madhatter667 Posted March 17, 2016 Share Posted March 17, 2016 Hello all. It's been a little bit since I posted. I do that. Been digging on Facebook more than the boards lately. I drift back and forth on my opinions of emulation. Always seems like cheating. Lol. I have friends that would argue that the PC is the master race. Lol. I have in my time owned a lot of different stuff. Not nearly to the point of "everything," but a fairly sizeable chunk of systems. I moved a few years ago, and a)I lost a lot of software, and b)I sold a lot of game stuff to help make space, and cover some much needed funds. I have mad seller's remorse. No. Really. I kept my 2600, 7800, 8 bit computers in terms of Atari. Kept NES/Famicom, SNES, GC for Nintendo. Kept my PS2 for Sony hardware. Sold off Lynx, Jag, ST computers, PC Engine/TG16, 5200s, DS, downsized the NES/SNES collections to fit in one large bin instead of two. On one hand, I don't have the space for what IS left right now (a lot of it is stored away), yet I still get the itch to play a lot of it. Enter emulation? I have the HDD space on my computer. It takes up no extra space. I have found decent ones that function with Win10. I know there are plenty of guys on here that emulate. Configure a game pad and rock out? Does anyone suffer from "but this isn't real!" like I do? Lol. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clint Thompson Posted March 17, 2016 Share Posted March 17, 2016 Sounds like you sold off a lot of the good bits... are the games really taking up all the space or is it the consoles themselves? I would just flashcart everything, offload the 2600 - keep the 7800 and one of the Atari 8-bits. Lot of the NES and 2600 games I do on the Dreamcast - plus, there's the Dreamcast games. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keatah Posted March 17, 2016 Share Posted March 17, 2016 (edited) No. The advantages of emulation far outweigh the disadvantages. See some of my posts that discuss it at length. And revel in the hate that flows forth from the purists! Emulation is not for everyone. But those that embrace it will be rewarded handsomely by the additional capabilities, conveniences, and performance it offers. Edited March 17, 2016 by Keatah 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
madhatter667 Posted March 17, 2016 Author Share Posted March 17, 2016 I sold a lot of the stuff that I knew would make me money. The 2600/NES/SNES stuff is childhood. Lol. The PSX/PS2 stuff is personal resurgence. I should have never sold my Lynx collection. I get the point of "Keep the 7800." However, I still own the Jr that we got to replace our heavy console when it fragged. I also have a Sears heavy sixer, and a very clean Vader as well. In the 2600 collection, I have hardware revisions. Lol. I may have to take a more critical eye to some of it once space is available to set it all up again. I sold my Dreamcast when I moved as well. That was a pretty neat console. Shame it died like it did. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shift838 Posted March 18, 2016 Share Posted March 18, 2016 Some like me is always torn between the real hardware and the emulation world. Where on one hand I love the nostalgia and real feel of working with older systems. But when it comes to do something quick i tend to boot up an emulator. Now one of the advantages I like about the emulators is you have at your fingertips without taking up any extra space is most of the peripherals that were released for whichever unit you are working on. Hardware that could be (for a particular system) very hard to come by today. I like both. Since have not been able to score me another Myarc Geneve (sellers remorse on the one I sold a few years back). I have opted for emulation for that piece and now I am running a first emulated BBS for the Myarc Geneve. I know there are a few Atari BBS that are running on emulated systems. But this was a first for the TI and Myarc Geneve community. Now I just need to get my hands around the Atari and learn it. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keatah Posted March 18, 2016 Share Posted March 18, 2016 Try Altirra for 8-bit emulation. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shift838 Posted March 18, 2016 Share Posted March 18, 2016 Try Altirra for 8-bit emulation. yup. I'm using Altirra for a 130xe emulation. Have a few hours of messing with it I was able to get it figured out of emulating a serial port and modem and can now use Ice-T and Bob Term to call telnet BBS. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
madhatter667 Posted March 18, 2016 Author Share Posted March 18, 2016 Out of what I have so far, I am really liking Magic Engine for TG16/PCE (a game system combo I wish I never sold, had TG16, and a PCE Core), and BlueMSX for MSX emulation. One of these days, I kinda want to add a real one. Some of my images don't work though, not sure if that is an emulated machine/bios issue, or if I am not loading the image in the correct manner (if it needs a special cart to run). I'll get it worked out the more I mess with them. I can see how the MSX and Famicom were competitors. Lots of similar titles, and a similar capability in terms of output/display. Some titles are shared across libraries too. Still pretty rad. I need to get a USB adapter and configure a controller. I'm sure the experience will greatly improve from there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keatah Posted March 18, 2016 Share Posted March 18, 2016 Emulation and PC-side utilities are invaluable enhancements for your real hardware. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
