Yeah, I'm sold on this now after watching your review, was dithering between the Retro Bit Trio, the Retron 5 and this. Excellent review , thank you for posting.
Andre Russell Many thanks! Yes, the Retro Freak being able to rip the ROMs and play downloaded ROMs is a huge advantage. Not to mention it also supports Turbografx and PC Engine, where the others do not. Cheers!
Thats really cool. I still have a few retro systems laying around. I am primarily a PC gamer but I have owned most of the other systems at one time. Wish I would of held on to them.
The Retro Freak is very handy! It saves me a ton of space, as I don't have space to have all my retro systems plugged in at once. And I also use if for recording and streaming the games via HDMI! Thanks for watching!
hey there man not shure if you will even see this but i got to thinking once you remove the console hub bit that connects by usb...what would happen if you plugged the other bit into a pc? the bit with all the cartridge slots ?
The cartridge interface would not do anything by itself, you would need some kind of program on the computer to use or extract games with it. It is possible that it may function as a USB hub. But its also possible that its use has been locked to the console itself. I will say that the controller, and controller adapter from this set do work as intended on a PC though!
@@MVLGAMING thank you for getting back to me i realy appreciate that :D and wow ok so if it was seen as a mass storage device then games loaded into it would load as roms then.....is there any chance you could test this just plug in the cartrige part of the retro freak to a pc just to see if it is accepted ? that would be something i think many retro fans would be interested in.
@@alicestobart3121 The game files stored on it are on the micro USB, and the cartridge section would not work for loading them itself, you would need some other emulation software on the PC. I can tell you that I had previously tried to use the games I put on the Retro Freak with the Super RetroCade, and that didn't work. So I'm pretty sure they are designed only to function on the Retro Freak itself.
I thought about getting this. One of the issues I have with the Retron 5 is that it fails to play some standard Mega Drive games like Phantasy Star IV and Road Rash. I've brought it up to Hyperkin but they won't do anything about it. While they say they need the actual cartridges for compatibility I'm assuming what they're actually doing is taking roms from a rom site and adding those. That would explain why those two games I mentioned aren't compatible: because no one has dumped them for the PAL region yet. My question is will the Retro Freak also come up with Unknown cartridge or can it recognise the games? Also is Virtua Racing compatible yet?
Indeed, I believe the information about the games comes from a ROM database. Some games I had to take out and put in many times to rip the ROM file, but I think that's due to dirt or a bad connection. For me, I've put over 200 cartridge into the Retro Freak, and from memory only about 5 had issues. Firstly, Shining Force PAL (Megadrive) was listed as unrecognised. It still played the game fine though. With no issues I can notice. So I renamed the ROM file on the SD card, and now the tile displays fine. That was the easiest fix. A few others were unrecognised, and didn't play properly. Adventures of Lolo 2 PAL (NES) and Cybernoid NTSC. (Also NES, though this cartridge may be damaged as it doesn't play right on my real NES) I grabbed the ROMS for these online, of the same region, and put those on the SD card. And they played fine. Lastly, Splatterhouse 2 PAL (Megadrive) didn't register at all. As if nothing was put in. Again, I grabbed a ROM, put that on the SD card, and that played fine. Even though it was a different file type than the Retro Freak ROM files. So yes, the system may have issues with a small number of games. So I'd advise loading internet ROMs for anything that doesn't work. That worked for me on the very small amount that wouldn't play. Even if you have to put NTSC versions on, you may be able to force them to play PAL. Finally, I read on a review that Virtua Racer does work on this. But I haven't tested it myself. Cheers! Hope that helped. MVL.
Wow never knew that games were slowed down in different regions. I could not play Sonic like that, its gotta be fast paced for me. Thanks for this MVL even though you posted this years ago haha
Haha yeah its crazy! To be fair, back in the day we had no idea the game wasn't changed for our screen refresh rate, and hence the gameplay and music were slower. So that's just the way I'm used to playing it! Thanks for checking it out!
