Retron 4 (console for snes\nes\genny etc)

[+Gemintronic]

Pretty sure Reaperman channeled Han Solo and Albert Einstein to form the raddest concept ever. When you insert a REAL CART it looks for an IPS patch for that game on an SD card attached to the Retron 4. So, stick in Final Fantasy 4 and a patch that adds back in the nekkid dancers whilst de-wussifying the American version.

 

All those nice hacks and translations.. *drool*

http://www.romhacking.net/?page=hacks&game=300

[Atariboy]

If it can do all that, what's the significance compared to just running the translated version of the overseas version by loading the fixed rom image directly (Or from the flash cards that he says he's already using to discover such things)?

 

I would think that's far more likely than this dumping the contents of a cartridge to memory, applying a patch to it stored on SD memory or USB thumb drive, and then running the resulting rom image off memory that was created.

Edited March 30, 2013 by Atariboy

[+Gemintronic]

Piracy, for one. I'd rather buy the cart and apply a patch. Second, applying patches via a menu would be boss compared to fiddling with utilities on a PC.

[Reaperman]

What he posted didn't sound like it had anything to do with region locking, so thanks for the clarification.

 

That wasn't really a clarification, I was talking about popping in a foreign cart and having it translated.

I stress that this specific device has never mentioned even wanting to have that feature.

 

However, a device with user-fillable storage, in this case an sd card, flexible software, and cart slot shouldn't have much trouble with patches. Either by quickly ripping the game and applying the patch, or just by knowing from the patch data which parts of the game rom are being changed, and replacing them in real time.

 

either way it would look like popping in a jap cart and having it play in english.

 

edit:

 

Pretty sure Reaperman channeled Han Solo and Albert Einstein to form the raddest concept ever. When you insert a REAL CART it looks for an IPS patch for that game on an SD card attached to the Retron 4. So, stick in Final Fantasy 4 and a patch that adds back in the nekkid dancers whilst de-wussifying the American version.

 

you beat me to the response on that one. And I do think it'd be quite awesome.

Edited March 30, 2013 by Reaperman

[+Gemintronic]

That wasn't really a clarification, I was talking about popping in a foreign cart and having it translated.

I stress that this specific device has never mentioned even wanting to have that feature.

 

However, a device with a storage, in this case an sd card, flexible software, and cart slot shouldn't have much trouble with patches. Either by quickly ripping the game and applying the patch, or just by knowing from the patch data which parts of the game rom are being changed, and replacing them in real time.

 

I just cracked the plastic on the LIKE button! Someone find Mr. Retrons email address so we can petition for this!!!

[Atariboy]

That wasn't really a clarification...

 

Loon's post was for me since I didn't consider that you were talking about homebrew patches. Obviously this can't create a translation of a Japanese game on its own. Yet that's what I thought you were talking about and why I was so puzzled about your post.

 

I can't imagine there being enough demand for them to bother with that feature (How many of their customers that care about playing translations of old software would buy the original cartridge instead and utilize this feature rather than just download a rom image with the patch already applied? I suspect we're talking double digits only).

 

But if they do that, I think that's neat. It doesn't seem like it should be difficult to accomplish if they wanted to, particularly if they developed a common format for patches so patches compatible with their OS could easily be created by the homebrew community.

Edited March 30, 2013 by Atariboy

[OldSchoolRetroGamer]

While it's already known that this is region free, what NES/SNES/Genesis did that with region locking?

 

Stick Revenge of Shinobi into a Sega Genesis, flick the power on/off enough or pull out, stick in another cart (not advising though lol) and the Japanese version of the title screen will eventually pop up as well as different boss enemy because the console accidently switches to Megadrive mode (or the cart thinks it is inserted into a Megardive, not sure exactly which) so region differences were packed into some carts depending on which console they were played on, or more specificaly the same interior board was packed into either a Genesis or Megadrive shell depending of course where it was being sold, so clearly btoh region info was contained on the cart.

 

The THEORY that a device like this is purely speculation and wishful thinking I doubt highly will ever actually come to light. If Hyperkin even lives up to the minimum fo the hype that will be a first for them let alone surpass expectations.......

Edited March 30, 2013 by OldSchoolRetroGamer

[godslabrat]

A while back, there was a chinese emubox console. Controllers were nonstandard and the emulation wasn't that great, so it kind of went nowhere... but I think there is definately a desire for a product like that. Being built into a console that could also play original carts would be even better.

