RetroN 5 $129.99 with free shipping @ ThinkGeek - The RetroN 5 deals thread

Drclaw411

Drclaw411

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CURRENT DEALS:

$129.99 with free shipping at ThinkGeek


Important Information
​Warranty registration - http://www.retron5.com/warrantyregistration_/
Patch Notes / How to Update (Last update 6/10/2014) - http://retron5.in/?src=98f13708210194c475687be6106a3b84

I've included the text from the pre-order era of this OP in spoilers for reference.
UPDATE 5/27/14: It's real this time. Hyperkin's June 6 release date is happening. Many mom and pop stores that have received their units have started selling them already, and many people who have ordered from Amazon (myself included) are reporting getting emails from Amazon notifying them that their orders qualify for release day delivery and are updating estimated delivery status to June 6th, no longer showing the "we need more time" placeholder. It's worth noting that so far only people who have ordered the grey unit from Amazon are receiving order updates (which coincides with Hyperkin reporting on their facebook page that they had shipped Amazon's grey preorder units, but Amazon had yet to place an order for the black units). All consoles that have been shown off online by reviewers, people who have been able to buy them before the street date, or Hyperkin themselves have all been grey consoles to this point. No word on black consoles. Another note: Chris Gallizzi of Hyperkin responded to an inquiry about Newegg orders by saying that he is not aware of any issues with Newegg's preorders, and they should be good to go for the launch.

UPDATE 5/22/14: Just one day after IGN and Polygon reported that Hyperkin would begin shipping units to retailers on May 22 (today as of this writing), Hyperkin essentially confirmed that. They have announced that the launch date for the long overdue RetroN 5 is June 6th, 2014. In a much quieter fashion (just by responding to a random person's comment) they confirmed this would be for North America only and that the console would launch in the UK in September. There is also one more small hitch. The rumor that the first batch of units would be only for mom/pop B&M retailers and that NO units from this batch would go to Amazon or Newegg has been gaining some serious steam. While Hyperkin has been responding to a decent amount of comments on their facebook page from excited fans, they continue to ignore questions about when Amazon orders will ship. So it seems those of us who preordered on Amazon still don't have a solid release date. Fulfillment could happen any time between June 6th through September or beyond.

UPDATE 5/21/14: IGN today reported that the RetroN 5 would begin shipping out on May 22 (tomorrow, as of this writing)! This coincides with Chris Gazzilli, Hyperkin's project manager, posting a picture on his facebook page of a massive shipping container full of RetroN 5 units. Ladies and Gentlemen, it seems hell may have just frozen over.

UPDATE 5/13/14: Hyperkin has listed the RetroN 5, and it's controllers, on their company wholesale store for authorized retailers to buy. The console (both colors) and controllers (both colors) are listed as sold out. I'm not sure if they were in stock and sold out quickly, or if they haven't been made available yet. Regardless, it's good news that the system is listed for the first time ever. Additionally, reviewers such as GameSpot and several youtube reviewers have received their review units, which appear to be retail units. The RetroN 5 seems to finally be around the corner. We'll see, but things look promising right now. One thing to note: the listing for the console on Hyperkin's wholesale page indicates that each wholesale box contains six units. If this is the case, it would seem to debunk the previous report of the console being shipped in quantities of four per retailer.

UPDATE 4/25/14: While this hasn't technically been confirmed by Hyperkin, I take it as fact. It's worth remembering that NOTHING has been officially confirmed by Hyperkin. Hyperkin has remained silent until unofficially confirming almost all known info in random interviews with various youtubers and forum members. Therefor, again, I take this as fact:

I spoke to Hyperkin today.

Here are the "unofficial" details.

The "end of May" release is a "soft" release. Meaning they really are waiting for the next batch due in the summer for the official real release. Amazon is NOT getting any of the units released at the end of May. Each retailer is only getting 4 units. Retail on the unit is $139.99 and $39.99 for the additional controller. The reasons for the price increase are both cosmetic and technical but if it works as it should then it should be a great retro system.

Our 4 are already taken with pre-orders. If you know any stores locally that are getting units, and you want one for end of May, then i suggest you contact them and put money down. Keep in mind that each store is getting 4 units only for the soft launch.
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UPDATE 4/17/14: Hyperkin has increased the price of the RetroN 5, saying "north of $100, between $129.99 and $149.99". Alll pre-orders from Amazon should be honored via their pre-order price guarantee. I believe Newegg has the same guarantee, I am not sure about Stone Age Gamer or 8 Bit Classics. Think Geek still hasn't opened pre-orders on the unit, instead offering a link to be signed up for email notifications as to when it will be available. Also on the Amazon front, they have sold out or pre-orders. Furthermore, it is more likely you'll learn the ETA from Amazon, Newegg, or whoever you ordered it from. Hyperkin has gone on record of saying they will never again announce a hard release date for anything.

