Table of Contents
Review of the GB Boy Console
Review of the GB Boy Colour Console
In 2002, the company Zengcheng Gangfeng Industrial Co., Ltd. released a clone of the Game Boy Pocket console – the GB Boy. Considering that the Game Boy Advance was released in 2001, it seems that there was no point in releasing a clone of the Game Boy Pocket. However, this is more relevant for developed countries where they are immediately available for sale and cost reasonable money. For poorer countries, such clones remain very popular.
Today we will tell you about the GB Boy console. Despite the fact that this console is no longer available for sale, it can still be bought on the used market, and considering that its price is the same as the original Game Boy Pocket, the question arises: is it worth buying?
GangFeng or KongFeng?
If you look at reviews of this console on the internet, you will find two names: GangFeng and KongFeng. However, on the console's packaging, GangFeng is written everywhere. It seems as if there were two companies releasing the same console. I started to investigate and compared the patents for the consoles. At first, I had a theory that these two names appeared due to online translators. If you insert the Chinese name of the console model 港丰2088B into different translators, they will translate it differently.
For example, Google translates it as GangFeng, while Deepl translates it as KongFeng.
It seemed that the answer was found. But then I looked into the Chinese trademark registry and saw that the company Zengcheng Gangfeng Industrial Co., Ltd. has registered several trademarks. Among them is the name KongFeng.
However, GangFeng is also there. So, it's the same company, but with multiple trademarks. But we should understand that it's the same thing.
Where to Buy?
The biggest problem with this console is that it is very hard to find. I haven't seen it for sale on Avito or Yula, but it is sold in large quantities on Chinese equivalents of these sites. However, the problem is that these are domestic Chinese sites, so it's unlikely that anyone will send the console to Russia. Not to mention that there is no card payment option. Chinese people pay for everything through a phone app. I bought all the consoles through a proxy Yoybuy.com.
Package
The console is packed in a beautiful box.
The package includes:
1. GB Boy console;
2. Box;
3. Manual.
Console Dimensions
The GB Boy is identical in size to the Game Boy Pocket.
Width: 77.6 mm
Height: 127.6 mm
Thickness: 25.3 mm
The screens of the Game Boy Pocket and GB Boy are completely identical. To the point that I was able to buy a backlight kit and install it on the clone.
Usage
The first impression of the console is good. The plastic is of good quality, and there are no complaints. This console does not have built-in games. It can only run Game Boy games.
The main function of the console is gaming. And usually, clones don't handle them very well. Especially if the clones run on emulators rather than real hardware.
This console is a hardware clone of the Game Boy Pocket, and it seems that everything should be fine, but...
There is one problem. This console has a higher frequency quartz crystal of 5 MHz, compared to the 4 MHz in the original console, which causes the games to run in an accelerated mode. That is, in fact, the games and their music are sped up by 20%. And if, say, in Pokémon, this might even be a plus. But in regular arcade games, this is a big minus. And in any case, it's a huge minus, no matter how you look at it.
The buttons feel a bit different. But I can't say that I experience any discomfort.
The GB Boy, like the original Game Boy Pocket, runs on two AAA batteries.
Like the Game Boy Pocket, there are headphone and power supply ports at the bottom.
On the side, there is a network port, and it works.
Flash Cartridges
A distinctive feature of good clones from bad ones is the ability to run flash cartridges. And this clone handles them well. It runs EZ Flash Junior without any problems.
However, I personally had one problem. Considering that I installed a backlight in the console (not by my choice, but because the console I received initially had a burnt-out screen and I had to repair it), and the flash cartridge consumes a lot of power, over time, the console does not have enough voltage to turn on. Although with regular cartridges, you can play just fine.
Epilogue
Is it worth buying this console? Probably not. Of course, you, like me, can add it to your collection, but you definitely won't play it. Yes, a 20% increase in speed is not much, but it's still enough to cause discomfort in games. Although, to be honest, reading information about all the old clones of the console, for example, Bitboy, I saw that many complain about the high speed of the console in games.
