I've just spotted this on the Game website. Everywhere else seems to be listing this from £55 upwards (Amazon, Zavvi, Argos, CCL etc...)
It's not going to be the be all and end all of video gaming, but I reckon this is a tidy little device, if not just for the kids.
It comes complete with the game pad (£7.99 separately on Game), 1 month's Gamefly streaming (usually £7.96 a month) and it also comes with four Gameloft titles...
Asphalt 8: Airborne
GT Racing 2
Wonder Zoo
My Little Pony
Introducing the GEM Box family gaming console by Emtec. The GEM Box console is the first Android TV Box for both true gamers and the whole family. It enables you to turn any TV into a gaming hub, simply plug the tiny GEM Box console into your TV and enjoy family gaming with up to 4 players.
The tiny GEM Box is small enough to fit in the palm of your hand, so you can take it with you anywhere, whether you are visiting friends or going on holiday. It’s quick and easy to set up, just connect your GEM Box console to your TV and the easy-to-use interface provides you with instant access to all the functions and applications using the ergonomically designed GEM Pad.
The GEM Box games console provides instant access to thousands of Android games and apps from Google Play, as well as console quality games from GameFly Streaming making it suitable for gamers for all levels.
Game streaming is the future of gaming consoles. You are already streaming movies and music, and with the GEM Box, you can now stream video games too. By subscribing to GameFly streaming you can select from a large library of titles at the touch of a button. Gone are the days of having to buy games to be loaded into a machine, instead you just select a game and start playing. New titles added each month to GameFly so there is always something new to play. Plus, when you purchase a GEM Box console, you can get a free trial of GameFly streaming for 1 month and without obligation.
Choose from a multitude of Android games and apps available from Google Play, the majority of which are free including many titles suited for kids gaming and family gaming.
Revisit your favourite old school games with a selection of retro emulators. Relive the glory days of classic gaming consoles and travel back in time to experience some of gaming’s greatest hits.
Stream your PC game library collection directly from your PC to your TV. With the GEM Stream app you can now stream from your PC in your bedroom or office directly to the TV in your lounge.
Navigating around the numerous features on the GEM Box is remarkably simple. The easy-to-use, intuitive interface is designed so you can browse menus with ease providing easy access to all the functions and content. Entering information like passwords is quick and easy too, thanks to the exclusive virtual keyboard.
The GEM Box console is so much more than a games console. You can turn your TV into a smart TV and view your favourite websites including YouTube. Miracast enables you to wirelessly mirror smart phone or tablet content to your TV. Photos, videos or music on a USB memory device or microSD card can also be plugged directly into the console to view on your TV.
Box Contains GEM Box consoleGEM Pad ControllerEthernet cableHDMI cable12V Power Supply
Just to confirm, keyboard not included - available separately for £7.99 - Khairul
Latest comments (80)
gtd65
14 Jul 17#80
Well I’ve just bought a few of these units as well as a couple of additional remotes.
As far as I’m concerned, there should be more than enough power to run the usual video streaming apps and play some MAME type games.
If you think about a controller being worth say £8 – then @ £12 for an Android TV box seems very decent value indeed with a 1 year warranty and support from a UK retail outlet.
I’ve not seen any deals from China that come close? Granted, it is an older spec.
I still run an original MK808 Android TV stick which must be 4 or 5 years old now and it still plods along with a lesser spec than this but perhaps the same version of Android?
My newest Android box is the (2GB/16GB) Beelink Mini MXIII II and whatever other numbers apply – it’s very well made overall but does have more glitches than the MK808 series units I’ve bought.
I was wondering if any of you have found custom roms for the Gem Box at all?
bernardsfingers
7 Jul 17#79
You realise you can check current trade/sell prices at cex by searching their website? They're offering £33 credit & £23 cash for the standard gembox from this thread (ie as boxed with 1 controller), however when I took it instore they confused the 2 gembox listings on their site & gave me £46 credit instead of £33.
bernardsfingers
5 Jul 17#77
Bought this & then kind of regretted it before it had even turned up - tried it out & it's pretty cr*ppy, N64 & even NES emulation doesn't appear to run well enough to be playable (for me at least). Turns out cex give £32 credit for it so took it down & somehow they looked up the wrong model & gave me £46 credit for it by mistake so can't complain too much. The gembox is rubbish tho.
ssjinzo to bernardsfingers
7 Jul 17#78
You know how much cash they were offering and was that just for the console or did you have anything extra like a extra controller?
Thanks
ssjinzo
3 Jul 17#76
What's the best multi emulators happy chick, classic boy anyone tried any of these?
nige182
3 Jul 17#75
I think the dropouts are box or app related. I only experienced any on Asphalt 8, during the tutorials. Whenever a tutorial message appeared on screen, the controller became unresponsive when the message disappeared for a couple of seconds. Every time one of those messages appeared this happened. But otherwise I had no problem with the controller.
