When Amlogic announced S912 processor, they mentioned it would target not only 4K OTT and IP set-top boxes, but also gaming consoles thanks to a faster and better Mali-T820MP3 GPU compared to the Mali-450MP GPU found in their previous S905 and S805 processor, and we’ve already seen that S912 is indeed faster in 3D benchmarks.
So I decided to play several games to show the performance, the pre-loaded retro gaming app, and for people who have never used a TV box to play games show what it looks like, and how to play using M12N TV box, in conjunction with MINIX NEO A2 Lite air mouse and Tronsmart Mars G01 wireless gamepad.
I played four games downloaded from the Play Store or Amazon Underground:
- Candy Crush Saga with air mouse
- Beach Buggy Racing and Riptide GP2 with the gamepad
- Dead Trigger with the air mouse in menus, and the gamepad during the game (requires key mapping)
All four games played just fine in the box, and Riptide GP2 framerate was noticeably higher than on Amlogic S905 TV boxes when “highest resolution” setting is selected. If you don’t want to purchase an air mouse or/and game pad, it should also be possible to use your smartphone with the remote app, but it’s not something I’ve tested.
MXQ Plus M12N TV box also includes KO GameBox app [Update: I’ve been informed the app may contain adware and malware] simply shown as “Game” in the main menu.
The app has some Chinese logos, and the interface and games are all available with English language. All games appear to be retro games, and include classic like Super Mario Bros. None of the games are installed in the box, but the app will allow you to download them from various mirrors. I tried Fate/Unlimited Codes street fighting PSP game, and it worked well with Tronsmart gamepad. The app also exposes a QR code to download KO TVGame Assistant app in order to use your Android phone as a gamepad.
You can see all games mentioned above tested in MQX Plus M12N TV box in the video below.
If you want to purchase the setup I used, you can get Shenzhen Shiningworth M12N on Aliexpress for $69.99, Tronsmart Mars G01 RF gamepad for $25.99, and/or MINIX NEO A2 Lite air mouse for the same price. Of course, you’d have pretty much the same experience with any of the other Amlogic S912 TV boxes, and the gamepad or/and air mouse of your choice.
Jean-Luc started CNX Software in 2010 as a part-time endeavor, before quitting his job as a software engineering manager, and starting to write daily news, and reviews full time later in 2011.
Support CNX Software! Donate via cryptocurrencies, become a Patron on Patreon, or purchase goods on Amazon or Aliexpress
Thank you for the review.
Can I ask what was causing the fan noise?
@Theguyuk
My PC while building Linux for Amlogic S912… I have a super noisy system that’s ironically inside a case called “Cool n Quiet”.
The build failed sadly. Checking with a different toolchain now.
Can you test gaming with RetroArch on it ? PSP, Dreamcast…
@Nasp
RetroArch can install, but once in the app I cannot select any menus. Whatever input device I use, it will say “xxxx not configured”.
Great review. However, your app from the link for the KO Gamebox app reports 12 infections of various types on Virustotal.com
https://virustotal.com/en/file/9d1e464e62fd5501e7237c63ff2b4afd3bc8664f3593897cb03b35b0912bec3a/analysis/1471794121/
@Frank Winslow
Thanks for letting me know. I’ve added a note about this in the post.
Thank you for the review. Looks like I may have to save some more $$ and go for a S912 system. In regards to RetroArch, have you tried to install standalone emulators? Also, if you used any video streaming sites, how would you compare their speed to another device, such as the Amazon fire stick (if you have one) or a computer/laptop. Thank you again.
@Chaz
I don’t know how to install emulators with RetroArch. I can’t click anywhere in the app anyway.
I have not tried streaming sites, but I’ll report WiFi and Ethernet performance in the review.
@cnxsoft
Sorry. I meant an emulator that is not connected to retroarch, like SNES9X EX+? Thank you for the updates.
Sorry. I meant an emulator that is not connected to retroarch, like SNES9X EX+? Thank you for the updates.
Quick question.
is it possible to install retropie (meaning erasing android and installing retropie) on this tv boxes?
And… whats that gray line on your tv screen? 🙂
@Igor Stojanovic
I’d guess not. I have not seem many people working on Linux for Amlogic S912. It might work on Amlogic S905 TV boxes if retropie is working on ODROID-C2 board, but you’d still need to do some modifications (e.g. adding DTS file).
The gray lines is a problem with my LG TV -> http://www.cnx-software.com/2016/08/06/inside-lg-4k-tv-and-my-unsuccessful-attempt-at-repairing-it/