Retro handhelds etc.

CaSCaDe711

Hi all, was wondering has anyone here purchased/used these yet..?

SupaBoy Hyperkin SNES Portable System $79.99CDN
https://www.videogamesplus.ca/product_info.php?products_id=19797

Gen-Mobile Official SEGA Licensed Portable System w/20 SEGA Games Built-in $59.99CDN
https://www.videogamesplus.ca/product_info.php?products_id=19803

FC mobile2 Hyperkin Console for NES game $59.99CDN
https://www.videogamesplus.ca/product_info.php?products_id=19801

Retron3 Hyperkin 3 in1 NES, SNES, Genesis Console red $59.99CDN
https://www.videogamesplus.ca/product_info.php?products_id=19799

o1s1n

The Supaboy looks interesting and I'd like to pick one up.

Everything else I wouldn't bother with. If you want a portable Megadrive, Sega already made one of those in the 90s. It's called the Sega Nomad. Absolutely brilliant little yolk.

Dale Parish

What's needed is an iPad-shaped PS1 which can take disks and has the buttons to the sides

ahyeahok

CaSCaDe711 wrote: »

Retron3 Hyperkin 3 in1 NES, SNES, Genesis Console red $59.99CDN
https://www.videogamesplus.ca/product_info.php?products_id=19799

Avoid this one in my experience. Seems like a great idea but its cheaply made, controllers are small & light, console is light, feels like it would break very easily.

I bought one on an impulse buy from an English site, I was actually lucky to get a broken return by accident so I managed to get a full refund.

Only positives is that you can use original controllers along with the ones supplied.

What it plays like I dont know but thats my 0.02c worth.

Retr0gamer

Just get a handheld like the PSP and emulate the games on it. In my experience these handheld consoles are just cheaply made chinese knock offs.

CiDeRmAn

To be honest all of these devices are extensively reviewed on Youtube.
Just google them and you'll have all the info you need.

Re anything with a Genesis or MD compatibility they all are, to a man, built around the same chipset and it is sh1te!
You get some games running fine but the music is wrong, playing too slow or glitchy.
You get plenty of games that don't work at all.
Better to invest in a Nomad tbh, at least everything will work.
Or just buy a Megadrive or Genesis and pick up the games you want, play them at home and if you want them on the go a DS or PSP is a good emu hosting platform, as mentioned by Retr0 there.

The Snes devices I know less about but the main complaints about these is always build quality, the controllers are not standard so not going to feel great.
The Hyperkin is not going to be playing PAL games, may not play Jap games and could have issues with certain games with exotic chipsets or instructions, like the Super FX games, I don't know, it certainly isn't a Nintendo product so is developed and released without their input.
The 3 in 1 is fun but it's just as easy to just own a Nes, Snes and Megadrive, unless you really want them all NTSC only, not sure if these things are region free, also the controllers are always going to be a compromise.

The Nes portable would be the only thing there to interest me, but again, whats the point?
It's not original hardware, the controllers are going to be different too.
Aside from using your own carts, which you can do on a proper Nes, you might as well save some space in your backpack and use a DS lite or PSP for your Nes dutied, given you could carry around the complete Nes backcatalogue without any region worries.

o1s1n

Retr0gamer wrote: »

Just get a handheld like the PSP and emulate the games on it. In my experience these handheld consoles are just cheaply made chinese knock offs.

A lot of them are indeed cheaply made chinese knock offs, but the PSP is a pile of ****e for emulation. The D pad and nubblin stick are some of the worst controls ever and seeing old games streched across an LCD that big just looks wrong!

Sega Nomad. Screen mod. Battery Mod. Everdrive = all you'll ever need from a handheld.

Dr Bob

o1s1n wrote: »

Retr0gamer wrote: »

Just get a handheld like the PSP and emulate the games on it. In my experience these handheld consoles are just cheaply made chinese knock offs.

A lot of them are indeed cheaply made chinese knock offs, but the PSP is a pile of ****e for emulation. The D pad and nubblin stick are some of the worst controls ever and seeing old games streched across an LCD that big just looks wrong

Sega Nomad. Screen mod. Battery Mod. Everdrive = all you'll ever need from a handheld.

Cough.....xperia play...cough.

pinksoir

The JXD S601. New Android based handheld. All reviews so far seem to be positive. It's generally seen as the successor to the Dingoo A320. Plays PSX and N64 too!

Thread about it on dingoonity here.

CiDeRmAn

luas_dublin wrote: »

Cough.....xperia play...cough.

WANT!


but can't get one..


Gonna get an Xperia Arc s though, them's is nice!

OwaynOTT

CiDeRmAn wrote: »

WANT!


but can't get one..


Gonna get an Xperia Arc s though, them's is nice!

Nah if I was getting a phone, and I'm not as I'm waiting for another free one from the boss, I'd go for either and HTC Sensation XE or a Nokia lumia 800.

Really want lumia though, has an omnia for a while and got to like windows phone.
Oh there was a play in work for ages not selling and I thought it was surely going to be mine but some mother came in an bought it for like 529 for her little ****e of a son!

o1s1n

luas_dublin wrote: »

Cough.....xperia play...cough.

