@lincruste Absolutely. I don't have any Retroid products now, but had been keeping an eye on them and considering a Retroid Pocket. Nothing from them will be on my list any longer; this response shows how they approach customer service and it's awful.
@mr_benn Oh! Yep, you're right that CE did get it. Good to see that, seems to support the idea that they will roll out the feature to the other games in time - and not just some Capcom thing where they didn't want to cooperate.
Would also be interested in hearing from anyone who has the Megaman version Alpha, and whether the games on that one support dip switches yet.
I picked up an Evercade Alpha and am only interested in the arcade games, so indeed the dip switch is a huge feature. Probably my most desired improvement.
However, I just updated my Alpha and it's unfortunate to see that none of the built in games on the Street Fighter edition support dip switches yet (and for Super Turbo in particular, that would be fantastic to have).
I did try all my arcade carts, and the vast majority of games do support dip switches (with a note that it's BETA functionality):
Irem Arcade Vol.1 - all games supported
Jaleco Arcade Vol.1 - all games supported
Toaplan Arcade Vol.1-4 - almost all games supported, only Fixeight and Sky Shark do not
Data East Arcade Vol. 1-2 - most games supported, I think there were 2 on each cart that are not (Bad Dudes is the one I remember)
Edit: the other feature that would be amazing to see in future firmware updates would be regional variants of arcade games (e.g., select from Japanese or International/US versions).
People mentioned Capcom fighters in general, but the one in particular that I want to call out is Vampire Savior. Saturn version included all of the characters left out of the original arcade game, that were added back into the arcade sort-of-sequels Vampire Hunter 2 and Savior 2. Plays like a dream with the 4M RAM cart. Also really love the PS2 Japanese compilation, which has a remix mode to play with any version of any character (kind of the Hyper Street Fighter II of the Darkstalkers/Vampire series).
Alpha 3 was also great.
Also, shout out to some of the DC/PS2/Xbox ports of the later Neo Geo KOF games. KOF 2003 on PS2/Xbox in particular is one where I always prefer playing the PS2 version instead of the Neo/arcade one. Really well done 3D backgrounds (optional, also contains the originals), optional arranged music, additional characters. The console port really feels like the complete package, and the Neo original feels rushed in comparison. Neo Geo game did release in mid-December 2003, so wouldn't be that surprising if they ran out of time and wanted to get it shipped, so the game with 2003 in its title actually released before the end of that year!
@Zeebor15 Basically, '98 and '02 have traditionally been among the most popular Neo Geo entries for competitive play (if not the top 2 in popularity among the Neo Geo games). Each one is a "dream match" game that isn't considered canon to the main storyline, sort of a "what if" scenario where they can do stuff like bring back characters who are dead in the canon storyline.
Each of them also caps off an arc from the overall KoF series and is kind of an "ultimate version" celebration of that arc that otherwise has a shared story (and often similar mechanics).
In fact, each of these four releases represents one of the four main arcs in the KOF series:
'98 - dream match game for the Orochi arc ('94-'98)
'02 - dream match game for the NESTS saga ('99-'02)
XIII - the final game in the Ash Saga ('03, XI, and XIII - XII is generally excluded and has no significant story implications, almost feels more like a tech demo for what was at the time a "next gen" KOF after the 10 games on Neo Geo and KOF XI on Atomiswave hardware)
XIV - the first game in a new 4th arc for the series now known as the New Age Saga, or has been referred to as the Shun'ei Saga or Verse Saga (currently consisting of XIV, XV, and the canonical spinoff of SNK Heroines Tag Frenzy)
Note that the special edition link was to Limited Run Games, not Strictly Limited. Good clarification, because Strictly Limited is firmly in "stay away" territory for me now due to their inability to produce and ship Switch games.
Makes sense though, Limited Run (NA/ESRB), Clear River (Europe retail releases), and Super Deluxe (Japan retail releases) are all Embracer. Super Deluxe is technically a joint venture between LRG and 8-4, but effectively the Japanese regional publisher for the Embracer stuff. It has been getting more common to see releases in 2, or all 3, of those regions by those publishers.
@KingMike is right on. Minor clarification that Legend of Heroes III through V (the Gagharv trilogy) did release in correct order on PSP in Japan, but were renamed/renumbered and released in a different order (IV, III, V) by Bandai in North America.
