The Retrode is a USB adapter for legacy
video games that enabled the use of
game cartridges and
controllers with
emulators.
Technically, the Retrode could be considered a
ROM dumper in that it could create a copy of the cartridge content. Unlike most such devices, the Retrode could be operated without
drivers or special software under the most popular operating systems. It further allowed the emulator to directly access the game data through the
file system
In computing, file system or filesystem (often abbreviated to fs) is a method and data structure that the operating system uses to control how data is stored and retrieved. Without a file system, data placed in a storage medium would be one larg ...
, eliminating the need to create a
ROM image as a separate step. By default, the Retrode was equipped with cartridge slots and controller ports for the
SNES and
Sega Genesis
The Sega Genesis, known as the outside North America, is a 16-bit Fourth generation of video game consoles, fourth generation home video game console developed and sold by Sega. It was Sega's third console and the successor to the Master Syst ...
(also known as Mega Drive outside North America) game consoles; support for cartridges and controllers for other systems could be added via so-called plug-in adapters that users can buy online or make themselves.
History
The device was originally conceived by Matthias Hullin in 2009 during a discussion on USB accessories in a user forum for the
Pandora
In Greek mythology, Pandora (Greek: , derived from , ''pān'', i.e. "all" and , ''dōron'', i.e. "gift", thus "the all-endowed", "all-gifted" or "all-giving") was the first human woman created by Hephaestus on the instructions of Zeus. As Hes ...
handheld gaming console. Hullin prototyped the envisioned operation principle by wiring an
edge connector to an
AT90USBKey evaluation board running a custom firmware, and prepared a demonstration video. After receiving significant coverage through various press outlets,
Hullin developed the proof-of-concept (working title "snega2usb") into a product that was later manufactured by Retrode UG in
Germany.
Retrode UG ceased manufacturing the Retrode in the summer of 2013.
The Retrode got licensed to OpenPandora GmbH in Germany and is available again since March 2015. The Retrode from 2015 is the second hardware revision.
For each of the two hardware revisions, the transition from prototype to mass production was enabled through crowdfunding (pre-ordering). A comprehensive write-up by a Retrode user documents the history of the project.
Technical properties
The Retrode was based on an
Atmel AVR
AVR is a family of microcontrollers developed since 1996 by Atmel, acquired by Microchip Technology in 2016. These are modified Harvard architecture 8-bit Reduced instruction set computer, RISC single-chip microcontrollers. AVR was one of the f ...
microcontroller
A microcontroller (MCU for ''microcontroller unit'', often also MC, UC, or μC) is a small computer on a single VLSI integrated circuit (IC) chip. A microcontroller contains one or more CPUs (processor cores) along with memory and programmable i ...
(AT90USB646) with an integrated USB interface, connecting to
cartridge slots and game controller ports via the microcontroller's
GPIO pins.
Its updateable
firmware
In computing, firmware is a specific class of computer software that provides the low-level control for a device's specific hardware. Firmware, such as the BIOS of a personal computer, may contain basic functions of a device, and may provide h ...
was based on the
LUFA library by Dean Camera,
and was developed mainly by Hullin with the help of a few users.
The device enumerated as a composite USB device consisting of a
USB mass storage endpoint and one or several USB
game controllers. Access to the cartridge contents (typically a
ROM chip with the game itself and optionally also a battery-backed
SRAM to store game progress) was provided through files on the USB medium. A number of device parameters could be edited through a configuration file.
The first commercial version of the Retrode featured an aluminum profile enclosure with two slots to accommodate SNES and Sega Genesis game cartridges. Internal soldering pins allowed users to retrofit up to four ports for SNES controllers.
The successor model, the Retrode 2, used a plastic enclosure with a dust cover, and had four controller ports built in—two for each system, SNES and Sega Genesis.
Consoles supported
See also
*
Game backup device
*
ROM image
*
Pandora (console)
References
{{Reflist
Video game hardware