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[Brofield]

Call me up when it plays n64 games with that HDMI output.

Funny enough some modhacker on the benheck.com forums was developing a video chip that could work on any N64, by allowing the raw video signal to be converted by VGA cable that made the games look absolutely clear and phenomenal, especially the StarCraft 64 screen.

 

[CrashPrime]

If this is close to perfect for playing games, it's both a miracle and a steal. Try pricing out some proper upscalers to get 720p out of a SNES/Genesis and you're going to start clutching your wallet and your heart.

This seems like the perfect replacement for my old systems. I have a huge "non-collector's quality" collection of carts and this system is the perfect way to enjoy them easily.

No more fumbling with emulators or input adapters or any of that garbage.

RetroArch with Sega Saturn controllers on my custom firmware PS3 isn't a BAD solution, but there's nothing like slamming in a cartridge to boot up the game.

I am in for one. I really hope it can handle the trickier games, but it sounds like they're concerned with problems when they're tooting their own horn about those "software solutions". This isn't their first rodeo with these retro-systems either, so it's got to be a pretty mature platform to start from.

I'm getting one regardless, but I sure would love to see some testing!

 

[Ingueferroque]

That was the most awkward presentation ever.

 

[catabarez]

Call me up when it plays n64 games with that HDMI output.

Funny enough some modhacker on the benheck.com forums was developing a video chip that could work on any N64, by allowing the raw video signal to be converted by VGA cable that made the games look absolutely clear and phenomenal, especially the StarCraft 64 screen.

Do you know what came of this?

 

[Brofield]

Do you know what came of this?

The last I saw anything the modder said about his project was that he would be very surprised if it wasn't shown at MGC this year. He has yet to update anything to his thread, but if I do see it brought up I'll be sure to let you know. The only thing I worry about is how he's always outright ignored any questions regarding price (though his intentions are clear he does plan to sell them).

 

[inner-G]

Under $100? Sold.

Hope lag isn't an issue, the GBA/Famicom support sounds awesome.

 

[IrishNinja]

Can it run magic and make my PAL games run at NTSC speeds/timings?

there's overclocking, so i wanna say yes?

If you're interested, you might want to consider this Kickstarter:

Super 4 in 1 Multicart for the SNES

For a hundred bucks, you get the Retron 5 and the new 4-in-1 multicart too.

Disclaimer: I have nothing to do with the Kickstarter, I'm just a backer. Endorse it at your own risk

thanks for this, gonna go check out now
*edit wait it comes with the 4, so i guess that's the 5 now?

That was the most awkward presentation ever.

konami's infamous one only ranks higher cause most folks were stoned

 

[MoxManiac]

If this is close to perfect for playing games, it's both a miracle and a steal. Try pricing out some proper upscalers to get 720p out of a SNES/Genesis and you're going to start clutching your wallet and your heart.

This seems like the perfect replacement for my old systems. I have a huge "non-collector's quality" collection of carts and this system is the perfect way to enjoy them easily.

No more fumbling with emulators or input adapters or any of that garbage.

RetroArch with Sega Saturn controllers on my custom firmware PS3 isn't a BAD solution, but there's nothing like slamming in a cartridge to boot up the game.

I am in for one. I really hope it can handle the trickier games, but it sounds like they're concerned with problems when they're tooting their own horn about those "software solutions". This isn't their first rodeo with these retro-systems either, so it's got to be a pretty mature platform to start from.

I'm getting one regardless, but I sure would love to see some testing!

I dunno. Have you ever used one of these clone systems before? They usually have a ton of issues.

This thing sounds like a great idea on paper, but i'm not holding my breath for an improvement in accuracy over older machines.

 

[LiK]

sounds too good to be true. will wait for reviews.

 

[JaseMath]

I am so buying this.

 

[Unicorn]

If you guys have any thoughts and wishes, let me know. I'm in direct contact with the folks at Hyperkin and can pass on suggestions and such.

Usb or Saturn pad support would be icing in the cake. I'm surprisingly excited about this thing.

 

[Seik]

I wanted a Retron 3 back then but never actually pulled the trigger.

An hdmi port and the console upscales to 720p so that the games doesn't look like shit? ALL OVER ME!

 

[drizzle]

So basically it's something along the lines of a raspberry pi with cart slots running emulators

I really wish RetroPIE was actually good and not a slow mess of a amalgamation of ok-at-best emulators with a not-that-good front end.

I hope it evolves nicely.