The Legend of Heroes III: White Witch - released in NA as "The Legend of Heroes II: Prophecy of the Moonlight Witch"
The Legend of Heroes IV: A Tear of Vermillion - released in NA as "The Legend of Heroes: A Tear of Vermillion"
The Legend of Heroes V: Cagesong of the Ocean - released in NA as "The Legend of Heroes III: Song of the Ocean"
And then of course, The Legend of Heroes VI was the first of the "Trails" games, Trails in the Sky (First Chapter/FC)!
Should be noted that different platforms on NSO have different levels of quality.
M2 is referenced in the article, but I don't see any mention that they are the ones who were responsible for the Mega Drive/Genesis on NSO (and only that system). And, unsurprisingly given M2's stellar reputation, those games run very well with minimal lag. Even a rather precision game like M.U.S.H.A./Musha Aleste runs well.
N64, on the other hand, has had some noticeably poor emulation quality. In addition to just general lag, there have been widespread complaints about other serious emulation issues, with games like Perfect Dark or Ocarina of Time among those that got called out frequently when they launched on NSO.
NES, SNES, GB, GBA are somewhere in between, with some additional lag that may or may not be a gamebreaker depending on the player's tolerance, as well as the type of game. As in, not as big a deal on a turn based game, but a bigger issue for cases like the Super Metroid frame perfect execution that Beaucine mentioned.
@sdelfin Good post, and regarding your Radiant Silvergun example: that game is now widely available on multiple platforms, recent Steam and Switch ports can be purchased digitally, the Japanese physical Switch cart is still in print, Saturn emulation is excellent these days, Saturn system mods and "repro" copies are more common than ever... and Saturn Radiant Silvergun still sells for hundreds of dollars despite it being trivially easy to play the game for anyone who would like to do so.
That's consistent with what usually happens - for another example, Samurai Shodown V Special on Neo Geo AES cart is worth MORE now than it was before the release of the now readily available releases of the game PS4, Switch, and PC. (I know because I sold one at market price before those ports existed, for hundreds of dollars less than it typically sells for now lol)
@Hexapus @PopetheRev28
I don't know who claims the PSX version of MSH is better than the Saturn one, but they are mistaken. Saturn port is not perfect, but does outperform PSX pretty obviously. That's even true without the RAM cart - Saturn version has less slowdown and doesn't have the animation frame cuts that are in the PSX version. With the RAM cart (which only takes advantage of 1M, not 4M like XvSF and MSHvSF), the gap widens.
MSH on PSX was better than some of Capcom's efforts on that machine. But not better than Saturn MSH.
I have an Evercade Alpha ordered, as my first piece of Evercade hardware. Love the SF Alpha series, so that was an easy sell for me.
The problem with trying to launch the Toaplan volume alongside the Alpha is that it's a horizontally oriented bartop, so not really a great fit with Batsugun, Truxton, Outzone... vertically oriented games on a system you can't use in TATE mode. Cool for the handheld players, but ehhhhh I am less enthusiastic about them on the Alpha. Same reason I am not all that excited to pick up the first two Toaplan volumes to go with my system.
Edward Randy on the Data East one is pretty cool though.
Speaking of weird cross-console Dreamcast things and CVS2... I still have my DC-Neo Geo Pocket link cable! NGPC SVC Match of the Millennium linked up with DC CVS2 to share in game currency between the games, unlock art, and some other little goodies. A handful of other games also worked: NGPC KOF R-2 with the DC ports of KOF '98 and '99, the Capcom vs SNK Card Fighters games, and Cool Cool Toon/Cool Cool Jam.
Comments 14
Re: GoRetroid To Offer Limited Returns For The "Unfixable" Pocket Mini
@lincruste Absolutely. I don't have any Retroid products now, but had been keeping an eye on them and considering a Retroid Pocket. Nothing from them will be on my list any longer; this response shows how they approach customer service and it's awful.
Re: Evercade's First Firmware Update Of 2025 Is Live
@mr_benn Oh! Yep, you're right that CE did get it. Good to see that, seems to support the idea that they will roll out the feature to the other games in time - and not just some Capcom thing where they didn't want to cooperate.
Would also be interested in hearing from anyone who has the Megaman version Alpha, and whether the games on that one support dip switches yet.
Re: Evercade's First Firmware Update Of 2025 Is Live
I picked up an Evercade Alpha and am only interested in the arcade games, so indeed the dip switch is a huge feature. Probably my most desired improvement.
However, I just updated my Alpha and it's unfortunate to see that none of the built in games on the Street Fighter edition support dip switches yet (and for Super Turbo in particular, that would be fantastic to have).
