Holy shit! I used that teevee for PS1 game testing when I worked at Electronic Arts as a QA-drone back in the late 90s. Those door/speakers were bad-ass, and the input/output panel made connecting VCRs fast and easy (to tape bugs that the dev team couldn't reproduce/didn't believe us on) but we all wished the screens were bigger.
+Jurrasic Park I love the Samsung GX. And "GX Mode" really works! It's amazing! Nice to hear they were used in QA testing, I didn't know that. I also like how it has its own output in the back, it does make recording footage for my own videos very easy. They're getting hard to find too.
+StopDrop&Retro Yeah, I don't know if EA Canada got a special deal on them or they were just chosen for their features but they were good little gaming TVs even if the open wings took up a lot of cubicle space. I wonder whatever happened to them all, there had to be at least 300 of them spaced around the non-PC projects for N64, PSX and Saturn. Anyway, way off topic, sorry.
I appreciate this comparison since I was skeptical about buying a Retron 5, the only problem was that I felt like there was a bias right from the start of the video
+cullen parker I disagree. I would say there was a bias at the end of the video, but not the start. This video took a long time to make and the allegations against Hyperkin were not known when I started making it. There is a bias against Hyperkin, which I think they deserved but not at the beginning.
your comparison went so far above what was expected. you literally went into every detail unlike the countless other videos I watched to decide and I have to say kudos. You're awesome!
You're welcome! Thanks for that compliment! I hope to do another head to head comparison at the end of the year, but I have to wait for that hardware to go on sale first.
If I may, I'd like to add some of my own experiences to what you mentioned in the video and few technical notes: -At the time the RetroDuo was released, there were clones that actually DID play games with the SuperFX and other co-processors at the time like the FC Twin (I have an FC Twin Version 1 and Version 2, which were around prior to the RetroDuo's introduction, and both work with the SuperFX) -The Super Retro Trio's controllers are literally Genesis controllers in a Super NES controller case. You can actually use Super Retro Trio controllers on a Genesis with the controllers behaving like 6-button Genesis controllers. -The scanlines on the RetroN5 are actually, believe it or not, TOO THIN! On my TV, it's very difficult to notice them, and they're even less noticeable than real scanlines on a CRT. I can get better scanlines running the original hardware or any of my numerous clone consoles through the XRGB-Mini (then again, my RetroN5 has not been updated from its factory-default v1.31 firmware, so they might be thicker on newer firmware or have adjustable thickness). -The RetroN5 has some noticeable scaling artifacts if you do not enable pixel-perfect scaling. -On older firmware (might be corrected on newer firmware), the RetroN5 either incorrectly dumps or outright fails to detect pirate multicarts. On v1.31, all of my pirate carts either boot to a single game with massively scrambled graphics or aren't even detected. -While a Power Base Converter will fit in the RetroN5, the Japanese equivalent, the Mega Adaptor, DOES NOT FIT into the RetroN5. Due to the rounded shape of the RetroN5's Genesis cartridge slot, the Mega Adaptor will not go in because it requires a rectangular cartridge slot. This means (and this applies to the Super Retro Trio as well with the Power Base Converter) in order to fit the Mega Adaptor into the RetroN5, it either needs to be disassembled or attached to a cartridge slot extension -There are some aftermarket Master System converters and the European-exclusive Master System Converter II (this is an official Sega product) which will fit in the Super Retro Trio and provide a decent alternative to the original Power Base Converter. -There are a few audio anomalies on the Super Retro Trio with games that make heavy use of the DPCM channel. The DPCM channel is completely screwed up, and some games like Rad Racer sound far less gritty than they should. -The Super Retro Trio has a PIC microcontroller on the Super NES side acting as a lockout chip clone (possibly running SuperCIC code) which allows SA-1 games that have lockout chip checks to boot all the time. -You can actually get Castlevania III to work on the Super Retro Trio with a hardware mod that requires soldering in a 74HC04 hex inverter to the cartridge slot. This is used to generate the inverse of the A13 address line, which Castlevania III needs in order to work properly (some graphical errors may still be present). -Rad Racer II and After Burner are two other games which give the Super Retro Trio problems. The former plays with severely scrambled background graphics while the latter has no background graphics at all. They're both playable, though. -To add to the RetroN5's light gun incompatibility, the console itself doesn't even register when the trigger is pulled. Likewise, it is completely unresponsive to the Arkanoid controller. -Strangely, the Super Retro Trio DOES NOT WORK with the Genesis version of the Konami Justifier light gun. While it's detected, it's unresponsive and causes a very loud buzzing sound in the audio as well as flickering in the video output, like there's excessive current draw or something. The Super NES version of the Justifier works, though. Also, the Sega Light Phaser is unresponsive on the Super Retro Trio, so no light gun games for the Master System will be playable on this console. -GameBoy Advance games actually look pretty good through the Super Retro Trio with the Super Retro Advance Adapter (which also works on other Super NES hardware clones and a real Super NES with the included Composite cable - the Super Retro Trio has an extra video input on the cartridge slot that negates the need for this cable), but the games themselves are presented in the wrong screen aspect. Some audio inaccuracies exist and the video, while pretty good, is a bit too bright, resulting in blacks showing up as dark gray and slightly weak color saturation. -The Super Retro Trio is NOT free of potential reliability issues. I discovered two very concerning things when looking through the hardware. First off, the Super NES side is running at 5V, but the RAM used is rated for 3.3V. Second, the TCT-6801 chipset on the Genesis side is supposed to run at 3.3V, but the voltage going into the chip is 4.1V and the Genesis cartridge slot is fed 5V directly. The former is likely going to cause the RAM to fail prematurely on the Super NES side while the latter has a chance of killing the TCT-6801. Lastly, you are doing yourself a service by excluding Hyperkin products from your channel. I have personally tested the RetroN1, the RetroN2, ALL FIVE hardware revisions of the RetroN3, the RetroN5 and the SupaBoy (Version 1 only, can't speak for the Version 2). The RetroN1 is a so-so NES-only clone, fairly accurate, but suffers from severe audio distortion and the oh-so-common compatibility problems with MMC5 games and games that disable the NES' CIRAM to put its own CIRAM in its place like Rad Racer II and After Burner. The RetroN2 is also so-so, at least the one I have, I did come across a seemingly updated version of the clone that is WORSE than the one I have. My RetroN2, which I think could be considered the RetroN2 Version 1, has the same accuracy and compatibility as the RetroN1, but the video quality is far worse and the audio distortion persists, and the Super NES side is about on-par with Yobo Gameware's FC3 Plus, which, is also so-so. It's not bad, but it could be better. The RetroN3, though... where do I even begin with this one? There are 5 hardware revisions of this thing: Version 1, Version 2, Version 3, Version 4 and the new 2.4GHz Edition. The first 4 hardware revisions have HORRENDOUS controllers, worse than the RetroN5's. They lag, they make button-mashing impossible, the button mapping for Genesis games is screwed up (A and B are backwards... WTF?) and worst of all, THEY USE INFRARED! What year is this, 1990? The system released in 2010, and it took Hyperkin FIVE YEARS to ditch the God-awful infrared controllers and move to 2.4GHz RF with the RetroN3 2.4GHz Edition, and even those have issues! Lag persists, button-mashing works a lot better but still misses a few presses, and for some unknown reason, they're prone to random signal dropouts. Oh, and the Genesis button mapping has not been corrected. As for the hardware itself, it's been all over the place. The Genesis side has generally been all right save for very bad volume balance between the two sound chips, the YM3438 (not YM2612 - Genesis hardware clones use the YM3438) and the SN76489, with the latter being so loud, it overpowers the YM3438. Other things to note are some brightness issues in the video output (Composite is too dark, S-Video is too bright, but the S-Video output has been corrected in the RetroN3 2.4GHz Edition), Master System games work and Virtua Racing does not (power fault and a missing signal on the cartridge slot). All 5 hardware revisions are the same with the Genesis side. The NES side has changed every hardware revisions. Version 1's NES side was junk: inaccurate audio, oversaturated video, meh compatibility, issues with NES specialty controllers like the Zapper and Rad Racer II actually causes the console to short-circuit itself because Rad Racer II puts 5V on pin 57, CIRAM /CE, to disable the CIRAM in the NES, which the RetroN3 Version 1 stupidly wires to Ground. End result? 5V to Ground short. Version 2's NES side improved a bit with better video and this is the ONLY hardware revision to work with Castlevania III. It still has inaccurate audio, however. Version 3's NES side was a downgrade with similar video to the Version 2's NES side, still with inaccurate audio and all the compatibility gains from the Version 2 were REMOVED. Version 4's NES side MASSIVELY improved the accuracy at the expense of audio quality (major distortion) and compatibility (same as the Version 3). On the 2.4GHz Edition, we're back to the Version 3's NES side with slightly brighter video (and excessive color saturation). The Super NES side is where things stop making sense. Version 1 was almost spot-on save for the inability to play SA-1 games with a lockout chip check (missing lockout chip clone in the console), but from Version 2 on, it's just unbearable. Video is generally pretty good (except on the Version 4 where Composite looks like RF running through a broken modulator), but the audio is so loud, it becomes a distorted mess with no bass. Just pathetic. The SupaBoy is another product that had controversy surrounding it. The Version 1 has MASSIVE noise problems in the audio output, particularly with the on-board speakers, the console is bulky as hell (about as big as a Sega Nomad), the battery life is pretty poor, the screen is so-so, the audio is in DUAL MONO and the console (at least mine does) uses 3.3V RAM just like the Super Retro Trio. Total failure. And your thoughts on the RetroN5 generally sum up mine, including reliability issues. I've had some Master System games kick me back to the RetroN5's UI, my console killed a bootleg GameBoy Advance game, the D-pad failed on my controller, and I'm not sure if it's the console or the power supply, but if I nudge the power cable just a little bit on the RetroN5, the console shuts itself off. I'm also not thrilled about this thing essentially running software emulation with emulators you can just use anywhere else. In short, Hyperkin products are just a complete joke and should never be considered by anybody.
Ace9921 Wow! Thanks for the detailed write-up. I encourage all of the commentors who mentioned Hyperkin products to read this. Sorry it took so long for me to respond. It took that long for me to read it :P Nah, jk! After making this video I saw a forum discussing the SR3 RAM power issue and NES MMC5 fix. In fact, I'm betting it was your words that I was reading :D Is there any way to correct the RAM power issue? Maybe thermal paste? I dunno. You're a great resource! Are you into any other clone systems or miscellaneous consoles/handhelds? If I can pick your brain, do you have any opinion on the Gamerz Tek NES clone? I was thinking about covering that if it's worth it. And thank you again for your highly detailed post! I did enjoy reading it, especially all the mis-steps and fumbled versions of Hyperkin products!
+StopDrop&Retro Heh... I admit, that writeup is quite a lengthy read, but when you've been around clone consoles as long as I have (since 2007), you're bound to pick up a whole lot of information. I might have been the first to bring up the 3.3V RAM issue on the Super Retro Trio, but if you can link me to your Super Retro Trio readings, I'll tell you if those are my comments. Correcting the RAM issue might require more than just slapping a heatsink with thermal paste on it. I might need to grab a few test consoles with 3.3V RAM (not necessarily the Super Retro Trio, there are a number of Super Famiclones with 3.3V RAM) and run them non-stop, one with no heatsinks on the RAM, the other with. If the RAM fails on the system with no heatsinks, this will be proof adding a heatsink to the RAM will help prolong the longevity of the RAM. I honestly don't think it will do much considering the RAM is running even higher than absolute maximum voltage ratings. I have amassed a fairly large collection of clone consoles spanning a number of legal clones released since the NES' hardware patents expired in 2005 along with 3 of the old clones from the '90s running on both discrete hardware and early QFP NOACs (new ones are glop-tops) and have extensive knowledge of the chipsets used on the clones and the unique external circuitry used by different consoles. However, the GamerzTek 8-Bit Entertainment System is not part of my collection yet. Still, I found some gameplay videos which seemed to indicate above-average compatibility, reversed duty cycles (the most common fault on ANY Famiclone resulting in inaccurate sound) and rather oversaturated video. When I get one, I'll be sure to test it out in the most thorough way possible. I will leave no stone unturned. If you want to direct people to my post, maybe you should also consider directing people to my channel. I run a series of clone console comparisons where people can see exactly what they can expect from a variety of post-2005 clones. Some were never completed due to me stupidly trashing the clones (which have since been replaced) and some are missing games due to me not owning them while I did the comparisons, but I'm working on replacing those videos to be more complete and also have far higher quality.
+Ace9921 I'm pretty sure it was you, it was the Sega-16 forum and the user was "Ace" You have a great channel, at first I didn't realize you did comparisons. You have a wealth of knowledge on these things. I have a proposition for you if you'd like to collaborate on a GamerzTek video. PM me if you're interested, I think I have an idea. Sorry it took so long to respond, google notifications is acting funny.
I bought Hyperkin's SupaBoy, their portable SNES console, and my experience with that system means I will never buy another Hyperkin system ever again. I played it for about 5 minutes, then it crashed (wiping clean my Super Mario RPG save file) and wouldn't turn back on and wouldn't charge either. Terrible experience, so I'll never pick up a Retron 5.
+widdowson91 Your horror story is similar to others that people tell in the comments. I don't trust Hyperkin, I think they've achieved a lot of success without much effort and definitely while paying no respect to the retro community and their customers. I'll try to spread the word about their practices as much as I can. Thank you for sharing your experience.
Captain Comics but you have to think of it this way: The super retro trio is all you get when you buy it. It comes as is and doesn't change. When I discovered the retro 5 firmware updates i realized how much potential it has. Of course it has it's limitations, but it is constantly developing for more compatibility and ways to play.
