The Hidden Cost of Competence

So hey, that Super Retrocade that I mentioned in my last post? It's not too shabby. It follows the same modus operendi as the previously reviewed Genesis Flashback HD, taking a low-budget Android device, cramming it with ROMs, and bringing it all together with a custom interface. Here's the thing, though... unlike the Flashback HD, the interface in this system actually works, and the emulation is pretty solid, marred only by occasional popping sounds in Data East games. You can boost the Super Retrocade's already generous library by inserting an SD card full of ROMs, and in a tragicomic twist, it runs Genesis games better than the system that was designed specifically for that purpose!

However, there's a catch. Retro-Bit may not have had the right to use the emulators in the Super Retrocade... the developers of Libretro explain why in this lengthy article. Why Retro-Bit wouldn't write its own in-house emulation package is up for debate (if I were the cynical sort- and I am- I'd suggest that it was cheaper for them to nick software from hobbyists who don't have the resources to defend their IP in court), but you can't argue with the results. The Super Retrocade runs games for a wider range of formats than the Genesis Flashback HD, and performance is vastly superior. It's just galling to know you've paid sixty dollars for legal access to the libraries of Irem, Data East, and Technos, only to discover that the software running those games was used without the permission of its developers.

There are two big problems with the Super Retrocade, aside from your conscience getting that not-so-fresh feeling after you're done using it. The first is that its visuals are kind of blurry, with the haze around sprites being especially noticeable in Sega Genesis games. This should never have been an issue on a system with HDMI output. The second is that the system is apparently locked to Retro-Bit controllers. None of the USB sticks, pads, and adapters in my collection work with the Super Retrocade... only the controllers packaged with it, and according to YouTube reviewer MadLittlePixel, a handful of USB controllers sold under Retro-Bit's Retrolink brand.

That's not cool. It's not cool because it limits the player's choice to proprietary Retro-Bit controllers rather than the sticks and pads they already own, and it's not cool because the manufacturer found another way to commercialize emulators explicitly designed for non-commercial use. The emulators included in the Super Retrocade (MAME, SNES9X, and Genesis Plus GX according to Libretro's Daniel De Matteis) are available for other formats, including Android and the Raspberry Pi microcomputer, and will function with the lion's share of USB controllers on those systems. Those options are drastically reduced with the Super Retrocade, and if I were the cynical sort (see above), I'd guess that it was to give Retro-Bit an opportunity to sell more crap without Libretro's consent.

The Super Retrocade leaves me conflicted. It's more versatile and performs better than competing plug 'n play game consoles, and there's a generous helping of obscure games baked into the unit that you're not likely to find elsewhere. You're paying less than a dollar each for Fighter's History: Mizoguchi Kikkipatsu!, Code Name Viper, Final Fight 3, Ninja Spirit, and Three Wonders, and that's a hard deal to resist. However, if what Libretro is saying is true, the Super Retrocade doesn't come across all its successes honestly, and that sours the overall experience. It's another not-quite-perfect emulation solution that's pushed me one step closer to getting a Raspberry Pi.