Author Topic: Retrogaming! Games,consoles,setups,displays,modding and emulation! Up to PS2 Era  (Read 17470 times)

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Rich!

  • Junior Member
Sup. In general, this is a one-stop thread for retrogaming. Considering how time has flown past, I guess everything up to the PS2/XB/GC era can be considered as retro (fuck me, nearly 20 years since that gen started and nearing 25 if you count the Dreamcast as the start).

Retrogaming can cover emulation, hardware, clone consoles, literally anything that's too old for kids today to appreciate properly is good enough

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
STANDARDS
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Before moving onto the consoles in turn, it's a good idea to get to grips with the video standards and tech used. I'll just do a quick rundown and expand on it later:

NTSC/PAL & 50/60hz: These are the two most widely used video standards, with enough of a difference between them to make a gigantic difference between what one region experienced to another when it comes to gaming. NTSC (Never (Twice) the Same Color) was/is predominately used in Japan and the Americas with PAL (phase alternating lines) being used in the UK/EU/China and elsewhere - with some regions such as France using a slight variant called SECAM (cant remember). NTSC has a resolution of 525 TV Lines and a standard framerate of 30fps for video and 60hz refresh. PAL has a superior resolution of 625 lines and a larger colour range, but a reduced refresh rate of 50hz. Now, the majority of games were designed for NTSC displays which is why PAL gamers got shafted. Lazy PAL conversions (such as the majority of Sega titles) simply slowed the game down by 17.5% to acheive the correct 50hz refresh rate and displayed the same NTSC resolution with large borders. It was hell.

RGB/Composite/S-Video/RF:

With RGB, video is transmitted via four lines - Red, Green, Blue and Sync. This offers the most accurate and closest to source image and colour. RGB is usually transmitted by EUROSCART or JP21 (they look the same, but are wired differently) connections. As the name implies, SCART was standard in the UK and Europe/Aus. Almost without exception, every CRT and LCD to date in these regions support RGB natively. It was never a standard in America however - in America the best TVs could display was either Composite (yellow jack, combined signal), RF (shitty aerial cable/prong of hell) or S-Video (closer to RGB, relied on lumaseince similar to component, but not widely supported). Component became a later option in the HD era, even on some CRTs, but component is not a native output on retro consoles with the first such examples being in the PS2 era. There's also a wide range of sync types when dealing with RGB signals - so yeah, shit can get confusing.

What makes all of this even more confusing to begin with is that not every console supports RGB out of the box. Not every console supports S-Video. Some region consoles support RGB when others don't (GameCube). Some have regional lockouts on video outputs (Wii). Luckily you can hack the shit out of most of them and bend them to your will. On the topic of RGB:

NES/Famicom:Do not support RGB by standard. Can be added in using Viletim's NESRGB board or Kevtris' Hi-Def-NES board. Not a mod for the beginner. Worth sticking to NTSC with this one as most PAL games are beyond fucked and there's no real way as far as I know to region mod a NES sucessfully.

SEGA Mega Drive/Genesis/Master System: RGB supported as standard, and the console is easy to region mod. good guy sega

Super Nintendo/Super Famicom: All standard SNES consoles support RGB via the Multi Out port right out of the box (although PAL and NTSC consoles must use different SCART cables due to wiring differences). The second revision of the SNES, the SNS-101 and SFC Jr, do not support RGB natively and need a simple mod to enable it via an RGB amp.

Playstation and Sega Saturn: RGB output as standard on all models and revisions. Region setting is based on disc software. no modding needed at all, unless you want to add a modchip for true region free/backups without disc swapping.

N64: Does not output RGB out of the box, but first revision boards can be modified easily. All others output S-Video nicely or can be modded using Viletim's N64 RGB board or the expensive but awesome UltraHDMI board for HDMI output.

There's other examples, but the best bet is to browse http://retrorgb.com/ as it goes into far more detail than I could for each console.

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DISPLAYS/SCALERS
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

here's a range of various methods to display your consoles on a modern display from the cheap and nasty £20 HDMI adapters on Amazon to the high range OSSC and Framemeister. Simiarly there's a wide range of CRTs ranging from the cheap and shitty to the ludicrously expensive/excessive. I couldn't decide what I wanted so I ended up with both an OSSC and a CRT - and they each have their own huge plus points and drawbacks. I made a review of the OSSC a while back at http://richretro.wordpress.com/ (don't worry, I don't get any money from this - it's just to document my stuff and help others out) which goes through my thoughts of it (it's a superb piece of kit, but not for anyone who hasn't read up on what their consoles can output).

