Chinese Knock Offs - HDMI Mega Drive - HD Retro Game
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- Опубликовано: 5 окт 2024
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Recently At@Games announced their Mega Drive mini and as expected it's awful. Games have frame rate issues, real cartridges need to load plus compatibility is bad and there's no support nor ever will be for flash cartridges.
Have the Chinese finally been able to give us something with while with the HD Retro Game? Well, they almost got there. But what is important is that it's better than the At@Games machine.
Link to buy this machine on line. - www.aliexpress...
Currently sells (as of 6th August 2017) for 5800 yen plus shipping via EMS which was 2000 yen. Use XE.com to convert yen to your currency.
When Chinese knock-offs are better than AtGames.
1:30 - Impressed a clone's packaging has decent English for once.
Yes, so was I and not only decent English but also very good advice.
Retro Core Certainly important to plenty I know who watch anything full frame that way.
Christopher Sobieniak IMPURESSUVIRRUUU!
The English on the box is...not butchered. Dafuq? It's a world gone MAD! And for under $50. Not bad!
Good English and good advice.
Retro Core I am stunned.
Well it's slightly wonky English, like a missing coma here, weird sentence structure there. On the level that could conceivably be produced by a native English speaker, but certainly not by a professional technical writer.
That English on the package! Not only was some effort put into producing that machine, but also into making the package informations understandable. Surely one of better (or at least most promising) knockoffs you reviewed.
And a great work on your part, as always.
Thanks, The World.
Yes, I was surprised by the quality of the English and the actual advice given. All good quality advice.
It's really worth mentioning the last point of the back of the box, that says that the game save file isn't stored in the console (like in newer systems) but instead it's stored in the cartridge itself... and if the game doesn't save you have to check if a store offers a battery replacement service.
Pretty awesome advice, being a chinese knockoff!
I was laughing when I read that as I'm sure many new people to 16 bit gaming wouldn't understand the concept of battery back up games. Great advice all-round on that box.
I need this in the U.S. AT GAMES needs to go out of business
I agree 100%
So True!
may i add hyperkin ? each of their product looks like crap
The Hyperkin USB 6-Button Megadrive pad is good tho IMO, I used mine to play Sonic Mania.
A knockoff better than a licensed product! Who would have thought about it? Certainly not ATGames.
AtGames are a joke. Sega should revoke their license to produce Mega Drive clones as they are really giving Sega a bad name.
Thanks for sharing this! I cannot help but wonder if the case lid could be used to replace really scratched up original Megadrive cases - there are some aweful ones out there. I might buy one of these to see what hacking could be done - I am also wondering if the controller receiver part on the PCB (assuming seperate IC) could have its PCB section removed from the board and wired up to a proper Megadrive in order to re-use the wireless controllers in a real Megadrive embedded within that new case. The case does look like an exact repro of the original with regards to the screws, buttons, slot, controller ports etc. Very interesting!
Te case is mostly likely interchangeable with a real Mega drive case. I've not tried it but everything does seem to be in the right place.
The controller circuitry is indeed separate so it could be used in something else.
Digging that Midnight Resistance music track.
Does the headphone jack output stereo audio? I know those model one Genesis would only output stereo from there, so this could be a similar thing. Great video, love your stuff!
Unfortunately not. This machine only outputs mono from every option.
Another great video, keep up the good work, greetings from FL USA
bart dunbar I'm also in Florida... I'm on the toilet
also in FL
this is how a review should be,to me this is a perfect review.
and a really good clone,good work!
way better than at games,especially with a everdrive or a 112 in 1 cartridge,so yes thx!
Thanks bart dunbar and thanks for watching.
Thank you Tailslol
Leaves plenty to be desired, but an impressive knock-off anyway. It it just got the HDMI timing right and didn't mix the sound output down to mono, it would be a clear winner. If it somehow ran Virtua Racing and interlocked Sonic & Knuckes (not demoed, but these clones usually fail on that) and had a working Sega CD port, we'd have the Sega fan's dreams coming true. Thanks for the nice video, cheers from Brazil.
thanks for watching Vinicius. I hear that this clone is better than the recent Tech Toy Mega Drive. I've not actually seen the Tech Toy Mega Drive though so I'm not sure how true those claims are.
