Retro consoles, their clones and emulators

Well, I'll start a discussion:

I've been looking at the Retron 5 console for a long time: support for licensed cartridges from 6 consoles (any regions) + reading old pirates of Sega, Dandy and GBA (except for multi-games); good (judging by the reviews) emulation; saving anywhere; cheats; connection via HDMI; various filters and image settings; incessant finishing of software by the manufacturer; the ability to connect original joysticks; a curve, but still the present ability to run roms from the Internet - with the exception of the price of $ 170-200 (including delivery) and a wretched gamepad in the kit, sounds very tempting. I practically decided to buy it at the end of this - the beginning of next year, but if suddenly there are owners here - it would be interesting to hear about your impressions.

By the way, are there any normal NES, SNES and GBA clones coming out now? Chinese and Russian (which is often even worse) shit are still churned out in some horrifying quantities, but judging by the reviews, almost everyone has big problems with frame rate, sound distortion, omnivorousness, etc., not to mention a monstrous marriage rate and a very short life expectancy. MB are there any android consoles like Ouya with good emulators on board? Ideally, it would be to find some cheaper analogue of the Retron (it is possible without connectors for cartridges) with normal gamepads that could play downloaded roms without any problems. While there are not very many free funds, I would play on it + there would be an opportunity to try those games that I doubt before buying (and after buying a retron, it will be possible to give it to my nephew).

A fairly detailed review of Retron 5 in English, which looks at a variety of audio-video filters and has a small comparison with another Super Retro Trio combo box.

+ no less detailed, but slightly prolonged review in Russian, which, among other things, checks the omnivorous nature of the console and considers the possibility of playing Roma from the Internet

16 hours ago, AMKid said:

 MB are there any android consoles like Ouya with good emulators on board?

If you just need the launch of old roms, then now there is just an incredible amount of Android whistles and handhelds. With good hardware, you can run everything up to Dreamcast + PSP / DS.

And for the price, they cost quite a bit. 

22 minutes ago, Beren said:

If you just need the launch of old roms, then now there is just an incredible amount of Android whistles and handhelds. With good hardware, you can run everything up to Dreamcast + PSP / DS.

And for the price, they cost quite a bit. 

The fact of the matter is that they are released in some unmeasured quantities, but most work through the ass and find something normal is problematic. I don't like portable laptops, whistles would be fine, but then there is still a need to separately select and buy compatible wireless gamepads, bother with choosing, installing and configuring an emulator for each console - so it's better to find a specially tailored attachment for this case.

@AMKid get used to it, nothing is so easy)

@AMKid sent the message by mistake without completing it.

Most emulators actually work perfectly out of the box - install, upload BIOS and ROMs and play. Fine tuning is required only by gluttonous emulators, such as for the Dreamcast or PSP, but even then if only you are trying to run on ancient hardware.

I like the option with a separate set-top box - as a rule, it has a separate power supply and has active cooling, so the GameCube with PS2 can easily be pulled, as emulators will add. 

Gamepads. In fact, you do not need to look for anything wireless - the usual DualShok 3/4 can handle everything. The main thing is that there would be a BT prefix.

All that remains is the choice of the prefix itself. I don't really understand this: the Chinese rivet hundreds of options, but by and large any of them will do. Alternatively, you can try Nvidia Shield TV (the most powerful one on Android), but you have to dig a little into the firmware.

In general, there is an opportunity to get the harvester of your dreams. But you will need to spend a little time to bring everything to mind. There is no point in looking for ready-made options with emulators right away - the Chinese are not particularly concerned about this and upload old programs and only to 8/16 bit consoles, and in the West, no one will solve such a case.

Well, among other things, the Android prefix will still come in handy in everyday life. Watch movies, and play ports of old games from PC / Consoles. 

@Beren googled, $ 200 plus shipping from abroad is clearly not what I meant by a relatively cheap console) It's easier to buy a Retron for the same money, original pads for NES, SNES, Mega Drive and a couple of licensed cartridges for launch Roma

@AMKid Well, this is a top-end option to immediately launch games in the native resolution for the TV, with anti-aliasing and unnecessary filtering. Well, plus what would be in all sorts of Crises and Serios Samy to play)

And if you take prefixes with Ali, then they are there in the region of 35-50 dollars. Their power is also enough for all your needs. You just first have to hang out on the forums to choose something more or less reliable. 