If you can get a decent CRT with RGB input though, definitely go for it. This is my JVC broadcast monitor I got for cheap and added RGB input to:












----------------------------------------------------------------------------
CONSOLES
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I'm not going to list every generation and console - man, that's too much. Especially when wikipedia has such a nice article already done: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_home_video_game_consoles




Anyhow enough of that, share your favourite games, talk retro and share setups and shit I guess.



« Last Edit: October 22, 2017, 04:48:02 PM by Rich! »

Kalnos

  • Junior Member
Hi

Just bought an OSSC for my SNES and it's awesome, now I want a Super Nt... I waste too much money on this shit  :lol

Shuri

  • Senior Member
I got the HD retrovision cables for the genesis + adapters for SMS/Saturn/AES. I also have my OSSC coming in the mail this week, can't wait!

headwalk

  • brutal deluxe
  • Senior Member
i think that's literally the most effort anyone has ever put into a post on this site outside of nudemac's birkenstock propaganda.

brob

  • 8 diagram pole rider
  • Senior Member
On the subject of retro faves: Raimais is my favorite maze game. It has 1) very many boards, 2) lets you choose which level you go to next, has upgrades for your cool spacecar (don't transfer between levels), 3) has boss fights against big robo-insects, 4) good music, 5) has fully voiced cut-scenes of the villain taunting you, 6) a hairy maze goblin who gives you stuff and is horny, 7) has a great ending sequence (complete with multiple endings; aka it has a fuck-you-try-again ending if you didn't meet the requirements for the good ending*)

Bad score game though. It's all about tedious respawn milking, which is bad. There is a mechanic to discourage you from hanging around on a stage for too long (meteors start dropping) but it's hardly an issue, so it's not like it introduces any tension to the mindless grinding. no score play onegai~

Here's a run-through of the game by Replay Burners


*there is also a secret ending that no one has manage to get, and it was only recently found to be an actual ending rather than just remnant data tucked away on the rom, but the requirements to get it are some wild speedrun+RNG superhero shit

Positive Touch

  • Woo Papa
  • Senior Member
hey guys I don't give a shit about accurate picture quality or anything but I like to play old games let's chat about good times
pcp

Himu

  • Senior Member
Fuck yes
IYKYK

fistfulofmetal

  • RAPTOR
  • Senior Member
hey guys I don't give a shit about accurate picture quality or anything but I like to play old games let's chat about good times


yoshi's island is pretty baller my dude

I can't wait to get my Super NT.
nat

Positive Touch

  • Woo Papa
  • Senior Member
is there some way to play the bonus levels from the gba version? I wanna do those without having to play an ass port first.

also I'm pumped about going for 100% again. been a loooong time since I did it and I remember it being brutal. payoff was shit too lol
pcp

AdmiralViscen

  • Murdered in the digital realm
  • Senior Member
Yoshi's Island sucks

My setup is bitchin but I don't wanna be the first one to post pix

Great Rumbler

  • Dab on the sinners
  • Global Moderator
I've been collecting a ton of Sega Saturn games recently, mostly imports [played on a US system with the 4-in-1 Action Replay]. Just using the standard composite cable to an HDTV, not the greatest image quality but that doesn't really concern me too much.

Here's what I've got so far [with a few more in various stages of shipping]:

spoiler (click to show/hide)
3x3 Eyes
Airs Adventure
Albert Odyssey
Alone in the Dark 2
Angelique Special 1 and 2
Atelier Marie
Battle Athletess Daiundoukai
Black/Matrix
Blue Breaker
Blue Seed: Kushinadahirokuden
Body Special 264
Break Thru!
Burning Rangers
Can Can Bunny Premier 1 and 2
Chaos Control
Chaos Seed
Clockwork Knight
Criticom
Culdcept
Cyber Doll
Cyber Troopers Virtual-On
D
Dark Savior
Dead or Alive
Debut S
Desire
Detana Twinbee Yahho-! Deluxe Pack
Devil Summoner: Soul Hackers
Dinosaur Island
DJ Wars
Doukoku
Dragon Force
Dragon Master Silk
Eve: Burst Error
Eve: The Lost One
Falcom Classics 2
Far East of Eden 4: The Apocalypse
Farland Saga
Find Love 1 and 2
Fighting Vipers
Fist
Full Cowl Mini Yunko Super Factory
Galaxy Fraulein Yuna 3
Gale Racer
Ghen War
Gokujyo Parodius-da!: Deluxe Pack
Golden Axe: The Duel
Gran Chaser
Grandia
Groove on Fight
Guardian Heroes
Gungriffon: The Eurasian Conflict
Hanagumi Taisen Columns
Hi-Octane
Hyper Securities S
Jung Rhythm
Kakyusei
Kekkon: Marriage
Langrisser 3
Last Bronx
Last Gladiators Digital Pinball
Layer Section
Legends of Heroes 3: White Witch
Lunar: Silver Star Story
M [Emu]
Machine Head
Magical Drop 3
Magical School Lunar
Martian Successor Nadesico
Marvel Super Heroes
Mechwarrior 2
Melty Lancer
Mujitou Monogatari
Neon Genesis Evangelion 1 and 2
Nonomura Byoin no Hitobito
Nouvelle Fanpasia Gulliver Boy
Off-World Interceptor Extreme
Panzer Dragoon 1 and 2
Princess Quest
Puyo Puyo 2
Puzzle Bobble 2x
Quovadis
Real Bout Fatal Fury Special
Riglordsaga 2
Robotica
Ronde
Ruriiro no Yuki
Sakura Wars 1 and 2
Sega Rally Championship
Sentimental Graffiti
Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner
Shining the Holy Ark
Shining Wisdom
Simcity 2000
Sky Target
Slayers Royal 2
Sotsugyou 2: Neo Generation
Star Fighter 3000
Suchie Pai Adventure: The Throbbing Nightmare
Super Real Mahjong P V
Super Robot Wars F
Sword & Sorcery
Tactics Ogre
Tama
Tenchi Muyo! Ryoohki Gokuraku
Terra Phantastica
Tetris Plus
Toh Shin Den S
Tokimeki Memorial Taisen Pazurudama
Tokimeki Memorial Selection
Thunderhawk 2
Uno DX
Vampire Hunters: Darkstalkers Revenger
Virtual Hydlide
Wachen Roder
Wangan Dead Heat
Wangan Trial Love
WingArms
Wipeout
Yu-No
Zero4 Champ DooZy-J Type-R
[close]

All but a few are Japanese imports, so the language barrier is pretty significant for a lot of those, but I do enjoy the collected side of it even if I can't really play some of them very much. And there's still quite a few more games that I want, but they're on the higher end of the cost spectrum [most are $50+, some are $100+].
dog

Joe Molotov

  • I'm much more humble than you would understand.
  • Administrator
I've been playing Genesis games with my JVC XEYE on a Sony Trinitron CRT. The tube is kinda jacked up on it tho, and I'd like to get one with RGB.
©@©™

benjipwns

  • your bright ideas always burn me
  • Senior Member

Rich!

  • Junior Member
is there some way to play the bonus levels from the gba version? I wanna do those without having to play an ass port first.

also I'm pumped about going for 100% again. been a loooong time since I did it and I remember it being brutal. payoff was shit too lol

tbh the GBA port has a couple of patches to restore the SNES sounds and colours. It's much better then for sure

YukidaruPunch

  • Junior Member
I like retro games! I like them more than most of what's coming out now, to be honest. Don't really have to money/space to get retro systems (all I have RN is a second-hand Wii U I got in the cheap) so I mostly resort to emulators.

Currently replaying Donkey Kong Country 2 on Retroarch using my Wii U Pro Controller on PC, right after finishing Tropical Freeze. Still good. I like this series more than I give it credit for.

demi

  • cooler than willco
  • Administrator
Reposting my retro catalog to measure peens, feel free to critique my size and girth

Google Doc

If any of you retro bois are trying to sell some stuff off, feel free to PM me or post what you got.
fat

Mochilador

  • Junior Member
Niceee.
I really want to replay some GameCube games.

AdmiralViscen

  • Murdered in the digital realm
  • Senior Member
I wish there were better options for cataloging games and movies

I make do with this

https://backloggery.com/admiralviscen

benjipwns

  • your bright ideas always burn me
  • Senior Member
dunno bout these really but saw people using them for movies: https://letterboxd.com/
games: https://darkadia.com/

porkbun

  • #1 Pit-Fighter fan
  • Member
I play mostly Genesis games, but I got a Famiclone and some multicarts so I've been using that quite a bit lately.  I've also spent way too much on the retro releases on PS4.

demi

  • cooler than willco
  • Administrator
I bought all the RPG PS2 releases they put out on PS4 so far.

Fuck it YOLO boys
fat

MMaRsu

  • Administrator
  • Senior Member
I have two OG Xbox's and one of them is modded. Need to check that capacitor though :(.

