My brain can't accept that PS3 and Xbox 360 are considered retro now. But I agree. The retro scene has changed. I would say it is more commercial. Back in the old days, it was mainly a hobbyist thing, and now major emulators are like companies with their patreons getting paid monthly. I'm not saying it is a bad thing; we wouldn't get such good emulators without this model.
I second this, a lot of larger company’s are trying to jump into the market, I can’t speak much because of NDA’s but yeah you lot are on the nose with the market trends on this topic
I usually consider a console retro if it is at least 20 years old. So, PS3 and X360 wouldn't be retro yet. But everyone has their own personal measure standard I think
Those systems is pretty much where gaming stops for I'd like a PS4 to play resident evil remakes but that's about it. And for the record I still have 360 PS3 and wii all with four controllers
The thing I love about your channel is that to me, all of your videos are like sitting down with the cool uncle to nerd out about something were both really passionate about. Please keep making videos for as long as you enjoy making them, I enjoy them so much.
My biggest frustration with "game collecting" is the people who got into it as investment opportunities, rather than people just buying the games to play them. Recent years (basically since covid) have seen prices skyrocket, especially with the influx of grading systems.
Yeah forget about playing the older Pokemon games if you can't pay some random dude $200 for Emerald or Black 2/White 2, Heartgold Soulsilver, I'm MORE THAN FINE playing ROMS on a cheap $20 DS flashcart instead or using any of the free GBA emulators that work great.
But the market seems to be ruined. Back in 2019 I had PS2s listed for sale for $20 with a controller and all, no one would even look at them. Nowadays others ask like $150 for the exact same thing, the result of which is that they sell even less. I don't care, I'm not even going to sell them. I was stupid back then, a game console has far more value to me than $20 or $150.
Buying retro hardware stopped being fun when prices skyrocketed a few years ago. Before that I used to find crazy good deals at thrift stores, but now they're all marked up to match online prices 💔
Yeah I don't think it's because people don't care about collecting retro hardware, it's purely because the costs are so much higher. People have less money, money is less valuable, and the prices went up. Simple as that. I buy broken consoles on eBay and sell them after fixing, and I can tell you that although inflation has decreased the value of money, I need to sell fixed consoles for less than I did 3 years ago because people just don't have the money the did in '21 and '22.
Prices have gone up for the consoles vs dirt cheap prices 10-15 years ago, but honestly consoles are still pretty cheap. I’ve picked up a few after getting a nice CRT. As long as you are fine not owning any original game carts it’s still a good time for retro (NES onwards) consoles.
The reason old hardware collecting has decreased is because the prices have shot up immensely. It used to be you could get a working Commodore 64 for $100 and broken ones were scrap prices. These days, a broken one is going for over $100, a working one over $200. Old PCs of the 386/486 vintage could be had under $100, now they're asking $300+ for them. And these are the common systems. Rarer systems like Amigas and Neo-Geo? Unless you are particularly rich, you're looking at $1000+ easily on the used market in reasonable working condition. If you manage to find one that's really good, they're $2000+ or $3000 easily. It's just not worth doing to spend all that money on it. And the sad part is, you know that stuff is just going to e-waste in the end because the sellers want too much money and the buyers aren't buying. So instead of say, reducing the price, it doesn't move and it just gets scrapped. Everyone saw the $1.2 million dollar Super Martio Bros game and saw dollar signs and assumed there's money to be made.
This is true, and sad. I used to be able to get parts units for next to nothing, now people think their broken, common junk is worth 80% of a good condition tested working unit.
At least in my town vintage PC asn't easy to find even if you can afford them. Been trying to find a ISA slot sound card for a slot 1 Pentium III I've built (my first retro pc build and only 2nd machine I've ever built) for my DOS games but haven't found anything yet. I fear fleabay may be my only choose... Hoping to find: A SB Pro2 Any SB 16 Or any AWE card though would prefer a 64
The prices are the worst part. I don’t mind most of the downsides, but nothing is worse than finding out about a cool PS2 game that I missed that would be totally up my alley - and it’s like $300+ used on EBay. Ugh.
Your telling me, wario world for GameCube like what??? For a GameCube game. Don’t get me wrong i love the GameCube #1 but sheesh the ps2 was the prom queen
@@EposVox Same, nothing beats playing on original hardware for me. With that being said I agree the prices are out of control. I remember back in 2015ish having literally no money and wanting to get into collecting. I was eyeing an original copy of Fallout for 80 dollars and couldn't get it. I thought well maybe the price will come down a bit. Now its like 500 dollars or something. It's just absolutely absurd. I still love collecting but it definitely feels like a business and not a fun hobby now.
The worst change is the cost. Gamecube games use to be pretty affordable not to long ago, now anything thats not shovelware is at least $100. At that cost a emulation can possibly save thousands of dollars to play just one game library.
Yeah, I remember collecting gamecube games 10 years ago because it was THE console I wanted as a kid, but my friends and I never had one. It was 25% of the price of a new game. Even twilight Princess, Resident Evil, Smash bros. Nowadays just getting a controller is hard, cant imagine come classic games
Yup. I also stopped collecting because of the absurd costs of GC titles. When a game that used to cost $3-$5 back in 2011-2012 now goes for over $200 for disc only... you begin to rethink your priorities. It's just not worth the investment anymore. GC games being susceptible to disc-rot is also a huge gamble to take when buying used. Local used game stores also suck for basically price-matching the shit that's already way overpriced online. It also didn't help that gamer TH-camrs began putting up the 'Current Most Expensive GC Games' lists... that only made the prices jump up further.
@@MetallicBlade TH-cam caused our downfall, but I believe since emulation is so big, people will stop seeking out physical carts and the price will go down again. Less demand means the seller will have no choice but drop the price.
I really wanted to play original disks on my Gamecube but the prices for games pushed me to just install picoboot. If prices ever come back to earth I'd gladly build up a physical collection but it's just completely not worth it right now.
This started way before 2021. In 2010-2014 you could easily find a complete (box+manual+game) Gameboy pokemon game for 20 bucks....in 2016 its was impossible to find that for less than 200 bucks. (same thing for the DS ones)
@@sb6482 I'd say that Brexit helped and the market shrunk. I used to get most of old games & consoles from the UK, but now everything that enters the EU from UK goes through customs and the price goes up even more. Not the only one that greatly avoids the UK sadly because of that :(
The prices spiked over a decade before that. In the early years of this century you could pick up games for pennies most of the time. It’s been a steady increase since then.
I think the problem so many collectors fall into is, well.. they're just collecting. It's not surprising so many people end up with walls of games they want to get rid of. I'm still just as into getting these games as I was when I was a kid, but I think the reason why is because I don't want all of them; not even close. I just want the games I personally loved and want to play again repeatedly, but in tangible form, and I want them in the best condition I can find them in. That's it. If most collectors out there stuck to something closer to that, I think there would be a lot less regret in the end.
i follow people who are obsessed with collecting more and more games every week from charity shops, clearly never going to play them as they collect far too many and so many crap ones. I'm like you, i just collect my all time favourite retro games i want to replay time and time again.
completely! When I started collecting 11 years ago, my mission statement was. "I want the all the good games". I've always bought games because I want to play them. I see no purpose in buying a game I don't want to play. I've never regretted my collection. The only exception is for the memes, like Bible Adventures (Which is fun to show people for the experience of it).
As long as people are into retro gaming and there is demand, the prices will be buoyed. Those 'investment' collectors push up the price of certain games, and of the whole market in general and the price of rare crap, but the core demand is just people becoming more interested in retro gaming. Keep in mind -- there are systems that sold badly, but have a better reputation in the long run (for example the N64 didn't do well, but still has many revered games today). Younger people who maybe never enjoyed those generations, maybe weren't even alive, want to play them. There's more people in the world, there's more people interested in gaming -- print runs for games were MUCH smaller back then. A big-name gaming sell 1 million units was a healthy success back then. But also, there are collectors who want to expand their horizons. I started out as someone who just wanted to buy the games I had as a kid. Then I wanted to buy the games I really loved but only ever rented. But then eventually I wanted to find games I had heard about and never had a chance to play, or never heard about at all but later read that they were good, and enjoy those too. I only ever bought games to *play* them, but even the market of "people who want to buy retro games to play them on retro hardware" has to be exponentially bigger than what it was when I started collecting in 2007.
This i partially why I never threw away any of my game systems; they're all in storage. I wish I had also saved my CRTs, but they were bulky and I honestly didn't think I'd miss having one almost two decades later.
Buckley, there’s a solution for modern TVs if you have a modern TV4 year old consoles such as HDMI converters which will actually improve the picture quality over the original CRT quality such as the retro tink or a good budget option is LevelHike which I for my Mega Drive.
I love gaming on a CRT because not only do you get that blending of color and pixels which improves the way the image looks, but the colors are so much better than on my HDTV. Symphony of the Night looks like a piece of art on my Trinitron over composite, while it looks mediocre on my HDTV over component. I think people obsess too much over PVMs and whatnot. Any consumer set from the late-90's on will look great, and there are tons of these still out there sitting in people's basements or in storage not being used. The 3 CRTs that I currently own all have great picture quality regardless of the input used and were given to me for free. I've had to turn down free TVs because I just have no room or the need for another one.
I also suspect that retro game appeal is partly due that the games where finished when released. You didn’t need to download a zero day patch. There was no login required. No purchase upgrades. No loot boxes. The gam eme was complete. I hate to see what will happen to games like modern warfare etc once that system has retired. Some games you have bought within the last 4 years probably won’t even run without the updates.
I used to watch videos where people would say "I got an NES for 30 quid!" and whenever I'd see one in the real world, you'd just see NESs for sale with no controllers, cables, or games and they would usually be over £200.
Where I live, NESs can be still found for around 50euros, but I have a feeling people are offloading NESs due to the generation that owned them are already getting too old to be nostalgic. Late 20s, early 30s folk tend to be the ones with most extra income to spend on extra stuff, so by that logic late 90s/early 00s systems should go up in price, and this actually is what has been happening. GBC/GBAs/Gamecubes have gone up in price quite a lot in the last 3 years or so. PS2 cant go up, because they made just so damn many of them. Over here PS2/PS3s are given away nearly for free.
@@wryyyy Retro systems rarely sell for a high dollar. I've seen so many clogging up my local marketplace in the $20-$30 range. NES, SNES, N64, GC, GB's of all flavors. All the common consoles they made millions of. Save for a few color ways these things are not at all rare. Games are way too expensive now to make it worth anyones time to actually buy them. The common person doesn't want to deal with flash carts or ODEs. I don't wanna deal with them taking up space so I stick to emulation.
@@wryyyyabsolutely not its people in middle age with secure careers, settled romantic life, predictable mortgages etc who are most likely to pursue discretionary hobbies like collections. 20 somethings are not being retro collectors. Sure maybe they bought a console they never got to properly play as a kid but they arent the ones dropping big money on cartridges that they could just emulate.
I enjoy contributing to the retro gaming community by uploading quality OST(s) for the Segs Genesis library. It's a simple hobby that's grown on me & seems to make others happy, its great.
Thank you for your service. Is there any way you can make your uploads available for download outside of TH-cam? TH-cam premium is required to download. A folder zip of all the mp3 files would be ideal to preserve all of these and preserve them independently from TH-cam platform.
thank you so much for your uploads, i'm literally always using them to listen to the osts of my favorite genesis games (i love socket's soundtrack). your uploads are some of the highest quality on the site alongside some pretty thumbnails which i really like. i appreciate the effort you put into everything
A lot that you're talking about I would call the difference between retro GAMING and retro COLLECTING. I used to collect back in the mid to late 2000s. I had to move abroad eventually, and in this move sold off most and began my full deep dive into emulation and setting up my machine as a retro gaming device with a proper front end. After doing this step, I realized I didn't really care that much for all the physical hardware and physical games. It took up a massive amount of space and prices were going up a lot. Not only is it more sleek, but I even have access to more systems than I ever did. With the current state of things, it's no wonder most people get into the gaming part, rather than the collecting part.
Learning to repair, upgrade, and maintain my retro game collection helped me build a skillset that has been invaluable in my career. I also genuinely enjoy maintaining my collection and playing my old games, and will continue to do so until I can't anymore. I'm pleased to see alternatives springing up and continuing to improve. Ultimately, this is the only way we will keep this hobby alive. I have largely stopped collecting the games themselves, with few notable exceptions. I'm much more focused on playing through my backlog, and otherwise using Everdrives to try anything else I might want to.
@@dragonroot2616 Start with simple soldering projects. I once got a "solder-it-yourself" kit of PCB and through-hole components for either Christmas or my birthday (and it went horribly wrong; I soldered all the components upside down, aka. the pins were through-holed on the wrong side of the PCB, please don't make that mistake 🤣). To start, you only need a soldering iron and some solder, both of which can be acquired cheaply. This is all you need to try these "solder-it-yourself" kits. However, if you need to desolder components, you'll also need some solder wick (essentially a copper braid that is extremely good at absorbing solder). Once you feel confident enough, you can invest in a proper 2-in-1 soldering station which includes both a soldering iron and a hot air. The hot air in particular allows you to remove components without getting rid of the solder. If, however, you don't feel adequately confident without some knowledge, I'd suggest watching videos from popular electronics repair channels here on TH-cam. My top suggestion is @Tronicsfix - for entertainment/edutainment (portmanteau of "entertainment" and "education), I suggest @Mymatevince and @TheCod3r.
I own quite a few retro consoles and restored many of them. And while I always considered myself a "purist" when it comes to retro gaming, I recently tried Batocera on a micro PC and it does make it so much easier to not only access my collection but it makes it easier for me to share it with my kids and switch between "game consoles" without the fuss of having all these systems plugged in. Also I find it helps me preserve the original hardware and not have my kids destroy them as I did with my friends as a teen. With the bonus of having it displayed on a 65" TV in the living room.
You're a little late to the emulation game but glad to hear you finally got into it. It is so much more convenient and just a better experience in most cases than using the original system. Especially with 3D systems like the Dreamcast,PS2,Gamecube etc... You can crank the resolution up to 1080p or even 4K and beyond and they look soooo much better than they ever could on the original systems. Stuff like Gamecube and PS2 can look pretty jagged and blurry on the original systems but in emulation they are smooth and crystal clear.