@AMKid Well, this is a top-end option to immediately launch games in the native resolution for the TV, with anti-aliasing and unnecessary filtering. Well, plus what would be in all sorts of Crises and Serios Samy to play)

And if you take prefixes with Ali, then they are there in the region of 35-50 dollars. Their power is also enough for all your needs. You just first have to hang out on the forums to choose something more or less reliable. 

@Beren do not rummage in emulators on android, but on my relatively powerful computer even NES emulators manage to glitch from time to time: there are image winks, sometimes there are brakes, and the sound is sometimes not perfect.

In fact, you do not need to look for anything wireless - the usual DualShok 3/4 can handle everything. The main thing is that the BT prefix has

I didn't even think about connecting PS4 pads. BT - Bluetooth?

I do not need a dream harvester, but a simple opportunity to play NES, SNES, Sega MD, GB, GBC, GBA roms (you can still N64) without unnecessary hemorrhoids) Later, I still plan to take Retron and gradually collect licensed cartridges, and in the distant future , if there is more money and free space in the apartment, I dream of getting the original consoles altogether.

UPD: added poll

UPD2: some options have disappeared somewhere, for now I'm deleting the poll

@AMKid, I read about Retron 5: http://24gadget.ru/1161058328-retron-5-otlichnyy-podarok-dlya-lyubiteley-retro-igr.html, and more. In my opinion - exactly your version (what you can buy). Considering that the support of official carics is important. Not just emulation. Here at once - a combine, several retro attachments in one. Now, if some specific console was overly interested, then I would look for it, the official one ... however, even here, with exchange rates, it would not be cheap either (new, little-used).
About emulators: I have been playing this way for a long time. Yes, in the nineties there were: Chinese Dandy (exactly like that) and Mega Drive 2, but from the zero - I emulate. I just tried to buy a Chinese-Russian Dandy (a couple of years ago, very rarely uses it), this is not at all that (plus I think how long the power supply unit, or a joystick, will last). Clumsy played (I'm talking about the pad).

Not everything is complicated with emulation. 
https://rutracker.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=4524037 - A collection of console emulators.
https://rutracker.org/forum/viewforum.php?f=129 - this subsection is full of different romsets (Nes, Sega, Demolished ...). Both complete collections and selections of games in Russian. It depends on what interests you.
Plus:
http://www.emu-land.net/
http://emu-russia.net/ru/files/emus/
And others. As a rule, it is enough just to download the emulator program, install it, open it, open the desired rum (pre-download the ROMs) and that's it. With 8, 16 bit prefixes (popular), everything just worked for me. BIOS, precise settings are for PS, PS2 ... here you need to figure it out a bit more. However, there is such an important nuance ...

My gaming experience.
The nuance is that I emulate on a PC, laptop, android console. That is, I don't need to output to an HD TV. Therefore, I do not select much, I do not go through the settings. Either it goes as soon as I need it, or a little intervention is enough. In other words: the latest news as there is emulation on a big TV is past me.
On a desktop or laptop, I think it's clear, the sites are higher - we look, choose an emulsion, download, Roma, play ... But an android ... I had, I have an Exeq Set prefix (5 inches, unpretentious (not very productive), still the first Set). A year and a half of more active use, and the battery is killed (now it only holds 10-15 minutes, and that's it, you need a connection to recharge). Now (two or three years ago), another adnroid box (4.3 inches, average in power, or lower than average, depending on what to compare) was bought for a cheap price (about 900 rubles, some unprecedented discounts in the CSN).
I'm looking here if I'm interested in just the consoles on android: http://w3bsit3-dns.com/forum/index.php?showforum=857
This is to at least understand what to look for ...
In general, either with the exchange rates (the yuan also skyrocketed) ... or something else, but very few set-top boxes are sold:
http://www.dns-shop.ru/catalog/17a8b7da16404e77/portativnye-igrovye-konsoli/ http://www.dns-shop.ru/catalog/17a8b7da16404e77/portativnye-igrovye-konsoli/
http : //technopoint.ru/catalog/2375/portativnye-igrovye-konsoli? & t = 1784
(plus those store sites where you can go)

