Lenovo G02: Why there are illegal ROMs on the new Game Boy-style handheld

The G02 is a gaming handheld in a Game Boy-style format and designed for emulation – unlike the Legion Go. At first, it was unclear whether the device actually came from Lenovo or whether a third-party manufacturer had simply copied the Chinese company’s branding. According to reports, the G02 is said to ship with pre-installed ROM collections, including Nintendo games, which would be highly questionable from a legal perspective. Lenovo has since commented on the matter. According to the company, the handheld does indeed come from Lenovo.

Speaking to Retro Dodo, Lenovo confirmed that the G02 is not a fake, but was produced under a regional brand license for the Chinese market. Accordingly, the device is not part of Lenovo’s official global portfolio. However, Lenovo rejects responsibility for the ROM allegations: neither Lenovo nor authorized licensees offer devices with memory cards or pre-installed games. Lenovo told Retro Dodo that it has no control over third-party retailers that add software or content. In short, the illegal ROMs must have found their way onto the handhelds through retailers.

In the Reddit community, this explanation has received a lukewarm response. Many users are mocking Lenovo, saying the company apparently merely contributed its name, after which an OEM built a cheap white-label device and retailers on AliExpress added ROM collections as usual. All in all, then, this is not a major scandal, but still a rather embarrassing showing for Lenovo. The Lenovo G02 is currently no longer available on AliExpress or Alibaba. The reasons for this remain unclear.