Also have a Ps2 Slim and a Dreamcast :), pretty happy with those.

Play a lot of my PS2 games on PSCX 2.0 though :)
What

Prinny_Dood

  • Junior Member
I might buy one of these. $190 is not bad an SNES clone with 1080p support. https://www.analogue.co/pages/super-nt/

Rich!

  • Junior Member
I might buy one of these. $190 is not bad an SNES clone with 1080p support. https://www.analogue.co/pages/super-nt/

Yeah, I preordered one last week - and I already have an rgb modded SFC Jr and OSSC combo! It looks awesome, and being an FPGA based device is a 100% accurate match to the SNES (no emulation). Like the NT Mini (NES), Kevtris designed the console - and he released a jailbroken firmware for the NT Mini that allowed the FPGA to emulate other hardware and load roms from SD.

If he does the same for the Super NT...oh man, it'll be incredible.

also its just been announced today that every Super NT console will come with a free, boxed, unreleased version of Super Turrican on cart: https://www.vgprice.com/article/an-unreleased-snes-game-is-being-released-with-the-super-nt?refr

kingv

  • Senior Member
Super nes classic has me thinking about retro games lately, and I’ve been thinking about building some kind of emulator box. I don’t really want to play anything newer than Early to mid 90s SNES and arcade games.

Is a retro pi a good solution? Does it run MAME? I have a pc, but would like something that’s not tied to it, ideally.

Sho Nuff

  • o/~ TOUCH ME AND I'LL BREAK YOUR FACE o/~
  • Senior Member
A raspberry pi with a premade image (cough arcadepunks.com cough) + wired 360 controllers will make you a happy person.

That being said I've really fucked myself with last weekend's Portland Retro Gaming Expo:


Cravis

  • Member
Well crap. Wished I had known about the premade images online. I literally spent 2 weeks tinkering and getting my Pi setup.

Sho Nuff

  • o/~ TOUCH ME AND I'LL BREAK YOUR FACE o/~
  • Senior Member
Well crap. Wished I had known about the premade images online. I literally spent 2 weeks tinkering and getting my Pi setup.

Same here. I recommend the MadLittlePixel collections, they are utterly bananas.

Great Rumbler

  • Dab on the sinners
  • Global Moderator
I've got all my games [retro and otherwise] cataloged here:

https://www.snupps.com/GreatRumbler

Used to have a lot more stuff [games and systems], but sold quite a few about 7-8 years ago for some reason. :-\
dog

AdmiralViscen

  • Murdered in the digital realm
  • Senior Member
dunno bout these really but saw people using them for movies: https://letterboxd.com/
games: https://darkadia.com/

I'll have a look. I've tried a few over the years and found them wanting. But I'm worried the site I use will go up in smoke one day.

Rich!

  • Junior Member
I like retro games! I like them more than most of what's coming out now, to be honest. Don't really have to money/space to get retro systems (all I have RN is a second-hand Wii U I got in the cheap) so I mostly resort to emulators.

Currently replaying Donkey Kong Country 2 on Retroarch using my Wii U Pro Controller on PC, right after finishing Tropical Freeze. Still good. I like this series more than I give it credit for.

DKC2 is legit one of the best games ever. I got it without playing the first back in 1995 when it released and it was always weird going back to DKC1 after. DKC3 is amazing too.

Whenever I have a spare hour and a half free I fire up DKC2 on my SNES and CRT and give it a quick playthrough from start to finish. Best time so far is an hour fifteen minutes or so.

DCharlieJP

  • the ex-XFE, now 3rd in-line for SFE
  • Icon
i wish i'd catalogued my collection before i nuked it :/

anyways, i'm cleaning out one of the rooms in the house and finding all kinds of random retro junk/jank that i never realised i still had. perhaps i should sell it
O=X

demi

  • cooler than willco
  • Administrator
Depends what you have.

You have two horny boys right here who might be interested (slime and i)
fat

EmilioEstevez

  • Junior Member
I love retro games! Played them more than current stuff over the last few years. There are so many more that I want to get/play when I start thinking about it.

I keep my games catalogued here - https://vgcollect.com/about/olly88.

Acosta

  • Junior Member
i wish i'd catalogued my collection before i nuked it :/

anyways, i'm cleaning out one of the rooms in the house and finding all kinds of random retro junk/jank that i never realised i still had. perhaps i should sell it

You are always nuking your collection (and you will rebuild it again, deep inside you know it).

