Usually, when I talk about handhelds here, I have at least something good to say. And I’m going to try that here too. But if you’re looking for true e-waste you can usually find those articles from Nick, like his cheap controller roundups.
But when I saw this big purple steering wheel pop up on Alibaba, I had to take the plunge. Or at least, Retro Handhelds plunge financially. So join in as I talk about my questionable experience with the Game Console (?) Furious SU-10 handheld.
Specs
For reference, when purchasing this off of Alibaba, the individual unit cost was $23. However, this came slapped with a $17 shipping charge. For $40 total, we’re off to a rocky start. However, you can grab this on Aliexpress nowadays for closer to $30. But here are the specs I could find based on their listing.
- CPU: “A7 32bit RISC 480MHZ”
- RAM: DDR1/DDR2
- Battery: 2000mAh
- Screen: 3.5” 640×480
- Weight: 269 grams
- Connectivity: microSD, USB-C, Mini USB, 3.5mm Jack (Can do AV Out)
- Dimensions: 215 x 172 x 31mm
Ergonomics and Controls
I’m going to do my best to follow my usual review process, despite it being; well, a controller. I did do an unboxing and first impression of this steering wheel, and personally, my thoughts on ergonomics stay true. Accessing the face buttons and D-pad is strangely comfortable.
However, if you want to touch the switch sticks below, usability becomes quite painful. Finally, for ergonomics, the placement of the single front-firing speaker means you will never cover it. Unless you have baseball mitts for hands of course.
When it comes to the buttons, the sticks are non-clickable switch sticks. Ew. The function buttons are all loud and clicky, but still not as bad as the X55. The D-pad is quite awful. The entire thing clicks inwards and has a minimal pivot from what I’ve noticed. The face buttons, and by extension L and R, are fine.
They look cheap, they feel cheap, and the ABXY buttons are in an awkward spot, but they actually don’t feel too bad. The best feeling part of the entire handheld wheel.
The User Experience
The menu is super straightforward and quite terrible. The wel*c*ome intro screen doesn’t inspire hope, and the loud button press effect isn’t better. However, that one can be turned off. The front end itself reminds me of the one the CB-408 used on its Android front end. Despite the painful memories, you can find a few different emulators here.
- Capcom CPS
- Famicom
- Gameboy
- Gameboy Color
- Gameboy Advance
- MAME
- Sega Mega Drive
- NES
- Super Famicom
- Sega SMC
- Sega SMD
And yes, that is how it’s listed in the menu. If you’re looking to make adjustments in the game, please plan on not doing that. There are no settings to change anything and it makes me sad. Almost as sad as playing it.
Gaming
When it comes to gaming, it’s acceptable. Though after spending $40 you can get something that’s leagues better. Mr. Nutz on the SFC ran fine surprisingly, “Crash Bandicoot” which was really just Taz-Mania for the Game Gear actually worked well enough, but that’s the thing. It worked well enough.
I tested a few more games, and they all seemed to work, but on a system like that, it’s about all you could hope for. I would run into occasional stutters and audio glitches but for a device like this. I’m not surprised.
Final Thoughts
Don’t buy this. Don’t think about buying it. If you’ve read this far I’m sorry to hear that, or happy your attention span is this middle of the road. The Furious SU-10 is a questionable piece of kit that feels decent in hand but fails to deliver anything meaningful past that. I’m sure a modding community might take this thing up, and maybe make it great. But that’s not going to be me or anyone I talk to about this. The thing doesn’t even have a gyro in it for racing games.
If you’re going to spend $30-$40 just like. Get an R36S instead. I know Nick would be happy with that recommendation. But in the end, my recommendation is to get almost anything that’s remotely better than this. Otherwise, do what I’m gonna do. Use it as an expensive frisbee. I’m sure the family will love it.
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