Tye The Czar
Member
I went to a Game Over Videogames store and liked what I partially saw in the Retron 5, especially the ability to use cartridges for emulation.
What does GAF think so far?
What does GAF think so far?
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What is the overall consensus on Retron 5?
- Thread starter Tye The Czar
- Start date
RoninChaos
Member
I'm thinking of picking one up because my son needs to play the classics. Is it worth it?
sixteen-bit
Member
Chinbo37
Member
I dont get the hype really.
For some people they see an ethical or legal argument why you need to play original games on original hardward with origianal controllers.
With the Retron you are talking about original games ... with non original hardware and non original controllers.
In that case I would just buy the games and then play then emulated on PC, you can use USB NES/SNES style controllers or just use wireless controllers like a fightpad or 360 controller or PS4 controller.
For some people they see an ethical or legal argument why you need to play original games on original hardward with origianal controllers.
With the Retron you are talking about original games ... with non original hardware and non original controllers.
In that case I would just buy the games and then play then emulated on PC, you can use USB NES/SNES style controllers or just use wireless controllers like a fightpad or 360 controller or PS4 controller.
Charles Brandon
Member
the reviews on Amazon are awful, something about gripping NES carts too tightly?
Charles Brandon
Member
I think the point is that people don;t want to play on their PC, they'd prefer to play on the telly. It does support all the relevant controllers if you have them
GreenMonkey
Member
If someone got CFW working on it that enabled ROMs from the SD card I'd get ASAP. I want that capability AND real cart capability. Really it's about the convenience of authentic controller ports on a dedicated emulation machine to me, mostly.
For one, you can use the original controllers. But I don't think I've seen anyone argue that you have to use original hardware for ethical or legal reasons. Copyright doesn't apply to reverse engineered hardware (it does apply to open source emulators, but that's a different story), and the patents have all expired on the systems in question. Copyright does apply to the roms you have to download to play on the PC.
The Retrode would make for a good alternative to playing the original carts now that it's in production again, but it's still going to be more trouble to set up, and it still can't handle NES or Famicom games at all, even with plugins.
chainfire95
Member
Only natural when someone literally grows up during the birth of a new form of art and entertainment.
A $50 steam link and a retrode will work just as well, without that nagging knowledge that you are complicit in theft.
eXistor
Member
If you want an easy to use all-in-one (well, some-in-one) retro system that plays a lot (99% probably) of games for the systems it's designed for and you don't want all the original consoles cluttering up the place, it's ideal. The HDMI signal is sharp as a tack (though it lacks proper scanline filters, the one there isn't very good imo) and the lag is negligible.
I still have all my original consoles, but I don't want them all hooked up in my living room, so I keep those upstairs and my Retron 5 is permanently hooked up to my TV downstairs.
It's no substitute for the real thing, but it comes close enough and like I said: it's a great little space-saver.
I still have all my original consoles, but I don't want them all hooked up in my living room, so I keep those upstairs and my Retron 5 is permanently hooked up to my TV downstairs.
It's no substitute for the real thing, but it comes close enough and like I said: it's a great little space-saver.
Corran Horn
May the Schwartz be with you
I like mine. I got it for ease of use when I have friends over and play games on my living room tv. I still have my old systems but it's nice to have an all in one with hdmi so I can keep those systems in my closest.
Do they even still make retrodes?
tim_pkmn89
Member
What about a preferential argument? One device, original cartridges and controllers, HDMI-out.
clem84
Gold Member
I like it.
The complaints about not using the original controllers or about the wireless controller being garbage are unfounded. This thing lets you use an NES, SNES or Genesis controller. That's what I always do. Yes, the wireless controller isn't very good. Don't use it.
I really like the optional filters they've added to the machine. It brings new life to those old games and to me retro games have never looked better on an HDTV. But it appears many, or even most, people are turned off by those filters. The R5 lets you turn off any and all filters and play your retro games pixel perfect so, again, there's no problem.
I also really like the option to copy saves to and from the carts. This is super useful. You can play portable games on the R5, transfer your save, and continue playing on the go.
I personally haven't had any problems with the system gripping the carts too tightly but it's entirely possible. The machine is cheaply made. That much is obvious.
I think what bothers a lot of people is the principle of paying for emulators. The machine itself, being that it's like 6 or 7 consoles in one, is versatile and very convenient to have in a living room.
The complaints about not using the original controllers or about the wireless controller being garbage are unfounded. This thing lets you use an NES, SNES or Genesis controller. That's what I always do. Yes, the wireless controller isn't very good. Don't use it.