If I was in Japan or had any money I would have made you rich(er) buying your retro empires.

I'm building a retrocorner myself. CRT, some selected consoles and Everdrives.

Rich!

  • Junior Member
oh yeah I've been having a bit of fun recently with randomizers for fresh playthroughs of old games. There's a good list of them here: http://www.romhacking.net/forum/index.php?topic=22579.0

The best I've found so far is the Zelda: Link to the Past one (http://vt.alttp.run/randomizer). You can select different variants for swapping the location of items and weapons throughout the world and swap cave/dungeon/house entrances around. Once done you can then use the rom it generates with the LTTP enemizer (https://zarby89.github.io/Enimizer/) to randomize all the enemies and bosses.

It's awesome. I've just started a new playthrough, as Mario. Got a shovel in the chest at the start and my uncle gave me a bottle instead of a shield. Managed to get a good stock of weapons, about to tackle the first dungeon (which is really the third) - and I've just paid 500 rupees to the zora king who gave me a single fucking rupee in return. cunt.

benjipwns

  • your bright ideas always burn me
  • Senior Member
I've got all my games [retro and otherwise] cataloged here:

https://www.snupps.com/GreatRumbler

Used to have a lot more stuff [games and systems], but sold quite a few about 7-8 years ago for some reason. :-\
You should know that some human has put his picture on your account. Probably fallout from the whole Equifax thing.

tiesto

  • ルカルカ★ナイトフィーバー
  • Senior Member
Any of the new GAF diaspora into retro Japanese PC gaming perchance? I just bought a copy of Alshark for the FM Towns from someone on a Facebook group. Looking forward to playing on my Marty!

^_^

Rahxephon91

  • Senior Member
I've got all my games [retro and otherwise] cataloged here:

https://www.snupps.com/GreatRumbler

Used to have a lot more stuff [games and systems], but sold quite a few about 7-8 years ago for some reason. :-\
Oh No, I wish I had not discovered this website.

Para-Medic

  • Junior Member
I've got all my games [retro and otherwise] cataloged here:

https://www.snupps.com/GreatRumbler

Used to have a lot more stuff [games and systems], but sold quite a few about 7-8 years ago for some reason. :-\
Oh No, I wish I had not discovered this website.

I dunno what specifically you like about it, but for strictly game cataloging I think the Backloggery is pretty good. Really nice community too.
======

On-topic: I have a phat PS2 which I have kept clean and it runs pretty good/quiet. The thing is it doesn't like to read discs very often, out of 10 tries it will eject the disc maybe 4 times, say it's unreadable 5 times, and actually boot it once. Is that a problem with the laser or something? Can I fix it?

demi

  • cooler than willco
  • Administrator
Sounds like a laser problem to me, if it's a fat PS2 its not out of the realm to think its just general usage issue. Since I have no technical skills I would just buy a new one, but someone else can chime in.

Plus the slim PS2 is just too cute and small not to keep instead.
fat

DCharlieJP

  • the ex-XFE, now 3rd in-line for SFE
  • Icon
i wish i'd catalogued my collection before i nuked it :/

anyways, i'm cleaning out one of the rooms in the house and finding all kinds of random retro junk/jank that i never realised i still had. perhaps i should sell it

You are always nuking your collection (and you will rebuild it again, deep inside you know it).

If I was in Japan or had any money I would have made you rich(er) buying your retro empires.

I'm building a retrocorner myself. CRT, some selected consoles and Everdrives.

naaa - i'm done - this is just straggling ends of the collection

i'm cleaning the last few cupboards and thats it
O=X

Rufus

  • 🙈🙉🙊
  • Senior Member
On-topic: I have a phat PS2 which I have kept clean and it runs pretty good/quiet. The thing is it doesn't like to read discs very often, out of 10 tries it will eject the disc maybe 4 times, say it's unreadable 5 times, and actually boot it once. Is that a problem with the laser or something? Can I fix it?
My launch unit eventually developed this issue. It has to do with the laser becoming misaligned over time. It first manifests with DVD games, since the accuracy requirements for those are more exacting. The few CD games you might have (silver bottom) probably read fine or at least more reliably.

There's a little gear inside the drive you can turn to try and re-calibrate it, but that only temporarily alleviated the issue in my case. It's also inaccessible without partially disassembling the console, which makes it a pain in the ass to find the sweet spot in the first place. I ended up buying another unit (financing someone's WoW habit in the process), but you can probably still get replacement lasers or drives off of ebay should that turn out to be cheaper.

