RetroN5: Hands on first look

[Tanooki]

I think as this was also posted at NA a valid thing to bring up here, is that Retron5/Hyperkin has actually to date especially with the update the other day have delivered on their promise pretty much that they were going for total compatibility depending how you view things. If you take it from the perspective of someone buying licensed games from whatever system and decade and for the market it is sold in (NTSC U or J due to Famicom) at this rate, they're on the mark. The fails all come down to bootlegs (lied about as reproductions), pirate carts, multicarts, and homebrew along with weird regions (brazil) and PAL stuff being picky or failing. All around not too bad of a job that at this rate it's doing this well which is more than a lot of haters assumed it would do. Personally I want to test it well with the famicom games as I've got the namco chip in splatterhouse, and I've got VRC2/4 games maybe 6 as well (have to check) and most the chipped games the SNES had too.

[stardust4ever]

Screw it. I just sent a message to Stone Age Gamer to cancel my Retron5 preorder. I've decided homebrews are more important to me than save states...

Brian of RetroUSB is developing an FPGA NES console with HDMI output.

http://www.nintendoage.com/forum/messageview.cfm?catid=7&threadid=92557

I've decided between Super Retro Trio, Game Boy Player, and the upcoming HDMI NES, there really isn't any reason for me to get the Retron5 anymore. Save states and HD are overrated.

[Satoshi_Matrix]

Even though you were going to get a free controller? Well alright dude, that's your choice.

I'm still looking forward to mine when it arrives so I can tear into it. There are a lot of unanswered questions I still have, like exactly what the hardware is powering the RetroN5. Even if I don't use it much, I suspect there could be hacking potential to turn it into a pseudo Ouya.

Besides, I need to definitively answer the question of which emulation is superior - that of the Retron5 or that of the Ouya.

[Damaramu]

Besides, I need to definitively answer the question of which emulation is superior - that of the Retron5 or that of the Ouya. I'm curious about this too. I love my Ouya and it's now my go-to emulation box, but sometimes I notice very, very slight sound lag and it bugs me at times. Not a deal breaker by any means, as I just picked up a 500gb external HDD for it and loaded it up with roms, music, and movies.

[Tanooki]

I'd hope to think the R5 would be superior since it's custom tooled just for the hardware itself and only that configuration, much like how you can have a closed OS like iOS that handles itself well, yet you have all the hiccups and unexplainable slow boot/close whatever issues with WIndows due to the billion combinations of parts a PC can be to run it. Android is kind of like Windows only in that respect because everyone has their own stupid tablet, touch phone or custom box that can use it, yet in this case this is a special cooked up android OS that runs only a specific closed set of emulators custom designed for the games. You don't have all the android boot routines and apps/schedulers going in the background.


I think it was a stupid move canceling that preorder due to the freebies. Even if you didn't want it with the filth gouging the prices for impatient suckers right now you could have got it, sold it as new to undercut them, then the same on the controller and made some money off it. Hell I would have bought it off you possibly, though I prefer going the amazon route in time as I have $75 in credit with them cutting the price in 1/2.

[Satoshi_Matrix]

Eh, his choice. Still think you're better off buying an Ouya rather than the Retron5. Even if the Retron5 manages to deliver on all it's promises, it still won't do half of what the Ouya can. The Ouya is the much better buy between the two, especially with recent releases like Broken Age. But hey, your choice.

[Tanooki]

I'm not because the Ouya won't play my carts and that's the only reason. Ouya last week was $75 on amazon but I passed on it after a lot of thinking.

You forget I have a Nexus 7 32GB which is more powerful than that Ouya and can do more being more 'free' and with that tethering cable I got it might as well be an Ouya since I can navigate it fine and use the Moga Pro I have to play the games on my LED TV. That's what stopped me cold on Ouya as I don't have a big interest in their unique games enough to commit.

[Satoshi_Matrix]

SONOFABITCH.


I emailed the retailer I preordered the Retron5 from asking if I can expect them to ship it out on June 6th as well, but was told the following:


"Hyperkin is not shipping any units to our Canadian distributor until the end of June (it could even be later). We have no control over what Hyperkin does, and all we can do is apologize for this delay."


Man does this piss me off. Going from the beginning of the month to the end of the month is a huge time difference. I could accept perhaps a few days, maybe even a week difference, but they're talking about the span of a month. I'm disgusted with Hyperkin.

[Tanooki]

Seems hyperkin has their priorities set on the US part of North America first considering their shipment issues/slowness and the pounding they're taking online over it. Sucks again to be over the border.

[Satoshi_Matrix]

It's once again another testament to how poorly organized Hyperkin is. I know I shouldn't be surprised, but man, it still sucks that all the news is bad news.

[treismac]

I imagine with Hyperkin's jacking up of the price of the RetroN5 that we won't see the clone in too many brick and mortar shops. Right now I'm in Dublin and the owner of R.A.G.E., a really awesome retro video game and vinyl shop, said he wouldn't be carrying them at their current price as he doubts that he would sell many at that price. Likewise, in Savannah, Georgia, my local shop's proprietor said the same. Perhaps the current price is temporary to gouge all the impulsive buyers, and then Hyperkin will lower their price to the more reasonable $100.