madhatter667 Posted March 19, 2016 Author Share Posted March 19, 2016 Ordered myself a PS2 to USB adapter. This was cheaper than getting a full on gamepad. I already own PSX/PS2 controllers. This should make playing on emulation much more enjoyable, and more like what I am used to when gaming (controllers vs. keyboards). Kind of excited for it. It's been a while since I have done anything hardware, or physical media wise for gaming. Think I can stand to put a little into it. Lol. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ricky447 Posted April 11, 2016 Share Posted April 11, 2016 Emulation is great, anything from Atari-N64 (Heck the entire library of games) shouldn't take up more than maybe 60 gb. I know for sure that the entire N64 library is 8gb, but once you get into GC, PS1,2 and up it gets a lot larger from there. I myself use both emulators and consoles depending on the games, that being said emulators are not 100% perfect and do have their fair share of glitches., especially N64, GameCube, and Wii emulation (From my experience) but nothing making the games unplayable (Except for onker's Bad Fur Day, their is a crash in post Project 64 1.6 updates that causes the game to crash) it's mostly just music not playing, slight graphical errors or just the controls feeling weird because of the Xbox 360 controller. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zetastrike Posted April 12, 2016 Share Posted April 12, 2016 (edited) I've found myself torn between emulation and real hardware. I only have a handful of sacred cow pieces of hardware in my collection that I'll never get rid of, the 800XL, GEN/SCD, 3DO, and Saturn. Recently I got into the PSP and use that to emulate some of the consoles I've sold in the past. I use my PC for things like the PC Engine, SNES, and Atari ST that the PSP doesn't handle as well. I ended up getting rid of my NES, SNES, PS1, and PS2. There's been times where I've contemplated getting rid of all the consoles that I can't emulate well enough, but I feel like I would kick myself for it eventually. Especially with how outrageously priced the A8bit series and 3DO have become, I'd never be able to get them back if I wanted them again. So it really depends on how attached I am to a system and how expensive is it to buy for it. Dropping the NES and SNES was a no brainer, as I wasn't enamored with either and games are too expensive. The PSP allowed me to play PS1 games more conveniently and the PS2 didn't really gel with me. OTOH, the VCS games are so cheap I couldn't not hold onto it. Obviously, emulation is perfect for those systems I don't plan on buying, like the MSX, PCE, ST, Colecovision. Edited April 12, 2016 by zetastrike 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+LS650 Posted April 12, 2016 Share Posted April 12, 2016 Do what you enjoy. Sure emulation has its place, and so does enjoying a 'real' console. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+LS650 Posted April 12, 2016 Share Posted April 12, 2016 (edited) ... Edited April 12, 2016 by ls650 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gentlegamer Posted April 12, 2016 Share Posted April 12, 2016 It was emulation that kept me from potentially becoming a "collector" in the late 90s, and the current environment may drive me back. I've always loved emulation, and it's even better now that there's USB adaptors for practically every classic controller to give playing the authentic feel. I started with NESticle, Genecyst, Magic Engine, and MAME. Funny how even emulators are now classic. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keatah Posted April 12, 2016 Share Posted April 12, 2016 I've found myself torn between emulation and real hardware. I only have a handful of sacred cow pieces of hardware in my collection that I'll never get rid of.. There's been times where I've contemplated getting rid of all the consoles that I can't emulate well enough, but I feel like I would kick myself for it eventually. Especially with how outrageously priced the A8bit series and 3DO have become, I'd never be able to get them back if I wanted them again. Yes. That is exactly how it is with my Apple II collection. I'd be lost and adrift without it. So many good and defining moments. So be absolutely certain you don't want X piece of equipment before getting rid of it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
