Hyperkin's RetroN HD Runs NES Games In 720p, Arrives Later This Month

The NES Classic Mini is enough for me. This is a good price though and it performs a different function and the controller cord is long enough.

@SLIGEACH_EIRE That's cool and all for the 0.1% that own an NES Classic, but this is the best viable alternative in the market... now if they're able to make a Mega Drive eqivalent...

Hypercan what Nintencan't.

Something needs to come out that has a similar interface to the NES classic and the ability to add all the games/systems a hacked classic can do. I looked into the raspberry pi but it doesn't seem as easy or friendly as hakchi

I'm weary of hyperkin after their previous retron consoles so we'll see how it goes. No plans on buying one of these, I have 2 working NES and as it is (and a Mini NES too but that doesn't really count) and if I was going to buy a clone console, the RetroUSB AVS is top of my list.

Doesn't the original Retron 5 suffer from bad input lag? I've never played one so I don't know how noticeable it is, I just know you need all the help you can get on lots of those rock hard NES games!

I personally much prefer having an AV Famicom, Everdrive and a CRT. I'm not really into playing retro games on 40"+ HD TVs. But this looks a good proposition for those that do and don't need the extra functionality of the Retron 5.

A much superior product to the NES Mini. At least it gives people another option, seeing as Nintendo don't want their money.

I'm sure this will be easier to find than a NES Mini.

At that price I'm guessing it's a system-on-a-chip with a built-in HDMI upscaler

that's a great price

A surprisingly decent looking device. Usually these clone consoles are really fugly (unless they're the really expensive premium ones).

Price seems fair

Either this is an NOAC clone with cheap upscaler, or a dumper/emulator like the Retron5. Both laggy and unacceptible IMO, each solution comes with their own set of issues.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IIJQFcPzhoA

If you really need an HDMI NES, get an AVS from RETROUSB. It's lag free and 100% compatible, even plays flash carts.

Great price.

I'm so sad.

The cable doesn't look 10ft in the image!

is this an emulator box again or an FGPA board? if its the latter I'm potentially interested.

Looks nice but wait to see what emulation quality is like first

Thats a fair price, but i'll wait for the snes mini, thanks a bunch !!

Thanks I'm good with NES Classic Mini

Very nice!

This kicks the NES Classic's behind. Def gonna preorder....

@Anguspuss I just read it doesn't emulate. It's all hardware driven!

I don't see the point to having NES games in HD. It's not like it would make much of a difference.

@BulbasaurusRex No, it does. The difference between the wiggly fuzzy signal through oldy cables and a nice crisp one through HDMI is pretty big if done correctly.

Still, for that nostalgic feel, I play with the retro filters on anyway. lol.

Some people may not have a CRT tv and thus have no way to connect an NES to their HD TV. This seems to be a legit alternative since it doesn't use emulation but real hardware.

At least it did something the Gamerz Tek 8-Bit HD from last year didn't do, have a switch for 16:9 and 4:3. Anyways if you already got an NES Classic Edition, a Retro Pie, or the AVS this is just another afterthoughts and you best just ignore it like the Analog Nt and Gamerz Tek 8-Bit HD console.

I like the styling. Ill wait for the reviews before recommending it to friends. Hopefully its good, as that price is very attractive.

I grew up in the 80s and already own multiple versions of the NES, so its not for me, but I know many friends who should be interested.

@retro_player_22

I will say this, the analogue NT, the original one, is awesome! The facts thst its built with original NES parts is great. I also love the fact that it can play and hookup any and all Famicom accessories from Japan. I got a Famicom disk system hooked up to mine.

And that form factor! I love it. The price wasnt for everyone, I know, but what a cool system for a collector.

The display of these cheaper clones has gotten better but if the input lag is prominent, this will be another pass. Nice tight, immediately responsive controls are a must for nearly all NES games.

I'd be surprised to meet an NES enthusiast that didn't have an all original setup, it's just part of being an enthusiast I would have to think...

Might as well wait for the Retrobit Super Retro Trio HD, its due out this month. Does everything the Hyperkin model does and more, including the ability the play SNES and Genesis games. It will also play Everdrive flash karts, something the Retron consoles have not supported thus far.

@BulbasaurusRex it's more an issue of giving a modern tv a signal it likes or can use in the first place. Some TVs don't do well with 240p signals, I believe. 240p would have to be upscaled to be fullscreen. Many TVs have issues upscaling, resulting in display issues and lag. For example, connecting SNES and Genesis to one TV I have resulted in display artifacts and choppy motion. Bad TV upscalers make old games look horrible, worse than they should. Good upscalers make the games look like they're supposed to.

@TenEighty Hardware driven or not, it is still emulating. The question is, if they went with an FPGA, or a NOAC for their hardware emulation. Given the price, I would guess NOAC, which would mean the same problems their consoles have had for years, only 96%+ compatibility, poor sound, bad colors, glitches, no compatibility with future games such as Homebrew.

