Retro Duo Portable - RDP 2 in 1 Portable System

[nickerous]

Soooo, has anyone tried v2.0 of this handheld? I see auctions for a new version on ebay and wanted to see if the screen and dpad issues were fixed, as the seller is claiming...

[nickerous]

I got version 2 today and after playing with it for a bit, I can safely say that the D-pad is very responsive. I had no trouble with lag or stickiness. The buttons feel like they are just the right distance apart and the screen is awesome. Never had v1 of the RDP, but v2 blows the FC 16 Go out of the water. No comparison. I haven't tried any of the special chip games, but plan on doing that later tonight.

The only two negatives are the shoulder buttons are a bit awkward at first. Nothing I can't get used to though. The other negative is the NES portal. I only tried Mega Man 2 and couldn't get it to work. I'm not against the idea of a two in one portable, but this makes me think of the Game Axe and playing NES games with a famicom adapter. It's not THAT bad, but it feels the same to me. I still have the Game Axe, but never play it. Personally, I like the FC Mobile 2 for my NES portable needs, but I can see how having two for 1 price would be appealing. If I did not have the FC mobile 2, I would make do with this portal.

[Akito01]

Thanks very much for the feedback. I'm VERY close to ordering one of these myself as well, though in a month when the WiiU comes out, I'm debating on shelling out the hundred bucks for it. I generally liked my SupaBoy, but the D pad and especially the shoulder buttons response isn't great on that machine.

I always thought the implementation of NES compatibility on this device was a bit ridiculous, and if it is the same as the RetroPort adapter, then that would also be a bummer because that thing was not awesome.

Given that the FC Mobile II uses AA batteries, I'd really like to see a proper refresh on the portable NES idea. I didn't have an issue with it at the time it came out, but now the FC Mobile II's screen looks super super tiny (playing NES games on the 3DS XL will do that).

[Ace]

I got version 2 today and after playing with it for a bit, I can safely say that the D-pad is very responsive. I had no trouble with lag or stickiness. The buttons feel like they are just the right distance apart and the screen is awesome. Never had v1 of the RDP, but v2 blows the FC 16 Go out of the water. No comparison. I haven't tried any of the special chip games, but plan on doing that later tonight.

Can you press the D-pad down in its entirety or is there a peg to prevent that. I know on the RetroDuo Portable v1.0, the D-pad can be pressed in its entirety, so I'm wondering if the same can be done with the RetroDuo Portable v2.0.

What I'm wondering, too, is if the RetroPort's NOAC has changed at all. The NOAC used in the RetroDuo Portable v1.0's RetroPort was inferior to the RetroDuo home console, so I'd be curious to know if RetroBit brought the RetroPort up to the RetroDuo home system's NES accuracy (murdered by missing components) and compatibility.

[nickerous]

They fixed the dpad registering all directions when pressed in the center, if that's what you are talking about. As for the NES port, I haven't messed with that much. Were there any games that would not work with v1?

[kedawa]

How can I tell one version from the other?
A local shop has some in, but nothing on the package says "v2.0".

[nickerous]

Here's a link to the amazon page for v2. The box art is different.

http://www.amazon.com/NES-SNES-Retro...eywords=Rdp+v2

[kedawa]

So it doesn't come with the extra controllers?

[nickerous]

Nope, just the system, av cable, ac charger, the nes portal, and a manual.

[Frankie_Says_Relax]

They fixed the dpad registering all directions when pressed in the center, if that's what you are talking about. As for the NES port, I haven't messed with that much. Were there any games that would not work with v1?

Oh man, that's some good news there.

I find that the SuperUFO Pro 8 SD flash cart works really well with the SupaBoy, so I'm in no rush to get another SNES/NES portable, but for those in the market for one, that D-Pad thing sounded like the biggest issue with the otherwise excellent Retro Duo Portable.

Really happy to hear that they cleared that up.

Has anybody tried the SuperUFO Pro 8 with the Retro Duo Portable?

[nickerous]

Pretty sure I'm going to buy a flash cart next. Debating on getting the UFO now or wait for the SD2snes or powerpak. I have the money for the UFO now, but may save up for one of the others...the big plus for the UFO is that I could backup my original cart saves.

[kedawa]

I wish someone would design a high quality SFC/SNES clone with an SD slot built in.

[Frankie_Says_Relax]

I wish someone would design a high quality SFC/SNES clone with an SD slot built in.

Well, while they don't have an SNES cartridge slot proper, there are plenty of good emulation-centric Linux and Android based portables coming out of China and elsewhere that have SD slots and play SNES games just fine.

Dingoo, Wiz, Pandora, Yinlips to name a few.

[nusilver]

Hey all, long time no talkie. I ordered a RDP 2.0 when I heard the screen was sharper - had it shipped overnight (thanks for the Amazon link above!) and will receive it tomorrow. I'll be able to compare it to my Pokefami DX - can't wait to see the new unit!

[Bazoo]

Cool, nusilver! This product seemed neat on conception but ultimately I held off for the revision due to the inconsistencies in the D-Pad. If you could, when you receive it, answer if 2.0 has:

--A better D-Pad? (Most Important)
--Retained quality of pack-in controllers?
--A/V Out that is packed in has better quality? (least important of the three)

Thanks!

