As someone who grew up mashing buttons on classic consoles, this retro game stick instantly teleported me back to childhood. The setup? Dead simple – just plug the HDMI into my 4K TV, and boom! I was scrolling through Mario Bros. and Sonic within minutes.

The 4K upscaling genuinely surprised me. Pixelated classics like Contra look sharper than they ever did on my old CRT TV, though purists might argue this 'cleans up' the authentic retro feel. The wireless controllers (which need 4 AAA batteries – heads up!) have that satisfying SNES-style button layout with surprisingly low latency.

Now about those 40,000+ games – yes, there are duplicates (I spotted 5 versions of 'Pac-Man'), but the variety is still staggering. From obscure Japanese RPGs to arcade beat-em-ups, I’ve rediscovered gems I forgot existed. The 9 emulators handle everything from NES to PlayStation era smoothly.

Pro tip: This isn’t just for TVs! I took it on a road trip and plugged into my car’s entertainment system during rest stops – instant backseat gaming party with the wireless controllers.

The only drawbacks? Some ROMs have wonky translations (looking at you, poorly localized Final Fantasy), and menu navigation feels clunky until you memorize the folder structure. But for under $50? This little stick delivers more nostalgia-per-dollar than anything I’ve tried.

Final verdict: Whether you’re reliving your youth or introducing kids to pre-Fortnite gaming, this is the ultimate plug-and-play time machine. Just be warned – you might lose entire weekends to Tetris again.