Retron 5 Console Review
Retron 5 Provided by Hyperkin for Review Purposes.
The Retron 5 has been in high demand since the announcement of the retro gaming system to the public. This would be Hyperkin’s first attempt at creating a system that features all the past handheld and console systems all in one system. Will this system deliver for the retro gaming consumer? Let’s Get into the Review and Find Out!
Setup:
The Retron 5 is a retro gamer’s dream. It has the ability to play Sega Genesis, NES, Super Nintendo, Famicom, and Gameboy Advance games, so it serves as a 5 in 1 system (At first). The system is HDMI enabled so it is the only way you are able to play on any TV. If you do not have an HDTV, you may have to search for another option to use this system.
The setup for the console is fairly simple, after connecting the power cord and HDMI cord, you are ready to turn on your Retron 5. To turn on the system, you must hold the power button for 10 seconds to start up the system. I was unaware of this at first because the manual doesn’t say that directly. You would assume that one push of a button would turn the system on but that’s not the case. But once the system is on, you must pair your wireless controller through the settings and you are set you go.
Performance:
Once you get the Retron 5 all started up, you are ready to begin. The main screen starts you off with a Quick Help guide displaying what button’s correspond to what and different shortcuts you can use. Continuing on, you are now in the main frame of the Retron 5. The Android based menu was very clean and easy to understand and maneuver through.
The options displayed on this screen are, Play Game, Game Menu, Settings, and Power Off.
In the Play Game function, every time a new game is put into the system, it loads the game and displays on screen what game it is, which is pretty cool. You can not put more than one game in the Retron 5 because it loads one game at a time, there is a warning that more than one game load could damage the system. The games do load pretty quickly and it takes time getting use to the fact that you have to wait for games like Super Mario to load on your system, but it works fine in the long run.
Once you get into the retro games, they played very well and I personally didn’t have too many problems while I played. But I did run into the occasional NES game that didn’t work and I revered back to the old, blow in the game trick. (Which worked)
Megaman on Retron 5
Megaman on Retron 5
Dragon Ball Z Legend of Goku II
Dragon Ball Z Legend of Goku II
Super Mario Bros.
Super Mario Bros.
You are able to save and load game states on any system of choice on the Retron 5. It’s great for those hard games that have no mercy toward the player or for those who just need a save. A great feature the Retron 5 has is with any game you play, if you change the game and come back to it, the Retron 5 will always save the exact place you stopped playing and you can continue on.
Also, if there are any previous saves on Gameboy Advance games from a previous owner or yourself, you are able to use them.
Another great thing to mention is the Retron 5 is region free so you can play import games from any system. Also since the Gameboy Advance
Retron 5 Main Screen
Retron 5 Main Screen
had the backward compatibility of playing Gameboy Color and Gameboy games, you are also able to play them both on the Reton 5! So this makes this system a 7 in 1 system instead of 5 in 1. Awesome!
In the Game Menu screen, you are able to use and find cheats for certain games by using an SD memory card, which you are able to import cheats from online. You are
also able to save extra game saves to an SD card, though the system has enough memory to handle it all.
In the Settings, you are able to set Controller settings, Audio setting, and Image settings. This is the main selling point of the Retron 5, the ability to play older retro games, via HDMI on an HDTV. You are also able to change the size of the screen of each game, and you can also use filters to display games better. Now on certain games like NES games, you really could tell the difference with the new HD technology quality, compared to the original look. But on the other hand, the newer of the retro games like Sega Genesis and Super Nintendo, looked a bit higher quality but nothing too major.
The System Design:
The Retron 5 has a unique look to it, it closely resembles the likeness of the Super Nintendo. I didn’t mind look of the Retron 5 very much, every system is clearly marked and it is not cluttered which is most important. The system is actually very light, and it defiantly threw me off when I first held it because I was expecting it to have a little weight to it.
Retron 5 System
Retron 5 System
Located at the top of the console are the Famicom, Super Nintendo, Sega, and NES slots and in the front is where you will find the Gameboy Advance/Gameboy Color/ Gameboy game slot and the power button. On both sides of the Retron 5, is where you are able to put NES, Famicom, Sega, and Super Nintendo controllers in, if you have them from the original systems.
The Controller:
Retron 5 Wireless Controller
Retron 5 Wireless Controller
Now for the Retron 5 controller, I felt it was kind of ugly. I thought that they could have done a better job designing a controller that would look more like it belonged to the retro console family or something that looked more appealing. But other than that, the controller consists of two shoulder buttons (used for Gameboy Advance and Super Nintendo games) and 6 buttons that all can be mapped and placed in any order or fashion you like.
The biggest down fall of the controller I will say is, there is only an Analog stick to actually control the controller. There is no D-Pad at all, for certain games that require D-Pad motions like fighting games, the Analog stick is very awkward and isn’t very accurate at times. This kind of defeats the purpose of having an all in one controller if not all the games work perfectly with it.
Also you cannot turn on the system from the controller, you always have to use the power button,it is a small minor detail but worth mentioning. You can turn off the system via the Retron 5 main menu though.
But another than that, the controller is great and functions well, with the wireless controller, I never had an issue of lag or delay on any of the games I reviewed with. Also, it is worth stating that the battery life is good, I was able to get about 3-4 hours of gameplay before I had to charge the controller through the usb charging cord located in the back of the system.
At this time, the Retron 5 only comes with one wireless but you are able to purchase a second wireless controller via the Hyperkin Website here.
Final Thoughts:
The Retron 5 is an excellent investment for those wanting to relive their childhood or retro gaming memories. The fact that you can play 3 US released consoles, 3 US releases handheld systems and a Japanese released console, with the option to play all import games for all the systems, is pretty damn awesome. Now don’t get me wrong, there are many retro gamers out there who many not like the fact that this is not the original console,but I love the fact that I am able to now play Super Nintendo and Gameboy Advance games. I never owned either system till now and I am glad to be able to now check out these games. But if you have read this review, and read all the negative points and you have not steered away. Then you may want to jump into this great retro gaming pool.
8 / 10 stars