Unless of course you are seeing the light flashing on the controller as if it is trying to reconnect, then it might be a controller issue (assuming you haven't stuck the console in a metal box or something).
pjburnhill
3 Jul 17#74
Got mine about a week ago and bought it with the 2nd controller and the Gemmotion motion controller. I have to say that with Retroarc, Kodi, Plex and few basic android games - Bombsquad 4-player, awwww-yeah! (though not at full frame rate) or Bombing Bast**ds (great choice of name, especially when you end up playing with kids... ) this is a great deal for the money. I basically got a retro console with some added Android goodness.
I even signed up for the 1month Gamefly trial and it plays those games 'fine' (tried Thief, Deus Ex, XCOM Enemy Within) - after a while you kinda forget that you're streaming the game to this tiny box. Now, it's clearly compressed stream with some artifacts when you look at couple of feet away, but it doesn't really show at 5 feet from the TV. Don't think i'll pay for Gamefly though, just don't think i'll use it enough.
Most of my time has gone to completing Blackthorne :sunglasses: on Magic DosBox and it's butter smooth and brilliant for retro gaming. <3
I've been using other BT controllers with it and they pair and work fine (8-BitDo Snes30, GameSir G3s). I would say that you don't really need the Gemmotion controller, especially if you have some sort of BT keyboard already. You do need something to type with for occasional text entry..
The actual controllers are ok, fairly basic in terms of built quality, have some very occasional drop-outs (not sure if controller or gembox-related) but fine for retro gaming use.
Gottograbthemall
3 Jul 17#73
I just downloaded smpc of the Google store and it worked fine.
nige182
3 Jul 17#72
Sorry, it isn't too clear is it. You need to go through their github link and then the releases section, here is a direct link to the 16.4.2 downloads: https://github.com/koying/SPMC/releases/tag/16.4.2-spmc, you want "SPMC-armeabi-v7a_16.4.2.apk"
The Launcher one has the option to set as the default launcher on the device, it doesn't really suit this box (not even sure the launcher option itself would work on this box).
mickael28
3 Jul 17#71
Hey, thanks.
But basic question, where can one get version 16.4.2, I can see the release notes on the link, but I don't see how to download that version?
And, do you know the difference between the 2 APKs that appear there by any chance?
ARM32 APK: link
ARM32 Launcher APK: link
You want version 16.4.2, anything newer won't work on this box as require Android 5.0.
mickael28
2 Jul 17#69
Could you let me know when you downloaded it from when you've got the chance pls?
I forgot about different versions of android, sometimes I was using a rooted android with a non-official firmware and it kept my phone updated ages after the official one stopped being updated, not sure if someone would have created something similar for this one. Although maybe not as I don't think it was too popular due to the high price they put initially...
Gottograbthemall
2 Jul 17#68
The box is OK as far smpc if works fine for £20 note it's as good as it's get. As a emulator again it's OK anything past that it's slow. As for streaming from a pc you need a niviada card that is compatible with niviada shield
nige182
2 Jul 17#67
SPMC is just a fork, I generally prefer pure Kodi, however a lot of people recommend SPMC for Android boxes, and on the boxes I have I found that SPMC is a bit more stable. Most noticeable when exiting, Kodi tends to freeze for 10 seconds or more, or even completely on the Amlogic boxes I have, whereas SPMC only takes a few seconds to exit. Also it was easy for me to get the latest SPMC that works on this box from their website, I am not sure Kodi on the Play store still supports this Android version. Just checked and on the Play store, Kodi requires Android 5.0 or later.
Regarding the lack of Google Play store on boxes you have, I found Aptoide to be a reasonable store, no need to sign up or anything and it auto updates the apps as well. Not comparable to the Google Play store if that is available, but an alternative if you need one.
The Gem Box does have an item in its menus to do with streaming from a PC. Read something about having to have an option turned on in Nvidia graphics so it might be limited to Nvidia cards.
mickael28
2 Jul 17#66
Thanks for all the details mate, I've got a couple of boxes already (but they're quite basic, no remote, and not even google playstore), so I was doubtful about getting this now.
A couple of doubts, is SPMC better than Kodi? I thought that Kodi was available for Android as well (and SPMC was just a fork from it)?
And talking about everything, do you know if one an do PC streaming on this device, ie, I don't know if there's any good android app that could allow me to launch a game on my gaming PC and stream it to my TV via this gem box? Do you know of any app which will allow this? I read that for that feature, the receiving device didn't have to be too powerful, so wondering if it could even work here...
mickael28
2 Jul 17#65
Hi, out of curiosity, where did you read that it was not good for emulators (or which emulators did you have in mind)?