UPDATE 4/12/14: After Hyperkin denied the console was delayed again and vigoruosuly shoved the month of April up everyone's ass for half a year, today they delayed the vaporware console yet again. At the Midwest Gaming Classic, they did their annual presentation. They ignored the planned April 2014 release, but finally somebody in the crowd asked about it. The Hyperkin rep said it was releasing in "30 days, guaranteed". This is not the first time they used the word "guaranteed", last time was about April so this doesn't mean jack shit. So maybe it'll randomly show up at people's houses at the end of may, maybe it wont, and maybe my ass will fly out of my ass.

Retron 5 Delay History:
-Summer 2013 (which they continued to say after summer was over, claiming they meant "Indian Summer" or "California Summer"....i'm not making this up)
-December 10 2013
-Quarter 1 2014
-Quarter 2 2014
-First two weeks of April
-April 2014, guaranteed
-Gauranteed within 30-40 days of April 12, 2014
-June 6 2014

DELAYED. ANY UPDATES FROM HYPERKIN WILL COME ON THEIR FACEBOOK PAGE: https://www.facebook.com/HyperkinGames

UPDATE: In a recent interview, Hyperkin confirmed that the initial batch of units WILL NOT BE ENOUGH to meet day ome demand. Also confirmed was the ability for the system to act as a multitap. Example: in a four player SNES game, two players could use snes controlles, one player could use the retron controller, and one player could use a genesis controller. Interview can be found here.


Pre-order at Amazon (SOLD OUT)
Pre-order at Newegg: Black (SOLD OUT) or Grey (SOLD OUT)
Pre-order at Stone Age Gamer (DUE TO HIGH DEMAND, RELEASE DAY DELIVERY NOT PROMISED)
Pre-order at 8 Bit Classics (DUE TO HIGH DEMAND, RELEASE DAY DELIVERY NOT PROMISED)





UPDATE: Hyperkin claims that they opened up some packaged retail units and discovered some units had faulty pins. because of this, the Retron 5 has been delayed. No new release date has been announced, although Hyperkin has stated the unit will release in 2014 and that they are aiming for Q1. This is the Retron 5's third delay.

EDIT: Preorders are sold out at Amazon and Newegg.

Retron5 pre-orders have finally (about damn time) opened.

For those of you who have been following this console, you know it's quite highly anticipated and looks to be far better than any clone system released before.

For those unfamiliar, here's a little info:

  • It's one system that plays games for the following systems: NES, SNES, Genesis, Mega Drive, Famicom, Super Famicom, Game Boy, Game Boy Color, and Game Boy Advance.
  • Two controller ports for each console will be built in with the system. It will also come with one wireless universal controller.
  • Outputs in HDMI and upscales for HDTVs. Early impressions and videos of this have been extremley postive. From the website: "The RetroN 5 will up convert the video signal to show clearer and cleaner images, with vibrant colors on an HDTV with a resolution output of up to 720p through the use of shaders. You will also be able to select the aspect ratio in our GUI, from the standard 4:3 to the HD ratio of 16:9."
  • Features a user interface (dashboard. Somewhat similar of the PS3 interface in appearance, in my opinion).
  • Features save states. From the website: "Most games did not allow for you to freely save your games. The RetroN 5 will allow you to save their games at any point during gameplay, and will feature an autosave feature upon shutdown. You will be able to load your saves at anytime during gameplay."
  • Button reassignment supported. From the website: "Users will be able to program the controller to assign buttons to their preference. In turn, the RetroN 5 will save these custom layouts, so that users will not have to constantly reconfigure the button configuration. This feature will also be available to people wanting to remap their buttons on their original controllers."
  • 100% game cartridge compatibility, without lag.
  • Sega Power Base Converter compatible, allowing Sega Master System games to be played.
More information is here. It may be a bit dated since this was from back when they first announced the console, but I figured it was the best site to link since it also featured some screenshots as well. http://hyperkin.com/blog/2013/03/retron-5-details-revealed-from-the-midwest-gaming-classic/ There is also plenty of info on Hyperkin's facebook page.