Previously, there were sellers of this type: http://www.portable-games-spb.ru/igrovye-pristavki.html - now no, and there is practically nothing here (we are talking about android prefixes). http://www.portable-games-spb.ru/kategorii/pristavki-hamy.html - only this is 2 in 1, already the Hamy 4 model has appeared. For example: http://emulate-su.livejournal.com/879306.html (or find other reviews).

There is also this: http://www.dns-shop.ru/product/055ba8e061923361/igrovaa-pristavka-mad-catz-mojo/
Shield has already been discussed: https://market.yandex.ru/product/10957078?hid = 6427100 & nid = 54545 & clid = 698 & ncrnd = 6817

How convenient to play. I started with the keyboard, then picked up the gamepad for myself ... Plus a pocket android console (which buttons are also important here).
http://www.dns-shop.ru/catalog/17a8c19516404e77/gejmpady-dlya-rs/ - joysticks are full of different ones, and we're not talking about ali, ebay, etc.
http://www.dns-shop.ru/catalog/17a8c29d16404e77/universalnye-gejmpady/ - there are some for the capture of smart.
I have now settled on a joystick from an xbox 360 (a wired one, it has been bought for a long time, for fifteen hundred, now prices have skyrocketed), there are also wireless ones: for 360, xone ... full of them. There are pads as on carried (or demolished), only by connection.

Summarize.
There are many different options.
We need to decide what exactly is needed now.
Play games? The most affordable option: emulation on a PC, laptop with the selected (most suitable) gamepad. By the way, you can probably display a desktop on an HD TV (via an hdmi cable). This way, at least the most beloved, desired games can be selected (which cartridges to buy first).
Option with android, I recommend the topic on 4pda (http://w3bsit3-dns.com/forum/index.php?showforum=857) because there are many different consoles (and immediately in the header: photos, characteristics ...). You can choose to display a picture on TV (hdmi, only which one will be in the set-top box itself: mini, micro ...), so that a wireless pad can be connected (yes, bluetooth).
Still, Retron, just think about which is better to connect a joystick in it (eh, why not a standard crosspiece ...).

UPD3: Reworked the survey, it seems now all options are displayed

@ -lena- thought about buying Russian-Chinese Dandy and Segu for my nephew (the console and cartridges are cheap - it's not a pity if it breaks), but then I read the reviews - is it really that bad?

I downloaded this pack of emulators and roms a couple of weeks ago, went through a bunch of NES emulsions (while I stopped at Nestopia), but still not everything is perfect. Thank you very much for the links, tomorrow I will definitely look at everything.

As for the gamepad, I also play on a wired X360 for now, but I don't like the crosspiece on it at all (it's more convenient on the stick). I connected the PC to the TV, I had to rearrange the room for this, reanimate the old keyboard and delve into the DisplayFusion settings - but now, in addition to playing games on the big screen, I can watch any downloaded movies without unnecessary complications and waste of time, calmly switch audio tracks and set up subs (much more convenient than the PS4 player, which I usually used before, although the console interface and launching games / movies with a gamepad are not enough).

10 hours ago, AMKid said:

but then I read the reviews - is it really that bad?

Sure. There are also just boards that river engineering assembled. And over time, the quality only got worse, as factories switched to more promising things than clones of old consoles. 

I downloaded this pack of emulators and roms a couple of weeks ago, went through a bunch of NES emulsions (while I stopped at Nestopia), but still not everything is perfect. Thank you very much for the links, tomorrow I will definitely look at everything.

And what exactly is not ideal? Obviously, there are problems with emulation of the new consoles - there are faster JIT rendering options by default, which are not so accurate. But I emulated the same NES about 8 years ago on PSP without problems. I don't think there can be problems in current PC emulators. 

