Famicom was the Japanese NES, they never stopped using it in Japan in lieu of the NES. They had a different form factor in Japan for region locking reasons (but a simple FAM to NES adapter will allow you to use it).
Another great video Gamester 81! Also, the controller port that was a mystery is the famicom expansion port. It was for the light gun (obviously would not work on flatscreens) but they also released controllers for that port. Keep up the great work!
My only concern with these expensive clone consoles is that an old pentium 4 with a simple graphics card can run all those emulators, + support HD and SSD functionality. If this is a rom dump type system, then what would be the point? Especially since you can buy usb NES, SNES, etc controllers for a more authentic experience. And you can get the N64 emulator too on a PC. Pc's like that would only cost 100 bucks on ebay and could support HDMI even. So any good arguments to this besides cartridge loading, since, its a rom dump anyways.
+joshua powell another option would be the old Wii I guess, which is easily modified to play ROM dumps, can support more systems, offers wireless controller support, and is pretty much same sized as this thing. if someone's on a budget, the Wii can be picked up for a lot less money
+joshua powell that's true, but seeing as this console dumps the ROM anyway, is there much argument to favour using a proper cartridge? ...besides the satisfaction of seeing the label art and that nice "clunk" feeling from pressing them onto the slot. Controllers is valid point though I agree, definitely nicer to be able to use the proper intended controller for each game
A couple of things you forgot to mention: Works with PS4/PS3 controllers Can remove the slots and just use the tiny console in the back and play the ROMs without the cartridge.
@Gamerster81 Dude you so need the hat back. I feel its part of your brand and plus you look waaay cooler!! You definitely brung my love back for Retro Games with your videos!
Thanks for another unbiased review. It’s not always an easy thing to give your honest onion without losing sight of other people’s perspective and what might be important to them. I have to say you do a better job of it than most. And as someone who looks a lot of reviews before putting money down on anything. I really appreciate it.
John, you forgot that you can separate the unit in the back. Really convenient if you have a lot of games on the sd-card and want to bring the console to a friend. Then the system is not much bigger than your phone. Great video! :D
The weird port on the controller adapter is a Famicom expansion port. You can plug in a light gun, Famicom Power Glove, and 3rd party controllers for the Famicom.
Huge fan of the channel and everything you do. Really enjoy the rush of "NEStalgia" I get from viewing your videos. Keep up the awesome work you've got a major fan in me and I look forward to your future videos. I myself am a citizen of Phoenix and it's always awesome seeing other Arizonans make an impact on the "vast abyss of ridicule and hypocrisy"" that the Internet was always destined to become. Anyways keep enduring the critz and know I and probably most of your other viewers will always continue to support what you're about.
Another thing to note is that you can release the portion on the bottom from the piece with the cartridge slots. This makes it easier to have your games on the sd card and just take it to a friend's and play without dealing with carts, and it makes it more portable!
Ohhh this one has me almost wanting to buy it.... Right now I use PC/Android stuff for emulation but I do love my collection of physical media... I have games for every system that the Retro Freak supports, well except SuperGrafx but those are hard to come by outside of eBay. Fantastic video! Thank you for reviewing this fascinating machine (so on the fence on buying one.)
This is probably in the comments somewhere already, but all the GB options are available in the game settings. You can choose GB, GBC, Super Game Boy, or Auto, I believe. I put in an original GB game with Super Game Boy features on auto and it displayed the full color extras.
First big question would be about the licensing of the emulation software since that was a big deal for some with the Retron 5. Is the Retro Freak the same situation or did they take a different route? Does the Sega Master System adapter for the Genesis sold by Stone Age Gamer work on this system? Do the RetroBit cartridge adapters made for the SNES that allow it to play NES games and others work on the Retro Freak? Can other USB controllers like the iBuffalo SNES style controller be used?
Do you know if this console supports the translation patch feature that the RetroN5 supports? I want one of these but that would be a deal breaker for me.
+Robert Santellan (Your Geeky Tipster) John said you could just load a rom on there, so yes it could play patched rom. not sure if live patch IPS, but definitely can patch the rom yourself or downloaded prepatched roms.