17:40 - That freeze and reset issue was the reason I gave the Retron 5 the score it had on my review of that console. I was expecting Hyperkin to fix that issue but as of today that problem still occur. I can't even play Street Fighter II up to Balrog or Vega without interruption from the Retron 5 where as playing it on the SR3 doesn't have that issue. Also the Genesis homebrew RPG, Pier Solar doesn't work on the Retron 5 due to the game huge megabit files size (it also doesn't work on emulator), it does work on the SR3 though.
*** VOAN *** Yep, that reset issue reminds me of when you're a kid and your jerk friend/sibling unplugs the console just to mess with you. Definitely not appreciated and I'm glad to hear I'm not the only one with this experience. Thank you for your comment!
Light gun games work on CRT's because CRT's refresh line by line. Flat screens refresh progressively, as in everything appears at the same time. The gun detects what part of what line is being drawn and the console tells whether or not that "pixel" is a hit or a miss at that time. It's not because the refresh is slower or faster.
He is the reason why I bought the trio. My only complaint was the dust covers. They are flimsy and I felt I was going to break them when I wanted to clean the pin connectors but overall I love this thing!!!
I'm a newbie to your channel and I'm already hooked. I appreciate your technical expertise as well as your hosting style. Your video editing, even in your early videos, is also refreshingly subdued. Keep it up, sir.
WOW! Now that is how you do a review! All the bigger channels who "test" this stuff just throw in a few games and don't even play them for more than a few minutes or even seconds. They'll even show comparison footage against real hardware and despite the clone performing poorly in picture and especially sound they will still recommend the product because they get review units from the manufacturers. I don't think you went too far with the Retro Arch story at the end because I think Hyperkin should burn just for that. Not to mention they bumped the price up twice from $99 before launch, to $140 at launch, and $160 after launch. I'm sorry that you actually bought one and had to make this review based on your own bad experiences with the Retron 5. I'm glad to see you've done something good with it. This is the review people need to be seeing.
+OldsXCool Thank you! I appreciate your compliments! Also, thanks for pointing out the price hikes, I completely forgot about that part. But with so many twists and turns in this saga, it was inevitable I'd miss something. But even worse than the price hikes, those of us who preordered through Amazon were able to lock in the original price and because of that Hyperkin withheld shipments to Amazon while stocking stores with consoles. It really pissed me off at the time but I got the console about a month later anyways. I'm glad I did this review, I have more hardware reviews coming up, thanks again for your comment!
+OldsXCool I remember hearing about how the reason why the price got bumped up was due to something about the pin connectors? Though the fact that it got bumped up again is just BS.
Not sure if this has already been mentioned (probably has, but I couldn't find it), but that region switch was meant for Genesis/Mega Drive games only. The SNES & NES/Famicom didn't have region-locking at the hardware level like the Genesis/Mega Drive did, thus a region switch is a necessity to play games that were locked for specific regions. The SRT's region switch does nothing for SNES & NES/Famicom games. Those used physical region locks (such as different cartridge shapes or different pin connectors) instead.
+Fernando Maldonado I checked recently and yes, the prices have gone up! I'm worried they may have gone out of production. Maybe check a local retro shop.
The reason why I am not upgrading from RETRON III to RETRON V. The RETRON III Uses stuff using the original consoles as the RETRON V uses emulation technology, thus making it a little harder to use. Plus, I also like my pixels.
owned a retron 5 for a day...the lag was unplayable on my lcd tv, so, i plugged it into my 144hz monitor, STILL LAG! And it rips the pins out of the carts! So, back to my authentic consoles on my 21inch sony trinitron that makes all my old games look biblical.
yeah think if you wanna buy a retro- console I say get a retro duo or super retro trio. way better then the retron 5. the retron 5 uses emulation while' retro duo or super retro trio uses hardware that would be in a nes/ supernes. no scan lines no filters .don,t seem right for 8-bit and 16 -bit titles. seems very unnatural. I like to play em in their natural glory. without all that added nonsense.
No problem, you're welcome! Glad I could help! You'll have a lot more fun this way, have more compatibility and more options than you would ever get with the Retron 5
+MegaNova1979 haha I actually said "You can buy them a beer" in other words, those consoles are over 21 years old. It's scary to think that these things still work after so long. Especially for Atari era stuff.
Dude, thanks for recommending Super Retro Trio instead of Retron 5. At first I was thinking of getting a used SNES and I already knew that getting a Retron 5 would be a bad idea. But when I watched your comparison of Retron 5 to Super Retro Trio, I decided to get the latter one.
+Samu Solala (LocoFan09) You're welcome! As much as I like original hardware, I have to say the SR3 is a great value that does almost everything you want it to. Especially for 16 bit emulation, it's on par with both original systems so I can't really justify buying them instead when a cheaper option is out there.
By the way, have you tested the delay/lag thing with HDTV's "Game Mode"? That MAY explain why that one game was impossible to play with HDTV and especially with Retron 5.
+Samu Solala (LocoFan09) noob question, what does game mode do on a hdtv? Is that only for retro console? Does it effect current gen consoles like ps4 and bone? Better question, does it effect Wii U emulation?
Rising Sun Preach! Check out this video if you haven't seen it yet. The Creative Director/Producer at Westwood explains how the "8-bit look" is a modern misimpression of what these games were designed to look like. ruclips.net/video/kILeyo1iv0A/видео.htmlm16s
+Rising Sun the one problem that I did have with them is that the connectors were too tight and because they were every time I removed my game pins started to come out. I called them up, shipped out my unit for a newer version for loosen connectors and I just get crap again the connectors are too tight again and they took my original box away. It really pisses me off, but I will bitch and complain to them every day since I want satisfaction for what I bought. Was I a fool before I bought it? Maybe, but it is the only system I know that can allow me to play my famicom and super famicom games with English translation patches.
+Rising Sun FYI - Newer TVs don't have S-video connectors. I have a Sony and Vizio HDTV that are both less than 3 years old, and neither have S-video input.
Hey man, love your videos, respect the Hell out of the research you do and your opinions are spot on! You and I are long lost relatives I’m sure of it!! I just recently discovered your channel and can’t wait for some new content as I’ve gone through just about all your videos. The stuff on Kickstarter type projects are hilarious and well researched. Anyhow, I just ordered a retro 3. Thanks for the review. Can’t wait to get it!!!
i have to say this is one of the most honest reviews i ever seen. no it was the most honest review i ever seen. period. you have stated your case with accuracy. i knew retron 5 wasn't no good. i always hesitated on getting one and now i know why. thank you for your review
+Dickens Dumont Thank you! I tried to make sure my statements were well backed up. I'm very glad that my video has been informative to many people out there who don't know a lot about the company ethos behind Hyperkin. I've got more hardware reviews on the way!
I have a question about the Retron 5. I understand that it rips the ROMs off the cartridges and saves them to the console's internal memory. Did all of the reliability problems you mention reoccur when playing the ripped ROMs, or are these problems exclusive to trying to play the physical cartridges on the Retron5?
I'll say this...I kinda like that laundry detergent look. While I prefer the Gunmetal/amber look, the Black/red looks great when you get it out of the box.
As somebody, whose work was STOLEN by Hyperkin, I am mad not because they used my work and made money from it, I am furious that they never asked for my permission and implemented my years of hard work in my free time so badly that it tarnished reputation of the emulator itself.
Great reviews. I'm glad I found this. I have to wonder a year later, how is Hyperkin still selling this thing? Regardless, thank you for all of the info, I was thinking about buying an SNES and maybe an NES and I think if a Super Retro will certainly cover that and save me some money. Good job being so thorough. Also, what do you think of the NES Nintendo is releasing in November with the 30 games on it? Will you be reviewing it?
Oh, definitely I'll be buying the NES mini. I might even be doing a head to head comparison with a similar product but I have to make sure both go on sale. I have high hopes for the NES mini, I hope they don't screw it up!
+StopDrop&Retro Unlike other clone consoles, this one is made by the company that made the original console, I think its a safe bet that it'll be decent at worst.
Guru Guru is based on an old school anime, I suppose it wasn't very popular outside Japan, then they never felt an english translation was something needed. Such a shame really, I loved that show as a kid.
I really enjoyed this review. I actually own the Retron 5 since last January, and already had to get it swapped out from Hyperkin because of defective pins. I'm VERY careful with my games as I have a large collection. I kept getting a "FAILED TO DUMP ROM" error message on ALL slots eventally so I think it something internal with the cartridge port connectors. I'm thinking about the Retro Trio - is there any way at all (good converter) to play Famicom games on it though? I have a Coolboy 400 in 1 that I'm dying to try.
Omn1Slash Can you believe Hyperkin actually released a video tutorial about how to safely remove cartridges from the Retron5? Yeah, big warning sign there. Consoles should be kid-proof. As for the Famicom converter, YES! There is actually an official Nintendo one out there... and you might already own it!! Apparently, back in the early days of the NES, Nintendo was having trouble porting 60-pin Famicom games to 72-pin NES games in time, so they just sold 60-pin Famicom games in NES cartridges with a pin converter. These will only appear in the early style NES carts with 5 screws on the back, but not all of them have it. They're noticeably heavier and it helps if you have a normal NES game in one hand when checking them out. People say these are most commonly found in Gyromite carts but I checked out some at a retro store and none of them had it. Instead I found one in a Wrecking Crew cart. So for $5 I have an official Nintendo Famicom converter! You can hack the plastic so the converter is easier to use but if not you can just swap the PCB boards. This is a great solution for you especially if there's only a few Famicom carts you want to play. Hope that helps!
Thanks for the review. I have a Yobo FC Twin I bought about 6 years ago and while it's worked all right, I have thought about getting another console for Genesis games.
Thank you, this was what I was thinking I think I need the retro trio for Christmas to solve my nes wavy lines, my snes mode 7 chip being dead, and then get a genesis in the house. Great video.
+Picky Old Gamer You're welcome! I can't recommend the SR3 enough, it's a lot of value with very few trade offs. Especially when I handle other clone hardware I really start to appreciate its build quality.
@StopDrop&Retro How has your Super Retro Trio held up since making this video? I recently was able to track down a reasonably priced Silver/Black SRT v1 and am curious if yours is still holding up after 3-3 1/2 years of use? Anyway, thank you for this great comparison video between the SRT and the RetroN 5!
"who here owns famicom games?" me, in fact... the following are well worth the hastle: biomiracle bokutte upa, yume penguin monogatari, antarctic adventure, kid dracula, and parodius... also if u do want to play a light gun game on a flatscreen you can technocally use the wii homebrew channel and emulate it. you'ld have to use a wiimote rather than actual light gun though.
+tanookitoad979 I collect Famicom as well, but I also collect stuff like Wonderswan so I'm not a good representation of collectors in general. I don't think either of us are. I know Famicom collecting is starting to gain traction, but I still think it's a niche only for those who don't mind paying shipping charges from Japan. I like Macross, Field Combat and my favorite is Astro Robo SASA.
I'm probably getting a Retro Trio at some point when I find room for a CRT in my apartment. I didn't have many issues with the Retron 5, except for the grip on carts. As far as 4 player support, you can map the controllers that go into the genesis ports to work on SNES games and vice versa so you don't need to plug in a multi-tap which you can't either way because the ports are so far away from each other.
+Quality Toy Review! Thanks! I'm not going to lie, the HDMI signal looks great on an HD tv! But I still can't recommend the Retron 5, I'll wait for the RetroUSB AVS, I think that little clone console is really going to change the game!
Oh my god thank you so much for actually mentioning Uncharted Waters! I've been aware that it's an MMC5 chip game, but everyone always leaves it out of even being mentioned, and always use Castlevania 3. While you did use Castlevania 3, you also mentioned Uncharted Waters and even said it was a game that mattered! I have seriously never had anyone say that in a review like this.
Thanks! And yeah, I'm a fan of Uncharted Waters. More RPGs should be like that with an open ended style of gameplay with some Oregon Trail inventory management thrown in. It's sad to see the game be forgotten these days.
StopDrop&Retro It honestly is quite sad to never see them anymore, but at least Uncharted Waters actually got an MMO that got released around here. I'd suggest checking it out to be honest, its free, and its really well done.
I will say I have a Retron 5 from 2017 and it has never crashed a single time, ever. But I did notice the lag, and it was worse on my HDTV than a PC monitor. Playing on a screen designed for gaming helps.
Great review and nice take down on the Hyperkin product. I totally agree with you and see that you took out the time to do some detective work on the Retron 5. The Retro Trio is a complete TRUE product. Where when I see the Retron 5, it's like that game system is either for kids or for people who where never gamers.
I wasn't expecting the review to turn into one of your exposés of terrible companies like the Coleco Chameleon debacle, but I was super glad when it did. Had me at the edge of my seat.
I love my Super Retro Trio and I do not have a lot of original carts but I DO have Everdrive carts for Genesis / NES / Snes which work on the SRT, by design Everdrives do not and cannot work on the Retron5 and no update can change that as it is down to how the Retron5 works.
+MaximumRD That is a big problem with the R5. It's kinda funny how they tried to take a big stance against Everdrive while stealing their own emulators. However, you can run roms off the Retron 5. I've never done it so all I can tell you is- ask Google.
+StopDrop&Retro Oh I know all about running the ROMS, I keep up with everything but at least from what I have seen it involves IPS patching, not the most straight forward and the only people I have seen so far demonstrating in videos don't seem to release or share anything, they seem to like showing off they can do it but with a "Look what I can do and you can't"" attitude lol. Anyway even if it was straight forward I don't have a Retron5 so for me it is neither here nor there.
