Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

After spending some quality time (2 weeks) with the GAEMS M155, I feel I now have enough experience with it to have a balanced view of this new gaming device. I'll do my best to be informative and help those of you on the fence understand both the potential and limitations of the product. Here we go: The Specifics------------------ I use a Macbook Pro 13" 2011 with Yosemite on it. My gaming machine of choice is the launch day PS4 I play lots of COD. Haters will hate, FPS campers will appreciate. I'm an Apple fanboy who makes a living in the advertising industry doing design work. I'm known for taking extremely good care of my tech. I'm an adult. The Product--------- First and foremost, this was designed for gamers. This is not intended to be a screen for your palm pilot or blackberry. I will not waste review time discussing absolutely derelict devices so out of the obvious use spectrum. This unit is meant for gaming, with a secondary screen use market as an obvious upsell for the purchase of the M155. The M155 is an awesome concept. It's like taking a portable screen in a bag for your gaming system and not needing the HUGE clamshell cases GAEMS is well known for. I've played about 15 hours on my screen so far, and not a dead pixel in sight. No lag. Love the portability, and love that I'm no longer forced with choosing between a real TV or a nuclear warhead case. There are quite a few problems though: The Screen-------------- Overall 6/10 I really, really wanted to love this screen. The problem is, the viewing angles are SO bad when compared to virtually ANY phone, tablet, notebook, or tv. Do not buy the pitch that two players will enjoy a game session here. It's just not a reality. You'll need to be head on. A little over, or under, or to the side and the edges of the screen will be washed out. You've been warned. But for solo gaming, not bad. *PS: It's Glossy* I give the screen a 6 out of 10. I think for a little more time in development, this screen could have had much better viewing angles. The Audio--------------- 0/10 I hate to break it to you...but there are no speakers in this thing. On the GAEMS promo videos they claim that they did not develop the M155 with speakers due to weight issues, and that leaving them out cut down on the weight / profile. I call BS. In reality, you are most likely reading this review on a phone with built in speakers that could have worked on this unit. So those Netflix sessions you wanted to use your Xbox and GAEMS M155 on? Better grab the headphone splitters. That or grab a decent speaker, thus adding bulk and defeating the purpose of this slim product. I'm really disappointed in their effort here; I would hound them about crappy speakers, but this...they simply chose not to care. The Design---------------- Overall 7/10 A couple of things here. The stand works well enough, providing you don't strip the screws or lose them. There are two screws that hold the cover/stand to the M155. They are total trash. They will end up going rogue within a few years, I guarantee. Think about the amount of iPhone cases and iPad cases. Think about the volume of windows and android cases with felt covers. These guys most likely own those devices and covers, and while developing the M155 they chose 2 screws to secure the case to their product. Lazy development here. That's all there is to it. The Software / Menu System / Controls------------ Overall 4/10 Bare bones menu system. I have contrast cranked all the way up to compensate for color being washed out depending on the viewing angle. Basic settings available. Think what your mom's old CRT TV had. It works. The Connections---------------------------------- Overall 3/10 A couple of things to note. The M155 is powered by dual usb's chained (see pic). These can either be plugged into your gaming system / computer or one of them plugged into the included wall adapter. These chords are super short. You'll need bigger ones if you plan on moving the screen farther from the console. One headphone jack. You'll need this baby since there are NO speakers on the M155. Pray hard that this never gives out under continual use. One HDMI input. I have had a real bad time with this port. Often, I would turn the M155 and the PS4 on at the same time already connected, and the M155 would display nothing, and then just power down. I would turn the M155 on again, same result. What I found, after reaching out to GAEMS support, is that there is a "supposed" HDMI connectivity issue on Playstation's side of things. I find that hard to believe, because I have yet to EVER replicate this problem on any other display, but alas, GAEMS claims it's all Sony's fault. Regardless of where the blame lies, the solution is that every PS4 owner who wants to use the M155 must do the following: Step 1: Power on PS4 (NO HDMI connected to GAEMS, PS4 connection fine) Step 2: Power on M155 (NO HDMI connected to GAEMS, PS4 connection fine) Step 3: Wait for GAEMS logo to appear, disappear, and then reappear Step 4: Re-insert HDMI Cable into GAEMS HDMI port Step 5: M155 comes on with PS4 displaying This solution works every time. Problem is, what a sucky way to just use the screen you paid for! Would you be okay if it was your main tv that required this? (We would send that _______ back to the manufacturer!) Once again GAEMS claims this is Sony's fault...but I don't buy it. Macbook Pro Use (Second Screen)------------------------ Overall 7/10 Not a bad second screen for your mac. Colors are off a bit (obviously) and of course pixel clarity leaves much to be desired. But in no way worse than plugging your mac into your tv. Social Media managers rejoice....this screen might help you manage 15 profiles on the road. Overall Concept------------------------------------------------- 5/10 I really wanted to love this device. The land of missed opportunities is where the M155 originates. I really think GAEMS was just too shortsighted here. As for what it claims to be, with no speakers, bad viewing angles, awkward PS4 support, and lazy overall design...the M155 is a 5 out of 10. Am I happy to use it? Sure. Would I buy it again if someone stole it? Nope. There will be better options in the future. Let's talk about what they missed here. In focusing on the gamer as the sole market, they forgot about secondary markets. Had they built a better screen, included speakers, designed a better case, and had better HDMI port support...what else should they have done? I believe they missed a wonderful opportunity to include Netflix / Hulu / Amazon into the screen menu software, and they did not include a digital tuner or any way to watch over-the-air digital tv. Think about it. What if on a plane, you wanted a giant 15" screen that didn't have a huge keyboard attached to it, or require a console for entertainment? What if I could mount this thing on a wall in the kitchen for Netflix as I cook, and put it in the travel case for those trips I want to game? A Chromecast could fix this, but really, GAEMS was shortsighted on this one. The screen has a primary gaming focus, yes - but there is so much missed potential here for portable entertainment. Right now the tablet market is widespread, but $200 for a slimline portable entertainment tv? Nobody is doing that. The concept is ripe for the harvesting. As more and more adults hit the road more often, this kind of product just makes sense. We don't need another tablet. We just need a slim quality $200 tv that can go in our bag preloaded with Netflix / Hulu / and Amazon, and one that we can connect to the console of our choice on the go and share with friends. I can't hook my PS4 up to my iPad, otherwise I would not need a product like the M155. I think that if GAEMS missed the mark for their target market, they really missed the opportunities on the secondary market. If any of you could go home today, and tell your significant other that there was a slim 15" tv preloaded with streaming media services, a great screen, and nice audio that just-so-happened to also be able to connect to your computer as a second display and you could game on during the family trips.....I mean who couldn't sell that concept for $200. Pitching the idea for a $170 display just for gaming, no speakers and bad viewing angles...request denied! :) To Sum It Up------------ Great for: Adult Gamers on the go. Bad for: Kids and anyone looking for portable entertainment.