[Tanooki]

Oh you'll see it, even in small stores. About a mile or less from here is this pawn/consignment shop that has been around a year now and he's a hyperkin store which already has one he kept for demo instead of sale but will have more in as they were open for orders a couple weeks back. He's choosing up front to carry them in small numbers so he isn't stuck with stock, but as they clear he'll keep them coming.

I'd buy from him but he has no warranty other than back to the manufacturer so I'm going to go with amazon to save a bundle and have a little extra coverage where they could send another and an RMA on a busted one if it's bad out of the box or whatever.

[Solo_Skywalker]

SONOFABITCH.


I emailed the retailer I preordered the Retron5 from asking if I can expect them to ship it out on June 6th as well, but was told the following:


"Hyperkin is not shipping any units to our Canadian distributor until the end of June (it could even be later). We have no control over what Hyperkin does, and all we can do is apologize for this delay."


Man does this piss me off. Going from the beginning of the month to the end of the month is a huge time difference. I could accept perhaps a few days, maybe even a week difference, but they're talking about the span of a month. I'm disgusted with Hyperkin.

I am also in Canada but I ordered from Amazon.com as Amazon Canada still does not have the R5 up for preorder.

[Satoshi_Matrix]

How did you do that? I looked into that, in fact, wanted to do that, but found that American Amazon sellers won't ship to Canada so there was no way to do it.

[Tanooki]

I got the R5 today from a local store basically almost around the corner from me here which was amazing. I'm surprised at the quality of the thing to be honest.

Anything for the NES I threw at it worked and the same can be said for the Famicom too for stuff from the period that is legit. The SNES is mostly the same, sadly DOOM and SF Alpha 2 don't work. They boot, they hit the title, and then they choke. Doom goes pink in the pay area, SFA2 either (if you don't skip the demo) or you try and press start through the title screen it dies as it can't decompress the character sprites from the SDD1 chip it appears. Famicom stuff I said works, that includes the namco chip in Splatterhouse and the various VRC chips for Wai Wai World 2, Twinbee 3, and Yume Monogatari Penguin.

Getting into the other more sketchy stuff I made a list from what I had. Oddly of note, retrozone Gradius II works 100% as does my famiclone of Moon Crystal not only detecting the name on the boot screen but fires it up perfectly.

SNES Issues

DOOM -- NOT Recognized or Working, going into game gets pink screen in the play area
Street Fighter Alpha 2 -- NOT Recognized, boots, gets stuck if it tries to load fighter sprites or title

Multicarts Fail (have 2)

Macross - Taco made bootleg - detects right and works
Star Fox 2 -- Doesn't detect name, works 100%


NES Issues

115in1 Supervision -- Not Recognized
DK Orig Ed (retrozone) -- Not recognized
Gradius II (retrozone) -- Recognized and works!
I'm Kid Dracula (retrozone) -- Not recognized

Famicom Issues (using honeybee or ntdec adapter no difference)

260in1 Golden Game -- Not Recognized
Bio Miracle Bokutte Upa Baby Mario Famiclone -- Not Recognized
Crisis Force famiclone -- Not Recognized (tries to load, gray screen)
Moon Crystal famiclone -- WORKS
Splatterhouse -- WORKS
Super Mario Bros 2 Golden Mario Famiclone -- Not Recognized
Twinbee 3 -- WORKS
Wai Wai World 2 -- WORKS
Yume Penguin Monogatari -- WORKS

[StoneAgeGamer]

We did indeed get confirmation from Hyperkin late last night that they did ship out our pre-order units yesterday a long with the extra controllers and something called "RetroN5 Promo Bag" no idea what that is, but they sent one for each customer so we will send those to pre-order customers as well.

[Tanooki]

The promo bag, I can't say if it has anything in it at all, but it's a full size blue tote, kind of like those you can get at the grocery store for a few dollars that you can re-use for groceries and other people give them out at trade shows. They're sturdy but thin, not paper thin but it's not thick nylon tote bag material either. I saw the one the guy I got my system from had hanging up behind his cash register on a hook. I think it could be used to carry the system around I suppose or some controllers/games if you take the thing places.


Here's an ebay action for one of them for $3 shipped so you can see it.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Hyperkin-Retron-5-Promotional-Reusable-Bag-New-/351088442949

[stardust4ever]

Here's an ebay action for one of them for $3 shipped so you can see it.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Hyperkin-Retron-5-Promotional-Reusable-Bag-New-/351088442949Wow. $2.99 plus free expidited shipping? I can't imagine the seller not losing money on this. The tote bag isn't even remotely attractive IMO. Like Hyperkin put zero thought into this.

[Tanooki]

What thought is really needed? It's a free doggie bag for the console to go into if you buy it at retail.

[MaxWar]

Some Retron 5 sold for 300$ on ebay.
People are insane...

[Tanooki]

Yeah there are some pretty dumb people on there pulling shenanigans with that the earlier they got them the higher the price. It has fallen under 200 lately unless a mindless suckerfish just clicks whatever is there in front of them. Still thats $60 too much.

It's fantastic, other than the save issue where it won't write saves back to the game cartridges and the 2 SNES games I found it wouldn't run. It's very worth the price, but mostly right now just for those who use games that don't have batteries where the hot saving is fantastic because you can save old NES arcade port high scores or whatever else, maybe even playing out SMB3 for every level it has.

