;D this is so cool you will able play Snes Nes Genesis GBA famicom games :redcart:
here is the announcement:http: www.geekosystem.com/retron-5-gaming-console/
you will able to save your game save and it has a hdmi
(http://hyperkin.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/Pic-11.jpg)
(http://hyperkin.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/Pic-5.jpg)
(http://hyperkin.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/Pic-9.jpg)
Post Merge: March 25, 2013, 01:14:31 pm
heres the sound quality on retron5 http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=fnXjK0xLkTM#!
I wish they'd get a different product designer. Maybe this is attractive to some people but I always thought they could make their systems much more elegant. Just look at how well the Neo Geo X did recently. I know they don't have a classic design to bounce off, but I think this looks like a smoke alarm. Corners on controllers is also an amateur ergonomics mistake. I really hope they can improve it, the announcements so far were interesting.
There's a long and detailed thread over at digitalpress ifyou guys want more, but here's the basic run down.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5OcNy7t17LA (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5OcNy7t17LA)
Hyperkin has announced Famicom 60 pin cartridge support, changing the name to the Retron5. It has also confirmed GB and GBC support!
This means the RetroN5 will play natively support Famicom, NES, SNES, Super Famicom, Genesis, MegaDrive, GameBoy, GameBoy Color and GameBoy Advance games. It also may even support the Famicom Disk System, Sega Master System via the Power Base Converter and possibly the Sega 32X. That's a LOT of support right there.
It will feature six controller ports - 2 NES, 2 SNES, 2 Genesis. What's news is that players will be able to use any controller they want for any system! The example they give is that users will be able to use SNES controllers to play Genesis games. This is spectacular news and washes away the worries of what controllers will or won't work with GBA games.
The system will also feature AV (not S-Video too?) video outputs as well as the aforementioned HDMI. It will also have a USB port for charging the wireless controller. No more AAA batters makes me very happy.
The bluetooth wireless controller will have a six button layout similar to the Genesis, but will look nothing like the Genesis looking controller that came with the Retorn3. It also will not have a d-pad, but an microswitch driven click-stick, which seems similar to the NeoGeo CD. The NeoGeo Pocket Color has in my option the best click stick EVER, but using it in place of a standard dpad? That might work, but it might fall flat on its face. Impossible to tell without actually using it.
The wireless controller will also allow users to custom map the button layout, and it will save custom configurations. As well, button remapping will also be available for original NES, SNES and Genesis controllers! This is yet more good news. It means for example, Ninja Gaiden Trilogy for SNES can be remapped with a real SNES controller to use the Y & B buttons instead of the B and A as originally used. Also Famicom and NES games that have "reversed" controls like Challenger can be fixed, making them much more enjoyable.
The system will have an OS that will be more than just a digital system switcher. It will allow users to create save states, it will auto-save for when the system is suddenly turned off, will offer a "cheat menu" (which could mean built in GameGenie/Action Reply support) and also offer what Hyperkin is calling Manual & Passive Overclocking - gamers will be able to change the speed of their game anytime they wish, offering both slowdown and fast-forward.
These are all common emulator features. To see them in a dedicated console that plays actual cartridges is very, very welcome.
Confirmed: Retorn5 will up-convert video signals to a max 720p. Users can also choose the aspect ratio - you can choose the original 4:3 if you so desire, or stretch to 16:9. VERY WELCOME OPTION.
It will feature something Hyperkin calls "Audio Interpolation" which they claim will clean up analog audio for digital output. I'm not going to comment on this until what they are talking about myself.
Questions asked by the audience (as best I could hear due to poor audio):
Q: What will the price be?
A: We don't have a price point [at this time] but we will say it will be under $100.
Q: Will you be adding N64 game support in the future?
A: We have looked into that, and we won't make a comment as of this time.
Q: What is the release date?
A: Essentially, TBA, though they said they will announce something after June.
Q: Do you have a demo unit?
A: Yes, we currently have an alpha system that is running Street Fighter Alpha 2.
Q: Will the Retorn5 support firmware updates?
A: Yes, although how exactly is yet to be determined.
