What Is Classic Gaming's Greatest Need?

[blainelocklair]

Hi everyone!

 

I'm curious to know what you feel is our hobby's greatest need. Is it hardware or software? More conventions? Repros of original boxes and manuals? Modders? Homebrewws Just more enthusiasts everyday? What do you think our hobby needs most?

 

Thanks!

Blaine

[+Black_Tiger]

Accurate historical records.

 

Active dev communities for classic consoles.

[John Stamos Mullet]

Fewer opportunists trying to exploit people's weaknesses with shoddy retro-themed products that don't deliver and water down the hobby.

[VectorGamer]

More barcades with rare games and pinball.

[mbd30]

Modern alternatives to original hardware and CRT that give approximately the same lag free experience as playing on original hardware on a CRT. For example, the RetroUSB AVS is supposed to be close to that, as long as your display has minimal lag.

[derFunkenstein]

Fewer opportunists trying to exploit people's weaknesses with shoddy retro-themed products that don't deliver and water down the hobby.

 

This. It just needs more honest companies making higher-quality products, which people have proven to be willing to buy in smaller numbers, but they're generally loved and cherished.

[Flojomojo]

All I want is:

Changes to copyright rules to allow

above-board enjoyment of abandonware, emulation, file sharing, and modifications

of ancient software that is well beyond commercial viability

without fear of legal harassment.

 

Failing that, some benevolent Richie Rich to buy up the IP carcasses of zombies like Atari and Coleco and release them into the public domain.

[accousticguitar]

A 7800 flashcart.

[AtariLeaf]

Modern alternatives to original hardware and CRT that give approximately the same lag free experience as playing on original hardware on a CRT. For example, the RetroUSB AVS is supposed to be close to that, as long as your display has minimal lag.

My thought as well. I like where FPGA is taking us. I'd love to see a modern FPGA Atari that does the 2600/5200/7800 in one and maybe the 8bit computer as well. This why I'm supporting the Phoenix

I want to support endeavors like this

Edited November 6, 2018 by AtariLeaf

[youxia]

More retro gamers actually enjoying and appreciating retro gaming. Endless complaining about how this or that game, style, console/micro - even entire decades - sucked is a real drag.

[digdugnate]

i'm going to chime in agreement to workable hardware solutions that let us continue to play our cartridges/etc long after the original hardware has failed or gone away. i think it's a nice compromise between old gear and emulation

[Skippy B. Coyote]

Modern televisions that work with all light guns designed for CRT TVs. The light gun games on the NES, Genesis, and original PlayStation are the only reason I still use a CRT TV for gaming.

[mr_me]

All I want is:

Changes to copyright rules to allow

above-board enjoyment of abandonware, emulation, file sharing, and modifications

of ancient software that is well beyond commercial viability

without fear of legal harassment.

 

Failing that, some benevolent Richie Rich to buy up the IP carcasses of zombies like Atari and Coleco and release them into the public domain.

Coleco doesn't own any game IP.

[Gamemoose]

While it would probably be highly difficult to impossible, I'd like to see "recreations" of specialized arcade machines of the past. "Specialized" meaning controls or methods beyond just joysticks and buttons. Playing "720" with a spinner or joystick is nothing like playing it with its slanted stick-on-a-pivot.

 

The reason I say "recreations" is that eventually the real hardware is going to give up the ghost. The museum in town had an arcade exhibit with games that you couldn't see working or even touch. It was really sad to see something designed for play just sit there like a dead hulk of wood, metal and plastic. I totally understand the reason-the owner of the games didn't want something to fail in the machines, especially the more rare cabinets he had on display. However, arcade games are more than just a shell-they are a unique experience all their own. And with each passing day, we're losing that bit of interactive history.

 

So why not build machines that are recreations? Sure we have those "all in one" cabinets that are on the market but why not something more unique? A totally brand new, modern parts version of Pole Position? How about Paperboy? Or let this new gen of joystick jockeys try their had at Defender that was controlled with all buttons like it was originally?

 

Pie in the sky idea? Sure. But a man can dream.

[+GoldenWheels]

Modern televisions that work with all light guns designed for CRT TVs. The light gun games on the NES, Genesis, and original PlayStation are the only reason I still use a CRT TV for gaming.

 

I'd go a different (MAYBE more likely?) route...I wish someone (Namco) would design a "plug and play" gun which packed in old (Namco) classics. HDMI dongle plugged to your TV with the programs+a bluetooth gun with a camera in it's lens that basically "sees" where you shot on the screen without the flashing etc of older light guns.

