Should You Buy the Old Skool Classiq 2 NES & SNES Clone Console: In-Dept Review Featuring Mario RPG

In this video we put the Old Skool Classiq 2 HD Clone Game system through perhaps the most extensive review on YouTube!

Thanks to Live Action Games in Champaign, IL for providing the Classiq 2 for this unboxing and review. Please give them a like and a thanks on their Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/LAG217/

John Riggs Classiq 2 Review - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xwV9rE-EPm8

Old Skool has been making accessories for retro games for quite some time. From replacement power and AV cables, controllers and AV2HDMI adapters they have some pretty cool gear. They have recently delved into the world of clone video game systems with the Classiq 2 HD, a 2-in-1 system that can handle games from both the Nintendo Entertainment System and the Nintendo Super Entertainment system.

The Classiq 2 is available in 2 different color schemes, either red & black or purple and grey. The latter mimics the colors of the original American SNES which, for some will be a great thing but for others they won't look at the system with the same nostalgia.

The controllers are pretty functional, the SNES being my preferred controller out of the two. It feels great, the buttons are responsive although the travel on the X/Y seemed a little on the short side. The NES Controller mimics the shape of the dogbone controller but I will say it didn't feel quite as good as the SNES one.. Only one of each is included so if you want to get some 2-player SNES gaming in you'll need to buy a 2nd controller.

Game compatibility is really high, thanks to this being a hardware-based system. Problematic games such as Mario RPG and Yoshi's Island both play on the Super NES side of things without issue. It even handled the Super Game Boy & Retro-Bit Multicarts with Joe & Mac! SNES game emulation looks good, if a tick on the muddy side. On the NES side things were just as good compatibility-wise, including Castlevania 3 & the Retro-Bit collection multicart too. I didn't run into a single game that didn't play, however some games needed to be inserted just-so for the system to read and recognize it.

Let's talk about the cartridge slots because this is where the Classiq 2 misses the mark a little for me. The SNES cart slot is ok at best. SNES & Super Famicom games have a decent amount of wobble to them which can affect how the games load. If the cart isn't straight up and down & is at a slight angle a game may not load. The spring loaded door on the cartridge slot on the SNES side also stuck in on a regular basis too. Yes, it did come back up but eventually but it did take its sweet time to do so.

Audio quality is still an issue on the NES side of things, same as other clone NES systems. Much like the Retron HD the audio is pitched up and high on the Classiq 2, again most notably on Super Mario Bros' coins. It was disappointing to hear but leans towards this being a similar system on a chip.

Why it RoX:
- Compact 2-in-1 design
- Includes NES & SNES Controller
- Great game compatibility
- Decent Value
- AV output

What could be improved:
- Audio is off
- Color palette is a bit muddy
- Including 2 SNES controllers would be better than 1 of each
- NES Controller felt cheap

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The fact that a work is unpublished shall not itself bar a finding of fair use if such finding is made upon consideration of all the above factors.
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