I wrote a very long post about the RDP in reply to someone asking about the Supa Boy. The more I thought about it the more I feel I might as well clean it up into a full blown review. So here goes!
The areas I'll cover:
- Features
- Game Compatibility
- Graphic Reproduction
- Sound Reproduction
- Controls
FeaturesThe Retro Duo Portable v2.0 (from now on called simply "the RDP") comes with the following:
- RDP Handheld
- NES Adapter
- SNES 2 player controller adapter
- Television AV Cables
- Power Adapter
- Built in rechargable Lithium Ion battery
In my experience the built in battery is good for at least 5 hours of play.
Optional Accessories:
- RetroGen Adapter (play Sega Genesis games on the RDP!)
- Super Retro Advance Adapter (play GBA games on the RDP
Game Compatibility7/10
Compatibility in my experience has been very good Star Fox, Star Fox 2, Super Mario RPG, Stunt Race FX, and Castlevania III all play. These are worth mentioning specifically because they give many clone systems a hard time.
The SNES and NES Game Genie cheat devices and Super Game Boy peripherals are also supported. The SD2SNES flash cart is supported.
The only game in my library that had issues was the NES version of Battle Toads. It crashes on level 2 (the repelling stage) every time. Fortunately the Game Genie can be used to skip past this problem level and the rest of the game plays just fine.
I even have one game in my collection that _only_ plays on the RDP. Disney's Tailspin for the Sega Genesis. That's right. Both my model 1 and model 2 Genesis will not play it. The Retron 5 doesn't even acknowledge it's plugged in. But the RDP loads it up first time, every time.
The unit employs system on a chip technology. The good news is there is no lag the bad news is any problems with the reproduction are baked in. No firmware updates like with the Retron 5.
Genesis compatibility is possible by purchasing a RetroGen Adapter. Despite conflicting information out there I can assure you the RDP fully supports passing the graphics through the RetroGen Adapter to the RDPs built in screen. Sadly the Mega EverDrive flash cart is not compatible.
The Super Game Boy can be used to play Game Boy and Super Game Boy Games.
Game Boy Advance games can be played by purchasing the Super Retro Advance Adapter.
Graphic Reproduction10/10
The LCD is backlit and has different intensity levels to let you tradeoff brightness for battery life. Overall it and looks really good compared to other portables. The refresh rate and color reproduction is pretty good and TV out works rather well with no perceivable lag. If you experience lag, double check that you have "GAME" mode enabled on your TV and all special processing features (like TRU-MOTION) turned off.
SuperFX games seem to play better on this with less slowdown than the original hardware. Star Fox and Stunt Race FX make very good portable games!
Sound Reproduction6/10 (NES)
9/10 (SNES)
9/10 (Genesis)
Overall the sound is pretty good. SNES music and sound reproduction is spot on.
NES music is the RDPs kryptonite. Most of the time it's fine but some games (Kirby's Adventure) sound pretty sad.
At maximum volume the built in speakers will crackle from time to time (load up Sonic 1 and you can hear it during the introductory "SEGA". Dropping the volume just a touch below max eliminates the static.
Controls9/10
The RDPs built in controls are comfortable, responsive, and precise. Surprisingly as good as what you would find on a 1st party handheld.
The only nit pick I have is that the power adapter plugs into the side making it a little bit annoying to play with the system plugged in and charging.
The RDP comes with an adapter that let's you plug in 2 SNES game pads (game pads not included). This really comes in handy when you decide to plug it into a television and play two player games.
For completeness sake I have tested the SNES Konami Justifier with the RDP hooked into a TV and it does work. The RDP recognizes the trigger being pulled but does not appear to get the information about what the gun "saw" on the TV. I tested with both Duck Hunt for the NES (which I did not expect to work) as well as Lethal Enforcers for the SNES (this I though might actually work). All of this was tested on my standard def CRT which plays both Duck Hunt and Lethal Enforcers on the native consoles just fine. The short of it is, the light gun games do not work with the RDP.
Wrap UpFrom a build quality standpoint the RDP feels solid and the TV and Controller accessories make it perfect for taking to a friends house and hooking into the TV.
The RDP is not perfect. In particular the music in some NES games will make you want to laugh or cry. Flash cart compatibility is hit and miss. Official game compatibility is not 100% (probably closer to 90%).
Overall though the versatility of the RDP is tough to beat. Making it a great way to take your physical cartridges on the go. Some games will surprise you with how well they take to being in portable form.
