Should you buy a Hyperkin Smartboy Game Boy Game Adapter? A RoXolid Review

Retro gaming is all the rage right now and the folks at Hyperkin really push the envelope. From NES, SNES, Genesis/Mega Drive, Master System, Famicom, Super Famicom and other systems Hyperkin has continued to develop amazing pieces of tech. One such amazing piece of tech started as an April Fools gag, and I’m of course talking about the Smartboy.

The Smartboy attaches to an Android-powered phone equipped with a USB-C port and allows you to play physical Game Boy and Game Boy Color cartridges directly on your phone. While you can play these games on your phone you do not play the cartridge itself. The Smartboy borrows inspiration from Hyperkin’s own Retron 5 system as the cartridge has its ROM dumped onto local memory on your smartphone. This process works decently, however the load time can vary depending on the size of the game itself. It is for this very reason that the Smartboy ONLY plays Game Boy and Game Boy Color games, Game Boy Advanced games were deemed too large and took too long to download the ROM to the phone. This, to some, can limit the appeal of the Smartboy.

Once you have downloaded the 2 free apps and connect the cartridge the Smartboy does a good job playing games. There is a little bit of latency added with the Smartboy, odd for a device which connects physically to your phone via USB-C. Here’s the thing, USB-C is faster than Micro USB and a physical connection should be faster than Bluetooth. On some games this caused more issues than others, most noticeably playing platformers.

Overall the Smartboy played everything I threw at it except for Donkey Kong Country. We’ve reached out to Hyperkin and they have acknowledged that the Smartboy doesn’t have 100% game compatibility as the hardware depends on 3rd party software, namely the MyOldBoy! app. This is one instance where having software developed separately truly hurt the performance of the hardware.

At $50 the Smartboy is an inexpensive novelty. My issue comes from being able to buy the real hardware with 100% game compatibility for under $30. If the Smartboy had better compatibility, better latency and the software was less of an afterthought I could possibly recommend trying it. But for right now it doesn’t feel like the Smartboy is ready for primetime and it cannot replace my Gameboy Advance SP for portable gaming. I hope Hyperkin continues to work on development as there’s a lot of potential here, but people don’t buy potential; they buy finished product.

Why it RoX:
Has an “Oh wow” factor when you see it
They actually did it
Allows you to play physical cartridges on your smart phone
Amazing sound and video quality
Replaces crappy touch screen controls with decent feeling physical controls

What could be improved
While the hardware is nice the software feels like an afterthought
You can’t see all the on-screen options on the MyOldBoy! App, leaving the user to guess at selections.
USB-C and Android only limits market penetration
Load times on GBC games can be loooooooong
No support for GBA
No official emulation support
You can get the real hardware for less


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Should You Buy a Gamerz Tek 8Bit HD NES Clone Console?

There are a ton of different options out there these days for playing classic and retro Nintendo Entertainment System games and we, as game players, reap the benefits. The latest console we had a chance to test out is the Gamerz Tek 8Bit HD console, which we recently unboxed. This system is a true clone, no emulation, and plays real genuine NES cartridges. How does the Gamerz Tek 8Bit HD measure up? Were there any issues with compatibility? How do games look and sound on this sub-$30 console? Should you buy one? Watch to find out.

Why it RoX?
Awesome value for the money
2 Controllers, and they're usable!
Great games compatibility
Good color palette
AV and HDMI output
Small size

What could be improved?
The audio is off and it's distracting
AV out is mono not stereo
Power is a barrel-style connector, not Micro USB
The plastic design is a little uninspiring


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RoXolid Review- Spigen Slim Armor Case for the Samsung Galaxy S6

   

     You have a nice, new, shiny smart phone, you know, the kind with ALLLLLLL the bells and whistles? 47,000,000MP camera, 1.21 Gigawhat battery, a personal assistant that says "Hi" to you in that all too seductive way? You're not going to just run around with that thing naked all day, are you? Of course not, but you also don't want to have your ultra-thin smartphone as thick as your last-generation smartphone. In working on our upcoming review of the Samsung Galaxy S6 we wanted to make sure all that gorgeous glass and aluminum was protected. That's where the Spigen Slim Armor Kickstand case comes into play.



RoXolid Review Specs
Who Makes It - Spigen
What Is It - TPU and Polycarbonate Kickstand Case
Colors - Blue Topaz, Champagne Gold, Gunmetal, Mint, Shimmery White
MSRP - $29.99

RoXolid Overview
     I ended ordered two different colors of the Slim Armor cases, one in Gunmetal and one in Blue Topaz. Both arrived in days, actually a day earlier than anticipated and before the Galaxy S6 was released. I was a bit disappointed that the kickstand "nub" on the Gunmetal kickstand was actually broken out of the box. No worries though as a quick email to Spigen resulted in a replacement (actually 4) being sent out. That's great customer service!

   

 The Slim Armor Case is made up of two different components. The first is a soft, rubbery inner shroud made of TPU (Thermoplastic Polyurethane) which is then surrounded by a hard molded piece. I was shocked when I pulled the TPU and the molded parts apart and the kickstand just fell out.