Sony device, therefore Sony D pad.

No thanks! :P

Myrddin

o1s1n wrote: »

Sony device, therefore Sony D pad.

No thanks! :P

I'm not far off that stage tbh

Steve X2

Picked up the xperia play a few months back to add to the collection. Not a big fan of it really.

.

CiDeRmAn

Well they can't be had for love nor money, although they have licenced out the whole thing and HTC have bought in and are going to release one of their own.
Probably a non Sony d-pad!

Steve X2

CiDeRmAn wrote: »

Well they can't be had for love nor money, although they have licenced out the whole thing and HTC have bought in and are going to release one of their own.
Probably a non Sony d-pad!

Are you talking about the xperia play?
They're all over ebay, sim free. For a price of course.

Here's one in Ireland(brand new and factory unlocked):
http://www.ebay.ie/itm/Brand-New-Sony-Ericsson-Xperia-Play-8GB-Memory-Sim-Free-NEW-LOW-PRICE-/180820334165?pt=UK_Mobile_Phones&hash=item2a19bb5655

.

o1s1n

Steve SI wrote: »

Are you talking about the xperia play?
They're all over ebay, sim free. For a price of course.

Here's one in Ireland(brand new and factory unlocked):
http://www.ebay.ie/itm/Brand-New-Sony-Ericsson-Xperia-Play-8GB-Memory-Sim-Free-NEW-LOW-PRICE-/180820334165?pt=UK_Mobile_Phones&hash=item2a19bb5655

.

Feck! I didn't realize they were so expensive. Sure you'd get a Vita for that.

Dr Bob

o1s1n wrote: »

luas_dublin wrote: »

Cough.....xperia play...cough.

Sony device, therefore Sony D pad.

No thanks! :P

Huh? Never had a problem with Sony pads....

Myrddin

Dr Bob wrote: »

Huh? Never had a problem with Sony pads....

Dr.....Bob? Did you use to get a Luas in Dublin somewhere?

o1s1n

Dr Bob wrote: »

Huh? Never had a problem with Sony pads....

Sony make some of the worst D pads. They're truely awful.

Spend the afternoon using a Nintendo or Sega one, then use a Sony D pad. You'll see what I mean.

Dr Bob

o1s1n wrote: »

Sony make some of the worst D pads. They're truely awful.

Spend the afternoon using a Nintendo or Sega one, then use a Sony D pad. You'll see what I mean.

Honestly , I've never had an issue , and this is someone who's spent a ton of time on the GBA/DS and meg in the last few years.

o1s1n

Well I've never had an issue in that I haven't been able to play a game, but it's definitely not nearly as comfortable as others. (verging on painful for me anyway)

Look at the way it sits -



It has plastic between the directions. So rather than it being one D pad with your thumb hanging about the middle, you are in fact moving your thumb tip about, pressing different buttons. Manipulation wise, this takes more effort. You should be able to feel what I mean as you use it. Your thumb isn't really resting anywhere. It's running over button ridges too.

Try pulling off a combination that involves pressing a diagonal (say in a Street Fighter game for example) - it's horrible!

On the other hand, look at the D pad for the Dreamcast. It's one whole piece and moves as one piece. The tip of your thumb can pretty much stay close to the middle and still move it. It's infinitely more comfortable and smoother for controlling things. You can make diagonal movements with ease.



From what I know, Nintendo and Sega have patents on all the best D pad designs. So sony are kind of lumped with making up some lesser version.

Dr Bob

I see what you're saying , and that is a good explanation
Still though I've never had a problem with the pad(been using something similar since 1995 ) and find it comfortable , maybe it just suits me..

Retr0gamer

Sony d-pad only seems acceptable since you've been using it since 1996. Do you not remember how absolutely god awful the thing was when you first used it after years of SNES, Megadrive and also how good the saturn d-pad was, and by good I mean god like. It's functional but that's as far as I can go. If you want to play anything on it that requires any kind of finese it's a disaster. Street Fighter is absolutely shocking to play on a PS pad but even action games like einhander or Rapid Reload can be a bit trick since the diagonals are a pain to hit.

Retr0gamer

Actually what has always bothered me about d-pad designs and patents is how shoddy the MS d-pad is on the 360. I mean the excuse could be that MS don't own a patent for a good d-pad design but that is totally false. Anyone that has used the first Microsoft Sidewinder pad released back around 96/97 will attest that it's absolutely god like, up there with saturn pad quality. Why the hell don't they use that design?

CiDeRmAn

I had a Sidewinder stick back in 95 and played a lot of Mechwarrior 2 with it.
Nothing to do with Retr0 and his well made point but I fondly remember that lovely stick...

I never had issue with the Sony D-pad, in fact I remember everyone fawning over the controller when the machine was released. Less enthusiasm for the analogue pad but kudos flooded back with the Dualshocks release.
They really dropped the ball with the gods awful sixaxis!

DinoRex

The SupaBoy is perfect for playing your old GameBoy games:

http://i.imgur.com/xfd8R.jpg

CiDeRmAn

My favourite 3 handhelds are ...