[stardust4ever]

Save states are good to have IMO. I'm currently playing through a game of Super Mario Brothers 3 on my 3DS with the goal of finishing every level. Typically I'll run out of lives somewhere, then have to restart the current world map, and the game's not even that hard until you hit Dark World. Unlike modern Mario where they give you tons of one-up opportunities, as well as save after every level, and continues are infinite. Also Super Mario World can get tough, but there's Top Secret Area where you can restock items, Yoshi, and get 99 lives. But for Super Mario Bros 3, I still need save states, and they are practically required in Lost Levels... :p

[MaxWar]

Save states are good to have IMO. I'm currently playing through a game of Super Mario Brothers 3 on my 3DS with the goal of finishing every level. Typically I'll run out of lives somewhere, then have to restart the current world map, and the game's not even that hard until you hit Dark World. Unlike modern Mario where they give you tons of one-up opportunities, as well as save after every level, and continues are infinite. Also Super Mario World can get tough, but there's Top Secret Area where you can restock items, Yoshi, and get 99 lives. But for Super Mario Bros 3, I still need save states, and they are practically required in Lost Levels... :p

So what happened to the good old days when you would leave your NES on for a week straight playing MB3? :p

[Tanooki]

I never ever left mine on. I sat on my ass and killed it, or turned it off. I didn't feel comfortable letting it warm up nice and hot just leaving it there as a kid with the propaganda from Nintendo saying I could overheat the deck if it were left on more than a couple hours or so at a time.

I played a little Daiku no Gen San and Wai Wai World 2 a little while ago, saved both of them around 3-4 worlds into it just by returning to the menu to pop the game out. Now if i were using my old top loader that's that, and back to world 1 unless I used the password in Wai Wai World 2. Now when I decide I'm in the mood again to tinker I can play another 5min or 30min and be right where I left off which I love.

They just need to fix that goddamn save copy back to cart feature so it works and doesn't EAT MY GAME! Grrr...

I'm totally off playing FF6A again until I can get that feature in play because I hate the earlier parts of the game so I'll want to use that fast forward feature through all the yapping. That's the one downer on that game, it's the cusp of them going towards FF7 where it's all yappy with game between it while FF5 you just play play play.

[calgon]

Got to try one at my local retro shop today. Was only able to play ~5 minutes of Link to the Past. The game looked great in HD, producing a sharp, clean and bright picture. The sound also was fine I didn't notice any difference between the real thing. I couldn't judge the onboard controller as the clerk had it behind the counter and was demoing it to anyone who showed interest. The SNES pad I used was fine and I didn't notice any lag, but I wouldn't take that to the bank as I'd prefer to test it on some shooters before I make a solid verdict.

I think this is going to be very big for a wide-audience but I can't see myself dropping that sort of money on an emulator. Convenience may trump that one day though.

[stardust4ever]

So what happened to the good old days when you would leave your NES on for a week straight playing MB3? :pthursday night, a bad thunderstorm comes along and the power goes out and you lose your progress...:vamp:

[Tanooki]

The controller actually responds really well out of the box, but you just need to get used to it if you're not into click sticks, but it works. I can play fine with it, but some games I'm so damn engrained in using the original controller it was tripping me up.

The 1.2 fix from yesterday repaired the loss of the SDD1 so I fired up SF Alpha 2 which worked great, but I was messing up playing with Sakura using it, but when I moved over to a SNES pad I did much nicer. Personally I'm split between using the pack-in and just using the SNES pad for everything since you don't have to specifically use the SNES on SNES, NES on NES, and genesis on that. I kept some SNES and NES dogbone pads out for this thing so ultimately I'll probably use those.

Play wise it's solid, there's not speed inconsistencies nor are there delay times so I was fine doing a fighting game or a shooter like gradius II retrozone which surprisingly worked.

[StoneAgeGamer]

The controller actually responds really well out of the box, but you just need to get used to it if you're not into click sticks, but it works. I can play fine with it, but some games I'm so damn engrained in using the original controller it was tripping me up.

The 1.2 fix from yesterday repaired the loss of the SDD1 so I fired up SF Alpha 2 which worked great, but I was messing up playing with Sakura using it, but when I moved over to a SNES pad I did much nicer. Personally I'm split between using the pack-in and just using the SNES pad for everything since you don't have to specifically use the SNES on SNES, NES on NES, and genesis on that. I kept some SNES and NES dogbone pads out for this thing so ultimately I'll probably use those.

Play wise it's solid, there's not speed inconsistencies nor are there delay times so I was fine doing a fighting game or a shooter like gradius II retrozone which surprisingly worked.

I agree with you on the wireless controller. On some games I could play them fine with the wireless controller. Some games I still had trouble, but switching to a different controller after using the originals for so long I kind of expected this. I think the controller itself is pretty comfortable to hold and the micro switches don't bother me. If I played with the controller more I would probably get pretty good at using it.

[Satoshi_Matrix]

Still don't have mine yet (apparently I have to wait until at least the end of the month?! What the hell Hyperkin?!) but I can weigh in on click-sticks since I'm a big fan of the Neo-Geo CD controller and Neo-Geo Pocket Color. I even have click-stick controllers for PS2 and PS3.

Click-Sticks were SNK's general replacement for d-pads, and while they're awesome for some genres, they don't work as well as d-pads for all genres.

