So long, Lenovo’s Game Boy-like handheld; we barely knew you. The PC maker has quietly ended all options to buy its licensed Lenovo G02 handheld—a device that could come stocked with a mountain of illegally sourced games from Nintendo’s back catalogs—in or outside the U.S.
The news comes first from Retrododo, which had been tracking Lenovo’s Game Boy over the last few months. You can no longer find the device for sale on dropshipping sites like AliExpress or Alibaba. After an initial rush of inquiries about its Game Boy device, Lenovo reportedly pulled its name directly from listings, only for more devices to crop up on dropshipping sites bearing the new name “Sunyao G02.” Retrododo reported last month these new handheld listings positioned the Sunyao subsidiary, dubbed a “Lenovo ecological brand.”
The handheld isn’t exactly dead. Simply, Lenovo is no longer allowing its name to be associated with any of these devices. You can find what seems to be the same handheld under a separate brand, Gusgu, with devices still listed on AliExpress. This “Gusgu H7” sells for around $60 with a microSD card included. That hints that these handhelds still come loaded with ill-gotten games.
Lenovo is the world’s largest laptop manufacturer by market cap. With that standing in the PC market, the company normally sets a certain standard of quality across its devices made for the U.S. market, but the G02 was nothing more than a licensing deal for a cheap Game Boy knockoff. Lenovo previously told Gizmodo that such licensed products “may differ from Lenovo products sold through Lenovo’s authorized global channels.” Lenovo added that it doesn’t authorize these licensed, region-exclusive products to sell outside of China and that it doesn’t support trade in pirated games.
It’s not like those who want similar devices have a lack of options. The Gusgu H7, née Lenovo G02, seems like a clone of the Anbernic RG40XXV, with its single thumbstick on the left side. You can find similar vertical, Game Boy-sized handhelds from companies like Retroid, Miyoo, Ayaneo, and many more. We at Gizmodo have been fond of the new Anbernic RG Rotate with its large, square screen that slides out to reveal the typical face buttons and D-pad controls.
Prospective retro gamers are spoiled for choice, and you can find a quality device that fits your needs costing less than $100. A company as big as Lenovo should never associate itself with anything built for game emulation—the term given to programs that run old console and handheld hardware in a software environment. The ever-litigious Nintendo is, in particular, antagonistic toward those who craft emulation software. It would have a field day if it caught a major company dealing in illicit games, even if it were through a white label deal.
At the same time, I can’t help but wonder what a Lenovo-made Game Bay would look like, not just some licensed, white-labeled product made as a cheap cash grab. Lenovo is known for making off-the-wall concepts like its folding Legion Go handheld.
Major gaming companies have completely abandoned the market for cheap handhelds. So if you were looking for a gaming-first device from one of the world’s largest “PC makers,” you’ll need to opt for something that costs close to or more than $1,000. Last year’s Legion Go S with SteamOS now sells for $990 on Best Buy. A top-end Legion Go 2 handheld gaming PC now demands $2,000 after recent price hikes. With so few options, gamers are forced to buy cheap devices from shady Chinese brands.
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