RetroN 2...?

[Dr. BaconStein]

Found this and did not see a thread on it. Apparently Hyperkin is making yet another NES/SNES dual system, but like the RetroN 3 it takes both NES and SNES controller ports, which seems like a first for these systems. It also has a nifty eject button, like the original SNES.



Aside from that it seems like there's nothing particularly new about it, though I am really digging the design, specifically the grey/purple SNES-style variant:



Thoughts?

[Gameguy]

Wow, a new Super Nintendo that's even uglier than the original design. It's a pretty hard feat to accomplish.

[Atarileaf]

Actually it kinda looks like the lovechild of a SNES and a Super Grafx

[MachineGex]

Actually it kinda looks like the lovechild of a SNES and a Super Grafx

Combined with a oversized NES cart.

[Dr. BaconStein]

Wow, a new Super Nintendo that's even uglier than the original design. It's a pretty hard feat to accomplish.

Not really... RetroN 3, remember?

Silliness aside though. Is anyone looking forward to this? I though it seemed pretty redundant at first, but I'm really liking some of the subtle nuances. Eject button has been missing from every model/clone past the original system...

[Atarileaf]

Meh, not really interested. I have an FC Twin but only because I got it cheap at a Value Village. These things are fine for what they are but I have enough NES's, SNES's, and Genesis that these things aren't really necessary to me.

[c0ldb33r]

if the SNES and NES functions can both use S-Video, I'm interested, otherwise not.

[Robocop2]

I kinda like it personally.

Interested to see what the compatibility is like since clones usually have problems with regards to at least some games.

[treismac]

Wow, a new Super Nintendo that's even uglier than the original design. It's a pretty hard feat to accomplish.

I've never got the hate that the SNES design receives. Is it the boxy rectangleness of it, the colors, or the faux-futuristic look? What?

By the way, how long before some genius throws an emulator into one of these famiclones? There are already handheld emulators out on the market. Would it be that hard to make it happen?

[BetaWolf47]

Wow, a new Super Nintendo that's even uglier than the original design. It's a pretty hard feat to accomplish.

Video game consoles were always kind of their own little world when it came to appearances. I thought most people were used to that by now.

[Duke.Togo]

I still wish they would add a Famicom cart slot to these things... grr.

[Tron 2.0]

Actually it kinda looks like the lovechild of a SNES and a Super Grafx

it reminds of that as well,when i was looking for used snes at other sites and i came across that clone.

[treismac]

I still wish they would add a Famicom cart slot to these things... grr.

Amen.

[Atarileaf]

Good point. A famicom slot would tip the scales for me.

[Ace]

if the SNES and NES functions can both use S-Video, I'm interested, otherwise not.

There actually is an S-Video output at the back as seen in this image:



More than likely, this will only work with the Super NES side as the NES never output S-Video, just Composite. The RetroN3's NES side has no S-Video output and I sincerely doubt the RetroN2 has S-Video on the NES side. If anything, all Hyperkin would do would be what RetroBit did on the RetroDuo: send the NOAC's Composite video to the S-Video output. That's about all you can do without integrating a reverse-engineered 2C03 into the NOAC and an external video encoder or doing like the French NES and using a video decoder to extract RGB from Composite, then convert that to S-Video, which will most likely look worse than Composite passed through S-Video.

What I'm curious about is the NOAC, except nobody's uploaded a damn video of the RetroN2 on YouTube with the exception of a few video clips from E3! I want to know if the NOAC is any different from the crap used on the RetroN3 and especially if the RetroN2 has the same massively distorted Super NES audio the RetroN3 Version 2 has.

[Akito01]

Yeah, I'm more curious about the chipset as well. Between the recent N3 and the RetroPort, there have been some disappointing steps backward recently. Hard to say if it is entirely worth getting over my N3, since the RetroGen SNES adapter doesn't play nice with my LCD TV, and the Genesis S-Video is one of the best aspects of the N3. But, that being said, I applaud the long overdue application of an eject button, and the attempt at visual flair (misguided or not -as I recall, the design of the original SNES was controversial, as we'd gotten used to the look of the curvy and sleek Super Famicom, and some were baffled and dismayed at the purple brick we ended up with).

[Ace]

I honestly think the RetroN2 is the single ugliest Famiclone to have been made since they became legal in 2005. Even the boxy RetroN1, RES and FC Game Console at least have some style even though they look like boxes with cutouts for NES controller ports, a cartridge slot, two buttons, a power LED and DC input/Composite + Mono audio outputs. The RetroN2, though, I find just looks downright ugly, even worse than the RetroN3, which already looks really stupid.

