I want to love the Hyperkin Retron GX, but the retro console seemingly dislikes my PC Engine games

On paper, I absolutely adore the idea of the Hyperkin Retron GX. That’s largely because it’s a modern system that’s tasked with the niche quest of running physical Turbografx-16 and PC Engine games while providing HDMI output. In theory, that means if you’re nerdy enough to have a pile of carts already, or just fancy starting another retro console collection, this emulation station will make it easier to get started.

At least, that’s what the Hyperkin Retron GX should be doing for $99 / £99. In a perfect world, this retro console would allow me to pop into my favorite game shop (shout out to Alan at Forgotten Worlds in Stewarton, Scotland), pick up a bunch of old games, and easily play them at 720p on a modern TV. However, compatibility is a bit of a gamble with this emulation-based system, and that’s ultimately a bit of a buzzkill.

I want to stress that I’ve got no time for retro gaming gatekeeping, and while some enthusiasts will instinctively dunk on ROM dumper consoles like the Retron GX, I’m not one of them. Sure, I would rather play all my favorite 8-bit romps on my OG PC Engine or a fancy FPGA console like the Analogue Duo, but both routes cost a pretty penny. Sadly, though, it’s hard to recommend Hyperkin’s latest emulation system in its current state unless you know your chosen cards will work.

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Design

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Look, I won’t blame you if you have no idea what a Japanese PC Engine is, as even its western counterpart, the Turbografx-16, is fairly obscure. It’s effectively a console that arrived late to take on the Nintendo Famicom, but ultimately failed to topple the 8-bit console’s reign.

The PC Engine was far more successful in Japan than the Turbografx 16 was in the US, though, so it’s hardly surprising that Hyperkin has modeled its emulation system after the former. The only issue there is that, as far as ‘80s consoles go, NEC and Hudson’s original design is remarkably small, and this recreation is carrying a lot more beef.

The Retron GX’s heft is pretty frustrating, as it feels like Hyperkin could have eliminated a lot of redundant space within the cuboid. I feel like this modern take on the PC Engine could have made a big impression if it matched the original’s size, but it instead looks like the art of compact consoles has been forgotten.

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Still, for what it’s worth, I enjoy the Retron GX’s aesthetic. It blends the dark, edgy grey, yellow, and orange colorways of the Turbografx 16 with the form factor of a PC Engine. Hyperkin likes to make consoles that look like a homage to the originals rather than a straight-up clone, with the closest example I can think of being the SNES-inspired Retron 1.

Right at the front, you’ll find the Retron GX’s cart slot, designed to accommodate original PC Engine Hucards or Turbografx 16 “Turbochips” as they’re known outside of Japan. The approach is nearly identical to the OG console, with cards sliding in halfway until they hit an edge connector. I respect the fact that Hyperkin has retained the original design, but it unfortunately means the console inherits old flaws that hinder usability.

I should clarify that my original PC Engine Core Grafx doesn’t seem to experience these issues, but Hyperkin says you might need to pull some Hucards out slightly to get them working. This is an issue with some original models that will prevent games from loading properly, and sliding the cards out a touch is an old, tried, and tested trick. I have no idea why it’s something that still affects a new system in 2025, but there is at least a quick remedy.

Much to my dismay, the need for that specific fix strips out one of my favorite physical features. While the Retron GX has absolutely no need for it, earlier revisions used to have a lock that’d stop you from removing Hucards while the console is switched on. It’s something that even the PC Engine Mini includes, even though it doesn’t have a cart slot, but I really enjoy its presence purely for the nerdy authenticity.

To the bottom left, you’re also getting a pair of original Tubrografx-16 controller ports and two USBs for other compatible gamepads. Irritatingly, the PC Engine uses a different socket, so you’ll need either an adapter to use Japanese pads. Including a dongle for support in the box would have been a nice touch, especially since the console goes out of its way to look like a PC Engine rather than a TG-16, but alas, you’ll need to figure out compatibility yourself.