Bought a Retron 5 a week ago due to a sale too good to pass up. To each their own, but for me it's amazing. Its the perfect mix of old school gaming, without having to have to mess with the whole CRT tv thing. I just don't have the room right now for that set up. A few things, the controller it comes with is garbage, after the update, it now works with the 8bitdo SFC30 though which is a must buy. As far as lag goes, I don't know if they fixed it, but personally I did not notice any of it. Just beat Sonic the hedgehog 1 and not a single instance where I noticed any lag that had any impact on the gameplay, with that being said, the tv I own is insanely fast when it comes to input lag. Not sure, but perhaps it was remedied in an update. On the condition that it doesn't break, I personally give it a huge thumbs up. Fingers crossed as I hear these things are equally as reliable as the original xbox 360's
Dude!! Stop making me come back to this video!!! I love this video dude!!! I don’t use my Super Retro Trio anymore as I have the the Gamerz Tek HD consoles!!!!
My Retron 5 works like a champ. I'm sure there are a lot of duds out there, but mine is boss. In addition, I knew exactly what the machine was when I bought it. I knew damn good and well that it was an Android emulation computer with cartridge slots and controller ports. It's a great machine if you know whats under the hood and aren't expecting something different.
I bought the Trio thanks to this review. When we opened the box my son was very impressed it came with two controllers. Sad that you spend so much money for some consoles now of days and then have to shell out more money for a second controller.
+mcdowell916 Awesome! I'm glad I was able to help! The second controller has been extinct for quite a while. I'm glad the SR3 has a second one, I usually have that one connected to the Atari :P
Thank you, i been wanting to buy retron 5 for a year but i hate there controller its cool it saves but that's the only thing. Im thinking of getting super retro trio and a japan famicom clone to play famicom. You said famicom adapter? For what system on the trio?
The problem with not using a filter on the retron 5 is that it's "too perfect". As you said, the CRT makes the image look as it was intended. It's naturally blurring pixels together. That's why I set the Retron to hq2x. It's enough of a "blur" to make it look like the original. If you look at it with no filter, it's total ass because you see all the original pixels, which was never intended, never seen originally, and probably something the developers never saw.
How is the sound for Genesis games on the Super Retro Trio? Every retro system I come across the sound for the genesis games are jacked up. Great review but a sound comparison with the Genesis 1 is needed.
+Richard Thomas I've noticed the buttons on the New 3DS are similar. Very light and clicky. I personally hate it and especially for retrogaming you can feel the difference.
Some people are mentioning the Retron 3. That system is junk too. The controllers are literally garbage and the NES slot quit working after about 20 game switches.
+Trevdawg48 Ohhh yes, we've heard plenty of horror stories about the Retron 3 in the comments. Geez, the comments are starting to look like the Hyperkin survivor's network.
My hd tv supports composite and has a "Game mode" to strongly reduce lag. I'm planning on getting the Super Retro Trio, so will this work as well as my other game systems do on the TV? I have a Gamecube, PS2, and Sega Genesis plug n play all hooked up to a composite switcher. They work greatly, so will the Trio look alright and have as little input lag?
If you're not getting any lag with the original consoles then you're going to have the same experience with the SR3. Only the Retron 5 had terrible lag in my tests, the SR3 is fine.
I have question, If I want to play some retro genesis games and SNES games, (back then, I was a huge fan of Mortal Kombat II and FIFA 95 in Genesis and until now I was always wanted to play the Dragon Ball game on the SNES (I do not know if the Dragon Ball game is familiar with you in America but at the old times in Indonesia and Asia in general the game is very popular, I played it in my Genesis ) ) but i do not have any of those cartridge anymore, I still have a well working CRT TV. what console will you recommend? SRetro Duo, SRetro Trio, Retron3 Retron5? and where will I be able to buy the cartridge now online?
turns out that here in Indonesia, I can get retro games quite easy and in very affordable price to. Used though but in playable condition. I think this is better then play it in emulator. I know have both the SNES and the Sega Mega Drive.
I'm a HUGE Bond fan and I don't hate FYEO but I do think it's one of the most underwhelming entries in the series. Not among the worst, not even one of Moore's worst, but it's pretty close. The plot line is ridiculous and requires the audience to believe that nuclear submarines can't just update their firmware/codes after they know a remote launching communication device has been compromised. It's all really just an excuse to meander around Europe and make the story as difficult to follow as possible. Gadgets are also a huge part of what makes Bond so enjoyable to me and FYEO is exceptionally lacking in that department and the Esprit is such a tease.
7:48 You've got the "Patch Expects Header" option toggled to Off. Try turning it on. Some translation patches expect there to be a big block of code called a header. If you have the header ticked to off, the patch will be incorrectly applied. I got the Cyber Gagdet Retro Freak yesterday - the Retron5's competitor - I popped in the Ranma RPG and at first I couldn't get the ips translation to play. But after activating "Patch expects header" to on, it worked without issue. Most ips patches will come with a Read Me text file telling you whether or not the patch needs a header.
Hey bro, do you have a review of this for the Trio Plus????????!!!!!!! I love this video and have watched it multiple times. Very thorough and dedicated review with details.
I wanted a Retron 3 and the guys at my local retro game store told me to buy the Super Retro Trio instead. I can't thank them enough. Great system and just the fact that the controllers are worth using makes it the better system.
+ody Nice save! Yeah, just look at the rest of the comments and you'll be very happy that you didn't get a Hyperkin product. The controllers are soooooo good. I usually have one plugged into the SR3 and the other in an Atari!
Thanks a lot for this video to exist; I've been on the verge of buying a RetroN 5, but I were a bit skeptic. However, you can say that the RetroN 5's a paradox, since it's got some convenient features that should be considered revolutionary and I'd recommend creators to cogitate and take a few notes, although it's diarrhea. I've started collecting NES/SNES/GB to relief the nostalgia, since it'll just end with articulo mortis if I wont be able to at this point. I'd want to ask what games would be the most basic material for a collection?
+Bastjan Sejberg (COHL7500) Go with the mainline Mario games, they're a little pricey but numerous enough to be readily available. Also anything from Capcom or Natsume. When it comes to the $5 no-name no-brand games, go wild! Some of the best time killers I've ever found were cheap games and they sometimes have interesting stories behind them!
Have you seen any retro system that run PS1/PS2 Games or even N64 games,I have two garage PS2 systems Slim/original sitting here that just freeze from 18 years ago. Really want to start playing again but don't understand hooking everything up via HDMI boxes that are available. So a retro system is perfect.
+Gazooo29 I haven't heard of PS2 but there was a Kickstarter for a system called the IndieGO that claims they'll be able to play PS1 discs. There's also a device called the Retrode 2 that has an adapter that accepts N64 carts, so there are some alternatives out there. Hope that helps!
I know you said it this video the trio doesn't have saved game slots but does the cartridges aloe you to save game data? Sorry I'm to young to now about nes and snes I just bought about 40 nes. And snes games from a yard sale
+Bmartin93 Yes, it will behave just like a regular NES or SNES, if a game supports save slots it will allow you to save. Since you're new, here's a tip- not all NES games have save slots, if they do it's powered by a battery in the cartridge. Look on the back of the cartridge and if the sticker is gold then that means it supports save slots. If the save slots don't work, then the internal battery is dead. It can be replaced but takes a little bit of work. If it doesn't support saves then it probably uses passwords, thankfully a cell phone with a camera makes that part a lot less painless these days! There's no way to tell with SNES games though. Good luck! Find some good games!
+TheKHfan358over3d Hyperkin's retron 3 is the last LAST product you should show, because it's better, retron isn't what it used to be it's now a monster
+TheKHfan358over3d I don't think Retron ever was a good product manufacturer. They were really on the same level as Yobo and didn't get into the spotlight until the Retron 5 was announced and we saw how that went. I think they're just an overhyped junk manufacturer that cares about sales over quality.
I bought the R5 when it first came out and loved it, despite it being an emulator. Until I started playing my favorite GBA games... which were terribly emulated. It gave me this longing to play my games with the perfect experience, so I've been on a quest since then to collect original hardware so I can play retro and near-modern games. At that point, I had assumed all clone consoles ran off of poorly executed hardware or iffy emulation. I now mainly use my Retron5 as a means to collect my saves onto an SD card or write saves onto the cartridges. I don't have an NES, SNES, or a Genesis yet... I was planning on getting those. Should I instead get this? My taste for games are pretty common; Mario, Zelda, Starfox, Metroid, Disney games, Sonic, Final Fantasy- You know, the trend setters. Would you recommend the SR3 to me? I'm not feeling confident about it so far because I can't find a compatibility list... I just want something to play my games with at least near perfect sound and image, especially the NES-- hooked up to an upscaler like Framemeister (As a pixel artist, I enjoy seeing those crisp pixels). I'll go after the originals if I have to, but I don't mind an alternative if it can do the job. Also, I've heard the NES side of it wasn't so great when it comes to the sound. How is it for you?
+TheAeoxEternal If you want to play your original carts, then yeah you'd have to look hard to find a better deal than this and it should hold you off until you find original hardware. Which is a good idea, wait to find a deal on original hardware, they're out there. Check out the writeup from Ace9921, he goes into extreme detail about the various audio issues. You are correct, every clone system has audio issues with NES, but the SR3 is one of the better clones in that area. As I said in the review, the audio problems aren't very noticeable to me. I wouldn't worry about compatability, as you can see from my list in the description, I have a good share of pretty common games and the only ones that didn't play were Castlevania 3, Uncharted Waters and 8 Eyes. I don't consider those to be too common or sought after aside from Castlevania 3. Hope that helps!
Can you play 4 player bomberman without an adapter by using the other controller ports. Or do you need an 4 way adapter ? have you tested this on both consoles ?
+Moon Pig I think you would need an adapter for both because it doesn't seem to recognize two different system ports at once. I can't test it because I don't have the 4 player adapter... or 3 friends...
I can attest to the reliability issues with the Retron 5. The cartridge ports are too tight and the system does freeze allot. I know people who have them and they aren't too happy with them. The retro trio seems like it could be an interesting system to bring along on trips. I'd probably get the GBA adapter to since I do have a decent amount of GBA games.
+Robert NES816 Others share your same experience. I'm sure the reliability issues are a lot more prevalent than their supporters like to admit. I've been tempted to get the GBA adapter because I've found some really good games for the system. Star Wars III is amazing on GBA! It's like a Capcom beat-em-up.
+StopDrop&Retro Looks like I'll be on the look out for Star Wars 3 then lol. Have you tried Final Fight One for GBA? Its much better the Final Fight and Final Fight Guy for the SNES. Just better Gameplay. It almost as good as Final Fight on the Sega CD.
+StopDrop&Retro But in regards to the Retron 5 yeah its a pile. The system was really pushed by Hyperkin when it was released. So I don't believe that 90% of the reviews for it are honest. The system looks nice. But it's just built with such flimsy materials. The plastic quality is that typical thin Chinese junk. Just too many corners were cut on the Retron 5. I'm one of those people that uses the original consoles to play my Games. I'm willing to wait for a nice SNES, NES, or Genesis to come along so I can buy it cheap, clean it up and use it. I'll keep doing that until these third party companies start producing quality products.
+Robert NES816 Wait for better stuff to come out. The Retron 5 may be the first in some ways, but it won't be the last. Keep an eye on a guy named Kevtris, who plans to make a cycle-accurate clone console and already has a running prototype. He's thinking of Kickstarting it. And yeah, I like Final Fight, it's such a mindlessly fun game especially with a friend. I'll look for that GBA game!
I can detest them. I got mine used on eBay for 80 bucks free shipping and so far it works with almost all of my games without anything bad happening. I’ve owned it for 6 months.
It depends more on your HDTV so it's not the same across the board making comparisons useless. But on my TV, which is a cheap LG 42", it works pretty well but it does have that little bit of blurriness to it so I still prefer the CRT.
To be honest, I really haven't touched the system ever since this review. It's too frustrating to use aside from the software issues. No software patch is going to fix that horrible fucking lag.
It's not the system with the lag...its your TV that has the lag. You compared the lag of CRT and an HDTV, the CRT will always win. My retron 5 works great on my TV without noticeable lag...I used to have issues with one of my TV's and my Pie 3...but I forgot to turn on Game Mode...but like you said before it depends on the TV and if you able to turn off all of the extra processing..and I do own the trio..I was waiting for their HD version to come out by this Summer...and it's almost over and I am happy with my Retron...probably because of the patches. I don't have space for my CRT any more.
I can't speak to the lag issue mentioned in this video (I haven't noticed any problems myself). But nearly all the complaints mentioned in this video has been corrected in the Retron 5. I didn't have any issues with mine except somehow the NES cartridge port got messed up and will no longer read carts, but everything else works fine and NES games played fine before the port got damaged. The new 3-in-1 adapter is also pretty neat. If you want to be sure whether or not to get a Retron 5, look for updated reviews based off the most recent firmware update.
No, because the unit itself is producing the lag, not the TV. So any sort of converter would not only not resolve the problem, it would actually make it worse.
Why didn't you test the Famicom Castlevania III game on this? Its like one of the most important games to check for compatibility because of its extra sound channels over the NES version.
+ccateni WAN My Genesis Everdrive works on the SR3 but not on the Retron 5. To my knowledge, Everdrive carts do not work on the Retron 5. They designed it not to in order to not encourage piracy, which is pretty ironic when you think about it.
I've had my Retron 5 for almost a year now and I haven't had too many problems with it other than the occasional pickiness it has with certain carts just like you mentioned in your video so I can say that that claim is pretty accurate. It might also be that I just bought mine much later in it's life so some of the earlier problems might have been worked out when I finally got mine. I do like the console, but I usually use it to just play GBA games since it looks tons better on an HDTV than what you'd get with a Gameboy Player on a Gamecube setup. Sometimes I'll also play Genesis games on it, but I have plans to get a real Genesis because I'd like to try out Sega CD and 32X games. On a side note, I honestly believe the lag you're getting while using the Retron 5 is not the Retron itself but more so your TV. Some HDTV's do a better job of processing retro game signals better than others and mine hasn't had much issues with lag, but I don't know what TV you're using so it really just a theory. What is a fact, however, is that CRT's will ALWAYS beat an HDTV in the lag department when processing old games since they are the types of TV's these games were designed for so comparing lag between the Retro Trio and the Retron 5 might not be very fair.