It seems people here said runs emulators pretty well (SNES and similar and trying N64 seems to be working as well). I watched a youtube review, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LNDqKDu0X6w , and the guy was really impressed by the emulators performance in particular, I think he was mentioning that it was glorious or something similar... so not sure about the bad reviews you mention?
m1cky691
2 Jul 17#64
Yer I tried that and they said they won't. Sold it on eBay for 40 tho. Impulse buy and read reviews after and soon as I seen it's no good for emulators I regretted it
infiniti
2 Jul 17#63
Played around with it now for a few days, runs emulators well, controller is really good for the price
mickael28
29 Jun 17#60
Did you guys try the pre-installed Asphalt 8? Is it the complete game without further in-game purchases required? and does it run smooth on the system?
If anyone tries N64 emulation, was the device powerful enough to run it?
nige182 to mickael28
2 Jul 171#62
Asphalt 8 does have in-app purchases, but I think it is the full game and the in app purchases are optional. Not really played it that much. Have messed around with a few random non-game apps and it is quite good. The controller is better to navigate some things than the basic remote with most normal Android boxes and the 'mouse mode' is quite useful. I have installed SPMC 16.4.2 (which is the latest version supported), and that is running smooth, video playback from my SD card is smooth, FF/RW is not at all laggy, not tried any addons. And also when you exit it completely, it seems to close down in a second without any issues. On my S905X box there is 2-3 seconds of lag to exit it. Just a shame it is stuck on this version.
Now trying N64 emulator (MegaN64) with Mario 64, no lag on the opening sequence, or opening area. Some graphical glitching but that will just be the plugins I guess. Just played through the first level and running around here is smooth too. It definitely seems capable for N64. The controller is good for this too but you do need to configure it first as the D-Pad isn't assigned correctly in controller mode. Plus the mouse mode makes it very easy to exit a game and choose another.
The only thing I have an issue with is that when I installed apps and games (using the 'AppInstaller' app rather than Play Store in case it makes any difference), it then detects them and lets me choose where to put them, which is nice, but only between 'My Games' and 'My Apps', so for instance the N64 emulator sits in 'My Games' rather than 'Retro Gaming' where the default emulators would be.
It looks like the 'GemStore' redirects to Google Play Store to purchase stuff (I am not logged into my Google account on the box at the moment but it seems to be directing you that way), which I see as a plus as it does not seem to be trying to sell you stuff through its own marketplace that would then not be any good on any of your other Android devices.
mickael28
1 Jul 17#61
Hi guys, did you manage to configure it and play around with it? How good is it to play the pre-installed games? and other emulators?
infiniti
28 Jun 17#59
Bargain £28 delivered,(got an extra controller) runs kodi n showbo fine, playing about with emus now for some sega n Nintendo fun
nige182
28 Jun 17#58
Right now maybe not, but I only paid £25 for my Nexbox A95X which is S905X, 2GB RAM, 16GB storage. However, that doesn't come with a controller and once you factor that in, this price is great value hence I went for one. Managed to play N64 ok on a MK808B+ Android stick (though to get it smoother it did require opening and putting heatsinks on the chips, after that though it was fairly smooth), so I would expect this should handle N64 fine.
danboi63
28 Jun 17#57
wow, this had a £100 sticker on it originally!
not worth that but well worth £19.99!
g8spur
28 Jun 17#56
Should be ok I would expect. Shame they could have put a bit more juice in this thing but let's face it for £20 you aren't going to get close to this.
g8spur
28 Jun 17#53
Ok so I have unboxed this and installed retroarch off the play store and it plays Snes and Megadrive games fantastically. For me that's already worth it's money! Bought a 2nd controller for some old school streets of rage fun.
nige182 to g8spur
28 Jun 17#55
Cool, I ordered in the end a few days ago, I think it is with my neighbour. When I get it I will try N64 as expect it can handle that ok.
bonzobanana
28 Jun 17#54
Got the joypad controller today. The box had £29.99 on with a reduced sticker to £24.99 so obviously taken from shop stock. Seems excellent quality for £7.99 although not tested it yet as on charge.
mickael28
26 Jun 17#52
If it can't run some basic games, even for that price, I would be tempted to return it before opening it. I watched a youtube video last night with some games, and they couldn't be choppier :disappointed:
I guess if it comes with something like Asphalt 8 pre-installed, at least it should played those ones without frames dropped?
g8spur
26 Jun 17#51
I'm surprised by the lack of talk of this as a "retro" box. Is that because it can't even run old games?
