Retro Duo

Post by **Scooter** » Thu Feb 28, 2008 9:51 am

What is NOAC?

Post by **D.D.D.** » Thu Feb 28, 2008 10:23 am

Nintendo On A Chip
It was all of the original NES chips and everything that made it work combined into one chip for cheap replication but it wasn't 100% accurate...

Post by **Flak Beard** » Thu Feb 28, 2008 10:42 pm

Anyone know if Famicom games like Salamander, Gryzor and Gradius 2 have issues running on a NOAC? I think these games have special chips in them.

Post by **marurun** » Thu Feb 28, 2008 10:50 pm

Those games don't have any really weird stuff in them. In fact, almost every popular NES game had some kind of memory mapper chip or additional hardware in it to try to overcome the NES's inherent limitations. NOACs generally work with most mappers since the mappers do most of the work. The problems with CV III's mapper had to do with not all the cartridge pins being connected to the right places (only affected a few games). And I'd bet Micro Machines doesn't work on the Retro Duo, as that one used some weird hardware hacks that pretty much only original hardware is guaranteed to reproduce correctly, if at all.

Thu Feb 28, 2008 11:10 pm

I have Micro Machines (the gold cart) and it works just fine on my Retro Duo. I know there is a switch on the back but it's always been in the A position and it's always worked so I've never fiddled with it.

Post by **marurun** » Fri Feb 29, 2008 1:39 pm

Made by Camerica? I may have to look around and see if I got my info on that game wrong.

Fri Feb 29, 2008 3:13 pm

marurun wrote:Made by Camerica? I may have to look around and see if I got my info on that game wrong.

Yeah that exact one. Out of curiosity I switched the switch on the back to the B setting and it works on that one as well, so as far as I can tell there is no difference between the A and B settings, however I don't have the time right now to hook up my NES and see if it works in both positions. Perhaps its some kind of region switch? In that case I would guess that the Retro Duo could play both European NES and American NES games (which is a selling point I think, not an importer myself). Overall it's kinda cool that the machine can still play all the variations in cartridges.

Post by **Flak Beard** » Sat Mar 01, 2008 1:17 pm

Anyone know if a NES Game Genie will work properly with a Retro Duo? I had heard they had issues with the 2nd model NES Nintendo put out.

Post by **marurun** » Sat Mar 01, 2008 5:33 pm

If the switch is a region switch I'd think it more likely that it would switch between US and JPN games, not US and Euro.

Post by **Ziggy** » Tue Sep 02, 2008 5:55 pm

I'd say not being able to play Castlevania 3 is a huge disadvantage for the FC Twin. I noticed EVO was on the list of unplayable SNES games. That happens to be one of my favorite SNES games.

Who here owns the Retro Duo? Is it worth picking up? I have an early model SNES and although it works fine, I have a fear in the back of my head that it will one day die. I'd like a second SNES console to stick in my basement den, where its kind of damp and/or humid. I don't want to put my real SNES down there as I want to try and prolong its life (forever, actually) as long as I can.

I know the controllers for either system must be complete crap. I've never had a good experience with a non-Nintendo brand SNES controller (other then Acclaim's wireless SNES controllers, those were great). I'd would just use my Nintendo brand SNES controllers with the knock off system. But is it really worth getting? I'm just worried about the sound and graphics being off.

Retro Duo

Re: Retro Duo