Are you also an OG hardware snob? What are your exceptions?

[a3quit4s | 4,099]

20 minutes ago, ifightdragons said:

You do realize that if you use the Dock with the Pocket, it's a console? Just like the Switch.

Pair that with the MisTer cores now being ported over, you'll soon have all the Analogue consoles all-in-one, as long as you also get the Dock.

The newly ported SNES core on the Pocket is absolutely fantastic. No longer need my Super Nt. The NES core is dropping soon. GB, GBC, GBA, SMS and Game Gear cores are already out. Stuff like Genesis, TG-16, and more will be coming too.

So if I were you, the Pocket+Dock would be top of my list right now. Since you're obviously a fan of their consoles, the Pocket+Dock is going to be all you need.

I can’t put my Nintendo tapes in the pocket! Plus I’ve played my switch maybe 5 times in 5 years in handheld mode. If I was just starting out and was going to emulate most my life you’d be dead on with pocket + dock but the way I play I can use all my carts. 

[Tulpa | 3,501]

I play NES on an FPGA console, using original controllers (I like the OG NES controller, and the knockoffs use flimsy pads.) I do tend to replace the pads with OEM quality pads (yes, they are out there. If you haven't found them, you're not looking hard enough.)

Like Mr.W, I don't begrudge anyone who wants to play completely oldskool on a CRT.

But those who get too precious about it, I go out and smash the first CRT I find with a hammer. (I'm not allowed in Goodwills anymore. )

[MrWunderful | 2,927]

5 minutes ago, Tulpa said:

I play NES on an FPGA console, using original controllers (I like the OG NES controller, and the knockoffs use flimsy pads.) I do tend to replace the pads with OEM quality pads (yes, they are out there. If you haven't found them, you're not looking hard enough.)

Like Mr.W, I don't begrudge anyone who wants to play completely oldskool on a CRT.

But those who get too precious about it, I go out and smash the first CRT I find with a hammer. (I'm not allowed in Goodwills anymore. )

Would you do that to a nice clean pvm though?

 

 

[Tulpa | 3,501]

Only if it was Skinny or Dr. Morbis or any of the other hardcore "OG HARDWARE OR YOU SUCK!" people. They've already cost a number of CRTs their lives.

 

Edited September 22, 2022 by Tulpa

[Dr. Morbis | 2,088]

4 hours ago, glazball said:

OG "snob" here as well.  I want to play each game as originally intended, as much as possible.

Exceptions: ROM hacks, imports/translations, most classic computers/DOSbox, and MAME

Pretty much this, except that I'll burn ROM translations onto their actual carts and put an "English" sticker on the front.  So, for example, my Final Fantasy III Famicom cart looks stock but plays in English when you boot it up.

Oh, and: OG HARDWARE OR YOU SUCK!

[Tulpa | 3,501]

1 minute ago, Dr. Morbis said:

 

Oh, and: OG HARDWARE OR YOU SUCK!

Look what you made me do.

[phart010 | 1,707]

7 minutes ago, Tulpa said:

Look what you made me do.

Some day when all the crt’s are dead, someone will manufacture a small batch of futuristic crt’s . Gotta preserve a method to play those light gun games

[Nintegageo | 582]

Yes. I really love seeing a game wow me and then be amazed at how they did it with the tech. To this day I remember seeing Castlevania on the NES and thinking how amazing it looked.

[RH | 4,903]

1 hour ago, phart010 said:

Some day when all the crt’s are dead, someone will manufacture a small batch of futuristic crt’s . Gotta preserve a method to play those light gun games

One day, I was just thinking random thoughts and one thing I asked myself if I had something like a Star Trek replicator, what would I make (and not just food.)

A JVC D-Series was #1.  It's going to take an age 100,000 years in the future when replicators can exist for us to ever see a CRT ever be "manufactured" again, and by then we all know that no one will know to care.

[phart010 | 1,707]

1 hour ago, RH said:

One day, I was just thinking random thoughts and one thing I asked myself if I had something like a Star Trek replicator, what would I make (and not just food.)

