Gamerz Tek G 8-Bit: NES Clone Review

To be honest, I’ve always wanted to get into the NES but never really got the chance. It’s pretty much the only major Nintendo console that I never really owned or had any games for and considering it’s still a major part of gaming history, part of me has always wanted it to be a part of my collection.

Problem is, buying an NES nowadays is a bit… risky. The original NES was designed in a way that, while benefitted the console sales-wise and helped bring the console market out of the 1980’s video game crash, made the system in the long run unreliable as pins would bend over time. Of course, there was a second model of the NES made later on known as the NES Jr or NES top loader, which is generally more reliable as it ditched the front-loading design, but nowadays is more rare and expensive to find plus only outputs in RF. I did get the NES Classic Edition about a year and a half ago however, and I do think it is a good tribute to the original NES console… but I still can’t use the original cartridges with it and legally speaking I’m pretty much stuck to the thirty games that come with it. They are 30 mostly good games, but there are other NES games that are worth playing yet aren’t on the system for one reason or another. Plus you also can’t use the original controllers or accessories with it.

That’s where clone consoles come in. Instead of taking a risk of buying a used system that may have problems, certain independent companies have made aftermarket hardware that replicates the NES hardware and allows it to play games from their original cartridges. I remember as a kid I was always really interested in the Retro Duo, a system that took in both NES and SNES games, but I never got it and instead opted for an actual SNES which is still working just fine to this day. Still though, earlier this year I wanted to get more into the original NES and after doing a bit of research, I found a clone console for a really good price of $15. That being the Gamerz Tek G 8-Bit. I decided to order one due to my desire of playing the original NES cartridges and I wanted to talk about it. For clarification this isn’t going to be an NES review and retrospective, I do plan on doing one at a later date, but this post mostly focusing on the Gamers Tek G 8-Bit and how well I think it does as a clone system for a cheap price. 

I did find out that there are two versions of the Gamerz Tek G 8-bit system both available on Amazon. The one I got for $15 only outputs in composite, but there is a version for $40 that does allow for HDMI. Honestly I didn’t even really notice this until after I had already bought the system but I kind of figured that I’m not really playing the NES for top-of-the-line graphics or anything so it was just whatever to me. With the system, you basically get everything you need - the console itself, two controllers, an AC adapter and AV cables, but of course you don’t get a game, those you have to buy separately.

I’ll start by talking about the box, which I find pretty nice for a cheap clone console. It’s really simple and straight to the point - giving you a picture of the system and the title, what more do you really need. And I do like the little motto at the bottom right hand corner saying “Flashback to a Bygone Age.” It definitely fits the nature and audience of the console and really gives you an idea of what you are getting into. The back of the box basically tells you how to hook it up and what you get with it and it also gives you some good advice on playing original NES games and getting them to work, even going as far as giving you instructions on how to clean them. The side of the box also contains that advice and lists contact information for Gamerz Tek along with the promise of a 1 year warranty. Open the system up and you get a PS4. Okay not really but this is actually better.

One thing you do get when you open the box though is obviously the controllers for the system. This system doesn’t come with official NES controllers, but a couple of it’s own, and I gotta be honest… I was really surprised with how good these controllers are. The button layout is practically the same as the original - D-pad on the left-hand side, A and B on the right-hand side and start and select in the middle. The buttons and D-pad themselves feel really nice, it doesn’t feel cheap at all which I feel is kind of a trend with clone consoles, and the design of the controller itself, it is pretty comfortable to hold and I really find myself liking the fact that it has rounded edges as opposed to the original controllers’ rectangular design. The controllers also use the same port as the original NES, so if you want to use the original NES controllers or any of the accessories you can, although I will say that if you were to go out and buy this system, definitely give these controllers a shot before you buy regular NES ones.

As far as the console itself goes, I do quite like the design of the system. It definitely has that “NES” look to it with the little ridges along the top, beige top and gray bottom and buttons plus the lettering in red. I’ll say this, if Nintendo had made a third model of the NES, I could imagine this system being what it looks like. The design itself is rather simple, pretty much just a square with NES-like aesthetics but I do like the look of the system for what it is - how it doesn’t completely stray from the sort of the design the NES originally had. I will say though that the LED on this system is extremely bright. I’m not sure how it compares to the original NES systems but compared to all the other systems I have with LED lights indicating that the system turns on this one definitely shines the brightest and is extremely noticeable. The system itself also feels pretty light which I did kind of expect considering this is a cheap console that I’m pretty sure uses NES-on-a-chip technology. But it’s pretty noticeable when trying to take cartridges out of the system and that kind of brings me to one annoyance with this system I had. Trying to remove cartridges from the system is kind of a pain in the ass, I feel like once you insert the cartridge the system has quite a grip on it and I feel combined with how light the system is I definitely feel like I have to put in a bit of extra strength whenever I try to swap games in the console. I have gotten used to it the more I’ve used this console but if you were to buy this system you would probably notice it right away.

