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What game system(or computer) would you like to see most as a "classic mini" version?


bluejay

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Classic minis seem to be really popular these days. Pretty much all mainstream systems from the 80s(and early 90s) has been reincarnated as a working miniature.

What console would you like to see most as a classic mini version? To qualify, it has to be released between 1972 and 1999, and can't be some obscure console only released in Brazil. Also, bonus points if the original manufacturer is still around today.

Personally, I'd love to see the Apple II series re-released, as well as the Tandy Color Computer series. These are computers that a lot of kids had back in the day, and both of them have a great game library, although the CoCo lacks most mainstream games.

Also, I can't imagine why Nintendo won't make a Gameboy and N64 mini. It would earn the company so much money!

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I'd like to see an N64 (and I think we will... next year).  Mostly because the number of gotta-have-it titles are so slim, that if it shipped with 10 essentials and you could side load another 8 ROMs of your own.... that would essentially eliminate any practical need to have the real hardware.  
 

I have similar feelings about the original Xbox.

 

I'm not sure if there's anything else I'd want that hasn't already been offered.  

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1 hour ago, godslabrat said:

I'd like to see an N64 (and I think we will... next year).  Mostly because the number of gotta-have-it titles are so slim, that if it shipped with 10 essentials and you could side load another 8 ROMs of your own.... that would essentially eliminate any practical need to have the real hardware.  

Hmm.. What would the N64 mini have?

It's gotta have SM64, Mariokart 64, Ocarina of Time, Majora's Mask, Goldeneye, DK64, Banjo Kazooie, Starfox 64, Mario Party, Super Smash Bros., Doom 64... I'd say have around 15 games and the option to load a few more.(seeing how the N64 has lots of controversial games, if the N64 had 30 games, some people will love it, some people will throw it in the garbage.)

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Honestly it's not a system, don't think I could see a good path to value on much of the others still aside from maybe just maybe the Master System or N64, but it's a push.  The SMS had some solid games, but enough also whittled their way between it and the GameGear and there is a closed GG/SMS handheld that has been out there refreshed(shell, not emulation as it's good) over a decade now.  N64 the problem is licensing, filling out at least 20 games that aren't just Nintendo will be tough depending because a lot is just fuzzy between Rare being stuck and other companies just dead.

 

I think if you wanted the most possibly successful shot at another of those systems, go handheld...go all things 8bit Gameboy (DMG+Color) and like some of the awful existing handheld devices out for years, a little port to jack it into the TV using a mini-HDMI to HDMI cable.  Look at the cheapo $20 handhelds Basic Fun ddi with Carmen Sandiego and Oregon Trail, they're mostly empty space bloated bricks but have a good colorful poppy LCD that doesn't bleed or streak.  Now imagine Nintendo taking a crack at that, stuffing maybe 30-50 GB+GBC games from them and their licensees.  I challenge anyone to struggle in all fairness (having been a GB fan) to come up short.

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The licensing is not the only issue for a N64 Mini; the controllers would cost a lot more to produce again than the NES/SNES ones. And given the multiplayer aspect of the system, it would be better to have at least two of them in the box. I'm surprised there's not a Game Boy Mini yet, though, but I guess Nintendo is focused on the Switch now.

 

A Vectrex Mini would be awesome, especially if it can have a real vector display. :)

 

Also, I demand a handheld ZX Spectrum, since I already paid for it a few years ago. -_-

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As the mini concept's first base of customers is nostalgia, I would have to go for an amstrad CPC line. It could mix a bit of 464 and 6128 line, and have the 3 exclusives from the GX4000. Options to have original palettes and expanded would be a nice feature too. Might be too much to ask for hardware scaling/sliding but it would probably help improve a lot of games! If taito was up for having some of their games on it too it would be great for me at least. 

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1 hour ago, Keatah said:

I would say PC. Though in a way they already exist if you think about the uber-small form factors like Intel NUC and R-Pi running Linux. Load it with emulators and PCEM, MAME, Altirra, DosBox, Stella, VirtualBox. And more.

