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 Previous thread (tons of info in the op): http://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3515794 IRC: irc.synirc.net #retrochat Wiki: http://retrogooning.com/wiki/Main_Page   IntroductionThis is a thread about old console and arcade video games. Some computer talk happens here but if you want to get deep into that this thread is probably a better place for it. "Retro games" at the moment are generally accepted to be games that predate the 360/PS3 era, but nobody's going to care if you want to tell us about an awesome PS3 game you found. A lot of people in this hobby like playing games on their original hardware for various reasons, whether it's accuracy, nostalgia, or simply the fun of tinkering with old electronics. Some people don't really care about all that and stick to emulation, which for most systems is good enough these days. Most of the people in this thread tend to use real hardware and you'll see a lot of discussion about it, don't let it discourage you if you only use emulators, you're still playing the same games. There are various clone systems out there, licensed or unlicensed copies of old consoles. They all have accuracy issues. If you care enough to ask if you should get a clone, you probably shouldn't get a clone. Acquiring old gamesThe popularity of retro games is exploding right now and game prices have gone through the roof. Brick and mortar retro game shops tend to overcharge by a lot. If you must have the real thing stick to internet sales- eBay and Yahoo Japan Auctions are good, but better deals can be had in the marketplace sections of specialist forums. Occasionally people find amazing things through craigslist, flea markets/thrift stores, and garage sales; though lately it's become a lot harder. Rarity and price does not equal a good game and some of the best games for major systems are dirt cheap and plentiful. Try to avoid falling into the "collector" trap where you feel the need to buy every old game you see, speaking from experience it's no fun owning a ton of lovely games. Avoid anything "VGA graded" like the plague, it's a scam. If you don't care about having a shelf full of games the absolute best way to play old games on cartridge systems in 2016 is the flash cart. You fill an SD card with the game ROMs and use these adapters to play them directly on your console. It's an absolute must if you missed the glory days of cheap and plentiful games or are just starting out in this hobby. Many of the best flash carts are made by a weird ukranian called Krikzz and sell under the Everdrive brand name. Other popular flash carts are the SD2SNES and the NES PowerPak. People can write dissertations on one the relative merits of different carts but honestly if you stick with any of those you'll be fine unless you have a very specific need, in which case ask the thread. The SD2SNES is unique in that it actually adds capabilities to the SNES like CD quality audio and full motion video.   Avoid bootleg/clone/china edition flash carts, they're garbage. Here's a flash cart buying guide: http://retrogooning.com/wiki/Flashcarts Here are some places to get flash carts: http://shop.retrogate.com/ http://www.stoneagegamer.com/ http://krikzz.com/store/ http://www.retrousb.com/index.php?cPath=24 For systems that use optical discs, there's usually a way to play burned CDs. The following systems need no modification at all: NEC PC Engine CD/Turbo CD Sega CD Phillips CDi 3Do Jaguar CD Sega Dreamcast Neo-Geo CD Systems not listed require some modifications to play burns, typically mod chips. It's beyond the scope of this OP but ask in the thread if you want to know more. If you have a Sega Saturn, a device called an Action Replay is a must. On it's own you can use it to play imported games, but you can flash it with software called Pseudo Saturn to play most games burned on a CD-R. The action replay to get is the "4M Plus". For the original Playstation, look for a Game Enhancer or Goldfinger device, this plugs into any Playstation with a parallel I/O port and allows playing CD-R backups. You'll need something to hold down the PS1's lid sensor, most include a spring in the box for this purpose. Action Replays and Goldfinger devices are readily available on eBay.   AudiovisualOne of the most common questions in the thread is "I just got an old console, why won't it work on my HDTV?". Without getting into detail, many old systems output a signal that newer TVs can't handle. Some modern TVs can handle the signal but are affected by input lag, which can make fast action games unplayable. Your two major options in this situation are to get an upscaler, or find an old CRT TV and use it for your old games. A CRT is the easiest and cheapest way to go, and old games look terrific on them. Great if you want the authentic experience. Look for a CRT with S-Video and Component inputs by a respected brand name like Sony, Toshiba, Panasonic, etc. You should be able to find them for next to nothing at thrift stores or craigslist. If you're very serious you can look out for broadcast-quality monitors like the Sony PVM. They're beautiful but hard to come by and expensive.  