WELL THIS IS INTERESTING.. Retron 5

[ExedExes]

Here's more!

Cart grips: GB/GBA slot, no problem. Games go in and out very easily. SNES carts not bad. It's getting a little easier, just have to remember to pull at a corner and not wiggle. NES -- grip of death. Again, just have to be careful and not pull it at funny angles. Hopefully this will get better.

Controller: Again, comfortable, in my opinion. I like having the Home button for the on screen menu as opposed to hitting down and Start on the SNES pad. The fast forward button on the upper right comes in handy too. Remember you can button map any combination of buttons to any controller you like, even the wireless controller. You can also create controller map profiles that will save to the unit.

As far as the shmups I played so far go, no problem. Just a little bit more movement when you move in one direction and stop compared to the d-pad, possibly because of the analog design. It will take some getting used to, but it's nice to have the option to use regular pads. I don't mind the clickiness of it either. I still did as well as I would with a regular controller.

Cart Recognition: GB and GBA carts recognize fine. All of my SNES carts have been recognized so far. The one NES game I tried (Magic of Scheherazade) needed a slight re-seat in the slot, but it was recognized. You don't need to put them all the way down in the slot, plus that also helps getting it out. Auto-states have also been saved on all of them, to resume where I last left off.

Save States: They take up very little space, and the Retron 5 has 1.2GB of internal storage, plus you can use the built in file manager to erase unwanted states. 10 slots are available for each game, plus an auto-save when you are finished playing.

Screenshots: Save to SD card only. Resolution is 254 x 225, not real good for showing off. Following are screenshots that have been captured by my Retron 5 and resized to 640x480 -

Axelay

Gradius III

Hyperzone

Super Nova

Pinball Fantasies

Revenge of the Gator (GB)

I thought I had a pic from Scheherazade, but guess not. I still have more to do with this!

[Hobie-wan]

Screenshots: Save to SD card only. Resolution is 254 x 225, not real good for showing off. Following are screenshots that have been captured by my Retron 5 and resized to 640x480 -

Well that's odd. They should be the actual resolution of the particular system output. Resizing quality is going to depend greatly on the program and method used though after the fact. IMHO you want exact multiples and no interpolation.

[FerretGamer]

Screenshots: Save to SD card only. Resolution is 254 x 225, not real good for showing off. Following are screenshots that have been captured by my Retron 5 and resized to 640x480 -

Well that's odd. They should be the actual resolution of the particular system output. Resizing quality is going to depend greatly on the program and method used though after the fact. IMHO you want exact multiples and no interpolation.

I agree and those screenshots really don't do it any justice. In person, these games look excellent.

[jinx]

That is strange about the screenshots. Those look terrible, especially compared to what the Retron5 can actually output to the TV. Shame, but maybe something else that can be patched later on?

The more I hear good things about the wireless pad, the happier I get. I will still use the original controllers more often than not, but it's a great option for when I don't feel like running wires across the floor. My daughter is really good about watching out for cables, but sometimes she's just not paying attention when she blasts through the living room like a rocket.

[SpaceBooger]

I'm still trying to figure out if I should sell my s-video modded genesis and buy one of these for my HDTV... I like the original hardward, but this may be better visually.

[ExedExes]

Well that's odd. They should be the actual resolution of the particular system output.

You'd think so, but I guess not. Then again, I haven't heard anybody buying this solely for the screenshots I'm sure a future firmware update can take care of that issue.

The more I hear good things about the wireless pad, the happier I get. I will still use the original controllers more often than not, but it's a great option for when I don't feel like running wires across the floor. My daughter is really good about watching out for cables, but sometimes she's just not paying attention when she blasts through the living room like a rocket.

After playing it today and throwing a lot of stuff at it, don't believe the haters on Facebook or anywhere. Firmware update was simple if you remember to update the software version to 0.2.2 first. Wireless controller is convenient, comfortable, and easy to use and map (all pads are easy to map too). If you're careful with inserting and taking out the cartridges, you won't mess the pins up. Games will be recognized as long as they're seated properly, etc. I don't know where all the problems are coming from that I've been reading. Maybe a failure to follow instructions? So far this console has been flawless, and has lived up to all of my expectations so far. Dare I say it's well worth the current price?

I like the original hardward, but this may be better visually.

It is. Everything looks and sounds better.

Don't make me get all Hip Hop Gamer on y'all now. AW YEAH SON MIKE TYSONS PUNCH OUT IS THE S*IT YAKNOWHATIMSAYIN

Additional tip: Turn off those annoying GUI sound effects ASAP.

[FerretGamer]

Exed, I'm glad to see that you are basically having the same experience as me. I was one of the lucky ones with the $76 pre-order but I still believe its worth the MSRP as well.

[ExedExes]

Exed, I'm glad to see that you are basically having the same experience as me. I was one of the lucky ones with the $76 pre-order but I still believe its worth the MSRP as well.

I believe it will only get better with the future updates. While I don't agree with how Hyperkin really handled the launch (still no word on black units for online retailers BTW), at least the technical end is being taken care of well. I'm finally getting around to GBA games I bought years ago.

[jinx]

Not sure if this means anything, but I got an auto-notification from NewEgg:

The below items has come in stock as of 06/12/2014 and we are sending you this notification per your request. Auto-Notify is one of many conveniences we provide at Newegg.com (Please Note: because others may be waiting for this item as well, we cannot guarantee price or availability).

Hyperkin RetroN 5 Retro Gaming System, Black

Maybe this means the online retailers will start shipping them out soon.

[ExedExes]

An update of sorts to that last post from Jinx then.

I too, got an e-mail today because I had set up an auto-notify from Newegg for a black Retron 5 back when I first tried to pre-order, for I initially missed the window, but got it back on November 5 (in gray, because black was still sold out). Obviously, it was the right move, for now I have it.

HOWEVER, there have been reports of black units being shipped by Newegg. Several people received theirs today. So if you pre-ordered from Newegg, be ready.

Amazon's black pre-orders, might be a different story. From someone on Facebook -

After exchanging emails with Hyperkin today, they told me Amazon did not get any black Retron 5s from this latest shipment. Apparently all the Amazon pre-orders will be filled with a separate shipment in July.

Finally, a word from Retron Tech on screenshots & resolution:

The screenshots are output in the native resolution of the system being played. My personal opinion is that it should be this way, giving the end user the option to scale the image up as required. Perhaps if we get more similar requests, some optional scaling could be added to the screenshot saving.

This is the latest from the RetronNewsNetwork, E.E reporting.