Retro-Bit Generations

[+GoldLeader]

Am I the only one psyched for some of these Piko Interactive games?

 

I might want to get the SNES cartridges later...

[Flojomojo]

I'm surprised there are no reviews here.

 

Maybe that's because of the oddball selection of games. I could roll dice and play random MAME games for much the same effect.

 

The Amazon reviews so far are lacking in detail and seem fake to me.

[CMR]

It looks to me like a group of guys got together and just picked out their favorite games and slapped them on the system. Which, to me, is awesome in it's own way. I've got one ordered so I'll post my impressions here when I get it. I'm hoping it will eventually be hacked and I can cram more crap onto it.

[onmode-ky]

It seems the console in the YouTube video from which I sourced the game selection may not have been final. Retro-Bit's published list (which agrees with what was in the video) isn't final either, I guess. At the least, the Alfred Chicken games are reportedly not part of the final product. Anyway, I got some platform and publisher data to add, so here we go again--for now:

 

NES/FAM

bases loaded (listed as: bases loaded i) -- jaleco

bases loaded ii: second season -- jaleco

bashi bazook: morphoid masher -- jaleco

the escape from atlantis -- piko interactive/color dreams

free fall -- piko interactive/color dreams

hoops -- jaleco

moero!! juudou warriors (listed as: juudou warriors) -- jaleco

lan master -- piko interactive/shiru

lawn mower -- piko interactive/shiru

jajamaru no daibouken (listed as: ninja jajamaru no daibouken) -- jaleco

ninja jajamaru-kun -- jaleco

pinball quest -- jaleco

pizza pop! -- jaleco

quest forge: by order of kings (listed as: questforge) -- piko interactive/ludosity

snakky -- piko interactive/shiru

the black bass -- hot b

the blue marlin -- hot b

zooming secretary (listed as: zooming secretaries) -- piko interactive/shiru

 

SNES/SFC

2048 -- piko interactive/alekmaul/gabriele cirulli

apocalypse ii -- piko interactive/psygnosis

astrohawk -- piko interactive/paul lay

brawl brothers -- jaleco

corn buster -- piko interactive/engine software

creepy bird -- piko interactive/shiru

dorke & ymp (listed as: dorke n ymp) -- piko interactive/norse

legend (listed as: legend e) -- piko interactive/softgold/c&l associated

mazezam challenge (listed as: mazezam) -- piko interactive/alekmaul/malcolm tyrrell

mr. bloppy saves the world (listed as: mr bloopy (sic)) -- piko interactive/compedia

operation logic bomb -- jaleco

rival turf! -- jaleco

rockfall -- piko interactive/paul lay

rushing beat shura -- jaleco

skipp and friends: unexpected journey (listed as: skip (sic) and friends) -- piko interactive/mukunda johnson

super earth defense force -- jaleco

super ghouls 'n ghosts -- capcom

super r-type -- irem

the ignition factor -- jaleco

super thor quest (listed as: thors (sic) quest) -- piko interactive/bubble zap

 

GEN/MD

gadget twins -- piko interactive/gametek/imagitec

smart mouse -- piko interactive/ming super chip

sumo slam -- piko interactive/segaman

clan of heroes: generals of the yang family (listed as: yang warrior family) -- piko interactive/?

 

GB

bases loaded-- jaleco

battle unit zeoth -- jaleco

fortified zone -- jaleco

hero shuugou!! pinball party (listed as: hero pinball party) -- jaleco

ikari no yousai 2 -- jaleco

maru's mission -- jaleco

rod-land (listed as: rodland (sic) gb) -- jaleco

 

GBA

broken circle -- piko interactive/7 raven studios

world reborn -- piko interactive/neopong

 

