New retro consoles! Retron 3 and Retro Twin

[neojapan]

2 new retro console clones are coming your way!

Tomee will be releasing a new NES/SNES console called Retro Twin, dunno about the compatibility of this one.

But the big news is about Hyperkin's Retron 3, this system looks promising, it Includes 2 Wireless Genesis like controllers and has 6 controller ports, 2 NES ports, 2 Snes Ports and 2 Sega genesis ports, So I gather we can use the zapper with this one. And yet we have to see compatibility issues with these 2 consoles, I will be buying both and testing games next week.

Lets see what these 2 consoles deliver.

http://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r28/faramith/RETRON3.jpg
http://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r28/faramith/retroTwin.jpg

[betamax001]

Is the Retron 3 from the makers of the Retro Duo? If so then I would imagine that it would be a good clone. Judging by the pictures it looks LOADS better than the FC 3 in 1 thing. It's nice that they have all three styles of controller ports. And those wireless controllers look really nice, unlike the FC 3's controllers. Those are garbage.

[JimmyDean]

It looks like it was designed by a 3-year-old. All clones suck. Period.

[ImBob]

It looks like it was designed by a 3-year-old. All clones suck. Period.

Still, that would be one smart 3 year old.

Any word on price?

[neojapan]

$59.99 msrp on the Retro Twin and $69.99 on the Retron 3.

[Emperor Megas]

It looks like it was designed by a 3-year-old. All clones suck. Period.Yeah...no. That's sort of not true at all.

At any rate, do either of these have S-video?

[StoneAgeGamer]

There's a thread over on the AA forums with quite a few questions already answered about the Retron3:

http://www.atariage.com/forums/topic/162531-retron3-nessnesgenesis-and-retro-twin-nessnes/

[JimmyDean]

Well, every single clone I've owned (the highly rated ones) sucks ass. Crappy compatibility, poor design, unreliable. Just a shitstorm of problems.

[betamax001]

Yeah either way I probably wont get this because i do have the original NES, SNES, and Genesis. PLus they have 100% compatiablity!

[megasdkirby]

Hyperkin...might be another disaster.

If I am not mistaken, are they the ones that release really crappy clones?

[Frankie_Says_Relax]

AHHHHHHH Actual NES, Genesis and SNES controller ports and wireless (hopefully RF not IR) controllers based on existing designs. They're learning. Slowly but surely they're learning.

Can't say as I love the design, but I'll gladly add the 3-in-1 to my clone library.


Hyperkin...might be another disaster.

If I am not mistaken, are they the ones that release really crappy clones?

I'm not sure about really crappy, but they made up for a lot of sins with the excellent FC Mobile 2.

[StoneAgeGamer]

AtGames is the company who makes the really bad clones. Hyperkin distributed some AtGames products, but they did not make them. The FCM2 was made by Hyperkin and was pretty good.

[Kitsune Sniper]

The Retron3 has S-Video, sweeeeeeeeeeet.

I might just get one.

[megasdkirby]

Ah ok, thanks for the clear up.

I hope this unit is good, as it would imply lots of space saved on my shelf.

[Eyedunno]

I'm very interested in the Genesis and NES parts of the Retron 3. I'm in the market for both systems and not a huge fan of either, but if the sound is way off (as on existing famiclones and on Gen clones including the official ones) or the compatibility is bad (as with official Gen clones), I don't think I'd want to spring for one. Multiregion support is a big plus, since I'd love to get the Japanese version of Phantasy Star IV. I can't wait to hear the results of testing (I'm particularly curious about Phantasy Star IV, sound in Sonic, and sound in general on the NES side).

[Frankie_Says_Relax]

S.A.G. You mention over at AA that the button mapping is literal ... it is also on the FC3 controller, but C registers as A for most NES games providing NES players with a B-A setup. (I actually think it's a macro of A+B with A pressed a micro-second earlier.)

Does C function the same way on the Retron 3 controller??

[JimmyDean]

You know, Eyedunno, its very easy to region mod a model 1 genesis. Then you get a multiregion console with correct sound and the highest compatability possible!

