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[Yougiedeggs]

Hi Tigsource. Longtime lurker, infrequent poster here.

So hurricane Irene claimed both my Snes and Dreamcast. 

I've already worked out a trade situation with a friend for his dreamcast + vmu's but that still leaves the SNES. I just wanted to ask if anyone's ever messed with the 3 consoles in one Retron 3.
I've never owned a Genesis, and my NES is a constant struggle with the blinking grey screen, so this is sort of attractive to me. Anyone know if this thing is worth my time? Or should I just order a new SNES?

[Richard Kain]

I have an FC3 Plus. It plays SNES, Genesis, and NES titles. I have found that performance on it is actually quite solid. The biggest downside is that there are a few specialized games that won't run on it. Most of these exceptions are NES games. Castlevania III is the most notorious offender. My only other complaint would be the controllers that come with it. They are designed around the Genesis, and don't feel quite right for the SNES and NES titles. They work fine, it's just a matter of preference.

Overall, I'd recommend this kind of solution. My FC3 Plus plays 98%+ of cartridges for those three old systems. It has more video out options than the original consoles, and is a great value for the price asked. If you are just looking for something to play your old games with it, this is a good choice.

[Yougiedeggs]

The FC3 Plus controllers are definitely a deal breaker for me. Having the buttons on SNES backwards alone would drive me mad.

It's good to see that there's potential in these console clones at least.

[dustin]

I have a double system which is SNES + NES.  The controllers broke after about a year but it takes normal SNES controllers so that was an easy fix.  Overall its always worked for me but like Richard said some games don't work so well ( None that I have encountered though).

[allen]

why not just make your own emulation box? It's something I've been wanting to do.

build a cheap computer or re-use an old computer capable of running games of systems you want to play (which would be easy and cheap). plug it into your TV and you have every game for snes/nes/genesis/psx/etc available to you. dunno about dreamcast though, seems like you have that covered already though. plus you have the option of using whatever gamepad you want, I prefer my ps2 style logitech over any other gamepad ever designed but there are adapters for the old controllers if you feel nostalgic.

the comparability of emulators for PC are much better than those multi-systems and you don't have to rely on using cartridges or use their bad controllers.

it may be a more expensive route but it's something I've had on my radar for awhile, just thought I'd throw that suggestion out there.

[Rm88~]

^ If you don't mind emulation, a soft-modded Wii can play every NES, SNES and Genesis game. And the Classic Controller is pretty sweet.

[allen]

oh yeah, an Xbox (ya know, the original brick ones) can do that as well, and you can find a used one of those for about 20 dollars. my friend did that to his and games worked well. although I am not a fan of the original huge controller.

[SirNiko]

I have an FC Twin (NES and SNES) that I really liked, but the SNES stopped working. Given that I've been playing more recent gen games, I haven't really bothered with it, though.

The controllers on the FC Twin were kind of cheap, though, and it doesn't work with some games (notably Super Ghouls and Ghosts will not display the world 4 boss correctly, which is a gyp).

The FC Twin is a good choice but you can do better.

[C.A. Sinner]

I play SNES games on my hacked PSP.

[Jawnsunn]

I play SNES games on my hacked PSP.

This.

Anyway, aren't console clones pretty shitty when it comes to sound?

[Yougiedeggs]

I play SNES games on my hacked PSP.

I actually do this as well on my PSPGo. Don't laugh, the large internal storage makes a hacked PSPGo my go to for gaming, even over my new 3DS.

 But when it comes to the games I own, I can't help but want to play it off the original cartridge. Besides, it's the only way to get a decent multiplayer game of Kirby Super Star going (This will never run on a PSP, and that wouldn't be multiplayer anyway.)

But if I go with allen's idea, MAME will be an option. I'm going to stick "emulation box" idea in the back of my head, but in the meantime I'll softmod my Wii, because I should really do that anyway. As long as I have enough gamepads/classic controllers.

Whether or not I'll buy someone else's SNES, or sell off my cartridges is going to be a tough decision I won't make for a while. The console clone idea is out, anyway.

Thanks for all the suggestions!

[baconman]

A GameBoy Advance, or a GameCube + GBA Player add-on is another feasible, although maybe costlier alternative. Not everything cool NES/SNES was released on GBA, but a large number of key titles were, including some localizations that didn't make it on the official NES/SNES systems. This is on top of hundreds of nifty additional titles that round it out rather well.

[moi]

Not being a hipster, I just use my PC yo

[Richard Kain]

The Retron 3 looks like a pretty good option. I really like the fact that it has ports for all three classic controllers. (NES, SNES, Genesis) You're free to use the original controllers. Once again, the price is hard to beat. Getting original models of all those systems would almost certainly run you more than $50.

I like to have at least one retro-clone system handy. It provides me with a means to play my classic cartridges without having to place undue wear or tear on the original systems. I personally love collecting original cartridges. There's just something classic about those chunky plastic rectangles.

[Μarkham]

Getting original models of all those systems would almost certainly run you more than $50.

Not if you know where to look.  Flea markets usually have those on a regular basis for anywhere from $5 - $20.  One place I went to had a display rack of Genesii stacked along like books, $1.25 each.  NES's are about as common.  Most of anything else, including previous gen systems, will go for $20-30.