Hyperkin RetroN 3 Video Gaming SystemAs detailed in my previous blog post and video, Hyperkin is no stranger to creating low cost videogame consoles and portables. Their RetroN 3 Video Gaming System, which is detailed here, claims compatibility with Nintendo Entertainment System (NES), Super Nintendo (SNES), and Sega Genesis cartridges via its three cartridge ports and wireless Sega 6-button controller clone controllers. Hyperkin's previous products were plagued by d-pad issues and game compatibility glitches.

I for one am skeptical of the soundness of its purchase worthiness after my previous experience with their product(s), as my disappointment was primarily due to a poor controller and to a lesser, but no less important, degree on game glitches...

UPDATE: This unit not only has the three different cartridge slots, but also three sets of two controller ports to match the respective original systems. That's certainly good news. Now all they need to get in order is the compatibility, since S-Video output (hopefully across all three systems, not just the SNES and Genesis) is standard (as well as stereo sound) and it actually could be a killer rig. Also, note that the $69.99 is the suggested retail price and the link is ONLY good for resellers at the moment, so there are still some specifics up in the air. I guess we'll know more after it's officially unveiled at E3 in June.

Thanks to Marty Goldberg for the heads-up via Facebook.

A brand new episode of my Clone Wars-series. This time I take a look at the Yobo FC3 Plus. It will be a multi part video so be sure to check out all the parts if you don't want to miss out.

This week's Matt Chat is about Super Mario Kart, the game that popularized the "kart racing genre" in which popular characters (from games or elsewhere) race each other in go-carts. The video covers several games that it was inspired by, as well as some it inspired. Enjoy!

This week's Matt Chat is about The Lost Vikings, one of my personal favorites. I originally played this game on the Amiga, but it was designed for the SNES. Enjoy, and please let me know what you think! I am taking suggestions for future episodes, so please let me know your ideas. I'd love to read them!

Snes9x - one of the first Super NES emulators out there - is now compatible with Vista.

According to ITMedia News (a Japanese site) Nintendo has officially announced it will cease support of a number of their more classic-consoles: the Famicom/NES, the SNES, GameBoy, GameBoy Pocket and Nintendo 64 (N64).

Nintendo and particulary Zelda fanboys will want to check out this video retrospective on the legendary series. It's a fun trip down memory lane and makes some interesting if potentially inaccurate statements about the series. I am serious about the "fanboy" part, because less biased gamers will no doubt cringe at some of the over-the-top claims the commentator makes about the game. For instance, he claims it was the first RPG to allow the player to wander about an expansive map, the first RPG to "pioneer a complex combat system," and so on. You get the idea--sheer rubbish. The commentator also claims that Zelda was the first console game to offer saved games (can anyone confirm this?). While I find the video entertaining, I am a bit put off by the blatant inaccuracies, which unfortunately seem all-too-common with these otherwise well-produced viddies. On a positive note, see what you can score on this awesome NES screenshot quiz! I apparently "suck"...

A site called College Humor has a really well-done and funny video up called Street Fighter: The Later Years. The video picks up 10 years after SF 2, and shows what life is like now for two SF characters--Zangif and Dhalsim. It appears to be part of an upcoming series of shorts, and I'm already looking forward to the next installment.

Secondly, though it can't compete with Bill's massive retro studio, you should definitely check out Jeff Kinder's Gameroom. Kinder is a Dragon's Lair freak with one of the sweetest basement arcades in the US! Bill--Kinder lives in northern New Jersey. Coincidence?