Munkee
26 Jun 17#49
going to pick mine up tonight from game
How low should I set the bar ?
starsi360 to Munkee
26 Jun 17#50
Bury the bar. That should do it.
tonksy18
26 Jun 17#48
Ordered 2 on free postage option and both arrived this morning. Not expecting them to set the world alight but for the price with a game pad I couldn't complain
danboi63
25 Jun 17#47
Has anyone's been put in the post?
UmBungoh
25 Jun 17#46
Does anybody know if you can load Prime video on this?
Gottograbthemall
24 Jun 17#45
(devil)
BubaMan
24 Jun 17#44
I got 2 but I was on it like a Tory on a public service.
bonzobanana
24 Jun 17#43
I don't think the wireless is terrible but the game streaming needs 5megabit download speed and 2.4ghz isn't capable of that so you have to use ethernet which is. It's a limitation. Also I'm pretty sure the chipset isn't S805 I think other sites have come up with that.
This site has info which shows the cpu is as weak as expected and the same architecture but shows the gpu stronger than S805.
It's probably one of Amlogic's more rare chips. Possibly something like T826 or T828 possibly overclocked over normal mhz for the gpu. A slightly cut down chip designed more for smart tv's and projector's but still suitable for set top boxes. Hence the drop in resolution to 1080p max and a few other weaknesses. I assume its a failed product that is in clearance unless they plan to take losses on the hardware in the hope of getting revenue from game streaming. Still over £100 on Amazon. I would of thought this was never worth more than £50 at top whack though.
Gottograbthemall
24 Jun 17#42
Tbh I'm not expecting miracles with it tbf. I got it as a small present for my sons birthday for his bedroom. I have a pstv box which is terrible even wired and also a steam box for myself which I'm very impressed with. I mainly bought it as a kodi device, and hopefully can get the sky Q or go app running on it unless the 4.4 is going to be a problem. That and YouTube as my son is only 7 and has a small basic TV. That and I was hoping I could get the pc streaming up and running. Do you know if this is relatively poor at this? Also the mirror phone might come in handy. All in all for £20 I'll give it a go. I take it the wireless is terrible than
It was the motion remote I was interested in adding but it seems it's only available from third parties at £32 not £7.99 /(
bonzobanana
24 Jun 17#41
Review here seems to show it struggling with even old android games with choppy frame rates. I still think its going to be good value for some people though. Also bear in mind it is limited to a maximum 1080p resolution. This isn't a 4k compatible box for using with kodi etc.
I already have android box's that are S812 and S905 based which are much more powerful than S805 so it would be going backwards and besides this box only has a 2.4ghz wifi connection so I wouldn't be able to use the game streaming service anyway because I don't have ethernet where I'm going to put it. Both my boxes cost less than this one but didn't have a decent game controller with them.
From what I understand they put an underpowered chipset in this box purely to motivate people to use the game streaming service which they get revenue from so the contrast between android and streamed pc games is more extreme. The main cpu's in this are very low performance at 9,000 mips peak performance with all 4 operating at 1.5ghz but as is common with a lot of these chipsets they often won't perform at their maximum speed anyway for long. It's a very low performance box, slow cpu, weak gpu, limited memory and low storage and because of its limited performance seems to be stuck at android 4.4.
Gottograbthemall
24 Jun 17#39
Did anyone actually buy the remote for £7.99? I bought the box for £19.99 but I went to buy the remote for £7.99 and when I click on it, it goes to £32!!
gadger100
24 Jun 17#38
awful spec.
lee333337
24 Jun 17#37
A good link on emtecs website for compatible android TV games
The gamepad for £7.99 seems great value as it works with other devices and is rechargable rather than battery based. It shares the xbox 360 controllers design. If its good quality that surely is a bargain too especially if you have a decent or better android box already but no game controller.
bonzobanana
24 Jun 171#35
I'm not sure about the gpu, they are claiming it has a S805 chipset but there is conflicting information some sites say the gpu is MP2 but others and the amlogic site say MP4 but none of them say MP6 like Emtec. The confusion may be they are MP4 but are run at a lower speed i.e. 250mhz which is the same as MP2 at 500mhz.
If it is a S805 it may only be 15 gflops of gpu performance which is between the wii (11 gflops) and original xbox (20 gflops) performance where as 450MP6 typically at 600mhz it would be about Vita performance level of about 50 gflops.
If you look at the amlogic wiki page there is no Arm A5 based chipset with a 450MP6 all the chips that have that gpu have superior ARM chips.
Still at £19.99 its hard to complain with a decent controller and good media capabilities. It's a bargain as long as you don't have something better already under the tv. Seems more of a bedroom tv device. S805 boxes aren't dear but they don't normally come with controllers and are normally straight from China with limited warranty and electrical safety testing. This seems great value but I don't see how it can be S805 and Mali MP6 unless Amlogic literally make lots of different performance level chips but call them all S805.