Platform Still Unconfirmed

10-yard fight -- irem

1942 -- capcom

1943 -- capcom

anguna: warriors of virtue -- piko interactive/bite the chili

argus -- jaleco

astyanax -- jaleco

avenging spirit -- jaleco

banishing racer -- jaleco

battle squadron -- piko interactive/electronic arts/innerprise

big run -- jaleco

bionic commando -- capcom

captain commando -- capcom

city connection -- jaleco

commando -- capcom

esper boukentai (listed as: esper corps) -- jaleco

exed exes -- capcom

exerion -- jaleco

field combat -- jaleco

forgotten worlds -- capcom

formation z -- jaleco

ghouls 'n ghosts -- capcom

gun.smoke -- capcom

hammerin' harry -- irem

pirate ship higemaru (listed as: higemaru) -- capcom

holy diver -- irem

image fight -- irem

jim power: the lost dimension -- piko interactive/loriciel

kickle cubicle -- irem

kaiketsu yanchamaru 2: karakuri land (listed as: kid niki radical ninja 2) -- irem

kid niki: radical ninja -- irem

knights of the round -- capcom

kung-fu master 2 -- irem

major title (listed as: major title golf) -- irem

mercs -- capcom

youkai club (listed as: monster club) -- jaleco

night defender 2 -- piko interactive/?

night defender -- piko interactive/?

onslaught -- piko interactive/ballistic/nextgrand

plasma ball -- jaleco

r-type iii: the third lightning (listed as: r type 3) -- irem

ring king -- data east

rocky rodent -- irem

rod-land (listed as: rod land) -- jaleco

soldam -- jaleco

sonson -- capcom

super 3d noah's ark (listed as: super noahs (sic) ark) -- piko interactive/wisdom tree

sword of sodan -- piko interactive/electronic arts/innerprise

totally rad -- jaleco

varth: operation thunderstorm -- capcom

zippy race -- irem

 

Anything in the last category is either a title on multiple platforms or a title that I haven't gotten around to looking into yet. So far, though, it's certainly a weird mix. It seems like all the Game Boy content is Jaleco, and all the Genesis/MD and GBA content is Piko (so far). Indeed, it's The Jaleco & Piko Show here, with 37 Jaleco games and 33 Piko games (the rest is 15 Capcom, 13 Irem, 2 Hot B, and 1 Data East). Anyway, at least we're halfway done with checking the content--um, unless I've got some wrong data above.

 

The Amazon reviews so far are lacking in detail and seem fake to me.

Some of the more recent Amazon user reviews are claiming input lag. One of them specifically says it was happening hooked up to a low latency monitor. Then again, there could be fake reviews from both sides of the fence. Going to have to wait for a review from someone here.

 

onmode-ky

Edited November 15, 2016 by onmode-ky

[phoenixdownita]

....

...
Anything in the last category is either a title on multiple platforms or a title that I haven't gotten around to looking into yet.

....

Any chance anything at all is Arcade Emulation?

[OldSchoolRetroGamer]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mtBTkJuqhaY

[onmode-ky]

The problem with the currently available YouTube video reviews of the system, though, is that all of them show Alfred Chicken games in the selection menu. I've been emphatically told that those games are not in the final product, and so I can't trust the game selections shown in those videos. For example, there's a YouTube video from a month ago of the Generations being demo'd at a gaming expo (PRGE?), and that unit had Kaiketsu Yanchamaru 3 in the menu, instead of the 2 that's in the these YouTube-reviewed units. The system's game list seems to have been in flux until the last minute. It kind of looks like the YouTube reviewers' units are special editions with the Alfred Chicken games, since the packaging they got is a version with an Alfred Chicken logo sticker covering another game's logo (in the video that had Kaiketsu Yanchamaru 3, the box on the table had the logo for Jaleco's Super Bases Loaded 3 in that position--a game which is not on the these Alfred Chicken units).

 

Any chance anything at all is Arcade Emulation?

One of the Amazon user reviews mentioned that there were some arcade versions, where you use the controller's Mode button to insert coins. No titles were specified, though.

 

I got a few more platforms nailed down--of course, without knowing for sure what's in the final product, some of this effort is probably pointless:

 

NES/FAM

esper boukentai (listed as: esper corps) -- jaleco

kaiketsu yanchamaru 2: karakuri land (listed as: kid niki radical ninja 2) -- irem

plasma ball -- jaleco

spartan x 2 (listed as: kung-fu master 2) -- irem

youkai club (listed as: monster club) -- jaleco

 

SNES/SFC

jim power: the lost dimension -- piko interactive/loriciel

night defender 2 -- piko interactive/shiru

night defender -- piko interactive/shiru

super 3d noah's ark (listed as: super noahs (sic) ark) -- piko interactive/wisdom tree

 

GEN/MD

battle squadron -- piko interactive/electronic arts/innerprise

onslaught -- piko interactive/ballistic/nextgrand

sword of sodan -- piko interactive/electronic arts/innerprise

 

GB

banishing racer -- jaleco

 

GBA

anguna: warriors of virtue -- piko interactive/bite the chili

 

I'll wait until we get data from a confirmed consumer unit before merging these into another full list.

