Over the last 18 months, I have been eagerly awaiting the release of a console. It dosen’t play the latest cutting edge games, run blurays,
or offer multiplayer gaming. It isn’t a machine from Microsoft, Sony or
Nintendo and it certainly isn’t something that will interest everyone.
For me Christmas came two days early, when I finally received
a ‘RetroN5’ – the latest console from Hyperkin’s. It’s a console I have talked
about a lot on this site and others. Bizarrely, I even ended up exclusively announcing the UK release date. In short, the ‘RetroN5’ is
a console that, through emulation, runs game cartridges designed for nine
different machines. With output via HDMI, NES, Famicom, Snes, Super Famicom,
Genesis / Mega Drive, Game Boy, GBA and GBC games can all be played on a HD TV,
up-scaled to 720p at 60fps. Its the perfect machine for a modern gamer who has a big collection of old games, no space under their TV and a desire to play their cherished retro collection in the best possible way. It feels like a machine that Hyperkin designed with me in mind.
If anything, the prolonged wait for the console only fired up
my excitement for it and when I finally got my hands on the ‘RetroN5’ I was not
disappointed. To be honest, after seeing how good old games can look and sound,
I can’t imagine ever putting my cartridges back into their original machines.
If you have any further questions about it, feel free to leave
the in the comments or contact them me Twitter. After nearly two years of
writing about the machine, its creator’s Hyperkin and a week of exhaustive testing,
I fear that there isn’t much I don’t know about the ‘RetroN 5’. It was worth the
emotional investment though, as the end result is a machine that is quickly
becoming one of my favourite consoles ever.
Hardware Review: Hyperkin's RetroN 5.
Hardware Review: Hyperkin's RetroN 5.
Haven't read the whole review it so long but can you tell me quickly if all GameBoy advance games work? Does it translate games into Emglish if you use famicom games if not what's the point of playing them
ReplyDeleteHi there. Some one has actually told me that it's possible to patch Japanese games to play on the machine using the SD card but it's a drawn out process.
DeleteEvery GBA game I tried worked including Japanese versions of The Ace Attorney series. They just take a while to load.
I hear they look better on the RetroN5 than Wii U GBA emulation.
Where we find review?
ReplyDeleteThe full 3,600 word review is live on the Retro Collect website. The link can be found above . Thankyou
DeleteHey Julian!
ReplyDeleteNice review. I'm wondering - with the "Megaman & Bass"-repro for instance, does it show up as an "Unknown cartridge" or does it actually show the title of the game?
Thanks in advance,
Samuel