[StoneAgeGamer]

Frankie...the sales guy I talked to doesn't know if the C acts as the A+B. As with most clones I think a lot of its quirks will have to be found out after release unfortunately.

[Gentlegamer]

If any of these can achieve the impossible dream of being able to play Castlevania III, I'll buy it.

[savageone]

It's cool how far these things have come, I probably will never buy one until they get disc drives in them and really increase the number of systems supported from a single unit though.

In the short term they really need to work their way up to component or scart RGB output.. Showing off S-video like it's a positive is pretty stupid considering original SNES and Genesis systems are scart RGB capable without modding.

[Akito01]

Of course this news would come out just as I picked up a Genesis model 2 the previous week (local Goodwill; all cords and controllers included, good shape, $12). Still, I've been on the lookout for this sort of 3-in-1 -specifically with S-video, since regular composite looks pretty terrible on my LCD, especially with the Genesis.

Any ball park release dates? I'd like to be able to use StoneAgeGamer's coupon codes, which have an expiry date.

[BetaWolf47]

Retron 3 I'm looking forward to. If it's an upgraded version of the NOAC used on the FCM2, it must be pretty good. The guy at Atari Age said that Castlevania 3 works. I'd like to see how it looks in its final stages. Official controller slots on all 3 systems was a brilliant design choice.

Retro Twin looks unnecessary. We have FC Twin, Retro Duo, FC Dual, and now this. Unless it can top Retro Duo there's really no point.

[Frankie_Says_Relax]

Since I'm sure he's going to carry these, I'd like to take a moment to recommend Stone Age Gamer's online store.

Of course I do the lion's share of my business with Joe at the DP Store, but if you're not local to Clifton NJ you shouldn't hesitate to pick up one of these units from www.stoneagegamer.com

I picked up a second Retro Gen unit a few weeks back and the price shipping time and packing were all top notch.

[neojapan]

And if you Live in Puerto Rico these will be available at Neo Japan Games so you don't have to pay shipping ;)

[JimmyDean]

I'd like to see a clone that uses ORIGINAL HARDWARE. I'm talkin' real 6502 processor, a PPU with S-Video out, stereo sound, and best of all... It'd be toploading. But I'm dreaming. These NOAC clone companies are too damn cheap to do something like that. Well, I can dream. Or, I can just rip a PPU out of a Vs. Tennis and use that for my RGB. If only I had money...

[BetaWolf47]

Maybe the basic processor would help, but it's fine to use equivalents of video circuits and sound circuits like they've been doing. The FC3 Plus does actually use a Genesis video circuit and the Genesis video is still off.

[Eyedunno]

You know, Eyedunno, its very easy to region mod a model 1 genesis. Then you get a multiregion console with correct sound and the highest compatability possible!
I'm certainly willing to settle for 95% in the sound department though from a console that will play games from both Gen and NES. As I said before, I'm not really a huge fan of either console, and there are 10 or fewer games per console I would actually care to own (mainly the Mario games, Zelda, Shadowgate, and a few others for NES, and PSIV, the Sonic games, The Lost Vikings, and Decap Attack for Genesis).

What I've heard from clones thus far is nowhere near 95% though. The licensed Genny clones in particular are just atrocious (which is a shame, because the Firecore is absolutely gorgeous, IMO, and I don't even mind the lack of stereo).

[JimmyDean]

Yeah, but I want them to make a clone using the EXACT schematics. Except with VCR6 compatibility and stereo, so I can play some Japanese Castlevania 3 the way it was meant to be played. Or, I can hack up my NES, either one of the two. I already oc'd it, and this mf'er is screamin' for another mod.

[MachineGex]

The problem is cost. The makers have to keep cost down and make it as good as possible. I think the clones are very good for what they are. I love the ease of having just one system hooked up to my livingroom TV. I do however have all the original systems hooked up in my gameroom downstairs. For a second system or for a casual gamer, these systems are good.

[Heinz2001]

I really love the Wireless Controllers! I own all original Systems, but I what I really need is the Wireless Controllers for all my Systems.

