Lenovo has confirmed that a retro handheld floating round AliExpress wearing the brand is actually officially licensed. Normally, that wouldn't be a biggie, as I've spotted the tech company's name on weird "free" earbuds at Chinese retailers in the past. The difference this time around is that the Game Boy clones being sold by third parties come with a bunch of ROMs, and that's more likely illegal.
The Lenovo "G02" handheld was first spotted by Retro Dodo, with the publication originally questioning whether it was fake. That makes sense given that the company is better known for making high-end gaming handhelds like the Legion Go, and this portable has all the hallmarks of one of those "knock off of a knock off" devices you tend to see mimicking other Game Boy clones by the likes of Anbernic or Retroid.
After emailing several contacts at the brand, Retro Dodo says it eventually got confirmation that the Lenovo G02 is a licensed handheld. However, the PR contact in question, Pedro, is quick to note that it's "produced through a regional brand licensing agreement meant for the China market only and is not part of Lenovo’s official global product portfolio."
"As such, products developed through these agreements may differ from Lenovo products sold through authorised channels," explains Pedro. Simply put, that means that the handheld isn't being produced by the 40-year-old tech giant, and whoever is making the device is simply paying to use the branding.
I'd argue that while the handheld technically isn't "fake", it's still a very specific and problematic genre of device. It's the sort of low-grade portable console that's strictly speaking not really meant to exist outside of China, but will inevitably be bought in bulk by sellers and distributed globally via the likes of Aliexpress and Temu (remember that time SouljaBoy tried to sell handhelds? Yeah, that.)
While China does have its own copyright laws, clone consoles and unlicensed ROMs used to be at the bedrock of the country, as Japanese systems by the likes of Nintendo and Sega were banned. This inevitably led to the rise in "Famiclones" and countless cheap plug-and-play systems that would typically either come with illegally sourced games loaded on an internal chip or knock-off cartridges.
This context is important when it comes to the ROMs packaged with the Lenovo G02. The short of it is that it's typically marketplace sellers and distributors who will load up SD cards with games and bundle them with stock. In fact, some of my favorite devices, like the Anbernic RG28XX, are listed at Amazon right now with "5,000+ games" in their description, and from experience, those are being illegally included without their respective brand's knowledge.
Just so we're clear: it's good practice to erase or discard any ROMs that happen to come with a retro handheld. If you'd rather avoid receiving potentially illegal games with your device, the best approach is to go directly to brands like Anbernic or Retroid, as many third-party listings will come with a dodgy micro SD card.
Judging by Pedro from Lenovo's "thank you for flagging this" response, it sounds like the company may try to investigate the way its brand is being used. Attaching your name to a cheapie Game Boy clone is already a questionable move, but the fact that it's being bundled with ROMs isn't a good look for a gadget maker with a longstanding international presence.
I think it's naive to think the Lenovo G02 will vanish from marketplaces, or that it'll now be shipped without the aforementioned ROMs. The company will likely reiterate its licensing agreements, or amend them to address the situation, though, and that may prompt whoever's producing the portable to change their traditional distribution strategy.
Looking for more modern ways to play the classics? Swing by the best retro consoles for emulation systems, FPGA remakes, and more.