Q: Have you thought of adding support for other retro systems (Atari, Amiga, TurboGrapfx16/PC Engine)?
A: It's market depending. If that market grows, then yes. [this is marketing jargon for "no, probably not"]
Q: Will lag be an issue?
A: hard to tell what they said. I think they said essentially no, beyond what was there natively with the original games.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
So yeah. Hyperkin has a lot of past baggage and so yes, a lot of retro gamers have legitimate concerns for the Retron4.....err, Retron5. However, based on the newest information Hyperkin has provided, things are looking brighter than ever for them and the community as a whole.
With all the announcements they made through, Hyperkin still didn't say a word about compatibility of past problematic games like Castlevania 3, Mario RPG and Virtua Racing for example. Still, that doesn't mean a thing at this point. Until it's actually released, predictions are completely pointless, either for or against individual game compatibility.
Anyone who says otherwise is full of it. It's like someone saying they can predict who will win the Superbowl - in 20 years from now. There's really nothing we can do but wait and see.
Hyperkin also didn't say anything about some other features. The alpha system shown doesn't have a reset button. This might be incorporated into the software itself though. With Famicom support comes a whole lot of Famicom only soundchips, so will the Retron5 be able to run these correctly? Speaking of which, they still didn't say anything about the NES/Famicom HD video output. I wish someone had asked if NES/Famicom games would run in 720p.
Regardless, for me personally, all this news pretty much confirms that Hyperkin is going to be running an emulation based, dedicated computer that will be extremely different from anything the market has seen thus far. Sophisticated emulation software that runs the original cartridges sounds like voodoo magic to me, and yet here apparently is. If Hyperkin can pull this off well, they have a real chance at being the dream system many of us have been wanting pretty much since childhood.
Thanks for the write up. There's a video up on YouTube showing how the Audio Interpolation works.
Nice little bonus but nothing to shout about. Most people won't notice it and purists may not even want it.
As long as it reproduces the right colour tones, sounds ok, runs a 60 Hz and doesn't feel awkward I'll probably pick it up. What's going to put me off is the design of it - what I've seen so far looks pretty bad and I'd rather just have PC emulation for all of this.
This doesn't offer anything new to me that I don't already have, but let's see how it reviews. Definitely interested.
I asked on Hyperkin's facebook page if the RetroN 5 will use software or hardware emulation and someone (I have no idea whether or not they're actually affiliated with Hyperkin) responded:
"From what I understand, they will be relying on primarily hardware emulation, but will integrate some software additions on top of that to overcome some of the compatibility issues usual found in SOCs."
If this is true and I'm not being trolled, then the RetroN 5 would honestly be a clone system I could recommend.
Hyperkin's hype of Audio Interpolation is kind of bullshit, and I'm hoping they allow for it to be turned OFF.
Audio Interpolation simply refers to a process applied to samples after they are decompressed to make a sound wave sound less harsh and more "natural" by essentially muffling it. A primitive analogy would be to turn on a vacuum cleaner, leave the room and close a door. You'll still hear the vacuum, but it's audio will be interpolated.
And also, guess what? The Super Famicom and SNES hardware have Interpolation filters built right into the console - unless you modify your snes with a new audio amplifier, all snes music is interpolated already, which is why SNES music has that distinctively soft sound compared to the harsh tones of the Genesis/MegaDrive or even the NES.
I prefer the jaggier sound of the MegaDrive for sure - I'd rather they didn't do stuff like this. It's the audio equivalent of super sai graphics upscaling. Yes it looks better when you first see it but you later realise it's just not at all as good.
It won't be an issue with me as long as they make it optional.
(http://25.media.tumblr.com/bf7d3acea39a77cda6d234d6f8059e0b/tumblr_mm5a82uzqJ1s5p494o1_1280.jpg)
(http://24.media.tumblr.com/f3f1ae020c8e91b03e8d0511e68ade9a/tumblr_mm5a82uzqJ1s5p494o2_1280.jpg)
New Pictures
This might help me preserve my consoles in great shape and also save room! I can't wait to see it I'm action!
That thing looks like a tank. It's beautiful!
