@NoirConceit : I agree 100%. that's one reason if something is wireless it MUST use AA/AAA's as those you can find high quality replacements (i.e. NiMh (Eneloop)) as the years/decades pass unlike rechargeable lithium.
but I do prefer wired overall since then it's just less stuff to mess with and with a wire it's generally not a issue as I was using the same wireless XBox360 controller on my PC for about 18 years (it still works even though there is a little drift in the left analog stick but nothing that makes it unusable) and then switched to 8BitDo Ultimate 2C wired (in Dec 2024), which has hall-effect sticks/triggers (and a 1000Hz poll rate (and not to mention a much better dpad as it's Nintendo-like)), and I don't regret it as it's nice not having to mess around with batteries and the wire does not bother me (unlike a computer mouse for example, as I definitely prefer wireless as that cord gets annoying on those unlike a controller).
sadly, not many seem to care about longevity of their random hardware nowadays as NiMh AA/AAA's are far superior to standard rechargeable lithium long term for devices that you want to last decades.
p.s. also, even if you were to put NiMh brand aside (like Eneloop is original from about 2005 that's LSD (Low Self Discharge) and pretty much the go-to as a safe bet for quality), as a general rule... if a NiMh battery is 'made in China' you can generally assume it won't last (i.e. far less charge cycles before battery deteriorates). if it's 'made in Japan' you can generally assume it will 'easily' last years. in fact, I still have my original pack of Eneloop's I bought back in 2013 and while through usage the capacity has declined (as expected), they still function well. no way in hell a China made battery would do that. I got a quality charger that can test for capacity of the battery and general quality of it (Powerex C-9000). hell, a couple of those from the initial Eneloop 8-pack of AA's I bought from the year 2013 has been in my shaver for years now and it still works well. I have not ran a check on them in a while to see their capacity, which I am sure has declined, but even the impedance check the fancy charger I got runs when inserting the battery still is well within usable range. but general China made batteries tend to fail this check a lot sooner as the higher the read-out on the display is the worst it gets as after a certain point the charger will refuse to charge them (as it will read 'high' which I think is when the initial scan reads about 2.20v (or somewhere over 2.00v at least)). because basically the higher that number is on the display, the more worn out they are as they won't hold their voltage under a load etc.
@AndyVGR ; I don't have a 3DO (I remember it in the old days though. but consoles like that pretty much no one had). but if you are not aware, there is recent updates to the unofficial MK2 3DO port on the '3DO HD' YouTube channel. it's 125MB ISO file.
I was playing it through emulation on the PC though on RetroArch. graphically it's strong even though gameplay is quite a bit altered vs the proper game (AI is not super cheap like the real game is and certain stuff you normally can do, you can't. but there is some stuff you can do that you normally cannot. hell, they even have Trip Hawkins as the 'Toasty' character image and swapped out Babalities with 'REALity' and uses that 'real' logo from the 3DO).
still, even the devs for that said they were not going for arcade accurate port. but some stuff, like the Pit II fatality I think one could argue is improved a bit vs the usual arcade perfect one. like for console ports, the 3DO's Pit II stage fatality is definitely the best with how they handled it (as the Pit II stage fatality is my #1 in any MK game straight up).
@PopetheRev28 ; then why bother even commenting in the first place? ; because that's the general point here is to strike up some conversation etc. you made a comment, I happen to reply, you apparently don't like what I have to say (even though it's a great point), then got to play it off with pointless comments like that.
o well, some people just don't want to acknowledge the obvious I guess.
@PopetheRev28 ; : "gaslight"(?) ; I just made some well reasoned statement of why a PC is much better all-around than consoles is all. it's nothing personal. but it's hard to refute my general points if a person is honest when looking at gaming as a whole at this point in time and it's been like that for many years now.
but I get your general "PC gaming is not for everyone" comment, as you are not technically wrong, but "IF" you are suggesting that consoles are OVERALL better than PC at this point in time, I would strongly disagree all-things-considered for most gamers (unless they are very tech challenged etc it might be easier to make a case in favor of consoles).
sure, I get that PC gaming not better across the board (due to 'some' console exclusives etc), but it's close enough as I would say it's probably at least 75/25 in favor of PC for probably a good 15+ years now.
or in summary with time frames of "PC vs Consoles" battle... pre-2000's = consoles. 2000's = roughly 50/50 (but 'might' lean towards consoles in earlier part where as later part towards PC). 2010+ = PC.
but when you said "PC gaming is not for everyone", while you are not technically wrong (so you can claim to be correct here with that basic statement), it's just very easy for a person to say the PC is easily #1 overall when you look at the big picture of games from the old days all the way to here in 2026 (especially since like I say you can emulate console games from about the early 2000's and older on a PC well). so unless someone is a die-hard fan of exclusive console titles in recent memory (like say Nintendo games) etc, it's hard to argue against the PC for any random gamer.
p.s. I get some might start to argue for 'smart phone' and the like gaming as a factor nowadays to, but I am sticking with more of the 'real gaming' stuff here which boils down to consoles and PC as I see 'smart phone' "gaming" as more of a side/novelty sort of thing and not proper gaming, especially if you don't have a decent way to control a game etc as a touch screen is not going to cut it.
