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RagingRobot ,

I have a nice collection of old games but I also have a nice collection of emulators and devices to run them on lol

GraniteM ,

I’ve got an Anbernic 353p and I LOVE it for handheld, but trying to use it as a console has proven tricky. I just want a device that I can plug into my TV and play games on with a minimum of tinkering. I shouldn’t need to remap controllers every time I turn the thing on. I don’t care to follow along with a three+ hour long tutorial to get all the settingsjust right. Plug into TV. Turn on. Play game.

This is where original hardware, or even those SNES Mini or Playstation Classic devices have appeal, because they aren’t tinkering hobby devices, they’re game systems first, last, and only. Everything above and beyond that should be very optional.

emeralddawn45 ,

Steam deck. Not as cheap as an ambernic or raspberry pi, but I’ve been blown away by how painless and plug and play everything is, and I’ve played games on it from every console generation up to ps3 so far, plus modern pc games. Steaminput makes controller settings a breeze even for games or applications that don’t have good input settings. I knew I’d like it before I got one last year, but since then I can’t say enough good things about it, it’s honestly everything I dreamed of as a kid playing video games, almost every game under the sun all in one handheld package, it’s honestly incredible.

Jarix ,

It is not, nor can it

kewko ,

I can’t tell if your comment is dramatically flawed or logically

Jarix , (edited )

A raspberry pi is neither 30$ A raspberry pi cannot emulate every game ever

Also, remember just because you can be an asshole, doesnt mean you have to be.

Do you have a mirror? Try looking into the next time you feel like being a toxic member of a community, say the things to yourself and then ask yourself, did i just come across as a toxic asshole?q

If yes dont continue

kewko ,

Sorry it came across like that wasn’t my intention, I may have been intoxicated. I meant to say grammatically, but don’t even understand what my comment means anymore. Thanks for explaining anyway

Jarix ,

Appreciate the honesty

bitwolf ,

I like the balance of EmulationStation + Pi. And original hardware controllers modded to work via USB.

Best of both worlds

LemUrun ,
@LemUrun@pawb.social avatar

Oh, no fucking way.

Gradually_Adjusting ,
@Gradually_Adjusting@lemmy.world avatar

A controller that looks like an old SNES with a PS2 form factor is all the retro authenticity I need

g00 ,

Like this?

Gradually_Adjusting ,
@Gradually_Adjusting@lemmy.world avatar

That’s the bitch

Weezard ,
@Weezard@lemmy.world avatar

I feel this in my very soul.

Nuke_the_whales ,

This is like people who insist building your own PC is easy.

No. It’s not.

It is if you know everything about it sure, but that applies to most things.

I don’t care about your raspberry Pi that I have to house, program, etc. I just wanna pop in a game and have it work. Easy peasy

bitwolf ,

I agree that it’s easy in the sense that you can learn enough to do it via YouTube.

It’s certainly not always easy to actually do the thing though.

RmDebArc_5 ,
@RmDebArc_5@sh.itjust.works avatar

Sure it ain’t as easy as just using a console, but batocera on pi is ridiculously easy compared to most other solutions:

  1. Download the batocera image
  2. Flash it with raspberry pi image writer
  3. power on the pi
  4. connect a Controller
  5. connect it to network
  6. the pi will automatically appear as network share, just drag and the Roms
  7. play

If you already have used a pi and disregard the download time this can easily be done in less than ten minutes. I know first hand using something like a Gameboy/DS is way more convenient, but compared to how long it took me to get the game running that came with my Xbox one that’s at least twice as quick (not even considering Xbox 360 games on one) so I’ll gladly take the time to learn how to setup and then do it

Toneswirly ,

Aren’t they kinda of hard to get a hold of still? During the pandemic they were going for 100$ and up

Warl0k3 ,

you can at least get them directly instead of paying scalpers now, but yeah it’s still $80 for an 8GB board.

SRo ,

FPGA master race!

sanpedropeddler ,

My only real problem with emulation is that I haven’t found a good way to connect my pc to a crt. I’ve been wanting to play oot randomizers on a proper display but I’m not willing to buy an everdrive at the moment.