So far if you want the ultimate retro game machine I suggest you to get a Raspberry Pi 3 and install RetroPie on it. It emulates almost all of the retro consoles. The raspberry costs 35USD, all you need is a power adapter, case, hdmi cable and a controller. You can download the roms from the internet, it also has Kodi which allows you to stream movies and series in full HD. So in my opinion the best retro machine. And it's extremely small. So you could take it with you when you go on holiday.
it does play nes games out of the box, but you have to put the rom on an sd card, or use a famicom to nes adapter. they now seem to do a standard(this one), and a premium version with the cart adapters.
I just don't see the draw of these pricy and limited emulation boxes. For $25 you could buy an Amazon Fire TV Stick the size of a lack of gum, and load tons of emulators and roms. It runs classic Atari (2600, 5200, 7800), PSP, DS, N64, Neo-Geo, hundreds of arcade roms via MAME, and much more. It will also run at 1080p (or even 4k with the second revision). Not only that, but it's also an amazing media streaming device with KODI (Android build). I have all of my DVDS and Blu-Ray discs converted to MKV videos and they are shared on a 5 TB hdd. And more... Full Google Chrome web browser. Netflix, RUclips, Amazon Video, Prime Music, Amazon Photos, HBO Go, Showtime, and so on... Tons of Android apps such as Pinball Arcade, TellTaleGames apps.
Yeah man, great suggestion! The Wii was a great little machine and even better with the Homebrew Channel. The original Xbox also had a great homebrew/emulation community. The emulators were excellent on it and even ran in 720p (some at 1080I) with the HD component cable. The only downside is its size and that it runs kind of loud compared to the Wii..
+videogameobsession I couldn't agree with you more, there are much better options out there than these android consoles. Mod an original Xbox stick in a bigger hard drive and put CoinOPS on there and your set.
I'm gonna say this straight up dude: If I wasn't more invested into my handhelds like I am now I probably would pick this up cos the way I look at it is its value for money cos how much do some of those systems go for that it emulates? Yeah I think that is well worth it enough and for someone like me that would never get to play a TG-16 or PC-E this would be perfect I MIGHT have to get me one of these after Christmas cos I bought too much stuff already as is for myself Good job bro
Yes! The pre-NES, that's the Retron I'm waiting for. Most of my gaming stops at the NES, since that's the system that's survived my childhood from the 80's.
Could be worth it being it plays games from so many retro consoles. Although I'm not super excited about the fact it doesn't play NES games out of the box, and its another Android based console. Has anyone else tried this thing?
Why aren't there any Atari clone consoles? I know there were many back when the Atari 2600 was popular, but why aren't there any being made any more? I'd love to be able to play the games with a modern video output method (AV, HDMI, Etc.).
+TyXak I'm not sure how much you'd gain from doing that with a 2600. There are already 2600 mod boards out there to add more modern output and they don't seem very popular. If it's just a matter of being able to hook the system up easily and then later put it away, you can just put a union in your CATV or antenna wire going to your TV (or if you're using a cable box of some kind you can just leave an extension dangling out of the coax jack on the TV) and hook the RF adapter up there when you want to. That's basically what I've done with my setup.
+Maxwelhse My main reason was for convenience, I know that there wouldn't be much of an advantage, when speaking of picture quality. I would attempt to install an AV mod, or even some other mods (pause, power light), but I am not experienced with that sort of thing, which is why I wanted to purchase a clone console that includes those features. Rarely, a modded console will show up on eBay, but I'm never able to buy one in time. At the moment, my 2600 is hooked up using a coaxial adapter, and it goes through my VHS player so that my cords behind my TV won't be a mess. I just find it strange that there are NO clones of the system, but there are TONS for other consoles like the Japanese Famicom.
***** Another option would be to just pay someone to mod one for you instead of missing them on eBay. I suspect it's not very popular because few people are interested in it.
It doesn't play Game gear straight out the box either and the adapter doesn't come out till may but you can just dump the roms to sd card and play them that way. Another neat thing about this system is that the cartridge ports are really just the shell. The system itself is vita tv size and can be removed from the back.
The Retro Freak is a hell of a great machine. Have ripped my entire SNES, Genesis, TG-16, and SMS games to it. Beats the stuffing out of the Retron 5. Glad you got the premium version, that was my choice, too. Have a few hiccups with my after-market Gennie pad though.
