107 replies to this topic

[StoneAgeGamer]

There are two new clone systems coming out soon. I got some posters today, sorry about the quality. Hopefully I will get some PDFs of these posters soon so you can take a better look.



The first is the Hyperkin Retron3. Here are some known feature:

• NES, SNES, and Genesis compatible system similar to Yobo's FC3
  
• Comes with Genesis style wireless controllers
  
• Has 2 NES, 2 SNES, and 2 Genesis compatible controller ports
  
• Comes in Red or Gray color schemes
  
• Has S-video
  
• It does NOT have lock-out tabs and can play NES, SNES, Super Famicom, Genesis, Mega-drive, & EuroSNES games.
  
• The NES's NAOC is an upgraded version of the FCM2 NAOC, so it is possibly even more compatible than the FCM2

I know I will get questions on the following:

• Can you use an SNES controller to play Genesis games? No.
  
• Can you use an SNES controller to play NES games? No, unfortunately you cannot.
  
• Can it output in PAL-I? My sales guy didn't seem to think so, however it does output in NTSC and PAL-M format.
  
• Are the wireless controllers RF or IR? Sales guy he received 2 prototypes. An RF one and a IR one. He is not 100% sure which they decided on.
  
• Are the wireless controllers good? It sounds like you are better off using original or 3rd party controllers. The wireless controllers do not have correct mapping for NES and SNES. So buttons A/B literally mean A/B on all systems. I also hear C = L and Z= R, which doesn't seem very intuitive to me.
  
• How much? Final prices have not been announced by Hyperkin so I do not know.
  
• When are they coming out and will you be taking pre-orders? They should be arriving within the month, but they may be here as soon as a few weeks. No we will not be taking pre-orders.

The second is the Tomee Retro Twin which is basically a FC Twin with different shell and upgraded NOAC and no lock-out tabs. I think the casing is actually from a Russian clone called Dendy. No new features beyond that so I don't plan on getting in-depth with this system. It will come in Black or Silver color schemes.

Edited by StoneAgeGamer, Mon May 3, 2010 5:47 PM.

[Dittohead Servbot #24]

My questions:

1. Can the NES games do S-video using this Retron3? I know (unfortunately) it is NOT possible to do an S-video mod on an NES. Though you can on the Genesis.
2. Can Master System games be played using the Power Base Convertor?
3. Of course, are there some games that won't work or won't play right?

[StoneAgeGamer]

1. Can the NES games do S-video using this Retron3? I know (unfortunately) it is NOT possible to do an S-video mod on an NES. Though you can on the Genesis.
My guess would be no. This is based purely on history. The don't think any clone that had S-video worked correctly with the NES portion.

2. Can Master System games be played using the Power Base Convertor?
No idea, but I would guess it porbaly does not. Even if it did it would probably require some modding to be done to wither the PBC or the Retron3.

3. Of course, are there some games that won't work or won't play right?
No clone is 100% compatible to date, but I'm hoping this is a step closer. We will see.

[TwinChargers]

It seems as if the companies that make the clones have never used the controllers of the system that they are cloning. Is there a particular reasoning that they can't figure out that people generally like the more familiar layout than the ones they seem to be making? Seems to me as if that would be a pretty big to have, and an unnecessary error on there part, correct?

[Shawn Sr.]

Will the Genesis or SNES Justifier guns work on this new 3in1? How about he the menacer or the super scope? Any word if game genies and other passthrough carts will work, further in that regard are all the address lines properly wired to the cart port on each machine with this 3in1? Will the PAL only games Smurfs and\or Terranigma for the Super Famicom play properly on this machine? I like that it has inputs for the original controllers and it would be a real bonus if they have the whole region thing worked out.

Sorry for the shitload of q's I just wanna know if the things I didn't like on the FC3 have been addressed on this machine.

[MagitekAngel]

I think the Dendy is designed to look like a Famicom. There was no official NES there at the time, so "Dendy" is synonymous with "videogame" there.