I've been looking forward to this for a long time, and i'm extremley excited that pre-orders are finally open. For one console that not only plays all of these console's games, but upscales them and features save states (either to the cartridge (if supported) or the console itself)...this seems like a great deal. And if you've been following the hype for the console, there is a good chance it could end up selling out. Hyperkin isn't a huge company and this thing has a TON of pre-release demand (just check out the comments on the facebook page). I like the look of the black one a bit better, because it seems to be the traditional console color nowadays. But I opted for the grey model because the black console and controller seem like they'd be fingerprint magnets.

Preorder either color here at Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Hyperkin-RetroN-Gaming-Not-Machine-Specific/dp/B00DZIX3CQ/ref=sr_1_13?ie=UTF8&qid=1378958043&sr=8-13&keywords=retron+5 or here at Newegg: http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&DEPA=0&Order=BESTMATCH&Description=retron%205&N=-1&isNodeId=1&RandomID=65244712392254220130925161655

Here are pictures of the two consoles, since the pictures on Amazon aren't that great:

Grey:
Retron-5.jpg


Black:
e3_retron5_03550.jpg

 
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Thomas96 said:
I have an Ouya...I think that will suffice.
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lol nice joke.

Whatever possible shortcomings this has, the ouya is not a sufficient replacement for anything, except maybe lighting $100 on fire.

Yeah, I'd rather buy an ouya than light a $100 bill on fire, but that's about the only thing I can think of.
 
Richard Kain said:
I also would love to see a 32-bit era optical clone. The biggest challenge would be the Saturn support. That thing was an architectural nightmare, and even modern emulation for it is extremely spotty. A device that could play PS1, Dreamcast, Sega CD, 3DO, NeoGeo CD, and possibly TurboGrafx CD would be awesome.
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Oh my...

This would be at once both terrible and awesome to behold. For I would probably become like those MMO addicts and lose myelf in the awesome CD games (double if it played Japanese Saturn games) and that could be construed as terrible by others.

Preorderd black, but grey calls to me.

 
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It also has NES ports. It has a usb port, but not sure if that will work with any controllers. The more they show this thing the better it is. That stuff on their site is cool, audio interpolation, shaders, etc

 
ok wow... if this thing actually works its awesome. Ive seen things like thsi before in the past though and they usually only play some games. Will this thing actually play ALL the snes/Gen/GBA ect games i throw in it? Id love to be able to play some of them on my newer tvs. I love playing my stuff on the old 32" CRT but sometimes id like to go kick back on the couch and do that.

So is this legit? i see theyve done some of these in the past, do they work pretty well?

 
They are claiming 100% compatibility. They said in the event a game is discovered to not be compatible, that can be fixed with a firmware update in the future.

Obviously games that use a light gun or tilt controls won't be fully playable, but that's not the console's shortcoming.
 
Anyone have any advice or preferred brands for buying replacement SNES or NES controllers? My originals are worn and seemingly every visually-identical but obvious clone I've bought has been nearly unusable.
 
choral_music said:
Anyone have any advice or preferred brands for buying replacement SNES or NES controllers? My originals are worn and seemingly every visually-identical but obvious clone I've bought has been nearly unusable.
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You could try buying some internal button replacements and put them inside an original NES or SNES controller.

http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_sacat=0&_nkw=snes+controller+repair&_sop=15

I've done a lot of searching for a good clone and have found one does not exist, every clone is quite inferior. I've never replaced the internal buttons though so I don't know how well that would work (could be 100% as good or turn out to be a disaster), but it is quite easy to open SNES controller and repair it's parts. If you're looking for adapters I did some research on those http://www.cheapassgamer.com/topic/318006-best-nessnes-controller-adapters-for-pc/

If Retron 5 lets you use the usb port for controllers, you may be able to use the Wii Classic Controller by getting one of those Wii adapters from that link.

 
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This thing is missing Sega Master System & 32x, the SMS is a HUGE oversight IMO keeping me from buying it.

 
Do you guys think this will be still around for purchase in a year or two? I need time to hunt for more games I think. Still very tempted to buy and just play a game or two as I collect.
 
Stimes said:
Do you guys think this will be still around for purchase in a year or two? I need time to hunt for more games I think. Still very tempted to buy and just play a game or two as I collect.
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This is the fifth iteration of the hardware, every time adding new consoles. There'll probably be a few more revisions before then.

 
I don't think you'll have any trouble getting one of these even a few years down the road. The RetroN 1-3 are still pretty available.