11 in one? That's a stretch when they are counting the Famicon and Nes as 2 separate systems and so on. The way I count it, it can do 5 or 6 depending on how you count. The GBA can play GB, GBC and GBA games, so that counts as 1, not 3.
+tarstarkusz I could see your point maybe on the Gameboy line even though each handheld is a different breed but the Famicon got some games the Nes did not and those games can't be played on an Nes either.
1st question. Can you load roms right to an SD card & play from there ? 2nd question Does it play ever drives ? 3rd question can you use a USB flash drive in one of the USB ports ?
The answer to 2 and 3 are no; however, the answer to your first question is yes. Keep in mind, if you are playing from the sd card, you need to detach the system or it will overheat.
I have one of these, got it when it was first released, It can do things better then the Retron 5, you can also hack it to play PSone and N64 (just you tube Retro Freak N64). Only issue is over heating when its plugged into the cart base just detach the base from the power unit (2 USB ports on it) it when you want to do some hard core gaming on it. ALSO make sure to keep your firmware up to date, Cyber Gadget likes to fix and add support features for muli carts as as well as homebrew games. Another point, when a non supported game comes up you can still dump it as long as it loads and plays, you can pull the SD card out attach it to your PC/MAC and rename it to is appropriate name and all will be fine. The power issue you address is fine, I have left mine on for several hours and never had any issues with it. So far it has run everything at full speed even Star Fox 2 and GBA games. Retro Freak is a fun device and super compact away from its cart base!
curious as to how does it play NES games with no slot for it. Also wondering if it will let you use the various console add-ons like the 32X, NEC TurboCD, etc.
Kind of cool looking system, what I gathered from what you said, you can just stick a MicroSD-card filled with roms into the back and play them? Man I love Lost Vikings. We had the DOS-version of The Lost vikings on our school PC in the nineties. I spent countless recesses and lenghts of after-school clubs playing that one. A tiny nitpick of a correction: Interplay is still Interplay, not Blizzard. The Lost Vikings was published by Interplay, but it was developed by Silicon & Synapse, which later became Blizzard. ps The port at 7:05 looks like a Famicom peripheral port to me.
The third usb port is interesting. It would be cool if you could plug an external cd or dvd drive there to play Sega CD and Turbografx CD games. It should be possible to add this via software update since it's android based.
Yep, it does need the 72pin adapter. It's mostly because we are importing this machine from Japan and they never intended to directly support US hardware. Since the software can deal with the pinout issue of region locking on the Turbo/PCE without caring, that's a non issue. I need to put my third party Genesis SMS adapter in to see if that reads, i have them stashed somewhere good right now, but can't get to them, hahaha. I do have SG&G for SGX to play, that's sweet.
The DB15 on the adapter looks like the same as the one on the front of the Famicom which you would connect another controller, light gun, and keyboard to..
Hi John, the DB 9 connector for Genesis was used by many chinese famiclones in the 90s, on the other side you hace a 15 pin connector which was used with the japanese zapper for the famicom and also was the standard connector for russian famiclones called "Dendy". Greeting from Argentina! LOL
16:22 as far as Simpsons games, I have always liked Road Rage and Hit and Run, and I would probably love The Simpsons Game from EA as well but I've never played it and that one is not easy to track down.
Nice console review John! The only thing this has over the Retron 5 (that I like) is you can play TG-16 games along with being able to save the roms onto the unit.
it plays roms from the sd card slot including gamegear & master system no converter needed. ps3-ps4 controller compatible just plug in your usb cord & go.
I have some basic questions. Have you tried any PC USB controller adapters on the unit? I have several adapters and just wondered if the machine will except them. Also how well does it handle Pal games? Also region locked ones like Bare Knuckle 3? On my Genesis I just pop in my action replay and the region lock goes bye bye L.O.L. but wondering how this one handles those games with out an adapter. Thanks..
That other control port is a famicom slot also will it play master system card games? Does the super game boy work? Can the sega power base converter work?
The Game Boy Color has pretty cool games for it, like Blaster Master: Enemy Below, Link's Awakening, Oracle of Ages, Oracle of Seasons, Rayman, Shantae, Wario Land II, Wario Land 3, among others.
