Old Skool's Classiq 2 HD Plays SNES And NES Carts, Costs Less Than The SNES Classic Mini

But will it play the games well?

Yes, it does cost less, but with no games, and we all Know Snes Cartridges are not Cheap!

A different 'beast' entirely. May be good, may blow - my money is on the latter - but the SNES Classic is a Plug n' Play device preloaded with 21 games which would cost you an arm and a leg to source, so good luck with that...

Looks decent for what it is, and the controllers look great too (which is rare with these clone systems).

Factor in the cost of those 20 games on cart, plus one which doesn't even exist on cart...

Looks like a lump of junk. Another famiclone. Good luck buying this and the 20 snes games the mini has for less than a mini. As I have said before you are comparing a different device from a different market. This could only appeal to those who already own enough original carts to utilise a clone console... Even then I feel sorry for anyone who buys this, original hardware much better.

I'd rather the Retron 5 as it can play NES, SNES, Genesis (Mega Drive), GB, GBC, GBA and a few others.

Although I'm sticking to eventually getting a SNES mini...
...hopefully

If it can play flash carts... maybe.

Is it a fpga, or software emulation?

But is it accurate or are they sourcing the same trash that hypercrud does? It's no good if the HDMI looks like a poorly bypassed RCA input, nor is it any good if it junks out on multiple carts (likely chipped releases.)

All these clone consoles are trash. They can never get the sound right and some games just flat out don't work correctly. I bought one a few years ago and had to return it because it started smoking after 20 minutes of play!

Until there's an N64 clone in HD, I'm not buying anymore clones, got way too many NES, Genesis, and Super NES clones as is though I do like the controllers on this so I may check those out.

I love my RetroDuo (but yes, you need to do an easy sound mod), but with HD output and NES and SNES controller ports, this clone could be an obvious upgrade. Interested to see this in action....

Am I the only one who wishes that they would stop promoting these cheap pieces of crap? Yes, they may be able to play the cartridges of both the NES/SNES for a cheaper price, but----the controllers are crap, the emulation is crap, and these things are made from the cheapest plastic/components around! I had a third-party NES handheld (the FC Mobile), and it was broken within three weeks, but not before destroying a few of my games.

Stick with the real thing, or go with the Classic. Honestly, from all of my experience with third-party hardware revivals, I've come to realize that the only companies that can do these things justice are the companies who created the hardware in the first place!

you see? this is want i need! a ton of old SNES cartridges and no SNES! this is what i wanted, not a short choice of games that are preinstalled on the system already

Again comparing this to the snes mini , it's not the same thing ! As someone already mentioned buying this and 20 snes games would cost loads ! I don't think anyone who wanted a snes mini would necessarily go out and buy this . The whole point of the snes mini is it's a plug and go product this is a clone system , very different products

It's neat, but, nah.

A crappy emulator console does not equal a quality, Nintendo produced item. It's no substitute.

@AlbertXi right. For fun I was looking up the cost of catridges on various places and just Zelda, and mario alone will run you at least half the cost of the snes classic. Unless you can find it for a hell of a deal the snes classic is really a great deal.

How it performs under various conditions, & its emulation prowess are the ultimate tests for products such as these.

Honestly, Nintendo could probably kill its VC line on its current-gen console(s), & make a mint, manufacturing a new line of products, specifically made up of retro hardware, & software. I wouldn't be surprised if they did such a thing.

As others have said, this is primarily for those, who already have at least 1 Nes, &/or SNes cartridge. This might be a viable option for some.

For me, I would prefer either official Nintendo emulation programming, or purchasing an actual SNes, w/ games.

Edit: As I said in another article, just days ago, the Mini is not for me personally, as 6/21 games I am not into, & the rest I have on the Wii mode of my WU.

Edit #2: One reason I can see Nintendo continuing its VC on currently supported consoles, is that there will always be a need for an extra controller, specifically designed to meet the # of buttons, ergonomic, & other needs of retro systems.

Edit #3: The controllers for this might be poor quality, but I do love that purple color scheme.

Yet another cheap clone console that just throws a noac and snoac together with an analog-to-hdmi converter chip.

@marnelljm Not all clones are crap, but the ones that aren't (such as the Analogue Nt and the AVS from RetroUSB), use either reproduced boards or FPGA's and both solutions make for a pretty expensive but pixel perfect effort, but it does come at a cost.

Having said that, considering the cost of this new clone, I'd agree with you, because the one mentioned here probably doesn't have an FPGA board or spare NES parts in it, so that's definitely a crappy clone...

As others have already said, the price comparison is useless, since you'd have a console without games, so having to buy all these cartridges for it (some costing an arm and a leg, and one not even available at all) would make this a FAR more expensive alternative.

And the emulation will more than likely be far worse as well, so thanks, but no thanks...

@Arehexes

More than likely clone. With the price of the RetroAVS being what it is (and it’s only an FPGA for NES/Famicom) there’s no way this is FPGA for NES AND SNES.

Another clone, another [removed] piece of hardware

_{@gblock Mind your language - Octane}

@gblock I wish Nintendolife would stop promoting these things. It feels like these pages are more of a jerking off job promoting a product they didn't test. Because this article stinks of a press release with a editorial header. Even more annoying is they wrote this like it's a great alternative to a SNES classic or NES classic. When you still have to buy the carts. You're better off getting a real system with a flash cart if you want to go that route. The only thing lacking is HDMI out, but if you care at that point just get a emulator and a nes/snes usb controller.

Again, just buy a real SNES, a flash cart, and HD Retrovision component cables.

Not bad. I may have get this. Sure it may not play all games and may have its issues... but for what it offers. I like it.

I own a SNES and a Retron 1 so I may have to pass on this, but if the inaccurate sound on the Retron continues to bother me I just might give in.

Can I sell it for 300$ on ebay though? ))