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RetroN 3 - NES, SNES and Genesis All in One

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RetroN 3 - NES, SNES and Genesis All in One

Old 05-18-10, 09:58 AM
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RetroN 3 - NES, SNES and Genesis All in One



So, hmmm. Is this thing even legal?

· 2 Original Controller Ports for Each Platform (6 Total)

· Includes 2 Wireless Controllers

· 3 Cartridge Ports for NES, SNES and SEGA Genesis

· S-Video or Composite AV Inputs

· SRP: $69.99

· Available for testing at E3 Booth #523 South Hall
Old 05-18-10, 10:02 AM
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Re: RetroN 3 - NES, SNES and Genesis All in One

I just bought the NES/SNES version a few months back, kind of wish I had waited now.
Old 05-18-10, 10:03 AM
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Re: RetroN 3 - NES, SNES and Genesis All in One

Based on the small fact that none of the logos appear on the box, I doubt that thing's existence got approved by anyone. How it got made (and publicized at E3) is a curiosity. I'll have to ask my lawyer wife to see if she remembers enough from her patent law class to make sense of that machine. Though there's probably someone on here that could answer that before I could pick her brain.
Old 05-18-10, 10:04 AM
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Re: RetroN 3 - NES, SNES and Genesis All in One

Originally Posted by Maxflier
I just bought the NES/SNES version a few months back, kind of wish I had waited now.
It works well?
Old 05-18-10, 10:08 AM
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Re: RetroN 3 - NES, SNES and Genesis All in One

Originally Posted by jdpatri
It works well?
Nope.

These things never do.
Old 05-18-10, 10:09 AM
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Re: RetroN 3 - NES, SNES and Genesis All in One

Originally Posted by PixyJunket
Nope.

These things never do.
Therein lied my shock. Order has been restored in the world.
Old 05-18-10, 10:50 AM
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Re: RetroN 3 - NES, SNES and Genesis All in One

Originally Posted by jdpatri
It works well?
To be honest I only played it once (that's why I wish I had just waited) when I wanted to play some Ken Griffey Jr. Baseball and it worked perfectly fine.

4 stars at Amazon based on plenty of reviews so I don't know why it wouldn't be expected to work.
http://www.amazon.com/Retro-Video-Sy...4197767&sr=8-3
Old 05-18-10, 10:57 AM
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Re: RetroN 3 - NES, SNES and Genesis All in One

What about those systems they sell at the mall with something like a hundred NES games built right in?
Old 05-18-10, 11:25 AM
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Re: RetroN 3 - NES, SNES and Genesis All in One

The reviews on that thing are reporting sound effect and color issues on a number of NES games, but all things considered, that seems pretty minor I suppose.
Old 05-18-10, 11:38 AM
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Re: RetroN 3 - NES, SNES and Genesis All in One

Originally Posted by dsa_shea
What about those systems they sell at the mall with something like a hundred NES games built right in?
Highly illegal.
Old 05-18-10, 11:46 AM
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Re: RetroN 3 - NES, SNES and Genesis All in One

Originally Posted by jdpatri
The reviews on that thing are reporting sound effect and color issues on a number of NES games, but all things considered, that seems pretty minor I suppose.
It's not really minor though. Unless you haven't played Super Mario Bros. since 1986, the color differences are pretty noticeable and even if you can't see that, the pitch of the music and sound being off could not possibly be ignored by anyone who's ever played the game before. Also, some games just don't work and you'll get a better image with the original NES over RF than one of these things over s-video, they use horrendously cheap video chips. They break easily as well. They're made of the cheapest parts possible.

Seriously, if you want one of these just for "LOLnostalgia" factor and will only play Super Mario Bros., Contra and Mega Man 2, stick to virtual console on Wii, the games are cheaper than the actual carts 95% of the time, you get pretty much spot on emulation and everything will be "on demand," so to speak.

