The Supaboy - New SNES handheld from Hyperkin

[Satoshi_Matrix]

That's correct, but it doesn't usually matter. That's why I simply told Coreykun667 to keep trying and he should have no problem getting DKC2 to work on the clone.

EarthBound is a special case. In addition to its anti-copy device measures, it also checks for the SNES CIC lockout chip. Since Nintendo still holds the design patients for that, clones can't include it in their system designs, which means that EarthBound will NEVER be work correctly on clones.

The game rom has been hacked to remove the anti-piracy measures, so yes, you can use the powerpak or some other flash cart to play it correctly on a clone using that, but not the original cart.

[JSnake]

As far as I know, EarthBound only checks the cart to make sure it has the right amount of SRAM. Bootleg carts and cart copiers add more, so the game throws up an anti-piracy screen. Then the game checks to see if the SRAM check was removed. If so, then it spawns more enemies. Earthbound does check to see if you're playing on a PAL system, but the result of that check is just another anti-piracy screen. In order to get more spawned enemies and the final boss crash, you would have had to see checks #1 and #2, which are just anti-piracy screens, and then purposefully remove those, triggering checks #3 and #4.

You might just be seeing a higher amount of enemies than you have on your previous playthroughs and mistaking that for 4x enemy spawn. The best way to check is see if Spiteful Crows are spawning outside the Onett Arcade after defeating Frank and his robot. If they are, then yeah you're screwed. But if not, you're safe and you're just being paranoid.

[nusilver]

As far as I know, EarthBound only checks the cart to make sure it has the right amount of SRAM. Bootleg carts and cart copiers add more, so the game throws up an anti-piracy screen. Then the game checks to see if the SRAM check was removed. If so, then it spawns more enemies. Earthbound does check to see if you're playing on a PAL system, but the result of that check is just another anti-piracy screen. In order to get more spawned enemies and the final boss crash, you would have had to see checks #1 and #2, which are just anti-piracy screens, and then purposefully remove those, triggering checks #3 and #4.

You might just be seeing a higher amount of enemies than you have on your previous playthroughs and mistaking that for 4x enemy spawn. The best way to check is see if Spiteful Crows are spawning outside the Onett Arcade after defeating Frank and his robot. If they are, then yeah you're screwed. But if not, you're safe and you're just being paranoid.

who knows when my supaboy is coming back - hyperkin doesn't even have any in stock right now (though they had 'em at their booth at CES....grrr) - but my Pokefami DX is arriving in a few days (it arrived in Los Angeles yesterday, but I'm in the Bay Area) - as soon as I get it, I'll run up to the last boss fight and see if my save gets erased. No biggie.

[theMot]

[QUOTE=Satoshi_Matrix;

In the case of EarthBound, Nintendo was heavily promoting the game, and since Final Fantasy II and III were common targets of copying devices, they wanted to ensure EarthBound wouldn't be in the similar position. So rather than refusing to boot, EarthBound would place 2-4x more enemies in EVERY AREA making the game no fun to play, and if you did manage to get your way through the whole game, you'd have your game save erased by the final boss. Nintendo: the original trollface.[/QUOTE]

LOL!

I have been following all things SNES for 20 years and never knew this. Thanks for that!

[Satoshi_Matrix]

who knows when my supaboy is coming back - hyperkin doesn't even have any in stock right now (though they had 'em at their booth at CES....grrr) - but my Pokefami DX is arriving in a few days (it arrived in Los Angeles yesterday, but I'm in the Bay Area) - as soon as I get it, I'll run up to the last boss fight and see if my save gets erased. No biggie.

be careful, I'm fairly sure it erases ALL sram, meaning you'll loose ALL your saves. make sure you're prepared for that.

[nusilver]

be careful, I'm fairly sure it erases ALL sram, meaning you'll loose ALL your saves. make sure you're prepared for that.

I'm prepared. Gives me another reason to play through it next time :)

[Zombisaurus]

Well, after not being able to contact hyperkin, the amazon reseller told me I can return the supaboy to them for a refund.

Hopefully the poor manufacturing will get sorted out and I'll be able to purchase another one.

[Genesaturn]

To anyone interested IGN just posted a review of the machine this morning and gave it pretty lackluster reviews.

http://www.ign.com/articles/2012/01/19/hyperkin-supaboy-portable-nes-review

[Steven]

To anyone interested IGN just posted a review of the machine this morning and gave it pretty lackluster reviews.

http://www.ign.com/articles/2012/01/19/hyperkin-supaboy-portable-nes-review


I'm as big a SNES fan as the next guy, but am I the only SNES fanatic who doesn't give a care about the Supaboy?

Don't get me wrong, more power to ya if you went out and bought one and you enjoy it. But I don't have a burning desire to play SNES games on a small screen on the go. Give me a comfortable chair, the classic controller and the old fashioned TV screen any day of the week.

[Leo_A]

EarthBound is a special case. In addition to its anti-copy device measures, it also checks for the SNES CIC lockout chip. Since Nintendo still holds the design patients for that, clones can't include it in their system designs, which means that EarthBound will NEVER be work correctly on clones.

I thought patents expired after 15 or so years? Why is this lockout chip still covered by patent laws while the rest of the system architecture is in the public domain?

[Satoshi_Matrix]

Without going into too much technical detail, its because the lockout is in the software and the hardware as a sort of lock and key. Since only the hardware patients expire after twenty years, the SNES CIC lockout is still under patient by Nintendo. The same is true of the N64, so it'll be interesting to see how N64 clones end addressing this issue in the coming years - because you just know there WILL be clones.

[MarioMania]

IGN sucks donkey balls

Did they fix the D-pad for shooters??

