| Family Pocket GV300S Retro TV Game Console (Second Gen) Price: $29.99 Find it on: Amazon  |
Rating: 9/10
Pros: Cons: |
To properly review the second-generation Family Pocket GV300S Retro TV Game Console, it needs to be put in proper context.
In 2022, I had been given a review unit for the original GV300S first-generation unit, and I mostly found it to be unplayable. The main glaring issue was that the unit came with 308 games, all of which were home brew games that no one had ever played before. There was no ability to expand the library, so the 308 games that you were given were the only games you could play. I had other minor issues with it as well, including the lack of save/load states, and a 3-inch TFT screen that was relatively dimly lit and had poor viewing angles. I ended up giving away the unit after a few days of owning it, and only spending 20 actual minutes playing it because of the disappointing pre-loaded library.
The second-generation GV300S unit has addressed these issues and is actually a unit I plan to hang on to for quite some time as a featured part of my retro-gaming collection. Why? The main reason is the addition of a TF expansion port. The unit ships with a 128MB card, which would be able to hold most fans’ retro NES libraries. I just popped the TF card into my computer and loaded the games I had *ahem* found on the internet. With just a small amount of technical skill, I loaded not only all the original Nintendo games I played growing up, but also was able to put custom graphics so that they would load with the UI. While the UI appears a bit flimsy, the emulator used plays the games quite well and at full speed/true color. In a nutshell, this is basically having a 3-inch mini TV Nintendo that takes up very little real estate on your desk.
Speaking of which, there are two other upgrades worth mentioning. The TFT screen has been updated to an IPS screen, and the difference is significant. The playing experience no longer feels like a cheap gimmick and I’ve actually completed Super Mario Bros. without feeling any eye fatigue because of the above average viewing angles. The other major addition is save/load states. You get 10 save states per game, which is a feature that makes me come back to the unit over and over again since I can pick up where I left off. The exterior otherwise remains the same, and though the unit is $30, the plastic used feels a bit more premium than its price tag. That includes both the mini TV as well as the remote control. They only ship one, so if you’re looking for two-player action, it is supported, but it will cost you an extra few bucks to bring along a friend.
I’ve found two minor drawbacks to the unit that could be remedied if the makers of the GV300S ever decide to do a third-generation version. First, I was disappointed to see that the wireless controller included with the unit required two AAA batteries. It’s a strange feature considering the mini TV is actually a USB-C charged lithium battery. That said, there is minimal input lag on the controller, and the buttons are mapped correctly. While this seems to be a minimum standard, there have been plenty of other retro players that have reversed the A & B inputs, likely to skirt copyright laws. Also, if you are not someone with a baseline technical knowledge and are stuck with the original library of games, you’ll experience the same drawback of the first-gen GV300S. This unit provides even less games (168) than the original, and after sampling some of the stock games, I would’ve once again given away the device had I not known how to customize the unit. It’s also worth noting that the GV300S is strictly an NES emulator. If you are looking for anything outside of this time period (say you want to play the Genesis, for example), this unit is not for you.
But for the $29.99, to have your entire NES library sitting in a charming 3-inch form factor on your desk, it is a welcome distraction and a highly recommended purchase.