Sorry to bug you again MVL, but I've got a Retro Freak controller question, maybe you can answer please? So the official (pack in game pad), has two special buttons, SPECIFICALLY used for accessing the console's menu... Is it possible using the mapping feature, to map the special buttons FUNCTIONS, on other generic controllers (ie not Retro Freak brand), so the console menu can be accessed from the non official controller? Just wondering if its absolutely essential to have one Retro Freak controller plugged in for basic console operations? Thanks.
By default, any other controller can do the Options button prompt by pressing down and start together. (Which is the easiest way) But yes, you can also assign that button via button mapping, which I did recently with a Retro-Bit SEGA USB controller. Although the controller profile and mapping is a bit of a hassle, so I just tend to use a real SNES controller for most Nintendo stuff and a Mega Drive controller for SEGA stuff (with the USB adapter) since it configures that automatically, and then either press down and start when I need to use the Options command, or have the Retro Freak controller plugged in to port 2, and press the button on that.
@@MVLGAMING Thanks, exactly the information I was hoping for! Indeed those are genuinely useful mapping abilities then, especially given the high costs of the official controllers now... I really appreciate you taking time to explain the fine points :-)
Such an interesting system, so wonderful it has PC Engine support... BUT, do you know if it can play CD ROM images, for PC Engine... such as Snatcher etc? Great to see your enthusiasm for this system, its definitely gone to a good home!
From what I hear, CD functionality was removed from the emulators Cyber Gadget used in the Retro Freak. And the only way to get them working would be some sort of hack. Since they never released a CD drive peripheral, I'd guess that kind of thing is on the edge of hardware limitation. Since GBA is about as far as it can go. Thanks for checking out the video my friend!
@@MVLGAMING Thanks, you seem very well informed regarding the Retro Freak! I've been doing some more research on the system & it just gets more interesting! I have seen a multi-tap adapter for the PC Engine emulation! Unfortunately it seems very rare now, I was wondering if you know if Cyber Gadget ever do production runs of the many add on devices, like the multi-taps or more unusual adapters? I also wanted to ask, if you have had any durability issues with the cart slots? Some people seem to complain that they aren't robust? I'm not sure if the build quality has changed over time, but its been available for a few years now!? Thanks in advance :-)
Yeah PC Engine HuCard games work as in, and the adapter just lets you plug more controllers in. The adapters are getting harder to find for sure as well. It seems to me that Cyber Gadget are focusing on the Super Famicom like version of the system, but when global chip shortages cease, hopefully they'll produce more of everything. And the only problem I really have with the cartridge slots is when I'm using a cartridge adapter, its a bit wobbly. (Like if I'm using a Master System converter, its a bit awkward to insert cartridges and have them read from the adapter, but it just takes a few attempts with my machine!)
@@MVLGAMING Good to hear that in a real life scenario, as someone who really does use actual carts, the slots have been adequate... Yea, the SNES version is probably the most conventional looking, but the"grey" anonymity of the cart adapter bundle, seems more appropriate to me. Cyber Gadget seem to have a winning formulae here, a truly useful device for serious collectors, a collectible device in its own right now & a great casual console substitute for people who like a change from laptop emulation (as I do). The ability to mimic a PC engine, is a huge bonus. Even the official PC Engine Mini is limited by the inability to add games, while although the real NEC hardware has become very easy to acquire, its very expensive and unreliable long term, although desirable. For me, there is definitely something satisfying about being able to boot from an actual Hu Card, now & then, as opposed to never handling a virtual ROM image. Perhaps it is the tangible tactile factor that the Retro Freak allows, that appeals on some level!? I guess this is another aspect of gaming as a form of escapism! Thanks for your opinion, its great to hear your experience :-)
The adapter with the round poles are not an american style plug. Not sure where that's used at. The below image suggests it is an EU plug. The other being a UK plug. www.dhresource.com/0x0s/f2-albu-g1-M00-1D-90-rBVaGVZ7-XWAPdlFAACok0kaZLM396.jpg/4-type-power-plug-adapter-uk-au-eu-us-plug.jpg
ThatOneSceneDude Certainly is! If the game supports two players you can do that. There are 3 USB ports on the front, so if you have another USB adapter (if you wanted to use an original controller, any USB adapter should work) or any USB gamepad, you can. (A PS4 / PS3 controller also works) When I do two player I use the controller adapter for myself, and give my friend the bundled USB gamepad that came with it.