Here is an antutu score based on the same chipset which might help people make comparisons with performance although if they are claiming MP6 maybe the GPU's are clocked higher than normal rather than there actually being 6 of them.
markiemarcus
23 Jun 172#34
The RAM isn't the problem for games, neither is the GPU; that CPU is pants though. The fact that it's quad core is irrelevant when the IPC is terrible.
It is cheap though. Not a bad deal for the price.
Also, if you're into emulation and in any way sensitive to input lag for 8/16bit era games, run (screaming) from Android. You're far better off with a RPi3.
FoxForce5
23 Jun 172#33
The box has a controller with it, but the majority of the android games on the play store are intended for screen controls only, with key mapper you can map keys to the touches which should make more games usable with the controller.
You'd be much better with a raspberrypi3 running retropie rather than this imo, but each to their own.
Pacman786
23 Jun 17#32
Great price, I love these mini plug and play devices, reminds me of the 80's, just a shame PacMan isn't built in.
AwisemanA
23 Jun 17#31
hot as hell nice find op just ordered one
mickael28
23 Jun 17#30
If the box has a controller already, what is the purpose of this Key Mapper tool? Do you think it could be useful for something in this case?
nige182
23 Jun 17#29
Has anyone actually got one? If so I have two questions that might help me and others make up our minds.
1. Is the controller any good? Range ok? Battery life?
2. Does Amazon Underground work ok on this?
croz123
23 Jun 17#28
I spoke to chat 10 mins after ordering and they cancelled it. Thankfully lol
nige182
23 Jun 171#27
Half of me wants it as it is cheap, but the other half remembers the GameStick that got a week of use before being flashed with custom firmware, which then got only another week of use since the Android version was old. Ended up in a drawer for over a year before eventually selling.
BubaMan
23 Jun 171#26
I've used Key Mapper to overcome screen-only controls with quite good effect.
m1cky691
23 Jun 17#25
how? I tried to cancel mine but no option and spoke to chat and they said they cant lol
Jonnyblock
23 Jun 171#23
Out of interest, I have a whole bunch of Android games bought through Play credit on my phone (that I never play) . Could I use an android box to play all these games with a controller rather than touchscreen?
oUkTuRkEyIII to Jonnyblock
23 Jun 17#24
I watched a video before I bought one, the guy was playing final fantasy from the play store using the controller. All games won't be compatible I'm sure but it's the reason I bought one, I can make the most of the 10p deals and the retro gaming
g8spur
23 Jun 17#22
What sort of emulators would this run in comparison to say a rasberry pi3.
notavalidaddress
23 Jun 172#21
this will so be in the drawer of crap soon after purchase.
Khairul
23 Jun 17#20
Just bought, many thanks. Would have been nice to have the keyboard (pictured) included, but still a great deal.
croz123
23 Jun 17#14
I bought one thanks. At that price sure why not lol
It will do as a KODI box
chocci to croz123
23 Jun 17#19
Will only run an old kodi version
smileyadam
23 Jun 17#18
SPMC - is on the play store
FoxForce5
23 Jun 172#17
You're gonna get what you pay for here, it's basically a £15 android TV box with a £5 controller bundled in.
If you want it for playing games then one with a higher ram would be a better bet.
croz123
23 Jun 172#16
just cancelled my order lol
BubaMan
23 Jun 17#2
oooh - does it run Netflix, Amazon, Plex, Kodi, etc?
BuzzDuraband to BubaMan
23 Jun 171#3
It has the Google Play store on it, so I would assume so bud.
captainbeaky to BubaMan
23 Jun 171#15
Latest play store version of Kodi requires Andriod 5.0& above. You'd need to find an older or modified build.
anybody knows if this is certified for Netflix, Amazon? If it's not you will get poor quality only, especially on Amazon Video
Some specs:
CPU
Amlogic S805 Quad Core Cortex-A5 1.5GHz
GPU
ARM Mali-450MP6
Memory
DDR 1GB, Flash 16GB
System
Android 4.4 Kit Kat
Network
Built-in Wi-Fi b/g/n, Ethernet 10/100
Ports
USB 2.0, Ethernet, microSD, HDMI
File System
FAT32, NTFS, HFS, (up to 3TB hard disk)
Video Output
HDMI 1.4 CEC, 720P, 1080i, 1080p
Video Codecs
H264, XVID
Video Formats*
AVI, FLV, M4V, MKV, MOV, MP4, MPG, WMV
Audio Codec
MP3
Audio Formats*
FLAC, MP3, OGG
Photo Formats*
BMP, GIF, JPG, PNG
Dimensions
83x83x24 (mm), 105g
Accessories
Bluetooth wireless gamepad, AC adapter, HDMI cable, Ethernet cable, Quick Start Guide
Languages
English, Dutch, French, German, Italian, Polish, Portuguese, Spanish, Russian
Munkee
23 Jun 171#11
Yeah dunno why but bought 1
Hopefully not relegated to the dreaded tech drawer
te721
23 Jun 17#8
looks really good, Just ordered one! I have a ps3 that is just used for Amazon video, Netflix bbc news and the odd older game so I think this might just do the trick if not could probably sell it for more the £20
g8spur to te721
23 Jun 171#10
Reviews terribly but most of those at £100. Be interesting to see how it handles emulation.