@PopetheRev28 ; But overall PC gaming is easily ahead of consoles long term, especially considering we can emulate a lot of the old days consoles well (roughly early 2000's and before). I get no one likes 'Denuvo' (copy protection) on the PC though.
but all things considered, a PC is easily #1 overall and it's not even close at this point in time and has been this way for quite sometime now as I would say the last generation of consoles that was more legit competition with a PC was pretty much 20 years ago now with the XBox360 generation and thereabouts (which was when the XBox brand was at it's peak). the XBox360 was basically the last console I bothered with. but I have been gaming on a PC since about 1995 although it was probably about a couple of years after that before PC gaming more legit started with the '3DFX Voodoo' (I had a Diamond Monster 3D GPU which I still have to this day but I have no PC to use it on). although it took a while before the PC really became clear cut #1 overall (call it roughly the late 2000's to no later than the early 2010's(?)). but at least back in those days (late 1990's etc) a PC was not as dominate as it has been for at least the last 15+ years now (maybe even around 20).
sure, I get there can be a small amount of exclusives on some consoles (I suspect primarily Nintendo), so it keeps them relevant on some level, but unless someone is generally a big fan of newer more exclusive games to consoles, a PC is easily #1 and it's not even close overall as exclusivity to consoles does not have the pull it used to in the old days.
while I do occasionally play more recent titles (lets define 'recent titles' as games over the last 5-10 years or so), the vast majority of what I replay is nothing from recent memory (lets say 'recent memory' is the last 5-10 years or so) even though there is still some in recent memory.
but don't get me wrong, I am not one of those people who are hardline old days as vastly superior to the recent games and that new games are outright bad, but I do think collectively if I had to make a choice of say choosing between these two time frames... A)1987-2010 or B)2011-2034, I would likely back Option A as the better overall long term. I realize it's just a guesstimate currently, but overall I can't see my opinion changing given we are already about 15 years into 'Option B' and while there is some solid games for sure in this time period, I would still back 'Option A' and I don't see much changing in the next 8 years or so. hence, 'Option A' seems like a safer overall choice for me if I could only play games from those two time frames for the rest of my life. because while I would like to play some games for sure in 'Option B', ultimately I would have to sacrifice those to play games in 'Option A'. also, in this particular time frame of 'Option A' I can pretty much play all of the console games I like on a PC since from about late 2000's+ I can't think of much if anything that's on a console that I can't play on a straight PC port and would need emulation for.
so overall I never understood people who prefer consoles over a PC when factoring in all things we can play today on a PC.
I just finished re-watching The Wizard (1989) for the first time since I think sometime in the 1990's (I am in my late 40's now, so I would basically be in the group movies like this was targeted at). even if I am wrong about that estimate it was most likely sometime before 2010 the last time I saw this movie.
I still mildly enjoy it. sure, after you have seen a lot of movies since then (I have seen over 2,400 movies), you can see it's nothing special when looking at all movies out there. but still, I got a little nostalgia for it and it's still not a bad movie for what it is. it will probably help a bit if a person is a fan of video games though, like those of the NES days and thereabouts.
but like some comments above basically mentioned a bit is that "critics" in general tend to overpriase a lot of forgettable movies etc. but here is one hard reality about movies in general... "professional" reviews are largely meaningless since peoples tastes in movies can vary and as time passes and you have seen many movies you can generally gauge what's more likely to stand out and what won't for you based on factors like director, cast, subject matter, and the trailer for a movie.
another thing is after you have seen a lot of movies you tend to learn to keep your expectations of any random movie a lot more accurate instead of inflating etc based on other peoples opinions in that sometimes people can overhype a movie and if you buy into it, and go in expecting the world of it, and even if it's above average etc, people can still be disappointed. but after seeing a lot of movies and you age you tend to learn through experience and no longer buy into hype etc.
also, it seems a good portion of the general public will just dis something if they are supposed to instead of thinking for themselves on whether a movie is good or not. I never do that as I ALWAYS judge and rate movies based on my all around enjoyment of them in comparison to everything I have seen as that's by far the most accurate way to rate/judge a movie. or in short, only about 150 movies (I do keep a exact count as it's actually a bit less but I just said 150 for a nice number) are enjoyable enough for me to consider among my favorite movies which is only about 6% of everything I have seen. there is more movies I like and some that are a bit shy of being among my favorites but as you can see very few movies truly stand out as time passes as the truly good/great movies are ones you want to re-watch here and there as the years pass. those who fail that standard are ultimately forgettable. or another way to put it... there is only about 20% of everything I have seen that's at least potentially worth re-watching here and there. but like I say, the true gems are only about 6% of everything I have seen. but you can tell the volume of quality movies has really taken a hit in the current decade as Hollywood is dying as while there is still a occasional gem, they are getting much harder to come by. basically the vast majority of my favorite movies are made in the 1990's through 2010's with some in the 1960's through 1980's and not much outside of those six decades so far.
@Serpenterror @SlangWon ; this 3DO port is definitely not arcade accurate. the gameplay is quite a bit different.
but best way to play MK2 would be the 'MK2+ BETA II' as it's arcade but tweaked a bit. mugen stuff, even if not bad, is a bit too altered vs the real deal. that MK2+ BETA II is basically a enhanced arcade version, so it's more of a proper enhanced version. that's definitely the best of those remaining true to arcade since it's the real MK2 arcade, just enhanced a bit.
I think I did see that MK2 Remix you mentioned and given my initial impression it was better than I expected. but as you already know, it's a bit too altered vs the proper arcade MK2, so while familiar, it's basically a different game.
at Serpenterror ; I get why you said janky. I am using a more recent version 'Rev 11.95 CPU AI v2.7' (this is very recent as in maybe a couple of days ago now). while it's not going to replace the arcade perfect port etc anytime soon, one thing I think one could legitimately claim is improved on this 3DO port, at least to some degree, is the Pit II bridge fatality (which is the best bridge fatality of the entire MK series) as in some ways it's better than the arcade with how they handled it. I am playing it through RetroArch and after setting it up (as default controls are out of whack but after adjusting, they basically work as you would expect), I don't have to worry about any potential bad dpad on 3DO since I am using your standard modern XBox-like controller variation through emulation on RetroArch.
so sure, it's not going to beat your arcade perfect MK2 overall, but it's still nice to fire up from time to time for those of us who do that, which I do as the 2D MK games are quite simply better than the 3D MK era as MK in 3D is just not the same.
@N64-ROX ; you said, "But regarding the overall memory/storage situation, call me an optimist but I simply can't imagine that this could be permanent."
