Retro Duo

The Retro Duo is a handheld game console developed by Retro-Bit and distributed by Innex, Inc. It plays game cartridges for the Nintendo Entertainment System and Super Nintendo Entertainment System. It plays North American, European and Japanese games and has the highest compatibility of any other clone system.[1] S-video is compatible when playing SNES games.[2] The console is not licensed by Nintendo and it’s not fully compatible with every game released for the two game systems; however, the majority of games function properly. While it has only been released in Canada and the United States, it can still be used in Europe and Japan with a power plug adapter. The console is compatible with official and third party SNES controllers.

Retro Duo
The Retro Duo Portable
ManufacturerRetro-Bit
TypeHandheld game console
GenerationSeventh generation (emulates third and fourth)
Lifespan
MediaNES/SNES/SFami ROM Cartridge
CPU8-bit & 16-bit
Controller input2 SNES controller ports
Backward
compatibility		NES, Super NES/Super Famicom
SuccessorSuper Retro Trio

Reviews of the Retro Duo have praised its compatibility for games many other clone consoles struggle with (due to hardware issues) such as Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse on the NES, Star Fox on the SNES, and the Game Genie cheat cartridge. The Retro Duo is also compatible with the Super Game Boy device.[1] The Retro Duo was released in four different color schemes: white/blue, silver/black, black/red, and a red/gold limited edition version. The 3.0 release fixed many issues with the previous 2 versions, including the compatibility with Castlevania III, and came as a red/blue Mascot edition.

Compatibility

List of known incompatible games:

Nintendo Entertainment System
  • 720° (NTSC)
  • Battletoads (NTSC) (game hangs after level 2, though a cheat allows the player to jump to level 3)
  • Digger T. Rock: Legend of the Lost City (PAL) (plays title screen, in-game crashes with graphics glitch, rendering it unplayable)
  • Duck Hunt (NES Zapper cannot be plugged in; works with NES to SNES adapting cables that have accessory support. Be aware, however, that the NES Zapper only works with a CRT TV set.)
  • Maniac Mansion
  • Paperboy (NTSC) (controller is not recognized however there is a hacked version that works. It's usually listed on pirate multicarts (400 in 1 or 500 in 1))
  • Rolling Thunder (works with Retro Duo 2.0 and above)

Super Nintendo Entertainment System

Most or all the PAL games listed below are not playable on a real NTSC Super NES (even with its security chip disabled). Their inclusion here does not reflect incompatibilities between the (NTSC) Retro Duo and a real NTSC Super NES.

Controllers / Accessories (compatible with NES to SNES cables but only ones with accessory support)

Retro Duo Portable

Retro-Bit also has a portable version of the console. The Retro Duo Portable, released with a black case on 23 January 2012, and later with a red case on 25 September 2012. The Retro Duo Portable is capable of playing Super NES cartridges via a large cartridge slot in the back. The Retro Duo Portable also supports NES, Genesis, and Game Boy games with an appropriate cartridge adapter for each system.

See also

References

  1. "Feature: Retro Duo Console Review - Retro News @ Nintendo Life". Retro.nintendolife.com. 4 November 2009. Retrieved 11 October 2012.
  2. McWhertor, Michael. "Hands-On with the Retro Duo, The NES/SNES Hybrid". Kotaku.
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