My first classic console since I moved out on my own was an FC Twin, and I've watched Famiclones steadily improve since then. Nothing beats the original hardware, but some of these new machines are great ways to get started on classic gaming.

That Retron3 looks way, way better than the Yobo FC3, largely because you can actually plug original controllers into it, instead of that shit pack-in with its own propriety connector.

[DickNixonArisen]

Hmm.. jap genesis compatible, eh? That changes things, since of course I already have a nes/snes/gen and fami adapter, but I haven't bothered to get a megadrive just for a few expensive imports. somewhat cheaper version of musha, for example...

[ApolloBoy]

Here's some questions I have:

1: Will the S-video output work for both the SNES and Genesis?
2: Would the NES PowerPak be able to work on it at all?
3: Does this play both PAL and Japanese Mega Drive games?

[kool kitty89]

Do Super FX games work? )or other enhanced games, like DSP and SA-1)
Does virtua racing work? (it does on the Gen-X and apparently on newer FC3 units)
Does the game genie work? (on any of the 3)

Is the sound crap for the Genesis like with may clones, or was the poor audio amp problem rectified like in Yobo's FC3? (I assume they're using a clone ASIC like most clone units -and Tectoy MDs, not software emulation like the new handhelds and fire core/@games MD, with emulation, the audio amp is the least of the sound problems...)

Edited by kool kitty89, Tue May 4, 2010 3:09 AM.

[StoneAgeGamer]

It seems as if the companies that make the clones have never used the controllers of the system that they are cloning. Is there a particular reasoning that they can't figure out that people generally like the more familiar layout than the ones they seem to be making? Seems to me as if that would be a pretty big to have, and an unnecessary error on there part, correct?

I would agree, but when you are talking about a 3-in-1 system you can't include 6 controllers. I believe they chose the Genesis style controller because it was the cheapest to implement for them. However the main highlight of the system for me is controller ports compatible with each system. Personally I would have liked to see them use a SNES style controller instead. Hyperkin makes some decent SNES controllers they could have just used that mold and parts.

These really technical questions I will not have an answer for. Also will this peripheral and that peripheral work I have no idea since I don't have one. I doubt my sales guy will have an answer either.

On PAL -
The sales guy said he believes it can play PAL games, but does not believe it can actually output in PAL-I, only NTSC and PAL-M. Now will it play most PAL games? I have no idea. He was not 100% sure about all the PAL stuff since they often change stuff from prototypes to production. Give it a few weeks out in the market and most of these questions will be answered.

Yes it will play Japanese Mega-drive games.

Also I don't see why Super FX wouldn't work. I am pretty sure the latest SNOAC has corrected most of those Super FX problems earlier clones were having.

Edited by StoneAgeGamer, Tue May 4, 2010 7:03 AM.

[godslabrat]

StoneAgeGamer, on Mon May 3, 2010 8:44 PM, said:

3. Of course, are there some games that won't work or won't play right?
No clone is 100% compatible to date, but I'm hoping this is a step closer. We will see.

Is there anything in particular that gives you this hope? Has Hyperkin been promising that they were revising the NOAC, or is it just blind hope? FWIW, the FC Mobile II was pretty good on a compatibility basis.

[StoneAgeGamer]

The guy I talked to said the NOAC is .2+ versions higher than the one put into the FC Mobile 2. He was not sure what they changed, but I am hoping it means something was made better. Of course with clones its hard to tell because sometimes they take a step backwards when they change stuff. All I know is I was told the NOAC is a newer version, so basically I am hoping it is somehow better than the FCM2 or at least the same. Hopefully not worse.

[NightSprinter]

I took notice of how the NES controller ports are mounted on the RETRON3. For the NES four-player adapters, are there extension cables available to make them compatible? That's my big concern as I do have one or two games that I prefer playing with more than two players (like Gauntlet II).

[NinjaWarrior]

On the Retron3

How good is the sound on Genesis/Mega Drive Games?

How good is the sound on the NES games?

Does Castlevania 3 work with it?

How good is the SNES Video on it?