Hey I got a somewhat interesting question. So if u can plug up different controllers to this thing, can I hook up my super nes Advantage joystick controller and use for nes or Sega and maybe even TG16? Does anyone actually own this thing and know that's it's possible?
I just found my snes in the garage and hooked it up via rca cables to my lcd tv and no bueno. Screen is blurry, flickering, colors bleeding etc. Changes from game to game but none are playable. Is it the tv or cable? Sound works well. Thx dood. Love your coverage on retro consoles and remakes.
+PistnRods clean your games before trying to play them but it sounds like you already tried every game in the sytem so now your system might be dirty. Clean the dust out with q tips and alcohol
So i just watched some of the footage, and im considering picking this up to replace my Retron 5 (some of the pins have broken). I was wondering, compared to the Retron 5, how is the input lag?
It's a Japanese product mainly made for Japanese gamers, and the NES has a different pin layout than the Famicom. I wonder if you can just use a regular adapter like many people use to play NES games on a Famicom or AV Famicom for this. It's a minor problem that is easily fixed.
If you absolutely want to play your old cartridges you should absolutely be prepared to spend money. Otherwise you can just find roms and put it on an SD card, this will play those too.
I've been wanting to get this bad boy! Thanks for the review John.
That port you didnt' recognize is the old Famicom ports, before they started using the NES ones.
+Larry Bundy Jr yep and correct me if i'm wrong that port was used for both Light Gun, R.O.B. and The tack pad.
*****
That is correct. :)
Famicom was the Japanese NES, they never stopped using it in Japan in lieu of the NES. They had a different form factor in Japan for region locking reasons (but a simple FAM to NES adapter will allow you to use it).
Another great video Gamester 81! Also, the controller port that was a mystery is the famicom expansion port. It was for the light gun (obviously would not work on flatscreens) but they also released controllers for that port. Keep up the great work!
In my opinion that 15 pin port is for famicom gun or the other 15 pin controlers from famiclones like dendy, simba, pegasus,
Is this as good as the Coleco Chamelion?
Not at all
lol...to soon yo
+computarman #banned
+computarman Boo Urned
+computarman
Coleco Chamelion will never die!
My only concern with these expensive clone consoles is that an old pentium 4 with a simple graphics card can run all those emulators, + support HD and SSD functionality. If this is a rom dump type system, then what would be the point? Especially since you can buy usb NES, SNES, etc controllers for a more authentic experience. And you can get the N64 emulator too on a PC. Pc's like that would only cost 100 bucks on ebay and could support HDMI even.
So any good arguments to this besides cartridge loading, since, its a rom dump anyways.
+ProtoMario size
+joshua powell another option would be the old Wii I guess, which is easily modified to play ROM dumps, can support more systems, offers wireless controller support, and is pretty much same sized as this thing. if someone's on a budget, the Wii can be picked up for a lot less money
But a wii cant take cartridges or use original controllers
I dont like this btw im just sayin
+joshua powell that's true, but seeing as this console dumps the ROM anyway, is there much argument to favour using a proper cartridge? ...besides the satisfaction of seeing the label art and that nice "clunk" feeling from pressing them onto the slot.
Controllers is valid point though I agree, definitely nicer to be able to use the proper intended controller for each game
A couple of things you forgot to mention:
Works with PS4/PS3 controllers
Can remove the slots and just use the tiny console in the back and play the ROMs without the cartridge.
7:06 It's the Famicom controller port
love your console reviews. ive bought a some of your recommendations.
I just bought the Retron 5 last month, and it's great! This one sounds really nice too
@Gamerster81 Dude you so need the hat back. I feel its part of your brand and plus you look waaay cooler!! You definitely brung my love back for Retro Games with your videos!
Thanks for another unbiased review. It’s not always an easy
thing to give your honest onion without losing sight of other people’s
perspective and what might be important to them. I have to say you do a better
job of it than most. And as someone who looks a lot of reviews before putting
money down on anything. I really appreciate it.
John, you forgot that you can separate the unit in the back. Really convenient if you have a lot of games on the sd-card and want to bring the console to a friend. Then the system is not much bigger than your phone. Great video! :D
John without a hat. I've been waiting for this moment for 2 years! I kinda miss it but only because it's such a signature look for you :)
The weird port on the controller adapter is a Famicom expansion port. You can plug in a light gun, Famicom Power Glove, and 3rd party controllers for the Famicom.