madhatter667 Posted April 12, 2016 Author Share Posted April 12, 2016 I remember Nesticle. Was a pretty good one as memory serves. For NES I currently run FCEUX, unless anyone can recommend a better Win10 compatible that supports USB gamepads. Magic Engine runs on Win10, so I have that for TG16/PCE. I've never gotten rid of MAME. Specifically MAME 32, as I like the graphical interface. Other notables that I have gotten into are BlueMSX (until I can find/afford a real MSX2 machine), Speccy (until I can afford a Spectrum, or build a compatible from a kit)...I like these enough to warrant hardware. I still prefer hardware to emulation, but with say Arcade stuff... it sure takes a lot less space. Lol. I emulate very few systems that I either don't, or didn't own, and it's also something I've dabbled in over the years. I just never took it as seriously as my physical collecting habits. They are two very different beasts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gentlegamer Posted April 12, 2016 Share Posted April 12, 2016 Dump Windows 10 and use Ootake. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
madhatter667 Posted April 12, 2016 Author Share Posted April 12, 2016 I do more than emulation, so I won't be doing that. Windows still gets the most game love of all the OS out there. Ootake seems like it fires up under Win10 anyway. I'll try that out later, and see if I like it better or not. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keatah Posted April 12, 2016 Share Posted April 12, 2016 (edited) It was emulation that kept me from potentially becoming a "collector" in the late 90s, and the current environment may drive me back. Is that to say the current environment may push you further away from collecting? I started with NESticle, Genecyst, Magic Engine, and MAME. Funny how even emulators are now classic. I suppose it is entirely possible to become nostalgic for early emulators in their own right proper. Loved Nesticle and Genecyst as they were my first real exposure to their respective systems. But this flavor of nostalgia evoked by emulators is in a different way o-sorts. I hadn't thought about precisely why it is such. Once MAME's game count exceed the first 5 games I knew we were on our way. It was only a matter of time till all my arcade favorites became recreated through emulation. Games I swear I'd never ever see again when the arcades went out of business. I wrote and chronicled the atmosphere of that era in a series of essays which I believe are still someplace in my pile of 5.25" disks. editied for grammar Edited April 12, 2016 by Keatah Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
superwill64 Posted April 12, 2016 Share Posted April 12, 2016 I don't understand why people deal with absolutes when it comes to playing video games. I have original hardware, flash carts, real carts, a crt, an hd tv, emulation on consoles, pcs. It's all good I have my preferences when it comes to configuration though. I rather emulate on an hd tv due to input lag and not so great picture/scaling. At the same time, I have a nvidia gtx 760 bussed into a vga to composite converter that plugs into my 27 inch CRT! I play rage and other "current" games via big picture. I love it, looks great. I use coin ops a lot for emulating games sometimes if I'm too lazy to dig out a controller or adapter for obscure_system_x. Also, I like to use DOLPHIN VR to emulate gamecube games (specifically Zelda Wind Waker) on my oculus rift DK 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bretthorror Posted April 12, 2016 Share Posted April 12, 2016 I've got all my original hardware, but I'm almost positive I won't hook a damn thing up ever again besides for light gun games and Sega Master System 3-D. It just isn't worth the time when I can emulate all the classics in seconds in a variety of ways. I have all the USB adapters too, but I don't know if I'll ever use them. I wouldn't mind holding a legit NES controller again, yet at the same time, the Wiimotes I use for emulation are just fine. I've just about had it with cords everywhere. I just wish to God I wasn't so stupid when I was younger. For some reason until recently, I thought gaming on a PC was stupid and nerdy. If I was a bit less bull headed, I'd have simply had a PC running emulators with VGA and a set of speakers hooked up to the computer and been done with it long before I started buying every console I could get my hands on. Hell, if I'd have known how easy it was to run NES/Atari/Game Boy/Game Gear/SMS on DC, it'd have been extremely helpful. Plus, things like save states, easily putting in Game Genie/Action Replay codes and not having to get up to switch out games really has a positive impact on the games I play. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keatah Posted April 12, 2016 Share Posted April 12, 2016 When you look at the PC from a tech-systems point of view, it's pretty awesome hardware. Just packaged in a nerdy dumb beige box. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gentlegamer Posted April 13, 2016 Share Posted April 13, 2016 Is that to say the current environment may push you further away from collecting? Yes, I'm being cured of seeking the "real thing" because the hobby is now collectarded. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keatah Posted April 13, 2016 Share Posted April 13, 2016 Hah.. Makes me think that gamers are smarter than collectards. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Like us on Facebook
Follow us on Twitter
AtariAge on Instagram
Watch us on YouTube
Chat on Discord
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.