[StoneAgeGamer]

NightSprinter, on Tue May 4, 2010 1:40 PM, said:

I took notice of how the NES controller ports are mounted on the RETRON3. For the NES four-player adapters, are there extension cables available to make them compatible? That's my big concern as I do have one or two games that I prefer playing with more than two players (like Gauntlet II).

I doubt it will come with any extension cables, but we do sell NES and SNES extension cables. The NES cables should allow you to still hook up a 4 Score up to the system.

[Crazy Climber]

NES/SNES/GEN all in one, what a space saver. Yeah, I think I'll bite. Thanks for the update!

[StoneAgeGamer]

Does Castlevania 3 work with it? Yes it will.

[godslabrat]

StoneAgeGamer, on Tue May 4, 2010 3:02 PM, said:

Does Castlevania 3 work with it? Yes it will.

No way. Seriously?

[godslabrat]

Also, on the 3-in-1, will there be color schemes aside from the "Drink Coca-Cola!" one shown on the poster?

[StoneAgeGamer]

godslabrat, on Tue May 4, 2010 3:27 PM, said:

StoneAgeGamer, on Tue May 4, 2010 3:02 PM, said:

Does Castlevania 3 work with it? Yes it will.

No way. Seriously?

I just asked him and he said it does indeed play CV3. This is exactly what he replied to me "Yes, Castlevania 3 will work."

godslabrat, on Tue May 4, 2010 3:30 PM, said:

Also, on the 3-in-1, will there be color schemes aside from the "Drink Coca-Cola!" one shown on the poster?

Yes if you look at the poster you can see the other color. Its a charcoal gray color scheme.

Edited by StoneAgeGamer, Tue May 4, 2010 3:33 PM.

[kool kitty89]

StoneAgeGamer, on Tue May 4, 2010 7:02 AM, said:

It seems as if the companies that make the clones have never used the controllers of the system that they are cloning. Is there a particular reasoning that they can't figure out that people generally like the more familiar layout than the ones they seem to be making? Seems to me as if that would be a pretty big to have, and an unnecessary error on there part, correct?

I would agree, but when you are talking about a 3-in-1 system you can't include 6 controllers. I believe they chose the Genesis style controller because it was the cheapest to implement for them. However the main highlight of the system for me is controller ports compatible with each system. Personally I would have liked to see them use a SNES style controller instead. Hyperkin makes some decent SNES controllers they could have just used that mold and parts.

Honestly, the most fool-proof choice would be a controller with the genesis 6-button layout (and 3 button/mode support for incompatible games), shoulder buttons (would be nice if they mapped genesis Z+C to those too), and start/select in the middle. (possibly have select double as mode as well -a couple genesis games actually use the mode button for actions, not just 3-button mode)

Lack of shoulder buttons screw things up for some SNES games... X+Y+A+B on the genesis aren't arranged too differently from X+Y+B+A on the SNES, so that's not too bad.

Quote

Yes it will play Japanese Mega-drive games.

Region locked games? Does it support auto region switching for all region locked games?

Quote

Also I don't see why Super FX wouldn't work. I am pretty sure the latest SNOAC has corrected most of those Super FX problems earlier clones were having.

Any idea about the game genies (or action replays), Virtua Racing, or Genesis/MD sound quality?

Is there stereo support?

Any confirmation on Genesis/MD S-video support?

Edited by kool kitty89, Tue May 4, 2010 4:21 PM.

[StoneAgeGamer]

All systems output in S-video, however the quality may be only slightly better than the composite it outputs.

As for games with a region-lock. Sales guy has no idea, so I wouldn't count on it.

[Austin]

the 3-in-1 looks like a nice improvement over the FC3+. If anything, it will be great to use NES, SNES, and Genesis pads. Here's to hoping the sound and video output on the NES and Genesis side blows the FC3 out of the water.

[NightSprinter]

SAG, excellent. This means my old Satellite will get some continued usage (as I appreciate its controller/gun switch).

[nonner242]

Maybe I'll bite...I like my FC3 tho