The world of emulation handhelds has given us numerous clones of the Nintendo Game Boy, but Sega systems have been curiously underrepresented. Sure, Anbernic gave us the Saturn-style ARC, but we haven't had all that many devices that take inspiration from Nintendo's bitter '90s rival—until now, at least.
The $99 Game Kiddy Bubble ($99 from MechDIY) is clearly inspired by the Game Gear, Sega's answer to the wildly successful monochrome Game Boy. Released in the early '90s and based largely on the 8-bit Master System hardware, the Game Gear offered a full-colour illuminated screen but suffered from the same shortcomings as the Atari Lynx and NEC PC Engine GT: battery life.
Even so, it was clearly the "best of the rest" and would sell almost 11 million units—small fry compared to the Game Boy's gargantuan lifetime sales, but better than the competition could manage.
If you grew up with this battery-hungry but likeable handheld, then the Game Kiddy Bubble might catch your eye. The design is a close match to Sega's portable, albeit a lot smaller in overall dimensions. It has four face buttons instead of two, and there are four shoulder buttons and two analogue sticks, but little tributes to the Game Gear remain; for example, the green power and red charging LEDs are located in the same place that the three-colour Game Gear logo would be, and the screen bezel mimics the one seen on Sega's device.
The system is powered by the Rockchip RK3566, which is a pretty mid-level proposition in the world of emulation these days but is nonetheless capable of running 8 and 16-bit systems with ease, as well as PSP, N64, Dreamcast and (some) Saturn titles. The lack of grunt means that you're going to find things a little hit-and-miss with anything more powerful than N64, but for NES, SNES, Game Boy, GBA, Genesis, SMS and (of course) Game Gear, this is more than adequate.
The system's 3.5-inch 680x480 pixel screen is lacking a little when it comes to overall brightness, but it's colourful and offers good contrast—it's also a good resolution for handling most retro titles. There's a 4000mAh battery inside, which is going to give you between four and six hours of play, depending on what kind of emulation you're doing.
Special mention must go to the Game Kiddy Bubble's circular D-pad, which is a close match to the 'Sega-style' pads the company was famous for during the majority of the '90s. This 'rolling' pad is fantastic for games which require smooth changes of direction, such as side-scrolling brawlers or one-on-one fighters, but there's slightly less precision when it comes to games that rely more on the cardinal directions, such as 2D platformers. Personally, as someone who grew up with Sega consoles, I think the D-pad is fantastic, but if you were a Nintendo kid during the 1990s, you might be less impressed.
In terms of software, the Game Kiddy Bubbles comes with two options—the amusingly named 'Lovely Child' OS and the more recognisable Emulation Station. You can choose to boot into the latter every time the system is powered up, and it's by far the best choice, in my opinion.
The user interface looks fantastic, and the pre-configured MicroSD card I was sent with the review sample has box art and screenshots. The selection of ROMs is a little odd, however, and like always, I recommend you load up your own library rather than relying on what's provided by the seller.
Game Kiddy Bubble Review: Conclusion
Sega fans will love the Game Kiddy Bubble mainly because it pays tribute to one of the most iconic Sega consoles of all time, the Game Gear. It's a nice size, has a great D-pad and is powerful enough to play most of the best games from the '90s.
As is so often the case with these sub-$100 devices, emulation for more powerful machines—like the PSP, Saturn, N64 and Dreamcast—is inconsistent, but if you're happy to stick with 8 and 16-bit machines, you won't be disappointed.
Sure, the competition at this price point is beyond fierce these days, but the Game Kiddy Bubble sets itself apart by offering a different form factor to its Nintendo-obsessed rivals.
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