[Leo_A]

Without going into too much technical detail, its because the lockout is in the software and the hardware as a sort of lock and key. Since only the hardware patients expire after twenty years, the SNES CIC lockout is still under patient by Nintendo. The same is true of the N64, so it'll be interesting to see how N64 clones end addressing this issue in the coming years - because you just know there WILL be clones.

I believe it's 15 years for patents, not 20.

If we're talking about code here, it's covered by copyrights, not patents. And copyrights are all but indefinite these days (For all intents and purposes). So you're saying the lockout chip has some code attached to it to function, which is why it's left off (It doesn't matter what's programmed into the cartridge that interacts with it, you can replicate the lockout chip and distribute it as long as it's just hardware and the copyrighted code that functions with it resides on the game cartridge)?

The fact that systems like the PSOne and N64 had embedded code necessary for the system to function is going to prevent legal clones ever appearing, I suspect. You can do something like freely create a N64 emulator these days, but you can't legally distribute the system bios necessary for it to function. That's going to remain protected by copyright laws for many years to come.

Unless they're able to legally reverse engineer it and program something that does the same things without infringing on any copyrighted code, we're never going to see legitimate clones appear for later systems (Especially more recent consoles that have full fledged operating systems).

[nusilver]

Pokefami DX is out for delivery today! Supaboy is nowhere to be found...Hyperkin has had it for three weeks, and I've stopped expecting emails from them to let me know when the situation updates. I'm hoping to get some videos of the Pokefami DX up tonight, but unfortunately since I don't have my Supaboy with me, I can't post photo comparisons, which I think might show the difference in screen quality a bit more. Either way, I'm excited to finally get ahold of this thing.

Should I post links to my Pokefami DX coverage here, or make a new thread? I feel like there should be one megathread comparing the three portable SNES clones....I guess that would be more appropriate once the RDP comes out.

[nusilver]

IGN sucks donkey balls

I am going to have to agree with you. I love their video coverage, and enjoy some of their podcasts in a buttered popcorn kind of way, but their writing is almost universally horrible, particularly when they try to editorialize. I don't think it's necessarily (most of) the writers' faults, though...IGN is a huge commercial operation that serves a million masters. I'm surprised 1UP hasn't become horrible since the acquisition.

[nusilver]

As the title says, my Pokefami DX arrived! A few points I know many of you are wondering about:

-first impressions are everything and this thing feels much, much better in the hands than the Supaboy. It's smaller, thinner, and lighter. the buttons, though not matching the exact spacing of a real SNES controller, are perfectly spaced, and though the d-pad looks wonky, I was able to pull of signature moves in SFII Turbo without much effort. It feels more like....well, between the two, I prefer this.
-The screen appears softer than Hyperkin's unit, but the colors are nicer, the image is brighter at max brightness, and the overall effect is a smoother picture than the Supaboy. Me likey.
-The audio is much better than the Supaboy. There is still some feedback present when turning up to higher volumes, but it's much, much less noticeable. Also, the Pokefami DX's sound at the lowest volume is about as loud as the Supaboy's at max volume... meaning, when your devices are run at equal volume, with the Supaboy maxed out, the Pokefami DX sounds richer, fuller, and much more like what you'd expect from the SNES sound processor. I'm very, very happy with it. ***Results are even better with headphones - having said that, when I first plugged my Apple headphones in, there was a horrible buzzing - I thought my head was going to explode. I tried a different pair of headphones, and the problem went away. I'm going to chalk this up to the fact that my Apple headphones are going out, but it's something to keep in mind - your phone/iPod headphones might not be compatible with this device***
-Shoulder buttons are much nicer than the Supaboy's - less clicky, easier to operate.
-The unit is compatible with the Super Everdrive.
-The unit is compatible with the copy of Super Mario RPG I have on hand - I'm anticipating my spare copy, as well as my copy of Kirby Superstar, will not run, but I will test this when I get home.


and a couple other things:

-The device seems to power off if you move the power adapter a little or touch the power button in the slightest. I may have been imagining this, but I'm pretty sure this happened twice. I'll update later once I've tested it more (aka, when I'm not at work).
-I am going to charge it and leave it running without the adapter tonight to see how long the battery lasts...but if it's anywhere near the Retro Duo Portable's advertised "8 hours", it'll be even more likely that the devices are one and the same.
-my unit has a bright red dead pixel near the center of the screen, but as it's an import, I guess I'm stuck with it. I can live with it, as it only shows up on black backgrounds (Super Metroid no!!!!)
-The paint is cheap, and was flaking/fading in several places on the back. I guess this is to be expected.

I'll try to upload some pictures tonight, and expect a video to be uploaded around the time I get my Supaboy back (or quicker, if you guys would prefer a standalone review first.)

[Frog]

As the title says, my Pokefami DX arrived! A few points I know many of you are wondering about:

-first impressions are everything and this thing feels much, much better in the hands than the Supaboy. It's smaller, thinner, and lighter. the buttons, though not matching the exact spacing of a real SNES controller, are perfectly spaced, and though the d-pad looks wonky, I was able to pull of signature moves in SFII Turbo without much effort. It feels more like....well, between the two, I prefer this.
-The screen appears softer than Hyperkin's unit, but the colors are nicer, the image is brighter at max brightness, and the overall effect is a smoother picture than the Supaboy. Me likey.
-The audio is much better than the Supaboy. There is still some feedback present when turning up to higher volumes, but it's much, much less noticeable. Also, the Pokefami DX's sound at the lowest volume is about as loud as the Supaboy's at max volume... meaning, when your devices are run at equal volume, with the Supaboy maxed out, the Pokefami DX sounds richer, fuller, and much more like what you'd expect from the SNES sound processor. I'm very, very happy with it. ***Results are even better with headphones - having said that, when I first plugged my Apple headphones in, there was a horrible buzzing - I thought my head was going to explode. I tried a different pair of headphones, and the problem went away. I'm going to chalk this up to the fact that my Apple headphones are going out, but it's something to keep in mind - your phone/iPod headphones might not be compatible with this device***
-Shoulder buttons are much nicer than the Supaboy's - less clicky, easier to operate.
-The unit is compatible with the Super Everdrive.
-The unit is compatible with the copy of Super Mario RPG I have on hand - I'm anticipating my spare copy, as well as my copy of Kirby Superstar, will not run, but I will test this when I get home.