The RetroN3's NOAC is crap no matter if you have a RetroN3 Version 1 or a RetroN3 Version 2, but the RetroN3 Version 1's NOAC is quite a bit worse. It has inferior compatibility and has a critical wiring error on the cartridge slot which causes Rad Racer II to short-circuit the console as it tries to pull CIRAM /CE high while it's permanently kept low on the RetroN3 Version 1, a common error among NOAC-based clones, particularly those with reversed duty cycles. Even the RetroN3 Version 2's NOAC isn't much of a step up from the RetroN3 Version 1. The reversed duty cycles remain, the DPCM is weird and extremely loud, controller issues persist (pull the trigger too hard on a Zapper, and the console doesn't register you've actually pulled the trigger), but the color palette is more accurate and compatibility is improved (though still inferior to the RetroDuo).

The RetroPort Adapter's NOAC, from what I've seen, is pretty much even with the RetroN3 Version 2's NOAC (keep in mind: I don't have any personal experience with the RetroPort Adapter, only the two revisions of the RetroN3, so I'm going by what other people have shown, though I will eventually get a RetroPort Adapter and test it out). While compatibility is SLIGHTLY inferior to the RetroN3 Version 2 (Castlevania III doesn't work without a mod, Rad Racer II plays with severe graphical errors and After Burner, instead of playing with glitched backgrounds, plays with no backgrounds at all), the NOAC itself is a lot more accurate as it has a perfect color palette (which may be mangled by a crappy video amp) and near-perfect audio. I say near-perfect as the audio is a bit garbled, some of the square waves are a little off (not reversed duty cycles, this time. The duty cycles are correct) and the DPCM is both too quiet and completely screwed up.

Now to see which NOAC is used on the RetroN2. I've come across the following types:

1) Reversed duty cycles, incorrect cartridge slot wiring, incorrect color palette, highly prone to glitches and with poorer-than-normal compatibility (said NOACs can't play MegaMan 3 through 6 without using a Game Genie - I don't understand this)
2) Reversed duty cycles, incorrect cartridge slot wiring, incorrect color palette, compatibility is about the norm for NOACs
3) Reversed duty cycles, cartridge slot wired correctly, near-perfect color palette, will play Castlevania III and Rad Racer II glitch-free, but not After Burner
4) Correct duty cycles with screwed up DPCM and a few incorrect square waves, cartridge slot and NOAC missing CIRAM /CE and /A13, perfect color palette, compatibility is about the norm for NOACs
5) Correct duty cycles with screwed up DPCM and a few incorrect square waves, cartridge slot wired correctly, perfect color palette, compatibility is superior to the other NOAC types

Type 1 is very common among Yobo Gameware's clones, and I've seen it in the Factor-5, the GN Twin and the FC3 Plus Version 1 and Version 2. Type 2 is one I've seen twice, first in the RetroN3 Version 1, then in the original FC Mobile (though with some extra glitches). I only found type 3 in the RetroN3 Version 2, I've seen type 4 on Yobo-branded FC Twins (those without Yobo's name have a crap NOAC), RetroBit's RES, Hyperkin's RetroN1 and the RetroPort Adapter, and I've only seen type 5 on the RetroDuo v2.0 (and I'm pretty sure the RetroDuo v3.0 has the same NOAC).

If anyone has a RetroN2, please let us know which NOAC type is in the RetroN2.

[Gameguy]

I've never got the hate that the SNES design receives.

I don't really mind the original console but it doesn't look as good as other systems when you really compare them, I don't really mind the colours but the yellowing does make them look ugly if you count that. The square box like shape doesn't really help either. It's not as sleek as the model 1 Genesis. It's still not a bad design overall and I don't really have much of a problem with it.

This new design just amplifies the problems with the original SNES so they're noticeable, I never really noticed any problems with the SNES until I saw all the edges with this one. Now all I see with the multiple edges and switches like that are dirt magnets that will be a pain to clean. That and controller ports on the sides look stupid to me. Plus these clones seem to look cheaper than the original 20+ year old hardware that they're replacing.

[Dr. BaconStein]

This new design just amplifies the problems with the original SNES so they're noticeable, I never really noticed any problems with the SNES until I saw all the edges with this one. Now all I see with the multiple edges and switches like that are dirt magnets that will be a pain to clean. That and controller ports on the sides look stupid to me. Plus these clones seem to look cheaper than the original 20+ year old hardware that they're replacing.

Agreed about the controller ports on the sides. I really don't understand why they did it that way this time, not only does it look odd but it's not really that practical in terms of space. RetroN 3 has the same problem but it's slightly more understandable on that since it has a whopping six ports. The nicest-looking SNES clone to me is probably still the Retro Duo...

As far as the cheapness goes, it's kind of to be expected. I think it was Hyperkin that said they make more money off of their accessories than things like this. Game tablets seem to have a much higher build quality than clones, though they are in a slightly different class as they are digital-based.

[Emperor Megas]

I like the design a lot, honestly. But what's with the controller ports on the SIDE? I hate that shit. It's inconvenient when your consoles are in a cabinet like mine, and I can't think of a scenario where it would be an advantage to have them there instead of in the front.