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That said, there is a controller in the box, and it naturally takes queues from the Turbografx-16. It even includes a set of turbo switches for the A and B buttons, so all the original functionality is retained. The d-pad looks pretty uncanny, too, but its central pivot is far too low, resulting in a mushy feel that’ll prevent you from rolling your thumb across it for movement.

Features

Around the back, you’ve got a fairly straight talking IO layout consisting of HDMI out and USB-C input for power. Both are next to a microSD card slot that exists purely for firmware updates, and a physical aspect ratio switch for hopping between 4:3 and 16:9 widescreen. Arguably, that’s all you really need from a console like this, but the lack of a back edge connector firmly means you won’t be hooking it up to the original’s CD-ROM attachment.

At its core, the Retron GX is a ROM dumper console, and this isn’t remotely Hyperkin’s first rodeo with this kind of system. While some of its devices, like the Retron HD, replicate the NES on a hardware level using a system-on-a-chip, this PC Engine copies physical carts to memory just like the Retron 5. That then allows the games to run in the same fashion as a traditional emulator, albeit with a few natural drawbacks.

For starters, the Retron GX won’t save your Hucard’s ROM to storage. Believe it or not, this is a feature rather than a bug, and it’s designed to make the console feel more native. You could argue it also helps Hyperkin dodge any accusations of helping players make copies of old games, and the software will even reset if you remove your cartridge.

The idea here is that you’re not meant to treat this system like emulation, but the Retro GX doesn’t quite maintain a flawless illusion. When you pop a Hucard in and switch the system on, you’ll be greeted with a Hyperkin splash screen that provides a load status wheel. ROMs can take up to ten seconds to load into memory, whereas they’ll instantly fire up on original hardware.

Once you’ve got a game running, you’ll then be able to access the console’s emulation perks by pressing start and select. The Retron GX’s perks include save states, a rewind feature that’ll let you hop back a few seconds, and visual options like scaling and scanlines. There are also quick save and load options that’ll let you jump straight back to a specific point rather than using a menu.

Those are neat tricks, and could make picking up the Retron GX over an original console worthwhile. Keep in mind we’re talking about a game library that fully embraces arcade difficulty, so being able to correct your demise Sands of Time-style or even just repeatedly hop back to a specific spot may help you actually complete a few adventures.

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That said, there aren’t that many software features baked into the Retron GX compared to other emulators. I wouldn’t say it’s necessarily a bad thing to keep things simple and streamlined, and the menu UI keeps everything pretty straightforward for the benefit of casual players. However, if you like to dial in things like resolution upscaling and specific color formats, you’re out of luck.

Circling back to hardware features, and I do like that Hyperkin has included USB and original controller ports. It means you’ll be able to use everything from other 3rd party 16-din gamepads to even the PC Engine Mini’s included pad, so you won’t be stuck with just the Retron GX’s included set of buttons.

Unfortunately, you can’t use a mix of USB and OG controllers as a makeshift multi-tap. Most releases support two players, but there are a few releases out there that support up to five that might be off the menu. I don’t have any to hand right now to see whether a USB hub can let you hook up more gamepads, and since my multi-tap has a PC Engine cable, I can’t use that either.

Performance

The Retron GX is undoubtedly in a better place than it was just a few months ago. Initially, the console suffered from pretty heavy performance issues that impacted frame pacing, latency, and visuals, all of which resulted in a near-unplayable experience. Thanks to firmware updates that come with the final retail bundle, the Hyperkin PC Engine homage does a much better job running physical cards via emulation, but the trick is finding games it actually likes.

My PC Engine library isn’t massive by any means, but I had a bit of a hard time getting my collection running on the Retron GX. Some of my Hucards just plain didn’t work, whereas others ended up eventually pulling through to memory after carefully pulling the card back a bit in the slot. I was starting to take things a little personally until I started using that latter trick, but the whole affair complicates my feelings towards the console.

