Timetop GameKing II

GameKing II is a handheld console released by Timetop in 2004. It has backwards compatibility with GameKing I and they are the only consoles of the GameKing series that have the "3in1" indication written on the console. Like GameKing I, it has the same three built in games and can take the same cartridges as GameKing I.

GameKing I design is similar to Nintendo's Game Boy Advance but GameKing II has similar appearance with Sony's PlayStation Portable. It also uses three AAA batteries instead of two. The console can work with only two batteries also but without sound and backlit on the screen, since the third battery is used for the audio and the backlight. The second version of GameKing, GameKing II (model GM-219) has improved hardware and even better audio. The backlit can be turned on and off for battery saving reasons.

A strange fact regarding the LCD screen (still 4 shades of gray color palette) is that using the backlit, a fixed background picture is appearing that is not unique in every GameKing II unit but may vary from unit to unit. This has been done probably in order to give the sense of a colorful screen. However, without the backlit the picture has a negative effect regarding the quality of the screen. The picture can be removed or replaced by opening the machine and removing the small plastic transparency behind the LCD screen. This can enhance the backlit effect also.

In addition, there is a redesign of this console (model GM-222) with similar hardware, however it doesn't have a backlit. The strange fact is that this version came later than GameKing III, which was colored. However, the screen is the same as GameKing II. Another strange fact is that the box displays o colorful screen, with a quite misleading image of the console!