วีดีโอ

The game debuted on Amiga and arrived on PC MS-DOS a year after. I remember watching Micro-Kid's, a popular French TV show, where contestants competed against each other playing this very game to win coveted game consoles. As a PC owner, I couldn't help but envy the Amiga!

@@retrobecanes THX for the info... And thank God there are Amiga Emulators... WinUAE is great!

Hey! Thank you for this extensive and very insightful comment! Love the contribution from the community. The Satellite Pro is great, I got the chance to review a 425CDT - non MMX though, but the graphics and sound subsystems are great th-cam.com/video/33DruS8bL5Q/w-d-xo.html. I don't have an LTE5000 but I do have some 7000s - btw I reviewed Pentium II 7400 and 7800 in this Video th-cam.com/video/a9gDwVASAXs/w-d-xo.html . They have hardware wavetable that works in pure DOS. Make sure to check my playlist - I'm currently reviewing a Gateway Solo 2200. It has a CT65554 and ESS hardware wavetable.

Hi, it's Moonstone: A Hard Days Knight. Available on GOG

MakoPad SV-234 by Interact - 15 pin game port

Thank you but unfortunately I already figured out what gamepad you use before you replied

Thanks for pointing out the Cardbus...and also thanks for watching it all until the very end to Jill of the Jungle. I'm impressed tbh 😀

Hello, I used the drivers on VOGONS, try these. Graphics: vogonsdrivers.com/getfile.php?fileid=1026&menustate=18,1 Sound: vogonsdrivers.com/getfile.php?fileid=1064&menustate=0

Haha, it's a sign!! I'm so envious tho!

Yeah, I upvote for a VEXP version for S3!

I concur with your perspective. Also, mobile versions of CPUs, RTX and RX are cut down versions of their desktop counterparts, and pricier. However, when it comes to retro DOS gaming, finding a machine that can also run at 286-level performance, support legacy ISA sound cards, and VESA graphics. To play the full range of classic DOS games, multiple machines may be necessary to match 386, 486, and Pentium performance levels. Assembling a desktop for this purpose has become increasingly costly due to rare parts. On the other hand, outdated corporate laptops offer a compelling alternative, providing the required performance and compatibility at a fraction of the cost.

Not really. Did you run setups /s with the "s" switch before launching the games?

It's amazing how they figured this out! I wonder how many laptops were harmed in the process.

It's my good old trusted Panasonic LX100 Mk1, shooting at 4K - it can focus at an incredibly close 3cm and has a super bright f1.7 - f2.4 versatile 24-75mm Leica zoom lens. I love it!

That would have been awesome. After opening the laptop, I saw the CPU is soldered. I also doubt that the BIOS will recognize it.

Indeed! Intel started moving to the Pentium 2 after their Desktop Pentium 233Mhz. It's a shame that AMD K6 2+ laptops are not as common. They allow multiplier adjustments via software - great for those sensitive games in pure DOS. Last time I had my hands on a AMD K6 2+ laptop, I was so disappointed - the screen was horrible! (th-cam.com/video/ZrUg90379MA/w-d-xo.html).

I never thought about Dothan and Barton. Thanks for the suggestions, I need to look more into them. I have an EDEN and VORTEX board laying around. They will be great to test and review once I'm done with this Laptop series! Stay tuned!

This is the ultimate combo! Best of both desktop and laptop worlds. I’m envious!

As I make progress, all seems to indicate the Pentium MMX is the CPU to go to for pure DOS gaming because the granularity of performance tuning. Unlike the pentium 2, which can be tuned to only low end, and high end performance. Check my review in episode 10 if you haven’t yet. Cheers!

I’m the one to thank you for your support. Stay tuned for more to come. I still haven’t found the ultimate laptop for gaming in pure DOS. My quest lives on.

The connectors for the CMOS and Suspend-to-RAM batteries are accessible by removing the keyboard. Each connector is located above the touchpad area. However, replacing the batteries requires opening the bottom casing.

Hello, thanks for watching! I do have an SSD IDE, however, I tend to use the CF adapter mostly for my reviews as I find it more practical to transfer files from my card reader on my windows 11 pc. For my usage, CFs are more convenient, they are cheap enough to have a bunch of them loaded with different configurations. But yeah, for a more permanent computer, an SSD probably makes more sense.

