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GAMEMT MTX: $79.99 Handheld With a GBA Cartridge Slot

By Man Talk Staff · Updated September 16, 2026 · 8 min read

GAMEMT put the MTX on sale on September 15, 2026, and the pitch is unusual for a sub-$100 handheld. It has a physical Game Boy Advance cartridge slot. Most budget devices in this price band read ROM files and nothing else. The MTX pairs that slot with a 3.95-inch 720 by 720 screen and an Allwinner T509 chip. It carries 1GB of RAM, 8GB of internal storage, and a 3,000 mAh battery. List price is $84.99, with a launch promotion at $79.99 direct from GAMEMT. AliExpress listings show roughly $71 once a coupon is applied. Retro Handhelds reported the listing going live, and Android Authority covered it the following morning. Retro Dodo had already seen sample units circulating through resellers on September 11. Nothing below comes from hands-on testing. This report covers the published spec sheet, the questions it leaves open, and how a $79.99 cartridge handheld compares with the Analogue Pocket.

What is the GAMEMT MTX?

The MTX is a horizontal retro handheld with a square 3.95-inch screen and a cartridge slot on top. GAMEMT sells it directly and through AliExpress. It runs a Linux build rather than Android.

GAMEMT is a smaller name than Anbernic or Retroid, and its track record is mixed. The company teased a modular handheld called the E5 MODX back in April 2026. That device still has not shipped. Retro Dodo noted in its September 11 piece that GAMEMT build quality has not matched Anbernic's, while crediting the company for taking design risks.

The MTX arrived without a conventional announcement cycle. Retro Dodo saw it through a Chinese reseller and a YouTube channel holding an early sample, with no official spec sheet published at that point. Four days later the store listing appeared with full specifications attached. Retro Handhelds called it available to order on September 15.

GAMEMT MTX specs

The MTX runs an Allwinner T509 with a PowerVR GE8300 GPU and 1GB of RAM. The panel is a 3.95-inch 720 by 720 IPS unit at 257.78 pixels per inch. Storage is 8GB internal plus microSD. The body weighs 216.5 grams.

Two published figures disagree slightly. Retro Handhelds lists the panel at 3.95 inches. Android Authority rounds it to 4 inches. The difference is rounding rather than a spec conflict.

A second point needs watching. Retro Dodo's sample-unit report listed Wi-Fi among the features. The spec table published with the store listing does not include a wireless row at all. Buyers who need Wi-Fi for updates or netplay should confirm that before ordering.

The store also sells the MTX in two bundle tiers, described by card capacity rather than internal storage. A 55GB bundle sits at the $79.99 promotional price. A 100GB bundle sits at $84.99. Either way a buyer should read the microSD card guide before trusting a bundled card with save files.

The cartridge slot, and what is still unclear

GAMEMT's listing says the slot takes Game Boy Advance cartridges. How the device reads them is the open question. Android Authority describes cartridge play as running through emulation, while the store spec table carries an FPGA note under software.

That distinction matters to anyone comparing this device with an Analogue Pocket. The Pocket reproduces original hardware behavior in an FPGA, which is why its accuracy claims hold up. A device that dumps a cartridge and then feeds the data to a software emulator produces a different result. It is often a perfectly good result, but it is not the same thing.

Neither outlet resolved this. The FPGA line sits in the spec table without explanation, and no reviewer with a retail unit has published a teardown or a latency test. Treat the cartridge feature as confirmed and the method behind it as unconfirmed.

Backward compatibility is also unstated. The original Game Boy Advance read Game Boy and Game Boy Color cartridges through the same slot. Android Authority flagged that the MTX may or may not do the same. Retro Handhelds guessed it probably does, while marking that as a guess. Anyone buying specifically for a Game Boy Color collection should wait for confirmation.

Worth noting for context: FunnyPlaying announced a cartridge-reading mini Game Boy device roughly a week before the MTX listing appeared. Two cartridge-slot handhelds inside eight days suggests this is becoming a category rather than a one-off. The Analogue Pocket coverage explains what the premium end of that category currently costs.

What the Allwinner T509 can realistically run

The T509 is new and largely untested in retail hardware. Leaked material cited by Retro Handhelds claims PSP emulation at double resolution. Retro Dodo's sample-unit report describes emulation reaching PS1 comfortably, with PSP emulators present.

Those two readings do not fully agree, and neither has been verified by an independent reviewer. The table below reflects what the chip class suggests rather than measured results on this device.

The 1:1 panel shapes the experience as much as the chip does. A Game Boy Advance frame is 240 by 160 pixels. Scaled three times it becomes 720 by 480, which fills the width exactly and leaves bars above and below. Game Boy and Game Boy Color frames are nearly square and sit on this panel well. PS1 and Genesis content ends up with more unused glass.