An even neater solution would be to get a network adapter and a hard drive to play your games off of that instead, but I don't know how readily available they are. Might just be more cost effective and easiest to replace the entire thing.

That's as far as my 'knowledge' goes. I'm way out of the loop on this stuff, so, time for some links:

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=555706 (It's probably a graveyard now and the OP is thin on anything useful, but there's bound to be something in there if you search for laser or disc read error.)
https://www.reddit.com/r/ps2/ (The sidebar has some useful stuff at a quick glance, including how to set up a HDD solution.)
https://gbatemp.net/forums/sony-playstation-1-2.164/ (The only other destination I could immediately think of, but you'll have to do some digging again.)
Hell, Youtube! I remember looking at guides on how to put FreeMcBoot on a memory card (and then on what fun stuff I could do with it, besides playing import games.)
« Last Edit: October 24, 2017, 09:50:32 AM by Rufus »

fistfulofmetal

  • RAPTOR
  • Senior Member
I've toyed around with the idea of getting one of those Sony PVM's because those seem to be all the rage in retro circles, but I have a strong feeling we'll a resurgence of CRT sets in a few years. Even as a novelty. I mean you got Analogue making the NT line, it's only a single logical next step to start making retro TV sets as well.
nat

Para-Medic

  • Junior Member
On-topic: I have a phat PS2 which I have kept clean and it runs pretty good/quiet. The thing is it doesn't like to read discs very often, out of 10 tries it will eject the disc maybe 4 times, say it's unreadable 5 times, and actually boot it once. Is that a problem with the laser or something? Can I fix it?
My launch unit eventually developed this issue. It has to do with the laser becoming misaligned over time. It first manifests with DVD games, since the accuracy requirements for those are more exacting. The few CD games you might have (silver bottom) probably read fine or at least more reliably.

There's a little gear inside the drive you can turn to try and re-calibrate it, but that only temporarily alleviated the issue in my case. It's also inaccessible without partially disassembling the console, which makes it a pain in the ass to find the sweet spot in the first place. I ended up buying another unit (financing someone's WoW habit in the process), but you can probably still get replacement lasers or drives off of ebay should that turn out to be cheaper.

An even neater solution would be to get a network adapter and a hard drive to play your games off of that instead, but I don't know how readily available they are. Might just be more cost effective and easiest to replace the entire thing.

That's as far as my 'knowledge' goes. I'm way out of the loop on this stuff, so, time for some links:

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=555706 (It's probably a graveyard now and the OP is thin on anything useful, but there's bound to be something in there if you search for laser or disc read error.)
https://www.reddit.com/r/ps2/ (The sidebar has some useful stuff at a quick glance, including how to set up a HDD solution.)
https://gbatemp.net/forums/sony-playstation-1-2.164/ (The only other destination I could immediately think of, but you'll have to do some digging again.)
Hell, Youtube! I remember looking at guides on how to put FreeMcBoot on a memory card (and then on what fun stuff I could do with it, besides playing import games.)

Just wanted to say thanks for all this. I'm technically competent enough to fix my own laptops and PC's so I'd like to at least try with my PS2. Still got a few games even in that backlog pile, but mostly I just want to replay Drakengard 1 and 2.

Rahxephon91

  • Senior Member
I've got all my games [retro and otherwise] cataloged here:

https://www.snupps.com/GreatRumbler

Used to have a lot more stuff [games and systems], but sold quite a few about 7-8 years ago for some reason. :-\
Oh No, I wish I had not discovered this website.

I dunno what specifically you like about it, but for strictly game cataloging I think the Backloggery is pretty good. Really nice community too.

I just like cataloging my collection.

I use VGcollect right now.

https://vgcollect.com/Rahxephon91

Rufus

  • 🙈🙉🙊
  • Senior Member
Just wanted to say thanks for all this. I'm technically competent enough to fix my own laptops and PC's so I'd like to at least try with my PS2. Still got a few games even in that backlog pile, but mostly I just want to replay Drakengard 1 and 2.
No big deal. :B

If it doesn't work out there's always emulation. PCSX2 isn't as robust or well-constructed as Dolphin, but it's serviceable enough for a wide variety of games.

https://wiki.pcsx2.net/Drakengard
https://wiki.pcsx2.net/Drakengard_2

Rich!