and a couple other things:

-The device seems to power off if you move the power adapter a little or touch the power button in the slightest. I may have been imagining this, but I'm pretty sure this happened twice. I'll update later once I've tested it more (aka, when I'm not at work).
-I am going to charge it and leave it running without the adapter tonight to see how long the battery lasts...but if it's anywhere near the Retro Duo Portable's advertised "8 hours", it'll be even more likely that the devices are one and the same.
-my unit has a bright red dead pixel near the center of the screen, but as it's an import, I guess I'm stuck with it. I can live with it, as it only shows up on black backgrounds (Super Metroid no!!!!)
-The paint is cheap, and was flaking/fading in several places on the back. I guess this is to be expected.

I'll try to upload some pictures tonight, and expect a video to be uploaded around the time I get my Supaboy back (or quicker, if you guys would prefer a standalone review first.)

If possible would you also include if there is indeed a Earthbound piracy check active in the video?Thanks.

[nusilver]

If possible would you also include if there is indeed a Earthbound piracy check active in the video?Thanks.

As a matter of fact, I have a video on my phone of me engaging in the final battle of Earthbound on the Pokefami DX - no freezing, no SRAM erasing. All good. I'll try to upload this quickly today so people who don't believe a clone can possibly get around this issue can ...erm...believe it. :) I'll put up a better video over the weekend, once I've had time to shoot and edit an actual review.

Also - a few more observations:

-I tightened the screws on the device and the power switch works properly now - no more shutting it off simply by touching the switch.
-Apple headphones work fine...mine are just busted.
-I left the Pokefami DX running the title screen of Super Mario World (with the sound off, since we were sleeping) when I went to bed last night around 1am. When I woke up at 6:30, it was still running. I'd been testing it for about an hour before that...so you're looking at a battery life that is *at least 6.5 hours!*
-Almost every game has visual distortion when using the included speakers....like the RF interference kind of distortion I mentioned seeing in Yoshi's Island on the Supaboy. However, plug headphones in or plug the unit into a TV, and the problem goes away completely. Obviously this is an issue with space, as the louder you turn up the sound, the more distortion occurs.
-Again, headphones or no, the sound is fantastic out of this device.
-I put in my copy of Kirby Super Star last night - the one that never booted on the Supaboy - and it ran. I turned it off, then went on to test other carts. Then I tried to test Kirby again, and couldn't get it to boot again. I tried re-inserting it around 30 times...no dice. I hear this is a common occurrence amongst users of clones. The cart still works fine on my SNES.

I'll upload that Earthbound video shortly.

[nusilver]

As a matter of fact, I have a video on my phone of me engaging in the final battle of Earthbound on the Pokefami DX - no freezing, no SRAM erasing. All good. I'll try to upload this quickly today so people who don't believe a clone can possibly get around this issue can ...erm...believe it. :) I'll put up a better video over the weekend, once I've had time to shoot and edit an actual review.

Also - a few more observations:

-I tightened the screws on the device and the power switch works properly now - no more shutting it off simply by touching the switch.
-Apple headphones work fine...mine are just busted.
-I left the Pokefami DX running the title screen of Super Mario World (with the sound off, since we were sleeping) when I went to bed last night around 1am. When I woke up at 6:30, it was still running. I'd been testing it for about an hour before that...so you're looking at a battery life that is *at least 6.5 hours!*
-Almost every game has visual distortion when using the included speakers....like the RF interference kind of distortion I mentioned seeing in Yoshi's Island on the Supaboy. However, plug headphones in or plug the unit into a TV, and the problem goes away completely. Obviously this is an issue with space, as the louder you turn up the sound, the more distortion occurs.
-Again, headphones or no, the sound is fantastic out of this device.
-I put in my copy of Kirby Super Star last night - the one that never booted on the Supaboy - and it ran. I turned it off, then went on to test other carts. Then I tried to test Kirby again, and couldn't get it to boot again. I tried re-inserting it around 30 times...no dice. I hear this is a common occurrence amongst users of clones. The cart still works fine on my SNES.

I'll upload that Earthbound video shortly.

Actually, I just realized from looking at other videos online that you have to finish the first part of the battle with Giygas before the freezing/crashing/SRAM destroying happens. I'll have to test again tonight as I don't have Earthbound with me.

I DO, however, have a short video of me walking around before the battle, and you can see there don't appear to be any more enemies than usual. I can upload that now if anyone wants to see.

*also* - I set the Pokefami DX on the SMW screen again (this time via Super Everdrive rather than real cartridge) and let it go for a bit, to see how long it would last. It died after about 5 minutes. No weird hazy, flickery screen, but no warning, either. The battery light doesn't change color either - it just shuts off abruptly. All told, the battery lasted probably around 7 hours on a single charge, at max brightness. 5 of those hours were without sound - so I'd say you're going to get a good 6-7 hours off a single charge on this one. (Also, the battery is huge, and the battery cover is the same size/shape as what's on the RDP).

[Satoshi_Matrix]

any chance you could open her up so we can see the internals?

[nusilver]

That was the first thing I tried to do when I got home last night, but there's some glue holding the top of the unit together somewhere, and I didn't want to break something trying to figure out where. I will probably give it another stab this weekend.

If I can find the post on whatever site it was where the guy took his Supaboy apart, I can probably ask him how he dealt with the glue, because I ran into the exact same thing with that unit.

