Retro Gen Adapter

[Gunstar Zero]

Does the Retro Duo portable come with Jenny? =P

[Ace]

More junky clone crap. Friends don't let friends buy clones. Buy a real Genesis; you'll get accurate colors, sound and gameplay! Just think of the possibilities!

Consider yourself lucky Geniclones aren't mostly garbage like Famiclones(I'm looking at you, Yobo, with your FC3 Plus and GN Twin - worst NES clones I've ever used. Period). Seems Geniclone manufacturers just can't seem to get their external circuitry right, causing color issues in the video signal and wonky audio, be it distorted sound or sound with incorrect volume balance. Compatibility issues are just a case of pure laziness as there exist GOACs that are perfectly capable of delivering a damn fine experience so long as the video and audio amps are good(Yobo *almost* got this right with the FC3 Plus, but the audio is in Mono, is a bit rough at times and is high-pass filtered a bit, so the bass is weaker than on an actual Genesis).

And this is where people like myself come in. I'm gonna buy one of these RetroGen adapters, test it with absolutely everything I own and see what can be done to make it better. There's always a nice bit of headroom on clones for people with the knowledge to fix what the clone manufacturers screwed up.

[Ace]

Just ordered a RetroGen from an eBay seller in Ontario. Sometime next week(or later if Canada Post is slow), I should have a full rundown of the RetroGen inside and out for you guys.

[KnightWarrior]

I might buy one in May..I'm just waiting for a full review on the RetroGen

[Ace]

I should be putting up a full review of the RetroGen next week. Keep an eye on this thread, KnightWarrior.

[Ace]

Well guys, my RetroGen just came in, and holy crap, I don't know what the hell is with this thing. It only works on THREE CONSOLES! I've tried using the RetroGen on my Super NES with the SPC700 on a separate daughterboard, Super NES with the SPC700 on the motherboard, Super NES Mini, Super Famicom, Super Famicom Jr., FC Twin, RetroDuo v2.0 and FC3 Plus(even if it's completely pointless), and the only 3 systems I got it working on were my Super NES Mini, Super Famicom Jr. and the Super NES with the SPC700 on the motherboard. On everything else, the RetroGen just doesn't work. It appears to receive power because I can hear a pop noise out of my speakers when the consoles are turned on, but there's no video, no sound and the game plugged into the RetroGen doesn't work. Sounds like this RetroGen has an electrical problem. I will run some compatibility tests first to see what works and what doesn't, then return it to get one that works better. This is not normal for the RetroGen to not work on a single clone I own and only work on later original Super NES hardware.

But anyways, I've done some preliminary testing and here's what I've found:

-The adapter has a solid feel to it. It seems to be made of thicker plastic than clone consoles and it actually feels sturdy, however, I noticed on my RetroGen that the cartridge slot is lopsided! It leans forward.
-The A/V cable is quite short and feels a little flimsy
-The video out of the RetroGen seems pretty close to that of the RetroN3. Like the RetroN3, there's a hint of excess green in the video signal and the overall picture itself is darker than a Genesis.
-The audio is like a mixture between the RetroN3 and the FC3 Plus. The sound is a bit high-pass filtered like the FC3 Plus, which means weaker bass, and like the RetroN3, PCM samples distort as do some of the low-frequency FM notes. You also won't hear any quantization noise as the GOAC uses a YM3438.
-PSG is a bit too loud, but it doesn't completely drown out the FM Synthesis like the RetroN3 does.
-Stereo sound is reversed. WTF, man? Seriously, the left audio channel comes out the RED plug and the right audio channel comes out the WHITE plug. Are these manufacturers that stupid? Jeez!

As for preliminary compatibility tests, I've tried the following games:

-Thunder Force II MD
-After Burner II
-Golden Axe
-Virtua Racing

As expected, Virtua Racing is a no-go on the RetroGen. The other games work.

Master System games work, too, but expect graphical errors. I can confirm After Burner and Space Harrier 3D work, now I have to test with my other Master System games.

Like I said before, I will now do a full compatibility test, then send this RetroGen back so I can get a fully-working one. Or I'll maybe just hold onto this one and use it on whatever Super NES it works on.

[Joe Redifer]

That sucks that it needs its own AV cable. That completely defeats the point of the whole thing.

That said, there's no reason why an adapter can't be made that lets you run N64 games on the Genesis, or maybe Neo Geo games on the Atari 2600. These things are their own systems and they are all inferior to real hardware. No reason to be interested.

[KnightWarrior]

Who's idea putting that GOAC in the RetroGen? the China Maker or RetroBit??

[Ace]

Most likely the manufacturer in China. Still, I don't understand what is with this stupid adapter working on only 3 of my Super NESes. This makes no sense whatsoever. On some systems, though, it seems to get less than 5V. I'm confused.

[Lan-Di]

Had one and tried Altered Beast and Bodokan... Worked with Bodokan but had a hard time playing Altered Beast! Took it back the same day.

[KnightWarrior]

Does some RetroGen's have trouble running stuff and some don't

Can it be modded to work with Virtua Racing??

[Ace]

I think there are major inconsistencies with the RetroGen Adapter. Someone I know who has the RetroGen as well says it works on everything he has, including consoles where my RetroGen doesn't work.

On top of it, I've found a few nasty things with two games. Super Street Fighter II works, but ALL the PCM samples are corrupt and come out as loud garbage. But what makes even less sense is how Sonic 2 locked onto Sonic & Knuckles produces a black screen. WTF?

As for making the thing work with Virtua Racing, that remains to be seen. I'm going to finish my compatibility tests first, then write up a full review of the adapter and then retrace the video amp, find the PSG and FM Synthesis outputs and retrace the audio amp(fitting TmEE's Audio Mod may be EXTREMELY difficult because I'm pretty sure that thing is tightly packed inside), then attempt to find a Virtua Racing compatibility fix(I hope bridging pins B26 and B16 will work this time). I'm no longer going to alter the circuitry inside any clones anymore as I've screwed up 3 of them due to completely botched mod jobs, not to mention, if I keep modding every single clone I get, they all pretty much become the same thing in a different case(they lose their uniqueness, not that anyone would care, but as much I like figuring out how to fix clones, I'd rather have two of each, one stock and one modified).

[KnightWarrior]

I wonder why SMS games work on it...

[Ace]

Pin B30 is connected to the cartridge slot. That's why. Pin B26, however, is NOT connected between the cartridge slot and the GOAC, which makes Virtua Racing completely incompatible(as can a missing CLK line on pin B19, but that line exists as the Game Genie works on the RetroGen).

[KnightWarrior]

It might be done..but the hard part where...

Just wondering..Does Retrobit tell them in China what GOAC goes in there, or China just puts in a random GOAC chip??