Retro Entertainment System/FC Mobile Impressions

[Porcelina]

So tonight I received both my Hyperkin FC Mobile 2 and my Retrovision Retro Entertainment System. Here are my quick thoughts on both.

Retro Entertainment System: It's tiny, feels very cheap, and is extremely lightweight. It's a top loader and comes with two controllers which again, feel very cheap and lightweight. Despite this, both the system and controllers work bettter than I had expected. As for game compatibility, that's where it gets kind of hit or miss. While the RES was able to play Quattro carts which had never worked on our real NES, it was unable to run a couple of the more common titles properly, and tended to freeze during certain games. Overall, the system isn't too remarkable but is worth it for the price only for someone who wants it to supplement their NES, which maybe is tricky to get going sometimes. I got mine for 12 bucks new, it's very cheap so it's not like it's a huge investment.

What I'm more excited about is the FC Mobile. It's a handheld that plays NES cartridges. It comes with a few cheap feeling wireless controllers, a wireless gun, an adapter, and AV cables. It has a small color display screen but can be hooked to the TV. This thing booted up Wally Bear and the No! Gang straight out of the gate. Not that I would ever want to play that garbage, it was just always a tricky one to get to work (and I keep my collection clean). I tried title after title, and so far it has played them all. I haven't gone through even the tip of the iceberg of my collection, and I'm sure some games won't work, but so far I'm fairly impressed. The screen is tiny and not so great, but it gets the job done and the colors look bright. The d-pad should be one solid piece instead of 4 separate buttons IMO, but it feels OK to play on. The sound also isn't exactly stellar, but on the plus side the volume can get pretty loud. Another drawback is it runs on 4 AAA batteries. Obviously a rechargable built-in battery would've been way better, but it does have a wall adapter and at $30 for the system, I think it's a good buy.

For anyone who may have been thinking about buying either of these items, IMO I would go with the FC Mobile. Neither system is perfect by far, but the FC mobile can be used as either a portable handheld or a TV console so due to its versatility (and how funny it is to use a handheld that takes full size NES carts) that's the one I'd have to recommend.

[sirpaul484]

An interesting write-up.  I'm guessing they are both 72-pin? Or do you need an adapter for it? Also, where did you get them? Online, or through a walk-in store?

[Porcelina]

They're both 72 pin, they were made to play NES games. For some reason, both of these are tricky with certain games, but most titles will work. I haven't tried/don't know if either will work with Game Genie yet. I ordered mine online; I would do some shopping around a bit on sites like eBay or Amazon to get the best price.

The RES' advantage is that it comes with OK controllers, but you can also plug in original NES controllers. It's also small, about the same surface area as an NES cart.

The handheld FC Mobile is the overall better choice, but you're limited to using the battery powered wireless peripherals with it since there are no controller ports.

[RedWolf]

Very cool review, Porcelina.  I look forward to seeing more on the forum if you have the time!