This Lenovo handheld could have the brand hearing from Nintendo’s lawyers

The world of handheld gaming, especially those coming out of China, is a bit like the Wild West. On AliExpress, Temu, and, in some cases, Amazon, you can find cheap handheld devices packed full of illegal ROMs for low prices. Until now, we’ve not seen much in the way of big-name brands jumping on the trend, but thanks to a discovery from Retro Dodo, it looks like we might have a first in the form of the Lenovo G02 handheld you can pick up for under $100.

The Lenovo G02 looks a lot like some of the retro handhelds we’ve seen from brands such as Anbernic and Ayaneo in recent years, with a Game Boy-style form factor. According to a quote obtained by Retro Dodo, the device is “produced through a regional brand licensing agreement meant for the China market only and is not part of Lenovo’s official global product portfolio.” That statement suggests Lenovo hasn’t manufactured this device, which makes it all the more confusing that it’s adorned with the company’s branding.

This is where it gets tricky. What Lenovo is doing is pretty commonplace in China, with plenty of TikTok ads for similar devices, but it isn’t almost anywhere else that abides by stricter copyright laws. It’s not just random games that you get with the G02, but a massive collection of titles from some major publishers, including Nintendo and Sega. This is why it’s so surprising that Lenovo, a brand with a solid reputation, has licensed this device, and it’s even more shocking that you can get your hands on it outside of China with so little effort.

To make matters worse, Retro Dodo has suggested on social media that the handheld itself has “really bad build quality.” The concern is that this device alone could damage Lenovo’s reputation, which would be a shame, especially considering that the brand is responsible for some of the best handheld consoles currently on the market, including the Legion Go S and Legion Go 2.

Given that the G02 is now raising some eyebrows, we could see Lenovo step in to curtail global sales of the handheld to protect its reputation while avoiding legal action from any of the developers with games pre-installed on the device. After all, Nintendo has quite the reputation for going after brands that infringe on its IP. Either way, we’ll be keeping an eye out for any developments.