While it may appear that the kickstand snaps into the molded back it actually just rests there. When the phone is in the TPU and the back is on the pressure fit of the phone keeps the kickstand in-place. It seemed a bit odd but we'll see in-testing if it works or not.

Along the sides of the case Spigen has done some really nice design work. The volume up/down buttons and the power button are all nice and large. Often with TPU-style cases they are more worried about covering things than they are in maintaining functionality. With the Slim Armor it appears you will have the best of both worlds here.

Along the bottom of the case you have a generous opening for your headphone jack, USB and speaker. One of my biggest complaints about TPU cases I have bought online is that, while the earphone jack accommodates the stock headphones I can't plug in my good Sennheiser headphones in because the jack shielding has too large of an outer diameter. I'm pleased to report that should not be an issue here with the Slim Armor as the opening is pretty generous and should work with many headphones, not just your stock Sammy ones.  

RoXolid Testing

      There are a ton of ways to test a cell case. There are drop tests, scratch tests, throw your phone off the roof like an idiot test but for this test I thought "hey, why don't I just use it", so I did. Before I left the store with my shiney new precious I put the Slim Armor on it. The fit couldn't have been any better. It was snug enough that I didn't feel like the phone was going to fall out but I could also remove the phone if need be quickly and easily. I even discovered that I could remove the phone from the case without removing the molded backing in a pinch.
   
     The volume and power buttons on the Slim Armor are really one of the shining spots on this case. They protect the buttons without inhibiting your access to them. I could easily feel my way along the case to raise or lower the volume or turn the phone on or off without having to look and search for them on the phone. At least for the most part. Coming from a Note 3 the Galaxy S6's power button is in a different location so I find myself reaching higher on the phone to power it on or off, but that's me just having to get used to the phone versus a defect or problem in the case.

     The one area that I have to admit being a little less than sold on it is the kickstand itself. The design isn't bad, it's quite ingenious actually. It's just not as rock solid as the rest of the case feels. I've used other phones and cases with kickstands and they just feel more robust. This one feels like it's resting between a piece of TPU and molded composite which, frankly, it is. It's functional and I haven't had any issues using it, I just wish it felt more solid.

RoXolid Wrap-Up
     At the end of the day I would honestly recommend the Spigen Slim Armor Case to anyone, not only with a Galaxy S6 but with any phone that the company makes one for.It is a great blend of materials and functional design that doesn't leave you feeling like you've buried your phone in something hideous. While it was disappointing that one kickstand was broken out of the box I was very impressed by how well Spigen handled my issue and sent out not just one replacement but several. This was my first experience with Spigen and after this experience it won't be my last. At almost $30 on the Spigen site it may be a little much for a TPU-based case but there are deals to be had for the savvy shopper out there. You invest a lot of money in a smart phone, you should spend a little coin to protect it too and with the Spigen Slim Armor you definitely get what you pay for!

RoXolid Rating
Value - 7
Quality - 9
Performance - 9 
Overall - 9    

Allow Me to Re-Introduce Myself...

     For the first time in years I am returning to the world of Blogging. Previously I had blogged about my first steps in the world of RC Flying “The Runway”. It was a fun experience that truly helped me broaden my horizons and develop a deeper appreciation for RC. I also spent some time working with the awesome group at the now-defunct webOSroundup.com, creating content based on Palm/HP webOS-based smart phones. My desire to create content is what has lead to my newest independent endeavor, RoXolid Studios. Under the RoXolid Studios banner we'll have this blog, RoXolid Tech along with other social media sites, but I'll get into more detail on that in a bit. 

     My vision for RoXolid (pronounced Rock Solid) Tech is that this will be about all things tech and more that I geek out about. Sure, I'll have posts covering RC Cars, trucks, boats, planes and, yes, maybe even some of those scary “DRONES” (OK, they’re quads and multirotors, I know, I know) but I’m also going branch out and post some cool info on the latest gadgets out there.  Cameras, tablets, smartphones, hell I may even throw in a movie review here and there!
     
     From how-tos, insights, micro-reviews, event coverage and more I’ll be blogging about it. Because posts will be made more on-the-fly I apologize in advance for any typos, incorrect supposition use or otherwise butchering the English language. I’ll do my best but I am sure things will slip through.

     Now some of you may be reading this and wondering why am I creating a blog? Does this mean I am no-longer an employee of Horizon Hobby? To get this out of the way I am employed by Horizon Hobby, however RoXolid Tech is in no way affiliated, sponsored by, endorsed by or in any other way connected to Horizon Hobby, LLC. This site, and those affiliated with it, represent my views and opinions only.

     There will be a number of ways you can follow along as I go. I’m working on designing pages for posting to Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Google+ .  You can also email me too, you know, if you're into that sort of thing and all. 

     With all of this out of the way keep your eyes peeled as I have some cool stuff planned. Some early reviews/write-ups/videos will include the Samsung Galaxy S6, the Hyperkin Retron5 console and the Pro-Line Racing Pro2 SC. Like I said, I’m going to cover quite a few different tech avenues via this blog so without further adieu...