In my opinion, they are especially good for playing:

-shoot 'em ups
-fighting games
-racing
-beat 'em ups
-sports
-action/adventure

they are not good for:

-platformers
-RPGs
-puzzle games
-strategy games
-mouse based games, such as Sim City

Given the amount of platformers, RPGs and puzzle games that are ill-suited for this kind of control scheme, I still can't understand Hyperkin's choice to go with a microswitch based click-stick controller over a dpad. It makes the stock pad a specialty controller rather than the go-to default.


StoneAgeGamer, can you finally reveal what it was you were going to say about the Retron5 but couldn't much earlier in this thread?

[Tanooki]

Hey I wanted to put this in here as I have some updates. I've got on the good side of the Retron Tech over facebook talking for a few hours with him this morning and last night after submitting some bug issues I ran across. I gave more solid feedback and procedures on the various failures such as the GBA SRAM saves not being copied back to the cart and the FX chip corruption when popping back out of the game to the main menu (going back in was black screen death fun time.) I've been given a pre-test version of 1.3 of the firmware and the GBA issue for SRAM style saves has been fixed, Yoshi (FX) is working off the menu now too. A few other fixes have been made and some more to come before it goes live.

He wants to get any information possible on the retrousb, infinitelives, and other homebrew/reproduction style mappers/boards on the NES side of things as he wants to get those games working on the system too. There will be other upgrades and fixes done coming over the weeks that'll make this thing very solid. Things are shaping up pretty nicely.

If anyone has any bugs they've found or have info he can use on that I can pass it along.

[spman]

Save states are good to have IMO. I'm currently playing through a game of Super Mario Brothers 3 on my 3DS with the goal of finishing every level. Typically I'll run out of lives somewhere, then have to restart the current world map, and the game's not even that hard until you hit Dark World. Unlike modern Mario where they give you tons of one-up opportunities, as well as save after every level, and continues are infinite. Also Super Mario World can get tough, but there's Top Secret Area where you can restock items, Yoshi, and get 99 lives. But for Super Mario Bros 3, I still need save states, and they are practically required in Lost Levels... :p

If you're running out of lives in Mario 3, you're doing something wrong. The game gives you enough chances to get a metric ton of them.

Speaking of Mario 3, it appears to be unplayable on the Retron 5, I fired it up today and it seems to have severe issues with frame rate skipping. Ninja Gaiden 2 plays great however.

[T2KFreeker]

Nice to see that this system seems to be shaping up nicely. Anyone tested the Famicom side of things on this? That's what is the deal breaker for me anyway. I have a Famicom, but I think it's time to retire the system due to issues with the control pads. I generally seem to like Hyperkin's systems though, so have high hopes here.

[stardust4ever]

My AV Famicom has flawless audio/video quality (about as clean a picture as you can get over 240p composite) and I can use whatever controller I want. ;)
If you're running out of lives in Mario 3, you're doing something wrong. The game gives you enough chances to get a metric ton of them.

Speaking of Mario 3, it appears to be unplayable on the Retron 5, I fired it up today and it seems to have severe issues with frame rate skipping. Ninja Gaiden 2 plays great however.I only run out of lives in some of the higher worlds.

Sucks that the Retron is choking on SMB3. It runs flawless on my Super Retro Trio. Maybe it's a sign from the video game gods that Hyperkin has committed a blaspheme.:evil:

[Tanooki]

The next firmware that goes live on the R5 will have some nes/famicom fixes and an added famicom namco mapper to the mix.

Does anyone here other than me own this thing, and if so do you have Mega Man X2 or 3? Need to look into something and I don't have the carts.



Can I get some details about the SMB3 framerate skipping issue? Is this always? Can you just tell playing it that it's choppy? Did you run the game right away or run it after something else on there?

[Satoshi_Matrix]

I would certainly love to assist, but Hyperkin is totally dicking around with my order. Apparently the earliest I can expect mine to even be delivered is early July.

I have a massive collection of games for all systems, including Megaman X2 AND Megaman X3.

I wish I could help you right now Tanooki, but I literally can't get my hands on a system. They're nowhere to be found. At this point I would even consider buying one from the states and have an American ship me one. This month-long delay for something I preordered last year is absolutely ridiculous.

[Leo_A]

They're probably waiting for their next shipment to clear customs.

[stardust4ever]

They're probably waiting for their next shipment to clear customs.Nah, next they'll be telling us the shipment got raided by Somali pirates. Or the barge hit an iceburg and sank. The warehouse caught on fire...

It's easy to make shit up. But the real truth is, when the Earth, moon, sun, and the planets and stars fall into alignment, you will get your Retron5. :p

[Satoshi_Matrix]

I'm so sick of American companies treating Canada like it's on the moon. Can't do a simontanious US and Canada release on June 6? Fine, that sucks, but I get it. Can't do it within a few days? Eh, it happens. Can't do it within one week of the US release? What? Yes you can! Can't do it until a month later? This is my beef with Hyperkin.

It's almost the same situation as last year with the launch of the Ouya. Except, in Ouya case, it wasn't a problem of distribution, it was production delays. By all accords, Hyperkin's production of the system is all done and now it just needs to be distributed.

[YoshiM]

I'm so sick of American companies treating Canada like it's on the moon.

Don 't worry. Things will speed up once we build that space elevator ;)

[treismac]

Don 't worry. Things will speed up once we build that space elevator ;)

The latest I heard on the news is the funding has been greatly reduced to where it will be more of a space dumb waiter now.

