What is it?
A 70 dollar fucking Time Machine.
Ok, so this doesn’t exactly hit 88 mph so you can go to the past and hit on your mom, but it does play your favorite childhood games with a form factor that makes you feel like you’re on a road trip in the 90s.
So, before writing this I asked the guys here at Savage Actual their favorite games from their childhood, to which I got; Gran Turismo series (Jason), Megaman (Patrick), Zelda (Tank) and then BattleToads (for myself), this little machine plays them all. It runs a Linux OS that emulates from 8 bit pico-8 games to PS1 and Nintendo DS. Not only that but get together with your friends and it has built in WiFi for multiplayer and automatic updates. There is a massive community standing behind these things so whether you want to run it OTB or do some custom mods like the one here, you can really make this thing your own.
Megaman on the NES (Patrick)
Gran Turismo II on PSX (Jason)
Legend of Zelda oracle of Ages on GBC (Tank)
Who is it for?
We all love the new AAA titles launching on the next gen consoles. Who doesn’t love dropping losers in CoD? This machine isn’t trying to grab for those experiences or even scratch that itch.
Personally, in my time with this rad little device, it’s been in my bag, and I pull it out while I’m at the VA, waiting for my wife to finish whatever it is that women actually do in TJ Maxx, sitting on the porcelain throne, standing in line at Disney, dropping off my kids at school… you get the point. I don’t have to let it load up and be fixed to a Tv or monitor to play some of the classics from my childhood. This thing has killed hours of boredom and has a pocket sized form that reminds me of my old Gameboy Color.
In conclusion, this thing was worth the money for me. For 70 bucks I have definitely spent more for worse. I like to tinker with shit. What led to this purchase was the prior gameboy color, gameboy slate, PlayStation vita builds that were fueling my curiosity. With all those systems I find myself using this more due to its multitude of systems and how pocketable it truly is.
So, is it for you? I guess it really depends on how bored you get in those short moments, but like my dad always said, “Only boring people get bored”.
- J
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