Jon. I am 100% behind you on this. Not only does it feel more 'real' to play on new or used hardware, but playing originals personally takes me to a place that nothing else seems to know the way to. My youth. At my age (BoomerGrownup), anything that makes me feel like a kid again is gonna be the route I take. Especially if you add the right snackages to the experience. You have inspired me to get back into retro gaming done right. 😊
I could understand why a person would want to emulate. I carry around a little handheld retro player. It's easier than pulling out all the equipment to hook it up play for a few hours and putting it all back. But most of the time I want to play with the controller the console came with, and firing up the old CRT. I love my collection. It took me a long time to get where I am at. I have some impressive pieces. My income is at the low end of the scale. I traded, I rummaged, I bought lots took what I wanted and flipped the rest. I have bought and fixed, and sold 2600 and 5200 controllers. I feel like I earned and accomplished something. Having the item isn't the whole thrill. It's the story behind the stuff. Networking, meeting good people, and finding treasures in the wild is a big part of it for me. Caring for and maintaining my collection is very relaxing. Almost as relaxing as playing them. Finally, it's an investment. I don't know stocks and bonds, but I know video games. We all work with our talents, even if another thinks it's silly. I've tripled my investment. Not so silly now...
I miss arcades. A third place is a location that isn't your home or work. It is a social place where strangers become regulars. Arcades were my third place growing up, which I miss. Playing a ROM at home will never recapture the atmosphere of that third place.
Same here, however, we do have a "retrocade" here in town that is like 5 minutes away from my places that if you step into, it is just like being in the arcades back in the 80s.
there's also option paralysis associated with emulation. i have a generic portable emulator device with 10,000 games and i'll only play one for a few minutes out of curiosity. with my consoles, i tend to spend hours with a single game, and want to finish it.
I am not a console person, but I will bring up one big point in the column of using original hardware. Over-availability gives people a massive decrease in enthusiasm. There is something about having fewer options and holding the original box art, original carts, original CD cases, etc. It makes you want to play the games a lot more than seeing a thousand files in a folder. It's more appealing. The presentation and enticement is much higher, not just the nostalgia factor.
Right, I don't understand how people downloading whole romsets do it. When I was a kid, I might get two or three games a year. Each individual game was incredibly precious, and I could easily persevere through any rough or difficult spots.
This is a real phenomenon. It’s what marketing is based on. Packaging, I mean. There is value in the packaging of a product. Packaging is important. In this context, I’m including the computer hardware, aka the consoles and game media, as “packaging”
I’ve spent a fair bit on retro gaming between collecting original 8 and 16 bit computers and consoles to a fair number of mini consoles and handhelds with more pre ordered. I do also use emulation at times for a quick hit but most often I’ll at the very least use a mini console if not the real thing. I have been asked why before and I don’t really know other than it makes me happy so I’m going to keep on doing it. Thankfully my good lady is very understanding and never complains about the money I spend on my hobby. Another great vid Jon thank you.
I just use a tiny mini PC The same way you would use a console in the living room. It's not really different at all aside from the fact that you're not playing on original hardware. I like that there are lots of different controllers to choose from as well. I have used an Xbox controller, a PS4 controller and also have an 8-bit do gamepad.
Well as "the dude" would say, that's just like your opinion man. But you're certainly entitled to it. I really don't feel like anything is missing regarding the experience. I certainly understand why some people enjoy having a original hardware. I definitely have a lot of my old consoles lying around. I just find it easier to have everything consolidated into a single retro emulation build. Instead of having tons of different consoles connected to my system.
@@HeavyInstinct In Punch-Out, Soda Popinski is unbeatable in emulation due to a missing frame, the "tell" of him flashing red before punching. Link to the Past sounds like shit on emulation, Chrono Trigger has weird buzzing in the soundtrack.
Valid points. For me i prefer emulation, warts and all. i dont have a prior collection nor do i have the cash or the room for many consoles/ gadgets. Its just eaiser for me now, im just really happy to be able to play the retro games that i loved.
@The_Badseed I'm with you on that one. I have no space for anything besides my gaming PC and X-Arcade Tankstick, plus 5-tier shelving across one wall full of PC games. I have dozens of emulators. Can you imagine having every computer and console ever made? Sure, if you won the lottery and own a mansion. If you use Steam a lot, unlike me, then you'll have amassed tons of games only accessible through the Steam interface. Well guess what? That's almost exactly the same as having a folder full of roms which you double-click to run. I go a bit further than that though. For each emulator I have, the games folder has subfolders for each genre and games with sequels or spin-offs are combined into one folder. That's not all. I include scans of the box/cassette inlay and the manual for each game.
Great video Jon and you're spot on with your observations. At the end of the day it's all about nostalgia and I'm now picking up stuff as a grown adult that I had no chance of getting hold of as a kid due to money, family circumstances etc. Emulation is great but there's nothing better than having a physical cartridge and game system etc to play it on. Keep up the good work 👍
Well, for me, I grew up spending all my allowance at the arcades in the 80s. Seeing the cabinet and turning them on brings me almost the same joy as walking into those arcade shops. Emulators are still fun, but they don't give me the same touch and feel memory imprint as the mini arcades or consoles.
I did emulate. I even built an arcade cocktail cabinet with Hyperspin that has a screen i can raise & lower on hinges. All i needed for controls was a dual joystick X-Stick w/6 button setup, a Kensington mouse that serves as a trackball & spinner, a steering wheel, light gun & flight stick w/fire button. Did i forget anything? 🤔
I'm one of those laid back gamers. Any way you can experience games reasonably is a good thing. My favorite defense of gaming is the "If you're gaming, you've got the perfect alibi." It's innocent and worth the time you spend creating memories. That being said, I am pro-collecting and pro-emulation.
Because many of the games require special controls. That requires that you invest in a joystick and a keyboard encoder at the minimum. Next, you want to play "Centipede"...guess what you need a trackball. Then you want to play "Arkanoid" and "Pole Position". Guess what? You need a spinner. Then you want to play "Out Run" or "Daytona USA". You need a 270 degree wheel. You want to play "Tron" or "Discs of Tron"? Keep that spinner, but you need a joystick with a topfire button (for "Discs of Tron" you need two buttons on your joystick and a spinner with push-pull capability). Want to play "Ikari Warriors" and "Heavy Barrel"? You need a rotary joystick. "Operation Wolf?" Light gun? "Star Wars," "Paperboy", "Spy Hunter". You need a "Star Wars" yoke. By this point, you probably should just buy a cabinet. Oh, did I mention that you can do all this with an old computer running MAME and emulate a CRT with HLSL effects?
I loved the arcades in the late 70s and 80s as well as the home consoles of the time. Jon, your videos have been inspirational to my recent purchases, and subsequent fun. When I see footage of these mini arcades in a local shop, I get a little sad. Australia just doesn’t have shops that stock these. The only choice is to purchase an import or buy from a specialist shop who do imports. Still, this doesn’t stop the fun. Just limits the options. Great video. Thanks Jon!
Nail on the head! Great video Jon and pretty much the reason why I don't bother with emulation. I dabbled with Bleem back in the day to play PS1 games on my PC and found the results varied and I couldn't be bother tinkering with the settings to get it to work. Easier just to play the games on my OG PlayStation :-) Keep up the awesome work!
Most of the time we're not supporting the developers of these old titles, we're supporting the current IP owner. Most likely the IP that has changed hands many times over the years. There are exceptions, but those are few and far between. Perhaps it could be we are supporting those who are keeping the nostalgia alive for everyone, because it's just a cool piece of history.. And also for legitimate ownership of copies of the games themselves, rather than pirating potentially crap broken versions of the games.
I am kind of a 50/50. I use emulation, but also enjoy buying (or rebuying...) official products that I owned through my lifetime that I made the mistake of letting go at some point. Picking up all the mini consoles that have been coming out in the last 8 years is awesome. I used to own ALMOST everything at one point or another, and having them back (in a mini form, with the SAME controls, HDMI output, faster loading) is a blessing. Sure it is nice to own the original, but I no longer have the room for all the systems, wires, discs, etc.... But to have what I consider the next 'authentic' version of those systems, plus ways to use the Original Controllers that I had back in the day... its as close as one can get. Now I can even fit 3x as much in my room, since everything is 'mini' in size now. ;)
Walking into an Arcade back in the 80's was a magical experience. A voice from a game would call you in , like I live from Sinistar or chicken fight like a robot (Berserk) . Then the atmosphere , the unique controls of games like Battlezone with it's dual controls and goggles for a screen, the cool bike handlebars from Paperboy or Hang On by Sega with its full sized motorcycle you could sit on while playing. Later on a resurgence of the Arcade came back in a big way with games like Street Fighter II , like holy cow this one game changed gaming forever and I loved every minute of it , especially when I was kicking butt and you got a nice little crowd gathering around you , lol. Honestly it was lighting in a bottle and even though the Atari 2600 couldn't look like the Arcade , man it sure felt like it , well maybe are imaginations helped and the fact it was a very human connection with the Atari system in ways that has been lost over time. So for me if I can reclaim that moment in time just so I can feel that love from all those years ago and once again say , that was awesome. It's worth every penny.
When the town was hanging out at the arcade, it does take on that esprit de corps. Getting to play at the arcade at the end of training at the place known as Great Mistakes (Great Lakes, IL) with the entire unit, was kind of like that, magical.
The book and movie Ready Player One pretty much sums up the feeling of Retro. It evokes all the beautiful memories. If I could, I would recreate my old Fish n Chip shops and Corner Stores that had all the old arcades I used to walk and ride my bike to. It doesn't really matter if it's physical or visual Retro, either way the memories of those games and the friends we played them with all come flooding back. Physical just makes it feel that bit more real.... for now. Great times.
