chadwsmith
Member
My review of the "GB Station Light II"
http://www.focalprice.com/detail_GT071R.html
(Also called the "GB-300 3.0" 25000 In 1 Large Screen Pocket V Game Console with TV Connecting Function All In 1 Game Card (Red)" from focalprice.com)
In short: Meh - there are better things to spend your money on.... Don't buy this.
Let me start by telling you what this system is - it's basically an NES emulator with a *VERY* limited number of ROMs (games) stuck into a GBA SP style case.
When I say very limited number of games, you may remind me that the description says "25000 in one". That's not even close to true. The unit I got allegedly only had 19,999 games, 9,999 games built into the system itself, and a cart with another 10000. (I don't know about you, but 5001 missing games is a lot.) But the main thing is 99.5% of those games are repeats. Literally. I'd be surprised if there were actually 100 different games.
With the notable exception of Super Mario Bros 3, almost all of the games were very early era NES - back when they were single screen Atari-style games.
For $25, you bet maybe 10 games you're actually going to be able to and want to play. You are far better off buying a system that lets you load you own ROMs, and not get stuck with these limit crappy choices that are very hard to even get to, since you have to go page by page through a list of 10 games at a time. And remember, there actually are 10000 and/or 9999 names to go through. They are not in alphabetical order, or any particular order that I could discern. And at least half of the games are in Japanese - and are games that never game to the US, so you probably won't play them. Another 10% or so are hacks - like Super Mario Bros. 1 with hacked in sprites to try and make it look like SMB3.
Then there's the hardware. It's a GBA SP clone case, obviously. The buttons are a little "sticky" - meaning they don't always work when you press them. On some games, it seems the Start and Select buttons are switched. This is likely either the way the original game was, or is a problem with the ROM. And since this is made to look like a GBA SP - but only plays NES games - the shoulder buttons are basically useless. They function like repeated A & B buttons, so I guess if your A or B stops working, you at least have a back up.
The TV Out I got doesn't work. The video shows up, but there's no sound. I was able to get a second or so of sound by pressing the AV connection in very hard to my TV and wiggling it, so it's probably just a bad cord - but it still ends up with no sound for me.
When the TV out is in use, the screen is blank.
It's also mono. There is only one speaker, and the AV out only has one audio out. So the device is entirely mono. Of course, I am not sure if NES games were ever stereo or not - but this device isn't stereo, I know that.
There's no way to attach any kind of secondary controller, so two-players is not an option, unless you pass the unit back and forth. Also, that means whenever you play on a TV, you have to be close enough to the TV to hold the device as your controller while you play. The cord is pretty long, though, for a cheap AV cord... Maybe 7/8 feet (a little over 2 meters). But it's still pretty close if you have a big screen TV.
The power cord I got was not US compatible. Luckily, the GBA power adapter I had seems to work. No fires so far.
The device does have a nice screen for these games, and the sound, while mono, is sufficiently loud, even when not turned up all the way (and I'm slightly hard of hearing, so that's saying a lot).
There's no battery indicator. The screen just slowly turns to white then the system turns off when the battery is dying.
Basically, this is a one-trick pony. It doesn't have updatable firmware, if doesn't emulate any other systems. It doesn't have a media player or radio. It doesn't play GBA games, or even Game Boy Games. So the "GB Games" it refers to are not Game Boy games, but the games for the device itself, the "GB Station Light II" as it says on the box and the unit itself.
Even the box art lies. I'm not talking about the half dozen images of fully rendered Sonic the Hedgehog and New Super Mario Bros. Wii - but there are 4 NES ROMS pictured on the box, and only 2 of them are actually included.
So, there are not 25,000 games - there is no "All-in-One" functionality, it doesn't play GameBoy games, or GBA games. The vast majority of the ROMs are repeats - and of the games they actually included, some don't work, and most suck.
Don't buy this. Find a better device that does more for less money, and lets you install your own games.
Pros:
It cheap.
It mostly functions.
TV Out is there
Nice Screen
Loud volume
Super Mario Bros. 3
Cons:
*IS NOT A GAME BOY ADVANCE* (I didn't think it was, but some may be fooled)
The Power Cord is not USA compatible, (even when they ship it to the US).
Does not play Game Boy Advance games - or ROMs
Does not play Game Boy Games - or ROMs (despite description claiming "Plays GB Games")
Is not a media player (no mp3/mp4 playback)
about 19,975 repeated games
all games are very old Atari-style games
AV Out audio doesn't work (on mine at least)
Sticky controls
Mono
No Battery indicator
No way to install/upload your own games - you are stuck with the games it comes with and nothing else
Crappy menu
There are just far better portable game systems out there for this price, or less.
http://www.focalprice.com/detail_GT071R.html
(Also called the "GB-300 3.0" 25000 In 1 Large Screen Pocket V Game Console with TV Connecting Function All In 1 Game Card (Red)" from focalprice.com)
In short: Meh - there are better things to spend your money on.... Don't buy this.