A JVC D-Series was #1.  It's going to take an age 100,000 years in the future when replicators can exist for us to ever see a CRT ever be "manufactured" again, and by then we all know that no one will know to care.

or these guys on the streets of Pakistan that know how to make EVERYTHING from scratch will catch wind that people are looking for new CRT’s.

 

[AirVillain | 489]

OG or bust.

Two of my biggest issues are: The controller, and input lag. 

Controller being #1. I absolutely love the NES/SNES controller and don't want to play any of those games without their respective controller. Even playing some of them on the GBA is weird. 

The input lag is big because it means being a slave to the CRT. It's a tough life, but it's worth it. 

[darkchylde28 | 1,546]

I sit kind of at the crossroads of the two camps, toward whatever side edges toward "quality of life" improvements.

For example, while I love my original consoles, things like my AVS and Everdrive for NES that make the experience look and feel accurate/authentic but also boost convenience incredibly shoot toward the top of my "to use" list.  In places where expense is an issue ($200 or more for limited stock of Analogue SNES/Genesis consoles), I use the real thing and the best, most bang-for-your-buck upscaler solution I can lay hands on and afford (a RAD2X cable for my NES, an HD Retrovision cable + RetroTINK 2X Pro for Genesis/CD/32X).  And, where possible, putting those options together, like some sort of Transformer combiner (Super Game Boy + SNES + game/GB Everdrive).

As for controllers, I tend to lean toward the real deal, but I'm not truly a snob in that department.  If there's a legitimately good feeling, well built controller available (that isn't priced insanely, e.g. because some guy is making 10 in his basement and hyping the crap out of it), I'll likely pick on up.  And, if it's good enough, I'll either rotate it into regular usage or outright replace the original option with it; the Retro Fighters wireless Brawler64 is what actually got me into actually, occasionally using one of the N64s I ended up with.  I honestly think there's a lot more blur in this space than people will admit or realize.  Plenty of folks have talked over the years about how snobby they are about controllers, but I don't know that I've ever witnessed anyone saying anything bad about the Joycard Sansui SSS controller, or that they'd refuse to use it.  While it is vintage, it's also absolutely not OEM/original, which I think some folks forget and/or gloss over when making their declarations about how everything must be 100% authentic.

In regard to software emulation, I'm not at all against it, but to me it's moreso always felt like "oh wow, free games" versus "oh hey, look what I can do on my computer."  I want to say I first got exposed to emulation right at the start, in the mid 90s or so, when a friend sent me a Game Boy emulator and a few ROMs via a BBS and told me to check it out.  They were games I didn't have, so it was neat to play them, and definitely neat to see that a mildly equipped 486 could decently handle that sort of thing.  Within a few years, there were decent NES, SNES, and Genesis emulators, and those were neat as well, but mostly in a "oh, wow, I haven't played that game" sort of way versus any sort of real preference for the format.  These days, unless it's something like MAME (used with actual arcade games, and not one of the plethora of system plugins available), the only times I bother with software emulation is either on-the-go (for convenience, like on a phone or tablet) or when I'm doing some sort of tinkering and need/want a much faster/easier turnaround than real hardware can provide (testing save games to/from my GB Everdrive and the original carts they'd been ripped from/written to using other hardware).  While software emulation can come close at times, there's still a different feeling to me between using some sort of dedicated console/hardware to run a game (even if it's FPGA/etc.) and a bit of software on a computer (even when hooked up to a TV, using a controller, etc.).

[NESfiend | 1,515]

@Glovesconvinced me its not feasible to play in the weekly contests without a flash cart. He was correct. Before that, I refused anything not original and emulating in general. 

The flash cart is the only exception I think Id ever need to make and its a great one. Cost effective and I still get my original controller and console. Im convinced games play 100% the same. Ive tested it with carts I own. And I can play expensive games I own without having them out and about. 

[ifightdragons | 234]

4 hours ago, NESfiend said:

@Glovesconvinced me its not feasible to play in the weekly contests without a flash cart. He was correct. Before that, I refused anything not original and emulating in general. 

The flash cart is the only exception I think Id ever need to make and its a great one. Cost effective and I still get my original controller and console. Im convinced games play 100% the same. Ive tested it with carts I own. And I can play expensive games I own without having them out and about. 

