Rapper Soulja Boy is once again trying to sell a game console, this time selling what looks to be a rebranded Retroid Pocket Flip 2 under the name SouljaGame Flip.
In a post on Instagram (spotted by Retro Dodo), the artist known for his 2007 hit song “Crank That (Soulja Boy)” can be seen showing off what appears to be a Retroid Pocket Flip 2. He said the device is actually a new SouljaGame Flip console that is “out right now” and can be bought from his website. He said it has “all the games you need,” a “fast processor,” and “good graphics.”
Soulja Boy was originally selling “his” console for $436, over twice the $209 price the Retroid Pocket Flip 2 currently goes for on Retroid’s official website. But since news began to circulate about the rebranded device and its hefty price tag, the price seems to have been slashed to $200, actually making it cheaper than buying the device directly from Retroid.
The website where the SouljaGame Flip can be ordered shows images that look to be taken straight from Retroid’s own website, only with some additional images showing white packaging that say SouljaGame. Even the names of the different console colors on the Soulja Boy website are the same as that of the Retroid Pocket Flip 2, including the GameCube-inspired GC color scheme. The console’s store page description states the SouljaGame Flip is “the ultimate handheld gaming console endorsed by Soulja Boy.”
Retro Dodo reached out to Retroid about the whole affair, and received an official statement that made clear Soulja Boy selling repackaged Retroid Pocket Flip 2s is not any kind of official partnership.
“This is not any kind of official licensing deal,” Retroid said. “He does not have permission to rebrand our products and sell them as his own. The Retroid Pocket Flip 2 is patented in the US by ourselves.”
It’s currently unclear if Retroid will pursue legal action, but it’s not the first time Soulja Boy has tried to sell game consoles. In 2018, the rapper sold Chinese emulators under his own label, and again in 2021 with a rebranded Game Boy-inspired handheld called the TRDR Pocket.
The handheld gaming market is currently booming, with a growing retro emulation device market and the release of the Nintendo Switch 2 and Xbox-branded ROG Ally.
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