Tag: Hardware Review
Hardware Review PC Engine Mini - Still An Acquired Taste, Even After 30 Years
And we wouldn't have it any other way
Konami – which is now the custodian of the PC Engine brand following its purchase of Hudson Soft in 2011 – is perhaps a little late to the party with its take on the ‘micro-console’ concept that kicked off with the Nintendo Classic Edition a few years back. Since then, we’ve seen SNK, Sony and Sega a
Hardware Review C-Force Is Back With Another Portable Switch Screen, And We've Had A Go
A step-up from the C-Air?
Last year, we took a look at C-Force's C-Air portable monitor, a 4K panel which was light and thin enough to carry around in your rucksack. While there were a lot of things we really liked about the screen, it suffered from some unfortunate issues, such as being tethered to a dongle the entire time and image ghosting...
Hardware Review Live Your Life As A Giant With The Tiny 8BitDo Zero 2 Controller
Update: Available today in North America
What's more fun than playing some of your favourite games on the Switch? If your answer is something along the lines of 'struggling to hold the controller', then you're in luck, as 8BitDo has finally come around to producing a follow up to their dinky Zero controller in the form of the imaginatively-titled...
Hardware Review Race Away With Mario Kart Pro Mini & Deluxe Racing Wheels
Move over tilt controls
Racing games can be great fun, but you know what can make them even better? Playing them with a replica steering wheel (and no, not the ones you sink your Wii Remote or Joy-Con into.) Just ask anyone who’s been to an arcade and played something like Mario Kart Arcade GP DX, Crazy Taxi or one of the many Cruis’n games...
Hardware Review Hyperkin Admiral - Wireless N64 Controller Goodness
Cut the cord
Anyone who's ever crammed around a TV with a Nintendo 64, GoldenEye 007 and a few friends will know the struggles that the short cord on the N64's controller caused. Few companies have tried to remedy this in the past with controller extensions – and controllers that just don't hit the mark – but no one has really succeeded...
Hardware Review SNK Neo Geo Arcade Stick Pro - Better Than The Capcom Home Arcade?
UPDATE: 20 hidden games revealed!
After the initial flurry of interest in micro-consoles – triggered largely due to the release of the excellent NES and SNES Classic Editions – we've seen some pretty left-field entries into this niche sector of the hardware market. SNK's Neo Geo Mini added an
Hardware Review Go-tcha Evolve - The Pokémon GO Plus Killer
Auto-catching and step tracking
Accessory maker Datel has had two attempts at making the ultimate Pokémon GO companion device: the Go-tcha and the Go-tcha Ranger. Both mimic the functionality of the Pokémon GO Plus (and the later
Hardware Review Capcom Home Arcade Is The Most Ludicrous Micro-Console Yet, And We're In Love
Winner stays on?
Gamers of a particular age will know all too well the allure of amusement arcades back in the '80s and '90s. This was a time when the most technologically advanced titles weren't found in the home; instead, the bleeding edge of the industry was found in arcades, packed with the latest and greatest offerings from the likes of Sega,...
Hardware Review Retro-Bit's Bluetooth Sega Pads Are Perfect For Retro On Your Switch
Remote control
Not a week seems to pass without news of yet another new wired or wireless controller for the Switch. We've had SNES-themed ones, Sega-styled ones and even ones that try to offer the perfect platform for one-on-one fighters. There's cle
Fight club
The evolution of video games and the controllers we use to play them has resulted in the humble D-Pad becoming something of an afterthought for many hardware makers; that situation has arguably reached its zenith in the Nintendo Switch, which – in its default form, at least – doesn't even have a proper D-Pad. Analogue input has long...
Hardware Review Should You Import The Japanese Mega Drive Mini?
Better pads and the Tower of Power, but is that enough?
The Sega Genesis / Mega Drive Mini is pretty special – as you'll know if you've already consulted our exhaustive review. Packed full of retro goodness and blessed with a lineup that contains some of the system's most desirable titles, it's proof that Sega is finally taking the 'micro-console'...
Hardware Review Nintendo Switch Lite - Half A Switch, But That's More Than Enough For Some
Smaller, brighter, slimmer, stronger?
Given its penchant for iterating and refreshing its hardware, the arrival of Nintendo's Switch Lite feels inevitable rather than surprising. What's perhaps a little more unexpected is how this new machine gleefully jettisons the key element that the original console was arguably sold on – its ability to...
