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Post by Deleted on Sept 9, 2018 12:09:13 GMT -5
Retro/classic gaming on old CRT monitor/tv's is the best.  I got rid of my old CRT tv's a long time ago. But I kept a really nice NEC 20" CRT monitor that hasn't really had much use before I switched over to lcd monitors, so it'd be great for this. There are even better and more expensive DIY hardware setups than Raspberry Pi, that professional twitch/youtube gaming streamers use. Physical carts that you can load roms to and play on original hardware or new hardware that accepts cartridges, etc. krikzz.com/store/Edit: The carts are available in different colors at this site. stoneagegamer.com/flash/nes/carts/Edit #2: I read through the Help.txt file for the "Mega EverDrive X7" and it says that the flash carts are intended for use on the original hardware only. The carts may or may not work on newer 3rd party console clones. |
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Post by Coolverine on Sept 9, 2018 21:27:49 GMT -5
I still have an old Sharp 19" CRT TV that still works, also an old Compaq 19" CRT monitor with JBL speakers. I just wish there was a way to use the speakers without the monitor (they hook into the sides of it), the power for them plugs into the monitor itself.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 17, 2018 19:36:49 GMT -5
Sorry, but I went back on my earlier assertions, and bought a NES mini/classic. It's only $60 (Walmart online and free shipping), so I figured what the hell. As expected, the few games I tried (except Star Tropics) didn't hold my attention for long. The shaders on "CRT mode" make it look like playing on an older tv with RF/Antenna connection. Clearly different and, imo, not as good compared to "CRT mode" on SNES Classic console.
However, "Star Tropics" is a very interesting game I never played until now. The devs tried to make a game in its own unique category. It's a blend of Zelda (action, including boss battles), Dragon Warrior (text/role-playing, and overworld/map-like sections of the game), and Adventures of Lolo (where u get past single screen at a time through light/easy puzzle solving). The gameplay is very clunky on the Zelda/action parts of the game. It's evident that they were aiming for artificial difficulty (which today, gamers know better and realize this is poor game design). Regardless, it could be worth a look if you're interested in old-school style RPG's.
imho, NES classic is recommended only if you plan to mod it and install other games. I'd say many of the best games released for NES weren't included on the NES Classic.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 17, 2018 19:47:59 GMT -5
Update on my 8bitdo SNES30 controller, had it for nearly a year now and it's still holding up great. No noticeable wear or tear. For the first time since I've had it, I tried pairing the controller to my phone (Galaxy S8) and it actually works quite well, can even navigate the entire phone using it. Downloaded SNES9x EX+ and tried some games (Chrono Trigger, Super Metroid, and Wing Commander), it works flawlessly. This controller was definitely worth the $. You convinced me. I bought one and played Super Metroid. This is a great controller! imo, it's better than the controllers included with SNES classic (even with cord extenders, to eliminate the short-cord problem), despite being wireless. It seems more responsive and I was able to do the wall jump (Super Metroid) a bit easier with 8bitdo controller vs. the included controllers. Definitely a worthy purchase, even for ppl who only use it to play SNES games through emulator on your PC (though, I think it requires a separate adapter for PC, unless you buy the version of this controller that's made for PC?). |
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Post by Deleted on Sept 17, 2018 19:53:53 GMT -5
btw, cords are even shorter on the NES Classic controllers... seems about 3 ft, no more than 4 ft. Absurd!
However, the quality of the controller itself is really good. As good as the original NES controllers, and I think better quality than controllers included with the SNES classic. After-market cord extenders are virtually required, if you want to play NES Classic without having to stand 2 ft from the screen. The cord extenders I bought for the SNES classic work perfectly on NES classic, the ports are the exact same and no compatibility issues. With NES classic, only one controller is included (vs. 2 included with SNES classic), so maybe that explains the quality & cost differences.
