Unreliable Retro Duo NES catridge slot

[Troglodyte]

Hello,
I'm already on my second Retro Duo.
The first one had an audio static problem
on the SNES side. VideoGameCentral then
sent me a replacement.

Now, only a few weeks later, the connectors
in the cartridge slot of the NES side are already
bending and lifting up.

I have tried to bend them up to no avail.
Has anyone else experienced this kind of
issue? And do these things come with any
kind of warranty. I would hate to try and
send it back again, but I am not sure what
else to do.

Thanks

[aaron7]

ahh, the joys of cheap Chinese electronics.

This is bound to happen many times over. This is why I leave my Game Genie in the slot; so I don't wear out the unit itself.

[swlovinist]

ahh, the joys of cheap Chinese electronics.

This is bound to happen many times over. This is why I leave my Game Genie in the slot; so I don't wear out the unit itself.

I went with the FC Twin and have had zero problems. Sorry to hear that you have had bad luck.

[Troglodyte]

I thought the FC Twin had compatibility issues. I used to own an FC Dual... and it worked pretty much flawlessly. It's almost the same as the Retro Duo. I sold mine recently, but decided to order another one for testing purposes to see which console has the upper hand and is more compatible.

Leaving a game genie in the NES cartridge slot sounds like a good idea. The only problem I could think of is I do not know if all games will work when using the game genie as a pass through device. For instance do PAL games, famicom adapters / games, etc work? Does this present any compatibility problems?

[retroman]

if u ask me you would just be better off tracking down the original hardware. More reliable.

[Troglodyte]

If u ask me you would just be better off tracking down the original hardware. More reliable.

I have the original hardware, both an AV Famicom and an original Super Nintendo, both work fine... these clone systems just interest me... but this sort of problem is unacceptable.

UPDATE: I sent the Retro Duo with the defective NES cartridge slot back to VideoGameCentral for what will be the last allowable time I was told (understandable due to my order date, and they can't keep replacing them forever for free).

Anyway, what I find strange, is that my older FC Dual, which is very similar, has had no such issues with the cartridge slots or otherwise. In actuality, cartridges pull in and out of the NES & SNES slots about as well as they do the original licensed NES top loader and the SNES Mini respectively. The NES slot on the Retro Duo is ridiculously tight at the connector level (modifying the plastic wouldn't help this issue) and I am sure that is the route cause. Of course, it is not as compatible with some games vs the Retro Duo, plus its S-video output doesn't seem nearly as clean.

Hopefully the company behind the Retro Duo will improve their NES slot design with a future release version, but I am not holding my breath. Until then, the Game Genie trick sounds like a good solution. I am not too worried about the SNES slot, as it seems well constructed enough, and the Game Genie for the SNES is as bulky as hell, though I may consider purchasing a Super Famicom adapter to help prevent the slot from wearing out (would be nice to have one lying around just in case I would need it anyway).

UPDATE: It seems that some games will not work with the game genie for the NES installed. For instance, Bomberman II will not boot. Has anyone else experienced these compatibility problems with a game genie installed?

If this happens to be the case, I may just try creating my own pass through / extender device and house it in an old game genie cart. All this would do is extend the cartridge slot into another slot so the original slot doesn't wear out as fast.

UPDATE: Well go figure, I just tried it on my other gold version of the game genie which is in much better condition (has the plastic holder part etc), and my black version, and Bomberman II booted right up. I'm not sure what the problem is with my other gold version of the game genie. Maybe its an earlier revision.