If you want to approach it as an enthusiast and start a real collection, get the real systems. All three of these bad boys stand the test of time with the biggest offender in the NES being rectified by a $5 replacement part. The only thing you'll need to do is get proper materials to clean the cartridges you'll be picking up for them.
Old 05-18-10, 12:13 PM
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Re: RetroN 3 - NES, SNES and Genesis All in One

Originally Posted by PixyJunket
It's not really minor though. Unless you haven't played Super Mario Bros. since 1986, the color differences are pretty noticeable and even if you can't see that, the pitch of the music and sound being off could not possibly be ignored by anyone who's ever played the game before. Also, some games just don't work and you'll get a better image with the original NES over RF than one of these things over s-video, they use horrendously cheap video chips. They break easily as well. They're made of the cheapest parts possible.
The reviews made the color issues seem very ho-hum... but I guess I should know better than to treat Amazon reviews as legitimate comparisons.
Old 05-18-10, 12:28 PM
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Re: RetroN 3 - NES, SNES and Genesis All in One

Originally Posted by jdpatri
The reviews made the color issues seem very ho-hum... but I guess I should know better than to treat Amazon reviews as legitimate comparisons.
Well, keep in mind that I'm sort of a nut job enthusiast for this stuff.

That said, the two options I gave above are far superior to owning one of these cheap Chinese bootlegs, depending on what level of classic gaming you're aiming for.
Old 05-18-10, 01:30 PM
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Re: RetroN 3 - NES, SNES and Genesis All in One

Originally Posted by dsa_shea
What about those systems they sell at the mall with something like a hundred NES games built right in?
Originally Posted by PixyJunket
Highly illegal.
Not only highly illegal, but also false marketing. A cousin of mine bought one for like $10 and it was supposed to have 300 games. It had 30 and the 300 listing was that the system repeated those 30 games 10 times in the screen list.
Old 05-18-10, 08:42 PM
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Re: RetroN 3 - NES, SNES and Genesis All in One

Originally Posted by PixyJunket

If you want to approach it as an enthusiast and start a real collection, get the real systems. All three of these bad boys stand the test of time with the biggest offender in the NES being rectified by a $5 replacement part. The only thing you'll need to do is get proper materials to clean the cartridges you'll be picking up for them.


Old 05-18-10, 09:48 PM
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Re: RetroN 3 - NES, SNES and Genesis All in One

The reason these knock-offs can exist is because the patents on these systems have run out. They won't have the system logos because those are trademarked by Nintendo and Sega, but the technology is there for people to use legally without licensing from either company. Or that's what I've been told, anyway.
Old 05-19-10, 01:02 AM
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Re: RetroN 3 - NES, SNES and Genesis All in One

Originally Posted by Maxflier
To be honest I only played it once (that's why I wish I had just waited) when I wanted to play some Ken Griffey Jr. Baseball and it worked perfectly fine.

4 stars at Amazon based on plenty of reviews so I don't know why it wouldn't be expected to work.
http://www.amazon.com/Retro-Video-Sy...4197767&sr=8-3
I grabbed one these from buy.com for like $35 a year ago - haven't had any problems with either NES or SNES games (I've probably tried around 50 games or so) - so I feel I got my money's worth. My boys love playing NBAJam while my joint is that SNES NCAA Basketball.
Old 05-19-10, 07:03 AM
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Re: RetroN 3 - NES, SNES and Genesis All in One

Originally Posted by Daryl
I grabbed one these from buy.com for like $35 a year ago - haven't had any problems with either NES or SNES games (I've probably tried around 50 games or so) - so I feel I got my money's worth. My boys love playing NBAJam while my joint is that SNES NCAA Basketball.
I loved NCAA Basketball. How great would it be if a current gen game would use the same point-of-view. For those not familiar, it used a third person point of view behind the current ball handler, so when you passed the ball around, the camera would swing around behind that ball handler. It was done beautifully, and really gave you a sense that you were a part of the game.
Old 03-31-13, 03:12 PM
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Re: RetroN 3 - NES, SNES and Genesis All in One

The same company has announced the RetroN 5, which allows you to play games from even more systems. This thing is ridiculous and I want it.



http://hyperkin.com/blog/2013/03/ret...aming-classic/


The RetroN 5 will have 5 cartridge slots allowing you to use original NES, SNES, Genesis, Famicom, and Game Boy Advance cartridges. You will also be able to use Super Famicom, Mega Drive, Game Boy Color and Game Boy cartridges as well. Because we have created a new chipset, it allows us to ensure that region locks and compatibility are no longer an issue, and the RetroN 5 will play both PAL and NTSC cartridges. CIC lockout chips and FX chips are no longer going to be an issue, as we aim to achieve 100% compatibility with all cartridges.


On the front of the console, there is a power button to turn on the console, and adjacent to this button, is a sync button. This button will allow you to sync up to 4 wireless controllers to one console, allowing you to play multiplayer compatible titles without the use of a multitap.