I'm kinda mixed on the whole Physical vs Digital thing. Physical collections tend to get cluttery if you don't have the room to properly store them, which I don't. I do get the occasional physical game, but I lean more toward digital collections.
Some great points. I was eager to try some of the recreations -they look fantastic, but I was consistently let down. Despite my hopes, the experience never really captured that nostalgic feel. These expensive recreations often suffer from input lag, especially over HDMI, which also doesn't look or feel quite right. I know it's a rabbit-hole, but as I tried to recreate the original experience, I ended up learning the technical skills. For me, an RPi outputting RGB to an RGB-modded CRT TV feels so much more authentic. I use original controllers and built arcade joysticks, and my emulation setup, with a JVC 27-inch, RPi4, and RGB Scart running RGBPiOS, cost less than $180 (not counting the countless hours spent researching, sourcing parts, and learning soldering and electronics). A simpler option is to get a Mister FPGA, which is insanely expensive but probably ends up being cheaper than buying all these recreations.
Everyone's preference on how to experience gaming is different. I think using the original control system is the most important part because that's how the game was designed for you to interact with it.
Good video. You made some great points. Some of us have so little free time and aren’t as tech savvy so they’d rather use that time to play the game vs. learning how to play it cheaper. Someone can say something is simple all they want and it probably is simple, but it’s not simple to all. There are very few UA-cam tutorials that are helpful to all because most take some part of what they are doing for granted and assume their audience will know what they’re talking about. Common sense is not common especially when it comes to bridging generation gaps. I can tell you driving a stick is easy but you’d be hard pressed to find someone under 30 that can do it. On the other hand you may have a hard time finding a man over 75 who can type well. Thanks for the video.
I do like collecting things for my favorite game Galaga. I have a 60 in 1 arcade machine that covers the majority of my favorite games but I will buy mostly handhelds like pocket players....because they are fun to play while on the road or watching TV. I also have a handheld with thousands of classic games spanning many consoles and arcade games. But I probably play my Galaga handhelds more. Probably the nostalgia factor.
Part of the enjoyment for me is to grab a stack of games to play. It’s not the same as flipping through a ROM folder for me. That would be easier and take up way less space, but it’s not my vibe. I feel the same about music, movies, and books.
There is nothing like walking into a room full of decades of digital history, maybe one day to leave it to your kid. To have each game be a story of a trip to a store or even of how you arrange systems on a shelf. The alternative? "Hey, look at my 512TB microSD card... One day, all of this will be yours. Or wait, why don't I just copy it for you right now?" (assuming current emulation players grow up to have kids in 10 years or whatever) There is something to be said to have the collective experience of shared media, but the memory of how a controller button stuck, or how you needed to keep one certain console on a pillow because the vibration would make the disc skip if it was on a wooden table... Game collectors are collecting memories about game playing as much as of games themselves. I find no value in my memory of watching a download progress bar gradually move to the right.
Yes, using a TV-Monitor in portrait mode really helps a LOT reliving the arcade feeling with Mame. PIck one from a thrift store if you see, even better with VGA giving extra softness to your picture.
I would love to have the actual retro consoles of my youth (I still have my original NES, but none of the others), but I'm limited more than anything by space. I've been gaming straight through for over 40 years, and I'd love to have a game room with every console from an Atari 2600 to my PS5, but there's just no room. And, it would not be satisfying to have a bunch of cool retro systems packed away in a box or a storage unit just to have them, so emulation is the way for me. My old NES sits on the shelf as a reminder of fun times in my youth, but pretty much everything else is emulated either on "retro" handhelds or on a mini-PC to my TV. It's the best of both worlds, and the best solution for me. Love your channel by the way!
This whole video is why i began collecting retro gaming gadgets and still enjoy diy emulation Even though i wasnt even born in the 90s. I still love the feeling of tangibility you get from the gadgets compared to just emulating a game. Grsnted theyre a "sure why not?" Purchase for me NORMALLY. Unless its something really cool i have to get for myself or to give as a gift for a loved one. Like all 4 of the myarcade things i was able to snag (The atari 50 and galaga micro player pros, the super street fighter 2 pocketplayer, and the tetris pixel player) It honestly does a lot good to see games before my time get rereleased in both emulated and physical ways
I am right in the middle, I enjoy setting up emulators ,hacking old systems and adding games of all sorts but I also enjoy owning and collecting many retro game collectibles! Great stuff as always
I think emulation is a good solution to check a game, but the physical experience of get a cartidge and put it on a real consolle and play with original controllers is another thing. Surely the old consoles are getting old, defective and uncomfortable to connect to modern digital tvs: so welcome Atari 2600 + (even if in truth it is Emulator too), but it allows to use the old original cartridges and controllers, and real paddles. I hope that in the wake of the good idea an Intellivision + will also arrive, I'm waiting for it.
Great answers! For me, it's all about the novelty of the form factor. I particularly LOVE 6-inch range arcade cabinets. They're a lot of fun to have on a table, and they're a great match to accessorize a lot of my action figures.
Emulation is often a pain, especially on the Mac. I ended up going that route mostly so I could obtain USB joysticks that have the same feel of the CX 40 I grew up with (e.g. Hyperkin Trooper 2).
I play it on original hardware because I used to do garage sales, conventions and thrifts back int 90s and 00s when all of this stuff was considered throwaway garbage. It was crazy back then. Once found a seller with about 40 neo geo MVS carts for $5 a pop. Got Halloween and Texas Chainsaw 2600 for $20. You could fill suitcases for $80. The prices are nuts now. That said though, there’s a huge tactile component to this stuff. Original screens, original joysticks etc are a different experience. But then, I also carry around an emulation handheld in my work bag with like 10k games on it I like it all.
I remember cruising thrifts stores back in the 90s and early 2000s as well, and scoring some really nice things. Still kicking myself in the butt for not grabbing that Vectrex unit I once saw for a mere $25, as I just did not have it on me at the time (early 90s - still a poor college student) and by the time I managed to scrap up the cash to go back to get it, it was already gone! I did grab a complete, in-the-box NES action set for $25 as I wanted a "new" NES as the one I already had died on me. The carts could be had for something like $5 each. It was the same thing with vinyl records. I remember grabbing some really nice records for like a $1 each or even less (sometimes there would be sales like 3 for buck, as they practically could not give the things away. Make me wonder just how many records ended up in the dump! Now with the whole retro-gaming craze and the "vinyl revival", the prices are just nuts. I probably have games down in my basement that I picked up for something like $5 that are worth over $100 today. I will need to go through all that and price things out, although I do not plan on selling anything.
The other piece of all of the "retro" concept is the SPACE TO STORE IT ALL. Beyond the original cabinet-style experience which is an EXTRAORDINARY ask, the cables, switches and needed interfaces for the other real/retro things are thins that require set up time (and don't get me wrong, it's worthy time) but - it's what people lack/are willing to give nowadays. What I do love about the new issuance of the Retro stuff is that the problems with the original control interfaces - is that the new ones are finally there without (for the most part) the control interface problems. The original Intellivision controllers have a special pieces of my heart, but also I lost locks of hair because of them as well. Great video and opinions, dude!
Thanks for watching and for sharing your thoughts/memories. I certainly have storage boxes filled with spaghetti wires for any number of vintage consoles!
Both options are great these days, one costs more & by today's standards so if you want to get your retro on, so many way @ so many price groups. Game on!
Having the real machine makes me feel so much more connected to the past. Like it's not just gone, it's still here, the actual computers I had as a kid, or the those I wished I had.
Whoa... Hold on a second there... There's a My Arcade Rolling Thunder??? How did I miss that? If that's the proper arcade ROM in there I might have to make a purchase. Ehhh, y'know what even if it it's a home console version I'm still tempted.
There is, indeed! It's the NES ROM, which is not a terrible conversion. 😁 Here's my review: ua-cam.com/video/4tUcPlt8034/v-deo.html Here's Amazon link to purchase: amz.run/9Tod
I think it depends on the person Emulator on the PC with a front end like Hyper Spin is pretty good for some people because they don't have to hookup and disconnect different Consoles it just a click away were you can play Atari 2600 then change the game to N64 games in seconds to play and other like collecting retro games for the memory like you said
You make some good points. Personally, I'll stick to emulation in various forms with various high-quality front ends, but I can definitely see where you're coming from. And I really regret missing out on the Street Fighter 2 Champion Edition Replicade a couple of years ago. Enjoy those toys and gadgets!
I always enjoy your posts...and this is no exception. While a great deal of my retro gaming is via emulation, I still have my retro machines (2600, 5200, and yes, the GSP) that I enjoy.
I think FPGA systems like the Analogue consoles and Mister are great things for preserving the originality of retro games. Often times you can get an adapter so you can play with the original controllers, and with Analogue’s systems you can use the original cartridges.
I do like my 400 Mini. New firmware just released, too. Doing a video on the improvements next week. Looks like they fixed the biggest software problems including 5200 analog control!
I simply love retrogaming in all shapes and forms. However, I find collecting retrogames kind of costly, especially for me considering the Brazilian economic scenario. Even though we have a vibrant retrogaming culture here, as seen in our last event, Retrocon, I still like having the opportunity to load and play the games I love the most wherever I am. Nonetheless, I deeply appreciate all those who collect retrogames and retro-related gadgets.
