retron 5 console[clone]

[jayjay06]

    this is so cool you will able play Snes Nes Genesis GBA famicom games


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






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#!

[L___E___T]

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.

[satoshi_matrix]

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

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.

[L___E___T]

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.

[naI]

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.

[satoshi_matrix]

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.

[L___E___T]

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.

[satoshi_matrix]

It won't be an issue with me as long as they make it optional.

[jayjay06]

     



New Pictures

[FamicomFreak]

This might help me preserve my consoles in great shape and also save room! I can't wait to see it I'm action!

[petik1]

That thing looks like a tank. It's beautiful!

[L___E___T]

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.

[UglyJoe]

That controller looks really uncomfortable.

[L___E___T]

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.

[satoshi_matrix]

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?