What's is funny with this kind of system is that the hdmi output need some computing power for conversion who is more powerful them the mega drive.
Mark, I didn't even know about Outrun 2019 until I saw this video. I love the original, so I just got my copy of Outrun 2019 yesterday. So, thanks!
Funny thing is I didn't know about it either. I have a cartridge of the beta version when it was originally Junkers High. I was very surprised to find out it was released as an out run game.
@@RetroCore It's a fun game!
Funny thing is. I used to play my Sega Genesis in mono back in 1990.
I seem to remember it having only one RCA audio connector in the back. I had to use a 3.5 mm headphone jack to stereo RCA cable plugged into the headphone jack in the front to get stereo out to my Mom's TV.
The real Mega Drive / Genesis had no composite or auto out on the back. You're probably thinking of the RF socket.
Have you tried the front audio port to see if stereo sound comes thru it.
Yep, sadly it's also in mono.
LoL so in the end this console only use mono not stereo
it seems to do a shoddy job at mixing stereo down to mono
Retro Core hi so is the sound mono over HDMI as well ?
jamesccart Yes.
I know you're legit cuz you picked some of the best Mega Drive tunes to demo.
Bummer about the muxed audio. Did you try the front headphone port for possible stereo?
Yeah, most so called knowledgeable channels would probably just choose Sonic or some crap like Desert strike to demo the audio.
Sadly the headphone jack also outputs in mono.
So true man! I mean...Vapor Trail..that one is bad ass! Also using Thunder Force IV for the sound test.... That's class right there! Good job on the video man!
In general, I find Hellfire to be another good game to use to test the sound. It seems like most GOAC clones (maybe all?) run Hellfire's music at half-speed, like a Model 2 Genesis would.
I would try Sonic and Raiden Trad for the synchronization and individual channel quality, and perhaps show the Password Screen soundtrack from Mean Bean Machine for overall quality of the FM channel.
The PXP3 uses the same processor as the AtGames device, but its audio isn't mushy at all; it's just mono, missing parts of the FM, and pitched down incorrectly (not fixable by cartridge or SD card). Otherwise its bass kicks butt and it has excellent percussion. On a PXP3, enter the Mean Bean Machine game and choose "continue". Listen to the music on that screen. Fantastic, compared to its horrible counterpart on the AtGames devices.
Oh my god ! Buster's Hidden Treasure ! This game is my childhood, with Sonic 2 and Castle of Illusion :')
I never had this game as a teenager but I did play the hell out of Castle of Illusion and Sonic. Both classics. I've been playing a bit of Tinny Too since recently and really getting in to it.
I actually bought this from your link and it's actually better than I had hoped, The only thing I've noticed in the negative is in the second level of Ranger X the transparent beams of light are missing, but apart from that it's my most played console now. Oh and the pads are a bit clacky, promised I wouldn't use them, I use them all the time now :).
Hey, glad you liked the recommendation. Too bad about the small issue with Ranger X though.
The PSG sounds a little off but overall it sounds and looks pretty good.
I agree. The PSG seems to have volume issues.
I will mark this video so i get that console later, it seems quite good!
What a surprise! No lag, dang!
Thanks for confirming that the HDMI worked ok to the TV but not the capture card.
No worries
That's awesome, since it looks identical to the original Sega Genesis / Mega Drive, I hope the original Power Base Converter will work with this.
+Voan Siam hmm, it may do since the EverDrive does however I don't have one that I could try.
Thanks for the video, Maybe I will order one for my collection :D Love to play Sonic 3 & Knuckles on HDMI :D
Fun fact... I was waiting for the update to the MegaSG to play Paprium without glitches and I tried it on one of these and it worked great!
Nice 👍
Nice video man. Congratulations.
There is SNES hdmi clone from Retroad. Hope you can grab one of those and review it.
Thanks for the heads up on the SNES hdmi clone. I wasn't aware of that. I'll have to see if I can track on down for a review.
these knockoffs are endlessly fascinating
this is how a review should be,to me this is a perfect review.
and a really good clone,good work!
way better than at games,especially with a everdrive or a 112 in 1 cartridge,so yes thx!
Thank you very much, Tailslol. Glad you enjoyed the review.