At 3!
The Gameboy Micro,
The ultimate way to play GBA games, this was made to compete with the new expanding mobile phone games market.
It flopped as everyone bought the DS instead but is beautiful.

At 2!
The Gameboy Micro is the best... til you get a GBA SP ags-101!
This has a bigger version of the 'Micro screen, plus the form factor of the SP, and it plays your entire Gameboy collection too, unlike the GBA only 'Micro.

And my No.1...
The Gameboy Pocket, with a copy of Tetris in it!
The battery lasts for ages and the game is sublime.

Retr0gamer

Retr0gamer wrote: »

Actually what has always bothered me about d-pad designs and patents is how shoddy the MS d-pad is on the 360

Retr0gamer wrote: »

Sony d-pad only seems acceptable since you've been using it since 1996......Street Fighter is absolutely shocking to play on a PS

I can recommend the MadCatz street fighter 4 fight pads as an alternative. I own 2 of them, one for PS3 and one for 360, and they are excellent. The 360 one is wired, the PS3 is wireless. The d-pad on both is large and responsive, and takes a LOT of damage, it's rubber padded for grip, and is nice and comfortable for long sessions. Overall it's the closest thing i've seen to the 6-button saturn pad.

It's brilliant for any kind of 2D fighting games or 8 or 16bit era arcade game if you're used to playing those on a pad versus a stick like me, and if you get the 360 version, which is wired, it also works great on a PC with emulators.

Retr0gamer

Deleted User wrote: »

I can recommend the MadCatz street fighter 4 fight pads as an alternative. I own 2 of them, one for PS3 and one for 360, and they are excellent. The 360 one is wired, the PS3 is wireless. The d-pad on both is large and responsive, and takes a LOT of damage, it's rubber padded for grip, and is nice and comfortable for long sessions. Overall it's the closest thing i've seen to the 6-button saturn pad.

I bought one ages ago when street fighter 4 came out since the fight sticks were impossible to find. I read all the reviews about how it was as good as if not better than the saturn pad. When I got one I sat down to play street fighter 4 and found it almost impossible to pull off an hadouken or shoryuken motion without totally over compensation for the directions I press. I can honestly say that the fightpads are one of the worst gamepads I've ever used. I thought I had lost my touch but going back to my saturn and MS sidewinder I was able to pull off specials and supers absolutely flawlessly every time. Went straight on ebay and bought a fightstick the next day, best thing I've ever done and it's great for emulators.

It's absolutely nothing like the saturn d-pad, in fact I'd say it's even worse than the PS1 pad because at least on the PS1 pad it's responsive enough that you don't have to over compendate by going over the direction you want into the next diagonal on the pad.

Retr0gamer

Retr0gamer wrote: »

I bought one ages ago when street fighter 4 came out since the fight sticks were impossible to find....I can honestly say that the fightpads are one of the worst gamepads I've ever used.

Wierd, I guess it's personal taste. I know that the 2nd run of them improved the d-pad issues. There were a few of the first run that had a few problems, maybe you had one of those, but I never had any issues with them, I find them really good.

I had a tournament edition fightstick too. I sold it for lack of use, but it was great. I liked it so much I built my latest mame cab with the same parts.

Doge

o1s1n wrote: »

Sony make some of the worst D pads. They're truely awful.

Spend the afternoon using a Nintendo or Sega one, then use a Sony D pad. You'll see what I mean.

When you compare it to the d-pad on the xbox 360 controller and original Nintendo DS though, they seem amazing!!!

I absolutely ****ing hate that loose cheap ass feeling d-pad on the 360 controller!! It's definitely one of the worst ever made!

Must be so frustrating using it on retro titles on the Xbox arcade.

chopperbyrne

I personally dislike the PS d-pad, but one of the best Street Fighter players in the country uses the d-pad on a regular DS3 to play and he has no issues with it, so it can't be that bad.

This is the best controller I've ever used though:

Azure_sky

The first version of the PSP had the worst d-pad I've ever experienced. It was impossible to pull of special moves on Darkstalkers. No such problems with the PSP 3000.

o1s1n

Azure_sky wrote: »

The first version of the PSP had the worst d-pad I've ever experienced. It was impossible to pull of special moves on Darkstalkers. No such problems with the PSP 3000.

That was the main reason I got rid of my PSP. It was a fantastic little machine which happened to have the worst ever D pad and badly place analog stick. There was absolutely no way of controlling a games comfortably.

Azure_sky

o1s1n wrote: »

That was the main reason I got rid of my PSP. It was a fantastic little machine which happened to have the worst ever D pad and badly place analog stick. There was absolutely no way of controlling a games comfortably.

I'd say that the d-pad on the 3000 series is as good as, if not better, than the 3DS. Now that fighting games are popular again companies all of a sudden realise they have to make half decent d-pads again.

ghostchant

Speaking of Sony d-pads, I have to say I'm impressed with their effort with the Vita. The d-pad is more 'Nintendo-like' if you will, with a more solid feel as opposed to discrete buttons like on their other pads. Have been playing Blazblue with it and have found it very easy to use.