I’ll start off with the good stuff, like the fact that my favorite PC Engine shooter, Dragon Spirit, fired up first time. It also looked pretty damn smooth running at 720p, and some slight saturation differences aside, the results were pretty comparable to my original console outputting RGB to an OSSC upscaler. I couldn’t feel any noticeable lag while spitting fireballs at Nessies and murderous trees (if you know, you know), and the soundtrack featured zero quirks.

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Originally, I wasn’t able to get my copy of Street Fighter 2 working, and Hyperkin actually confirmed it was incompatible since it’s a larger 20-Megabit card. Yet, against all odds, I managed to get it working just by pulling out the console a few millimeters, and was able to spinning-bird kick my way through the fighter as Chun-Li without any visual glitches, audio hiccups, or perceived latency.

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At the same time, I wasn’t able to get Vigilate working, a beat-em-up that Hyperkin says is compatible with the Retron GX. Normally, the system will display file name text in red if it can’t successfully dump a ROM, but in this instance, it displayed it in green before leading to a black screen. Sliding the card out slightly didn’t make a difference this time around, so I can only assume it either doesn’t like my specific copy or something isn’t right behind the software scenes.

The takeaway here is that compatibility is an extremely mixed and unpredictable bag. R-Type 2 appeared to almost boot before inevitably falling flat, while Wonder Momo and The Kung Fu booted up without intervention. Sure, if I took the Retron GX to the retro store and tried out every game they have, I’d perhaps find more compatible games, but most players eyeing up this console will have a few Hucards to hand at most.

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While the games that did work were pretty much spot on performance-wise, I did pick up on a few minor quirks. The first was actually while playing Dragon Spirit, as switching scanlines on resulted in some weird blur on moving pixels. It’s not too dissimilar to what you get when using a cheap upscaler, so I ended up just leaving the effect off.

I also ended up distracted by glitchy scrolling when playing Wonder Momo, as transitioning to new boards resulted in mixed-up graphics and black boxes. The visuals would then correct themselves once gameplay restarted, but it really killed the original stage curtain effect the quirky beat-em-up was going for.

Should you pick up the Hyperkin Retro GX?

As a jumping-on point for playing PC Engine and Turbografx-16 games, the Hyperkin Retron GX checks quite a few boxes. Its price point is far more approachable than the likes of the Analogue Duo, and it theoretically gives you everything you’ll need to start playing physical cards at 720p on a modern TV.

It even now boasts better performance thanks to firmware updates, but the Retron GX is sadly haunted by inconsistent compatibility. Put it this way, if you’ve just started collecting PC Engine and Turbografx-16 games, the last thing you want is to find out your cards won’t work on your chosen system. That also applies to any of you with original games from back in the day, as you’ll likely be looking to revisit a specific adventure rather than just whatever happens to work.

I’m willing to bet Hyperkin can iron out the Retro GX’s compatibility woes with further updates, and that could help it become the best way to play PC Engine games for under $100. The original console will set you back much more than that without a controller if you go hunting on eBay, and you’d then need to pick up additional upscalers and adapters to add HDMI into the mix.

But, until that happens, I can only recommend the Retron GX to players who’re willing to experiment with physical game compatibility. Your mileage may vary depending on the Hucards you have to hand, and as things currently stand, the system could still serve as a starter PC Engine/Turbografx-16 setup before moving onto an original console or FPGA alternatives like the Analogue Duo or Pocket with an adapter.

How I tested the Hyperkin Retron GX

Over the course of two weeks, I used the Hyperkin Retron GX to play original Hucards side-by-side with a PC Engine Core Grafx. Throughout testing, I assessed the new console's compatibility and performance compared to the official hardware while putting new features like save states, rewind, and scanlines to the test. I also compared the system's HDMI 720p video quality to the original console's RGB signal upscaled using an OSSC on a 4K gaming monitor.

For more information on how we test retro consoles and other gadgets, swing by our full GamesRadar+ Hardware Policy for a full rundown.

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