# NCD and Review: Hyperkin Retron 3



## Mr. Big Noodles (Jun 23, 2011)

I was looking into some clone consoles recently, and had my eyes set on a Yobo FC3 as my friend has one and is mostly satisfied with it. While I was browsing eBay, I found a one of these puppies: a RetroN 3. After some research, I decided on getting it over the FC3 based on a number of its features and good reviews. I got a good deal on the Retron at around $55, with two Sega controllers included.

The system supports games for the SNES, NES, and Sega Genesis. Right now, I have only tested the SNES slot, as the NES games I thought I had lying around are apparently non-existent, and I have never owned a Sega game. I will be acquiring some titles for the other systems, just so I can try the machine out and review it as I go. For this post, though, I'm just going to be doing the SNES bit. Consolidated information on this system is somewhat hard to find, so I thought an unbiased and thorough review would be valuable to somebody. It'll be ongoing, as I do not yet have all of the necessary items to test its capabilities.

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*Basic Features and Hardware*

http://i619.photobucket.com/albums/tt274/Schecterwhore/Retron%203/IMG_2227.jpg
http://i619.photobucket.com/albums/tt274/Schecterwhore/Retron 3/IMG_2228.jpg

The packaging advertises the console's features rather succinctly:

&#8226; Plays NES, SNES, and Genesis games
&#8226; Has both composite and S video output (S video only works for SNES and Genesis; S video did not exist in 1985)
&#8226; Comes with two wireless controllers
&#8226; Accepts controllers for each of the respective platforms

It comforts me to see that the back of the box is so readable in comparison with a lot of other products like this, and that there are all sorts of symbols and different languages to examine. Perhaps it is not the greatest gauge of reliability, but knowing that there is a brand to go to as well as some planning put into the design of the product and its packaging makes me feel a little less alone.

Here it is opened up: http://i619.photobucket.com/albums/tt274/Schecterwhore/Retron 3/IMG_2229.jpg

http://i619.photobucket.com/albums/tt274/Schecterwhore/Retron 3/IMG_2230.jpg

It's a very lightweight piece of hardware, and while it feels a little cheap, it shouldn't be a problem if you take care of it. You can see I bought it in black. It also comes in red, but the red looks like some weird mutant sports car and isn't to my liking.







The slots are, from back to front: NES, Genesis, SNES. You can see that there is an LED light to the right of each slot, and those show that the slot is getting power when you have a system selected and the power is on. Easy. This three-way dial allows selection, and the power and reset buttons feel pretty solid: http://i619.photobucket.com/albums/tt274/Schecterwhore/Retron 3/IMG_2231.jpg

There are some feet on the bottom that supposedly keep it from slipping, but the system is so light that it's going to move around anyway. They will protect against scratching furniture, however. http://i619.photobucket.com/albums/tt274/Schecterwhore/Retron 3/IMG_2236.jpg

The controller ports are located on the sides of the console. The front supports SNES, and the sides are the other systems.
http://i619.photobucket.com/albums/tt274/Schecterwhore/Retron 3/IMG_2232.jpg
http://i619.photobucket.com/albums/tt274/Schecterwhore/Retron 3/IMG_2233.jpg
http://i619.photobucket.com/albums/tt274/Schecterwhore/Retron 3/IMG_2234.jpg

The front also has a receiver for the wireless controllers. These guys operate on an infrared signal, like a TV remote. Because of this, you have to be pointing the controller at the IR receiver for them to work, and that's a pain in the ass. The response time is good, the D-pad and buttons feel nice, but the IR technology and weird button mapping makes these controllers pretty much worthless. Thankfully, the Retron takes the original controllers, which is a huge selling point (the Yobo FC3 requires a specific and dedicated gamepad, limiting your options and comfort).

http://i619.photobucket.com/albums/tt274/Schecterwhore/Retron 3/IMG_2242.jpg
http://i619.photobucket.com/albums/tt274/Schecterwhore/Retron 3/IMG_2243.jpg
http://i619.photobucket.com/albums/tt274/Schecterwhore/Retron 3/IMG_2246.jpg

