godslabrat Posted April 30, 2014 Share Posted April 30, 2014 I thought I'd start a new thread, because this thing was mentioned in the Retron 5 thread, but has been buried under news about that console. It seems Retro-Bit (the company who made the RetroDuo) just released a new clone system. On paper, it's basically the Retron3, but it does seem like it improves on that console a LOT. Gone are the useless wireless controllers, instead it simply includes a clone SNES pad (albeit with a Genesis connector). It still supports original controllers AND analog connections. Compatibility is said to be high. Here's where it gets interesting: Retrobit has also said that sound accuracy is MUCH better than on previous clones, and that the console does work with SOME flashcarts. Now, I'm definitely waiting for independent reviews to qualify these statements, but even though the RetroTrio is "low-tech" compared to the RetroN5, there's a chance it's forgone the bells and whistles and just done a better job at the basics. I'm going to watch this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Gemintronic Posted April 30, 2014 Share Posted April 30, 2014 I may get this. I have a Retron 3 but the wireless joysticks were a joke. The various joystick ports did not work with many joysticks. Oh, and my flash carts worked.. and then some of them stopped. I could still use the PowerPak and EverDrive on other systems though. Since the Retron 4/5 will not support flash carts this may be my only other option. P.S. Some articles mention a GBA adapter. Those "adapters" require totally separate audio/video cables. What a joke. I'll pass. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
godslabrat Posted April 30, 2014 Author Share Posted April 30, 2014 I may get this. I have a Retron 3 but the wireless joysticks were a joke. The various joystick ports did not work with many joysticks. Oh, and my flash carts worked.. and then some of them stopped. I could still use the PowerPak and EverDrive on other systems though. Since the Retron 4/5 will not support flash carts this may be my only other option. P.S. Some articles mention a GBA adapter. Those "adapters" require totally separate audio/video cables. What a joke. I'll pass. Yeah, I'm sure they're trying to find a way to compete with the GB support on the Retron5, but that's not the way to do it. If the actual core functions of the SR3 are as good or better than Hyperkin's system, I think a lot of people will be attracted to it. After the price hike on the RN5, it's now almost twice the price. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andromeda Stardust Posted May 9, 2014 Share Posted May 9, 2014 (edited) Somebody please tell me I'm not hallucinating this stuff. I received a Super Retro Trio from DasCheap, and it had a busted NES controller port. A Retrobit rep sent me a replacement console. In the interm, I've since tested both of them, but I have to keep my word and send back the first one. I have two video segments captured from playtesting I did with both consoles. Both play Castlevania III loaded off a flash drive. One of them sounds good, the other, not so much... All Retrobit NOACs are NOT created equal. More review vids: And there's one more vid that's still uploading. The first video is clips from the last two. If all goes well, it will be live in a couple hours thanks to my slow azz DSL uplink: It's been a wild ride for sure, past few days... Edited May 9, 2014 by stardust4ever Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bixler Posted May 9, 2014 Share Posted May 9, 2014 From what I have heard it looks very promising. I'll probably pick one up in the future if the reviews are generally positive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Loguidice Posted May 9, 2014 Share Posted May 9, 2014 Based on the early reviews that have been posted, it looks like it has sound/color issues, with the Genesis side having the fewest flaws. If indeed the RetroN 5 doesn't support flash carts, this may be the only option for a more consolidated unit, despite its drawbacks. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andromeda Stardust Posted May 9, 2014 Share Posted May 9, 2014 Based on the early reviews that have been posted, it looks like it has sound/color issues, with the Genesis side having the fewest flaws. If indeed the RetroN 5 doesn't support flash carts, this may be the only option for a more consolidated unit, despite its drawbacks. The Retron5 will not work with Flash carts because it dumps the game to RAM then runs it in an emulator. Once the game is dumped, the cartridge bus is no longer needed. At most, all you'd get is the boot ROM. Homebrews for SNES and Genesis are likely to work because most games do not have mapper hardware or special chips. NES homebrews likely won't work because the Retron5 won't know how to dump the game if the checksum isn't in the database. Repros may also fall into this category. It may be possible to detect homebrews or unknown games with common mappers using heuristics, but such an algorithm would take time as it requires dumping portions of the game multiple times. One-off Famicom mappers such as VR7 Lagrange point, pirate multicarts, and other obscure imports may not work either, but I'm glad for the inclusion of the Famicom port regardless. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NinjaWarrior Posted May 9, 2014 Share Posted May 9, 2014 Can the Genesis side play Virtua Racing? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andromeda Stardust Posted May 10, 2014 Share Posted May 10, 2014 (edited) Can the Genesis side play Virtua Racing? Negative. I own Virtua Racing and have tested it. Doesn't work. Fortunately, that's the only Genesis game I know of that uses special chips. It may or may not play SMS, but I won't know for sure as my Power Base Mini is tied up in my Stone Age Gamer Retron5 preorder. Everdrive MD v3 can also play SMS ROMs by emulating the Power Base Converter, which I haven't tested yet, so I'll give it a try later. It will run the Everdrive carts, in all three cart slots, something the Retron5 will never do!!! NES PowerPak still doesn't work. Edited May 10, 2014 by stardust4ever Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NinjaWarrior Posted May 10, 2014 Share Posted May 10, 2014 You must have a defect..Look at 26:15 of the Video Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bradhig Posted May 11, 2014 Share Posted May 11, 2014 Does it play Castlevania 3? A lot of famiclones don't play it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NinjaWarrior Posted May 11, 2014 Share Posted May 11, 2014 Damn, My mistake...You have to mod it to get V.R to work CVIII works - Look at the Video Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andromeda Stardust Posted May 11, 2014 Share Posted May 11, 2014 (edited) @bradhig: Castlevania III works on a flash drive. I don't have an original cart to test however. I've had the privilege of playtesting two units. One of them, the MMC5 sounded good, the second sounded like crap. Sadly, I had to send back the "good" one due to a defective controller port. Such is life, I guess... If you're hell bent on playing Castlevania III, it may work or it may not. It may have glaring audio problems or it may not. Rest of the NES games I tried sounded fine on both consoles. No swapped duty cycles. Somebody please tell me I'm not hallucinating this stuff. I received a Super Retro Trio from DasCheap, and it had a busted NES controller port. A Retrobit rep sent me a replacement console. In the interm, I've since tested both of them, but I have to keep my word and send back the first one. I have two video segments captured from playtesting I did with both consoles. Both play Castlevania III loaded off a flash drive. One of them sounds good, the other, not so much... All Retrobit NOACs are NOT created equal. Edited May 11, 2014 by stardust4ever Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NinjaWarrior Posted May 11, 2014 Share Posted May 11, 2014 use a CRT with it looks better Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goldenegg Posted May 11, 2014 Share Posted May 11, 2014 @bradhig: Castlevania III works on a flash drive. I don't have an original cart to test however. I've had the privilege of playtesting two units. One of them, the MMC5 sounded good, the second sounded like crap. Sadly, I had to send back the "good" one due to a defective controller port. Such is life, I guess... Why wouldn't you have responded to Retro-Bit, showing them the video you took with the terrible sound? I'm sure they would have sent you another unit. There's no reason you should be expected to just live with the defect. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goldenegg Posted May 11, 2014 Share Posted May 11, 2014 Just a heads-up for anyone wanting one of these. There's an eBay seller I've bought from several times who's selling this console for 10% off for today only (Sunday May 11th). eBay Auction -- Item Number: 400705391116 - Grey/Black eBay Auction -- Item Number: 251524202725 - Black/Red This is NOT my auction. Just trying to pass along a pretty decent deal. Shipping to Canada isn't terrible either, considering the reduction in price for the console. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldSchoolRetroGamer Posted May 11, 2014 Share Posted May 11, 2014 (edited) Just a heads-up for anyone wanting one of these. There's an eBay seller I've bought from several times who's selling this console for 10% off for today only (Sunday May 11th). eBay Auction -- Item Number: 400705391116 - Grey/Black eBay Auction -- Item Number: 251524202725 - Black/Red This is NOT my auction. Just trying to pass along a pretty decent deal. Shipping to Canada isn't terrible either, considering the reduction in price for the console. And thank you for that, as a Canadian and considering past clone console deals this is likely the best deal I will find. I appreciate the heads up. I have a sickness, I HATE my Retron3 (not initially as my original video would indicate BUT over time since just did not like the build quality, crap wireless controllers etc) and I had sworn off clones BUT since this is not HYPERKIN but RetroBit and from the great series of videos by SatoshiMatrix despite my better judgement I went for it. I even opted for the Silver.Grey model as most seem to be getting the Red / Black model lol. http://youtu.be/1XCZg7MzvcY