Original Xbox with Xecuter 3
The Gaming Setup
External Game Capture
PC Games List
Back in the day, games used to arrive in big boxes with mauals, art, discs and extras. Nowadays it's a simple download and you get nothing (ok, code) for your money. Some people form collections of games and Here is mine for the PC thus far.
PS2 Games List
Probably the best era in gaming. Before the consoles went online proper and the developers were putting out quality games. You can see my list Here.
Xbox 360 Gmes List
The twilight years for the console gamers. This is where we lost control of the consoles and Micrsoft and Sony took over. You can see my 360 list Here.
Arcade Machine(s)
Strictly speaking, this would be classed as emulation, I suppose. But then again, maybe not. it isn't practical to have several
hundred Arcade machines in any home, so we must find an alternative. So, in keeping with the spirit of using the original hardware
my compromise is an amalgamation of Raspberry Pi and an Arcade Cabinet.
We have the proper controls, sound, housing and so on, but have updated the screen from a CRT to a modern TFT about 19". This screen drastically reduces the weight of the set up and enables me to connect the Pi. The Pi and IPAC replaces the JAMMA board (ROM) and harness, which is the only deviation really. I have set Retropie to use CRT effects such as Scan lines seen on old monitors. This helps to make the experience authentic. This is as close as you can get to owning an arcade machine without using the actual arcade boards. I am tempted to make a true JAMMA machine at some point, but the boards have some crazy prices, even today. Here is a picture of Chiki Chiki Boys running on this machine.
I don't want to talk too much about emulation here but I use MAME as my main Arcade emulator. The old arcade games are very difficult to complete when compared to the usual games you may be accustomed to on the consoles or PC. You need cat-like reflexes and a decent memory to remember the patterns of attack. Any games I review / play will have the dip switches set to easy to facilitate a smooth game.
I spent a good portion of my youth in the Arcades and have played everything from the old moon cresta, space invaders upto the new stuff like terminator and mario kart. I will play some old favourites and try out ones I have never played before, as the library is vast and I believe this is area of gaming that made the rest possible. A lot of games (and cartainly hardware) came from Japan, and it should be noted that usually, JAP versions are more difficult than PAL or NTSC as a whole, in gaming.
We have the proper controls, sound, housing and so on, but have updated the screen from a CRT to a modern TFT about 19". This screen drastically reduces the weight of the set up and enables me to connect the Pi. The Pi and IPAC replaces the JAMMA board (ROM) and harness, which is the only deviation really. I have set Retropie to use CRT effects such as Scan lines seen on old monitors. This helps to make the experience authentic. This is as close as you can get to owning an arcade machine without using the actual arcade boards. I am tempted to make a true JAMMA machine at some point, but the boards have some crazy prices, even today. Here is a picture of Chiki Chiki Boys running on this machine.
I don't want to talk too much about emulation here but I use MAME as my main Arcade emulator. The old arcade games are very difficult to complete when compared to the usual games you may be accustomed to on the consoles or PC. You need cat-like reflexes and a decent memory to remember the patterns of attack. Any games I review / play will have the dip switches set to easy to facilitate a smooth game.
I spent a good portion of my youth in the Arcades and have played everything from the old moon cresta, space invaders upto the new stuff like terminator and mario kart. I will play some old favourites and try out ones I have never played before, as the library is vast and I believe this is area of gaming that made the rest possible. A lot of games (and cartainly hardware) came from Japan, and it should be noted that usually, JAP versions are more difficult than PAL or NTSC as a whole, in gaming.