SNES, NES, Genesis!

I don't need this Clones...i need Wireless Controllers for the original ones. I hope they make them in future. I would pay the same price for this as for the clones.


Ah here is an video of this new clone:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vh02fdAHD0s

[neojapan]

Saw the video..

no mario rpg compatibility, bummer.

Did he just say Paper mario? lol

[Icarus Moonsight]

I'm not one for clone hardware, but the Retron 3 has managed to catch my eye. $70 is a little more scratch than I would expect in the world of clones, but the features justify it. Just wish it wasn't so... Red. Ugliest possible console color ever IMO.

[BetaWolf47]

Saw the video..

no mario rpg compatibility, bummer.

Did he just say Paper mario? lol
My question is, which version of Super Mario RPG did they test?

[Frankie_Says_Relax]

My question is, which version of Super Mario RPG did they test?

V1.0 (or, whatever the first run US version is) should run in any SNES clone, it runs on all the previous ones.

[BetaWolf47]

Well, I am still excited about this. Other than the Genesis side, FC3 Plus was a disappointment. I'll wait for your thread on it first though.

[Leo_A]

I'm not one for clone hardware, but the Retron 3 has managed to catch my eye. $70 is a little more scratch than I would expect in the world of clones, but the features justify it. Just wish it wasn't so... Red. Ugliest possible console color ever IMO.

Don't mind the colors, but hate the circular things at the bottom of the console at each corner. Makes it look terrible.

[JimmyDean]

Agreed. Those circular "feet" make it look uglier than it already is. When will we ever get a good-looking clone?

[T2KFreeker]

Agreed. Those circular "feet" make it look uglier than it already is. When will we ever get a good-looking clone?
When you fork out the money to build it yourself.

This system looks to be pretty cool. Classic VGM will be reviewing this one also, so as soon as I get this in my hands, some opinion of what it can do will be left here. Seriously though, the fact that it uses the same chip set as the Tech Toy Genesis systems do, I am sure we will have close to perfect emulation on the Genesis side of things. The system also runs Castlevania III perfectly. I guess we will see though. Either way, you want perfect compatibility, then don't get a clone system. Easy answer.

[IronBuddha]

I'll wait around and see if they're compatible with Powerpaks. If yes then I'm about to drop some serious money here soon.

[Ed Oscuro]

If I ever see one of these I'm going to scratch out the "RET" and add "MO." What an ... interesting choice of name.

S-Video, no big deal, already got that on the SNES, and the A/V FC / NES don't need it. Would be more interested in VGA out or something similar. I guess we'll eventually be seeing horrible things like emulated scanlines to HDMI on these retroclones so perhaps I shouldn't wish for anything, because they'll make it.

On the video circuitry side, there definitely are some improvements that can be made with the NTSC color encoder chip, just as Arasoi.

Except with VCR6 compatibility and stereo, so I can play some Japanese Castlevania 3 the way it was meant to be played.
At the very least that would require breaking compatibility with the NES since those pins weren't wired up. I think (though may be wrong) that would hold true even if you used a converter to change the number of pins (Famicom and NES have different numbers of pins as we all know, and some games use them).

The problem is cost. The makers have to keep cost down and make it as good as possible.
You can say this about anything. They are going to have to spend some money reverse engineering the system already; how much can components with performance equivalent to hardware that's 20+ years old cost?

Unless there is absolute perfect compatibility and special new features (specifically ones that would assist in multiple video output, capturing replays, etc.) are added, clones can't interest me.

[JimmyDean]

No, the pins were wired up, you just need to bridge 2 certain pins on the expansion port to get the extra sound channels to work. And I agree with you about clones.

Edit: Yeah, you use a 47k resistor... I forget the pins you have to bridge, though. I'm sure its on Youtube somewhere.

[Ed Oscuro]

I stand corrected then. (Tricky business.)

My understanding about the NTSC color space issues is that you can come up with better color spaces than those used by many games, but it sounds like it needs some nearly analog circuitry, or at least some complicated stuff.