I'm curious. Out of the box what firmware version was your retro freak. I'm just asking because my version was one of the first models and it was v1.0. I was able to get it to 1.4 but can't get the 1.5 update to reboot the system.
I couldn't say for sure what firmware my system had when it was new since it was a few years ago. I do know the update process for 1.5 is a little different as detailed on the Cyber Gadget website. Cyber Gadget would be more knowledgeable for tech support on it. The only other thing I'd consider trying would be a redownloading the file to a different SD card in case the data became corrupted. Hope that helps!
Mark O Thanks! The GPD XD looks sweet, and being portable is very cool. It'd be preference for a portable or home console experience. Gaming on the go would be excellent with the GPD XD. But I went for the Retro Freak as using my existing cartridges and controllers was a big selling point for me, and recording via HDMI was very useful.
Hi. my retro freak came through the post a few days ago. you mentioned sonic 3 and knuckles will work. do you need the latest patch for it for both games for the lock on. mine only recognises the 2 games individually. any suggestions.
darren page I'd recommend the latest patch for maximum compatibility. Took me a few tries putting the cartridges in and out but eventually it should come up as something like 'Sonic & Knuckles + Sonic 3'. I had a few games come up as unknown cartridge, but still played fine, in which case I saved the ROM and renamed the file on the SD card to its correct title on my laptop. And if you get the odd game that inexplicably won't show up at all, you can download a ROM from somewhere like Emuparadise, put that on the SD card, and the Retro Freak should play that no problem.
Super FX games do work. I have tested Starwing, (Star Fox) and it played great! The audio sounds a little different to me than the original hardware. But the game runs wonderfully!
Great review! Just what I was looking for. I do have a question for you though. I noticed a few of the games you had downloaded on the sd card had "thumbnails", such as Sonic the Hedgehog, Shining Force, Pokemon Red, and Metroid II. Are these thumbnails something that you added? or did the console automatically add those thumbnails when you downloaded the game?
The Retro Sports Gamer Thanks! The thumbnails are automatic, and will be a screenshot of the last time you played, just as you exit the game. As I reviewed the system very soon after getting it. I hadn't played most of the games put on, so they didn't have thumbnails. I don't think you can set custom thumbnails, which is kind of annoying, as the picture will always change depending on where you stopped playing last. I tend to reset to the title screen of a game before exiting, as it looks neater.
Thanks! That is a convenient way of setting up the thumbnails, although it's a bit of a bummer that you can't lock the image you want in place. I guess there always could be a software update.
The Retro Sports Gamer I just noticed when you select a game from the menu, then press left from the Play button, you can lock the thumbnail, so it won't change again until you unlock it.
+MVL GAMING So basically you don't have to use your time uploading the images you want for game thumbnails and if you close the game out on the title screen, you can lock it into place. That's actually pretty awesome.
I am very interested in the Polymega. Especially the built in disk drive supporting alot of CD game systems! Which would be great to stream and record in high quality! So if I get my hands on one, I'll definitely do an unboxing and review!
Just wondering you're using a bigger Micro SD card, does the speed of the card affect the load up time at startup, has there been any tests done? I have the Japanese Retro Freak.
Justin Cherriman I have tried a smaller 4GB card and didn't notice any further delay. With the current 32gb card (which is way bigger than needed but they are very cheap) with over 150 games installed I'm not seeing any noticeable loading time. I have heard if you have many games it can be slow, but I imagine that would be a crazy amount of games. If that becomes an issue, I think you could split the games onto multiple SD cards. (One for each system for example)
I have got a SanDisk Class 4 micro SD card 4GB with 2GB of data/ripped games from carts, so i'm upgrading to a class 10 SanDisk Ultra, so that may speed up loading at startup, it sounds like it should load up instantly with what you're seeing.
I've now got the class 10 32GB micro SD card, it's still the same speed as the class 4 with no noticeable speed up, may have to do a stopwatch comparison.