[kedawa]

Glue? What kind of bush league manufacturing are they using for this thing?

[nusilver]

Maybe it's not glue, but there's definitely something still holding it together, and I can see glue when I peek inside - possibly meant to stabilize the LCD. As I said, I'll take another look soon.

[kedawa]

Ah. There are probably just some plastic clips that need to be pushed.
I've seen glue used to hold parts in place, but never to seal the shell.

[nusilver]

Ah. There are probably just some plastic clips that need to be pushed.
I've seen glue used to hold parts in place, but never to seal the shell.

Alright, alright, alright. :)

So there were actually two more screws hidden under a sort of rubberish strip that was attached to the system near the cartridge slot. I figured they would be hiding there and ripped the strip off, for the sake of all of you guys. It's kind of mess and I'll have to finish cleaning it up later. Also, the only glue inside was holding the speakers in place. Easy to deal with.

So I got the Pokefami DX apart and snapped shots of everything that I figured was important (tried to get model numbers for chips, etc). A couple of things:

1) I couldn't get the red stuck pixel to settle with vigorous rubbing or tapping. This is one I may have to just live with. Hopefully it goes away after awhile (unless someone can link me to an SNES rom that will run on real hardware that will rapidly color cycle...which I would take graciously as payment for opening this guy up!)

2) You can't swap out the buttons for any other buttons (at least without some modification that I don't have time to perform right now), except probably the Retro Duo Portable. The face buttons are smaller than any Nintendo-brand buttons (I tried Gameboy and SNES); the Gameboy d-pad doesn't work; the SNES d-pad does fit and feels great until you put it together again and realize that the PDX's rubber pad and the SNES d-pad just don't work well together (I had to press really, really hard for directions to register).

And with that, the pictures.

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b296/nusilver/Pokefami%20DX%20Guts/3d340279.jpg
The rubber stuff blocking the last two screws.

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b296/nusilver/Pokefami%20DX%20Guts/ff19a51d.jpg
The first shot of the inside.

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b296/nusilver/Pokefami%20DX%20Guts/91b16d14.jpg
On top is the back of the board which contains screen, sound, and controls. Notice the sound processor in the very top/middle: It sits directly behind the screen, separated only by a medium thickness black rubber strip. This is likely what causes the screen interference when using built-in speakers.

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b296/nusilver/Pokefami%20DX%20Guts/489f654b.jpg
Front of board mentioned above, with screen "in position". Notice the SNES Test rom playing in a Wario's Woods cartridge. Psyche! Super Everdrive!

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b296/nusilver/Pokefami%20DX%20Guts/6c30d9b3.jpg
Same board with screen flipped up.

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b296/nusilver/Pokefami%20DX%20Guts/be2c5ae4.jpg
Closeup of sound processor.

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b296/nusilver/Pokefami%20DX%20Guts/e3984900.jpg
Closeup of main board, right side. The yellow epoxy is holding in the external controller connector.

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b296/nusilver/Pokefami%20DX%20Guts/d4ceab53.jpg
Same board, left side.

Alright, I wanted to test Earthbound before bed, but I've got a powerpoint deck to throw together for tomorrow. I'll try to get that finished quickly so I have time to test Earthbound more thoroughly, but I'm not promising this will happen tonight.

Man. I think this is one of my favorite handhelds ever...shame about that stuck pixel. Even with that, I'm probably not going to end up getting the RDP after all.

[Satoshi_Matrix]

Sucks about the red pixel. I know there are NES test roms to do that, so assuming the NES to SNES RetroPort thing works with the Powerpak, you could always buy all that and get rid of it....maybe. Sorry that's all I can think of.

How's compatibility? Do you have anything that DOESN'T work? I hear Demon's Crest stops working on I think the third boss in clones.

[nusilver]

Sucks about the red pixel. I know there are NES test roms to do that, so assuming the NES to SNES RetroPort thing works with the Powerpak, you could always buy all that and get rid of it....maybe. Sorry that's all I can think of.

How's compatibility? Do you have anything that DOESN'T work? I hear Demon's Crest stops working on I think the third boss in clones.

I've tested about 35 games on it, none too thoroughly. I believe it's Super Ghouls 'n Ghosts that works in the way you've suggested, though I've honestly never been to the third boss because I sucked at that game as a kid (but I'll be sure to test that this weekend as I have the game). I can test a clean dump of the Demon's Crest rom on the Super Everdrive, but that's honestly not really conclusive. I really do need to buy that game.

In any case, expect these things and more when I post my review this weekend, but feel free to keep asking questions in the meantime.

[nusilver]

Stop the presses! Before I go to bed, I just wanted to let everyone know conclusively that Earthbound doesn't have any problems that I could see with the Pokefami DX. I played through the final battle up until the "prayer" section, and the game didn't so much as hiccup.

If you're familiar with the situation, you'll know that at the beginning of the second phase of the final battle in Earthbound, the game famously locks up, resets, and erases all save games if the game detects shady deeds afoot. Well, there's nothing shady about the Pokefami DX, and Earthbound agrees.

But you don't have to take my word for it. I've got about 20 minutes of video demonstrating Earthbound's final battle on the Pokefami DX that I need to edit down to 10 minutes or so; expect that to be uploaded to YouTube by tomorrow night.

Adieu!

[nusilver]

*Played through the Star Cup in 50cc on Super Mario Kart. Game randomly froze during the second lap of the first track; I reset and it didn't happen again. It's really hard to see Vanilla Lake 1 - details seem to get lost in the white - but it's not impossible to get 1st.

*Played through to the third boss in Super Ghouls 'n Ghosts. As expected, the boss was invisible. Bummer.

*Played Super Mario RPG for about 10 minutes (planned on spending my whole train ride with this one, but Super G 'n G is a beast!). Even though I played with headphones (which, as I've previously mentioned, tends to completely eliminate any visual distortion caused by the sound processor's proximity to the display), there was occasional flicker, mostly during battles with paratroopas. I expect the system is struggling with SA-1.