 

Time Crisis, Point Blank, Vampire Night, Ninja Assault, with 2p compatibility, that would work on any screen from 19 inches to 160? Yes please.

 

Then maybe someone can hack it to play all the light gun games ever. From Virtua Cop to Duck Hunt.

 

WHY IS THIS NOT A THING ALREADY.

[mbd30]

I would like to see pinball make a big comeback with machines in restaurants, stores, etc. It's a tactile experience that can't be replicated at home unless you buy a pinball machine.

[Tanooki]

I would like to see pinball make a big comeback with machines in restaurants, stores, etc. It's a tactile experience that can't be replicated at home unless you buy a pinball machine.

It actually is, problem it's just slow and painful about it. Within the last decade roughly a few new companies have opened up and got a table or a few out at best, one off the top of my head is Jersey Jack. Some of them are all fresh, some also employ some of the old great designers too, and well Stern is still at it with yearly releases as well. The problem is finding places that'll buy them and either lease out the tables or directly place them in their own businesses as a number just are direct buys for home.

[Rick Dangerous]

A readily available 7800 flashcart and the XM

 

A retro gaming specific TV model

 

An easier/cheaper way to upscale to RGB

 

Less kickstarter/vaporware and more finished product. Shorter wait times for said product.

 

Better casing/media storage options available

 

Mostly can make do as is but the above would make life easier

[accousticguitar]

A readily available 7800 flashcart and the XM

 

 

[zetastrike]

Readily available Optical drive emulators for every CD based console, akin to Everdrives, would be my pick.

 

More wireless controller options.

 

Continued FPGA development for displays and scaling.

 

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-J727AZ using Tapatalk

[Reaperman]

We need a good, simple, inexpensive scaler.

 

One that doesn't get tripped up with resolution changes

One that can modify sync if needed

One that offers both integer and quality non-integer scaling at today's (and tomorrow's) resolutions

One that can rotate images for tate games

One that saves settings

One that may have an internal TV tuner, in addition to its other inputs

One that might even record footage internally or passed via usb

 

We have scalers that do most of that, but we need better than we have.

Edited November 10, 2018 by Reaperman

[Eltigro]

We need a good, simple, inexpensive scaler.

 

One that doesn't get tripped up with resolution changes

One that can modify sync if needed

One that offers both integer and quality non-integer scaling at today's (and tomorrow's) resolutions

One that can rotate images for tate games

One that saves settings

One that may have an internal TV tuner, in addition to its other inputs

One that might even record footage internally or passed via usb

 

We have scalers that do most of that, but we need better than we have.

 

Sang to the tune of "I want a new drug" by Huey Lewis and the News. =)

[Flojomojo]

We need a good, simple, inexpensive scaler.

 

I'm no engineer, but I have a feeling this is one of those "choose any two" situations.

 

You can have

good and sinple but not inexpensive

Good and inexpensive but not simple

Inexpensive and simple but not good

 

because if this were easy, someone would have done it by now, right?

[Reaperman]

I'm no engineer, but I have a feeling this is one of those "choose any two" situations.

 

 

It's worse than that. Even our most complicated premium solutions fall somewhat short on quality.

If there was a way to simply throw more money at the problem to get a better solution, I probably would have done it already.

 

My (admittedly weirdo) quality hangups aside, there are a lot of gamers using their HDTV's hardware for scaling, and they're getting a substandard experience. Taking care of the scaler problem, in a way that the more casual classic gaming fans can easily get their hands on, is classic gaming's biggest problem currently, IMO. We depend on display standards that are not a priority for modern displays, so 240p support is only going to get worse than it already is in the future.

 

The normies aren't going to plop down several hundred bucks, and sit through a series of scaler configuration videos, but if they see a good scaler at a booth in a classic game convention for $50, and can load up a bunch of pre-saved config profiles, that'd be a big win for continuation of this hobby.

 

Yeah, the FPGA systems really help out too, but we're probably never going to get a full set of those.

Edited November 10, 2018 by Reaperman

[Video]

Preservation. There are lots of these old consoles and games out there (appropriate crt s too) but an increasing number wearing out, being damaged, and way to few people that have a clue how to maintain or repair them.

 

I need WHAT resistors? This goes where? Where do I get this chrome switch? etc, etc.

 

Prepackaged kits can help, gamegears have had these for years. But that still doesn't help people like me who don't know enough about soldering, or maybe lack a steady hand, or maybe are just afraid of doing more damage to it than it already currently has.