There are many varieties of PVM and some are better than others, with prices to match. A typical unit good for games would be a 14 or 20 inch model made in the late 90's through the mid 2000s with RGB inputs. Check out the PVM-14M2U, 14M4U, 20M2U, and 20M4U. "2U" and "4U" in the model number denotes the TV lines or TVL count, with 2U being 600 lines and 4U being 800 lines. A higher number means more black space between scanlines, a look many people like. You'll probably have to pay out the rear end for a 20" 4U (but really, 600 lines is just fine). These models also had medical industry variants with model numbers ending in "MDU" (e.g. 20M2MDU), they work just as well but come in a white case. I would avoid PVMs with an "N" in the model number as these were budget models with low TVL counts and less adjustment options that barely look better than a good consumer TV. There are also 29" units such as the PVM-2950Q, expect to pay a fortune but it's worth it to a lot of people to have such a large and high quality display. If the model of monitor you're buying isn't listed here, be sure to research it to make sure you're getting something good, having "PVM" in the model number isn't a guarantee of a good display for games. When was it made? Does it have a TVL of 600 or above? Does it have RGB inputs? etc, etc. Some people either won't have the space for this or just don't care for the CRT look and would rather play on an HDTV. This results in a very clinical, pixellated look that some people find appealing. You achieve this with an upscaler device like the popular (and rather expensive) Micomsoft Framemiester. Note that light guns for older systems are incompatible with HDTVs regardless of whether or not an upscaler is used. In the interest of keeping this OP free of technical minutiae, here are some excellent sites you can check out to learn more about upscaling: http://retrogaming.hazard-city.de/ http://retrorgb.com/index.html  You're going to encounter a few different types of video connectors:  Note that Component/YPbPr is technically not RGB (but looks just about as good). If you're in the US your TV probably doesn't have a pure RGB SCART input, so what you need to do (in the case of an SD CRT with component input, for an HDTV you pretty much need an upscaler) is get the euro-style RGB SCART cable for your system and then get a converter to turn it into component. Here are some good devices: http://www.ebay.com/itm/191876964053 http://www.ani-av.com/shop/product_info.php?products_id=220 Avoid this cheap one, it's terrible: http://www.ebay.com/itm/221156873851 If you're not extremely interested in getting the best picture possible, S-Video will be more than enough for gaming on a CRT. Composite is passable and can be pretty good sometimes (particularly if you have a good TV), RF (coaxial, antenna cable, etc) is terrible no matter what and should be avoided. If you're using an HDTV and an upscaler you'll pretty much need to go beyond this stuff and get into RGB/component. S-video, composite, etc. looks like garbage on an HDTV. The following consoles can output RGB with no modifications: Sega Genesis Super Nintendo (early models) Sony Playstation & PS2 Sega Saturn Sega Dreamcast Neo Geo AES/NGCD Nintendo Gamecube (requires expensive cable, just use a Wii) The rest will have to be modified for RGB. RetroRGB is a great place to read up on this. SA's own Monitor Burn does great work in this area, his sales thread is here: http://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3673990 Unless you're dealing with a HDTV or are just into it for it's own sake there's really no reason to stress over this stuff if you just want to play old games. They're just as fun on an old CRT through a composite connection, I promise. Kthulhu5000 has made an excellent video compatibility chart, let him know if you feel anything needs to be added:  Arcade StuffSome of us like to play old arcade games. This can be expensive and complicated to get into and way beyond the scope of this OP. It is possible to play arcade games at home, the two major ways to do this are a Supergun, which connects the game board to your TV, and an actual arcade cabinet that you can swap boards in and out of. Japanese "candy cabs" are great for this purpose; they're comfortable to use, have great screens, and use high quality controls.   The SystemsIn the interest of space I'm only going to cover post-crash and popular-ish stuff here. There were good games released before 1984, but this thread tends to focus on post-golden age stuff. This list is in rough chronological order.     Release: 1983(JP)/1985(US) CPU: 8-bit Ricoh RP2A03 @ 1.79MHz Probably the most famous console on earth, the NES is the reason many people get into retro gaming. It has a staggering library with something for everyone. It's Japanese counterpart is the Famicom and it was a social phenomenon there as much as it was in the US. Many famous series originated or had their first hits here : Mario, Zelda, Metroid, Final Fantasy, Castlevania, Mega Man, Contra. There are plenty of lesser known titles in it's library that are just as good as the big names and it's a ton of fun to explore. Japanese Famicom owners got the Disk System, which stored games on magnetic floppy disk-like cartridges. The electronics giant Sharp released a system containing both called the Twin Famicom. All NES/Famicom system require modification to display RGB. The original Famicom systems only use RF video and are a poor choice unmodified. The NES, Famicom Twin, and Famicom Mini all output composite video. The NES had major issues loading games, this was caused by a combination of factors: The lockout chip, an early form of DRM, was extremely sensitive and resulted in many false positives. People get these errors and blow into their cartridges assuming they were dirty but this would end up corroding the contacts even more. The mechanism of the NES cartridge caddy was also very poorly thought out and added more failure points in it's contacts. The 72-pin connectors the cartridges plugged into often got worn out and loose and needed to be bent back into shape. If you're having NES game loading problems, the most important thing to do is to clean your games thoroughly with 99% rubbing alcohol and some q-tips (brasso if really bad). If there are still problems disable the lockout chip. If problems still persist you can go further by re-bending your 72-pin connector and boiling it, or replacing the mechanism entirely with something like the Blinking Light Win. Five NES/Famicom Greats Super Mario Bros. 3 Kirby's Adventure The Legend of Zelda Castelvania Mega Man 2 Five NES/Famicom Cult Classics Crystalis Summer Carnival '92: Recca River City Ransom Gimmick! Joy Mech Fight     Release: 1985(JP)/1986(US) CPU: 8-bit