 
I think this thing sounds very cool. I love that it has save states. I don't actually have any game cartridges (except some GBA and GB), but I'd like to start collecting them if I had this. I will save my pennies, because I don't have the funds at the moment.

 
Yeah, I wouldn't worry about longevity. Hyperkin has been working on this one for the past two years. The Retron 5 will likely be their flagship product for the next three or four years. And they do a pretty good job of keeping their older systems available. In another few years you should still be able to get a Retron 5, or whatever system they design to replace it.

 
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I have never brought a system at launch... this might be the first! 

In some reviews, it said the package will come with two wireless controllers and even a sd card for saving games. Has that spec changed? If so, has anyone seen how much would a second wireless controller cost? 

 

 
Asgardian said:
I have never brought a system at launch... this might be the first!

In some reviews, it said the package will come with two wireless controllers and even a sd card for saving games. Has that spec changed? If so, has anyone seen how much would a second wireless controller cost?
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I believe the current plan is one controller and no SD card. (though there will be an SD card slot) Given Hyperkin's past practices, you WILL be able to buy an additional controller. It was possible to purchase additional wireless controllers for the Retron 3.

I can only speculate as to the price, but as a guess I would say $30 each. That's pretty reasonable for a bluetooth controller that doesn't feature analog sticks. It will depend on the build quality and how many of these units Hyperkin expects to make. Controllers are always high mark-up items, so most companies aren't afraid of charging more for them.

You will want to wait to hear some first-hand accounts on the controller before buying extra. The Retron 5 is going to allow for all sorts of controllers of the wired variety right out of the box. If the wireless controller isn't up to snuff you'll still have plenty of other options to pursue instead.

 
Don't know if this has been reported but it will not output in RCA. Not sure if it will output in anything other than HDMI.

Richard Kain said:
I believe the current plan is one controller and no SD card. (though there will be an SD card slot) Given Hyperkin's past practices, you WILL be able to buy an additional controller. It was possible to purchase additional wireless controllers for the Retron 3.

I can only speculate as to the price, but as a guess I would say $30 each. That's pretty reasonable for a bluetooth controller that doesn't feature analog sticks. It will depend on the build quality and how many of these units Hyperkin expects to make. Controllers are always high mark-up items, so most companies aren't afraid of charging more for them.

You will want to wait to hear some first-hand accounts on the controller before buying extra. The Retron 5 is going to allow for all sorts of controllers of the wired variety right out of the box. If the wireless controller isn't up to snuff you'll still have plenty of other options to pursue instead.
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I heard the OS may be on an SD card included with the system. http://popzara.com/pages/2944/

 
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J7. said:
They may bring Master System and Turbografx/PC Engine support to Retron 5.
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That article is a bit old. (came out around E3) So the information in it is kind of dated. Also, it stated that Hyperkin is considering those other platforms for AFTER the Retron 5 is finished. (so possibly in the Retron 6) The only way they could add Retron 5 support is through an additional adapter. The Master System and TurboGrafx would require their own cartridge slots.

Also, maintaining the firmware for the device on an SD card doesn't make much sense. Removing or losing the card would effectively make the system unplayable until it was replaced. I think they're just planning on allowing upgrading the firmware through the SD card slot.

 
Richard Kain said:
That article is a bit old. (came out around E3) So the information in it is kind of dated. Also, it stated that Hyperkin is considering those other platforms for AFTER the Retron 5 is finished. (so possibly in the Retron 6) The only way they could add Retron 5 support is through an additional adapter. The Master System and TurboGrafx would require their own cartridge slots.

Also, maintaining the firmware for the device on an SD card doesn't make much sense. Removing or losing the card would effectively make the system unplayable until it was replaced. I think they're just planning on allowing upgrading the firmware through the SD card slot.
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Most of the information we've received happened back at E3. In any case you're right about future system emulation, I misread that paragraph I think. Not sure about OS on sd card. That sounds a bit unlikely logically. I think I've read elsewhere as well though that the console will include an SD card.

 
I preordered one.  I got the black one as I remember back in the day my nes and SNES looked dirty all the time since they were grey.  PLus I have a black WiiU, PS3, Xbox360, and soon to be PS4 and XBone.  So it should all match.

Im pretty excited about this since it is 100% compatible.  I only have a few games for these old systems anymore.  About 15-20 TOTAL.  Thats only because I didnt have anything to play them on.  So, Ill be hitting up my flea market every so often and check on amazon as thee games are wicked cheap  (except for some which are rare).  Cannot wait to play NBA Jam TE again, Metal Gear 1 and 2, and Tecmo Super bowl.  Oh and Super Mario World.  Oh yeah.  AWESOME.   Ill just snag a REGULAR controller for each system.  Im curious to see how the GB, GBA, and GBC work.