Let me start by telling you what this system is - it's basically an NES emulator with a *VERY* limited number of ROMs (games) stuck into a GBA SP style case.
When I say very limited number of games, you may remind me that the description says "25000 in one". That's not even close to true. The unit I got allegedly only had 19,999 games, 9,999 games built into the system itself, and a cart with another 10000. (I don't know about you, but 5001 missing games is a lot.) But the main thing is 99.5% of those games are repeats. Literally. I'd be surprised if there were actually 100 different games.
With the notable exception of Super Mario Bros 3, almost all of the games were very early era NES - back when they were single screen Atari-style games.
For $25, you bet maybe 10 games you're actually going to be able to and want to play. You are far better off buying a system that lets you load you own ROMs, and not get stuck with these limit crappy choices that are very hard to even get to, since you have to go page by page through a list of 10 games at a time. And remember, there actually are 10000 and/or 9999 names to go through. They are not in alphabetical order, or any particular order that I could discern. And at least half of the games are in Japanese - and are games that never game to the US, so you probably won't play them. Another 10% or so are hacks - like Super Mario Bros. 1 with hacked in sprites to try and make it look like SMB3.
Then there's the hardware. It's a GBA SP clone case, obviously. The buttons are a little "sticky" - meaning they don't always work when you press them. On some games, it seems the Start and Select buttons are switched. This is likely either the way the original game was, or is a problem with the ROM. And since this is made to look like a GBA SP - but only plays NES games - the shoulder buttons are basically useless. They function like repeated A & B buttons, so I guess if your A or B stops working, you at least have a back up.
The TV Out I got doesn't work. The video shows up, but there's no sound. I was able to get a second or so of sound by pressing the AV connection in very hard to my TV and wiggling it, so it's probably just a bad cord - but it still ends up with no sound for me.
When the TV out is in use, the screen is blank.
It's also mono. There is only one speaker, and the AV out only has one audio out. So the device is entirely mono. Of course, I am not sure if NES games were ever stereo or not - but this device isn't stereo, I know that.
There's no way to attach any kind of secondary controller, so two-players is not an option, unless you pass the unit back and forth. Also, that means whenever you play on a TV, you have to be close enough to the TV to hold the device as your controller while you play. The cord is pretty long, though, for a cheap AV cord... Maybe 7/8 feet (a little over 2 meters). But it's still pretty close if you have a big screen TV.
The power cord I got was not US compatible. Luckily, the GBA power adapter I had seems to work. No fires so far.
The device does have a nice screen for these games, and the sound, while mono, is sufficiently loud, even when not turned up all the way (and I'm slightly hard of hearing, so that's saying a lot).
There's no battery indicator. The screen just slowly turns to white then the system turns off when the battery is dying.
Basically, this is a one-trick pony. It doesn't have updatable firmware, if doesn't emulate any other systems. It doesn't have a media player or radio. It doesn't play GBA games, or even Game Boy Games. So the "GB Games" it refers to are not Game Boy games, but the games for the device itself, the "GB Station Light II" as it says on the box and the unit itself.
Even the box art lies. I'm not talking about the half dozen images of fully rendered Sonic the Hedgehog and New Super Mario Bros. Wii - but there are 4 NES ROMS pictured on the box, and only 2 of them are actually included.
So, there are not 25,000 games - there is no "All-in-One" functionality, it doesn't play GameBoy games, or GBA games. The vast majority of the ROMs are repeats - and of the games they actually included, some don't work, and most suck.
Don't buy this. Find a better device that does more for less money, and lets you install your own games.
Pros:
It cheap.
It mostly functions.
TV Out is there
Nice Screen
Loud volume
Super Mario Bros. 3
Cons:
*IS NOT A GAME BOY ADVANCE* (I didn't think it was, but some may be fooled)
The Power Cord is not USA compatible, (even when they ship it to the US).
Does not play Game Boy Advance games - or ROMs
Does not play Game Boy Games - or ROMs (despite description claiming "Plays GB Games")
Is not a media player (no mp3/mp4 playback)
about 19,975 repeated games
all games are very old Atari-style games
AV Out audio doesn't work (on mine at least)
Sticky controls
Mono
No Battery indicator
No way to install/upload your own games - you are stuck with the games it comes with and nothing else
Crappy menu
There are just far better portable game systems out there for this price, or less.
