I saw a thread on the Time Extension site about Hyperkin's new prototype RetronGX console plays both PC Engine Hu-Cards and TurboGrafx-16 Turbo Chip games on it + it was shown at the 2022 Tokyo Game Show. Has it been released yet?
PC Engine Fan X! ^_~
Hyperkin "Retron GX" review....
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PC Engine Fan X!
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Hyperkin "Retron GX" review....
Last edited by PC Engine Fan X! on Sun Sep 07, 2025 1:31 am, edited 3 times in total.
Re: Has Hyperkin released it's RetronGX PCE-clone console?
No. But... you could have just checked their website to get that answer too.
Re: Has Hyperkin released it's RetronGX PCE-clone console?
A lot of their stuff never seems to come out. Remember the DOS based gaming system that they announced years ago (Retron x86), for instance? Or for a more recent example, their N64 system.
Probably for the best. While I want to love their Retron 77 (my lone experience with their products), even with the community build installed to have an almost up to date version of Stella and ignoring the cartridge slot and just using roms, it just aggravates me. For instance it decided to just forget all my button mapping that I spent a lot of time setting up in order to be able to use an arcade stick with everything important for me mapped to a controller button.
It was almost there thanks mostly to the Stella team rather than Hyperkin themselves, but it instead just lives in its box. And with anything else that they push out, I highly doubt that a group of talented hobbyists will be coming to the rescue in order to finish Hyperkin's job for them.
Probably for the best. While I want to love their Retron 77 (my lone experience with their products), even with the community build installed to have an almost up to date version of Stella and ignoring the cartridge slot and just using roms, it just aggravates me. For instance it decided to just forget all my button mapping that I spent a lot of time setting up in order to be able to use an arcade stick with everything important for me mapped to a controller button.
It was almost there thanks mostly to the Stella team rather than Hyperkin themselves, but it instead just lives in its box. And with anything else that they push out, I highly doubt that a group of talented hobbyists will be coming to the rescue in order to finish Hyperkin's job for them.
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PC Engine Fan X!
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Re: Has Hyperkin released it's RetronGX PCE-clone console?
The long delayed Hyperkin "Retron GX" console will be released on August 20, 2025 with the newest & latest firmware through Hyperkin's site & through Amazon as well.
MSRP is $89.99 (it was priced at $89.99 through Castlemania Games back in May of 2025 as a pre-order and still is listed as such). If you want to use the PC Engine based controllers and arcade sticks, a PCE to TG-16 controller adapter will be necessary as the Retron GX uses two on-board TG-16 controller ports on the front-side portion of the console itself. There are two usb ports available for using other usb-based gaming controllers if so desired. I've pre-ordered one through Amazon and will review it here in this particular thread.
Time Extension did an article on the Hyperkin Retron GX console dated 8/5/25 with the latest info on it -- it's quite informative indeed.
Output is via HDMI at 720p either in 16:9 or 4:3 screen aspect ratio (selectible on the backside).
PC Engine Fan X! ^_~
MSRP is $89.99 (it was priced at $89.99 through Castlemania Games back in May of 2025 as a pre-order and still is listed as such). If you want to use the PC Engine based controllers and arcade sticks, a PCE to TG-16 controller adapter will be necessary as the Retron GX uses two on-board TG-16 controller ports on the front-side portion of the console itself. There are two usb ports available for using other usb-based gaming controllers if so desired. I've pre-ordered one through Amazon and will review it here in this particular thread.
Time Extension did an article on the Hyperkin Retron GX console dated 8/5/25 with the latest info on it -- it's quite informative indeed.
Output is via HDMI at 720p either in 16:9 or 4:3 screen aspect ratio (selectible on the backside).
PC Engine Fan X! ^_~
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PC Engine Fan X!
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Re: Hyperkin will release it's RetronGX PCE-clone console on 8/20/2025.....
Looks like a typical ARM emulation box, so little value over running a TG16/PCE emulator on anything else. Though there aren't really any cheap USB cart dumpers out there, so if you want to play using original carts, you wouldn't be saving much money from doing so.
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SavagePencil
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Re: Hyperkin will release it's RetronGX PCE-clone console on 8/20/2025.....
Hyperkin has such a poor track record that I’d worry this does more harm than good for the reputation of this great system.
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PC Engine Fan X!
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Re: Hyperkin will release it's RetronGX PCE-clone console on 8/20/2025.....
Here's YoutuberJohnny Grafx with his take on the eve of Hyperkin's release of the RetronGX console: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Duo4ud7-mC0
If it gets "jailbroken" to support Krikzz's Turbo Everdrive Pro, it'd truly have the ability to play the CD-Rom2, Super CD-Rom2 & Arcade CD-Rom2 based games as well. We'll see what happens.