Very well thought out, and very well argued. I kind of feel like the way you’re presenting. It is like when Leonard Malton used to do those DVD introductions
Great Editorial! Everyone is different and have different tastes. For one person to think they are right about it and another is wrong is unfortunate. I say play what you can, how you can and whatever version scratches the itch for you. I can see why some are ok with emulating but I also can see why others like to experience the gameplay of the hardware and control setup as much as the game itself. I have an AtGames Legends Ultimate that is an emulation but in an arcade style form factor and game play, so I am merging the two and for now that works for me. I urge everyone to be not so concerned that their way is the best way for everyone, just that they play the way that is best for them … and realize that even that may change and evolve over time. Thanks so much Jon!! 👊🏻😎🕹️
I had a Nelsonic Pac-Man watch. Absolutely loved it. It was lost many, many years ago. I found another one about ten years ago, but oddly, the end-game tune was (of all things) the tune "Dixie". Yeah, that was a head-scratcher. I remember every sound and song that came out of the original one, and Dixie ain't one of them. :D I can only guess it was a knock-off, or something. In any case, I loved my original Nelsonic Pac-Man watch. It comes as no surprise that you had one, too. :)
I was gifted one by my uncle. Took it off to go swimming in the backyard pool and it went missing. Spent hours looking all over the yard for it. I've since deduced that my parents confiscated it because I was playing it too much. I hope it's eventually added to MAME as the Nintendo Game & Watch series was.
All my games I emulate. I started collecting roms and emulators back in 2002 when I was in college. I found my first very first emulator and romset on a school computer. It was for SNES. To this day, I still ask myself who left an SNES romset and emulator on a school computer. I was happy to have found them. As the years went by, I started finding and collecting more roms, emulators, and even some standalone PC games. I have more video games now as an adult then I did when I was a kid. I cherish the retro games that I have and play to this day. I don't have time to track down old hardware for old games. I don't know if many of them exist anymore. And plus, I can't afford to buy old hardware either. So, I'm happy to emulate my games.
*STORY TIME!* Back around '09-'10, I was in my late middle school and early high school years, and this was when I made a few desktop-sized arcade machines myself. I used nothing more than painted wood for the casing, with some cheaply-made artwork for the side art, bezel, and marquee. These casings housed some small ~1-1.5'-wide CRT TVs, and mounted at the front were those Jakks Pacific Plug & Play controllers, which, mind you, I had a MASSIVE collection of for the same exact reasons you pointed out in this video. I called these machines "DeskCades," and they weren't exactly the prettiest things to look at, nor were they the most compact, in fact, they were pretty bulky. By this point, one could call them a 'proof-of-concept' for what is now Arcade1Up's "CounterCades." The first of these that I made, I'll admit, was pretty much an excuse for me to get the latest (at the time) Jakks Pacific Pac-Man 12-in-1 controller, as I was to use it for an upcoming 'invention' project for one of my tech classes in middle school. The REAL reason I wanted that controller, even when I had tons of others like it before (with even less games), was so that I could see how Jakks Pacific evolved the presentation of these games. The menu screen, for example, is always a drive-home point for my enjoyment of each new iteration of these Plug & Play controllers. Additionally, the ROMS used (even if they still weren't entirely arcade-accurate) would always get better and better with each new installment. Anyway, after presenting this first DeskCade, when it was time for questions, one that was asked was "why get this when you can just download these games on XBox 360 or PS3?" to which another classmate chimed in with "because this gets us closer to being in an actual arcade." I looked at him and just said "Thank you." XD In the end, it got the third most votes in the class! I made a couple more of these later on, using Radica's Space Invaders 5-in-1, as well as Jakks Pacific's Ms. Pac-Man Wireless 7-in-1. I had plans for several more, but none of those plans came through by the time I got burnt out of making them. The funny thing is that, before all of this, my method of reproducing that experience was placing one of the aforementioned plug & play controllers in front of one of those small TVs (which was on one of our kitchen counters at the time), and attaching a cheaply hand-drawn marquee of whatever game I was playing on top of the TV. Heck, I even took a few of my 256 Games-In-1 Brick Arcade handhelds, and made cardboard housings for them that were in the shape of those COLECO tabletop arcades, so that I could more or less 'pretend' that they were one of those tabletop units that I new I was likely never gonna get my hands on for real. With every point mentioned in this video, I couldn't help but be reminded of this golden era of my retro gaming enthusiast life. With the resources I had at the time, I could only get so close to recreating and reliving that tactile experience of being in an arcade will all those classic games that I've come to know and love. Some of these games were introduced to me THROUGH those experiences, like Dig Dug, Rally-X, Mappy, Bosconian, and Xevious for instance, and as much as I wish my resources were a bit more abundant, such a time in my life is something I never wish to replace, as it has now brought me to collect so many other retro gaming gadgets and players. Nostalgia has become a big factor in my life, and this is one of the few ways I bring that nostalgia home (literally).
I like your thoughts on emulation. I’m a little obsessed with it. I have way to many handheld consoles, everything from the Anbernics to the Powkiddys and many Kinhank plug and plays. I also have the Nintendo mini as well. I just can’t afford the inflated prices for a used system and games that are being offered. I’m happy with what I have and will continue to emulate. I agree with your thoughts on having the physical product, especially the instruction booklets that come with games. It was a great time growing up in the 80’s and getting to experience all the releases from Nintendo and Sega. Unfortunately I gave away all my systems as I got older as newer ones came out. 🤦🏻♂️ Anyway great video.
Emulation is an AMAZING thing. Eventually, at some point, it will be the only way we can play some of these games. But, when given a choice, of course I'd rather play them on original hardware. Like James Rolfe said, the only way to play Atari is on an old piece-a-shit CRT TV (knobs and all!), and when I can, that's what I do. If not, though, I'll emulate without hesitation.
Can you imagine being a kid on Christmas morning, running down stairs to the Christmas tree to rip open your brand new shiny digital download card?! Man kids today have it so good. Why would you want to spend your hard earned money on a physical object that might actually be of monetary value one day? Nonsense! I want to spend my money to own nothing and like it! 😂
I've tried the retropie thing, the Anbernic with 10,000 games etc. I just didn't seem to want to play them. Yet playing retro games on my VCS, or carts on my 2600+ or even games on my 400 mini - I'll play those for hours and hours and enjoy them. I think I like to have something tangible to play on - it doesn't have to be original hardware (more often I prefer it isn't) but something like it.
I was never much of a Pac Man fan, but a kid I used to work with back then just couldn't get enough. I had been blown away when Asteroids showed up in the local arcade. Also Missile Command. When the original Atari VCS came out I was disappointed with the graphics. I was already used to much better computer graphics and animation from the arcades. When I decided I needed to get a home computer, the Atari 400/800 line was the only choice. That was the only system that came anywhere close to the kind of graphics and animation I was expecting. Also, it didn't feel like a hobbyist's kit, the way some of the others did. You took the computer out of the box, plugged in a (precursor to USB) Serial O/I cable and hooked up just about any peripheral you wanted to. It was great! I learned everything I ever needed to know about computer science on my Atari 800. Decades later I was missing my 800 and I found the Atari800MacX emulator, which I think is the very best of the ones based on that original Atari800 emulator core. It let me mount virtual floppy disks, load virtual game or language cartridges, even print to virtual printers. But the Atari CX40 Joystick was always an integral part of the Atari Home Computer experience. It's what we had before the mouse. The emulator couldn't emulate that adequately. Later I got a Din 9 to USB adapter that let me use my CX40 joystick that I still had, I even bought a USB joystick that came close to reproducing the feel of the CX40 joystick. But what I really missed was that quirky Atari keyboard where we had to hold down the CTRL key to access the cursor arrows, and the inverse character set was an important feature of the ATASCII character set. Basically, while I could actually do most of what I wanted to do in the emulator, it just didn't quite feel right. Last spring I got all my old 8-bit Atari computer stuff back that my brother-in-law had taken after I moved to California in the early '90s. The keyboard on my 800 just doesn't work and the 1200XL is just wonky. Neither of my disk drives work, but the Atari 400 that I bought used in 1985 for $20 just because I thought it was cute still works as well as the day I got it! Around the same time I got that new 400Mini, which is itself an emulator, and while it does have HDMI output and the screen looks great, I find that CX Joystick to be a nuisance, with all of its hidden buttons to make up for the fact that none of the keys on the 400Mini itself work at all. Just wrong-headed IMHO. I got the new Atari VSC game console because I thought it was the best alternative to getting a Playstation or X-Box or some other game console I didn't even want. The new Atari VCS offered me (emulations) of my favorite arcade games, though its Classic Joystick is just way too hot for Missile Command and I really don't have a clue how to use that Modern Gamepad. I was able to hook up my old CX22 Trak-Ball controller (with the adapter I bough years ago), and it works well with Missile Command, but the triggers only launch missiles from the center base. Missile Command was the first arcade game I ever saw with a Track Ball controller. Centipede was the second. And Asteroids NEVER used a joystick! It was all controlled with buttons, as most arcade games of the time were, unleaded they used paddle control knobs. I'm considering getting an Atari 2600+. At first I didn't want one because I had never wanted a 2600 and I didn't have any game cartridges. But the 2600 games on the new Atari VCS have shown me that while the graphics are indeed quite poor, the gameplay is still there and I've gained a new appreciation for (some of) the 2600 games. Along with my old Atari computer stuff I also took possession of a 7800 Pro system and about two dozen game cartridges. THAT'S when I learned that the 7800 can also play 2600 game cartridges. But its joystick controllers don't work. If I got a 2600+ it would to the SAME thing, but with HDMI output and working controllers. I'm just not sure I need it. I just got a couple of RF to HDMI converters that will take care of the RF to modern displays problem. Emulation is pretty great. It's how ALL the new machines work. But there's a lot to say about playing on original equipment if you can get it (and get it to work right!). Make mine Atari!
Hey Jon, I love your channel. Speaking of emulation, I was wondering if you could make a video similar to the one you made about adding the full rom set and more to the Atari 2600 Mini but this time make it for the Atari 400 Mini? Sure some people show you how to add a game or 2 to it but you’re video you made about the Atari 2600 mini was really helpful and easy to follow along with and I'd like to see what other 400 mini games are out there without putting them on a PC plus I liked the extra games that I didn't know about for the 2600. I'm sure you're viewer's would like it too. Thanks.
