Powkiddy just launched the pre-sale for a pure black version of the Powkiddy RK2023. Something a lot of us had been asking for.
I had reviewed the Powkiddy RK2023 just over a month ago, and I was quite surprised at how amazing it actually was.
Some of the design choices were not my favorite, such as the use of two-tone colors or the cheap looking graphic on the screen bezel.
But if you could get past its appearance, this handheld has maybe the best screen I’ve seen on any emulation device. And it is much more comfortable to play than it looks like it might be.
Well, it seems like Powkiddy has heard the community and gave us what we were asking for. Quite literally, since myself and others in the community (predominantly retrohandheldcollection) had recommended this look to Powkiddy.
Now that it’s officially happening, let’s see what Powkiddy changed with this new iteration of the RK2023:
Powkiddy RK2023 Pure Black Model
The brand new Powkiddy RK2023 Pure Black model obviously put a lot of focus on the aesthetics.
The visual impression was my number one complaint in my review of the RK2023.
The choice of colors and graphics gave the handheld a toy like feel. Which was a bit of a shame, because beyond its looks this was a really great device.
Ditching the two-tone colors and the bezel text, we now have a very stealth looking all black model.
All black everything is always an easy sell with me, and going this direction for the RK2023 entirely fixes its look.
But Powkiddy didn’t just change the colors on this updated RK2023. They also gave us something that was sorely missed on the first release: WIFI.
There are times WIFI feels important and times it does not. But I know this is a big make-or-break for many buyers. And adding this to the RK2023 just makes sense.
Really, it’s not that big of a cost, so this should be standard on all handheld devices across the board.
So glad that Powkiddy decided to also include this with the new Pure Black edition, making it a truly complete device now.
Conclusions
The Powkiddy RK2023 was already a surprising device that deserved more attention than its design asked for.
Now that Powkiddy has answered the call of the community and gave us both WIFI and a really sleek looking black model, we should do our part to support them.
The Powkiddy RK2023 Pure Black version is available for $84.99USD, which is marked as a sale price of about 30% off.
These “sales” are usually just used as a way to get prospective buyers to jump at the opportunity.
I would anticipate this always being the approximate price for this handheld. And it’s only a $5 increase from the previous (non-WIFI) model.
But knowing what I know about the RK2023, I’d say this is a fair price for what you get.
Again – the best screen on any handheld I’ve tested, quality game play up to Nintendo 64, Playstation, Dreamcast, PSP, and a really nice looking handheld that is now super stylish in that all black fit.