Hardware Review The Terraonion Mega SD Is A Truly Next-Gen Flash Cartridge
Carts and CDs, all on one device
Love them or loathe them, flash cartridges are here to stay. From their early origins as a basic means of loading up ROMs on authentic hardware, we've seen these often misunderstood products grow in both scope and stature – and Terraonion's Mega SD could perhaps be considered the zenith of the conc
Hardware Review The Genesis / Mega Drive Mini Finally Does Sega's History Justice
Mega Drive me to the store
Miniaturized consoles are nothing new to Sega as it was releasing them long before Nintendo’s Classic NES and SNES consoles took the spotlight. The plug-and-play systems it produced in collaboration with AtGames usually car
Hardware Review You Don't Need The SNK Neo Geo Samurai Shodown Mini, But You'll Want It Anyway
Less a console, more an objet d'art
You might think that Nintendo has embraced the 'Classic Mini' craze with gusto thanks to its NES and SNES Classic Editions, but the company's efforts in this field pale in comparison to that of SNK, which has been pumping out miniature hardware with extreme prejudice for the past year or so. First, we had the Neo...
Hardware Review The EON Super 64 Gives Your N64 HDMI Output, But Is It Really Worth $150?
Plug-and-play HD for your Nintendo 64
We're big fans of EON here at Nintendo Life. The company has already produced some amazing GameCube HDMI adapters in the form of the GCHD and GCHD Mk II, both of which harness the console's digital output to give a crisp picture without the need for pesky internal modification. However, for its next trick, EON...
A brawl in the family
For a system that's no longer in active production, the Nintendo 64 has sure seen a lot of new controllers recently. We reviewed the Tribute64 pad not so long ago, and now it's the turn of the Retro Fighters Brawler64 – a pad that was crowdfunded on Kickstarter as a "next generation" offering for Nintendo's much-loved 64-bit...
Hardware Review Retro-Bit Tribute64 - A Fine N64 Controller, And Perfect For Smash On Switch
But which version do you buy?
It's fair to say that the Nintendo 64 controller was a groundbreaking release. While it wasn't the first games controller to showcase analogue input, it was the first to be shipped as standard with its host console and therefore became the first taste of this now-ubiquitous control method for many players. The N64 pad...
Hardware Review 8BitDo M30 - The Best Retro Controller On Switch
And it works with the original Mega Drive, too
8BitDo has come a long way in a relatively short space of time. In the beginning, the company wasn't taken totally seriously by a select few who saw its line of clone NES and SNES pads as little more than cheap facsimiles of the real thing, but following a
Hardware Review Retro-Bit's Sega Genesis And Saturn Pads (Mostly) Hit The Right Spot
Just like you remember?
Fans of retro gaming who will accept nothing but original hardware are in a difficult spot in 2019. Systems from the '80s and '90s aren't getting any younger, and as time goes on, failure rates are only heading in one direction: up. These classic systems are robust, but they weren't built to last forever, and it's par for the...
Hardware Review 16Bit Pocket MD - An Unexpectedly Decent Portable Mega Drive
Time to put that Sega Nomad into storage?
This year, Sega will release the Mega Drive Mini, its own take on the retro console craze which Nintendo has done rather well out of in recent years with the NES and SNES Classic Editions. However, it's not the first time that the SNES rival has been
Hardware Review Insurrection Industries Carby - GameCube HDMI Support On A Budget
Yet another HDMI adapter, but this one doesn't cost the earth
Keen readers of the site will know that we're always on the lookout for ways to make vintage hardware look as good as possible on modern-day TV sets. Years ago, we dabbled in the world of scanline generators such as the SLG3000, and more recently we sang the praises of the OSSC, a device...
Hardware Review EON GCHD Mk-II GameCube HDMI Adapter - The Best Just Got Better
New and improved
When it comes to getting the best possible image quality out of your retro console of choice, you usually have to jump through a few awkward (not to mention expensive) hoops. That was certainly the case with the GameCube until very recently; the best way of running the system in the past was via Nintendo's own SCART (if you're in...
Hardware Review To Enjoy The New BittBoy, You'll Need To Get Your Hands Dirty
Games not included
If you cast your minds back a short while, you'll recall that we reviewed the BittBoy Portable Video Game Handheld, a dinky little Game Boy clone that came packed with 300 NES games, many of which were pretty dire – not to mention legally questionable. Despite this, we couldn't help warming to this truly pocket-sized portable,...
Hardware Review HORI Switch Battle Pad GameCube Style Controller
Just in time for Smash
The release of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is just around the corner. With it, the perennial revival of the greatest controller of all time is upon us. As usual, Nintendo has brought back the GameCube controller to please the most hardcore of Smash fans, and alongside it, multiple third-party manufacturers are offering up their...
