The market for handheld game consoles is stagnating, most of the participants in the segment slowly and quietly left it. This primarily concerns Sony with its notorious PSP and other little-known companies. The same companies that are still trying to break into this niche are held only by a huge loyal audience and high-profile game projects that are exclusive to manufactured gadgets. In the iPad era, such narrow-minded solutions are doomed to failure, and their place will be taken by cheap and affordable devices, such as the EXEQ Set 2 game console.
Market positioning
Immediately it is worth noting that the monitored gadget is not some unique development. EXEQ Set 2 is generally not much different from a classic budget Android smartphone. The main difference is the case, similar to the compact game consoles of renowned manufacturers, as well as a number of software and hardware features that still deserve special attention. To a greater extent, the review of the console EXEQ Set 2 is aimed at those who are not too biased about gaming gadgets or take a toy for a child.
Equipment
This set-top box, as well as other models of the series, comes in a compact white box. In addition to the console itself, in the kit you can find:
- Charger (a power supply with an atypical connector is used, but it is not necessary to use the power supply).
- Cable from USB to mini-USB (used both for recharging and for synchronizing data with a computer).
- Inexpensive stereo headset.
- USB On The Go cable for connecting additional peripherals (keyboard, mouse or gamepad).
- Instructions for working with the device and other documentation.
Case, materials
- Dimensions: 85 by 190 by 15 millimeters.
- Weight: 232 grams.
Here, without frills, visually the gadget is not much different from other similar devices, including the PlayStation Portable. The prefix comes in two colors: white and black. Both versions have a glossy plastic surface that will collect true stories, prints and many small scratches. After a couple of trips in a backpack with other things, the console will quickly lose its presentable appearance. The gadget has recesses on the side faces for a more comfortable grip in the "playing position".
Controls, body parts
Most of the front panel is occupied by the display. On the left side are located: analogy stick, four arrow buttons for moving in games. There are two indicators above the joystick. One of the indicators is responsible for displaying the availability of power (it lights up even if the display is off), the second indicator indicates whether the charger is connected. On the right side of the console there is another analog stick for controlling the camera and four buttons for performing various actions in games. Also on the device there is a main camera for those who like to capture the moment and a front camera for communication via Skype and its analogues.
All wired interfaces and system keys are concentrated on the upper edge of the device, they include:
- Device power button.
- Button to reset to factory settings (activated with a special paper clip).
- Connector for mini-USB.
- Connector for mini-HDMI (using the adapter, you can connect the set-top box to a TV or modern monitor).
- Two headset jacks (you can listen to music or watch a movie together).
- Keys for volume control.
On the bottom of the device is a slot for a memory card. The side faces are empty.
Display
The console is equipped with a display built on the basis of the Twisted Nematic + Film matrix. TN matrices themselves are not of high quality. The brightness margin is affected, the color rendering is faded, viewing angles are not maximum. But the Film prefix is not just here - it is an additional layer used to increase the viewing angle to 150 degrees. In general, provided that the user will spend most of the time in games, these characteristics are quite enough. With long reading, web surfing or watching movies, such a display will cause rather unpleasant emotions (especially in comparison with the same iPad and other devices with Full HD displays). The diagonal of the display is 5 inches, and its resolution is 800 by 480 r, from which the picture looks grainy, and free-standing pixels are very striking. Instead of glass, plastic is used as a coating, so working with the touch panel is subjective, uncomfortable. But this can have a positive impact on shock resistance.
Of the advantages, it is worth highlighting the “zero” display depth. Unlike many other gadgets where the display is recessed into the case, in EXEQ Set 2 it is located on the same level with it, which positively affects the perception of the content being played (especially games).
CPU
Portable Game Console EXEQ Set 2 comes with the Cortex A9 chipset. Two cores are present, the frequency of each of them is 1500 megahertz. In general, performance is enough to run simple games. More complex ones, such as Asphalt 8 or Dead Trigger 2, also work, but the frame rate often drops below normal. Slight slowdowns and "lags" are noticeable in many serious projects developed for Android. In classic games, these are not observed.
Memory
Under the hood of this baby, only 1 gigabyte of RAM was found, which is not enough for smooth operation of the operating system, let alone work under load.
The amount of main memory is only 8 gigabytes, but the situation can be corrected by installing a memory card in the device. On it you can store games that are launched through the emulator and various kinds of media content (cards up to 32 gigabytes are supported).
Autonomy
The console has a capacious battery, the volume of which is 2800 milliampere-hours. On a full-fledged gaming day, it will not be possible to stretch it, but it will definitely be possible to kill a couple of hours on the road or at home. When working on the Internet or reading, the operating time from one charge can be extended to 6-7 hours.
Software component, gaming features
And here is the most interesting part of the console. The gadget runs on the fourth-generation Android operating system. Thanks to a fairly fresh version of the platform, the manufacturer managed to achieve high smoothness in the system itself. No visual and programmatic changes were made, “clean” Android, but many emulators and games from the Google Play Market are preinstalled.
On the hard drive of the console, you can find emulators of old game consoles, such as: NES, GBA, Nintendo DS, PlayStation One and PSP. Yes, you can play hits such as Crash Banicoot or Dino Crisis, wiping away the tears caused by memories from youth. These games do not need to be installed, all that is needed to run them is to upload an image (of which there are many on the Web) to the device and turn on a suitable emulator. Thanks to this approach, an inexpensive portable console can easily replace expensive solutions like those made by Sony or Nintendo.
It is also possible to install games from the Google Play Market. Most modern game projects are supported by the gadget, and those that use touch control can be reconfigured to physical organs using the built-in EXEQ Set 2 utility.
Among other things, the console supports all modern standards of video and audio (including audio files without loss of quality), as well as the most popular e-book formats.
Reviews
User opinion regarding EXEQ Set 2 is divided. Many believe that for their money, the prefix beats all the needs of an ordinary user. People appreciated the rich features of the console to launch classic games. They praise build quality and convenient physical control keys. Also liked the display, located on the same level with the body of the gadget.
Of course, without pluses there are no minuses, there were many dissatisfied. Firstly, the device does not support SIM cards, which greatly limits the capabilities of the Android platform. Secondly, many were unsatisfied with the complexity of launching games created for other consoles, and their performance, as games for the PlayStation slow down significantly, and sometimes even “crash”.
Some users have encountered a marriage. For example, the prefix did not read memory cards (even the supported volume). Or with problems connecting to a computer. EXEQ Set 2 does not turn on after making changes to some SD cards using a PC.
Instead of a conclusion
Expecting something supernatural from a device from a lower price category is stupid. Especially from the Android-based set-top box, where only the similar case is left from the word “set-top box”. This is not a console from famous brands, developed by professional engineers and, with love for business, honed to the smallest detail. This device is aimed at ordinary consumers who do not want to give serious money for entertainment, are not well versed in technology, choosing from what is simpler and more affordable. The product does not meet all the criteria described in the advertising booklets and on the official website. On the other hand, what is generally worth demanding from a gadget for 4,500 rubles? He launches modern games from the Google Play Market, he goes on the Internet, shows a movie, on it you can run the game with the good old Sega and comfortably surrender to nostalgia on the way to work. Therefore, it is not worth judging strictly the manufacturer, the solution will find its consumer and will certainly give many happy minutes to the owners of the EXEQ Set 2. You can buy the console in Moscow only on the used market, official sales are suspended due to the release of more advanced models.