Hands On: One Man’s Vision Shaped GBA GameForce CHI Style

If you’re familiar with the myriad of emulation-focused wearables that have been emerging from China in recent years, then Anbernic and Bitt Boy’s work will no doubt already be on your radar. While these are clearly small compared to Nintendo, Sony, and Microsoft, they are still companies with a fair amount of resources at their disposal.

GameForce may seem like a very similar ensemble at first glance, but it’s largely the work of a single person, Gao Feng, a retro gaming enthusiast who has set out to create the perfect emulation-based laptop.

The end result is GameForce CHI, a Game Boy Advance-style handheld that runs the EmuELEC operating system and boasts features like a 640 x 480 resolution screen, WiFi, two analog sticks, and a 3000 mAh battery. Everything works with the Rockchip RK3326, the same ‘system on a chip’ found in many other Chinese handhelds, and it stores emulators and ROMs on MicroSD cards.

At first glance, the GameForce CHI looks very cheap, a fact that doesn’t help with the fairly effective LEDs inside the case, which light up during gameplay (you can change their color or turn them off entirely). The plastic casing is solid enough, but the design is quite childish, while the buttons feel a bit out of place to begin with. However, it is clear that Gao Feng has spent a lot time perfecting the ergonomics on this one, because despite the awkward appearance, it’s actually very comfortable to use. The screen is fantastic too.

It is worth noting that Gao Feng supplied the handheld without any operating systems or games loaded; normally, a MicroSD card is not even included. However, resellers, such as DroiX, who kindly supplied the unit shown here, will include EmuELEC with the device. You still need to get your own ROMs (legally, if possible), of course, but having the operating system out of the box certainly makes things easier.

The emulation of anything before the PlayStation is rock solid, and the GameForce CHI’s beautiful screen and powerful speakers create a very enjoyable AV experience. The D-pad is fantastic too, and we like the fact that it’s positioned high up on the case, above the left analog stick. However, when running things like the N64 and PSP, performance is a bit more hit and miss, as was the case with both the Anbernic R351 and the Retroid Pocket 2.

However, there are some serious issues to be aware of here. The production standards are clearly below what you would expect from other companies; there was dust trapped under the screen in our review unit, and the protective screen above the screen had a print glitch on top, so don’t expect Nintendo-style quality here. Brain-bending button combinations are required to do simple things like exiting an emulator or changing the volume level, and these vary depending on whether you’re in the EmuELEC user interface or in an emulator, which is not ideal.

Because of this, it is difficult to recommend the GameForce CHI over rivals like the R351, but perhaps Gao Feng can develop this concept and produce something that is closer to his vision next time.

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Thanks to DroiX to supply the GameForce CHI unit used in this function.