For the retro gaming Oppos - Retroid 2 preorders are open, and ship 11/15! Order now to get one before the holidays!

"themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles" (themanwithsauce)
11/05/2020 at 23:54 • Filed to: None

I ordered myself a Retroid 2 last week and saw that the window for this round of pre-orders was open until the 15th, then they start shipping out worldwide. They take a little while to get in so if you want a great holiday present for yourself or want a recommendation for a loved one, these are really reasonably priced at just 80$+shipping. Considering they come ready to go out of the box with a memory card and power cables, I kinda regret building my SNES raspberry pi two years ago for the same amount of money.

If you haven’t heard of it, the Retroid 2 is special because it not only handles the 16-bit era and earlier, but it also handles N64, PS1, and some dreamcast titles quite nicely. I saw some reviewers had DS titles working on it too but it seemed like a slight pain to get them to work correctly. That said, I’ve seen plenty of 200$+ handhelds struggle with N64 and PS1 titles. I really want a portable Wii, but those kits ring up for a couple hundred dollars and you still need a lot of DIY work. So for just 80$, you get one of these:

Th ere’s a bunch of colors available for the retroid as well. My friend got hers in orange, but they have a lot of retro console “hero” color schemes like the super famicom, GBA “indigo”, and US SNES colors:

Overall, these aren’t perfect devices since the entire category of “retro gaming device” tends to either be really expensive with minimal drawbacks.....or budget focused with a LOT of drawbacks. I think this one strikes a good balance though, so definitely worth a look, and I already put my money where my mouth is towards one.

tl;dr - It’s been a long-ass year but you take wins where you can get them so if you, or someone you know, enjoys old video games and wants a nice, yet affordable way to play them on the go, here you go -

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DISCUSSION (19)

S65 > themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles
11/06/2020 at 00:00

I need to look into that, I was just gonna modchip and stick a new shell on my PS2 and get a copy of Castlevania SOTN. Thought it’d be a nice winter quarantine project.

themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles > S65
11/06/2020 at 00:02

Yeah this one requires some tinkering on the software side, but the hardware has enough punch for a lot of emulators and games.

shop-teacher > themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles
11/06/2020 at 00:03

How do you get the actual games on it? I know nothing about this stuff, but I am intrigued.

S65 > themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles
11/06/2020 at 00:04

Yeah, I’ve heard they make soli d stuff. I ain’t exactly a software person, but I also have a 3DS XL and I could flash that or get some virtual console games and get close

themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles > shop-teacher
11/06/2020 at 00:09

You do need to know how to download game images - ROMs for cartridge games, and ISOs for disc games. This is often *Illegal* by some definitions but also not *illegal* by a few others. The argument is usually “You are stealing by downloading these files” but as a counterpoint “The game can’t be purchased and played anymore so I am stealing from no one” is where I, and many others, tend to fall. I also do own a massive physical collection so my other argument is “This isn’t pirating, this is a digital backup since the batteries in all my old cartridges are dying and I don’t want to tear them apart just to save a game”.

With that out of the way, google is your friend. Just make sure to do virus scans before and after you download games.

shop-teacher > themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles
11/06/2020 at 00:12

Gotcha.

themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles > S65
11/06/2020 at 00:12

I thought about modding my PS3, but this is portable. THat was the big selling point is I could bring it on lunch breaks or camping/vacations. I do know it supports two things: Bluetooth, and HDMI output. So one reviewer had video evidence of playing old arcade games and multiplayer SNES games using just this device! I think that’s what I like about this device, it has a lot of features I might only use on occasion, but it has so many of them that you’ll use at least a few of them regularly.

S65 > themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles
11/06/2020 at 00:20

Good point, I have been meaning to get a capture card and the hinges replaced and some other work done on my 3DS for a while. If I got all that done I imagine it’d be pretty close but it’s nice to have that out of the box.

Jb boin > themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles
11/06/2020 at 00:28

COLOR
16Bit US

WTF IS GOING ON HERE???

themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles > Jb boin
11/06/2020 at 00:30

That’s just the color scheme sticker. The color scheme pictured is the SNES, but the US market one. There were different button and shell colors for the same console in other countries. I think Retroid wanted to avoid a lawsuit and NEVER EVER EVER mention another brand’s trademarks.

Jb boin > themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles
11/06/2020 at 00:33

THIS IS INSANE !!!

SmugAardvark > themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles
11/06/2020 at 00:49

I like these, but I’ve told myself I’m not going to buy another portable emulator box. I’ve got three as it is (one pre-assembled, one build-yourself kit , and one that I had to have someone 3D print the case and buttons for, I just supplied the Pi Zero, LCD, etc ) , and I hardly use any of them.

Ah, screw it, maybe one more...

themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles > SmugAardvark
11/06/2020 at 01:08

I feel like they made asuitable jump in the past year or two, but if you already have some other ones, I’d actually wait another year or so and see if they can finally hit GCN/PS2/XBOX emulation. But then again.....80$ isn’t much....I know a guy who dropped 300$ on an android tablet not too long ago that has a gaming shell with joysticks and buttons and it struggles with N64.

SmugAardvark > themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles
11/06/2020 at 01:38

Yeah, I probably will wait until 6th gen consoles can be properly emulated. In addition to the handhelds, I also have Gen 2, 3, and 4 Raspberry Pi units as well as a spare Pi Zero laying around somewhere in my office.

Of the three handhelds I do have, I think my favorite is the GameShell from ClockworkPi . It comes with everything you need, just needing to be assembled. It’s a pretty straightforward and easy process, and the form factor is actually quite pleasant for my big paws. The built-in emulators are fantastic for older consoles (SNES and older), but using RetroArch for anything up to 5th gen emulation is quite acceptable as well.

I used to collect classic video games as a hobby/side hustle. Mostly 80's and 90's stuff, but branched out somewhat with 70's gear, and of course newer as well just as a function of playing new games as they came out. When I moved out to California, I parted ways with nearly all of my collection, and was able to pay for my entire move including the security deposit and my first few months of rent in the house I moved into, and all new furniture. Not gonna lie, it was tough to part ways with some of it, but it was also hugely liberating to do so. I do wish I hung onto one or two of the early Atari arcade cabinets I had, but those things are a real pain in the ass to relocate.

themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles > SmugAardvark
11/06/2020 at 02:59

I feel like I need to dedicate a week to parting with my collection of computers and electronics. It’s looking like I might have a new job lined up to replace the one that kinda shot me through the ringer, but the guy who fired me ended up being my biggest advocate for a very loose contract for temporary employment in my current role due to a lot of people quitting when they heard what happened to me and his company got screwed.

If I get the new gig, I might take a few days off between jobs to organize everything and see what I can sell off and make a few bucks on.

SmugAardvark > themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles
11/06/2020 at 03:03

Yeah, sometimes it’s good to re-evaluate what you’ve got, what you feel you need to keep, and what you can part ways with.

Best of luck!

HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles > themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles
11/06/2020 at 08:48

It’s a sad sad day when the battery in a cartridge dies.

HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles > themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles
11/06/2020 at 08:51

That makes sense. I think the GBA indigo is the one I’d go with.

themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles > HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles
11/06/2020 at 09:14

Or on some old SNES carts, absolutely terrifying when it triggers the anti-piracy/error code :