Teardown of Gamerz Tek 8-Bit HD

[Tanooki]

I wouldn't consider an AVS in the least bit either. Too much money, only covers one system, could not care less about scoreboard. Not saying it's bad, at least it's not a NOAC trying to send up a shoddy signal through HDMI.

[Andromeda Stardust]

I wouldn't consider an AVS in the least bit either. Too much money, only covers one system, could not care less about scoreboard. Not saying it's bad, at least it's not a NOAC trying to send up a shoddy signal through HDMI.

Yes, to call the AVS a "clone" seems at first to be an insult to the testament of FPGA tech, given how great they are. "Clone" is synonymous with "junk" in collector circles, but it shouldn't have to be. AVS and NT Mini are both brilliant designs, and a testament to the versatility of FPGA tech and how great technology can be when done correctly. Even the age old NOAC could be done right if someone who took pride in their work took made the effort to redesign it.

 

As the old saying goes, "you get what you pay for." This reigns true here. You'll pay a bit more for the boutique collector options rather than the mass manufactured hardware, but it is well worth it in the end. I would even suggest the NT Mini may be worth the huge premium over AVS to some, now that Kevtris' jailbreak firmware is out unlocking many classic 8-bit era consoles. I personally own an AVS, and couldn't be happier with it.

[Great Hierophant]

Waste your money on four knockoff clones hoping you'll get a semi decent NOAC, or save up for an AVS!

That $40 could be 1/5 of price of an AVS or 1/12 the price of an Nt Mini, and I'd rather save up for one or the other to review on my blog.

[Tanooki]

Well then insult greatly intended. Like it or not, it's a clone, even if it's not a lame NOAC. I agree NOACs could be excellent if someone with some common sense and a general lack of a lazy streak put a little thought into it.

[Andromeda Stardust]

Well then insult greatly intended. Like it or not, it's a clone, even if it's not a lame NOAC. I agree NOACs could be excellent if someone with some common sense and a general lack of a lazy streak put a little thought into it.

Something I can agree with. The swapped duty cycles and other issues were fine in 2004 with the Gen Nex and Yobo. You'd think they would have made more refinements to a product rather than peddling the same bovine excrement a decade and some change later...

[Great Hierophant]

Ace on the Sega-16 forum indicated that the second run of the Gamerz Tek 8-bit HD console doesn't have the broken audio shown in bunnyboy's video, but it does have swapped duty cycles. Pick your poison : http://www.sega-16.com/forum/showthread.php?32415-Retron-HD-Possible-to-swap-the-NOAC&p=784361&viewfull=1#post784361

[Andromeda Stardust]

Ace on the Sega-16 forum indicated that the second run of the Gamerz Tek 8-bit HD console doesn't have the broken audio shown in bunnyboy's video, but it does have swapped duty cycles. Pick your poison : http://www.sega-16.com/forum/showthread.php?32415-Retron-HD-Possible-to-swap-the-NOAC&p=784361&viewfull=1#post784361

Ugg. Swapped Duty Cycles is worse IMO. The chips with messed up Castlevania II, III audio sound fine in most other games.

 

In Super Mario Bros, when I jump, it's supposed sound like "Oooie" and not "Whuuump."

[Great Hierophant]

Like Gamerz-Tek and Hyperkin, a third challenger enters the cheap HD NES clone market. This is the retro-bit RES Plus and it also has reversed duty cycles as shown here : https://youtu.be/cEIUHlcuNhg?t=246 It has a nicer palette than the Hyperkin but sounds more or less identical tot he Hyperkin and doens't have the 4:3 - 16:9 switch. RGT 85 also reviewed the system and said the audio was fine, but he talked over all the game footage and is fairly ignorant or tone deaf. The review I posted above is equally ignorant, but at least he compared it to an AVS so you can hear how CV3 should sound.

Edited August 26, 2017 by Great Hierophant

[godslabrat]

Retro-bit hit a home run with the Super Retro Trio, but many of their other efforts don't measure up. I keep hoping that they'll hit their stride and become the new gold standard for clones... but so far, they seem to be content with "It works and it's

Cheap, what more do you want?"

[Andromeda Stardust]

Like Gamerz-Tek and Hyperkin, a third challenger enters the cheap HD NES clone market. This is the retro-bit RES Plus and it also has reversed duty cycles as shown here : https://youtu.be/cEIUHlcuNhg?t=246 It has a nicer palette than the Hyperkin but sounds more or less identical tot he Hyperkin and doens't have the 4:3 - 16:9 switch. RGT 85 also reviewed the system and said the audio was fine, but he talked over all the game footage and is fairly ignorant or tone deaf. The review I posted above is equally ignorant, but at least he compared it to an AVS so you can hear how CV3 should sound.

Bleck! Reverse duty cycles are awful. The jump effects in Super Mario are totally wrong.