[calgon]

After mulling it over for a while I think I'm going to get a super retro trio

Can't wait to finally be able to play the genesis games I've had for over a year

[slobu]

Just wanted to thank everyone who contributed information on this thing. I was on the fence for awhile but now I'm cancelling my pre-order. I like the flexibility of a PC coupled with a retrode far better.

[Tanooki]

slobu a good option, and a lot wiser than the garbage on a chip clones on the market with their problems in running the right audio, video, and in some cases at all.

[Satoshi_Matrix]

After mulling it over for a while I think I'm going to get a super retro trio

Can't wait to finally be able to play the genesis games I've had for over a year

Calgon, have you seen my five part review of the SRT? I designed it to give buyers all the facts so they can make an informed buying decision.



Just wanted to thank everyone who contributed information on this thing. I was on the fence for awhile but now I'm cancelling my pre-order. I like the flexibility of a PC coupled with a retrode far better.

Man, if only all these cancellations meant that mine would ship earlier! All these people who don't want it and still I have to wait for the one I do want!



slobu a good option, and a lot wiser than the garbage on a chip clones on the market with their problems in running the right audio, video, and in some cases at all.

Well, generally true, but not so much with the Super Retro Trio.

[MaxWar]

a lot wiser than the garbage on a chip clones on the market with their problems in running the right audio, video, and in some cases at all.

I would definitely choose some of those "Garbage on a chip" over the current emulation options.

[Tanooki]

The only system on a chip I've found that's worth the effort at least with the SNES is the v2 of the Supaboy. I've yet to find an acceptable NES setup with the failure of games I own having bad audio or not working at all (or at the least without modding the hardware which really isn't acceptable.) The Super Retro Trio isn't worth the dough if you're after some good Konami titles working correctly among a few others as recent reviews have shown.


Anyway this is supposed to be a retron thread is it not?

1.31 came out today and I'm pleased to say that DOOM finally works, the issues with Yoshi's Island are fixed, plus street Fighter alpha 2 is solid too. The big problem with the saves being written back to the cart chips has been resolved both with SRAM and EEPROM style boards too. And the NES/Famicom detection routines/power stuff has been improved so retrozone I'm Kid Dracula now detects 100% and works.

All my games work right now other than bootlegs.

[Zap!]

Mine arrives later today for just $99 from Amazon (pre-ordered in March, price guarantee). Can't wait!

[Tanooki]

Be sure to do the update before you use it. Make sure you do the firmware 0.2.2 FIRST before going into the application software which is at 1.31. There have been so many fixes and updates to anything from the way games are CRC checked, to bugs, and added suggestions put into place.

[calgon]

Hey Satoshi, I did see your reviews. Thanks for doing them, they were very in-depth. Looking forward to your Retron review. By the looks of all the firmware updates, it's only getting better.

[Satoshi_Matrix]

Thanks. I plan to do another similar video series for the Retron5.

Unfortunately, it'll have to wait to the first week of July at the bare minimum. Hyperkin is being total dicks to Canadian suppliers, so I can't even get the system I preordered until then. and best part? that's only an estimate. Could be longer.

[Tanooki]

I think Hyperkin or their supplier out of China needs to get their shit together really. The stuff is arriving all and well in the US, other than whatever the deal is with amazon that has a bunch of self entitled preorder primadonnas pissed off still waiting on a black system. The US is being supplied fine enough if bit player shops in middle america and the south are getting the units at retail to sell.

I'm fed up seeing all the childish bitching and moaning mixed with fewer genuine complaints all over their facebook site. People somewhere along the line got the impression that pre-order means 100% you'll have it the day the stuff comes to market or else and that isn't the case. You're reserving a unit when they arrive, the date is a secondary courtesy of whenever the stock is assumed to arrive.

[Satoshi_Matrix]

People somewhere along the line got the impression that pre-order means 100% you'll have it the day the stuff comes to market or else and that isn't the case. You're reserving a unit when they arrive, the date is a secondary courtesy of whenever the stock is assumed to arrive.

The culture of preorders is what has created that expectation, and amazon has made it even worse, with Americans having access to release date delivery so stuff they preordered arrives at their door within hours of its release.

My problem isn't that it's delayed by a few hours, a day, a few days, or even a couple weeks. Hyperkin has created a situation where there's at least a month of delays. I'm I'm going to keep track of the number of days from it's June 6 "launch" to the point in the it actually arrives. That's the number that urks me. It isn't a case of being impatient, it's a case of being angry with a completely shotty and completely slow distribution network like the one during the chip shortages of 1987-1988 when it would be a month when stores would have sold out stock and when they'd get the next stock.

[stardust4ever]

Thanks. I plan to do another similar video series for the Retron5.

Unfortunately, it'll have to wait to the first week of July at the bare minimum. Hyperkin is being total dicks to Canadian suppliers, so I can't even get the system I preordered until then. and best part? that's only an estimate. Could be longer.
You'll probably be all the better for waiting. Retron5 appears to be in firmware update hell right now. :onfire:

Of course, I assume you depend somewhat on your subscribers to view your youtube reviews, so the long arse wait means the Retron5 will be old news by the time you receive your unit and start uploading videos. But unless you want to buy one from a feeBay scalper, best to just ride it out. I still may get one in the future once they work the bugs out, but for the time being I don't regret my decision to cancel.