PC Engine Fan X! ^_~
If it gets "jailbroken" to support Krikzz's Turbo Everdrive Pro, it'd truly have the ability to play the CD-Rom2, Super CD-Rom2 & Arcade CD-Rom2 based games as well. We'll see what happens.
PC Engine Fan X! ^_~
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PC Engine Fan X!
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Re: Hyperkin will release it's RetronGX PCE-clone console on 8/20/2025.....
Here's GamesRadar's review on Hyperkin's Retron GX console (not my article): https://www.gamesradar.com/hardware/ret ... gx-review/
Still no word if the PCE/TG-16 games of Bomberman, Bomberman '93, Bomberman '93 Special Version and Bomberman '94 work with the PCE multi-tap or even with the TG-16 Turbo Tap on this newfangled Retron GX setup. Even Masaya's classic Moto Roader & Moto Roader II isn't known if they work on the Retron GX with a multi-tap setup either. It's well-known that both Turbo Chip carts of Bomberman (circa 1990) & Bomberman '93 (circa 1992) were released in the USA courtesy of NEC and TTI (Turbo Technologies Incorporated) respectively.
If you want to use the more readily available PCE gamepads & arcade sticks with it, a simple "PCE to TG-16" controller adapter is necessary and crucial (something that Hyperkin didn't even include in the first place for that matter but they could've easily done so).
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Stone Age Gamer sells the proper Retro Frog produced "PCE to TG-16" controller adapter considering you can use the optionally more robust NEC "Avenue Pad 6" controller with the 20 megabit sized Hu-Card of Street Fighter II Dash as originally intended: https://stoneagegamer.com/pce2tg16-cont ... -frog.html
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As it is, it's not an entirely a "lost cause" in trying to source the so-called fabled & mysterious "PCE to TG-16" controller adapter as it was "sold out" for a while and SAG had just recently gotten in a fresh new batch of the Retro Frog controller adapters as of last week. Talk about perfect timing.
In going with the two provided "old-school" TurboGrafx-16 controller ports on the Retron GX, Hyperkin effectively limits it's officially 1st-party & 3rd-party controller usage with the TG-16 based gamepads & arcade sticks (namely NEC's official 1st-party branded "Turbo Stick" arcade stick setup comes to mind along with the 3rd-party offerings of the Acemore "Super Stick" TG-16 arcade stick and Beeshu's TG-16-based arcade stick "Ultimate SuperStick" {utilizing a micro-switched based joystick setup} to round off the smattering handful of TG-16 based arcade sticks readily available "on tap").
NEC's official 1st-party PCE wireless receiver + wireless 5 player multi-tap combo deal & NEC 1st-party PCE wireless gamepad controllers (circa 1992) using the "old-school" IR technology/protocol, they'll work on the Retron GX with the correct controller adapter.
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Of course, the two best PC Engine-based arcade sticks are Micomsoft's "XE-1 Pro HE" and Hori's "Fighting Stick PC" with it's factory installed Seimitsu LS-33 arcade stick, they're regarded as the very best that money can buy, especially nowadays.
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The word is out on the street that the 8Bitdo 2.4gHz wireless PC Engine/Core Grafx/TurboGrafx-16 controller works as intended with the included usb dongle -- so that's good to know.
PC Engine Fan X! ^_~
Still no word if the PCE/TG-16 games of Bomberman, Bomberman '93, Bomberman '93 Special Version and Bomberman '94 work with the PCE multi-tap or even with the TG-16 Turbo Tap on this newfangled Retron GX setup. Even Masaya's classic Moto Roader & Moto Roader II isn't known if they work on the Retron GX with a multi-tap setup either. It's well-known that both Turbo Chip carts of Bomberman (circa 1990) & Bomberman '93 (circa 1992) were released in the USA courtesy of NEC and TTI (Turbo Technologies Incorporated) respectively.
If you want to use the more readily available PCE gamepads & arcade sticks with it, a simple "PCE to TG-16" controller adapter is necessary and crucial (something that Hyperkin didn't even include in the first place for that matter but they could've easily done so).
----------
Stone Age Gamer sells the proper Retro Frog produced "PCE to TG-16" controller adapter considering you can use the optionally more robust NEC "Avenue Pad 6" controller with the 20 megabit sized Hu-Card of Street Fighter II Dash as originally intended: https://stoneagegamer.com/pce2tg16-cont ... -frog.html
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As it is, it's not an entirely a "lost cause" in trying to source the so-called fabled & mysterious "PCE to TG-16" controller adapter as it was "sold out" for a while and SAG had just recently gotten in a fresh new batch of the Retro Frog controller adapters as of last week. Talk about perfect timing.
