RetroN5: Hands on first look

[Tanooki]

For the pure spite of it, that most likely will be #1 to go in there followed by Gargoyle's Quest II which was also going downhill. To think this crap started like a month ago because they bungled the replacement. I really can't remember what day I last had the thing but I do know I never got to try out the beta 2.0 cycle.

The best date I can find is an old email telling me to factory reset it on Aug 28. I sent it on Sept 4, because they weren't smart enough to open an email and open a jpeg image of my receipt to prove the warranty info I registered on their site back in June so I had to resend it.

It basically has been unplugged since the 28th ....so 43 days without one in the home, plugged in, and functioning correctly. That's just sloppy.


As to the firmware issue, I'm less a fan of it with the SD card, but I am also at the same time more of one too which I'm sure makes no sense. I don't like the process, but as noted you could just keep that one file the first time on your PC and never do that step again other than the stupid capcha stuff. WifI opens the door to bad packets and dropped connections which could brick far more systems. The SD card either works or it doesn't. It's broken or not in the slot all the way, or it works and is slotted right. So sure I wish I could beam the data, but the SD card is more secure and safe.

I kept the bookmark for 2.0b6, if it's not already on there I'm placing it there because 2.0 is useless to me with the fast loading off as I could give a shit about Sega Genesis games(have none) and the fact they don't like quick boot so everyone gets punished.

[Tanooki]

Update: The new system they sent me is a defective piece of shit too. Not only does it still not detect my SMB2 cart, it's also wrongly assembled as there's a rainbow of wires that belongs UNDER the board over it instead and overlapping the famicom cartridge port. Now I'm up to 3 so supposedly now I've earned a NEW system, not a refurb and I'm not sure which as I got conflicted emails but either they mail it first and I return with a sticker in that box or I use the weird email 3 hours later and print another freebie sticker and go back to UPS again. I have no idea what's up with that and it's Friday so they won't see that mail until Monday.

I'm so over this crap.


FYI -- I pulled my toploader out of the sterlite drawer it is just barely fitting within, fired up the cart (SMB2) perfectly without needing a cleaning and movement of it at all. Pure bullshit and I'm pissed off now.

[Cryog]

I already stop using the orignal cartridges and use the Retron Labo rom hack. A pin came out of the SNES cartridge slot and the mini usb control conector is broken.

[Gameguy]

Update: The new system they sent me is a defective piece of shit too. Not only does it still not detect my SMB2 cart, it's also wrongly assembled as there's a rainbow of wires that belongs UNDER the board over it instead and overlapping the famicom cartridge port. Now I'm up to 3 so supposedly now I've earned a NEW system, not a refurb and I'm not sure which as I got conflicted emails but either they mail it first and I return with a sticker in that box or I use the weird email 3 hours later and print another freebie sticker and go back to UPS again. I have no idea what's up with that and it's Friday so they won't see that mail until Monday.

I'm so over this crap.

So you're not liking the company anymore? Just wondering if I'm interpreting that correctly. Maybe you want to hold onto your Sharp TV rather than sell it?


Found some quotes from September 20th. Just reliving the past for nostalgia.

I thought you had to send yours back for a replacement because it crapped out on you?

Gameguy It's replaced, UPS decided to be douchy and hold it, I'll have it Monday. My general understanding is that the current systems being shipped versus the early stuff at launch has far better quality control checks being done so problematic systems don't get out there.

[JSoup]

FYI -- I pulled my toploader out of the sterlite drawer it is just barely fitting within, fired up the cart (SMB2) perfectly without needing a cleaning and movement of it at all. Pure bullshit and I'm pissed off now.

Misread "toploader" as "toddler" and was pretty alarmed for the next several words of the first sentence.

[treismac]

Update: The new system they sent me is a defective piece of shit too. Not only does it still not detect my SMB2 cart, it's also wrongly assembled as there's a rainbow of wires that belongs UNDER the board over it instead and overlapping the famicom cartridge port. Now I'm up to 3 so supposedly now I've earned a NEW system, not a refurb and I'm not sure which as I got conflicted emails but either they mail it first and I return with a sticker in that box or I use the weird email 3 hours later and print another freebie sticker and go back to UPS again. I have no idea what's up with that and it's Friday so they won't see that mail until Monday.

I'm so over this crap.


FYI -- I pulled my toploader out of the sterlite drawer it is just barely fitting within, fired up the cart (SMB2) perfectly without needing a cleaning and movement of it at all. Pure bullshit and I'm pissed off now.

So, how common are RetroN5 horror stories on par with Tanooki's? I thought you were in contact with Hyperkin advising them on compatibility issues. Why are they f*cking around with setting your system straight? I was toying around with picking a R5 up after a price drop, but now with all the widespread problems AND the price raise, I have no plans to touch the damn thing.

Sorry, by the way, Tanooki, for all of the bs you have gone through with your ordeal with Hyperkin.

I hate to say it, but that troll MyTurnToPlay's predictions seem to have not been not too far off base.

[tomm1313]

my machine took a dump a week after his.

