In the past, the release of a new Gamenova model was always accompanied by a groundbreaking launch title.
Just like Pokémon Red /Green is to NP, and Civilization is to NX.
After all, a game console needs to have games to play for people to buy it.
This time was no exception; Gamenova also released a new game along with the new handheld console, GameG.
However... it doesn't really seem like a groundbreaking work.
The pixel-level display characteristic of 8-bit machines, and the equally poor resolution on the small screen.
It's already lost in terms of appearance alone.
It's worth noting that not long ago, Gamenova released Ace Combat, a game that completely and utterly dominates all current action games in the Air Combat genre.
Although the graphics of "Screeps" are rudimentary, its gameplay is groundbreaking, and it's a browser game that doesn't require purchasing or even downloading.
At least at first glance, this new work doesn't seem to have any distinctive features.
The only commendable aspect is perhaps the pink ball on the cover.
The game's main character is Clefairy! The protagonist of " The Legend of Clefairy," a Pokémon that has consistently topped the popularity charts.
"Could it be?!"
The moment the fans saw Clefairy appear, an exciting thought flashed through their minds.
In light of the major renovation of the Pokémon Center at the beginning of the year, everyone suddenly thought of the same thing.
Could this be Pokémon II...?
That's right, it's my " Clefairy's Universal Gravitation "!
"Eat?"
The initial excitement quickly turned into confusion, bewilderment, and a slight sense of loss.
Okay, it looks like it's just a teaser.
Although I'm a little disappointed, I'll still buy it.
As one of the millions of trainers in the world, Ethan naturally bought this brand-new handheld console as soon as possible. Don't underestimate it just because it's an outdated 8-bit machine; Ethan has his own reasons for buying it:
"It's backward compatible with all games on NP, offers a smoother experience, and has longer battery life—of course I'd buy it!"
Even if you don't buy any future releases, just using it to play your own collection of NP games is already worth the price.
Keep in mind that this machine was priced the same as the pre-discount NP model, making it incredibly cheap.
Holding it in his hand, Ethan didn't even need to measure it carefully to clearly feel the difference.
The most significant difference is naturally the change in size.
Just as its name suggests (compact), it really is even smaller than NP.
However, the screen size has not been reduced; it still maintains the same specifications.
This makes its screen bezels much smaller, and visually it really looks like a modern device.
The thickness of the battery compartment is difficult to compensate for, which still makes the body quite thick.
Ethan briefly weighed it in his hand. Having carried the NP all day, he could clearly feel that this new machine was actually lighter than the NP.
It feels light and airy, but not cheap at all. The plastic outer shell has a frosted finish, giving it a premium feel.
The weight has been adjusted, and the center of gravity should feel very comfortable after the battery is installed.
"They say the battery life has been increased several times, and one battery can last all day."
Amazed by its high-quality feel, I quickly emptied out all my NP cartridge collection.
I randomly picked out a classic Pokémon toy and tried inserting it.
Just as GG said, it's perfectly backward compatible, allowing the old version of NP to be replaced seamlessly.
This is actually one of the main reasons why the NPC handheld console was created.
Replacing the chip with an Athena chip was more like a side effect.
In the early years of NP's founding, Lin Lixin and his team were just a small, newly established company that hadn't even acquired Micron yet.
The production of LCD screens and memory chips is outsourced, and the chip manufacturing is also handled by Zilog after the architecture was improved.
During that period, NAND technology was still only on paper, and even though Lin Lixin was willing, he was powerless to bring it to fruition.
This leads to a persistent and awkward problem with NP: capacity.
Without using bank-switching technology, the theoretical maximum capacity of a cartridge is a paltry 64kb.
Want to upgrade to NAND flash memory for a larger capacity?
Yes, but you'll need to add an extra adapter chip to the cartridge.
One unit is fine, but what about ten thousand units? Or a million units?
The extra cost that comes out of nowhere is not a small amount.
In this era where storage is more expensive than gold, developing handheld games with larger storage capacity is the only viable path.
"Okay, it seems like the battery life is actually pretty good."
After all that fuss, Ethan had played all his NPC games, but his battery was still barely below the first bar.
It's clear that this thing is actually quite reliable.
"I almost forgot, there's also a new game."
It wasn't until he caught a glimpse of the shopping bag on the table that Ethan suddenly remembered he had also bought the accompanying copy of " Clefairy's Universal Gravitation." Ethan tore open the plastic wrap and, upon handling it, let out a sound of surprise.
