Weekly Roundup #134
Here’s this week’s roundup! Audio-only version, available on iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher and wherever podcasts are heard: https://www.retrorgb.com/podcast/?name=2019-01-30_134.mp3
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:
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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!
Here’s this week’s roundup! Audio-only version, available on iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher and wherever podcasts are heard: https://www.retrorgb.com/podcast/?name=2019-01-30_134.mp3
This Swiss team just posted another release, focusing on specific game enhancements and adding the ability to launch the Game Boy Player startup disc from an SD card. Of course, no one with SD launch access would want to use the GBP disc over the Game Boy Interface software, however being able to launch GBP […]
RGB SCART cable manufacturer Retro-Access is now offering a shielded S-Video option along with most of their custom cables. S-Video can only be added to consoles who offer it directly from their multi-out, as there is no “conversion” being done, only tapping into the existing pins. This is an interesting option and something I see […]
A new flash cart was just released for the Pokemon Mini handheld console. The solution costs around $100 depending on options: http://dittomini.com/ This device allows for both original and homebrew games, as well as the upcoming ability to back up and restore savegame files! More information can be found on their main website (linked above) and the forums: http://www.pokemon-mini.net/forum/viewtopic.php?p=6467#p6467
A team of people have just released the full project files from their attempt to re-create the original NES Legend Of Zelda inside Doom: https://www.moddb.com/mods/zelda-tc It was an ambitious attempt that looks shockingly good! I’m not sure if I’d want to play through the entire game like this, but I’d certainly get a kick out of […]
The Bliss Box team has just added a single-player version of their controller adapter to their webstore called the Gamer Pro. This device utilizes their existing controller adapters which are available for pretty much every console out there and converts the signal to USB. Using their custom software, the Gamer Pro can be switched into […]
A prototype of the 32x game Pinocchio was just found and dumped! The game was originally planned for release alongside the SNES, Game Boy and Sega Genesis in October, 1996. This version was labeled “Jun 12, 1995” and seems to be in playable condition. I spent a short time with the game and was able to […]
Christof has just released a few firmware updates for the DCHDMI. There’s a long list of changes since the initial review was posted, but the ones that really stand out to me are PAL 576P support, as well as the ability to passthrough interlaced modes (PAL & NTSC), instead of forcing bob deinterlacing. I realize that […]
Like it or not, GDEMU’s can now be found everywhere, at a cheap price. The current version of the firmware and menu are (in my opinion) excellent, with only a few flaws. Unfortunately, Neuroacid, the creator of the original GDEMU GUI hasn’t posted in a long time or released the source code, leaving the community […]
Nick Persijn, creator of the amazing Tempest 2K controllers for the Atari Jaguar has just posted a video of a custom rotary controller for the Nuon “console”. Dubbed the “Yak Twister”, the controller is a custom “arcade stick” style build, using the Nuon controller boards from Lee Olivares. The stick includes LED lights and outputs […]