Chinavision CVFH-N03-4G portable emulator indulges your retro gaming cravings

Chinavision's CVFH-N03-4G may not have the catchiest titles, but it does boast an impressive array of emulators to satisfy your on-the-go retro gaming needs -- although we imagine those tiny shoulder buttons would prove irksome after a while. Support includes NES, SNES, Sega Genesis, Game Boy Advance, SNK Neo-Geo and Capcom arcade systems CPS1 and CPS2 -- sorry, no love for Atari 2600 or Commodore 64, here -- all accessible through a menu that in no way, shape, or form resembles Sony's Xross Media Bar. It also plays MP3, MPEG5, FLAC, WMV, AVI, and a few other audio / video formats, and reportedly can function as an e-book reader with text to speech capabilities -- y'know, just in case there weren't enough entities peeved at it being a beacon for ROMs. As for hardware, we're looking at a 2.8-inch QVGA LCD, 4GB internal memory, a mini-SD card slot, and AV out for the television. Buy one for $87.31, three for $83.82 apiece, or if you're feeling generous, pick up 50 for a more generous, undisclosed discount.

[Via Retro Thing]

[(Unverified) Posted Apr 3rd 2009 12:57AM]

looks like a GB micro

[(Unverified) Posted Apr 3rd 2009 12:12PM]

One Chinese gadget rips off EVERYTHING. Other Chinese gadget makers see the bar raised.

[Giga Posted Apr 3rd 2009 12:58AM]

Looks like half a DSlite,

[(Unverified) Posted Apr 3rd 2009 1:06AM]

Looks like my order went through. :D

[(Unverified) Posted Apr 3rd 2009 1:30AM]

LOL...great timing.

[(Unverified) Posted Apr 3rd 2009 9:41AM]

Same here. I'm wondering how/where we will get those NES/SNES games...

[trevr Posted Apr 3rd 2009 9:52AM]

i got a ton of roms for all those systems. back in high school i went on a manhunt for roms

only games i ever legitimately buy are for ps2/3 and wii.

ds, psp, gba, snes, genesis, nes, etc. ALL fall into my domain of piratical rebellion! i cant even r e m e m b e r the last time i payed for a handheld/retro console game! XD and what will obama do about it? nothing i tell you! nothing!! ahahahahah......um... yea... you can tell i havent had my coffee yet.............. =_=

[(Unverified) Posted Apr 3rd 2009 10:07AM]

@Trevor

I hope this comes with a list of sites where I can get those ROMs. When comes to emulator I'm clueless, I couldn't even make the SNES emulator work on my PSP or for my PC. Now I'm giving another shot with this Chinavision thing. Also, I hope Cadillac n' Dinosaurs & Final Fight arcade is playable as well.

[(Unverified) Posted Apr 3rd 2009 1:46PM]

I almost pulled the trigger but some reviews i read (http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.20217) indicate that the SNES and Master System performance isnt up to snuff, playable but not amazingly so. Also id doesnt support the special chips so no MegaMan X3 or Mario RPG ect. That is unless its completely different from the one linked above.

[(Unverified) Posted Apr 3rd 2009 1:12AM]

I'm out of money. Looks like i'm stuck playing NES games on my Ipod touch.

[Frostblade10 Posted Apr 3rd 2009 1:29AM]

Or your computer...

[(Unverified) Posted Apr 3rd 2009 1:32AM]

or your famicom.

[(Unverified) Posted Apr 3rd 2009 4:44AM]

i play them on my Nokia N95 because it has buttons and stuff :P


but i must say it still isn't the same as playing on real gaming buttons like the CVFH-N03-4G has

[r34p3r Posted Apr 3rd 2009 5:12AM]

Good point, G.

Touch and tilt controls can never come close to the efficiency of actual tactile buttons and control methods.

[(Unverified) Posted Apr 3rd 2009 10:26AM]

Or PSP. How do you feel about actual controls and good framerate? Like them? An unhacked PSP is a terrible thing to waste.

[(Unverified) Posted Apr 3rd 2009 10:48AM]

I agree with you guys. There's people everywhere going on about how the iPhone/ipod touch is the big, new thing in gaming, but, honestly, it's overhyped. Sure, they can kill some time, but if I wanted something to play games on, my first choice would be something that has an input method that doesn't involve turning the device upside down or obscuring half the screen with your fingers.

[(Unverified) Posted Apr 3rd 2009 1:40AM]

just buy a psp

[mikeszekely Posted Apr 3rd 2009 1:25AM]

I actually kinda want one...

[Duke Posted Apr 3rd 2009 10:44AM]

Yeah, I'm with you on that. Its a pretty cool little device. The reviews on the Dingoo seem very solid.

[(Unverified) Posted Apr 3rd 2009 1:31AM]

Oh heck yeah I want one!

[(Unverified) Posted Apr 3rd 2009 1:32AM]

That CVFH-N03-4G sure sounds catchy.

But yeah I'd totally recommend a used like-new DS lite on ebay for the same price, only tons better.

[EGOvoruhk Posted Apr 3rd 2009 1:50AM]

Has anyone ever used something like this? If so, how's the emulation speed? I've been using my PSP to play some old SNES games, but would totally pick one of these up if it can play Super Mario RPG at full speed with sound

[(Unverified) Posted Apr 3rd 2009 1:56AM]

I got NES,SNES and NEOGEO emulation on my DS..... playing Samurai Shodown, Metal Slug and everything...

[(Unverified) Posted Apr 3rd 2009 1:57AM]

Yeah, but then you have to spend money on your old/new games, instead of just downloading ROMs.

[(Unverified) Posted Apr 3rd 2009 1:36AM]

i

[(Unverified) Posted Apr 3rd 2009 1:44AM]

dingoo!!!

