Hyperkin is a California-based company that manufacturers gaming consoles capable of playing multiple retro cartridges at once. Their latest beast, the RetroN 5, has the capability to play nine (yes, nine) different game cartridges all in one relatively small plastic box.
The console, dubbed the RetroN 5 because of its five cartridge slots, can handle NES, SNES, Famicom, Genesis, and Game Boy Advance cartridges. Alongside those, it can also accept Super Famicom, Megadrive, Game Boy Color, and original Game Boy games.
Hyperkin hasn’t stopped at just merging a bunch of consoles into one. They’ve made a few other significant leaps with the RetroN 5 that are worth noting. First up, the console will accept up to four bluetooth controllers for gaming, but it will also take six physical controllers (two of each NES, SNES, and Genesis varieties) if you’ve got the original thing lying around. You’ll also be able to mix and match controllers so your friends can join in on a round of Super Mario Kart even if you’ve only got one SNES controller and one for the Genesis alongside it.
There’s also the benefit of having only a single power adapter to power the single unit versus the four or five you’d need to connect all the original systems. That says nothing for the half-dozen inputs you’d also need on your television for it, whereas the RetroN 5 gives you the option for RCA inputs or a single modern HDMI output.
Our worry with the console was mainly due to the fact that the battery in our Game Boy Color cartridges have begun dying out since they’re only really capable of keeping a charge for about 10-15 years. Thankfully, Hyperkin has figured that out as well, opting to include an SD card slot that lets you save a game in its current state without worrying about lost data.
Thankfully, for any worldwide games collector, the console will be region free and play both PAL and NTSC games.
The RetroN 5 is not to be confused with something that might be used to get illegal game content on their computer or mobile devices. The idea is to help those with retro game collections or those with the desire to pick up some old classics to get back into the games they used to love. Adding the modern flare that Hyperkin has managed to certainly doesn’t hurt, either.
We’re grabbing a RetroN 5 because it’ll make our lives a lot easier when it comes to the number of things plugged into the wall and the television, not to mention the fact that it will help us keep the wear and tear on our retro consoles to a minimum. Into storage they go.
Unfortunately, the release of the console isn’t going to be until July of this year, but that means we should be able to take a look at it at E3 in June, and hopefully have a unit to review before its official launch. We’ll keep you updated on our Facebook and Twitter accounts with all the latest.