I’m Bob, the founder of RetroRGB. If you’d like to support my work, please consider following me on social media, or even supporting via paid platforms; Those support services are what keeps the work I’m involved with and this site going. More about me below the links:
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/retrorgb
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Here’s a link to product’s I’ve personally tested and use from Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/shop/retrorgb
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eBay Store (occasionally have extra stuff for sale): https://ebay.to/2ESH3e4
Even if you’re not in a place to support directly, maybe consider using my Amazon and eBay links to purchase regular items? Simply click the links below and buy whatever you’d normally purchase with no markup, but a tiny portion of the sale gets credited to me:
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Amazon General: https://www.amazon.com/?tag=retrorgb-20&linkCode=ez
Podcast: https://anchor.fm/retrorgb
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Like many people who are probably reading this site, I grew up playing consoles like the SNES and Genesis, which featured styles of games that aren’t nearly as common today. While I love new games and in many ways they can be far superior, they’re not always the style or experience someone is looking for. Some of the biggest pet peeves of modern games are loading times, constant software updates and often long “training sessions” required before the gameplay even starts. Heck, even many of the games are significantly longer! Someone looking to game during the small bits of free time they might have, often look to classic consoles and handhelds that provide a way to just jump in and start playing; Many classic games can be completed within an hour and are a satisfying experience.
The most common styles of games found on those platforms are different too. There are similar games available for newer consoles, like Shovel Knight, The New Super Mario Bros, Ori and the Blind Forest and (of course) Axiom Verge. Still, the amount of 2D vs 3D graphic games made is very small, so I often find that to enjoy that style, you need to go back to some of the classic consoles, which was the original catalyst for this site…
The journey to experience retro video game awesomeness started in October 2011 when I discovered a (low quality) Retro Controller Adapter for the Wii. After a few months of playing virtual console games on my Wii via the adapter, it started to feel like a tease; I got to use the original controller, but I missed the look of a CRT, as well as not having any lag on my games!
I soon realized if I wanted a “real” experience, I had to get the real thing and as a result, I ended up building the Retro Cart. I was happy playing all the old games the way they were meant to be played, on the original hardware, on a high quality CRT TV that brought out the best in the older games. After that project, I thought I was done…
Then, I re-discovered RGB and my retro video game life changed forever (I knew about RGB as a kid, but it was so unfathomably expensive back then that I just put it out of my mind). Even though it was less than three months from the time I completed the Retro Cart, I knew I had to start over. I was able to use most of the same equipment I already purchased, but there were some key differences. I dug so deep into it, that I decided to document exactly what I went though via a Google Doc, just in case “a few of my friends” ever wanted to do the same. I eventually gathered so much information that Cousin Scott suggested I make it into a website, so if other people wanted to walk down the same path, they could skip all the research and follow one easy to read guide. Hopefully I succeeded!
Axiom Verge was originally released on the PlayStation 4 in 2015 by developer Thomas Happ; A person who made both the game and the haunting soundtrack that’s become instantly recognizable by gamers. Immediately after release, reviews seemed to universally agreed that Axiom Verge held up against the classic Metroidvania games it pays homage to. I […]
Have you ever wondered why there are only 7 pins on the NES controller port, but 8 buttons (plus power and ground)? How does the NES know exactly what button is being pushed? Also, how long does it take for the console to know that you’re pushing a button at all? Well, lucky for us, […]
Here’s this week’s roundup! An audio-only version, is available on iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, Spotify and for direct-download: https://www.retrorgb.com/podcast/?name=2019-12-11_179.mp3 Video available on YouTube (above), LBRY and Bitchute: Please consider signing up as a supporter! Either hit Join, tip or pledge on this video, or sign up through the following services: https://www.patreon.com/retrorgb / https://www.subscribestar.com/robertneal / https://bitbacker.io/user/robertneal/ 00:37 Swiss […]
This is a guest post from fluxcore that details how to improve audio from your NES/Famicom and make them sound closer to the proper audio the original Famicom outputs… Obtaining decent audio output from the Famicom and NES systems has always been an issue – the original, ‘reference’ console, the Famicom (model HVC-001), only provides […]
Superg has just posted that for the first time in a long time (ever?), both the gscartsw and gcompsw 8×2 are in stock and ready to ship: gscartsw – $220: http://www.gretrostuff.com/store/gscartsw/ gcompsw – $200: http://www.gretrostuff.com/store/gcompsw/ The gswitches are by far the most sought after switches in retro gaming. Both are 8-input, 2-output devices that provide simultaneous output, […]
Furrtek has posted more details about the upcoming Neo SD Loader project. As if we weren’t excited enough already… First, pictures of the near-final boards have been posted (shown above) and look great! He’s still trying to determine the best location for people who’d like to keep both CD & SD support, but it’s possible […]
Developer Matthew Kiehl has recently shown off his latest update for “Intellivania”, his port of Castlevania on Intellivision. There’s no current ETA for when it will be finished, however the intention is to release it on physical media. I had the pleasure of seeing this game in person at the Portland Retro Gaming Expo and […]
YouTube user マツケん/ MatsukeN recently posted a video comparing how very different each NES/Famicom console outputs audio. Now, of course, there’s a lof of things that factor into this comparison. What version of the motherboard was in each? Were they original capacitors, or was a full cap replacement done on each console? What’s the quality of […]
While the work done at RetroRGB is centered around video games, we’re essentially a “technology” site focused on gaming. As a result, we’re constantly running into deep technical issues and very often that includes getting older computer hardware to work on newer equipment and operating systems. One common issue: Drivers. Developer Ben Cox ran into […]
Emulicious, the GB, GBC, SMS and GG emulator has just had its second major update this year. This emulator is popular with developers for it’s debugging features and full control of the games. This update features SMS FM Sound support, as well as tabs in the memory editor: For the Master System and Game Gear […]
