Retro-Bit Retro Duo 2 in 1 Console System - for Original NES/SNES - Silver

This console claims to play NES and SNES games and I've found it to do so well. I've essentially bought it so for a few reasons. I have a big CRT TV in my garage I'd like to play NES/SNES (my consoles are inside) and I'd love to preserve my original consoles. After doing a painful amount of research I had learned that the retro duo was the most compatible out of the current lineup of clones. They all seem to have a fatal flaw and in this case it had been said that the NES sound was a bit wacky. Almost like the sound is distorted from being over driven. I had actually bought the parts needed to "fix" the sound on the NES side. I'm not sure if later version 3.0 models we're revised but the sound for the NES sounds pretty clean and very close to the original. No mod needed. I'm more than satisfied with the NES performance. I actually pulled my apart and the NES on a chip is much different then the pictures I had seen online. It appears they have improved it although I did notice that Castlevania III no longer works. The SNES side is wonderful. You would be hard pressed to find irregularities on the SNES capability. You know what else is pretty cool about this? It uses SNES ports and this has a benefit to the NES side as well. Both the NES and SNES used the same gamepad controller chip. If you're handy with wiring you can pick up an NES and a SNES extension cable, cut them open, match the colors and splice it back together to make yourself an adapter to use an NES controller. The included controllers are not bad and can get you by but I'd recommend you round up the originals for sure. The game slots themselves tend to really hug the cartridges. Especially the NES. The fix that I ended up with was to just keep my game genie in the slot so I'm not wrecking the console itself. You should really make it a point to find the originals but this clone console is not bad! EDIT: I decided to do a side by side comparison of Super Mario Bros. and Kickle Cubicle. The Retro Duo is spot on. Sound and all. I also decided to create an NES to SNES adapter so that I could plug in an NES controller. Fortunately, the SNES gamepad has the same gamepad microcontroller as the NES except that it has two of them to drive the extra buttons. This means they are essentially the same. I purchased a Retro-Bit SNES 6-Feet Extension Cable and an NES extension cable also by retro-bit. The wire coloring differs from the authentic NES/SNES wiring. Here is how they are laid out: NES extension cable Pin # / Color 1 brown 2 orange 3 black 4 red 5 yellow 6 blue 7 green SNES extension cable Pin # / Color 1 green 2 blue 3 yellow 4 red 7 black Here is how you need to wire them together: SNES Side / NES Side green / yellow blue / orange yellow / black red / red black / brown That's all. Now you can use a NES controller to play your NES games with the retro duo. Source of NES/SNES pin layout: [...]

This system is awesome. Great for endless hours of NES AND SNES fun. Play many classic NES titles, Super Mario triliogy, Legend Zelda, Mega Man, Tutrles, etc. As well as SNES classic Super Mario World, A Link to the Past and Starfox. It uses the SNES style controllers, which does not allow use for the classic NES controller, or NES zapper. It is unable to play certain games: Battletoads for NES. The game hangs after level 2, though a cheat allows you to jump to level 3. Digger T. Rock: Legend of the Lost City plays title screen,but MANY in-game crashes and graphic glitches that, render it unplayable. For Duck Hunt NES Zapper cannot be plugged in. Does work with NES to SNES adapting cables that have accessory support. However, that NES Zapper only works with a CRT TV set. Maniac Mansion just doesn't play. Paperboy controller is not recognized. That's really it for NES which isn't too bad honestly. A much larger list for SNES. Most notably is Super Mario RPG, due to the NES PAL. Also ALL NES accessories DO NOT and CANNOT work unless NES to SNES adapter. That includes R.O.B. NES Zapper, Power Pad, NES Advantagem NES Max and Power Glove. Also the NES Game Genie does not. Also does not play Famicom games. Still, probably the best clone system of them all. Many clone systems struggle with Castlevania III. Works just fine on this. Star Fox is another many clones struggle with. Again not this one. Super Game Boy adapter works great. SNES game genie works great. Super Famicom games almost usually work. Retro-Bit RetroGEN Adapter Genesis to SNES Cartridge Adapter works great allowing Genesis games to play on i. System is not perfect. But much cheaper than getting a NES & SNES. Plays most games great.