[(Unverified) Posted Apr 3rd 2009 2:20AM]

Yes, this handheld is more commonly known as Dingoo. This is a decent media player, but the GBA emulator is the only one really satisfying. A SDK is freely available, so if the device is not discontinued too early (like some other Chinese PMPs) there may be hope for a future improvement.

[(Unverified) Posted Apr 3rd 2009 1:47AM]

wow this is a fantastic little device! I love my imported pink gb micro and this would be the perfect gaming device for me, I can play all the old Sailor Moon games and Metal Slug and all kinds of other great games ^^ I will definatly look into getting one of these asap!

[(Unverified) Posted Apr 3rd 2009 1:57AM]

it's a girl! get her!

[(Unverified) Posted Apr 3rd 2009 2:19AM]

This device may look like a GB Micro, but it is significantly bigger.

[skyblaze Posted Apr 3rd 2009 9:42AM]

@shawn

depends on how old she is :P

[(Unverified) Posted Apr 3rd 2009 1:19PM]

@shawn, i lol'd

[hemmy Posted Apr 3rd 2009 2:34AM]

A PSP with CFW can do all those emulators and more.

[grruse Posted Apr 3rd 2009 3:08AM]

Who gives a shit?

A PSP with CFW can also chock doors open, but I don't see you hanging around homewares stores telling people they need a Sony product.

[(Unverified) Posted Apr 3rd 2009 10:15AM]

Also the PSP is twice the size of this thing.

[Duke Posted Apr 3rd 2009 10:27AM]

Good points PW. It gets old having people say another machine can do whatever. We all know that. There are 20 brands of toasters too, and each one makes toast. People like to have choices.

Posters need to stop assuming that we're all so much dumber than them and can't see that other products would do the same tasks.

[(Unverified) Posted Apr 3rd 2009 2:44AM]

its chinavAsion...... duh

[(Unverified) Posted Apr 3rd 2009 3:42AM]

hehehe

[(Unverified) Posted Apr 3rd 2009 3:42AM]

lol

[(Unverified) Posted Apr 3rd 2009 9:50AM]

Yep! That's true... and they reportedly called it "Chinavision" on every other article :D Great stuff there imho

[(Unverified) Posted Apr 3rd 2009 2:50AM]

Is it....legal? like is it licenced by nintendoi to play GBA games or
is it....naughty. BTW i came 999 on a ps blog contest to get to 1000
comments damn. if anyone cares

[(Unverified) Posted Apr 3rd 2009 4:42AM]

So what if it happened to be illegal :P

It's not like some guys from Nintendo would come to your house and take it if it was.

[(Unverified) Posted Apr 3rd 2009 5:55AM]

Never underestimate japaneses!! NEVER! They will send a big pink furry ball of hate to kick your ass.

[grruse Posted Apr 3rd 2009 5:48AM]

This thing is actually attracting a lot of interest in the GP32X dev scene, and looks like it's going to be supported by GP2X distributors in UK & Europe. The manufacturers are actually interested in third party development (very unusual for a Chinese gaming PMP) and the SDK is available.

All this means very good things for homebrew & emu development.

[(Unverified) Posted Apr 3rd 2009 5:56AM]

This thing is really nice and the price is right! A lot more options than the competition.

[ZSX Posted Apr 3rd 2009 6:51AM]

Attractive, cheap, plays ROMs and has an SDK? This looks like a great deal. For me the alternative is something like the HKC Prado which is built on Windows Mobile, but which also has emulators/ media players for all the above, and obviously has a range of WinMo apps, but is significantly more expensive.
http://cn.engadget.com/2009/03/26/engadget-hkc-prado-hands-on/

[(Unverified) Posted Apr 3rd 2009 8:14AM]

the buttons are far not as good, that's problem for a lot devices to be used as emulator

[(Unverified) Posted Apr 3rd 2009 9:06AM]

It plays FLV's? Hello youporn!

[demonicpascal Posted Apr 3rd 2009 10:12AM]

I...want one...??

[trevr Posted Apr 3rd 2009 9:26AM]

please tell me when they say GBA that automatically includes gamreboy [color]

[r34p3r Posted Apr 3rd 2009 9:34AM]

Do want!

[skyblaze Posted Apr 3rd 2009 9:39AM]

buy it now before nintendo and sega let their wonder twin powers activate into the form of a lawsuit :)

[(Unverified) Posted Apr 3rd 2009 9:47AM]

This is the Dingoo A-320 and you can get it from Dealextreme shipped for $1.08 more.
URL (http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.20217)

[Shravan Posted Apr 3rd 2009 2:37PM]

Beautiful. For 85 bucks, you cant ask more. Wish i had 100 bucks with me. I would snag one.

[(Unverified) Posted Apr 3rd 2009 11:45AM]

That's actually quite decent.

[bigcow05 Posted Apr 3rd 2009 3:29PM]

A review of the device:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N-hFui72qWw

[superhobo Posted Apr 3rd 2009 3:51PM]

A PSDs?

[(Unverified) Posted Apr 4th 2009 10:32PM]

it support GB、GBC、GBA、SNES、CPS1、CPS2、NEO and some 3D games the company researched by itself (7days )
we're suuplier of this pmp game player , please visit www.jiongtang.com/blog to see more pictures and specifications

[(Unverified) Posted Apr 6th 2009 10:41PM]

I might get this instead of a DSi. It really shows what a device is truly capable (unlike the AAC shenanigans of the DSi). And at least this plays GBA.

[(Unverified) Posted May 6th 2009 11:31AM]

what is the difference between this chinavision cvfh-n03-4g and the dingoo a-320?

cuz the price a dingoo a-320 is much cheaper than this one