 

onmode-ky

[godslabrat]

Yeah, it's a red-flag that the game list was up in the air for so long, and hasn't even been confirmed a week after release. That and the claims of sub-par emulation timing are really talking me out of this.

[BillLoguidice]

Yeah, it's a red-flag that the game list was up in the air for so long, and hasn't even been confirmed a week after release. That and the claims of sub-par emulation timing are really talking me out of this.

 

For all the dissing of the competition, etc., it just goes to show difficult it can be to execute these things. It's not so easy once you're in the middle of it. I almost feel like they would have been better off not reacting to the NES Mini announcement and following through on and perfecting the original plan. It's not like anyone is going to buy anything else instead of the NES Mini when they want the NES Mini. These are effectively separate markets.

[godslabrat]

 

For all the dissing of the competition, etc., it just goes to show difficult it can be to execute these things. It's not so easy once you're in the middle of it. I almost feel like they would have been better off not reacting to the NES Mini announcement and following through on and perfecting the original plan. It's not like anyone is going to buy anything else instead of the NES Mini when they want the NES Mini. These are effectively separate markets.

 

Agreed. It really seemed like the Mini announcement threw them off their game. The initial teaser was strong, but after that it felt like RetroBit was just throwing whatever it could into the box. While Nintendo was creating buzz and interest, RB was watching customers walk away, frustrated at not even being able to get a game list.

 

I just don't see why it had to be that way, though. They're so cheap that it's very feasible to just buy both. If the RBG had games I wanted, I'd get it... but not with subpar emulation. I mean, if you can't even play back the games you have effectively, what's the point?

[+GoldLeader]

(I haven't had a chance to see the whole video above so apologies if it answers some questions)

 

I know people have said there are arcade games on here, but, I see the games list and I keep thinking home versions...For example Holy Diver, Image Fight, Exerion, Exed Exes, SonSon, Zippy Race, Anything with the word Commando are probably Famicom/NES and look at all the Genesis/MD and SNES/SFC on the list...

 

Hate to say it, (and I'd like to be wrong)...But could it be that Retro-Bit is throwing around the word "Arcade" here?

 

They might be referring to the type of game and not the platform...

 

If anyone gets one, I'd advise them to look at the demo screens and look for the words "Insert Coin" as opposed to the Famicom/NES/MD/SFC etc. demo screens...

[Andromeda Stardust]

From the mini thread:

Alfred Chicken and Super Alfred Chicken are both present, yes.

 

The red starburst have a red decal with "100" on it. I counted 104 games on the menu last night.

 

"Alfred Chicken" is one of the decals printed over an old logo on the box front. "Super Alfred Chicken" and "Rival Turf" are decals printed over old logos on the box back. On the top lid, there is a "Rushing Beat Shura" decal over an old logo. Above the UPC on the box back, there is a decal with "092616 0530830" on it.

 

I'm gonna go scan the front/back of the box, attempt to peel the decals revealing the graphics underneat, and scan it again...

 

 

Looks like they actually added games to this thing. At least some of the names covered up by decals are still included inside.

 

Spot the difference (my appologies for scanning at 100dpi. Some of the text doesn't show up well but the decals have already been removed so it is what it is.

 

Before = before I removed the decals. After = after I removed the decals.

 

Box Front Before:

 

Box Front After:

 

Box Back Before:

 

Box Back After:

 

Lid Before:

 

Lid After:

 

Side After:

[Andromeda Stardust]

The problem with the currently available YouTube video reviews of the system, though, is that all of them show Alfred Chicken games in the selection menu. I've been emphatically told that those games are not in the final product, and so I can't trust the game selections shown in those videos.

Lies!

 

[Alfred Chicken screengrabs removed by request of rights holder]

 

Full game list:

 

 

 

 

 

Smell ya later!!!

Edited November 17, 2016 by Kosmic Stardust

[Flojomojo]

So can it be said wth certainty that the SD card slot is only for game saves, not for adding new ROMs or flashing the unit's firmware?

 

What do they recommend you stick in there, and for what purpose? Can the machine format a card?

