Hyperkin Retron SQ Review: Game Boy, GBC, & GBA in 720P

In this episode, we unbox and test out the new Retron SQ Clone System from Hyperkin, designed to allow you to play Game Boy, Game Boy Color, & Game Boy Advance games on your television.

Chapters:
0:00 - Introduction
2:33 - Unboxing
7:58 - HDMI Switch & Controller Compatibility Issues
9:42 - Tetris
11:57 - 16:9/4:3 Comparison
12:11 - Super Mario Land 2
14:14 - Ducktales 2 Compatibility Issue
14:42 - Animaniacs
15:43 - Donkey Kong Country GBC
17:01 - Super Mario Advance - SMB 3
18:29 - Gamecube Comparison with Super Mario Advance - SMB 3
19:54 - Star Wars: New Droid Army
20:42 - GBA Video Cartridge Test
21:40 - Initial thoughts on performance
22:42 - Firmware Update Coming!
24:15 - Final Thoughts

Until recently, if you wanted to play a game boy, Game Boy color, or Game Boy Advance games on your television, you needed to have a Game Boy player and a Nintendo GameCube. One of the issues with this is the fact that the Game Boy player disc can be hard to find, and expensive to replace. You can use the super Game Boy on the SNES, but that does not accommodate Game Boy Advance games. Enter the Hyperkin Retron SQ, designed to allow you to play these titles on your modern television via HDMI.

Much like the Retron 5, the Retron SQ uses software emulation. This means the system dumps the ROM from your cartridge into local onboard memory before you can play it. Depending on the game, some may load quicker than others. Game Boy games will load more quickly than Game Boy Color, and Game Boy Advance games will take the longest out of all of them

The first thing I noticed was simply how tiny it was. It really is quite small. The top of the system features a cartridge slot that accepts all three cartridges without any issue. I know many in the past have criticized Hyperkin for their pens, I will say that the pins on the Retron SQ hold the cartridges securely and do not have a death grip.

One interesting aspect about the Retron SQ is the aspect ratios on board. You can choose either a 4:3 or 16:9 aspect ratio, and neither one of them are correct for any of these systems. the Game Boy and Game Boy color both use a 10:9 aspect ratio, and the Game Boy Advance uses a 3:2. I don't understand why they did this as no matter what the games will not display properly.

The included wired scout controller is another example at how Hyperkin can actually create a decent controller. Their Wireless scout controller has been my go-to on my Super NES Junior since it was first released. The Retron SQ's features a USB connector instead of SNES, and the overall fit and feel is pretty good. I did try other USB controllers with the Retron SQ and none of the controllers I tested worked properly. Poo.

Game play was inconsistent at best for me. I had what I can best describe as consistently inconsistent performance of the controls. Input lag was present in many games, and it was never consistently laggy in the same direction. Even when power cycling the same cart one time it would lag in one direction, and then a different one, and a different one still. It was quite frustrating.

While the GBA compatibility is still in Beta, there were severe framerate issues I experienced. It was so significant that I had to fire up my Gamecube to verify results. At this point I would classify GBA as unplayable, however Hyperkin is working on a Day-1 patch to address this and other issues.

Why it RoX:
- Only $80
- 2 color options
- Good pin fitment
- Scout is a good controller
- 10-foot long controller cable

What Could Be Improved
- Should be ready on day 1, not need a day 1 patch
- Improper aspect ratios
- No save states
- Controller input lag
- Some game incompatibility issues
- GBA frame loss makes it unplayable
- Not compatible with other USB controllers
- No color pallet options
- LONG Loading times for GBC & GBA Games
- No Link Cable Compatibility

Should You Buy one?
While conceptually the RetroN SQ is a promising piece of tech, the execution is not where it needs to be. I am glad to hear Hyperkin is dedicated on getting a firmware update out to make things right, and I hope this fixes the issues I ran into. At this point, if you want to play Game Boy, GBC, & GBA games on your television and you don't have a Gamecube with Game Boy Player, the Retron 5 is a better option than the Retron SQ, at least for now. We will be posting a tutorial on how to update the firmware, & I hope that improves the performance of the system.

#RetronSQ #Hyperkin #Review

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