i bought a SupaBoy (a review & experiment)

[bomberpunk]

last week i impulse-bought a SupaBoy since they were $15 off at Stone Age Gamer. it came in the mail yesterday. after reading/watching some reviews, i wasn't expecting much from it. and i'm still not, as they supposedly die out within the first week of use.

 

damn this thing is huge for a portable. i would need some MC Hammer pants to actually fit it into my pants pocket. the system is very lightweight especially for its size.

 

surprisingly, the thing worked right out of the box without having to charge the Lithium Ion battery (which you have to install yourself, simple enough though). before fully charging the battery for its first time, i'm going to drain it dead. i've read that if you do this, you maximize the lifespan of your battery (regardless of it being a SupaBoy, a Nexus 7, electric razor, etc).

 

so i dug through a box of SNES carts and tried a couple, then when i pulled out Street Fighter Alpha 2 i figured it was a good game to stick with as i experiment with the system; playing until the thing dies for good. yesterday i did two run-throughs; first as Ryu then as Charlie (man, his ending sucked). and then everyday life got in the way.

 

so one thing i noticed is that the buttons are responsive as shit. the D-pad, however, is kinda wonky for diagonals and you will be able to perform your semi-circle Hadouken/etc attacks maybe once every 5 tries if you're lucky.

 

unfortunately, my system suffers from the widely-reported light buzzing noise, but you really don't notice unless you have the volume past 66(ish) percent. the speakers are really loud so i don't have a need for maximum volume.

 

today i will be playing the hell out of the system, mainly because i want to make sure it will last, and also because my SNES is all boxed up (currently converting my man-cave into my baby girl's nursery, she's coming in early November).

 

i own a Nexus 7 tablet and have dozens of SNES roms on it, and while the SupaBoy isn't an official N product and has its flaws, it's so much better to be able to use real buttons in a portable setting. so far, i'm leaning more towards recommending this little gadget (unless you are a Shmup buff or VS Fighter buff and rely on a lot of diagonal movement).

 

plus i can play the original Super Mario Kart on the john. and that, my friends, is kinda like a little piece of heaven.

[goldenegg]

You should charge the battery and then run it down after that. Don't drain it completely for its first use.

[fiddlepaddle]

I've had one for (maybe?) a year. I like it and it still works fine.

[goldenegg]

plus i can play the original Super Mario Kart on the john. and that, my friends, is kinda like a little piece of heaven.

 

I think it's important to call out that this statement may be one of the best posts on this site ... ever!