Game Elf 512 in 1 Review

Can this cheap little board be a simple and fun answer to retro arcade gaming?

Of all the retro gaming boards, the Game Elf series of JAMMA compatible boards seemed a very easy and simple “plug and play” type for use on any modern TV, as generally these have a standard VGA input. Although designed primarily as a cabinet plugin board, this design feature makes it perfect for a simple box in front of your TV. More so now, with the latest revision sporting a USB input.
Looks good on paper with the amount of games available, but in practise, is it worth it?
First up, an easy setup out of the box, ended up using an SLG 3000 (Scanline Generator) for that “old school arcade look” in line with the VGA out. Stereo sound is a simple 3.5mm jack output, used a PC compatible 6 button arcade joystick, all running off a PC Molex compatible power supply.

Game Elf 512 in 1 unit and test USB joystick:

Inside the Game Elf 512 in 1:

Powered by the Samsung S3C6410XH-66, an ARM 32-Bit RISC microprocessor running at 667MHz. Powerful , but only as good as the emulation software?

Straight to it:

Video output quality. Mix match here. Even though displays in the correct 4:3 Ratio, all Neo-Geo games, and Capcom games have PAL borders, straight away ruining that arcade feel, yet older games use full screen. Cave hardware based games are a mix of the two. Shifted to the top half of the screen, leaving approximately the bottom 1/7 black. Not very arcade like.

I won’t even go into what seemed like noise on the video signal, I’m assuming poor shielding or grounding, which to be fair, would go un-noticed on the intended RGB Jamma outputs straight into the picture tube chassis of a cabinet.
Audio. Yes it’s in stereo, but such a mixed bag. Overall poor emulation, squeaking, half cut off sound. Fuzzy, muffled, some games felt like there was a channel, or music missing. The first Metal Slug sounded faulty, yet Metal Slug 5’s sound is just clean enough to be passable. Out Run’s audio Levels came across as been balanced completely wrong, sounding worse than the home releases I remember.
Emulation. Overall achieves faithful results, but issues were noticeable in Super Sidekicks 2, the playing field just randomly disappearing during the play.

Super sidekicks 2, running using the scanline generator and the pitch shown correctly.

And now missing the scaling and scrolling pitch features. Purely an emulation issue.

Not all games are even playable, worst game been Paperboy, where complete sprites and backgrounds flicker on and off, making the game unplayable.
Games. Great range of Neo Geo and Capcom classics, bulked up like most multi-boards with hacks and “plus” versions with plenty of classics from the early 80’s. The ability to edit and hide games is a handy feature within the settings function.
Overall – A complete miss hit for hard-core fans. Too many issues to warrant any serious thoughts of owning the ultimate in home retro setups. Summed up by saying, MAME on a PC is still the most flexible option by far.