POPstation review (PSP Rip off)

Product reviewed

POPstation “Value Pack” — a handheld gaming device that’s explicitly compared to the PSP and described as a “rip off.”

Key features mentioned

Value pack contents

• Earphones
• Hand strap
• “Color display” (described as semi color / Game & Watch–type)
• The box includes 4 games:
  1. Soccer
  2. Street Fighter
  3. Submarine Invasion
  4. Fortress Guardian

Power

• Uses 3x AAA batteries (battery compartment at the back).

Controls

• Includes an array of PlayStation-like buttons, but most don’t actually do anything (per the reviewer).

Display / visuals

• Semi color screen.
• LEDs on the side are described as glary and mostly not useful.

Manual / documentation

• Included as a single sheet of toilet paper.
• Written in poor, unhelpful English (“Pigeon English”).
• Contains a generic, confusing description of “function keys.”

Basic device controls noted in use

• Power switch (on top)
• Pause button works
• Reset button exists, but is described as for no good reason
• Sound can be turned off, though it reduces feedback (making it harder to tell when you’ve moved parts of the pitch)

User experience / gameplay observations

Soccer (most detailed)

• The pitch is very tall, requiring repeated kicking up and down to reach the goal.
• The goalie does nothing, letting the ball go straight in.
• Player movement/selection feels unclear:
  • “player flashes on and off”
  • you must select which player to control when off-ball
• Annoying music plays whenever you switch parts of the pitch, making gameplay more irritating.
• Pause works, but overall controls and feedback are frustrating.
• With sound off, transitions between pitch sections are harder to notice.

Pros mentioned

• Sound can be turned off (framed as a small comfort/mercy).
• Pause button works.

Cons mentioned (dominant)

• The product is framed as a PSP rip-off / cynical marketing with similar-looking packaging.
• Bad earphones—described as worse than the first-generation iPod earbuds.
• Hand strap not trusted (“wouldn’t trust with well anything at all”).
• Buttons mostly don’t do anything, despite looking PlayStation-like.
• Bad manual:
  • minimal (single sheet)
  • poor English
  • generic and nonsensical “function key” explanation
• Screen/LEDs are underwhelming or irritating (semi color + glary LEDs).
• Gameplay is broken/low quality, including:
  • goalie behavior
  • awkward inputs due to the extremely tall pitch
• Annoying audio cues that trigger frequently during Soccer transitions.
• Reset button is unnecessary or useless.

Comparisons made

• Packaging resembles the PSP (described as a “vague resemblance,” implying imitation).
• Earphones compared to first-gen iPod earbuds (and said to be worse).
• Controls described as “PlayStation similar buttons,” but functionally lacking.

Ratings / numerical scores

• No explicit ratings or numerical scores were provided.

Unique points mentioned (consolidated)

1. Box resembles PSP; seen as marketing trick / rip-off.
2. Value pack includes earphones, hand strap, and 4 games.
3. Uses 3 AAA batteries.
4. Includes a “color display,” but it’s described as semi-color / Game & Watch–style.
5. Many “PlayStation-like” buttons don’t actually do anything.
6. Side LEDs are distracting/glary and not useful.
7. Soccer gameplay issues: tall pitch, odd aiming, goalie does nothing, confusing player flashing/selection.
8. Annoying music triggers frequently when moving between pitch areas.
9. Pause button works.
10. Sound off reduces feedback clarity.
11. Reset button has no good reason.
12. Earphones are significantly worse than first-gen iPod earbuds.
13. Hand strap not trustworthy.
14. Manual is minimal, written in poor English, and function-key explanations are generic/nonsensical.

Speaker notes

• A single primary speaker handles both the unboxing and gameplay impressions (no distinct additional viewpoints noted).

Overall verdict / recommendation

Based on the subtitles, the reviewer is strongly negative: the POPstation Value Pack is portrayed as a low-quality PSP-like imitation with bad audio accessories, confusing documentation, nonfunctional controls (most buttons), and flawed/annoying gameplay (especially Soccer).

Recommendation: Avoid / do not buy.