That thing with the screen is pretty common with LCD displays. I believe, though it's hard to see, that it's an elastomeric connector, and they get used because LCD displays are rather fragile.
Yeah, no! Nothing can beat "MINI MUNCHMAN" for retro-PacMan awesomeness! I am so surprised there is not an 8-bit (or 16-bit) version of this 1980s classic handheld monster!
You'd think it would be cheaper these days to produce something with a 2" full colour LCD screen these days. Those things can be bought for a dollar even in singles from China. Those zebra strips connecting the screen to the board is normal practice for these things, has been for a long time.
I hope Tesco kept the receipt from their wholesaler, even Poundland would be embarrassed to sell that. 🤞 the in store return process was painless. How low has packman sunk 😭😂
There was another mini Pac-Man arcade machine that came out a few years ago that was an actual video game rather than one of these bleepy LCD things. It was probably running some NOAC thing rather than emulating the original but still beat this hands down.
They made poor Pacman tiny so he could fit on any possible position with a pellet and a ghost presumably but still... this reminded me of a clone game I had in the late 80s (I think) called Grab Man which wasn't too bad actually... well, better than this at least!
A terrific stocking filler for anyone who vaguely remembers that old Pacman game from back in the day. I could imagine it bringing them literally seconds of enjoyment on Christmas morning
Jesus. Bandai Namco will license Pac-Man out to anyone and their aunt... There WERE some little things that were of an acceptable quality at one point. Still kicking myself for missing out on the LED Panel clock, but then again, that was made by Eugene Jarvis' arcade game company, Raw Thrills, so hardly budget gift shop crap...
This is a licensed product. Namco clearly didn't give a fuck and why should they, this is supposed to be sold at a profit for three or four fivers. Also the official tabletop arcade for kids in the 80s was pretty much like this, but with vacuum fluorescent display, so, in color, but it worked the same way: tiny pacman, large ghosts, because all sprites had to fit into each grid.
Reminds me of Grandstands mini munchman from back in the day but much much worse. Grandstands one is actually pretty playable and has sensible and responsive controls. Even the version I had on a digital watch was better than this as it had changing mazes and a tiny joystick that did the job adequately until it fell off and I lost it. What's puzzling about this Tesco thing is its about the same price as the nintendo on a chip and colour lcd ones Lidl stock every once in a while so why do this? I imagine that custom lcd cost just as much to design and produce as buying a commodity colour lcd of the same size in bulk and it can only be used for crappy pacman units destined for the bin come boxing day.
I think you are doing Grandstand a disservice, even back in the 80's they were putting out better stuff than this pap. I feel sorry for the poor sods that will be getting this for Christmas.... Oh God, I hope I won't be one of them😬
Hmmm, I get it, but this feels a bit mean spirited. The quality might not be the best but this isn't any worse than I would play for hours as a kid considering it's price point. Munchman, Astro Wars et-al, which I still own may be better as a package but were much pricier, especially when adjusted for inflation. To be fair, I'd have this sat amongst my gadgets and some of them in the old man cave are 500 times what this cost . . . .
Mean spirited? It sits there in the shop with the Pacman logo on it and what you get is something that resembles a Pacman knock off with a barely visible screen, poor controls and a barely audible speaker. As others have pointed out in the comments Munch Man is far better and to mention Astro Wars in the same breath as this device is an insult to Astro Wars!
Fair enough, but this is a £15 stocking filler bought most likely by a grandma as a nice gesture for a grand kid. It's obvious it's not going to be of a quality for people 'in the know' or who collect arcade machines, retro games and the like, hence the reason you bought it as an easy target for content. Nothing wrong with that. It's still a more faithful representation than the Atari 2600 version so it has that going for it if nothing else . . . . I'll admit, however, my mentioning Astro Wars was uncalled for!
@@tarquinjones2002 Pacman is a valuable IP with heritage. You expect a certain level of quality Vs an unofficial knock off. All this device does is devalue the brand. Would Sega or Nintendo put out a device like this? No. It's not an 'easy target'. If you see the official branding you expect a certain level of quality even if it may be a bit cheap feeling. I had a tiny Pacman handheld years ago that was colour and way better than this. There's really no explanation other than 'we don't care we just want your money'.
All official branded items suffer from varying levels of quality, it's the nature of licensing I guess. All your points are valid, as I feel are all of mine. That's the beauty of content like this, it allows for differing points of view. Don't get me wrong, this isn't a personal attack and I enjoy your content. I just feel that even a lower quality item like this has a charm. Maybe I'm just a sucker for any kind of gadget that tickles my nostalgia feet . . . .
I find this sad on multiple levels. It erodes the brand. It will sell and disappoint recipients. And from an environmental perspective, there were presumably many thousands of these produced and yet they have no lasting value at all. Awful.