I emulate, but also have original consoles running ever drives, and I also own a smattering of real games, but the convenience of not having to change out cartridges, just hit power and I can play ANY game in the library for that console is nice
Jon, i've been a gamer since the mid 70's and i believe in emlation and i do emulate...for "some" things/reasons....and sometimes that retro hardware we buy IS "emulation", yes. It's all about the "feel" of the experience, bringing back how it made you feel to play as a kid and how it feels now. I've seen some people buy retro hardware and say, "God, now i remember WHY i gave up this system before" and were totally ruined by the experience and just go to emulation because the hardware plays better in some cases. And for others it's the exact OPPOSITE....no matter how "bad" the hardware really is. I'm currently building my "race" simulator experience and yeah, it's a LOT of emulation because i want ALL those games in one convenient location and i'm adding a VR headset for effect because a lot of the newer games do look much better in VR emersion via PC while some of the older games also seem better with a VR headset and then some don't so i've got that very convenient 65" TV i got, at the thrift store, for $35.....YEAH....and it's an awesome TV, just a slight bit older. There is a time and place for retro hardware, just like emulation. I know a few collector/gamers and they prefer the retro hardware and will talk, for HOURS ad nausim, and how much better it is (With me it's like, i get you, you like it better....there that took 60 seconds...on to next subject. LOL) nd will continue to "reel in the year" Steely Dan style :P When it comes to the two, there is no definitve "right" answer, it's all about what you want. I've seen emulation that's made older games look "better" than the original games and i appreciated it and sometimes the emulation looks a little worse, it all depends on the settings. I guess what i'm saying is, when it comes to preferences like that, it's all about the experience either gives you. I'm good with both. nuff said?
Emulation is better for probably most casual vintage game fans, more convenient, takes up way less space, cheaper and less maintenance. However for people who want to use vintage peripherals be that controllers, cartridges or other more specialised hardware then it is only really possible to use vintage computers/consoles currently. Personally I like both, and use both. Growing up in the 70’s-90’s was an incredible time, so much great stuff from BMX, Skateboards, Arcades, Home Computers, Consoles, Breakdancing, not to mention all the great music, toys and freedom.
My kids got me a Tiny Arcade Pac-Man for Christmas 2022 it was fun. This inspired me to get a bunch of emulators and ROMs for use on my PC's this was fun too. The Atari 8 bit emulators and Roms inspired me to dig out my old Atari 800 from storage and restore it! Now I have that 800 , a 400 with 48K, a 600xl NTSC, 800xl PAL, and an XEGS PAL some fully modded with video & memory upgrades and some stock. So in the end, that toy Pac-Man got me into the A8 retro hardware modding and Homebrew scene.
Great video, Jon. And well said. I love collecting games, but the expense can be high. Buying a game I loved as a kid for $200 can be difficult. So I have turned to emulation. I sold my Saturn collection for a modded Saturn. I love the Analogue Pocket. Yet, I still collect some games for retro and the newest consoles.
I guess the thing I like best about Emulation on a high-powered PC connected via HDMI to a HT Receiver and going out to a 4K projection system to a 150" screen is that I get my own choice of controllers in many of the emulators. I can map almost any kind of controller to the emulator's input choices. For instance I can play Afterburner II using a HOTAS flight stick. I can use my Thrustmaster force feedback steering wheel and pedals to play Outrun or Daytona USA. I owned a Atari 400 original, 600XL, SNES, 2600, and a few others, but being locked into using their controllers always sucked. For paddle games I have a 100% authentic reproduction of a Tempest spinner I bought years ago from a machine shop guy that was an avid Tempest fanatic. It uses a large optical wheel and mouse sensor to read the wheel. Much more high resolution movement than a mouse or trackball offers. That works great for not only tempest, but games like Galaga, Gorf, Galaxians, etc, and any other games that have horizontal-only movements.
Well said Gen X Grown Up! I fall into a combination of the many reasons you gave on why someone does NOT emulate. But I do plan on some emulation in the future. First things first….
i bought a steam deck for the soul purpose of emulation, but i still kind of want to collect retro consoles and games. theres just something satisfying about the tactility of having the physical hardware.
Anyone I've ever known who ran emulators barely played any of it. "I have 3,000 games" and they can't tell me what they actually played much less even finished
I can easily emulate a old game, but I been loving to collect these mini arcade machines and just be able to pick one up to play without too much of a hassle to find said game in a sea of files in a device that would either be bigger or would require me to set up a controller which would take longer to do.
I'm with you. I buy a hell of a lot of these gadgets. I've got a wall of Arcade1up machines, a shelf unit of retro game systems like the 2600+ and Super Nintendo Mini, and plenty of handhelds like the ones My Arcade makes. All official. And I also have a emulator system packed with thousands of games and a handheld with just about everything before the PS2. Most old games will _never_ be released on an official system. Emulation is the only way to play them.
Holy crap, that picture at 5:05! THAT brings back some serious nostalgia and memories. That could easily been myself and my brother on that one Christmas Morning in 1980 when we got the Atari 2600 (VCS as it was actually called then).
I just find this fun and I think you explain it very well. Great video. For me. I like the Atari 400 mini because it gives me vibes of the old days and it's pretty easy to configure with your nice how-to video
As a purchaser of said product, the main reason is portability. I could plug my ps3 controller right into the USB port, and get the proper controller app, and use it, but if I'm at home, I'd rather be playing a PS3 game than a retro game, lol. So much better graphics. The only time I would likely consider playing retro is away from home, when I don't have the PS3 with me.
One thing not easily replicated with emulation is the sacred art of "frying", achieved by quickly powering the system off and on. Before Game Genie, that was the only way to corrupt memory and get weird results. I was actually able to get the "Warrior's Sword" in SwordQuest: Earthworld using this technique. I think I was able to see previously unseen clues as well.
Ive been emulating since 2002. My computer lab teacher in middle school showed me I could play Kirby's Adventure on PC. It blew my mind. I never went back after that.
I've never seen that Pacman watch. I really miss the Casio calculator watch in the late 70's that had a very primitive space invaders game. Have never been able to find it after I grew up.
Good, thorough analysis here. It is worth mentioning that just because WE are nutty enough to learn how emulators work, and how to MAKE them work when they don't cooperate, not everyone is that adventurous, or patient, or... heh, masochistic. Even an IT expert will concede that sometimes, it's a relief when something _just works_. (Unlike UA-cam's text formatting.)
This has become one of my favorite channels. But I must admit, I’m probably in the minority on this one. When I was a kid, there was nothing better than going to Toys R Us to buy a new game. Opening it up and reading the instructions. Now, like others, I don’t have the space or income to collect games and systems. I have every game I want and the opportunity to play games on different systems. I had fun building my emulator on Atari GSP then on a mini PC with Batocera.
Just recently I saw Alien at the movie theater, I have this movie on blueray and also the special edition, but seeing it at the movie theater was great, drinking beers and with friends.
Hitting home with these speaking points Jon, it's like I'm not on any of my Mini consoles every single day, let alone that Atari GSP but just the fact that I have them there all loaded up ready to go when I get that urge is what matters to me personally. Nice to get off the PC occasionally and just dive into the offline world yeah? Though since I last commented I had a thought about that Atari GSP firmware update, do you think it's possible that they are delaying it intentionally to be released along side the portable GSP? that could have 1.04 on it out of the gate for example. Just a thought but I wont be holding the metaphorical breath over it.
"there's more to a classic movie than a reel of film, and there's more to the classic games than the ripped ROM." Nice writing!!
Jon. I am 100% behind you on this. Not only does it feel more 'real' to play on new or used hardware, but playing originals personally takes me to a place that nothing else seems to know the way to. My youth. At my age (BoomerGrownup), anything that makes me feel like a kid again is gonna be the route I take. Especially if you add the right snackages to the experience.
You have inspired me to get back into retro gaming done right. 😊
This is a great explanation of retro gaming as a whole.
I could understand why a person would want to emulate. I carry around a little handheld retro player. It's easier than pulling out all the equipment to hook it up play for a few hours and putting it all back. But most of the time I want to play with the controller the console came with, and firing up the old CRT.
I love my collection. It took me a long time to get where I am at. I have some impressive pieces. My income is at the low end of the scale. I traded, I rummaged, I bought lots took what I wanted and flipped the rest. I have bought and fixed, and sold 2600 and 5200 controllers. I feel like I earned and accomplished something.
Having the item isn't the whole thrill. It's the story behind the stuff. Networking, meeting good people, and finding treasures in the wild is a big part of it for me.
Caring for and maintaining my collection is very relaxing. Almost as relaxing as playing them.
Finally, it's an investment. I don't know stocks and bonds, but I know video games. We all work with our talents, even if another thinks it's silly. I've tripled my investment. Not so silly now...
Love this!
I miss arcades.
A third place is a location that isn't your home or work. It is a social place where strangers become regulars. Arcades were my third place growing up, which I miss. Playing a ROM at home will never recapture the atmosphere of that third place.
We all miss the arcades.
Lining up and putting a quarter on the marquee to say "next" can't be replicated on a Raspberry Pi or PC.
I love you dude... and arcades were great, but are a thing of the past. These new games suck ass!
Same here, however, we do have a "retrocade" here in town that is like 5 minutes away from my places that if you step into, it is just like being in the arcades back in the 80s.
@@SkiBumMSP - There's one that is 25 minutes from me. Just not close enough for me to go to regularly.
there's also option paralysis associated with emulation. i have a generic portable emulator device with 10,000 games and i'll only play one for a few minutes out of curiosity. with my consoles, i tend to spend hours with a single game, and want to finish it.