A little smaller than a Genesis controller.
http://i619.photobucket.com/albums/tt274/Schecterwhore/Retron 3/IMG_2249.jpg

The back: http://i619.photobucket.com/albums/tt274/Schecterwhore/Retron 3/IMG_2235.jpg

The power supply is a 10v AC/DC 60Hz adapter. No ground.
http://i619.photobucket.com/albums/tt274/Schecterwhore/Retron 3/IMG_2256.jpg
http://i619.photobucket.com/albums/tt274/Schecterwhore/Retron 3/IMG_2251.jpg

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*SNES Component*

The console is pretty slim, so SNES games look a little unwieldy in the cartridge slot. The chassis feels fragile, so you need to take care when putting in games and when taking them out. I use both hands, on either side of the cartridge, and this works perfectly. The pins are just a little tight, but they don't have a death grip on the carts. Same story with the controller input. I'm interested in how the NES slot fares in comparison.

http://i619.photobucket.com/albums/tt274/Schecterwhore/Retron 3/IMG_2259.jpg

There are questions regarding compatibility of some cartridges. An attempt has been made on one forum to compile a list of all compatible games, but this is predictably confusing as the only ones you really need to know are those that are incompatible. That said, most SNES games will work. The problematic carts in almost all SNES clones are those containing the Super FX chip. Notable examples are Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars and Starfox. The first run of the Retron 3 could not play these games, but the second version can play them. The easiest way to distinguish between the two when shopping is the packaging: v1 has a flap that opens and lets you see the console inside, and v2 has "tri-system" printed on it. Just to prove that v2 can play Super FX chip games, here is a demonstration:

http://i619.photobucket.com/albums/tt274/Schecterwhore/Retron 3/IMG_2261.jpg
http://i619.photobucket.com/albums/tt274/Schecterwhore/Retron 3/IMG_2260.jpg

The system also takes the Super Gameboy without any hassle, but I assume that this isn't usually a problem with these clones.

http://i619.photobucket.com/albums/tt274/Schecterwhore/Retron 3/IMG_2264.jpg

I'll get a Game Genie as soon as I find one. We'll see how that works out.

As far as regions go, the Retron handles NTSC (USA), and I assume NTSC (Japan). I have a Super Famicom cart on the way to test this, but the only difference between a Japanese cart and an American one is the shape so I think my reasoning is sound. PAL carts (Europe and Australia) will NOT play without some modding, as PAL runs at 50Hz while NTSC runs at 60Hz and there are various checks in the cart.

The video and color is reproduced perfectly. I've only looked at the composite so far, and I'll do the S-video when I get my new TV. Audio is mostly good, but the highs and lows are a bit distorted. This is how all of these things are, though, and even some later SNES systems have some less-than-perfect sound due to unshielded components.

Overall, it's a very decent SNES clone. I had no problems running my Nintendo carts on it. That's not surprising, though, as it seems to be pretty easy to copy an SNES. The NES and Genesis are historically more difficult to reproduce. Having this now, I wish I hadn't sold my NES collection. Alas. I'll find some titles to test out. If anyone wants to see anything in particular, let me know.


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## Mr. Big Noodles (Jun 24, 2011)

My singer lent me some of his Genesis games today, and I have some more input to make. The Genesis component works beautifully - audio and video are spot on (no audio distortion like the SNES part), and the games work without any hassle. We did find one weird thing, though: the Sega 6-Pak is apparently incompatible. When booted, there is an error message saying that the game is only formatted for NTSC. All of the other games we tried were NTSC, so I don't know what the deal is.

http://i619.photobucket.com/albums/tt274/Schecterwhore/Retron 3/IMG_2268.jpg

Anyway, the pins in the Genesis slot feel about the same as the SNES slot: just a little tight but nowhere near bad, and you can't be too rough. The controllers fit the ports nicely. Genesis carts don't look as unwieldy as the taller NES and SNES carts in this system, but you can wiggle the pins a little, so I wouldn't put too much stress on the board.

http://i619.photobucket.com/albums/tt274/Schecterwhore/Retron 3/IMG_2266.jpg


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