Huge fan of the channel and everything you do. Really enjoy the rush of "NEStalgia" I get from viewing your videos. Keep up the awesome work you've got a major fan in me and I look forward to your future videos. I myself am a citizen of Phoenix and it's always awesome seeing other Arizonans make an impact on the "vast abyss of ridicule and hypocrisy"" that the Internet was always destined to become. Anyways keep enduring the critz and know I and probably most of your other viewers will always continue to support what you're about.
Finally been waiting for someone with some credibility to review this thing
FYI - if it hasn't already been answered the "unknown" port outlet on the controller adaptor is for famicom controller add-ons.
Another thing to note is that you can release the portion on the bottom from the piece with the cartridge slots. This makes it easier to have your games on the sd card and just take it to a friend's and play without dealing with carts, and it makes it more portable!
7:05 that looks like the famicom expansion port, which was use for things like the zapper
On the controller adapter that larger pin is Neo Geo. Also it's not a TG but a PC Engine controller adapter port.
Ohhh this one has me almost wanting to buy it.... Right now I use PC/Android stuff for emulation but I do love my collection of physical media... I have games for every system that the Retro Freak supports, well except SuperGrafx but those are hard to come by outside of eBay.
Fantastic video! Thank you for reviewing this fascinating machine (so on the fence on buying one.)
I noticed some sound issues throughout the video. Is that the emulation or your capture?
Oh, I forgot to mention that you can use the new Pokken Tournament pad (from hori) on this as well.
"Follows the story more closely than the NES Star Wars"
DARTH VADER TURNS INTO ANIMALS THO
The extra port on the controller adapter is a Famicom extension port.
NEC !!!! So happy , been waiting 2 see how this console performed...thanks for the review
This is probably in the comments somewhere already, but all the GB options are available in the game settings. You can choose GB, GBC, Super Game Boy, or Auto, I believe. I put in an original GB game with Super Game Boy features on auto and it displayed the full color extras.
Great review love your review videos of different consoles and video games
Life and Death of Superman? Death and Return of Superman.
First big question would be about the licensing of the emulation software since that was a big deal for some with the Retron 5. Is the Retro Freak the same situation or did they take a different route?
Does the Sega Master System adapter for the Genesis sold by Stone Age Gamer work on this system?
Do the RetroBit cartridge adapters made for the SNES that allow it to play NES games and others work on the Retro Freak?
Can other USB controllers like the iBuffalo SNES style controller be used?
Do you know if this console supports the translation patch feature that the RetroN5 supports? I want one of these but that would be a deal breaker for me.
+Robert Santellan (Your Geeky Tipster) John said you could just load a rom on there, so yes it could play patched rom. not sure if live patch IPS, but definitely can patch the rom yourself or downloaded prepatched roms.
***** Good point. Thanks!
So far if you want the ultimate retro game machine I suggest you to get a Raspberry Pi 3 and install RetroPie on it. It emulates almost all of the retro consoles. The raspberry costs 35USD, all you need is a power adapter, case, hdmi cable and a controller. You can download the roms from the internet, it also has Kodi which allows you to stream movies and series in full HD. So in my opinion the best retro machine. And it's extremely small. So you could take it with you when you go on holiday.
it does play nes games out of the box, but you have to put the rom on an sd card, or use a famicom to nes adapter.
they now seem to do a standard(this one), and a premium version with the cart adapters.
I always thought these new all in one consoles should be referred to as a emulation box, because this is what they are.
wrong. it uses the physical game.
This doesn't make ROMs, this actually runs the games from the cartridge.
My personal favorite filter is Scanlines, since it makes the games look classic.
seeing these systems make me happy to own the original consoles.
18:37 there’s the glitch on your Necromancer game
I just don't see the draw of these pricy and limited emulation boxes.
For $25 you could buy an Amazon Fire TV Stick the size of a lack of gum, and load tons of emulators and roms.
It runs classic Atari (2600, 5200, 7800), PSP, DS, N64, Neo-Geo, hundreds of arcade roms via MAME, and much more. It will also run at 1080p (or even 4k with the second revision).
Not only that, but it's also an amazing media streaming device with KODI (Android build). I have all of my DVDS and Blu-Ray discs converted to MKV videos and they are shared on a 5 TB hdd.