*Attempted to play Tintin: Le Temple Du Soleil from the Super Everdrive. Was greeted with the standard "only compatible with PAL systems" warning. PDX is NTSC only. (does anyone know if there's an NTSC patch for this game?)

*I'm expecting my RetroGen adapter this week, but so far, the only Genesis game I have to test is Jurassic Park...

[nusilver]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zrsA5ME5j2w

Here's a 7 minute clip of me playing the final battle on Earthbound on the Pokefami DX. Apologies for the crooked video and poor lighting - wanted to get this up quickly for you guys. Note, it's been edited down from about 23 minutes of recording time. Also, duh, but this video contains spoilers.

[Taiyaki]

nusilver, you are full of win.

I recommend you copy and paste this into a new thread so that it gets more attention. It's a big deal now we have a winner of the current portable snes systems.

[Satoshi_Matrix]

well, we still don't know how the RDP compares to the PokeFami DX. Although nusilver seems to think so, there is still no definitive proof that the PokeFami DX and the RDP are the same system in a different shell. Until the RDP is out and widely reviewed by people who know what they're talking about, I don't think any conclusions can be drawn just yet.

[nusilver]

well, we still don't know how the RDP compares to the PokeFami DX. Although nusilver seems to think so, there is still no definitive proof that the PokeFami DX and the RDP are the same system in a different shell. Until the RDP is out and widely reviewed by people who know what they're talking about, I don't think any conclusions can be drawn just yet.

Correct. And I'm still hoping to get ahold of an RDP - though if someone here gets a black one (they're available now) and takes it apart, we can compare notes/pictures of insides, etc.

Also, check your PMs please.

[Satoshi_Matrix]

By "widely reviewed by people who know what they're talking about" I simply meant people other than 15 year olds on youtube who decide to point a camera at it and read off the tick marks from the back of the box, as was the case with almost all of the Supaboy reviews.

[Kaboomer]

Hyperkin indicated they would handle the warranty issues with our customers and in the end, took care of them all and stood behind their products.

[Culex4096]

I’m new here to the forums, though I have paid attention to this post in particular for awhile. I admit that like many others when Hyperkin announced the Supaboy I was hyped up for it like nothing else.

I received my unit yesterday and I have had about 8 hours of gameplay on it. Personally I do not believe that it deserves the amount of criticism that it receives. Yes, I more than likely received a later unit and it’s very likely that there are fewer problems with mine. However, taking that into consideration I still particularly like it.

When I unboxed the unit, the first thing I noticed that it feels great, not cheap and perfectly weighted. Bigger than I expected, but still feels pretty good. That brings us to the controls though. The buttons are great and are really responsive. The d-pad however could be better. When I first used the system, it was far too stiff, over time it started to feel better, I don’t know if it’s because it loosened up a little bit or perhaps I just got used to it, but it certainly ended up feeling better. However, it is not as responsive as I would have liked it to be; essentially it feels like the d-pad on any 3rd party SNES pad. Manageable, but certainly not desirable.

Now I must admit that I do not have as many games as I used to, a few years ago I had around 80 games, but when I moved I lost them and had to rebuild my collection. Today I only have about 20 games unfortunately. Almost every game I tested worked pretty well overall and had no probably booting up. Star Fox played fine, but occasionally would encounter graphical issues, nothing major, but still noticeable. Super Mario RPG on the other hand is one of those games that clones always seem to have a problem with and of course everyone wants to know if it works. Unfortunately, I can’t help you there. I have two copies of Mario RPG; one Japanese and one Mexican. However, the only one that runs on the Supaboy is the Japanese one. Now I am not saying that all Japanese ones will run and Mexicans won’t, because I have seen instances where Mexicans will and Japanese won’t. My advice is that if buying the Supaboy in a game store, if there are games you want to work no problem, bring them with you and try them in the system before buying.

There have been some mixed reviews on both the screen and the sound of the unit, and I was concerned about both before I received the unit. I read everything I could, and still wasn’t satisfied I had to see the unit myself. I bit the bullet and in the end I bought the unit off Amazon (though I also recommend Stone Age Gamer). The screen is great. Just big enough and the colors seems pretty accurate overall. To be honest I bought the unit more as an extra SNES home console though. However, one thing I must say and it seems to be a problem with every unit, there is dust underneath the screen. I’m used to it due to a lot of portable clones having dust under the screen, but still it was the most disappointing aspect of Supaboy. So I did buy the system to hook up to a TV, and in terms of a spare or even replacement SNES console, it’s fantastic. Easy to hook up and the fact that you can use your own original SNES controller sold me on the system. Yes, the Retro Duo Portable can take your own controllers as well, but it needs an adapter to do so. An adapter makes a system more complex and bulky, and worst of all if it breaks or if you lose it could be hard to replace. There is no lag when used on a TV, or at least so little that I cannot notice it. However, I use wireless headphones when playing on a TV, and I did notice that the sound while it seems perfectly emulated has a slight buzzing underneath. Not that annoying high pitched squeal everyone seemed so concerned about, but that typical clone buzz. The speakers on the unit itself are certainly clear, though could be a little louder. I assure you though that on my unit there is NO high pitched squeal out of the speakers, the buzzing I heard on the TV does follow though, but the buzzing is so low pitched and quiet that you won’t notice it unless you try to listen to it.