 

But at this point, we're far into the speculation range. It's very possible the USB and SD ports might be very underutilized. As has been said many times, you get burned expecting too much from clones.

[+FujiSkunk]

If you have a Retron 3, you can see the Genesis region differences in action. There is a little switch labeled "O/J" in the back. This sets the Genesis/MegaDrive hardware to the "Original" (U.S.) or "Japanese" region. This lets you see what games had different graphics, code, and so on for different regions. Not all Genesis games have region-based differences, but there are plenty that do.

 

There is also a European region. The Retron 3 released in the U.S. doesn't offer a European setting, presumably because it wasn't intended to support PAL cartridges or video signals, and perhaps because differences between European and American cartridges aren't as interesting to most U.S. gamers.

 

While the Genesis/MegaDrive region feature wasn't strictly designed as a region lock, some later cartridges did treat it as such, particularly those released after 1992. Playing imported cartridges of those games on original Sega hardware is therefore impossible, at least not without hardware hacking, or in some cases, a Game Genie. GameFAQs has a write-up on the Genesis region-locking abilities and the games that love them.

[+Gemintronic]

A while back, there was a chinese emubox console. Controllers were nonstandard and the emulation wasn't that great, so it kind of went nowhere... but I think there is definately a desire for a product like that. Being built into a console that could also play original carts would be even better.

 

But at this point, we're far into the speculation range. It's very possible the USB and SD ports might be very underutilized. As has been said many times, you get burned expecting too much from clones.

 

There is one talented man working on hacking the Gamebox GBX-1001 to run Dingux. It's sad because even the Chinese distributors are dumping these systems for dirt cheap. They come with a GBA slot as well as emulators.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=dAf5ZF3tKzc

[Algus]

I hate to say this, but the RetroN 5 is starting to sound really good

 

http://operationrainfall.com/e3-2013-retron-5-retro-gaming-console/

 

I was kind of holding out for the next Retro Duo but I think the 5 might be worth it for the Game Boy capabilities on its own. I play RPGs mostly so batteries are a real concern with my old games. SD card and save state support is a dream solution for me on consoles.

[cybercylon]

I hate to say this, but the RetroN 5 is starting to sound really good

 

http://operationrain...gaming-console/

 

I was kind of holding out for the next Retro Duo but I think the 5 might be worth it for the Game Boy capabilities on its own. I play RPGs mostly so batteries are a real concern with my old games. SD card and save state support is a dream solution for me on consoles.

 

It depends on whether or not they have fixed the sound, color, and reliability problems that usually plague these systems.

[+Gemintronic]

It depends on whether or not they have fixed the sound, color, and reliability problems that usually plague these systems.

 

mOAR INFO

http://vgmxcolumbus.com/pre-order-the-retron-5/

 

It's be interesting if they expose the Android side so people can play Android market games.

[Algus]

Depending on the price of the unit, I am willing to take a chance on audio issues to make my RPG gaming more convenient. If the system is priced reasonably, I can probably give it a pass on emulation hiccups (I did with ATGames portable Genesis) thanks to some of the modern conveniences they're tossing in. Plus I won't be getting rid of any of my old consoles if it becomes a huge issue. I'm also intrigued by the Famicom option. I don't see myself having a big famicom library but it might be fun to buy a few games.

 

Be really interesting if this thing could get hacked. Actually thanks theloon cuz that link you posted has gotten me even more interested in this thing now.

[Kulp]

yeah, I need the retron 5 to come out already so I can start collecting japanese famicom and super famicom games. there are so many I want..... this will make it so easy.

I could care less about the gba port, I'm mainly excited to be able to play the japanese games + finally have a top-loading NES system.

 

UGH I WANT IT SO BADLY!

Everything about it sounds amazing.

[Andromeda Stardust]

Word. I currently have several small storage crates for Atari, NES/Famicom, SNES, Genesis, N64, Game Cube w/ Game Boy Player, and that's only counting systems, controllers, and accessories. The games are shelved on a separate shelf area. The NES crate is overstuffed so I may need to split the AV Famicom into a separate crate, which would bring the total to seven. Then I've got the Wii-U, Ouya, and PS3 connected to the living room HDTV.

 

Having the Retron5 will cut down on clutter as well as wear and tear of the original systems, sans N64.