I purchased a Megadrive in 1998 from Target for 14 bucks. It had fallen behind the display case where it sat for 7 years next to a Menacer light gun. When the case was dismantled they were discovered and no one wanted it because PS One was the king of the year. I got to purchase it and the Menacer for 90% off. Still have it. Still works
Wow, I can just imagine how dusty that must have been after 7 years behind the cabinet.
Hell yeah. You couldn't read the box. Leaky roof water and mice droppings messed up one side. Contents were in perfect shape though. Found a few games too. I made out like a bandit. I worked in Assets Protection and stuff got misplaced all the time. Every month we sweep the store for hidden merchandise. I would find clearance merch like games and electronics all the time.
Good to hear the contents was still in good shape.
Much much better than the latest Brazilian tec toy mega drive clone , which is in fact a at games disguised
Yeah, I don't understand why TechToy didn't offer HDMI out with that machine.
Thank you so much for making this video! it was great seeing how this thing works.
Not bad. I put it on my alien press wish list. Hoping for a black Friday steal on it
I would take the Mega CD Expansion Port cover off of the HDMI Knockoff and put it on my real Mega Drive as I need a replacement, and it looks like you do too.
Nah, I'm fine. I have 4 Mega Drives but no actual Mega CD. I do have a Wondermega though.
I think we just found who Sega should contact to make their next clone system. Even with the mono sound (does the headphone connection work? ) it still does a better job than any clones Ive seen.
AtGames should hang their head in shame, for the price they are asking. They said the review units were broken ,but I suspect thats nonsense.
AtGames are giving Sega a bad name with the crap they release. At least this system despite the mono audio works well.
Sadly the audio even via the headphone jack is mono.
thats a shame, but as you said, at least it works and does the job decently well.
why Sega is continuing their relationship with AtGames is beyond me, I know they distribute Sega's games in China (as far as I know) , but I suspect there are other, more reliable companies out there
A shame about the mono and lack of RGB. If they could crack that (and perhaps improve that build quality a "little bit!") I'd be quite a happy chap. Who knows, one day maybe? I might go for it though just for the 60hz.
Yeah, the mono audio is the only real let down.
Seems like the post office in China treats packages the same way their government treats dissidents.
The near perfect English on the box is usually a good sign.
AWESOME BACKGROUND MUSIC @RETRO CORE ! MIDNIGHT RESISTANCE !
what's the game sounding while Tiny Toons gameplay (before the Alisia Dragoon one)?
Great vid! Hmmm, I can't tell how many "bits" this console is. If only there was some kind of visual cue that conveyed the "bits" that were possessed by said machine had I could rest easy.
I was always wondering why the 16 Bit logo on the PAL machines was so small.
Me too. You know, I'll bet it's covered up by that giant logo on the front...super annoying, isn't it?!
The main chip is almost certainly a TCT-6803, which is a GOAC (proper ASIC clone) AFAIK.
The same chip is used in some of the recent handhelds with a direct LCD output, and these signals are apparently being fed to the HDMI chip.
So, it could be using a true digital video connection from the main chip (finally), and it's great to hear that the audio is decent too.
(EDIT: On second thoughts, it may still be a analog video coming from the main chip, as it does look quite blurry via HDMI?)
I expect the compatibility will be quite high, as it won't be using crappy software emulation.
Big shame about the mono audio though.
I'll have to buy one soon, and see if it can be modded for stereo via HDMI.
Does the headphones socket output in stereo btw?
If not, then it's likely that the GOAC itself only outputs in mono, as it was intended for the handhelds.
EDIT: Just saw your other comment about the headphones output also being in mono. That's a shame.
(I see you got bombarded with that same question actually. lol.)
The stuttering via HDMI via the capture card is likely the use of a slightly non-standard audio sample rate in the console.
That may actually be fixable, assuming it's using a separate ADC to sample the analog audio from the GOAC.
+ElectronAsh haha, yeah, everyone asked about the headphone jack. Makes me wish I had mentioned it on the video :p
I think the chip only outputs mono but I'd like to be wrong.
Retro Core
Yep, I believe so too - I'm fairly sure the chip was really intended for the handhelds, so they scrimped on adding the outputs / DACs for stereo.