Overall, I like the unit. It has its flaws, but it plays great and is by far the best looking clone system either portable or home console ever. The FC-16 GO was disgusting looking and the Retro Duo Portable looks generic as Hell. The retro look just makes sense…. Though I wish they released a model with red, yellow, green, and blue Super Famicom style buttons . I wish there was no dust under the screen, and if someone knows how to get rid of it I would really appreciate it. That’s really my only complaint about it. One thing I want to bring up though is that I haven’t yet truly tested the battery, so I can’t give you an estimate of battery life. However, BP-4L batteries are cheap and external chargers for BP-4L are cheap too. If someone is concerned about battery life, than they could keep spare batteries on hand. You can get two batteries and an external charger for a little under $10.

Final say; if you have been looking either for a portable SNES or spare console, get it. Wait for the Retro Duo Portable if you want, but personally I think the NES and Genesis functionality (with adapter) is gimmicky, the design is generic, and I have never been too impressed with Retro Bit’s systems.

If you have any question on the unit feel free to ask me 

Update: I just got my Mexican Mario RPG to boot once, but have yet to get it to boot again. I will try to determine why that might be. My Japanese one boots everytime.

[Satoshi_Matrix]

Good on you, SoCal Mike. The Supaboy is a disappointment for sure. The real question now is how the RetroDuo Portable stacks up.

[nusilver]

Well, as a reseller of sorts, The Supaboy and Hyperkin have left a sour taste in my mouth. I decided to sell these on both GameGavel and Ebay as I wanted as many people to have a chance at getting their hands on one of these. I sold quite a few and have had issues with quite a few of them. I do like that companies are introducing products such as this, but if they are going to do it, for heaven's sake, make something that works. I have been reading nothing but bad experience's with SB's and have to wonder why it was even released at all?

I know I speak for others that would like to tell these companies, look, we will pay a higher price for something that is quality and actually works. I would rather pay more for a working, more robust system that will last years and years vs. paying a lower amount for something that is completely hit and miss.

I have received my first 3 negative feedbacks on Ebay and could get more because of this situation. These are my first negative feedbacks in my history using eBay since 1997 (although I hardly used it these days anymore) and am not to thrilled about it. Especially, since Hkin told me they would handle the issues directly with my buyers, which it turns out they did not. I have now emailed the folks who left me negs and have asked them to send the units back to me for a refund and then I will hopefully get my money back form Hkin.

I hate airing dirty laundry in forums and it's not my style but Hyperkin hasn't responded to anything I have sent them in weeks so it is what it is. Maybe this will get them to stand behind their items and take more precautions in their future product releases. I had similar experiences just like this when I sold their GenMobiles.

If any of you purchased a Sboy from me and need a refund or a replacement please let me know and I will keep trying to rectify the situation.

Man, Kaboomer. Really sorry to hear all of this. I sent the Supaboy I bought from you back to Hyperkin almost a month ago, and have heard back from them maybe once to say "we don't have any in stock to replace it with." Then why in the hell did they set up an RMA for me to begin with? In any case, I don't hold you responsible and I'm sorry eBay users are. It's not your problem, and some people react too quickly to situations they don't know anything about.

On the plus side, I will say your copy of Super Mario RPG works 100% of the time on my Pokefami DX :)

I haven't gotten to test it on a Supaboy yet, but as I will likely only ever fire the Supaboy up 1 more time to do a video comparison to the Pokefami DX and Retro Duo Portable (if Hyperkin ever sends it back to me), and then it's off to the closet, because I know if I try to sell it, it'll be nothing but heartache.

In any case, to those who've been following this thread recently because of my PDX posts (or PFDX as Satoshi_Matrix has called it), I'm setting up to do my video review now. Once it's done and edited together (hopefully tomorrow), I'll be making a standalone post for it.

[nusilver]

http://www.digitpress.com/forum/showthread.php?159682-Pokefami-DX-English-Review

As I've finally started a Pokefami DX thread, I won't be posting anymore in the rdp or supaboy threads, except where it pertains directly to those two devices.

Enjoy!

[Culex4096]

Now that I have had some more time to play around with the Supaboy, I decided to try Mario Paint. The game boots no problem, but my mouse doesn't work. It works perfectly on my SNES, but doesn't register at all on the Supaboy. Anyone else have similar experiences?

[nusilver]

http://blip.tv/arturpalma/ggbr-special-ces-2012-supaboy-interview-5923454

Anyone else see this interview? This guy is claiming 5.5 hours of play time from that dinky batter, which we all know is a crock.

I emailed Hyperkin again this morning. They've had my Supaboy for a month and their head of Customer Service refuses to update me on the status of my repair/exchange. I will never, ever buy a Hyperkin product again.

[Frankie_Says_Relax]

I just got my replacement unit in the mail today.

Tested it with all my games and ..... FANTASTIC! NO SQUEALING!

I know that some of us have had a tough time getting through to Hyperkin during and post holiday-season, so I guess I was fortunate in getting through to them and the whole process being pretty painless.

[Culex4096]

I just got my replacement unit in the mail today.

Tested it with all my games and ..... FANTASTIC! NO SQUEALING!

I know that some of us have had a tough time getting through to Hyperkin during and post holiday-season, so I guess I was fortunate in getting through to them and the whole process being pretty painless.

The one I had was flawless as well, though I returned it to get the RDP since I've been getting into Genesis recently and I need something to play portably on..... I've already got the Retrogen so I'll see how that is I suppose. I do admit though the Supaboy I had was really awesome and if it were less money I'd probably have kept it, but an extra $10 to get NES and Genesis compatibility, and two controllers (I'm a sucker for strange controllers), seemed worth it to send it back. I've never been a fan of Retro-Bit, but if this unit is really similar to the PDX than it has to be awesome. It's a shame though cuz I really wanted to love the Supaboy, if only for it's amazing design XD

[Satoshi_Matrix]

I just got my replacement unit in the mail today.

Tested it with all my games and ..... FANTASTIC! NO SQUEALING!

Before we all start hating you for being the only one of us with a buzz-free Supaboy, test it out with Super Mario World. There are some games that mask the buzz pretty well, but not Mario World. It'll be ever present in Mario World if you have it.