@@HerecomestheCalavera Hi! Well I had tried it before but as I said was always somewhat of a purist and wanting to experience it with the consoles. However, I do like Botacera and have it on a micro PC but it does have its quirks and many things to fix and fiddle with. I still have an issue with original Xbox that freezes in middle of a game. But when it works it's wonderful since I don't have to plug in the console, find the right wires/upscalers and also risk scratching my original game CDs. I guess in the end, there's fiddling one way or another.
@@RetroRepairGuy The original Xbox is a great emulation system for retro systems. Are you using CoinOPs? It is a must have imo. I have mine hooked up to a CRT with component cables and the games look great. You can get adapters for other controllers if you really need to but for me the Xbox controller works pretty well for almost all systems.
In general when it comes to emulation vs original hardware I see it as a matter of personal preference. In general when it comes to older systems I prefer emulation for the convenience, even if native hardware is the more authentic experience. While I'm not too interested in collecting physical games or hardware I do have a PS Vita and I'm also gonna get myself a 3DS for modding. Even if I have other means to play all this stuff it's still nice to have a more dedicated piece of hardware to do it.
We're fast approaching a time when original hardware stops being a viable option. Old consoles are failing. The supply of replacement parts and new-old stock is drying up. Many of the older disc-based consoles are being modded to use SD card readers, because getting the replacement lasers for the disc drives is becoming more expensive and harder to come by. CRTs are fast becoming a super rare luxury for people who demand the "authentic" experience. Emulation, be it software or FPGA, *is* the future.
Can you imagine gaming on "authentic retro hardware" becoming as expensive as owning and maintaining a classic car? Ok, maybe it won't get that expensive but it would certainly feel like an equivalent.
@@CyanRooper I wouldn't be surprised to see "completely refurbished Dreamcast, all new caps and laser assembly!" auctions pulling in several hundreds of dollars at some point.
Honestly, the romanticization of playing on original hardware is kind of comical when in reality a retro console is basically just a computer produced at the lowest possible price point and with the bare minimum acceptable performance to run games for a given time period. There are some exceptions - particularly from Nintendo - where unique hardware was an integral part of the experience (I'm thinking primarily the DS family and the Switch, the Wii really was just a cheap PC with a cheap motion controller) Anybody who has emulated DS games before know it's just kind of weird without the original hardware due to the multi screens primarily. Lots of games like DQ4-6 render across both screens and are hardcoded to account for the gap between the screens created by the hinge. I guess you can recreate it on a desktop by spacing out the windows and stacking but that's just weird as hell.
@androidaleccc Yeah. Sure playing NES games on a real system is more "authentic", but I can play all of those games on the same pocket-sized device I'm typing this out on. It's everywhere I go! That's way cooler than "Oh boy. Real scanlines!"
The thing is: everything became so expensive and second hand sellers think people are going to keep being desperate enough to purchase used items for twice if not three times the original price. People are finally figuring it out it’s no longer worth it and it’s better to emulate.
Exactly. FB Marketplace in my area has NES consoles and common game bundles and people are asking over $300. You can emulate NES on anything. It's not worth $300 for a flaky OG NES with Mario Bros/Duck Hunt combo.
Yes because people are using them as clout 'to prove they 're the bigger gamer' which is nonsense. No one cares that you have the first or second print of Zelda for NES.
Great how you covered every option that now exists. I'm a retro gaming purist for the most part, and as tempting as some of the alternatives are, I say if my original consoles and games still work, I might as well enjoy them to the fullest until they don't work anymore.
I'd argue that the biggest change that ever happened to retro gaming happened in late 2000s to early 2010s, when game publishers started to seriously see the commercial value of it. First pioneers were things like the first Virtual Console in 2006, launch of the original GOG store in 2008, and in a couple of years it all went into full swing with lots of remasters, official emulation, etc., eventually consoles like the NES Classic Edition going mainstream. You may see it as a good thing, as a lot of old games started to be _officially_ available again in one form or another, easily playable on modern hardware - or as a bad thing, as a lot of community efforts got taken down, original versions pulled out when remasters got released, and all that "selling the same game over and over again" stuff. But what is undeniable is that this shift in game publishers' attitude made the retro gaming landscape completely different. The concept of "abandonware" for video games died pretty much overnight (even though it is still alive and well when it comes to software that isn't games) and the discussion about video game preservation shifted gears and entered the mainstream.
Can't speak for Japan recently (I got some games for a steal via post) but for region free games which may have the same or better versions elsewhere, I recommend keeping an eye on international prices. A lot of people get absorbed in buying games for America just because they are in the states even though the PS3 was mostly region free and despite how easy it is to bypass region lock on GameCube/Wii.
@@thelastgogeta wow. That's interesting that you mentioned that. You know if money wasn't something I had to worry about. I'd buy my childhood atomic purple Gameboy color and relive my childhood favorites. But the retro game market in the United States is so ****** up it makes it so not worth the hassle for me including shipping on top of that. But mvg should me the analog pocket and my goodness! That screen is gorgeous! I'm tempted to buy it instead of the og hardware. An everdrive is pricey as well. But I feel I'd be spending a fortune on one God damn pokemon game alone.
I've been playing "retro games" /games I grew up with using emulation for nearly 10 years now, grew up with a PS1 and 2, still have them and their games to this day. Emulation has been such a great way to play them again with upscaled resolution, patches etc. I never owned any Nintendo consoles/handhelds growing up and being able to play them on my steam deck has also been really cool too! However I still use an actual 360 and PS3 for their respective exclusives instead of emulation with xenia and RPCS3.
To build on your point about leaning towards fpga/ software emulation more than original hardware: everything out there pushes us towards emulation. Aging hardware less likely to turn on by the day, the lack of marketplaces that are reasonable, your tv not having the proper ports for old hardware and needing an upscaler,etc etc. the choice is made for us , not by us for the most part
I partly agree. Some console and computer parts are truly ticking timebombs, and some parts are probably going to outlast all of us. I suspect most of the parts that are truly unique and hard to replace/replicate mostly fall into that second category. But right now there's still enough supply that a lot of people would treat a system not working as the entire thing being toast (or at least not being worth their time figuring out how to get someone to get it working). And yeah, I think FPGA (or vaguely similar hardware reproduction tech) will be the future, more and more. I suspect original hardware will exist for a very long time, but become more of a hassle over time, for all but the most dedicated archivists.
It's the ageing hardware, but it's also upsides of emulation i.e. all the features emulation offers - I had 3 PS2s and 3 dreamcasts that all eventually broke back when the emulation for those two systems wasn't great. As soon as I could play most of the libraries on my PC without that hassle, the emulation is now incredible, with save states etc, I knew I wasn't going back.
@@PrivateBenjamin-vw8xy 100% pretty much everything from the ps1 generation and newer can all be upscaled and for the most part are a better experience. I guess I need to get a Wii mote for Wii games? Pretty sick how you can use them with dolphin. With exception of Wii and Wii U… I’ve enjoyed everything on newer hardware for sure. Better in many ways and my only problems with Wii and Wii U is not having the proper controllers
I think in the US retro gaming and CRTs are still very popular. I do agree with your take that as emulation gets better and more accessible, it will definitely drive demand down on original hardware/software especially ones that have gotten very expensive; however, there will always be people that prefer original media
I started emulation in 1998 with some of the early versions of 8 and 16 bit systems. Surprising good performance despite being limited to my 200Mhz MMX Pentium. It went a very long way to me buying games, systems, and investing in my computer skills as much as possible. One of the smarter decisions of my young life.
I had a similar PC around 98/99 - a Pentium 233Mhz MMX with 16mb RAM. When NeoRageX was released, with near perfect Neo Geo emulation, I remember some heavier games taking as long as FIVE MINUTES for them to load 😂 (not to mention the horrible frameskip I had to set to make them playable) Such good times.
Romhacks, Mods and Translations Editing games and releasing patches is one of my favorite stuff that comes out of emulation in general. Sure editing games would be possible without emulation, but nowhere near popular or easy to use. I love trying out Romhacks that patches problems in old games, or add new levels and graphics, or changes the language from Japanese to English. It's like DLCs for old Roms.
I was really disappointed when one of the Romhack websites I was using stopped and shut down. I think they are great. Brilliant for translating Japanese only games. God sent developers patching in widescreen modes, or colouring in classic Gameboy games, effectively making them Gameboy Color games.
Great video Dimitris! My favorite things about retro gaming are reliving my favorite games, discovering things I missed along the way, and the tinkering aspect of getting everything working. I know your content is console heavy, but there's a ton of stuff going on in the retro computing space as well. SD card solutions for old PCs and micros like the Commodore 64 have been around for awhile now - and the make life so much easier for folks that use original hardware. Products like PicoMEM add memory, virtual hard and floppy disks, usb ports, audio, and a slew of other enhancements to old PCs. It's amazing what people are doing in this space with Raspberry Pi's and micro controllers, and it's only going to get better over time.
I agree, and this makes the fact that retro stuff is priced so highly crazy to me. Lots of the newer generations aren't particularly interested in retro collecting. So it's not like there's a huge influx of people that warrant increased prices for retro games. Even games with high print numbers are sold for outrageous prices just because of what they are. It's the same thing with vinyl records.
Emulation is gaining more popularity over Collecting/Real Hardware because the collectors/flippers have made it too expensive to enjoy retro games the way it was meant to be played. Maybe if the collecting market crashes we'll finally be able to play real hardware again.
Time also plays a part. The old systems used to be something many people had collecting dust in their basements and sold them off at commensurate prices. These days most of those old caches have either been sold off or trashed. The higher end collectibles have appreciated not just because of collector greed (though that has played a part) but also because of increased scarcity.
Emulation is the best fit for me: its VERY price competitive, and I don't need the tactile sensation of original hardware and controllers. You also have upscaling and retroachievements which improve my experience massively. The only items I would consider collecting at this point would be strategy guides.
The only problem with preferring a original hardware is the fact that digital roms will outlive the hardware and future proofing is essential to preservation, even the PS2 that sold millions will eventually dwindle away over time. Having the ability to play these games as close to the original hardware while also being compatible with modern TVs will help preserve the games, when the original hardware is lost technology.
Why would it become lost technology? If we can preserve the the digital information that makes up games, why wouldn't we be able to digitally preserve the means to make the technology?
@@DanSutherland the tooling was disposed of which is why newer cassette players are chunkier than the top of the line back in the day. Just because we have the designs for old CRTs doesn't mean someone will dedicate resources to restore those production lines in favor of newer technology. Like modern cassette players, clone consoles will cut accuracy for cost.
@@DanSutherland We could preserve the schematics, sure,but it's extremely unlikely that actual 1:1 replicas of old consoles are ever be reproduced. Even offical "clone consoles" are just emulation devices. Once emulation becomes accurate enough there is no profit in making a 1:1 replica when an emulation device is cheaper and easier to make. That said, I could have rephased it better. What I meant was the technology is infeasible to reproduce to the point the technology will eventually be unobtainable.
I remember being blown away by ps1 emulation circa 1999 and it was a secret superpower for PCs, its been onwards and upwards ever since. I love fast forward, rewind, save states and minimal to no loading times!
This is one of the best video on the topic that really captures what I'm feeling about retro gaming. I'm in the same boat as you ; I've been selling my entire collection of retrogames (and soon retrocomputers and soundcards) for some years now, save for some controllers (you can't emulate the feeling of them) and not currently emulated consoles like the Laseractive and the Vectrex (vector displays are unspeakably beautiful ; I didn't find any LCD/OLED display that could emulate such feeling in a satisfying way). Old controllers paired with a single FPGA console are the way to go for me and I'm happier knowing I have less stuff and that all the old hardware I use to own is now having a second life making people happy.
It's all I knew since childhood. I've been emulating since I was 5-6 being a pc guy and watching pokemon anime and sonic cartoons and sonic x anime I wanted to play their videogames which didn't exists in my country Turkey nor the consoles back in 2006 I found kega fusion, vba and sonic, pokemon roms on a turkish emulation forum and has been going since, then played ds games on no$gba because desmume was too heavy for my intel celeron ati gpu pc. I was even trying to emulate wii back in 2009 lol didn't go that well back then on my potato 2004 family pc.
@@cin2110 i remember struggling to emulate MGS1 and Crash properly back then with the epsxe emulator, who would've thought that we'd reach a point where not only we can emulate ps4 stuff but also upscale anything to look modernly.
Instead of fighting it, I'm glad Sega embraced it and publicaly hired the Kega emulator author. You can find Sega Genesis emulation everywhere, including on consoles nowadays
I have the best CRT for retro gaming... I have an old RCA 26" floor model... I'm 46, my parents bought it new in 1981... It still has amazing picture and sound.. I love it 😁
I think the biggest game changer for retro gaming for me as actually been through VR. Programs like Emuvr, New retro arcade neon and Retro Vr Arcade that let me create arcade or 90's bedrooms with very convincing atmospheres and CRT effects really scratches that itch for me.
As from someone from the U.K. retro gaming was not massively popular. It was out there but it's only in the last 4 almost, 5 years. Since 2020. Where a lot more people have come in the scene. As the prices of retro gaming has exploded over here. I remember you could walk into a store over here, 6 years ago and get a copy of Silent hill 2 for £15 to £20. Now it's over £70+. As I feel over here the scene is a bit behind compared to the states. As some retro gaming channels over here have only just started to get any sort of traction. Also prices for games over the last 5 years have indefinitely increased. I am glad I got what I wanted before that time. As I'd never be able to afford some of these prices today and it has only just started to become very hard to find anything in the wild and I've been collecting most of my life. What I'm getting at is that a lot of retro scenes are very different all over the world.
I used to visit regularly the Retro Gaming Expo (Replay) whenever it arrived to Manc or Bpool, and this was 2012-2018. Pandemic effectively shut it down, but by that point I had already moved out from the country. But still, in 2018 I could find decent priced games from their marketplace and retrogaming scene felt like it was thriving. Replay is now back up and running again I think. But I haven't made a trip to have a look at it.
@wryyyy Prices have to put it lightly. Apes**** this year. Especially PS2, 360 and PS3. Spiderman Web of Shadows on PS3 £85+. Forbidden Siren 2 £175. Tbh the list goes on. Stuff over here was normally cheaper but trust me in a few years, I bet will be up there with the states pricing.
@@invalidblackout 2010 or something, I walked past a local Blockbusters in UK, they had a Gamecube for 10quid in the window. For some unknown reason I didnt grab it. But it really shows how cheap stuff used to be. Then again, right now PS2 and PS3 consoles are given away nearly for free.