If they pull off an FPGA for $40 I would be shocked and in line to buy one.

@AG_Awesome The Retron 5 can have any NES, SNES, GENESIS, GB, ETC rom on a flash cart to auto load. As close to the interface as the NES mini as you can get I'd say.

As far as input lag, as long as you set up your console/tv settings correct, it is unnoticeable.

I enjoy mine, but with that being said, the original consoles can never be beat as far as quality.

@jbopatrick I will get one pre-ordered soon but obviously will have to wait and see. Either way, not bad for $40 USD.

@NinChocolate Right, this would be just a secondary system for playing on a newer HD television. Having an original console and an older tube television or professional CRT would offer a true retro experience. This would be a nice secondary system for those who can't afford the AnalogueNT.

This looks amazing. I own many NES games but I haven't played any of them in so long since my system doesn't work with my TV. I even own a few Japanese and NA games which I never got to play.

I didn't get a chance to get a NES mini so this is tempting for me. I hope it runs games well though.

@TenEighty I'm in the same boat on this one. As it uses real cartridges there isn't the need for wrapper files and the like that the NES Classic Mini has to use which without all of them makes emulating all games impossible. But then this is still likely emulating original hardware and may have it's own set of issues. Still it looks promising and the price is right, but I'll consider cancelling if it doesn't perform that well. Though if you have classic NES games $40 still isn't a bad price for whats on offer.

@Nico07 I no longer have a NES but still have carts. So this will be nice. I've been waiting for one with an HDMI output.

@8-Bit_Zorldo @Deanster101
At $40 I'd very highly doubt it's packing an FPGA. Those are still expensive, high-precision chips.

Given Hyperkin's history, and the fact that it's using the RetroN name, my best guess is that this is a stripped down RetroN 5 with only the onboard (and possibly license-violating) NES emulator.

@sdelfin That's why I keep an old CRT set around for these old systems (even my Wii), or you can get one of the other clone systems that uses component cables and displays just fine on a modern TV.

Besides, I wouldn't want it upscaled to fullscreen anyway, as that would either ruin the aspect ratio or cut off the top and/or bottom of the picture. Give me the correct and full picture with black bars over fullscreen any day.

@LiberatedAnimal Well, the Retro Duo/Trio (my clone system of choice) uses the original hardware architecture instead of emulation, so it has 100% compatibility, good picture and sound, and no input lag as long as you play it on a CRT.

This feels like a waste. We're already hitting the point where older cartridges are at the end of their lifespan. The manufacturing process for the chips determines the lifespan, but 30-40 years is really about all you can expect at the very best.

Emulation, if done properly, can be 100% accurate-- there are about three or four that get extremely close right now-- but the underlying OS is still a problem point for lag. Both Android and Windows are not suitable for avoiding latency.

As for upscaling, 720p is the perfect resolution for NES as 3x scaling will perfectly fit the game with no distortion (240p x3) whereas 1080p isn't going to be a perfect match. Of course, once we get up to 4K and higher, that's not going to matter as much as imperfections will get small enough to be virtually unnoticeable.

We've seen a dozen or so of these systems, and they're usually not worth the price. If you want software emulation, just play it on your PC. If you want hardware emulation, buy a RetroUSB AVS. Thats still the one to beat in terms of price/quality IMO.

For this price point, I'm assuming it'll once again be an emulation machine. Seems too cheap for an FPGA.

At least it'll be interesting to see what licenses Hyperkin is going to violate this time around.

@BulbasaurusRex That's a fine option, but not everyone can or wants a CRT at this point. CRTs won't last forever and it's certainly a good thing to have options. But the point of having NES games "in HD" is to give LCD screens a picture it can display with minimal processing on the TV's end. It makes a big difference. As I said, one TV I have mangles the picture very badly on old systems hooked up with composite.

The Hyperkin consoles I have all lack build quality. The Retron 3 controllers were rubbish, compatibility was okish. The Retron5 arrived late, expensive, with really poor ergonomic controllers, it couldn't play flash carts, had an block on playing roms and my Md/Genesis cart slot failed. Not to mention the unlicensed software. This is being released on the back of the Nes mini. I hope they put the required care and attention to the console.

No thanks. RetroUSB AVS is the way to go.

Nope. Hyperkin do not make quality consoles.
I love both my nes classic edition and original nes, but the only true way to play a classic system for me is on a crt tv.

What's the point in 720p NES games?

@Setery10 it's really just a matter of having the image processing done before outputting it to the TV since many modern HDTVs do a bad job of upscaling the old systems. The point is to keep modern TVs from processing the image into an ugly mess and possibly adding extra lag in the process.

@OorWullie

More like what Nintenwon't

Anyway, that's nice looking

@sdelfin Like I said, just use a clone system with component cables. That should work just fine on modern TVs without having to splurge for the more expensive HD version. If necessary, turn off all the fancy extra processing options on the TV.