On the subject, but not really: Is there any good USB gamepad controller out there with enough buttons? I know the Saturn is the holy grail, but it doesn't have enough buttons - there's no Select on the system, for instance. I don't care about analog controls.

Edit: I kinda feel bad for what I said, so I'd like to point out that the emulators are mostly at fault, not the RetroPIE project itself (which is pretty much just a wrapper and a update script for everything).

 

[Savitar]

It definitely does sound too good to be true.....shall wait on the reviews but if they can deliver that's going to be one solid piece of gaming hardware.

 

[Varth]

If you guys have any thoughts and wishes, let me know. I'm in direct contact with the folks at Hyperkin and can pass on suggestions and such.

Can't find a direct PR contact on their website, so I might as well ask you and share answers directly with gaffers.

Why did they rule out PC Engine? Seems like it would be an awesome addition to the line up. Also, no retro console I know of has it.
Does the system offer some sort of scanlines filter or anything like that other than upscaling?
Whould hardware like the Power Base Converter work theoretically?

 

[jvm]

Does it run Castlevania III (NTSC) and Elite (PAL)? If so, better than anything else I've run into.

 

[Ashler]

Will buy one.


... and then never use it.

 

[Grath]

I don't have the answers as of yet, but like I said I can pass these along.

Could you ask if this is region free? As in can it play NTSC-U and PAL SNES/MegaDrive games without any modification?

 

[Varth]

Could you ask if this is region free? As in can it play NTSC-U and PAL SNES/MegaDrive games without any modification?

I think its clearly stated in the presentation.

 

[Fox Mulder]

Call me up when it plays n64 games with that HDMI output.

Funny enough some modhacker on the benheck.com forums was developing a video chip that could work on any N64, by allowing the raw video signal to be converted by VGA cable that made the games look absolutely clear and phenomenal, especially the StarCraft 64 screen.

I don't know why it can't play n64 with it being emulators now. I'd rather have that than GBA. The retron 3 could also already play famicom games with a converter cart in the nes slot.

 

[Varth]

I don't know why it can't play n64 with it being emulators now. I'd rather have that than GBA. The retron 3 could also already play famicom games with a converter cart in the nes slot.

Going on a limb: controller issues? Having the N64 inside would force them to have a controller built around that.

 

[Jacobi]

If this would play N64, PSX and DC... This would be awesome. Actually I'd just like a Chankast console...

 

[Dash Kappei]

Does Mother 3 (GBA) plays without lag? If he tested the game on the RetroN5, can he actually "perfect" the battle encounters? Mother 3 plays perfectly on my Micro but was always terribly laggy on emulators afaik.

Can you load homebrew roms / romhacks in any way and for any of the consoles, maybe via SD Card or USB stick/HDD?

 

[Bgamer90]

That was the most awkward presentation ever.

As someone who took public speaking classes, it did make me cringe seeing him read directly off of the screen and not give any eye contact to the audience or ad-lib much.

Either way though, I'm pretty much sold on the product if it lives up to what it's expected to do (and does it flawlessly).

 

[-KRS-]

One thing I'm a little worried about is the upscaler. How good can an upscaler really be in something that costs $99? I'm sure it'll be better than just hooking up the original consoles to an HDTV though. I didn't watch the video so I don't know if they addressed that there.

Going on a limb: controller issues? Having the N64 inside would force them to have a controller built around that.

Also N64 emulation is and has been historically pretty damn shitty and inaccurate.

 

[Easy_D]

there's overclocking, so i wanna say yes?

What I meant to say was "Make my PAL games run in 60hz without fucking the speed/music up" I wasn't very clear in my first post

 

[Game Guru]

Going on a limb: controller issues? Having the N64 inside would force them to have a controller built around that.

Probably more emulation issues with Master System, TurboGrafx, and Nintendo 64 and not many people clamoring for the former two. The bundled controller is just two shoulder buttons, a trigger button and an analog stick away from "N64 controller."

 

[Sorral]

Safe to assume that this will be available in online retailers like Amazon?
Sounds very promising and I think I will pick one up.

 

[RetroGreg]

Wow this looks pretty cool. I might just get one. Hope it turns out good.

 

[phants]

*edit wait it comes with the 4, so i guess that's the 5 now

Yep; the latest update confirms that the $100 tier comes with what is now known as the Retron 5 (the Retron 4 doesn't actually exist.)

