurd; so yeah, you have your volume wheel to control all of your volume, but you also have software control for it. I don't understand that as it works more as a limiter, rather than a control, but this has a simple fix: just turn at the max the soft volume, and you can totally adjust it with the volume wheel.
So, yeah. It has some drawbacks and some benefits over a Gameboy Advance SP. I think the coolest is the form factor, unlike other clone consoles like this.
From the software part, I just had to update it, 'cause it was one year ago old, and some things are pretty cool.
There's a hidden rumble feature, although some people as me haven't experience it yet, even the GBA emulator has a beta rumble compatible version, and the latest update add like a metric ton of emulators, like Atari 2600, ZX Spectrum, Pokémon Mini, Amiga, and so many more.
Although the value of the console per se is pretty regular, having CFW and updates that include new features and possibilities for using to the fullest the hardware on this console is pretty much incredible, and for me it's a neat little device to use when waiting for something, and for the controls and the shape of it, is ideal to play handheld Nintendo games.
So yeah... sorry for the low photos, I don't know how to take pictures. If you would like to see them in "full" quality, just go to the attachments or click on the pic, aaaaand that's all for today folks.
If you're curious to see more of this device in action, here are some reviews I found online:
Cheers and thanks for reading this blog/opinion!
This is it:
What is it to play on it? It's actually pretty cool.
The console came with CFW already installed (MiyooCFW) and a looooot of Gameboy Advance, Gameboy and Gameboy Colour, Super NES, NES, Genesis, Game Gear/Master System, and even PS1 ROMs, and although... yeah, some emulators have some problems as the SNES and PS1 ones, but so far it works great and almost flawless on GBA, NES, GEN and GB(C).
As I told earlier, one of the "main" advantages of this knock off console over an original Gameboy Advance SP is that it includes a headphone 3.5mm jack for earbuds and headsets, it also charges via USB type C, and battery life is kinda ok; is a Nokia clone 1020MAh BL-5C battery, which tends to last about 4 to even 5 hours. For storage, mainly you'll be using the included —as chinese called it— TF Card, which basically it's a microSD card. Oh yeah... now I remember, although the sell page claimed it's a 16 GB card, it is actually a 32 GB one with 16 GB being unallocated, so I just extend the main partition for the 29 usable gigabytes (almost one gig is needed for firmware and stuff, and it's it other partitions), and practically now it can hold the entire GBA library if I wanted. And possibly the biggest point for this console over a GBA, the screen...
It's actually pretty neat, an IPS LCD 3.2 inch screen. Although I don't have the max brightness applied on the screen on the pic (it's 50%), in full darkness it looks clear and crisp.
The thing with the screen, is that it has some problems: it hasn't been confirmed for this product, but as it is based on another cheapo clone console, the Bittboy Pocket Go, the screen is suspected to be a 30Hz refresh rate and it tends to screen tear... but I doubt those claims 'cause an update on the CFW kernel's fixed almost 80% of the screen tear, so I don't know exactly.
And now... not everything is rosy, and it has some drawbacks.
For ex: although the d-pad feels pretty, PRETTY GOOD for a clone console, the face buttons feel kinda meh, and two of the four back L and R buttons doesn't work, specifically L2 and R2 (the manual says they're on the console 'cause debugging, and don't work at the moment), but it's a curious case because there's switched behind the button cap, the thing is (as it appears) those buttons aren't mapped to anything, not even in the driver. It's intended through the next CFW update to map those and make 'em fully functional, as it has already happened with the Pocket Go and the Powkiddy Q90. Also, the volume levels are absurd; so yeah, you have your volume wheel to control all of your volume, but you also have software control for it. I don't understand that as it works more as a limiter, rather than a control, but this has a simple fix: just turn at the max the soft volume, and you can totally adjust it with the volume wheel.
So, yeah. It has some drawbacks and some benefits over a Gameboy Advance SP. I think the coolest is the form factor, unlike other clone consoles like this.
From the software part, I just had to update it, 'cause it was one year ago old, and some things are pretty cool.
There's a hidden rumble feature, although some people as me haven't experience it yet, even the GBA emulator has a beta rumble compatible version, and the latest update add like a metric ton of emulators, like Atari 2600, ZX Spectrum, Pokémon Mini, Amiga, and so many more.
Although the value of the console per se is pretty regular, having CFW and updates that include new features and possibilities for using to the fullest the hardware on this console is pretty much incredible, and for me it's a neat little device to use when waiting for something, and for the controls and the shape of it, is ideal to play handheld Nintendo games.
So yeah... sorry for the low photos, I don't know how to take pictures. If you would like to see them in "full" quality, just go to the attachments or click on the pic, aaaaand that's all for today folks.
If you're curious to see more of this device in action, here are some reviews I found online:
Cheers and thanks for reading this blog/opinion!