Yeah, I think eventually things got to start to stable out to some degree as I can't see prices getting to a point to where a very high percentage of people can't play games as then that will start killing games etc. so there has to be some sort of balance as time passes. but as far as 'when' that happens, who knows, it could be years but hopefully nothing too long like say 5-10 years tops before prices are at a more normal/reasonable level for GPU's/RAM etc. because one should not need to pay more than around $1k for a half-decent gaming PC.
I just got the 'mario64.cdi' made from that jnmartin84's Github page (has a easy-to-use Google type of link which makes things nice and easy for compiling as all you need is the proper N64 ROM file with a specific file hash for it to work) and, while I have a real Dreamcast I did not attempt burning it to CD-R yet, as I tried the two main emulators (on Linux desktop PC) and...
-Flycast... basic game works but no sound as it's a constant static variation.
-ReDream... this basically works with sound.
the final usable 'cdi' file is small "15.3 MiB (16,067,977 bytes)".
although at least compared to the native PC port it seems like sound might be a little delayed etc, at least based on this cdi file running through ReDream emulator (who knows, it might react differently on real hardware which I have not tested yet).
p.s. I suspect ill eventually burn it to CD-R and test it on my real Dreamcast but I might wait a while to make sure there is no more updates to the game (currently the most recent update on the jnmartin84 Github page is from Feb 4th 2026) before burning so I don't waste a CD-R (I know that sounds cheap but I would rather not waste a ton of CD-R's).
@-wc- ; Yeah, I 'could' go over 5 games on N64 without struggling to do it 'too much', but if I try to keep the standards a bit higher, then around 5 tops sounds about right.
or another way to put it... if I could only play N64 games and nothing else, I could probably find more than 5, but after a certain point my overall enjoyment standards would drop below a certain standard. or say I could only play N64 games for the rest of my life and was limited to choosing no more than 10 games, I don't think I would struggle that much since it would not be limiting me, at least not much. even if that was capped at 5 games on N64, I could probably still do that without struggling too much even though the challenge of doing it would rise a bit. but even if I had no limits on that N64 selection, after a certain point I would just not care at all to play some games which I am guessing once I reach around 10 things will start to fizzle and quickly to where ill be selecting games to select them more than me legitimately wanting to play them to at least a decent degree.
also, keep in mind when I said 'less than 50 games stand out' etc, I am talking ALL games in existence (like on PC or any console etc), NOT just N64. so based on this you can see there would not be many on N64 that would be basically on my all-time games list straight up.
@EarthboundBenjy ; Exactly. because when I think "1980's gaming", NES is the one that stands alone as the best by far overall long term.
sure, I get "technically" a Sega Genesis (or MegaDrive) was from the 1980's (1988-1989), but 'barely' (about a year or so). so personally I count that as more of a 1990's system overall since damn near all of it's real lifespan was in the 1990's (call it early-to-mid 1990's give or take a little).
p.s. but when I think "1990's gaming systems", while it's a bit more debatable here than ones from the 1980's, at least on a personal level I would probably sum up the 1990's as 'Genesis vs SNES' or N64 for me personally even though I get counting everyone's opinion it would likely boil down to these four consoles since they are the major players in their day (as while you could somewhat argue for a bit more, those are more mainstream then everything else when you think 1990's consoles as a whole with higher sales etc)... Genesis/SNES/PS1/N64. but those four consoles pretty much summed up the two major console battles of the 1990's (at least here in the USA even though I heard stuff like Sega Saturn etc did better in other countries). also, I am aware the 'Master System' did well in Europe, so maybe there is some debate here, but overall when people think great 1980's games that still hold up to this day I would argue damn near everything is on the NES.
@-wc- ; Yeah, I understand some will disagree with my "around 5 tops stand out etc" opinion, but even being a bit generous and trying to account for a wider range of taste in games, I still can't imagine it's more than around 10 if the games that truly stand out and not just some "somewhat good game" sort of thing.
for measure... while I am not super picky on what I think 'stands out' (it's not easy to find games worth replaying here and there as the years pass which is a true test of a games worth long term), but speaking for myself when counting all games, I would probably say there is 'as little as' about 10-20 games. or at most, likely less than 50 games that stand out straight up (like counting ALL games in general). so you managed to list about 25 games just on N64. 25 would be closer to my entire list or so. because while I mentioned as little as 10-20 and could be about as much as 50 tops, even if I left room for error I would be very surprised if I could find 100+ games that are of any real worth for me as I would be betting on there is less than 50 that are of any real worth for me long term. like that standard where I replay here and there as the years pass, which as I mentioned is the true test of a game. because without that, games, even if not bad, tend to be 'just another game' at that point. hence, those types mostly forgettable.
@-wc- ; True, but very few in my opinion. while opinions vary, I think there is only roughly a handful of N64 games that hold up long term (call it around 5 tops, at least for anything that truly stands out).
like off the top of my head, especially sticking to exclusives on the N64, there is primarily two games that stand out in my book to this day... Super Mario 64/Wave Race 64. there is a bit more I like on the system (like counting all games released on it straight up) but not many. like GoldenEye for example... that was solid in it's day, but today, while not bad, does not hold up as well etc. even venturing out a bit for games released on multiple systems in those days, like with Mortal Kombat Trilogy, which I like, we got generally better options nowadays for that general 2D MK era (like proper arcade UMK3 on MAME (arcade emulator) etc) which are still the best all-around MK games to this day as MK was never quite the same once it went 3D etc.
p.s. it's just hard to beat playing games on the PC straight up at this point in time since one can play all of the old days classics on a PC, even if we don't have a proper native version, emulation tends to work well or well enough on just about anything from the 1990's and older and maybe even into the early 2000's or so on some level.