  • Junior Member
Hm...how does the neogeo CD stack up? It seems like a decent option, but the loading times are a bit of a worry. should I expect more than what you'd normally get on the Saturn/PS1? I have Metal Slug on the Saturn if that's a good comparison.

tiesto

  • ルカルカ★ナイトフィーバー
  • Senior Member
IIRC the Neo CD has a 1x cd drive so you'll get much more loading than the 2x (or was it 4x) in Saturn/PS1. If you can't get the AES carts, the Saturn ports are acceptable alternatives.
^_^

Rich!

  • Junior Member
IIRC the Neo CD has a 1x cd drive so you'll get much more loading than the 2x (or was it 4x) in Saturn/PS1. If you can't get the AES carts, the Saturn ports are acceptable alternatives.

Well that's the thing...I have this MVS already:



Only cost me £20, so I was taking a chance - I haven't tested it yet as I haven't got a supergun, and it has a slight amount of wear here:



Not sure if I should chance it or not. If it works, I'll get a multicart.

Acosta

  • Junior Member
i wish i'd catalogued my collection before i nuked it :/

anyways, i'm cleaning out one of the rooms in the house and finding all kinds of random retro junk/jank that i never realised i still had. perhaps i should sell it

You are always nuking your collection (and you will rebuild it again, deep inside you know it).

If I was in Japan or had any money I would have made you rich(er) buying your retro empires.

I'm building a retrocorner myself. CRT, some selected consoles and Everdrives.

naaa - i'm done - this is just straggling ends of the collection

i'm cleaning the last few cupboards and thats it

Awwww, end of a era indeed (but I'm glad to coincide again with you in a forum thread, feels nostalgic, hope everything is fine in your side).


Sho Nuff

  • o/~ TOUCH ME AND I'LL BREAK YOUR FACE o/~
  • Senior Member
I've toyed around with the idea of getting one of those Sony PVM's because those seem to be all the rage in retro circles, but I have a strong feeling we'll a resurgence of CRT sets in a few years. Even as a novelty. I mean you got Analogue making the NT line, it's only a single logical next step to start making retro TV sets as well.

Ahhh, I've talked to a lot of people about this -- apparently the factories required to build these are history, and the amount of cash required to make new ones is near-insurmountable. HOWEVER the good news is that there are still people who can repair these things, and a recapped / recalibrated CRT looks absolutely drop-dead gorgeous. (I got my Astro City's monitor fixed by a guy in Wisconsin, and it looks INCREDIBLE). Also, these  things are MEANT to be repaired, unlike a $250 Vizio.

I highly recommend finding a PVM -- just be patient, don't pay out the wazoo for it, you'll find one for cheap or maybe free. I scored a 13-inch Sony and it's beautiful, but I've been looking for a while. I HIGHLY recommend contacting a local electronics recycler -- just call (or show up) and introduce yourself and tell them you'll pay cash for a PVM, they get TONS of them.

Acosta

  • Junior Member
I've toyed around with the idea of getting one of those Sony PVM's because those seem to be all the rage in retro circles, but I have a strong feeling we'll a resurgence of CRT sets in a few years. Even as a novelty. I mean you got Analogue making the NT line, it's only a single logical next step to start making retro TV sets as well.

Ahhh, I've talked to a lot of people about this -- apparently the factories required to build these are history, and the amount of cash required to make new ones is near-insurmountable. HOWEVER the good news is that there are still people who can repair these things, and a recapped / recalibrated CRT looks absolutely drop-dead gorgeous. (I got my Astro City's monitor fixed by a guy in Wisconsin, and it looks INCREDIBLE). Also, these  things are MEANT to be repaired, unlike a $250 Vizio.

I highly recommend finding a PVM -- just be patient, don't pay out the wazoo for it, you'll find one for cheap or maybe free. I scored a 13-inch Sony and it's beautiful, but I've been looking for a while. I HIGHLY recommend contacting a local electronics recycler -- just call (or show up) and introduce yourself and tell them you'll pay cash for a PVM, they get TONS of them.

This is good info, I also daydreamed about the chances of having someone commercializing a "Retro TV", too bad it doesn't seem feasible.

I have become a hoarder of CRTs since I lost my first one, now I have two that I have been collecting from people I know. I always have a hard time explaining why the hell I want those monsters.

Rich!

  • Junior Member
I've toyed around with the idea of getting one of those Sony PVM's because those seem to be all the rage in retro circles, but I have a strong feeling we'll a resurgence of CRT sets in a few years. Even as a novelty. I mean you got Analogue making the NT line, it's only a single logical next step to start making retro TV sets as well.