I am not a console person, but I will bring up one big point in the column of using original hardware. Over-availability gives people a massive decrease in enthusiasm. There is something about having fewer options and holding the original box art, original carts, original CD cases, etc. It makes you want to play the games a lot more than seeing a thousand files in a folder. It's more appealing. The presentation and enticement is much higher, not just the nostalgia factor.
Right, I don't understand how people downloading whole romsets do it. When I was a kid, I might get two or three games a year. Each individual game was incredibly precious, and I could easily persevere through any rough or difficult spots.
This is a real phenomenon. It’s what marketing is based on. Packaging, I mean. There is value in the packaging of a product. Packaging is important. In this context, I’m including the computer hardware, aka the consoles and game media, as “packaging”
I’ve spent a fair bit on retro gaming between collecting original 8 and 16 bit computers and consoles to a fair number of mini consoles and handhelds with more pre ordered. I do also use emulation at times for a quick hit but most often I’ll at the very least use a mini console if not the real thing. I have been asked why before and I don’t really know other than it makes me happy so I’m going to keep on doing it. Thankfully my good lady is very understanding and never complains about the money I spend on my hobby. Another great vid Jon thank you.
I like the physical cartridge of retro video games because I like the feeling of taking the cartridge in and out of the console
Yeah i can emulate on a pc. But the fun is in the living room, playing with the family, taking turns. It's just different.
I just use a tiny mini PC The same way you would use a console in the living room. It's not really different at all aside from the fact that you're not playing on original hardware. I like that there are lots of different controllers to choose from as well. I have used an Xbox controller, a PS4 controller and also have an 8-bit do gamepad.
@HeavyInstinct good solution if you're tech savvy. But the experience and simplicity is still lost
Well as "the dude" would say, that's just like your opinion man. But you're certainly entitled to it. I really don't feel like anything is missing regarding the experience. I certainly understand why some people enjoy having a original hardware. I definitely have a lot of my old consoles lying around. I just find it easier to have everything consolidated into a single retro emulation build. Instead of having tons of different consoles connected to my system.
@@HeavyInstinct In Punch-Out, Soda Popinski is unbeatable in emulation due to a missing frame, the "tell" of him flashing red before punching. Link to the Past sounds like shit on emulation, Chrono Trigger has weird buzzing in the soundtrack.
It’s 2024, you can easily connect a PC to your living room entertainment center and even with smaller footprints than most consoles.
Valid points. For me i prefer emulation, warts and all. i dont have a prior collection nor do i have the cash or the room for many consoles/ gadgets. Its just eaiser for me now, im just really happy to be able to play the retro games that i loved.
I go both ways. I've had a Raspberry Pi and older PC I've used to emulate, but sometimes I just want to turn on an Ambernic handheld and play. 😊
@The_Badseed I'm with you on that one. I have no space for anything besides my gaming PC and X-Arcade Tankstick, plus 5-tier shelving across one wall full of PC games. I have dozens of emulators. Can you imagine having every computer and console ever made? Sure, if you won the lottery and own a mansion. If you use Steam a lot, unlike me, then you'll have amassed tons of games only accessible through the Steam interface. Well guess what? That's almost exactly the same as having a folder full of roms which you double-click to run. I go a bit further than that though. For each emulator I have, the games folder has subfolders for each genre and games with sequels or spin-offs are combined into one folder. That's not all. I include scans of the box/cassette inlay and the manual for each game.
Great content and you rock as a host. And I’m glad you are up and running. Keep it up the fight!
I couldn't have said it better myself. One of the reasons I love Evervade.
Great video Jon and you're spot on with your observations. At the end of the day it's all about nostalgia and I'm now picking up stuff as a grown adult that I had no chance of getting hold of as a kid due to money, family circumstances etc. Emulation is great but there's nothing better than having a physical cartridge and game system etc to play it on. Keep up the good work 👍
Well, for me, I grew up spending all my allowance at the arcades in the 80s. Seeing the cabinet and turning them on brings me almost the same joy as walking into those arcade shops.
Emulators are still fun, but they don't give me the same touch and feel memory imprint as the mini arcades or consoles.
I did emulate. I even built an arcade cocktail cabinet with Hyperspin that has a screen i can raise & lower on hinges. All i needed for controls was a dual joystick X-Stick w/6 button setup, a Kensington mouse that serves as a trackball & spinner, a steering wheel, light gun & flight stick w/fire button. Did i forget anything? 🤔
I'm one of those laid back gamers. Any way you can experience games reasonably is a good thing. My favorite defense of gaming is the "If you're gaming, you've got the perfect alibi." It's innocent and worth the time you spend creating memories. That being said, I am pro-collecting and pro-emulation.
Amen.
How can you prove you were gaming, as opposed to watching a movie or reading a book?
Occasionally I buy new games for my Vic 20s and C64.
Because many of the games require special controls. That requires that you invest in a joystick and a keyboard encoder at the minimum. Next, you want to play "Centipede"...guess what you need a trackball. Then you want to play "Arkanoid" and "Pole Position". Guess what? You need a spinner. Then you want to play "Out Run" or "Daytona USA". You need a 270 degree wheel. You want to play "Tron" or "Discs of Tron"? Keep that spinner, but you need a joystick with a topfire button (for "Discs of Tron" you need two buttons on your joystick and a spinner with push-pull capability). Want to play "Ikari Warriors" and "Heavy Barrel"? You need a rotary joystick. "Operation Wolf?" Light gun? "Star Wars," "Paperboy", "Spy Hunter". You need a "Star Wars" yoke. By this point, you probably should just buy a cabinet. Oh, did I mention that you can do all this with an old computer running MAME and emulate a CRT with HLSL effects?
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I loved the arcades in the late 70s and 80s as well as the home consoles of the time. Jon, your videos have been inspirational to my recent purchases, and subsequent fun. When I see footage of these mini arcades in a local shop, I get a little sad. Australia just doesn’t have shops that stock these. The only choice is to purchase an import or buy from a specialist shop who do imports. Still, this doesn’t stop the fun. Just limits the options. Great video. Thanks Jon!
Nail on the head! Great video Jon and pretty much the reason why I don't bother with emulation. I dabbled with Bleem back in the day to play PS1 games on my PC and found the results varied and I couldn't be bother tinkering with the settings to get it to work. Easier just to play the games on my OG PlayStation :-) Keep up the awesome work!
The biggest reason that I buy is to support developers. We wouldn’t have the recent releases from Atari without a retro market.
Good point
Some dev are crazy ,like the Sega Genesis *Paprium* game . $500 dollars for a cartridge , those kind of projects are a insane asking price .
If you buy something from a reseller, it doesn't give any money to the developers.
Most of the time we're not supporting the developers of these old titles, we're supporting the current IP owner. Most likely the IP that has changed hands many times over the years. There are exceptions, but those are few and far between. Perhaps it could be we are supporting those who are keeping the nostalgia alive for everyone, because it's just a cool piece of history.. And also for legitimate ownership of copies of the games themselves, rather than pirating potentially crap broken versions of the games.
@@SomeCanine Right, but that's not how 'support' works. By buying from resellers, you encourage the demand that adds to the development environment.
I am kind of a 50/50. I use emulation, but also enjoy buying (or rebuying...) official products that I owned through my lifetime that I made the mistake of letting go at some point. Picking up all the mini consoles that have been coming out in the last 8 years is awesome. I used to own ALMOST everything at one point or another, and having them back (in a mini form, with the SAME controls, HDMI output, faster loading) is a blessing. Sure it is nice to own the original, but I no longer have the room for all the systems, wires, discs, etc.... But to have what I consider the next 'authentic' version of those systems, plus ways to use the Original Controllers that I had back in the day... its as close as one can get. Now I can even fit 3x as much in my room, since everything is 'mini' in size now. ;)
Walking into an Arcade back in the 80's was a magical experience. A voice from a game would call you in , like I live from Sinistar or chicken fight like a robot (Berserk) . Then the atmosphere , the unique controls of games like Battlezone with it's dual controls and goggles for a screen, the cool bike handlebars from Paperboy or Hang On by Sega with its full sized motorcycle you could sit on while playing. Later on a resurgence of the Arcade came back in a big way with games like Street Fighter II , like holy cow this one game changed gaming forever and I loved every minute of it , especially when I was kicking butt and you got a nice little crowd gathering around you , lol. Honestly it was lighting in a bottle and even though the Atari 2600 couldn't look like the Arcade , man it sure felt like it , well maybe are imaginations helped and the fact it was a very human connection with the Atari system in ways that has been lost over time. So for me if I can reclaim that moment in time just so I can feel that love from all those years ago and once again say , that was awesome. It's worth every penny.
When the town was hanging out at the arcade, it does take on that esprit de corps. Getting to play at the arcade at the end of training at the place known as Great Mistakes (Great Lakes, IL) with the entire unit, was kind of like that, magical.
The book and movie Ready Player One pretty much sums up the feeling of Retro.
It evokes all the beautiful memories.
If I could, I would recreate my old Fish n Chip shops and Corner Stores that had all the old arcades I used to walk and ride my bike to.
It doesn't really matter if it's physical or visual Retro, either way the memories of those games and the friends we played them with all come flooding back.
Physical just makes it feel that bit more real.... for now.
Great times.
I'm kinda mixed on the whole Physical vs Digital thing. Physical collections tend to get cluttery if you don't have the room to properly store them, which I don't. I do get the occasional physical game, but I lean more toward digital collections.
