As you’re probably well aware, emulation is a fantastically convenient way for us to play our old games but it does suffer from a few problems. Many of those issues surround the legality of playing copies of ROMs downloaded from the internet, a grey area which has been debated for decades by people in no position to give legal advice.
The Retrode 2 skirts this issue altogether, acting as a USB-compatible port for your Super Famicom/Nintendo and SEGA Genesis/Mega Drive cartridges. A cartridge slotted in the Retrode has its ROM files mounted as virtual files on a USB drive which can be accessed by your favorite emulator. It also features ports for connecting your original SNES and Genesis controllers, which are mounted as HID-compliant devices.
It’s also not terribly cheap. The one US-based distributor for the product, Stone Age Gamer, is currently accepting pre-orders at a price of $84.99 (free shipping). In Europe, you can snag one for a little over €70 direct from Retrode. Still, if you want to feel good about yourself when you’re playing emulated games, is that really too much to pay for peace of mind?
About the Retrode [Retrode via Perez Start]