I can't be the only one that thinks both those designs are ridiculous? Oh well, hoping the system stands up on performance, I can get over the looks.
That controller looks really uncomfortable.
Yeah I do think it looks very unergonomic at the least. Of course these are just CGI, I imagine the final product will look cheaper but let's see.
The retorn5 is currently in its early prototype stages. I don't think the designs of anything Hyperkin showed - the console or the controller - will stay the same. Remember the PS3 Boomerang controller?
To be fair, first party is a whole different kettle of fish. If those are new pics, it'll look pretty close.
The Retron 4 isn't that different, but I mainly just hope they make sure the controller is ergonomic, for their sake.
The good thing is that Hyperkin has also announced you'll be able to use any controller to play any system including oem nintendo, snes and genesis controllers. This means even if the bluetooth controller is junk, original controllers can be used instead, negating the problem altogether.
Good point and a smart move. Even without mapping that is a really nice touch.
Yeah I'm glad you can use Nintendo/Sega controllers on this. Besides being unergonomic, what's with the d-pad on that thing anyway?
That's NOT a dpad. It's a digital clickstick similar to the NeoGeo CDZ and NeoGeo Pocket. Hyperkin is likely going that way to appease SNK fans as well as for retro fighting games, shooters, etc. If it's done right, a clickstick is a thousand times better than a dpad. Only time will tell if Hyperkin gets it right, but giving them shit for trying is pointless. I COMMEND hyperkin for trying.
Oh I hope it does well, I'm tempted to get one, I just wish they focused on doing less things better, rather than multiple tricks done not so well (traditionally). Fingers crossed though, this could be a great way to play Gameboy on TV.
Quote from: satoshi_matrix on May 07, 2013, 01:05:33 am
That's NOT a dpad. It's a digital clickstick similar to the NeoGeo CDZ and NeoGeo Pocket. Hyperkin is likely going that way to appease SNK fans as well as for retro fighting games, shooters, etc. If it's done right, a clickstick is a thousand times better than a dpad. Only time will tell if Hyperkin gets it right, but giving them shit for trying is pointless. I COMMEND hyperkin for trying.
I hope they'll try harder though. OK I never played any home NeoGeo systems but I guess the click stick is a cross between an arcade stick and a d-pad, so that you can hit the diagonals that's needed for arcade games, easier than on a d-pad. Anyway I hope it won't be like the X-Box's so called d-pad that always seemed to favour the diagonals whenever you don't wanted them.
Super Retro Trio
The RetroN5 has a challenger
(http://www.news10.net/images/640/360/2/assetpool/images/130430064250_SuperRetroTrio.jpg)It would seem that 2013 is going to be a big year for new gaming hardware -- not only will we see the PlayStation 4 and Next Xbox, but we've got two new retro systems to look forward to as well. Hyperkin's RetroN 5 will be joined by the Retro-Bit Super Retro Trio, which plays SNES, Genesis / Mega Drive, NES and (with an adapter) Game Boy Advance titles.
The system comes with three cartridge slots -- SNES, Genesis and NES -- as well as six (count 'em) controller ports for use with authentic, original pads. The console also comes with two controllers of its own. However, unlike the RetroN 5 -- which boasts HDMI -- the Trio is limited to S-Video and composite AV.
The cost? A very reasonable $69.99, but you'll need to lay out an additional $39.99 if you want to play Game Boy Advance games as they require an adapter, which is pictured below. A bundle which includes the Trio and the adapter will be available for $89.99.
Distributor Innex is showing the system at E3 this year, and we're looking to secure some hands-on time as soon as possible.
Website: http://www.nintendolife.com/news/2013/05/super_retro_trio_plays_snes_genesis_nes_and_gba_games
First time I've read about this and I'm already interested but that controller looks really weird and uncomfortable, however, they offer support for other console controllers so it's all good.
Their controller doesn't look great.
Now if they let you connect and use your own bluetooth controllers (cough, PS3), that would sell me (despite the guaranteed shitty compatibility)!
this is neat it is a prototype the retron 5
(http://geekstumbles.com/wp-content/plugins/wp-o-matic/cache/e97fcf0f8e_retron4-1.jpg)
(http://technabob.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/retron4_controller.jpg)
Quality of finish looks better than I imagined.