How does the system perform, if you choose not to rip the ROM to storage, as though it were a normal console? Just curious if it makes for a reliable console like experience, for those who don't own the real consoles? Thanks for an interesting review. Do you still use your Retro Freak?
To my understanding, regardless if you save the ROM file or not, it works exactly the same way. Playing the ROM file with emulation. The only difference being it won't save the file to memory, and if you remove the cartridge, it'll stop playing. In terms of reliability, only a very small amount of cartridges wouldn't work on it, and for every one of those, a ROM file of the same game on the SD card worked fine. The only issues I have had is with a small amount of Game Boy Advance Games, which out of all my games, only two had issues, (One with no sound, and the other crashing) which is due to the emulator not using a BIOS I believe. The system still works fine now, and yes I do still use it alot! For every Video Game Pick Ups video, live stream, or any other video I do using gameplay footage from a cartridge system compatible, I have most likely used to Retro Freak to record gameplay footage!
@@MVLGAMING Thanks for the reply, it definitely sounds like an ideal console substitute. It could definitely be the only contender for my purposes! Isn't it strange the affection we hold for certain games, over the actual consoles... at least for me? Glad you find your Retro Freak useful, its always gratifying when you make a worthwhile purchase. Too the console, is basically out of stock & is now quite expensive online :(
@@Mindboggle100 I have been hearing that the Retro Freak is hard to procure these days. I think Cyber Gadget make them in batches, so they reappear from time to time. I'd recommend if you go for one, to make sure to get one that comes with the NES cartridge adapter, and the USB controller adapter for original controllers. As each of those items are harder to grab individually.
@@MVLGAMING Thanks for the tips, those adapters are definitely worth snagging... I was always intrigued by this console and regret not getting one when they were down to £99! When will I ever learn? ;-) Best.
The RetroN 5 is much more well known. Even though this is more obscure, I prefer the Retro Freak. It has the advantage that it can store your games ROM files, so you don't need to switch cartridges. (As well as playing TurboGrafx) Which for me, is very good!
It should say in the product description if included. Japanese imports will not have it. I got mine from Funstock Retro. The UK / EU edition featured swappable heads for the power supply, and a NES cartridge converter.
Christopher Walken Thats a shame. Good news is any NES to Famicom adapter (72 to 60 pin) should do the trick. And you can play the ROMs fine until then.
Holy moly, that beast looks interesting! It's basically a retro machine that can also capture without any issues. If I saw correctly, does it save the rom once you've entered the cartridge? So does it play from the cartridge itself, or does it save the rom and you can play that? Or is there just a "copy rom" option? Edit: I should finish watching the video when I type comments hahahaha
Its a great system. Which makes recording and streaming those old systems in HD very easy via HDMI. You can also use the original controllers with a USB adaptor. When you put in a cartridge it rips the ROM to memory, and if you have a micro SD card inserted you may also save the ROM to it and play without the cartridge. I'm very pleased with the system, and it saved me having all those consoles hooked up! (Which I don't really have space for)
I did a little research into this, and I don't believe an Everdrive would work. As an alternative, you could put any ROM files you want onto a Micro SD card, and it will play those no problem!
Yeah, I'm sold on this now after watching your review, was dithering between the Retro Bit Trio, the Retron 5 and this. Excellent review , thank you for posting.
Andre Russell Many thanks! Yes, the Retro Freak being able to rip the ROMs and play downloaded ROMs is a huge advantage. Not to mention it also supports Turbografx and PC Engine, where the others do not. Cheers!
This was an amazing video! The games look amazing and that metroid in color looks sweet!
Great Video! Sounds like a super retro system! In for 1.
Thats really cool. I still have a few retro systems laying around. I am primarily a PC gamer but I have owned most of the other systems at one time. Wish I would of held on to them.
The Retro Freak is very handy! It saves me a ton of space, as I don't have space to have all my retro systems plugged in at once. And I also use if for recording and streaming the games via HDMI! Thanks for watching!
