Retrode.org » Announcements

Firmware v0.17d beta

Matthias_H — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 17:01:50 +0000

… find it here! As always, I’m interested in your feedback. This version should solve most issues with Sega SRAM. Make sure to set "[segaSram16bit] 1" in the config! Also, a whole range of controller configurations is provided; the new-old Keyboard mode should provide perfect compatibility even using the weirdest OS X emulators, and let us not forget the all-new, awesome iCade mode!

Release history

v0.17d beta (2012-02-02)
- Complete re-write of USB HID descriptors, with five
  HID configurations:
  Off (fastest), 4 Joy + Mouse, 2 Joy, KB, iCade
- Skipped the silly "Ataliri" for 2600'er Cartridges
- Sega SRAM now 16-bit by default; significant
  improvements in detection, reading and writing

Linux, XMBC and the Retrode

Felix — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 01:54:28 +0000

Erik of Doodlejiggy shows how easy it is to use XBMC and the Retrode to set up a full featured Linux based retro console.

Source: blog.doodlejiggy.com

→ Got a story? Let us know at editors@retrode.org.

New (minor) firmware version

Matthias_H — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 07:34:42 +0000

… find it here!

Release history

v0.17c (2012-01-19)
- Version number now displayed in config file
- Sonic&Knuckles lock-on technology bug fixed
  (Retrode 2 or Retrode 1 w/ S&K fix)
- Config option for Sega SRAM "16-bit mode" (some
  emulators access SRAM in bytes, some in words)
  (experimental, Retrode 2 only)

Boxing Day is Soooo Last Week

Matthias_H — Mon, 26 Dec 2011 15:53:16 +0000

Great news: Here we see 150 brand-new Retrodes, all boxed up and ready to go out to all of last summer’s pre-orderers in the next 1-2 days. Quite a bunch more are available from

Retrode 2 Manual (and some extra goodies)

Matthias_H — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 02:57:44 +0000

With the cases arrived in Hamburg and soon to hit the assembly line, we’re now all eagerly awaiting the advent of zillions of lovely little Retrodes. Meanwhile, here’s some reading: the instruction sheet that will come with your Retrode 2, as PDF (English / German). Update, Dec 20, 2012: Merci à Lestat pour la traduction française ! For those who want to customize their desktop for Retrode use, I’ll throw in two icons as well:

Retrode Usage Notes
(English / Deutsch)

Manuel Retrode
(Français)

Retrode 2 Icon
(ICO) (PNG)

Retrode Logo Icon
(ICO) (PNG)

In Windows, you can assign icons to drive letters as follows:

Launch the registry editor.
Navigate to \\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer.
Make a new key named “DriveIcons”.
In “DriveIcons”, make a subkey named after your drive letter without the colon (say, “F”).
In “F”, make a subkey named “DefaultIcon”.
Change the default value of “DefaultIcon” to the path of the icon file, e.g., “d:\icons\Retrode.ico”.
Done :)

Production Update

Matthias_H — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 21:25:45 +0000

Here’s your latest update about the ongoing mass production of the Retrode 2. As always, everything took a bit longer than I thought it would, but land is in sight.

Old status:
Electronics: Production finished, waiting for samples.
Cases: Expecting final tweak to injection tool, final run of samples, then mass production.
USB cables: Looking for supplier.

New status:
Electronics: Samples are here and tested. All is good, and they’re pretty darn beautiful (see picture on the right). Factory firmware installation planned next week, then wait for cases and final assembly.
Cases: Final samples (painted and printed) arrived, mass production finished, cases in transit to Germany (expected day of arrival: Dec 2) Update, Nov 14: The shipping company corrected the estimated time of arrival to Dec 19.
USB cables: Ordered. expected arrival: Nov 18.
Final assembly: 2-3 working days from arrival of cases.
Packaging and shipping: Within 5 working days of finished product. That would be around ~~Dec 14~~ Dec 27. I repeat: land is in sight :)

I should add that I also have GBx/N64 and SMS plugins in the pipeline, but they will take a bit longer to finish. Will try to figure out a deal for pre-orderers.

Totally unrelated but still neat:
Meanwhile, here’s a firmware update for owners of the original Retrode. The upcoming plug-ins will be supported by your units as well. As always, feedback is highly appreciated, for I can only fix bugs that I know about. Download the file here, find the instructions here.

Production Status

Matthias_H — Sat, 10 Sep 2011 22:12:02 +0000

Everything is coming along nicely for the Retrode 2! The mainboards should be finished by now (I have not checked back with the manufacturer yet, but so far they’ve been VERY reliable and the deadline was last week). The firmware also received some polishing to make sure the Retrode will ship with the latest features included but still bug-free :). Additional documentation and paperwork (including usage notes, labelling, EMC documentation, instructions for final assembly, testing and packaging) are prepared as well.

Only on the case side, things got delayed by a little bit when I tried to transfer the tooling payment to the plastics company. They are based in Asia, my bank is in Germany and needed an original form signed by me (currently in Canada). But every problem has a solution, and after a few weeks (with a friend actually flying the envelope over to Frankfurt!), it all finally worked out. So when I returned from my vacation last weekend, I found a notice that the injection mould is close to finished. On the right, you can see the first pictures of parts that were made using the actual injection tool. I can hardly tell you how excited I am to see the design coming to life as a real product! Only a few final adjustments (wall thicknesses etc.), and the tool will be ready to make lots and lots of beautiful Retrode cases.

So I’m afraid I won’t be able to ship the final product by the predicted end-of-September deadline, but I’m pretty optimistic for October. By the way, if you missed out on preordering a Retrode 2, don’t worry, there will still be one for you. The new online store will open shortly after the preordered units have been delivered.