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Post by Coolverine on Sept 18, 2018 0:34:28 GMT -5
Update on my 8bitdo SNES30 controller, had it for nearly a year now and it's still holding up great. No noticeable wear or tear. For the first time since I've had it, I tried pairing the controller to my phone (Galaxy S8) and it actually works quite well, can even navigate the entire phone using it. Downloaded SNES9x EX+ and tried some games (Chrono Trigger, Super Metroid, and Wing Commander), it works flawlessly. This controller was definitely worth the $. (though, I think it requires a separate adapter for PC, unless you buy the version of this controller that's made for PC?). It can used on PC connected with a micro USB cable and it works just fine for everything. I bought one of these adapters and it works on the PC even though it's designed for the SNES Classic Edition. The Bluetooth pairing works perfectly but when connected wirelessly, Windows somehow recognizes it as a wireless Xbox360 controller. This is actually good for compatibility with lots of things though, I can even plug the receiver into my SmartTV and get the controller to work wirelessly through the SteamLink app. I have a Samsung smart TV, on some of them you can download a free Steam Link app. It only supports Steam and Xbox360 controller wirelessly though, Xbox One controller has to be connected wired for it to work. I hope they update it to support the wireless receiver for the Xbox One controller. Also it's actually possible to mod the 8bitdo SNES controller with the d-pad and buttons from the original SNES controller to give it the same feel. I do agree about the default feel of the D-pad and buttons on the 8bitdo though, I find them more responsive. They make quite a few different Bluetooth adapters too, including ones for the original NES and SNES controller ports. |
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Post by Deleted on Sept 18, 2018 11:21:03 GMT -5
(though, I think it requires a separate adapter for PC, unless you buy the version of this controller that's made for PC?). It can used on PC connected with a micro USB cable and it works just fine for everything. I bought one of these adapters and it works on the PC even though it's designed for the SNES Classic Edition. The Bluetooth pairing works perfectly but when connected wirelessly, Windows somehow recognizes it as a wireless Xbox360 controller. This is actually good for compatibility with lots of things though, I can even plug the receiver into my SmartTV and get the controller to work wirelessly through the SteamLink app. I have a Samsung smart TV, on some of them you can download a free Steam Link app. It only supports Steam and Xbox360 controller wirelessly though, Xbox One controller has to be connected wired for it to work. I hope they update it to support the wireless receiver for the Xbox One controller. Also it's actually possible to mod the 8bitdo SNES controller with the d-pad and buttons from the original SNES controller to give it the same feel. I do agree about the default feel of the D-pad and buttons on the 8bitdo though, I find them more responsive. They make quite a few different Bluetooth adapters too, including ones for the original NES and SNES controller ports.Actually, I like that idea better than modding the SNES Classic console. Just use the original SNES hardware + Everdrive flash cart, 8bitdo SNES controller w/ SNES port adapter, and component cables connecting it to an led/lcd tv. Component cables for original SNES console: www.hdretrovision.com/snes/Here's the 32" Samsung led tv I've been using for my classic gaming consoles (and i see it does have the component inputs). www.bestbuy.com/site/samsung-32-class-led-1080p-smart-hdtv/4380083.p?skuId=4380083Yeah, I think a small led/lcd tv & component cables is the next best thing (vs. a CRT), since the individual pixels aren't as visible and don't look blocky when playing 10ft+ from the screen (vs. if you played these games on a 40"+ led/lcd tv). |
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Post by Coolverine on Sept 18, 2018 23:12:03 GMT -5
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Post by Deleted on Sept 19, 2018 11:18:12 GMT -5
It can used on PC connected with a micro USB cable and it works just fine for everything. I bought one of these adapters and it works on the PC even though it's designed for the SNES Classic Edition. The Bluetooth pairing works perfectly but when connected wirelessly, Windows somehow recognizes it as a wireless Xbox360 controller. This is actually good for compatibility with lots of things though, I can even plug the receiver into my SmartTV and get the controller to work wirelessly through the SteamLink app. I have a Samsung smart TV, on some of them you can download a free Steam Link app. It only supports Steam and Xbox360 controller wirelessly though, Xbox One controller has to be connected wired for it to work. I hope they update it to support the wireless receiver for the Xbox One controller. Also it's actually possible to mod the 8bitdo SNES controller with the d-pad and buttons from the original SNES controller to give it the same feel. I do agree about the default feel of the D-pad and buttons on the 8bitdo though, I find them more responsive. They make quite a few different Bluetooth adapters too, including ones for the original NES and SNES controller ports.Actually, I like that idea better than modding the SNES Classic console. Just use the original SNES hardware + Everdrive flash cart, 8bitdo SNES controller w/ SNES port adapter, and component cables connecting it to an led/lcd tv. Component cables for original SNES console: www.hdretrovision.com/snes/Here's the 32" Samsung led tv I've been using for my classic gaming consoles (and i see it does have the component inputs). www.bestbuy.com/site/samsung-32-class-led-1080p-smart-hdtv/4380083.p?skuId=4380083Yeah, I think a small led/lcd tv & component cables is the next best thing (vs. a CRT), since the individual pixels aren't as visible and don't look blocky when playing 10ft+ from the screen (vs. if you played these games on a 40"+ led/lcd tv). The SNES component cable alone is $70 (found at a couple of sellers on Ebay). The better SNES flash cart is about $200. Seems too expensive to justify for most ppl. You could almost buy a new Switch or PS4 for that. It's probably only worth it for those people who are hardcore into classic gaming & must play on original hardware, or a pro gamer who streams their gaming on Twitch. |
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Post by Deleted on Sept 19, 2018 11:21:06 GMT -5
That's a great price on a 40" HDR 4K tv. Samsung are ideal tv's for gaming. Sony's are generally higher rated on image quality, but tend to have more input lag and much higher price. |
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Post by Deleted on Sept 19, 2018 12:08:43 GMT -5
Also, LG tv's are still made with IPS panels. Whereas, Samsung and Sony switched over to VA panels.
VA panels have far better Contrast. IPS panels have much better/wider viewing angles - so imo, LG would be the brand to get, if you do alot of movie watching and/or gaming with a room full of friends & family.
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Post by Coolverine on Sept 20, 2018 21:25:57 GMT -5
I thought about getting one of those LG OLED TV's, but (aside from the price) after reading about the problems they have with image retention, I'm glad I didn't get one. They sure do look great though.
I'm very happy with the Samsung TV, I don't think I have anything that uses the HDR but Steam Link streaming on it is great. It even upscales, although the picture quality looks a little washed out (but still looks great) compared to my monitor. I might get one of those Samsung QLED 4K monitors, the prices aren't too bad last I looked. I think my PC specs can push 4K gaming just fine (Ryzen 7 1700, 16 gigs of DDR4, and a GTX 1070).
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Post by Deleted on Sept 21, 2018 9:22:01 GMT -5
I thought about getting one of those LG OLED TV's, but (aside from the price) after reading about the problems they have with image retention, I'm glad I didn't get one. They sure do look great though. I'm very happy with the Samsung TV, I don't think I have anything that uses the HDR but Steam Link streaming on it is great. It even upscales, although the picture quality looks a little washed out (but still looks great) compared to my monitor. I might get one of those Samsung QLED 4K monitors, the prices aren't too bad last I looked. I think my PC specs can push 4K gaming just fine (Ryzen 7 1700, 16 gigs of DDR4, and a GTX 1070). Same here. I thought about getting one of those Samsumg QLED tv's. Looking at the specs today, I see that only the Q7FN and Q8FN have 10-bit panels and ultra-black feature. Not that the Q6FN series would have a bad picture... But if you want better colors and contrast, Q7FN/Q8FN look to be the ones to get. I'd wait for black Friday or cyber Monday/week sales, when they'll probably have around $1000 discounts. They did last year anyway. |
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Post by Coolverine on Sept 21, 2018 20:39:13 GMT -5
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Post by Deleted on Sept 23, 2018 11:14:32 GMT -5