[elgobbes]

I got one of these today, and it runs without being plugged in.

[CMR]

I got mine today. It's about what you would expect. Pretty cheap overall. The controllers are crap. Emulation is also horrible. I was hoping for a little mame box, but there are only a handful of original arcade games on it. There is a lot of homebrew and prototype stuff on it, but nothing to get excited about. Somebody at retrobit really loves Alfred Chicken. HDMI seemed kind of flaky on my el cheap'O element TV too. Both HDMI and component video were bad. I appreciate what they were trying to do but the quality just wasn't there.

[elgobbes]

I got mine today. It's about what you would expect. Pretty cheap overall. The controllers are crap. Emulation is also horrible. I was hoping for a little mame box, but there are only a handful of original arcade games on it. There is a lot of homebrew and prototype stuff on it, but nothing to get excited about. Somebody at retrobit really loves Alfred Chicken. HDMI seemed kind of flaky on my el cheap'O element TV too. Both HDMI and component video were bad. I appreciate what they were trying to do but the quality just wasn't there.

I agree that the controllers are useless. The sound is also sub par. I only went through a handful of games, and I noticed that some of the games had either sound effects or music missing.

[onmode-ky]

Thanks for all the pictures and video, Kosmic! Although, with the Alfred Chicken games now confirmed to be in the retail version, I have to wonder if there's litigation on the horizon. D:

 

Looks like they actually added games to this thing. At least some of the names covered up by decals are still included inside.

It turns out that only one of the covered-up screenshot games is still in the system, Mr. Bloppy [saves the World] (and I know it says "Bloopy" on the box, in the menu, and maybe even within the game itself, but it's officially "Bloppy," seemingly due to some sort of conflict concerning the originally intended "Bloopy"). The sticker covering it up on the back of the box should instead have covered up the Super Bases Loaded 3 screenshot at the top right corner; that Jaleco SNES game is not on your system and also has its logo covered up by the Alfred Chicken logo sticker on the front of the box.

 

Of the other games that got covered up, Ghosts 'n Goblins is, of course, Capcom's, and Water Margin is Piko Interactive's Genesis game Water Margin: A Tale of Clouds and Wind (originally the unlicensed Taiwanese release 水滸風雲傳 (Shui Hu Feng Yun Zhuan, or if you'd prefer a Japanese reading, Suiko Fuu'un Den) from Never Ending Soft Team).

 

I see from your video that there is a game listed as "Judo Warriors 2." Can you load that up and show me what the title screen looks like? I can find no evidence that a game by that name exists, even after searching in Japanese and mixed English-Japanese, so I suspect it's really just Jaleco's Moero!! Juudou Warriors mislabeled--as several other games in the list are.

 

When you have time, do you think you can go through my "Platform Still Unconfirmed" list of 34 games (see below), starting each one up and seeing if it asks "Insert Coin" (even if the menu screenshot says it; you never know if they screwed up their menu screenshots like they screwed up some titles)? That'll give us a quick determination on what is coin-op and what isn't. And if it's black and white, it's obviously Game Boy.

 

Revised content listing ahead!

 

NES/FAM

- alfred chicken (listed as: alfred chicken i) -- mindscape/twilight

- bases loaded (listed as: bases loaded i) -- jaleco

- bases loaded ii: second season -- jaleco

- bashi bazook: morphoid masher -- jaleco

- the escape from atlantis -- piko interactive/color dreams

- esper boukentai (listed as: esper corps) -- jaleco

- free fall -- piko interactive/color dreams

- hoops -- jaleco

??? - moero!! juudou warriors (listed as: judo warriors 2) -- jaleco

- kaiketsu yanchamaru 2: karakuri land (listed as: kid niki radical ninja 2) -- irem

- spartan x 2 (listed as: kung-fu master 2) -- irem

- lan master -- piko interactive/shiru

- lawn mower -- piko interactive/shiru

- youkai club (listed as: monster club) -- jaleco

- jajamaru no daibouken (listed as: ninja jajamaru no daibouken) -- jaleco

- ninja jajamaru-kun -- jaleco

- pinball quest -- jaleco

- pizza pop! -- jaleco

- plasma ball -- jaleco

- quest forge: by order of kings (listed as: questforge) -- piko interactive/ludosity