[Satoshi_Matrix]

Retron5 appears to be in firmware update hell right now. :onfire:.

Uh. "firmware update hell"? Would you rather.....they not frequently correct bugs and fix reported problems? It kinda seems like you're saying the equivalent to "Oh no! They're making the product better every couple of days! How awful!"

[stardust4ever]

No Satoshi, I am stating that they essentially released a product for sale to the public that was still in beta. Firmware updates can be annoying. Moreso even than say graphical or audio glitches in ~2% of games. It can get old sometimes.

I know I'm comparing apples to oranges here, but it seems every time I boot my PS3 or play a new game, there's an update. Every time I try to shut doen my PC, it had to install updates.

Worse still, as of right now, new updates are coming to Retron5 every couple days, and since the updates are not automatic like with consoles, they require shuffling the SD card back and forth between the PC. That is super annoying, and so much stuff is still broken despite fixing many of the day one issues, that I would rather not invest in this piece of tech until they get the bugs ironed out.

And in a truly Microsoft-like fashion, every time Hyperkin patches a fix for one thing, two other things get broken.

I envision sometime in the near future, when the Retron compatability approaches that 99% mark, Hyperkin is releasing stable firmware about once a month or so, adding new features or support for new homebrew, rather that an almost daily onslaught of patches and bugfixed. When the firmware reaches a stable and mature level, then and only then will it be worth the investment in my eyes.

Right now, it's a total crap shoot whether some game or feature works, and if so, it is a total crapshoot whether or not the next patch or bugfix will break it. Products go through beta testing for a reason, to prevent botched launches such ad this. People are spending their hard-earned money essentially to be Hyperkin's guinea pigs and beta test an unfinished product.

I am no one's "guinea pig." That is why I cancel my preorder, and have decided to wait and ride out the storm to see if their product can really stand up to the hype. Only then will I consider buying one. And yes, I'm still very much interested in Retron5, but I'm gonna wait until I feel it's worthy of purchase. Right now, it's not.

[Zap!]

You'll probably be all the better for waiting. Retron5 appears to be in firmware update hell right now. :onfire:

Maybe for the idiot generation (under 21) who are used to just simple automatic upgrades, but I figured it out just fine last night.

[Tanooki]

Satoshi I sympathize with your situation entirely, that dig was mostly at the crybaby americans polluting the internet with their endless bitching crowding out useful posts by owners of the device with real concerns or even praise. You're right entirely the asinine preorder culture of this country is sickening. I've rarely taken part, only for consoles and not even the WiiU, Wii was the last. I can't stand them and refuse to them on games and system I'm thinking will be the same going forward too as it's pointless. All it is legally speaking is a promise to get an item by placing money down in advance, the dates being tacked on have caused nothing but trouble and the dates are never promised anyway as they're assumed ship (or arrival to the store) dates. People all part of this impatient crybaby me me me right NOW culture are making it a mess as they can't chill and combine that with internet anonimity and it's a perfect storm of bitch behavior because you can so easily get away with it.



Stardust look I like you still at this rate, but seriously please, stop trolling the system and this thread and act your age as it's getting old. We get it, you bailed and bought a system on a chip setup with some problems you're convinced you're happier with. Why not take all that wasted energy and put it to use playing your little clone system or writing up some nice reviews on it for people? DO you think it would even be possible to just let it go? If the biggest argument left against the R5 going forward is going to be 'firmware update hell' along with I guess no pirate copier devices, they're in good shape. I'd rather have to shove a SD card into the system 1-2x a week this month and have it run excellent then be stuck on solid hardware you can't repair or upgrade.

And what has hyperkin's tech exactly fixed that broke two more things? Drama and exaggeration is great for bitchy girls and unreality tv, but not here. You're lying out of your uninformed ass saying that a heap of stuff isn't working and that fixes break more than repair stuff. Trust me if they were making it worse I'd be getting foul over it on their phone and web sites too seeing I paid for it and you didn't.

[Satoshi_Matrix]

No Satoshi, I am stating that they essentially released a product for sale to the public that was still in beta.

If you recall, Hyperkin did have a beta peroid for the RetroN5 for quite some time prior to its release. Hyperkin's mission statement of 100% compatibility was audacious and I said months ago that the only way they would achieve that is through feedback from gamers who have games that Hyperkin's beta testers do not.

It wouldn't have mattered if Hyperkin delayed the system further, the system would have launched in an incomplete form no matter what for the before mentioned reason.



Firmware updates can be annoying. Moreso even than say graphical or audio glitches in ~2% of games. It can get old sometimes.
I know I'm comparing apples to oranges here, but it seems every time I boot my PS3 or play a new game, there's an update. Every time I try to shut doen my PC, it had to install updates.

Sign of the times. As much as we retro gamers hate to admit it, it's not 1993 anymore. Firmware updates are just part of life, and I don't see them as a bad thing. Firmware updates fix problems. Their frequency is a good thing. They are also optional, so even if you do find that they are coming out too frequently, you still don't have to deal with them if you don't want to.


And in a truly Microsoft-like fashion, every time Hyperkin patches a fix for one thing, two other things get broken.

...What?! I've been following the firmware updates, and I haven't heard any such thing. What are you talking about? Cite your sources or SHUT UP. Once again your comments are exhausting and makes me want to ignore anything you have to say.

