Retron 3 Question

[iglesd]

Is it possible to play Sega Master System games on it with an adapter?

[OldSchoolRetroGamer]

I have not heard it's possible but then again I cannot say for sure. Even what it IS compatible with is spotty at best and really, if you do not have one already do yourself a favour and don't bother, like all similar clones they are so cheaply built you will be lucky if it still functions after 6 months of use, and the included controllers are crap. I know your thinking yeah but it saves space, it's convenient, conversation piece blah blah blah let me assure you those "positives" quickly where off once you have had it a while.............

[Rex Dart]

Chances aren't good. I wouldn't expect it to work, but I've not heard definitively one way or the other. Also, what OSRG said.

[Jimmy Yakapucci]

I may have to try mine with my PBC. Of course it probably does not fit and would require removing the board from the case. I do not use my Retron 3 that much; mostly for testing out games that I pick up at flea markets and yard sales. Makes it easier than having 3 consoles hooked up all the time.

 

JY

[Ace_1]

While a normal Power Base Converter will not fit in the RetroN3 without cutting off the back plate or completely disassembling the converter, the RetroN3 DOES play Sega Master System games. I've done it with a custom Power Base Converter I made myself and it does work, however, I couldn't get After Burner and Global Defense to work, which I think is a problem caused by my converter as on certain Genesis Model 2s, I can't get those games working, either. My converter is now broken, but I'm in the process of rebuilding it, so once it's rebuilt, I'm going to see if I can get After Burner and Global Defense to work.

 

This is all on a RetroN3 Version 1, by the way. The RetroN3 Version 2's Genesis side is unchanged, though, so I don't expect Master System compatibility to be any different than on the RetroN3 Version 1.

 

like all similar clones they are so cheaply built you will be lucky if it still functions after 6 months of use

 

That's a bit pessimistic, no? I have a SuperJoy III Famiclone that's been made sometime in the early 2000s and it's still perfectly funtional. Even my RetroDuo, after having so many things soldered to it, still works perfectly since the day I got it in 2008. Even my FC Twin worked for two years before I completely screwed up the system(the NES side's audio output trace is completely ruined and the Super NES side's video encoder circuitry and audio amp have been trashed - still need to find my FC Twin's Super NES board and see if I can AT LEAST get it working through RGB because if it works through RGB, the Super NES board is still fully functional and can be salvaged). The RetroN3, on the other hand, seems to be pretty shoddily put together. Case and point: the RetroN3 Version 1 I had before(not mine, it belongs to a friend - he lent it to me so I can test the system and mod it for him) would get really nasty waves and heavy electrical noise in the audio signal if a Super NES controller was plugged into controller port 1, and if a SuperFX game or the Super GameBoy was inserted, after the lines would show up, those games would reset themselves and they'd keep doing so until the system would no longer recognize the SuperFX game or Super GameBoy was inserted into the system. Even the RetroN3 Version 2 I bought for another friend(he's looking for a Genesis and Super NES, but is tight on space, so I got him a RetroN3 Version 2, although I personally think I should have got him an FC3 Plus because even though it doesn't work with original controllers out of the box, the Super NES and Genesis sides are better than on the RetroN3) has issues with the Super NES side. When I first got the system, it worked fine, but a few days later, I noticed nearly every single Super NES game I'd play on the system would play with several graphical errors and it kept on doing this for several weeks. It hasn't done it again since, which has me scratching my head and wondering whether the Super NES side will hold up.

Edited August 31, 2011 by Ace_1

[+FujiSkunk]

Well, I can say for sure that it doesn't work with a Genesis Game Genie or a 32X acting as a go-between, but then the same may be true when putting one of those in between a PBC and a real Genesis. So, together with what Ace_1 said, if it's going to work at all, it has to be a direct connection.

 

like all similar clones they are so cheaply built you will be lucky if it still functions after 6 months of use

 

That's a bit pessimistic, no? I have a SuperJoy III Famiclone that's been made sometime in the early 2000s and it's still perfectly funtional...

 

The Yobo I bought several years back still works fine. In addition, I'm actually impressed with the construction of the Retron 3. It's still a knock-off clone, no question, but it's one of the better knock-off clones on the market. And, they actually fixed the NoaC technology so that Gauntlet and The Legend of Zelda play without garbage graphics! It's a shame they couldn't fix the simple sound bug that has plagued every NoaC on the market, and it would have been nice to make NES games playable with S-video, but they definitely got the most important bug taken care of.

