Retro Video Gamer

[align=center:r57m32x6](http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2013/03/hyperkin-retron-5.jpg)[/align:r57m32x6]

I'm sure everyone has seen the RetroN 3, it allowed you to play NES, SNES, and Genesis / MegaDrive games. Well they just announced the RetroN 5 and now you can add Gameboy and Gameboy Advance games to the list. I just might get one of these now.

http://www.engadget.com/2013/03/24/hyperkin-retron-5-plays-cartridges-of-nine-classic-consoles/ (//http)

If the emulation is as bad as the previous Retron consoles then you will be better off with the real thing.

Yeah I don't know, from what I've read the emulation on these have gotten a lot better with each version. Most reviews I've seen of the RetroN 3 are very positive so I'll wait and see what they have to say about this new one once it's released.
My NES is pretty much dead at this point so I need something to play those games on plus I'd finally be able to play some SNES games. Also the ability to play Japanese Famicon, Super Famicon and MegaDrive games would be cool and then there's all the Gameboy games. Another great feature is it has an SD slot so you can save games at any point and it has HDMI output.

Thanks Shadowrunner! I'm not to familiar with the RetroN 3. I have heard that Nes machines are selling big time. Either people dislike these retro systems or the Wii virtual console has made playing on the original system popular again.

Had never heard of this.  Then again, I'm not much into Nintendo consoles. 

Quote from: "onthinice"Thanks Shadowrunner! I'm not to familiar with the RetroN 3. I have heard that Nes machines are selling big time. Either people dislike these retro systems or the Wii virtual console has made playing on the original system popular again.

No problem! I have noticed the price of NES systems has gone up lately. I just figured it was because retro gaming is such a big fad right now but you may have a point.

I used to be an early bird with system purchases. Now I wait and see. But I will say, the RetroN 3 really looks neat.

Could be interessing in my future game room.... But I'm almost certain the PAL will be very badly supported... Like the Supaboy

[align=center:2t50ntma]retron 5 unboxing and gameplay (//http)[/align:2t50ntma]

Gotta love how compact this basic model is.  Truly amazing!   

I went to Gamestop today to see if they had any in stock, and the dude said "We only sell legit systems. Those Retrons aren't on the down low with their illegal copying of the hardware"...I let him know that the patents were expired, and therefore they are legal and legit. Then I left. If it's not old, I don't want it.

Quote from: "Scooter-Computer"I went to Gamestop today to see if they had any in stock, and the dude said "We only sell legit systems. Those Retrons aren't on the down low with their illegal copying of the hardware"...I let him know that the patents were expired, and therefore they are legal and legit. Then I left. If it's not old, I don't want it.

Looks like you had a very typical and misinformed moron answer your questions at the store.  What a surprise!  NOT!

Quote from: "Scooter-Computer"I went to Gamestop today to see if they had any in stock, and the dude said "We only sell legit systems. Those Retrons aren't on the down low with their illegal copying of the hardware"...I let him know that the patents were expired, and therefore they are legal and legit. Then I left. If it's not old, I don't want it.

They don't use real hardware anyway, they are purely emulation based, which is perfectly legal.

I think my explanation on that confused him.  I used too many old words, like "Abandonware"

[align=center:1hktus1f]Retron 5 Game Console Review (//http)[/align:1hktus1f]

Can't ever see light gun games working - that's a display issue. Not having composite is no big deal to me - I would get this to play on modern TVs

Not surprised unofficial carts don't work - wouldn't really care about that.

Pretty sure the cart save transfer will be fixed with a patch.

The cart lockon not working is interesting - will depend on whether the unit can access piggy backed carts. They will have to be able to emulate the code that does that on the carts themselves.

Overall - looks promising - will probably wait for a few upgrades to see if the bugs get fixed - if so then I reckon it will be worth getting.

Looking Forward to the Retron 5.

I collect cartridges, and its a nice quick way of making sure they work. It means I can have a CRT with all the original consoles setup in the games room, but have a nice all in one system on the HD TV in the other room in one neat package.

I don't like using emulators and roms on PC. I realise the Retron is emulation but it still means I can use the physical cartridge I have personally bought and added to my collection. It still gives me that nice feeling of opening the box and putting the cartridge in the machine.

I only like playing games I have in my collection, there is something I find much more exciting in buying a game, waiting for it to arrive and looking forward to sitting down and playing it.

Just picking a Rom from a list sucks the excitement out of it for me.

I still don't see the point of this console. If I wanted to emulate I would just use a PC.

Thankfully I have a nice set of original hardware and so this is of no use to me anyway.

Have to say I have the hardware I'm interested in already  too - that being SNES, MD and GBA. I don't have much interest in the other stuff though the Famicom library would be good to investigate. However the fact that I could play those games on a modern TV as CRTs become less available is the main attraction for me.

Being able to backup cartridges as a measure against battery failure is a nice feature too (provided they get it working of course).