[Eyedunno]

For the two that weren't paying attention, the feet are removable by design.

I think some people just want to complain...

[JimmyDean]

I love to complain! But anyway, it still looks ugly. Controller ports everywhere, ugly color scheme, this thing solely exists to be laughed at. That's just my personal opinion.

Edit: I changed my title to "hater of all clone systems". I think its pretty funny. Yet I do hate clones with a passion...

[T2KFreeker]

The thing that's going to get me is if the sound is spot on. This was the problem with the Yobo system. They passed everything through the same damn channels and it killed the Genesis sound. It will be interesting to see what happens here in that regard.

[BetaWolf47]

The thing that's going to get me is if the sound is spot on. This was the problem with the Yobo system. They passed everything through the same damn channels and it killed the Genesis sound. It will be interesting to see what happens here in that regard.

Which Yobo? FC3 Plus had the best sound on the Genesis side if you ask me.

I like how people complain that the controllers suck compared to official ones, then they let you use official ones and they say it makes the system look ugly.

[Icarus Moonsight]

No, the pins were wired up, you just need to bridge 2 certain pins on the expansion port to get the extra sound channels to work. And I agree with you about clones.

Edit: Yeah, you use a 47k resistor... I forget the pins you have to bridge, though. I'm sure its on Youtube somewhere.

You just solder the 47k res. (either way, resistors are bi-directional) to the two pins shown in the pic attachment below. The pins are connected to the expansion port on the bottom of the Toaster NES. When it's done, the resistor is nestled between the cartridge tray and the main board. I wrapped mine with electrical tape before soldering to prevent any possibility of shorts from occurring. I do have a spare CIB "Control Deck" toaster NES with this already done, pin connector refurb'd and the lock-out chip disabled, if anyone is too intimidated to DIY and interested.

[Emperor Megas]

I'll never understand the extreme clone hate; it just sounds like elitist nerd shit to me. I get that some people have their panties in a bunch if the audio or compatibility are off a little, but when I have all-in-one system that I can park at my work station to pass the time, or something that my wife and mother-in-law can toy around with, or when I want to give an inexpensive gift to a friend who isn't a hardcore gamer, but used to have one or more of these system when he/she was a kid and would get a kick out of playing a few of those games again, these clones systems are great.

The extremists here are a relatively small cross section of the gaming community. Most don't have stacks of games to the ceiling, so it doesn't matter if a clone won't play a handful of titles, and most don't want to have to deal with multiple (vintage) consoles taking up space either.

I honestly don't have an issue with the way that this console looks, either. Hell, it's still better looking than the N64, IMO, which also had silly little disc feet. And it's probably red like a toy because, well...because it is a toy.

I respect that everyone has their own opinion, but I think some of you need to unclinch.

[Ed Oscuro]

there are 10 or fewer games per console I would actually care to own (mainly the Mario games, Zelda, Shadowgate, and a few others for NES, and PSIV, the Sonic games, The Lost Vikings, and Decap Attack for Genesis).
I don't think this is the fault of the consoles' libraries. There's three more games in the same "series" as Shadowgate, and two of them on the NES (Deja Vu and Uninvited - I've played Uninvited; if you like Shadowgate, you'll like Uninvited, and it even has at least one subtle in-joke for returning players.) Mario is good and all but other games do interesting things with the run-and-jump formula as well.

[Eyedunno]

I'll never understand the extreme clone hate; it just sounds like elitist nerd shit to me. I get that some people have their panties in a bunch if the audio or compatibility are off a little, but when I have all-in-one system that I can park at my work station to pass the time, or something for my wife and mother-in-law can toy around with, or when I want to give an inexpensive gift to a friend who isn't a hardcore gamer, but used to have one or more of these system when he/she was a kid and would get a kick out of playing a few of those games again, these clones systems are great.

The extremists here are a relatively small cross section of the gaming community. Most don't have stacks of games to the ceiling, so it doesn't matter if a clone won't play a handful of titles, and most don't want to have to deal with multiple (vintage) consoles taking up space either.