But how well does the G 8-Bit play NES games? Well, as you’ve probably guessed the G 8-bit can play original NES cartridges. I will say that I’m not entirely sure that the entire NES library works with the system but every game I have used with it tended to work fine. I have six NES cartridges in total - Super Mario Bros + Duck Hunt + World Class Track Meet, Super Mario Bros 2, Super Mario Bros 3, Dr. Mario, Tiny Toon Adventures and Tetris. I don’t have quite a huge collection, but all of these did work fine and I was able to get my share of fun out of them.

One thing I did note about this system when playing it on a modern television is that the image quality is… fuzzy. To be fair original NES games were originally meant to play on a CRT screen and I’m not expecting to much from them visually, especially considering this is composite-only and from what I can tell the HD version does do a better job of upscaling the games for HD televisions, but I think it is worth mentioning that when just using the regular G 8-bit with an HD television the image quality isn’t exactly great. The backgrounds tend to have banding and it’s quite noticeable particularly when the backgrounds are just a single solid color and in many cases I felt the colors of the sprites sort of blend in with each other especially where there’s little contrast in between the colors. I’m not personally much of a videophile or anything, if these games just work on my television I’m fine, but for those who want to get the best video quality possible out of NES games… this will definitely not please them in the slightest.

The sound quality also isn’t quite perfect. I don’t think it’s quite enough to really ruin the classic soundtracks of the game, it’s definitely not as bad as say, the AtGames Sega Genesis models, but again if you really want the best quality out of your NES games, this system might not quite satisfy you. The tunes are just slightly off, with some notes and stuff sounding slightly different than I would assume they would on a regular NES. I can still enjoy the music of the NES games no problem, but it definitely isn’t a 1:1 sound translation. I also did notice a very slight static sound in the background on the G 8-bit, especially when the games were completely silent - not a huge deal, but may slightly bother you.

To give you an idea of the G 8-bit’s image quality and sound quality, I decided to upload a short video with a comparison between the G 8-bit and the NES Classic Edition. Unfortunately I don’t have a capture card and can’t directly record video or sound off the consoles themselves, and therefore the quality might not be great, but it should give you an idea. You also may need to turn up your volume to hear the video. Anyway however,

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EzziWfGQTok&feature=youtu.be

I definitely find the NES Classic Edition to have the better image quality plus the music to be closer to what the original system had. However, this isn’t too surprising - the NES Classic Edition is after all an official Nintendo product whereas the Gamerz Tek G 8-bit is a $15-$20 clone console.

It may seem like the Gamerz Tek G 8-bit is an inferior alternative to an original NES or the NES Classic Edition. But… here’s the thing. I think the reason these types of consoles exist is that there is a niche market for them. It’s pretty much a cheaper alternative to picking up a used system with all the risks that come with that, and to those who have their old NES cartridges but no longer have a working system or for those who want to collecting for the NES library and whatnot… the Gamerz Tek G 8-bit really isn’t a bad deal. I mean, I paid $15 for it and I felt like I got what I paid for. The price has gone up a bit, now it seems to be around $20 with the HD variant being $40, but regardless, for that much money, you basically get the chance to play the entire NES library - one that’s full of classic, memorable games. Some can say that it’s preferable to stick to the NES Classic, the Switch Online’s NES library or even just emulation, but… I dunno. There’s still something about collecting the original cartridges and accessories that just adds to the charm and being able to play games from their original cartridges has always just felt more natural to me. I know that’s an extremely subjective feeling but, to those who do see appeal in collecting the original cartridges, it is still nice to have a cheap option to collect NES games.

Do I recommend the Gamerz Tek G 8-Bit? That… honestly greatly depends. If you want to just play the original NES games, I would probably suggest the NES Classic Edition or the Switch Online’s NES library. And if money isn’t really a concern for you I would definitely recommend buying the Analogue NT or retroUSB AVS especially if you care about image and sound quality. But if you just want a console that plays the original NES cartridges for a good price… I think the Gamerz Tek G 8-Bit is a perfectly fine option. This was a bit of a shorter review of mine, but I think that’s really all I needed to say. And if you were expecting a complete retrospective of the NES and it’s library… I would suggest waiting for my NES Review and Retrospective.