While I am sure this sort of stuff is nice for nostalgia and all, the best way to play Super Mario 64 nowadays is on a the native PC port (I suggest the port by MorsGames on Github (works on Windows and Linux)) given it's got widescreen, 60fps, HD graphics (through a HD texture pack (not included by default), which I use) and improved camera etc which is just superior with the modern two analog stick design as you got more precise camera control with right analog stick (moving left or right with camera, which can help in some areas of the game at times) vs how the game originally works with camera with the yellow buttons (yes, I played it on real N64 hardware when it was new but I have not touched a real N64 since I sold it which was likely 2001 (give or take a year)) which swing camera on a per button press basis which on a standard two analog stick controller ones right analog stick acts as those if you play versions that are more strictly like the original game reacts, like the recent 'Ghostship' PC port. but after using a more modern camera on Mario 64, I would rather not go back to the way the game originally works (although I can use it that way if I really have to) as I suspect had this game been made when two analog stick controller designs were standardized, the game likely would have played very similar to what that MorsGames PC port etc does.
so short of the die-hard nostalgia types who are more hardline to the original Super Mario 64 game with everything, there is not much reason to go back at this point overall.
p.s. I use a 8BitDo Ultimate 2C wired controller (on my Linux desktop PC), set in Xinput mode, which has hall-effect sticks/triggers etc to play the Super Mario 64 PC port etc.
I got around to trying this Ghostship (Windows version on my Linux setup as the regular Linux '.AppImage' does not start) and while it's solid overall (it's 30fps out of the box but you can raise the frame rate to 60fps (or even higher) in the options by pressing 'ESC') the biggest and most obvious flaw is lack of a proper modern camera with right analog stick (which after getting used to the camera on the MorsGames version I would rather not go back). that's one area the MorsGames is clearly superior even though technically this Ghostship acts like it would have in the old days where ones right analog stick acts like the four yellow buttons on a N64 controller on a per press basis (as it has no precision/detail like a more modern setup has).
also, there is a a small amount of graphics glitches on Ghostship like background flicker a little once in a while, but mainly moving Mario around and you jump, you can see Mario's shadow on ground flickers quite a bit. I am currently using Ghostship v1.0.2. the MorsGames does not have that issue.
I also copied the '.o2r' file from the GhostlyDark 'HD' texture pack (i.e. github[.]com/GhostlyDark/SM64-Reloaded/releases/download/v2.6.0/sm64-reloaded-v2.6.0-gs-o2r-hd.7z ) to Ghostship's 'mods' folder and the game automatically loads it.
but with the 'old way' on controller you always got to be tapping the right analog stick in a left or right direction back to center to move camera around where as with the MorsGames, which is a more proper camera, you can more precisely move the camera left/right at a steady pace (so more finer detail) instead of predetermined movement with each press like it was in the old days.
EDIT (March 18th 2026): p.s. but those using MorsGames at this point, the recent versions are a bit out of whack visually (i.e. github[.]com/MorsGames/sm64plus/issues/130 ) but can be fixed after building by editing the 'settings.ini' file and change the 'anti_aliasing' setting from it's default of '8' to '0', which disables it and fixes that issue. but for Linux users like myself on the Linux build if you use the 'Manual Building Guide' as-is (on Linux section), it will fail. but can be fixed using info from here... github[.]com/MorsGames/sm64plus/issues/132 (the 'SM64User' there is me). hopefully in the future fixes will be applied to the 'master' stuff so one can just straight up follow the easy to follow steps in the 'Manual Building Guide'. but for now that stuff is required to get it working on Linux. on Windows it's a bit easier since you just do the 'settings.ini' tweak.
@Martin_H ; I am using a Linux desktop PC and I suggest the 'MorsGames' linked to in the article (under the 'Super Mario 64 Plus' as it's the best out-of-the-box PC port of the game available in my opinion as it's the best way to play it straight up. I used the following to build it (works on Windows and Linux)... https://github.com/MorsGames/sm64plus/wiki/Manual-Building-Guide (it's safe to link to as no game data is here). it does not like building on my Ubuntu based Linux distro but works fine on it once I built it from a Debian based distro and I even briefly tested building on another one.
I also suggest pairing it with the "HD" texture pack (i.e. https://github.com/GhostlyDark/SM64-Reloaded-PC ; I download the "sm64-reloaded-v2.5.0-pc-hd" zip file from 'Releases' as that cleans up the overall look of the game, especially text. but it still maintains games original look. to apply this to the game once you got the final build (i.e. the 'us_pc' folder) you basically rename the 'gfx' folder to 'gfx_orig' and then extract the 'gfx' folder of the HD graphics pack to the 'us_pc' folder (so same directory and you will now have 'gfx_orig' and 'gfx' folders there) and then copy the contents of 'gfx_orig' to 'gfx' but DO NOT overwrite. after you do that it will be 'HD' and you are all set. I noticed if you don't copy the contents of the original to the HD one (but like I said DO NOT overwrite), that the main Mario screen in-game has messed up colors on it but after doing that things look normal.
basically you get widescreen, 60fps (it's actually 30fps but through interpolation it looks like 60fps), improved camera etc. you can notice the improved camera as on original N64 you had the yellow buttons to change camera where as now you got a bit more control over the detail of the camera with right analog stick. it's not completely free moving but it works well and is a improvement from original N64 game.
even the 'backwards long jump' exploit still works which allows one to get up the infinite stairs with less than the normally required 70 stars as I tested it and it works although I did not take advantage of it (I just did it again and again just to see if I could get the hang of it and I can). I 100% the game last year meaning I got all 120 stars even though only 70 stars are required to beat the game.
p.s. the file mentioned in Step 4 (i.e. 'baserom.us.z64' is the actual game data (don't worry, it's not linked to there so it's safe for me to post this info) and must have a MD5 file hash of "20b854b239203baf6c961b850a4a51a2" (you can run a MD5 file hash check on Linux using "md5sum precisefilenamehere" from terminal from location of that file). if what you find online does not match that, there is a good chance running the file through this will correct it... https://hack64.net/tools/swapper.php ; it does not download anything as you input the main game file mentioned in Step 4 (the actual N64 game data) into it and it immediately outputs a file to download and you can check the file hash.