Some great points. I was eager to try some of the recreations -they look fantastic, but I was consistently let down. Despite my hopes, the experience never really captured that nostalgic feel. These expensive recreations often suffer from input lag, especially over HDMI, which also doesn't look or feel quite right. I know it's a rabbit-hole, but as I tried to recreate the original experience, I ended up learning the technical skills. For me, an RPi outputting RGB to an RGB-modded CRT TV feels so much more authentic. I use original controllers and built arcade joysticks, and my emulation setup, with a JVC 27-inch, RPi4, and RGB Scart running RGBPiOS, cost less than $180 (not counting the countless hours spent researching, sourcing parts, and learning soldering and electronics). A simpler option is to get a Mister FPGA, which is insanely expensive but probably ends up being cheaper than buying all these recreations.
Everyone's preference on how to experience gaming is different. I think using the original control system is the most important part because that's how the game was designed for you to interact with it.
If you want to play Atari 2600 PADDLE games, the only way to get truly no lag is to use the original system and a tube TV.
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XD!
Good video. You made some great points. Some of us have so little free time and aren’t as tech savvy so they’d rather use that time to play the game vs. learning how to play it cheaper. Someone can say something is simple all they want and it probably is simple, but it’s not simple to all. There are very few UA-cam tutorials that are helpful to all because most take some part of what they are doing for granted and assume their audience will know what they’re talking about. Common sense is not common especially when it comes to bridging generation gaps. I can tell you driving a stick is easy but you’d be hard pressed to find someone under 30 that can do it. On the other hand you may have a hard time finding a man over 75 who can type well. Thanks for the video.
I do like collecting things for my favorite game Galaga. I have a 60 in 1 arcade machine that covers the majority of my favorite games but I will buy mostly handhelds like pocket players....because they are fun to play while on the road or watching TV. I also have a handheld with thousands of classic games spanning many consoles and arcade games. But I probably play my Galaga handhelds more. Probably the nostalgia factor.
Part of the enjoyment for me is to grab a stack of games to play. It’s not the same as flipping through a ROM folder for me. That would be easier and take up way less space, but it’s not my vibe. I feel the same about music, movies, and books.
Thanks for watching and taking the time to share your thoughts. 😁
There is nothing like walking into a room full of decades of digital history, maybe one day to leave it to your kid. To have each game be a story of a trip to a store or even of how you arrange systems on a shelf.
The alternative? "Hey, look at my 512TB microSD card... One day, all of this will be yours. Or wait, why don't I just copy it for you right now?" (assuming current emulation players grow up to have kids in 10 years or whatever) There is something to be said to have the collective experience of shared media, but the memory of how a controller button stuck, or how you needed to keep one certain console on a pillow because the vibration would make the disc skip if it was on a wooden table...
Game collectors are collecting memories about game playing as much as of games themselves. I find no value in my memory of watching a download progress bar gradually move to the right.
2 player Tank stick with trackball, old laptop, a TV stand that can go into portrait and MAME (Ash Build). So much fun! Pop in another quarter hehe.
Yes, using a TV-Monitor in portrait mode really helps a LOT reliving the arcade feeling with Mame.
PIck one from a thrift store if you see, even better with VGA giving extra softness to your picture.
I love the Nostolgia! Makes me feel like a kid again.
I would love to have the actual retro consoles of my youth (I still have my original NES, but none of the others), but I'm limited more than anything by space. I've been gaming straight through for over 40 years, and I'd love to have a game room with every console from an Atari 2600 to my PS5, but there's just no room. And, it would not be satisfying to have a bunch of cool retro systems packed away in a box or a storage unit just to have them, so emulation is the way for me. My old NES sits on the shelf as a reminder of fun times in my youth, but pretty much everything else is emulated either on "retro" handhelds or on a mini-PC to my TV. It's the best of both worlds, and the best solution for me. Love your channel by the way!
This whole video is why i began collecting retro gaming gadgets and still enjoy diy emulation
Even though i wasnt even born in the 90s. I still love the feeling of tangibility you get from the gadgets compared to just emulating a game. Grsnted theyre a "sure why not?" Purchase for me NORMALLY. Unless its something really cool i have to get for myself or to give as a gift for a loved one. Like all 4 of the myarcade things i was able to snag
(The atari 50 and galaga micro player pros, the super street fighter 2 pocketplayer, and the tetris pixel player)
It honestly does a lot good to see games before my time get rereleased in both emulated and physical ways
I am right in the middle, I enjoy setting up emulators ,hacking old systems and adding games of all sorts but I also enjoy owning and collecting many retro game collectibles! Great stuff as always
Portabillity and accesibility of games is the main selling point of emulation.
Mini PC w/Bazzite = Winning.
I think emulation is a good solution to check a game, but the physical experience of get a cartidge and put it on a real consolle and play with original controllers is another thing. Surely the old consoles are getting old, defective and uncomfortable to connect to modern digital tvs: so welcome Atari 2600 + (even if in truth it is Emulator too), but it allows to use the old original cartridges and controllers, and real paddles. I hope that in the wake of the good idea an Intellivision + will also arrive, I'm waiting for it.
Thanks for watching and taking the time to share your thoughts. 😁
Great answers!
For me, it's all about the novelty of the form factor. I particularly LOVE 6-inch range arcade cabinets. They're a lot of fun to have on a table, and they're a great match to accessorize a lot of my action figures.
Emulation is often a pain, especially on the Mac. I ended up going that route mostly so I could obtain USB joysticks that have the same feel of the CX 40 I grew up with (e.g. Hyperkin Trooper 2).
Last reason mostly for me. Plug and play zero or minimal setup. 👍
Thanks for the like. I enjoy your videos. Pretty sure we're about the same age.
retroarch is like thhat as asll
I play it on original hardware because I used to do garage sales, conventions and thrifts back int 90s and 00s when all of this stuff was considered throwaway garbage. It was crazy back then. Once found a seller with about 40 neo geo MVS carts for $5 a pop. Got Halloween and Texas Chainsaw 2600 for $20. You could fill suitcases for $80.
The prices are nuts now. That said though, there’s a huge tactile component to this stuff. Original screens, original joysticks etc are a different experience.
But then, I also carry around an emulation handheld in my work bag with like 10k games on it
I like it all.
I remember cruising thrifts stores back in the 90s and early 2000s as well, and scoring some really nice things. Still kicking myself in the butt for not grabbing that Vectrex unit I once saw for a mere $25, as I just did not have it on me at the time (early 90s - still a poor college student) and by the time I managed to scrap up the cash to go back to get it, it was already gone! I did grab a complete, in-the-box NES action set for $25 as I wanted a "new" NES as the one I already had died on me. The carts could be had for something like $5 each. It was the same thing with vinyl records. I remember grabbing some really nice records for like a $1 each or even less (sometimes there would be sales like 3 for buck, as they practically could not give the things away. Make me wonder just how many records ended up in the dump! Now with the whole retro-gaming craze and the "vinyl revival", the prices are just nuts. I probably have games down in my basement that I picked up for something like $5 that are worth over $100 today. I will need to go through all that and price things out, although I do not plan on selling anything.
Emulation almost never recreates the same feeling.
BS
@@gamingguy9006 not bs. FACT. 😂
@@summer20105707 hipster
@@summer20105707 hipster
It's a placebo
The other piece of all of the "retro" concept is the SPACE TO STORE IT ALL. Beyond the original cabinet-style experience which is an EXTRAORDINARY ask, the cables, switches and needed interfaces for the other real/retro things are thins that require set up time (and don't get me wrong, it's worthy time) but - it's what people lack/are willing to give nowadays.
What I do love about the new issuance of the Retro stuff is that the problems with the original control interfaces - is that the new ones are finally there without (for the most part) the control interface problems. The original Intellivision controllers have a special pieces of my heart, but also I lost locks of hair because of them as well. Great video and opinions, dude!
Thanks for watching and for sharing your thoughts/memories. I certainly have storage boxes filled with spaghetti wires for any number of vintage consoles!
Perfectly said Jon, you’re our Retro guru!!
Emulation takes the piss out of it. The experience isn’t the same at all.
Bullshit it's not ! Emulation is the way to go.
@@grantschubach1877 I was about to say. Chrono trigger didn't feel any worse emulating it. A great game is a great game.
Both options are great these days, one costs more & by today's standards so if you want to get your retro on, so many way @ so many price groups. Game on!
Having the real machine makes me feel so much more connected to the past. Like it's not just gone, it's still here, the actual computers I had as a kid, or the those I wished I had.
Whoa... Hold on a second there... There's a My Arcade Rolling Thunder??? How did I miss that? If that's the proper arcade ROM in there I might have to make a purchase. Ehhh, y'know what even if it it's a home console version I'm still tempted.
There is, indeed! It's the NES ROM, which is not a terrible conversion. 😁
Here's my review: ua-cam.com/video/4tUcPlt8034/v-deo.html
Here's Amazon link to purchase: amz.run/9Tod
@@GenXGrownUp Thanks Jon!
@@MrThunderwing You betcha!
I think it depends on the person Emulator on the PC with a front end like Hyper Spin is pretty good for some people because they don't have to hookup and disconnect different Consoles it just a click away were you can play Atari 2600 then change the game to N64 games in seconds to play and other like collecting retro games for the memory like you said
I prefer collecting physical gameboy cartridges. It's like a badge of honor for me. Proud to collect the metroid duology in gba.
You make some good points. Personally, I'll stick to emulation in various forms with various high-quality front ends, but I can definitely see where you're coming from. And I really regret missing out on the Street Fighter 2 Champion Edition Replicade a couple of years ago. Enjoy those toys and gadgets!
I always enjoy your posts...and this is no exception. While a great deal of my retro gaming is via emulation, I still have my retro machines (2600, 5200, and yes, the GSP) that I enjoy.
I think FPGA systems like the Analogue consoles and Mister are great things for preserving the originality of retro games. Often times you can get an adapter so you can play with the original controllers, and with Analogue’s systems you can use the original cartridges.