I did try all my arcade carts, and the vast majority of games do support dip switches (with a note that it's BETA functionality):
Irem Arcade Vol.1 - all games supported
Jaleco Arcade Vol.1 - all games supported
Toaplan Arcade Vol.1-4 - almost all games supported, only Fixeight and Sky Shark do not
Data East Arcade Vol. 1-2 - most games supported, I think there were 2 on each cart that are not (Bad Dudes is the one I remember)
Edit: the other feature that would be amazing to see in future firmware updates would be regional variants of arcade games (e.g., select from Japanese or International/US versions).
Re: Talking Point: Is There A Home Port You Prefer To The Arcade Original?
People mentioned Capcom fighters in general, but the one in particular that I want to call out is Vampire Savior. Saturn version included all of the characters left out of the original arcade game, that were added back into the arcade sort-of-sequels Vampire Hunter 2 and Savior 2. Plays like a dream with the 4M RAM cart. Also really love the PS2 Japanese compilation, which has a remix mode to play with any version of any character (kind of the Hyper Street Fighter II of the Darkstalkers/Vampire series).
Alpha 3 was also great.
Also, shout out to some of the DC/PS2/Xbox ports of the later Neo Geo KOF games. KOF 2003 on PS2/Xbox in particular is one where I always prefer playing the PS2 version instead of the Neo/arcade one. Really well done 3D backgrounds (optional, also contains the originals), optional arranged music, additional characters. The console port really feels like the complete package, and the Neo original feels rushed in comparison. Neo Geo game did release in mid-December 2003, so wouldn't be that surprising if they ran out of time and wanted to get it shipped, so the game with 2003 in its title actually released before the end of that year!
Re: Four King Of Fighters Classics Are Getting Limited Editions Across PS4 And Switch
It's also widely discussed among the KOF fan community for this 30 year old series. For example, on the extensive SNK Wiki:
https://snk.fandom.com/wiki/Category:Story_Sagas - good breakdown by story arc
https://snk.fandom.com/wiki/The_King_of_Fighters_(series) - main series page with a ton of information
Re: Four King Of Fighters Classics Are Getting Limited Editions Across PS4 And Switch
@Zeebor15 Basically, '98 and '02 have traditionally been among the most popular Neo Geo entries for competitive play (if not the top 2 in popularity among the Neo Geo games). Each one is a "dream match" game that isn't considered canon to the main storyline, sort of a "what if" scenario where they can do stuff like bring back characters who are dead in the canon storyline.
Each of them also caps off an arc from the overall KoF series and is kind of an "ultimate version" celebration of that arc that otherwise has a shared story (and often similar mechanics).
In fact, each of these four releases represents one of the four main arcs in the KOF series:
'98 - dream match game for the Orochi arc ('94-'98)
'02 - dream match game for the NESTS saga ('99-'02)
XIII - the final game in the Ash Saga ('03, XI, and XIII - XII is generally excluded and has no significant story implications, almost feels more like a tech demo for what was at the time a "next gen" KOF after the 10 games on Neo Geo and KOF XI on Atomiswave hardware)
XIV - the first game in a new 4th arc for the series now known as the New Age Saga, or has been referred to as the Shun'ei Saga or Verse Saga (currently consisting of XIV, XV, and the canonical spinoff of SNK Heroines Tag Frenzy)
Re: Superdeluxe Announces Assault Suit Valken Declassified Deluxe Edition For Switch
Note that the special edition link was to Limited Run Games, not Strictly Limited. Good clarification, because Strictly Limited is firmly in "stay away" territory for me now due to their inability to produce and ship Switch games.
Makes sense though, Limited Run (NA/ESRB), Clear River (Europe retail releases), and Super Deluxe (Japan retail releases) are all Embracer. Super Deluxe is technically a joint venture between LRG and 8-4, but effectively the Japanese regional publisher for the Embracer stuff. It has been getting more common to see releases in 2, or all 3, of those regions by those publishers.
Re: Dragon Slayer: The Legend of Heroes 2 Is Out This Week On Nintendo Switch
@KingMike is right on. Minor clarification that Legend of Heroes III through V (the Gagharv trilogy) did release in correct order on PSP in Japan, but were renamed/renumbered and released in a different order (IV, III, V) by Bandai in North America.