You might want to try the Retron 5 on a proper computer monitor. It should take care of the delay and possibly fix the lightgun issue too since monitors have a higher refresh rate. Also I don't understand how the Retron 5's controller is bad if it is anything like the NeoGeo Pocket's d-pad. I wish more controllers had a microswitches, I absolutely love microswitches.
I have a NeoGeo Pocket and the two are similar in that they're clicky micro switches but the similarities end there. NGP's is more like a joystick and R5's is more like a trackball if that makes any sense.
Retron 5 was looking really good until... 1. Lag. So it can make my games look great on my HD tv, but it won't make me great at Punch Out!! again. 2. This video is from 2015, and the software was still freezing even with a year's worth of updates. Damn. That audio/video upgrade was sounding great (TMNT 4 on my HD tv through SNES looks like dog shit). And it would be nice to pop in some of my JP games like Dark Half or these Kunio games with menus upon menus to see if they have translation. Btw, thanks for discussing and researching the lag. It's always my first question, and seems to be either low priority or not on anyone else's radar. You can drive yourself crazy playing retro twitch games on modern televisions.
+a subterranean dork You're right, lag is maddening. I always thought I'd still get some use out of the Retron 5 but honestly I haven't touched it in almost a year. Just knowing I'll get lag and sporadic crashes is enough to make it not worth the effort.
Great overview!! :-D very happy to come across your video! and it clearly helped me out on which one to get! so Thanks for pointing out to the right direction for me and others :-) Btw, Castlevania 3 Dracula's Curse actually does in fact work perfectly through a Everdrive ;-)
+MrDmoney156 Awesome! I'm glad I could help! Oh wow, I didn't know it would work on an everdrive. I also hear that if you add a resistor or some mod that you have to solder onto the board, it will then play the MMC5 games like Castlevania. Stay tuned because I have another clone console review coming up and this one might play Castlevania 3... we'll have to see!
+StopDrop&Retro No problem! :-) and is this next clone your gonna review do the same thing as the Super Retro Trio but better and was recently released this year?
+StopDrop&Retro oh i was wondering if it did SNES as well but it's cool to see what the next one could do :-) there's some pretty nice Japanese only clones out there as well though I'm unsure how those perform.
+MrDmoney156 I heard about that, I think it's called the Retro Freak. I think deliveries have started but I hear the quality and reviews are mixed. Also it appears that it's in Japanese only. The device I have in mind is not a Retro Freak, it's much cheaper though!
First off, great review! I don't know how relevant some of the points on the R5 are still since they've had some time to do a few major firmware updates in the time since this video was posted, but I don't have one still, and until I can confirm that the firmware updates have addressed some of the major flaws, it's not something I'm looking to get. I did get the Trio 18 months ago because the Duo wasn't bad and some of the issues with the R5 with high cost, input lag, accessory compatibility, and random game crashes sounded unacceptable after owning original hardware and/or other clones without those issues. However, I had three big issues that made me resent picking up the trio. First, the pins in the NES slot are NOT well manufactured or quality material. They squeeze the cart so hard, they got bent way out of shape almost immediately after using the system, there was noticeable malfunction after only a few weeks (wasn't the games, they worked fine on my toaster), at around 6 months I actually had pins break from normal usage and it won't play anything anymore. Luckily it did not damage any of my NES games. The second complaint, the Trio has OBNOXIOUS vertical scan lines (jail bars) on Genesis games, and the sound isn't right for any Genesis games I own (roughly 75 games that cover a good spread of titles). My last complaint is that after over 18 months of ownership, the trio still smells like a cheap glue factory, it reeks, it transfers the smell to the games you put in it, and I usually end up boxing it back up after a few hours because the smell starts to give me headaches (yikes!). The only part of the Trio that operates flawlessly after about a year and a half of owning it, is the SNES slot. SNES games sound right, they look comparable to original hardware, and cartridge compatibility is 100% with everything I own (about 175 games SNES, SFC, and a few reproduction carts). If you have a SNES multi-tap, it is also compatible with the Trio. Tested it on Secret of Mana, a Seiken Densetsu 3 repro cart, Saturday Night Slam Masters, and Bomberman 1 & 3, and a random horse racing game on SFC called Battle Jockey, everything worked with 3 or 4 people, 5 people for Bomberman 3. If you have to choose between R5, and Trio, save your money. My trio is 1/3rd busted, 1/3rd crap hardware emulation, 1/3rd overpriced SNES/SFC replacement. I ended up boxing this reeking glue factory up, and just using my original consoles.
About the lag with Retron 5 HD - Have you tested to change screen settings to "game"? How does Retro 5 HD works now after updates? I can see a lot of people using it. Who cares about the joystick when you got original's for SNES and Mega Drive / Genesis?
kevtris noticed the Retron 5 controller lag immediately. Check out his recent video looking at failed units. As a computer programmer I could never use a Retron 5. Companies stealing people's software is not okay. The other unit looks fine and is acceptable to me.
+John Gotts I don't doubt it, it's very noticeable when you start playing a game you're familiar with. I agree with your sentiment as a programmer and you have a right to feel that way towards the Retron 5. I hear they might be making a handheld PCE clone but that might have been an April Fool's gag. Even if they do and cross all their t's and dot all their i's, I still can't support them because I don't think they've owned up to what they did on the Retron 5. Admitting fault is one step closer to taking responsibility and Hyperkin has done neither so far.
Money well spent for me. I've had my Retron 5 going on a year now and I've had none of those issues. My 8 eyes even works. I'll just keep on plugging away on my fun little Retron emulator system. When they started announcing about the Retron 5, The hardcore emulator and computer enthusiast knew they could not build emulators for 5 different systems in the time allotted. My friends and I knew from day one they would probably use open source emulation. So? Settle out of court with them and they'll move on with a licensing fee just like Atari did with Ralph Baer and Magnavox Odyssey in the early 70's. Anyhow, They simplified a problem we were having and that's the menus and frontends of these emu's suck on computer (Except for Hyperspin). Then again even Hyperspin is tedious and a little complicated to use and program for the average person. Even Retro Arch's Frontend is boring. Granted, Retron's menu is no better but Hyperkin made it easy and it makes us buy the cartridges for the required system. resurrecting Video game collecting for a lot of emulator users. Furthermore, I lived in Japan for awhile and I experienced part of the Famicom sensation there. I collect Famicom and Super Famicom games and the translation packs are being compiled and more are completed monthly for the Retron 5. I'm actually impressed on how many private translators that are trying to help complete a lot of the games out there. Besides there are hundreds of games that are amazingly fun to play that never got released over here that do not need all that much translating. Do your homework before you speak publicly on a social media outlet about topics you are fairly ignorant in. just because you have some Famicom games does not make you an expert because NOT all games that doesn't need any translating are already over here. your ignorance shows within that statement and it really astounded me.
I have a Retron 5 and I'm happy with it. The controller does suck and some games lag, but after I bought an 8bitdo Bluetooth controller, I haven't had that problem anymore. The cartridge slots are insanely tight, but if you gently pull the cartridges out one side at a time, it'll let go fairly easily. It might not be for everyone and it definitely has its quirks, but after getting a better controller and getting used to its quirks, it's a great system. Just make sure the store you buy it from has a return policy in case you don't like it.
Actually can you do a review on the Supaboy. It's made by hyperkin and it's a snes Gameboy mixed in one and I love mine. Possibly the only good thing that hyperkin made.
+AV Steve I hear other comments here say it's terrible. But either way, I'm not interested. I don't want to send them any business. I know it's stubborn of me but I think I am in the right and it's worth taking that stand here.
This video is so amazing. I truly appreciate the time and investigation you put on it. May I ask the source of the BGM used on the whole hyperkin story? Sounds very familiar.
Thanks! It was a bear to edit so it makes me happy when people tell me they enjoyed it! The BGM you're talking about is called Bit Bit Loop, it's by Kevin McLeod and it's in the public domain so you can use it too! I took it and modified it into a much longer loop though.
Hey, two years ago! I didn't mean that one, but the song that you play when the tension starts rising, during the context of the emulators used in the machine.
Alan Cavazos Eh, unless you want to play Genesis games then I'd say no. If you're happy with just the NES/SNES/SGB then just stick with original hardware. There are other things I like, such as how it's all contained in one system, the controllers, the look, but I don't think any of those reasons trump original hardware if you're happy with that.
Thank you for this review. I found the answers I had in this video. I think that if the Retro Trio 3 had made the slots a little further away so the master system addon(probably the biggest question that I had) would fit and a hdmi(along with the composite), it would be the master console of them all :) again, thank you :)
I'm happy with my super retro trio. It's played every game I've put in it so far. You've just got to make sure it's on the right settings. It's more than just a trio console if you've got the right adapters. All nes games for each region have worked so far. All snes and super famicom games have worked so far, even fx games. All genesis and megadrive games have worked so far. Everdrive md works.The super gameboy works in snes slot. Everdrive gb works in super gameboy. Famicom game adapter works in nes slot, so the super retro trio does play famicom games. Mark III adapter works in genesis slot so mark III/Japanese master system games work, also tried master system games in the master system to mark III adapter inserted into a mark III to genesis adapter and lots of master system games work (but not all). You must buy/use the correct controller for the console you are using. The super retro trio comes with snes style genesis controllers. To play snes games or nes games you must have the right controllers for the right system. The super retro trio seems to remove the region lock. I put super street fighter 2 Japanese megadrive (known for being region locked) into the genesis slot, set to genesis, set to ntsc-j and it works fine. Also it works with the 6 button megadrive controllers.
+Ian Botterill DAMN! That thanks for testing all that! Good to hear, I haven't really had any problems with my collection so far either. And I found out the 8 Eyes problem was actually just a broken cart.
I have the pal version. Just done some more tests and the problem is with the snes section, most ntsc games from around 1993 onwards don't work. I had to set my retro duo up to play Bonks Adventures (ntsc-j) and Zombies ate my Neighbours (ntsc-u/c)! All nes games that I own work with the super retro trio (ntsc-j /u/c and pal). Every Megadrive/Genesis games I own work with region switch. Most Master System (ntsc-u/c/j and pal) and Mark III (ntsc-j) work with the right adapter using region switch. At least I can play play pal snes games now (including games with the fx chip).
Holy shit! I used that teevee for PS1 game testing when I worked at Electronic Arts as a QA-drone back in the late 90s. Those door/speakers were bad-ass, and the input/output panel made connecting VCRs fast and easy (to tape bugs that the dev team couldn't reproduce/didn't believe us on) but we all wished the screens were bigger.
+Jurrasic Park I love the Samsung GX. And "GX Mode" really works! It's amazing!
Nice to hear they were used in QA testing, I didn't know that. I also like how it has its own output in the back, it does make recording footage for my own videos very easy. They're getting hard to find too.
+StopDrop&Retro Yeah, I don't know if EA Canada got a special deal on them or they were just chosen for their features but they were good little gaming TVs even if the open wings took up a lot of cubicle space. I wonder whatever happened to them all, there had to be at least 300 of them spaced around the non-PC projects for N64, PSX and Saturn. Anyway, way off topic, sorry.
I appreciate this comparison since I was skeptical about buying a Retron 5, the only problem was that I felt like there was a bias right from the start of the video
+cullen parker I disagree. I would say there was a bias at the end of the video, but not the start. This video took a long time to make and the allegations against Hyperkin were not known when I started making it. There is a bias against Hyperkin, which I think they deserved but not at the beginning.
the retro trio outputs s-video & composite. S-video gives a pretty good picture, only 2nd to RGB.
your comparison went so far above what was expected. you literally went into every detail unlike the countless other videos I watched to decide and I have to say kudos. You're awesome!
You're welcome! Thanks for that compliment! I hope to do another head to head comparison at the end of the year, but I have to wait for that hardware to go on sale first.
If I may, I'd like to add some of my own experiences to what you mentioned in the video and few technical notes:
-At the time the RetroDuo was released, there were clones that actually DID play games with the SuperFX and other co-processors at the time like the FC Twin (I have an FC Twin Version 1 and Version 2, which were around prior to the RetroDuo's introduction, and both work with the SuperFX)
-The Super Retro Trio's controllers are literally Genesis controllers in a Super NES controller case. You can actually use Super Retro Trio controllers on a Genesis with the controllers behaving like 6-button Genesis controllers.
-The scanlines on the RetroN5 are actually, believe it or not, TOO THIN! On my TV, it's very difficult to notice them, and they're even less noticeable than real scanlines on a CRT. I can get better scanlines running the original hardware or any of my numerous clone consoles through the XRGB-Mini (then again, my RetroN5 has not been updated from its factory-default v1.31 firmware, so they might be thicker on newer firmware or have adjustable thickness).
-The RetroN5 has some noticeable scaling artifacts if you do not enable pixel-perfect scaling.
-On older firmware (might be corrected on newer firmware), the RetroN5 either incorrectly dumps or outright fails to detect pirate multicarts. On v1.31, all of my pirate carts either boot to a single game with massively scrambled graphics or aren't even detected.
-While a Power Base Converter will fit in the RetroN5, the Japanese equivalent, the Mega Adaptor, DOES NOT FIT into the RetroN5. Due to the rounded shape of the RetroN5's Genesis cartridge slot, the Mega Adaptor will not go in because it requires a rectangular cartridge slot. This means (and this applies to the Super Retro Trio as well with the Power Base Converter) in order to fit the Mega Adaptor into the RetroN5, it either needs to be disassembled or attached to a cartridge slot extension
-There are some aftermarket Master System converters and the European-exclusive Master System Converter II (this is an official Sega product) which will fit in the Super Retro Trio and provide a decent alternative to the original Power Base Converter.
