What goes into creating cloned retro hardware?

[MotherGunner]

Hi Guys, aside from the obvious (which is money), does anyone know why/how some companies are able to create retro hardware?

I am curious as to why no one has done this for TG/TE - PCE/GT?

I mean there is only so many times you can "repair" something before it's rendered useless right?

Discuss.

[Duo_R]

I was just thinking about this the other day I think the low user base is why no one has created on. I would love a Turbografx on a chip! :-)

[mac]

It would be great to get a Retro re-release of the Duo. Arcade card, HDMI output and wireless controllers would be sweet.

[CrackTiger]

A cheap Wii with Mednafen is much better than any crappy emu on a chip in an empty shell, like typical modern clones. A dedicated clone would likely retail for more as well.

[mac]

A dedicated clone would likely retail for more as well.

Which would be fine by me. As good as Mednafen on the Wii is nothing beats using the real hardware imo.

The very reasons you mentioned is why the Neo-Geo redo was so lame imo, if it was real hardware capable of playing the real Deal would have been worth it or more.

One thing is for sure...Retro or Collector gamers will pay for a quality product.

[Nazi NecroPhile]

Which would be fine by me. As good as Mednafen on the Wii is nothing beats using the real hardware imo.

But cloned hardware isn't real hardware, but rather a collection of parts to emulate original hardware.  The only things they have going for them are the ability to use original games and original controllers, which don't mean much to me, as there's nuttin' wrong with flashcarts and there's room for improvement on the controllers (especially if you want wireless).

[mac]

Understand those retro Snes, Genesis systems are horrible.  But who would not pay 200 bucks for real hardware that is modernized just slightly ? Better controllers, HDTV support being just a sample.

[SignOfZeta]

It would be pretty hard to beat a hacked Wii and a PVM.

There is no substitute for real hardware though, I agree, which is why I use real hardware on real CRTs. When you're want to play unobtainablly rare games or fan translations use flash carts and CDRs.

If you want something in between, like something with dedicated or repoped chips, real cart slots, and such...it's never going to happen, and if it did there would be so many ways for it to go wrong it's not even funny.

Something that could actually be built and would actually be helpful for the community would be a flash drive for the CDROM2 side of things. A way to play ISOs off sold state media. I don't see any reason why I couldn't keep a Core system going for the rest of my life, but those CDROM2 drives...I'm not sure what that's going to be like in another decade or two.

[mac]

Looking through Twitter today and came across a link to this thing.







http://hyperkin.com/blog/2013/03/retron-5-details-revealed-from-the-midwest-gaming-classic/

If the emulation is up to snuff and the hardware not junk it could be interesting.

[Arkhan Asylum]

lol.  5$ says the HDMI output sucks monkey balls.

[mac]

lol.  5$ says the HDMI output sucks monkey balls.

probably, but you can beat your ass the controller will.

[FiftyQuid]

So do you pronounce it RE-tron or the RET-ron?  Another debate for another thread.

No Turbo love again.   

[gameofyou]

Hi Guys, aside from the obvious (which is money), does anyone know why/how some companies are able to create retro hardware?

Discuss.

I think there are 2 main methods.  1) you can design a system with a powerful CPU, and have it run emulation software.  Or 2) you can reproduce the original hardware inside an FPGA chip.

[Tatsujin]

So do you pronounce it RE-tron or the RET-ron?  Another debate for another thread.

I pronounce it FAIL-tron

[mac]

Hi Guys, aside from the obvious (which is money), does anyone know why/how some companies are able to create retro hardware?

Discuss.

I think there are 2 main methods.  1) you can design a system with a powerful CPU, and have it run emulation software.  Or 2) you can reproduce the original hardware inside an FPGA chip.

System on a chip ?

[Bardoly]

No Turbo love again.   

I spoke with David with Hyperkin at MGC about the possibility of them putting out a console which could play the HuCards and CD games for the TurboGrafx-16 and the PC Engine, and he seemed very interested.  Hopefully something will come of it.

[Arkhan Asylum]

That'd be great.  Then, people at CCAG won't be like "I want this but has no turbob"

[CrackTiger]

It only needs to run roms and isos to make most people happy. I don't think that any new clones will ever have a CD drive.