FunnyUsername ,
@FunnyUsername@lemmy.world avatar

I know this is the exact opposite of what you want in a sense, but with a little fiddling you can make the highest definitions of TVs look pretty crappy and old with fancy emulator settings. I had a friend with so many scan line and fuzzy plugins and crt color abberation and flicker fakers installed, i swear it was basically the same thing visually

Eccitaze ,
@Eccitaze@yiffit.net avatar

It’s not just “worse” graphics. CRTs have little/no input lag, which is crucial for some older games like Punch-Out!.

OmnislashIsACloudApp ,

I setup and love retropie, but I will say that I was surprised at how many emulation issues I had even on some PS1 games. mostly it was framerate or processing issues, tried same emulator on my laptop with no problem.

raspberry pi is very affordable but it was surprising to me that the hardware specs were a limiter given how much of an increase they were over the ps1

The_Picard_Maneuver OP ,
@The_Picard_Maneuver@lemmy.world avatar

I was thinking about using mine for this. Maybe I’ll limit myself to 2d retro games then.

OmnislashIsACloudApp ,

still works and is fun, I think if duck station would have been finished for pi it would have been better probably.

true that 2d had no problems for me though, on pi400

TrickDacy , (edited )
@TrickDacy@lemmy.world avatar

Does anyone “prefer” emulation?

edit: I should added the caveat “if it’s feasible” because yeah it often isn’t. We don’t all have a lot of space, time, and money to deal with multiple old systems.

edit2: okokok there are plenty of reasons to prefer emulation. I was just thinking of controller/feel of the games almost always was best on the original.

4am ,

When it’s the only way is probably the only good answer to this; whether because you don’t have hardware or can’t set it up properly for whatever reason etc

rowdyrockets ,

I do - but I don’t necessarily think it’s “better”.

scoobford ,

Yes. Original hardware is a pain in the ass.

I want to play on my nice PC or steam deck, with save states, whatever gamepad I prefer, and an unlimited library.

hobbsc ,
@hobbsc@lemmy.sdf.org avatar

I do because I just don’t want all that stuff around. Save states are also a blessing for folks like me with endless skill issues.

Die4Ever , (edited )
@Die4Ever@programming.dev avatar

Sure. You can fix frame rate drops, play with any controller you want, easier to play with mods, save states, speedup when replaying a game, easier to record video or stream. If you’re playing a 3d game you can run in higher resolution with better anti aliasing and anisotropic filtering. For a 2d game sometimes one of the upscaling filters will look good. You can use CRT filter if you want and you don’t have a CRT TV. You could do it on Steam Deck and cloud sync your saves with your PC, and even your phone (especially for turn based games)

bitwolf ,

There’s even fun achievements via retro achievements!

Omega_Jimes ,

If I had unlimited space and could set up one of those retro game rooms, I’d love to use my old systems. However, it’s way easier and practical for me to keep my collection in boxes/shelves and have a little pc hooked up to the TV that’s actually made to output hdmi.

tiredofsametab ,

I'm in my 40s and basically have two jobs on top of housework. If I do play a retro game, I want things like save states since I'm probably playing more for a nostalgia kick than anything else and want to be able to put it down and pick it up (as well as not have to re-do things in games with save points few and far between).

masinko ,

I actually do. Upscaling, fast forwarding, modding, cheats, save states are all nice QoLs. A lot of emulators for these retro consoles are pretty platform independent too, so I can run them from anything from a PC, a handheld device, phone, other gaming consoles or smart fridge with my choice of peripherals.

frezik ,

To get the top quality output I like out of a NES, I have to mod it for RGB/SCART by removing its PPU. Getting it out without damaging it is tricky, because it’s soldered to a large ground plane that is very good at soaking away the heat in your soldering iron.

To get the NES to stop the damn blinking light, I have to use a new cartridge slot that grips extremely strong and is a PITA to get the cartridge back out again. Or use the top loader with worse audio. (Ninten-Drawer seems to be better than the Blinking Light Win here, but reviews note it’s still pretty tight.)

