We reviewed the RetroN 5 a while back and found it to be an excellent way of playing your original retro game cartridges in glorious HD. However, Hyperkin's wonder-console has a challenger in the shape of Cyber Gadget's Retro Freak - a clone system which out-does the RetroN 5 by offering support for PC Engine games, as well as all the formats Hyperkin's machine plays (apart from the NES, strangely).
Here's the full list of supported formats:
- Famicom
- Super Famicom
- Super Nintendo Entertainment System
- Game Boy
- Game Boy Color
- Game Boy Advance
- Mega Drive
- Genesis
- PC Engine
- TurboGrafx-16
- PC Engine SuperGrafx
There are many similarities between the two consoles. You can use your original controllers (although in the case of the Retro Freak, you'll have to invest in an additional adapter), save states, input cheats, port save data and play games even when the cart's internal battery has died. Various screen and audio filters can be applied, and the signal is sent to your TV in 720p via HDMI.
However, the Retro Freak offers some notable differences. The actual unit is tiny - about the size of a Famicom cartridge - and it slots into the "cartridge adapter" in order to play games. You can actually install games onto the unit itself - rather like dumping a cart using the Retrode 2 - and once you've done that, you can remove the unit from the cartridge adapter and carry it around with you, ready to plug into any nearby TV.
This feature alone will be of particular interest to those with huge collections of carts, as it saves you having to constantly swap them over but neatly overcomes the rather thorny issue of ROM distribution. Another bonus is support for standard USB controllers, although the bundled pad does look quite nice - it reminds us of the Wii Classic Controller.
The system is due for launch this year, but there's no news on whether or not it will make its way out of Japan.
Thanks, Chris Smith!
[source cybergadget.co.jp, via en.rocketnews24.com]
Comments 39
Ohh, want one!
Does it even use NES?
I wonder if the retron 5 will get some sort of add-on to help it compete. I've got one and I'd like to see PCE support. The controller looks nice which is a change from the strange clicky mess of the retron5.
Do you have to dump the games onto the small thing and then connect the small thing to the TV, or can you just have the big thing plugged in all the time and play with the cartridges inserted?
I'm guessing this doesn't support NES games. Also I'm assuming this isn't the final design because it's pretty ugly.
Ugly? I think it looks pretty good.
Also lol at supporting SuperGrafx and its five games, but not NES.
@KeeperBvK Well, Supergrafx can be played in the same slot as Turbo and PCE, SNES and Genesis can be played in the same slots as SFC and MD, while NES would have needed it's own cartridge slot. Since the system is intended for the japanese market, I'm not surprised that they don't prioritize NES.
PC Engine!? SOLD!
I don't even understand how this works.
PC Engine is a HUGE plus, as the original is basically unoptainable at this point.
But the one thing that would get me really interested, an N64 Slot, is missing on pretty much every combo system sigh
@Einherjar Unobtainable? Loose Japanese PC-Engines are easily obatainable via the internet. And they're inexpensive. Should be considerably less than 100 bucks.
If you have the cartridges why purchase emulation hardware? Seems undesirable to me to not run your carts through anything but the original hardware for best results and max nostalgia
no NES? no WAY!
The save states would be great for Pokemon and other RPGs. Saves the trouble of breaking into the cart to replace the battery.
@KeeperBvK Plus shipping, plus customs dues and were at roughly 200+.
I once ordered my Saturn from a US seller, who happend to have a spare PAL model. The console itself cost me roughly 80 bucks. At the end, i spend 150 for everything.
@DreamOn The KEyword is picture quality. Lets face it, older system give out a horrible picture on modern TVs. And CRTs are starting to get rare / faulty. So yeah, i love my nostalgia kick, but most of the time, i prefer a clearer picture.
I'd buy this if they would release a CD add-on which at least lets you play PC Engine CD-games and SEGA CD.
Having Hu-card support only is rather useless as I'd have to have a PC-Engine in order to play the CD games anyway. Same with Sega.
Without NES that's pretty much not better then...
No Master System support, though? A problem with RetroN 5 is that it needs an adapter for the Genesis/MD slot to play those. It would have been nice if they added Master System support to this.
I guess the only way you could play NES games on this thing is by using a converter for the Famicom slot. Same thing for SMS games too maybe.
This literally looks like something I sketched in my school notebook when I was about ten years old. I concocted a console that would play NES, Super NES, Game Boy, Atari, SEGA, etc. games in one unit, with different slots for each cartridge type. I think I called it the "Ultra Game Master 2000" or something like that.
