Itching to dust off your old Nintendo or Sega game cartridges and play some old school games? Maybe that old console doesn’t work very well or your system got sold at your parent’s garage sale. Hyperkin has released their latest retro console the RetroN 5 which allows you to play games from multiple classic systems on your digital television/monitors. The multiple platforms are:
- NES/Famicom
- SNES/Super Famicom
- Genesis/Megadrive
- Gameboy
- Gameboy Color
- Gameboy Advance
The Retron5 is an emulation system so it has additional features that the usual classic console system. There is a GUI interface which allows for audio and video adjustments to game before you play as well as a Game Genie type of software built in for cheats. The HDMI can output to 720p and 60 fps. Video adjustments allow you to adjust the screen from original aspect ratio of the game or to stretch it out and even add scanlines.
The RetroN 5 comes with the following items:
- RetroN 5 Console
- Power Plug
- HDMI Cable
- Game Controller (Bluetooth) with Micro-USB cable for charging and playing while plugged in.
To make sure the system worked I tried out a few games. I tried X-Men: Mutant Apocalypse (SNES), Super Mario All Stars (SNES), Mega Man 2 (NES) and Ninja Gaiden I & II (NES). They all worked just fine except for the Ninja Gaiden games. Since it is an emulation system I’m sure I’ll run into a couple of games here and there that may not work. This can probably be fixed via system updates.
Dislikes:
I have to mention that while the controller is serviceable I wasn’t too impressed with its design. You are better off using the controllers from the original systems if you can. It just didn’t feel that great in my hands and I’m not a fan of the stick instead of the D-Pad. The console itself is super light which made it seem flimsy. I felt I may break the console when removing a cartridge out of the system. The cartridges fit a bit too tight. While the RetroN 5 has multiple slots for the systems it supports you can’t have more than one game occupy the system at once. It would have been handy if you could just select the console you want to play out of the slots being used. Trying to turn on the system and figuring out you have to hold it for a few seconds for it to activate. For a moment I thought it was defective.
Likes:
Its handy to have so many systems in one which helps reduce the clutter in my living space. On top of that the RetroN 5 uses HDMI. Now I can get rid of my old television which I kept around for older consoles. The graphics also upscale so it looks a bit better. The ability to play with any controller for the system it supports is a plus. You can also increase the save space with the built in SD Card slot and save screen shots of your games if you want. Along with the capabilities to play the games of the above mentioned consoles you won’t have to worry about just playing with their own controller. There are six controller ports total. Saving games to the console will come in handy for many titles. Especially the older cartridges that required a battery. And the fact that I can play Japanese titles as well is a plus.
There are some things I haven’t done yet such as updating my firmware. This has to be done with an SD card. Unfortunately they don’t supply one with the system. While I’m not a fan of the controller it does have quite a few buttons that will need to be played with to see what it’s full capabilities are. Overall the RetroN5 does exactly what I need which is great. The console cost $140.00 retail which isn’t too bad considering what it is capable of.