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Project Unity - 15 consoles in one!


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guy was pretty dedicated!

 

 

http://www.made-by-bacteria.com/unity.html

 

Unity crams a stunning 15 different consoles (including classics like the SNES and not-so-classics like the TurboGrafx 16) into a single, admittedly bulky box. The one of a kind entertainment center is the culmination of three years and $700 invested in bringing this dream to life. All of the hardware inside is either from the original consoles (no emulation of clone systems here!) or custom built -- such as the 16-position switch. And, it should go without saying, that it took a whole lot to get these gaming machines to share a single power supply, video cable and control pad.

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Nothing short of amazing. I am left wondering, though, how the newer systems he integrated like N64, Gamecube, PS2 and Dreamcast handled their memory cards for saved game states. I did not see any memory card slots in his unity console or the universal controller itself.

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For many years i've wondered and hoped that some talented dude would construct a unit that would play all 8 and 16-bit carts from all past systems - a rectangular box with a long row of cartridge slots with a common power transformer. No emulation, no hassle, just serious gaming without having to setup a new system to play a game. Would be a great space saver too.

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Well, it's a cool piece of "modification technology", but 3500 hours of labor is almost two man-years, plus maintenance looks like a nightmare especially if done by someone who didn't build it. Even if I could find someone willing to do the work for $10 per hour, assembly would cost $35,000 plus parts.

 

I also like the idea of having a single controller for everything, but still think I would prefer the touch and feel of original controllers. In addition, after ALL THAT WORK, there's still no way to play Kaboom with a paddle?!?

 

On the other hand, this box is effectively a prototype demonstration of what COULD be created. He used original electronics, but theoretically all the hardware could eventually be replaced with new, modern electronic hardware, either by duplication in miniature or by hardware (not software) emulation. Eventually, with a detailed schematic, automated design and fab facilities will allow this.

 

The missing piece, in my opinion, is the ability to plug in original controllers (and, of course, a price point that is not ludicrous).

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It's undeniably impressive. In many ways it's a dream mod.

 

But to go through all that effort to play the games with that awful controller seems a waste. Even still, the swappable controller carts is a really cool solution.

 

And did anyone else notice that despite having the incredible modded multi-system with PS2 compatibility, the person still had their slim PS2 hooked up?

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I find his bit about emulation funny, since you aren't getting the "real console experience" with that box either since the whole console is butchered up, you aren't using the original controllers, etc. In my eyes thats not better than using a famiclone or emulators or whatever, but whatever floats his boat.

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It's a lot better than emulation. There's no lag to speak of. The master controller is a different form factor, but electrically this thing is identical to the real thing. He's even using the original controller PCBs in the master controller. It's even closer to "the real thing" than using a 3rd party controller on an original system.

 

Can't say I'd mind replacing the 4'x2'x7' steel rack in my basement with one of these, but not at 3500 hours of labor. :x

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All emulators have lag. The question is how perceptible it is, and how much it affects your gameplay. I do agree that the universal controller isn't the best solution. I'd have used adaptor cables instead to keep the original controllers usable. There's nothing stopping him from doing that if he decides he wants to use the original controllers for some reason. But it's his baby, and it's certainly a creative solution.

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Wow... I do admire his skill and workmanship, as well as the ingenuity of his solutions. Not something I'd want for myself, but if he likes it, kudos.

 

That said... I'd rather spend 3,500 hours of my life playing the games than trying to re-invent the wheel.

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All consoles have lag too. everything has lag, nothing is lagless. with my emulators, there is no difference in latency from input to reaction than a regular console. Wasn't there a thread a while back that proved that stella has lower input latency than the real VCS?

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