BionicDodo

I will buy one of these because I love this era of gaming, but I am really disappointed that they couldn't roll out English translations of Snatcher and Ys IV for this.

This is one of those projects where from the start I haven't been able to understand how anyone thought it was a good idea. Even a giant like Google or Amazon has its work cut out pushing into the video games business. The only way for a small company to sell hardware these days is to go for something cheap that people can buy on a whim. This seemed doomed from day 1.

The base unit does play Mega CD, PC Engine CD, Neo Geo CD, PS1 and Saturn games. It is still quite pricey but you get a lot of compatibility for your money. Like everyone else though, I want to see a finished unit working and read actual feedback on the retail units.

Well, I guess that justifies the 16:9 screen. Not all indies are made equal though, so it will be interesting to see what it's actually getting.

I get buying top quality, and top priced, FPGA hardware to play your original games, but if you're going to play roms you may as well get a real Mega-CD (for a lot less than this thing costs) and play burned discs.

Also, all the stuff I read about the issues with the RGB output of their Super SD System prevents me from having complete faith in these guys. I certainly wouldn't buy a day 1 release from them.

@PunchNpie I understand that it allows the games to be played in their native resolutions, that's why I said that every game will have borders at the sides (as no old games on it are going to be 16:9, making the extra screen real estate pointless).

That's a pretty impressive line-up. This thing officially has my attention now.

Still think it's a shame that it has a 16:9 screen though. The button layout doesn't look like it'll work for playing games in TATE mode and so every single game is going to have borders at the side when played in its original aspect ratio. Would have preferred a 4:3 screen, but I guess they're hard to source cheaply these days.

Wow, that orange variant is hideous! Nearly bought one of those Top Gun HDTV guns a few years back but could never stomach the price given the mixed reviews.

As a big fan of the Master System version of R-Type I remember being shocked at how well the Game Boy version turned out.

I have an urge to buy one, but as an owner of a switchless modded original Mega Drive and an OSSC there is simply no justification.

Glad it's good though. If the originals start dying one day then I will definitely be taking this route.

Lost a fair bit of interest when talk of FPGA became about future versions.

Will be picking up a bluetooth Saturn controller or two when they arrive.

The lack of micro switches (my original Neo Geo CD pad still works just fine in 2018) and the dodgy video output is enough to stop me from buying this. Shame.

I shall stick to my wired pads for now and will be picking up the 8bitdo pad in January. For £65 you could get a region free Mega Drive 1, two controllers and an RGB SCART cable!

Great article. I remember I was working in WH Smith when it came over here and all we heard about at the time was Pokemon. Trading cards, games, magazines... It was a phenomenon.

There is a BIG difference between converting systems like Dreamcast and PS2 to HDMI and converting a system like SNES that uses a sub 640x480 resolution. I am intrigued to see how the SNES cable performs but I am happy with my OSSC.

I can't justify the price right now given that I have a Mega Drive 1 + OSSC but if this thing had 32X support built in and a CD slot to allow the playing of Mega Drive, 32X and Mega CD games out of the box...

Likewise, if they made a single unit capable of playing PC Engine, TurboGrafx, SuperGrafx and PCE CD games I'd order in an instant. I highly doubt they'll ever do an optical drive though. Maybe support for the images from SD... (again, I doubt it)

@NinChocolate Haha, I love that you said 'when', as you're right - it will happen and the wife won't leave me over it. I think.

@NinChocolate I want one, but I just can't justify buying the games. I've already got a Master System, Mega Drive, Saturn, Dreamcast, NES, SNES, N64, GameCube, Wii, Wii U, 3DS, Switch, PS2, PS3, PSP, Vita, Xbox One S, Lynx, NGPC and gaming PC.... I think my wife might leave me if I buy another console!

I will keep an eye on this but I would never pre-order with so little known. Besides, I own a multi-region Saturn and many other consoles along with a OSSC. The one console I don't have but want is a PC Engine.

This is possibly the only console I can think of that I have never had any desire to own - not at the time and not now as a sucker for all things slightly unusual in the world of retro gaming.

This game looks great, but I was always too wary to actually order it. Much as I love the idea of a new Mega Drive or SNES game, I would probably rather pay £15 for it as an eShop game.

Xeno Crisis looks great and Tanglewood looks like it might be decent too. Crypt of Dracula doesn't really look like my bag though.

Never really played a Sonic racing game... Can you win this trophy in them?

As an owner of a Master System, Mega Drive, Saturn and Dreamcast I kinda feel like I should seek out a Mega CD and 32X to complete the Sega set. The 32X goes for a lot these days though!

I always wanted to add a PC Engine to my collection but was put off by the hundred different models and add-ons. This is tempting but still out of my price range at €240.

Quite tempted by this. Would be a lot easier to get away with spending £160 on this little box than to convince my wife to let me stick a big ugly CRT TV in our house so that I can recapture my youth.

Funny to find this article on here as I was actually playing Micro Machines '96 on my Megadrive earlier this evening. I kept asking myself if I used to drive off the table so bloody often when I was a kid!

"Of course, these systems succeed or fail on the quality of their emulation, but it would seem that RetroBlox will set a new standard. It uses special "Hybrid emulation" to achieve unprecedented performance, peerless compatibility and lag-free control."

Hmmm... writing that in the article text without the use of inverted commas makes this whole thing feel much more like a press release than an actual article.

Awesome! Love the Bitmap Brothers games. Was just saying the other day that a collection of their games remade 3D Classics style for the 3DS would be amazing. The Chaos Engine, Gods, Magic Pockets, Cadaver, Speedball 2 and Xenon 2 would be a fantastic package. Maybe it'll have to be 2D and for the Switch...