I'm about to reply to Mr Ace above though, as he's an expert on the clone chips. hehe
I am seriously considering getting this as a bedroom console as it does look rather good value, it's a shame about the sound being mono but apart from that it looks great.
Great review. Nice ROM Pack you have on the EverDrive too! :D
Thanks!
Please do always be aware of your own sound quality, which has enough grains to feed a horse. So by the time sound goes from your mouth and to our ears/headphones, it's changed analogue and digital a few times (your voice needs a reduction in overall gain levels or noise compression or sound gate/limiter for those like myself watching on iPhone, which is another change.
It's like my Megadrive X but with the HDMI and much bigger.
I suspect it uses the same chip.
I wish there was something else I could use my rf controllers for. Ever since the console burned up, I don't know what to do with them and I don't want to throw them away; they were great.
Love the Devlish Music in the background.
Devilish has some really nice tracks on it.
I do have to admit Mark, it does look like a well built unit. The controllers look sturdy as well. I might put this on my want list seeing I was pretty impressed on what it could do.
Well done as always Mark. Thank you.
Anthony..
A very informative video.
Well done
Glen
Glen's Retro Show
Thanks for watching, Glen. Much appreciated.
Retro Core well deserving a watch and sub
I've noticed most Sega Mega Drive emulation devices seem to have issues with sound, even the most popular and well known emulation devices have sound which is not quite right. Even though the particular device shown in this video only has mono sound it is still more accurate than most other devices which often sound weird and horrible.
Clarence Boddicker the console had a very unique sound chip the Yamaha YM2612 That is why any other platform the games are played on, the sound is not the same.
I agree. The Mega Drive sound chip is very difficult to emulate or clone. So with this unit sounding as good as it does (sadly in mono) it's a great step in the right direction.
Retro Core
A YM audio core for FPGA has been open source for many years now, and is already sounding pretty good...
gendev.spritesmind.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=1327&sid=7c4f13665dbd8f8c96b16b6b43cfafdc
It's also been working fine with the Genesis / MD core from Grégory Estrade, which runs well, and has very good compatility (see his channel).
The issue is that the minimum FPGA board required to run the Genny core with the YM core still costs around £50 or more, so many people will tend to brush off the FPGA stuff, or quickly mention the same old boring line "You could just use a Rasp Pi instead". lol
A lot of people don't even seem to realise just how many retro cores are available already, and have been for some years.
The point about the FPGA though is that once you get to a certain spec of board, it can also run tons of other retro cores, like the Minimig (Amiga), MSX, NES, Game Boy, SMS, Speccy, Beeb, Vectrex, Coleco etc.
For a good few years, the only real option for that type of board has been the MiST board, but that has always been quite expensive IMHO (just over €200 now).
Fortunately, a few months ago, Terasic released their DE10-Nano board, which is only around £115, but has more than 4 times the FPGA logic of the MiST board, HDMI output, but also a dual-core 800 MHz ARM SoC on the same chip. :o
A friend of mine (Alexey) recently designed some cheap add-on boards for the DE10 which adds joystick ports, VGA / RGB, analog audio, and SDRAM.
That enabled him to start porting the cores that ran on the MiST onto the DE10 Nano.
It even has enough spare logic to fit an entire 486 PC core which can already run Windows 95, and has Sound Blaster support etc. :o
Even Dreamcast couldn't emulate the sound for the Genesis smash pack from 1999/2000 release.
True, but we've come a long way since then.
The YM chip (and PSG) are purely digital devices, and very well understood now, so the FPGA core versions are very good.
There's nothing inherent that made the sound chips hard to clone, it just seems that they did a botch job of it on the common GOAC clones.
The issue with the audio being at the wrong pitch on the Atgames stuff appears to be where they divided down one of the clocks too many times, so some channels appear to play at half the normal pitch.
The Dreamcast is more than capable of emulating the sound of the YM chip, it's just another case of rushing some software to market that wasn't quite polished.
i think the select button was originally called mode for games that don't support 6 button
Damn Shinobi III has a badass soundtrack. I've never played it.
It's a pretty good action game with as you said a really cool bad ass soundtrack for the most part.
That's so true, real retro gaming is in 4:3! nice machine actually, not a bad at all. Great vid man!
4:3 all the way for retro gaming. I have no idea why anyone would want to play games designed for 4:3 in 16:9.