- snakky -- piko interactive/shiru

- the black bass -- hot b

- the blue marlin -- hot b

- zooming secretary (listed as: zooming secretaries) -- piko interactive/shiru

 

SNES/SFC

- 2048 -- piko interactive/alekmaul/gabriele cirulli

- apocalypse ii -- piko interactive/psygnosis

- astrohawk -- piko interactive/paul lay

- brawl brothers -- jaleco

- corn buster -- piko interactive/engine software

- creepy bird -- piko interactive/shiru

- dorke & ymp (listed as: dorke n ymp) -- piko interactive/norse

- jim power: the lost dimension in 3d -- piko interactive/loriciel

- legend (listed as: legend e) -- piko interactive/softgold/c&l associated

- mazezam challenge (listed as: mazezam) -- piko interactive/alekmaul/malcolm tyrrell

- mr. bloppy saves the world (listed as: mr bloopy (sic)) -- piko interactive/compedia

- night defender 2 -- piko interactive/shiru

- night defender -- piko interactive/shiru

- operation logic bomb -- jaleco

- rival turf! -- jaleco

- rockfall -- piko interactive/paul lay

- rushing beat shura -- jaleco

- skipp and friends: unexpected journey (listed as: skip (sic) and friends) -- piko interactive/mukunda johnson

- super alfred chicken -- mindscape/twilight

- super earth defense force -- jaleco

- super ghouls 'n ghosts -- capcom

- super 3d noah's ark (listed as: super noahs (sic) ark) -- piko interactive/wisdom tree

- super r-type -- irem

- the ignition factor -- jaleco

- super thor quest (listed as: thors (sic) quest) -- piko interactive/bubble zap

 

GEN/MD

- battle squadron -- piko interactive/electronic arts/innerprise

- gadget twins -- piko interactive/gametek/imagitec

- onslaught -- piko interactive/ballistic/nextgrand

- smart mouse -- piko interactive/ming super chip

- sumo slam -- piko interactive/segaman

- sword of sodan -- piko interactive/electronic arts/innerprise

- clan of heroes: generals of the yang family (listed as: yang warrior family) -- piko interactive/?

 

GB

- alfred chicken -- mindscape/twilight

- avenging spirit -- jaleco

- banishing racer -- jaleco

- bases loaded -- jaleco

- battle unit zeoth -- jaleco

- fortified zone -- jaleco

- hero shuugou!! pinball party (listed as: hero pinball party) -- jaleco

- ikari no yousai 2 -- jaleco

- maru's mission -- jaleco

- rod-land (listed as: rodland (sic) gb) -- jaleco

- soldam -- jaleco

 

GBA

- anguna: warriors of virtue -- piko interactive/bite the chili

- broken circle -- piko interactive/7 raven studios

- world reborn -- piko interactive/neopong

 

Platform Still Unconfirmed

- 10-yard fight -- irem

- 1942 -- capcom

- 1943 -- capcom

- argus -- jaleco

- astyanax -- jaleco

- big run -- jaleco

- bionic commando -- capcom

- captain commando -- capcom

- city connection -- jaleco

- commando -- capcom

- exed exes -- capcom

- exerion -- jaleco

- field combat -- jaleco

- forgotten worlds -- capcom

- formation z -- jaleco

- ghouls 'n ghosts -- capcom

- gun.smoke -- capcom

- hammerin' harry -- irem

- higemaru -- capcom

- holy diver -- irem

- image fight -- irem

- kickle cubicle -- irem

- kid niki: radical ninja -- irem

- knights of the round -- capcom

- major title (listed as: major title golf) -- irem

- mercs -- capcom

- r-type iii: the third lightning (listed as: r type 3) -- irem

- ring king -- data east

- rocky rodent -- irem

- rod-land (listed as: rod land, despite the system's other rod-land being spelled with neither hyphen nor space) -- jaleco

- sonson -- capcom

- totally rad -- jaleco

- varth: operation thunderstorm -- capcom

- zippy race -- irem

 

onmode-ky

 

P.S. That big sticker of text on the back of the box actually has all the titles listed. The "AND MORE" is really just referring to the 3 Game Boy versions of games which have other versions also included. Also, that sticker that was above the bar code looked like it had a 09/26/2016 datestamp, so this seems like a pretty recent revision.

 

P.P.S. Genesis-style controllers on a system that's predominantly Nintendo platforms, hmm.