Hardware Review 8BitDo GBros. Adapter - Use Your GameCube Pad Wirelessly With Smash Bros. Ultimate
GBros. before Smash Pros
As the launch fo Super Smash Bros. Ultimate on Switch looms – like a wonderful, long-awaited birthday – ever closer, a great many fans of the series will have one burning question on their minds: Can I play it with my trusty and dependable GameCube controller? As we've known for a while, the answer to this question is,...
Troubled over which version to pick? We're here to help...
The 'classic console' market is getting pretty busy right now, what with the NES Classic, SNES Classic and PlayStation Classic sure to keep the tills ticking over this Christmas, and the
Hardware Review Krikzz Joyzz Wireless Sega Mega Drive Controller - Perfection Comes At A Price
The best wireless option for Sega fans
If you're a keen follower of the modern-day retro gaming scene then you'll no doubt have heard of Igor Golubovskiy, better known as Krikzz. Over the past few years, Krikzz has built up a solid reputation thanks to his superb line of flash cartridges which cunningly allow you to play ROMs on vintage hardware...
Hardware Review Flip Grip: The Dream Peripheral For Shmup Addicts
Going sideways
While the Switch's hybrid nature and versatile Joy-Con controllers are key selling points for many owners, for a special sub-set of players the console's real hidden weapon is the fact that it can be used in portrait mode and therefore provide the perfect platform for classic vertically-scrolling shooters – of which there are plenty...
Hardware Review Poké Ball Plus - The Most Imperfect Perfect Accessory You Could Imagine
Balls up?
Nintendo – perhaps unlike any other games company – understands the connection between video gaming and the physical world. That might sound like a rather silly statement to make as every firm involved in the making of interactive entertainment has to consider how the player will interact physically with the game itself, but with...
Hardware Review AAXA S1 LED Mini Projector For Switch - Brighter Than The Competition, And 720p, Too
The OJO Projector has a serious rival
The portable nature of the Switch has created a perhaps unexpected demand for super-compact and mobile LED projectors, and we’ve already seen the OJO Projector come and go in all of its 480p resolution goodness. While OJO is hard at work on a successor which, it says, will improve on its likeable first...
Hardware Review EON GCHD GameCube HDMI Adapter
Another mod-free HD option for Nintendo's famous box
While the world waits for Nintendo do something - anything - constructive with its enviable back catalogue of games on its latest console beyond giving us a few dusty old NES titles, there's a burgeoning community which aims to harness the power of vintage hardware to experience the best titles...
Hardware Review The Retro-Bit Go Retro! Portable Is A Rose-Tinted Disappointment
Even Capcom and Data East can't save this one
We've seen plenty of home console revivals recently, like the NES Classic, SNES Classic, Neo Geo Mini and – coming later this year – the
Hardware Review The Sega Saturn Bluetooth Pad Doesn't Live Up To Its Inspiration
So near, and yet so far
Despite this being a Nintendo site, we've never made any secret of the fact that we hold a tremendous amount of affection for the Kyoto company's erstwhile rival, Sega. Here in Europe – where Nintendo Life is headquartered – Sega was the dominant force during the late '80s and early '90s. While the NES, SNES and Game Boy...
Hardware Review Satisfye Pro Gaming Grip for Nintendo Switch
Long, strong, and great girth
As much as it pains us to say it, the Nintendo Switch is not a perfect product. Due to various factors that make the Switch what it is, certain sacrifices have had to be made in certain areas to make sure its versatility is properly realised, and for some of us at Nintendo Life Towers, one of the biggest problem areas...
Hardware Review Hori D-Pad Joy-Con Controller For Nintendo Switch
Cross your heart
Update: Hori has confirmed to Nintendo Life the issue pertaining to the d-pad joy-con using battery power while the Switch is in sleep mode has been resolved with the release of Switch firmware 6.0 in collaboration with Nintendo. Full details can be found here. Ever since the Switch launched, there's been a vocal minority which has...
Hardware Review Does The SNK Neo Geo Mini Outclass Nintendo's Classic Editions?
The Rolls Royce of micro-consoles is here
Nintendo may not have been the first company to come up with the ingenious idea of leveraging the unbridled nostalgia of your average gamer to sell bucketloads of ROM-filled micro-consoles, but the arrival of the NES Classic a few years ago certainly gave this previously niche sector of the market a swift...
Hardware Review Go-tcha Ranger: A Worthy Upgrade For The Ultimate Pokémon GO Accessory?