@@wryyyy Right, I'll bring you up to speed of here. CEX, it's a chain over here now. It centralised most of the gaming prices over here for a very long time. Surprised you didn't see one here, they're bloody everywhere and I mean it. I used to work for them during that time during 2018ish. Then, they got into retro when they opened many moons ago then after 2020, they got back in. They're predominantly a second hand store, like a pawn shop. However, not as skeezy, as they offer warranties. Hell, the warranty is after last month is 5 YEARS! No joke. During the Quarantines. People over here got bored. Realised retro gaming is fun. Wanted to get back what they had. Also, thrifts (charity shops) got wise and looked stuff online and you hardly ever see a game at all there because of it. Due to the fact it's good money and sell everything online now. CEX now controls the retro market over here and trust me, it's a thing over here. I swear some of the prices are ridiculous.
We were also more into computers than consoles for a long time so the retro scene was more focused around Speccys, C64s, Amigas, etc and with console gaming really kicking off with the PSX* it took a long time for consoles to join the "retro" scene instead of just being "old." *Yes the SNES was a big deal but the PlayStation moved it into the mainstream and not just something for kids.
One of the big reasons CRTs got so popular, aside from the ease of connecting older systems to them, was the latency. Even now it can be very difficult to know what kind of latency you're gonna be dealing with whenever you buy a new LCD/LED display, whereas this was never a factor with CRTs. That said, I'm kinda glad to not be dealing with CRTs anymore as they were stupidly heavy and power hungry, especially in larger sizes, but we really do need better transparency and measurements in terms of latency on modern displays. :/
CRTs are still popular to collect because of latency sure, but most people are buying them right now because of motion clarity. 60hz on a CRT looks insanely smooth and it cannot be conveyed over video. Sadly this motion clarity on 60hz CRTs only worked well when the game running on it was also 60fps, so it's no surprise that so many people abandoned CRTs for gaming in the late 2010s during the 360/PS3 era, when almost every game was 30fps.
But has a lot of problems, first is weight and space, then it's very old now and easily gets broken, the worst part for me is the frequency from tv, man it drives me crazy.
@@kamen226 30fps was already becoming the norm with the Nintendo 64 and PlayStation, which had 3D games that often rendered at 30fps or lower. Ironically, the Wii still had their first-party games run at 60fps.
We also nowadays have OLED technology that gets to near-zero latency with every iteration, and which will likely become the gold standard for modern retro gaming.
@@fujinshu It's important to note that a lot of latency with modern tech is not the panel itself, rather its the circuitry in the background which is delivering and processing the image. For my PC I am still using a Samsung P2350 23.5" 1080p LCD panel I got back in 2010 connected through DVI which has less latency than a 32" 1080p Samsung TV I bought only a few years ago WHILE said TV is in "Game Mode" connected through HDMI! :O
A retro game store near me is the type that has absurdly priced rare games like a complete copy of Earthbound that they just sit on for years because no one will buy it for like $1000. They flooded and a lot of it was ruined.
Better advice, never store anything important to you in a basement, even with a sump pump, you get humidity issues, bug and rodent issues, etc. Keep anything that can get water damaged in a nice room on your main floor, save the basement for storing big durable things.
Out of all the channels on this platform, MVG is the one that I instantly search for new videos when I hop on. I've said it before, a new video coming out is the equivalent of the teacher deciding to put on Bill Nye in class. I used this mans emulators on ogxbox long before this channel. What a guy.
Part of the appeal of retro gaming before was simplicity and value. You could get amazing games and consoles at yard sales for cheap then take them home and start playing without messing with settings, seeing if dlc is missing or downloading updates. Everything is already pretty pricy when everyone has access to ebay for price checks, but so many systems aren't reliable anymore. Systems like ps2 have laser issues while most cartridges have dead batteries. Some systems like the xbox or game gear are unplayable by default due to capacitor problems. Even if they work, many don't support the hdmi that has been standard on tvs for years now so you may need to also set up a converter with its own quirks. In comparison an always online console with digital games or gamepass seems like the appealing option for many.
I've stopped collecting old video games and switched to using a computer that emulates the systems I want. I'm storing everything in one place, with filters that accurately simulate the scanline of a CRT TV and good quality controllers for common systems, as well as wireless controls specifically designed for exotic systems like the N64 or GameCube.
Me too, I bought n64 8bit do wireless, game cube wireless, I also have the wii remotes so I can have a similar experience all in one place, on pc. Using a front end it feels like I am playing on a console.
I think Retrocomputing will split into 2 sections ; First, the preservation of the systems in working order ; purely that. The hardware is starting to stop working through sheer age, so preservation of real SID, VIC, Spectrum ULA etc will become paramount. The second is using ; playing or developing ; these will be done through accurate replicas, like Mister. I think the hardware will become too fragile to be used on a day to day basis.
I feel compelled to add that the main point of CRT for some is just to ensure motion clarity at 60fps. Even OLED isn't touching it at 60fps, even with BFI which has it own set of drawbacks. But I acknowlege that we are a small demographic.
Yeah BFI totally ruins the scaler thing for me. Just looks awful. If gamers wanna give up on CRTs for the scalers, thats fine, makes it easier for us to get moar crts
Yes - this and input lag reduction. Those of us who grew up with 8 / 16-bit systems and CRTs notice the lag _instantly_ on action / platformers and it is surprisingly joy-killing (at least for me).
@@asimplenameichose151 You're not alone. So many reviews of various setups and pieces of new hardware always gloss over the input lag, and at least for me, any input lag whatsoever is a deal breaker and as you put it, a fun killer. Much the speed-running community agrees.
@@ar-game-test Collecting games, physical or digital ROMs means they are probably never going to play most of them. No one has the time to play every game in a huge collection
@@ssjbargainsale The idea in the back of my mind is I'll have the option to play them when I retire or maybe eventually I can pass them down to a youngster that will enjoy them.
Except the ram chips that will die out eventsully, all the capacitors going dry, possible breaking cips due to different current flowing, random chips and transistors that die randomly. Sure sound immortal. Except that SNES-es are more and more starting to die in the lastedt years. i changed 2 video chips that died randomly during gameplay and a shit tin of caapcitors in over 10 snes-es, in the last 2 years. SURE SOUNDS LIKE THEY WILL NEVER DIE 🥵🥵🥵🥵😍😍😍🍔🌝
I enjoyed the video! I've noticed most of my nostalgia wearing off after a few minutes of playing a game I thought for sure would have given me a few hours of rose-colored glasses fun. I seemed to have found my exception, though. I never get tired of Mortal Kombat 2. I joined in on some of the community on TH-cam, and it's been great. It's like being in an arcade again back in 94 or 95. Anyway, a lot of people may be using CRT shaders now. I've been using them to great nostalgic effect lately.
RetroArch + Shaders To me my favorite advancements in emulation is the arrival of Libretro and RetroArch. This awesome piece of software and community allows for other emulators to plug in and use the same system in a coherent form. No longer do I need to handle standalone emulators. Sure it has some downsides, but its upsides is vastly preferred by me and I don't want to go back. Besides for cores that are not available yet. And the second big advancements to me is, the Shaders to emulator CRT effects properly. These are quite convincing and are literally game changer to me. This is vastly more advanced and flexible than your simple effects.
Great Video as Always my Man!!! Please Continue to keep up the great work!! Retro Gaming is so good to me because of all the timeless Classics that absolutely Love! Whether I have Nostalgia for it or Not, they are there, a whole Assortment of Stories, Characters, Experiences & Genres, all waiting for me to dive in, & gain some simple Fun & Memorable Enjoyment from!! After all, there are so many different titles that I never got to experience growing up, so many I didn't even know about?! I love Retro Gaming so much! It has a unique ability to take us away, on a Journey back to a more Simple Time! Allows of to Reminisce on Fond Memories w Loved ones & it allows us a glimpse at where it started, & where it might be headed next in the future? Retro Gaming is Life!
The popularity of retro gaming has surged in recent years compared to twenty years ago due to a significant increase in the number of gamers, a trend that began to peak in the 2000s. Since the start of the video game burst, we have seen nine generations of video game systems. While two of these generations are still current and coexist with each other, they will eventually be classified as retro. Additionally, we are entering a new era that encompasses current, retro, and vintage gaming. Systems that are over 50 years old will start to fall into the vintage gaming category and will no longer be considered retro, the similarities are the same with toys, furniture and other electronics items like typewriters, cameras, calculators, computers and much more.
I disagree with what he says about CRTs. All analog consoles will always look best with CRTs. Plus upscalers cost $300+. You can find a good CRT for less than $100 if you look around
CRTs are still pretty easy to find on facebook marketplace, many of them for free or for $20-$50. However they usually vary drastically in quality and condition, and you'll need to act fast if you see a really good one
so another person who says crt looks the best BUT hasnt seen the tink4k in person i can spend £100 on a sony trinitron 26" that could last a month or use my tink4k and play in 4k with hdr on all my systems with bfi. i do like crts but the amount of people saying this exact thing in the comments comes across as a money issue vs actual tech talk
@@Kevinwoolford123 Not ever having had the opportunity to use a tink device, do they address issues with input lag (comparably to the feel of playing the old platformers on a CRT)? If so I might be willing to go that route at some point.
@asimplenameichose151 On an lg oled with game mode it's impossible to detect any lag but if you are on a more basic tv it would lag ofc. Oled is the way forward for these devices but the Samsung qled tvs although they arnt as smooth in motion they do have really good input lag
Good points & video. Have personally seen myself go through many of these shifts with my retro playing & collecting.
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I think that CRTs and real hardware are still a necessity if you want to play retro rhythm games. Anything that creates any kind of input lag really ruins the experience of those games.
So true, try playing Space Channel 5 on a modern display, just ruins the gameplay, same is true for platformers, racers and SHMUPS, you need that CRT for gameplay quality to remain high.
@Wobble2007 I'd argue that there are good LCD's out there with incredibly low latency, but if you factor in the cost of a high-end low latency panel and a scaler, its significantly more affordable to get a crt if you can find one. Where I'm from, CRT's are gone, the only ones you see are the RF only sets and they're $80+ in my area unless you wanna drive 50+ miles away. Most need recaps too, I repaired them for years but gave up this year. I now use a LG C3 paired with a Retrotink 5x, and beat space channel 5 with no issues. Used my original dream cast and a OEM controller. I've even beat parappa the rapper and other "difficult" timing games, it's definitely possible
I don't know, I've played through bust a groove, beatmania, parappa and others countless times on emulation. I suppose it depends on the setup and the speed of the PC.
One thing that is getting worse is the user user experience for new users (usually kids). At my work I am known for "retro" and have people coming up to me telling me how much they or their kids are struggling to get things to work. I can see why, while the end user "community" is NOT toxic, it is unhelpful and very much "comic book guy" sneering at beginners. This is sad to see becasue it never used to be like that.
That sounds like the Linux community. One of the major things that make It hard to get people to switch to it is the large amount of people in the community that gate keep and have contempt for new users. Trying to get help and getting hostile reactions that amount to bullying just chases people away. That's why I try so hard to help new users. It's sad that that happens in retro gaming too now.
Considering how the VAST majority of games nowadays, particularly AAA, are the same rehashed garbage, there's a large segment of gamers that find retro games more innovative, unique and fun.
Nice sum-up! I also got rid of most of my videogame software, moving across the Atlantic a few times was the final convincing that dragging all that shit around didn't really have any positives. Besides the current availability of flash cartridges, disc emulators and other fantastic solutions make it easily possible to keep the old hardware happy. Hope you're well bud, been a minute.
@@wchorskipretty well known, but i STILL think about how cool, eternal darkness, was and i havent played it since its release. Cool horror game that breaks the 4th wall and messes with you when your in game sanity meter fills up like making you think your tv is broken and shit.
Anyone that has an issue with people emulating games that are 20+ years old are honestly just trolling. No sane person really cares about someone emulating ancient games.
@@Vanity0666 Indeed, but I'm talking about people on the internet in general or in comment sections that want to say how it's "illegal" and have some moral stance on why they shouldn't emulate at all.
This is a great topic for discussion. The scene really has changed a lot. I know that for me, how i play/collect has changed over the last ten years. I've gone from playing on real hardware and games, to using everdrives and cutting way back on game purchases for systems I've got an everdrive for, to these days mostly emulating up through 360 on a dedicated mini PC in my living room. I still have all of my old systems and will bust them out now and then, but a mini PC running the batocera front end connected to a tink4k with some nice CRT shaders and slot masks is so much more convenient. When Mister CD-i core is a bit further along I'll probably switch to mister.
I do hope CRT technology will see a breakthrough like game hardware and software. _Surely_ there's a way to produce the same effect, if not better, for much cheaper today than 20 years ago, right?
I'm glad some remasters/remakes are being released. At least some companies are noticing we want to play good old titles. I'm expecting for Soul Reaver Remaster tomorrow, and will buy some Capcom collections as well; I got Dark Forces, Doom 1+2, and many others. Just allow us to buy the games...
imo i think remasters/remakes are a "cheap" way for companies to release a game: instead of trying out new concepts or creating new IPs, they decide to take an old successful game and basically put out something everyone already played
Remakes and remasters to date are not anything like the original games. They are revisions or deliberately set out to change the content in some way instead of HD texturing or remaking on new hardware, give or take adding content. Some instances context matters as if things were, it was strictly related to the game itself. Now, it's for external reasons. Not altering, removing, but adding. We used to get genuine remakes and Capcom is one of the first in both instances that has messed with games, even taking the same approach with a remaster. That's why I call them revisions.
@@vetrixfx9264 I see it more like an extra option for us. Thanks to them, Marvel VS Capcom 2 is available now, I won't need to buy an overpriced copy for PS2/Xbox to be able to play again :)
I think one thing of note is that enough time has passed to where the generation that who just now have grown up are significantly younger than the old games and hardware at hand, meaning there is less new people becoming nostalgic and therefore interested in the “authentic” experience that’s necessitates huge big box collections and old CRTs and the original hardware/controllers. The love of the older games are themselves still there, after all official rereleases and the ease of emulation ensures that, but there’s less of a demand for that purist experience that predates many people’s own existence.