Comments 16
Re: Guide: Where To Pre-Order The Neo Geo+ AES
@NoirConceit : I agree 100%. that's one reason if something is wireless it MUST use AA/AAA's as those you can find high quality replacements (i.e. NiMh (Eneloop)) as the years/decades pass unlike rechargeable lithium.
but I do prefer wired overall since then it's just less stuff to mess with and with a wire it's generally not a issue as I was using the same wireless XBox360 controller on my PC for about 18 years (it still works even though there is a little drift in the left analog stick but nothing that makes it unusable) and then switched to 8BitDo Ultimate 2C wired (in Dec 2024), which has hall-effect sticks/triggers (and a 1000Hz poll rate (and not to mention a much better dpad as it's Nintendo-like)), and I don't regret it as it's nice not having to mess around with batteries and the wire does not bother me (unlike a computer mouse for example, as I definitely prefer wireless as that cord gets annoying on those unlike a controller).
sadly, not many seem to care about longevity of their random hardware nowadays as NiMh AA/AAA's are far superior to standard rechargeable lithium long term for devices that you want to last decades.
p.s. also, even if you were to put NiMh brand aside (like Eneloop is original from about 2005 that's LSD (Low Self Discharge) and pretty much the go-to as a safe bet for quality), as a general rule... if a NiMh battery is 'made in China' you can generally assume it won't last (i.e. far less charge cycles before battery deteriorates). if it's 'made in Japan' you can generally assume it will 'easily' last years. in fact, I still have my original pack of Eneloop's I bought back in 2013 and while through usage the capacity has declined (as expected), they still function well. no way in hell a China made battery would do that. I got a quality charger that can test for capacity of the battery and general quality of it (Powerex C-9000). hell, a couple of those from the initial Eneloop 8-pack of AA's I bought from the year 2013 has been in my shaver for years now and it still works well. I have not ran a check on them in a while to see their capacity, which I am sure has declined, but even the impedance check the fancy charger I got runs when inserting the battery still is well within usable range. but general China made batteries tend to fail this check a lot sooner as the higher the read-out on the display is the worst it gets as after a certain point the charger will refuse to charge them (as it will read 'high' which I think is when the initial scan reads about 2.20v (or somewhere over 2.00v at least)). because basically the higher that number is on the display, the more worn out they are as they won't hold their voltage under a load etc.
Re: 3DO FPGA Core "Cannot Be Accurate On The MiSTer" Says Creator
@AndyVGR ; I don't have a 3DO (I remember it in the old days though. but consoles like that pretty much no one had). but if you are not aware, there is recent updates to the unofficial MK2 3DO port on the '3DO HD' YouTube channel. it's 125MB ISO file.
I was playing it through emulation on the PC though on RetroArch. graphically it's strong even though gameplay is quite a bit altered vs the proper game (AI is not super cheap like the real game is and certain stuff you normally can do, you can't. but there is some stuff you can do that you normally cannot. hell, they even have Trip Hawkins as the 'Toasty' character image and swapped out Babalities with 'REALity' and uses that 'real' logo from the 3DO).
still, even the devs for that said they were not going for arcade accurate port. but some stuff, like the Pit II fatality I think one could argue is improved a bit vs the usual arcade perfect one. like for console ports, the 3DO's Pit II stage fatality is definitely the best with how they handled it (as the Pit II stage fatality is my #1 in any MK game straight up).
Re: More Classic Capcom Titles Have Arrived On Steam, But, Of Course, There's A Catch
@PopetheRev28 ; then why bother even commenting in the first place? ; because that's the general point here is to strike up some conversation etc. you made a comment, I happen to reply, you apparently don't like what I have to say (even though it's a great point), then got to play it off with pointless comments like that.
o well, some people just don't want to acknowledge the obvious I guess.
Re: More Classic Capcom Titles Have Arrived On Steam, But, Of Course, There's A Catch
@PopetheRev28 ; : "gaslight"(?) ; I just made some well reasoned statement of why a PC is much better all-around than consoles is all. it's nothing personal. but it's hard to refute my general points if a person is honest when looking at gaming as a whole at this point in time and it's been like that for many years now.
but I get your general "PC gaming is not for everyone" comment, as you are not technically wrong, but "IF" you are suggesting that consoles are OVERALL better than PC at this point in time, I would strongly disagree all-things-considered for most gamers (unless they are very tech challenged etc it might be easier to make a case in favor of consoles).
sure, I get that PC gaming not better across the board (due to 'some' console exclusives etc), but it's close enough as I would say it's probably at least 75/25 in favor of PC for probably a good 15+ years now.
or in summary with time frames of "PC vs Consoles" battle... pre-2000's = consoles. 2000's = roughly 50/50 (but 'might' lean towards consoles in earlier part where as later part towards PC). 2010+ = PC.
but when you said "PC gaming is not for everyone", while you are not technically wrong (so you can claim to be correct here with that basic statement), it's just very easy for a person to say the PC is easily #1 overall when you look at the big picture of games from the old days all the way to here in 2026 (especially since like I say you can emulate console games from about the early 2000's and older on a PC well). so unless someone is a die-hard fan of exclusive console titles in recent memory (like say Nintendo games) etc, it's hard to argue against the PC for any random gamer.
p.s. I get some might start to argue for 'smart phone' and the like gaming as a factor nowadays to, but I am sticking with more of the 'real gaming' stuff here which boils down to consoles and PC as I see 'smart phone' "gaming" as more of a side/novelty sort of thing and not proper gaming, especially if you don't have a decent way to control a game etc as a touch screen is not going to cut it.
