There’s no shortage of ways to enjoy retro video games these days. Most people these days pay to download games on their game consoles or play digitally acquired ROM files with emulators on their computers. Either way, it sucks playing retro games with a mouse, keyboard, or any game controller that wasn’t designed to play that game.
I’ve seen plenty of USB adapters that allow you to connect your NES, SNES or Genesis controllers to your computer, but the Retrode is a unique gadget. It has slots that take SNES and Genesis game cartridges, as well as plugs for controllers. If you have emulators on your computer, you can plug it in and play the games from the cartridges via the Retrode’s USB interface. At first I didn’t understand the appeal, if you still need an emulator, what’s the point?
I guess the Retrode is a tool for people who still have lots of retro games and hardware laying around but don’t want to rely on a 25 year old console to keep enjoying them. One of the best things about the Retrode is how it doesn’t need any drivers to work on your computer.
The Retrode is cool, but it will run you $85. If you’ve got some old controllers and copies of Yoshi’s Island or Comix Zone laying around, it might be a cool gadget to try out.
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ShezCrafti