I honestly don't have an issue with the way that this console looks, either. Hell, it's still better looking than the N64, IMO, which also had silly little disc feet. And it's probably red like a toy because, well...because it is a toy.

I respect that everyone has their own opinion, but I think some of you need to unclinch.
Indeed. Some people are ultimately just complaining about clones for being clones. Even with 100% perfect accuracy, somebody would be whining about the look of the thing. And yeah, it's as if the Famicom, the NES2, and the original NA SNES aren't ugly as sin... Heck, very few classic consoles were attractive to begin with; I'd allow for the U.S. NES, the Super Famicom/PAL SNES, the PC Engine, Genesis 2 and 3, and that's about all I can think of...

Edit:

I don't think this is the fault of the consoles' libraries. There's three more games in the same "series" as Shadowgate, and two of them on the NES (Deja Vu and Uninvited - I've played Uninvited; if you like Shadowgate, you'll like Uninvited, and it even has at least one subtle in-joke for returning players.) Mario is good and all but other games do interesting things with the run-and-jump formula as well.
Well, I've played Uninvited, and I honestly couldn't see myself buying it. I would buy Shadowgate mainly for nostalgia, to be honest. As for NES platformers, well, yeah, I would imagine that over half of the NES library consists of platformers, but most just suck, especially in the control department.

[Loremaster]

I'd like to see a clone that uses ORIGINAL HARDWARE. I'm talkin' real 6502 processor, a PPU with S-Video out, stereo sound, and best of all... It'd be toploading. But I'm dreaming. These NOAC clone companies are too damn cheap to do something like that. Well, I can dream. Or, I can just rip a PPU out of a Vs. Tennis and use that for my RGB. If only I had money...

I'm pretty sure they don't make the 6502 anymore. But hey, if you wanna track down all the components and build yourself one, knock yourself out. Just be aware that it will cost around $50 just for the parts to build a Genesis, assuming you cheat and use an FPGA for the addressing logic.

[Ace]

I'd like to see a clone that uses ORIGINAL HARDWARE. I'm talkin' real 6502 processor, a PPU with S-Video out, stereo sound, and best of all... It'd be toploading. But I'm dreaming. These NOAC clone companies are too damn cheap to do something like that. Well, I can dream. Or, I can just rip a PPU out of a Vs. Tennis and use that for my RGB. If only I had money...

What you see in these clones IS original hardware, just with a much smaller form factor and sometimes, a few features are stripped. Allow me to elaborate:

-NOAC: As the name suggests, it's the entire NES chipset put onto one chip. Most of these use incorrectly reverse-engineered hardware, leading to the well known sound problems that plague most NOACs, and some games having weird colors. The vast majority of these NOACs also have some hardware functions stripped, leading to broken compatibility with games like Castlevania III. Either that, or the functions are there, but the Famiclone manufacturers were too damn cheap to make use of them, mainly the CIRAM/CE pin on the NES cartridge slot, which is the cause of the broken compatibility with many games. This issue has been rectified in the RetroDuo(I think it's been fixed in the FC Mobile II as well; someone correct me if I'm wrong), but there's obviously something else with the NES hardware that's not implemented properly in the NOAC, which would cause Battletoads to crash on Stage 2.

Before I move on, let me explain the sound problem. First, there's the obvious volume balance problem. On an NES, there are 5 sound channels put out through 2 pins on the CPU. The first pin carries the 2 Square waves and the other pin carries the Triangle wave, White Noise and DPCM channels. On an NOAC, the mixing of these two sound outputs is done within the NOAC, and for the most part, the Square waves are too silent. The Square waves are also the sound channels that are responsible for the off sound in most NOACs, and here's why: each Square wave uses 4 different duties, which are 12.5%, 25%, 50% and 75%. The 50% and 75% duties are backwards on those NOACs, causing anything using the 50% duty to come at 75% and vice-versa, causing sound pitch issues.