And more...
Full Google Chrome web browser.
Netflix, RUclips, Amazon Video, Prime Music, Amazon Photos, HBO Go, Showtime, and so on...
Tons of Android apps such as Pinball Arcade, TellTaleGames apps.
Yeah man, great suggestion!
The Wii was a great little machine and even better with the Homebrew Channel.
The original Xbox also had a great homebrew/emulation community. The emulators were excellent on it and even ran in 720p (some at 1080I) with the HD component cable. The only downside is its size and that it runs kind of loud compared to the Wii..
+videogameobsession I couldn't agree with you more, there are much better options out there than these android consoles. Mod an original Xbox stick in a bigger hard drive and put CoinOPS on there and your set.
+Classic80sStuff Modded Wii is even better, smaller console, wirless conrollers, classic controler pro, Wii is the best for emulation these days!
+duhmez Yep, another good choice, though I still prefer the Fire TV over the Wii since it can handle N64, PSP, among others and can do 1080p HDMI.
+videogameobsession Original xbox has hdmi?? thought it was only ocmponnet 1080i max?
I'm gonna say this straight up dude: If I wasn't more invested into my handhelds like I am now I probably would pick this up cos the way I look at it is its value for money cos how much do some of those systems go for that it emulates? Yeah I think that is well worth it enough and for someone like me that would never get to play a TG-16 or PC-E this would be perfect
I MIGHT have to get me one of these after Christmas cos I bought too much stuff already as is for myself
Good job bro
Yes! The pre-NES, that's the Retron I'm waiting for. Most of my gaming stops at the NES, since that's the system that's survived my childhood from the 80's.
For the Lost Vikings, Interplay is the publisher and they are still around. Silicon and Synapse - the game's developers - eventually became Blizzard.
Great video by the way, always interested in learning about clone systems, now I have 3 models to choose from.
8:28 Interplay is Interplay, but Silicon and Synapse is now Blizzard. And 3 characters not 4.
What the heck? Only noticing it didn't have controller ports for two player during the edit.
Could be worth it being it plays games from so many retro consoles. Although I'm not super excited about the fact it doesn't play NES games out of the box, and its another Android based console. Has anyone else tried this thing?
Why aren't there any Atari clone consoles? I know there were many back when the Atari 2600 was popular, but why aren't there any being made any more? I'd love to be able to play the games with a modern video output method (AV, HDMI, Etc.).
+TyXak I'm not sure how much you'd gain from doing that with a 2600. There are already 2600 mod boards out there to add more modern output and they don't seem very popular.
If it's just a matter of being able to hook the system up easily and then later put it away, you can just put a union in your CATV or antenna wire going to your TV (or if you're using a cable box of some kind you can just leave an extension dangling out of the coax jack on the TV) and hook the RF adapter up there when you want to. That's basically what I've done with my setup.
+Maxwelhse
My main reason was for convenience, I know that there wouldn't be much of an advantage, when speaking of picture quality. I would attempt to install an AV mod, or even some other mods (pause, power light), but I am not experienced with that sort of thing, which is why I wanted to purchase a clone console that includes those features. Rarely, a modded console will show up on eBay, but I'm never able to buy one in time. At the moment, my 2600 is hooked up using a coaxial adapter, and it goes through my VHS player so that my cords behind my TV won't be a mess. I just find it strange that there are NO clones of the system, but there are TONS for other consoles like the Japanese Famicom.
*****
Another option would be to just pay someone to mod one for you instead of missing them on eBay. I suspect it's not very popular because few people are interested in it.
It doesn't play Game gear straight out the box either and the adapter doesn't come out till may but you can just dump the roms to sd card and play them that way. Another neat thing about this system is that the cartridge ports are really just the shell. The system itself is vita tv size and can be removed from the back.
This seems very interesting. Definitely gonna check it out. Thanks for bringing this to my attention John. :)
Looks slightly better than the Retron 5, by the way great video john!
The Retro Freak is a hell of a great machine. Have ripped my entire SNES, Genesis, TG-16, and SMS games to it. Beats the stuffing out of the Retron 5. Glad you got the premium version, that was my choice, too. Have a few hiccups with my after-market Gennie pad though.
