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Retron 5 FAQ

Q.  How do I turn RetroN 5 on?

A.  Connect the DC power supply (obviously), then hold the POWER button located at the front of the unit until the blue LED's on the top panel light up, in the
current version this is about 5 seconds. A common mistake is to release the power button before the LED's have illuminated, notice there is a patch that reduces the start up time available from the downloads page.

Q.  I am having problems with Save Games on my XXX console what can I do?

A.  There are some improvements in the latest version of Retron5 software, we strongly recomend upgrading to the latest version of Retron Software. If you are still losing saves from your cartridges then it might be because
the use-able voltage in the battery of the cartridge has dropped too low

Q. Playing games with RetroN 5 does not feel as responsive as with the original consoles. Does RetroN 5 suffer from input lag?

A.  Input lag is the time taken between you pressing a button on your controller to when the result of that button press is shown on the screen. With RetroN 5
we have gone to great lengths to optimize the system in order to bring the input lag down to negligible levels, such that there should never be any noticeable delay. 

However, modern televisions can potentially undo all of our work in this area. TV's perform a lot of processing on the image which will add a delay between when the image is received and the image being displayed on the
screen. This can sometimes result in significant amounts of input lag, in other words the picture being displayed much later than it arrives at the TV. Fortunately, televisions that perform such
lag-inducing processing will generally include a "game mode" which when activated will disable most of the extra processing, resulting in dramatically
reduced input lag. If you are experiencing input lag while using RetroN 5, make sure that you have the "game mode" option enabled on your
television.

Q. How do I access the in-game menu using classic wired controllers?

A. The default button combination for opening the in-game menu using the classic wired controllers is DOWN + START. This may be customised per
controller type through Settings - Hotkey Configuration - In-game menu.

Q. Why does RetroN 5 show "Unknown Cart" when I insert my game? Will this have any negative impact on game play?

A. No, this game is simply not yet in our game Database, chances are the game will work. If it does not then we will endeavour to support the game as soon as
possible. Please contact our support with details of the game and we will try to put this game in our next update.

Q.  Do I need an SD card? How large should it be?

A.  A SD card is required in order to update the software running on your RetroN 5. In addition, if you have a SD card then you can choose to store your game
saves on the SD card rather than RetroN's internal memory. Any SD card 256MB or larger is OK. We have tested up to 32GB, the SD card should be formatted to
FAT32. A SD Micro in an adapter is also OK

Q.  Why does my RetroN 5 wireless controller keep turning off?

A.  The wireless controller will automatically turn off if it has not been used for a certain period of time. The amount of idle time
before it automatically turns off can be customised via Settings - Manage RetroN 5 Controllers - Controller - auto-off

Q. Can Retron 5 be used to play ROM images?

A.  No, Retron 5 does not support the playing of game ROM images at this time

Q. I read that Retron does not support game XXXX will it ever support this game?

A. Probably yes, We are constantly working on improving game compatibility our goal is to support every game.

Q. I have Kernel Version X.XX, how can I check if there is a newer version

A. You can check here

Q. How do I upgrade my Firmware?

A. Read this how to here

Q. What is the small hole in the back of the console for, it is marked as Reset in the manual. If I press it will it do a Factory Reset?

A.  NO! Please do not press this button! This is a recovery button that is used only in conjunction with a
special SD card image. You should not press this button under normal circumstances as without the recovery SD card, the Retron 5 will go into a boot loop and you will need to contact tech
support for the recovery image and further instructions.

Q. Is Retron compatible with my country which uses XX Voltage and YY TV System

A.  The Power Supply included with Retron 5 is dual 110V/220V and has a changeable plug. The video output
is HDMI which is a global standard. Notice your TV must be capable of displaying 720P. All quality TV’s in the last 5 years
or more have this capability.

Q. What Consoles games can I play on Retron 5?

A.  Retron 5 is currently able to play

  • Megadrive (European and Japanese Genesis)
  • Genesis
  • NES
  • Famicom (Japanese NES)
  • Super Famicom (Japanese Super NES)
  • Super NES
  • Game Boy
  • Game Boy Colour
  • Game Boy Advance
  • Master System (using a Master System adapter)

Q. What peripherals can I use with Retron 5

A.  The following peripherals have been tested and working on Retron 5

  • SNES first party controller
  • SNES first party mouse
  • some third party SNES controllers
  • some NES third party controllers
  • first party Megadrive controllers
  • Master System controllers

Q. How long will I get free upgrades for Retron 5?

A.  We will never charge you for Retron 5 software upgrades.

Q. Can I use Copy devices such as Super UFO

A.  No, Retron 5 is not tested with these devices but we have heard they do not work. We currently have no plans to support them.

Q. Does Retron 5 contain original console parts or is it 'simply' emulation

A.  As far as original parts are concerned, the simple answer is no, it does not use original parts. The RAM chips that are used in the original consoles for
example are no longer manufactured, that means that in order to produce a 'pure' console experience we would need to resort to recycled chips or "pulls"
as they are known in the industry which can be unreliable. Retron 5 is a new approach, which combines emulation and Hardware combined. Including a Dual core 1.6 Gigahertz processor, this is many thousand times more powerful than the original consoles processors and is more than enough to do the job of
emulation. Moreover the original hardware did not and could never do the extra jobs of Image and Sound processing that the Retron 5 is capable of. HDMI
Output, up-scaling, Filters and enhanced audio are some examples as well as saving a game at any point to continue later are some examples. We understand
some purists will not accept this but we do promise that we are continually improving and upgrading Retron 5 to make it as close to perfect as is possible.

Q. Why is Retron5 not available in Europe?

A.  Europe has very strict regulations on Electromagnetic Interference referred to as EMI in order to reduce the possibility of interference between electronic devices. Retron 5 has had to undergo some changes in order to pass this test. As soon as we are able we will start to sell in Europe, we have not been deliberately withholding the product from Europe.

Q. I hear that Retron uses 'stolen' open source code?

A.  It is true that RetroN5 uses open source code, almost every major project does these days. Although it is hard to imagine how something that is available for free can be stolen, it is true that some of the Open Source Licenses have a "Not for Commercial use" clause. Although the legality of such a clause is itself debatable, we do try to ensure that Retron only uses truly 'Open' Open Source as opposed to such 'restricted' Open Source.

Q.Is it true that that the NES slot is very tight and cartridges are difficult to remove?

A.  The Original NES machines had a Video Cassette type loading system which was quite different to the method used in Retron type products. The connector which the NES games plug into has to have a balance between enough gripping force to make good electrical contact with the games, but loose enough so that the game can be inserted and removed easily. Combined with the fact that some NES games appear to have different thickness PCB's it is quite hard to get this balance right. It does appear that some connectors in the first batch of production were quite stiff making games difficult to remove. We therefore changed the connector tooling to have slightly less gripping force and tested each connector at the factory to ensure that the grip is not too strong prior to assembly. This does mean that your NES cartridges need to be clean for them to function properly. Finally RetroN5 carries a full warranty.