You don't like the RetroN5 having firmware updates? fine. You didn't even buy one so your opinion doesn't carry much weight anyway. You sound like all the fanboys who hate the Xbox One for what it was going to be rather than what it actually is.




Maybe for the idiot generation (under 21) who are used to just simple automatic upgrades, but I figured it out just fine last night.

The process isn't streamlined (why aren't the firmware updates simply on the site? Why the hell do you need to upload a download ticket to the site first?) but it also isn't difficult. It's just more of a pain than anything else.

[Tanooki]

I don't like the ticket upload either, but it is fast at least. They're doing it as some control thing to add a hurdle to busting it open over piracy concerns. They know well that it's a copier device and I don't think they want to be a victim of Nintendo taking them to court over it being used like other devices (R4) they've had banned for sales in the US.

The firmware updates though have been fantastic and each adds more to the mix. One thing I can say though is that when something has happened that was working and then got broken since the 1.1 update have been held back before making the update public so there isn't big issues with game regression. I'm sure something can slide by, but I think the big issue going forward at this rate is the data dumping routine where it can't always detect the game entirely due to the CRC, power issue that last update brought up, and probably some other factors. The thing is hyperkin was never going to go out and buy like 5000+ video games to shove each one in the system to make sure they worked so this was a given that things would get ironed out and whining or being angry about it just shows someone to be a fool.

[RoryDropkick]

Hi folks, I don't post much here but I got a Retron 5 when Game Over Videogames got their first shipment in here in San Antonio. I'm pretty pleased with the setup so far, and it's run every game I own with no issues. I actually ended up messaging Retron Tech about Rolling Thunder on Famicom, which did not work until the most recent firmware update. They even shot me a link to a beta of the firmware that fixed the issue with that game and Batman ROTJ, which worked perfectly.

So far, no firmware has "broken" any other games, that's an outright lie, and I gotta give them props on actually being receptive about the feedback through the Retron Tech facebook page.

[Satoshi_Matrix]

stardust has turned into MyTurnToPlay.

Remember that a-hole troll who made up crap about the RetroN5 simply because he didn't like the concept?

[The Dord]

I'm just glad they're updating the thing in a quick-like fashion. Emulation box or no, this is becoming the most functioning Retron product on the market (no sound/video problems and near 100% compatibility) :onfire:

[sonicfan]

All of these retron5's going around by now, anybody has a pic of what the inners or motherboard looks like?.

[stardust4ever]

stardust has turned into MyTurnToPlay.

Remember that a-hole troll who made up crap about the RetroN5 simply because he didn't like the concept?That was a bit below the belt, don't ya think? Ow, ma nuts!!!
http://www.sherv.net/cm/emoticons/fighting/kick-in-the-balls.gif


Stardust look I like you still at this rate, but seriously please, stop trolling the system and this thread and act your age as it's getting old. We get it, you bailed and bought a system on a chip setup with some problems you're convinced you're happier with. Why not take all that wasted energy and put it to use playing your little clone system or writing up some nice reviews on it for people? DO you think it would even be possible to just let it go?There may be some truth in that statement. I'll admit I'm just :deadhorse: but damnit, it's fun to :deadhorse: especially when it gets soft and mushy where flies start to shoot out of it's butt...

:deadhorse:
:deadhorse::deadhorse:

To quote an old proverb, "I used to be into necrophilia and bestiality, but then I realized I was just kicking a dead horse..."
http://images.wikia.com/uncyclopedia/images/archive/1/11/20080202231407!Beating-a-dead-horse.gif

[Kiddo]

I'm just glad they're updating the thing in a quick-like fashion. Emulation box or no, this is becoming the most functioning Retron product on the market (no sound/video problems and near 100% compatibility) :onfire:


I still don't have a good gauge for the total compatibility of the Retron5 yet, but I am also glad to hear that updates are a regular thing.

I would love to give reports about Satellaview game compatibiltiy to the Retron5 team if I had one. Anyone wanna send it my way so I could give a testrun of Sutte Hakkun or Dr. Mario BS?

... Nah, I doubt that'll happen. Would be nice, though.

[Tanooki]

That was a bit below the belt, don't ya think? Ow, ma nuts!!!
http://www.sherv.net/cm/emoticons/fighting/kick-in-the-balls.gif


With that last post, no, I think he missed even hitting the top of the belt.


Rory I agree, but I have found 2 games that were messed up for the NES so far as I've been testing them out in clumps. Dragon Warrior IV wouldn't transfer my save for some reason, and Arkanoid looks like a 2600 game with half the colors missing. DK Original Edition retrozone doesn't load, yet Gradius II and Kid Dracula from that mold does, it's weird.

Oh yeah DK Classics was jacked too, blue screen for some oddball reason.


As far as reading around online has done for me and my own tests, the GBA is absolutely solid aside from maybe GB Video(movie) carts, not found a word on that. SNES is solid too it appears with the fixes done to the CX4, SDD1 and the FX(2) chips. The NES/Famicom is mostly there, just a few random hiccups and if you exclude what logically can't work on a HD tv it's probably 98% there. I can't speak for the Sega side, I own nothing of it anymore and haven't researched it either though I do know it will run all the standard Genesis stuff and also their one special 3D chip game Virtua Racing.

[Tanooki]

I wanted a separate post for this.

