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By Ling Hu Fei, ZOL.com.cn
Oct 16, 2006

Gemei has a tradition of churning out portable video players (PVP) with gaming functions. In fact, its goal of blurring the line between a dedicated video player and a gaming device has so far been well received by the market. (Editors' note: This article was translated and edited by Edvarcl Heng)

	The detachable controls.

The Gemei X-900 certainly has lots of features. Besides a built-in camera on the PVP's back, it also supports the less commonly used audio codec, FLAC. Portable audiophiles would undoubtedly approve. There's also FM radio, picture viewing (JPEG, BMP, GIF), video playback support and gaming functions.

But where most hybrid gaming devices fail with lackluster controls, Gemei makes a strong effort with an addon for the PVP body, which lends console-style controls to the X-900. In fact, the joypad attachment looks so authentic, it even has dual analog control sticks.

	Camera: Got your back.

But don't try manhandling the joypad, it's not as responsive as it looks. Another flaw we detected is that the speakers are available only if the joypad is attached to the X-900. For users hoping to blast their tunes, it's an added inconvenience.

But the Gemei X-900 is not all bad. It has a flap at the back which acts as a support for tabletop viewing. And for retro gamers, the X-900 is a real deal-maker. It is able to support emulators for both 8-bit and 16-bit consoles like the Nintendo Entertainment System and the Sega Mega Drive. Though these may sound antiquarian in a modern era of game consoles like the Xbox 360, they still possess a nostalgic pull for old gamers like us.

The display is better than we expected. We did not detect any mosaic effects during our testing. However, the overall audio quality for the X-900 is not as splendid as its video. In fact, it pales in comparison with most MP3 players.

The main menu on the X-900 is simple enough to understand with no steep learning curves. And at the conclusion of our battery tests, the X-900 surpassed its rated video playback time of 6 hours with a resultant 6 hours 10 minutes.

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