Hyperkin RetroN 5 Retro Video Gaming System (5 in 1) - Black (Electronic Games)

As a retro game collector myself I take a lot of pride in my collection & rather than my games just being a dust collectors on the shelf I try to play them as often as possible.So one of the main benefits with the Retron5 is the fact it plays multiple systems all off the one console which are:- Nes - Famicom - Snes - Megadrive - GameBoy - GameBoy Colour- GameBoy Advance- It will also play Master System games if you have the Megadrive/Master System converter.- Plus games from all regions so Pal Ntsc & Ntsc-J.So I like that I can have one system set up to my tv & get to play a big chunk of my collection all off the one Retron5, now this is possible without a Retron but you'll have a bunch of systems all set up with extension leads & cables trailing all over the place, also unless you have a scart switcher or a 5to1 scart adaptor you'll be having to swap the wires over every time you want to play a different console.I also love that I can plug the original retro controllers into the ports down the side of the system, which just adds to that nostalgic feeling. there's three controller ports on either side of the system 1xNES 1xSnes 1xMegadrive.Now one big advantage for me is the fact the Retron runs a hdmi out so not only can I hook it up to my 4k tv, it also means I can run it through my Elgato capture card & record my gameplay which helps as I use my Retron5 for almost all of my retro game footage over on my YouTube & Twitch channels.Another big factor for me is most of my main retro systems are all boxed, some of which are in near mint condition, so I really don't like to use them, if I have to use one on a regular basis i tend to buy a second playable system so I can keep my main console mint, now yes it would be nice to use all original system's but these things aren't cheap & at times can be very temperamental, so with the Retron being a brand new system it should be a lot more reliable & I still get to play a big selection my games without breaking any of my original consoles, plus the cost of buying all the systems separate would be a lot more expensive than buying the Retron.So depending on which side of the fence you are on, in the Retron's options there's a few things you can tweak, now if you all about it being 100% original you can turn all filters off & have scan lines on ect but on the flipside if you want it to look as good as it can then there's settings to smooth out the graphics & make it look a lot better. (i'll add a couple pics below to show you how much better it can look on the Retron with filters on, the game is TailSpin on a original Megadrive vs on the Retron5 with smoothing & filters on)So here's what you get in the box:-1x Retron5-1x Wireless Controller-1x Power Cable with adaptors to fit any socket, uk,us ect-1x HDMI think it was 1.5m long?-1x Charger Cable for the controller-Info & StickersSo although I have given this a 5star rating its not a 100% perfect product but with that being said, the good things totally outweighs the bad.GOOD POINTS- its hdmi so can be set up to any tv with a hdmi port- can be ran through a cap card for recording game footage- has memory built in so you can now save your retro games!- plays carts for the systems from all regions without any adaptors ie pal, ntsc, ntsc-j- has ports down both sides so you can plug in & use your original controllers. nes, snes, megadrive- can map the buttons, set default controllers ect for both the Retron & original retro controllers- has filters to make your retro games look better than ever before- has sd slot on the back if additional memory is neededBAD POINTS- the controller is horrible! it works ok but it just doesn't feel nice in your hands, 100% would be better off just buying a original retro controller or a new unofficial one & plug it into the controller ports on the side- games can be tight to pull out of the slots. this does get easier the more its used, but for ease it should of been designed with a eject button like on the snes- Some times it wont read a cart 1st time, most the time it just needs to be reinserted, if it still don't read its probably because the contacts are dirty so just give the cart's contacts a quick clean, this has always fixed it for me, but then it would still happen on a original system if it was a dirty cart, well unless you use the magic blow, anyone who grew up in 80's & 90's knows what I'm on about.lol ^_^I done a lot of research into it before I bought my Retron as I heard a bunch of horror stories on YouTube of games getting broke, pins moving & so on, but I can honestly say I've owned one for around a year now & I've never ran into any of those issues.I think Hyperkin had some issues in the early Retron5's but i'd like to think that has all been addressed by now.If your still not 100% sure about playing your Little Samson in your Retron, worst case just use a universal adaptor/game genie in the slot & then whatever expensive retro game in the top of that, then no retro game would even have to go in the Retron slot, I haven't got any really crazy expensive games like Little Samson's or Dino Peak's, but I've always played every game I own directly through my Retron5 & have never had any issues.

I just got mine last night and did in depth tests to see what I can and can't do on the Retron 5.Apart from a few minor bugs which are common and well known for the system this is a fine console.Its really an emulation console that dumps the ROMs from you old cartages and plays your games in HD.Even though It only runs games in 720p. That is more than enough to play classic games many of which are over 30 years old.Its a good Idea to get a standard SD card as its the only way to 1 Download the firmware updates from your computer to your Retron 5 and 2 Download Cheats for games and & Translation patches for any carts you may have that are not in English or any other language that you may speak. (Its simple enough but the instruction should tell you how to do this, failing that look up on youtube for how to videos. Which are easy to find) The controller that comes with it does feel a little awkward but one could get used to it. However it dose hinder some games. But it also has inputs for original Sega, NES and SNES controllers so you could use them instead to play games and use the Retron 5 controller to easily navigate the home menu and settings on such. Also if you have Mario Paint. You can use the Super Nintendo mouse to navigate the home menu. Nothing beats playing the classic games on the real hardware on a old CRT TV. But if you looking for ways to have a quick play of Sonic or Mario with having to Pack up the Mega-drive to set up the NES or want to play you Gameboy or your GBA games on the big screen but don't have a super Gameboy or Gameboy player for GameCube. Or you want to get in to playing old cartages but don't have the money to hunt around to buy a retro console (some of which prices are through the roof at the mo and some are hard to find) then this Is worth getting. It Plays about 12 different types or games in HD but saves 12 times the space. In closing its a rather good system for the money and plays the games you love. The minor glitches are not enough to stop it from doing what its meant to do and that's play games! Tip for the fabled Death grip on cartages that has work from me thus far (Which I tested many) When Cartage is in the console. With your right hand hold the cartage on the left side of the cartage at the base and with your left hand (gently) hold down the console and lightly pull the cartage out. There's is a nack to it but if done right. The Cartage should come out easy like it has for me. (If you try and yank it out. it will hold on to that cartage like a mofo and you could risk damage the game "In theory") It really is worth getting if you retro gaming is your thing.

The retron feels cheap and nasty and wouldnt let me update it to the lastest firmware. I tried multiple times and multiple SD cards.It played my games for about 20 minutes and then froze/crashed.I couldn't reset it using the power button so had to pull the power lead out of the back. When i plugged it back in, it turned on after 10 minutes of trying to push the power button. This thing crashed more times than a ZX Spectrum so I have returned it to Amazon for a refund. I'm really disappointed as its such a great idea but really poor design, cheap feel, menu system is basic as well.