New retro consoles! Retron 3 and Retro Twin

[neojapan]

2 new retro console clones are coming your way!

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

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

Lets see what these 2 consoles deliver.

[betamax001]

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

[JimmyDean]

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

[ImBob]

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

Still, that would be one smart 3 year old.

Any word on price?

[neojapan]

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

[StoneAgeGamer]

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

http://www.atariage.com/forums/topic...-twin-nessnes/

[Emperor Megas]

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

Yeah...no. That's sort of not true at all.

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

[Emperor Megas]

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

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

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

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

[Eyedunno]

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

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

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

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

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

Edit:

I don't think this is the fault of the consoles' libraries. There's three more games in the same "series" as Shadowgate, and two of them on the NES (Deja Vu and Uninvited - I've played Uninvited; if you like Shadowgate, you'll like Uninvited, and it even has at least one subtle in-joke for returning players.) Mario is good and all but other games do interesting things with the run-and-jump formula as well.

Well, I've played Uninvited, and I honestly couldn't see myself buying it. I would buy Shadowgate mainly for nostalgia, to be honest. As for NES platformers, well, yeah, I would imagine that over half of the NES library consists of platformers, but most just suck, especially in the control department.

[wyethin]

Is there such a thing as a Sega Master System and/or Game Gear clone?

[j_factor]

Is there such a thing as a Sega Master System and/or Game Gear clone?

None with a cartridge slot.

[Ace]

And they're yet again AtGames clones, but the sound isn't as bad as the AtGames Geniclones, those are awful. On AtGames' Master System clones, the sound is a little bit high-pitched compared to the original Master System, but not to the extent of the AtGames Geniclones' ridiculously low-pitched sound. See for yourself:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u4afj1_L-Yk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yYJQ6JF_Egc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IIBFIqnKtqc

[BetaWolf47]

And they're yet again AtGames clones, but the sound isn't as bad as the AtGames Geniclones, those are awful. On AtGames' Master System clones, the sound is a little bit high-pitched compared to the original Master System, but not to the extent of the AtGames Geniclones' ridiculously low-pitched sound. See for yourself:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u4afj1_L-Yk

Thanks for the fix. This forum isn't cool with HTML like Sega-16.

[Ace]

Uh-oh, check this out:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=du-X9Wa2Spk

Now I see why Castlevania III doesn't work: IT'S THE OLD NOAC WITH THE SOUND ISSUES(just listen to Castlevania)! None of those ever worked with Castlevania III. Apparently, according to what StoneAgeGamer posted over at AtariAge, the prototype had a better NOAC than the production model. All I have to say is this: WTF? Either it's the truth or Hyperkin covering up their asses(I'm pretty sure it's the latter).

By the looks of it, I think I'll pass and just go with the FC3 Plus. I'll just add the 6 controller ports to the FC3 Plus I'll get.

[Frankie_Says_Relax]

Is there such a thing as a Sega Master System and/or Game Gear clone?

TecToy has made a few GG/SMS on a chip units with on board games, but I'm not sure if any have cartridge slots. Perhaps in Brazil where that would be bigger business but none that have been brought to the US.

[BacteriaInfection]

So basically, these things are a piece of junk. Somehow, I'm not surprised.

[Frankie_Says_Relax]

So basically, these things are a piece of junk. Somehow, I'm not surprised.

Clone buyers NEED to be REALISTS.

Most of the experienced clone collectors here are. I know I am.

I never, ever "expect" perfect hardware.

I never expect 100% compatibility, I never expect perfect sound, perfect color, perfect controls, etc.

Some clones wind up being very broken and unplayable from a hardware standpoint (Famicom/NES backward button syndrome is a deal breaker on any NES clone) some are very playable and well designed but only wind up being a "novelty" (The FC Mobile II is great, but I'm not actually going to carry it around like a GameBoy or PSP) and some wind up hitting the mark in several areas including good compatibility and hardware features on par or slightly above the original (the Retro Duo always comes to mind) ... but if you put ANY clone under a microscope and make a list of "what doesn't work" none are going to come out smelling like roses.

None of them will ever, ever replace the real thing ... but the ability to play a large portion of titles from the NES/SNES/Genesis library via one console via wireless controllers OR original console controllers ... the price of admission is more than reasonable IMO.

And that aside,

can anybody confirm if the controllers are RF wireless or are they that crappy IR wireless?

[StoneAgeGamer]

They are IR. I wish they would have used the FC-16 Go controllers and RF. Those controllers are nice and the RF goes pretty far as well.

P.S. I know Yobo made the FC-16 and not Hyperkin, but these guys steal designs from each other all the time since many are made in the same factory.

What I really think Hyperkin should have done is release a line of RF wireless controllers for the NES, SNES, and Genesis with dongles. Kind of like Messiah did, but actually make them good controllers. These controllers could also have been also compatible with the RetroN series of systems (I think they may be making RetroN2 and RetroN as well). So you could sell retailers just the controllers loose without the dongles to be a cheaper option for RetroN owners.

That way you are killing two birds with one stone. Some nice wireless controllers (which I think the market really needs) and you have other wireless controller options for people who buy RetroN systems as well.

[Zapf]

edit: fuck, beaten

[tentencanidae]

It's a damn shame about the compatibility problems with the Generation Nex Console. It was really sharp looking. I almost bought one.