To get decent loading times out of a Playstation 1, I have to mod it for an SD card (PSIO). This involves shaving away some very thin traces and soldering to them.

To get decent image quality out of an N64, I need a game specific GameShark code, a game patch with an EverDrive, or a mod. That mod doesn’t have a DIY version, and must be sent to an approved modder.

To get games to work reliably and with high quality images and good loading times on any of these with emulation, I have to download a thing.

I don’t think these are merely a matter of space/time/money. It takes quite a bit of knowledge and skill to achieve the mods, and you might end up with broken consoles in the attempt. I have enough soldering skill to do the PSIO mod. I haven’t managed to get a PPU out of a NES without damage, though I think I know some tricks now that could make it work.

glitchdx ,

youtu.be/ywWwUuWRgsM?si=Hv4-fVm5hNGF9MUZ

take a look at this and then tell me with a straight face that I should be playing Ocarina of Time on an n64.

Die4Ever ,
@Die4Ever@programming.dev avatar

Recompilations and reverse engineered games are actually not emulation, they’re ports. But yeah they’re amazing and almost always the best way to play a game when available. See !source_ports and !opensourcegames

glitchdx ,

While everything you said is correct, think about the perspective of someone who doesn’t care how it works, only that it does. In this context, ports and recompilation live in the same space as emulation. You and I understand the difference, but we’re nerds. I’m playing the game I bought years (possibly decades) ago, on my pc instead of on a console, with various enhancements depending on what software I’m using and a controller that doesn’t hurt my hands. It’s emulation.

Also, the video I linked probably wasn’t the best choice to make my point, I chose it anyway because it blew my damn mind with how far the community has brought emulation-adjacent gaming.

mrvictory1 ,

I do. I have Guitar Hero Warriors of Rock on PS3. Console has 300ms latency which is a dealbreaker while RPCS3 on laptop or even just Clone Hero has much lower latency. If you have multiple consoles, emulation can bring all your consoles into one. I also have H.A.W.X 2 which drops frames on PS3, maybe emulated could run better. I want to freely approach frigates from low altitude without factoring in FPS drop when I blow them up :)

Alk ,

You can also use any controller you want with emulation. You can even replicate a crt filter or even get a real crt and emulate onto that to replicate the good ol days. I’d say a crt helps more than original hardware. Even with original hardware, pixels are too sharp and clean on modern screens. Old games benefited from smoothing and blurring the lines, which helped create a more realistic image.

directive0 ,
@directive0@lemmy.world avatar

I love old consoles… but old media (carts, cds/dvds) not so much. Flashcarts have been a revelation for me. I’m happy to help out the collectors out there by lowering the demand for original cartridges for my NES or gameboys.

And honestly its a much purer and more fun experience than an everything emulator where you spend most of your time setting it up and then deciding which game of all the games ever created you feel like playing right now. But I do also enjoy setting up emulator devices be they handheld or set top, and playing on them. I’m not a snob, it’s all good stuff and its a great time no matter what your choice, tbh.

sirico ,
@sirico@feddit.uk avatar

As someone who owns most of the consoles, has Pvm etc don’t play the scalpers game just emulate. Thankfully the bubble has burst on a lot of markets, and we’re seeing more reasonable prices, but the OG hardware can only last so long. If anything grab a controller for each system you love, even saying that, 8bitdo have really stepped up, and I would say surpassed a lot of the old first party ones.

The_Picard_Maneuver OP ,
@The_Picard_Maneuver@lemmy.world avatar

8bitdo is amazing

Belgdore ,

It helps that emulators have caught up in the last ten years. When I started collecting consoles there wasn’t a good emulator for the Saturn and even emulating the snes on a mobile device with similar power to a pi was inaccurate at times.

I have less and less reason to want to use original hardware other than nostalgia.

Eccitaze ,
@Eccitaze@yiffit.net avatar

The used game market is still insane, I’m seeing $20-30 for even shit-tier, obscure, normally worthless nes games. If you bought the console while it was new it’s still worth keeping, but absolutely just get a flash cart instead of subjecting yourself to the price gouging retro market.

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