In going with the two provided "old-school" TurboGrafx-16 controller ports on the Retron GX, Hyperkin effectively limits it's officially 1st-party & 3rd-party controller usage with the TG-16 based gamepads & arcade sticks (namely NEC's official 1st-party branded "Turbo Stick" arcade stick setup comes to mind along with the 3rd-party offerings of the Acemore "Super Stick" TG-16 arcade stick and Beeshu's TG-16-based arcade stick "Ultimate SuperStick" {utilizing a micro-switched based joystick setup} to round off the smattering handful of TG-16 based arcade sticks readily available "on tap").
NEC's official 1st-party PCE wireless receiver + wireless 5 player multi-tap combo deal & NEC 1st-party PCE wireless gamepad controllers (circa 1992) using the "old-school" IR technology/protocol, they'll work on the Retron GX with the correct controller adapter.
----------
Of course, the two best PC Engine-based arcade sticks are Micomsoft's "XE-1 Pro HE" and Hori's "Fighting Stick PC" with it's factory installed Seimitsu LS-33 arcade stick, they're regarded as the very best that money can buy, especially nowadays.
----------
The word is out on the street that the 8Bitdo 2.4gHz wireless PC Engine/Core Grafx/TurboGrafx-16 controller works as intended with the included usb dongle -- so that's good to know.
PC Engine Fan X! ^_~
Re: Hyperkin "Retron GX" review....
got one a few days ago and it's really not great....
Not much to add to the newer reviews. The drops in framerate are very obvious in nearly every game, especially if you got a direct comparison, either to running the games on original hardware or using literally ANY other emulator out there or just by knowing your games very well. After getting the GX (and being quite disappointed) I went through some boxes to find my old Retrofreak. Found is, hooked it up, updated it to a more recent firmware (from 2019 or so) and gave it a little spine. Here are my impressions in direct comparions to the "new" Retron GX.
There has been nearly a DECADE between the releases of these two machines. If I recall correctly the first Retrofreak units were made available in Japan in late 2015. I think I got mine in early 2016. Despite the GX being nearly 10 years younger, the Retrofreak excels in almost every category
The HuCard slot feels better on the Retrofreak. Easier to insert and remove cards and without the need to point out that older HuCards might not work or might have to be pulled out a few mm before they can be run (as it says on Hyperkin's website). Games on the RF load considerably faster. The RF cuts the time required for dumping down to a fragment of the time required on the GX, probably taking 5-6 seconds for a full dump. If there's a micro SD card present in the RF, it will dump your HuCard to the SD card and you will no longer require the actual HuCard to play your game (just like on the Polymega). The Retron GX on the other hand nearly takes a full 20 seconds per boot and won't save your dumps permanently. Compatibility on both is great. Hyperkin mentioned two titles that won't run, but then again both machines even run titles like M2's 8mbit Salamaner upgrade directly from card.
The original Retrofreak controller is way better than what's included with the GX. And if you buy a RF today (on Amazon JP) it comes with a controller adapter already, so you can use original PC Engine controllers (of course with the japanese connector (same as the one as on the American Turbo Duo) instead of the large TG16 connector). 3rd party controller supports seems way better on the RF as well. Original Sega SLS controllers (Saturn style USB controllers) work out of the box, while they don't on the GX. Getting a 8bitdo M30 to run is also manageable.
Most important of course, the SOC in the Retofreak is obviously way more powerful than the one in the GX, despite being almost 10 years older. On the RF all PCE titles run with a completely stable 60fps and there are absolutely no frame drops (unless they were present on vintage PCE hardware already). On the GX and with more taxing titles you really have to expect frame drops during gameplay quite literally all the time. As a nice bonus SuperGrafx titles like Aldynes or Daimakaimura run on the RF as well, while the GX only supports basic PCE titles.
The Retrofreak allows for a pixel perfect 3x integer scaled image. While this results in an aspect ratio a little to narrow for most titles, it gets rid of any kind of shimmering and allows for easy forwarding of the video signal to a video processor like the RT4K, OSSC Pro or Morph for applying some kind of pixel shader. Other video modes on the RF produce a lot of shimmer, but so they do on the GX also unless you enable that awful smoothing filter.
The only gameplay feature available on the GX that's not available on the RF is a neat rewind function. On the RF we only get save states. But then again other features like using translation patches and being able to do a quick buttom remap are very welcome. And let's not forget that the RF of course also plays GB/GBC/GBA/FC/SNES and GEN/MD cartridges.