 

[IrishNinja]

What I meant to say was "Make my PAL games run in 60hz without fucking the speed/music up" I wasn't very clear in my first post

ah, i see...yeah if i was a PAL user that'd be quite important to me as well, very much a question i'd shoot to NintendoGal and hope for the best

Yep; the latest update confirms that the $100 tier comes with what is now known as the Retron 5 (the Retron 4 doesn't actually exist.)

damn...to be honest that cart didn't strike me as crazy exciting but if the Retron 5 does end up close enough to $100 it'd be neat to get it for basically free...i'm a bit wary of KS's by folks im not familiar with for one, and the other factor is i'm quite excited about this but like others i need impressions here, which we obviously wont see till later. torn!

 

[PepsimanVsJoe]

Safe to assume that this will be available in online retailers like Amazon?
Sounds very promising and I think I will pick one up.

The previous retrons are available through Amazon, so yeah.

Bleah. I'm gonna have to look up some good thrift stores or something. Ebay is a waste of time.

 

[katsubento]

As long as the audio for Genesis games are fixed from the Retron 3, I'll buy one.

 

[catabarez]

It would be nice if they had an SMS adaptor for this. That way I could just put away most of my systems.

 

[Hayama Akito]

Question: What does really do this machine? is emulation or a hardware clone for everything like the Retro Duo?

 

[brianmcdoogle]

I looked up reviews on Amazon, and it seemed like people had issues with the controller, but the Retron 3 controller looked better than this one. This controller doesn't look comfortable at all.

But, I would love to have a machine that did all of these things at once. I might pick one up so I can play NES/SNES games without having both systems set up, and for the HDMI output, and it might even get me playing Genesis games, a system that I have very little knowledge of.

 

[eggwolio]

Call me up when it plays n64 games with that HDMI output.

Funny enough some modhacker on the benheck.com forums was developing a video chip that could work on any N64, by allowing the raw video signal to be converted by VGA cable that made the games look absolutely clear and phenomenal, especially the StarCraft 64 screen.

Do you know what came of this?

The last I saw anything the modder said about his project was that he would be very surprised if it wasn't shown at MGC this year. He has yet to update anything to his thread, but if I do see it brought up I'll be sure to let you know. The only thing I worry about is how he's always outright ignored any questions regarding price (though his intentions are clear he does plan to sell them).

A bit off topic, but I wanted to comment on this. Marshall's a college kid who LOVES the N64. While it is true that he monetizes them, his projects stem from passion rather than profit. In my experience, he keeps details guarded until things are settled beyond speculation. He doesn't give a release window and would rather tweak things to perfection than be aiming to meet a deadline. He may not respond to every question in the thread, but you can rest assured he is working on it. The turnaround time on the 64drive I ordered from him last year was much shorter than I expected, and his communication with me once I had placed the order wasn't over the top but was definitely sufficient. He's got a lot on his plate, but be patient. It won't likely be very cheap, but it will come to fruition and it will be awesome.

Back on topic, count me in the cautiously optimistic camp. I've been a clone skeptic since I got burned with the Generation NEX, but I'll be keeping my eye on this one. The Supaboy my lady gave me last year is pretty great, but far from perfect. Here's to hoping Hyperkin goes the extra mile and really delivers something special.

 

[Inspectah_Deck]

The last I saw anything the modder said about his project was that he would be very surprised if it wasn't shown at MGC this year. He has yet to update anything to his thread, but if I do see it brought up I'll be sure to let you know. The only thing I worry about is how he's always outright ignored any questions regarding price (though his intentions are clear he does plan to sell them).

Another off-topic post:
I mailed marshall a week ago about the N64 mod, here is the reply:

Hi Simon,
I have the pcb installed and preliminary tests show its displaying a color test pattern correctly, but I am getting power transients causing video artifacts... I havent dug into it much, it's probably a simple fix. If I get it working it will probalby be at MGC.

Marshall

Hope he doesn´t mind that i post that publicly.

Here is the thread on benheck btw:
http://forums.benheck.com/viewtopic.php?f=58&t=43034&start=0

 

[Fox Mulder]

I looked up reviews on Amazon, and it seemed like people had issues with the controller, but the Retron 3 controller looked better than this one. This controller doesn't look comfortable at all.

But, I would love to have a machine that did all of these things at once. I might pick one up so I can play NES/SNES games without having both systems set up, and for the HDMI output, and it might even get me playing Genesis games, a system that I have very little knowledge of.

I just threw the controllers that came with the retron 3 in a drawer. I have no interest in or any reason to use them when I can use official controllers for the consoles I'm playing. I'll probably just use a snes controller for GBA games as well.

 

[catabarez]

Oh wow are there any other worthwhile mods on the Ben heck forum?