[nusilver]

Cool, nusilver! This product seemed neat on conception but ultimately I held off for the revision due to the inconsistencies in the D-Pad. If you could, when you receive it, could answer if 2.0 has:

--A better D-Pad? (Most Important)
--Retained quality of pack-in controllers?
--A/V Out that is packed in has better quality? (least of the three)

Thanks!

Happy to! It's out for delivery now.

I can answer # 2 now - the unit I ordered was the "core" version, and doesn't come with the pack-in controllers. I don't know if there's a non-core version - I'm staying the heck away from dascheap, but maybe they have a non-core variant?

[nusilver]

screen is much sharper: it appears to show every pixel. also, much cooler image - maniac mansion splash screen shows bright orange on my pokefami DX, but deep red here.
no dead pixels.
face buttons are closer together.
d-pad is the same size and shape as a real SNES controller, but pretty stiff. needs breaking in.
yoshi's island does not work. loads nintendo logo, then black screen.
super mario rpg works.

gotta go. looks like i'll have to do another in-depth video review like i did with the pokefami dx, but from first impressions, i'm very, very happy with it (mostly because of the screen), yoshi's island aside.

[nusilver]

screen is much sharper: it appears to show every pixel. also, much cooler image - maniac mansion splash screen shows bright orange on my pokefami DX, but deep red here.
no dead pixels.
face buttons are closer together.
d-pad is the same size and shape as a real SNES controller, but pretty stiff. needs breaking in.
yoshi's island does not work. loads nintendo logo, then black screen.
super mario rpg works.

gotta go. looks like i'll have to do another in-depth video review like i did with the pokefami dx, but from first impressions, i'm very, very happy with it (mostly because of the screen), yoshi's island aside.

Forgot to mention the sound - there are pluses and minuses here. The MAJOR plus is that the screen doesn't distort due to the sound - no matter how loud you turn the volume up. On the flip side, the speakers are tinny and the left one already sounds like it's blown. At mid volume, things are fine, and I'm still most likely to play with headphones anyway - but at least that horrible feedback in the picture is gone. I can't overstate how happy that makes me. More to come, but the next couple of weeks are pretty busy. Keep bugging me with questions and I'll do my best to answer 'em!

p.s. Apple headphones still don't work here - just like my Pokefami DX.
p.p.s. the "RDP-only" Retroport works fine with the Pokefami DX.

[nusilver]

Forgot to mention the sound - there are pluses and minuses here. The MAJOR plus is that the screen doesn't distort due to the sound - no matter how loud you turn the volume up. On the flip side, the speakers are tinny and the left one already sounds like it's blown. At mid volume, things are fine, and I'm still most likely to play with headphones anyway - but at least that horrible feedback in the picture is gone. I can't overstate how happy that makes me. More to come, but the next couple of weeks are pretty busy. Keep bugging me with questions and I'll do my best to answer 'em!

p.s. Apple headphones still don't work here - just like my Pokefami DX.
p.p.s. the "RDP-only" Retroport works fine with the Pokefami DX.

More impressions of the 2.0. All negative:

1) The speakers are definitely CRAP compared to the Pokefami DX/RDP 1.0. They're half as loud, and tinny no matter how loudly you turn them up. I believe they may be blown - I will probably swap them with the speakers on my PFDX but I need to get out the soldering iron, and I'm not in love with the idea as I'm not super confident with that yet.

2) Compatibility is much WORSE than on the Pokefami DX/RDP 1.0. On the PFDX, I was able to get Kirby Super Star to boot one out of every 20-30 times. Here, it boots every time. great. However - Illusion of Gaia, Mega Man X2, Mega Man X3, Yoshi's Island, and Starfox 2 - none of these work here. They all work fine on the other unit. Is there an FX chip in Gaia that I'm unaware of?

Overall, I'm torn. I LOVE the screen - finally, somebody got the screen perfect on a portable SNES. But the sound kills me and the compatibility - specifically, not being able to play Yoshi's Island on the go - is a huge bummer. Video review will come next month some time.

[nusilver]

More impressions of the 2.0. All negative:

1) The speakers are definitely CRAP compared to the Pokefami DX/RDP 1.0. They're half as loud, and tinny no matter how loudly you turn them up. I believe they may be blown - I will probably swap them with the speakers on my PFDX but I need to get out the soldering iron, and I'm not in love with the idea as I'm not super confident with that yet.

2) Compatibility is much WORSE than on the Pokefami DX/RDP 1.0. On the PFDX, I was able to get Kirby Super Star to boot one out of every 20-30 times. Here, it boots every time. great. However - Illusion of Gaia, Mega Man X2, Mega Man X3, Yoshi's Island, and Starfox 2 - none of these work here. They all work fine on the other unit. Is there an FX chip in Gaia that I'm unaware of?

Overall, I'm torn. I LOVE the screen - finally, somebody got the screen perfect on a portable SNES. But the sound kills me and the compatibility - specifically, not being able to play Yoshi's Island on the go - is a huge bummer. Video review will come next month some time.

Quick update: I got Yoshi's Island and Illusion of Gaia working. Clean contacts is the key! Though in the process, the RDP erased my Yoshi's Island save. Not happy about this!