Current state of NOACs? (Retron1/Retrobit)

[Akito01]

So, I have a Retron3 that I bought some years ago now. It's been more or less shelved since I much prefer playing on my original SNES with S-Video. I'd actually quite like to play on my original NES as well, but it's been having video issues that point to a bad capacitor. I've already changed the main capacitor on the power board, and the three on the motherboard, but the issue remains. This means the problem is within the RF box, which is a daunting task to take on. I still intend to fix it, but in the meantime I'd like to be able to play my original NES carts using original NES controllers. I could use the old Retron3, of course, but it is a bit big. Given how cheap and small they are, it might be fun to get a Retron1 or similar system. What I'm curious about is if there have been any changes to the NOACs used in those devices since I got my old Retron; either good or bad. Does anyone here have any recent experience with the Retron1?

[calgon]

So, I have a Retron3 that I bought some years ago now. It's been more or less shelved since I much prefer playing on my original SNES with S-Video. I'd actually quite like to play on my original NES as well, but it's been having video issues that point to a bad capacitor. I've already changed the main capacitor on the power board, and the three on the motherboard, but the issue remains. This means the problem is within the RF box, which is a daunting task to take on. I still intend to fix it, but in the meantime I'd like to be able to play my original NES carts using original NES controllers. I could use the old Retron3, of course, but it is a bit big. Given how cheap and small they are, it might be fun to get a Retron1 or similar system. What I'm curious about is if there have been any changes to the NOACs used in those devices since I got my old Retron; either good or bad. Does anyone here have any recent experience with the Retron1?

Get a Zoga NES 101 clone from eBay or aliexpress. Seriously the best NOAC I've ever experienced in terms of sound and color representation. Amazing it took what? 14 years to get to this point?

[Akito01]

Get a Zoga NES 101 clone from eBay or aliexpress. Seriously the best NOAC I've ever experienced in terms of sound and color representation. Amazing it took what? 14 years to get to this point?

Thanks for the heads up on this. I'd honestly never heard of it until now, and while it is a bit more expensive than most famiclones, I'm intrigued by it and will definitely look into it.

[Tanooki]

I think if I remember right the Zoga is the one that looks like a knockoff NES/Famicom top loader. I've seen solid comments about it. I'd even bother trying one out if I had access, but when I have a real top loader RCA and more modded and the R5 lying around on top of a FC Mobile 88 portable I choose to just sit back and see other people suffer or not and read about it.

[Akito01]

So, I haven't pulled the trigger yet, which may be just as well based on what I've recently come across. I admit this is only second hand information, but it seems as if the most recent versions of these NES clones (ones produced from 2015 on) are actually inferior compared to those in older devices in terms of audio and video quality. In addition, the simple mods that can be done to fix the audio and even fix the compatibility errors with some titles apparently cannot be done on these newer machines.

With a certain degree of naivety, I naturally assumed that more recent NOACs would have to be better than older ones, but it looks like there's been a bit of a downward trend. It seems like getting an older Retrobit won't be much of a problem given how many there are all over eBay. In theory, there really shouldn't be anything wrong with still using my old Retron3, but other than the size, there is one other thing that has always bothered me about it, and that pertains to the picture it outputs:



Now, when I use my original NES on the same TV, these lines are crisp and clean, but on the clone, you can see a fair amount of fuzziness. I don't necessarily expect one of these Retrobits or Retron1s to solve this issue, but I do wonder at the source of this problem. A lot has been written and done regarding audio and compatibility fixes, but info is thin on the ground as pertains to this specific video signal issue.

[PreZZ]

Why bother with cheap clones when genuine Nintendo hardware is still cheap??? They almost all are composite too

[Tanooki]

Alright well mind you I probably should try the TV out cable for it, but I got the more recently released FC Mobile 88 handheld which has 88 mostly average to awful homebrew titles on it, yet the draw is the famicom slot. I found it in a local posting, came with the 2015/6 made Super Games 500in1 cart which has some amazing choices on it so it was a no brainer along with my 15 FC carts. On the little 2 1/2 inch diagonal screen the sharpness of the image is impressive, sound of the speaker is good too, and other than it oddly not loading up my Konami VRC6 Castlevania 3 title (yet VRC2 and 4 Konami work) I've really not had a compatibility problem. I do have also that special namco chipped Splatterhouse and it's fine. I'd have to double check it, but I think it's a little soft on the DPCM channel in relation not to drum beats but recorded audio samples. I just double checked and realized TMNT2 doesn't talk so I did TMNT3 and it isn't soft, but with the little speaker I can not tell if it's slightly ever so higher pitched saying Cowabunga! but it is there.

Older and the newer NOACs typically flub the hell out of the DPCM or nearly lose it entirely outside of select drum beats. Games like Gauntlet II rife with all the verbal calls of the arcade game ends up dead mute, so it's a perfect test. Also it uses an odd method a bit with the scrolling it does with the locked part for the people/scoring area which many will so some flickering on an edge or just scroll wrong rendering the game garbage. I no longer have it, it's not on that cart anyway, and even if I had it I don't have a NES to FC adapter, just FC to NES (honeybee.) I will stand on the quality of this product and anyone knowing me over the years here or earlier I HATE clones as they 99% of the time are awful but I really love that little handheld and don't regret it one bit.