Relive '90s Console Gaming With This Ugly New Handheld

Do you still have some old Super Nintendo and Sega Genesis cartridges lying around? If so, you could soon have a way to play those titles portably — granted you're okay with carrying around a ridiculous eyesore.

The Super Retro Champ is big for a reason: it plays original cartridges instead of those illegally downloaded ROMs you have. And to its credit, it makes use of all that extra space. According to Gizmodo, it sports a seven-inch display and what appear to be stereo speakers. It also has an HDMI port so you can plug it into your TV and play using wireless controllers.

But wow, is it ever ugly.

This is not a thing you'd probably want to play on the bus. It's larger than a tablet with about a twentieth of the functionality. It boasts a battery life of five hours, which really isn't all that impressive when you consider its size and the types of games it plays. And the games! You'll need to tote around Super Nintendo and Sega Genesis carts if you want a healthy library of games to play. After all that, it costs $110.

You can get a Nintendo 2DS now for, what — $80? That offers a much more portable form factor, and chances are, the eShop has the types of retro games you're interested in.

Maybe this isn't for everyone. If you're an avid collector of old classics, the Super Retro Champ might appeal to you more than some newfangled handheld. If you're just someone who wants to play some Ice Hockey or Sonic the Hedgehog on the go, however, there are prettier and cheaper ways to do so.

We're not quite sure when you can expect the Super Retro Champ to go on sale. If we get word about a release date, we'll fill you in.