Should make a video *if You only could choose one* gaming console or anything related devices, which would it be 😅
I am still thinking of buying that 400 mini just because the 5200 and 8 bit systems are hard to emulate.
I do like my 400 Mini. New firmware just released, too. Doing a video on the improvements next week. Looks like they fixed the biggest software problems including 5200 analog control!
@@GenXGrownUp YES! This is why I read the comments!!
I simply love retrogaming in all shapes and forms. However, I find collecting retrogames kind of costly, especially for me considering the Brazilian economic scenario. Even though we have a vibrant retrogaming culture here, as seen in our last event, Retrocon, I still like having the opportunity to load and play the games I love the most wherever I am. Nonetheless, I deeply appreciate all those who collect retrogames and retro-related gadgets.
Very well thought out, and very well argued. I kind of feel like the way you’re presenting. It is like when Leonard Malton used to do those DVD introductions
I don't get the doubters. Some folks spend thousands of dollars on classic cars, or on sports. Why not on cool old retro systems?
Great Editorial!
Everyone is different and have different tastes. For one person to think they are right about it and another is wrong is unfortunate.
I say play what you can, how you can and whatever version scratches the itch for you.
I can see why some are ok with emulating but I also can see why others like to experience the gameplay of the hardware and control setup as much as the game itself.
I have an AtGames Legends Ultimate that is an emulation but in an arcade style form factor and game play, so I am merging the two and for now that works for me.
I urge everyone to be not so concerned that their way is the best way for everyone, just that they play the way that is best for them … and realize that even that may change and evolve over time.
Thanks so much Jon!!
👊🏻😎🕹️
I had a Nelsonic Pac-Man watch. Absolutely loved it. It was lost many, many years ago. I found another one about ten years ago, but oddly, the end-game tune was (of all things) the tune "Dixie". Yeah, that was a head-scratcher. I remember every sound and song that came out of the original one, and Dixie ain't one of them. :D I can only guess it was a knock-off, or something.
In any case, I loved my original Nelsonic Pac-Man watch. It comes as no surprise that you had one, too. :)
I was gifted one by my uncle. Took it off to go swimming in the backyard pool and it went missing. Spent hours looking all over the yard for it. I've since deduced that my parents confiscated it because I was playing it too much. I hope it's eventually added to MAME as the Nintendo Game & Watch series was.
All my games I emulate. I started collecting roms and emulators back in 2002 when I was in college. I found my first very first emulator and romset on a school computer. It was for SNES. To this day, I still ask myself who left an SNES romset and emulator on a school computer. I was happy to have found them. As the years went by, I started finding and collecting more roms, emulators, and even some standalone PC games. I have more video games now as an adult then I did when I was a kid. I cherish the retro games that I have and play to this day. I don't have time to track down old hardware for old games. I don't know if many of them exist anymore. And plus, I can't afford to buy old hardware either. So, I'm happy to emulate my games.
*STORY TIME!*
Back around '09-'10, I was in my late middle school and early high school years, and this was when I made a few desktop-sized arcade machines myself. I used nothing more than painted wood for the casing, with some cheaply-made artwork for the side art, bezel, and marquee. These casings housed some small ~1-1.5'-wide CRT TVs, and mounted at the front were those Jakks Pacific Plug & Play controllers, which, mind you, I had a MASSIVE collection of for the same exact reasons you pointed out in this video.
I called these machines "DeskCades," and they weren't exactly the prettiest things to look at, nor were they the most compact, in fact, they were pretty bulky. By this point, one could call them a 'proof-of-concept' for what is now Arcade1Up's "CounterCades."
The first of these that I made, I'll admit, was pretty much an excuse for me to get the latest (at the time) Jakks Pacific Pac-Man 12-in-1 controller, as I was to use it for an upcoming 'invention' project for one of my tech classes in middle school. The REAL reason I wanted that controller, even when I had tons of others like it before (with even less games), was so that I could see how Jakks Pacific evolved the presentation of these games. The menu screen, for example, is always a drive-home point for my enjoyment of each new iteration of these Plug & Play controllers. Additionally, the ROMS used (even if they still weren't entirely arcade-accurate) would always get better and better with each new installment.
Anyway, after presenting this first DeskCade, when it was time for questions, one that was asked was "why get this when you can just download these games on XBox 360 or PS3?" to which another classmate chimed in with "because this gets us closer to being in an actual arcade." I looked at him and just said "Thank you." XD
In the end, it got the third most votes in the class!
I made a couple more of these later on, using Radica's Space Invaders 5-in-1, as well as Jakks Pacific's Ms. Pac-Man Wireless 7-in-1. I had plans for several more, but none of those plans came through by the time I got burnt out of making them.
The funny thing is that, before all of this, my method of reproducing that experience was placing one of the aforementioned plug & play controllers in front of one of those small TVs (which was on one of our kitchen counters at the time), and attaching a cheaply hand-drawn marquee of whatever game I was playing on top of the TV. Heck, I even took a few of my 256 Games-In-1 Brick Arcade handhelds, and made cardboard housings for them that were in the shape of those COLECO tabletop arcades, so that I could more or less 'pretend' that they were one of those tabletop units that I new I was likely never gonna get my hands on for real.
With every point mentioned in this video, I couldn't help but be reminded of this golden era of my retro gaming enthusiast life. With the resources I had at the time, I could only get so close to recreating and reliving that tactile experience of being in an arcade will all those classic games that I've come to know and love. Some of these games were introduced to me THROUGH those experiences, like Dig Dug, Rally-X, Mappy, Bosconian, and Xevious for instance, and as much as I wish my resources were a bit more abundant, such a time in my life is something I never wish to replace, as it has now brought me to collect so many other retro gaming gadgets and players. Nostalgia has become a big factor in my life, and this is one of the few ways I bring that nostalgia home (literally).
Great memories. Thanks for sharing! 😁
I like your thoughts on emulation. I’m a little obsessed with it. I have way to many handheld consoles, everything from the Anbernics to the Powkiddys and many Kinhank plug and plays. I also have the Nintendo mini as well. I just can’t afford the inflated prices for a used system and games that are being offered. I’m happy with what I have and will continue to emulate. I agree with your thoughts on having the physical product, especially the instruction booklets that come with games. It was a great time growing up in the 80’s and getting to experience all the releases from Nintendo and Sega. Unfortunately I gave away all my systems as I got older as newer ones came out. 🤦🏻♂️ Anyway great video.
Emulation is an AMAZING thing. Eventually, at some point, it will be the only way we can play some of these games. But, when given a choice, of course I'd rather play them on original hardware. Like James Rolfe said, the only way to play Atari is on an old piece-a-shit CRT TV (knobs and all!), and when I can, that's what I do. If not, though, I'll emulate without hesitation.
Can you imagine being a kid on Christmas morning, running down stairs to the Christmas tree to rip open your brand new shiny digital download card?! Man kids today have it so good. Why would you want to spend your hard earned money on a physical object that might actually be of monetary value one day? Nonsense! I want to spend my money to own nothing and like it! 😂
I've tried the retropie thing, the Anbernic with 10,000 games etc. I just didn't seem to want to play them. Yet playing retro games on my VCS, or carts on my 2600+ or even games on my 400 mini - I'll play those for hours and hours and enjoy them. I think I like to have something tangible to play on - it doesn't have to be original hardware (more often I prefer it isn't) but something like it.
I was never much of a Pac Man fan, but a kid I used to work with back then just couldn't get enough.
I had been blown away when Asteroids showed up in the local arcade. Also Missile Command.
When the original Atari VCS came out I was disappointed with the graphics. I was already used to much better computer graphics and animation from the arcades.
When I decided I needed to get a home computer, the Atari 400/800 line was the only choice. That was the only system that came anywhere close to the kind of graphics and animation I was expecting. Also, it didn't feel like a hobbyist's kit, the way some of the others did.
You took the computer out of the box, plugged in a (precursor to USB) Serial O/I cable and hooked up just about any peripheral you wanted to. It was great!
I learned everything I ever needed to know about computer science on my Atari 800.
Decades later I was missing my 800 and I found the Atari800MacX emulator, which I think is the very best of the ones based on that original Atari800 emulator core.
It let me mount virtual floppy disks, load virtual game or language cartridges, even print to virtual printers.
But the Atari CX40 Joystick was always an integral part of the Atari Home Computer experience. It's what we had before the mouse. The emulator couldn't emulate that adequately.
Later I got a Din 9 to USB adapter that let me use my CX40 joystick that I still had, I even bought a USB joystick that came close to reproducing the feel of the CX40 joystick.
But what I really missed was that quirky Atari keyboard where we had to hold down the CTRL key to access the cursor arrows, and the inverse character set was an important feature of the ATASCII character set.
Basically, while I could actually do most of what I wanted to do in the emulator, it just didn't quite feel right.
Last spring I got all my old 8-bit Atari computer stuff back that my brother-in-law had taken after I moved to California in the early '90s.
The keyboard on my 800 just doesn't work and the 1200XL is just wonky. Neither of my disk drives work, but the Atari 400 that I bought used in 1985 for $20 just because I thought it was cute still works as well as the day I got it!
Around the same time I got that new 400Mini, which is itself an emulator, and while it does have HDMI output and the screen looks great, I find that CX Joystick to be a nuisance, with all of its hidden buttons to make up for the fact that none of the keys on the 400Mini itself work at all. Just wrong-headed IMHO.
I got the new Atari VSC game console because I thought it was the best alternative to getting a Playstation or X-Box or some other game console I didn't even want.
The new Atari VCS offered me (emulations) of my favorite arcade games, though its Classic Joystick is just way too hot for Missile Command and I really don't have a clue how to use that Modern Gamepad.