TLDR: Physical consoles *feel* different to me than emulation, and emulation doesn't tell the same "stories" as physical hardware can Full tirade: I'm a young adult rather into retro gaming, and have almost complete access to emulation on PC, PS Vita, 3DS, etc., but I still have a Game Boy Color with a flash cart, and my modded 3DS for DS games. And soon to be modded PS2. If you ask me, there's a certain charm that comes with actual hardware that you lose with an emulator. Think of it as an actual 486 vs DOSBox, or an actual Windows 98SE machine vs a virtual machine. Yeah, you're going to play the same games, or run the same applications, but the way it's experienced is different. You can't look down from the TV or monitor and see the hardware, or hear a hard drive and/or a fan. There's no cartridges to blow into to get working. No spinning discs or disks. No story to tell, no previous owners, no scuffs or scratches in the outer shell. The *feel* is different, if you get my drift. I like getting things second-hand because you get to ask yourself, "What was this device's life like? Was it a beloved family console, or a collection piece that had to be sold? Did it play hard, or was it on a shelf?" That history, that story to tell, makes actual hardware a better experience to me. I got my Windows 98SE machine from a church's basement. No keyboard, no monitor, no speakers, just the tower. I got it home, and opened it up before plugging it into a monitor, speakers, keyboard, etc. that I found for it, and it was full of dust. That begs the question, how long was it in that basement? What was it used for? Who used it? *What is its story?* Now, it's in my hands, and that machine had probably played more games than it ever has in that church. I am now undoubtedly part of its story, and that makes me happy. Sidenote, but I've actually found that, for retro PCs specifically, HDD and FDD replacers make me slightly annoyed because they fundamentally change how the device feels. Things load much faster, and they're nearly, if not completely, silent. And devices that try to shoehorn in those sounds feel disingenuous to me. Like, don't make a thing try to act like something it fundamentally is not. The reverb, location, authenticity, and cause of the sound typically is all wrong in those devices. And unless you're literally spinning up an actual hard drive, or seeking an actual floppy disk, it just won't sound the same. The sound won't travel through the shell or components of the device correctly. But at the same time, if I literally have no current access to the physical hardware, say Gamecube for instance, I probably will emulate, since I have no opportunity to use the hardware. But if the option of hardware is there, and I can play what I want via the use of a flash cart or a modded console, I'd take it any day over emulation. Also, you have to contend with some of the same problems that people before you had to contend with. PS1 not reading? Try putting it on it's side. For some strange reason, that helped me. My PS2's optical drive is shot, and I just got a modded memory card for it, but I still want to get the optical drive fixed, because I grew up with that console. It used to be/still is my grandfather's, and I used to play it pretty often, before my uncle got an Xbox 360 and I got a copy of Minecraft Xbox 360 Edition. I have that console too now. I am now, and for some, have been, a part of these consoles' stories. I'm only a young adult, and many of the items of this sort I've never been in full possession of before(so it can't be nostalgia), but for me, it's like handling a piece of history. Like digital archaeology.
I don’t know man, where I work, it’s the UKs leading electronic preowned retailer, we sell more retro than modern, what’s also is funny is in our sales, it goes mobile devices, then software, then hardware. Last week I must’ve sold 7 Wiis, just some random people wanting to go down memory lane and get the games they never had. A lot of people are turning towards physical again with how things have been going lately. The shop I’m at can’t seem to keep retro in, since it flies out and we’re good on standards.
Just commenting so that I don't miss any videos. It seems like TH-cam doesn't recommend every video but this and Dave's Garage are like 2 of my favorite technology related channels. This checks way more boxes as a hobbyist modder going back to using a soldering iron to melt the plastic tabs in my snes and n64 as a preteen and teen to play Japanese games and then my life changed with cd burners and dreamcast. The sbiffy community was amazing for multi emulator disks and what not...
I went through a phase where I wanted all my retro stuff to be upgraded into the best video possible. Now I'm wanting to go back to the fuzziness. I watched Buckaroo Banzai on a 4k TV at a friend's house a few years ago. The scene where he's up in the sky? The clouds were VERY obviously cotton balls, and I mean it was hilariously obvious. If you had watched it on a VHS on a standard CRT TV back in the day, you wouldn't have noticed that at all, as the blurriness would have blended everything and it would look like a cloud. As it was intended originally. That's what I want now, playing things how they were intended to be played. Fortunately I've kept several CRT TVs and monitors, so I can play how I want. Also, mega props to guys like Adrian's Digital Basement who spend their spare time repairing old systems and computers and keeping them alive and running.
thats the same path I gravitated! composite on nes is even too high quality for me now, as I have a collection of 80s woodgrain TVs that, when paired with an RF modulator or straight through RF unit for NES just looks and feels right, it truly takes you back to gaming as a kid, I think this is the reason retro gaming starts to become numb after you've been in it for decades. THAT transports you back, as you get older you kinda start to appreciate chasing originality over highest possible quality we would never have had as kids anyway. You want grandma's spare bedroom Emerson TV with coax only for your 1992 experience! You get older and start to wind down chasing the best, and instead appreciating fine vintage wine. Don't get me wrong though I love playing with the highest quality too, and where it can be done, but playing doom on Steam in 4k vs an actual Packard Bell with original crappy 13" low dot pitch monitor on trebley speakers is just a totally unique vibe.
@@mikebuynak5338 I've even gone backwards with my music (hipster even, some might say...). Been collecting cassette tapes again (seriously, I find them at estate sales for literal pennies all the TIME), getting a good 80's turntable and getting thrift store records. Collecting VHS again. Found an awesome perfectly working Betamax player at an estate sale a few years ago for 10 bucks! Don't think I'll bother with 8-track, as I never really liked those, but man, there's just something about that older sound that crystal clear perfect audio will never replace or replicate.
Welcome to getting older and realizing there's more to life. Expense, Space/Storage, Dust Collecting/Non-Use, Life Responsibilities, all reasons people will downsize. As I've aged, I've turned into more of a minimalist myself, I simply don't *need* all this stuff, which will only sit around and collect dust. Having a big family and other life responsibilities obviously contributes to that as well. I'm all on board with the do more with less mentality now, and having a RPi5 with a 1TB NVME and Batocera, I'm all set. Physically owning older retro games/consoles, does not outweigh the earlier points - Expense, Space/Storage, Dust Collecting/Non-Use, Life Responsibilities.
agree. i recently moved and organized all of my old games. during the process i stopped and asked, why do i need all this stuff? then i realized i don’t need it, and a burden was lifted i didn’t even know i had. refreshing!
I heard this so often and most of the people relapsed into collecting again after 5 to 10 years. The yo-yo effect will come, it is only a matter of time.
@@cellspeed8682 Eh, I don't think so. 39 now and 4 kids, lots more to consider than bulking out a room with retro games. Been downsizing considerably the last 10 years already, no urge at all to go back.
Had a great time watching this in my garage with the heater cranked up while playing on my Modretro Chromatic. I absolutely agree with every point you touched, on as I too have been involved in each method of retro gaming. One thing I can say is that I'm extremely dissatisfied with the current path the industry is taking. With platforms blocking access to games when their next gen storefronts launch, combined with the future undoubtedly going all digital, I'm worried about the longevity of my favorite hobby. Especially if connection to the internet to verify a licence is required in order for me to enjoy my night. Living in a rural area in the states, this is absolutely a deal breaker. Worse so when I purchase physical media only to discover the content isn't really even on the cart or disk. Such a shame.
…he says that in the video. And we all know that. Bebop was meant to be played on the shittiest sounding ancient record players played through the shittiest sounding mono speaker. Modern music is mixed to sound the best on a pair of apple airpods, movies were made to be seen on a 70 foot screen…the original mediums intent while important is not the end all and other solutions that are equal (or better) but different are possible.
Cheaper, more powerful hardware and increased conveniences from emulation makes collecting original hardware less about actually playing them and more just keeping them as historical artifacts, like a museum.
I was thinking the same thing. Something's got to give at some point. I just hope when prices eventually crash hard that those people who only have them because they are valuable don't just start chucking them into the bin.
@@Leahi84 The demand is still there, but there's two types of demand. There's demand and there's solvable demand. I'll give you an example - probably a lot of people would REALLY like to own the latest Ferrari or Lamborghini supercar. And even more would probably like to own a huge house with pool, personal cinema, gym and so on. So you can say there's demand for that things, no doubt about that. But how many can afford them? Or, in this case, even if you afford it, are you willing to pay those prices? I've seen people "wanting" huge prices for old hardware, but they aren't selling them... months and even years...
@@Leahi84 It depends, if they got them at a very low price (think flea markets, thrifts stores), yes, they can keep them until someone is willing to pay the price.
Retro gaming scene needs a brand new CRT monitor. Lots of people our age have a fond & newfound appreciation of the tech today. There are production challenges, but it just needs to be the size of a C1084. Sell it for 300-400$ and the entire factory-run will sell out in hours with scalpers reselling them for double that.
There are so many functional CRTs sitting around gathering dust. I don't see the point building more junk that most people will shelve after they get bored and move onto something else.
I'm all for that, I love CRTs. It's true you can find them locally for a deal, but if you can't you risk crazy shipping costs and possible damage. With your suggestion, I think the only way to prevent scalpers is if every television company had a CRT line and that they were also available at brick and mortar stores (which unfortunately is slowly dying).
@@jarnalyrkar I think there was some issues with either the monitor, the guy, or something else going on with that though. I can't remember, but there was a reason I didn't buy one and it was a good one.
I had to throw out a 29 inch Arcade VGA compatible CRT screen because no one would pick up locally even for $100, I originally bought it for $500 back in 2012 when I built my MAME cabinet, it just took up too much space, and was a pain to configure.
The Ps3 is as old today as the Genesis was when the Ps3 was released. Wild.
The PS3 is as old as Cleopatra was to the pyramids.
bro WHAT 👴🏼
@@CarrotConsumer The PS3 was the monolith in the Dawn of Man sequence from 2001: A Space Odyssey.
why would you say that 🥲
Why would you sat something so downright hurtful
My brain can't accept that PS3 and Xbox 360 are considered retro now. But I agree. The retro scene has changed. I would say it is more commercial. Back in the old days, it was mainly a hobbyist thing, and now major emulators are like companies with their patreons getting paid monthly. I'm not saying it is a bad thing; we wouldn't get such good emulators without this model.
I second this, a lot of larger company’s are trying to jump into the market, I can’t speak much because of NDA’s but yeah you lot are on the nose with the market trends on this topic
I usually consider a console retro if it is at least 20 years old. So, PS3 and X360 wouldn't be retro yet. But everyone has their own personal measure standard I think
Those systems is pretty much where gaming stops for I'd like a PS4 to play resident evil remakes but that's about it. And for the record I still have 360 PS3 and wii all with four controllers
Retro to me are up to year 2000.
I can barely admit that SNES is “retro” so…
The thing I love about your channel is that to me, all of your videos are like sitting down with the cool uncle to nerd out about something were both really passionate about.
Please keep making videos for as long as you enjoy making them, I enjoy them so much.
I second this statement.
My biggest frustration with "game collecting" is the people who got into it as investment opportunities, rather than people just buying the games to play them. Recent years (basically since covid) have seen prices skyrocket, especially with the influx of grading systems.
True, those people ruin all types of hobbies.
yeaah covid made everyone find a hobby for the wrong reasons.
Yeah forget about playing the older Pokemon games if you can't pay some random dude $200 for Emerald or Black 2/White 2, Heartgold Soulsilver, I'm MORE THAN FINE playing ROMS on a cheap $20 DS flashcart instead or using any of the free GBA emulators that work great.
they are the same type of people like scalpers.
But the market seems to be ruined. Back in 2019 I had PS2s listed for sale for $20 with a controller and all, no one would even look at them. Nowadays others ask like $150 for the exact same thing, the result of which is that they sell even less.
I don't care, I'm not even going to sell them. I was stupid back then, a game console has far more value to me than $20 or $150.
Buying retro hardware stopped being fun when prices skyrocketed a few years ago. Before that I used to find crazy good deals at thrift stores, but now they're all marked up to match online prices 💔
Yeah I don't think it's because people don't care about collecting retro hardware, it's purely because the costs are so much higher. People have less money, money is less valuable, and the prices went up. Simple as that. I buy broken consoles on eBay and sell them after fixing, and I can tell you that although inflation has decreased the value of money, I need to sell fixed consoles for less than I did 3 years ago because people just don't have the money the did in '21 and '22.
They're cheap again tho
@@jp263 not nearly as cheap
Prices have gone up for the consoles vs dirt cheap prices 10-15 years ago, but honestly consoles are still pretty cheap. I’ve picked up a few after getting a nice CRT. As long as you are fine not owning any original game carts it’s still a good time for retro (NES onwards) consoles.
They finally crashed. I got a Master System all complete for $120. Just no box.
Analogue's emulation is so authentic that they even emulate the experience of not being able to buy the hardware anymore.
Could be worse, could be commenting other people’s jokes and passing it off as your own.
@@Khaleguy You make the mistaken impression that I read anyone else's comments.
Thanks for stopping by.
The Xbox 360 turns 20 next year and the PS3 the year after that. That's so mindblowing.
And first Xbox: 24 lol
@@SlavkoStormdon't break my heart, my achy braky halo 2 heart.
Ah, GTA 5. One of my favorite retro games
the 360 will soon be as old as the nes was when the 360 came out
@@cassidy8307 With a lot of gen-alpha memes being about GTA IV and GTA V, not so fast!
The reason old hardware collecting has decreased is because the prices have shot up immensely. It used to be you could get a working Commodore 64 for $100 and broken ones were scrap prices. These days, a broken one is going for over $100, a working one over $200. Old PCs of the 386/486 vintage could be had under $100, now they're asking $300+ for them. And these are the common systems. Rarer systems like Amigas and Neo-Geo? Unless you are particularly rich, you're looking at $1000+ easily on the used market in reasonable working condition. If you manage to find one that's really good, they're $2000+ or $3000 easily. It's just not worth doing to spend all that money on it. And the sad part is, you know that stuff is just going to e-waste in the end because the sellers want too much money and the buyers aren't buying. So instead of say, reducing the price, it doesn't move and it just gets scrapped. Everyone saw the $1.2 million dollar Super Martio Bros game and saw dollar signs and assumed there's money to be made.
This is true, and sad. I used to be able to get parts units for next to nothing, now people think their broken, common junk is worth 80% of a good condition tested working unit.
You need to hang out with a different crowd, find a close VCF and go.
People that saw the media blast from the SMB sale should search the Karl Jobst video about how it was a scam by the grading company.
