PowKiddy X2
Image: Powkiddy

With the Switch in such high demand, it's inevitable that opportunists will step in and exploit this demand with copycat clones designed to fool less clued-up buyers into thinking they're getting the real deal.

That's clearly the intention of the PowKiddy X2, the latest ARM-based handheld to come out of China. These consoles come in all kinds of shapes and sizes and are generally intended for running emulators, rather than bespoke games.

The X2 follows the Nintendo DS-inspired X18 released by the company last year, and packs an ARM Cortex-A7 quad-core processor that operates up to 1.3 GHz. The 7-inch IPS display has a 1024 x 600-pixel resolution and the whole thing is powered by a 3,000 mAh battery. There's HDMI-out functionality to connect the device to a TV (no sign of a dock, however) and a TF card reader allows you to boost the 32GB of storage.

Two USB ports are included, too – which is a good thing because, despite sporting that famous red and blue colour scheme, the X2 doesn't have removable Joy-Con-style controllers, so you have to connect up PlayStation-like pads when gaming on the TV. Amusingly, the promotional material describes this ability as:

EXTERNAL DOUBLE HANDLE: Three people fight. Meet a small friend and recall your childhood and enjoy a journey to the dark.

PowKiddy X2
Image: PowKiddy
PowKiddy X2
Image: PowKiddy
Powkiddy X2
Image: PowKiddy

In terms of games, we feel sorry for any unsuspecting but well-intentioned parent who picks up one of these in the hope that it will allow their children to play Animal Crossing: New Horizons; instead, the X2 is focused on replicating the performance of vintage systems like the Game Boy, Game Boy Advance, Game Gear, SNK Neo Geo, Capcom's CPS arcade system, NES / Famicom, SNES, Mega Drive and the Sony PlayStation.

If you're a glutton for punishment or just like collecting obscure gaming systems which look like other gaming systems, then head over to AliExpress, where you can pick up the X2 for $80.

Thanks to Jimmy_G_Buckets for the tip!

[source notebookcheck.net]