-There are a few audio anomalies on the Super Retro Trio with games that make heavy use of the DPCM channel. The DPCM channel is completely screwed up, and some games like Rad Racer sound far less gritty than they should.
-The Super Retro Trio has a PIC microcontroller on the Super NES side acting as a lockout chip clone (possibly running SuperCIC code) which allows SA-1 games that have lockout chip checks to boot all the time.
-You can actually get Castlevania III to work on the Super Retro Trio with a hardware mod that requires soldering in a 74HC04 hex inverter to the cartridge slot. This is used to generate the inverse of the A13 address line, which Castlevania III needs in order to work properly (some graphical errors may still be present).
-Rad Racer II and After Burner are two other games which give the Super Retro Trio problems. The former plays with severely scrambled background graphics while the latter has no background graphics at all. They're both playable, though.
-To add to the RetroN5's light gun incompatibility, the console itself doesn't even register when the trigger is pulled. Likewise, it is completely unresponsive to the Arkanoid controller.
-Strangely, the Super Retro Trio DOES NOT WORK with the Genesis version of the Konami Justifier light gun. While it's detected, it's unresponsive and causes a very loud buzzing sound in the audio as well as flickering in the video output, like there's excessive current draw or something. The Super NES version of the Justifier works, though. Also, the Sega Light Phaser is unresponsive on the Super Retro Trio, so no light gun games for the Master System will be playable on this console.
-GameBoy Advance games actually look pretty good through the Super Retro Trio with the Super Retro Advance Adapter (which also works on other Super NES hardware clones and a real Super NES with the included Composite cable - the Super Retro Trio has an extra video input on the cartridge slot that negates the need for this cable), but the games themselves are presented in the wrong screen aspect. Some audio inaccuracies exist and the video, while pretty good, is a bit too bright, resulting in blacks showing up as dark gray and slightly weak color saturation.
-The Super Retro Trio is NOT free of potential reliability issues. I discovered two very concerning things when looking through the hardware. First off, the Super NES side is running at 5V, but the RAM used is rated for 3.3V. Second, the TCT-6801 chipset on the Genesis side is supposed to run at 3.3V, but the voltage going into the chip is 4.1V and the Genesis cartridge slot is fed 5V directly. The former is likely going to cause the RAM to fail prematurely on the Super NES side while the latter has a chance of killing the TCT-6801.
Lastly, you are doing yourself a service by excluding Hyperkin products from your channel. I have personally tested the RetroN1, the RetroN2, ALL FIVE hardware revisions of the RetroN3, the RetroN5 and the SupaBoy (Version 1 only, can't speak for the Version 2).
The RetroN1 is a so-so NES-only clone, fairly accurate, but suffers from severe audio distortion and the oh-so-common compatibility problems with MMC5 games and games that disable the NES' CIRAM to put its own CIRAM in its place like Rad Racer II and After Burner.
The RetroN2 is also so-so, at least the one I have, I did come across a seemingly updated version of the clone that is WORSE than the one I have. My RetroN2, which I think could be considered the RetroN2 Version 1, has the same accuracy and compatibility as the RetroN1, but the video quality is far worse and the audio distortion persists, and the Super NES side is about on-par with Yobo Gameware's FC3 Plus, which, is also so-so. It's not bad, but it could be better.
The RetroN3, though... where do I even begin with this one? There are 5 hardware revisions of this thing: Version 1, Version 2, Version 3, Version 4 and the new 2.4GHz Edition. The first 4 hardware revisions have HORRENDOUS controllers, worse than the RetroN5's. They lag, they make button-mashing impossible, the button mapping for Genesis games is screwed up (A and B are backwards... WTF?) and worst of all, THEY USE INFRARED! What year is this, 1990? The system released in 2010, and it took Hyperkin FIVE YEARS to ditch the God-awful infrared controllers and move to 2.4GHz RF with the RetroN3 2.4GHz Edition, and even those have issues! Lag persists, button-mashing works a lot better but still misses a few presses, and for some unknown reason, they're prone to random signal dropouts. Oh, and the Genesis button mapping has not been corrected. As for the hardware itself, it's been all over the place. The Genesis side has generally been all right save for very bad volume balance between the two sound chips, the YM3438 (not YM2612 - Genesis hardware clones use the YM3438) and the SN76489, with the latter being so loud, it overpowers the YM3438. Other things to note are some brightness issues in the video output (Composite is too dark, S-Video is too bright, but the S-Video output has been corrected in the RetroN3 2.4GHz Edition), Master System games work and Virtua Racing does not (power fault and a missing signal on the cartridge slot). All 5 hardware revisions are the same with the Genesis side. The NES side has changed every hardware revisions. Version 1's NES side was junk: inaccurate audio, oversaturated video, meh compatibility, issues with NES specialty controllers like the Zapper and Rad Racer II actually causes the console to short-circuit itself because Rad Racer II puts 5V on pin 57, CIRAM /CE, to disable the CIRAM in the NES, which the RetroN3 Version 1 stupidly wires to Ground. End result? 5V to Ground short. Version 2's NES side improved a bit with better video and this is the ONLY hardware revision to work with Castlevania III. It still has inaccurate audio, however. Version 3's NES side was a downgrade with similar video to the Version 2's NES side, still with inaccurate audio and all the compatibility gains from the Version 2 were REMOVED. Version 4's NES side MASSIVELY improved the accuracy at the expense of audio quality (major distortion) and compatibility (same as the Version 3). On the 2.4GHz Edition, we're back to the Version 3's NES side with slightly brighter video (and excessive color saturation). The Super NES side is where things stop making sense. Version 1 was almost spot-on save for the inability to play SA-1 games with a lockout chip check (missing lockout chip clone in the console), but from Version 2 on, it's just unbearable. Video is generally pretty good (except on the Version 4 where Composite looks like RF running through a broken modulator), but the audio is so loud, it becomes a distorted mess with no bass. Just pathetic.
The SupaBoy is another product that had controversy surrounding it. The Version 1 has MASSIVE noise problems in the audio output, particularly with the on-board speakers, the console is bulky as hell (about as big as a Sega Nomad), the battery life is pretty poor, the screen is so-so, the audio is in DUAL MONO and the console (at least mine does) uses 3.3V RAM just like the Super Retro Trio. Total failure.
And your thoughts on the RetroN5 generally sum up mine, including reliability issues. I've had some Master System games kick me back to the RetroN5's UI, my console killed a bootleg GameBoy Advance game, the D-pad failed on my controller, and I'm not sure if it's the console or the power supply, but if I nudge the power cable just a little bit on the RetroN5, the console shuts itself off. I'm also not thrilled about this thing essentially running software emulation with emulators you can just use anywhere else.
In short, Hyperkin products are just a complete joke and should never be considered by anybody.
Ace9921 Wow! Thanks for the detailed write-up. I encourage all of the commentors who mentioned Hyperkin products to read this.
Sorry it took so long for me to respond. It took that long for me to read it :P Nah, jk!
After making this video I saw a forum discussing the SR3 RAM power issue and NES MMC5 fix. In fact, I'm betting it was your words that I was reading :D Is there any way to correct the RAM power issue? Maybe thermal paste? I dunno.
You're a great resource! Are you into any other clone systems or miscellaneous consoles/handhelds? If I can pick your brain, do you have any opinion on the Gamerz Tek NES clone? I was thinking about covering that if it's worth it.
And thank you again for your highly detailed post! I did enjoy reading it, especially all the mis-steps and fumbled versions of Hyperkin products!
+StopDrop&Retro Heh... I admit, that writeup is quite a lengthy read, but when you've been around clone consoles as long as I have (since 2007), you're bound to pick up a whole lot of information.
I might have been the first to bring up the 3.3V RAM issue on the Super Retro Trio, but if you can link me to your Super Retro Trio readings, I'll tell you if those are my comments.
Correcting the RAM issue might require more than just slapping a heatsink with thermal paste on it. I might need to grab a few test consoles with 3.3V RAM (not necessarily the Super Retro Trio, there are a number of Super Famiclones with 3.3V RAM) and run them non-stop, one with no heatsinks on the RAM, the other with. If the RAM fails on the system with no heatsinks, this will be proof adding a heatsink to the RAM will help prolong the longevity of the RAM. I honestly don't think it will do much considering the RAM is running even higher than absolute maximum voltage ratings.
I have amassed a fairly large collection of clone consoles spanning a number of legal clones released since the NES' hardware patents expired in 2005 along with 3 of the old clones from the '90s running on both discrete hardware and early QFP NOACs (new ones are glop-tops) and have extensive knowledge of the chipsets used on the clones and the unique external circuitry used by different consoles. However, the GamerzTek 8-Bit Entertainment System is not part of my collection yet. Still, I found some gameplay videos which seemed to indicate above-average compatibility, reversed duty cycles (the most common fault on ANY Famiclone resulting in inaccurate sound) and rather oversaturated video. When I get one, I'll be sure to test it out in the most thorough way possible. I will leave no stone unturned.
If you want to direct people to my post, maybe you should also consider directing people to my channel. I run a series of clone console comparisons where people can see exactly what they can expect from a variety of post-2005 clones. Some were never completed due to me stupidly trashing the clones (which have since been replaced) and some are missing games due to me not owning them while I did the comparisons, but I'm working on replacing those videos to be more complete and also have far higher quality.
+Ace9921 I'm pretty sure it was you, it was the Sega-16 forum and the user was "Ace"
You have a great channel, at first I didn't realize you did comparisons. You have a wealth of knowledge on these things. I have a proposition for you if you'd like to collaborate on a GamerzTek video. PM me if you're interested, I think I have an idea. Sorry it took so long to respond, google notifications is acting funny.
+StopDrop&Retro Okay, now you have my full attention. I'm going to send you a PM right away.
Ace9921 oh damn. So this is what happens when two retro channels meet XD.
I bought Hyperkin's SupaBoy, their portable SNES console, and my experience with that system means I will never buy another Hyperkin system ever again. I played it for about 5 minutes, then it crashed (wiping clean my Super Mario RPG save file) and wouldn't turn back on and wouldn't charge either. Terrible experience, so I'll never pick up a Retron 5.
+widdowson91 Your horror story is similar to others that people tell in the comments. I don't trust Hyperkin, I think they've achieved a lot of success without much effort and definitely while paying no respect to the retro community and their customers. I'll try to spread the word about their practices as much as I can. Thank you for sharing your experience.
Retro-Bit FTW! Two weeks ago I thought if I should get a RetroN 5 or a Super Retro Trio, thank God for making me choose the SR3!
Captain Comics but you have to think of it this way:
The super retro trio is all you get when you buy it. It comes as is and doesn't change.
When I discovered the retro 5 firmware updates i realized how much potential it has. Of course it has it's limitations, but it is constantly developing for more compatibility and ways to play.
17:40 - That freeze and reset issue was the reason I gave the Retron 5 the score it had on my review of that console. I was expecting Hyperkin to fix that issue but as of today that problem still occur. I can't even play Street Fighter II up to Balrog or Vega without interruption from the Retron 5 where as playing it on the SR3 doesn't have that issue. Also the Genesis homebrew RPG, Pier Solar doesn't work on the Retron 5 due to the game huge megabit files size (it also doesn't work on emulator), it does work on the SR3 though.
*** VOAN *** Yep, that reset issue reminds me of when you're a kid and your jerk friend/sibling unplugs the console just to mess with you. Definitely not appreciated and I'm glad to hear I'm not the only one with this experience. Thank you for your comment!
Light gun games work on CRT's because CRT's refresh line by line. Flat screens refresh progressively, as in everything appears at the same time. The gun detects what part of what line is being drawn and the console tells whether or not that "pixel" is a hit or a miss at that time. It's not because the refresh is slower or faster.
great video you helped me make a final descision on which to get
+Daniel Kelly You're welcome! I'm glad I could help!
He is the reason why I bought the trio. My only complaint was the dust covers. They are flimsy and I felt I was going to break them when I wanted to clean the pin connectors but overall I love this thing!!!
Quick update for this review. The control lag for games has been reduced in the recent firmware updates.
Bruh I have wait for patches like a modern Bethesda game?
I'm a newbie to your channel and I'm already hooked. I appreciate your technical expertise as well as your hosting style. Your video editing, even in your early videos, is also refreshingly subdued. Keep it up, sir.
WOW! Now that is how you do a review!
All the bigger channels who "test" this stuff just throw in a few games and don't even play them for more than a few minutes or even seconds. They'll even show comparison footage against real hardware and despite the clone performing poorly in picture and especially sound they will still recommend the product because they get review units from the manufacturers. I don't think you went too far with the Retro Arch story at the end because I think Hyperkin should burn just for that. Not to mention they bumped the price up twice from $99 before launch, to $140 at launch, and $160 after launch. I'm sorry that you actually bought one and had to make this review based on your own bad experiences with the Retron 5. I'm glad to see you've done something good with it.
This is the review people need to be seeing.
+OldsXCool Thank you! I appreciate your compliments!
Also, thanks for pointing out the price hikes, I completely forgot about that part. But with so many twists and turns in this saga, it was inevitable I'd miss something. But even worse than the price hikes, those of us who preordered through Amazon were able to lock in the original price and because of that Hyperkin withheld shipments to Amazon while stocking stores with consoles. It really pissed me off at the time but I got the console about a month later anyways.
I'm glad I did this review, I have more hardware reviews coming up, thanks again for your comment!
+StopDrop&Retro You're welcome :) I look forward to more of your hardware reviews.