Zilog Z80 @ 4MHz The Master System was Sega's competitor to the NES juggernaut. While technically superior it suffered from a small library and odd hardware quirks and was not a big hit in either Japan or the US, though it did well in Europe and South America. It was particularly popular in Brazil where it stayed on shelves for an amazingly long time. Thanks in part to predatory business practices by Nintendo it's library lacked third-party support but it was a great system for Sega mainstays and has a few absolute classics. The SMS requires no modification to get RGB. The Japanese version of this console had extra FM sound hardware the US version was lacking, but the code to play this sound is still in the US games, so you can order a simple passthrough board to restore the FM sound. Five SMS/Mark III Greats Phantasy Star Golvellius Zillion R-Type Wonder Boy III Five SMS/Mark III Cult Classics Alex Kidd in Shinobi World Astro Warrior (play this with the Sports pad!) Golden Axe Warrior Penguin Land Snail Maze Game     Release: 1987(JP)/1989(US) CPU: 8-bit Hudson HuC6280 @ 7.16MHz This system was the very definition of cult classic in the US and wildly popular in Japan. Originally a design proposed by Hudson to Nintendo as a successor to the NES, it became NEC's baby when Nintendo declined. It's processor is a beefed-up variant of the same chip the NES' CPU is based on, the MOS 6502. It was released during the Japanese "caravan boom" and had an incredible library of arcade-style shooting games, and action games in general. Thanks to poor marketing by NEC USA it was a failure in the US, but just about everyone who had one back then became a fan for life (including yours truly). TG16/PCE requires a mod to get RGB video. I would advise against getting a US model, which only output RF video unless you have an expensive and rare add-on. There are no US exclusive games worth getting, and the US versions of games are insanely expensive on the secondhand market. Stick with a Japanese Core Grafx system (the original white system was also RF-only) or newer, you don't need to know any Japanese unless you want to play a few of the system's very poor RPGs. The vast majority of the library, even in Japan is almost 100% in English. The PCE/TG16 was the first to have a CD-ROM attachment and this had many good games, which is surprising for an early CD-ROM system. If you want to play CD-ROMs go for a Duo R or RX and avoid the regular Duo (the black one), they had a very high failure rate and are difficult to repair. PCE compatibility guide: http://pcenginefx.com/main/nec_compatibility_guide.html Five TG16/PCE Greats Blazing Lazers (AKA Gunhed) Devil's Crush Ninja Spirit Splatterhouse Dracula X Five TG16/PCE Cult Classics Spriggan Sapphire Lords of Thunder Cyber Core Final Lap Twin     Release: 1988(JP)/1989(US) CPU: 16-bit Motorola 68000 @ 7.6MHz The world's first truly 16-bit console had a quiet release but became extremely popular in the west thanks in part to the brilliant Sonic the Hedgehog games. The Genesis had a 68000 processor which at the time was practically synonymous with graphics, being at the heart of the Amiga, Macintosh, X68000 and many, many arcade games (most of which also shared the Genesis' FM sound). Strangely the MD was never all that popular in Japan but was a powerhouse in the US and Europe. It's architecture made it a natural for arcade ports and it got tons, while also hosting a fair amount of good RPGs. Sonic was a revelation, paired with their hyperbolic and honestly brilliant marketing the Genesis was a household name. During the early 90's Sega cultivated an "underground" and edgy attitude as the rebellious, grungy answer to conservative Nintendo. All Genesis consoles except the Genesis 3 output RGB without modifications. There is some variance between the sound quality of it's different models . For more information about that, check here. The Sega CD add-on is a must in my opinion, though avoid the flaky tray-loading first model and get the second top-loading one. The SCD was full of terrible FMV games but a few of it's games are some of the very best on the entire Genesis platform. Five Genesis/MD Greats Sonic the Hedgehog Phantasy Star IV Streets of Rage 2 Gunstar Heroes Strider Five Genesis/MD Cult Classics Ranger X Rocket Knight Adventures Lightening Force M.U.S.H.A Popful Mail   Release: 1991 CPU: 16-bit Motorola 68000 @ 12MHz The Maybach of game systems. Neo-Geo started as SNK's modular arcade system which saved operators money and time by putting arcade games into large cartridges that plugged into a mainboard. The home system was the exact same hardware stuck in a plastic case. The cartridges were huge, the controller was huge, the sprites were loving huge. This system was ludicrously expensive at $650, with games costing a few hundred dollars each. This is one of the top systems to own if you're into fighting games, or arcade games in general. The Neo-Geo did well enough that official games were still being released for it in the early 2000s and has a huge cult following. The Neo-Geo needs no modification for RGB video (neither does the NGCD). There were two home variants of what's essentially the same system: the cartridge system (AES) and the Neo-Geo CD. In 2016 it would be a very bad idea to get into the AES unless you have a lot of money. The vast majority of it's library sells at $200+ a pop. Disregard it, pretend it doesn't exist until a flash cart comes out for it. You do have options here though: The Neo-Geo CD is the same hardware with a large part of the library in a CD system that plays burned games without modification. The CD load times can be quite annoying though, particularly with very large later games. The best choice by far is to simply buy an arcade motherboard (MVS). The games are less expensive though people are catching on and this is starting to be less true, fortunately there are multicarts readily available with nearly every Neo game worth playing. You can get an