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Retro-Bit's wireless N64 controllers are just smashing
Everyone was talking about the PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Wii U during E3 this year, but the highlight of the Innex booth wanted nothing to do with these newfangled gadgets. I'm talking about Retro-Bit's Wireless Hypermode controllers for the N64. I got a chance to try out one of these controllers with the original Super Smash Bros – serendipitously right before my interview with its creator, Masahiro Sakurai – and it seemed to work swimmingly. I didn't notice any significant input latency, and was able to perform smash attacks without any trouble (as Samus, obviously). I doubt I spent more than five minutes with it, so I can't speak to longterm concerns like connectivity issues or battery life, but the initial impression was definitely a positive one. The build quality felt good, though not as high as official Nintendo controllers. The analog stick in particular felt like it didn't have as much weight or resistance to it as an official pad – more or less how you would expect a third-party controller to feel. Connection is achieved via a receiver plugged into the console's controller ports. The receiver has a connection button and a slot for a memory card or Rumble Pak. Obviously you won't be feeling any of those rumbles from across your living room, but at least the option is there for any games that require the Rumble function (like finding secrets in Ocarina of Time, etc). The Wireless Hypermode N64 controller is slated to arrive this summer for $30. A Genesis version and an NES / SNES hybrid version are panned for this fall at the same price.%Gallery-191540%
Retro-bit bringing wireless controllers to retro consoles
Remember Retro-Bit, the company behind the nifty handheld NES / SNES, the RetroDuo Portable? Once again, the company is looking to make your outdated gaming habits a little more convenient, this time with a line of wireless controllers for vintage consoles. There are three controllers in the Hypermode series, one for the Nintendo 64, a hybrid controller the NES and SNES, and finally one for the Sega Genesis. Each uses a 2.4GHz receiver to connect to its respective console, and all three have turbo functionality. The N64 controller also features a slot for a Rumble Pak. Furthermore, the NES / SNES and Genesis controllers can also be used on PC or Mac. The N64 controller is slated to launch this summer, while the other two are planned for this fall. Each will cost $30. Distributor Innex will be showing the controllers at its booth during E3. We'll do our best to swing by and check them out. In the meantime, we pose a simple question: Where's our wireless Saturn controller?%Gallery-188447%
The Innex Rapid Shot for Wii may be too real
Here's the surprising thing about the Innex Rapid Shot: It's good. Like, really good. The pseudo sub-machine gun not only bundles the functionality of the Wiimote, Nunchuk and MotionPlus into one controller, it also looks and feels great. In fact, it's being marketed as the first controller made solely for adults. All marketing nonsense, but it tells you a lot about what kind of audience they're targeting. What feature does the Rapid Shot (which retails for $49.99) not include? Well, for starters, it doesn't keep you from being stupefyingly uncomfortable when a man in camouflage shouts at you about protecting your brain from zombies. Perhaps in version two?
Hands-on: Firecore Classic Console
From the Wii's Virtual Console to Xbox Live Arcade, there are all kinds of ways to play classic Genesis games these days. But the Firecore Classic Console offers something just a little closer to the original experience. Though this standalone console comes pre-loaded with 20 games, it also accepts all your old carts and comes packed with two dead ringers for the Genesis pad. As you'll see in the above video, we recently put the machine through its paces and came away reasonably impressed, especially considering the $44 price tag.
FireCore console pre-loaded with Genesis games, plays carts
We don't do usually cover plug-and-play consoles, but this one was too cool to pass up. While Innex and AtGames' Firecore Classic Console is pre-loaded with 30 Genesis games like Sonic and Knuckles and Ecco the Dolphin, it can also play all your old Genesis carts. We're not sure where all it's available, though you can find it on Buy.com right now for $50. The console also supports wireless Firecore gamepads, though you'll have to buy them separately, and newly developed "Truecolor" games. Innex is also releasing a very cool portable system with 20 Genesis games playable on a 2.4-inch LCD screen. You can get a look at it right after the break.
3-in-1 Wii controller adapter now a 2-in-1, coming out in September
You may have noticed that the Komodo Retro Adapter, which connects NES, SNES, and N64 controllers to the Wii for use in Virtual Console games, didn't come out in June as planned. We realized that authentic NES Max control was missing from our Wii-playing lives, and so we checked in with distributor Innex to find out the status of the product.Innex informed us that the device has been delayed until September, due to "configuration issues" with the N64 controller port. Also, as a result of that same problem, the device will only have NES and SNES ports. Innex tells us that it is still working on the N64 compatibility. We wonder if the updated 2-in-1 device will still be shaped like a tiny Nintendo 64.
Retro Adapter outclasses the Classic Controller
Next month, developer Komodo and distributor Innex will one-up (or two-up, we guess) RetroZone's RetroPort Wii controller adapters with their Retro Adapter. Instead of merely allowing you to use a NES or SNES controller with Virtual Console games, the Retro Adapter features ports for NES, SNES, and Nintendo 64 pads in one $20 device. The adapter, being released almost just in time for the release of Majora's Mask on the Virtual Console, purportedly supports true analog control for the N64 controller.Innex will be demonstrating the product at E3, and we're going to do our best to get all those new games or whatever out of the way so we can spend some time with it.