I was able to hook up my old CX22 Trak-Ball controller (with the adapter I bough years ago), and it works well with Missile Command, but the triggers only launch missiles from the center base. Missile Command was the first arcade game I ever saw with a Track Ball controller. Centipede was the second.
And Asteroids NEVER used a joystick! It was all controlled with buttons, as most arcade games of the time were, unleaded they used paddle control knobs.
I'm considering getting an Atari 2600+. At first I didn't want one because I had never wanted a 2600 and I didn't have any game cartridges. But the 2600 games on the new Atari VCS have shown me that while the graphics are indeed quite poor, the gameplay is still there and I've gained a new appreciation for (some of) the 2600 games.
Along with my old Atari computer stuff I also took possession of a 7800 Pro system and about two dozen game cartridges. THAT'S when I learned that the 7800 can also play 2600 game cartridges. But its joystick controllers don't work.
If I got a 2600+ it would to the SAME thing, but with HDMI output and working controllers. I'm just not sure I need it.
I just got a couple of RF to HDMI converters that will take care of the RF to modern displays problem.
Emulation is pretty great. It's how ALL the new machines work.
But there's a lot to say about playing on original equipment if you can get it (and get it to work right!).
Make mine Atari!
Hey Jon, I love your channel. Speaking of emulation, I was wondering if you could make a video similar to the one you made about adding the full rom set and more to the Atari 2600 Mini but this time make it for the Atari 400 Mini? Sure some people show you how to add a game or 2 to it but you’re video you made about the Atari 2600 mini was really helpful and easy to follow along with and I'd like to see what other 400 mini games are out there without putting them on a PC plus I liked the extra games that I didn't know about for the 2600. I'm sure you're viewer's would like it too. Thanks.
I emulate, but also have original consoles running ever drives, and I also own a smattering of real games, but the convenience of not having to change out cartridges, just hit power and I can play ANY game in the library for that console is nice
Jon, i've been a gamer since the mid 70's and i believe in emlation and i do emulate...for "some" things/reasons....and sometimes that retro hardware we buy IS "emulation", yes.
It's all about the "feel" of the experience, bringing back how it made you feel to play as a kid and how it feels now. I've seen some people buy retro hardware and say, "God, now i remember WHY i gave up this system before" and were totally ruined by the experience and just go to emulation because the hardware plays better in some cases. And for others it's the exact OPPOSITE....no matter how "bad" the hardware really is.
I'm currently building my "race" simulator experience and yeah, it's a LOT of emulation because i want ALL those games in one convenient location and i'm adding a VR headset for effect because a lot of the newer games do look much better in VR emersion via PC while some of the older games also seem better with a VR headset and then some don't so i've got that very convenient 65" TV i got, at the thrift store, for $35.....YEAH....and it's an awesome TV, just a slight bit older.
There is a time and place for retro hardware, just like emulation. I know a few collector/gamers and they prefer the retro hardware and will talk, for HOURS ad nausim, and how much better it is (With me it's like, i get you, you like it better....there that took 60 seconds...on to next subject. LOL) nd will continue to "reel in the year" Steely Dan style :P
When it comes to the two, there is no definitve "right" answer, it's all about what you want. I've seen emulation that's made older games look "better" than the original games and i appreciated it and sometimes the emulation looks a little worse, it all depends on the settings.
I guess what i'm saying is, when it comes to preferences like that, it's all about the experience either gives you. I'm good with both.
nuff said?
Emulation is better for probably most casual vintage game fans, more convenient, takes up way less space, cheaper and less maintenance. However for people who want to use vintage peripherals be that controllers, cartridges or other more specialised hardware then it is only really possible to use vintage computers/consoles currently. Personally I like both, and use both. Growing up in the 70’s-90’s was an incredible time, so much great stuff from BMX, Skateboards, Arcades, Home Computers, Consoles, Breakdancing, not to mention all the great music, toys and freedom.
Well said!
My kids got me a Tiny Arcade Pac-Man for Christmas 2022 it was fun. This inspired me to get a bunch of emulators and ROMs for use on my PC's this was fun too. The Atari 8 bit emulators and Roms inspired me to dig out my old Atari 800 from storage and restore it! Now I have that 800 , a 400 with 48K, a 600xl NTSC, 800xl PAL, and an XEGS PAL some fully modded with video & memory upgrades and some stock. So in the end, that toy Pac-Man got me into the A8 retro hardware modding and Homebrew scene.
Great video, Jon. And well said. I love collecting games, but the expense can be high. Buying a game I loved as a kid for $200 can be difficult. So I have turned to emulation. I sold my Saturn collection for a modded Saturn. I love the Analogue Pocket. Yet, I still collect some games for retro and the newest consoles.
I prefer emulation and don't have space nor the money for all the systems. It's all in one place I'm happy with it.
Right on. I agree
I guess the thing I like best about Emulation on a high-powered PC connected via HDMI to a HT Receiver and going out to a 4K projection system to a 150" screen is that I get my own choice of controllers in many of the emulators. I can map almost any kind of controller to the emulator's input choices. For instance I can play Afterburner II using a HOTAS flight stick. I can use my Thrustmaster force feedback steering wheel and pedals to play Outrun or Daytona USA. I owned a Atari 400 original, 600XL, SNES, 2600, and a few others, but being locked into using their controllers always sucked. For paddle games I have a 100% authentic reproduction of a Tempest spinner I bought years ago from a machine shop guy that was an avid Tempest fanatic. It uses a large optical wheel and mouse sensor to read the wheel. Much more high resolution movement than a mouse or trackball offers. That works great for not only tempest, but games like Galaga, Gorf, Galaxians, etc, and any other games that have horizontal-only movements.
Well said Gen X Grown Up! I fall into a combination of the many reasons you gave on why someone does NOT emulate. But I do plan on some emulation in the future. First things first….
i bought a steam deck for the soul purpose of emulation, but i still kind of want to collect retro consoles and games. theres just something satisfying about the tactility of having the physical hardware.
Anyone I've ever known who ran emulators barely played any of it. "I have 3,000 games" and they can't tell me what they actually played much less even finished
I can easily emulate a old game, but I been loving to collect these mini arcade machines and just be able to pick one up to play without too much of a hassle to find said game in a sea of files in a device that would either be bigger or would require me to set up a controller which would take longer to do.
Thank you, I play on PC and it's not the same playing 8-bit games on a computer. I love having my original NES hardware as well as my NES Classic.
I saw Ghostbusters at the drive in as a kid. That's an experience that's hard to recreate anymore.
And from early July they produce casing and keyboard-keys caps (injection mold) for RM800XL 🙂
👌
I'm with you. I buy a hell of a lot of these gadgets. I've got a wall of Arcade1up machines, a shelf unit of retro game systems like the 2600+ and Super Nintendo Mini, and plenty of handhelds like the ones My Arcade makes. All official. And I also have a emulator system packed with thousands of games and a handheld with just about everything before the PS2. Most old games will _never_ be released on an official system. Emulation is the only way to play them.
Holy crap, that picture at 5:05! THAT brings back some serious nostalgia and memories. That could easily been myself and my brother on that one Christmas Morning in 1980 when we got the Atari 2600 (VCS as it was actually called then).
I just find this fun and I think you explain it very well. Great video. For me. I like the Atari 400 mini because it gives me vibes of the old days and it's pretty easy to configure with your nice how-to video
As a purchaser of said product, the main reason is portability. I could plug my ps3 controller right into the USB port, and get the proper controller app, and use it, but if I'm at home, I'd rather be playing a PS3 game than a retro game, lol. So much better graphics. The only time I would likely consider playing retro is away from home, when I don't have the PS3 with me.
One thing not easily replicated with emulation is the sacred art of "frying", achieved by quickly powering the system off and on. Before Game Genie, that was the only way to corrupt memory and get weird results.
I was actually able to get the "Warrior's Sword" in SwordQuest: Earthworld using this technique. I think I was able to see previously unseen clues as well.
Ive been emulating since 2002. My computer lab teacher in middle school showed me I could play Kirby's Adventure on PC. It blew my mind. I never went back after that.
I've never seen that Pacman watch. I really miss the Casio calculator watch in the late 70's that had a very primitive space invaders game. Have never been able to find it after I grew up.
Good, thorough analysis here. It is worth mentioning that just because WE are nutty enough to learn how emulators work, and how to MAKE them work when they don't cooperate, not everyone is that adventurous, or patient, or... heh, masochistic. Even an IT expert will concede that sometimes, it's a relief when something _just works_.
(Unlike UA-cam's text formatting.)
Testify! 🙌
I would love to see native Quest 3 VR emulated of standup classic coin-op so the ambiens is better reminisced. I absolutely love VR emulated pinball.
I wish I understood emulators so I could play. I'm an idiot at computers. 😣
This has become one of my favorite channels.
But I must admit, I’m probably in the minority on this one.
When I was a kid, there was nothing better than going to Toys R Us to buy a new game. Opening it up and reading the instructions.
Now, like others, I don’t have the space or income to collect games and systems. I have every game I want and the opportunity to play games on different systems. I had fun building my emulator on Atari GSP then on a mini PC with Batocera.
Just recently I saw Alien at the movie theater, I have this movie on blueray and also the special edition, but seeing it at the movie theater was great, drinking beers and with friends.
Hitting home with these speaking points Jon, it's like I'm not on any of my Mini consoles every single day, let alone that Atari GSP but just the fact that I have them there all loaded up ready to go when I get that urge is what matters to me personally. Nice to get off the PC occasionally and just dive into the offline world yeah?
Though since I last commented I had a thought about that Atari GSP firmware update, do you think it's possible that they are delaying it intentionally to be released along side the portable GSP? that could have 1.04 on it out of the gate for example. Just a thought but I wont be holding the metaphorical breath over it.