Dam, that's near perfect. Had they made it stereo and dare I say it, able to play 32x and mega cd games also (via the ever drive or a sd card for iso's) then I think it would be a global smash.
Even though you can buy a Mega Drive SD card adapter, and play Mega Drive cartridge games, I really feel they should have added some sort of USB/Card ports on the console.
If I didn't already have 3 megadrives and several emulators (PSP, PC, Wii VC for example) I would pick this up in a heartbeat. Much better system than the AtGames Flashback, despite it's flaws.
Even though audio is slightly off it's still really good compared to other clones. It uses a genesis on a chip design with a scaler board at too. Retrorgb speculates on his channel that it's upscaling composite video but I can't really tell without looking in person. At Games Gen/Mega HD uses emulation which is always a bad idea. Too bad it's mono but guess you can't win them all.
I can confirm that the HDMI is indeed just the composite video signal being upscale to 720p. It looks a little soft and has strange timing which is why my capture device was not liking the video signal as it requires a correct timing signal to run. The TV didn't seem to mind though.
I'm guessing..... No well, I'm 100% sure this is the system you told me about in your last reply to me.
Looks interesting! I am impressed on how well it seems to play mega drive/Genesis games!
Honestly, I think they should have included an SD card slot as well, it would skip the need of having a EverDrive.
Like I think they should have slapped an SD card reader or USB port under the expansion slot cover! (Since nothing else is there)
I'll maybe wish list this system, but if I find a little extra jingle jangle in my pocket, I think an EverDrive would be better money spent! (Since I don't have one yet)
Besides I still got my old Genesis hooked to a old tube TV I kept, nothing will beat the picture from an actual tube tv anyways for these classic systems!
But, this system does have my attention!
If you do go for this system make sure it's the later revision as that does have real stereo sound via the HDMI and headphone jack unlike this one which is completely mono.
I was actually surprised.
Thought this was another piece of not-working knock-off chinese crap, when I saw how little was inside the console itself...
But it actually surprised me with the accuracy it plays the games and does sound (apart from the mono thing which is a shame)
+Roy Hess yes, this is a surprisingly good clone. Just a shame about the mono audio.
An excellent review of a surprisingly good article!
Thank you, Javier Bosch. I was so surprised that this is actually of good quality.
Having owned a Sega Genesis (Mega Drive) back in the 90s I would much rather have that device than the AT Games abomination (the sound may be mono but at least it's good; it's better to get 95% of what you want than 100% of crap).
So true. Nothing much more to add really.
It's a miracle! Sonic sounding perfect!
Nice job! I wonder if we could get it in Europe?
In regards to Spanish vs Portuguese, the response from Brazil must be the worse, since we're used to Americans ignoring their neighbors. You're on the other side of world ;-)
Yep, I'm on the other side of the world and have never been to the US or South America. I think I'm allowed a bit of slack on that mistake :)
You should be able to use this machine in Europe as the PSU is 100 to 240 volts.
Damn lot cheaper than that atgames nonsense. Seems better overall too, I may invest in one once I get a us to uk plug adapter.
Great video thank you
No worries. This sure is better than the At@Games system from what I've seen other reviewers saying. Although one reviewer John Hancock praised the At@Games system. Either he has no idea what a Mega Drive should be like or he was paid to promote the At@Games system.
It looks good, sounds good and the manual is not in Portuguese or Spanish xD ,an interesting purchase!!!!
Who needs a SPC700, when with a Yamaha YM2612 you can make a theme like Sortie of Gauntlet 4, I love the Megadrive..........and de Snes too,do not anger them xD
Another great video Mark,thanks!!!!!!
A greeting!!!!!!!!!
+GameTrotter haha, yep, I'm so glad there was no Spanish or Portuguese this time round.
There's a updated stereo version. I've got one over here. Oh, and it also works with PAL cartridge games too. And there are 150 top games build in (95% Russian text in the games, keep that in mind). Everything else it's the same, but it's says now "Retroad" on the lower-left corner of the box.
Yes, I'm aware of the updated model. I've been trying to get one for review but I've just not gotten around to it yet.
Gotta love that hot glue left directly on the PCB!
Does China build anything quality?
