OXCGN:
"It's a simple truth. Our pockets are stuffed to the brim with wallets, smartphones, mp3 players, Pokewalkers (you know you do), assorted coins, maybe even a pen or notepad for the charmingly old fashioned amongst you.
Our portable plastic gaming fixes are far more likely to reside in backpacks or handbags, but it isn't until now that this has been admitted.
So in the absence of a true Microsoft handheld, how does Nintendo's latest and largest effort rank up – the DSi XL? Let's start with the obvious, shall we?"
Nick Fernandez writes, "After decades of questionable practices around emulation, a chance conversation with a retro game store owner changed my views forever."
This is a great article and it's what many in the retro community feel.
I still play on original hardware if I have nostalgia for those systems I have my nes, mega drive, PS1, n64, PS2 connected through a retrotink 2x to a OLED Bravia and I'm happy with the image. Sometimes it's not even the games but the sound of a PS1 laser firing that makes the experience the changing cart or disc it's cathartic
If I don't have nostalgia for the system like SNES, Saturn, Dreamcast I'll emulate and maybe use a Bluetooth knock off controller or NSO controller to feel sort of genuine like the SNES NSO gamepad is awesome.
I also use ever drives for the cart based systems I own a few classics I love like super Mario Bros games, sonics etc but retro gaming is expensive so everdrive gives me that full library like emulation but I have the right gamepad in my hand because some systems just don't feel right unless you have the right controller mainly the N64.
But I'm under no illusion I'll have my retro systems forever all the console will inevitably die and that where emulation becomes vital. Its great for preservation and it helps make these old games accessible to younger generations who may wonder where their favourite franchises started and expose them to new things like games from the 8 and 16 bit era which still hold up really well.
I enjoy articles like this. It's actual game journalism. I would love to read more about the context of the store and the owner one day.
I started out completely against downloading emulators and roms. I considered it stealing.
However, recently, with companies like Ubisoft and others, telling me I don’t own my digital only game, and even the physical games that I do own are incomplete on physical media, some with nothing more than an executable file, on disc so that I have to download the entire game anyway. I have since changed my opinion on the subject. If game publishers don’t care about me, trying to do the right thing, then I’m not going to care about them. The industry brought this upon themselves.
At this time, emulation is the number one way to ensure game preservation. Even Sony and Nintendo is using this method officially to make older games playable on their consoles.
If my emulation were to go away then there is a chance the retro gaming market is likely fall into an even smaller niche since the newer generation of gamers will not even know those games existed.
Vampire Survivors: Emerald Diorama is one of the biggest content drops ever, with a free DLC based on Square Enix’s SaGa fantasy RPG.
Celebrate National Siblings Day with this list of iconic video game siblings—from rival assassins to classic bros.
I love the dynamic of Nate and Sam in Uncharted 4. Nate has given up the treasure hunting life for Elena, he just loves her that much despite living his whole life off the thrill of his adventures. But then Sam came back and made Nate "temporarily" forgot who he is to become who he was. That scene where Elena found out was one of the best scene in Uncharted imo.
I like the idea of bigger screens but if they get too big it won't be portable anymore so I'm not sure about increasing the size of the screens.
I'll grab one when they're cheap. I must play Pokemon Gold!
I love the fact gamers and industry types and analysts go on about the so-called 5yr cycle of game hardware. And if any maker steps out side that limit, both the public and the industry slam them for dare pushing the hardware on the public before the old one has had its chance to run its cycle etc etc etc.
Yet, Nintendo have NEVER sat to that cycle, it puts out new pieces of hardware almost every 18-24 months, and for t he most part, they are simply extensions of a previous incarnation, never a huge deviation from something beforehand.
Every other hardware manufacture that has done anything remotely similar has been branded for doing the most obvious, changing your hardware to suit current ever changing technology.
Yet Niffty does it without so much as a sneeze from industry or consumer a like.
Drop MS in there or even Sony, and the industry and consumer would hit the roof. The thing is, the so-called 5yr cycle is no longer valid in todays fast changing world of technology. Go back 10 yrs, sure, but no longer.
The fuss about MS changing the 360 before a 10 yr period is up, or the PS3 doing the same is down right absurd to the extreme. In industry, if they did that, they'd be out of business withing a few years.
The 360's new replacement will be announced soon enough, and you watch the fuss that will come from that.
But Niffy will announce it's successor to the Wii soon, and Sony have already changed the face of their PS 3 in shape and internals - new body shape and overall size plus the removal of several components, and features to make it financially viable - as it should have been when it was released - (not much fuss about that actually - funnily enough - another Japanese home breed company hmmmm).
Niffty already have plans for another model which is underway, the fact that the public are unaware of these things is sometimes mind bobbling.
I'm not saying the constant change is not good, it is, for technology's sake and the end users sake, but the fuss over it for 'some' makers is just over reaction by opposing forces, as when a maker who has constant customers, who often have several of the same device, buy the next item up for grabs, simply say nothing and fork out the funds for yet another 'similar' item.
SO when your hardware starts to drop to a point where your initial price point was nice and high, introduce a new line, basically the same, and whack the initial price point back on, millions buy it, and you don't lose too much in the process. Niffty makes billions and its shareholders get happier every month.
The PSP GO is better just for the better battery life! Only now you can't get a second battery to put in if you are travelling!
But man the PSP 2000 I had was crap with battery life. Very good that the DS XL decided to up the battery not just for the extra screen power needs but overall too!