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

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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.
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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[quote name="Dantarp" post="11839117" timestamp="1402634761"]Do the cheats actually work for anyone? I loaded up the cheat files, tried turning some on, but they didn't seem to do anything.[/quote]
Have not messed with them much but the ones I have tried worked like the cheat to use fireballs anytime and infinite lives for Super Mario All Stars.
 
Do the cheats actually work for anyone? I loaded up the cheat files, tried turning some on, but they didn't seem to do anything.
From following the FB page, cheats currently do not work for one or more systems. I am pretty sure they don't work for GBA and Nintendo titles to name two.

 
We played the R5 today at work and since we have the HDTV mounted to the wall, we couldn't bring the console over to ourselves. Soooo... we used the hyperkin controller. The office agrees that the controller is garbage. lol

Makes me wish that the TV wasn't mounted so close to the ceiling. Oh well =S

 
We played the R5 today at work and since we have the HDTV mounted to the wall, we couldn't bring the console over to ourselves. Soooo... we used the hyperkin controller. The office agrees that the controller is garbage. lol

Makes me wish that the TV wasn't mounted so close to the ceiling. Oh well =S
I'm not sure if maybe something like this would work. Just an idea. http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B005WMIR4C?pc_redir=1402546313&robot_redir=1

Edit whoops. Sorry I'm on my cell. It says right there that it's not compatible with the retron 3. Probably won't work on 5
 
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It requires an SD card.

You'll definitely need an SD memory card. I used a microSD card with SD adapter, but same thing, really. Your flash drive won't work, unfortunately. The food news is that you don't need a big SD card since the files for updating are small. A cheap 4GB card is more than enough for your needs, if that.
So, I can't even use it without one? I guess I better hit Best Buy or Walmart.

 
Why in the world is Newegg charging $180? Is it even legal for a big business like that to sell over MSRP?
It's certainly legal... but for a company as big as Newegg to do that seems a little scummy. While it's annoying that we are still waiting for black Retrons from Amazon; they at least tend to look out for their customers and don't charge more than MSRP for high demand items (in fact much less for those of us who preordered early.)

 
I really like the R5 controller...at least I want to. I really enjoy it playing SMB3, until the microswitch sticks and Mario dies running off of a platform. If this just an issue with my controller? Or are all of them like this. If it's just mine, i'll get another, because when the controller works well I love it. But if it's all of them...well, fuck. I guess SNES and Genny controllers will do.

 
I really like the R5 controller...at least I want to. I really enjoy it playing SMB3, until the microswitch sticks and Mario dies running off of a platform. If this just an issue with my controller? Or are all of them like this. If it's just mine, i'll get another, because when the controller works well I love it. But if it's all of them...well, fuck. I guess SNES and Genny controllers will do.
It's not good for platformers at all. RPGs and Fighters I can imagine it being a little better. But with platformers it feels like my movement is held on for an extra second or so when I let go of the joystick. This resulted me in under/over jumping a lot of platforms. It also doesn't help that the joystick just feels terrible. My 2nd and Charles has some wireless controllers for Genesis, but I might nab one or two for SNES if I can find them.

 
Anyone else having this trouble with updates?

I was able to update the system software to version 0.2.2 and successfully write a firmware update request to my SD card. I then go to the update page and browse to my firmware update request file and click on submit...then the page goes to the main retron 5 website but never brings up a download window for me to DL the new firmware. I have tried several times with Chrome and IE and same results...no new firmware file.

Am I doing something wrong?

 
So what's the deal currently. Buy or Don't Buy?
I haven't tried any games with saves yet but I think the save wipe issue was resolved with the patch. Other than that, I love mine so far. I admit I didn't feel too great on slapping down $150 for it but the image quality is superb and I love it. Totally worth it.

The only negatives that have been noted here many times are the controller (but you can use your own NES/SNES/Genesis controllers) and the fact that you have to use an actual SD card for updating it. Updating is also a bit of a hassle as the download server is slow and then requires some work on the side to verify it's for your Retron.

A minor negative that some people have had are with repro carts and carts have indie games or translated Japanese games. If you own any game that was made during the time these consoles were out, they all should work.

 
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Does anybody know where to download the firmware update from Hyperkin? I went to www.RetroN5.com but I don't see dick as far as links to download a software update to my SD card.

I found the cheats download easy enough, but nothing else.

 
They are probably too afraid of people cracking open their firmware and discovering that they stole other people's emulators! So they had to make it ridiculous and inane to update the system! Wwwwwwww

 
Thank you. I can't believe that Hyperkin hides something so important so well. There should be a giant fucking link on the RetroN5 homepage to this.
I didn't understand that either. If it weren't for this thread I wouldn't have a clue where to go. The console tells you to go to retron5.com but, like you said, there isn't shit there.
I will say that now that I have it updated thus thing is awesome. I only tried out a few games but it is amazing how great they look on a HD tv. All of the video options are great. My only real complaint right now, besides the worthless website, is the controller. Overall I love it but I'm just confused why they didn't go with some sort of d-pad? None of the games that this console supports utilized any sort of analog stick, or a circle pad (3DS)which is what the is most comparable on this controller IMO. It's not terrible but I had several misthrows to incorrect bases while playing my first game of Baseball Stars.
I would also like to say, a d maybe I was just lucky with the few games I tried, but they booted up without a hitch. No blowing on any cartridges! Ha.
 
Is there anyway to configure the NES/SNES/Genesis controllers without having hotkeys mapped to the menu/screenshot/load game thing? Certain games I'm playing require button mashing and those things pop up sometime while playing...