Retro Dodo made this point directly, calling the square screen an odd pairing for a device built around a cartridge format that is not square. Buyers who mostly play handheld-era libraries lose little. Buyers coming from console-era libraries should compare with the shapes covered in the Game Boy and GBA emulation guide.

Firmware support is the other unknown. The device ships with a Linux build from GAMEMT. No community firmware team has published support for the T509, because no retail device has used it before. The custom firmware guide covers why that matters on a new chip.

GAMEMT MTX price and where it sits

At $79.99 promotional, the MTX competes with H700-class handhelds that offer better-known chips and no cartridge slot. Against the Analogue Pocket, it is roughly a third of the price with none of the accuracy pedigree.

The comparison that decides this purchase is the Pocket one. Someone with a shelf of Game Boy Advance cartridges and $220 to spend has a well-reviewed answer already. Someone with the same shelf and $80 to spend did not, until now.

The rest of the spec sheet is where the savings show. There are no analog sticks, so anything requiring 3D control is awkward at best. RAM sits at 1GB, which sets a hard ceiling. The GE8300 GPU shipped in budget phones six years ago. None of that is hidden, and at $80 none of it is unreasonable.

Anyone weighing this against the rest of the sub-$100 field should read the handhelds under $100 roundup first. The MTX buys a cartridge slot with money that would otherwise buy a faster chip and mature firmware.

Five things that stand out

1. The cartridge slot is the whole product. Strip it out and this is an ordinary budget handheld with an unusual screen shape.
2. It is the first retail device on the Allwinner T509. That means no community firmware and no performance history to lean on.
3. The 1:1 screen is a deliberate trade. Square panels flatter Game Boy libraries and waste glass on everything wider.
4. Wi-Fi is contradicted across sources. A sample-unit report lists it; the published spec table does not mention wireless at all.
5. Two cartridge handhelds landed in eight days. FunnyPlaying announced one the week before, which points at a trend rather than a novelty.

Who the GAMEMT MTX is for

The MTX suits someone who owns Game Boy Advance cartridges, wants to play them on modern hardware, and cannot justify Analogue Pocket money. Everyone else is better served by a proven chip at the same price.

That is a narrower audience than the spec sheet suggests, and it is a real one. Cartridge collections sitting in a drawer are common. Original Game Boy Advance hardware has an unlit screen and a battery compartment that takes AA cells. A modern rechargeable device that reads the same cartridges solves a genuine annoyance.

Anyone shopping purely for emulation should look elsewhere. An H700 device at this price has years of firmware work behind it and a known performance profile. The brand comparison guide covers what the established makers offer in this bracket.

Should you buy it now or wait?

Waiting is the sensible call unless the promotional price is about to end. The unknowns here are substantial. How the cartridge slot actually works, whether older Game Boy carts run, whether Wi-Fi exists, and how the T509 performs are all unresolved. A few weeks of independent reviews would settle every one of them. The $5 difference between promotional and list price is small next to the risk of buying a first-of-chip device sight unseen.

Frequently asked questions

How much does the GAMEMT MTX cost?

The list price is $84.99. GAMEMT is running a launch promotion at $79.99 on its own store for the 55GB card bundle, and $84.99 for the 100GB bundle. AliExpress listings show roughly $71 with a coupon code applied at checkout. Colors are white and black.

Does the GAMEMT MTX play original Game Boy Advance cartridges?

GAMEMT's listing says the slot supports Game Boy Advance cartridges. Android Authority describes the cartridge as being read and then played through emulation rather than original silicon. Whether older Game Boy and Game Boy Color cartridges also work has not been confirmed by the company.

What chip is in the GAMEMT MTX?

An Allwinner T509, paired with a PowerVR GE8300 GPU. The MTX appears to be the first retail handheld shipping with that chip. Android Authority describes the CPU side as a quad-core Cortex-A53 design, and the GE8300 GPU was used in sub-$150 phones around 2019 and 2020.

Is the 1:1 screen a problem for retro games?

It depends on the system. Game Boy and Game Boy Color are close to square and suit the panel well. A Game Boy Advance frame scales to 720 by 480 at exactly three times, filling the width with bars above and below. Wider systems lose more of the panel.

This page was published on September 16, 2026, one day after the MTX listing went live. Cartridge-reading method, Game Boy and Game Boy Color compatibility, Wi-Fi, and independent performance results will be added as they publish. The Man Talk retro handhelds section tracks every launch as it happens. Manufacturer specifications and pricing are published at GAMEMT's official store.