The Retro Duo

[Deleted]

I recently bought one of these bad boys.



The Retro duo is a clone system that plays NES and SNES games. The Retro Duo has the best compatibility to date of the clone systems.
With my experience playing the retro duo it works just as well as both the SNES and the NES systems. I recently played Castlevaina (NES), Super Mario Bros (NES), Donkey Kong Country (SNES), Super Mario World (SNES) and Metal Combat (SNES) (Super Scope needed to play).

While the system is a great system I only have a few issues with it. Well one really, the second issue isn't the systems fault. The one issue I have is that you can not use the original NES Zapper with the Duo because it uses SNES ports. You probably make a spliced wire to figure out how to make one work with the SNES ports, but it involves knowing the pins and how to wire them, plus a few other issues. It would take some testing in other words and I wouldn't want to mess anything up. Other people have done it to get NES remotes to work, but not the Zapper.

The second issue is if you play the 8 bit games (or Donkey Kong) With the S-video output they look horrible, But like I said this really isn't the systems fault. These games weren't originally made to be played with S-Video or in High Def. The 8-bit Nes games look washed out and have lines running though everything, but if you use the RCA cable hook up (Comes with both) The games look fine. Donkey Kong just looks really pixelated with S-video due to being a prerendered game. Once something 3d is rendered it really doesn't scale well when being streched and scewed.

As for the controllers, they are pretty similar to the SNES controllers and are comfortable and work fine.

Besides those slight issues I love the fact I can play some of my favorite old games for one price. While being a clone system and not having the same nostalgia value as the old systems it is way more reliable than a original NES and that was one of my deciding factors in buying this system.


P.S. The Retro Duo is in fact a legal system. it doesn't break any copyright laws. It just can simply play NES and SNES games without stealing anything from Nintendo.

[MateusAuri]

That's really nice!
About the zapper, aren't its wires and pins similiar to the normal NES controller ones? Then you could just seek a guide or something, but with a zapper, since it's basically a NES controller that detects if it is pointed to a white or black part of the screen to send a "hit" or "miss" signal to the game when you pull the trigger.
---
Funny thing is that recently I dreamt twice about a crossover PS3xX360 machine, it loked like a transparent PS3, with a bonus top lid for the X360 games. Nice coincidence here, haha.

[Deleted]

Problem is the SNES wires only use 5 pins and 2 unused pins. The Regular NES uses all 7 pins. 5 for the remote and 2 for the Zapper. The problem is SNES ports don't support the 2 extra pins. So the question really is, is there a way to wire it up that it could work.

I've done some research on it. I just don't have the know how to experiment with it, and if the Retro Duo's ports don't support that, then it will be useless anyway.

Mar 17, 2013 14:11:22 GMT -5 said:

those claims that the zapper wont work on it are lies if you build a suitable adapter (like i did) the zapper will work. you will need to gut an NES controller extension cable and a snes controller extension cable to make one though.

This guy says it's possible, so I think I'll buy them and see if that works.

[MateusAuri]

Ah, so it has more used pins, I didn't know about that one.
Well, let's hope this guy wasn't lying then. NES' lightgun games were really fun, like Duck Hunt and Hogan's Alley, but unfortunately the SNES ones weren't as famous as them.

[Deleted]

I did by a super scope. It works fine with the retro duo. I do understand why it wasn't as popular though. The Super Scope is quite cumbersome and a bit uncomfortable to use.



I don't hold it like that though. The trigger placement just kinda sucks. It's on the top instead of the grip.

Despite that I do have a lot of fun with it. Too bad theres only 7 or 8 games to use with it.

[MateusAuri]

Yeah, really weird place they found to put the trigger. I imagine what were they thinking when designing it, haha.
But it's probably fun anyway.

Does it fail the target too often? I saw James Rolfe's review of it, and in the video the shots would scatter all around the screen.

[toxik87]

Wait- one of these guys are more reliable than the actual NES?

[MateusAuri]

I think that, being a clone console, no, it can't be more reliable than the actual NES or even the SNES, but it is the best between the other clone systems, in other words, it is closer to the actual NES than any other clone. =]

Clone NES systems were quite popular here in Brazil, since the actual NES was never sold officially here. The most known ones were Dynavision and Polystation, but somehow my brothers had a Famicom (I still have it, but no games to play), but I think it wasn't a original one. I think these clone systems usually worked with japanese carts.
take a look at them:
A model of the Dynavision, the same my cousin had

A model of the PolyStation (notice how the image's filename says "video-geme", LOL)


And I found this ridiculous one in google images:

N64 controllers, DreamCast console, runs famicom games

[Deleted]

Depends on what you mean. As in lifetime? Some of them will last longer depending on the brand you buy. SNES is Really reliable though, so theres no issue in buying a SNES. Some of the older NES have problems though and short lifetimes. Just depends on the model you get. I really didn't want to gamble it when I was thinking of purchasing a NES.

As for compatibility on playing games? Nothing ever works as good as the original.

And Mateus I've never had trouble with it failing to target. I've had issues with finding a comfortable way to aim it when the TV you're using is below eye level.

By the way, it only works on older CRT TV's (The Bubble TV's) Not HD or flat screens. I tried using it on my girlfriends flat screen and it had all kinds of issues.

[MateusAuri]

Ah yes, I forgot he used a flat screen TV in the video.
Take a look at the video I mentioned. He starts talking about it at ~2:56

[Deleted]

I had no idea there were so many accessories for the NES and SNES. Wow.

I've also heard the classic Zapper doesn't work well on flatscreens and HD TVs too. So that could of been his problem there. Good thing I still have a old TV.

[MateusAuri]

Yeah, there is also the Power Glove, which he reviewed before this video, and ROB the robot, the one that appears behind him at the end of the video, which he reviewed some months ago. Plus the SNES mouse, used in Mario Paint (appears on his latest video).

Looks like older consoles don't match with newer TVs, nor vice-versa
When you want to play lightgun games on a modern ultra-slim-flat-LED-fullHD-with-internet-usb-and-toaster TV you have problems with the gun
When you want to play a modern game on an older TV you just can't read most of what is written onscreen (my case)

[toxik87]

oh ok thanks guys- i'll eventually get both the classic models- i use to have both but the snes was the second slimmer version. Gosh they do get silly with those clone stations