Nope, or at least not unless they are working for a big name. General Chinese made brands are mostly cheap.
Definitely sounds better than most Mega Drive clones but the mixing of channels is bizzare. I mean I understand the original Mega Drive output Stereo only from the Headphone jack but if that had been the case they should have gone all the way and put the Stereo on the headphone jack then. That being said the device seems good alternative if you don't want to spend the money on an upscaler.
Hey Mark,
Is it possible that you have the cables wrong on it?
I noticed that it's different than the usual RCA A/V setup, which is Yellow for video, and Red (r), White (L) audio.
On the box here it shows Red is VIDEO, and White and Yellow are audio and I know many TV's will only display mono sound in both channels if only one active audio channel is present. Just a thought.
Also, does HDMI output stereo sound? How about the headphone Jack? Maybe it's purposely emulating the original Model 1, which of course was mono only through the rear jack, and stereo through the headphone jack. I used to always use a Y-audio adapter to get stereo.
I'm afraid the system is mono no matter how it's set up. HDMI audio is mono ans is the headphone jack. Such a shame. I didn't notice until editing since I had the sound going through my 5.1 system during the video capture section which was set to "LIVE" audio which gave everything a fake stereo effect. I'm not sure why it was set to that. Probably my son had been messing around with it again.
A Y adapter doesn't give stereo sound though. It just outputs the mono audio to both left and right channels.
10:10 Is it true that NTSC is 'most of the world'? PAL region was also very large and for us who lived in the PAL region the NTSC speed feels always wrong. :D
I would love to have a proper megadrive mini from Sega some day.
Thanks for a great video as always 😊👍
Maybe one day they'll do it.
Nolasco They need to release a new cart based system. Yeah I know, no way as cheap as a DVD press but something with higher specs to support better sound / color palette and larger games. Backqards compatible aswell of course. I'd be in the queue for midnight release for that machine. A lot of indie games are retro-styled these days so why not.
Rediscovering Retro that would be great but unfortunately I don't see that happening, the best we can hope for is a build in games console from Sega in the same way of the Nintendo mini altho I have a feeling that all the fake/rip-off systems have damage the brand really bad but I think that if anyone can fix it it's Sega
I'm curious if the headphone jack is in stereo?
It's also in mono I'm afraid.
Great review! Looks pretty good. It would have been interesting to see what components are used etc, too bad you didn't open it up.
Sorry man. Need to sell this item on once the video is made.
It reminds of the new Tectoy Megadrive that was released in Brazil recently, it was running on FPGA hardware. The downside was that the model only had composite output. This looks similar and at least this Chinese model has HDMI, but the controllers looks terrible though.
Yeah, the controllers are horrible but surprisingly after using them for half an hour they became quite comfortable. Not a patch on official controllers but usable.
Aww... That HDMI problem is a real bummer. :(
Yep. The Chinese Hdmi solutions have funky timing which causes capture cards to loose sync. TVs seem to be unefected or at least the two TVs I tried it on.
Fantastic review, you basically covered every little thing :) I'm surely wanting to buy this, but I just ordered a Sega Pocketgame device and it ate up about the same money this thing will...so I'm going to wait a while before making this next big purchase!
...Never mind, I just caved and bought it. My money's steadily increasing these days and I know I can go a bit crazy XD
Fingers crossed that your Sega device is a good one. The Mega Drive knock offs are quite often awful although there are a few good ones out there.
Thanks Retro :) you make it fun to learn about these things. With my adapter I can even play this HD thing on my CRT computer monitor. Although I did see another video about this device claiming its HDMI wasn't bad the way the one in this video is, so I'm gonna hope I get one of the good ones!
Not sure why some people would roll their eyes at composite being included with this one. It's a great fallback, especially how you showed it worked well when HDMI didn't, and it's just like TVs nowadays having composite legacy ports. Though that has pretty much been phased out already...RIP
It's great!!! I can't believe how fast I got it. Just one week!
Yeps:
1. It included the 18-in-1 cart, which is always a good time. Though that's a Japanese cart, not fitting into my real Genesis...but who needs to use that when I've got the Retroad HD Genesis, eh?!