Do you mean the gamepad? If so, it's the PC PowerPad Pro from Interact. It's also branded as Mako Pad. I do not have a Deskstation V+ to confirm, but the specification sheets of the 550CDT indicates that it is compatible.

@@retrobecanes I've got a v but not a v+ gotta keep searching....

Thanks for contributing these useful insights!

The polarizer going bad (vinegar syndrome) doesn't mean you have to buy some overpriced IPS mod. You can buy polarizer sheets new and replace them

@@Knaeckebrotsaege Oh yes, it's very easy to replace, and there's almost no risk of damaging the 30-year-old plastic flat that connects the display to the logic board.

@@magnatroxreciclagem9590 1hr of your weekend vs. 200 dollar janky IPS replacement. And these don't even use plastic flex cables for the display, so you even fail at being a smartass. GG

Hi, thanks for watching. The scope of the comparison in this episode is limited to the INTEL pentium. I should have indicated it more clearly. I also wish I could get my hand on a 300Mhz version, but they are almost impossible to find. I reviewed a K6-2+ 550 a while ago, episode 2, check it out when you get a chance. I really like this amd cpu, unfortunately the screen of that hp laptop Is terrible

Using an embedded P266MMX (also tillamook) on a Super Socket 7 board and doing a little mod to the CPU *will* show quite a bit of a performance difference.... considering it then runs at 400MHz on 100MHz FSB

Hi, thanks for watching. Graphics is the one thing that prevents Pentium laptops from being perfect. I’d love to have one with 3DFX voodoo

That’s a 15pin Gameport controller. It’s connected via the docking station.

That sounds a fantastic board that you have. Is it a 104? Indeed, tridents had a reputation of being decelerators, but very compatible.

@@retrobecanes Yes it is a 104 board. I went and checked and it's a "AAEON Gene-5310" I picked it up for $50 (apparently) in 2019, what a steal! While the trident blade 3d isn't something to write home about it is certainly serviceable especially with the P1 overclocked from 266 to 333. Really It just blows my mind that this thing can do accelerated direct3d at all in such a small form factor considering it's essentially a micro laptop board.

Amazing board! It even has an audio interface (albeit not in pure DOS). I have some SBCs laying around that I want to make a new series with...once I'm done with the current laptop series though. Stay tuned!

Hello, thanks for taking time to leave a comment. I agree with you, Pentium 1 class machines aren't ideal for windows98 gaming. For me, I limit its use to file transfers. Win98 has surprisingly excellent for machines of this era. Besides having to install NUSB and the WIFI PCMCIA drivers, everything else is supported out of the box from the stock installation files. Interestingly I didn't notice a difference when having the USB mouse though. Perhaps Toshiba has some trickery/specialized hardware for legacy support. Either way, often times slow is perfect for DOS gaming!

It is because internet explorer integrated into 98 shell explorer, you can use 98lite to tailor windows 98 hybrid with 95 explorer. 98lite trial with "sleek" option or 98lite full version with "micro" option will reduce resources usage. Windows 98 will run faster and smoother just like windows 95 with better usb support.

Thank you for the insight!

Sometimes just having the USB controller enabled can eat CPU cycles (though chipset+board design has an impact too) - even with CPU from the late 90's. Posted the results of the testing I did on Vogons a while ago.

@@dabombinablemi6188 Is that true on plain dos too? Or only when device drivers are loaded in Windows? I mean, I think that the "legacy mode" option in BIOS emulate a PS/2port for the USB input device but how that impact the performance vs the real PS/2 port? Or simply the input device is wotking in PS/2 mode as old devices were able to, and the USB port is polled as a PS/2 port (I mean in plain dos, with no device drivers or anything, like dos 6.22)?

Hey, thanks for pointing this out! I guess I need to clarify/specify it's in comparison to the Desktop...hmmm lemme try to figure out how to fix this: At least in the title & thumbnail.

