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

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$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.
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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I got a response!

HI Chris,


Thank you for your Support.

At this moment , our production team still working very hard to meet the deadline. I am not 100% sure when. Sorry.
Sincerely,
Cindy
I'm thinking about replying just to ask when this deadline is, but something tells me that they may not tell me.

I thought at one time I saw a release date for the Retron 5 being on the 6th of December (via FB/Twitter) but I could be wrong. It guess it could be the 10th? Guess when we get ours randomly... we'll know. =|

 
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Has anyone heard about a compability list for games? I have an original snes and star fox for the snes. I know many emulators have problems emulatiing that game and other super fx games. There was an NES clone (Generation NEX?) released a couple of years ago that couldn't play alot of NES games. Beofre buying the system it would be nice to know what games if any I will not be able to play on this system.

 
Games found not to be supported at launch will get patches, sans light gun titles.

Considering that there are thousands upon thousands of titles that this system will be compatible with, I don't expect an actual published list for quite some time. 

 
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Has anyone heard about a compability list for games? I have an original snes and star fox for the snes. I know many emulators have problems emulatiing that game and other super fx games. There was an NES clone (Generation NEX?) released a couple of years ago that couldn't play alot of NES games. Beofre buying the system it would be nice to know what games if any I will not be able to play on this system.
Starfox? It plays that.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mfo29u75Zhw[/youtube]

 
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So for someone that hasn't really followed this at all, but is vaguely interested in owning one of these down the line: is this a one-time allocation or are they planning to release updated hardware in the future or restock suppliers?

 
So for someone that hasn't really followed this at all, but is vaguely interested in owning one of these down the line: is this a one-time allocation or are they planning to release updated hardware in the future or restock suppliers?
I would also like to know this, as I'm in the same camp.

 
I expect the RetroN 5 to be on shelves for a rather long time. Especially considering that you can still buy the RetroN 1-3 today.
 
They are a Small Company.

The first initial batch when sold out won't be back in stock for a bit (maybe few weeks). Unless they still have more money to manufacture, but I assume they are going to see demand first before doing  a second run.

Once profits are realized on these units it will free up additional income to do an additional run.

More sales, means more units sold to retail to keep this stock and in turn mass production.

 
I think it's due to patents expiring.
Yeah, it's the same reason you're seeing games like Ducktales being remade, because the copyrights are expiring. Could be totally wrong, but most of those patents/copyrights probably only last 20 years and would have no reason to be renewed.

 
Yeah, it's the same reason you're seeing games like Ducktales being remade, because the copyrights are expiring. Could be totally wrong, but most of those patents/copyrights probably only last 20 years and would have no reason to be renewed.
You're partially wrong.

Ducktales got re-made with the express permission of Disney, who own the copyright. Copyrights don't expire, so long as they have someone to claim and defend them. Copyrights only expire when they are abandoned, and then legally challenged. (at least in the U.S., international copyright law as well as the individual copyright laws of other countries work differently)

Patents, on the other hand, do expire. (again, a U.S. thing) You aren't allowed to indefinitely renew patents. All patents are time-limited, and can never last forever. Once a patent expires, anyone can produce their own "generic" version of the product in question. This happens all the time in the pharmaceutical industry. Drugs that get patented can enjoy exclusive sales for a few years. Once their patent expires, anyone can take the chemical formula for them and produce and sell them however they please. (generic equivalents)

The Retron 5 is like that. It is a "generic" form of these systems whose hardware patents have already expired. Copyrights are usually applied to written works, trademarked logos and brands, and software. Patents are applied to hardware and physical developments. (such as the chemical formulas for drugs) U.S. copyright law is probably in need of re-examination, thanks to the changes in society brought about by the expansion of the internet. But patent law is still working as intended, and allows for products like the Retron 5.

 
When do PS1, Saturn, N64 patents expire?
I'm not sure when the N64 patent would expire. I wouldn't be surprised if the Saturn patent had already expired.

And the PS1 is a bit more of a problem. The firmware (software) for the PS1 was copyrighted. This is why most PS1 emulation software requires a copy of the PS1's firmware. Even if the patent expires, the software copyright for the firmware wouldn't. And Sony's continued sale of digital PS1 titles on PSN gives them a vested interest in defending that copyright. If a company cooked up their own custom version of that firmware, they could probably get around the issue. But they would have to produce the software themselves, and it would have to be original. If Sony could prove that they copied any existing code, it would be over.

 
I'm not sure when the N64 patent would expire. I wouldn't be surprised if the Saturn patent had already expired.

And the PS1 is a bit more of a problem. The firmware (software) for the PS1 was copyrighted. This is why most PS1 emulation software requires a copy of the PS1's firmware. Even if the patent expires, the software copyright for the firmware wouldn't. And Sony's continued sale of digital PS1 titles on PSN gives them a vested interest in defending that copyright. If a company cooked up their own custom version of that firmware, they could probably get around the issue. But they would have to produce the software themselves, and it would have to be original. If Sony could prove that they copied any existing code, it would be over.
Wow, man. You're like a retro genius. Every post from you in this thread is so helpful. Thanks for sharing.

 
U.S. copyright law is probably in need of re-examination, thanks to the changes in society brought about by the expansion of the internet.
I don't want them to do that because I don't want them to try and go after first amendment next. I want whats on the internet to stay the way it is. Also get rid of the NSA too.

Thanks for a explanation of the law though

 
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When do PS1, Saturn, N64 patents expire?

The biggest problem with the Sega Saturn is that its nearly impossible to emulate. We may never see even a good emulator on PC let alone a clone. There was a Japanese guy who spent like 9 years working hard on a Saturn emulator and from what I remember it barely worked.

As far as Retrons go the N64 is the last of your realistic additions being cart based for the time being.

 

Is there any news of a release date? I thought it was supposed to come out in October.
Ha this thing was supposed to come out in July originally.
The biggest problem with the Sega Saturn is that its nearly impossible to emulate. We may never see even a good emulator on PC let alone a clone. There was a Japanese guy who spent like 9 years working hard on a Saturn emulator and from what I remember it barely worked.

As far as Retrons go the N64 is the last of your realistic additions being cart based for the time being.
Just out of curiousity, would it be possible/easier to make a Saturn clone by copying the hardware instead? Or even copy enough of the hardware that the software emulation is not so difficult.

 
The biggest problem with the Sega Saturn is that its nearly impossible to emulate. We may never see even a good emulator on PC let alone a clone. There was a Japanese guy who spent like 9 years working hard on a Saturn emulator and from what I remember it barely worked.
That sounds so sad, like he spent all his waking hours for 9 years trying to emulate the sacred saturn to no avail. :(

Maybe it's true and it is that hard, or maybe he wasn't that good or didn't put much effort. Don't they have saturn games on e-shops on some current consoles? They would have to be emulated wouldn't they?

 
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preordered this off amazon the black one back on sept 12th expected delivery date is jan 10th meh oh well cant wait to get this bad boy, now i just gotta find all the good ole games i used to play on the somewhat cheap cheap...

 
preordered this off amazon the black one back on sept 12th expected delivery date is jan 10th meh oh well cant wait to get this bad boy, now i just gotta find all the good ole games i used to play on the somewhat cheap cheap...
I just cancelled my Amazon order last night and that had an ETA of January 4th. I kept my Newegg order since I managed to snag the black Retron with them =D

 
That sounds so sad, like he spent all his waking hours for 9 years trying to emulate the sacred saturn to no avail. :(

Maybe it's true and it is that hard, or maybe he wasn't that good or didn't put much effort. Don't they have saturn games on e-shops on some current consoles? They would have to be emulated wouldn't they?
Whaaa?

http://www.racketboy.com/retro/sega/saturn/ssf-a-nearly-perfect-sega-saturn-emulator

This link is for a three year old article.

As far as I know if does very well and plays a very large majority of games pretty well, and it still is in active development as well.

And as far as people waiting for a clone of the CD based systems, keep dreamin', you're not likely to see one of them for years (if ever at all), it would be nice, but the complexities and cost of making something like that, well you see where that's going. Hyperkin wants cheap to manufacture, reliable with no headache for them, which disc based systems would not be.

And I'd also add that Sega CD would be the first CD system they would/could add, the 32-bit systems might come IF (a BIG if) they add CD support. Like others have mentioned I'd foresee N64 being the next big thing added before anything else is.

 
I honestly think this could be as good as it will get. Sega CD emulation seems to be fairly solid, but it wasn't really that great of a system with the obvious exception of a few games that are now too hard to find legally. The PS1/N64/Saturn would be the next step up. I've played PS1 emulators and they seem to work well. N64 was just kind of crappy when I tried it last time due to some games glitching out pretty hard. As for Saturn... haven't tried it but with it's two processors I'm surprised someone was able to pull that off.

Lasers are also a big thing and they die way easier than anything on a cartridge based console. Hell, I had a Sega CD with a dead laser and due to me not being good with console repairs, I couldn't find anyone online or locally to do it so I had to buy a new one. And I'm sure one of us had a PS2 or even a PS3 that had it's laser die out on it.

 
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Why would it be so difficult to make a cheap CD-based console that plays some of the old consoles? Of course it wouldn't be anytime soon, but how hard would it be to put the systems on a chip or just do emulation like the Retron 5. All they gotta do is upgrade the hardware and basically port over another emulator. Use the existing Retron 5 UI software they created. Throw in a CD drive. 

 
He has not been on in a week so I don't think he is trying to ignore people but it's bad form when you have a lowball that was done. I'm still waiting on a reply on the incomplete games I got before I leave feedback.

 
Where can I buy classic SNES, sega, GBA games online, without using ebay? I can't use ebay so am I SOL with this? I mostly just want cheaper superhero games of all kinds in great condition.
 
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Still waiting on reviews but now that I have a hdmi projector its very tempting. My classic consoles are in my mancave itd be nice to have this in my room.

 
Darn! That sucks, thanks for the heads up though
Yeah, I saw it coming though. I knew something bad was going to happen because I'm sure they were probably trying too hard to make the December release date and to satisfy all of the pre orders, store orders, etc. It's kind of sad because I just got the Sega Power Base Converter in hopes that I'd be using it on my Retron next month. Oh well, December is an insanely busy month anyway.

 
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