Soulja Boy has shifted a fair few records in his time, but he's seemingly obsessed with cracking another market: video games. If you recall, back in 2018 he attempted to sell rebranded Chinese games consoles running unlicensed ROMs before trying his hand at releasing a Game Boy clone. Following apparent legal action from Nintendo, Soulja Boy was forced to remove the listings from the web, admitting that he "...had to boss up, I didn’t have a choice."
It would seem that you can't keep a good rapper down, however. Earlier this year, Soulja Boy was at it again, teasing yet another game console, one which looked a lot like an Xbox Series S. Soulja Boy was clearly bullish about the project, saying. "Building a new console from scratch, all new design. All new games. All new deals. Let’s make history." However, it would seem that he's already moved onto his next venture, which is another handheld. And guess what? He's basically just added his endorsement to a cheap handheld console which is based on older hardware.
According to Retro Dodo, the TRDR Pocket currently being hawked by Soulja Boy is actually based on the Retroid Pocket, which in turn was cloned as the Powkiddy A19. It's focused on emulation (like the other systems which Soulja Boy has promoted) but runs Android, so you can, in theory, install Android apps like Netflix on it – something the Nintendo Switch can't currently do. It's being positioned as a handheld which also allows you to indulge in social media apps as well as enjoy your games. It's even got Call of Duty (the smartphone version, anyway), which you can see in the video above.
The catch? This product (or one very similar to it) can usually be picked up for under $100, but the TRDR Pocket is being sold for twice that amount. Retro Dodo got in touch with Go Games, the Spanish company behind the TRDR Pocket, and it admitted it wasn't aware of Soulja Boy's rather patchy history with gaming hardware. However, as of yesterday, the rapper is still promoting the device on his social media accounts.
As you might expect, many within the gaming community have responded negatively to this device, but that doesn't seem to have dissuaded Soulja Boy, who is already teasing a successor. If this doesn't end up being a PS Vita-style knock-off from China which is already available under a different name (and for less cash), we'll consume a vast quantity of hats.
[source retrododo.com]
Comments 40
Retroid Pocket is actually a pretty decent device. It's six button Sega style button layout makes it really attractive when it comes to these devices, and Android makes it a good choice for streaming media. That said the price point is a bit ridiculous unless these have some significant quality improvements.
Ermm, where did Playdate say they got their stock again?
Sold Ya, Boy!
…I’ll get me coat.
@JayJ Retroid Pocket 2 is indeed amazing! And it emulates N64 very well!
@Old-Red Playdate should use Crank That in their marketing, perhaps?
Retroid pocket runs snes and nes games without a subscription. Plus gba and others. N64 isn't great though. While it is not legal to play roms off the internet, it is a better experience than what Nintendo offers Switch users.
I don't understand how he keeps getting away with this. Celebrities always get away with whatever crime they want to because they have bribery money. Case in point: Hollywood pedos that are still around because they got money to stay out of jail
@Moistnado I saw a video of the most popular N64 games running just fine.
@Zuljaras not Goldeneye. It is acceptable for things like Mario 64, but there are tiny missing things here and there and slowdown. It's 'fine' if you know it isn't going to be perfect.
Wow, watching Big Mouth while playing 7 G R A N D D A D????
Dang, Rerez hopefully knows about this
@Moistnado Is there a perfect N64 emulation? I thought that all N64 emulation is ok if it is playable.
so he is still making game consoles with pirated games on them? lol
Yeah, crank that new console, Soulja Boy!
Or don't. Actually, please don't.
Is he still going along with this charade? what a chump
Nope. Still not boarding the soulja train.
Until he learns to spell Soldier he can never be taken seriously, ever.
I feel old - I've never even heard of Soulja Boy! Funnily enough the TRDR handheld was shown in a John Riggs video recently where he basically said it was a re-badged version of something he already had!
Why doesn't he use his money o back a few games, make them successful and go from there? This back alley, back of a van gaming ***** is not working out for him.
@Earl_Grey HAHAHAHA
NO ONE CARES! He can't rap, so he has to make knock off brands. I think he should go to school or read a book!
TRDR; Soulja Boy's still a wally.
@Zuljaras N64 games work quite well on an N64. They also emulate quite well on PC. Mario 3D all stars emulation of Mario 64 was good too. The 3Ds improved versions are probably the best way to play a lot of N64 games.
Another pointless attempt at entering the video games industry. The first Soulja Boy console looked like a Game Boy Micro. You expected people to play Fortnite with a D-Pad and 4 face buttons? I can imagine the same will happen here, but at least he was prepared.
I'll give him this much, the man has some serious hustle - more, I bet, than most of the people here going "lol, look at the chump still trying to break into video games". This guy doesn't give up. I respect that - and I get the feeling he's making more money with this than most people think, because why else would he still be doing it?
But no, I'm not about to buy a cheap Chinese knockoff console even if it has Soulja Boy's name on it.
Not to be that guy... or to sound discriminatory... but I am seriously getting sick and tired of playing "dodge the rubbish immitation" when I'm shopping online.
Amazon is just full of actual rubbish these days, and it all infiltrates your genuine search results through a mixture of getting sales and sponsored ads.
This is literally the same thing, but ever so slightly worse because a "name/brand" is endorsing it.
I always search a trusted offline retailer first to see what brand/make they sell and then find it on Amazon to buy. I never trust Amazon listing now.
What really Fs me off is that all the while Amazon do not care because they are just getting richer and richer.
Pathetic, he doesn’t even bring anything new.
It’s just some already existing hardware rebranded.
Lazy and lame
@dmcc0 Soulja Boy hasn't been relevant in the music industry in over a decade, his music was common on the radio (at least in the US) in the late 2000s.
He can't be oblivious to the fact he is selling knock off emulators with his brand on. Is this in bad faith or is he unhinged?
"It would seem that you can't keep a good rapper down..." But we talking about Soulja boy... so...
Well if his ravid fans are still buying, then there is really no reason for him to stop....
Anyone who is actually buying these consoles from this guy is truly an idiot. Soulja Boy is a con artist. Plain and simple. Over and over again he slaps his name on cheap Chinese emulator handhelds that are already widely available and jacks up the price for absolutely no reason other than to extort his own fans. Please stop covering this a-hole.
Why's he keep putting his name on these cheap knock-off consoles he'll just keep getting sued surely he can't have made any money from this
@lacaras4 in that case I don't think I've missed much 😂
I can safely say (and brag) that I have never heard a single song of Soulja Boy's that i can recognize. Then again i don't listen to the radio and I have never sought out his music on a video site or streaming service. In hindsight, MTV no longer playing music (and playing gawdawful music before they stopped) was a huge blessing for those who don't like crappy post-90s/early-2000s music.
I can respect his carnival worker/scammer like hustle, though.
@nocdaes ...and how exactly are you helping the situation by continuing to support Amazon with your business? Yeah it might cost a little more, but support offline stores before Amazon is the only choice.
I think if people stop acknowledging these exist he will give up.
@Pete_sassafras-6 you can't stop the power of Simp.
Never doubt the power branding has over the weak & simple minded.
The Soulja Boy Turder?
Well, ew.
@JasmineDragon I've said the same thing. Gotta respect the hustle. Won't buy it myself but I do buy emulation devices sometimes, who knows, might actually make a few video games fans out of this that buy a proper console down the road. Not everyone has the knowledge of cheap emulators like us nerds here on Nintendo life!
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