It’s been a while since I’ve looked at a new mobile phone case, but this one was too good not to post up. What I have in my hands right now is PureGear’s new Retro Gaming Case for the Samsung Galaxy S4. These are just regular cases. Instead, they are cases with the added feature of a physical game you can play on the back of the case. Who remembers growing up and playing with those little plastic mazes with the tiny metal ball? Well, the PureGear Retro Gaming Cases bring back those nostalgic games and fuses it to a protective case. That means these cases are not only great for work, but for play too.
Design and Build
PureGear was kind enough to send me their “Amazing” version of the Retro Gaming Case. It’s called this because it has a huge maze on the back of it in which there is a start and a finish. I’ll get more to the maze later.
For starters, the case is made of what appears to be a flexible yet sturdy TPU material. Both the border in red and the maze in blue seem to be made of this. It has a plastic like feel to it and isn’t overly rubbery like other cases. I like the finish on it a lot as it is not a lint magnet or dirt magnet like silicone can be. Covering the maze appears to be a thin, clear sheet of polycarbonate to protect the maze and to keep the metal ball inside. The maze itself is rather long and takes a bit of time to complete. Once completed, you’ll need to work your way backwards again to get the ball back to the starting point.
The Galaxy S4 is very easy to install into the case as you just need to pop it in and it stays firmly in place thanks to a nice, snug fit. The power and volume rockers are covered by the case but the audio jack, mics, IR blaster, and USB port are open. On the rear, there is a camera nad LED flash cutout but curiously, no cutout for the rear speaker. There is a reason for that. You see, inside the case, there is actually an audio channel built in that directs the sound from the back of the phone to the bottom side. This is a huge improvement over having the speak on the back which is one of my main complaints about the S4. The audio gets pumped out at the same hole the USB port cutout is now.
There is one negative about the case however and is that because of the maze on the back, it does add a bit of thickness to the whole package. Your svelte S4 will now become a half inch thick beast.
Final Thoughts
Despite the added thickness, the PureGear Retro Gaming Case is really neat. It fits great, looks great, and is quite unique. I’ve had several people complement me on the case especially after telling them that it is in fact also a real working maze. For those that want a case that will attract, the PureGear case definitely does that.
There are three styles currently available for the Samsung Galaxy S4, the Amazing, the Groovy, and the Undecided. Each retail for around $29.99 and can be picked up on PureGear’s website here.