+OldsXCool I remember hearing about how the reason why the price got bumped up was due to something about the pin connectors? Though the fact that it got bumped up again is just BS.
Not sure if this has already been mentioned (probably has, but I couldn't find it), but that region switch was meant for Genesis/Mega Drive games only. The SNES & NES/Famicom didn't have region-locking at the hardware level like the Genesis/Mega Drive did, thus a region switch is a necessity to play games that were locked for specific regions.
The SRT's region switch does nothing for SNES & NES/Famicom games. Those used physical region locks (such as different cartridge shapes or different pin connectors) instead.
+Corsair807 Thanks! For a while I was wondering why I could play my PAL version of F-Zero with that switch in any position.
Thanks man. I bought my Retro 3 for a few days ago and i love it.
Where did you get yours? I checked Amazon but the price was extremely high.
+Fernando Maldonado I checked recently and yes, the prices have gone up! I'm worried they may have gone out of production. Maybe check a local retro shop.
The reason why I am not upgrading from RETRON III to RETRON V. The RETRON III Uses stuff using the original consoles as the RETRON V uses emulation technology, thus making it a little harder to use. Plus, I also like my pixels.
+Experiment 1-626 "Tadus" I love the look of CRT pixels, just like mom used to make.
Doesn't Retron5 having GB/GBC/GBA ports outweigh it not playing Super Gameboy?
Johan Öberg the only problem is that the super gameboy gave original gameboy games color unlike the retron 5 but I think it's even
+Omar Mohammed there's options that allow you to use super gameboy palettes and borders
owned a retron 5 for a day...the lag was unplayable on my lcd tv, so, i plugged it into my 144hz monitor, STILL LAG! And it rips the pins out of the carts! So, back to my authentic consoles on my 21inch sony trinitron that makes all my old games look biblical.
yeah think if you wanna buy a retro- console I say get a retro duo or super retro trio. way better then the retron 5. the retron 5 uses emulation while' retro duo or super retro trio uses hardware that would be in a nes/ supernes. no scan lines no filters .don,t seem right for 8-bit and 16 -bit titles. seems very unnatural. I like to play em in their natural glory. without all that added nonsense.
Member? The lag is likely from it being an emulator machine more so than anything else.
I was engaged the whole way through, then that twist at the end was the cherry on top. WOW
Thanks for this - I was literally just about to buy a Retron 5, but going to hunt for a Retrode2 now and just play my carts through a PC emulator.
No problem, you're welcome! Glad I could help! You'll have a lot more fun this way, have more compatibility and more options than you would ever get with the Retron 5
Thanks for pointing this out man. I had it ordered on Amazon but was quick to cancel it thanks to your video.
+Nick Munford (number1nick123) You're welcome! I'm glad I could help!
"You can buy them with beer" was absolutely hilarious!
+MegaNova1979 haha I actually said "You can buy them a beer" in other words, those consoles are over 21 years old. It's scary to think that these things still work after so long. Especially for Atari era stuff.
Haha I was thinking you were saying these classics are so cheap now you can buy them with beer lol.
Dude, thanks for recommending Super Retro Trio instead of Retron 5. At first I was thinking of getting a used SNES and I already knew that getting a Retron 5 would be a bad idea. But when I watched your comparison of Retron 5 to Super Retro Trio, I decided to get the latter one.
+Samu Solala (LocoFan09) You're welcome! As much as I like original hardware, I have to say the SR3 is a great value that does almost everything you want it to. Especially for 16 bit emulation, it's on par with both original systems so I can't really justify buying them instead when a cheaper option is out there.
By the way, have you tested the delay/lag thing with HDTV's "Game Mode"? That MAY explain why that one game was impossible to play with HDTV and especially with Retron 5.
+Samu Solala (LocoFan09) noob question, what does game mode do on a hdtv? Is that only for retro console? Does it effect current gen consoles like ps4 and bone? Better question, does it effect Wii U emulation?
+Fernando Maldonado Yes, it does affect current gen consoles, since they also have that lag.
I don't Know why People want Composite so badly. It sucks. These clone consoles need a scart and S-video output instead.
Rising Sun Preach! Check out this video if you haven't seen it yet. The Creative Director/Producer at Westwood explains how the "8-bit look" is a modern misimpression of what these games were designed to look like. ruclips.net/video/kILeyo1iv0A/видео.htmlm16s
I dont think Americans had scart
alex ojideagu But S-Video. Not as good as scart but still better than Composite.
+Rising Sun the one problem that I did have with them is that the connectors were too tight and because they were every time I removed my game pins started to come out. I called them up, shipped out my unit for a newer version for loosen connectors and I just get crap again the connectors are too tight again and they took my original box away. It really pisses me off, but I will bitch and complain to them every day since I want satisfaction for what I bought. Was I a fool before I bought it? Maybe, but it is the only system I know that can allow me to play my famicom and super famicom games with English translation patches.
+Rising Sun FYI - Newer TVs don't have S-video connectors. I have a Sony and Vizio HDTV that are both less than 3 years old, and neither have S-video input.
Hey man, love your videos, respect the Hell out of the research you do and your opinions are spot on! You and I are long lost relatives I’m sure of it!! I just recently discovered your channel and can’t wait for some new content as I’ve gone through just about all your videos. The stuff on Kickstarter type projects are hilarious and well researched. Anyhow, I just ordered a retro 3. Thanks for the review. Can’t wait to get it!!!
i have to say this is one of the most honest reviews i ever seen. no it was the most honest review i ever seen. period. you have stated your case with accuracy. i knew retron 5 wasn't no good. i always hesitated on getting one and now i know why. thank you for your review
+Dickens Dumont Thank you! I tried to make sure my statements were well backed up. I'm very glad that my video has been informative to many people out there who don't know a lot about the company ethos behind Hyperkin. I've got more hardware reviews on the way!
I have a question about the Retron 5. I understand that it rips the ROMs off the cartridges and saves them to the console's internal memory. Did all of the reliability problems you mention reoccur when playing the ripped ROMs, or are these problems exclusive to trying to play the physical cartridges on the Retron5?
You don't understand. He used all real carts. No matter if you use the original cart or a rom yoyre still going to be playing off a rom....
I'll say this...I kinda like that laundry detergent look. While I prefer the Gunmetal/amber look, the Black/red looks great when you get it out of the box.
I always keep coming back to this video!! I still have mine but I don’t use it anymore as I have the Gamerz Tek HD consoles now!!!
As somebody, whose work was STOLEN by Hyperkin, I am mad not because they used my work and made money from it, I am furious that they never asked for my permission and implemented my years of hard work in my free time so badly that it tarnished reputation of the emulator itself.
Great reviews. I'm glad I found this. I have to wonder a year later, how is Hyperkin still selling this thing? Regardless, thank you for all of the info, I was thinking about buying an SNES and maybe an NES and I think if a Super Retro will certainly cover that and save me some money. Good job being so thorough. Also, what do you think of the NES Nintendo is releasing in November with the 30 games on it? Will you be reviewing it?
Oh, definitely I'll be buying the NES mini. I might even be doing a head to head comparison with a similar product but I have to make sure both go on sale. I have high hopes for the NES mini, I hope they don't screw it up!
+StopDrop&Retro Unlike other clone consoles, this one is made by the company that made the original console, I think its a safe bet that it'll be decent at worst.
Guru Guru is based on an old school anime, I suppose it wasn't very popular outside Japan, then they never felt an english translation was something needed.
Such a shame really, I loved that show as a kid.
I really enjoyed this review. I actually own the Retron 5 since last January, and already had to get it swapped out from Hyperkin because of defective pins. I'm VERY careful with my games as I have a large collection. I kept getting a "FAILED TO DUMP ROM" error message on ALL slots eventally so I think it something internal with the cartridge port connectors. I'm thinking about the Retro Trio - is there any way at all (good converter) to play Famicom games on it though? I have a Coolboy 400 in 1 that I'm dying to try.
Omn1Slash Can you believe Hyperkin actually released a video tutorial about how to safely remove cartridges from the Retron5? Yeah, big warning sign there. Consoles should be kid-proof.
As for the Famicom converter, YES! There is actually an official Nintendo one out there... and you might already own it!! Apparently, back in the early days of the NES, Nintendo was having trouble porting 60-pin Famicom games to 72-pin NES games in time, so they just sold 60-pin Famicom games in NES cartridges with a pin converter. These will only appear in the early style NES carts with 5 screws on the back, but not all of them have it. They're noticeably heavier and it helps if you have a normal NES game in one hand when checking them out. People say these are most commonly found in Gyromite carts but I checked out some at a retro store and none of them had it. Instead I found one in a Wrecking Crew cart. So for $5 I have an official Nintendo Famicom converter! You can hack the plastic so the converter is easier to use but if not you can just swap the PCB boards. This is a great solution for you especially if there's only a few Famicom carts you want to play. Hope that helps!
Thanks for the review. I have a Yobo FC Twin I bought about 6 years ago and while it's worked all right, I have thought about getting another console for Genesis games.
+wildbilltexas No problemo! Yeah, clone consoles have come a long way since Yobo, the SR3 is worth a look. And by the way, awesome profile pic!!!
Just a quick update, I bought the Retro Trio HD Plus a few months ago and it's worked fine on all my games except for a NES Game Genie.
Thank you, this was what I was thinking I think I need the retro trio for Christmas to solve my nes wavy lines, my snes mode 7 chip being dead, and then get a genesis in the house. Great video.
+Picky Old Gamer You're welcome! I can't recommend the SR3 enough, it's a lot of value with very few trade offs. Especially when I handle other clone hardware I really start to appreciate its build quality.
I added it to my xmas list, it will save space and give me just one place for nes, snes and gen. Now if they will do n64 with it it would be awesome.
@StopDrop&Retro How has your Super Retro Trio held up since making this video? I recently was able to track down a reasonably priced Silver/Black SRT v1 and am curious if yours is still holding up after 3-3 1/2 years of use? Anyway, thank you for this great comparison video between the SRT and the RetroN 5!
Are you going to destroy your RetroN 5?
"who here owns famicom games?" me, in fact... the following are well worth the hastle: biomiracle bokutte upa, yume penguin monogatari, antarctic adventure, kid dracula, and parodius... also if u do want to play a light gun game on a flatscreen you can technocally use the wii homebrew channel and emulate it. you'ld have to use a wiimote rather than actual light gun though.
+tanookitoad979 I collect Famicom as well, but I also collect stuff like Wonderswan so I'm not a good representation of collectors in general. I don't think either of us are. I know Famicom collecting is starting to gain traction, but I still think it's a niche only for those who don't mind paying shipping charges from Japan.
I like Macross, Field Combat and my favorite is Astro Robo SASA.
+StopDrop&Retro fair point
Don't forget fire emblem 1 and 2
I'm probably getting a Retro Trio at some point when I find room for a CRT in my apartment. I didn't have many issues with the Retron 5, except for the grip on carts. As far as 4 player support, you can map the controllers that go into the genesis ports to work on SNES games and vice versa so you don't need to plug in a multi-tap which you can't either way because the ports are so far away from each other.
The HDMI hookup on the Retron 5 is worth it. 65 inches of HD Castelvania is amazing! Good review!
+Quality Toy Review! Thanks! I'm not going to lie, the HDMI signal looks great on an HD tv! But I still can't recommend the Retron 5, I'll wait for the RetroUSB AVS, I think that little clone console is really going to change the game!
+StopDrop&Retro I've been looking at the Retro Freak
Oh my god thank you so much for actually mentioning Uncharted Waters! I've been aware that it's an MMC5 chip game, but everyone always leaves it out of even being mentioned, and always use Castlevania 3. While you did use Castlevania 3, you also mentioned Uncharted Waters and even said it was a game that mattered! I have seriously never had anyone say that in a review like this.
Thanks! And yeah, I'm a fan of Uncharted Waters. More RPGs should be like that with an open ended style of gameplay with some Oregon Trail inventory management thrown in. It's sad to see the game be forgotten these days.
StopDrop&Retro It honestly is quite sad to never see them anymore, but at least Uncharted Waters actually got an MMO that got released around here. I'd suggest checking it out to be honest, its free, and its really well done.
I will say I have a Retron 5 from 2017 and it has never crashed a single time, ever. But I did notice the lag, and it was worse on my HDTV than a PC monitor. Playing on a screen designed for gaming helps.
Great review and nice take down on the Hyperkin product. I totally agree with you and see that you took out the time to do some detective work on the Retron 5. The Retro Trio is a complete TRUE product. Where when I see the Retron 5, it's like that game system is either for kids or for people who where never gamers.
+1L0ki Ventrue Exactly, I can see the market they were aiming for is those who say they like retro games instead of those who actually play them.
I wasn't expecting the review to turn into one of your exposés of terrible companies like the Coleco Chameleon debacle, but I was super glad when it did. Had me at the edge of my seat.
I love my Super Retro Trio and I do not have a lot of original carts but I DO have Everdrive carts for Genesis / NES / Snes which work on the SRT, by design Everdrives do not and cannot work on the Retron5 and no update can change that as it is down to how the Retron5 works.
+MaximumRD That is a big problem with the R5. It's kinda funny how they tried to take a big stance against Everdrive while stealing their own emulators.
However, you can run roms off the Retron 5. I've never done it so all I can tell you is- ask Google.
+StopDrop&Retro Oh I know all about running the ROMS, I keep up with everything but at least from what I have seen it involves IPS patching, not the most straight forward and the only people I have seen so far demonstrating in videos don't seem to release or share anything, they seem to like showing off they can do it but with a "Look what I can do and you can't"" attitude lol. Anyway even if it was straight forward I don't have a Retron5 so for me it is neither here nor there.
MaximumRD oh so it's not a just incert sdcard and go kind of thing. That sucks.