 
Nice that it plays NES, SNES, Genesis, Mega Drive, Famicom, Super Famicom, Game Boy, Game Boy Color, and Game Boy Advance games, but I'll wait for one that also plays Master System, Game Gear, and Nintendo 64 games. That covers all the Sega and Nintendo handhelds (up to DS) and cartridge-based consoles, right?

Edit: Oh fuck. Left off Virtual Boy!

 
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n64ra said:
Nice that it plays NES, SNES, Genesis, Mega Drive, Famicom, Super Famicom, Game Boy, Game Boy Color, and Game Boy Advance games, but I'll wait for one that also plays Master System, Game Gear, and Nintendo 64 games. That covers all the Sega and Nintendo handhelds (up to DS) and cartridge-based consoles, right?

Edit: Oh fuck. Left off Virtual Boy!
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I do believe that is everything. h, we need TG 16 as well.

 
You also left off NeoGeo, Atari Jaguar, Atari 2600, Intellivision, Odyssey, Commodore 64, and Vectrex. There's also the Sega 32x, as well as a few more Atari models.

The home console cartridge system market is a lot bigger than most of you youngsters realize. Trying to hit it all in a single device is madness. I would be happy with a second clone system to cover some of the more obscure bases. For the time being I'm quite happy with all the systems that ARE supported by the Retron 5.

I think an optical-based system would be an ideal solution for their next efforts. It won't be long before inexpensive processors are up to the task of tackling PS2 emulation. 

 
jer7583 said:
...I guess i just don't see who this is for. People who don't know better, maybe? Why spend $100 on this when buying a SNES, NES, and Genesis would probably be cheaper in the end, or the same price....
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No idea where you are finding those consoles in good condition for less then 100 total.

jstew9 said:
I insta-ordered a black console as soon as I saw they were available... but now I'm second guessing and pondering picking up the grey.

Very cool looking device though, hopefully it really does come out a month before the new consoles steal all my free time.
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I'm in the same boat...the grey one just looks so good in that picture.

Drclaw411 said:
I think I''ve decided to keep my grey preorder. I have never had a longer internal debate over which color of something I wanted.
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Same here

 
I wonder if Hyperkin will allow Game Genie support. It would almost be odd if that feature wasn't included, as Hyperkin now owns Game Genie.
 
Richard Kain said:
You also left off NeoGeo, Atari Jaguar, Atari 2600, Intellivision, Odyssey, Commodore 64, and Vectrex. There's also the Sega 32x, as well as a few more Atari models.

The home console cartridge system market is a lot bigger than most of you youngsters realize. Trying to hit it all in a single device is madness. I would be happy with a second clone system to cover some of the more obscure bases. For the time being I'm quite happy with all the systems that ARE supported by the Retron 5.

I think an optical-based system would be an ideal solution for their next efforts. It won't be long before inexpensive processors are up to the task of tackling PS2 emulation.
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I "left off" what you listed on purpose. I am well aware of the first, second, and third generation of video game consoles. Here is a quote from me "That covers all the Sega and Nintendo handhelds (up to DS) and cartridge-based consoles, right?" I purposely left it at that since the Retron5 currently only supports Sega and Nintendo hardware. The 32x is an add-on not a console; however, I can understand including it since it is cartridge based. Please go back and re-read.

 
If this had N64 100 percent compatability I would be interested. All those consoles listed though are already emulated well.  Not a very groundbreaking project.

 
shit! i was gonna order one tonight when i got home. I just wanted to verify that the grey one had purple trim on the controller and the slots are purple. Its hard to tell from the pics. I wanted the black till i saw that, it looked pretty neat. 

Did they maybe hit their pre-order limit? Is it canceled? I was really looking forward to this. Especially since my niece seems to be geting into gaming and likes old school stuff like mario. I figured i could hook this to a regular tv instead of her having to play in my game den and play all my old games on it

 
Odd that they completely pulled it... usually, if something is sold out or pre-orders are exhausted, they keep the listing up. 

This is kinda worrying.:whistle2:k 

 
Yeah I just noticed that the Retron5 isn't listed on Amazon anymore either.  So far my gray system preorder is still up, here's to hoping the supply was just out of stock, and Hyperkin just didn't want any more orders that they couldn't fullfill.

 
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