dorkozoid
23 Jun 17#9
If you're mainly looking to use it got Android apps then maybe an Android TV box would be better? This only has 1gb RAM
hackerace
23 Jun 17#6
anyone know if this android can be upgrade to latest version?
BubaMan to hackerace
23 Jun 17#7
I can't find anything, official or otherwise :disappointed:
BubaMan
23 Jun 17#5
Damn - I'll probably want the motion control @ £8 for media...
Looks like I'll be trading in RE7 tonight :stuck_out_tongue:
BubaMan
23 Jun 171#4
This says so too :smiley:
Ordered 2 with some credit I had laying in my Game Wallet - many thanks :smile:
![Fresh Breakfast Meat Box (Using code) @ Campbells Meat [Haggis / Lorne Sausage / Bacon / Black Pudding & More]](/images/topics/208684_1.jpg)
![[Xbox One] Q. u. b. e: Director's Cut on Deals with Gold](/images/topics/208716_1.jpg)
Opening post
It's not going to be the be all and end all of video gaming, but I reckon this is a tidy little device, if not just for the kids.
It comes complete with the game pad (£7.99 separately on Game), 1 month's Gamefly streaming (usually £7.96 a month) and it also comes with four Gameloft titles...
Asphalt 8: Airborne
GT Racing 2
Wonder Zoo
My Little Pony
Introducing the GEM Box family gaming console by Emtec. The GEM Box console is the first Android TV Box for both true gamers and the whole family. It enables you to turn any TV into a gaming hub, simply plug the tiny GEM Box console into your TV and enjoy family gaming with up to 4 players.
The tiny GEM Box is small enough to fit in the palm of your hand, so you can take it with you anywhere, whether you are visiting friends or going on holiday. It’s quick and easy to set up, just connect your GEM Box console to your TV and the easy-to-use interface provides you with instant access to all the functions and applications using the ergonomically designed GEM Pad.
The GEM Box games console provides instant access to thousands of Android games and apps from Google Play, as well as console quality games from GameFly Streaming making it suitable for gamers for all levels.
Game streaming is the future of gaming consoles. You are already streaming movies and music, and with the GEM Box, you can now stream video games too. By subscribing to GameFly streaming you can select from a large library of titles at the touch of a button. Gone are the days of having to buy games to be loaded into a machine, instead you just select a game and start playing. New titles added each month to GameFly so there is always something new to play. Plus, when you purchase a GEM Box console, you can get a free trial of GameFly streaming for 1 month and without obligation.
Choose from a multitude of Android games and apps available from Google Play, the majority of which are free including many titles suited for kids gaming and family gaming.
Revisit your favourite old school games with a selection of retro emulators. Relive the glory days of classic gaming consoles and travel back in time to experience some of gaming’s greatest hits.
Stream your PC game library collection directly from your PC to your TV. With the GEM Stream app you can now stream from your PC in your bedroom or office directly to the TV in your lounge.
Navigating around the numerous features on the GEM Box is remarkably simple. The easy-to-use, intuitive interface is designed so you can browse menus with ease providing easy access to all the functions and content. Entering information like passwords is quick and easy too, thanks to the exclusive virtual keyboard.
The GEM Box console is so much more than a games console. You can turn your TV into a smart TV and view your favourite websites including YouTube. Miracast enables you to wirelessly mirror smart phone or tablet content to your TV. Photos, videos or music on a USB memory device or microSD card can also be plugged directly into the console to view on your TV.
Box Contains
GEM Box consoleGEM Pad ControllerEthernet cableHDMI cable12V Power Supply
Just to confirm, keyboard not included - available separately for £7.99
- Khairul
Latest comments (80)
As far as I’m concerned, there should be more than enough power to run the usual video streaming apps and play some MAME type games.
If you think about a controller being worth say £8 – then @ £12 for an Android TV box seems very decent value indeed with a 1 year warranty and support from a UK retail outlet.
I’ve not seen any deals from China that come close? Granted, it is an older spec.
I still run an original MK808 Android TV stick which must be 4 or 5 years old now and it still plods along with a lesser spec than this but perhaps the same version of Android?
