# Hyperkin SupaBoy Black Gold - Handheld SNES! **Source:** RetroRalph **Type:** video **Published:** 2020-01-31 **Duration:** 7m 0s **Beat:** Pinball **URL:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EiDOFdKyOYM --- ## Analysis RetroRalph reviews the Hyperkin SupaBoy Black Gold, a portable SNES/Super Famicom handheld device with black and gold aesthetic. The unit supports original SNES and Super Famicom cartridges, includes standard SNES controller ports, and features Hyperkin's 'perfect pin technology' for safe cart compatibility. Testing confirms compatibility with SNES games, Super Famicom games, third-party multi-carts, and external 8BitDo controllers, with the reviewer praising build quality and cart handling but wishing for HDMI output. ### Key Claims - [HIGH] The Hyperkin SupaBoy Black Gold is the same hardware as the SupaBoy SFC, only with different black and gold coloring — _Direct comparison shown between units, noting identical button layouts, ports, and internal functionality_ - [HIGH] The device's 'perfect pin technology' ensures safe cartridge insertion without risk of damage to original carts — _RetroRalph repeatedly emphasizes confidence in cart safety and contrasts with 'clone devices' that feel risky to use_ - [HIGH] The SupaBoy Black Gold successfully plays SNES cartridges, Super Famicom cartridges, third-party multi-carts, and works with external 8BitDo SN30 controllers — _Demonstrated in gameplay testing with Donkey Kong Country, Mega Man, TMNT, and Captain Commando_ - [HIGH] The device includes standard SNES controller ports, AV output (no HDMI), micro USB charging, aspect ratio/brightness toggle, volume control, and headphone jack — _Detailed hardware walkthrough at beginning of review_ - [HIGH] RetroRalph's primary design criticism is the lack of HDMI output, which would simplify video content capture for his channel — _Stated in final thoughts section as the only significant missing feature_ ### Notable Quotes > "if you're a collector and you want to have both, that's cool. But if you're looking to buy something to play, you know, Super Nintendo and Super Famicom as a portable unit, this is an awesome choice." > — **RetroRalph**, ~0:45 > _Core recommendation positioning SupaBoy as appealing to both collectors and practical players_ > "Hyperkin has this perfect fit, or perfect pin technology that they call it, and it's supposed to actually make sure that the carts fit nicely into the cartridge slot, and they really do. It doesn't get stuck." > — **RetroRalph**, ~3:50 > _Highlights key differentiator from other clone handhelds regarding cart compatibility and safety_ > "I feel a hundred percent confident that this thing is not going to damage my carts or anything like that. So that's really important because you're more likely than not going to be playing, you know, old carts that you, you know, had as a kid or whatever." > — **RetroRalph**, ~8:20 > _Emphasizes practical value proposition for retro gaming enthusiasts with vintage cart collections_ > "I'm a bit surprised that the multi-cart works. These things are kind of shady carts from China, you know, but it works perfectly fine." > — **RetroRalph**, ~6:15 > _Unexpected compatibility with questionable aftermarket cartridges demonstrates broad hardware compatibility_ > "I wish they would have had HDMI out... I don't know how often I'd actually hook it up to a TV for me, it'd be more selfishly so that it when I'm filming things for you guys I don't have to have a camcorder up to the screen." > — **RetroRalph**, ~8:50 > _Identifies single functional limitation and explains practical use case for HDMI feature_ ### Entities | Name | Type | Context | |------|------|---------| | Hyperkin | company | Manufacturer of SupaBoy Black Gold handheld device; praised for 'sexy' packaging and hardware design quality | | RetroRalph | person | YouTube content creator and hardware reviewer; previously reviewed SupaBoy SFC and now reviewing SupaBoy Black Gold variant | | Hyperkin SupaBoy Black Gold | product | Portable SNES/Super Famicom handheld with black and gold aesthetic; subject of review | | Hyperkin SupaBoy SFC | product | Previous model of SupaBoy; functionally identical to Black Gold variant but different color scheme | | 8BitDo SN30 | product | External Bluetooth controller that works with SupaBoy Black Gold via SNES controller ports; black version tested | | Donkey Kong Country | game | First game tested on SupaBoy Black Gold during gameplay demonstration | | Mega Man | game | Super Famicom cartridge tested for compatibility on SupaBoy Black Gold | | Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles | game | Game from third-party multi-cart tested on SupaBoy Black Gold | | Captain Commando | game | Capcom title played during 8BitDo controller compatibility test | ### Topics - **Primary:** Handheld gaming hardware, Retro game compatibility and preservation, Product design and build quality, SNES/Super Famicom cartridge support - **Secondary:** Content creator use cases and video capture workflow, Third-party accessory compatibility ### Sentiment **Positive** (0.82) — RetroRalph expresses strong approval of the product throughout review, praising aesthetic design, build quality, cart safety, and broad compatibility. Single notable limitation (lack of HDMI) is presented as minor wish rather than significant flaw. Tone remains enthusiastic and recommending despite identifying this one missing feature. --- ## Transcript In this episode, we check out the Superboy Black Gold. Alright guys, if you know Hyperkin, then you know they bring sexy back to packaging. I mean, they do an awesome job. So this is the Hyperkin Superboy Black Gold. So this is essentially a portable Super Nintendo that also plays Super Famicom cards. This thing is pretty damn awesome. So I have reviewed one of these in the past. I reviewed the Superboy SFC. This is essentially the same exact thing, except this one is colored black and gold. So if you're a collector and you want to have both, that's cool. But if you're looking to buy something to play, you know, Super Nintendo games and Super Famicom as a portable unit, this is a pretty awesome choice. So we will go through it. Obviously, I've reviewed it before, so I'm already a fan, but I'm going to show you a little bit about it. We'll unbox it, and we'll play a couple games, and I'll give you some of my final thoughts. Okay, so what are we going to get