-GOAC: This is just a direct replica of the Genesis hardware on a single chip. This was used on the newest Genesis 2 motherboards(revision VA4) and on all Genesis 3s. The clones use either a custom GOAC or one made by TecToy, which is Sega's Brazilian counterpart. The only reason most Geniclones sound so bad is because of the sound circuit being poorly designed. AtGames' Genesis clones, however, don't use GOACs, but a Titan ARM core running one of the worst Genesis emulators ever made. That is not proper hardware.

-Super NES 3-chip layout: Since the Super NES is a complex system, 3 chips are needed to run the hardware, one for sound, one for video, and one for the CPU(the other chips you see are RAM). This is all a hardware implementation of the Super NES(even the sound is more accurate than ZSNES, which has a few noticeable sound flaws). Old versions of the 3-chip layout had a few little bugs in them that caused some graphical issues, but the new ones are perfect aside from broken compatibility with games containing the SA-1 co-processor. That would require completely reverse-engineering the lockout chip in the Super NES, and I'm quite sure the reason Famiclone manufacturers don't do this is to avoid legal trouble with Nintendo.

So, unless AtGames makes a clone(or another company like AtGames), clones will ALWAYS contain the original hardware that's been reverse-engineered and put onto a smaller chip or with the same complexity as the original hardware in the case of Super NES clones(there exists no SNOAC as of yet).

[Eyedunno]

What you see in these clones IS original hardware, just with a much smaller form factor and sometimes, a few features are stripped. Allow me to elaborate:
If this is right (and it certainly sounds like you know your stuff), that makes this clone even more appetizing. I probably won't buy one unless the square wave issue is fixed in this new revision though.

As for the Gen, is the AtGames version the one in the FireCore (and perhaps the Radica Plug & Play games)? Those are the ones with which I take issue. If it's merely lower sound quality (as compared to having some sounds wrong or missing), I think I can live with that.

[Ace]

It's not just that, the entire sound emulation is off. A little technical information on the Genesis' sound hardware: it uses 2 sound chips, a Yamaha YM2612 for FM Synthesis(and limited PCM) and a Texas Instruments SN76489 for PSG. The AtGames clones(FireCore, GENCore, GENMobile, RetroGEN, anything with the AtGames name on it, really) not only have poor sound quality, but the sound in general is COMPLETELY OFF. The sound pitch of the YM2612 and SN76489 in the AtGames systems is about 4 times lower than it should be, while the PCM is too high-pitched(but clearer, oddly enough). As if the sound problems aren't bad enough, because of how crappy AtGames' emulator is, a lot of games suffer from graphical glitches. I know this was a huge problem on the Asian AtGames MegaDrive and the European Blaze MegaDrive(this is the worst of all AtGames' hardware), which has been improved somewhat in the American hardware.

The Radica Plug & Play Genesis systems use a GOAC made by Radica. This is why some people have hacked a cartridge slot into their Radica Genesis systems, but it's stripped-down Genesis hardware, as you can't save any data to cartridges that support saves due to some missing functions, you can't play Master System games via a Master System converter as there's no way to switch the GOAC into Master System compatibility mode, and with the hardware setup in the Radica Genesis systems, you can't play games like Sonic 3 and Sonic & Knuckles if you add a cartridge slot. To make the Radica compatible with those cartridges, you need to modify some of the bankswitching hardware on the system, but if you do that, the built-in games become useless. You CAN, if you want to, put the games on a cartridge and put a few switches in the cartridge as explained here: http://devster.monkeeh.com/sega/radica/radicav1manualbankswitch.gif.

All of Radica's Genesis hardware, like the Genesis/NES combo clones(Gen-X, Hyperkin SG/FC Dual Action, Yobo GN Twin), uses a nasty sound circuit that overamplifies the YM2612 and makes the SN76489 inaudible. I haven't come up with a proper fix yet, but I would assume you could replicate the Mono audio circuit of the Genesis Model 1 to improve the sound on all those systems. It's the only reason why some Genesis games have horrible sound on those clones: the YM2612 and SN76489 are perfectly implemented into the GOAC hardware, but the sound circuits are not properly designed, leading to the overamplified YM2612 sound and inaudible SN76489 sound. This is also why some ORIGINAL HARDWARE sounds bad too. There's a particular variant of the Genesis Model 1 and almost every Genesis Model 2s that, due to a really crappy sound circuit used by Sega, causes distortion and a major hissing noise in the background every time some sound comes out of the system.