At least in my town vintage PC asn't easy to find even if you can afford them. Been trying to find a ISA slot sound card for a slot 1 Pentium III I've built (my first retro pc build and only 2nd machine I've ever built) for my DOS games but haven't found anything yet. I fear fleabay may be my only choose...
Hoping to find:
A SB Pro2
Any SB 16
Or any AWE card though would prefer a 64
The prices have gone up and the hardware itself might be aging and will fail sooner or later.
The prices are the worst part. I don’t mind most of the downsides, but nothing is worse than finding out about a cool PS2 game that I missed that would be totally up my alley - and it’s like $300+ used on EBay. Ugh.
Your telling me, wario world for GameCube like what??? For a GameCube game. Don’t get me wrong i love the GameCube #1 but sheesh the ps2 was the prom queen
Emulators are awesome! You should try it.
@@DaRealKing303 I have been using emulators for 20 years. I still like having the real game and playing it on original hardware.
@@EposVox Same, nothing beats playing on original hardware for me. With that being said I agree the prices are out of control. I remember back in 2015ish having literally no money and wanting to get into collecting. I was eyeing an original copy of Fallout for 80 dollars and couldn't get it. I thought well maybe the price will come down a bit. Now its like 500 dollars or something. It's just absolutely absurd. I still love collecting but it definitely feels like a business and not a fun hobby now.
@@EposVoxas long as you've got the original controller, what's the difference?
The worst change is the cost. Gamecube games use to be pretty affordable not to long ago, now anything thats not shovelware is at least $100. At that cost a emulation can possibly save thousands of dollars to play just one game library.
Yeah, I remember collecting gamecube games 10 years ago because it was THE console I wanted as a kid, but my friends and I never had one. It was 25% of the price of a new game. Even twilight Princess, Resident Evil, Smash bros. Nowadays just getting a controller is hard, cant imagine come classic games
people are greedy, it's that simple
Yup. I also stopped collecting because of the absurd costs of GC titles. When a game that used to cost $3-$5 back in 2011-2012 now goes for over $200 for disc only... you begin to rethink your priorities. It's just not worth the investment anymore. GC games being susceptible to disc-rot is also a huge gamble to take when buying used.
Local used game stores also suck for basically price-matching the shit that's already way overpriced online.
It also didn't help that gamer TH-camrs began putting up the 'Current Most Expensive GC Games' lists... that only made the prices jump up further.
@@MetallicBlade TH-cam caused our downfall, but I believe since emulation is so big, people will stop seeking out physical carts and the price will go down again. Less demand means the seller will have no choice but drop the price.
I really wanted to play original disks on my Gamecube but the prices for games pushed me to just install picoboot. If prices ever come back to earth I'd gladly build up a physical collection but it's just completely not worth it right now.
well there's also the fact that around 2021, the prices of original hardware skyrocketed
2020, lots of stimulus money and people started turning the scene into a speculation/investment market,
in my region (uk) the prices of 16bit stuff has dropped in the last few years from its 2015-16 and Covid heyday. definitely on the more popular titles
This started way before 2021. In 2010-2014 you could easily find a complete (box+manual+game) Gameboy pokemon game for 20 bucks....in 2016 its was impossible to find that for less than 200 bucks. (same thing for the DS ones)
@@sb6482 I'd say that Brexit helped and the market shrunk. I used to get most of old games & consoles from the UK, but now everything that enters the EU from UK goes through customs and the price goes up even more. Not the only one that greatly avoids the UK sadly because of that :(
The prices spiked over a decade before that. In the early years of this century you could pick up games for pennies most of the time. It’s been a steady increase since then.
I think the problem so many collectors fall into is, well.. they're just collecting. It's not surprising so many people end up with walls of games they want to get rid of. I'm still just as into getting these games as I was when I was a kid, but I think the reason why is because I don't want all of them; not even close. I just want the games I personally loved and want to play again repeatedly, but in tangible form, and I want them in the best condition I can find them in. That's it. If most collectors out there stuck to something closer to that, I think there would be a lot less regret in the end.
True
i follow people who are obsessed with collecting more and more games every week from charity shops, clearly never going to play them as they collect far too many and so many crap ones. I'm like you, i just collect my all time favourite retro games i want to replay time and time again.
completely! When I started collecting 11 years ago, my mission statement was. "I want the all the good games". I've always bought games because I want to play them. I see no purpose in buying a game I don't want to play. I've never regretted my collection. The only exception is for the memes, like Bible Adventures (Which is fun to show people for the experience of it).
As long as people are into retro gaming and there is demand, the prices will be buoyed. Those 'investment' collectors push up the price of certain games, and of the whole market in general and the price of rare crap, but the core demand is just people becoming more interested in retro gaming. Keep in mind -- there are systems that sold badly, but have a better reputation in the long run (for example the N64 didn't do well, but still has many revered games today). Younger people who maybe never enjoyed those generations, maybe weren't even alive, want to play them. There's more people in the world, there's more people interested in gaming -- print runs for games were MUCH smaller back then. A big-name gaming sell 1 million units was a healthy success back then.
But also, there are collectors who want to expand their horizons. I started out as someone who just wanted to buy the games I had as a kid. Then I wanted to buy the games I really loved but only ever rented. But then eventually I wanted to find games I had heard about and never had a chance to play, or never heard about at all but later read that they were good, and enjoy those too. I only ever bought games to *play* them, but even the market of "people who want to buy retro games to play them on retro hardware" has to be exponentially bigger than what it was when I started collecting in 2007.
@@sardaomalandrajthat’s exactly what I’m doing… I have my top 20-50 games for each system then for the full catalogues I just use emulation
Thank you for the kind shoutout, MVG!! I'm so glad to be able to support this awesome community.
This i partially why I never threw away any of my game systems; they're all in storage. I wish I had also saved my CRTs, but they were bulky and I honestly didn't think I'd miss having one almost two decades later.
Make sure the batteries don't leak inside the consoles.
@MrAlan1828 The capacitors were changed a few years ago.
Buckley, there’s a solution for modern TVs if you have a modern TV4 year old consoles such as HDMI converters which will actually improve the picture quality over the original CRT quality such as the retro tink or a good budget option is LevelHike which I for my Mega Drive.
Honestly don't miss the CRT that much. They are 50+KG a lot of the time. Insanely unwieldy to carry around.
I love gaming on a CRT because not only do you get that blending of color and pixels which improves the way the image looks, but the colors are so much better than on my HDTV. Symphony of the Night looks like a piece of art on my Trinitron over composite, while it looks mediocre on my HDTV over component.
I think people obsess too much over PVMs and whatnot. Any consumer set from the late-90's on will look great, and there are tons of these still out there sitting in people's basements or in storage not being used. The 3 CRTs that I currently own all have great picture quality regardless of the input used and were given to me for free. I've had to turn down free TVs because I just have no room or the need for another one.
I also suspect that retro game appeal is partly due that the games where finished when released. You didn’t need to download a zero day patch. There was no login required. No purchase upgrades. No loot boxes. The gam eme was complete. I hate to see what will happen to games like modern warfare etc once that system has retired. Some games you have bought within the last 4 years probably won’t even run without the updates.
I used to watch videos where people would say "I got an NES for 30 quid!" and whenever I'd see one in the real world, you'd just see NESs for sale with no controllers, cables, or games and they would usually be over £200.
Where I live, NESs can be still found for around 50euros, but I have a feeling people are offloading NESs due to the generation that owned them are already getting too old to be nostalgic. Late 20s, early 30s folk tend to be the ones with most extra income to spend on extra stuff, so by that logic late 90s/early 00s systems should go up in price, and this actually is what has been happening. GBC/GBAs/Gamecubes have gone up in price quite a lot in the last 3 years or so. PS2 cant go up, because they made just so damn many of them. Over here PS2/PS3s are given away nearly for free.
I got one for 15 on my channel somewhere at a yard sale like 5 years ago and record videos with it!
I got a NES toaster for free from a pawnshop. They had no market for it (in a small town). Deals are out there just annoying to find.
@@wryyyy Retro systems rarely sell for a high dollar. I've seen so many clogging up my local marketplace in the $20-$30 range. NES, SNES, N64, GC, GB's of all flavors. All the common consoles they made millions of. Save for a few color ways these things are not at all rare. Games are way too expensive now to make it worth anyones time to actually buy them. The common person doesn't want to deal with flash carts or ODEs. I don't wanna deal with them taking up space so I stick to emulation.
@@wryyyyabsolutely not its people in middle age with secure careers, settled romantic life, predictable mortgages etc who are most likely to pursue discretionary hobbies like collections.
20 somethings are not being retro collectors. Sure maybe they bought a console they never got to properly play as a kid but they arent the ones dropping big money on cartridges that they could just emulate.
I enjoy contributing to the retro gaming community by uploading quality OST(s) for the Segs Genesis library. It's a simple hobby that's grown on me & seems to make others happy, its great.
Thank you for your service.
Is there any way you can make your uploads available for download outside of TH-cam? TH-cam premium is required to download.
A folder zip of all the mp3 files would be ideal to preserve all of these and preserve them independently from TH-cam platform.
U know nirendo law yers is reedn this ?
thank you so much for your uploads, i'm literally always using them to listen to the osts of my favorite genesis games (i love socket's soundtrack). your uploads are some of the highest quality on the site alongside some pretty thumbnails which i really like. i appreciate the effort you put into everything
@@envyeleven9471 Don't be greedy now :D
A lot that you're talking about I would call the difference between retro GAMING and retro COLLECTING. I used to collect back in the mid to late 2000s. I had to move abroad eventually, and in this move sold off most and began my full deep dive into emulation and setting up my machine as a retro gaming device with a proper front end. After doing this step, I realized I didn't really care that much for all the physical hardware and physical games. It took up a massive amount of space and prices were going up a lot. Not only is it more sleek, but I even have access to more systems than I ever did. With the current state of things, it's no wonder most people get into the gaming part, rather than the collecting part.
Having a full library of games on a hard drive the size of a stick of gum is much better than a room full of toxic plastic
@@christophervanzetta that’s what I told my ex wife when I handed her the divorce papers HOH!
There is literally no other video required for the state of retro video games in 2024. Nice one!
Learning to repair, upgrade, and maintain my retro game collection helped me build a skillset that has been invaluable in my career. I also genuinely enjoy maintaining my collection and playing my old games, and will continue to do so until I can't anymore.
I'm pleased to see alternatives springing up and continuing to improve. Ultimately, this is the only way we will keep this hobby alive.
I have largely stopped collecting the games themselves, with few notable exceptions. I'm much more focused on playing through my backlog, and otherwise using Everdrives to try anything else I might want to.
Any tips for someone who also wants to learn and obtain the skillset to repair/upgrade/maintain a retro collection?
@@dragonroot2616 Learn how to solder. That's pretty much it.
@@dragonroot2616
Start with simple soldering projects. I once got a "solder-it-yourself" kit of PCB and through-hole components for either Christmas or my birthday (and it went horribly wrong; I soldered all the components upside down, aka. the pins were through-holed on the wrong side of the PCB, please don't make that mistake 🤣).
To start, you only need a soldering iron and some solder, both of which can be acquired cheaply. This is all you need to try these "solder-it-yourself" kits. However, if you need to desolder components, you'll also need some solder wick (essentially a copper braid that is extremely good at absorbing solder).
Once you feel confident enough, you can invest in a proper 2-in-1 soldering station which includes both a soldering iron and a hot air. The hot air in particular allows you to remove components without getting rid of the solder.
If, however, you don't feel adequately confident without some knowledge, I'd suggest watching videos from popular electronics repair channels here on TH-cam. My top suggestion is @Tronicsfix - for entertainment/edutainment (portmanteau of "entertainment" and "education), I suggest @Mymatevince and @TheCod3r.
I own quite a few retro consoles and restored many of them. And while I always considered myself a "purist" when it comes to retro gaming, I recently tried Batocera on a micro PC and it does make it so much easier to not only access my collection but it makes it easier for me to share it with my kids and switch between "game consoles" without the fuss of having all these systems plugged in. Also I find it helps me preserve the original hardware and not have my kids destroy them as I did with my friends as a teen. With the bonus of having it displayed on a 65" TV in the living room.
You're a little late to the emulation game but glad to hear you finally got into it. It is so much more convenient and just a better experience in most cases than using the original system. Especially with 3D systems like the Dreamcast,PS2,Gamecube etc... You can crank the resolution up to 1080p or even 4K and beyond and they look soooo much better than they ever could on the original systems. Stuff like Gamecube and PS2 can look pretty jagged and blurry on the original systems but in emulation they are smooth and crystal clear.
@@HerecomestheCalavera Hi! Well I had tried it before but as I said was always somewhat of a purist and wanting to experience it with the consoles. However, I do like Botacera and have it on a micro PC but it does have its quirks and many things to fix and fiddle with. I still have an issue with original Xbox that freezes in middle of a game. But when it works it's wonderful since I don't have to plug in the console, find the right wires/upscalers and also risk scratching my original game CDs. I guess in the end, there's fiddling one way or another.
@@RetroRepairGuy The original Xbox is a great emulation system for retro systems. Are you using CoinOPs? It is a must have imo. I have mine hooked up to a CRT with component cables and the games look great. You can get adapters for other controllers if you really need to but for me the Xbox controller works pretty well for almost all systems.
In general when it comes to emulation vs original hardware I see it as a matter of personal preference. In general when it comes to older systems I prefer emulation for the convenience, even if native hardware is the more authentic experience. While I'm not too interested in collecting physical games or hardware I do have a PS Vita and I'm also gonna get myself a 3DS for modding. Even if I have other means to play all this stuff it's still nice to have a more dedicated piece of hardware to do it.
We're fast approaching a time when original hardware stops being a viable option. Old consoles are failing. The supply of replacement parts and new-old stock is drying up. Many of the older disc-based consoles are being modded to use SD card readers, because getting the replacement lasers for the disc drives is becoming more expensive and harder to come by. CRTs are fast becoming a super rare luxury for people who demand the "authentic" experience. Emulation, be it software or FPGA, *is* the future.
Can you imagine gaming on "authentic retro hardware" becoming as expensive as owning and maintaining a classic car? Ok, maybe it won't get that expensive but it would certainly feel like an equivalent.
@@CyanRooper I wouldn't be surprised to see "completely refurbished Dreamcast, all new caps and laser assembly!" auctions pulling in several hundreds of dollars at some point.
Especially deep future when humans 100 years and beyond can still play and enjoy classic games if they choose.