This video was quite clarifying. Thank you!
+Paulo Douglas Tefili Filho No problem! I hope it helped!
Bought a Retron 5 a week ago due to a sale too good to pass up. To each their own, but for me it's amazing. Its the perfect mix of old school gaming, without having to have to mess with the whole CRT tv thing. I just don't have the room right now for that set up. A few things, the controller it comes with is garbage, after the update, it now works with the 8bitdo SFC30 though which is a must buy. As far as lag goes, I don't know if they fixed it, but personally I did not notice any of it. Just beat Sonic the hedgehog 1 and not a single instance where I noticed any lag that had any impact on the gameplay, with that being said, the tv I own is insanely fast when it comes to input lag. Not sure, but perhaps it was remedied in an update.
On the condition that it doesn't break, I personally give it a huge thumbs up. Fingers crossed as I hear these things are equally as reliable as the original xbox 360's
Dude!! Stop making me come back to this video!!! I love this video dude!!! I don’t use my Super Retro Trio anymore as I have the the Gamerz Tek HD consoles!!!!
My Retron 5 works like a champ. I'm sure there are a lot of duds out there, but mine is boss. In addition, I knew exactly what the machine was when I bought it. I knew damn good and well that it was an Android emulation computer with cartridge slots and controller ports. It's a great machine if you know whats under the hood and aren't expecting something different.
I bought the Trio thanks to this review. When we opened the box my son was very impressed it came with two controllers. Sad that you spend so much money for some consoles now of days and then have to shell out more money for a second controller.
+mcdowell916 Awesome! I'm glad I was able to help! The second controller has been extinct for quite a while. I'm glad the SR3 has a second one, I usually have that one connected to the Atari :P
Thank you, i been wanting to buy retron 5 for a year but i hate there controller its cool it saves but that's the only thing. Im thinking of getting super retro trio and a japan famicom clone to play famicom. You said famicom adapter? For what system on the trio?
The problem with not using a filter on the retron 5 is that it's "too perfect". As you said, the CRT makes the image look as it was intended. It's naturally blurring pixels together. That's why I set the Retron to hq2x. It's enough of a "blur" to make it look like the original. If you look at it with no filter, it's total ass because you see all the original pixels, which was never intended, never seen originally, and probably something the developers never saw.
How is the sound for Genesis games on the Super Retro Trio? Every retro system I come across the sound for the genesis games are jacked up. Great review but a sound comparison with the Genesis 1 is needed.
I laughed out loud at the jokes like “more bits more problems.” Thank you!
I really love the micro switch buttons.
+Richard Thomas I've noticed the buttons on the New 3DS are similar. Very light and clicky. I personally hate it and especially for retrogaming you can feel the difference.
great review, thank you for saving me $$$
Some people are mentioning the Retron 3. That system is junk too. The controllers are literally garbage and the NES slot quit working after about 20 game switches.
+Trevdawg48 Ohhh yes, we've heard plenty of horror stories about the Retron 3 in the comments. Geez, the comments are starting to look like the Hyperkin survivor's network.
My hd tv supports composite and has a "Game mode" to strongly reduce lag. I'm planning on getting the Super Retro Trio, so will this work as well as my other game systems do on the TV? I have a Gamecube, PS2, and Sega Genesis plug n play all hooked up to a composite switcher. They work greatly, so will the Trio look alright and have as little input lag?
My switcher also has S-video support.
If you're not getting any lag with the original consoles then you're going to have the same experience with the SR3. Only the Retron 5 had terrible lag in my tests, the SR3 is fine.
StopDrop&Retro
Awesome, thanks!
I have question,
If I want to play some retro genesis games and SNES games,
(back then, I was a huge fan of Mortal Kombat II and FIFA 95 in Genesis and until now I was always wanted to play the Dragon Ball game on the SNES (I do not know if the Dragon Ball game is familiar with you in America but at the old times in Indonesia and Asia in general the game is very popular, I played it in my Genesis ) )
but i do not have any of those cartridge anymore,
I still have a well working CRT TV.
what console will you recommend? SRetro Duo, SRetro Trio, Retron3 Retron5?
and where will I be able to buy the cartridge now online?
+Heru Sumarli best to emulate them now since some retro games have sky rocket.
turns out that here in Indonesia, I can get retro games quite easy and in very affordable price to. Used though but in playable condition. I think this is better then play it in emulator. I know have both the SNES and the Sega Mega Drive.
+John DiLoreto I couldn't agree more!
HEY! I liked "For Your Eyes Only". What did you see in it, to not like it? I'm not mad, but I'm just wondering?
I'm a HUGE Bond fan and I don't hate FYEO but I do think it's one of the most underwhelming entries in the series. Not among the worst, not even one of Moore's worst, but it's pretty close. The plot line is ridiculous and requires the audience to believe that nuclear submarines can't just update their firmware/codes after they know a remote launching communication device has been compromised. It's all really just an excuse to meander around Europe and make the story as difficult to follow as possible. Gadgets are also a huge part of what makes Bond so enjoyable to me and FYEO is exceptionally lacking in that department and the Esprit is such a tease.
7:48 You've got the "Patch Expects Header" option toggled to Off. Try turning it on. Some translation patches expect there to be a big block of code called a header. If you have the header ticked to off, the patch will be incorrectly applied. I got the Cyber Gagdet Retro Freak yesterday - the Retron5's competitor - I popped in the Ranma RPG and at first I couldn't get the ips translation to play. But after activating "Patch expects header" to on, it worked without issue. Most ips patches will come with a Read Me text file telling you whether or not the patch needs a header.
Hey bro, do you have a review of this for the Trio Plus????????!!!!!!! I love this video and have watched it multiple times. Very thorough and dedicated review with details.
Boy that music choice is good
I wanted a Retron 3 and the guys at my local retro game store told me to buy the Super Retro Trio instead. I can't thank them enough. Great system and just the fact that the controllers are worth using makes it the better system.
+ody Nice save! Yeah, just look at the rest of the comments and you'll be very happy that you didn't get a Hyperkin product. The controllers are soooooo good. I usually have one plugged into the SR3 and the other in an Atari!
Thanks a lot for this video to exist; I've been on the verge of buying a RetroN 5, but I were a bit skeptic. However, you can say that the RetroN 5's a paradox, since it's got some convenient features that should be considered revolutionary and I'd recommend creators to cogitate and take a few notes, although it's diarrhea.
I've started collecting NES/SNES/GB to relief the nostalgia, since it'll just end with articulo mortis if I wont be able to at this point. I'd want to ask what games would be the most basic material for a collection?
+Bastjan Sejberg (COHL7500) Go with the mainline Mario games, they're a little pricey but numerous enough to be readily available. Also anything from Capcom or Natsume. When it comes to the $5 no-name no-brand games, go wild! Some of the best time killers I've ever found were cheap games and they sometimes have interesting stories behind them!
Have you seen any retro system that run PS1/PS2 Games or even N64 games,I have two garage PS2 systems Slim/original sitting here that just freeze from 18 years ago. Really want to start playing again but don't understand hooking everything up via HDMI boxes that are available.
So a retro system is perfect.
+Gazooo29 I haven't heard of PS2 but there was a Kickstarter for a system called the IndieGO that claims they'll be able to play PS1 discs. There's also a device called the Retrode 2 that has an adapter that accepts N64 carts, so there are some alternatives out there. Hope that helps!
I couldn't help but laugh when the three stooges showed up on the screen!
I know you said it this video the trio doesn't have saved game slots but does the cartridges aloe you to save game data? Sorry I'm to young to now about nes and snes I just bought about 40 nes. And snes games from a yard sale
Didn't know if not having a save game slot with these types of games really matter thanks.
+Bmartin93 Yes, it will behave just like a regular NES or SNES, if a game supports save slots it will allow you to save. Since you're new, here's a tip- not all NES games have save slots, if they do it's powered by a battery in the cartridge. Look on the back of the cartridge and if the sticker is gold then that means it supports save slots. If the save slots don't work, then the internal battery is dead. It can be replaced but takes a little bit of work. If it doesn't support saves then it probably uses passwords, thankfully a cell phone with a camera makes that part a lot less painless these days!
There's no way to tell with SNES games though.
Good luck! Find some good games!
"I did some scientific analyis" I didn't need a slow down to see the delay. but it's useful for those that didn't notice
+TheKHfan358over3d Hyperkin's retron 3 is the last LAST product you should show, because it's better, retron isn't what it used to be it's now a monster
+TheKHfan358over3d I don't think Retron ever was a good product manufacturer. They were really on the same level as Yobo and didn't get into the spotlight until the Retron 5 was announced and we saw how that went. I think they're just an overhyped junk manufacturer that cares about sales over quality.
StopDrop&Retro yes but the Retron 3 just functioned better and didn't use emulation
I have a Retron 5 but am considering getting the Retro Trio.
I bought the R5 when it first came out and loved it, despite it being an emulator. Until I started playing my favorite GBA games... which were terribly emulated. It gave me this longing to play my games with the perfect experience, so I've been on a quest since then to collect original hardware so I can play retro and near-modern games. At that point, I had assumed all clone consoles ran off of poorly executed hardware or iffy emulation. I now mainly use my Retron5 as a means to collect my saves onto an SD card or write saves onto the cartridges.
I don't have an NES, SNES, or a Genesis yet... I was planning on getting those. Should I instead get this? My taste for games are pretty common; Mario, Zelda, Starfox, Metroid, Disney games, Sonic, Final Fantasy- You know, the trend setters. Would you recommend the SR3 to me? I'm not feeling confident about it so far because I can't find a compatibility list... I just want something to play my games with at least near perfect sound and image, especially the NES-- hooked up to an upscaler like Framemeister (As a pixel artist, I enjoy seeing those crisp pixels). I'll go after the originals if I have to, but I don't mind an alternative if it can do the job.
Also, I've heard the NES side of it wasn't so great when it comes to the sound. How is it for you?
+TheAeoxEternal If you want to play your original carts, then yeah you'd have to look hard to find a better deal than this and it should hold you off until you find original hardware. Which is a good idea, wait to find a deal on original hardware, they're out there.
Check out the writeup from Ace9921, he goes into extreme detail about the various audio issues. You are correct, every clone system has audio issues with NES, but the SR3 is one of the better clones in that area. As I said in the review, the audio problems aren't very noticeable to me. I wouldn't worry about compatability, as you can see from my list in the description, I have a good share of pretty common games and the only ones that didn't play were Castlevania 3, Uncharted Waters and 8 Eyes. I don't consider those to be too common or sought after aside from Castlevania 3.
Hope that helps!
Can you play 4 player bomberman without an adapter by using the other controller ports. Or do you need an 4 way adapter ? have you tested this on both consoles ?
+Moon Pig I think you would need an adapter for both because it doesn't seem to recognize two different system ports at once. I can't test it because I don't have the 4 player adapter... or 3 friends...
I can attest to the reliability issues with the Retron 5. The cartridge ports are too tight and the system does freeze allot. I know people who have them and they aren't too happy with them. The retro trio seems like it could be an interesting system to bring along on trips. I'd probably get the GBA adapter to since I do have a decent amount of GBA games.
+Robert NES816 Others share your same experience. I'm sure the reliability issues are a lot more prevalent than their supporters like to admit. I've been tempted to get the GBA adapter because I've found some really good games for the system. Star Wars III is amazing on GBA! It's like a Capcom beat-em-up.
+StopDrop&Retro Looks like I'll be on the look out for Star Wars 3 then lol. Have you tried Final Fight One for GBA? Its much better the Final Fight and Final Fight Guy for the SNES. Just better Gameplay. It almost as good as Final Fight on the Sega CD.
+StopDrop&Retro But in regards to the Retron 5 yeah its a pile. The system was really pushed by Hyperkin when it was released. So I don't believe that 90% of the reviews for it are honest. The system looks nice. But it's just built with such flimsy materials. The plastic quality is that typical thin Chinese junk. Just too many corners were cut on the Retron 5. I'm one of those people that uses the original consoles to play my Games. I'm willing to wait for a nice SNES, NES, or Genesis to come along so I can buy it cheap, clean it up and use it. I'll keep doing that until these third party companies start producing quality products.
+Robert NES816 Wait for better stuff to come out. The Retron 5 may be the first in some ways, but it won't be the last. Keep an eye on a guy named Kevtris, who plans to make a cycle-accurate clone console and already has a running prototype. He's thinking of Kickstarting it.
And yeah, I like Final Fight, it's such a mindlessly fun game especially with a friend. I'll look for that GBA game!
I can detest them. I got mine used on eBay for 80 bucks free shipping and so far it works with almost all of my games without anything bad happening. I’ve owned it for 6 months.
Quality video! Very thorough and informative
+Dingohnter Thank you! That's what I was trying to do and I'm happy to hear people walk away with that opinion!
Thank you SO MUCH for this review! I'm picking up a Super Retro Trio stat!
No problem, I'm glad I could help! I think you're going to be surprised with the SR3
How does the Retro Trio work with HD TVs? I don't have a CRT tv.
It depends more on your HDTV so it's not the same across the board making comparisons useless. But on my TV, which is a cheap LG 42", it works pretty well but it does have that little bit of blurriness to it so I still prefer the CRT.
i noticed there have been 3 patches for the r5 since you put this up. have these helped any of the problems you mentioned?
To be honest, I really haven't touched the system ever since this review. It's too frustrating to use aside from the software issues. No software patch is going to fix that horrible fucking lag.
It's not the system with the lag...its your TV that has the lag. You compared the lag of CRT and an HDTV, the CRT will always win. My retron 5 works great on my TV without noticeable lag...I used to have issues with one of my TV's and my Pie 3...but I forgot to turn on Game Mode...but like you said before it depends on the TV and if you able to turn off all of the extra processing..and I do own the trio..I was waiting for their HD version to come out by this Summer...and it's almost over and I am happy with my Retron...probably because of the patches. I don't have space for my CRT any more.