I wanna see some actual gameplay with it before I can really cast judgment. I wanna hear how it sounds and I wanna see how it functions. The reason I avoid clones like the plague is because they just suck for playing games on. They sound tinny, they are really cheaply put together and on top of that, a lot of games are incompatible with the freaking things.
So far it looks impressive and but Hyperkin is making some pretty high claims. We'll see if they can follow through on them.
They're at E3 this year - nusilver are you going again? It'd be great if someone could check the thing out. Unfortunately I'm not off there this year. Alas.
Quote from: L___E___T on May 15, 2013, 10:35:13 am
They're at E3 this year - nusilver are you going again? It'd be great if someone could check the thing out. Unfortunately I'm not off there this year. Alas.
The show falls upon what will be my last week at my current job, so they don't want to pay for me to go, and since I'm already dropping $$$$$ to move the week after, I'm not paying for the travel myself. My badge will be unclaimed, sadly. :(
there is a demo of the retron5 gameplay http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=vdB1sOe4iz0
Looks ok, gonna wait to see the thing - design looked fugly I thought but let's wait and see.
Retron5 hand-on
http://www.engadget.com/2013/06/11/hands-on-with-hyperkins-retron-5-emulating-nine-classic-consol/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=Engadget
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nFsf0hmaeXs
Software emulation...... -_-
I just moved across country and had to leave the majority of my consoles back at my parents' place... so this would be a good solution for me.
Quote from: naI on June 12, 2013, 11:03:17 am
Software emulation...... -_-
This is exactly the direction they should be going, and all the power to them. Emulators can be updated, emulators can be perfect. Reverse engineered hardware is forever going to be whatever it is when you buy it. Games that don't work or sound errors or whatever else. This IS the perfect solution - the power and versatility of emulation coupled with solid state cartridge media.
There's that, but then if its essentially emulation with save states and filters, why bother with the cartridges? Why not just do emulation generally? That's what puts me off personally. I'm not saying right or wrong so much, but it defeats the object for me. I am guessing the SD card is going to be accessible storage as well when it releases - it's not the kind of thing they can really publicise though.
I don't follow that logic. If you want to go purely emulation, then go ahead - there are dozens and dozens of devices that can do that from a modded Xbox to the brand new Ouya. The Retron5 is the fusion of the power and versatility of emulators with the physical solid state media of cartridges, the best of both worlds. If this doesn't appeal, you can spent well under $30 to get an Xbox and the materials needed to mod one and bingo, you can do most of what the Retorn5 can do purely through both hardware and software emulation.
Hyperkin's direction here is the smart option for those of us who have large retro libraries and who feel attached to ownership of something physical that's just lost when you purely emulate.
Don't get me wrong I love emulation and I think it's great - but I see it as a means to an end, not the ultimate goal. When I play a Famicom game I don't own, I ask myself if I like it enough to go and buy a physical copy - even though I've already got it free through emulation.
Maybe that's just me though.
No I do that too, but I like to play them on the original hardware. That's what I'm talking about, if its not original hardware and has all the filters etc. to me that feels like emulation, which I have already. The GBA bit is interesting but again I have that already through original hardware with TV out.
I'm not dissing the Retron, but I don't think a big library of carts and emulated hardware is the smart option, to me it's the wrong way round. I like original hardware with an Everdrive, because its original hardware but also saves so much space. The other way round seems odd to me. If you already have a big library of games, I would expect to see the systems as well.
To clarify, what defeats the object for me is that it's not original hardware.
That, not cartridges is the main point of appeal outside of emulation for me.
Emulation is good for convenience, but there's nothing like playing on a real system with that picture and sound. I like collecting games, but it's the playing as they were meant to be played that I like more.
I think the Retron's strength and appeal is that it does all those systems in one go. For people not yet into retro gaming, it has a lot of appeal there.
Post Merge: June 13, 2013, 03:59:57 pm
Thinking about it more, with the Retron the effort goes on emulating the hardware, not the games. I can see the sense with that actually and also the appeal. Under $100 too, sounds good.
