BittBoy Retro Video Game Handheld Console Review

The BittBoy V3.5 is a handheld retro gaming emulation device that looks like Nintendo's classic GameBoy. Inside, however, it packs a lot more processing power and is able to play Gameboy, NES, Genesis, and even Playstation 1 and PC games.

BittBoy Retro Video Game Handheld Hardware

The BittBoy is a Gameboy-inspired handheld console from China, about 1/3 the size of the original Gameboy. Don't let the classic appearance fool you; inside, it packs much more processing power and can play Gameboy, NES, Genesis, PlayStation 1 and some older DOS/PC games. The smaller size means it easily fits inside a pocket whilst on the move, something the original Gameboy couldn't do comfortably.

You will find the SD card slot and power buttons on the top edge, whilst on the bottom edge, the micro-SD charge port and headphone jack double as an A/V out.

The buttons are nice and crisp, although the controls can be slightly cramped for those with large hands. They are a little too close together but comfy enough for several hours of gaming. The D-pad is nice and smooth and is full-size. The little R button usually brings up a menu that lets you save the game state, exit the current game and adjust settings. The only downside is the lack of L and R triggers, which may make some Gameboy Advance, SNES and PS1 games unplayable or, at best, tricky.

The screen is a 2.4-inch IPS type display, which is nice and bright, has vibrant colours and has a great viewing angle. In general, the display is nice and clear. However, the small resolution means some scaling is noticeable when it's not running the native resolution of 320x240 pixels. Generally, this isn't a problem unless there is lots of text on the screen, which is unreadable.

Inside the case is an ARM926EJ-S AllWinner F1C500S powered board rated 300mhz and peaks at 700mhz.

BittBoy Battery Life

The battery is a 700mAh removable lithium battery straight from the Gameboy Advance. Despite the small capacity, it lasts surprisingly long. Charging is via a micro-USB port and lasts 2-3 hours, depending on the screen's brightness and the emulator's running. Charging is via a micro-USB cable, easily charged from a phone charger or power bank.

Games and Emulators

My BittBoy 3.5 came pre-installed with a few Linux ports of games and a bunch of emulators but no ROMs. You will need to download them yourselves and load them onto the SD card in the roms folder. The BittBoy has emulators for Gameboy, Gameboy Advance, Gameboy Colour, NES, SNES, MasterSystem, MegaDrive, Atari 2600, WonderSwan, NeoGeo, DOS and Mame.

The BittBoy has Linux ports for many popular games, including Doom, Heretic, Hexen, Pang, Rise of the Triad, Quake, and Quake 2.

All of these run perfectly smooth except Quake 2, which suffered slightly with the framerate. It's still playable but lacks the benefit of mouse control for aiming.

The emulators also run well. The PlayStation suffers the most. It's outside the device's capability, but most games I have tried are playable.

My main reason for buying the BittBoy was to play my old Gameboy games on a backlit screen since my Gameboy (right) does not have any lighting, so playing in the dark was impossible.

Downloading ROMs is illegal and questionably legal if you own the original game cartridges. I've only downloaded and been able to play about 8 of my favourite games for the Gameboy, as these are the ones for which I still have the cartridges. I love the chance to play Zelda Link Awakening and Mystic Quest again!

Save games on the BittBoy is hit-and-miss on the emulators. Generally, they fail to load or don't even show up when you restart the game. You can use the "save state" function on the R menu to get around this.

Room for Improvement

In general, this is a very well-rounded device and much fun to play with. I would like to see only a few minor changes in the next version.

1. The power slider is soft/loose/prone to turning on/off inside pockets. A firmer slider would be better.
2. Soft power-off. The power slider kills the power instantly; a soft shutdown option would prevent damage to the SD card files.
3. Battery life indicator, or better, low battery monitor. The only battery meter is on the main menu, which isn't accessible while playing a game. The LED turns from green to red, but it's not easy to see when in daylight or engrossed in your game.

This is a great way to consume retro games and relive my childhood gaming experiences. All in all, I think the price and nostalgia you get from this is well worth the £38 asking price.