11 in one? That's a stretch when they are counting the Famicon and Nes as 2 separate systems and so on. The way I count it, it can do 5 or 6 depending on how you count. The GBA can play GB, GBC and GBA games, so that counts as 1, not 3.
+tarstarkusz I could see your point maybe on the Gameboy line even though each handheld is a different breed but the Famicon got some games the Nes did not and those games can't be played on an Nes either.
Painmaster212 its basically all the consoles , but region free
You can pick up $3 adapters that do the same thing. It's just a bunch of marketing malarkey.
Dude. Thx for this review. I'm definitely getting one just for tg16 supergrafx. I was gonna get a real supergrafx but $400 is crazy.
A great-looking system. Thanks for showing it off!
That's very cool. Thanks for the great review. I like the exclusive console alot!
That controller port is for Famicom peripherals. Neo Geo controllers fit too.
1st question. Can you load roms right to an SD card & play from there ?
2nd question Does it play ever drives ?
3rd question can you use a USB flash drive in one of the USB ports ?
The answer to 2 and 3 are no; however, the answer to your first question is yes. Keep in mind, if you are playing from the sd card, you need to detach the system or it will overheat.
love the new look John.
I have one of these, got it when it was first released, It can do things better then the Retron 5, you can also hack it to play PSone and N64 (just you tube Retro Freak N64).
Only issue is over heating when its plugged into the cart base just detach the base from the power unit (2 USB ports on it) it when you want to do some hard core gaming on it.
ALSO make sure to keep your firmware up to date, Cyber Gadget likes to fix and add support features for muli carts as as well as homebrew games.
Another point, when a non supported game comes up you can still dump it as long as it loads and plays, you can pull the SD card out attach it to your PC/MAC and rename it to is appropriate name and all will be fine.
The power issue you address is fine, I have left mine on for several hours and never had any issues with it.
So far it has run everything at full speed even Star Fox 2 and GBA games.
Retro Freak is a fun device and super compact away from its cart base!
Not a bad looking system. It's cool that it plays TG-16 games.
Even the PC engine. There's so many hits that were only released overseas it was sad.
Excellent video. I like to use my PS3/ps4 sticks on the classic fighters (special champion edition), and it's hard to go back.
Great review. Thanks for the info!
this is the first time I seen you without a hat. Lol. love the vids.
What Happens If You Use Lock On Technology On Sonic & Knuckles With Sonic 3?
curious as to how does it play NES games with no slot for it. Also wondering if it will let you use the various console add-ons like the 32X, NEC TurboCD, etc.
HOLY CRAP! I'm in love with this! I will have me one.
Cool review I definitely like the tg16 / pc engine aspect of this console.
I like that you finally lost the hat looks much better.
I'm diggin' that haircut, dude.
I did a couple videos on the console already. Great stuff. I love this thing.
Kind of cool looking system, what I gathered from what you said, you can just stick a MicroSD-card filled with roms into the back and play them? Man I love Lost Vikings. We had the DOS-version of The Lost vikings on our school PC in the nineties. I spent countless recesses and lenghts of after-school clubs playing that one. A tiny nitpick of a correction: Interplay is still Interplay, not Blizzard. The Lost Vikings was published by Interplay, but it was developed by Silicon & Synapse, which later became Blizzard. ps The port at 7:05 looks like a Famicom peripheral port to me.
Did you say "cons" at 22:44?
Shouldn't it run SMS games just by using any SMS toi MD/Genesis adapter like the retrotowers one? (like the retrotrio does)
The third usb port is interesting. It would be cool if you could plug an external cd or dvd drive there to play Sega CD and Turbografx CD games. It should be possible to add this via software update since it's android based.
Yep, it does need the 72pin adapter. It's mostly because we are importing this machine from Japan and they never intended to directly support US hardware. Since the software can deal with the pinout issue of region locking on the Turbo/PCE without caring, that's a non issue. I need to put my third party Genesis SMS adapter in to see if that reads, i have them stashed somewhere good right now, but can't get to them, hahaha. I do have SG&G for SGX to play, that's sweet.
OMG it's so small and cute and better than my Retron 5!!!!!?!
The DB15 on the adapter looks like the same as the one on the front of the Famicom which you would connect another controller, light gun, and keyboard to..