Honestly, the romanticization of playing on original hardware is kind of comical when in reality a retro console is basically just a computer produced at the lowest possible price point and with the bare minimum acceptable performance to run games for a given time period. There are some exceptions - particularly from Nintendo - where unique hardware was an integral part of the experience (I'm thinking primarily the DS family and the Switch, the Wii really was just a cheap PC with a cheap motion controller) Anybody who has emulated DS games before know it's just kind of weird without the original hardware due to the multi screens primarily. Lots of games like DQ4-6 render across both screens and are hardcoded to account for the gap between the screens created by the hinge. I guess you can recreate it on a desktop by spacing out the windows and stacking but that's just weird as hell.
@androidaleccc Yeah. Sure playing NES games on a real system is more "authentic", but I can play all of those games on the same pocket-sized device I'm typing this out on. It's everywhere I go! That's way cooler than "Oh boy. Real scanlines!"
The thing is: everything became so expensive and second hand sellers think people are going to keep being desperate enough to purchase used items for twice if not three times the original price. People are finally figuring it out it’s no longer worth it and it’s better to emulate.
Exactly. FB Marketplace in my area has NES consoles and common game bundles and people are asking over $300. You can emulate NES on anything. It's not worth $300 for a flaky OG NES with Mario Bros/Duck Hunt combo.
The thing is, people still pay for it.
The thing is those people are stupid@@relo999
@@relo999 Yeah unfortunately you still have people with way too much money who cannot help themselves.
Yes because people are using them as clout 'to prove they 're the bigger gamer' which is nonsense. No one cares that you have the first or second print of Zelda for NES.
Great how you covered every option that now exists. I'm a retro gaming purist for the most part, and as tempting as some of the alternatives are, I say if my original consoles and games still work, I might as well enjoy them to the fullest until they don't work anymore.
This is sole reason why I went out to buy original or modded hardware for collection.
I'd argue that the biggest change that ever happened to retro gaming happened in late 2000s to early 2010s, when game publishers started to seriously see the commercial value of it. First pioneers were things like the first Virtual Console in 2006, launch of the original GOG store in 2008, and in a couple of years it all went into full swing with lots of remasters, official emulation, etc., eventually consoles like the NES Classic Edition going mainstream.
You may see it as a good thing, as a lot of old games started to be _officially_ available again in one form or another, easily playable on modern hardware - or as a bad thing, as a lot of community efforts got taken down, original versions pulled out when remasters got released, and all that "selling the same game over and over again" stuff. But what is undeniable is that this shift in game publishers' attitude made the retro gaming landscape completely different. The concept of "abandonware" for video games died pretty much overnight (even though it is still alive and well when it comes to software that isn't games) and the discussion about video game preservation shifted gears and entered the mainstream.
I remember throwing out all the CRTs on the HD switch over. Breaks my heart now!
I'm in Tokyo, Japan and it's still possible to find great deals on retro gaming stuff. Just stay away from the tourist traps.
I wouldn't know. Never been to Japan in my life. But I've seen retro future videos and you're probably right.
Can't speak for Japan recently (I got some games for a steal via post) but for region free games which may have the same or better versions elsewhere, I recommend keeping an eye on international prices.
A lot of people get absorbed in buying games for America just because they are in the states even though the PS3 was mostly region free and despite how easy it is to bypass region lock on GameCube/Wii.
@@thelastgogeta wow. That's interesting that you mentioned that. You know if money wasn't something I had to worry about. I'd buy my childhood atomic purple Gameboy color and relive my childhood favorites. But the retro game market in the United States is so ****** up it makes it so not worth the hassle for me including shipping on top of that. But mvg should me the analog pocket and my goodness! That screen is gorgeous! I'm tempted to buy it instead of the og hardware. An everdrive is pricey as well. But I feel I'd be spending a fortune on one God damn pokemon game alone.
I've been playing "retro games" /games I grew up with using emulation for nearly 10 years now, grew up with a PS1 and 2, still have them and their games to this day. Emulation has been such a great way to play them again with upscaled resolution, patches etc. I never owned any Nintendo consoles/handhelds growing up and being able to play them on my steam deck has also been really cool too! However I still use an actual 360 and PS3 for their respective exclusives instead of emulation with xenia and RPCS3.
Tourist Trap, Rent Trap & Single Mom Trap🤷♂
To build on your point about leaning towards fpga/ software emulation more than original hardware: everything out there pushes us towards emulation. Aging hardware less likely to turn on by the day, the lack of marketplaces that are reasonable, your tv not having the proper ports for old hardware and needing an upscaler,etc etc. the choice is made for us , not by us for the most part
I partly agree. Some console and computer parts are truly ticking timebombs, and some parts are probably going to outlast all of us. I suspect most of the parts that are truly unique and hard to replace/replicate mostly fall into that second category. But right now there's still enough supply that a lot of people would treat a system not working as the entire thing being toast (or at least not being worth their time figuring out how to get someone to get it working).
And yeah, I think FPGA (or vaguely similar hardware reproduction tech) will be the future, more and more. I suspect original hardware will exist for a very long time, but become more of a hassle over time, for all but the most dedicated archivists.
It's the ageing hardware, but it's also upsides of emulation i.e. all the features emulation offers - I had 3 PS2s and 3 dreamcasts that all eventually broke back when the emulation for those two systems wasn't great. As soon as I could play most of the libraries on my PC without that hassle, the emulation is now incredible, with save states etc, I knew I wasn't going back.
@@blarghblargh I still haven’t even tried fpga. Batocera has most of my needs met with xb360 and ps3 actually working now for me
@@PrivateBenjamin-vw8xy 100% pretty much everything from the ps1 generation and newer can all be upscaled and for the most part are a better experience. I guess I need to get a Wii mote for Wii games? Pretty sick how you can use them with dolphin. With exception of Wii and Wii U… I’ve enjoyed everything on newer hardware for sure. Better in many ways and my only problems with Wii and Wii U is not having the proper controllers
I think in the US retro gaming and CRTs are still very popular. I do agree with your take that as emulation gets better and more accessible, it will definitely drive demand down on original hardware/software especially ones that have gotten very expensive; however, there will always be people that prefer original media
I started emulation in 1998 with some of the early versions of 8 and 16 bit systems. Surprising good performance despite being limited to my 200Mhz MMX Pentium. It went a very long way to me buying games, systems, and investing in my computer skills as much as possible. One of the smarter decisions of my young life.
I remember using NO$GMB, ZSNES, and Genecyst in '99 or so. Fun times.
@@Chrono86 Don't forget Nesticle. XD
@@FrenziedManbeast Haha I do remember that one too (and the icon...) but I was just never big into NES games
Plus, you had to "delete the games within 24 hours" or so the sites told you. Wild times, they were... lol
I had a similar PC around 98/99 - a Pentium 233Mhz MMX with 16mb RAM.
When NeoRageX was released, with near perfect Neo Geo emulation, I remember some heavier games taking as long as FIVE MINUTES for them to load 😂
(not to mention the horrible frameskip I had to set to make them playable)
Such good times.
Romhacks, Mods and Translations
Editing games and releasing patches is one of my favorite stuff that comes out of emulation in general. Sure editing games would be possible without emulation, but nowhere near popular or easy to use. I love trying out Romhacks that patches problems in old games, or add new levels and graphics, or changes the language from Japanese to English.
It's like DLCs for old Roms.
I was really disappointed when one of the Romhack websites I was using stopped and shut down. I think they are great. Brilliant for translating Japanese only games. God sent developers patching in widescreen modes, or colouring in classic Gameboy games, effectively making them Gameboy Color games.
There are thousands of games that still need translations.
WTF are you talking about, using a flash cart is pretty easy.
I hate mods. They taint the games.
@@kingstarscream320 And why do you hate them?
Great video Dimitris!
My favorite things about retro gaming are reliving my favorite games, discovering things I missed along the way, and the tinkering aspect of getting everything working.
I know your content is console heavy, but there's a ton of stuff going on in the retro computing space as well. SD card solutions for old PCs and micros like the Commodore 64 have been around for awhile now - and the make life so much easier for folks that use original hardware. Products like PicoMEM add memory, virtual hard and floppy disks, usb ports, audio, and a slew of other enhancements to old PCs. It's amazing what people are doing in this space with Raspberry Pi's and micro controllers, and it's only going to get better over time.
Retro are up to year 2000 for me. Greetings from someone who began with Commodore 64 and Amiga.
From one breadbox to the other: greetings back
If it's been 20 years, it's considered retro.
@@bembelknecht Greetings. The legendary breadbox is still alive in 2024 worldwide.
So Xbox isn’t retro?
@@casualcadaverthere's no hard definition, for me PS3 is already retro. I think it depends on what you grew up with.
This is so very true. The young people think that what we play isn't even retro, it's archaic to them.
Yeah but then their kids are going to think that their parents ps5 is archaic. That's just how generations work.
@jimechols4347 it's sad.
I agree, and this makes the fact that retro stuff is priced so highly crazy to me. Lots of the newer generations aren't particularly interested in retro collecting. So it's not like there's a huge influx of people that warrant increased prices for retro games. Even games with high print numbers are sold for outrageous prices just because of what they are. It's the same thing with vinyl records.
@@garfieldodie3106 I grew up with a NES and a Mega Drive, when I was a teen I got a Playstation.
@@TwiddleFingersDB My aunt had an NES, SNES, Genesis, and N64. We had the 64, Saturn, Dreamcast, and Xbox. Got the other stuff as it came out.
Emulation is gaining more popularity over Collecting/Real Hardware because the collectors/flippers have made it too expensive to enjoy retro games the way it was meant to be played. Maybe if the collecting market crashes we'll finally be able to play real hardware again.
Time also plays a part. The old systems used to be something many people had collecting dust in their basements and sold them off at commensurate prices. These days most of those old caches have either been sold off or trashed. The higher end collectibles have appreciated not just because of collector greed (though that has played a part) but also because of increased scarcity.
That's the basic principle of offer and demand for you.
Emulation is the best fit for me: its VERY price competitive, and I don't need the tactile sensation of original hardware and controllers. You also have upscaling and retroachievements which improve my experience massively.
The only items I would consider collecting at this point would be strategy guides.
The only problem with preferring a original hardware is the fact that digital roms will outlive the hardware and future proofing is essential to preservation, even the PS2 that sold millions will eventually dwindle away over time. Having the ability to play these games as close to the original hardware while also being compatible with modern TVs will help preserve the games, when the original hardware is lost technology.
Why would it become lost technology? If we can preserve the the digital information that makes up games, why wouldn't we be able to digitally preserve the means to make the technology?
@@DanSutherland the tooling was disposed of which is why newer cassette players are chunkier than the top of the line back in the day. Just because we have the designs for old CRTs doesn't mean someone will dedicate resources to restore those production lines in favor of newer technology. Like modern cassette players, clone consoles will cut accuracy for cost.
@@DanSutherland We could preserve the schematics, sure,but it's extremely unlikely that actual 1:1 replicas of old consoles are ever be reproduced. Even offical "clone consoles" are just emulation devices. Once emulation becomes accurate enough there is no profit in making a 1:1 replica when an emulation device is cheaper and easier to make. That said, I could have rephased it better. What I meant was the technology is infeasible to reproduce to the point the technology will eventually be unobtainable.
@@DanSutherlandThis is being done through FPGA, thankfully.
@9:45 Right on the spot. I have learned the hard way how much is needed to properly build my console collection and make sure it's in top shape..
I remember being blown away by ps1 emulation circa 1999 and it was a secret superpower for PCs, its been onwards and upwards ever since. I love fast forward, rewind, save states and minimal to no loading times!
I have been collecting since 2004 till now. Saved a ton starting early.
This is one of the best video on the topic that really captures what I'm feeling about retro gaming.
I'm in the same boat as you ; I've been selling my entire collection of retrogames (and soon retrocomputers and soundcards) for some years now, save for some controllers (you can't emulate the feeling of them) and not currently emulated consoles like the Laseractive and the Vectrex (vector displays are unspeakably beautiful ; I didn't find any LCD/OLED display that could emulate such feeling in a satisfying way). Old controllers paired with a single FPGA console are the way to go for me and I'm happier knowing I have less stuff and that all the old hardware I use to own is now having a second life making people happy.
I'm so glad emulation has evolved so much over the last few years, couldn't imagine gaming without it at this point.
It's all I knew since childhood.
I've been emulating since I was 5-6 being a pc guy and watching pokemon anime and sonic cartoons and sonic x anime I wanted to play their videogames which didn't exists in my country Turkey nor the consoles back in 2006 I found kega fusion, vba and sonic, pokemon roms on a turkish emulation forum and has been going since, then played ds games on no$gba because desmume was too heavy for my intel celeron ati gpu pc. I was even trying to emulate wii back in 2009 lol didn't go that well back then on my potato 2004 family pc.
@@cin2110 i remember struggling to emulate MGS1 and Crash properly back then with the epsxe emulator, who would've thought that we'd reach a point where not only we can emulate ps4 stuff but also upscale anything to look modernly.
Instead of fighting it, I'm glad Sega embraced it and publicaly hired the Kega emulator author. You can find Sega Genesis emulation everywhere, including on consoles nowadays
Hopefully Nintendo won't have their way.
I have the best CRT for retro gaming... I have an old RCA 26" floor model... I'm 46, my parents bought it new in 1981... It still has amazing picture and sound.. I love it 😁
I think the biggest game changer for retro gaming for me as actually been through VR. Programs like Emuvr, New retro arcade neon and Retro Vr Arcade that let me create arcade or 90's bedrooms with very convincing atmospheres and CRT effects really scratches that itch for me.
As from someone from the U.K. retro gaming was not massively popular.
It was out there but it's only in the last 4 almost, 5 years.
Since 2020. Where a lot more people have come in the scene.
As the prices of retro gaming has exploded over here.
I remember you could walk into a store over here, 6 years ago and get a copy of Silent hill 2 for £15 to £20. Now it's over £70+.
As I feel over here the scene is a bit behind compared to the states.
As some retro gaming channels over here have only just started to get any sort of traction.
Also prices for games over the last 5 years have indefinitely increased.
I am glad I got what I wanted before that time.
As I'd never be able to afford some of these prices today and it has only just started to become very hard to find anything in the wild and I've been collecting most of my life.
What I'm getting at is that a lot of retro scenes are very different all over the world.