 

Some members on NintendoAge were critizing the Retron5 because they assumed it was just an android emulator with a built in retrode/dumping device, but honestly, I don't see that being the case. The built in emulators only need to emulate the console hardware, not the cartside mapper or expansion chips. If done right, it may be able to work with the myriad of SNES expansion chips and weird NES pirate mappers (possibly even PowerPak) without issue. Might have some problems with the SNES SA-1 chip due to the fact these games require a working lockout chip inside the console. I'm also curious to see if the SMS adapter, Virtua Racing, or the 32X work with the console. If the Genny hardware emulation is tight enough, they just might work. Also kudos to Hyperkin for allowing classic GB/GBC on the GBA slot.

[Atariboy]

I believe that they said a while back that SA1 SuperNes games like Super Mario RPG wouldn't be an issue here.

 

I hope the Game Boy side has options for proper aspect ratio. The E3 video going around showing Mario Kart Advance looks pillarboxed and proportionally correct, but it's hard to tell in the darkness for sure if there's pillarboxing or if it's full screen 16:9 and I'm just seeing the casing around the television.

 

The GBA is 3:2 which would equate to 13.5:9 when you scale it up for an easier comparison with the 16:9 aspect ratio. And the GB/GBC is 10:9 so it should have a lot of pillarboxing for those games. Neither should be forced to be full screen on a widescreen HDTV if they want their Game Boy capability to be useful for the purist out there (although I think the option of stretching it to be full screen should be there for those that like that kind of thing).

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=bpvOclkTxX8

 

Still hoping that this supports loading roms off of a SD card. Should be a no brainer for an emulation device with the necessary hardware already present but nothing has been said so far on the subject.

Edited June 18, 2013 by Atariboy

[Andromeda Stardust]

GBA is 160x240 pixels, so that would scale flawlessly at 3x to 480x720 ED.

[Atariboy]

This has 720p support and that seems to be the main appeal for many. So presumably most will want to it set it to that resolution.

 

With emulation, they should be able to get the largest 3:2 area possible on the screen without causing much in the way of picture quality loss and with just a bit of pillarboxing. So I hope we'd be able to play GBA games when set to 720p (I believe that's the HD resolution they're supporting) with the game area taking up an area 1080 pixels horizontally and the full 720 pixels in height, leaving 100 pixels to each side blank for the proper 3:2 aspect ratio.

 

Or if they want to minimize scaling, have 1 GBA pixel equate to 4x4 HDTV pixels at 720p. That would provide an area of 960 x 640 to minimize the window games run in with the minimum harm from upscaling since 1 pixel is upscaled evenly into 16 pixels.

Edited June 18, 2013 by Atariboy

[Uzumaki]

That needs to pass Castlevania 3 test before I'd consider it.

[Andromeda Stardust]

That needs to pass Castlevania 3 test before I'd consider it.

Also test it with NES PowerPak. Ditto for SNES SMRPG latest revision or Kirby Super Star / Dreamland 3. Might as well throw in Genesis Virtua Racing as well. Edited June 18, 2013 by stardust4ever

[godslabrat]

Also test it with NES PowerPak. Ditto for SNES SMRPG latest revision or Kirby Super Star / Dreamland 3. Might as well throw in Genesis Virtua Racing as well.

 

Totally this... but I'm really worried about the QUALITY of emulation. If it hits all the marks, but has off colors, crappy sound, graphical glitches... then it's just another near-miss in the clone department.

[+GoldenWheels]

I'll get the 5 as soon as released I imagine. If it stinks, it can be relegated to a gaming system for the lone remaing tv in the house without some sort of game system on it. If it's good, it can earn a spot on the rack.

 

Gotta say their case design has come a long way. Not that that is saying much since the 3 is just....ugh.

 

And oh that SD card slot...be what you should be.

[cybercylon]

That needs to pass Castlevania 3 test before I'd consider it.

 

A revised version of the Retron 3 plays it, but it sounds like crap like other games, and the color is off like most other games.

 

I don't expect the Retron 5 to be much different. I'd like to be proven wrong.

[Segataritensoftii]

Now I just really want a RetroNCD that plays Sega CD, Turbo Duo, Neo Geo CD and Playstation 1 games. Also an FPGA-based Retron. That just feels like the next logical step after emulation.