[wizardspade80]

If this is right (and it certainly sounds like you know your stuff), that makes this clone even more appetizing. I probably won't buy one unless the square wave issue is fixed in this new revision though.

As for the Gen, is the AtGames version the one in the FireCore (and perhaps the Radica Plug & Play games)? Those are the ones with which I take issue. If it's merely lower sound quality (as compared to having some sounds wrong or missing), I think I can live with that.

I have the FC3 Plus and it's quality has been fine. I haven't had issue with any cartridges not playing either.

[Old_Skool_Fool]

I'd like to see a clone that uses ORIGINAL HARDWARE. I'm talkin' real 6502 processor, a PPU with S-Video out, stereo sound, and best of all... It'd be toploading. But I'm dreaming. These NOAC clone companies are too damn cheap to do something like that. Well, I can dream. Or, I can just rip a PPU out of a Vs. Tennis and use that for my RGB. If only I had money...

I would love to see the real deal too, but unfortunately it seems that this item comes out of the same factory as the Fc3. Here is a little more enlightenment on this new "RETRON"..lol:
http://www.dasreviews.com/das-latest-greatest/retron3-prereview-retro-3-1-gaming-system/

[kedawa]

So, because it's made in the same factory, it must be the same thing?
Nice logic.

[Akito01]

Even if the Retron used the exact same chipset as the FC3, which is doubtful, having S-video, original controller ports and wireless controllers all serve to make the Retron a more attractive deal than the FC3 which sells for more or less the same price.

It should also be said that speculating on a press release doesn't really count as a 'review' of any kind. There is always reason to be cautious when it comes to the capabilities of clone systems, but these limitations never reveal themselves until someone has spent time with the actual hardware.

[Ace]

I don't see how the FC3 Plus and Retron3 could possibly be from the same factory. Doesn't Hyperkin have a completely different factory from Yobo's?

[T2KFreeker]

I would love to see the real deal too, but unfortunately it seems that this item comes out of the same factory as the Fc3. Here is a little more enlightenment on this new "RETRON"..lol:
http://www.dasreviews.com/das-latest-greatest/retron3-prereview-retro-3-1-gaming-system/

Are you kidding me? Does anyone even take your reviews seriously? Example, the review you did on the RetroGen talks about how you can "Play Street Fighter II" on the go with ease and yet you don't even test it to prove that the D-Disc that Innex put on the system is horrid. Way to go man.

By the way, as far as I know, the Retron3 is NOT made in the same factory as Yobo's system was and it isn't even the same chip set either.

[neojapan]

I just got the retron 3, just tested mario RPG and it doesn't work, castlevania 3 neither, the genesis part accepts super street fighter but sounds horrible, sonic 2 and streets of rage sound near perfect if not perfect. The NES part sounds better than the retro duo, will test more later.

Retro Twin, tried the same mario RPG cart that i tested on the retron 3 and works, castlevania 3 is not working, and the sound is more or less the same as the retro duo, will continue testing later.

[megasdkirby]

I just got the retron 3, just tested mario RPG and it doesn't work, castlevania 3 neither, the genesis part accepts super street fighter but sounds horrible, sonic 2 and streets of rage sound near perfect if not perfect. The NES part sounds better than the retro duo, will test more later.

Retro Twin, tried the same mario RPG cart that i tested on the retron 3 and works, castlevania 3 is not working, and the sound is more or less the same as the retro duo, will continue testing later.

Thanks for the info.

This was my scare: a marginal to no improvement whatsoever. Although I hope further testing sheds some light on the positive side, I am not too confident that it will.

So it's worth it, or should further testing be done to determine that?