 
What am I missing? How do I use the original controllers. I have a BES controller plugged in that In know works but I can't seem to use it to control anything? I tried going into SETTINGS but can't seem to find an option. I did go to Player Mapping and somehow switched Player 1 to RetroN Wireless Controller and it won't seem to let me change it back to Any.
 
My dilemma right now: RetroN 5 or Wii U?

Or Option C: Save my money for later. (Hint: This is not an option.)
It depends on what you'll be playing first.

If you have a huge backlog of classic games on hand that you'll be playing then the RetroN is what you should go for. But the Wii U has a pretty unbeatable value right now. For $200 you can get a refurb Wii U and Nintendoland.

https://store.nintendo.com/ng3/us/po/browse/productDetailColorSizePicker.jsp?productId=prod150200

Then you can get Mario Kart for $48 from Amazon and before the end of the month is up you can get a free copy of either Zelda: Wind Waker HD, New Super Mario Wii U, Pikmin 3, or Wii Party.

So for basically $248 you get a Wii U, Mario Kart 8, and another free game of your choice. I don't think you can beat that value. With the Wii U starting to pick up steam now I have the feeling that Nintendo will hold off on giving a crazier deal than this.

P.S. You can also pick up the other three games for $20 a pop from the people who are selling their Mario Kart 8 club codes on Ebay. These codes last until the end of the month and they'll basically vanish. If you want them all for $298 you can walk away with the Wii U, Nintendo Land, Mario Kart 8, Pikmin 3, Zelda Wink Waker HD, and Super Mario Wii U. That's pretty astounding!

 
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Has anyone tried playing Stunt Race FX or other polygonal FX chip games in overclock mode? Does it merely speed up the game or also improve frame rate? 

 
What am I missing? How do I use the original controllers. I have a BES controller plugged in that In know works but I can't seem to use it to control anything? I tried going into SETTINGS but can't seem to find an option. I did go to Player Mapping and somehow switched Player 1 to RetroN Wireless Controller and it won't seem to let me change it back to Any.
You can set it back to default to make it any again. Also, you have to press a button on the controller you want to map to that slot you're on in the Player Mapping settings.

 
You can set it back to default to make it any again. Also, you have to press a button on the controller you want to map to that slot you're on in the Player Mapping settings.
How? I've tried hitting every conceivable button and it will not switch back to the default of 'ANY'. I've also pressed every button on the NES controller and...nothing.

I'm going to test out my Genesis and SNES controllers today to see if I have the same issue.

 
Has anyone tried playing Stunt Race FX or other polygonal FX chip games in overclock mode? Does it merely speed up the game or also improve frame rate?
I'm guessing since it's emulation and since the Retron 5 has no options to actually alter the games (besides gameplay speed/image quality), I'm guessing no. So that means the Mega Man games, Super Castlevania IV or any other graphically demanding game will still have it's framerate dips.

 
Should I be frustrated that I still haven't gotten anything for my Black pre-order on Amazon??? And now Grey's are available to whoever...

 
Should I be frustrated that I still haven't gotten anything for my Black pre-order on Amazon??? And now Grey's are available to whoever...
I know I am. And it is mainly because of Hyperkin's near silence on the issue couple with other retailers already having black consoles.

I may still cancel if nothing happens soon.
 
Should I be frustrated that I still haven't gotten anything for my Black pre-order on Amazon??? And now Grey's are available to whoever...
I know I am. And it is mainly because of Hyperkin's near silence on the issue couple with other retailers already having black consoles.

I may still cancel if nothing happens soon.
 
I know I am. And it is mainly because of Hyperkin's near silence on the issue couple with other retailers already having black consoles.

I may still cancel if nothing happens soon.
I'll probably keep mine since it's $99 and not the $139, but I wouldn't be surprised if Hyperkin shorted Amazon the Black version because it had the most pre-orders and didn't want to lose all of that $40 upcharge that the other smaller sites/stores were getting from their pre-orders...

 
Should I be frustrated that I still haven't gotten anything for my Black pre-order on Amazon??? And now Grey's are available to whoever...
I'm trying to give Hyperkin a few more extra weeks before I get truly pissed off. I gotta admit I'm frustrated though seeing grey and black consoles being available so many places.

I know I am. And it is mainly because of Hyperkin's near silence on the issue couple with other retailers already having black consoles.

I may still cancel if nothing happens soon.
Has Hyperkin stated that they're at least aware of the Amazon black console preorders and that they are actively working to fulfill them? That's all I want to hear. I'm not interested in hearing another calendar date that they are going to most likely miss anyway. I'd just be appreciative of some sort of reassurance that the Amazon black console preorders are going to be fulfilled at some point.

Maybe it's a blessing in disguise. After reading all of the problems people have been having with the consoles, maybe we are better off.

 
I'll probably keep mine since it's $99 and not the $139, but I wouldn't be surprised if Hyperkin shorted Amazon the Black version because it had the most pre-orders and didn't want to lose all of that $40 upcharge that the other smaller sites/stores were getting from their pre-orders...
This is what's been eating away at me too. My preorder from September is even less than $99...

 
I'm trying to give Hyperkin a few more extra weeks before I get truly pissed off. I gotta admit I'm frustrated though seeing grey and black consoles being available so many places.

Has Hyperkin stated that they're at least aware of the Amazon black console preorders and that they are actively working to fulfill them? That's all I want to hear. I'm not interested in hearing another calendar date that they are going to most likely miss anyway. I'd just be appreciative of some sort of reassurance that the Amazon black console preorders are going to be fulfilled at some point.

Maybe it's a blessing in disguise. After reading all of the problems people have been having with the consoles, maybe we are better off.
Other than saying a couple different times they sent them out already, which at this point doesn't seem to be the case, I haven't seen anything at all. If they'd just be honest about it I wouldn't mind waiting at all.

 
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