Re: More Classic Capcom Titles Have Arrived On Steam, But, Of Course, There's A Catch
@PopetheRev28 ; But overall PC gaming is easily ahead of consoles long term, especially considering we can emulate a lot of the old days consoles well (roughly early 2000's and before). I get no one likes 'Denuvo' (copy protection) on the PC though.
but all things considered, a PC is easily #1 overall and it's not even close at this point in time and has been this way for quite sometime now as I would say the last generation of consoles that was more legit competition with a PC was pretty much 20 years ago now with the XBox360 generation and thereabouts (which was when the XBox brand was at it's peak). the XBox360 was basically the last console I bothered with. but I have been gaming on a PC since about 1995 although it was probably about a couple of years after that before PC gaming more legit started with the '3DFX Voodoo' (I had a Diamond Monster 3D GPU which I still have to this day but I have no PC to use it on). although it took a while before the PC really became clear cut #1 overall (call it roughly the late 2000's to no later than the early 2010's(?)). but at least back in those days (late 1990's etc) a PC was not as dominate as it has been for at least the last 15+ years now (maybe even around 20).
sure, I get there can be a small amount of exclusives on some consoles (I suspect primarily Nintendo), so it keeps them relevant on some level, but unless someone is generally a big fan of newer more exclusive games to consoles, a PC is easily #1 and it's not even close overall as exclusivity to consoles does not have the pull it used to in the old days.
while I do occasionally play more recent titles (lets define 'recent titles' as games over the last 5-10 years or so), the vast majority of what I replay is nothing from recent memory (lets say 'recent memory' is the last 5-10 years or so) even though there is still some in recent memory.
but don't get me wrong, I am not one of those people who are hardline old days as vastly superior to the recent games and that new games are outright bad, but I do think collectively if I had to make a choice of say choosing between these two time frames... A)1987-2010 or B)2011-2034, I would likely back Option A as the better overall long term. I realize it's just a guesstimate currently, but overall I can't see my opinion changing given we are already about 15 years into 'Option B' and while there is some solid games for sure in this time period, I would still back 'Option A' and I don't see much changing in the next 8 years or so. hence, 'Option A' seems like a safer overall choice for me if I could only play games from those two time frames for the rest of my life. because while I would like to play some games for sure in 'Option B', ultimately I would have to sacrifice those to play games in 'Option A'. also, in this particular time frame of 'Option A' I can pretty much play all of the console games I like on a PC since from about late 2000's+ I can't think of much if anything that's on a console that I can't play on a straight PC port and would need emulation for.
so overall I never understood people who prefer consoles over a PC when factoring in all things we can play today on a PC.
Re: The Making Of: The Wizard - "I Couldn't Get A Job For 7 Months After That" - An Oral History Of Nintendo's Hollywood Debut
I just finished re-watching The Wizard (1989) for the first time since I think sometime in the 1990's (I am in my late 40's now, so I would basically be in the group movies like this was targeted at). even if I am wrong about that estimate it was most likely sometime before 2010 the last time I saw this movie.
I still mildly enjoy it. sure, after you have seen a lot of movies since then (I have seen over 2,400 movies), you can see it's nothing special when looking at all movies out there. but still, I got a little nostalgia for it and it's still not a bad movie for what it is. it will probably help a bit if a person is a fan of video games though, like those of the NES days and thereabouts.
but like some comments above basically mentioned a bit is that "critics" in general tend to overpriase a lot of forgettable movies etc. but here is one hard reality about movies in general... "professional" reviews are largely meaningless since peoples tastes in movies can vary and as time passes and you have seen many movies you can generally gauge what's more likely to stand out and what won't for you based on factors like director, cast, subject matter, and the trailer for a movie.
another thing is after you have seen a lot of movies you tend to learn to keep your expectations of any random movie a lot more accurate instead of inflating etc based on other peoples opinions in that sometimes people can overhype a movie and if you buy into it, and go in expecting the world of it, and even if it's above average etc, people can still be disappointed. but after seeing a lot of movies and you age you tend to learn through experience and no longer buy into hype etc.
also, it seems a good portion of the general public will just dis something if they are supposed to instead of thinking for themselves on whether a movie is good or not. I never do that as I ALWAYS judge and rate movies based on my all around enjoyment of them in comparison to everything I have seen as that's by far the most accurate way to rate/judge a movie. or in short, only about 150 movies (I do keep a exact count as it's actually a bit less but I just said 150 for a nice number) are enjoyable enough for me to consider among my favorite movies which is only about 6% of everything I have seen. there is more movies I like and some that are a bit shy of being among my favorites but as you can see very few movies truly stand out as time passes as the truly good/great movies are ones you want to re-watch here and there as the years pass. those who fail that standard are ultimately forgettable. or another way to put it... there is only about 20% of everything I have seen that's at least potentially worth re-watching here and there. but like I say, the true gems are only about 6% of everything I have seen. but you can tell the volume of quality movies has really taken a hit in the current decade as Hollywood is dying as while there is still a occasional gem, they are getting much harder to come by. basically the vast majority of my favorite movies are made in the 1990's through 2010's with some in the 1960's through 1980's and not much outside of those six decades so far.
Re: Fan-Made 3DO Port Of Mortal Kombat II Is Now Available
@Serpenterror @SlangWon ; this 3DO port is definitely not arcade accurate. the gameplay is quite a bit different.
but best way to play MK2 would be the 'MK2+ BETA II' as it's arcade but tweaked a bit. mugen stuff, even if not bad, is a bit too altered vs the real deal. that MK2+ BETA II is basically a enhanced arcade version, so it's more of a proper enhanced version. that's definitely the best of those remaining true to arcade since it's the real MK2 arcade, just enhanced a bit.