"Ah?"
This cassette tape... is very different.
Visually, it appears to be the same specification as NP cartridges.
Aside from some adaptive changes to the exterior, the overall design still maintains the traditional style.
What truly sets it apart is its weight.
This thing is exceptionally handy.
Before opening the packaging, he thought there was something inside that weighed it down.
It's worth noting that traditional game cartridges never had such a solid feel.
A game cartridge is essentially just a circuit board stuffed inside a plastic casing.
The necessary chips and memory chips are soldered onto it and then connected to the game console via gold fingers.
Logically speaking, these weren't anything particularly weighty. Ethan was already used to the plastic feel of cassette tapes.
But this one is different.
He could clearly feel that the cassette tape was much heavier.
Moreover, its center of gravity is very concentrated.
If you look closely, you can clearly feel that it's like there's a piece of iron stuck to the lower middle part.
The extra weight didn't make the cassette too heavy; instead, it gave it a more upscale feel.
"Perhaps it's to highlight the differences in the new handheld version?"
If that's the case, then this design is surprisingly interesting.
It brings both an improvement in quality and convenience for players.
According to the official description, this new machine uses a different storage technology and is backward compatible with older cartridges, but cartridges developed for NPC cannot be used with NPC.
This method allows you to immediately perceive the difference and avoid making mistakes.
Gamenova, how thoughtful! " Clefairy's Universal Gravitation? What a strange name."
But upon closer reflection, isn't " The Legend of Clefairy " also a very nonsensical and eccentric work?
"Click"
When the cassette is inserted into the slot, you can clearly feel a specially designed micro-switch, which makes a crisp sound.
It is precisely these countless acts of meticulous attention to detail that make up such an excellent machine.
Power on/turn on.
The gamenova logo flashes by, followed by the game's title screen.
Limited by the capabilities of the 8-bit era, Clefairy's Universal Gravitation couldn't have the fancy opening animations of games like Ace Combat.
A background image with vibrant colors and a fresh style is enough.
"Clefairy's universal gravitation"
[Press the start button to begin]
The controls were nothing special; after all, it was just an improved version of NP, and the buttons on this new machine were unchanged. Ethan casually pressed start and waited for the game to load.
Then, a scene appeared on the screen that puzzled him.
[Please hold the device in a suitable position while playing.]
[←Like this][Don't do this→]
Unlike past handheld games, " Clefairy's Universal Gravitation " has a specially designed element like this.
The image shows the official recommended holding posture: hold it upright with the device slightly tilted so the screen is directly in front of your eyes.
"Huh? Is there a specific rule for this?"
Ethan scratched his head, puzzled, but still sat up straight as if to look serious.
"Are you suggesting we improve our posture and avoid hunching over?"
Gamenova is actually pretty good.
After pressing confirm again, Ethan finally saw the game screen.
But... why is it tilted? There seems to be something wrong with the game screen; it's tilted at almost a 45-degree angle.
The originally flat ground has become a sloping hillside.
Clefairy, who should have been standing upright on the ground, was made to look like she was climbing a slope.
This situation is like some kind of bug, like the screen being installed crookedly.
However, Ethan soon realized he was overthinking things.
[Please rotate the device until it is level with the ground, then press button A to confirm.]
"Eat?"
Ethan had a sudden thought: this seemingly unremarkable little game might actually be surprisingly valuable.
He followed the instructions and veered to the right until the ground was level.
Then the scene suddenly flipped, the uphill slope suddenly became a downhill slope, and Clefairy was now facing to the right.
This time, he didn't even need official instructions; Ethan knew what to do on his own. He immediately tilted the aircraft to the left until the ground was level again.
When Ethan pressed confirm again, his suspicions finally came true.
The scene transformed into a U-shaped ramp.
A huge boulder is rolling down the slope.
As Ethan swayed the machine, the boulder actually rolled from side to side.
It felt just like I was actually experiencing a change in gravity!
However, this was only the beginning.
As Ethan slowly increased the tilt angle, he seemed to faintly hear a slight crackling sound from a microswitch.
Then, the handheld console, which had been perfectly balanced, began to shift!
As he tilted the game console to the left, its center of gravity actually shifted to the left as well.
When the cartridge veered to its previously calibrated furthest point, it suddenly emitted a muffled thud, as if something had violently struck the left side of the handheld console, giving Ethan a very noticeable impact.
"Wait, what??"