@Beren I don’t know, maybe the old emulators on win10 are buggy, but in some places, for no reason at all, the games slow down a little (image and sound) + at the edges of the screen it happens that monsters become invisible, the image winks, etc. Nestopia works better than others, but it has happened a couple of times on it.

Well, the sound on emulators in some games differs from the sound on the original consoles

@AMKid, now these Russian-Chinese consoles have risen in price. They cost a thousand ... but the yuan exchange rate is understandable.
http://otzovik.com/reviews/igrovaya_pristavka_dendy/ - and here they are happy, happy and nostalgic. Different reviews. In general, it is obvious that for +1000 (current prices) you will not get the original. If you want the original - copy it, buy it. Then there will be complete authenticity, immersion. 
The options for the ros-kit of crafts are different:
http://www.shedevr.ru/index.php?op=catalog&pid=70
http://www.shedevr.ru/index.php?op=catalog&pid=16
For example, this is for clarity , I am certainly not advertising anything.

I have a Dandy (not Sega). Simba's Junior. And the main problematic place is the joystick. It is loud (when you press), the buttons are too high, taut and be careful with the wires (it can break). Can sink. 
See for yourself about the purchase (you and your nephew). But in my opinion ... why not buy? For a thousand (or cheaper if there is a discount or promotion). Just pay attention:
- it's better to immediately poke on the gamepad (no connection is needed), but so that the joystick fits exactly (I don't know, the others may not be that much, but I choose keyboards, mice, joysticks very carefully),
- there is a marriage, big problems with sound , image (strong interference, high contrast or background noises, hiss or sound is not present at all) or the block burns out quickly, you need to choose a store with a guarantee,
- it may smell like plastic (passes),
- a light gun - on old TVs (with a picture tube),
- games, of course, not 9999 (or how many they will write), very often they are repeated, but usually there is a certain set of a gentleman (plus you can buy a couple of cartridges in the same store),
- connection in the old ways (you can use a tulip), no hdmi.

If you are aiming at a specific set-top box and quality - look for a reliable original.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_video_game_emulators - see emulators here.
https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/Game console_emulator - and here, at the end of the link to sites with them. And articles, forums on them.

I, specifically on this beech, use:
VirtuaNES - for Nes, version 093. 
Gens - for Sega (2.14).
Snes9X - Demolished (1.53).
NO $ GBA - GBA, DC is also possible.
DeSmuME - DS. Latest versions.
There was a test with PS2, emulation, but this is a budget computer (laptop!), Here Persona 4 sags to 10-15-20 fps ...
I have a Seven. I don't know exactly how it is on the Top Ten. There are no such problems described by you. Certainly nothing critical.

Again I tried to deal with the slowdowns - I turned off all background programs, started the emulator in compatibility mode with win7, turned on the fps display (it shows exactly 50 all the time), launched the task manager on the second screen (CPU load 1%, memory ~ 20%), but that's all -equal brakes. And then I got one idea: is it possible that the first Metroid simply worked with brakes even on the original NES and it is because of this that it is emulated with the same brakes?

UPD: The campaign is so

This video, for example, clearly shows the slowdown and disappearance of Samus's legs (5:40)

And in this you can see the brakes at 37:07 and 44:57 (and not only there)

@AMKid, I tried to run it on my budget laptop (bought about five years ago). As I said above, in VirtuaNES - for Nes, version 093. My
CPU load is 0-10 (another one is still open here), memory is 52%. And, in principle, playable ...
You watch the video of the walkthroughs: so you have it or not. And that for me is not at all critical, but for another - very much. When I played before, I didn't look so closely. 
 

Apparently I'm a fan of the original hardware. See my signature.

Apparently I'm a fan of the original hardware. See my signature.

@albedo a good selection of consoles, half of them I've never seen live) Is everything connected to TVs?

By the way, how does their playing place look like? It would be interesting to take a look. I only have a PS2 + computer and the main consoles of the current / previous generation from old consoles, but even they take up a lot of space, not to mention the wires, power supplies and gamepads. It was always amazing how some collectors manage to place dozens of systems in one room so that everything is beautifully and conveniently arranged, quickly connected, etc.