Topic: Retron from hyperkin and other cartridge taking systems

I was hooked up this month after struggling with Sega Genesis (should've tried the AV cables instead of the hdmi adapters) and presumed it was my TV. The guy at the store instead let me get this Retron NES console and so I got that with $30 credit for games, so I got Faxanadu, Renegade, Xenophobe and Iron Tank. I set it up and they worked fine, just not with the hdmi for some reason.

I'll say I'm getting the NES/SNES/Genesis Retron next and while I feel like NES is fine, its EXTREMELY archaic compared to the Genesis which has actual graphics. SNES looks great also, but most games I covet are going to be on Genesis with titles like Metal Gear and Sweet Home being target goals for my NES Retron.

And yeah with machines falling apart and prices getting higher and higher more people should know about these, at least this company's. I'd list more if I knew what was trustworthy, I'm not sure whats a chinese IED or a legit console that won't damage anything/catch fire.

These retron consoles seem like a good deal of you want to focus more on collecting and playing games rather than systems. However, as to consoles ‘falling apart’ is that not more of an issue with disc based systems with all their moving parts? My Mega Drive is 31 years old and has never needed more than a dust inside and a clean of the plastic parts. I have a Master System 2 that is a year older and only needed a clean too. Old cartridge systems are tanks if looked after properly and a bit of rubbing alcohol on the contacts of the carts and adapter does wonders.

@Gamecuber

Gamecube has been having a really bad time with discrot

@Coderedfield47 sorry to hear that. I still have my original GameCube games from 2003 onwards (around 90+) and none of them have any signs of disc rot. The real problem seems more with the lasers of disc based consoles. I’ve had to have my Wii disc drive replaced once and my GameCube laser can stop working (but rarely, no more than more modern systems crash and need restarting). As I stated above, older cartridge based systems like the Mega Drive only ever seem to have an issue with dust/dirt on the contacts that is solved with very basic cleaning.

@Gamecuber Almost every GameCube I have bought in the past ten years has only worked for a bit before the laser stopped reading discs. I have bought them from Ebay, local retro game stores, flea markets and even from thrift stores and the end results is the same. It's a shame too cause I have a bunch of GameCube games I would love to play.

@Tasuki sorry to hear that. I don’t have my original Cube from 2003, as I gave it to a friend in 2009 when I got my Wii, but a second Cube I bought second hand in 2012 is still going strong.

If you have a bunch of GameCube games you want to play a great alternative is getting a first generation Wii instead. It is 100% backwards compatible with all GameCube games and has flaps at the side that come down to reveal 4 controller inputs and two memory card slots. It also has the benefit of being able to output over component cable which are a fraction of the cost of the cables on a cube.

I find 1st Gen Wiis regularly in charity shops going for very little money. Plus with a bit of effort you can mod it to play every virtual console game ever released on the Wii Shop. Along with GameCube backwards compatibility my Wii is a retro beast!

The thing to understand about devices like Retron is that they're emulation system with a cartridge dumper.

Emulation is fine up to a point, but it's not a completely faithful experiences and probably a fair bit less accurate than free emulators that you could run on a PC. I'll grant that not every one wants to permanently hook up a PC to their living room TV though.

The latter also has its limitations in that not all cartridges can be dumped, particularly those including custom chips that communicate with the console in real time, as well as recent homebrew that may include measures to defeat cartridge dumpers. There's usually a way to get around it by downloading copies of games from somewhere on the internet, but if you're looking for a way to legally play cartridges that you legitimately own, that's probably not how you'd want to go about it.

That's not to say that they're a complete waste of time or anything. Just temper your expectations, have a good check of the compatibility lists, and ideally try to see one in action before you buy.

I have some experience with the Retron 3(?). It's the one that plays (S)NES & Genesis games. The one I used had slots for all 3 cart types, Red/White/Yellow cords only, a couple of 6 button Genesis-like IR controllers, and ports for all 3 controller types.

The IR controller was used for all games. A & B were flipped for NES, SNES, and Genesis(!), while X & Y were flipped for SNES & Genesis(!). C & Z became L & R on SNES. There was lag with the controller as well as lost signal if it wasn't pointed at the console like a remote. Both issues got better once I got SNES controllers, however you can only use regular controllers with the carts they're made for.

I didn't have any game that was unplayable with it, although I know there are some. I did have some sound issues in Lufia 1, and I had to slam the Spawn cart hard into the slot to get it to load even after good cleanings (it also didn't do this on my SNES). I also remember 1 slot gripping the carts way too hard.

I ended up getting an official SNES over this, but that was mainly because there wern't many NES games I wanted to play, and most Genesis games I wanted were on my PS3 collection.