Written article:
Within the casing, the Mini is powered by the mysterious Allwinner based ZUIKI Z 7213 system on chip - a processor on which little information is publicly available. It's likely comparable to Nintendo's recent retro mini offerings, but it's not clear how far its capabilities extend. Alongside the processor, the board features 512MB of flash memory that stores the included games. In terms of I/O, in addition to the controller ports, there's also HDMI video out - which delivers 720p 60Hz output - and a micro-USB port for power.
The Mini itself attempts to replicate a CRT experience with a bespoke filter, but to be honest, it's a disappointing effort. This is the most disappointing feature of M2's emulation as it simply blurs and filters the image while applying weak scanlines. It's not a great implementation and I wouldn't suggest using it. Overall, scaling isn't quite perfect in every mode but if you want to minimise scaling issues, most games play best using the default pillar boxed mode. For 256-pixel wide games, however, such as Wonder Boy in Monster World and Monster World 4, you'll want to use the wide mode coupled with manual TV adjustment for the best results.
In summary, there's so much to love about this product, from the brilliant recreation of the machine itself to the excellent emulation and a simply stellar line-up of games. Audio delay, input lag and scaling oddities hold this back from absolute perfection - but for the purists, there's always the Analogue Super Sg for absolute authenticity. However, for a product aimed at recapturing the magic of a very special era in console gaming, it's simply superb. If you grew up with Sega's 16-bit machine but haven't played it in a while, this is an unmissable release - and possibly the best mini retro console yet.
