Well it has been four months now and the Retron 5 is still something of a mixed bag in many peoples eyes. Many remain on the fence over whether or not to purchase one because of concerns over compatibility and durability.
For this reason I feel it necessary to post yet another follow up of my own experience. Note that while I speak very openly and matter of factly my experiences and opinions are just that. Your mileage may vary and if you disagree with me I don't think you are stupid or a bad person.
Like I usually do I'm going to break this follow up into discrete categories:
- Build Quality/Reliability
- Software Quality
- RMA Support
- Social Perception
- Legal Entanglements
Build Quality/ReliabilityWhen I first pulled the console out of the box I was a bit underwelmed. The system looks very good. But the plastic felt rather fragile. Having used the console heavily for 4 months I can honestly say the ones I received are sturdy enough. The deathgrip the slots have on the cartridges (genesis slot I am looking at you) is long gone. The carts now slip in and out with ease but are not loose.
I have two consoles. A grey one and a black one. I finally got around to using my black controller (I have been using the gray one on both units) and I recently noticed my black wireless controller has a problem with going left and the "+" button doesn't like to register all the time. So I will soon be experiencing first hand the joy of RMAing that.
Overall I am satisfied with how the consoles are holding up. I'm no longer terrified of pins breaking if my son or wife use the console without my supervision. My pins remain 100% fine after what is now well over a thousand uses each. (alright the famicom slot is only in the double digits).
Those of you that have read my previous posts know I hate the pack in controller. 4 months later my opinion has not changed.
I've played through several games with it now and I still don't like it any better. The controller is painful to hold for long gaming sessions (more than an hour). Almost impressive is the thumbsticks ability to be both too sensitive and not sensitive enough at the same time. The + and - buttons sometimes register multiple times when pressed making menu driven games like Final Fantasy a little frustrating as options get selected and committed to sometimes before you even have a chance to see what they were.
Using the original systems controllers (nes, snes, and genesis gamepads) do not have any of these problems but leave you tethered to within 6 feet of the system. This might sound like a silly complaint but if you have your Retron 5 hooked into a 40 inch or larger display 6 feet is just way too close to be viewing 8-16 bit graphics.
Software QualityThis continues to be the saving grace of the console.
The software team continues to address bugs and feature requests swiftly and passionately.
Firmware version 2.0 was recently released adding programmable turbo button support and IPS patching opening the system up to translation patches and even playing roms albeit in a roundabout way...
This mostly makes up for none of my Everdrives working. I'm finally able to play Super Back to the Future 2 (in english thanks to a translation patch) and Star Fox 2 (by IPS patching Star Fox 1).
The Gameboy compatibility mode has been greatly enhanced and now allows you to choose if you want to load games in GB, GBA, GBC, or Super GB mode. This can be set
per game.
This means games like Metriod II for GB can now be played in full color on the Retron 5 exactly as it would look on a GameBoy Advance SP. Super GameBoy games like Donkey Kong can be played in color with their special border just like it would on a Super Game Boy.
Also new to firmware 2.0 Game Boy games that originally supported multiplayer on the Super Game Boy using two controllers now work too!
At this point the only missing features in my mind are:
- A Game Genie Code Entry Screen for user entered cheats
- H264 Video recording directly to the SD card
- Support for 3rd party blue tooth controllers (i.e. Wii Classic Controller, PS3, NES30, etc.)
I've been talking to Retron Tech and although he hasn't promised anything I get the impression the first and second bullets could actually happen at some point.
Don't hold your breath for expanded wireless controller support though. HK Marketing claims there is not significant user demand for 3rd party wireless controller support (light up their facebook page with polite requests for this feature if you want it). Retron Tech also confirmed in a private message to me that Hyperkin currently only intends to support their own 1st party pack in controller.
RMA SupportAll I have so far is second hand accounts of hardware (RMA) support. Most accounts all agree on the following:
- Figuring out who to talk to and what to do to initiate a return is pretty confusing
- You pay for shipping
- The whole process start-finish takes about a month
I'll begin my RMA adventure this week. Expect a follow up once my adventure concludes. (probably in a month)
Social PerceptionMost folks raging on the Hyperkin facebook page now fall into 3 primary camps:
- When will the UK get their Retron 5's?
- Game X does not play
- Retron 5 legal confusion
Way fewer folks are complaining about broken pins or systems failing. Most of the complaints about non-playable games are referring to repro-carts and homebrew. The Retrozone stuff lagely does not play. Most likely because of the undocumented and unemulated special chips their carts typically use.
Every game in my collection plays with the exception of "Larry Boy and the Bad Apple" for GBA which has been unplayable since launch due to an emulation bug.
Outside of facebook the community now includes not only my unofficial compatibility list but also an unofficial forum:
https://retro5.netWhile unofficial, Hyperkin has directly acknowledged and linked to the forum on their facebook page. Hyperkin has also been very involved in the forums. Many posts in the forums get answered by Retron Tech, HK Mtg, and on occasion Chris Gallizzi. The forum is laid out well with areas and topics for everyone. Got a rant? Want to post gameplay videos? Looking for IPS patches? Want to know how to hack your Retron 5? Want the latest dirt on the legal fiasco? There's a place for you.
While I still feel Hyperkin should be providing the foundation themselves (forums, compatibility tracker, etc.) it's good to see them supporting the grass roots efforts.
Legal EntanglementsIt has recently been claimed that the Retron 5 is violating the license of at least two of the emulation cores it uses. Specifically the Sega Genesis and Super Nintendo emulation cores. While open source these emulation cores state in their licenses that they are not to be used commercially.
To make matters worse the folks at libretro (the glue that ties the emulation cores together) have just a few days ago started throwing the phrase "Cease and Desist" around.
It seems clear that Hyperkin did not contact the original authors prior to the release of the Retron 5 and from what I have read on the libretro blog the authors sound to me like they are not interested in a resolution unless it involves:
- Stopping Production of the Retron 5
or
- Hyperkin removing the SNES and Sega Genesis cores from the Retron 5's firmware
While the authors are certainly within their rights to seek an appropriate resolution from Hyperkin for any infringements taking place the options currently on the table do not bode well for the product or the customers.
**I welcome comments here in the forum from Hyperkin & the emu authors to offer clarity if they feel misrepresented by my statements.
**For more details on this issue you can follow along in the unofficial forums:
https://www.retro5.net/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=57Final Thoughts (for now)I wish I could end this post with a "run out and buy this thing now". Upcoming legal outcomes aside that's my honest take.
Even with a bum controller the system is pretty solid and fulfills it's intended purpose remarkably well. A community is coming together. Compatibility is higher than any other clone console on the market and only continues to improve. The feature set is now expanding well beyond what was originally advertised.
But the legal storm looming on the horizon might mean that soon you won't be able to get your hands on one of these things even if you want to.
That's potentially bad news for a console that's been unable to meet demand in the first place.