Edited August 31, 2011 by FujiSkunk

[OldSchoolRetroGamer]

OK, OK maybe I over emphasized a little but STILL, take the shell off a Retron3, inspect it closely, maybe it will last with adult usage for a bit but I am sure that no way in hell it would hold up under serious use pulling carts in and out and certainly don't even think about giving to young kids. I am basing solely on my own Retron3 and FC mobile II, I have opened both up for repairs after a admittedly a short fall. My point being in comparison to the original consoles they mimic plus the incompatibility and sound issues, to me they just are not worth it, I am done with close period. If you got any type of clone and your enjoying it great but I would never recommend one.

[+FujiSkunk]

OK, OK maybe I over emphasized a little but STILL, take the shell off a Retron3, inspect it closely, maybe it will last with adult usage for a bit but I am sure that no way in hell it would hold up under serious use pulling carts in and out and certainly don't even think about giving to young kids.

 

I'd say that's more a sign of the times than of the quality of these particular clones. Yes, they aren't built as durably as the originals, but then nothing electronic is built as durably as it used to be. How many XBox 360's have been toasted now?

 

If you got any type of clone and your enjoying it great but I would never recommend one.

 

I still prefer the original when I feel like getting the "definitive" experience, but for convenience, portability, and saving my originals some wear and tear, these clones do just fine, especially for tasks like making sure the batch of cartridges I just bought actually work.

Edited August 31, 2011 by FujiSkunk

[Cryog]

Master System Converter I and Master System Converter II.

 

Retron3 with the Master System Converter I.

 

All the Master System converter works in the Retron 3.

 

 

BTW ... a new Retron3 rev.3 is on the market right now.

Edited September 3, 2011 by Cryog

[godslabrat]

 

BTW ... a new Retron3 rev.3 is on the market right now.

 

 

How revisioned is it?

[Ace_1]

BTW ... a new Retron3 rev.3 is on the market right now.

 

Revision 3? What? What's changed now? I just got a RetroN3 for a friend and the Super NES audio is just unbearable, not to mention we've both overall been quite disappointed with the system. If this supposed RetroN3 Version 3 is any better, I'm gonna sell off the RetroN3 Version 2 and get a RetroN3 Version 3 in its place for my friend. Unless I already have a RetroN3 Version 3?

Edited September 7, 2011 by Ace_1

[captcapcom]

My Retron 3 no longer plays Sega Genesis without flickering colors and going bananas. I think I should try a FC3.

[Rex Dart]

Man, dump the clones already.

[StoneAgeGamer]

There is no RetroN3 v3 on the market. I confirmed this with Hyperkin. I am unsure where this guy is getting this from.

 

However that being said, they may or may not be working on a third version.

[Ace_1]

At least that's solved. Still doesn't hide the fact the RetroN3 Version 2 sounds like complete s*** on the Super NES side. Have a look at these clips I posted on YouTube showing the RetroN3 Version 2 compared to a real Super NES:

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t2g3MaUNWa4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QJs35hLscyg

 

That is F-ing nasty. The RetroN3 Version 1 had perfect Super NES audio aside from some slightly messed-up Stereo separation due to the way the NES side's Mono audio out was split to make dual Mono and low volume. What the hell did Hyperkin do to make the RetroN3 Version 2's Super NES side sound so horribly distorted and lacking in bass?

 

Man, dump the clones already.

 

Not gonna happen on my end, Rex(well, unless I get an FC Mobile II and FC16 Go, in which case, that's it for me with clones unless a new clone comes out which is miles ahead of any clone we have now or I find some of the older full-motherboard NES and Genesis clones). I test these things and study their hardware because I enjoy that. Not to mention, there is a market for these systems and I want people to see what these things are truly capable of. Although I do wish some company would come up with a Genesis/Super NES combo clone. Since clone console manufacturers can't seem to let go of the God-forsaken NOAC with reversed square wave sound channel duties, at the very least, give NES cloning a break and make a Genesis/Super NES combo clone(and a better portable Genesis than the garbage AtGames has put out). I believe that's what the GN Twin was supposed to be at first.

 

For a tech guy like me, these clones make good consoles to just mess around with, see how they work and see if there are any mods that can be performed on them. It's just half the fun of getting clone consoles for me. Although I did get an FC3 Plus not so much to test it, but rather because I took down my entire setup and now have a temporary setup with very little space, so having a Front-Loader NES, launch-model Super NES and Genesis Model 1 all hooked up at the same time is just not possible for me right now. People will not ditch the clones

[envytomdead2]

I just picked up one these for $25. I have noticed graphical glitches on master system games. I am using the power base mini. This is the same behavior I would see in videos of the retro trio plus and the mini gen HD. I am wondering if that converter is causing the glitches. Anybody else see these issues? Most of the time its playable but is a bit annoying.

Edited May 15, 2019 by envytomdead2