My newest Android box is the (2GB/16GB) Beelink Mini MXIII II and whatever other numbers apply – it’s very well made overall but does have more glitches than the MK808 series units I’ve bought.
I was wondering if any of you have found custom roms for the Gem Box at all?
Thanks
Unless of course you are seeing the light flashing on the controller as if it is trying to reconnect, then it might be a controller issue (assuming you haven't stuck the console in a metal box or something).
I even signed up for the 1month Gamefly trial and it plays those games 'fine' (tried Thief, Deus Ex, XCOM Enemy Within) - after a while you kinda forget that you're streaming the game to this tiny box. Now, it's clearly compressed stream with some artifacts when you look at couple of feet away, but it doesn't really show at 5 feet from the TV. Don't think i'll pay for Gamefly though, just don't think i'll use it enough.
Most of my time has gone to completing Blackthorne :sunglasses: on Magic DosBox and it's butter smooth and brilliant for retro gaming. <3
I've been using other BT controllers with it and they pair and work fine (8-BitDo Snes30, GameSir G3s). I would say that you don't really need the Gemmotion controller, especially if you have some sort of BT keyboard already. You do need something to type with for occasional text entry..
The actual controllers are ok, fairly basic in terms of built quality, have some very occasional drop-outs (not sure if controller or gembox-related) but fine for retro gaming use.
The Launcher one has the option to set as the default launcher on the device, it doesn't really suit this box (not even sure the launcher option itself would work on this box).
But basic question, where can one get version 16.4.2, I can see the release notes on the link, but I don't see how to download that version?
And, do you know the difference between the 2 APKs that appear there by any chance?
ARM32 APK: link
ARM32 Launcher APK: link
You want version 16.4.2, anything newer won't work on this box as require Android 5.0.
I forgot about different versions of android, sometimes I was using a rooted android with a non-official firmware and it kept my phone updated ages after the official one stopped being updated, not sure if someone would have created something similar for this one. Although maybe not as I don't think it was too popular due to the high price they put initially...
Regarding the lack of Google Play store on boxes you have, I found Aptoide to be a reasonable store, no need to sign up or anything and it auto updates the apps as well. Not comparable to the Google Play store if that is available, but an alternative if you need one.
The Gem Box does have an item in its menus to do with streaming from a PC. Read something about having to have an option turned on in Nvidia graphics so it might be limited to Nvidia cards.
A couple of doubts, is SPMC better than Kodi? I thought that Kodi was available for Android as well (and SPMC was just a fork from it)?
And talking about everything, do you know if one an do PC streaming on this device, ie, I don't know if there's any good android app that could allow me to launch a game on my gaming PC and stream it to my TV via this gem box? Do you know of any app which will allow this? I read that for that feature, the receiving device didn't have to be too powerful, so wondering if it could even work here...
It seems people here said runs emulators pretty well (SNES and similar and trying N64 seems to be working as well). I watched a youtube review, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LNDqKDu0X6w , and the guy was really impressed by the emulators performance in particular, I think he was mentioning that it was glorious or something similar... so not sure about the bad reviews you mention?
If anyone tries N64 emulation, was the device powerful enough to run it?
Asphalt 8 does have in-app purchases, but I think it is the full game and the in app purchases are optional. Not really played it that much. Have messed around with a few random non-game apps and it is quite good. The controller is better to navigate some things than the basic remote with most normal Android boxes and the 'mouse mode' is quite useful. I have installed SPMC 16.4.2 (which is the latest version supported), and that is running smooth, video playback from my SD card is smooth, FF/RW is not at all laggy, not tried any addons. And also when you exit it completely, it seems to close down in a second without any issues. On my S905X box there is 2-3 seconds of lag to exit it. Just a shame it is stuck on this version.
Now trying N64 emulator (MegaN64) with Mario 64, no lag on the opening sequence, or opening area. Some graphical glitching but that will just be the plugins I guess. Just played through the first level and running around here is smooth too. It definitely seems capable for N64. The controller is good for this too but you do need to configure it first as the D-Pad isn't assigned correctly in controller mode. Plus the mouse mode makes it very easy to exit a game and choose another.
The only thing I have an issue with is that when I installed apps and games (using the 'AppInstaller' app rather than Play Store in case it makes any difference), it then detects them and lets me choose where to put them, which is nice, but only between 'My Games' and 'My Apps', so for instance the N64 emulator sits in 'My Games' rather than 'Retro Gaming' where the default emulators would be.
It looks like the 'GemStore' redirects to Google Play Store to purchase stuff (I am not logged into my Google account on the box at the moment but it seems to be directing you that way), which I see as a plus as it does not seem to be trying to sell you stuff through its own marketplace that would then not be any good on any of your other Android devices.
not worth that but well worth £19.99!