I tried one of those a while ago, except I believe it was the 34" QLED monitor. The stand looks about the same and that could be a problem. With the model I tried, the stand was engineered very poorly and the monitor would wobble with normal use of keyboard & mouse. Sad, because otherwise the monitor had great image quality (superb contrast and black levels). Also, the text doesn't look quite as nice w/ the VA-panel monitors, but it wasn't too bad i guess after adjusting w/ Microsoft windows "clear font" feature. Then I tried the HP Omen 34" widescreen w/ VA panel. Great picture, when it worked. However, returned that one as well, because it had a firmware bug that prevented it from waking from sleep state most of the time (googled and many other ppl experienced the same issue). I ended up buying an Acer 34" widescreen w/ IPS panel. The contrast and black levels suck compared to the above two monitors and occasionally the screen blanks out or has funny color patterns (a simple power off & on resolves each time). But overall, it's pretty decent, has the best stand, best viewing angles, text clarity, and works most of the time. I'd recommend checking out the Dell & Alienware gaming monitors. I see they have excellent warranties and mostly good reviews. Ppl say that the 34" widescreen Alienware gaming monitor has one of the best pictures and stands ever for a PC monitor... If I could go back I might try that one, but I'm pretty sure it wasn't on the market yet, at that time. A few weeks ago, it was on sale with a discount code, which brought down to the $800-900 range, so definitely worthwhile to wait & keep an eye out for it to go back on sale. www.dell.com/en-us/shop/alienware-34-curved-gaming-monitor-aw3418dw/apd/210-amsv/monitors-monitor-accessories |
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Post by Coolverine on Sept 23, 2018 13:30:18 GMT -5
Now that you mention it, I did see some reviews about the base being not so great. Right now I have a 25" Asus LED monitor and a 23" Dell LED Monitor, neither of them have that issue. I've even tried to shake my desk somewhat and it takes a lot to make them budge. For a $350+ monitor, I would definitely expect a better base. Even in the pictures, the part that connects the actual monitor to the base looks very slim.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 24, 2018 14:24:42 GMT -5
Now that you mention it, I did see some reviews about the base being not so great. Right now I have a 25" Asus LED monitor and a 23" Dell LED Monitor, neither of them have that issue. I've even tried to shake my desk somewhat and it takes a lot to make them budge. For a $350+ monitor, I would definitely expect a better base. Even in the pictures, the part that connects the actual monitor to the base looks very slim. Well, it's technically a different monitor (smaller) than the one I tried. You could always try it and return it if there's a problem. But note, Best Buy will cut you off from returning items, if you return over a certain amount. They issue you a receipt with a warning on it, that they may reject your next return. This happened to me after I returned a big ticket item (Apple laptop) when I realized the ones sold at Best Buy weren't in Apple's original packaging (leading me to think they're selling refurbished Apple laptops). Didn't matter to Best Buy that I didn't open it. |
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Post by Deleted on Sept 24, 2018 14:29:55 GMT -5
If the monitor had VESA mounting holes on the back, another solution could be to purchase an aftermarket stand or desk attachment. However, looking at the specs on the product page at Best Buy, there's no mention of this monitor having VESA mounts.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 3, 2018 18:04:40 GMT -5
Dell G-Sync monitor on sale (over 40% discount) through tomorrow, Oct. 4th. That's probably the cheapest price I've seen for a G-Sync enable monitor. It has a TN panel, which has gone out of style. But w/ 1ms response, QHD 2560 x 1440 at 144 Hz... gaming monitor specs. Includes 3-years exchange service warranty. deals.dell.com/productdetail/16k6 |
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Post by Coolverine on Oct 3, 2018 20:41:53 GMT -5
Very tempting but I just made a car payment (almost there), so I can't spend that much money again for a while.  Financing it is also tempting but Dell has ridiculous interest last I saw. |
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Post by Deleted on Oct 4, 2018 9:38:59 GMT -5
I used their no interest 12-months financing when I purchased a Dell laptop last year. Made the minimum payments for a while... then paid it in full the month prior to promo expiration date and paid no interest.
It seems that all of the non-major credit cards/financing have ridiculous interest, if not paid off within the promo period. Interest accrues during the promo period and you have to pay all of that back interest, if not paid in full before the promo expiration date. So yeah, you have to be extra cautious with this type of credit/financing.
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Post by Cop on Oct 4, 2018 9:39:37 GMT -5
I've never had any real interest in these retro consoles (especially not with the games line-up they ended up with (snes, I'm looking at you)) until this one came around:  |
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Post by Coolverine on Oct 4, 2018 9:53:33 GMT -5
It is possible to hack these mini consoles to add more games, it's pretty easy too. All you have to do is connect it to a PC via USB (the power cord is just a mini USB cable with an outlet adapter) and then there's a program you run on it. I haven't done it yet, but I heard it's also possible to undo the mod too.