https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sr5ILRAPy9M https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ibUlnIQWN1s Edited May 11, 2014 by OldSchoolRetroGamer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andromeda Stardust Posted May 11, 2014 Share Posted May 11, 2014 (edited) Why wouldn't you have responded to Retro-Bit, showing them the video you took with the terrible sound? I'm sure they would have sent you another unit. There's no reason you should be expected to just live with the defect. I showed them the video. They said they'll look into it. And thank you for that, as a Canadian and considering past clone console deals this is likely the best deal I will find. I appreciate the heads up. I have a sickness, I HATE my Retron3 (not initially as my original video would indicate BUT over time since just did not like the build quality, crap wireless controllers etc) and I had sworn off clones BUT since this is not HYPERKIN but RetroBit and from the great series of videos by SatoshiMatrix despite my better judgement I went for it. I even opted for the Silver.Grey model as most seem to be getting the Red / Black model lol. http://youtu.be/1XCZg7MzvcY https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sr5ILRAPy9M https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ibUlnIQWN1s I watched Satoshi's first two videos. The Genesis video had a great tutorial on how to mod your system to work with Virtua Racing. Great to see he has uploaded the SNES review now. Added to my "Watch later" list. Edited May 11, 2014 by stardust4ever Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldSchoolRetroGamer Posted May 11, 2014 Share Posted May 11, 2014 (edited) I showed them the video. They said they'll look into it. I watched Satoshi's first two videos. The Genesis video had a great tutorial on how to mod your system to work with Virtua Racing. Great to see he has uploaded the SNES review now. Added to my "Watch later" list. Yes definitely, he always seems to find these extra little tips to get more out of these things and I downloaded the picture of where to bridge the connection. After seeing THIS device in his video and finding it really cheap I picked it up some time ago: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SIQ2Fij-W_E There is also a mod to get a better picture signal in an older video he did on it. Edited May 11, 2014 by OldSchoolRetroGamer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andromeda Stardust Posted May 11, 2014 Share Posted May 11, 2014 Yes definitely, he always seems to find these extra little tips to get more out of these things and I downloaded the picture of where to bridge the connection. I really should forward this to the Retrobit rep who contacted me on digitpress: 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goldenegg Posted May 12, 2014 Share Posted May 12, 2014 I even opted for the Silver.Grey model as most seem to be getting the Red / Black model lol. I bought the same one. There are way too many black consoles in my collection. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NinjaWarrior Posted May 12, 2014 Share Posted May 12, 2014 I just don't get people, I hate when people play on a HDTV and the 16x9 display Use a CRT Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goldenegg Posted May 12, 2014 Share Posted May 12, 2014 I just don't get people, I hate when people play on a HDTV and the 16x9 display Use a CRT It's one thing to provide criticism when people play 4:3 content stretched to 16:9. Telling people to only use CRTs is just plain ignorant. Most people have HDTVs nowadays and that's how they play their systems. They should be taught to use the 4:3 mode of their TVs for certain content, but that's about it. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NinjaWarrior Posted May 12, 2014 Share Posted May 12, 2014 Well just grab the remote and put it in 4x3 display Alot of Collecters have both HDTV and a CRT TV's Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mkiker2089 Posted May 12, 2014 Share Posted May 12, 2014 A lot of HDTVs use a good upscaling algorithm that will make these games look better than ever. To fall back on a CRT for anything other that light gun support is just burying your head in the sand. Stardust and anyone else who has one, use the Tengen game Rolling Thunder. I don't know why but if that game plays then your console will have good sound and video. Something about the ones with poor sound and jailbars also crash that game. And as Stardust said before, don't buy into the hype yet. Just like Hyperkin, RetroBit has really fallen behind on quality control. Different units will be different variations with no way to be certain which is which. The fact that almost half are considered "bad" should tell you something. It's the same with all clone systems as far as I've seen as I've purchased and returned many. At least RetroBit will talk to you. Hyperkin said they only talk to distributors and to go through proper channels next time before bothering them. Well not in so many words, but that was the gist. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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