MVS that's already modified to play on your TV here, or you can learn about superguns and do it yourself. Here's flyboi's excellent Neo-Geo buying guide: http://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3515794&pagenumber=415&perpage=40#post416710768 Five Neo-Geo Greats Metal Slug Neo Turf Masters/Big Tournament Golf Samurai Shodown/Samurai Spirits II King of Fighters '98 Garou: Mark of the Wolves Five Neo-Geo Cult Classics Blazing Star Shock Troopers Neo Drift Out Aerofighters/Sonic Wings 2 Windjammers/Flying Power Drift Neo-Geo buyer's quick reference card      Release: 1990(JP)/1991(US) CPU: 16-bit Ricoh 5A22 @ 2.68MHz A huge number of people in this hobby will tell you the SNES is the greatest system of all time. By all appearances it's nothing special, it had a dog slow CPU even for it's time, and lacked anything resembling a cool factor. It could display a lot of colors on the screen though, and it's sample-based PCM sound was impressive for people who had only heard synthesized noises coming from consoles. For whatever reason many developers ended up doing some of their absolute best work on this console and like the earlier NES, it was pushed to the limits by the end of it's life.Thanks to hardware upgrades in the cartridges themselves developers were able to make this system pull off tricks that stunned uses and caused the competing Genesis to seem a little lacking. The SNES library is diverse and has something for everyone, though RPG fans in particular are really well served. Nintendo themselves were on fire as a developer on this system, releasing some of their all time greatest games. The SNES outputs RGB without modification on earlier models, but it must be modified back in on later "1 chip" editions. The consensus is that the later models actually look better when RGB modded compared to the earlier, but there are also some accuracy issues with 1chip models that may make the earlier system your best choice. See here for more SNES RGB info. There are many, many great Japanese games that were never released for the US SNES, thankfully it's very easy to modify a SNES to play SFC games. No soldering needed, just cut two tabs in the cartridge slot and you're good to go, highly recommended. Many Japanese versions of SNES games can be much cheaper than their US counterparts, as long as it's not something text-heavy it's a good thing to look into. Five SNES/SFC Greats Super Mario World Super Metroid Chrono Trigger F-Zero Zelda: Link to the Past Five SNES/SFC Cult Classics Space Megaforce/Super Aleste Pocky & Rocky Illusion of Gaia Pilotwings Uniracers/Unirally   Release: 1991 CPU: 16-bit Philips SCC68070 @ 17.5MHz Before widespread use of the internet, CD-ROM technology was promoted as a way to access massive amounts of hyperlinked data from your home. You bought a disc containing (for example) an encyclopedia, popped it into your computer and browsed it the way you'd browse a modern website. These multimedia discs were pretty advanced for the time and contained lots of video and audio samples, interactive lessons, and so on. During the first half of the 90's many people thought this was the future of computing, until fast broadband internet made the technology obsolete. Multimedia discs required powerful and expensive computers that were out of reach for most people, so European electronics giant Philips teamed up with Sony to develop a multimedia standard for the masses called CD-i. CD-i players were basically closed-system multimedia PCs in a set-top form factor, and the CD-i technology could be licensed by other manufacturers so they could design their own compatible players. CD-i was marketed less as a video game technology and more as a do-it-all home entertainment standard that could incidentally also play video games, but the marketing failed and the public perceived it as just another game console. At $700 the system was cheap for a multimedia PC but ludicrously expensive for a game system, it was not a success. The CD-i needs to be modified for RGB. The most common problem with the CD-i is a dead timekeeper battery. With the exception of the portable 300 series, it's not easily replaceable. Be sure to get a real gamepad for your CD-i as the IR remote control is pretty bad. A digital video cartridge is required for many games. Five CD-i Greats Labyrinth of Crete Merlin's Apprentice The Apprentice The 7th Guest Myst Five CD-i Cult Classics Thunder in Paradise   Release: 1993(US)/1994(JP) CPU: 32-bit ARM60 RISC @ 12.5MHz 3DO was a multimedia standard created by EA founder Trip Hawkins' 3DO company. Similar in concept to the CD-i standard two years prior, it was intended to be licensed and sold to major electronics firms who would design their own 3DO players. Compared to the CD-i, the 3DO boasted much improved graphics capability, real 3D hardware and was much more viable as a game system. 3DO was released with much hype in the gaming press and quite a few great games were released for it, but was quite expensive at $600 and was soon overtaken by the Saturn and Playstation. The 3DO requires modification for RGB output. Again, I don't know much about these systems so please help me complete a 3DO buyer's guide paragraph. Five 3DO Greats Super Street Fighter II Turbo Road Rash Return Fire The Need for Speed Gex Five 3DO Cult Classics Lucienne's Quest D Samurai Shodown ???     