I sent it back 1.5 weeks ago. According to the tracking number il have it back on tuesday which will be 2 weeks from when i sent it in to getting it back


it took a dump the same way. Reading NES carts.

[BetaWolf47]

So the system's junk and uses open source emulators without permission? I think I'll pass on this...

[Atarileaf]

They'll be raising the price by $20 soon too. Whether that means they'll start making working systems with more consistency is debatable. Sounds like their RMA department needs a complete makeover too

[ibain]

I've been playing Final Fantasy 6 Advance, and I'm almost through the game on the R5. Saves are working well, both to and from the cartridge. The only issue I'm experiencing is occasional sound issues. Every 10-20 minutes the music cuts out for about 1-2 seconds. I've never played it with the sound on with the GBA before though, so I don't know if this is a game issue or a R5 issue.

[Satoshi_Matrix]

That's a real headscratcher. Tanooki, you should contact Hyperkin and have them replace it again and this time have them test the new one before they sent it.

Also is your SMB2 a full pinned version or the more common re-release that has the middle pins missing?

I have the full pinned version and it works no problem on my Retron5.

[Tanooki]

My understanding is that when I asked the guy after the 2nd DOA I straight up questioned the $20 price increase, they said they went back and used sturdier parts that cost more which is why there's the increase. Take that as you will.

I don't hate the company. I hate the random bs I'm putting up with. #1 stops seeing SMB2 is even in the slot, another gets dicey to detect correctly. #2 arrives DOA and scuffed up, which they said was an accident. #3 I can see it was as it was packaged like new and clean, yet it too can't see SMB2 then I find wires over the famicom jack inside the slot. The tech was right though, the 3rd system had .22 application and 1.5 firmware on it instead of .20/1.0.

Here you can see the slot issue -> http://i232.photobucket.com/albums/e...ps6d610245.jpg
Attachment 7677
Now my question to everyone, am I the only one here with invisible SMB2 action going on? My SMB2 is from when it came out, no missing gap of pins on one side, full on both.

Also another related question, it worked fine through the 1.5 release I know that, I think 1.6 is where it went out because it wasn't on there and 2.0b6 it wasn't working either on the other one the other day. Is this is a software screwup or what? I have no idea.

If I end up with a 4th system that gives me shit depending on what it pulls I'm either going to demand my money back or I'll sell it to someone who is fine with the system as it is. I've still got my RCA'd up top loader with honeybee, my DK Set SNES is in the box again for now, and my GB micro and GB Player can handle the rest.

IBAIN: I've learned that sound issue is potentially related to a SYNC issue that should be corrected. Some people report that if you have the R5 setup to (if in slot) to default saving to a SD card and not the system itself, it causes those sync problems. I played FF6A extensively on the system after they had that SRAM/FERAM save eating issue that killed my game 3x over, so I got many hours on it with many firmware releases and it never desynched on me.


Myturntoplay was a pure ass, he just got lucky with the guesses to tick people off with the endless trolling wrecking conversations.

[ibain]

Interesting, Thanks Tanooki!

I'll start messing with it and see what happens.

[Tanooki]

I don't want to say too much yet as I'm not sure what all is going to happen, but my issue with the R5 went back to the head office in HK. Seems the tech somehow got ahold of that image of my messed up system I took from the US office and now they're stepping in it appears. Things are going to a level I never expected and all will be handled with very properly and in the best way possible it appears at this rate.

I'm curious to see when it all comes to an end when I find out more, but I think all will be good in the end.

I also found out that the SMB2 issue seems to be a growing issue among R5 owners, so it wasn't just my system so it could be a coding error or something going on with the firmware for awhile now as it used to work awhile ago from launch to a point.

[Satoshi_Matrix]

Some people have also reported that the Zelda Oracle games on GameBoy Color and Kid Icarus on GameBoy don't work on their Retron5.

I've had none of these issues myself though. Super Mario Bros. 2 works flawlessly for me. I even posted a test video of it.

[Tanooki]

Did it work for you on firmware 1.6 through all 2.0beta and 2.0? I"m thinking perhaps it works with 2.1 and 1.5 and before.

[tomm1313]

i really hope my luck is better then Tanooki. i get my replacement system today....

[Tanooki]

Won't be hard to find that out, just look into the cart slot, then turn it on and see if the menu pops up. I'm curious if you got a later release one or not.

The newer systems have a slightly less wide black box it comes in, and they come with .22/1.5 game firmware installed already so it's very functional out of the box unlike back in June.

[tomm1313]

i really hope my luck is better then Tanooki. i get my replacement system today....

mine looks in good condition. All pins look good but it is clearly used...or i should say refurb.

it has screenshots and saves on it.

it was an original one: .20 and 1.0

[Tanooki]

Well the best I can gather is that if a board is jacked they just take the whole system and put it in a pile for parts or recovery elsewhere, then they take refurb parts which are the case, guts, and the other things and throw those in a box and send it back your way. The refurb cases are supposed to just show slight wear, definitely would be on the super scratch worthy black shiny top, and that's that. The second one I had, someone appears to have accidentally or whatever tossed a beat up broken one in a box and sent it as I can't figure it any other way.