 

[Bgamer90]

I just threw the controllers that came with the retron 3 in a drawer. I have no interest in or any reason to use them when I can use official controllers for the consoles I'm playing. I'll probably just use a snes controller for GBA games as well.

Yeah, I'm going to do the same (and use my Genesis controller for Genesis games).

 

[Brofield]

Another off-topic post:
I mailed marshall a week ago about the N64 mod, here is the reply:

Hope he doesn´t mind that i post that publicly.

Here is the thread on benheck btw:
http://forums.benheck.com/viewtopic.php?f=58&t=43034&start=0

Thanks for the heads up. I'd ask Marshall on the Ben Heck forums, but damn if it isn't impossible to figure out where I have to click to register an account. Seriously, can't find anything to make an account or anything.

A bit off topic, but I wanted to comment on this. Marshall's a college kid who LOVES the N64. While it is true that he monetizes them, his projects stem from passion rather than profit. In my experience, he keeps details guarded until things are settled beyond speculation. He doesn't give a release window and would rather tweak things to perfection than be aiming to meet a deadline. He may not respond to every question in the thread, but you can rest assured he is working on it. The turnaround time on the 64drive I ordered from him last year was much shorter than I expected, and his communication with me once I had placed the order wasn't over the top but was definitely sufficient. He's got a lot on his plate, but be patient. It won't likely be very cheap, but it will come to fruition and it will be awesome.

Thanks for the clarification. I stumbled across his thread while trying to find ways to better improve the picture quality of the N64 without buying a singular purpose television (be it S-Video or whatnot), and when I first came across that thread I was duly impressed, but once I saw the clarity of the StarCraft 64 screen I was throwing money at my laptop. Regardless, he seems to be a man of impeccable detail, and though I'd like it as soon as possible, he seems right in the sense to bring it to perfection so it does live up to the hype.

And that's my end of OT.

Retron 5 is cool, but not for me, needs N64 compatibility, nothing will replace an original game console, etc.

Actually, for those with experience of the Retron, what's the audio and video quality of the Genesis games? I know people recommend the Model 1 genesis for good picture quality and best sound (plus stereo), but how about retron? How does quality go?

 

[Criminal Upper]

That controller looks like fucking shit.

 

[tkscz]

I have the RetroN3 and only issue I have with it is it's wireless controllers, which use a very shitty inferred detection. The blue tooth for the Retron5 was honestly enough for my buy.

 

[Sephzilla]

Color me cautiously interested.

I'm mostly just interested in how well it will actually run games from those systems. I've dabbled with third party retro game systems before and there always seems to be one or two noticeable issues with the system.

 

[Dash Kappei]

Is NintendoGal still around? I'd love to have this answered, even if partially:


Does Mother 3 (GBA) plays without lag? If he tested the game on the RetroN5, can he actually "perfect" the battle encounters? Mother 3 plays perfectly on my Micro but was always terribly laggy on emulators afaik.

Can you load homebrew roms / romhacks in any way and for any of the consoles, maybe via SD Card or USB stick/HDD or it only loads via a proper cartridge in the cartridge slot (meaning expensive Snes/Sfami/NES/Fami and Genesis/MD flashcarts are needed?)

 

[eggwolio]

Thanks for the clarification. I stumbled across his thread while trying to find ways to better improve the picture quality of the N64 without buying a singular purpose television (be it S-Video or whatnot), and when I first came across that thread I was duly impressed, but once I saw the clarity of the StarCraft 64 screen I was throwing money at my laptop. Regardless, he seems to be a man of impeccable detail, and though I'd like it as soon as possible, he seems right in the sense to bring it to perfection so it does live up to the hype.

No prob. I was a little worried I came across snarky or as advertising for the dude, so I'm glad I didn't. If the Retron5 really delivers, between his N64 mod and that machine, I might be willing to part with one of my two CRTs. It's really, really, intriguing.

Also, @nintendogal, has Hyperkin said whether the GBA slot will play all Game Boy & GBC games as well? It's the lowest priority for me since I can play them all in 480p on my cube and that suits me just fine, but I'm curious. Nice to have options.

 

[dancrane212]

Anyone know if you have to use their controller to control the system's UI? Could you use a SNES controller instead?

 

[Varth]

Anyone know if you have to use their controller to control the system's UI? Could you use a SNES controller instead?

What about actually watching the presentation? ^^'

Spoiler

yes

 

[Negator]

Depending on how well it actually plays games and the price, I may be interested in this!

Hopefully we'll get more details soon.