Quote from: "The Laird"I still don't see the point of this console. If I wanted to emulate I would just use a PC.

Thankfully I have a nice set of original hardware and so this is of no use to me anyway.

Thats just it though, you don't need to see the point. People want it, if you don't want it then so be it. it does not have to justify its existence to you.

as for the emulation and PC, guess you never read all of my post, because I explained mine and many other peoples reasons for wanting it.

You are acting like just because you have no interest and don't understand the appeal that it should somehow not exist.

Quote from: "SnakeEyes"You are acting like just because you have no interest and don't understand the appeal that it should somehow not exist.

Nope.

I am saying that PERSONALLY I don't see the point. If others do then good for them, we are all welcome to our own views and opinions.

Yeah from my point of view as a family man with a wife that prides herself on the way the house looks.. (not clutter of my gaming stuff lol) I have all the next gen and previous gen systems in the living room. Having something like this means i can do much more with much less room lol.

Quote from: "The Laird"

Quote from: "SnakeEyes"You are acting like just because you have no interest and don't understand the appeal that it should somehow not exist.

Nope.

I am saying that PERSONALLY I don't see the point. If others do then good for them, we are all welcome to our own views and opinions.

No, people have told you why they want it, that is the point of it right there clear as day.

What you mean is that it has no use for you, which is fine.  but it blatently has a point as has been mentioned.

Its like me, I dont have any interest at all in Jaguar Homebrew, not in the slightest. However I dont go around saying I don't see the point in Jaguarhomebrew because I  understandOther people enjoy it and collect. That is the point of it, and I can see that.

Seriously Laird, we had a nice clear the air a while back, but this is why sometimes people get frustrated with you and you don't even realise why.

Why not just admit that yes it obviously does have a point because people want it, just that it has no interest to you. or even that you don't see the point in owning one for yourself.

but just to blanket sytatement saying that you don't see the point of the console at all, despite people telling you why they want it is just annoying.

Personally? Simply put, I'm just into this thing for the space this would save me. I work with a very limited amount of space in the place where I keep my games, you see, so that would be super helpful in regards to that.

And thats the reason more than any other why this will sell..

SIGH 

I have an issue with this machine it is only a standard issue... I' m quite sure PAL games will not work properly...

That´s to bad...


Send cia Iphone/ Tapatalk

The video Laird posted shows PAL and NTSC games working - did you watch the video?

I actually did not watch the video... Because I am currently on vacation and using Tapatalk to talk with you guys.

On tapatalk the video have no spund (at least on my end) so I did not bother seeîg it.

It serms to be a mistake, sorry guys.
Now for my defense I owe a SupaBoy and the PAL compatible games list is very short and suprising.

So sorry for my missunderstanding.

 



Send cia Iphone/ Tapatalk

ah...OK.

Overall it seems very close to being a good solution for playing retro games on the couch with a modern TV, and an excellent solution to battery death in cartridges.

All the reviews I've seen talk about how tough its grip is on the actual cartridges. Seen a couple where's the systems broken in a couple of days because of the effort it takes to pull them out.

Forgot about that - yeah - that would need to be resolved - especially given the flimsy build. My 7800 grips onto carts pretty hard but it's so well built it isn't an issue.

I like to dump my own games and then keep the physical carts safe.  At one point I had all my flash carts on one Retron 3.  Sadly, I could never quite get the joysticks or games I wanted to use to work reliably.

After the delays and price hikes and weird politicizing of flash cart support I cancelled my pre-order.  I think this machine is a wonderful solution for the casual gamer who will never buy a framemeister.  Me?  I ain't gonna risk getting my Action 52 worn out in this thing.

Looks like the Eu version will ship before xmas now.. Anyone got one or getting one?

They still haven't said whether the build quality will be improved so I'm avoiding it til its known for sure.

I have had one for a few months now and love it.

NES and Snes slots are fine, no problems at all on mine. all regions working fine.

MD is a little tight, but nothing too bad. I just use an import adpator in the slot, leave it in there at all times and just plug the MD games into that which means I never have to insert and remove carts all the time.

Famicom worries me a little, a bit too tight TBH and it feels like it could be a problem. official carts are a little better tham the pirate and multicarts. for some reason ( may be a thicker connector ) the console has a death grip on those.

GBA is fine and it upscales GB and GBA games and makes them look great.

Fancy getting one of these for the office as room is quite tight in there, but with all the delays and how long it took just annoyed me. I may look in to it after xmas though, money is tight.

Yeah i would like one but i am spending way to much on retro gear at the moment (not half as much as Trek though lol)

Anyone pick one up?

I saw one during FreePlay Florida that the one vendor of retro systems had.  I don't think he sold it, though.