Release: 1994(JP)/1995(US) CPU: 2X 32-bit Hitachi SH-2 @ 28.6MHz The Sega Saturn is a misunderstood system. It's a nearly 3DO-level failure in the eyes of many western game fans who directly compare it to the Playstation. When Virtua Fighter was released in Japanese arcades it was a hit on the level of a Street Fighter and fans were dying to take the experience home. The Saturn was a complicated system designed to replicate what was at the time incredibly powerful arcade hardware. Copies of Virtua Fighter sold 1:1 with Japanese Saturns, and the system gained a fanbase of dedicated arcade players. Arcades were in much worse shape in the US, and most players weren't looking for that sort of experience anymore. The 32-bit generation in the US was thought to be all about deep, immersive virtual worlds, games that took cues from movies and provided experiences beyond getting a high score. This sort of game was very difficult to achieve on the Saturn, especially compared to Sony's Playstation. For a fan of arcade games, the Saturn is a must-own system, as long as you're prepared to import. Many of the best games on this system are arcade ports and the vast majority of them remained in Japan. The Saturn requires no modification to output RGB. There were two distinct models of the Saturn, the first has oval power/eject buttons and the second had round ones. The second model is generally accepted to be the more reliable system. There were also two different controllers for the US models, the first is an abomination with one of the worst d-pads created by man and the second is considered one of the best ever made. Five Saturn Greats NiGHTS Into Dreams Panzer Dragoon Sega Rally Virtua Fighter 2 Panzer Dragoon Saga Five Saturn Cult Classics Galactic Attack/Layer Section Die Hard Arcade Magic Knight Rayearth Radiant Silvergun Battle Garegga MORE SYSTEMS COMING SOON, I'M TIRED Recommended GamesIt's really hard to make a list of "the best" games for a particular system. If you're going to ask this question please let us know what your tastes are so we can put you on to stuff you'll really be happy with. That said, here are some lists that attempt to make general recommendations: http://vsrecommendedgames.wikia.com - /v/'s recommended games wiki Al-Azad has made a few lists: Al-Azad's Genesis Gems Al-Azad's List of Sega CD Games that Aren't poo poo Useful LinksGeneral Information http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/ - Many in-depth reviews of old games http://www.racketboy.com/ - Mainly lists of what they think are the best/most underrated/representative/etc. games http://shmuplations.com/ - Fantastic source of translated interviews with game developers. The site is called "shmuplations" but it deals with all sorts of games. http://famicomworld.com/ - All about the famicom http://www.pcengine.co.uk/ - PC Engine software bible http://www.videogameden.com/ - Great resource for learning about the libraries of some systems http://www.nesplayer.com/ - NES stuff http://www.smspower.org/ - SMS fansite http://www.smstributes.co.uk/ - SMS fansite http://www.videogameconsolelibrary.com/index.html - All the consoles http://www.sega-16.com/ - Huge Sega site http://www.nesworld.com/ - NES world http://nfggames.com/games/ - General retrogaming stuff Development/Hacking http://nesdev.com/ - NES development http://bobrost.com/nes/ - NES dev college course online and free http://www.lostlevels.org/ - Hidden stuff in games http://www.romhacking.net/ - ROM hacking megasite Hardware/AV http://www.gamesx.com/ - Great hardware hacking site http://members.optusnet.com.au/eviltim/ - Eviltim's projects http://retrogaming.hazard-city.de/ - Upscaler comparison http://retrorgb.com/index.html - All about RGB http://www.techno-junk.org/ - Charles MacDonald's hardware page http://www.multimods.com/ - Multi Mods http://www.raphnet.net/electronique/electronique_en.php - Various projects http://junkerhq.net/xrgb/index.php/Main_Page - XRGB Wiki Arcade http://www.system16.com/ - Amazingly good arcade hardware info resource http://wiki.arcadeotaku.com/w/Main_Page - Arcade Otaku wiki Youtube People https://www.youtube.com/user/MrGameSack - Game Sack https://www.youtube.com/user/InecomCompany - Classic Game Room https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCrIttXi0WgLXHI1poCk0D6g - Jeremy Parish https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcIR456wyb4aVlJ9_2kGLtg - Chrontendo https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-p5d9R283IYFVJn2Nt2Qqg - Generation 16 https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPrifqgoJmq7UgmRkZUKTJQ - Mikado https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC67nOwkRPcY6W8gOK0xLa2g - Replay Burners http://retrowaretv.com/category/shows/the-video-game-years/- Video Game Years https://www.youtube.com/user/mylifeingaming - My life in gaming https://www.youtube.com/user/cwwirth - This Does Not Compute https://www.youtube.com/user/thebenheckshow - Ben Heck https://www.youtube.com/user/phreakindee - Lazy Game Reviews please tell me about more YT idiots to put here Forums http://www.neo-geo.com/forums/ - Neo-Geo forums. Definitely lurk before posting http://shmups.system11.org/ - Shmups forum, all about shooting games http://forum.arcadeotaku.com/ - Arcade otaku http://assemblergames.com/l/ - Assemblergames http://forums.arcade-museum.com/ - KLOV arcade forums http://nfggames.com/forum2/index.php - NFG forum Live Streams of Goons Playing Old Games http://www.hitbox.tv/sebmal - absolutely anything's RANDOMMAME MONDAYS http://twitch.tv/cathodecontraption - TheRedEye's Cathode Contraption https://www.twitch.tv/dickeye - dickeye http://twitch.tv/digitaldiatribe - digitaldiatribe If you have a link you think should be here by all means let me know and I'll edit it in. d0s fucked around with this message at 02:54 on Sep 28, 2017 |
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Aug 1, 2016 09:02
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 GET N64 REPLACEMENT STICK GEARS HERECaitlin posted:Can someone add the kitsch-bent link to the OP so I don't have to repost it all the time? TEST N64 STICKS WITH THISd0s fucked around with this message at 03:36 on Mar 12, 2017 |
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Aug 1, 2016 09:03
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hey if any of you stream retro games post your twitch links or whatever and I'll put a section in the op for people to watch you play video games
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Aug 1, 2016 09:32
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yeah i specifically had your thing in mind when i asked, just added it