I used to visit regularly the Retro Gaming Expo (Replay) whenever it arrived to Manc or Bpool, and this was 2012-2018. Pandemic effectively shut it down, but by that point I had already moved out from the country. But still, in 2018 I could find decent priced games from their marketplace and retrogaming scene felt like it was thriving.
Replay is now back up and running again I think. But I haven't made a trip to have a look at it.
@wryyyy Prices have to put it lightly. Apes**** this year. Especially PS2, 360 and PS3. Spiderman Web of Shadows on PS3 £85+. Forbidden Siren 2 £175. Tbh the list goes on. Stuff over here was normally cheaper but trust me in a few years, I bet will be up there with the states pricing.
@@invalidblackout 2010 or something, I walked past a local Blockbusters in UK, they had a Gamecube for 10quid in the window. For some unknown reason I didnt grab it. But it really shows how cheap stuff used to be. Then again, right now PS2 and PS3 consoles are given away nearly for free.
@@wryyyy
Right, I'll bring you up to speed of here.
CEX, it's a chain over here now. It centralised most of the gaming prices over here for a very long time.
Surprised you didn't see one here, they're bloody everywhere and I mean it.
I used to work for them during that time during 2018ish.
Then, they got into retro when they opened many moons ago then after 2020, they got back in.
They're predominantly a second hand store, like a pawn shop. However, not as skeezy, as they offer warranties.
Hell, the warranty is after last month is 5 YEARS! No joke.
During the Quarantines.
People over here got bored. Realised retro gaming is fun. Wanted to get back what they had.
Also, thrifts (charity shops) got wise and looked stuff online and you hardly ever see a game at all there because of it. Due to the fact it's good money and sell everything online now.
CEX now controls the retro market over here and trust me, it's a thing over here.
I swear some of the prices are ridiculous.
We were also more into computers than consoles for a long time so the retro scene was more focused around Speccys, C64s, Amigas, etc and with console gaming really kicking off with the PSX* it took a long time for consoles to join the "retro" scene instead of just being "old."
*Yes the SNES was a big deal but the PlayStation moved it into the mainstream and not just something for kids.
One of the big reasons CRTs got so popular, aside from the ease of connecting older systems to them, was the latency. Even now it can be very difficult to know what kind of latency you're gonna be dealing with whenever you buy a new LCD/LED display, whereas this was never a factor with CRTs. That said, I'm kinda glad to not be dealing with CRTs anymore as they were stupidly heavy and power hungry, especially in larger sizes, but we really do need better transparency and measurements in terms of latency on modern displays. :/
CRTs are still popular to collect because of latency sure, but most people are buying them right now because of motion clarity. 60hz on a CRT looks insanely smooth and it cannot be conveyed over video. Sadly this motion clarity on 60hz CRTs only worked well when the game running on it was also 60fps, so it's no surprise that so many people abandoned CRTs for gaming in the late 2010s during the 360/PS3 era, when almost every game was 30fps.
But has a lot of problems, first is weight and space, then it's very old now and easily gets broken, the worst part for me is the frequency from tv, man it drives me crazy.
@@kamen226 30fps was already becoming the norm with the Nintendo 64 and PlayStation, which had 3D games that often rendered at 30fps or lower.
Ironically, the Wii still had their first-party games run at 60fps.
We also nowadays have OLED technology that gets to near-zero latency with every iteration, and which will likely become the gold standard for modern retro gaming.
@@fujinshu It's important to note that a lot of latency with modern tech is not the panel itself, rather its the circuitry in the background which is delivering and processing the image. For my PC I am still using a Samsung P2350 23.5" 1080p LCD panel I got back in 2010 connected through DVI which has less latency than a 32" 1080p Samsung TV I bought only a few years ago WHILE said TV is in "Game Mode" connected through HDMI! :O
So good to see a new video from you.
Glad i picked up every Siny Trinitron off the street when i saw them. Im stocked baby!!😂
13:37 Advice: Get a sump pump with a battery backup. One day you'll be the only person in the neighborhood without a flooded basement.
can confirm this lifesaver tip after helene
A retro game store near me is the type that has absurdly priced rare games like a complete copy of Earthbound that they just sit on for years because no one will buy it for like $1000. They flooded and a lot of it was ruined.
Can not rate this comment highly enough.
Better advice, never store anything important to you in a basement, even with a sump pump, you get humidity issues, bug and rodent issues, etc. Keep anything that can get water damaged in a nice room on your main floor, save the basement for storing big durable things.
What's a sump pump
Out of all the channels on this platform, MVG is the one that I instantly search for new videos when I hop on. I've said it before, a new video coming out is the equivalent of the teacher deciding to put on Bill Nye in class. I used this mans emulators on ogxbox long before this channel. What a guy.
Part of the appeal of retro gaming before was simplicity and value. You could get amazing games and consoles at yard sales for cheap then take them home and start playing without messing with settings, seeing if dlc is missing or downloading updates.
Everything is already pretty pricy when everyone has access to ebay for price checks, but so many systems aren't reliable anymore. Systems like ps2 have laser issues while most cartridges have dead batteries. Some systems like the xbox or game gear are unplayable by default due to capacitor problems. Even if they work, many don't support the hdmi that has been standard on tvs for years now so you may need to also set up a converter with its own quirks.
In comparison an always online console with digital games or gamepass seems like the appealing option for many.
I've stopped collecting old video games and switched to using a computer that emulates the systems I want. I'm storing everything in one place, with filters that accurately simulate the scanline of a CRT TV and good quality controllers for common systems, as well as wireless controls specifically designed for exotic systems like the N64 or GameCube.
Me too, I bought n64 8bit do wireless, game cube wireless, I also have the wii remotes so I can have a similar experience all in one place, on pc. Using a front end it feels like I am playing on a console.
I think Retrocomputing will split into 2 sections ; First, the preservation of the systems in working order ; purely that. The hardware is starting to stop working through sheer age, so preservation of real SID, VIC, Spectrum ULA etc will become paramount.
The second is using ; playing or developing ; these will be done through accurate replicas, like Mister.
I think the hardware will become too fragile to be used on a day to day basis.
This is the way
aw man the ... is my game system of all time
I've recently pulled out one of my old CRT's to hook it up to a Mister setup, and sorry, the modern shaders on an LCD really don't do it justice.
Great video MVG!! Thanks for sharing about your retro collection story
I feel compelled to add that the main point of CRT for some is just to ensure motion clarity at 60fps. Even OLED isn't touching it at 60fps, even with BFI which has it own set of drawbacks. But I acknowlege that we are a small demographic.
Agreed, plus upscalers do not remove the lag that modern TVs have VS playing on a CRT.
Yeah BFI totally ruins the scaler thing for me. Just looks awful. If gamers wanna give up on CRTs for the scalers, thats fine, makes it easier for us to get moar crts
Yes - this and input lag reduction. Those of us who grew up with 8 / 16-bit systems and CRTs notice the lag _instantly_ on action / platformers and it is surprisingly joy-killing (at least for me).
@@asimplenameichose151 You're not alone. So many reviews of various setups and pieces of new hardware always gloss over the input lag, and at least for me, any input lag whatsoever is a deal breaker and as you put it, a fun killer. Much the speed-running community agrees.
Yeah... 60hz means flickering mess, this shit literally hurts eyes
I've offloaded 90% of my physical games. All they did was collect dust, and I never played them. It makes me sad, yet I'm completely ok with it.
Same. Cant imagine those people with full sets. Doubt they play even half of their games
@@ar-game-test Collecting games, physical or digital ROMs means they are probably never going to play most of them. No one has the time to play every game in a huge collection
@@ssjbargainsale The idea in the back of my mind is I'll have the option to play them when I retire or maybe eventually I can pass them down to a youngster that will enjoy them.
That's why I stopped for now. I'm currently trying to play all the games I own (done with about 30%) before I collect more.
I've got a crap ton of Dreamcast games but ever since I purchased a Dreamcast w Gdemu back in 2020 my game discs just sit on a shelf in my garage
I have my CRT, love it. Never giving it up.
What changed in the last years is the amount of scalpers in the scene
Old fanless cartridge systems will never die. Optical systems and media are the ones in real trouble.
Except the ram chips that will die out eventsully, all the capacitors going dry, possible breaking cips due to different current flowing, random chips and transistors that die randomly.
Sure sound immortal. Except that SNES-es are more and more starting to die in the lastedt years. i changed 2 video chips that died randomly during gameplay and a shit tin of caapcitors in over 10 snes-es, in the last 2 years.
SURE SOUNDS LIKE THEY WILL NEVER DIE 🥵🥵🥵🥵😍😍😍🍔🌝
The ICs won't last forever. Nor will the voltage regulators, capacitors etc.
I enjoyed the video! I've noticed most of my nostalgia wearing off after a few minutes of playing a game I thought for sure would have given me a few hours of rose-colored glasses fun. I seemed to have found my exception, though. I never get tired of Mortal Kombat 2. I joined in on some of the community on TH-cam, and it's been great. It's like being in an arcade again back in 94 or 95. Anyway, a lot of people may be using CRT shaders now. I've been using them to great nostalgic effect lately.
I still have PS3 and that old school stuff still works nicely, bossman.
The more I see modern games for "modern audience" the more I am for the retro games😄
Loved this video, a wide range of topics and insights.
For an unscripted video it felt well thought out.
Nice. We ate good until the 7th gen. Since then, we went basically backwards in most cases
RetroArch + Shaders
To me my favorite advancements in emulation is the arrival of Libretro and RetroArch. This awesome piece of software and community allows for other emulators to plug in and use the same system in a coherent form. No longer do I need to handle standalone emulators. Sure it has some downsides, but its upsides is vastly preferred by me and I don't want to go back. Besides for cores that are not available yet.
And the second big advancements to me is, the Shaders to emulator CRT effects properly. These are quite convincing and are literally game changer to me. This is vastly more advanced and flexible than your simple effects.
Great Video as Always my Man!!! Please Continue to keep up the great work!!
Retro Gaming is so good to me because of all the timeless Classics that absolutely Love! Whether I have Nostalgia for it or Not, they are there, a whole Assortment of Stories, Characters, Experiences & Genres, all waiting for me to dive in, & gain some simple Fun & Memorable Enjoyment from!! After all, there are so many different titles that I never got to experience growing up, so many I didn't even know about?!
I love Retro Gaming so much! It has a unique ability to take us away, on a Journey back to a more Simple Time! Allows of to Reminisce on Fond Memories w Loved ones & it allows us a glimpse at where it started, & where it might be headed next in the future?
Retro Gaming is Life!
The popularity of retro gaming has surged in recent years compared to twenty years ago due to a significant increase in the number of gamers, a trend that began to peak in the 2000s. Since the start of the video game burst, we have seen nine generations of video game systems. While two of these generations are still current and coexist with each other, they will eventually be classified as retro. Additionally, we are entering a new era that encompasses current, retro, and vintage gaming. Systems that are over 50 years old will start to fall into the vintage gaming category and will no longer be considered retro, the similarities are the same with toys, furniture and other electronics items like typewriters, cameras, calculators, computers and much more.
Freezing cold take
I disagree with what he says about CRTs. All analog consoles will always look best with CRTs. Plus upscalers cost $300+. You can find a good CRT for less than $100 if you look around
All true
CRTs are still pretty easy to find on facebook marketplace, many of them for free or for $20-$50. However they usually vary drastically in quality and condition, and you'll need to act fast if you see a really good one
so another person who says crt looks the best BUT hasnt seen the tink4k in person i can spend £100 on a sony trinitron 26" that could last a month or use my tink4k and play in 4k with hdr on all my systems with bfi. i do like crts but the amount of people saying this exact thing in the comments comes across as a money issue vs actual tech talk
@@Kevinwoolford123 Not ever having had the opportunity to use a tink device, do they address issues with input lag (comparably to the feel of playing the old platformers on a CRT)? If so I might be willing to go that route at some point.
@asimplenameichose151 On an lg oled with game mode it's impossible to detect any lag but if you are on a more basic tv it would lag ofc. Oled is the way forward for these devices but the Samsung qled tvs although they arnt as smooth in motion they do have really good input lag
Good points & video. Have personally seen myself go through many of these shifts with my retro playing & collecting.
I think that CRTs and real hardware are still a necessity if you want to play retro rhythm games. Anything that creates any kind of input lag really ruins the experience of those games.
So true, try playing Space Channel 5 on a modern display, just ruins the gameplay, same is true for platformers, racers and SHMUPS, you need that CRT for gameplay quality to remain high.
@Wobble2007 I'd argue that there are good LCD's out there with incredibly low latency, but if you factor in the cost of a high-end low latency panel and a scaler, its significantly more affordable to get a crt if you can find one.
Where I'm from, CRT's are gone, the only ones you see are the RF only sets and they're $80+ in my area unless you wanna drive 50+ miles away. Most need recaps too, I repaired them for years but gave up this year.
I now use a LG C3 paired with a Retrotink 5x, and beat space channel 5 with no issues. Used my original dream cast and a OEM controller. I've even beat parappa the rapper and other "difficult" timing games, it's definitely possible
I don't know, I've played through bust a groove, beatmania, parappa and others countless times on emulation. I suppose it depends on the setup and the speed of the PC.
I wish modern displays had a “rhythm” mode that’s like game mode but guarantees under 16.6ms frame delay on both audio and video
It an extremely small percentage of gamers who feel this way.
One thing that is getting worse is the user user experience for new users (usually kids). At my work I am known for "retro" and have people coming up to me telling me how much they or their kids are struggling to get things to work. I can see why, while the end user "community" is NOT toxic, it is unhelpful and very much "comic book guy" sneering at beginners. This is sad to see becasue it never used to be like that.
That sounds like the Linux community. One of the major things that make It hard to get people to switch to it is the large amount of people in the community that gate keep and have contempt for new users. Trying to get help and getting hostile reactions that amount to bullying just chases people away. That's why I try so hard to help new users. It's sad that that happens in retro gaming too now.
Considering how the VAST majority of games nowadays, particularly AAA, are the same rehashed garbage, there's a large segment of gamers that find retro games more innovative, unique and fun.
What I like is how CRTs have grow in importance, because 15 years ago everything retro was pixel perfect with HDMI output.
"cmon, what year was it 15 years ago?"
"2009"
"oh."
CRT's 4 life baby.
Nice sum-up! I also got rid of most of my videogame software, moving across the Atlantic a few times was the final convincing that dragging all that shit around didn't really have any positives. Besides the current availability of flash cartridges, disc emulators and other fantastic solutions make it easily possible to keep the old hardware happy.