The Legend of Heroes III: White Witch - released in NA as "The Legend of Heroes II: Prophecy of the Moonlight Witch"
The Legend of Heroes IV: A Tear of Vermillion - released in NA as "The Legend of Heroes: A Tear of Vermillion"
The Legend of Heroes V: Cagesong of the Ocean - released in NA as "The Legend of Heroes III: Song of the Ocean"
And then of course, The Legend of Heroes VI was the first of the "Trails" games, Trails in the Sky (First Chapter/FC)!
Re: "Absolutely Horrid" - Is Nintendo Switch Online's Emulation Really That Bad?
Should be noted that different platforms on NSO have different levels of quality.
M2 is referenced in the article, but I don't see any mention that they are the ones who were responsible for the Mega Drive/Genesis on NSO (and only that system). And, unsurprisingly given M2's stellar reputation, those games run very well with minimal lag. Even a rather precision game like M.U.S.H.A./Musha Aleste runs well.
N64, on the other hand, has had some noticeably poor emulation quality. In addition to just general lag, there have been widespread complaints about other serious emulation issues, with games like Perfect Dark or Ocarina of Time among those that got called out frequently when they launched on NSO.
NES, SNES, GB, GBA are somewhere in between, with some additional lag that may or may not be a gamebreaker depending on the player's tolerance, as well as the type of game. As in, not as big a deal on a turn based game, but a bigger issue for cases like the Super Metroid frame perfect execution that Beaucine mentioned.
Re: Dragon Quest SNES Prototype Worth $50,000 "Lost For Good"
@sdelfin Good post, and regarding your Radiant Silvergun example: that game is now widely available on multiple platforms, recent Steam and Switch ports can be purchased digitally, the Japanese physical Switch cart is still in print, Saturn emulation is excellent these days, Saturn system mods and "repro" copies are more common than ever... and Saturn Radiant Silvergun still sells for hundreds of dollars despite it being trivially easy to play the game for anyone who would like to do so.
That's consistent with what usually happens - for another example, Samurai Shodown V Special on Neo Geo AES cart is worth MORE now than it was before the release of the now readily available releases of the game PS4, Switch, and PC. (I know because I sold one at market price before those ports existed, for hundreds of dollars less than it typically sells for now lol)
Re: Marvel vs. Capcom Fighting Collection Won't Include Yoshiki Okamoto's Most Hated Character
@Hexapus @PopetheRev28
I don't know who claims the PSX version of MSH is better than the Saturn one, but they are mistaken. Saturn port is not perfect, but does outperform PSX pretty obviously. That's even true without the RAM cart - Saturn version has less slowdown and doesn't have the animation frame cuts that are in the PSX version. With the RAM cart (which only takes advantage of 1M, not 4M like XvSF and MSHvSF), the gap widens.
MSH on PSX was better than some of Capcom's efforts on that machine. But not better than Saturn MSH.
Re: Evercade's Next Carts Include Batsugun, Super BurgerTime, Edward Randy And Midnight Resistance
I have an Evercade Alpha ordered, as my first piece of Evercade hardware. Love the SF Alpha series, so that was an easy sell for me.
The problem with trying to launch the Toaplan volume alongside the Alpha is that it's a horizontally oriented bartop, so not really a great fit with Batsugun, Truxton, Outzone... vertically oriented games on a system you can't use in TATE mode. Cool for the handheld players, but ehhhhh I am less enthusiastic about them on the Alpha. Same reason I am not all that excited to pick up the first two Toaplan volumes to go with my system.
Edward Randy on the Data East one is pretty cool though.
Re: Remember When PS2 And Dreamcast Had Cross-Play In 2001?
Speaking of weird cross-console Dreamcast things and CVS2... I still have my DC-Neo Geo Pocket link cable! NGPC SVC Match of the Millennium linked up with DC CVS2 to share in game currency between the games, unlock art, and some other little goodies. A handful of other games also worked: NGPC KOF R-2 with the DC ports of KOF '98 and '99, the Capcom vs SNK Card Fighters games, and Cool Cool Toon/Cool Cool Jam.
Re: A1 Unicorn Will Have "One Of The Best D-Pads" Of Any Handheld, Says ZPG
It is a crime against humanity to brag about having a great d-pad and specifically show off Street Fighter II... and then have 4 face buttons.
Give me this instead: https://www.timeextension.com/reviews/anbernic-rg-arc-the-dream-handheld-for-fighting-game-fans Would be nice to see Anbernic make an upgrade to that with enough power to do PS2...