I guess if it comes with something like Asphalt 8 pre-installed, at least it should played those ones without frames dropped?
How low should I set the bar ?
This site has info which shows the cpu is as weak as expected and the same architecture but shows the gpu stronger than S805.
https://compubench.com/device.jsp?benchmark=compu20&os=Android&api=rs&D=EMTEC+F500+Gem+Box&testgroup=info
It's probably one of Amlogic's more rare chips. Possibly something like T826 or T828 possibly overclocked over normal mhz for the gpu. A slightly cut down chip designed more for smart tv's and projector's but still suitable for set top boxes. Hence the drop in resolution to 1080p max and a few other weaknesses. I assume its a failed product that is in clearance unless they plan to take losses on the hardware in the hope of getting revenue from game streaming. Still over £100 on Amazon. I would of thought this was never worth more than £50 at top whack though.
It was the motion remote I was interested in adding but it seems it's only available from third parties at £32 not £7.99 /(
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8HjtIKSbhC0
I already have android box's that are S812 and S905 based which are much more powerful than S805 so it would be going backwards and besides this box only has a 2.4ghz wifi connection so I wouldn't be able to use the game streaming service anyway because I don't have ethernet where I'm going to put it. Both my boxes cost less than this one but didn't have a decent game controller with them.
From what I understand they put an underpowered chipset in this box purely to motivate people to use the game streaming service which they get revenue from so the contrast between android and streamed pc games is more extreme. The main cpu's in this are very low performance at 9,000 mips peak performance with all 4 operating at 1.5ghz but as is common with a lot of these chipsets they often won't perform at their maximum speed anyway for long. It's a very low performance box, slow cpu, weak gpu, limited memory and low storage and because of its limited performance seems to be stuck at android 4.4.
http://www.emtec-gembox.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/catalog-gembox-november-2016.jpg
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amlogic
http://kyokojap.myweb.hinet.net/gpu_gflops/
http://www.amlogic.com/#Products/178/index.html
If it is a S805 it may only be 15 gflops of gpu performance which is between the wii (11 gflops) and original xbox (20 gflops) performance where as 450MP6 typically at 600mhz it would be about Vita performance level of about 50 gflops.
If you look at the amlogic wiki page there is no Arm A5 based chipset with a 450MP6 all the chips that have that gpu have superior ARM chips.
Still at £19.99 its hard to complain with a decent controller and good media capabilities. It's a bargain as long as you don't have something better already under the tv. Seems more of a bedroom tv device. S805 boxes aren't dear but they don't normally come with controllers and are normally straight from China with limited warranty and electrical safety testing. This seems great value but I don't see how it can be S805 and Mali MP6 unless Amlogic literally make lots of different performance level chips but call them all S805.
Here is an antutu score based on the same chipset which might help people make comparisons with performance although if they are claiming MP6 maybe the GPU's are clocked higher than normal rather than there actually being 6 of them.
It is cheap though. Not a bad deal for the price.
Also, if you're into emulation and in any way sensitive to input lag for 8/16bit era games, run (screaming) from Android. You're far better off with a RPi3.
You'd be much better with a raspberrypi3 running retropie rather than this imo, but each to their own.
1. Is the controller any good? Range ok? Battery life?
2. Does Amazon Underground work ok on this?
It will do as a KODI box
If you want it for playing games then one with a higher ram would be a better bet.
Some specs:
CPU
Amlogic S805 Quad Core Cortex-A5 1.5GHz
GPU
ARM Mali-450MP6
Memory
DDR 1GB, Flash 16GB
System
Android 4.4 Kit Kat
Network
Built-in Wi-Fi b/g/n, Ethernet 10/100
Ports
USB 2.0, Ethernet, microSD, HDMI
File System
FAT32, NTFS, HFS, (up to 3TB hard disk)
Video Output
HDMI 1.4 CEC, 720P, 1080i, 1080p
Video Codecs
H264, XVID
Video Formats*
AVI, FLV, M4V, MKV, MOV, MP4, MPG, WMV
Audio Codec
MP3
Audio Formats*
FLAC, MP3, OGG
Photo Formats*
BMP, GIF, JPG, PNG
Dimensions
83x83x24 (mm), 105g
Accessories
Bluetooth wireless gamepad, AC adapter, HDMI cable, Ethernet cable, Quick Start Guide
Languages
English, Dutch, French, German, Italian, Polish, Portuguese, Spanish, Russian
Hopefully not relegated to the dreaded tech drawer
Looks like I'll be trading in RE7 tonight :stuck_out_tongue:
Ordered 2 with some credit I had laying in my Game Wallet - many thanks :smile: