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

Drclaw411

Drclaw411

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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.
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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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Well that is a bummer. I guess we will keep waiting. Not a big deal, I'll just keep using my old top loaders until this thing actually comes out.

 
Hyperkin just responded "April 2014" to some guy on facebook posting that it was time to give up on the system...so who the fuck knows what's going on.
 
 I spoke to hyperkin on their facebook page VIA message.  And they responded with this and will update shortly.  This was the most important message they sent me.

Attached.[attachment=3710:Capture.PNG]

 
I think its a bit premature to declare this console "delayed indefinitely" or possibly canceled. Best thing is to just be patient and let Hyperkin keep people updated, especially based on the vague source. And no, I don't see a big deal with the stressballs, pretty funny stuff actually!
 
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chimpmeister said:
I think its a bit premature to declare this console "delayed indefinitely" or possibly canceled.
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Yes, Hyperkin already went on record saying that they would not announce a release date until all further testing and development for the system was complete. Technically, it already is "delayed indefinitely." But that's not the same as canceled. This should be especially obvious since their Facebook page is littered with pictures of the current prototype, and active testing examples being run on that prototype. They've even already shipped out beta units.

While the delay is galling, especially after the excitement and build up surrounding this product, Hyperkin has actually been very transparent as far as the development of this console is concerned. This is why I usually never pre-order things. And I didn't pre-order this console! Of course, this will likely mean that I will have to wait even longer to get one. :( But that's just how the cookie crumbles.

I'm still going to pick one up as soon as it's available. Hopefully the Play-N-Trade near me will get a few units.

 
YellowGameboyColor said:
people actually buy these?
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The retro collector scene for classic consoles is alive and well. With the continued expansion of video games as a culturally acceptable hobby, this trend will continue to grow. I fully expect there to be more and more interest in acquiring classic video games in the coming years. A device like the Retron5 caters to this growing market by providing a more convenient means of playing and testing classic cartridges.

It's certainly not for everyone. Game enthusiasts who were raised in the age of Gamestop and are used to treating games as disposable will likely not have any interest in such a device. But I'm confident that the current size of the second-hand game collecting market can sustain a device such as the Retron5. It helps that it is looking to be the gold standard of clone consoles at the moment. It's price point and production costs strike a decent balance between affordability and utility. Unless they bone this thing royally on production defects, I don't see any real problems for them selling the Retron5.

 
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I don't know how blue balls *snicker* got translated into cacellation.

Ever since the last official delay announcement from Hyperkin they've gone silent and will not make any more promises or speculation on timeframes.

All it means is that they're not going to say jack until they have a release date in stone. And I don't think that's going to happen until they've tested a handful of units from the final production run for quality assurance.

I doubt that the company has dumped all this time and money into development and marketing of something they nenver intend to release. The fact that some people refer to the RetroN 5 as "vaporware" is downright laughable.

 
YellowGameboyColor said:
people actually buy these?
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NeoStrider said:
normally I don't but I'm interested in this one because it has HD output
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And there's your answer: If you want to use any kind of original hardware or carts then the various boxes which get that original stuff looking decent-to-great in HD can cost way more than the RetroN alone. (the various boxes get crazy and convoluted fast)

Now if you want to go the route of hooking your PC up to your TV and just using emulators then there's an argument to be made but many retro gamers want things to look and feel as close to the original incarnation as possible. The RetroN still isn't that but it's a good middle-ground and a relatively cheap one at that.

 
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FellOpenIan said:
And there's your answer: If you want to use any kind of original hardware or carts then the various boxes which get that original stuff looking decent-to-great in HD can cost way more than the RetroN alone. (the various boxes get crazy and convoluted fast)

Now if you want to go the route of hooking your PC up to your TV and just using emulators then there's an argument to be made but many retro gamers want things to look and feel as close to the original incarnation as possible. The RetroN still isn't that but it's a good middle-ground and a relatively cheap one at that.
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A bit superfluous though as retro games were never intended to be upscaled to HD levels. Those wanting the closest "look and feel" to the "original" need 240p RGB capable CRTs.

I see the appeal though since the industry has moved on to "better" LCDs (mostly).

 
I have a banned Xbox that I'm going to modify. I'll be able to run all older games

Drift Monkey said:
A bit superfluous though as retro games were never intended to be upscaled to HD levels. Those wanting the closest "look and feel" to the "original" need 240p RGB capable CRTs.

I see the appeal though since the industry has moved on to "better" LCDs (mostly).
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I try to get so close to the original experience that I set up a 9" television in my mother's basement and go over there at night and play my old games until 5 am. I also don't use the internet, and I always try to dig up some of my old childhood clothes to put on.

 
Emulators provide upscaled resolutions that make the games look "better". Most notably on psx, n64, ps2, gc and wii. It's hard to beat nes on a crt though.
 
Drift Monkey said:
A bit superfluous though as retro games were never intended to be upscaled to HD levels. Those wanting the closest "look and feel" to the "original" need 240p RGB capable CRTs.

I see the appeal though since the industry has moved on to "better" LCDs (mostly).
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Oh absolutely! I just want more alternatives for various setups and RetroN helps with that.(plus it helps us CAGs continue to be cheap)

 
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Seems to me like this should be linked: https://twitter.com/Hyperkin/status/445698901715468288. For those not wanting to click:

"Current rumors regarding a delay in our RetroN 5 release are untrue. We are right on schedule to release in April."
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This whole talk of "Delayed indefinitely" and "Vaporware" just seems to be a bandwagon that people are following after jumping to conclusions and reading too deep into hearsay. Considering that the Retron5 was available to play as early as September of last year (Portland Retro Game Expo 2013, let alone other conventions and the like) I'm more willing to believe Hyperkin on this than someone's uncle's cousin's roommate. (etcetcetc)

 
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EdgeZephyr said:
Seems to me like this should be linked: https://twitter.com/Hyperkin/status/445698901715468288. For those not wanting to click:

This whole talk of "Delayed indefinitely" and "Vaporware" just seems to be a bandwagon that people are following after jumping to conclusions and reading too deep into hearsay. Considering that the Retron5 was available to play as early as September of last year (Portland Retro Game Expo 2013, let alone other conventions and the like) I'm more willing to believe Hyperkin on this than someone's uncle's cousin's roommate. (etcetcetc)
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It's their fault for announcing it way too early. Wasn't this thing supposed have come out last year? If I put $100 on something without a release date I'd get impatient too.

 
Please remove the DELAYED INDEFINTELY on the main post.  Per their twitter account AND on their facebook page (answering to many people on there, myself included) the STRESS BALLS were given out at LAST YEARS E3.  And all the rumors of a delay are untrue.  Hyperkin and Chris Gallizza (works at hyperkin) have responded.  Everything is on track for April.  

For all those that believed a message board post without anything from hyperkin is funny.  If we all believed message boards than Gears of War series would be on Playstation as of 4 years ago.

 
Meh all of you girls are still crying about this thing? It will be out when it's out. It's not like it's a brand new next-gen console or a hugely anticipated game. It's a third party system that most of us are going to yank out our old Sterilite containers full of cartridges and play them through for about 2 days before shelving it all.

 
Navex said:
Meh all of you girls are still crying about this thing? It will be out when it's out. It's not like it's a brand new next-gen console or a hugely anticipated game. It's a third party system that most of us are going to yank out our old Sterilite containers full of cartridges and play them through for about 2 days before shelving it all.
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Maybe some will do that. I have been gaming since I received an NES in the mid 80s as an xmas gift from my parents. I still love playing the old games. They are better than most games nowadays anyway. PEople say, why play those old games, they are old, and dont look as good. I say, are you going not watch the original Star Wars or Terminator because the CGI/Special Effects arent as good as todays movies? No, they are great just like the games are from back then as well.

 
Navex said:
Meh all of you girls are still crying about this thing? It will be out when it's out. It's not like it's a brand new next-gen console or a hugely anticipated game. It's a third party system that most of us are going to yank out our old Sterilite containers full of cartridges and play them through for about 2 days before shelving it all.
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image.w174h200f3.jpg


 
Richard Kain said:
The retro collector scene for classic consoles is alive and well. With the continued expansion of video games as a culturally acceptable hobby, this trend will continue to grow. I fully expect there to be more and more interest in acquiring classic video games in the coming years. A device like the Retron5 caters to this growing market by providing a more convenient means of playing and testing classic cartridges.

It's certainly not for everyone. Game enthusiasts who were raised in the age of Gamestop and are used to treating games as disposable will likely not have any interest in such a device. But I'm confident that the current size of the second-hand game collecting market can sustain a device such as the Retron5. It helps that it is looking to be the gold standard of clone consoles at the moment. It's price point and production costs strike a decent balance between affordability and utility. Unless they bone this thing royally on production defects, I don't see any real problems for them selling the Retron5.
Click to expand...
NeoStrider said:
normally I don't but I'm interested in this one because it has HD output
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I'm a retro collector myself, I just never thought these were worth it just cuz they always looked like knockoff systems to me. I love firing up my actual Super Ninty when I wanna play some Earfbound :)

 
Well they answered my Facebook post showing the stress balls are from last years e3 and everyone making up this new rumor is HOGWASH! Their words not mine.
 
I am pretty sure it is not rumors that say this has been delayed indefinitely, but a close examination of the facts. This thing was supposed to come out last summer. Or around the holidays. Or early 2014. Now they say April 2014. Sure that could happen, or maybe not. Now I don't think this will be vaporware, but it has pretty clearly already been delayed indefinitely. And really cudos to them for not releasing a piece of junk, but they need to stop announcing time frames for release because it is only making them look worse.
 
Drclaw411 said:
The Retron 5 has been delayed indefinitely, and Hyperkin is unsure IF or when the console will be ready for release. It really did turn in to vaporware...

Info here: http://nintendoage.com/forum/messageview.cfm?StartRow=101&catid=5&threadid=119673
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No official word yet but bleh, whatever. I think we all have accepted that Hyperkin has no idea what they're doing with this thing. The blue stress ball thing feels like a joke on it's own. I'm half tempted to just cancel my pre-order now as it seems to not only be vaporware but it seems that if it comes out that will have a lot of issues to iron out in terms of it's firmware and maybe even the hardware. I don't like being the day 1 beta tester either.

 
Drclaw411 said:
OP updated with the good news that Hyperkin confirmed that the delayed indefinitely reports were false.
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and of course my post shoots in when the above posts weren't there (I guess I had an old version of the page cached). Weird. I GUESS WE'LL SEE WHAT HAPPENS.

 
I'm surprised still no release date announced other than April...April is nearly here. I'm wondering if it's not street dated, just retailers can ship them out after April 1 as soon as they get them in...
 
I am not sure if support for N64 systems is even necessary, it would be nice but all of the N64's I have run into are still working so its not like dead consoles are a problem there.

I would prefer if this would have regular RCA hookups so I could hook this up to my CRT instead of having multiple consoles and a million cords going. I don't think I would really want to play old games on my HDTV, also I am already over my quota for HDMI ports, so another thing that uses HDMI is not good for me.

 
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