On the back of the console, will be a standard AV output, a USB port to allow for charging of the wireless controller, an AC Adapter to power up the system, and a HDMI output for HDTV connectivity.


Along the sides of the console, are controller ports for the SNES, Genesis, and NES, totalling 6 controller ports, allowing for users to use their original controllers. Users will also be able to use any controller they desire for any system. That means, if you want use a SNES controller to play Genesis games, the RetroN 5 will allow you to do so.


The RetroN 5 will come with a wireless controller that utilizes Bluetooth technology, allowing for a playable distance of a minimum of 15 feet without losing sync from the console. This new controller will also have a Microswitch Directional Pad instea6d of a traditional directional pad. Along with 6 face buttons, two shoulder buttons, a start and select button, and 4 LED light indicators to display the player number, there is also a Home button that will serve multiple functions; one is to sync the controller to the console, but to also gain access to the Game User Interface (GUI) at any point during gameplay. There are also two Macro buttons that will allow you to program. Every controller will have a rechargeable lithium ion battery than can be charged through any USB port via the micro USB cable.


When you power on the RetroN 5 for the first time, you will notice, that the user will be taken to a digital user interface. We have created a new system menu that will allow for users to select which system they would like to play, as well as access features that we felt were important to gamers.


Most games did not allow for you to freely save your games. The RetroN 5 will allow you to save their games at any point during gameplay, and will feature an autosave feature upon shutdown. You will be able to load your saves at anytime during gameplay.


The RetroN 5 will up convert the video signal to show clearer and cleaner images, with vibrant colors on an HDTV with a resolution output of up to 720p through the use of shaders. You will also be able to select the aspect ratio in our GUI, from the standard 4:3 to the HD ratio of 16:9. Our goal is to fill up as much of the screen as possible.

Overall audio output quality will be improved through the utilization of audio interpolation, a method of making digital sound better than it really is, resulting in a smoother, cleaner audio output. As a sound wave enters an ADC (analog to digital converter), samples are taken at timed intervals. Higher sample rates produce better recordings, but also require the use of more memory. As a result, to conserve space, most developers used sound that was of lower quality. What interpolation does is instead of repeating each low quality sample, it creates new samples between the originals. As a result, it creates a smoother, crisper sound output than the original sound.


Users will be able to program the controller to assign buttons to their preference. In turn, the RetroN 5 will save these custom layouts, so that users will not have to constantly reconfigure the button configuration. This feature will also be available to people wanting to remap their buttons on their original controllers.

The RetroN 5 will allow for manual and passive overclocking, giving the users the ability to speed up or slow down their games as they see fit. This option will be available on our GUI, and users will have the ability to access this at any time during gameplay by utilizing the “Home” button on the controller. You will also be able to utilize this function by programming the Macro buttons on the wireless controller as well.
Old 03-31-13, 03:35 PM
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Re: RetroN 3 - NES, SNES and Genesis All in One

Originally Posted by Supermallet
The same company has announced the RetroN 5, which allows you to play games from even more systems. This thing is ridiculous and I want it.

http://hyperkin.com/blog/2013/03/ret...aming-classic/
If they fix the NES issues with some of the more complicated carts (I'm looking at you Castlevania 3) and for under $100 I'll seriously consider it. I have plenty of NES, SNES, Genesis and GBA, and this would be completely worth it.
Old 03-31-13, 05:14 PM
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Re: RetroN 3 - NES, SNES and Genesis All in One

I'm buying this.
Old 03-31-13, 05:31 PM
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Re: RetroN 3 - NES, SNES and Genesis All in One

I'm buying that
Old 03-31-13, 08:52 PM
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Re: RetroN 3 - NES, SNES and Genesis All in One

I'd rather just get an Ouya for not much more and run emulators on it.

But... if I did consider one, they'd have to let me use a different controller, because that one looks brutal.
Old 03-31-13, 09:10 PM
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Re: RetroN 3 - NES, SNES and Genesis All in One

Originally Posted by Drexl
But... if I did consider one, they'd have to let me use a different controller, because that one looks brutal.
Unless I'm looking at it completely wrong, it looks like you can use the original controllers with no problem for NES, SNES and Genesis. I have so many of those that I would probably never use the included one.
Old 03-31-13, 09:53 PM
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Re: RetroN 3 - NES, SNES and Genesis All in One

Yes, you can use the original system controllers, and apparently use them for games for other systems as well.

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