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Aug 1, 2016 09:41
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spice orange
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Aug 1, 2016 09:54
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I think I've added all the suggestions made so far as far as links etc go, if I've missed anything post it below. for the people asking why handheld systems, etc. aren't mentioned, I just haven't gotten around to it, the OP is a living document like the menu of TGI fridays.
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Aug 2, 2016 00:42
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Ofecks posted:Looks like some YT links got autopasted into video tags in that section. I know all these guys from shmups but I'm keeping streamers goons-only because there are like a billion retrogame streams e: fixed YT links thanks
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Aug 2, 2016 01:37
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Harlock posted:Here is a YT channel for people I'm sure y'all have watched: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=user?phreakindee - Lazy Game Reviews. More classic PC than console, but still good. I need more YT channels to subscribe to though. I already subscribe to all the ones in the OP. I totally forgot about this guy, I always found his voice or attitude or something really annoying but his videos can be good. impressive ability to live in piles of hardware
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Aug 2, 2016 01:56
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I added the CDi and 3DO to the OP, but I'm a little unclear about some things re those systems, any info that would go in a one paragraph buyer's guide for each would be great, and some greats/cult classics for CD-i as I know absolutely nothing about it's library.
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Aug 2, 2016 21:41
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I added your CD-i suggestions to the OP, still need a 3DO buyer's guide if anyone wants to do that. I'm not putting pre-NES stuff in there because I feel like most of the current generation of retro fans isn't really into it and it's just not really what gets discussed in here very much. I put the 3DO and CD-i in there even though I'm not a great fan of either because those systems do come up in here pretty often and people might not know of them due to their lack of success. The next systems going up, in order, are the PSX, N64, DC, PS2, Gamecube, and Xbox, I'll end consoles there. There will also be a handhelds section covering Game Boy through PSP.
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Aug 3, 2016 00:54
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honestly if I was writing the OP for myself the colecovision would definitely be there because I love the thing & think it was the best of the pre-crash days, but I have to be honest, not meany people are into that stuff the same way not many movie fans are into silent film and it's almost a separate topic unto itself
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Aug 3, 2016 01:04
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Improbable Lobster posted:Please do not learn a language exclusively to play retro video games with. Namaste. why does this matter, if this stuff is important enough to someone that they'd go through all that trouble for it why knock it? do you know how many immigrants learn english from our pop culture artifacts? my dad's from ecuador and he learned english from gangster movies
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Aug 3, 2016 03:01
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cosmic avenger is an excellent port of one of the very earliest horizontal shooters, turbo was probably the best home port of a racing game to date. ladybug was dead-on and honestly better than pac-man imo. the CV's library wasn't huge but there was a lot of quality there
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Aug 3, 2016 04:18
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Uncle at Nintendo posted:I also wanted to say great job on the OP! The only thing I would add is to stress in the OP that the SD2SNES supports CD audio and FMVs. "A Link to the Past DX" alone makes it worth the extra money, never mind the future capabilities of it. Thanks and done Random Stranger posted:Weirdly enough, used copies still go for $50. This is weird because I remember buying this for wii at a gamestop used for like 5 bucks. I think I used it once and remember it being a very barebones & not particularly good emulator package? am I remembering wrong or are collectors that weird
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Aug 3, 2016 13:27
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flyboi posted:So it appears st-v requires 7a on the 5v line that's like any arcade power supply https://na.suzohapp.com/products/power_supplies/80-0064-00
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Aug 4, 2016 01:52
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Jim Silly-Balls posted:Rig up a PC power supply? this is a bad idea for arcade stuff because different boards draw different amounts of power so you need a pot on the +5v line to compensate, every arcade PSU has this
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Aug 4, 2016 01:59
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Elliotw2 posted:I bought a CDX. welcome to the club, it's very nice having the genesis setup being the smallest system you have for once e: god drat they go for a lot now, I hope you got a deal
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Aug 4, 2016 22:01
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Rirse posted:I found a nice Sony Trinitron 20 inch at a yard sale for five dollars. No s-video or context, but for VGA the picture looks pretty good on it. wtf are you saying here?
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Aug 6, 2016 00:07
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d34dm34t posted:Finally the glorious world of CDTV games is open me! how much did you pay for the A570 e: Mercury Crusader posted:The 3DO section of the OP is a bit light on what it can do, so I figured I'd make a few notes you could probably add, maybe. thanks I will works some of this in when I get the chance later tonight, and also add more systems (I have been super busy lately so I haven't gotten the chance) d0s fucked around with this message at 00:13 on Aug 7, 2016 |
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Aug 6, 2016 23:30
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d34dm34t posted:150 post-Brexit Pounds. That's pretty good considering how rare it seems, I don't think I would ever go out of my way to get one because I'm not interested in the CD-32 at all but adding the capability to my A500 would be cool just because. You just don't think of the A500 as a CD system and it looks kinda surreal
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Aug 7, 2016 16:10
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d34dm34t posted:The A570 adds CDTV support to the A500 (and only the A500, the A600 isn't supported). This was Commodores first attempt at a CD based system and - being A500 based - used a 16bit 68000 along with ECS graphics. The CD32 was released two years later and was based off the A1200 (so having a 32bit 68020 and AGA graphics). yeah I meant cd-tv I just had a brain fart, I actually had a CD-ROM equipped A1200 for a while and remember reading somewhere that you could hack a few CD-32 games into running but I never really bothered to try
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Aug 7, 2016 20:13
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GutBomb posted:It always registers the d-pad as an axis rather than buttons this is common behavior of like every PC pad controller for as long as I can remember. I have the same buffalo controller and it works fine under windows e: are you guys calibrating it? because you should calibrate it
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Aug 8, 2016 00:46
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I've always had the idea that if somehow I made some creative work popular enough to have other people making fan-stuff of I'd be (privately) against it because internet people get crazy rear end ideas about fictional works. I know that's not nintendo's motive here (it's money) but I can't get as riled up over stuff like that as some people for whatever reason. stuff like shutting down non-fiction books about the works is more upsetting to me, I heard nintendo did something like that a while back
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Aug 8, 2016 01:24
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fishmech posted:It's basically the Dreamcast controller, so if you like those you'll like the 3D pad. tbh I find the 3D pad way better with it's 6 buttons and nicer stick, but yeah same shape e: better dpad too
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Aug 8, 2016 20:15
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univbee posted:Not sure. I'm pretty sure it's not parts from gutted consoles, but at the same time it's apparently not an FPGA solution I thought they said it was an FPGA? e: TheRedEye posted:I spent a lot of time with an MSX2 at a vintage computer show this weekend and now I want one real bad. My heart is in the Famicom/PC Engine era of games, and this feels like the missing link for me. dude I used to have an MSX2 setup and a shitload of games and sold it all when I lost my job a few years ago, it's so loving upsetting now. you generally don't need a 2+, just get something like a panasonic fs-a1 and a flashcart
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Aug 8, 2016 20:40
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TheRedEye posted:That one doesn't have a disk drive, can I do all the disk games through a flash cart? Do they handle disk swapping? yeah iirc the flash carts handle disk games fine, I don't have firsthand experience but I've heard people talk about em. protip: play yuureikun and girly block asap (girly block is not a porno game) e: here's a guide to compile's excellent MSX disc stations I wrote on tumblr http://route-20.tumblr.com/post/13720054817/article-guide-to-disc-station-mini-games d0s fucked around with this message at 20:56 on Aug 8, 2016 |
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Aug 8, 2016 20:52
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Dr. Dos posted:That Metroid 2 Remake isn't the only thing Nintendo had taken down: http://www.polygon.com/2016/8/8/12405278/nintendo-power-issues-disappear-from-free-online-archive This I find seriously lovely. Unless Nintendo plans on releasing a collection of them or something (as if) there is just no reason to do it, total poo poo move nintendo
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Aug 9, 2016 00:51
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PaletteSwappedNinja posted:Nintendo's putting out a Prima guide for their plug-and-play NES that's full of old Nintendo Power poo poo, so I'd assumed the NP archive was another move by them to reestablish the Nintendo Power brand as a thing, maybe so they can relaunch it as a web series or something, but I guess it's all coincidental and Ninty's just nintying everywhere like they always do. OK I wasn't aware of that either and it makes a lot more sense now
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Aug 9, 2016 01:06
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Bloody Pom posted:I never said it wasn't new, it just amazes me that people keep buying their poo poo with how much fuel they've piled onto the fire. they're not exactly doing anything boycott-worthy imo, if they put out something I want to play (they haven't in a while) I'm not gonna not buy it over this stupid crap
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Aug 9, 2016 01:24
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Caitlin posted:boy new threads sure do attract great new posters! you've said this a few times now and i honestly have no idea who you're talking about e: oh I see now. tbh i think its better to disagree than just dismiss em like that unless they get all weird about it d0s fucked around with this message at 05:26 on Aug 9, 2016 |
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Aug 9, 2016 05:16
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Kid Fenris posted:When I found out that Compile released almost forty Disc Stations on the MSX, it was like I'd stumbled into an alternate reality where cupcakes grew on trees. My nearly complete set of disc stations is the one part of my MSX stuff I didn't sell, because they're just too rad and come with booklets full of art and stuff, one of em has TGL concept art. though like an idiot I sold the actual compile MSX games I had: aleste, aleste 2, puyo puyo, girly block, yuureikun (tho its inconclusive if they actually developed this, people seem to think so. it's not in the complete compile book tho. still a really awesome game)
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Aug 9, 2016 06:10
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Kid Fenris posted:What what wow whoa. Is that on your Tumblr? yeah it is, its kinda mixed in there but its there somewhere. the problem with analogue isn't really the hardware scavenging it's the scammy prices, bad looking console and douchey marketing e: TGL concept art http://route-20.tumblr.com/post/11599649274
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Aug 9, 2016 06:56
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Captain Rufus posted:But Nintendo's way of doing business has always been high on the rear end in a top hat Scale. poo poo, they have always been like this. It's why I have many many issues with them as a company. They want to control everything and everyone else can gently caress off or start licking their sack. The Playstation 4 is pretty much in existence because of the poo poo Nintendo pulled. The HuCard. Tengen. It's how they do. They are a bit like Games Workshop only they generally make quality products. Albeit with multiple revisions and a long list of gimmick hardware add ons nobody likes. And they rarely support. ( Unlike Sega and Nokia the Big N gets away with it. Mainly because now and again we get a Super Game Boy out of it. Most of the time it's Super Scopes and E Readers far as the eye can see.. ) take your meds
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Aug 9, 2016 11:05
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about it.
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shyduck posted:I tore the LCD ribbon cable of a GB Pocket while trying to do a backlight upgrade I did this to a prototype nvidia shield 
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Aug 10, 2016 22:49
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Light Gun Man posted:Yo dos I tried out that Nyan Puzzle game you mention here http://route-20.tumblr.com/post/13720054817/article-guide-to-disc-station-mini-games I don't think so, not really sure e: Code Jockey posted:dos your tumblr is the only good tumblr I met a lot of cool people there when I was active but on the whole yeah it's a place I got sick of real quick. I'm thinking about going back to making an honest to god website where I put all my scans and other crap d0s fucked around with this message at 07:33 on Aug 12, 2016 |
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Aug 12, 2016 07:31
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Light Gun Man posted:OK looking into it more there was: yeah project egg is weird, I've honestly always wanted to try it because there's a ton of rare compile stuff there but eh
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Aug 12, 2016 07:35
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Light Gun Man posted:This feels like one of those things where you could buy a month and rip roms out. But I suppose that would be the sad thing is they'd probably make more money if they just put it all on steam but japan
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Aug 12, 2016 07:39
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Doc Morbid posted:While my CRT has pretty good image quality, I'm getting just a bit frustrated with the geometry issues (which are apparently something this particular model is known for) and have decided to just get a scaler. Is there anything decent that doesn't cost an arm and a leg, or do I just skip paying rent next month and buy a Framemeister? You get a better CRT 
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Aug 13, 2016 05:54
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FYI all 16:9 CRTs like that are almost just as bad as plasma/LCDs at displaying SD 4:3 content, any normal SD CRT will be a huge improvement not just geometry wise but in picture quality as well
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Aug 13, 2016 12:26
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| # ¿ Apr 27, 2024 09:04 |
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I remember around 2012 being frustrated viewing my Wii in SD on my Wega and blurry 480P on my LCD, went on Craigslist and found this huge Toshiba 16:9 CRT for free excitedly thinking I was going to be able to get rid of both TVs. It took me and 2 of my friends to get it into my apartment, I convinced myself that it was good for about a month before realizing I was deluding myself and gave it to a TV-less friend, good thing I kept my normal TVs e: has anyone else noticed that this is one of the few hardware-centered hobbies where you're not constantly chasing upgrades beyond a few really simple things? like once you get RGB out on a halfway decent CRT or upscaler you're pretty much done forever and don't have to worry that you're missing out on some higher level of quality or whatever. I'm also into photography and people go nuts sinking absurd amounts of money into upgrades that seem neverending, it's pretty much a cliche with anything audio related, even watching things like EEVblog there are dudes regularly shelling out thousands for better scopes and multimeters and poo poo. d0s fucked around with this message at 12:57 on Aug 13, 2016 |
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Aug 13, 2016 12:47
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