Zap! Posted May 19, 2014 Share Posted May 19, 2014 I was really excited about the Retron 5. Still am. But I think it's fair to say Hyperkin has completely dicked up the release of this thing. I still think it will be a great console....but then again, there was a time when I thought Aliens: Colonial Marines was going to be completely amazing, too. (This is also why I don't preorder.) In spite of everything, I'm very interested about the Retron X86 or whatever they call it. Although without a floppy drive ('cuz there's no way they're gonna put floppy drives in that thing) I fail to see how it'll be different from a cheap Linux box running plain old emulators, but I'm curious to see where they're going to take this. I just got a USB floppy drive for about $12 on eBay. Perhaps they will be compatible? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andromeda Stardust Posted May 19, 2014 Share Posted May 19, 2014 Honestly I have zero interest in their x86 box. I don't see why Hyperkin didn't just go with a stripped down x86 mobile processor. Something like Intel Atom but slower and cheaper with less RAM. x86 runs DOS natively. ARM running an x86 EMU sounds like such a cop out. Maybe they could even SOAC the old classic 486? Patents are expired I'm sure so it could be done? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
godslabrat Posted May 19, 2014 Share Posted May 19, 2014 Honestly I have zero interest in their x86 box. I don't see why Hyperkin didn't just go with a stripped down x86 mobile processor. Something like Intel Atom but slower and cheaper with less RAM. x86 runs DOS natively. ARM running an x86 EMU sounds like such a cop out. Maybe they could even SOAC the old classic 486? Patents are expired I'm sure so it could be done? I keep asking myself how much it would cost to make an integrated version of a $5,000 PC from 1998. $100? We're talking about technology that's been lapped dozens of times since then. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flojomojo Posted May 19, 2014 Share Posted May 19, 2014 It's my understanding that ARM chips are preferred because they're more power efficient, which has other returns such as less heat and more reliability. The DOS emulator on my Android device runs just fine, on free, versatile software. Why engineer a whole new SOC for the HDMI and wifi inputs which would not be present in a pure DOS SOC clone? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kulp Posted May 23, 2014 Share Posted May 23, 2014 new official release date is June 6th. It's finally coming... (I hope) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andromeda Stardust Posted May 24, 2014 Share Posted May 24, 2014 new official release date is June 6th. It's finally coming... (I hope) One can only hope... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaytonaUSA Posted May 24, 2014 Share Posted May 24, 2014 This thing has been pushed back so many times I nearly forgot about the dang thing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
godslabrat Posted May 24, 2014 Share Posted May 24, 2014 Even after all that, there's still apparently some compatibility issues. Presumably stuff that can be fixed with software updates, but after all this extra dev time, it's a shame. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andromeda Stardust Posted May 24, 2014 Share Posted May 24, 2014 GameSpot just released their review video... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=53Ccj8yQ3l8 A bit more detailed than previous vids but doesn't go into details about what works and what doesn't. We now know that you can load unrecognised games for some systems. NES/Famicom is yet unconfirmed, but 16-bit homebrew/repros appears to be a possibility. Sonic and Knuckles appeared to have trouble dumping in lock on mode with Sonic 2 & 3. Hopefully they fix this in firmware updates. Also be forewarned, it appears rewriting saves to SA-1 games may not work. Retron5 failed to write back the SMRPG save to the cart. So for now I wouldn't advise using it as a backup for chipped RPG games if you have cherished save file on it. Sadly, Retrode won't work with SA-1 games either so your best option is still to replace the battery before you start a new save. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zap! Posted May 25, 2014 Share Posted May 25, 2014 One can only hope... Apparently, some stores have already gotten them in. I like that they give a later release date. What I mean is I'd rather them say June 6th and it's released earlier then saying May 25th and it's still not out. Now, if only the Amazon pre-orders ship by then... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andromeda Stardust Posted May 25, 2014 Share Posted May 25, 2014 Apparently, some stores have already gotten them in. I like that they give a later release date. What I mean is I'd rather them say June 6th and it's released earlier then saying May 25th and it's still not out. Now, if only the Amazon pre-orders ship by then... The Scalpers are out on full force on eBay. Prices currently ranging from $300-$700! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaytonaUSA Posted May 25, 2014 Share Posted May 25, 2014 GameSpot just released their review video... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=53Ccj8yQ3l8 A bit more detailed than previous vids but doesn't go into details about what works and what doesn't. We now know that you can load unrecognised games for some systems. NES/Famicom is yet unconfirmed, but 16-bit homebrew/repros appears to be a possibility. Sonic and Knuckles appeared to have trouble dumping in lock on mode with Sonic 2 & 3. Hopefully they fix this in firmware updates. Also be forewarned, it appears rewriting saves to SA-1 games may not work. Retron5 failed to write back the SMRPG save to the cart. So for now I wouldn't advise using it as a backup for chipped RPG games if you have cherished save file on it. Sadly, Retrode won't work with SA-1 games either so your best option is still to replace the battery before you start a new save. Honestly, doesn't surprise me one bit. After all the delays it seemed pretty obvious they weren't ready. Great idea but I'll wait until they fix the issues, if they ever do... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Falconhood Posted May 25, 2014 Share Posted May 25, 2014 June 6? Notice there's no YEAR on that picture. June 6, 2015? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zap! Posted May 26, 2014 Share Posted May 26, 2014 So, anyone get one yet? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andromeda Stardust Posted May 26, 2014 Share Posted May 26, 2014 I have heard through the grapevine that Camerica (NES) games don't work. Currently I have no links to proove it, but it doesn't support the entire USA library like they claim. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaytonaUSA Posted May 26, 2014 Share Posted May 26, 2014 I have heard through the grapevine that Camerica (NES) games don't work. Currently I have no links to proove it, but it doesn't support the entire USA library like they claim. Honestly doesn't surprise me. Btw, does anyone know if it supports Super FX SNES games like StarFox? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andromeda Stardust Posted May 26, 2014 Share Posted May 26, 2014 ^^FX and SA-1 are rumoured to work, but one reviewer complained the Retron5 nerfed their save files on several SNES games. So for now, I wouldn't recommend placing your cherished RPGs with 30+ hours invested into the Retron5. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Atariboy Posted May 27, 2014 Share Posted May 27, 2014 (edited) That is no rumor, they both work and that was confirmed long ago. There was one reviewer, GameSpot's, that had two save issues. He was unable to transfer the Retron 5's save file for Super Mario RPG back to the cartridge. And he was unable to write a save back to 1 of the 3 slots for Link to the Past. Nothing was said about lost saves, he simply couldn't upload them from his Retron 5 to the cartridge in two limited instances. Not sure why we're trying to balloon that into a major issue here. Heck, you don't even have to copy or write saves to your original cartridge if you don't want. Unless you want to take a save between this and original hardware, you can avoid the original saving functionality of your cartridges completely if you wish when playing them on the Retron 5. Just stick to save states or the Retron 5's emulated onboard cartridge saves, both of which are read off or written to a SD card that's inserted into the Retron 5. Your onboard cartridge data is only read or wrote to when you manually select to do so. Edited May 27, 2014 by Atariboy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bixler Posted May 27, 2014 Share Posted May 27, 2014 That was a very informative review. Still won't be purchasing, but a solid review nonetheless. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
godslabrat Posted May 27, 2014 Share Posted May 27, 2014 There was one reviewer, GameSpot's, that had two save issues. He was unable to transfer the Retron 5's save file for Super Mario RPG back to the cartridge. And he was unable to write a save back to 1 of the 3 slots for Link to the Past. Nothing was said about lost saves, he simply couldn't upload them from his Retron 5 to the cartridge in two limited instances. Not sure why we're trying to balloon that into a major issue here. Heck, you don't even have to copy or write saves to your original cartridge if you don't want. Unless you want to take a save between this and original hardware, you can avoid the original saving functionality of your cartridges completely if you wish when playing them on the Retron 5. (Emphasis mine) This is exactly the problem. A clone system should, by definition, be a substitute for an original console. One of the features of which is to save a game onto a cart and play it on any other console of the same type. It's sounds weird to say it, but that's only because it's so fundamental that we don't even think about it. I was already disliking a lot of aspects of the R5... this is an absolute dealbreaker. Close up shop, we're going home. I like my long, save-heavy games. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Atariboy Posted May 27, 2014 Share Posted May 27, 2014 (edited) There's no evidence that there's any real issue here, so I'd suggest keeping an open mind. It could be as simple as his Link to the Past cartridge making poor contact when he tried to transfer a particular save, his Super Mario RPG cartridge having a dead battery, etc. Not enough detail in that video review to really pass any sort of judgement on, so best to wait a few days until these start to trickle out into the hands of folks like ourselves. And if there is, there's still the theoretical possibility that Hyperkin will offer post release support via a firmware update or two. Such a thing as post release support for the customer would go against the grain of such a company, but we're entering new territory here for clone systems so hop Edited May 27, 2014 by Atariboy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flojomojo Posted May 27, 2014 Share Posted May 27, 2014 there's still the theoretical possibility that Hyperkin will offer post release support via a firmware update or two. I've seen a bunch of early reviews give the benefit of the doubt to Hyperkin because this thing has flashable firmware. I hope that's right -- firmware updates helped the early OUYA quite a lot. The purple version of the Retron 5 looks NASTY because of the black top portion with the cartridge slots. Blech! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
godslabrat Posted May 27, 2014 Share Posted May 27, 2014 I've seen a bunch of early reviews give the benefit of the doubt to Hyperkin because this thing has flashable firmware. I hope that's right -- firmware updates helped the early OUYA quite a lot. This isn't specific to Hyperkin, but I would NEVER advise anyone to buy a product with the hope that known flaws would be fixed by future updates. The track record for that kind of expectation is just too poor. Big-league names like Sony and Samsung disappoint on that front, it doesn't give much hope for Hyperkin. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flojomojo Posted May 27, 2014 Share Posted May 27, 2014 Yeah, that's true, but at least it's technically possible, which was not always the case. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Atariboy Posted May 27, 2014 Share Posted May 27, 2014 Just to be clear, I was suggesting for those that are turned off by whatever the early issues may end up being to keep watching the situation in case it's resolved. I wasn't recommending buying right now in the hope issues will be ironed out down the road. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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