Kind of crazy that some other kid with the same idea actually made it happen all these years later!
@Nintenbomba128
It says Famicom, so yes.
"Another bonus is support for standard USB controllers, although the bundled pad does look quite nice - it reminds us of the Wii Classic Controller."
Yes, because it's an almost perfect clone of the SNES controller.
I'm sorry, what? It has no analog sticks and only two shoulder buttons! Nothing about it should remind anyone of a Wii Classic Controller before the SNES pad!
Looks like they are using the same mold as the Buffalo Classic USB Gamepad, which is pretty much the best clone SNES controller you can buy. I have one sitting on my desk right now. The two small buttons above select and start are a dead giveaway. If I didn't already have a Retron 5 I might be interested, as the USB controller support is intriguing to me. But still, too similar to what I have already.
No N64? Why do these things never ever support N64? over looks it because of that
Stange it has no NES slot yet does famicom!
Guys, just stick an NES adapter into the Fami slot, problem solved. Hyperkin dropped the ball on Retron5. This is doing it right. I will definitely want to import one of these. I hope they have an English Menu option.
This is Japan only at this time, yes? I'm interested in picking one up, if it ever comes to the US.
A retro hybrid clone trying to conquer the market...without NES support!?! Oh dear. No way this is intended for the western markets.
Luckly I have my own early version of the Retro Freak here.
Gee, thanks for showing off a sweet looking machine and then at the end you say your not sure if it will make it out of Japan. Thanks allot!!!!?!
Odd to not have pure NES support when that is one of the bread and butter offerings for most of these clones. Master system games are supposed to work on this with the power base converter like it does with the retron5. I wonder if the famicon to nes converter would work on this as well.
I'd be midly interested (nes is the big potential drawback) in importing this if it proves more stable and reliable than the retron 5.
Well my balls would have dropped for this one but other wise, I own all of those game systems already and I could it run them all from my computer as well ( If I wanted to ).
Again I own all of those. Also the GB/GBC have many other players and the biggest problem with GBC games they do not show right without the proper settings.
I mean seriously alright for dem young-kids this is looking pretty nice. It is also nice for an person who is just discovering videogames. I might have purchased one if my life had not taken an different turn of events.
I like that controller, but I am still waiting for an all-in-one console that can play N64 and Sega Saturn games. My N64 still works fine but the ability to dump the ROM onto the internal drive would be a very nice bonus for when I visit friends houses. As for my interest in Sega Saturn, it's the only 'major' console I've never had a working version of and I have a few games from there I want to play.
will it play n64 games an pc roms??
@Einherjar
@DreamOn
Completely right - I recently tried to get my Megadrive and Snes up and running on a new TV but Unfortunately modern TV's don't even want to touch any signal from years past. Loved ones might not want any chunky CRT's taking up space in the living room either!
you need an tv-box. The current DISPLAY PANELS are not using "Verticies" ( it will display any image at the same size ) but are using "resolution". In fact display panels are poor AND VERY POOR compared to real televisions. If you ever see an giant 200" tv outside or being sold in stores you should grab one. Some are garbage but others are great with great image. You can never beat a price on that kind of imagery.
So you can either get an
A. Tv-box ( which has all kinds of settings )
B. An real Tv (not an display panel ).
Displays the ones we have now are in now way to be considered or called televisions at all. They are just poor versions of TV that are flat.
If your house is too tiny for an real TV then get an bigger house.
Also the display of most early games on televisions should not really be affected so much. As the game systems uses PIXELS and not images. Games that uses Images or an high amount of colors will suffer in appearance.
My apple Cinema display ( with no reflection ) everything from VHS recordings is smooth but any videogame that uses images ( like the unofficial Sonic Heroes ) will suffer in appearance. In fact in "Sonic Heroes" on the PC ( an 2d game ). The sprites look great but the Character icon is BLURRED..
So do not really blame the tv for displaying poorly blame the game maker for using images over pixels in the wrong area.
No N64 support for both machines. Guess, I have to wait and keep my original N64 to my tube tv sighs
If a company would make a piece of hardware that could properly display my N64 games in HD, I would be all over it. I have an AV2HD upscaler that works decently well, but on some games the blurriness and darkness still makes it difficult to see. Playing the sewer level of Shadows of the Empire is IMPOSSIBLE for instance.
No NES support without a third party adapter, and no support for original controllers without a $40 added purchase for the module. This may fly well in asian markets where this was designed but as it is, it won't fly well here against the Retron 5.
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