I agree with you for the most part, but since this thing has HDMI and filters I am hoping the emulation is accurate enough that it will make gaming on a HDTV not look like horrid ass.
"horrid ass" - best universal descriptor ever!
I think I'll probably buy one for convenience. If it looked nicer it'd be a pre-order though.
L___E___T I respect your opinions and share many of them. I don't think I'll ever get rid of my original hardware (Famicom, Super Famicom, GameBoy Advance SP, etc) but at the same thing Hyperkin is offering something that as you said, emulates the hardware, not the software.
Hyperkin has shown off and promises to deliver extremely accurate hardware based emulators with robust options. The difference between an SNES game running on the original hardware and an SNES game running on the Retorn5 are all in your head.
The system's capable of running everything in native 4:3 resolutions or can stretch or do whatever you want. You can add in soften or sharpen filters. Sound interpolation enabled or disabled. You can even add scanlines if you want.
Of course, this is all pre-release hype - nobody yet knows how accurate the emulators truly will be. All I can say right now is that if Hyperkin lives up to the potential the Retron5 has, it will officially eclipse not only all other clones, but also the original hardware of each system it does. It has potential to achieve greatness. Next we need to see what it actually does achieve.
Although I'm all for original hardware, if emulation is the only way to preserve that hardware, then this may not be such a bad idea after all. Many parts in the Famicom are not easy to find anymore and is probably not produced anymore. And for sound and graphics not being exactly the same in emulation, that is the case of real hardware as well. Different revisions of Famicoms have slightly different sound and video and many people don't consider it to be wrong, just different. They are all original Nintendo consoles anyway. Off course emulators should aim to be as accurate as possible though.
"Emulating software" doesn't make sense but I understand what you mean (after all emulation is about reproducing a certain hardware's behaviour in software on other hardware). Even though flash carts like everdrive runs the original games' code (the ROM) it has to emulate the hardware on the carts. This may not matter much for things like mappers but for example extra sound chips like VRC6 and FDS sound chip may sound off due to not enough accurate emulation.
Any more news on this thing? It already looks really impressive.
retron 5 has been delay to 2014 http://www.engadget.com/2013/11/28/hyperkin-retron-5-game-console-launch-delay/ :'(
I am looking forward to it, hope to bring the old games to a modern audience. That's gonna be awesome. There's nothing better than famicom carts, and with machines like this we can keep on playing them in the HD era. Frankly the original consoles have so many problems that they just don't cut it. NES with its bad connector, famicom with its jailbars and composite at best, controllers getting worn down, the SNES with its white bar and other artifacts. The need for regionmodding. Etc. Also consider the cost for all those consoles in different regions and space they take, only hardcare gamers could afford.
I would of course still recommend whoever to own both the original hardare and the retron5. But think about it, you don't play your old beatles records on an LP, do you.
So did anyone buy one of these?
I just read/watched some reviews, very disappointed to read it is still emulation, that's a dear shame for me as it renders the entire system moot off the bat.
If you don't care about that it looks like a sweet little machine though.
Yeah I'm not interested in it either, I don't really see the point with it. Apparently it dumps the cartridge and then runs the ROM in an emulator. This probably mean it isn't compatible with Powerpak or Everdrive, and can only play games which mappers are supported by the emulator.
If the retron5 doesn't play all bootleg and multicart games i wont get it
Quote from: P on June 01, 2014, 01:04:13 pm
Yeah I'm not interested in it either, I don't really see the point with it. Apparently it dumps the cartridge and then runs the ROM in an emulator. This probably mean it isn't compatible with Powerpak or Everdrive, and can only play games which mappers are supported by the emulator.
This
http://krikzz.com/forum/index.php?topic=1735.0
Also since it wont play a flashcart I can bet it wont do mulicarts.
But the Everdrive isn't simply a multicart. It has all kinds of stuff including an SD card that it copies games from to the ROM chips. Normal multicarts should work as long as their mappers are supported by the emulator used by Retron 5. However since bootlegs often use their own mappers that are not implemented in most emulators I doubt that the Retron 5 will be able to run them all.