{"id":2718,"date":"2015-12-30T23:47:41","date_gmt":"2015-12-31T04:47:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/armchairarcade.com\/perspectives\/?p=2718"},"modified":"2016-10-28T09:35:24","modified_gmt":"2016-10-28T13:35:24","slug":"review-cyber-gadget-retro-freak-plays-games-from-16-different-videogame-systems-includes-videos","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/armchairarcade.com\/perspectives\/2015\/12\/30\/review-cyber-gadget-retro-freak-plays-games-from-16-different-videogame-systems-includes-videos\/","title":{"rendered":"Review: Cyber Gadget Retro Freak (plays games from 17 videogame systems) (includes videos)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Introduction<\/h2>\n

Although I’m an enthusiastic fan of the Hyperkin RetroN 5<\/a>, which plays original cartridges from the NES, Famicom, Super NES, Super Famicom, Genesis, Mega Drive, Game Boy, Game Boy Color, Game Boy Advance, and Sega Master System (with a Power Base Converter or equivalent) in glorious HD, it’s not without its frustrations. Perhaps the biggest of those frustrations is that there’s no easy and official way to play flash-based multi-carts or run ROMs. It’s strictly for playing original cartridges. That’s why the Japanese Retro Freak<\/a> console from Cyber Gadget had me so excited. Not only does the Retro Freak<\/a> do many of the same things that the RetroN 5<\/a> does, it can also run ROMs directly from an optional microSD or microSDHC card (up to 32GB<\/a>, although you’ll read later why a card of that size is not necessarily all that useful at this point).<\/p>\n

\"The

The box for the Premium edition.<\/p><\/div>\n

The mix of systems for the Retro Freak<\/a> is a bit different from the RetroN 5<\/a>. The Retro Freak<\/a> plays original cartridges and ROMs for the Famicom, Super NES, Super Famicom, Genesis, Mega Drive, Game Boy, Game Boy Color, Game Boy Advance, Super Game Boy, TurboGrafx-16, PC Engine, PC Engine SuperGrafx, and, with an adapter if you want to play physical cartridges, NES, Game Gear, Sega Master System, Mark III, and SG-1000. Interestingly, unlike the RetroN 5<\/a>, the Retro Freak<\/a> is not entirely self contained, with, for instance, the tiny main unit inserting into a larger shell for when you want to use cartridges (its total size is still smaller than the RetroN 5<\/a>) and the controller adapter to use a single\u00a0original controller (versus two ports built into the RetroN 5<\/a>\u00a0for each of its\u00a0main supported systems) for the SNES, Famicom, NES, PC Engine, and Sega Genesis\/Mega Drive an optional add-on outside of the Premium model. A further deviation from the RetroN 5<\/a> is the lack of a wireless controller option (there are rumors of third party Bluetooth adapters from 8Bitdo in development), with only a lightweight, wired controller modeled somewhat after the Super NES\/Super Famicom included, although you can plug in many USB adaptable controllers, both classic and modern, including Sony PlayStation 3<\/a> and 4 DualShock gamepads<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Although the Retro Freak<\/a> is available from a variety of sellers on eBay, the most cost effective and reliable method is to do what I did for the Premium model and get it from Play-Asia<\/a>, which was only recently able to meet the incredible demand for the product with sufficient stock levels. Play-Asia<\/a> stocks the Retro Freak Standard<\/a>, Retro Freak Premium<\/a>, Retro Freak Gear Converter<\/a> (for adapting Sega Game Gear, Mark III, and SG-1000 cartridges), Retro Freak Controller Adapter<\/a> (which comes with the Premium set), and a Retro Freak AC Adapter<\/a> (in case you want another one; note that this is the same type of adapter used on the Sony PSP and devices like the indispensable XRGB-mini Framemeister<\/a>). Although you’ll pay a premium for the FedEx shipping option at Play-Asia<\/a>, the fact that you’ll get your delivery in a few days helps make up for it (just be sure to have someone present to sign for the package).<\/p>\n

\"What

What you get with the Premium edition.<\/p><\/div>\n

The Retro Freak<\/a> comes with the console itself, a short HDMI cable, and an AC adapter (it’s universal, so it works fine in both Japan and North America). If you got the Retro Freak Premium<\/a> like I did, you also get the controller adapter box and miniUSB cable for connecting it to the console.<\/p>\n

Starting Out<\/h1>\n

When you first start the Retro Freak<\/a>, it helpfully gives you a choice of language. I of course chose English. It also prompted me to automatically update the RetroFreak Cartridge Adapter<\/strong>. And that was that. You can see the whole process in the absolutely unexciting video that follows:<\/p>\n