Your conviction is correct. A ROM is a ROM, be it on an original cart or on a flashcart. As long as the flashcart is properly made, and the ROM is also dumped properly, it's exactly the same as playing the original cart.

[OptOut | 8,884]

I don't like to think of myself as a snob in any sense, and actually snobbishness is one of a few personality traits and attributes that I actively discourage in myself and generally dislike in others.

When it comes to gaming, I definitely DO favour original hardware and games, for sure, there is a feeling you get from playing and using original hardware and controllers and games that feels so much more enjoyable than booting up a ROM. Picking a game out to play becomes much more of a considered decision when you literally have to get up and change the disc or the cart, you are much less likely to play a game for 10 mins and then get bored and boot up something else like you would with a ROM. Also, things like lag, I DO notice lag on emulated software, like the SNES mini, for example, it's definitely a thing.

However, I also prioritise accessibility and practicality, and I also recognise the benefits that modern technology and modern solutions can bring to improve on the original experience, especially playing these games so far removed from their original context. So, for me while I dislike emulation, particularly general software emulation on PC or the cheaper clone systems, I AM cool with the FPGA systems, which closely replicate the original experience, whilst also getting a lot of cool options to play around with for gaming on a modern television. I also appreciate other options for playing older systems on newer TV's such as the UltraHDMI mod for the N64, things like the Pound HD cables for XBOX and Dreamcast, and things like controller dongles and other accessories that replace worn out or obsolete components on these old systems.

Another thing I am KEENLY aware of is the inevitable process of aging which affects all this old stuff. I am all about practicing good maintenance and care of these older systems, up to and including modifications where necessary, to keep all this stuff running at its best. And, if the time comes, when an old laser assembly needs to be ripped out and replaced with a SD reader, or a busted up old system finally gives up the ghost and needs to be replaced with an FGPA, well IMO that's just the way these things go. I'd rather be able to keep playing these games happily for ANOTHER 30 years than get so attached to specifically the old way of doing things that it eventually makes playing these games impossible.

 

So, I feel like I have a pretty healthy attitude to gaming as a practical hobby tbh. I feel like I am getting exactly the kind of experience I want, keeping the spirit and the fun of these old games and systems alive, but also enjoying modern conveniences and taking an active role in ensuring I will be able to continue enjoying these experiences for years to come!

[Tanooki | 4,934]

Yeah flash carts, they're like an exception to the rule as long as they're not designed to behave in any broken way outside what a real cartridge would do.  It's like did you pirate your PC games in the early 90s?  You could buy Doom on I think it was 3 floppies via mail order, which back then was a pain in the ass.  Or you could find it stolen on a dial up BBS and take hours (overnight?) depending on the modem to download it.  From there you'd have 3 new floppies from the store, copy disk 1-3 to each, and then pop it in the drive back on disk 1 again and run the installer.  They'd look, behave, install, all the same, no difference.  The method of execution was identical, no change, just the medium wasn't original.  That's basically a flash kit.  Mind you the flash kit could have perks, but hey, so could the floppies depending where you got it.  Some might add trainers, special codes, removal of check page 1 line 12 word 5 to key code into it.  Kits do this, they've got fluff for gamegenie codes, hacks, translations, etc... same space really.

No one other than a die hard deep pocketed snob of some grey poupon level snobbery should take issue.   Once the game on the menu is selected it's no different than sliding the cart in and it just starting right away as effectively the console sees no difference.

[Philosoraptor | 468]

I do have a Retron 5, and I do use it for the consoles it plays. It does a good job with most consoles, but worst with the GBA. I also have the Master System/GG adapter to play Game Gear games on a bigger screen. I like the conveniences of being able to pause or save state and return to the game later after turning off the power. Being able to apply translation patches and other romhacks is also a plus. I don't own a CRT anymore, and my SNES and one of my Game Gears need work, so the Retron 5 provides an easy and cheap way to enjoy those games in HD. Is it better than a CRT and original hardware? Probably not. It's just different. I'm not good enough at games for the additional .15 milliseconds of lag I get from my rig to really affect me in a negative way, outside of certain old SHMUPs.

