What happens when you take a $300-ish Chinese arcade machine, cram over 5,000 retro games into it, give it a 15-inch native 4:3 screen, and make the whole thing FOLD?! Today we’re checking out the Samtronic Folding Arcade Machine, which starts around $308 and can go up to about $430 depending on the configuration. It features arcade-style controls, stereo speakers, a rechargeable battery, save states, customizable controls, scanlines, favorites, play history, and 5,018 pre-loaded games. The Pandora Box DX front end makes navigating that massive library surprisingly easy, with quick access to favorites and recently played games.

But is this just another piece of cheap Chinese gaming hardware, or is there actually something worthwhile here? I was honestly surprised by how much I enjoyed this little arcade machine. The 4:3 display looks great for most classic games, but some vertical titles like Donkey Kong don’t display quite right, and there’s no aspect-ratio adjustment. HDMI output also appears to be around 720p, which isn’t especially sharp on a 4K TV, and game volume levels can vary quite a bit. Still, with its folding design, built-in battery, huge game library, and surprisingly decent overall experience, this may just prove that not all cheap Chinese gaming hardware is junk!

MORE INFO: https://www.samtronic.co