[SignOfZeta]

No Turbo love again.   

I spoke with David with Hyperkin at MGC about the possibility of them putting out a console which could play the HuCards and CD games for the TurboGrafx-16 and the PC Engine, and he seemed very interested.  Hopefully something will come of it.

With all those systems supported this thing has to be all software emulation, right? At least, mostly? In that case adding TG-16 should be a snap, a lot easier than NES, SNES and Genesis which have to cope with add-on processors.

I can't imagine I would be satisfied with this though. Famicom...sure, but the SNES and GBA have a very specific feel to them that few emulators really handle correctly. Even Nintendo themselves, when they made the Gameboy Player for GC, basically just put a screen-less GBA in a box in order to make it as accurate as possible.

I imagine this will be a big hit with those duchebags that build MAME cabs just to attempt to impress people at parties.

"Dude, it has 1765 games in it!"

And he's never played any of then for more than 30 seconds.

That guy, he'll love this thing. It might lack in some ways for people more specifically devoted to quality.

[jlued686]

I would love one unit that plays everything; no fuss. US/JPN, CD, SCD, ACD, SuperGrafx...all of it. And as long as it performed reasonably well and had a port to plug in real controllers, I'd be more than happy.

[DildoKKKobold]

The thing about the Retron 5, is that it is just an emulator system, that runs off cartridges instead of ROM files. At that point, the cart becomes superfluous, and you might as well hook up your computer to a TV and have a front-end that loads ROMs. It is in no way original hardware simulation (what an FPGA would be), as evident by things like save states and sprite-smoothing, which are impossible in real hardware. I have friends that abhor emulation, and yet are giddy for this device, which boggles my mind. 

I have no problem with emulation, I more have a problem with this PC with emulators being marketed as a replacement console. Plus, it seems rather silly to own cartridges and CDs to play on emulators.

[SignOfZeta]

Yeah, I felt the same way about that German device that lets you play SNES carts on your PC. It seemed hella cool for about 2 minutes when I eventually had to ask myself..."why?". Why dump the game every time I play it?

I think a lot of people who hate emulators are basically just pushing their pro-hoarding agenda. This thing still lets you hoard shit so it's cool with them.

[mac]

Well i feel it will be pretty cool if the emulation is done good and the hardware is not crap. Wireless controllers (junk), HDMI support, Slick GUI. Would rather pay more for a quality system with good controllers.

When you think about it if you wanted a direct clone of the Snes or Genny would it not be entirely unpractical ? Who is going to manufacture the 65c816, Sony's SPC700 etc.

If they make a Turbo version sign me up. The Duo isn't getting any younger and is becoming more expensive, harder to find everyday.

[DildoKKKobold]

Well i feel it will be pretty cool if the emulation is done good and the hardware is not crap. Wireless controllers (junk), HDMI support, Slick GUI. Would rather pay more for a quality system with good controllers.

Well, my disagreement with this, would be why not just build a really, really nice HTPC (Home-theater PC) with a good front-end, your own controllers, and the best emulators (like the perfect bSNES)... I used to be really into the MAME machines, and this is just MAME for consoles. If you are cool emulators, the cart requirement is silly, wastes money, time, and space. You could build an even better quality PC system to your own specs, and include PCE/TG, Commodore 64, Playdia, N64, CDi, or whatever, to your heart's content. You wouldn't need to spend $1,000,000 to get all the games for all the systems....

When you think about it if you wanted a direct clone of the Snes or Genny would it not be entirely unpractical ? Who is going to manufacture the 65c816, Sony's SPC700 etc.

Yeah, it would be totally impractical. The practical solution is emulation, but the argument boils down to "Why bother with cart slots?"

Yeah, I felt the same way about that German device that lets you play SNES carts on your PC. It seemed hella cool for about 2 minutes when I eventually had to ask myself..."why?". Why dump the game every time I play it?

I think a lot of people who hate emulators are basically just pushing their pro-hoarding agenda. This thing still lets you hoard shit so it's cool with them.

I think the only thing cool about that device is the ability to back up save RAM, and the ability to plug original controllers into your PC... the former isn't worth $70, and the latter can be done by a $30 item from RetroZone.

Also, as a professional hoarder, I take offense to your comment.