[nusilver]

Well, my Supaboy came in today. Of course, I didn't bring any SNES games or the Everdrive to work with me, because I was anticipating a bunch of Famicom stuff (got Super Mario Bros. USA + 3, Gimmick!, Mr. Gimmick repro, Donkey Kong Pie Factory Repro, and Kunio-kun no Jidaigeki Dayo Zenin Shuugou!!!! But still no Famicom...lol), so I can't really test it. But I'm going to be cautiously optimistic here and say I think the sound is fixed, just based on putting headphones in and turning the machine on. Having said that - and I don't know if this is just because the buttons are way better on the Pokefami DX - the d-pad and shoulder buttons feel significantly worse than I remember.

I'll test a few games on the unit (including Super Mario World as S_M suggested) for sound and battery life, but in all likelihood, I will be selling this soon. Keep an eye out on the B/S/T thread!

[Frankie_Says_Relax]

Before we all start hating you for being the only one of us with a buzz-free Supaboy, test it out with Super Mario World. There are some games that mask the buzz pretty well, but not Mario World. It'll be ever present in Mario World if you have it.

No buzz in Mario World or Mario All Stars.

Or Star Fox, or Saturday Night Slam Masters.

Those are the only SNES games I have out of hard storage at the moment, but I'm pretty satisfied that the buzzing is not masked, it's completely non-present in this unit.

[nusilver]

No buzz in Mario World or Mario All Stars.

Or Star Fox, or Saturday Night Slam Masters.

Those are the only SNES games I have out of hard storage at the moment, but I'm pretty satisfied that the buzzing is not masked, it's completely non-present in this unit.

You truly are the only one here. Tested my Supaboy when I got home. The buzz is still present. I'm not going to bother testing it any further.

[Culex4096]

I'll test a few games on the unit (including Super Mario World as S_M suggested) for sound and battery life, but in all likelihood, I will be selling this soon. Keep an eye out on the B/S/T thread!

I kinda miss mine and so I'd certainly be interesting in buying it. I'll pay attention to the B/S/T board then.

[nusilver]

I kinda miss mine and so I'd certainly be interesting in buying it. I'll pay attention to the B/S/T board then.

Cool. I'll put it up tomorrow.

[nusilver]

My Supaboy is up for sale here, along with a few other things:

http://www.digitpress.com/forum/showthread.php?160027-nusilver-for-sale-thread&p=1892326#post1892326

[Culex4096]

If anyone is still considering a Supaboy, I just found them for cheap. Play N' Trade's website has them for $60 plus a few dollars for shipping. Here's the link http://www.playntrade.com/product.php?productid=1677

[ooXxXoo]

If I had a SupaBoy, I'd have fixed the sound problem by now, and write a modding tutorial, just like I did with the Retro Duo NES sound fix.

[Satoshi_Matrix]

I don't mean any offense, but that's quite a statement since the audio buzz is produced by the clone soundchip. Its not a simple matter of just adding in an audio dampener as is the case with the RetroDuo.

[ooXxXoo]

I don't mean any offense, but that's quite a statement since the audio buzz is produced by the clone soundchip. Its not a simple matter of just adding in an audio dampener as is the case with the RetroDuo.

Not taken..Actually, the TCT- chips are 1:1 copies of the SNES PPU's and CPU, all SNES clones that I've seen use them..Its definitely not a sound chip issue, but rather a poorly amp circuit or bad design..Believe me, I know my clones ;) ...

[eggwolio]

If I had a SupaBoy, I'd have fixed the sound problem by now, and write a modding tutorial, just like I did with the Retro Duo NES sound fix.

Someone should buy this guy a Supaboy. Preferably, someone who is, unlike me, employed.

Seriously, though, a sound fix would be superb. Also would be nice if Hyperkin would offer spare screen covers like Nintendo used to offer for Game Boys. I've been chatting with tofu about that via PMs. To me, though, the good in this system far outweighs the bad.

[Culex4096]

Not to start a fight here, but if anyone knows clones it's SatoshiMatrix

[ooXxXoo]

I literally have a master's degree in clones, but that doesn't matter :-D ..What matters is to find a solution for those Supaboys with the fault, and have point of no return...

[Culex4096]

I literally have a master's degree in clones, but that doesn't matter :-D ..What matters is to find a solution for those Supaboys with the fault, and have point of no return...

I agree. I think the system is great, but it's a shame so many have sound issues :(

[nusilver]

I agree. I think the system is great, but it's a shame so many have sound issues :(

Just a reminder, mine is still for sale! lol.

[dogai]

Has anyone had any trouble with their screen? After playing some Super Bomberman 2 (specifically, when the boss was exploding) my screen began to flicker and become static-y and distorted. And it's only gotten worse after trying other games. Has this happened to anyone else?

[kedawa]

Could be shrapnel. Bombs are dangerous!

[jm77]

Also does anyone see a light above the U and P in the Supaboy logo below the screen? I find it awkward to see this, doesn't give the impression of a good build. I also can see dust particles under the screen.

Yep. Just ordered one from Amazon and I've got the same issues.

Damn, I was hoping for a high-quality product.

[jm77]

Just ordered one from Amazon. I really wanted to like this product. I'll probably return it.

I've got Yoshi's Island on order, and I'm really worried it's gonna be a dud on the Supaboy. I'm also playing through Earthbound again, and I seriously don't want it to go #fail on me end-game.