+Andrew Cousins It's also used for neogeo but most likely this is used for Famicom like you said
Oh yeah, it is.. I would assume Famicom though since this system doesn't do the Neo-Geo
+Gamester81 What happened with the video you put up earlier about the coleco 2 or whatever, the new 16 bit console?
+tjos retro gamin427 Curious about this too. I didn't watch it because I was busy, now I'm ready and it's gone... ?
+tjos retro gamin427 You mean the coleco chameleon? he still has it up, look at his uploads. it's labeled "my thoughts on the coleco chameleon"
+Caleb Prenger No, it was titled something like new 16 bit Coleco Vision 2, from a few days ago.
Hi John, the DB 9 connector for Genesis was used by many chinese famiclones in the 90s, on the other side you hace a 15 pin connector which was used with the japanese zapper for the famicom and also was the standard connector for russian famiclones called "Dendy". Greeting from Argentina! LOL
16:22 as far as Simpsons games, I have always liked Road Rage and Hit and Run, and I would probably love The Simpsons Game from EA as well but I've never played it and that one is not easy to track down.
Nice console review John! The only thing this has over the Retron 5 (that I like) is you can play TG-16 games along with being able to save the roms onto the unit.
it plays roms from the sd card slot
including gamegear & master system no converter needed.
ps3-ps4 controller compatible just plug in your usb cord & go.
i think you can turn the new cart backwards to make it fit into the famicom slot
I would really like one of these but the Amazon version isn't available anymore and it looked really good.
I have some basic questions.
Have you tried any PC USB controller adapters on the unit? I have several adapters and just wondered if the machine will except them.
Also how well does it handle Pal games? Also region locked ones like Bare Knuckle 3? On my Genesis I just pop in my action replay and the region lock goes bye bye L.O.L. but wondering how this one handles those games with out an adapter. Thanks..
John, shaved is lookin' sharp
That other control port is a famicom slot also will it play master system card games? Does the super game boy work? Can the sega power base converter work?
Hadnt even heard of this, great review!
is the red/white version available to ship to the US? I ordered the gray one from play-asia back in january.
Just wait until Hyperkin makes a similar one like this!
And yes, that includes the NEC-16 card slot...
one questions read roms if i put some on the ds cards and i can play without the fisico game? sorry for mine English
The Game Boy Color has pretty cool games for it, like Blaster Master: Enemy Below, Link's Awakening, Oracle of Ages, Oracle of Seasons, Rayman, Shantae, Wario Land II, Wario Land 3, among others.
Can you plug in a Bluetooth adapter and load up the wireless 8bitdo0 snes controllers for single and two player?
Thank you for an awesome review.
Hey I got a somewhat interesting question. So if u can plug up different controllers to this thing, can I hook up my super nes Advantage joystick controller and use for nes or Sega and maybe even TG16? Does anyone actually own this thing and know that's it's possible?
I just found my snes in the garage and hooked it up via rca cables to my lcd tv and no bueno. Screen is blurry, flickering, colors bleeding etc. Changes from game to game but none are playable. Is it the tv or cable? Sound works well. Thx dood. Love your coverage on retro consoles and remakes.
+PistnRods clean your games before trying to play them but it sounds like you already tried every game in the sytem so now your system might be dirty. Clean the dust out with q tips and alcohol
So i just watched some of the footage, and im considering picking this up to replace my Retron 5 (some of the pins have broken). I was wondering, compared to the Retron 5, how is the input lag?
do flash carts work such as ever drives?
The fact that it doesn't play NES games out of the box is a huge minus (and plus on the Retron 5).
+ed rosa You can still buy an adapter on Stone Age Gamer.
It's a Japanese product mainly made for Japanese gamers, and the NES has a different pin layout than the Famicom. I wonder if you can just use a regular adapter like many people use to play NES games on a Famicom or AV Famicom for this.
It's a minor problem that is easily fixed.
In addition to the 200 or so dollars you've already spent on it...
If you absolutely want to play your old cartridges you should absolutely be prepared to spend money. Otherwise you can just find roms and put it on an SD card, this will play those too.
You must, yes, but not that much just to play NES :P
Pretty handy. Who has space for 11 different consoles and all those cartridges, controllers, cables etc.