Easy auto
The Pokéball Plus may be the year's hottest accessory for Pokéman fans, but peripheral maker Datel has released a device which, if you're only looking to play Pokémon GO, could end up being more appealing. The Go-tcha Ranger is the sequel to the standard (and totally unofficial) Go-tcha, which b
Hardware Classics Uncovering The Tragic Tale Of The Philips CD-i
Jack of all trades, master of none?
Compared to the relatively conservative video game hardware market of the modern era, the '90s seems like a wasteland of failed systems and also-rans. The 3DO, Atari Jaguar, Commodore CD32, NEC PC-FX and Sega 32X were all pieces of hardware which, at launch, found themselves positioned as the next big thing in...
Hardware Review GameShell Is A Modular And Hackable Take On The Classic Game Boy
Build it, and they will come
We don't mind admitting that we're absolute suckers for handhelds here at Nintendo Life, so it's hardly surprising that the GameShell caught our attention late last year. Described as a hackable open-source console, it raised $290,429 on Kickstarter and is now reaching the hands of backers. We were lucky enough to get an...
Hardware Review The Shōnen Jump 50th Anniversary Famicom Classic Mini Is Gorgeous, But Pointless
Nintendo loves gold, only gold
Nintendo may have fixed the supply issues which plagued the launches of the NES and SNES Classic Editions, but many will still be haunted by the devilish degree of difficulty they exper
Hardware Review OJO Projector For Nintendo Switch - The Ultimate Accessory?
A projector, dock and power bank all in one
The amazing success of the Switch has led to some equally amazing crowdfunding campaigns for must-have accessories, the most notable of which are the Switch Charge case and the OJO Projector. Both of these products massively over-performed in their initial funding drives, and both have endured a rather...
Hardware Review SwitchCharge Boosts Your Nintendo Switch Battery Life Fourfold
It's had a somewhat troubled path to market, but is it worth the wait?
It's fair to say that like so many amazing crowdfunded ideas, the SwitchCharge hasn't had the most comfortable routes to market. After comprehensively smashing its funding goal back in 2017, the accessory – which contains a 10,000mAh b
Hardware Review GameCube HDMI Adapter - GC Video Plug 'n Play 3.0
So long, component cable
You might think that when Nintendo started offering games from classic systems on its various Virtual Console platforms that interest in original hardware might fall away. However, over a decade later we're instead seeing a strong reassurance of new products supporting ageing original hardware, often aimed at getting...
Hardware Review Terraonion Super SD System 3 Unlocks The Entire PC Engine Library
The ultimate engine upgrade?
It's almost impossible to not fall in love with the NEC PC Engine. In its original Japanese form it remains an engineering masterpiece; it's the tiny console that could. Even after all these years it's easy to see why the system took Japan by a storm and gained legions of fans among "grey importers" in the west –...
Hardware Review The Hyperkin SupaBoy SFC Is A Portable SNES For Under £100
Third time lucky?
It's fair to say that the SupaBoy handheld is one of Hyperkin's most successful products; it initially hit the market in 2012 and has been revised once already in the form of the SupaBoy S. We're now on the third iteration of the same model, and we can imagine this fresh SKU will do the business just as well as its forerunners did...
Hardware Review Shika Arcades SOZU.S1 Isn't Just The Ultimate SNES Stick, It's A Work Of Art
Bamboo-zled
The humble video game controller is one of the most important elements of interactive entertainment; it is your interface to an immersive virtual world and any shortcomings it may have (Kinect, we're looking at you) impact massively on your overall enjoyment. It's equally true, however, that not all controllers are created equal, and as...
Hardware Review Hyperkin Supa Retron HD: Time To Dust Off Those SNES Carts
UPDATE: UK launch now confirmed for March
For a wide range of reasons, the public's interest in retro gaming has arguably never been higher. New players are being drawn into this fascinating corner of the industry to explore the origins of characters like Mario and Sonic, while veterans who still bear the scars of the '80s and '90s console wars are...
Hardware Review The Analogue Super Nt Is The Ultimate Way To Play SNES Games In 2018
Reborn, remastered, remarkable
If you're seriously into audio visual entertainment then chances are you'll have gone through the exciting (yet mildly scary) process of blowing an entire month's pay cheque on the latest television, Hi-Fi or associated piece of audio visual hardware. Like everything in life, how much you want to spend on this kind of...
Hardware Review Does The Retro-Bit NES Power Stick Give You The Advantage?
Microswitched marvel
These days, gamers are pretty comfortable with the fact that there are multiple control options available when it comes to playing on their console of choice. The basic, in-the-box pad isn't always the best that's on offer, and there are myriad official and unofficial controllers doing the rounds, each claiming to hold a...
