There aren't many gaming devices that can stop people in their tracks, but Retrobit's new Super Retro Trio console, a 3-in-1 nostalgia machine that plays your old NES, SNES and Sega Genesis games, is one of them. I know because after I assembled a half-dozen iDigitalTimes staffers in our lobby to help me test the machine on a gigantic Samsung TV nearly everyone else who worked on the floor couldn't walk by without marveling at the scene. Here we are in the dawn of a next-gen console era and a group of twenty-something gamers are hooting and hollering over a game of ... Tetris?
This is the beauty of the Super Retro Trio. What once was old is new (and cool) again.
The Super Retro Trio isn't a new concept. Clone consoles have been around for years, but the Super Retro Trio offers considerably more range than most. The company sells a $45 adapter that will let you play Game Boy Advance titles, and if you can track down a Super Game Boy suddenly you have a 5-in-1. Not too shabby for the impulse-friendly price of $70. And it delivers something that dusty retro console in your attic probably cannot: it works.
Functionality is the major appeal of the Super Retro Trio. There are a lot of 80s babies in the marketplace with fond memories of the "Golden Age" of gaming when Nintendo reigned supreme, and a growing audience of younger gamers hungry to experience the classics. The cartridges are, for the most part, cheap and plentiful. A cursory search on eBay can turn up just about any big name title for $20-$30 and there are dozens of online retailers selling NES/SNES/Genesis games for around $5 a pop. If you live in a major city, odds are there's a funky vintage gaming store somewhere in town that has shelves stocked full of the old plastic wonders.
Working retro consoles, however, are a bit harder to come by. Expect to pay in the $100 range for one and be prepared to baby it. The machines are old and delicate and having them repaired can be costly, too. There are vintage purists out there who consider clone consoles like the Super Retro Trio a blasphemous blight on their hobby and explain that only the real consoles can deliver an authentic experience. The Super Retro Trio is not for them, but I think most gamers will find it has plenty of merit and a lot of fun to offer. Because it works.
It's astounding, actually, when you see it work for the first time. During our play test several passersby lingered for a moment, mouths agape, their minds misfiring for a nanosecond because they couldn't possibly be watching Mega Man X in the lobby of a digital media firm in the 21st century. Booting up the system for the first time you begin to realize just how complex games have become. It takes fractions of a second to go from turning the power on to playing a game. Instant gratification at its finest. In a way, the Super Retro Trio starts out feeling high-tech.
And then it starts kicking your ass.
I recommend playing games on the Super Retro Trio with at least one person who is young enough to have missed the Nintendo/Sega era. Because it really drives home just how much things have changed, challenge-wise, in the world of gaming. During a spirited session of Turtles In Time my colleague Ajay Kumar lost all his lives and was thunderstruck when he was out of the game.
"What happens now?" he asked.
"Nothing," I replied. "You lost all your lives. You're done."
"Well that's bullsh-t."
Using the Super Retro Trio will remind you that, yes, a lot of old games are bullsh-t. They maintain that arcade sensibility of having to replay something over and over with a limited amount of lives until you know every pixel like the back of your cramping hand. There aren't checkpoints or mini-maps or limitless continues. A few lives, even fewer continues, and usually that's it. Fans of Flappy Bird will find a lot to like in the masochism of classic gaming. It's hard. It's fun. It's rewarding.
Regarding performance, there isn't a lot to complain about on the Super Retro Trio. It's got a striking black and red coloring and the controllers have a satisfying clickiness to them that pairs well with a solid D-pad. The console does support original controllers, too, a nice touch for replicating the Saturday morning living room feel. Up to six players can be hooked-up at once.
I had the most trouble getting NES games to function, but it likely has to do with the condition of the cartridges themselves than the Super Retro Trio. Get ready to bust out your classic harmonica-solo-style-dust-blowing skills and hope for the best.
The Super Retro Trio seems built to be a party machine. It's super portable, weighing a scant 3 lbs. and packaged in a case with a built-in suitcase handle for easy schlepping. The lightweight construction can make it feel a bit flimsy, but other than that the Super Retro Trio proved to be incredibly reliable. Set-up is a breeze, provided your TV still has the older A/V red/yellow/white hookup. It's an unfortunate entry barrier for what is otherwise a great device. I'm hoping that an HDMI supported version is released someday because TVs with older hookups are getting harder to find.
The Super Retro Trio is absolutely worth the $70 price tag. If you've got a box of old games taking up space somewhere it's well worth it. But if you want to really experience the best the Super Retro Trio has to offer then share it with others. It would make a fantastic gift for just about any gamer and makes for a memorable party toy. The next time a bunch of your buddies get together surprise the crew with a Super Retro Trio and a shopping bag full of classics.
Screw Jenga.
The Super Retro Trio costs $69.99 and will release in mid-to-late March. Pre-orders are being accepted on the Retrobit website.