@@retrobecanes No worries, you are still correct, it is the fastest MMX (a part of the chinese golden 300 MMX). There are a few tillamook some embedded for laptop or other application or desktop socket 7 format. Main difference between the Desktop MMX and Mobile MMX, it is the lithography, 350 nm vs 250 nm (same as Pentium II). The 266 Mhz Socket 7 version is looked after, because it does 400 Mhz (4X100) with some modification and a good Super Socket 7 motherboard. Still that laptop it is amazing! It keep it alive!

If I good remember, in my retro collection, I have IBM Thinkpad 380XD , witch have pentium1 MMX 266 CPU to.

The 380XD supports the P55C 266MMX indeed. The main differences are the Neo magic graphics, and FM sound chip - It uses Crystal Semiconductor, vs Toshibas that typically use Yamaha OPL3

Thanks so much!

Hey, I regret not buying more of these docks when they were plentiful a few years ago. They were regularly sold around $10! Last one I’ve seen was listed for over $200! VGA converters are hit or miss, and dependent on the computer. I have a bunch, some would work on certain systems, but not on others . I didn’t take the time yet to figure out why is the case. Anyways. Thanks for watching.

Merci!

Hi, thanks for your comment. I've been contemplating the idea for quite a while with the Toshiba PA2710U docking. While it's usable when attaching an external monitor, I couldn't figure out how to make the Voodoo/VGA passthrough to the laptop's LCD screen though.

@@retrobecanes I guess its impossible to use the internal screen for an 3DFX graphics passthrough (But I might be mistaken). I know that AGP and most definitely PCIe cards can share the framebuffer but I doubt thats the case for PCI cards.

Yeah, just plug and it works, you don’t need to disable the onboard HW midi. Both will play simultaneously, you need to use the SetupSA mixer utility to turn the onboard midi volume down

@@retrobecanes Ah yes you are 100% correct. I did a few things wrong. I had the midi cables backwards and I was using an under powered power supply which would cause the sc-88 to reset once midi data was sent to it. I was able to sort it out. I am new to having external general midi hardware. Rather exciting! It’s kinda interesting to hear both midi sources mixed actually.

Careful my friend! This is a rabbit hole :)

Hello, I've used mutiple pen drives and all seem to work so far, (2GB unbranded promotional giveaways, Sandisk Cruzer 32GB, Kingston 64GB, PNY 32GB, Card reader with 64GB Samsung microsd). I used the NUSB36e driver from @philscomputerlab www.philscomputerlab.com/windows-98-usb-storage-driver.html

That’s a steal! Congrats! Don’t forget to replace or remove the CMOS battery as soon as you can. They tend to leak and damage the motherboard.

They come in waves and indeed, were once the go-to models for corporate executives. A few months ago, there were still quite a few listed on eBay for around $50, but recently, their prices have risen to about $100. With some patience, though, you can still find them at more reasonable prices occasionally. However, even at these higher price points, laptops remain more cost-effective compared to building a desktop system with all the necessary components-though I'm not sure how much longer that will be the case.

Yeah, Toshiba’s choice of components is great for retro gaming. I’ve noticed that prices are creeping up faster and faster. Consider getting a Pentium MMX model such as the 400 and Tecra 500 series while they are still reasonably priced. Compared to the Pentium II models, they can be tweaked at a more granular level with Setmul

@@retrobecanes I actually have a small collection of these Toshibas, but the 4025CDT is the only one currently set up to do anything.

Hello! Thanks for taking time to comment. Indeed, SBEmu is a game changer! I've done some research on the EEEPC and it appears that SBEmu is compatible with many models and should be with the 901 hardware. However, there are some reports of graphics being stretched in fullscreen mode, resulting in a distorted aspect ratio (widescreen). This might not be an issue if you plan to use it on a CRT display. The best approach is to test SBEmu with the specific games you intend to play to see how it works out. Please let us know about your findings.

Thank you for your kind words.

Hello, That’s the very reason I turned towards laptops. At this time, you may find a decent one for less than $100. You get so much bang for your buck. I.e. pentium, monitor, Yamaha or ESS, keyboard, casing…! And they are not bulky too.

@@retrobecanes $100 is out of my price range

Your best bet it to visit an e-waste center. It’s possible to find sub $50 or even $10. Unfortunately, pentium class machines and below are becoming rare and commanding higher prices.

You're welcome! In fact, it's the valuable comments and feedback from viewers like you that help me include the most useful content for the community.