Anyone here who currently owns the R5 finding that it may be firing up a lost or new found interest in another set of games from a library it supports? While I've held onto stubbornly around 15~ GBA games I haven't really bought or played any of it for quite awhile outside of when I snapped up FF6 locally and then 5 off Daria from here. I was so impressed with how it handled the things it got me remembering some of the games I used to really enjoy and not so much as a passing thing but stuff I'd return to. Last night and today (2 each) I have bought some GBA games back up off ebay when I saw as they got posted and under the usual rate. Last night was Doom and Super SF 2 X Revival(JP ver, US one is broken) and then today I snapped up Car Battler Joe and the JP ver of F-Zero. Almost a week ago I snapped up Sim City 2K locally for two bucks and got the NES GBA remake of Kirby today at the flea cheap too.

I just really enjoy seeing them full screen which the GB Player won't do, and the visuals are just nicer as is the audio over it as well, plus the whole hot save ability and the higher quality audio filters add a nice touch. I'm thinking I'll see about getting a few games back since most the GBA stuff is quite cheap.

As a fun side note a NintendoAge/FamicomWorld poster refreshed their thread the other night and due to my famiclone being a bitch to me on the R5 I happened to notice he had Crisis Force which I love w/the book no less, but also Parodius(have had PAL before which is fine) and Madoura Tsubasa a fun Sunsoft title so I'll have those in a couple weeks too.

[Satoshi_Matrix]

That was a bit below the belt, don't ya think?

No. It wasn't. At all. You're pulling the same crap as MyTurnToPlay was - making false statements about the RetroN5 simply because you dislike the clone. You're free to dislike the clone, but not free to make up whatever you feel like. You might as well say the Retron5 causes cancer and turns humans into fish. you've lost all credibility as this point anyway.

Tanooki, I have a question -in real time, what is the boot up process of the RetroN5 like? I've heard you need to press and hold the power button for a while, or it takes a while to boot up.

What are the exact time figures? How long do you have to hold down power for it to boot up, and how long does it take from off to internal menu? Also, does it auto boot to a game if its inserted when the system is off or does it always go to the menu (or is this configurable?)

[Tanooki]

5 seconds to power on (hold button until it lights)
3 seconds on the 'hyperkin' splash
5 seconds of the loading of the OS where it has this animated Retron 5 logo

Shutdown takes about 9-10 seconds


I don't have a stop watch, was listening to a clock tick on my wall.


I forgot to check your last request, but I think I remember in the menu you can have it auto load a game if it's in the system if you set it to.

[treismac]

stardust has turned into MyTurnToPlay.

Remember that a-hole troll who made up crap about the RetroN5 simply because he didn't like the concept?

Ah, come on now, man. I do, regrettably, remember MyTurnToPlay and there is a huge difference between getting a fact wrong here and there and spewing out and out deliberate misinformation along with juvenile insults aimed at anyone who doesn't hate clones or share superstitious beliefs regarding hardware purism. There is no comparison in content or tone between the two. A best of MyTurn's posts placed next to a best of Stardust's post would prove this I am confident

*See this post (http://www.digitpress.com/forum/showthread.php?164710-The-idiots-that-form-the-retro-community&p=1937096&viewfull=1#post1937096) of MyTurn's.

[spman]

The next firmware that goes live on the R5 will have some nes/famicom fixes and an added famicom namco mapper to the mix.

Does anyone here other than me own this thing, and if so do you have Mega Man X2 or 3? Need to look into something and I don't have the carts.



Can I get some details about the SMB3 framerate skipping issue? Is this always? Can you just tell playing it that it's choppy? Did you run the game right away or run it after something else on there?

The SMB3 framerate issue seems to be a constant issue when playing, it doesn't feel choppy o much as it feel like the game just randomly speeds up and skips you forward about five frames ahead of where you were. It makes the game unplayable. I also noticed similar problem when playing Adventure Island 3, but it's not nearly as pronounced, and the game is still fine to play.

Also I noticed that no matter how many times I reinsert the cartridge, the Retron 5 will not recognize Earthworm Jim 2 for SNES, even though it plays just fine.

[Tanooki]

After you posted that I talked to the tech about it, he was surprised and grabbed his cart and I did the same. I played it 1/2 through world 1 to get a pair of whistles and off to world 8. I got as far as the airship run before I got fed up with being out of practice. During that time the only feel I got for what you were talking about was a noticable momentary speed issue on the tank stage where the speed varied for a matter of a second or two between the tanks as I was leaving the back of a small one about 1/2 through the stage, but other than that I never had it happen.

Oddly enough I did have it happen on the first world castle with all the small platforms and lava that it was floating in, the speed got weird through there where the framerate dropped some, but it never happened again anywhere else through world 1 and 1/2 of world 2 but I did report that.

As to the cart issue, I've hit that a few times and it has been on games I haven't dusted off in months or years and doing the dreaded 'blow me' into the slot to get the dust out made it detect. I don't have EWJ2 so I can't see if it's a real issue or not.

[bigbacon]

question,

can the retron 5 use flash carts and the SMS carts to play SMS games?

can it do 32x and sega cd from a flash cart some how?

[Satoshi_Matrix]

no, no and no.

[Leo_A]

can the retron 5 use ... SMS carts to play SMS games?

Since this sounded distinct from your multicart questions, the answer if I understand what you're asking correctly is yes. But you will need a Power Base Converter or equivalent to play your Master System cartridges on a Retron 5.