[Andromeda Stardust]

Thanks for all the pictures and video, Kosmic! Although, with the Alfred Chicken games now confirmed to be in the retail version, I have to wonder if there's litigation on the horizon. D:

 

 

It turns out that only one of the covered-up screenshot games is still in the system, Mr. Bloppy [saves the World] (and I know it says "Bloopy" on the box, in the menu, and maybe even within the game itself, but it's officially "Bloppy," seemingly due to some sort of conflict concerning the originally intended "Bloopy"). The sticker covering it up on the back of the box should instead have covered up the Super Bases Loaded 3 screenshot at the top right corner; that Jaleco SNES game is not on your system and also has its logo covered up by the Alfred Chicken logo sticker on the front of the box.

 

Of the other games that got covered up, Ghosts 'n Goblins is, of course, Capcom's, and Water Margin is Piko Interactive's Genesis game Water Margin: A Tale of Clouds and Wind (originally the unlicensed Taiwanese release 水滸風雲傳 (Shui Hu Feng Yun Zhuan, or if you'd prefer a Japanese reading, Suiko Fuu'un Den) from Never Ending Soft Team).

 

I see from your video that there is a game listed as "Judo Warriors 2." Can you load that up and show me what the title screen looks like? I can find no evidence that a game by that name exists, even after searching in Japanese and mixed English-Japanese, so I suspect it's really just Jaleco's Moero!! Juudou Warriors mislabeled--as several other games in the list are.

 

When you have time, do you think you can go through my "Platform Still Unconfirmed" list of 34 games (see below), starting each one up and seeing if it asks "Insert Coin" (even if the menu screenshot says it; you never know if they screwed up their menu screenshots like they screwed up some titles)? That'll give us a quick determination on what is coin-op and what isn't. And if it's black and white, it's obviously Game Boy.

 

Revised content listing ahead!

 

I haven't had a lot of time to play around with it. Ghosts and Goblins is arcade, Super Ghosts and Goblins is console. The "90 Games" logo got replaced with "100 Games" and like you said, the official boxart had decals added including Alfred Chicken. I kinda partially destroyed the box attempting to remove some of the decals so it's likely going in the recycle bin when I'm done with it.

 

From what I can tell, they got clearance for additional games in the eleventh hour and applied decals to the official boxart to reflect these changes. The youtube reviewers seem to all have early run boxes with the "90" highlighted in the starburst.

 

As for Super Bases Loaded 3 being deleted, I get that it's the SNES version and superior to the NES releases, but they've got two other games in the series so not a huge loss IMO. Some of the Japanese games I'm unfamiliar with as well.

 

Could you care to elaborate the potential copyright controversy surrounding the Alfred Chicken games? Seems like a pretty solid platformer from what I've seen so far but the physics will take getting used to.

 

EDIT: Definitely something fishy going on...

 

Also if you're a fan of Piko Interactive, much of what he sells on his website is included on this console. I noticed a bit of lag with Flappy Bird on my HDTV (this is a really good game to test lag with), unsure if it's the TV or the console. If the composite output lags on a CRT set, I'll know for sure...

Edited November 17, 2016 by Kosmic Stardust

[Andromeda Stardust]

I agree that the controllers are useless. The sound is also sub par. I only went through a handful of games, and I noticed that some of the games had either sound effects or music missing.

I'm a bit disappointed with the controller as well. I've only taken the first controller out the box so far. Just scrolling the menu I've noticed half of the time pressing the Dpad down does not register properly. It's basically the Yobo Genesis Genesis controller shell but the Dpad is even worse. Pity since they had such awesome high quality controllers packed in with the Super Retro Trio, I wonder why they didn't just go with those.

 

Since it is USB I assume it is a standard HID gamepad. I haven't explored the menu much to see if there are remapping options for the gamepad but this will likely be necessary if substitutes are used. Otherwise the layout would be all wrong and potentially some functions may be inaccessible. Ditto if I use USB adapters for Genesis or SNES pads, remapping would likely be necessary.

 

Another weird issue with the system is the games and menu are apparently zoomed in, cropping the top and bottom pretty badly. You can select "original" from the system menu before loading games. IMO they should have made this option default instead of crop-zooming 3:4 content. Also no consideration for overscan. My HDTV has it and a portion of the system menu is cropped. I'll have to check with my 1080 ASUS monitor to see if it's just overscan or if the menu is stuck in "zoom" mode...