I think I did see that MK2 Remix you mentioned and given my initial impression it was better than I expected. but as you already know, it's a bit too altered vs the proper arcade MK2, so while familiar, it's basically a different game.
at Serpenterror ; I get why you said janky. I am using a more recent version 'Rev 11.95 CPU AI v2.7' (this is very recent as in maybe a couple of days ago now). while it's not going to replace the arcade perfect port etc anytime soon, one thing I think one could legitimately claim is improved on this 3DO port, at least to some degree, is the Pit II bridge fatality (which is the best bridge fatality of the entire MK series) as in some ways it's better than the arcade with how they handled it. I am playing it through RetroArch and after setting it up (as default controls are out of whack but after adjusting, they basically work as you would expect), I don't have to worry about any potential bad dpad on 3DO since I am using your standard modern XBox-like controller variation through emulation on RetroArch.
so sure, it's not going to beat your arcade perfect MK2 overall, but it's still nice to fire up from time to time for those of us who do that, which I do as the 2D MK games are quite simply better than the 3D MK era as MK in 3D is just not the same.
Re: "No Longer Sustainable" - AYANEO Suspends Pre-Orders For Its Steam Deck Killer To Avoid "Harm" To Consumers And Brand
@N64-ROX ; you said, "But regarding the overall memory/storage situation, call me an optimist but I simply can't imagine that this could be permanent."
Yeah, I think eventually things got to start to stable out to some degree as I can't see prices getting to a point to where a very high percentage of people can't play games as then that will start killing games etc. so there has to be some sort of balance as time passes. but as far as 'when' that happens, who knows, it could be years but hopefully nothing too long like say 5-10 years tops before prices are at a more normal/reasonable level for GPU's/RAM etc. because one should not need to pay more than around $1k for a half-decent gaming PC.
Re: "Plays Like A AAA Native Release" - Super Mario 64 Gets A Dreamcast Port
I just got the 'mario64.cdi' made from that jnmartin84's Github page (has a easy-to-use Google type of link which makes things nice and easy for compiling as all you need is the proper N64 ROM file with a specific file hash for it to work) and, while I have a real Dreamcast I did not attempt burning it to CD-R yet, as I tried the two main emulators (on Linux desktop PC) and...
-Flycast... basic game works but no sound as it's a constant static variation.
-ReDream... this basically works with sound.
the final usable 'cdi' file is small "15.3 MiB (16,067,977 bytes)".
although at least compared to the native PC port it seems like sound might be a little delayed etc, at least based on this cdi file running through ReDream emulator (who knows, it might react differently on real hardware which I have not tested yet).
p.s. I suspect ill eventually burn it to CD-R and test it on my real Dreamcast but I might wait a while to make sure there is no more updates to the game (currently the most recent update on the jnmartin84 Github page is from Feb 4th 2026) before burning so I don't waste a CD-R (I know that sounds cheap but I would rather not waste a ton of CD-R's).
Re: Hands On: 8BitDo 64 Bluetooth Controller – Now With Extra N64 Energy
@-wc- ; Yeah, I 'could' go over 5 games on N64 without struggling to do it 'too much', but if I try to keep the standards a bit higher, then around 5 tops sounds about right.
or another way to put it... if I could only play N64 games and nothing else, I could probably find more than 5, but after a certain point my overall enjoyment standards would drop below a certain standard. or say I could only play N64 games for the rest of my life and was limited to choosing no more than 10 games, I don't think I would struggle that much since it would not be limiting me, at least not much. even if that was capped at 5 games on N64, I could probably still do that without struggling too much even though the challenge of doing it would rise a bit. but even if I had no limits on that N64 selection, after a certain point I would just not care at all to play some games which I am guessing once I reach around 10 things will start to fizzle and quickly to where ill be selecting games to select them more than me legitimately wanting to play them to at least a decent degree.
also, keep in mind when I said 'less than 50 games stand out' etc, I am talking ALL games in existence (like on PC or any console etc), NOT just N64. so based on this you can see there would not be many on N64 that would be basically on my all-time games list straight up.
Re: "The [NES] Is Not Gonna Go On Forever" - Forget GDC 2026, Take A Trip Back In Time With Recordings From The 1989 Event
@EarthboundBenjy ; Exactly. because when I think "1980's gaming", NES is the one that stands alone as the best by far overall long term.
sure, I get "technically" a Sega Genesis (or MegaDrive) was from the 1980's (1988-1989), but 'barely' (about a year or so). so personally I count that as more of a 1990's system overall since damn near all of it's real lifespan was in the 1990's (call it early-to-mid 1990's give or take a little).
p.s. but when I think "1990's gaming systems", while it's a bit more debatable here than ones from the 1980's, at least on a personal level I would probably sum up the 1990's as 'Genesis vs SNES' or N64 for me personally even though I get counting everyone's opinion it would likely boil down to these four consoles since they are the major players in their day (as while you could somewhat argue for a bit more, those are more mainstream then everything else when you think 1990's consoles as a whole with higher sales etc)... Genesis/SNES/PS1/N64. but those four consoles pretty much summed up the two major console battles of the 1990's (at least here in the USA even though I heard stuff like Sega Saturn etc did better in other countries). also, I am aware the 'Master System' did well in Europe, so maybe there is some debate here, but overall when people think great 1980's games that still hold up to this day I would argue damn near everything is on the NES.
Re: Hands On: 8BitDo 64 Bluetooth Controller – Now With Extra N64 Energy
@-wc- ; Yeah, I understand some will disagree with my "around 5 tops stand out etc" opinion, but even being a bit generous and trying to account for a wider range of taste in games, I still can't imagine it's more than around 10 if the games that truly stand out and not just some "somewhat good game" sort of thing.
for measure... while I am not super picky on what I think 'stands out' (it's not easy to find games worth replaying here and there as the years pass which is a true test of a games worth long term), but speaking for myself when counting all games, I would probably say there is 'as little as' about 10-20 games. or at most, likely less than 50 games that stand out straight up (like counting ALL games in general). so you managed to list about 25 games just on N64. 25 would be closer to my entire list or so. because while I mentioned as little as 10-20 and could be about as much as 50 tops, even if I left room for error I would be very surprised if I could find 100+ games that are of any real worth for me as I would be betting on there is less than 50 that are of any real worth for me long term. like that standard where I replay here and there as the years pass, which as I mentioned is the true test of a game. because without that, games, even if not bad, tend to be 'just another game' at that point. hence, those types mostly forgettable.