I can't speak to the lag issue mentioned in this video (I haven't noticed any problems myself). But nearly all the complaints mentioned in this video has been corrected in the Retron 5. I didn't have any issues with mine except somehow the NES cartridge port got messed up and will no longer read carts, but everything else works fine and NES games played fine before the port got damaged. The new 3-in-1 adapter is also pretty neat. If you want to be sure whether or not to get a Retron 5, look for updated reviews based off the most recent firmware update.
Is there an HDMI to Composite converter you can get so you can play light gun games on an old tube tv?
No, because the unit itself is producing the lag, not the TV. So any sort of converter would not only not resolve the problem, it would actually make it worse.
Why didn't you test the Famicom Castlevania III game on this? Its like one of the most important games to check for compatibility because of its extra sound channels over the NES version.
will everdrives/homebrews work on the retron5 and super retro trio?
+ccateni WAN My Genesis Everdrive works on the SR3 but not on the Retron 5. To my knowledge, Everdrive carts do not work on the Retron 5. They designed it not to in order to not encourage piracy, which is pretty ironic when you think about it.
yeah true
I've had my Retron 5 for almost a year now and I haven't had too many problems with it other than the occasional pickiness it has with certain carts just like you mentioned in your video so I can say that that claim is pretty accurate. It might also be that I just bought mine much later in it's life so some of the earlier problems might have been worked out when I finally got mine. I do like the console, but I usually use it to just play GBA games since it looks tons better on an HDTV than what you'd get with a Gameboy Player on a Gamecube setup. Sometimes I'll also play Genesis games on it, but I have plans to get a real Genesis because I'd like to try out Sega CD and 32X games. On a side note, I honestly believe the lag you're getting while using the Retron 5 is not the Retron itself but more so your TV. Some HDTV's do a better job of processing retro game signals better than others and mine hasn't had much issues with lag, but I don't know what TV you're using so it really just a theory. What is a fact, however, is that CRT's will ALWAYS beat an HDTV in the lag department when processing old games since they are the types of TV's these games were designed for so comparing lag between the Retro Trio and the Retron 5 might not be very fair.
You might want to try the Retron 5 on a proper computer monitor. It should take care of the delay and possibly fix the lightgun issue too since monitors have a higher refresh rate. Also I don't understand how the Retron 5's controller is bad if it is anything like the NeoGeo Pocket's d-pad. I wish more controllers had a microswitches, I absolutely love microswitches.
I have a NeoGeo Pocket and the two are similar in that they're clicky micro switches but the similarities end there. NGP's is more like a joystick and R5's is more like a trackball if that makes any sense.
Goonies one is a famicom game I own and have to have a converter to play on my retron 2. It works. lol
good video man, your time and effort is noticed.
My only complaint, although not your fault, is your monotone voice for 20 plus minutes.
+Powderkeg haha, yeah I can't help that but thank you and I'm glad you enjoyed the rest of it!
StopDrop&Retro I wish RetroBit would make a SNES/Genesis System, as I don't have a desire to play NES games
+Powderkeg douch
George Mcqueen If you're going to insult anyone in the comments, please learn to spell your insults correctly.
It's "douche" you moron.
Ok douch then 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
Didn't watch this video before I bought one of these consoles I'm so glad I made the right decision on my own I love my Trio
Retron 5 was looking really good until...
1. Lag. So it can make my games look great on my HD tv, but it won't make me great at Punch Out!! again.
2. This video is from 2015, and the software was still freezing even with a year's worth of updates.
Damn. That audio/video upgrade was sounding great (TMNT 4 on my HD tv through SNES looks like dog shit). And it would be nice to pop in some of my JP games like Dark Half or these Kunio games with menus upon menus to see if they have translation.
Btw, thanks for discussing and researching the lag. It's always my first question, and seems to be either low priority or not on anyone else's radar. You can drive yourself crazy playing retro twitch games on modern televisions.
+a subterranean dork You're right, lag is maddening. I always thought I'd still get some use out of the Retron 5 but honestly I haven't touched it in almost a year. Just knowing I'll get lag and sporadic crashes is enough to make it not worth the effort.
Personally lag is one of those deal breakers for me.
Great overview!! :-D very happy to come across your video! and it clearly helped me out on which one to get! so Thanks for pointing out to the right direction for me and others :-)
Btw, Castlevania 3 Dracula's Curse actually does in fact work perfectly through a Everdrive ;-)
+MrDmoney156 Awesome! I'm glad I could help! Oh wow, I didn't know it would work on an everdrive. I also hear that if you add a resistor or some mod that you have to solder onto the board, it will then play the MMC5 games like Castlevania.
Stay tuned because I have another clone console review coming up and this one might play Castlevania 3... we'll have to see!
+StopDrop&Retro No problem! :-) and is this next clone your gonna review do the same thing as the Super Retro Trio but better and was recently released this year?
+MrDmoney156 Not exactly, it only clones NES, but I'm currently testing out my collection and I'm getting some very interesting results!
+StopDrop&Retro oh i was wondering if it did SNES as well but it's cool to see what the next one could do :-) there's some pretty nice Japanese only clones out there as well though I'm unsure how those perform.
+MrDmoney156 I heard about that, I think it's called the Retro Freak. I think deliveries have started but I hear the quality and reviews are mixed. Also it appears that it's in Japanese only. The device I have in mind is not a Retro Freak, it's much cheaper though!
First off, great review! I don't know how relevant some of the points on the R5 are still since they've had some time to do a few major firmware updates in the time since this video was posted, but I don't have one still, and until I can confirm that the firmware updates have addressed some of the major flaws, it's not something I'm looking to get.
I did get the Trio 18 months ago because the Duo wasn't bad and some of the issues with the R5 with high cost, input lag, accessory compatibility, and random game crashes sounded unacceptable after owning original hardware and/or other clones without those issues.
However, I had three big issues that made me resent picking up the trio. First, the pins in the NES slot are NOT well manufactured or quality material. They squeeze the cart so hard, they got bent way out of shape almost immediately after using the system, there was noticeable malfunction after only a few weeks (wasn't the games, they worked fine on my toaster), at around 6 months I actually had pins break from normal usage and it won't play anything anymore. Luckily it did not damage any of my NES games. The second complaint, the Trio has OBNOXIOUS vertical scan lines (jail bars) on Genesis games, and the sound isn't right for any Genesis games I own (roughly 75 games that cover a good spread of titles). My last complaint is that after over 18 months of ownership, the trio still smells like a cheap glue factory, it reeks, it transfers the smell to the games you put in it, and I usually end up boxing it back up after a few hours because the smell starts to give me headaches (yikes!).
The only part of the Trio that operates flawlessly after about a year and a half of owning it, is the SNES slot. SNES games sound right, they look comparable to original hardware, and cartridge compatibility is 100% with everything I own (about 175 games SNES, SFC, and a few reproduction carts). If you have a SNES multi-tap, it is also compatible with the Trio. Tested it on Secret of Mana, a Seiken Densetsu 3 repro cart, Saturday Night Slam Masters, and Bomberman 1 & 3, and a random horse racing game on SFC called Battle Jockey, everything worked with 3 or 4 people, 5 people for Bomberman 3.
If you have to choose between R5, and Trio, save your money. My trio is 1/3rd busted, 1/3rd crap hardware emulation, 1/3rd overpriced SNES/SFC replacement. I ended up boxing this reeking glue factory up, and just using my original consoles.
J Myers I had a weird smell to but I chucked out the box and the smell stopped
About the lag with Retron 5 HD - Have you tested to change screen settings to "game"?
How does Retro 5 HD works now after updates? I can see a lot of people using it.
Who cares about the joystick when you got original's for SNES and Mega Drive / Genesis?
kevtris noticed the Retron 5 controller lag immediately. Check out his recent video looking at failed units. As a computer programmer I could never use a Retron 5. Companies stealing people's software is not okay. The other unit looks fine and is acceptable to me.
+John Gotts I don't doubt it, it's very noticeable when you start playing a game you're familiar with. I agree with your sentiment as a programmer and you have a right to feel that way towards the Retron 5. I hear they might be making a handheld PCE clone but that might have been an April Fool's gag. Even if they do and cross all their t's and dot all their i's, I still can't support them because I don't think they've owned up to what they did on the Retron 5. Admitting fault is one step closer to taking responsibility and Hyperkin has done neither so far.
Super Retro Trio now has hdmi..😁👍
Money well spent for me. I've had my Retron 5 going on a year now and I've had none of those issues. My 8 eyes even works. I'll just keep on plugging away on my fun little Retron emulator system.
When they started announcing about the Retron 5, The hardcore emulator and computer enthusiast knew they could not build emulators for 5 different systems in the time allotted. My friends and I knew from day one they would probably use open source emulation. So? Settle out of court with them and they'll move on with a licensing fee just like Atari did with Ralph Baer and Magnavox Odyssey in the early 70's. Anyhow, They simplified a problem we were having and that's the menus and frontends of these emu's suck on computer (Except for Hyperspin). Then again even Hyperspin is tedious and a little complicated to use and program for the average person. Even Retro Arch's Frontend is boring. Granted, Retron's menu is no better but Hyperkin made it easy and it makes us buy the cartridges for the required system. resurrecting Video game collecting for a lot of emulator users.
Furthermore, I lived in Japan for awhile and I experienced part of the Famicom sensation there. I collect Famicom and Super Famicom games and the translation packs are being compiled and more are completed monthly for the Retron 5. I'm actually impressed on how many private translators that are trying to help complete a lot of the games out there. Besides there are hundreds of games that are amazingly fun to play that never got released over here that do not need all that much translating. Do your homework before you speak publicly on a social media outlet about topics you are fairly ignorant in. just because you have some Famicom games does not make you an expert because NOT all games that doesn't need any translating are already over here. your ignorance shows within that statement and it really astounded me.
I have a Retron 5 and I'm happy with it. The controller does suck and some games lag, but after I bought an 8bitdo Bluetooth controller, I haven't had that problem anymore. The cartridge slots are insanely tight, but if you gently pull the cartridges out one side at a time, it'll let go fairly easily.
It might not be for everyone and it definitely has its quirks, but after getting a better controller and getting used to its quirks, it's a great system. Just make sure the store you buy it from has a return policy in case you don't like it.
Actually can you do a review on the Supaboy. It's made by hyperkin and it's a snes Gameboy mixed in one and I love mine. Possibly the only good thing that hyperkin made.
+AV Steve I hear other comments here say it's terrible. But either way, I'm not interested. I don't want to send them any business. I know it's stubborn of me but I think I am in the right and it's worth taking that stand here.
StopDrop&Retro You probably have a point. I can't blame you anyway, every one has there own way of doing things.
Thanks! Really good review :-)
+Rafael Marfil You're welcome! I'm glad I could help!
This video is so amazing. I truly appreciate the time and investigation you put on it. May I ask the source of the BGM used on the whole hyperkin story? Sounds very familiar.
Thanks! It was a bear to edit so it makes me happy when people tell me they enjoyed it! The BGM you're talking about is called Bit Bit Loop, it's by Kevin McLeod and it's in the public domain so you can use it too! I took it and modified it into a much longer loop though.
Hey, two years ago! I didn't mean that one, but the song that you play when the tension starts rising, during the context of the emulators used in the machine.
is super retro trio worth if I already have a NES and SNES with SGB? I don't have a genesis
Alan Cavazos Eh, unless you want to play Genesis games then I'd say no. If you're happy with just the NES/SNES/SGB then just stick with original hardware. There are other things I like, such as how it's all contained in one system, the controllers, the look, but I don't think any of those reasons trump original hardware if you're happy with that.
Thank you for this review. I found the answers I had in this video. I think that if the Retro Trio 3 had made the slots a little further away so the master system addon(probably the biggest question that I had) would fit and a hdmi(along with the composite), it would be the master console of them all :) again, thank you :)
I'm happy with my super retro trio. It's played every game I've put in it so far. You've just got to make sure it's on the right settings. It's more than just a trio console if you've got the right adapters. All nes games for each region have worked so far. All snes and super famicom games have worked so far, even fx games. All genesis and megadrive games have worked so far. Everdrive md works.The super gameboy works in snes slot. Everdrive gb works in super gameboy. Famicom game adapter works in nes slot, so the super retro trio does play famicom games. Mark III adapter works in genesis slot so mark III/Japanese master system games work, also tried master system games in the master system to mark III adapter inserted into a mark III to genesis adapter and lots of master system games work (but not all). You must buy/use the correct controller for the console you are using. The super retro trio comes with snes style genesis controllers. To play snes games or nes games you must have the right controllers for the right system. The super retro trio seems to remove the region lock. I put super street fighter 2 Japanese megadrive (known for being region locked) into the genesis slot, set to genesis, set to ntsc-j and it works fine. Also it works with the 6 button megadrive controllers.
+Ian Botterill DAMN! That thanks for testing all that! Good to hear, I haven't really had any problems with my collection so far either. And I found out the 8 Eyes problem was actually just a broken cart.
I have the pal version. Just done some more tests and the problem is with the snes section, most ntsc games from around 1993 onwards don't work. I had to set my retro duo up to play Bonks Adventures (ntsc-j) and Zombies ate my Neighbours (ntsc-u/c)! All nes games that I own work with the super retro trio (ntsc-j /u/c and pal). Every Megadrive/Genesis games I own work with region switch. Most Master System (ntsc-u/c/j and pal) and Mark III (ntsc-j) work with the right adapter using region switch. At least I can play play pal snes games now (including games with the fx chip).
Funny, we're in the new console wars, Hyperkin VS Retrolink