Play NES, SNES, & Genesis Games | Hyperkin Retron 3 AV Review

In this episode, we unbox and test out the Hyperkin Retron 3 AV, designed to allow you to play original Nintendo, Super Nintendo, Super Famicom, Genesis, and Mega Drive cartridges.

There are a core group of retro video game enthusiasts that absolutely love the '80s and '90s era of video games. From the systems, the games themselves, and even how you play them. Many consider me to be a heretic as I do not like playing on CRTs, but for some that is a key component to the overall gameplay experience. For years, Hyperkin has released a number of different systems to allow you to play your old cartridges on new hardware, and they sent us one of their recently revamped Retron 3 AV to check out.

The system is equipped with three different cartridge ports that are directly compatible with five different system's cartridges. There's an NES port, a Genesis or Mega Drive cartridge port, and a Super Nintendo or Super Famicom port. Of note is the fact that, while there is a region selection switch on the back of the unit, it is only for the Genesis side of the system and only switches between NTSC-J and NTSC-U. There is no NTSC to PAL switch.

The face of the unit features six total controller ports, two each for the NES, Genesis, and Super Nintendo. They all felt decent & did not grab the controller plugs too tightly. Hyperkin included two controllers with the system, a Super Nintendo-themed Scout controller and a six-button Sega Genesis-inspired SN6 controller. They used to call that controller the Squire, I wonder if they lost the trademark. There is no NES controller included, however, they did include an NES to Super NES controller adapter.

The cartridge slots were very tight, and it seemed like it was very difficult to get the cartridges to insert straight into the system. Also, the manual had incorrect information in it, indicating that the NES cartridge port was in the front when it is in fact in the back. The back of the system features a stereo RCA jack composite video output, a micro USB port for power, and that Sega Genesis region selection switch. I really wish with all the other updates they made to the system that they would have changed to USB-C.

Upon firing the system up, the first thing we did was test out on a CRT with Duck Hunt. Using light guns on clone systems can be hit-and-miss, but I had high hopes for this one. From the word go, I was able to play Duck Hunt without any issues, as the experience was extremely authentic. HDMI-equipped clone systems cannot do this on a flat panel TV due to how they work, so this is definitely a reason for someone to consider picking something like this up.

Up next was my Super Mario Bros coin test. I did utilize a 60-to-72-pin adapter to test my Famicom version of the game. The colors looked a little bit off initially, and as soon as I started playing I could hear that the audio is off as well. I found this highly bizarre as the Hyperkin Retron 3 HD has very good audio authenticity out of the RCA jacks, but this seemed like a step backward.

Next up, it was time to do the compatibility test for Battletoads. Frequently this is a title that locks up on level 2 on clone systems, and unfortunately, it did so here as well. My understanding is the PAL version of this game has been patched to address this issue, but US and Japanese versions do not run on clones.

I continued testing and for the most part, the results were as I expected. Virtua Racing did not work, but the Power Base Converter FM Mini did and allowed me to play Master System games through it. I did run into an issue where my PAL version of Yoshi's Island did not work, but my PAL version of Axlelay worked.

Why it RoX:
- Compatible with light gun games
- Sale price at under $50
- Two color options available
- 2 controllers included

What could be improved:
- No PAL region selection
- Included controllers don't feel as good as their standard controllers
- NES-to-SNES dongle instead of just including another controller
- Micro USB for power
- Reverse duty cycle issues on audio
- Not compatible with Virtua Racing
- Regularly priced around $72

Should you buy one?
The Retron 3 AV is an interesting system, one that I am not the target audience for. At $72, for me, it prices it a little bit too close to the Retron 3 HD which actually performs better via composite video. If not on sale, the Retron 3 HD is the better-performing system. If you can get one at the $45 sale price, then you have my attention. If playing on CRTs and being able to play like on games are important, warts and all this might be worth looking at since it would be less expensive than buying the system separately. But at full price, it needs further refinement.

#Hyperkin #Retron #Nintendo #Sega #CloneVideoGameSystem #SuperNintendo