Hope you're well bud, been a minute.
I much prefer playing GameCube these days, back when games were more consistent and actually fun, rather than a slog
what's a gamecube game you'd recommend that's a hidden gem (i.e. not Melee, Sunshine, etc)
@@wchorskiit’s multi platform but I always had a blast with this Moto-Cross game called Freakstyle
Stop playing sloggy games then? And it's not like all the Gamecube games were bangers.
@@wchorskipretty well known, but i STILL think about how cool, eternal darkness, was and i havent played it since its release. Cool horror game that breaks the 4th wall and messes with you when your in game sanity meter fills up like making you think your tv is broken and shit.
14:30 curation is still part of collecting. no need to hold on to games you don't really have any sentimental feelings for
Everyone’s collection should be all killer, no filler to the collector.
Greetings. Golden here.
First time listening, first time calling.
Great video my friend.
Subbed 🍻
Anyone that has an issue with people emulating games that are 20+ years old are honestly just trolling. No sane person really cares about someone emulating ancient games.
The entire games industry is actively attempting to destroy the ability of consumers to buy and play old games.
@@Vanity0666 Indeed, but I'm talking about people on the internet in general or in comment sections that want to say how it's "illegal" and have some moral stance on why they shouldn't emulate at all.
Trust me... As soon as you sell your collection you will want it back!!!
This is a great topic for discussion. The scene really has changed a lot. I know that for me, how i play/collect has changed over the last ten years. I've gone from playing on real hardware and games, to using everdrives and cutting way back on game purchases for systems I've got an everdrive for, to these days mostly emulating up through 360 on a dedicated mini PC in my living room.
I still have all of my old systems and will bust them out now and then, but a mini PC running the batocera front end connected to a tink4k with some nice CRT shaders and slot masks is so much more convenient. When Mister CD-i core is a bit further along I'll probably switch to mister.
I do hope CRT technology will see a breakthrough like game hardware and software. _Surely_ there's a way to produce the same effect, if not better, for much cheaper today than 20 years ago, right?
I'm glad some remasters/remakes are being released. At least some companies are noticing we want to play good old titles. I'm expecting for Soul Reaver Remaster tomorrow, and will buy some Capcom collections as well; I got Dark Forces, Doom 1+2, and many others. Just allow us to buy the games...
imo i think remasters/remakes are a "cheap" way for companies to release a game: instead of trying out new concepts or creating new IPs, they decide to take an old successful game and basically put out something everyone already played
Remakes and remasters to date are not anything like the original games. They are revisions or deliberately set out to change the content in some way instead of HD texturing or remaking on new hardware, give or take adding content. Some instances context matters as if things were, it was strictly related to the game itself. Now, it's for external reasons. Not altering, removing, but adding. We used to get genuine remakes and Capcom is one of the first in both instances that has messed with games, even taking the same approach with a remaster. That's why I call them revisions.
Doom 1+2 is a good remaster
@@vetrixfx9264 I see it more like an extra option for us. Thanks to them, Marvel VS Capcom 2 is available now, I won't need to buy an overpriced copy for PS2/Xbox to be able to play again :)
Game at 20:30, plz + thank-u.
I think one thing of note is that enough time has passed to where the generation that who just now have grown up are significantly younger than the old games and hardware at hand, meaning there is less new people becoming nostalgic and therefore interested in the “authentic” experience that’s necessitates huge big box collections and old CRTs and the original hardware/controllers.
The love of the older games are themselves still there, after all official rereleases and the ease of emulation ensures that, but there’s less of a demand for that purist experience that predates many people’s own existence.
TLDR: Physical consoles *feel* different to me than emulation, and emulation doesn't tell the same "stories" as physical hardware can
Full tirade:
I'm a young adult rather into retro gaming, and have almost complete access to emulation on PC, PS Vita, 3DS, etc., but I still have a Game Boy Color with a flash cart, and my modded 3DS for DS games. And soon to be modded PS2.
If you ask me, there's a certain charm that comes with actual hardware that you lose with an emulator. Think of it as an actual 486 vs DOSBox, or an actual Windows 98SE machine vs a virtual machine. Yeah, you're going to play the same games, or run the same applications, but the way it's experienced is different. You can't look down from the TV or monitor and see the hardware, or hear a hard drive and/or a fan. There's no cartridges to blow into to get working. No spinning discs or disks. No story to tell, no previous owners, no scuffs or scratches in the outer shell. The *feel* is different, if you get my drift.
I like getting things second-hand because you get to ask yourself, "What was this device's life like? Was it a beloved family console, or a collection piece that had to be sold? Did it play hard, or was it on a shelf?" That history, that story to tell, makes actual hardware a better experience to me.
I got my Windows 98SE machine from a church's basement. No keyboard, no monitor, no speakers, just the tower. I got it home, and opened it up before plugging it into a monitor, speakers, keyboard, etc. that I found for it, and it was full of dust. That begs the question, how long was it in that basement? What was it used for? Who used it? *What is its story?* Now, it's in my hands, and that machine had probably played more games than it ever has in that church. I am now undoubtedly part of its story, and that makes me happy.
Sidenote, but I've actually found that, for retro PCs specifically, HDD and FDD replacers make me slightly annoyed because they fundamentally change how the device feels. Things load much faster, and they're nearly, if not completely, silent. And devices that try to shoehorn in those sounds feel disingenuous to me. Like, don't make a thing try to act like something it fundamentally is not. The reverb, location, authenticity, and cause of the sound typically is all wrong in those devices. And unless you're literally spinning up an actual hard drive, or seeking an actual floppy disk, it just won't sound the same. The sound won't travel through the shell or components of the device correctly.
But at the same time, if I literally have no current access to the physical hardware, say Gamecube for instance, I probably will emulate, since I have no opportunity to use the hardware. But if the option of hardware is there, and I can play what I want via the use of a flash cart or a modded console, I'd take it any day over emulation.
Also, you have to contend with some of the same problems that people before you had to contend with. PS1 not reading? Try putting it on it's side. For some strange reason, that helped me. My PS2's optical drive is shot, and I just got a modded memory card for it, but I still want to get the optical drive fixed, because I grew up with that console. It used to be/still is my grandfather's, and I used to play it pretty often, before my uncle got an Xbox 360 and I got a copy of Minecraft Xbox 360 Edition. I have that console too now. I am now, and for some, have been, a part of these consoles' stories.
I'm only a young adult, and many of the items of this sort I've never been in full possession of before(so it can't be nostalgia), but for me, it's like handling a piece of history. Like digital archaeology.
Have an Analogue Neo Geo with a Neo Geo Everdrive on my wishlist.
Love too hear your thoughts on all things retro gaming, thanks for the video, mate!
MVG: I think video game emulation is at a great place today
Nintendo: I OBJECT!!
Nintendo: You made us what we are today. Now we're going to sue your asses.
I don’t know man, where I work, it’s the UKs leading electronic preowned retailer, we sell more retro than modern, what’s also is funny is in our sales, it goes mobile devices, then software, then hardware. Last week I must’ve sold 7 Wiis, just some random people wanting to go down memory lane and get the games they never had. A lot of people are turning towards physical again with how things have been going lately. The shop I’m at can’t seem to keep retro in, since it flies out and we’re good on standards.
I sell tons of retro hardware online, its a matter of price
Just commenting so that I don't miss any videos. It seems like TH-cam doesn't recommend every video but this and Dave's Garage are like 2 of my favorite technology related channels. This checks way more boxes as a hobbyist modder going back to using a soldering iron to melt the plastic tabs in my snes and n64 as a preteen and teen to play Japanese games and then my life changed with cd burners and dreamcast. The sbiffy community was amazing for multi emulator disks and what not...
I went through a phase where I wanted all my retro stuff to be upgraded into the best video possible. Now I'm wanting to go back to the fuzziness. I watched Buckaroo Banzai on a 4k TV at a friend's house a few years ago. The scene where he's up in the sky? The clouds were VERY obviously cotton balls, and I mean it was hilariously obvious. If you had watched it on a VHS on a standard CRT TV back in the day, you wouldn't have noticed that at all, as the blurriness would have blended everything and it would look like a cloud. As it was intended originally. That's what I want now, playing things how they were intended to be played. Fortunately I've kept several CRT TVs and monitors, so I can play how I want. Also, mega props to guys like Adrian's Digital Basement who spend their spare time repairing old systems and computers and keeping them alive and running.
Very true. Also if you can get youtube running on a CRT (like with a PS3 or 360) low quality videos usually look really good on those displays
thats the same path I gravitated! composite on nes is even too high quality for me now, as I have a collection of 80s woodgrain TVs that, when paired with an RF modulator or straight through RF unit for NES just looks and feels right, it truly takes you back to gaming as a kid, I think this is the reason retro gaming starts to become numb after you've been in it for decades. THAT transports you back, as you get older you kinda start to appreciate chasing originality over highest possible quality we would never have had as kids anyway. You want grandma's spare bedroom Emerson TV with coax only for your 1992 experience! You get older and start to wind down chasing the best, and instead appreciating fine vintage wine. Don't get me wrong though I love playing with the highest quality too, and where it can be done, but playing doom on Steam in 4k vs an actual Packard Bell with original crappy 13" low dot pitch monitor on trebley speakers is just a totally unique vibe.
@@mikebuynak5338 I've even gone backwards with my music (hipster even, some might say...). Been collecting cassette tapes again (seriously, I find them at estate sales for literal pennies all the TIME), getting a good 80's turntable and getting thrift store records. Collecting VHS again. Found an awesome perfectly working Betamax player at an estate sale a few years ago for 10 bucks! Don't think I'll bother with 8-track, as I never really liked those, but man, there's just something about that older sound that crystal clear perfect audio will never replace or replicate.
Welcome to getting older and realizing there's more to life. Expense, Space/Storage, Dust Collecting/Non-Use, Life Responsibilities, all reasons people will downsize. As I've aged, I've turned into more of a minimalist myself, I simply don't *need* all this stuff, which will only sit around and collect dust. Having a big family and other life responsibilities obviously contributes to that as well. I'm all on board with the do more with less mentality now, and having a RPi5 with a 1TB NVME and Batocera, I'm all set. Physically owning older retro games/consoles, does not outweigh the earlier points - Expense, Space/Storage, Dust Collecting/Non-Use, Life Responsibilities.
agree. i recently moved and organized all of my old games. during the process i stopped and asked, why do i need all this stuff? then i realized i don’t need it, and a burden was lifted i didn’t even know i had. refreshing!
I heard this so often and most of the people relapsed into collecting again after 5 to 10 years.
The yo-yo effect will come, it is only a matter of time.
@@cellspeed8682 Eh, I don't think so. 39 now and 4 kids, lots more to consider than bulking out a room with retro games. Been downsizing considerably the last 10 years already, no urge at all to go back.
Had a great time watching this in my garage with the heater cranked up while playing on my Modretro Chromatic. I absolutely agree with every point you touched, on as I too have been involved in each method of retro gaming. One thing I can say is that I'm extremely dissatisfied with the current path the industry is taking. With platforms blocking access to games when their next gen storefronts launch, combined with the future undoubtedly going all digital, I'm worried about the longevity of my favorite hobby. Especially if connection to the internet to verify a licence is required in order for me to enjoy my night. Living in a rural area in the states, this is absolutely a deal breaker. Worse so when I purchase physical media only to discover the content isn't really even on the cart or disk. Such a shame.
I appreciate that scalers are getting better and better but old consoles were meant for a CRT display.
…he says that in the video. And we all know that. Bebop was meant to be played on the shittiest sounding ancient record players played through the shittiest sounding mono speaker. Modern music is mixed to sound the best on a pair of apple airpods, movies were made to be seen on a 70 foot screen…the original mediums intent while important is not the end all and other solutions that are equal (or better) but different are possible.
Can we talk about the guy who did the wall plastering in your room. Was he drunk ? 😂
That wall has seen some things...
Oh yeah, I heard of those longplay thingies!
Nice video as usual :)
Cheaper, more powerful hardware and increased conveniences from emulation makes collecting original hardware less about actually playing them and more just keeping them as historical artifacts, like a museum.
Yeah, I'm never selling my original hardware. There is something special about popping in a cart and playing the game just like back in the day.
Demand from collectors is decreasing but prices keep rising and you *don't* think there's a bubble??
I was thinking the same thing. Something's got to give at some point. I just hope when prices eventually crash hard that those people who only have them because they are valuable don't just start chucking them into the bin.
@@Leahi84 The demand is still there, but there's two types of demand. There's demand and there's solvable demand. I'll give you an example - probably a lot of people would REALLY like to own the latest Ferrari or Lamborghini supercar. And even more would probably like to own a huge house with pool, personal cinema, gym and so on. So you can say there's demand for that things, no doubt about that. But how many can afford them?
Or, in this case, even if you afford it, are you willing to pay those prices?
I've seen people "wanting" huge prices for old hardware, but they aren't selling them... months and even years...
@@eugenb9017 Won't they eventually have to sell them to recoup costs? Can they sit on them indefinitely?
@@Leahi84 It depends, if they got them at a very low price (think flea markets, thrifts stores), yes, they can keep them until someone is willing to pay the price.
Glad you guys paired down, made it easier for me to pair up
Retro gaming scene needs a brand new CRT monitor. Lots of people our age have a fond & newfound appreciation of the tech today.
There are production challenges, but it just needs to be the size of a C1084. Sell it for 300-400$ and the entire factory-run will sell out in hours with scalpers reselling them for double that.
I think there was a guy on NostalgiaNerd promoting a monitor like that a little while back
There are so many functional CRTs sitting around gathering dust. I don't see the point building more junk that most people will shelve after they get bored and move onto something else.
I'm all for that, I love CRTs. It's true you can find them locally for a deal, but if you can't you risk crazy shipping costs and possible damage. With your suggestion, I think the only way to prevent scalpers is if every television company had a CRT line and that they were also available at brick and mortar stores (which unfortunately is slowly dying).
@@jarnalyrkar I think there was some issues with either the monitor, the guy, or something else going on with that though. I can't remember, but there was a reason I didn't buy one and it was a good one.
I had to throw out a 29 inch Arcade VGA compatible CRT screen because no one would pick up locally even for $100, I originally bought it for $500 back in 2012 when I built my MAME cabinet, it just took up too much space, and was a pain to configure.