The Retro Freak appears to be a great eMu Console. Nice Review MVL 👋🏿
Thanks! Its a great system and has been very useful for easily capturing and streaming gameplay in HD!
hey there man not shure if you will even see this but i got to thinking once you remove the console hub bit that connects by usb...what would happen if you plugged the other bit into a pc? the bit with all the cartridge slots ?
The cartridge interface would not do anything by itself, you would need some kind of program on the computer to use or extract games with it. It is possible that it may function as a USB hub. But its also possible that its use has been locked to the console itself. I will say that the controller, and controller adapter from this set do work as intended on a PC though!
@@MVLGAMING thank you for getting back to me i realy appreciate that :D and wow ok so if it was seen as a mass storage device then games loaded into it would load as roms then.....is there any chance you could test this just plug in the cartrige part of the retro freak to a pc just to see if it is accepted ? that would be something i think many retro fans would be interested in.
@@alicestobart3121 The game files stored on it are on the micro USB, and the cartridge section would not work for loading them itself, you would need some other emulation software on the PC. I can tell you that I had previously tried to use the games I put on the Retro Freak with the Super RetroCade, and that didn't work. So I'm pretty sure they are designed only to function on the Retro Freak itself.
I thought about getting this. One of the issues I have with the Retron 5 is that it fails to play some standard Mega Drive games like Phantasy Star IV and Road Rash. I've brought it up to Hyperkin but they won't do anything about it. While they say they need the actual cartridges for compatibility I'm assuming what they're actually doing is taking roms from a rom site and adding those. That would explain why those two games I mentioned aren't compatible: because no one has dumped them for the PAL region yet.
My question is will the Retro Freak also come up with Unknown cartridge or can it recognise the games? Also is Virtua Racing compatible yet?
Indeed, I believe the information about the games comes from a ROM database. Some games I had to take out and put in many times to rip the ROM file, but I think that's due to dirt or a bad connection. For me, I've put over 200 cartridge into the Retro Freak, and from memory only about 5 had issues.
Firstly, Shining Force PAL (Megadrive) was listed as unrecognised. It still played the game fine though. With no issues I can notice. So I renamed the ROM file on the SD card, and now the tile displays fine. That was the easiest fix.
A few others were unrecognised, and didn't play properly. Adventures of Lolo 2 PAL (NES) and Cybernoid NTSC. (Also NES, though this cartridge may be damaged as it doesn't play right on my real NES) I grabbed the ROMS for these online, of the same region, and put those on the SD card. And they played fine.
Lastly, Splatterhouse 2 PAL (Megadrive) didn't register at all. As if nothing was put in. Again, I grabbed a ROM, put that on the SD card, and that played fine. Even though it was a different file type than the Retro Freak ROM files.
So yes, the system may have issues with a small number of games. So I'd advise loading internet ROMs for anything that doesn't work. That worked for me on the very small amount that wouldn't play. Even if you have to put NTSC versions on, you may be able to force them to play PAL.
Finally, I read on a review that Virtua Racer does work on this. But I haven't tested it myself.
Cheers! Hope that helped.
MVL.
Thanks for the advice!
Wow never knew that games were slowed down in different regions. I could not play Sonic like that, its gotta be fast paced for me. Thanks for this MVL even though you posted this years ago haha
Haha yeah its crazy! To be fair, back in the day we had no idea the game wasn't changed for our screen refresh rate, and hence the gameplay and music were slower. So that's just the way I'm used to playing it! Thanks for checking it out!
@@MVLGAMING No problem, I enjoy your videos they are very informative and I learn something new most of the time.
Sorry to bug you again MVL, but I've got a Retro Freak controller question, maybe you can answer please? So the official (pack in game pad), has two special buttons, SPECIFICALLY used for accessing the console's menu... Is it possible using the mapping feature, to map the special buttons FUNCTIONS, on other generic controllers (ie not Retro Freak brand), so the console menu can be accessed from the non official controller? Just wondering if its absolutely essential to have one Retro Freak controller plugged in for basic console operations? Thanks.
