Despite the prevalence of retro games on download portals such as Steam, PSN, XBLA and the Wii Virtual Console, many purists will tell you that you simply cannot beat the real thing. No digital service can replicate the reassuring click of a cartridge docking into a system or the authentic feel of original controllers and hardware. The big sticking point here is that vintage hardware is just that - vintage - and no longer in production.
Mercifully, the peculiarities of US patent law means that many illustrious machines from yesteryear are enjoying a timely resurrection, thanks largely to industrious companies in the Far East. Because hardware patents expire after twenty years, it's perfectly legal to create clones of famous retro consoles; the market is full of NES, SNES and Mega Drive impostors, some of which are so versatile that they will happily accept games from all three formats.
Of course, the manufacturers of these devices benefit from two decades of subsequent technological advancement, and are able to offer miniaturised marvels which would have been impossible back in the early '90s. In a special rose-tinted Digital Foundry Retro Face-Off, we've selected two leading lights in the retro handheld arena: The Hyperkin SupaBoy and the Blaze Mega Drive Arcade Ultimate Portable. It's Sega versus Nintendo all over again.

Introducing the Hyperkin SupaBoy

Hyperkin SupaBoy Specs

Pray silence please for what must surely be the largest portable games machine of the modern era.
  • Dimensions: 210x100x38mm
  • Screen Size: 3.5-inches
  • Power Source: 1500 mAh rechargeable battery (2.5 hours battery life), wall charger
  • Media: Original SNES/Super Famicom cartridges
  • AV Outputs: Stereo sound (3.5mm headphone socket), composite TV-out
  • Other Features: Volume dial, LED power light, x2 ports for original SNES controllers

The eagerly-awaited SupaBoy isn't the first cloned SNES portable - the Yobo FC-16 Go precedes it by some margin. However, Hyperkin has a solid reputation in the cloning community, and therefore this device has gained a considerable degree of attention.
With dimensions of 210x100x38mm, the SupaBoy pushes the limits of what qualifies as portable device. The console is massive, effortlessly dwarfing the PlayStation Vita and Nintendo 3DS. Needless to say, you're unlikely to be stashing this in your pocket any time soon, and even popping it into your bag will require serious forethought and planning. It's a monster.
Once you overcome the initial shock of the SupaBoy's size, the experience becomes a little more agreeable. The sheer girth of the device means that individuals with large hands aren't likely to encounter the painful cramp which seems to be commonplace with modern handhelds, and the enlarged d-pad is comfortable and responsive. According to feedback on the web, some of the earlier batches were plagued with problematic pads, but during our play-test we found it to be just as easy to use as an original SNES pad.

Build Quality: The Cloners' Achilles Heel

Overall build quality is somewhat less enticing. The machine looks and feels cheap, and the back of the casing exhibits a frightening amount of flex when pressure is applied. When the SupaBoy is switched on, a startling amount of light from the LCD screen bleeds through the front of the console's grey casing, which looks more than a little unsightly when you're playing in a dark room. Our unit also featured a mark under the plastic screen cover, which appears to be the result of over-zealous glue distribution on behalf of the (presumably underpaid) factory worker who assembled the console. Another issue was that the LED power light on our machine didn't work. The SupaBoy clearly isn't constructed to the same high standards as consoles made by Sony or Nintendo, but then the same is true of pretty much all clone hardware.


http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/df...helds-face-off