I really like the optional filters they've added to the machine. It brings new life to those old games and to me retro games have never looked better on an HDTV. But it appears many, or even most, people are turned off by those filters. The R5 lets you turn off any and all filters and play your retro games pixel perfect so, again, there's no problem.
I also really like the option to copy saves to and from the carts. This is super useful. You can play portable games on the R5, transfer your save, and continue playing on the go.
I personally haven't had any problems with the system gripping the carts too tightly but it's entirely possible. The machine is cheaply made. That much is obvious.
I think what bothers a lot of people is the principle of paying for emulators. The machine itself, being that it's like 6 or 7 consoles in one, is versatile and very convenient to have in a living room.
No, what bothers people is paying for something that is stolen.
Charles Brandon
Member
Theft of what? Emulator code? Hmmm...
I was going to get it but then I watched a gamesack review on it and they opened it up and I was like the build quality seem cheap and yet the price doesn't reflect that.
Then I heard that they stole the software, which put me right off the system all together.
This too.
Then I heard that they stole the software, which put me right off the system all together.
This too.
Chinbo37
Member
Yes.
Charles Brandon
Member
fair enough. But not everyone is you.
bodyelectrics
Neo Member
Can anyone report on Super Famicon compatibility? Or Japanese titles in general? That might entice me to bite.
I prefer having it on Retron5 since I already own real cartridges. Maybe it cost more but I do feel more happy when playing them that way.
The_Afroman
Member
Hated it.
Not from a "ooo a plays games" factor but from a "you guys are selling an android emulation box but marketing it as a real console"
See, i have no beef with something like the Ouya. They market it as a homebrew machine.. there are 100s of games from indie developers on it. You don't need to play emulators on the product.
The Retron5 is kinda a thinly vail lie. Yes you have to own the games. But then you pop the game in.. and it rips the game and plays it with emulators they didn't pay for. They took other's work and claimed it as revolutionary.
So on principal I sold it. I mean if i'm going to emulate, i have hundreds of roms. I can emulate using my laptop or media box.. or what ever. But i bought this device to play my actual carts. This isn't doing that... not really anyway.
Not from a "ooo a plays games" factor but from a "you guys are selling an android emulation box but marketing it as a real console"
See, i have no beef with something like the Ouya. They market it as a homebrew machine.. there are 100s of games from indie developers on it. You don't need to play emulators on the product.
The Retron5 is kinda a thinly vail lie. Yes you have to own the games. But then you pop the game in.. and it rips the game and plays it with emulators they didn't pay for. They took other's work and claimed it as revolutionary.
So on principal I sold it. I mean if i'm going to emulate, i have hundreds of roms. I can emulate using my laptop or media box.. or what ever. But i bought this device to play my actual carts. This isn't doing that... not really anyway.
Tye The Czar
Member
Can we get some evidence for that statement? I'd really like to know if it's true.
It does it the same way an actual console would - it addresses a set amount of space to locations on the dump as though the physical traces were still there.
The problem is they dont own the software they are selling, and in fact are not even allowed to sell it. they are selling stolen software.
Thanks for pointing this out for everyone. As a software developer that regularly uses open sourced software and occasionally contributes I would never consider buying this junk. Screw Hyperkin they should be blackballed from the gaming community.
It's no different from someone trying to sell, say, the freeware version of cavestory with an intel stick. It is gross that the eff hasnt taken the case for these authors who cannot afford to defend their work.
The only use for the Retron 5 that I can see is if you NEED to see the carts you're playing in some kind of hardware AND you find the Retrode too limiting or something.
If that doesn't apply to you, you can get a better old game experience with some Windows or Linux environment, a dedicated upscaler, a cheap CRT from Goodwill with real hardware (or hell even native clone hardware), etc. There are a lot of paths to take. And most of them don't involve giving money to Hyperkin, so bonus.
Charles Brandon
Member
I've got an open mind on this so I'm happy to be shot down but isn't this a slightly false analogy? Emulation is emulation, by definition it's a attempt to replicate code made by someone else rather than completely new IP. And whilst emulation itself is not particularly pernicious it does enable and arguably promote piracy. So whilst I can see why people would be annoyed at having their code sold, Nintendo was probably equally annoyed at having their code ripped off and put on the web.
Like I said, I'm not married to this point of view so feel free to shred it.
Emulation has tons of uses outside of piracy and the process of writing an emulator isn't at all equivalent to stealing code. It's more like thoroughly documenting hardware and software.
You'll have a better experience with any media PC. Maybe grab one of those Intel Compute sticks when they come out.
entremet
Member
Does it play carts, though?
That's the appeal of the Retron 5. People who have actual carts as it doesn't play ROMS.