Portable X12 1100+ games console with TV output - test, interior, construction

Here's another nostalgic gadget, this time a little more expensive as it was bought for over £100 - the X12 console offering a 5.1" colour display, AV output and compatibility with retro games from platforms such as NES and GBA. In addition, the whole thing can act as a video and music player (MP3 and MP4 formats). Of course, with the option to upload your own files and games. The set comes with USB cables (for charging), RCA cables (TV connection) and headphones, and the games are on the SD card that is already in the console.

A manual is also included, which outlines, among other things, how games can be added:

The console is handy and flat, although the buttons walk a little more clumsy than I recall them from pads from, say, Pegasus. On the top edge, in addition to the standard buttons, charging input, audio/video output and SD card slot, we also have a volume control.

On start-up, we are greeted by a menu of selected games. You may get the impression that there are not that many titles here at all, but nothing could be further from the truth - you just have to enter the games folder.

Indeed, there are a good 11,000 files, even with the repeats it's still a lot of fun.

I tested a few games. The gameplay can be saved, this is a functionality of the emulator, not the game itself.

The games look okay, there are titles I remember from my childhood, Contra, etc. The only thing to keep in mind is that these games no console software interpolation reaches - and there may even be Japanese....


The viewing angle of this screen doesn't knock it, but all in all, who would look at an angle?

You can also access files via the menu, you can play sound files, videos, text files, etc:


Time for a test with the TV:

Works, although you need to enable TVOut - PAL and NTSC modes are supported.


Just a moment, a moment... as a bit of fun, I switched myself to PAL mode with no TV connected, and still the image disappeared from the display and nothing could be done, I had to switch the console off and on. Potential pitfall.

Time to look inside:

You can see that some version of this console had a camera. There are the pads. In addition, you can see the power section, memory, main processor and RAM. In addition, there are inverters next to the processor to ensure the correct low voltage for its operation.
One of the inverters - the B11G8.

Next to the speaker is an audio amplifier - LM4890, 1 W:

29F64G08CBABA is a 64 Gb NAND flash memory which is 8 GB. As seen on the case.

D5116AGTA-6B-E is SDRAM, 512 Mb.

And then there's the main SoC - the ATJ2279B.

The ATJ2279B is a highly integrated SoC based on a 32-bit RISC core up to 450 MHz, with integrated GPU, video engine and DDR/DDR2/Mobile DDR memory controller. Provides high performance with low energy consumption.

The chip supports video decoding up to HD, recording up to 720p and multiple audio and video formats. It offers HDMI, CVBS, YPbPr, 5.1 audio, SPDIF and I2S outputs and LCD interfaces with touch support.

The ATJ2279B features USB 2.0 HS with OTG, NAND Flash controllers with ECC, SD/MMC and a rich set of interfaces (I²C, SPI, UART, IR), enabling Wi-Fi, LAN and Bluetooth support.
An integrated power management unit makes it a complete 'all-in-one' solution for multimedia devices.

It will be interesting to see if the console will run without a battery (I disconnected it after unscrewing the case), with USB power, yes:

Battle City, this title I think I knew as Tank 1990.
It draws about 0.2 A at 5 V:


In summary , this console is somewhat low quality, but it gets the job done. At a discount you can buy if you care about older titles. Pros:
+ it worked without batteries (there was a warning for a while)
+ many games
+ output for PAL/NTSC
+ SD card support, you can catch up
+ can also play movies, etc.
Minuses:
- one speaker (although with these games, does it matter?)
- clumsy handling
- no normal menu for games
- when I switched to PAL, the picture disappeared, and I lost the ability to return to the display, only a restart helped
- after each restart the volume is full
A side observation: I started the Contra game from the menu and had infinite lives. Is this a plus or a minus? Probably a ROM issue, this one had the lives unlocked.
It would probably have been worth making a copy of the card's contents after purchase, or even transferring it to a higher quality card, as the manufacturer probably saves on whatever it can.
Whether it was worth it - I leave the decision for you. Have you tested this console, or do you know of a better alternative at this price?