The Retron 5 is almost here. I'm more excited for this thing than I have been for anything video game related in a long, long time.

In case anyone doesn't know what it is, its an all-in-one retro game machine that plays NES, Famicom, Gameboy, SNES, and Genesis. I know it was mentioned in an older thread about the Retron 3, but I figured this deserved its own thread since it supposedly will be released the end of May/early June.

Hyperkin's Retron 5

Video is output via HDMI so all the old games can be played on HDTV's without being a blurry mess. Every video I've seen of this thing in action look incredible. Playing GameBoy games on a 55" screen is gonna be wild. The Zelda video below is good example because it switches half way through to show the differences with the video filters on/off.

Contra (NES)
<iframe width="640" height="360" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/zhIfRBkJN1A" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Super Mario Bros (NES)
<iframe width="640" height="360" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/Bx6J-Xtps94" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Legend of Zelda: Link to the Past & Four Swords (GBA)
<iframe width="640" height="360" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/O5EuAg9vKFg" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

If this thing lives up to the hype, I think my PS4 will be collecting dust for quite a while. I have a collection of 400+ NES games that I'm dying to try out on this.

It's been delayed for like a year.

I know, but my understanding is it's officially a finished product now. I saw an interview with one of the Hyperkin reps at PAX east that said it's done but they need to iron out some shipping/customs related details, or some nonsense like that. Should be available any day now.

They have been giving the "available in 30 days" every 30 days for months.

While some reviewers have it, there is no indication the general public will anytime soon. I've been waiting for it as well and following various threads.

I'll definitely pick this up. I only have a handful of NES and SNES games but having the HDMI option is fantastic.

I want one. I've got something that will play. NES, SNES and Genesis, but it kind of sucks. I'm interested in this just for the ability to save my game.

My friend who runs www.retrousb.com is coming out with an HDMI Nintendo, 4 controller ports. Will be a lot better quality than the Retron release, IMO. And will have a pretty good price tag on it as well. I'll post more details when I can about it.

Will it play games from multiple consoles, or just Nintendo?

I've been looking forward to the Retron 5 since it was first announced.

Just Nintendo and Famicom actually...

It's a bold claim to make when:

1 - This guy is your friend, so you're already biased

and

2 - The Retron was delayed because they found an internal part to actually be of BAD quality, so they had to go back and use a better quality part instead, hence the massive delay

That's why I said it was my opinion, so of course it would be biased.

Relax.

Systems like these are just emulators in a box (and most likely not giving any credit to the emulator authors). If all you want is to play emulated games on a big screen, why not just set up your own box with something like Raspberry Pi. See http://lifehacker.com/how-to-turn-yo...sole-498561192 for an example.

I've done just that but having an actual console you can plug games into is a) more satisfying and b) doesn't require you to download a bunch of ROMS off the internet. So that's why.

Because cartridges are awesome.

Just because you are using cartridges doesn't mean it isn't emulation. The Retron is just emulators running on Android.

That's why I'm so on the fence about the Retron 5. I have it pre-ordered from Amazon for $100, but I've considered getting a Raspberry Pi or Ouya instead. I don't have a ton of games that I could use on the Retron (about 100 between NES, Genesis and GB/GBC/GBA) and going with a Raspberry Pi/Ouya would allow me to use an emulator for other systems I own. I really need to figure out what the best choice is for me.

Is there a difference between buying a vintage cartridge versus downloading ROMS off the internet?

Seriously. Just download an emulator.

http://www.retrousb.com/product_info...products_id=34

This is what I've been using, pretty cool, since you can fit the entire NES library, and then some hacks, prototypes, etc on it.

My statement was mainly directed towards the huge retro collectors community. Personally, I don't get the difference between emulation and the original copies but I have a lot of friends that literally won't touch emulators. These are also the insane people that spend $500 on a CIB copy of Little Samson or $800 for a copy of Earthbound with the scratch & sniff stickers.....so to each his own I suppose.

Do you mean for a device like Retron, or just in general?

I like the idea but $135??? No thanks.

Emulation typically isn't 100% accurate. I think Ars Technica covers it well here:

http://arstechnica.com/gaming/2011/0...snes-emulator/

I've set up Hyperspin on a HTPC (crazy cool emulator front-end) but I don't use it enough to be worth it. Plus making sure the right controllers get assigned to the right Windows devices (I used authentic NES/SNES controllers with a usb adapter) is a giant PITA of making sure you plug in everything in the right order.

I personally want to be able to use real carts AND roms off an SD card. I'm not an accuracy freak, but I appreciate it.

I'm hoping once the Retron comes out it'll get rooted/hacked and I'll be able to use ROMs also. I'm up for an emulator system with real controller ports on it!

If you're using one of these systems, there's really not any difference at all, other than not having to plug in a cartridge. The cartridge will only play better on original hardware, not on one of these.

That's a pretty fascinating article.