@bezerker99 I'll believe it when I see a few teardowns. Retron is notorious for telling fairy tales. I'm guessing it's still emulating games.

@Robotron2084 IKR? I might even get one.

@SmaMan yep I have a feeling that's the case too, and they will want to retain save states/ filters etc so I guess it makes commercial sense for them. Still a shame though.

FYI I just use the original consoles, original hardware is still the best for me and I've tried a few clones in my time, both emulators and clone hardware. If it has to be a clone then the best NES clone is the AVS, it's upscaled to 720p but it's an FPGA (programmable chip) so it mimics the hardware a lot better and is reasonably priced.

@OorWullie You're wrong about that. Nintendo CAN make more NES Classics Minis if they want to. They chose not to. So Hypercan while NIntendon't.

@Mart1ndo Don't buy one

Still better than paying some scalping loser for an NES mini.

@Deanster101 I agree. I have my NES hooked up to an EDTV ( a 4:3, 480p display doesn't make the 240p over composite look so fugly), and the AVS is hooked up to my projector via a receiver.

AVS is definitely king of the clones:
https://youtu.be/tb3ZmRTS_FU

@OorWullie
Hilarious
Hyperdo what Nintendon't.

@StuOhQ hey nice setup

Do we really need another NES clone console? Where are the N64 HD clones? It's been almost fifteen years since it was discontinued and I'd really like to be able to play my Rareware games in HD without a dodgy emulator or an equally dodgy console mod.

@Firehawke

240p scales perfectly 9x or 720p 3x for 4k.

@JohnGrey N64 is too complex to slap on a chip. It would be a buggy emulation box, if at all. Even Raspberry Pi struggles to have enough horsepower to emulate N64, so we have a while to go yet.

Rumors from some tech insiders claim certain patents have not expired yet. This is why we see N64 clone controllers but not systems currently.

@OorWullie
More like "what Nintenwon't"

@JohnGrey the Ultra HDMI is definitely not dodgy. I'm thinking of getting that mod very soon.

@cleveland124 Right, if you're not using scanlines. After all, NES is 240p only. SNES and newer have higher resolution modes where it won't be an even match but at 4K the distortions are minimally visible.

@AG_Awesome retropie isn't difficult to set up at all

@subpopz Good luck not having it look like crap on an HDTV XD

I'd go for retrousb's AVS. You pay more, but with Hyperkin you get what you pay for in a bad kind of way. I'm anxious to see how lacking the audio is on this thing or if they've fixed it. Still, my AVS plays Nintendo and Famicom games in HD with more features. Any game the original played, it will, too. No problems with CV3, for example. Good build quality, too, and four NES ports.

@GravyThief I'm with you. Give me the original console and a CRT TV

There is no way this is emulation based at this price point, and FPGA is out of the question for a cheap mass produced item. That means we have a NOAC chip sending composite out to an internal scaling chip here. No thanks, Hyperkin.

@Firehawke Nonsense, there has been no mass die-off with cartridge media. Out of thousands of Atari 2600 cartridges dating to 1977 for example, I've had one dead cartridge and that was revived by reflowing a bit of solder.

Short of some Tengen carts on the Genesis that are failing en masse (But can be revived since it's the cheap PCB and not the rom chip itself that is failing, by transplanting it to another board), there have been no widespread issues.

Heck, a lot of people still have save functionality in the original Legend of Zelda with the original battery.

I also am not so sure we need to see 720 Degrees in 720p.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o087gwEhOdM

Start making GBC stuff and I'll buy.

@GoneFishin Not yet, but it's coming. The lifespan on the manufacturing process used on the 2600 chips was rated at 40 years at most.

@Firehawke I've been a member of AtariAge for years which is full of experts. I'm sure I'd of saw it somewhere if that was indeed the case. So I see no need for any concern.

@subpopz . If it wasn't a matter of luck, none of these companies would bother including the upscaling with these units. It's not exaggeration. It's just a game of chance with the LCD HDTVs. The LCD TV I've used most does a terrible job with old systems, specifically the Genesis/Mega Drive and the SNES which I tested with composite. Aside from the ugly image quality, it created other problems. It made a smooth-running Genesis/Mega Drive game run choppy. And it caused some odd display issues on the SNES. I didn't even bother to test for control lag. I've been able to compare the results to CRT and to an old XRGB upscaler. The TV does a terrible job with the systems connected directly. Sadly, I think such poor upscaling by TVs is rather common.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not knocking how you do things by using original hardware. It's a good way to do things. I have a number of old systems that I still use. But I don't think it's an exaggeration what some of these TVs can do to these old systems between dreadful image quality and significant input lag. That's why people use XRGB units and why these clone systems are outputting 720p natively.

I bought the Retron HD from ebay recently after looking at some reviews on youtube. Games run well and brought back childhood days magic. However the Reset button is not working well for me. There is no other option to go back to the main menu other than reset button. My catridge shows malfunction when reset...got disappointed for this. If there could be a back button or Main menu button, it would be so helpful.