I would add a mini-game every time you launch a game, where you have to guess if you need EMS or XMS, then choose what driver you give up to free enough conventional memory. That way, people would have some idea of how fun DOS gaming really was... ;)

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8 hours ago, roots.genoa said:

The licensing is not the only issue for a N64 Mini; the controllers would cost a lot more to produce again than the NES/SNES ones. And given the multiplayer aspect of the system, it would be better to have at least two of them in the box. I'm surprised there's not a Game Boy Mini yet, though, but I guess Nintendo is focused on the Switch now.

 

A Vectrex Mini would be awesome, especially if it can have a real vector display. :)

 

Also, I demand a handheld ZX Spectrum, since I already paid for it a few years ago. -_-

Would the controllers need to be anything more than Wii Classic Controllers in a different shell?  Those have been known to be $10 each.  Granted, you would need four of them.

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PC. I think it would be awesome to be able to play, say, Castle Adventure, SkiFree, and Quake on the same system, at proper speed, at basically the flick of a switch or a few keystrokes.

 

A thin client-sized, preferably '90s-looking PC that boots to DOS (or a clone...because licensing) from an SD or CF hard drive loaded with various freeware titles, maybe with a second SD slot to simulate a floppy drive. USB for keyboard, mouse, and external CD/floppy (user must supply). Maybe OS and clock speed are switchable in BIOS during startup (or hell, even toggle switches at the back?), or on the fly via an Apple IIGS-style Control Panel menu to maximize and simplify compatibility across 286-486 DOS and Windows games.

 

You can basically already do this with any thin client (or full-size) PC, to a degree, but it requires a little more tooling around than most people are probably willing to do.

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4 hours ago, godslabrat said:

Would the controllers need to be anything more than Wii Classic Controllers in a different shell?  Those have been known to be $10 each.  Granted, you would need four of them.

The whole point of mini consoles is to recreate the original controllers faithfully. They didn't even add a menu button on the NES and SNES Mini controllers and you have to press Reset on the console to save or change game. And that's also why the Mega Drive Mini had three-button controllers which people remembered more than the six-button ones.

My point is the N64 controllers are really big, with a specific analog stick that they don't produce anymore. I think they would cost at least $20 each. With two controllers it would be difficult to sell the system less than $100, but the SNES was already $80 if I'm not mistaken.

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17 minutes ago, roots.genoa said:

The whole point of mini consoles is to recreate the original controllers faithfully. They didn't even add a menu button on the NES and SNES Mini controllers and you have to press Reset on the console to save or change game. And that's also why the Mega Drive Mini had three-button controllers which people remembered more than the six-button ones.

My point is the N64 controllers are really big, with a specific analog stick that they don't produce anymore. I think they would cost at least $20 each. With two controllers it would be difficult to sell the system less than $100, but the SNES was already $80 if I'm not mistaken.

Nintendo is better off re-releasing their first-party N64 games on the Switch anyhow. Then they don't have to invest in "old" controller tech for a mini, which as you said would drive up the price tag significantly.

 

Theme-colored Game Boy Minis would make more sense, IMHO. Something like:

 

Red GB Mini: Collection of Mario-themed and Wario-themed GB games

Green GB Mini: Link's Awakening and both Oracle Zelda games, plus perhaps a few third-party extras like Final Fantasy Adventure and Crystalis.

Blue GB Mini : Miscellaneous collection: Pokemon Yellow, Metroid II, Kid Icarus, Game & Watch Gallery, Alleyway, SolarStriker, Kirby, etc.

Yellow GB Mini: Collection of Donkey Kong-themed GB games (Donkey Kong '94, the three Donkey Kong Land GB titles, and Donkey Kong Country GBC)

 

Nintendo would probably come up with a different lineup of games for each color, but you get the idea. Offering different GB Mini colors with different games for each color would drive the "gotta have 'em all" hype machine, especially if Nintendo managed to keep them cheap, like no more than 30 bucks each.

 

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