Shopping was fast. Console work perfectly 👌

I will start off by saying that I have owned this system originally as a child and was thrilled to know that you could buy a 3rd party "new" system that could play NES and SNES games. Unfortunately for anyone who has purchased this system or wants to, it will be a short lived high. As most of the reviews point out this system is light, cheap feeling, and junk. It truly feels like a 20 buck system except its twice that on average. Remotes to me felt alright but functionally I really couldnt test them as the driver/emulator in mine was malfunctioning. Tried numerous equipment checks to make sure my setup wasnt to blame given I was using RYW splitter/ 1080p upscaler into my tv........but sadly it wasnt that. Went straight to tv with this thing with different AV cables even to root that out. Ultimately you can tell the hit or miss nature of it just by hitting that reset button and watching the screen come up with different artifacts/haze/bars/static each time and one in ten you get a nice picture. Unlike some reviews I actually had clear sound although when the video would stutter the sound would cut in/out but was the most consistent for functioning. Last gem of the system but one not really the nail in the coffin but a safety concern was that there was some sort of short in the AV cables provided as I could feel the current through the video cable when plugged in and I promptly replaced it with my own during testing. Ultimately I beg you to not to purchase this and find an original or mini and eat the extra cost. Its not worth the cheap feel and even if you get one that works 100% just pick it up like a good book between both hands and squeeze it and ask yourself "is this going to last me more than a year?".......but dont do it too hard because you'll crack the system.

First the positive. The best thing I can say about this system is that it plays SNES games pretty close to perfectly. Even Super Mario RPG worked which seems to be pretty hit or miss on a lot of these clone systems so right off the bat this gets major props for SNES compatibility. The inclusion of S-video is a nice option but on my HDTV I actually thought it made games look slightly worse so unless you have an older TV set this probably isn't a big plus though it isn't like you have to use it so the inclusion of S-video isn't a minus either. Also, the unit is compatible with original SNES controllers so you can actually control games as they were intended. The included controllers felt a little cheap but I actually didn't use them so as far as I know they might be perfectly good. In regards to NES playback things get a little bit more dicey but I'd still call this the best clone that I've used for NES purposes. Once again, compatibility is great and even Castlevania III worked which as far as I know doesn't work on any other clone systems. Also, major props to Retro-Bit for doing a good job of mapping the buttons of the NES to the SNES controllers. Some other clones I've used map A and B on the NES controller to A and B on the SNES controller which just ends up being awkward. The Retro Duo Twin instead maps A and B to Y and B (the two left most buttons on the SNES controller) and this ends up being a much more natural feeling placement than other systems have. It's a nice little touch. Some of the NES games that I can confirm worked on my unit are: Super Mario (1,2, & 3), Castlevania III, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2 & 3), Super Dodge Ball, Super Tecmo Bowl, Rainbow Islands, StarTropics (1 & 2), Rad Racer, Contra, Super Contra, Zanac, Kirby's Adventure, Kabuki Quantum Fighter, Goonies 2, and Robowarrior. Now for the negative which also mainly relates to the NES half of the unit. It's hard to describe but the NES sound just isn't "good". This unit doesn't seem to have the problem of other clones where the sound is off key but it is almost a little muffled/staticy. I wouldn't call it "bad" as some other reviews have but the problem is certainly there and I think it's just personal preference as to how much it will annoy you. A lot of music and sound seems to play back with no problem but certain sound effects and tunes seem to not play as clearly as they should. Very unusual problem. Keep in mind that this only seemed to be a problem with the NES sound as the SNES games sounded just right to me. Second, the color on the NES looks very faded. Things look like they're displaying in the correct color but it's all a bit lighter looking than it's supposed to be. This seemed to be a uniform problem and all of the games I tried displayed this issue. Also the construction of the unit itself feels a bit flimsy. Nothing was broken and everything seemed to work as it was intended but the unit just doesn't have a real sturdy feel to it. Still, it seems like as long as you take care of the unit it should hold up fine. Still, even with the negatives, I think this is a pretty good device. The SNES side is great and even with the problems present the NES side is fine for casual gaming. It definitely didn't stop me and a friend from having a few good games of Super Tecmo Bowl. It is also encouraging that this is the third hardware revision of this unit so it seems that Retro-Bit is actively trying to make improvements and it shows because I'd rate this above any of the other clones I've tried. With a little bit more work it seems like they'll have the NES side working perfectly and I wouldn't hesitate to give a potential future fourth revision a try especially considering the reasonable pricing on these things (another reason I won't knock it too much for the flimsy construction).