Complaints:

* D pad tight - the D pad requires a lot of pressure to trigger compared to a native controller
* No low battery indicator - there is a "charging" indicator, but no low battery indicator
* Cartridge lock doesn't work - there is a switch to lock the cartridge in the device, but it doesn't work for jack.
* Some games incompatible (Super Mario RPG in particular) - MAJOR downer. All you get is a black screen.
* Select/Start reversed - This is confusing.
* Speakers weak - The speakers on this thing are really janky.
* Buzz when volume set high - Other reviews I saw mentioned the buzz when playing. There's definitely a noticeable buzz when the volume is turned up (either speakers or headphones)
* Odd waves on display - There are some noticeable waves that fluctuate on the screen during play.
* Made of cheap 3rd party plastic - remember those cheap 3rd party controllers for SNES? This is made of that same plastic.
* Short battery life with no option of user replaceable or 3rd party battery - 2 hours battery life. The battery is obviously a cell-phone 3.7V 1500mAh battery. I've e-mailed support for suggestions on buying a second battery or a 3rd-party battery.
* Power switch feels flimsy - the power switch feels like it's going to break at any moment.
* Screen doesn't appear to be LCD - it doesn't feel like an LCD; more like a small TV.
* No support or warranty information on web site - manufacturer support on web site needs SERIOUS work.
* No upgradeable firmware - not sure if the device is all ROMs or a device emulating the SNES, but I was hoping for the latter.
* No HDMI out - it's easy enough to find embedded devices with HDMI out these days. Composite out is the only option on this device.
* 6 month warranty - not super comforting.

[o.pwuaioc]

This is why I avoid all clones.

[wiggyx]

I could have told you it's a piece of shit just by looking at it.

[SwimyGreen]

Has anyone had any trouble with their screen? After playing some Super Bomberman 2 (specifically, when the boss was exploding) my screen began to flicker and become static-y and distorted. And it's only gotten worse after trying other games. Has this happened to anyone else?

I'm pretty sure your talking about how the screen goes nuts while it dies. I watched the entire thing on SMK. It flickers in the middle, gets rainbowy, turns grey, and the image slowly fades away and the system dies. I really with that there was a power LED...

[jm77]

I could have told you it's a piece of shit just by looking at it.

Just for the record, it's not only a piece of shit, but Hyperkin just sucks.

The first one I received buzzed like hell, the controls were stiff. Shipped it back to Amazon for a replacement.

Got the second one, it had the same issues. I tweeted at Hyperkin, they told me to e-mail one of their media guys. He responded about a week later:

"What I suggest you do is to register your current unit, and if you don’t mind waiting a couple weeks (2-3, hopefully), I will personally see to it that you get a new SupaBoy that has been fully tested with these issues corrected."

A month went by and no response. On the last day I could return the 2nd Supaboy to Amazon, I did just that.

F- this company.

I took the $75 and bought myself a Nexus 7.

[Kaboomer]

With fixed sound issue and longer battery life + new retail packaging. At EKGaming.com and GameGavel.com

http://www.ekgaming.com/supaboy-handheld-system/

http://www.gamegavel.com/item.cgi?show_item=0000659083

[kedawa]

I hope the other clone makers follow up with their own revisions.

There are some almost good portable SNES clones.

[MyTurnToPlay]

Any reviews or videos up for the new version? Did they really fix anything...or is this the usual clone BS.

thank you

[c0ldb33r]

Despite the sound issues, i was still able to test several games with the Supaboy.

The only ones I had issues with were Kirby Super Star and Super Mario RPG (neither would load), and Yoshi's Island has some sort of visual feedback happening (like when a cable isn't properly shielded). Hopefully this is all taken care of when Hypkerin calls me back to set up an exchange/fix. I spoke to them 2 hours ago and still haven't hear back.
I can't find any other info about the revised version. Has anyone tried the new version?

[jm77]

Any reviews or videos up for the new version? Did they really fix anything...or is this the usual clone BS.

thank you

You can buy a Nexus 7 (which can emulate it and everything else) for $200.
You can buy a chinese "DroidX360" (a cheap android psp clone for $100).
You can buy a 2-core (or 4) Android HDMI plug-in device (like Equiso) for $40-100 that will do Netflix/Hulu/Flash *and* emulation.

[Frankie_Says_Relax]

I'd spit at Hyperkin at the next E3.

(Nothing personal. I just really dislike Hyperkin. From personal experience, I know them to be liars and thieves.)

The ever-present misplaced expectations of this type of merchandise not withstanding,

regardless of what you think about the quality of their merchandise, you should know that Hyperkin has some roots directly planted in the Digital Press community and they've fielded/sourced advice/direction from our members on projects like the FC Mobile II.

I don't know what Hyperkin could have personally done to you to evoke a reaction typically reserved for murderers or deposed dictators, but I consider threatening to spit on them not far removed from threatening to spit on members of this community. (And if you did actually do it, depending on who is at their booth it could quite literally be actual DP forum members.)

Also, I don't have a high tolerance for threats of physicality, so, consider this your warning.

[MyTurnToPlay]

The guy has a point. Not about the whole spitting thing...but about their trashy products.

The FC Mobile 2 I have personally played with...and that thing is a cheap chinese piece of crap. If you're going to use forced chinese child labor to make something...then for crying out loud make it half decent. I don't know if they used child labor...but it sure as hell seems that way. The quality is on their products is a disaster. The d-pad on that thing is the most atrocious hunk of junk ever built. It seems like the whole thing was designed by scam artists. And honestly...I think that's what it is...a scam.

But of course all these lemmings out there blow their load and keep supporting this crap.

Save your money guys...it's nothing but a piece of junk.

thank you.

[MachineGex]

I cant believe gamers would act like this towards a company that is trying to fill a gaming need. Sure, the products could always be improved, but in my opinion I like having options. If others don't like the products, just dont buy them. I have never understood the blind hate towards clones. Sure the real-deal is better, but having an option is always nice.

To the guy who said he would spit on them, you need to relax. You are either very young or very ignorant. Take a chill pill if you plan on staying. Odds of that happening are not good.
10-1 odds already, with only 5 posts......not bad.