Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Gaming
  3. News

RetroBlox console breathes new life into 8-bit games, outputs at 1080p

By

RetroBlox Inc. has revealed a modular gaming console that’s compatible with original cartridges for legacy 8-bit and 16-bit hardware, allowing veteran gamers to craft an all-in-one solution for their retrogaming needs.

Unlike similar emulation-powered consoles like the Retron 5, the RetroBlox also supports legacy CD-ROMs, giving fans of the Sega CD, TurboDuo, and original PlayStation a new way to play their favorite games off those silver disc-thingys you used to buy so frequently.

Recommended Videos

RetroBlox pitches itself as an alternative to digital distribution and Nintendo’s own Virtual Console service, offering a way to play original cartridge media on modern televisions. The console reads data from 8-bit and 16-bit cartridges using connected cartridge interface modules, then outputs the results at 1080p to an HDMI display.

Related: 
Best new movies to stream on Netflix, Hulu, Prime Video, HBO Max, and more

The RetroBlox console ships with a Hitachi LG Data Services-branded optical disc drive capable of reading legacy CD-ROM and DVD-ROM media, granting immediate access to complete software libraries for consoles like the Sega CD, TurboGrafx-CD, and the PSone. The console’s firmware is also upgradable via an included SD card reader, and RetroBlox suggests that support for additional CD-ROM consoles could arrive with future updates.

Gamers wanting to play original Sega Genesis or Super NES cartridges will need to buy corresponding “Element Modules,” which read data from specific cartridge types. All Element Modules also include controller ports for their designated consoles, ensuring compatibility with original Sega Genesis and Super NES controllers and accessories.

The RetroBlox console also gives players access to a personalized digital collection featuring all previously scanned cartridge media, along with Facebook and Twitter integration for sharing collection updates. The device additionally offers streaming support via Twitch and YouTube.

Pricing and release dates for the RetroBlox and its modules are not yet known. RetroBlox will seek funding for its console through a crowdfunding campaign launching in April.

Danny Cowan
Danny Cowan
Former Contributor
Danny’s passion for video games was ignited upon his first encounter with Nintendo’s Duck Hunt, and years later, he still…
Topics
The best Zelda dungeons, ranked
Link and Zelda under Hyrule Castle in "The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom."

There are a lot of metrics I could use to rank the best Zelda games. I could talk about the best Zelda bosses, the worlds, items, and more, but I believe the dungeons are the biggest individual factor in deciding how each game stacks up to the others. These are the meat of every Zelda game. All the combat and puzzle solving happens here, and the excitement of exploring each one is what pushes us to want to explore these worlds. The boss is the icing on the cake, but a good dungeon can be the highlight of the entire game. Looking back at all Zelda games, I have made some tough calls to bring you a list of the best Zelda dungeons, ranked.

#10 Eagle's Tower - Link's Awakening

Read more
We need to start having real conversations about AI in gaming
Copilot Quake II game.

AI has become a dirty word across almost every discipline over the past few years. As big corporations keep pushing this technology forward, a vocal resistance among creatives, critics, and passionate communities has risen up in opposition. While every creative medium is at risk of AI influence now, gamers are particularly sensitive about this technology sucking the creativity and human element from our beloved medium. Even the mere mention of AI being used in game development triggers a massive backlash, but we need to start being more nuanced in how we talk about the ways AI should and should not be used. Because, like it or not, AI is going to become more ubiquitous in gaming. We can't keep talking about AI as though it is a black-and-white thing. It is a tool, and like any tool, there are ways it can be used appropriately.

The question we need to ask ourselves now is, when is it ethical to use and what crosses the line?

Read more
Mecha Break is the closest I’ve felt to piloting a real Gundam outside Japan
Key art for Mecha Break.

In 2015, in a mostly-empty arcade in Fukuoka, I slid into the pilot seat of a Gundam.

I pulled the door down, watching as it seamlessly merged with the rest of the wall and turned into a display of my surroundings. As I pulled the earpiece down, the radio crackled to life as other pilots greeted me through comms.

Read more