I found Retro Duo to be utterly fantastic! I never owned an original NES or SNES, so perhaps I am oblivious to the quality of those consoles, but this is certainly not cheaply made. Not having the original consoles to compare the Retro Duo with is unfortunate, but I think the clone's quality is outstanding. What to expect: First off, it is very light. Games, controllers, and other accessories surprisingly weigh more than the Retro Duo. This means you have to hold down the console to remove games. Secondly, it will not play every game. Since the NES port is a top-loader, it will play Famicom games and just about every other game as far as I know. However, there are 7 or so games that will not work on the SNES. The games that won't work are mostly unpopular or rare games, but include one of the Kirby games and Super Mario RPG. Third and finally, the controllers that come with the Retro Duo are of poor quality. The buttons all work fine, but the D-pad is cheap, so hitting one direction will most likely result in two directions being performed. I found this to be a problem with Mario and Castlevania games, as sometimes you need to duck to evade enemies. This problem is not as bad as it sounds, as the Retro Duo is compatible with every SNES controller! In addition to getting a Super Advantage, which I'd also recommend, I found 2 third-party controllers here on Amazon for about 8 bucks. While they are not as heavy or have the same quality as original SNES controllers, I no longer have any control problems. Overview: I can attribute this purchase to a parenting failure, as I only had a Game Boy growing up. With the Retro Duo, I'm able to have the experiences I should have had over 15 years ago! I only listed the cons because I felt the Retro Duo speaks for itself. As mentioned above, it is not perfect, but I was not hesitant to give this product 5 stars. If you can get past those three things as easily as I did, you will love this system. For less than the cost of one of the two consoles, the Retro Duo convinces me I'm getting the same experiences as I would with the original consoles, every time I play it.

Works as advertised. Great way to revisit the games we all loved (what else was there?) back in the day. HDMI connection. Two controllers, it's great value for $$.

I had recently pulled out my NES and SNES from my parents basement to see if I could do some classic gaming. I fired up the NES, and it worked just fine. However, turning on the SNES was a completely different story. All of the games played with graphical glitches. I knew that the console itself had begun to go bad. This is too bad, because most of my young childhood gaming experiences came from playing on an SNES. I did not really want to buy a refurbished SNES, so I searched online and found this very interesting device. I received the package immediately, and could not wait to test it out. A few things to note: #1: The slots ARE tight. So pushing the games in, and pulling them out can be quite difficult. #2: The controllers are nice, but I feel like one of them is off. I hooked up an old SNES controller, and it works just fine. #3: "Some games" don't work, but this can be worked around. I believe using a GAME GENIE can help some of these situations. I have Super Mario All-Stars, and simply booting it up does not work. However, stick it on the Game Genie, and the game plays correctly. #4: I have not noticed ANY graphical malfunctions or SOUND malfunctions from the NES side. I hooked it up to a 32 inch flat-screen, and everything seems to work just fine. Double Dragon sounded great! #5: Some peripherals don't work, but I think I may have to try Mario Paint to confirm some of the 16 bit stuff. I also have a Super Scope, but I think that is going to be unnecessary. #6: Definitely light and plasticy. Doesn't bother me though, it's electronics. Pretty typical. #7: Love the overall minimalistic design! It is definitely a space saver. Overall the device is sleek, minimal (which is great), and an awesome buy for the price.

La consola reproduce bien los juegos de snes, sin problemas, yo los he probado con juegos de importación USA y van bien, pero el tipo de salida de vídeo es ntsc así que en un tv pal me salía la imagen en blanco y negro (ojo hablo de juegos USA, no tengo juegos de la otra región PAL), pero lo conecté a un tv que sí acepta ntsc/pal y se ve la imagen correcta. Por lo demás cumple con mis expectativas, el enchufe también es tipo americano, pero le pones un adaptador y a jugar. Se agradece que de tamaño sea pequeña, además es compatible con nes/snes/ y con sega comprando un adaptador.

Works great..was a gift

Ótimo produto!

Está genial! Puedes jugar NES y SNES en la misma consola, los controles son cómodos y funcionan a la perfección. Ojalá tuviera mejor resolución pero es la mismas que las consolas originales.

bon produit j ais pu installer les 2 sortes de cartouche je ne suis pas un pro mais j ais retrouver des jeux que possédais mes amis