The Retro-Bit RetroDuo clone console may have been surpassed by Hyperkin's Retron 5 and the Super Retro Trio, but it's still a neat little system which allows you to play your old Nintendo games without having to have multiple consoles connected to your television set.
The unit is now being reissued in very limited quantities as a special "Mascot Edition", which is clearly based on Nintendo's famous character, Mario. The RetroDuo plays SNES and NES games - as well as their Japanese counterparts - and accepts original SNES controllers.
The retail price is expected to be $59.99, and you'll be able to pre-order the system over at distributor Innex.
Are you interested in owning a console that comes in Mario's colours, or do you think the more recent clone systems are a better investment? Let us know by posting a comment.
Comments 28
Peice of sh*t.
I'm not sure if I want this or not
Only retro console I use now is an N64, it's the only console that Nintendo doesn't want to bring onto the Wii U right now.
@Bushido_Fai
Are you speaking from experience or perception?
@Flopsy86
The GameCube isn't on there, either.
For that matter, the Wii U has barely a shadow of the VC console offerings of the original Wii.
Hell, on top of that, if you're relying on the Wii U VC to get a classic games fix, you're going to miss out on over 90% of what was offered. Contra, for instance, isn't on there.
@DiscoGentleman
Yeah, it's a pretty ghastly color scheme.
It could be any mascot, though blue/red/yellow would be Mario-ish. How's the emulation quality? High-level, or low-level emulation for FC/Nes/SFC/SNes? I mean, I could google it, but I have a feeling someone here knows more, that I can readily ask them. I find a lot of these kinds of systems on e-Bay, making searches an adventure of exact search query.
@DiscoGentleman: It's certainly bright on the eyes!
@Quorthon: That's why it's always good to keep games, & consoles, except for ones you are fine permanently parting w/. That's my way of thinking, when deciding to keep, or sell a console/game.
I have a Retro Duo. The controller is pretty bad, but the system is nice enough and compatible with SNES controllers. It's really small so for years it was an easy way to cart NES/SNES games around to other places. For $60 it's not a bad system, much better than some other clones out there with good compatibility and durable enough to have lasted me for at least 5 years and running.
The controller in particular is pretty bad...
@bngrybt: @Pixel-Perfect: Thanks for the input.
I LOVE my retro duo, but c'mon, these are not collectible by any stretch. Just a bad idea (and bad execution).
If you had a Super Retro Trio and/or RetroN 5, just ignore this one. Sure it could play Castlevania 3 and Super Mario RPG but the controller performance is very poor and the graphics quality fell even behind that of the FC Twin. If you haven't buy any clone system yet and is looking to go retro, find yourself an actual NES & Super NES instead or just get the Super Retro Trio (at least that one had better controllers).
The console is nice enough (not amazing but nice enough), as in it works with those 3 colours the way they are used imo, but the controller looks a bit off. It makes the controller look like it's made of too few colours for some reason, like it's a budget restraint as opposed to an intentional part of the design. I think it's using the red for the circle areas and yellow for all the other buttons that's not quite right. I think it would have been better to make the controller say maybe red on the front half and blue on the back half, then had the normal various coloured buttons and control pads etc, or something like that.
A bit like this I guess: http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--J0gkElX4--/c_fit,fl_progressive,q_80,w_636/ijlzfmvpckowjvqegloc.jpg
or this: http://fc09.deviantart.net/fs70/f/2012/358/d/7/custom_super_mario_n64_controller_by_zoki64-d5p1lql.jpg
Or maybe even this: http://www.funshopnet.com.br/imagens/funshopnet.com.br/produtos/Wii/wii_remote_plus_mario_2.JPG
@bngrybt For $10 more you could just get the Super Retro Trio and add Genesis compatibility to your library plus two superior controllers. Though if you still have your Retro Duo console, get this controller. It works 10x better than the one the Retro Duo came with, almost as good as the ones that came with the Super Retro Trio.
@retro_player_22 That controller looks cool. I still have some old SNES pads kicking around and that's what I've been using though. I have a retron 5 now too so my duo is mostly retired, but it's still nice to have as a backup system. If the trio is only $10 more though that seems like a better option for sure.
@retro_player_22 so would you consider this controller to be a legit 3rd party alternative? I've had tons of worthless 3rd party snes controllers with wonky dpads and non responsive buttons, so if this is a well working one I may pick one up on your suggestion. I always end up replacing the pads in my first party ones, but it'd be nice to scoop some brand new and good controllers.
damn, that's one fugly console
@LavaTwilight huh? just look at it, you can tell its a peice of sh*t! also, it only plays old games, hence you can play games in HD or even 3D!
I guess the price may vary but I had a silver one which I bought on ebay for around $70.
@Djreisat I recently bought one on ebay two months ago. It's from TTX, make sure it's the one that had the Super Famicom style buttons and not the light and dark purple one (cuz those ones sucks).
This one:
Not this one:
Cuz the light and dark purple one had a very flimsy d-pad, on fighting games like Street Fighter II if you press forward, your character will jump instead of move, this was fix on the other controller (the above one).
The Retro Duo Mascot Edition came out over two years ago...
http://www.amazon.com/MASCOT-EDITION-RetroDuo-RETROBIT-Nintendo-Super/product-reviews/B007ZJRO1M/ref=dp_top_cm_cr_acr_txt?ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=1
@Capt_N
I only ever sold off a console once--my original PS1. I rather wish I didn't, but I needed money at the time.
Now I have two of them.
I mean I get the connection to color scheme here, but I'm still getting zero Super Mario vibes off this thing.
It looks hideous, really.
I chose the Retron 5 over the other emulation systems. Very pleased with it all, other than the time I damaged the NES port after pulling out a cart - it's very stiff. I recommend it, though I haven't tried the retro-bit efforts.
@retro_player_22 thanks. I'll look into them!
How is this new? I've had this very mascot edition for about a year now.
By the way, it looks just fine. I actually prefer this color scheme over the original Retro Duo color scheme.
The color is very... Bright?
It looks ugly.
@Quorthon Depends on what you actually consider as retro. If you consider pre-2000 as retro for gaming then of course GC doesn't count.
@Grumblevolcano
Retro could be anything depending on your age. For me, I consider Generations 1~4 to be largely "retro." A lot of that is around concepts and styles, and limited technology of the time. I don't personally consider the GameCube "retro" and the N64 is a gray area.
But I may also use the word lazily. Though it does feel weird for kids to call the PS1 or N64 "retro" consoles.
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