2. The wireless controllers are cheap and light of course, we know that, but they work flawlessly! Once I got a screwdriver and got the back off, two AAAs later and it's a great experience. The D-pad feels even better on these than on a real Genesis controller; it rolls more smoothly. The P2 controller is fine too; me and my friend David can race along those Sonic 2 VS tracks once more :)
3. Even though the edge connectors grip hard, and you have to insert AND remove a game carefully, I adjusted to doing it so there's no problem. I can confidently insert and remove any game without fear. It might as well not even be an existing issue.
4. The sound is pretty good. The PSG channel plays a bit louder than it should, but not alarmingly, and my TV's equalizer easily fixed the "flat" sound of the audio.
Nopes:
5. The headphone jack outputs modest volume at best for external speakers; for headphones it's loud enough, but only just, at top volume. When I used a 3.5mm to RCA audio port for the TV to see if it would slightly enhance the sound, I had to turn my TV up to max volume and could barely hear anything still. This was with the headphone jack volume slider at the top too.
6. The HDMI, while certainly better than composite, is only somewhat better for my TV. It might just be the TV itself, but the quality isn't as crystal clear as I'd hoped. It doesn't help that, while on HDMI, my TV can't go to 4:3 mode. But now I'm using the composite ports on my EDTV, and it's even better there (like with the audio as well) and the video is impressive considering composite cables.
7. The RCA jacks are pulled into the unit, not sticking out; this is an advantage for storage sometimes, but it prevents me from using most composite cables. Only the kinds that have those little "fins" sticking out very far can be used. Good thing a nice long set of these was included.
Bonus:
I didn't know there were over 40 built-in games on this darn thing!!! I don't even need my Sonic Classics cart to play Sonic The Hedgehog 2 with David XD
I wonder if I will see one of these in a Flea Market booth.
PR Fo *I don't like fleas!*
Thx Yakumo for reviewing - thats the piece of hardware I was waiting for to have a best possible original MD experience on my HDTV. My original MD looks crap with composit on my HDTV ... so I love the soluton ... good bye emulators ;) I already ordered a machine and cant wait to have it!1 Yes mono is not perfect, but the rest is stunning. But I think they don't will ship it to me with a Pal compatible powerunit ... so I think I will need an adapter ... but wait an see what power unit will be in. Cheers
The supplied PSU is 100 to 240 volts so all you'll need is a plug adapter :)
O.k., thats the easy way :)
It's an interesting knock off I must say and does have its positives.
These HD retro consoles could really do with a filter to enhance the visual effect even with the NES mini.
I do play on wide screen but only using the legendary frame meister.
I think the sound is a little bit more "tinny" than my original MD1. But I'm also very impressed how good this sounds, mono aside.
It did seem like the hdmi image was a bit softened. Would much rather have preferred razor sharp pixels, and possibly an option for scanlines.
Do you plan to do a video on the atgames machine at some point too? ;)
Personally I find that much more interesting because it's officially licensed. I would never buy one though given that it sucks. No surprises there.
I was actually pretty impressed by the NES mini (well, after you fix the aspect and scanlines with a hack), the emulation is solid and the build quality is great.
Sega really deserves a proper mini console done right :(
I'm afraid I wont be touching the AtGames system because they are ruining the Sega bran officially. These clones are also not helping the Mega drive brand but at least everyone knows they're not official. What's sad is this runs games better than the new AtGames system which is official.
You're right. The best cause of action is to not support crap like atgames, and if no one buys them Sega will hopefully license the console to a more competent company some day.
This is certainly a step up from the AtGames clone. I have one of the earlier units complete with infrared controllers and all.... It doesn't play certain cartridges, and mine refuses to recognize my 6 button controllers. Boxed it and pulled my model 1 out of storage and haven't looked back since.
Best review of this machine. Thanks. You convinced me to get it.
Thanks for watching.
A Chinese console knock off that's actually fit for purpose? You don't see that very often, if I owned a few Megadrive games it would be something I'd consider buying, all I've got left now is Midnight Resistance.
Well, at least you've got a great game to be left with.
It's surprisingly decent. Not bad for a Chinese clone. Streets of Rage 2 sounds off. Too much distortion.
No, it's the Go Straight Beatmix, not Go Straight as you would hear in the game.