By default, any other controller can do the Options button prompt by pressing down and start together. (Which is the easiest way) But yes, you can also assign that button via button mapping, which I did recently with a Retro-Bit SEGA USB controller. Although the controller profile and mapping is a bit of a hassle, so I just tend to use a real SNES controller for most Nintendo stuff and a Mega Drive controller for SEGA stuff (with the USB adapter) since it configures that automatically, and then either press down and start when I need to use the Options command, or have the Retro Freak controller plugged in to port 2, and press the button on that.
@@MVLGAMING Thanks, exactly the information I was hoping for! Indeed those are genuinely useful mapping abilities then, especially given the high costs of the official controllers now... I really appreciate you taking time to explain the fine points :-)
Such an interesting system, so wonderful it has PC Engine support... BUT, do you know if it can play CD ROM images, for PC Engine... such as Snatcher etc? Great to see your enthusiasm for this system, its definitely gone to a good home!
From what I hear, CD functionality was removed from the emulators Cyber Gadget used in the Retro Freak. And the only way to get them working would be some sort of hack. Since they never released a CD drive peripheral, I'd guess that kind of thing is on the edge of hardware limitation. Since GBA is about as far as it can go. Thanks for checking out the video my friend!
@@MVLGAMING Thanks, you seem very well informed regarding the Retro Freak! I've been doing some more research on the system & it just gets more interesting! I have seen a multi-tap adapter for the PC Engine emulation! Unfortunately it seems very rare now, I was wondering if you know if Cyber Gadget ever do production runs of the many add on devices, like the multi-taps or more unusual adapters? I also wanted to ask, if you have had any durability issues with the cart slots? Some people seem to complain that they aren't robust? I'm not sure if the build quality has changed over time, but its been available for a few years now!? Thanks in advance :-)
Yeah PC Engine HuCard games work as in, and the adapter just lets you plug more controllers in. The adapters are getting harder to find for sure as well. It seems to me that Cyber Gadget are focusing on the Super Famicom like version of the system, but when global chip shortages cease, hopefully they'll produce more of everything. And the only problem I really have with the cartridge slots is when I'm using a cartridge adapter, its a bit wobbly. (Like if I'm using a Master System converter, its a bit awkward to insert cartridges and have them read from the adapter, but it just takes a few attempts with my machine!)
@@MVLGAMING Good to hear that in a real life scenario, as someone who really does use actual carts, the slots have been adequate... Yea, the SNES version is probably the most conventional looking, but the"grey" anonymity of the cart adapter bundle, seems more appropriate to me. Cyber Gadget seem to have a winning formulae here, a truly useful device for serious collectors, a collectible device in its own right now & a great casual console substitute for people who like a change from laptop emulation (as I do). The ability to mimic a PC engine, is a huge bonus. Even the official PC Engine Mini is limited by the inability to add games, while although the real NEC hardware has become very easy to acquire, its very expensive and unreliable long term, although desirable. For me, there is definitely something satisfying about being able to boot from an actual Hu Card, now & then, as opposed to never handling a virtual ROM image. Perhaps it is the tangible tactile factor that the Retro Freak allows, that appeals on some level!? I guess this is another aspect of gaming as a form of escapism! Thanks for your opinion, its great to hear your experience :-)
Didn't realise Derren Brown was into Retro Gaming like lol just jesting mate great video.
The adapter with the round poles are not an american style plug. Not sure where that's used at. The below image suggests it is an EU plug. The other being a UK plug.
www.dhresource.com/0x0s/f2-albu-g1-M00-1D-90-rBVaGVZ7-XWAPdlFAACok0kaZLM396.jpg/4-type-power-plug-adapter-uk-au-eu-us-plug.jpg
Thanks for the info. Good to know! Indeed it is most likely a EU plug for this version. The UK and EU packaging and content may well be the same.
is it possible to play with two players?
ThatOneSceneDude Certainly is! If the game supports two players you can do that. There are 3 USB ports on the front, so if you have another USB adapter (if you wanted to use an original controller, any USB adapter should work) or any USB gamepad, you can. (A PS4 / PS3 controller also works) When I do two player I use the controller adapter for myself, and give my friend the bundled USB gamepad that came with it.
