In this video we cover our upcoming thank you to our subscribers as we hit the 500-subscriber mark with a giveaway of a Retro-Bit RES + 8-bit HDMI Equipped NES Clone system.
This channel, RoXolid Productions, has always been about you, our viewers, fans, community and subscribers. As we close in on 500 YouTube channel subscribers I have decided to thank you for your support and fandom. Once we hit 500 subscribers we will draw one eligible subscriber at random to receive a Retro-Bit RES + 8-bit HDMI Equipped NES Clone system. Not only will you win a RES+, you'll win OUR RES+! Thats right, we're giving away the actual RES+ that we used in our unboxing and review video. To be eligible you simply need to subscribe to our YouTube Channel and live in and have a shipping address in the lower-48 continuous states.
This giveaway is not sponsored by or endorsed by YouTube or Retro-Bit. The system that will be given away will be shipped via USPS or UPS, which ever method is less expensive. No insurance will be provided , however the standard $50 insurance will cover the cost of the unit. The console was purchased from Fry's Electronics at a value of $34.99 plus tax. No warranty is provided or implied with this unit. Upon the request of the winner the unit may be autographed before shipping.
In this video we look at how the Nintendo Switch has fared 6-months after it launched.
The Nintendo Switch really has helped redefine Nintendo as a hardware manufacturer. Games, games have always been their strong suit but hardware, well they've had some recent misses. The Wii U, while a system I own and loved, never found the success of its predecessor. But Nintendo has found lightning in a bottle with systems such as the Wii, 3DS and other systems as well. The Nintendo Switch really is something different, but as the Wii U and Virtual Boy both proved, different doesn't always mean better.
The Nintendo Switch can be best defined as a hybrid console, able to connect to your home TV via a dock and be played like a traditional home console but also undocked and played on the go like the 3DS. The hardware was developed between both Nintendo and nVidia, makers of the powerful nVidia Shield tablet and Shield TV. The system is capable of displaying visuals in 720P in handheld mode and 1080P when docked. For media the Switch uses both digitally downloaded content and physical cartridges, similar to the 3DS here too. The controllers, or Joy Cons as they are called, connect to the side of the main Switch Console itself or can be detached and used as separate controllers or slid into the Joy Con Grip to use as a more traditional controller.
The Nintendo Switch didn't come out of the gate with a ton of games back in March but what it did launch with was Zelda - Breath of the Wild. Many have called this a masterpiece while, personally, I think it is highly over-rated. As time went on there was a bit of a drought for quality games. We got a re-release of Super Mario Kart 8 with all the DLC already available, a version of Tetris and a sequel to a great new IP from the Wii U in Splatoon 2. The lineup is getting stronger, 3rd party developers are jumping on board and independent developers have truly found a home on the Switch. While an ok lineup I have to say 6-months in there's still not a ton there that is compelling. That should change soon with the release of Super Mario Odyssey.
A big strike against the Switch currently is the complete lack of any sort of Virtual Console what-so-ever. I mean even the Wii had downloadable NES games shortly after launch and the Switch still doesn't? That's grade-A ball-droppage right there. The expense of accessories is another major bummer as extra Joy Cons, the Pro Controller and extra docks are all stupid expensive. Think about this, at $90 Nintendo is saying nearly 1/3rd of the cost of the Switch is tied to the dock! That's craziness!
The Swich is full of potential right now, but isn't that what we've been saying about many Nintendo hardware releases for years? I like the ability to have console-quality gaming on the go but generally when I am on the go I'm the one driving. I rarely play in handheld mode but when I do it's a good experience. The controls work well, they're comfortable and intuitive. There are pieces missing from the Switch that I hope Nintendo fixes soon but until then there's the SNES Classic that I'll be enjoying soon too.
Why it RoX:
- It's a portable system you can play on your TV
- Nintendo first-party titles are always top notch
- Ports of Wii U games for better exposure/controls to a new audience
- Amiibo support
- Pro controller is great
What could be improved:
- A cool system needs cool games and the library is very limited currently
- No 4K option at this time
- Accessories are way over-priced
- No Virtual Console
- Online chat...via phone app? Seems like an afterthought
- While critically heralded I was not a fan of Zelda: BotW
- Small on-board storage
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In this video we unbox and review the Nyko Charge Dock Pro designed for the NIntendo Switch Pro Controller.
Keeping your gaming accessories charged and organized can be a significant challenge, especially with first and third party add-ons. Nyko has a history of making outstanding optional accessories for Microsoft XBox, Sony Playstation and Nintendo consoles. Their latest accessory is designed to make it easier to charge up the Nintendo Switch Pro Controller thanks to their Charge Dock Pro.
At $20 this ambiguous hunk of plastic includes the dock itself, a four foot long micro USB-equipped cord for power, a 1A/5v power brick and a small clip-on dongle that attaches to the Pro Controller itself and connects it to the dock. It is simple but effective in its design.
