DY14 Arcade Game Machine and Power Bank
Jul. 29th, 2024 09:36 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
chuckroAnother variation of the power bank handheld, as opposed to the Game Console Power Bank DY19 that I previously reviewed. This one was the same price ($30 on AliExpress) but overall delivered less value.
Most notably, this one is a horizontal handheld, which I like better than the vertical ones when all else is the same. It has six face buttons instead of any shoulder buttons (that are remappable, but pretty much all incorrectly mapped by default), and both an analog stick and a d-pad. It doesn’t have the metal bottom and the shell is a different plastic (making it pretty comfortable to hold), but it does have the two built-in charger cables (USB-C and lightning), a USB-C port to charge the device and a USB-A port for output. Plus there are two micro-USB ports for controllers, and a A/V out port for RCA cables so you can hook this up to a TV. So you could use this as a mini game box if you wanted.
(As a side note, I’m guessing there’s an abundance of bottom-of-the-line game controllers with mini-USB plugs available in China; a lot of low-end devices that want to double as TV game boxes seem to have them as the controller option. The PowKiddy X39 Pro is the only handheld device I can think of that had full USB-A ports intended for controllers.)
Unfortunately, it’s otherwise not great. Like the DY19, it plays NES, SNES, GB, GBA, MD and various arcade systems. The controls are mushy and the buttons aren’t terribly responsive; sound is stuttery and for some SNES games it just cuts out all together, while the speed of emulation changes periodically. Not that the emulation on the DY19 is fantastic either; this is just mediocre in a different set of ways—and the fact that lousy buttons make it harder to play arcade button-mashers counts extra on the negative side, because it’s not like you’d play a big rpg on either of these devices.
And finally, as near as I can figure, it only holds about 3000 mAh. (The box claims 4000 mAh, which is honestly still small given the size of this.) The DY19 has a bigger battery (claims 6000 mAh, probably really 4000 mAh) but is still a more compact form-factor. This is bigger and more angular; it’s not going to fit in one of my random generic cases and it’s less comfortable just rattling around a cango pants pocket. It’s also just as janky in terms of gameplay, and while it lacks the TV box feature, nobody’s going to use that anyway.
As an example of use: I brought the DY19 with me on a ski trip, because it fit neatly in one of my pockets and doubled as both an extra battery for my phone (cold and bad reception tend to drain it fast) and a bit of spare entertainment. When I was done skiing, I played Tetris and some arcade beat-em-ups in the lodge while waiting for my son to finish his ski lessons. It was more convenient than having two objects (a spare battery and also a small handheld) especially since the charging cable is built in so it can’t get lost. And it’s cheap, so I don’t really care if it gets lost or damaged (as opposed to a $100 handheld that I’d be upset to crack on a fall). I also brought it to a camping event, where it served the same purposes. The DY14 is overall worse in either scenario.
Overall: Disappointing! The DY19 is a better choice if you want the combo battery/handheld.
Most notably, this one is a horizontal handheld, which I like better than the vertical ones when all else is the same. It has six face buttons instead of any shoulder buttons (that are remappable, but pretty much all incorrectly mapped by default), and both an analog stick and a d-pad. It doesn’t have the metal bottom and the shell is a different plastic (making it pretty comfortable to hold), but it does have the two built-in charger cables (USB-C and lightning), a USB-C port to charge the device and a USB-A port for output. Plus there are two micro-USB ports for controllers, and a A/V out port for RCA cables so you can hook this up to a TV. So you could use this as a mini game box if you wanted.
(As a side note, I’m guessing there’s an abundance of bottom-of-the-line game controllers with mini-USB plugs available in China; a lot of low-end devices that want to double as TV game boxes seem to have them as the controller option. The PowKiddy X39 Pro is the only handheld device I can think of that had full USB-A ports intended for controllers.)
Unfortunately, it’s otherwise not great. Like the DY19, it plays NES, SNES, GB, GBA, MD and various arcade systems. The controls are mushy and the buttons aren’t terribly responsive; sound is stuttery and for some SNES games it just cuts out all together, while the speed of emulation changes periodically. Not that the emulation on the DY19 is fantastic either; this is just mediocre in a different set of ways—and the fact that lousy buttons make it harder to play arcade button-mashers counts extra on the negative side, because it’s not like you’d play a big rpg on either of these devices.
And finally, as near as I can figure, it only holds about 3000 mAh. (The box claims 4000 mAh, which is honestly still small given the size of this.) The DY19 has a bigger battery (claims 6000 mAh, probably really 4000 mAh) but is still a more compact form-factor. This is bigger and more angular; it’s not going to fit in one of my random generic cases and it’s less comfortable just rattling around a cango pants pocket. It’s also just as janky in terms of gameplay, and while it lacks the TV box feature, nobody’s going to use that anyway.
As an example of use: I brought the DY19 with me on a ski trip, because it fit neatly in one of my pockets and doubled as both an extra battery for my phone (cold and bad reception tend to drain it fast) and a bit of spare entertainment. When I was done skiing, I played Tetris and some arcade beat-em-ups in the lodge while waiting for my son to finish his ski lessons. It was more convenient than having two objects (a spare battery and also a small handheld) especially since the charging cable is built in so it can’t get lost. And it’s cheap, so I don’t really care if it gets lost or damaged (as opposed to a $100 handheld that I’d be upset to crack on a fall). I also brought it to a camping event, where it served the same purposes. The DY14 is overall worse in either scenario.
Overall: Disappointing! The DY19 is a better choice if you want the combo battery/handheld.