Thank you! :D
I'm curious. Out of the box what firmware version was your retro freak. I'm just asking because my version was one of the first models and it was v1.0. I was able to get it to 1.4 but can't get the 1.5 update to reboot the system.
I couldn't say for sure what firmware my system had when it was new since it was a few years ago. I do know the update process for 1.5 is a little different as detailed on the Cyber Gadget website. Cyber Gadget would be more knowledgeable for tech support on it. The only other thing I'd consider trying would be a redownloading the file to a different SD card in case the data became corrupted. Hope that helps!
I found out that 2023 was the last model they manufactured and it's updated to the lastest version. 2.7. I ordered one on Play Asia.
one of the best reviews on TH-cam, I'm stuck between this and the GPD xd. 😵
Mark O Thanks! The GPD XD looks sweet, and being portable is very cool. It'd be preference for a portable or home console experience. Gaming on the go would be excellent with the GPD XD. But I went for the Retro Freak as using my existing cartridges and controllers was a big selling point for me, and recording via HDMI was very useful.
Hi. my retro freak came through the post a few days ago. you mentioned sonic 3 and knuckles will work. do you need the latest patch for it for both games for the lock on. mine only recognises the 2 games individually. any suggestions.
darren page I'd recommend the latest patch for maximum compatibility. Took me a few tries putting the cartridges in and out but eventually it should come up as something like 'Sonic & Knuckles + Sonic 3'. I had a few games come up as unknown cartridge, but still played fine, in which case I saved the ROM and renamed the file on the SD card to its correct title on my laptop. And if you get the odd game that inexplicably won't show up at all, you can download a ROM from somewhere like Emuparadise, put that on the SD card, and the Retro Freak should play that no problem.
ill try that. see if it works. thanks for the help.
How do SNES FX games work?
Super FX games do work. I have tested Starwing, (Star Fox) and it played great! The audio sounds a little different to me than the original hardware. But the game runs wonderfully!
Great review! Just what I was looking for. I do have a question for you though. I noticed a few of the games you had downloaded on the sd card had "thumbnails", such as Sonic the Hedgehog, Shining Force, Pokemon Red, and Metroid II. Are these thumbnails something that you added? or did the console automatically add those thumbnails when you downloaded the game?
The Retro Sports Gamer Thanks! The thumbnails are automatic, and will be a screenshot of the last time you played, just as you exit the game. As I reviewed the system very soon after getting it. I hadn't played most of the games put on, so they didn't have thumbnails. I don't think you can set custom thumbnails, which is kind of annoying, as the picture will always change depending on where you stopped playing last. I tend to reset to the title screen of a game before exiting, as it looks neater.
Thanks! That is a convenient way of setting up the thumbnails, although it's a bit of a bummer that you can't lock the image you want in place. I guess there always could be a software update.
The Retro Sports Gamer I just noticed when you select a game from the menu, then press left from the Play button, you can lock the thumbnail, so it won't change again until you unlock it.
+MVL GAMING So basically you don't have to use your time uploading the images you want for game thumbnails and if you close the game out on the title screen, you can lock it into place. That's actually pretty awesome.
Do you plan on looking at the Polymega?
I am very interested in the Polymega. Especially the built in disk drive supporting alot of CD game systems! Which would be great to stream and record in high quality! So if I get my hands on one, I'll definitely do an unboxing and review!
Just wondering you're using a bigger Micro SD card, does the speed of the card affect the load up time at startup, has there been any tests done? I have the Japanese Retro Freak.
Justin Cherriman I have tried a smaller 4GB card and didn't notice any further delay. With the current 32gb card (which is way bigger than needed but they are very cheap) with over 150 games installed I'm not seeing any noticeable loading time. I have heard if you have many games it can be slow, but I imagine that would be a crazy amount of games. If that becomes an issue, I think you could split the games onto multiple SD cards. (One for each system for example)
I have got a SanDisk Class 4 micro SD card 4GB with 2GB of data/ripped games from carts, so i'm upgrading to a class 10 SanDisk Ultra, so that may speed up loading at startup, it sounds like it should load up instantly with what you're seeing.