My last session with the Retrofreak has been many many years ago, but I have to admit that it aged really well (way better than expected) and declasses the new Retron GX in almost every aspect. When ordered from Amazon JP the Retrofreak is about 50 EUR more expensive than the GX.
Cyber Gadget did at one point release a SFC only version of the Retrofreak. Same base unit but with only a SFC dumper included instead of the bulky multi-system dumper. If they released the same thing just with a small PCE HuCard dumper added to the base unit (which itself is about the size of a pack of cigarettes) at the same price point as the Retron GX, they'd have a brilliant little PCE HuCard player.
PS:
Not much to add to the newer reviews. The drops in framerate are very obvious in nearly every game, especially if you got a direct comparison, either to running the games on original hardware or using literally ANY other emulator out there or just by knowing your games very well. After getting the GX (and being quite disappointed) I went through some boxes to find my old Retrofreak. Found is, hooked it up, updated it to a more recent firmware (from 2019 or so) and gave it a little spine. Here are my impressions in direct comparions to the "new" Retron GX.
There has been nearly a DECADE between the releases of these two machines. If I recall correctly the first Retrofreak units were made available in Japan in late 2015. I think I got mine in early 2016. Despite the GX being nearly 10 years younger, the Retrofreak excels in almost every category
The HuCard slot feels better on the Retrofreak. Easier to insert and remove cards and without the need to point out that older HuCards might not work or might have to be pulled out a few mm before they can be run (as it says on Hyperkin's website). Games on the RF load considerably faster. The RF cuts the time required for dumping down to a fragment of the time required on the GX, probably taking 5-6 seconds for a full dump. If there's a micro SD card present in the RF, it will dump your HuCard to the SD card and you will no longer require the actual HuCard to play your game (just like on the Polymega). The Retron GX on the other hand nearly takes a full 20 seconds per boot and won't save your dumps permanently. Compatibility on both is great. Hyperkin mentioned two titles that won't run, but then again both machines even run titles like M2's 8mbit Salamaner upgrade directly from card.
The original Retrofreak controller is way better than what's included with the GX. And if you buy a RF today (on Amazon JP) it comes with a controller adapter already, so you can use original PC Engine controllers (of course with the japanese connector (same as the one as on the American Turbo Duo) instead of the large TG16 connector). 3rd party controller supports seems way better on the RF as well. Original Sega SLS controllers (Saturn style USB controllers) work out of the box, while they don't on the GX. Getting a 8bitdo M30 to run is also manageable.
Most important of course, the SOC in the Retofreak is obviously way more powerful than the one in the GX, despite being almost 10 years older. On the RF all PCE titles run with a completely stable 60fps and there are absolutely no frame drops (unless they were present on vintage PCE hardware already). On the GX and with more taxing titles you really have to expect frame drops during gameplay quite literally all the time. As a nice bonus SuperGrafx titles like Aldynes or Daimakaimura run on the RF as well, while the GX only supports basic PCE titles.
The Retrofreak allows for a pixel perfect 3x integer scaled image. While this results in an aspect ratio a little to narrow for most titles, it gets rid of any kind of shimmering and allows for easy forwarding of the video signal to a video processor like the RT4K, OSSC Pro or Morph for applying some kind of pixel shader. Other video modes on the RF produce a lot of shimmer, but so they do on the GX also unless you enable that awful smoothing filter.
The only gameplay feature available on the GX that's not available on the RF is a neat rewind function. On the RF we only get save states. But then again other features like using translation patches and being able to do a quick buttom remap are very welcome. And let's not forget that the RF of course also plays GB/GBC/GBA/FC/SNES and GEN/MD cartridges.
My last session with the Retrofreak has been many many years ago, but I have to admit that it aged really well (way better than expected) and declasses the new Retron GX in almost every aspect. When ordered from Amazon JP the Retrofreak is about 50 EUR more expensive than the GX.
Cyber Gadget did at one point release a SFC only version of the Retrofreak. Same base unit but with only a SFC dumper included instead of the bulky multi-system dumper. If they released the same thing just with a small PCE HuCard dumper added to the base unit (which itself is about the size of a pack of cigarettes) at the same price point as the Retron GX, they'd have a brilliant little PCE HuCard player.
PS:
not possible due to the way the Retron GX works. There's no direct access to what's happening on the HuCard/Everdrive during playback. The roms gets dumped and the HuCard slot isn't accessed in any way once the game's running.If it gets "jailbroken" to support Krikzz's Turbo Everdrive Pro, it'd truly have the ability to play the CD-Rom2, Super CD-Rom2 & Arcade CD-Rom2 based games as well. We'll see what happens.