[T2KFreeker]

Well, I have pretty much the same results as neojapan with my Retron3 unit. I do like the way that it is built. The system is very nice looking and the wireless controllers are quite a bit better than I thought they would be. However, my system is not playing my Super Street Fighter II Genesis cart. It will play my Street Fighter II Special Championship cart though. I do like this system a bit more than the Retro Duo though even though it doesn't run Castlevania III. It's a solid build and has a very nice feel to it. Not too light but not really heavy either. The Genesis games look awesome on my HD TV with the S-Video out and the Genesis sound, while not perfect, is very good. Easily one of the best clones I have heard yet. It seems like they are almost perfect with it. Now if only they could get Virtua Racing running! Also, the Super Star Wars games are working brilliantly on my system as well as my Star Fox 2 Repro Cart. I bring up the Star Fox 2 cart because it does not work on the SNES portable that Yobo released, so this is a nice little bonus to have here. Oh, and for the record, on the MANY Genesis carts I have tested, I have not noticed any slowdown compared with the actual hardware, which is another plus. I also have not seen the same graphical screw ups that plagues the Earthworm Jim games in the @tGames built clones either, which is awesome. All in all, I think it's a solid build and a system that would be worth owning if you don't have any of the original systems. Groovy.

[Akito01]

I can also confirm that the invisible stage 3 boss glitch in Super Ghouls and Ghosts is present in the RetroN3.

The sound in Super Mario Bros 3 does not have that weird flat static sound that it does on the RetroDuo or FC Mobile 2, but the sound mix itself sounds odd (par for the course on NES clones, I guess?) I'm assuming that the S-video doesn't work on the NES side for anyone else?

I'm really happy that the S-Video works so well on the Genesis, otherwise it would rank as something of a disappointment.

[BetaWolf47]

Virtua Racing does work. They just have a certain pin disconnected for some reason.

[neojapan]

sorry for the confusion the Super Street Fighter cart was actually SF II CE my friend who was testing the unit at my store told me the wrong name, so yeah no SSF II yet, seems the Retron 3 SNES Side is the same hardware as the Retro Duo. Will test mote later on.

Nes Zapper works :D

[T2KFreeker]

Virtua Racing does work. They just have a certain pin disconnected for some reason.

Well, it does not work on my system which is a tester, so if I cannot confirm it here, I cannot conform it. I wish it did work though as I like the Genesis version quite a bit. Made me sad when it didn't boot up.

[Eyedunno]

Keep the info coming! Can anyone test, say, Phantasy Star IV? I want to get the Japanese version (which I think if anything has less region protection than the US version), but I'd still like to hear it.

[Akito01]

Has anyone experienced any odd control issues on the Genesis side? Playing both Castlevania Bloodlines and Arcus Odyssey, I've experienced moments where both the Start and C buttons don't resond (this is using a regular wired Genesis pad). Playing Strider, I find that rapid-firing on the B button doesn't work very well. I have to deliberately and firmly press the button to get a reliable response. I actually wonder if this explains why they switched the A and B buttons on the wireless pad for the Genesis controls. I also noticed that the wired pad stops working if you use the wireless pad at all -could this function be having odd side effects? Without more experimentation it is hard to be difinitive about the nature of the problem, and if this thing is really a general problem at all or just me.

[Ace]

Anyone have images to share of the internals of the RetroN3? I'd really like to see how that thing looks like inside, and if possible, to have close-ups of the Genesis side to see if Virtua Racing should work or not on the RetroN3.

[ooXxXoo]

Anyone have images to share of the internals of the RetroN3? I'd really like to see how that thing looks like inside, and if possible, to have close-ups of the Genesis side to see if Virtua Racing should work or not on the RetroN3.

I second this, perhaps there's a fix...Some internal visual info would be nice ;)

..

[neojapan]

will do, pics will be uploaded tonight.

[pepeart]

Any Luck with the nes or snes powerpaks?

[neojapan]

woah, just confirmed, Super Metroid unplayable on the retron 3.. damn
Graphical glitches, you cant see your energy and It doesnt let me continue
from the second door when you start at the base, tested 3 different carts and
they do the same, and they all play fine on the retro duo =\

[BetaWolf47]

All of this info is a shame. Will not be getting the Retron 3. How's the Retro Twin compare to the Retro Duo?