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First Review of RetroN 77


Metal Jesus

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Honestly people want an actual reproduction system with non-emulated cart port. Like someone pointed out what's the point if its just a dumper? Honestly if ATgames has an SD and can get the newest Stella on it then its an easy choice.

If you added an SD card to a Flashback, you'd have a RetroN 77 without a cart slot that costs $30 more.

 

As far as a reproduction system, the question is whether ATGames or Hyperkin could profitably sell a VCS clone that cost $150+, since theyve worked to keep the price point for past systems well below $100.

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If you added an SD card to a Flashback, you'd have a RetroN 77 without a cart slot that costs $30 more.

Already includes games, SD might allow more roms packed, and if it runs newest Stella and doesn't have the compatibility issues its worth it.

 

The $30 cheaper is noticable with joysticks breaking, not recognized joysticks and paddles, and shotty cart recognition. I won't mention small amount of roms that you can be put on as supposedly they are changing that.

 

Heck if you want cheap buy a raspberry pi install stella. $35 (not including if you dont have a keyboard or joystick to connect, or nice case). Much jetter compatability and both are emulation.

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Already includes games, SD might allow more roms packed, and if it runs newest Stella and doesn't have the compatibility issues its worth it.

 

The $30 cheaper is noticable with joysticks breaking, not recognized joysticks and paddles, and shotty cart recognition. I won't mention small amount of roms that you can be put on as supposedly they are changing that.

 

Heck if you want cheap buy a raspberry pi install stella. $35 (not including if you dont have a keyboard or joystick to connect, or nice case). Much jetter compatability and both are emulation.

My comment was overly brief. I should say it is predicated on the likelihood that a firmware update could fix the Stella version as well as the joystick and paddle incompatibility and rom limitations, from what I have read. However, this remains to be seen and it should have been done in the launch version. As it is now out of the box, you are completely correct. My experience with Flashback joysticks has been that their quality is also hit and miss.
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Heck if you want cheap buy a raspberry pi install stella. $35 (not including if you dont have a keyboard or joystick to connect, or nice case). Much jetter compatability and both are emulation.

 

A nice case, keyboard, mouse, joysticks, paddles, and other controllers. Throw in AC adapter, power cable, HDMI cable, some miscellaneous wires, switches, and connectors, maybe some LED indicators, for inside the box and bringing it together nicely. Plus your personal time setting it up if these things aren't your hobby.

 

 

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A nice case, keyboard, mouse, joysticks, paddles, and other controllers. Throw in AC adapter, power cable, HDMI cable, some miscellaneous wires, switches, and connectors, maybe some LED indicators, for inside the box and bringing it together nicely. Plus your personal time setting it up if these things aren't your hobby.

 

 

Paddles are really the only downfall of it and these are super easy to get the basics up and running. Hell how many are having to reflash the Retron?

 

This looked great in concept but reality is different.

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A nice case, keyboard, mouse, joysticks, paddles, and other controllers. Throw in AC adapter, power cable, HDMI cable, some miscellaneous wires, switches, and connectors, maybe some LED indicators, for inside the box and bringing it together nicely. Plus your personal time setting it up if these things aren't your hobby.

Apples and oranges. The RetroN 77 is obviously meant for a completely different target group (where it fails in its current state).

Edited by Thomas Jentzsch
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  • 2 weeks later...

It would have been great to skip the Standard HDMI cord pack in. Who doesn’t own a few HDMI cords by now? They could have included an HDMI to component/ Svideo Cable And I think it would have fit the retro niche they were aiming for much better. I’m stuck between buying one of these or a modded Junior at the moment . It’s actually a tough choice.

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It would have been great to skip the Standard HDMI cord pack in. Who doesn’t own a few HDMI cords by now? They could have included an HDMI to component/ Svideo Cable And I think it would have fit the retro niche they were aiming for much better. I’m stuck between buying one of these or a modded Junior at the moment . It’s actually a tough choice.

What you want is an AV modded 7800 because, the 7800 was the ultimate evolution of the 2600. :)

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For that kind of money I could purchase an Adam Computer, which is something I’ve never owned. Sorry to go off topic.

I hear you. 7800 are getting a little spendy especially if you want and original power supply. These modern console makers keep saying there is no market for the 7800 but, someone is buying them. Would have been nice if Retron 77 had a 7800 compatible cart slot. Maybe Hyperkin can regroup, fix the issues and release a Retron 78.

Edited by SIO2
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Thanks for the developers perspective on this. For a split second I thought it might be a good Stella debug station while coding. I guess not so much now.

 

I obviously mean debugging my horrible code - not Stella itself :P

 

That console review appears deliberately negative; here's a more positive programming perspective on the Retron77 posted on the programming forum with a breakdown of the supported development tools:

 

http://atariage.com/forums/topic/280789-retron77-the-fun-is-back-for-players-and-programmers/

 

Everyone's opinion is valid but I encourage players and programmers to be discerning; most reviewers really liked the new Atari console unless they received a defective unit in which case it really was broken.

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It would have been great to skip the Standard HDMI cord pack in. Who doesn’t own a few HDMI cords by now? They could have included an HDMI to component/ Svideo Cable And I think it would have fit the retro niche they were aiming for much better. I’m stuck between buying one of these or a modded Junior at the moment . It’s actually a tough choice.

 

More fun if you get both! :)

 

Seeing a game in crisp plasma or LCD over HDMI, and then playing it on classic CRT feels like two games in some ways - reminds me of being able to flip the BW switch to get a second color palette in many of the early titles which is tremendous fun and a complimentary angle on playing different ports of the same genre.

 

 

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