Hyperkin SUPABOY Portable Pocket SNES Console

You can't call me anything but a fanatic when it comes to the SNES. It's what I grew up on in the early 90's and I've never really moved on. When I discovered the SUPABOY I couldn't but giggle a little and buy one. It was one of those purchases where I refreshed the 'shipping tracker' about every 45 seconds, like the boy on a road trip--are we there yet? In the end I went to my local USPS and picked up the package at 8:30 before they loaded it on to the truck; the guy at the counter grumbled and said it was a onetime thing, totally worth it.The Hyperkin itself was well packaged and arrived in perfect condition. I had seen a video where a reviewer's unit came with some loose plastic rattle in the cartridge slot; this was not the case with my unit. The hyperkin itself is large, it's been a while since I've handled a Gamegear but I'd say it's the same size, if not a little thicker. But it's comfortable and the weight is right. I was somewhat worried about the weight myself. I don't like things to be too light, as that is an indication of poor material selection but with the size of the SUPABOY I could certainly imagine it being too heavy. It's perfect, heavy enough to give the impression of some quality and light enough to be comfortably played.It works very well. I had seen no mention of how the TV/Controller Out jacks actually work on any review so it was a concern to me as I consider this an important feature. Well here is the skinny: it's all about the A/V Out jack. When there is nothing connected to the A/V Out, the controller ports on the console won't work and all you can do is use the built in D-Pad and buttons. However, if you plug in the A/V Cable, then you can use a separate controller on the device. I found that the unit doesn't care if it's actually plugged into a TV, so it is possible to play the SUPABOY using it's built in screen with a separate controller, or two. This was a big deal to me, as I wanted to take it to work and play co-op games with my buddies using the built in screen, glad it worked out.The screen itself is very nice. Now I want to elaborate on this. It's no OLED or HD screen, however with SNES games this isn't necessarily a problem. 16-bit games were designed with a low resolution display in mind. When the display gets too sharp some of the sprites look silly. They were created to be blended a little. The HYPERKIN's screen displays SNES games exactly how they would have looked on a TV contemporary with the SNES so games look good--they look like how I remember from my childhood.The controls are stiff. I get the impression they will soften with use but I'm not sure yet. I don't dislike the stiffness of the D-Pad on the SUPABOY, but I do think I play precision games (Earthworm Jim, Jungle Book, Killer Instinct, etc) better with an actual SNES controller. I wouldn't consider this a fault, the D-Pad seems very rugged in its stiffness and I do think it will get better with use.Now the high-pitch noise everyone is talking about. Yeah, it's there. I hear it, especially when I put the device right up to my ear. From a normal playing distance it's not very noticeable. In my living room when I'm holding the console on my lap I don't really hear the whine. I think this is going to come down mostly to how sensitive the user's ears are. If you are very sensitive, I'd bet that the whine is going to bother you; for me, I don't really notice it. And it does go away when something is plugged into Audio Out.Well, that about wraps 'er up. If you have any questions post on the comments and I'll do my best. Honestly, I just love the SNES and want to encourage the sales of any device like the SUPABOY to keep these products coming.

The SupaBoy by Hyperkin is one of the marvels of when Retro and Modern technology collide and create a fantastic blend of what fans and lovers of classic video games can really do. To think to finally have a solid portable Super Nintendo over 20 years ago was nothing more than a dream until last November of 2011. When I first heard about the SuperBoy since April of that same year, I had to have one as soon as possible. It's just a great conversational piece and it makes the kid in you really shout for joy. 4 months of still owning one of these impressive devices and you'll have to admit, what better way to play Super Metriod, Contra III, Super CastleVania 4, or Super Mario World on the go? Sure there are other portables that ported these games to later Nintendo handhelds, but what if you got a sweet resource of untapped history living in your basement or an attic. Maybe, you went to a yard sale or a flea market and found the mother load, but with no system to go with it? SUPABOY will save the day! Yes, you can hook it up to a TV and it uses the original Super Nintendo controllers once it's hooked up to the TV! Many doubters think this is an emulated device, but this is actually 100% pure hardware made from scratch. Seeing Mega Man X3 run on this beast is like watching the SuperBowl on a 3.5 inch screen! I haven't run into any problems except for the speakers could have been improved for this device, I don't think they were big enough or were set to the correct Ohms. You see, you'll hear a low buzzing sound with or without headphones. It's annoying sometimes, but if you turn the volume down just right? It'll be smooth sailing. Finally, this system is very friendly with Japanese NTSC games. It has also been confirmed that certain European PAL cartridges work with the system, but I'm not sure to this day which games will work. We know Super Mario World will. Final thought for you? Do you need this? Do you want it? Do you want to impress your friends and family who loved the Super Nintendo? In all honesty, it's a luxury purchase. It's classy like a Rolex, especially for the price of it. Impressing your friends & family is great! Especially if you got a copy of Tetris & Dr. Mario on SNES. However, if you have the means of already playing SNES? I would say NO, unless you are in serious need of some portable action. I personally believe this device was made for the hardcore collectors & fans like myself.

I bought this product with a lot of hope and was completely let down. At first glance, it seems like a solid construction, but when you start using it, you find out otherwise.The first one I received worked for about 3 days with no issues, then I noticed that the screen started getting static upon startup on all the games that I tried. I exchanged it and got a new unit with high hopes that I just received a lemon, which happens.The second unit I received had a very similar problem, except that whenever I pressed a button the right of the unit the screen would get the same static issue. I think this has to do with cheap soldering, loose connections or bad parts. This happened within 24 hours of receiving the second unit.I won't be waiting for the "third times a charm" saying to happen, so I've returned it for a full refund and will be shopping around for a better portable SNES system.