Quote from: "Scooter-Computer"I think my explanation on that confused him.  I used too many old words, like "Abandonware"

Legally, there is no such thing as 'Abandonware'. That was a term made up by those, even those of respectable reputation, to justify IP infringement. Many IP owners usually do nothing about old franchises that no one seems to
care about, but that does not make it legal to distribute such IP's. The Laws are very clear. Unless something is released to the public with notice( as with the Atari Jaguar back in the day), those who copy and distribute 'abandonware' are opening themselves up to litigation. You'd be hard pressed to find a lawyer or judge who will recognizes the term as legitimate.

Quote from: "Shadowrunner"[align=center:lmvn16q0](http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2013/03/hyperkin-retron-5.jpg)[/align:lmvn16q0]

I'm sure everyone has seen the RetroN 3, it allowed you to play NES, SNES, and Genesis / MegaDrive games. Well they just announced the RetroN 5 and now you can add Gameboy and Gameboy Advance games to the list. I just might get one of these now.

http://www.engadget.com/2013/03/24/hyperkin-retron-5-plays-cartridges-of-nine-classic-consoles/ (//http)

NES, SNES, and Genesis / MegaDrive games
Gameboy and Gameboy Advance

That's a lot of reasons NOT to want this system...not to mention if Gone is correct about the emulation. Never had much love for any of the games on those systems and games I don't like not being properly emulated....well.....

http://youtu.be/LA58fg6wZSM (http://youtu.be/LA58fg6wZSM)

Checkout Gamester81's opinion.

Now that I have a Retron N5, I'm thinking of getting some SNES games for it.  Does anyone know if there are SNES titles that don't work with the N5?  Right now I'm looking at getting Super Metroid, Super Mario Bros, Classic Kong, and F-Zero. 

Played some SNES and Genesis games today with my N5.  Really cool being able to play the games with this bit of hardware.  I did notice an issue with the control, though.  There seems to be some lag.  Maybe I need to do a firmware update on it.  Also, found it difficult getting used to the controller it came with.  I may need to get an SNES controller just so I can better play the SNES games.  Mr. Do! was difficult to control and I am thinking it had to do with the Bluetooth controller. 

That's too bad about the lag. Been hearing about bluetooth having that on a lot of systems. While searching on the topic I've found hundreds of threads with complaints but never a solution. Hopefully a firmware upgrade will do the trick! Looks like a solid way to play some classics, otherwise.

Hopefully.  If not, I'll just get an SNES controller since they can be plugged into the console.

Lag will be the problem when it's not done right. Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo have proven it can be done.

See the lag for me will be really frustrating. Some of these platform  games need that perfect timing. I suppose it would give me something to blame for always losing [emoji41]

Rerez recently posted a review of this system.  Check it out:

Great review and very informative. Saved me from buying one.
While it appears great for playing the originals, not storing the data internally means keeping the entire library of multiple systems around. I understand making it difficult for piracy but these systems' roms and emus are abundantly available anyway and there's just not enough room for me to conveniently store thousands of game cartridges in the event I want to play one... on hardware... containing an emulator. :-\

Great point @Saturn one that ultimately changes my mind from ever owning one.

I have one and I like it because of the upscaling of the games.  They look very nice and I use my 65" TV to play them.  :)

I decided to play my Genesis, SNES, and GBA/GBC Christmas & Winter themed games on Christmas day using the N5. It was cool playing the games on the system using my UHD TV.  The games looked great but I will definitely say that the controller sucks!  I kept getting killed when playing Daze Before Christmas (Genesis) and Thor's Quest (SNES).  I do have the regular controllers so used them instead.  Suprisingly, I did not have as much of an issue when playing the GBA/GBC games.

Just watched this video from Metal Jesus talking about the N5 and I have to agree pretty much with what they have said here.  Check it out:

Sounds like some excellent selling points. That machine plays so many different games! Wow

May have to pick one up just for the HDMI.
(btw, nerd chick is hot!)

I've enjoyed having this because it does play so many different systems and sometimes I just plug this to my HDTV and play Genesis, SNES, NES, and GB games without having to change systems.  It is convenient.  I do use the original controllers, though.  That controller that came with it is just awful!

I admittedly don't have a Retron 5, but I do own a Retro Freak, which I very much recommend.

Pretty much the same thing, but has PC Engine / Turbografx support, and can save the cartridge ROM files to MICRO SD, so you don't have to change carts. It will also play downloaded ROMs if you are so inclined. I use this feature if one of my games is not working on the system.

I was having a lot of trouble with my limited space having all my consoles connected at once. The emulation isn't always perfect as expected, but it lets me stream in high quality and play import games.
(You need to buy the premium Edition of USB adapter to use original controllers though)

I did a full review of that system if anyone's interested in the alternative:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=oUvCAyv1uJU

Cool.  I had heard of the Retro Freak and debated which one to get but ended up with the Retron 5. 

Great video pal..

The PC Engine support is what lead me towards the Retro Freak. Had less than 5 games unrecognised, and it played internet ROMs for those no problem.

MVL.

That is cool! 

Thanks for sharing, everyone.  8)