From the box setup took seconds. It would have taken less time if I wouldn't have had the USB plug upside down when trying to plug into my Switch dock but that's all on me. Once connected the dongle has a small LED which lights up to indicate power is being provided. And when I say SMALL LED I mean VERY SMALL. Like almost impossible to see in any real light. But once connected the Charge Dock Pro does a nice job of charging the Switch Pro Controller, even if it does charge a little slower than if connected via USB-C, but that's the nature of the beast.
For 20-bucks the Nyko Charge Dock Pro does a nice job and is totally worth it if you want to clean up your game shelf. I'm glad I spent the money and I think you will be too.
Why it RoX!
- Inexpensive way to organize your Switch Gear
- Does a good job of charging the Pro Controller
- The Dongle doesn't affect usage at all and can always be left on
- Can be powered via the Switch dock itself
- You can link multiple Charge Dock Pros together if needed
- Did I mention it is ONLY 20-Bucks?
What could be improved?
- Micro USB is cheap to produce but slower to charge than USB-C
- The LED is too small and too dim to see in most lighting conditions
- Only charges one Nintendo Pro Controller at a time
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There are a ton of different options out there these days for playing classic and retro Nintendo Entertainment System games and we, as game players, reap the benefits. The latest console we had a chance to test out is the Gamerz Tek 8Bit HD console, which we recently unboxed. This system is a true clone, no emulation, and plays real genuine NES cartridges. How does the Gamerz Tek 8Bit HD measure up? Were there any issues with compatibility? How do games look and sound on this sub-$30 console? Should you buy one? Watch to find out.
Why it RoX?
Awesome value for the money
2 Controllers, and they're usable!
Great games compatibility
Good color palette
AV and HDMI output
Small size
What could be improved?
The audio is off and it's distracting
AV out is mono not stereo
Power is a barrel-style connector, not Micro USB
The plastic design is a little uninspiring
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Several years ago Hyperkin shocked the world with an adapter for smart phones which was reported to allow you to play your classic Nintendo Game Boy cartridges on your phone. Sure, emulators had been out for some time but the promise of Hyperkin’s adapter was that you’d be able to play with physical controls. After a lot of interest, design, testing, tweaking and modifying Hyperkin has actually done it and brought their April Fool’s joke to life and the result is the just-released Hyperkin Smart Boy. Much like their proof of concept piece the Smart Boy will allow you to play your Game Boy and Game Boy Color (or Game Boy Colour) games natively on your smart phone. Check out how the Smart Boy comes out of the box, how it fits our test phone and more in this unboxing.
Make sure you are Subscribed to RoXolid Productions to see the full review once completed!
Thanks to Live Action Games for help with this review. Make sure to throw them a like on their Facebook Page at
https://www.facebook.com/LAG217/
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In today's living room the HDMI connector is king. Unlike audio/video connectors of the past it is capable of carrying a lot of data in one simple and easy connection. This was not always the case however. Back in the dark ages, we'll call them the 1980's and 1990's, we had to suffer through low-resolution connections such as RF (gasp), Component (Shriek!) or Composite (Faint!!!).
It is possible to connect devices from yesteryear to modern HDMI-equipped televisions. We have one such offering here in the Mini AV2HDMI adapter. Purchased off of eBay for under $15 I wanted to see if this little box was the miracle I was hoping for to help me connect my Nintendo Entertainment System, Super NES, Famicom, Sharp Famicom Twin, Super Famicom and Nintendo N64 via HDMI.
The connection is super simple, just connect your AV cables to one side, the Mini USB cable to another and finally your HDMI output cable to a third. Once connected and power has been provided you're ready to go. Sort of. The systems I was trying to up-scale all ran at a naitive resolution below even today's Standard Definition Standard of 480P. To begin with the adapter is having to up-scale a pretty crummy resolution. Beyond that when I connected ANY input device to it I had a noticable audio buzz coming through my system. I tried different Mini USB cables to make sure the insulation wasn't too thin and causing RF noise, different HDMI and AV cables but the buzz was always there. Just for that fact I would say pass on this adapter, but there are more reasons yet to come.
On my classic NES titles they were all blown out to 16:9 aspect ratio with no way to bring them back to their naitive 4:3. This lead to the graphics not scaling properly and also some pretty gnarly artifacting in the graphics themselves. The title screen on Mike Tyson's Punch Out is one of the worst offenders but everything from Super Mario Bros to Excitebike and everything in-between had weird artifacting in the graphics. When compared to my NES Classic there's no comparison, the AV2HDMI does a poor job at up-scaling.
There is one thing that this adapter does well and that's convert AV cables to HDMI. That's about all it does well. The 720/1080 switch didn't seem like it changed ANYTHING, at least I never noticed a discernable change. If you're on a smaller TV, like 24-27" you might not notice all the artifacting I did on my 60", but even on my 48" in my media room it was distracting and, honestly, my AV cables looked BETTER on the same TV!
If you're into retro gaming and looking to connect your old system to an HDMI port pass on these adapters. They are all over eBay and if they are anything like this one they are port adapters, not up-scalers. Don't waste your money on this, instead save your pennies and have the guys at https://www.game-tech.us/product/hi-def-nes/ upgrade your console for you, you won't be disappointed. Or less expensive but super fun is to pick up an NES Classic, it supports HDMI naitively!
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