with the Superboy Black Gold? Well, you're going to get the unit itself, and at first glance, you're going to notice it has those Super Nintendo controller ports. That's pretty awesome, because you can plug in standard Super Nintendo controllers. I really, really like that, and just the overall look of the unit being Black Gold is just really cool. At the bottom, you're going to have three options. You're going to have an aspect ratio slash brightness button. you're going to have the volume control and headphones. If you want this button to act as brightness, you just press it once. If you want to act as aspect ratio, you just press and hold it, and it will switch between 4 by 3 and 16.9. The buttons feel great. The D feels good At the top you notice an AV out no HDMI an on switch a reset button the NTSC and PAL switch a power indicator and a charge which is a micro USB all right before we take a closer look I did want to do a quick comparison between the Superboy SFC and the Black Gold you'll see it's got the same exact buttons from top to bottom it has the same exact button layouts four action buttons it's got the two super NES controller ports the same d-pad same shoulder buttons it's basically the same exact unit just a different color but I am just totally digging on this black gold and I'm super excited to start testing some gameplay alright so the first game I'm gonna throw at this is Donkey Kong Country so you'll notice that the game is playing in the standard 4 by 3 aspect ratio you can press and hold the aspect ratio button at the bottom and it will stretch the image I prefer to view it this way so the other thing I want to mention is cart compatibility should be pretty good with Super Nintendo and Super Famicom, so we'll try Super Famicom next, and then for giggles, we'll throw one of those China multi-carts at it and see if it plays with that as well. Okay, let's give our Super Famicom cart a try, and it fits in perfectly. Hyperkin has this perfect fit, or perfect pin technology that they call it, and it's supposed to actually make sure that the carts fit nicely into the cartridge slot, and they really do. It doesn't, like, get stuck. You don't have to tear them out or anything like that, so it feels pretty good, and it doesn't feel like it's going to damage your card or anything like that. So some of these clone devices that take cards, you'd almost be like, oh shoot, I don't know if I should put my card in there. It might damage it. You don't get that feeling or sense at all from this thing. So, you know, Mega Man plays great on the Super Famicom. We're going to try a Chinese multi-card and see if it works with that, and then we'll wrap things up. Alright, here's the Super 101 totally not legit multi from AliExpress So if it works with this it work with just about everything So I kind of excited to see will it indeed work with this multi Alright, it boots up, that's a good sign. So I think we'll play some TMNT. Okay, I gotta say I am a bit surprised that the multi-cart works. These things are kind of shady carts from China, you know, but it works perfectly fine. I probably wouldn't know the difference between this version of Turtles and the original, so that's pretty cool. So the only other thing I wanted to test was the Super Nintendo ports in the front, so I was going to plug in an 8-bit Doh controller and see if that works. Okay, I'm trying to throw everything I got at this thing, so now I'm throwing the 8-bit Doh SN30 controller. It's actually the black version of it, and I just figured, hey, it looked really cool against the Hyperkin Black Gold, so why not? But it plays really well, and I'm playing Captain Commando here, which is a really fun Capcom game. If you've never checked it out, definitely give it a shot. But yeah, I mean, outside of, you know, the multi-cart, the Super Famicom cart, an SNES cart, I feel like we've put it through the paces, and it's done pretty well. So I'm going to move on to final thoughts, and we'll wrap this thing up. All right, guys, it's final thoughts time. So what do I think about the Hyperkin Superboy Black Gold? Well, I already have the SFC, and I love that. And aesthetically, this thing just looks awesome. I love the black gold color scheme. Now, from a just overall usage perspective, it plays really well. It feels really good in your hands. So for long periods of gameplay it going to feel great Now one thing I really like is that perfect pin technology because you know if you have older carts laying around you don want them to be damaged And I have I feel a hundred percent confident that this thing is not going to damage my carts or anything like that. So that's really important because you're more likely than not going to be playing, you know, old carts that you, you know, had as a kid or whatever. So, you know, those carts are important to you and you want to make sure they're in good working condition. So that's really great. Outside of that, the only thing that I wish they would have had is I wish they would have had HDMI I out now I don't know how often I'd actually hook it up to a TV for me it'd be more selfishly so that it when I'm filming things for you guys I don't have to have a camcorder you know up to the screen it would be a lot easier to capture the footage but I don't again I don't know how long for much I would actually use that it does come with a bunch of the stuff that's on the screen that I totally forgot to tell you guys it comes with a charging cable it comes that little lanyard thing and it comes with a little case being carried in it comes the AV cables but like I said I don't know how often I'm gonna use the AV cables. I do like that they have the super you know NES controller ports there that's pretty neat little feature and it works great I even use that 8-bit dough controller and had no issues at all. So guys if you like this video please consider liking it please consider subscribing to the channel and put your comments below like is this something that you're interested in or do you have a large SNES or Super Famicom collection you want to take them on the road well this is a device that allows you to do that so I want to hear from you let me know what you think and that's it for now guys we will see you on the next one _(Acquisition: youtube_groq_whisper, Enrichment: v3)_ --- *Exported from Journalist Tool on 2026-04-13 | Item ID: 4d03aecd-2603-4292-940f-08065f6d593a*