Justin Cherriman Cool! Let me know if it does speed it up. Would be interesting to know.
my need a high speed sd card just get a 4K card 32 GB is the max it will work on for now
I've now got the class 10 32GB micro SD card, it's still the same speed as the class 4 with no noticeable speed up, may have to do a stopwatch comparison.
How does the system perform, if you choose not to rip the ROM to storage, as though it were a normal console? Just curious if it makes for a reliable console like experience, for those who don't own the real consoles? Thanks for an interesting review. Do you still use your Retro Freak?
To my understanding, regardless if you save the ROM file or not, it works exactly the same way. Playing the ROM file with emulation. The only difference being it won't save the file to memory, and if you remove the cartridge, it'll stop playing. In terms of reliability, only a very small amount of cartridges wouldn't work on it, and for every one of those, a ROM file of the same game on the SD card worked fine. The only issues I have had is with a small amount of Game Boy Advance Games, which out of all my games, only two had issues, (One with no sound, and the other crashing) which is due to the emulator not using a BIOS I believe. The system still works fine now, and yes I do still use it alot! For every Video Game Pick Ups video, live stream, or any other video I do using gameplay footage from a cartridge system compatible, I have most likely used to Retro Freak to record gameplay footage!
@@MVLGAMING Thanks for the reply, it definitely sounds like an ideal console substitute. It could definitely be the only contender for my purposes! Isn't it strange the affection we hold for certain games, over the actual consoles... at least for me? Glad you find your Retro Freak useful, its always gratifying when you make a worthwhile purchase. Too the console, is basically out of stock & is now quite expensive online :(
@@Mindboggle100 I have been hearing that the Retro Freak is hard to procure these days. I think Cyber Gadget make them in batches, so they reappear from time to time. I'd recommend if you go for one, to make sure to get one that comes with the NES cartridge adapter, and the USB controller adapter for original controllers. As each of those items are harder to grab individually.
@@MVLGAMING Thanks for the tips, those adapters are definitely worth snagging... I was always intrigued by this console and regret not getting one when they were down to £99! When will I ever learn? ;-) Best.
Didn't know this thing existed
The RetroN 5 is much more well known. Even though this is more obscure, I prefer the Retro Freak. It has the advantage that it can store your games ROM files, so you don't need to switch cartridges. (As well as playing TurboGrafx) Which for me, is very good!
Thought you said they had an English website? I can't find it
www.cybergadget.co.jp/retrofreak/en.html
This come with an nes adapter??!?! I just ordered mine and I was under the impression that you had to buy one separately
It should say in the product description if included. Japanese imports will not have it. I got mine from Funstock Retro. The UK / EU edition featured swappable heads for the power supply, and a NES cartridge converter.
MVL GAMING sadly mine didn't come with the adapter. Even though I downloaded the roms I still want the adapter
Christopher Walken Thats a shame. Good news is any NES to Famicom adapter (72 to 60 pin) should do the trick. And you can play the ROMs fine until then.
Holy moly, that beast looks interesting! It's basically a retro machine that can also capture without any issues. If I saw correctly, does it save the rom once you've entered the cartridge? So does it play from the cartridge itself, or does it save the rom and you can play that? Or is there just a "copy rom" option?
Edit: I should finish watching the video when I type comments hahahaha
Its a great system. Which makes recording and streaming those old systems in HD very easy via HDMI. You can also use the original controllers with a USB adaptor. When you put in a cartridge it rips the ROM to memory, and if you have a micro SD card inserted you may also save the ROM to it and play without the cartridge. I'm very pleased with the system, and it saved me having all those consoles hooked up! (Which I don't really have space for)
lol why would you play Sonic in PAL? basically you are playing him in slow mo.... which is not the "true" speed for the game anyways.
Can you use everdrive cartridge on this?
I did a little research into this, and I don't believe an Everdrive would work. As an alternative, you could put any ROM files you want onto a Micro SD card, and it will play those no problem!
MVL GAMING thank you so much for your help. I’ve ordered one after your brilliant review.