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Post by ForRealTho on Oct 4, 2018 19:18:21 GMT -5
I've never had any real interest in these retro consoles (especially not with the games line-up they ended up with (snes, I'm looking at you)) until this one came around: NeoGeo was godlike back in the day. I remember going to Red Robin and spending 5$ in quarters on Samurai Shodown 2 and others. I knew one kid whos dad actually bought the crazy home system with the $200 games. Talk about a spoiled kid. |
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Post by Deleted on Oct 5, 2018 8:59:09 GMT -5
I've never had any real interest in these retro consoles (especially not with the games line-up they ended up with (snes, I'm looking at you)) until this one came around: NeoGeo was godlike back in the day. I remember going to Red Robin and spending 5$ in quarters on Samurai Shodown 2 and others. I knew one kid whos dad actually bought the crazy home system with the $200 games. Talk about a spoiled kid. It's probably the best console with all (or mostly) sprite-based games. I couldn't afford the home console either. But I can say probably the best because they (various peoples on the internets) say the home games were close replicas of the arcade games. Some of us briefly discussed/debated NeoGeo in another thread some months ago, with someone saying NeoGeo's home console was a failure. I researched it and their home system w/ crazily priced games was profitable for many years (about up until the release of PS1, as I recall). |
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Post by Deleted on Oct 9, 2018 22:21:31 GMT -5
It is possible to hack these mini consoles to add more games, it's pretty easy too. All you have to do is connect it to a PC via USB (the power cord is just a mini USB cable with an outlet adapter) and then there's a program you run on it. I haven't done it yet, but I heard it's also possible to undo the mod too. It's nice that Nintendo looked the other way about downloading additional games and didn't attempt to make the consoles hack-proof. The other major plus for official Nintendo NES/SNES classic consoles is that they got the emulation right. The games look and play pretty much like they did on the original hardware, as far as I can tell. I read a review about the classic Megadrive/Genesis (made by AtGames), which said that it has framerate/stutter issues. Also, ppl say that the sound/music isn't emulated very well (of course, this is probably the case with all Sega Megadrive/Genesis emulators, even when played on PC... because they say the Megadrive's Yamaha sound chip is very difficult to emulate). However, it does have a few nice features that Nintendo could take note of and include if they ever redesign/re-release their classic consoles - i.e. a decent selection of games (81 games), cartridge slot for playing original cartridges, original controller ports... |
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Post by Deleted on Oct 9, 2018 22:40:58 GMT -5
I've never had any real interest in these retro consoles (especially not with the games line-up they ended up with (snes, I'm looking at you)) until this one came around: Wow... Excellent design for a mini-console. I see that it even allows connecting accessories/controllers and hdmi tv output. "Designed" and "produced" by SNK, so its quality should be great. Probably expensive too, but I'd rather pay more for quality than less for disposable junk. www.snk-corp.co.jp/us/neogeomini/ |
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Post by Deleted on Oct 9, 2018 23:03:29 GMT -5
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Post by Deleted on Oct 11, 2018 12:24:14 GMT -5
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Post by Deleted on Oct 11, 2018 18:35:33 GMT -5
I thought about getting one of those LG OLED TV's, but (aside from the price) after reading about the problems they have with image retention, I'm glad I didn't get one. They sure do look great though. I'm very happy with the Samsung TV, I don't think I have anything that uses the HDR but Steam Link streaming on it is great. It even upscales, although the picture quality looks a little washed out (but still looks great) compared to my monitor. I might get one of those Samsung QLED 4K monitors, the prices aren't too bad last I looked. I think my PC specs can push 4K gaming just fine (Ryzen 7 1700, 16 gigs of DDR4, and a GTX 1070). I've found out that some of the Samsung TV's are equipped with AMD Freesync (more or less similar to Nvida's G-sync, a feature that smooths out framerates). Here's the least expensive model that I've found with this feature. www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1393509-REG/samsung_un49nu8000fxza_nu8000_49_4k_hdr.html/?ap=y&c3api=0272%2C272650057352&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIle_DzMD_3QIVF5OzCh22FAX7EAEYASACEgLj0vD_BwEMore expensive QLED models have the feature also, but quality is only marginally better and probably not worth the price difference. www.rtings.com/tv/tools/compare/samsung-nu8000-vs-samsung-q6fn/586/623Currently, the only game consoles that support it are Xbox One S and Xbox One X. As well as support for PC (w/ Freesync enabled Radeon gpu's). Supposedly, PS4 Pro & slim have the hardware capability to support Freesync, but don't because... Sony. The feature has yet to be unlocked by Sony (through a system software update). |
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