Ahhh, I've talked to a lot of people about this -- apparently the factories required to build these are history, and the amount of cash required to make new ones is near-insurmountable. HOWEVER the good news is that there are still people who can repair these things, and a recapped / recalibrated CRT looks absolutely drop-dead gorgeous. (I got my Astro City's monitor fixed by a guy in Wisconsin, and it looks INCREDIBLE). Also, these  things are MEANT to be repaired, unlike a $250 Vizio.

I highly recommend finding a PVM -- just be patient, don't pay out the wazoo for it, you'll find one for cheap or maybe free. I scored a 13-inch Sony and it's beautiful, but I've been looking for a while. I HIGHLY recommend contacting a local electronics recycler -- just call (or show up) and introduce yourself and tell them you'll pay cash for a PVM, they get TONS of them.

This is good info, I also daydreamed about the chances of having someone commercializing a "Retro TV", too bad it doesn't seem feasible.

I have become a hoarder of CRTs since I lost my first one, now I have two that I have been collecting from people I know. I always have a hard time explaining why the hell I want those monsters.

There's a combination of things a good CRT offers that cant yet be replicated all at once by any other display - zero input lag, perfect colour reproduction, very high contrast ratio and near perfect black/white levels if calibrated right. Problem is that its getting harder and harder to find one thats worth bothering with nowadays. I think the OSSC is pretty much the best alternative you could hope for when it comes to playing retro consoles today as it offers zero processing/input lag (the only lag introduced is by your display) and incredibly accurate colour reproduction and a wealth of display options from native 240p right up to x5 1080p.

If it wasn't for the fact that I came across my 19" JVC broadcast monitor cheaply for £25 knowing I could build an RGB input card for it, I would happily have never owned another CRT again as long as I have the OSSC. And even now I still prefer playing most games on the big screen via the OSSC although I do stick to the CRT for shmups and platformers.

I mean really, there's not really much difference between the two in terms of image quality other than the OSSC being much sharper and offering pixel-perfect modes:





top is my JVC (colours/white balance are off because of my phone camera) and the bottom is the OSSC on my TV.
« Last Edit: October 24, 2017, 07:06:35 PM by Rich! »

Great Rumbler

  • Dab on the sinners
  • Global Moderator
Started up some MAME the past couple of days to play the Donpachi series. They're sooo good. Late-90's Cave was on fire. I'd still like to get the two releases on Saturn [DonPachi and DoDonPashi], but it'll be a while before I get them because the prices are a bit steep.
dog

StealthFan

  • Swings Both Ways
  • Senior Member
Where does the PSP fit into all this? I'll be playing a lot of it for now. I got a shitload of PS2 games coming in the mail. I pretty much can only really tolerate older console/handheld games and modern non-AAA PC games at this point.
reckt

Rich!

  • Junior Member
Where does the PSP fit into all this? I'll be playing a lot of it for now. I got a shitload of PS2 games coming in the mail. I pretty much can only really tolerate older console/handheld games and modern non-AAA PC games at this point.

terrifyingly, I think the PSP is nearing retro status. I'm tempted to buy a PSP Go and load it up with classics, but I'm struggling to find one in good condition for a decent price.

demi

  • cooler than willco
  • Administrator
PSP Go is mud sandwich, I would get an actual PSP instead.

They're piss easy to hack and load up with dumps, and if you don't use PPPSPSPPSPSP or whatever, theres lots of good games you cant play anywhere else (ie. not available on Vita - unless the Vita hack lets you play those)
fat

Rich!

  • Junior Member
PSP Go is mud sandwich, I would get an actual PSP instead.

They're piss easy to hack and load up with dumps, and if you don't use PPPSPSPPSPSP or whatever, theres lots of good games you cant play anywhere else (ie. not available on Vita - unless the Vita hack lets you play those)

Yeah, I've had both before (bought a PSP at launch and hacked it using GTA:LCS as soon as I could). Out of the two designs though, the PSP GO fits me better as I can shove it in my pocket and not give a shit. It's like the GB Micro of the playstation world. and 16gb storage as standard is pretty damn good.

My local cex has a few of each model so I'll probably get one at least next week. I just want to be able to play SOTN on the go again really.

Sho Nuff

  • o/~ TOUCH ME AND I'LL BREAK YOUR FACE o/~
  • Senior Member
Where does the PSP fit into all this? I'll be playing a lot of it for now. I got a shitload of PS2 games coming in the mail. I pretty much can only really tolerate older console/handheld games and modern non-AAA PC games at this point.

PSP is Dynamite and Outta Sight.

Be careful with the batteries though -- a lot of them have started to swell up.