I dont know if you noticed, but he was playing the beta version of "Go Straight". It used different instruments from the one actually used in the final game. It's one of two unused music tracks only heard in the sound test. It sounded fine to me.
Thanks for the clarification fellas
Yeah, I think the Bass is too heavy on that game.
The bass is a little too distorted I feel. On a real Mega Drive it sounds much cleaner.
I noticed you mentioned that three and six button wired controllers work. Another advantage over the atgames flashback as it can't recognize three button wired controllers.
Really? Wow, now that is a surprise. No issues at all with this machine.
well at least they got it ahem i meant that right.
Well i guess the original MD didnt give stereo sound out via the video output only via the headphone jack, so in that regard its emulating the MD perfectly ;-). Mark did you try the HDMI or headphone sockets to see if they outputted stereo sound??
Yep, HDMI was used when playing directly on the TV but that was also in mono and so was the headphone jack unfortunately.
damn thats a shame, would of been almost perfect itf it had stereo audio, wonder if it could be fixed via software update. Where did you get it from anyways?
It's 2017 and we still don't have the see-through roads...
One day they'll come :)
One update: for anyone who gets only a blank screen when starting up the console without a cart inserted, you must open the fake CD port cover and snip the white wire you see there in half. That gives you access to the built in games. There's 50, half of them Russian and half English.
Very interesting that this may have built in games. I have long since sold this unit so I can't check :(
@@RetroCore The only units that have built-in games have the "Retro Genesis" and "HD Ultra Wireless Gamepads" printed on the console.
@@SaturnHST I found this out a long time later >...< I feel like a bum for telling people in the first place. But still, lucky mine was one of those...! Until its circuit boards sizzled into smoke three days ago.
i would have love to see more footage of the games from the hdmi output
So would have I. In fact I filmed about an hours worth only to find the audio was skipping due to the strange HDMI timing this system puts out.
Nice review. I have the Atgames one from last year and I love it. Everything looks great and sounds great🍺🍺
I wouldn't mind getting one of these to be honest. It's a good alternative to the Mega SG or the Megadrive/Genesis Mini. Unfortunately i noticed in many videos that the audio sounds incorrect sometimes, and i'm not talking about the Mono thing. The PSG audio sounds way too loud, and you can definitely hear it if you play Streets of Rage 2 or any game that uses the PSG audio at all.
There is an updated version that has stereo sound and fixes the PSG, apparently.
@@RetroCore really? can you link it?
so the sound through hdmi sounds just like through composite right? just hoping its just a conflict with the capture card
Sadly the sound through HDMI even on the TV is in mono. The audio through the headphone jack is also in mono. Such a shame.
If you want stereo audio you need to mod the console with the mega amp for genesis goac systems, in this case the tct 6801
So close! Mono is a deal breaker. I'd rather just upscale to hdmi with my genesis than give up stereo.
I understand and to be honest, my Mega Drive running via RGB through my Framemeister then in to the TV via Hdmi looks and sounds a million times better but that solution also cost so much more.
Even the HDMI pushes mono? What a downer. Just shy of being the perfect MD replacement.
Yep, so does the headphone jack. This was so close to being an almost perfect solution.
As always you are bringing us interesting stuff. ..thank you !
+zombee38 thanks man. Glad you liked the show.
Great video thanks for the review!
Did you give 32x games a shot on it?
I'm afraid the 32x will not work on this machine.
01:41 fun fact: when emulate snes for example on the psp i discover how bad it looks streched out....like it lost focus or something because the change their original ratio....
Well I could never find stereo cables anyway so mono from both sides is already better
Nice to hear a MD/GEN clone not do terrible sound for once. Shame about the mono as that sounds more like a mistake than being inherent, could probably fix that. HDMI to capture problems aren't exclusive to clones but it's a whole new parameter for capture device makers to deal with in revisions.
I'm not sure about the HDMI point. My capture device is pretty forgiving however every single clone has issues when using HDMI. This is most likely due to the Chinese manufacturers not using HDMI standards correctly.
Strange since the HDMI standard is well documented but then again they did do mono sound in 2017.
I really don't think the Chinese give a crap about following standards or rules :) if it works then that's good enough for them I guess.
Wow looks good... Does the HDMI support Stereo or does the system simply not have stereo at all.
No, no Stereo from any port including the headphone jack.