[elgobbes]

I'm a bit disappointed with the controller as well. I've only taken the first controller out the box so far. Just scrolling the menu I've noticed half of the time pressing the Dpad down does not register properly. It's basically the Yobo Genesis Genesis controller shell but the Dpad is even worse. Pity since they had such awesome high quality controllers packed in with the Super Retro Trio, I wonder why they didn't just go with those.

 

Since it is USB I assume it is a standard HID gamepad. I haven't explored the menu much to see if there are remapping options for the gamepad but this will likely be necessary if substitutes are used. Otherwise the layout would be all wrong and potentially some functions may be inaccessible. Ditto if I use USB adapters for Genesis or SNES pads, remapping would likely be necessary.

 

Another weird issue with the system is the games and menu are apparently zoomed in, cropping the top and bottom pretty badly. You can select "original" from the system menu before loading games. IMO they should have made this option default instead of crop-zooming 3:4 content. Also no consideration for overscan. My HDTV has it and a portion of the system menu is cropped. I'll have to check with my 1080 ASUS monitor to see if it's just overscan or if the menu is stuck in "zoom" mode...

I was able to change the mapping for the included controller in the game menu. When I was playing Astyanax the jump/attack buttons were reversed. The controller isn't responsive at all, and is even worse than the Retron 5 controller. I haven't tried another controller with it yet. The only other usb controller I have is an Xbox 360 Windows controller.

 

The menu seems cropped, but the games seem ok on mine. It would make sense to have the native ratio as the default.

 

I'm more disappointed in the sound quality. I have only played a few of the games, but every NES that I played had sound issues. Either there were sound effects missing like the ref in Ring King. He doesn't make any noise at all, he just flails his arms. There was music missing in that game too. 1943 also had music and sound effects missing, as well as in Gun.Smoke.

 

What is concerning to me is how the system was working without being plugged in. Is it possible that the hdmi cable is powering it? I haven't tried it yet with a composite cable.

[Andromeda Stardust]

I may try out my 8bitdo controllers using the wired MicroUSB option. I really like the feel of those. Hopefully the mapping is no-nonsense and you don't have to redo it for every single game. I would hopefully like to remap the system menu as well if that is possible. I'll play with it later...

 

What is concerning to me is how the system was working without being plugged in. Is it possible that the hdmi cable is powering it? I haven't tried it yet with a composite cable.

Some newer TVs support power over HDMI. My 2006 Sanyo LCD definitely doesn't fall into this category.

Devices like the Gamestick or Amazon Fire TV stick can just plug into the back of newer TVs that support Power over HDMI without the need for a separate MicroUSB power supply. Of course these devices will also work on older TVs with a USB power brick.

I noticed Retrobit is still using the standard barrel connector instead of USB. Be very weary of plugging an any generic power brick that doesn't output regulated 5V or you could potentially fry the system.

[Flojomojo]

Be very weary of plugging an any generic power brick that doesn't output regulated 5V or you could potentially fry the system.

 

[elgobbes]

I may try out my 8bitdo controllers using the wired MicroUSB option. I really like the feel of those. Hopefully the mapping is no-nonsense and you don't have to redo it for every single game. I would hopefully like to remap the system menu as well if that is possible. I'll play with it later...

 

 

Some newer TVs support power over HDMI. My 2006 Sanyo LCD definitely doesn't fall into this category.

 

Devices like the Gamestick or Amazon Fire TV stick can just plug into the back of newer TVs that support Power over HDMI without the need for a separate MicroUSB power supply. Of course these devices will also work on older TVs with a USB power brick.

 

I noticed Retrobit is still using the standard barrel connector instead of USB. Be very weary of plugging an any generic power brick that doesn't output regulated 5V or you could potentially fry the system.

 

I didn't even think to try my 8bitdo controllers. I would like to see how those work out as well.

 

So the best option for me with this system is just have it connected to hdmi when I'm using it and unplug it from the hdmi when I'm done. The power button doesn't have any control over the system being on or off.

[Flojomojo]

I'm somewhat surprised and maybe a little disappointed that this isn't popular enough for the haters to photoshop the name as Retro-Shit Generations like they did with the AtGames Sega Genesis ASS system several years ago.