I do still own all the consoles the Retron 5 plays, so I do break them out for the aforementioned SHMUPs, unlicensed games and homebrews the Retron 5 doesn't wanna play, and Genesis tower of power shenanigans.

As for controllers, I usually want OEM stuff. I use original controllers on the Retron 5 because, for whatever reason, the games seem less laggy with the controllers the games were designed for. The Retron 5 controller is possibly one of the biggest sin piles to be unleashed on gaming. The one exception, however is the wireless Brawler64 controller from Retro Fighters. Even though the joystick is a bit more Gamecube-y than N64ish, I find that it works just as well as an OEM controller.

Aside from those exceptions, it's all OEM controllers with licensed discs/carts on original hardware. I don't begrudge others who have different preferences or prefer to emulate. This has  been my primary hobby for my entire life, so, like @LostLevel83 said, I was lucky to get games, consoles, and controllers when they were significantly cheaper than today.

[RH | 4,903]

1 minute ago, Philosoraptor said:

 

That looks like a controller for the 5 people that thought the "Xxxtreme Green!" color scheme for PSX Greatest Hits games was a good idea.

[Philosoraptor | 468]

5 minutes ago, RH said:

That looks like a controller for the 5 people that thought the "Xxxtreme Green!" color scheme for PSX Greatest Hits games was a good idea.

Facts. I'm a heathen who loves fossilized-tang-colored consoles and peripherals. However, the Brawler64 controller comes in less offensive colors, including standard gray. 

Edit: Since you mentioned it, I'm also someone who won't buy "Greatest Hits" versions of games if they have different colors on the spine or front cover of the game. S h e l f   a e s t h e t i c matters.

Edited September 23, 2022 by Philosoraptor

[Gloves | 11,779]

Regarding hardware I think I have a pretty sensible mix. I try to buy what I consider to be the best experience per console. I have all of the Analogue consoles, OEM controllers, a JVC PVM, and everdrive or SD card per console. 

I collect games to play so the bulk are CIB (some are sealed as I've not gotten to them yet) and I'm not ashamed to pull the game out of the box to play (my hands are clean I swear). I don't "collect" consoles, else I'd have more OG of them. I do have OG consoles sitting in a  drawer, and one or two modded (snes at least rgb modded) but again those aren't actually seeing any use. 

Whatever makes my gaming enjoyable while still feeling authentic. A souped up PS1 memory card from 8bit mods or whatever they're called isn't going to lessen the authenticity of the experience IMO so I have that, for instance. 

[DoctorEncore | 3,691]

I don't watch old movies on a VCR just because that's what was available when they were released. Give me HDMI output with pixel perfect accuracy on a big ass OLED TV. Good hardware emulators are close enough in accuracy for even most hardcore gamers. I'm a huge proponent of the excellent (albeit pricey) Analogue FGPA emulators. I've also got a PolyMega on preorder for disc based games and (hopefully) N64.

[Tanooki | 4,934]

4 hours ago, RH said:

That looks like a controller for the 5 people that thought the "Xxxtreme Green!" color scheme for PSX Greatest Hits games was a good idea.

It exists because Nintendo made it a thing and with that name too full name no less 'extreme green limited edition' they did a n64 controller and a companion gameboy pocket with it.  I have the pocket, had the controller but sold it as I got tired of staring at it.

[Bearcat-Doug | 5,105]

On 9/21/2022 at 8:47 PM, Tulpa said:

Look what you made me do.

So that's what Taylor Swift was singing about!

[Bearcat-Doug | 5,105]

On 9/21/2022 at 8:25 PM, Tulpa said:

I play NES on an FPGA console, using original controllers (I like the OG NES controller, and the knockoffs use flimsy pads.) I do tend to replace the pads with OEM quality pads (yes, they are out there. If you haven't found them, you're not looking hard enough.)

Like Mr.W, I don't begrudge anyone who wants to play completely oldskool on a CRT.

But those who get too precious about it, I go out and smash the first CRT I find with a hammer. (I'm not allowed in Goodwills anymore. )

This guy gets it.

[phart010 | 1,707]

Retro bit did some “officially licensed by Sega” Genesis and Saturn controllers. They are the same design as the originals except there is now both a corded and wireless version. 

The controllers bear Sega’s official seal of quality.