Retron 5 has added a feature that makes it much more appealing to longtime gamers: support for translation patches. There are many Japanese games that didn’t get localized for one reason or another, and fans have taken it upon themselves to translate some of them. For years, the only way to play these fan translations was through the use of emulators, the legality of which is dubious at best.
However, now Hyperkin has an update for the Retron 5 that allows a player to use a translation patches. The Retron 5 makes a ROM of the cartridge you are playing to give all the freedom of an emulator without the questionable legality. Now, they’ve added the ability to patch that ROM with a translation. Now, Hyperkin does not prohibit or take responsibility for the patch of Final Fantasy V getting patched onto Dragon Quest V. This won’t break your cart; more likely, the game will simply not load, so you’ll have to start over. Hyperkin also doesn’t guarantee that every patch will work; you’ll have to do your own research on that one.
Still, if you own a Japanese cart, and want to actually plug it in a console to play it in English, you now have an option. Retron 5 just got a whole lot more interesting.
