As new, never used. No packaging All of its sounds are reminiscent of old school video games and arcade machines. You get an 8-bit Mario fireball "bloop" sound, chord stabs, arpeggios, simple percussive sounds, and each sound can be tweaked in its waveform and pitch. As you play with it, you essentially feel like you're creating a scene in a video game, everything moving to the beat of the music. You punch the buttons on this crazy looking computer chip thing, objects on the screen dance to the music, and you're surrounded by crunchy and crisp 8-bit sounds of nostalgia. Its physical build quality is exceptional. All the buttons feel very solid and sturdy, and the feedback you get from each button is perfect. You know when you've pressed a button, and you know when you've turned a knob. A weird thing you have to get used to is how naked it is. It's basically a naked computer chip with buttons and a screen on it. Even the batteries underneath it are exposed. None of this is to say it looks flimsy, though. It looks like I can drop it a few times and it'll hold up just fine. Plus, this unique look adds to its personality, and is bound to turn heads.
The Teenage Engineering Pocket Operator Rhythm may look and play like a handheld game, but the technology under the hood offers a real, powerful synthesis experience. Crafted with a drum synth engine and sequencer in one pocket-size unit, the PO-12 features real onboard drum samples and 16 punch-in effects like delay and bit crusher. Able to play nicely with your iPhone, Korg Volca series, and other Teenage Engineering products this is a serious instrument in the presentation of a toy.