Re: Hands On: 8BitDo 64 Bluetooth Controller – Now With Extra N64 Energy
@-wc- ; True, but very few in my opinion. while opinions vary, I think there is only roughly a handful of N64 games that hold up long term (call it around 5 tops, at least for anything that truly stands out).
like off the top of my head, especially sticking to exclusives on the N64, there is primarily two games that stand out in my book to this day... Super Mario 64/Wave Race 64. there is a bit more I like on the system (like counting all games released on it straight up) but not many. like GoldenEye for example... that was solid in it's day, but today, while not bad, does not hold up as well etc. even venturing out a bit for games released on multiple systems in those days, like with Mortal Kombat Trilogy, which I like, we got generally better options nowadays for that general 2D MK era (like proper arcade UMK3 on MAME (arcade emulator) etc) which are still the best all-around MK games to this day as MK was never quite the same once it went 3D etc.
p.s. it's just hard to beat playing games on the PC straight up at this point in time since one can play all of the old days classics on a PC, even if we don't have a proper native version, emulation tends to work well or well enough on just about anything from the 1990's and older and maybe even into the early 2000's or so on some level.
Re: Hands On: 8BitDo 64 Bluetooth Controller – Now With Extra N64 Energy
While I am sure this sort of stuff is nice for nostalgia and all, the best way to play Super Mario 64 nowadays is on a the native PC port (I suggest the port by MorsGames on Github (works on Windows and Linux)) given it's got widescreen, 60fps, HD graphics (through a HD texture pack (not included by default), which I use) and improved camera etc which is just superior with the modern two analog stick design as you got more precise camera control with right analog stick (moving left or right with camera, which can help in some areas of the game at times) vs how the game originally works with camera with the yellow buttons (yes, I played it on real N64 hardware when it was new but I have not touched a real N64 since I sold it which was likely 2001 (give or take a year)) which swing camera on a per button press basis which on a standard two analog stick controller ones right analog stick acts as those if you play versions that are more strictly like the original game reacts, like the recent 'Ghostship' PC port. but after using a more modern camera on Mario 64, I would rather not go back to the way the game originally works (although I can use it that way if I really have to) as I suspect had this game been made when two analog stick controller designs were standardized, the game likely would have played very similar to what that MorsGames PC port etc does.
so short of the die-hard nostalgia types who are more hardline to the original Super Mario 64 game with everything, there is not much reason to go back at this point overall.
p.s. I use a 8BitDo Ultimate 2C wired controller (on my Linux desktop PC), set in Xinput mode, which has hall-effect sticks/triggers etc to play the Super Mario 64 PC port etc.
Re: Super Mario 64 Has Got Another Fanmade PC Port, From The Harbour Masters Team
I got around to trying this Ghostship (Windows version on my Linux setup as the regular Linux '.AppImage' does not start) and while it's solid overall (it's 30fps out of the box but you can raise the frame rate to 60fps (or even higher) in the options by pressing 'ESC') the biggest and most obvious flaw is lack of a proper modern camera with right analog stick (which after getting used to the camera on the MorsGames version I would rather not go back). that's one area the MorsGames is clearly superior even though technically this Ghostship acts like it would have in the old days where ones right analog stick acts like the four yellow buttons on a N64 controller on a per press basis (as it has no precision/detail like a more modern setup has).
also, there is a a small amount of graphics glitches on Ghostship like background flicker a little once in a while, but mainly moving Mario around and you jump, you can see Mario's shadow on ground flickers quite a bit. I am currently using Ghostship v1.0.2. the MorsGames does not have that issue.
I also copied the '.o2r' file from the GhostlyDark 'HD' texture pack (i.e. github[.]com/GhostlyDark/SM64-Reloaded/releases/download/v2.6.0/sm64-reloaded-v2.6.0-gs-o2r-hd.7z ) to Ghostship's 'mods' folder and the game automatically loads it.
but with the 'old way' on controller you always got to be tapping the right analog stick in a left or right direction back to center to move camera around where as with the MorsGames, which is a more proper camera, you can more precisely move the camera left/right at a steady pace (so more finer detail) instead of predetermined movement with each press like it was in the old days.
EDIT (March 18th 2026): p.s. but those using MorsGames at this point, the recent versions are a bit out of whack visually (i.e. github[.]com/MorsGames/sm64plus/issues/130 ) but can be fixed after building by editing the 'settings.ini' file and change the 'anti_aliasing' setting from it's default of '8' to '0', which disables it and fixes that issue. but for Linux users like myself on the Linux build if you use the 'Manual Building Guide' as-is (on Linux section), it will fail. but can be fixed using info from here... github[.]com/MorsGames/sm64plus/issues/132 (the 'SM64User' there is me). hopefully in the future fixes will be applied to the 'master' stuff so one can just straight up follow the easy to follow steps in the 'Manual Building Guide'. but for now that stuff is required to get it working on Linux. on Windows it's a bit easier since you just do the 'settings.ini' tweak.
Re: Super Mario 64 Has Got Another Fanmade PC Port, From The Harbour Masters Team
@Martin_H ; I am using a Linux desktop PC and I suggest the 'MorsGames' linked to in the article (under the 'Super Mario 64 Plus' as it's the best out-of-the-box PC port of the game available in my opinion as it's the best way to play it straight up. I used the following to build it (works on Windows and Linux)... https://github.com/MorsGames/sm64plus/wiki/Manual-Building-Guide (it's safe to link to as no game data is here). it does not like building on my Ubuntu based Linux distro but works fine on it once I built it from a Debian based distro and I even briefly tested building on another one.
I also suggest pairing it with the "HD" texture pack (i.e. https://github.com/GhostlyDark/SM64-Reloaded-PC ; I download the "sm64-reloaded-v2.5.0-pc-hd" zip file from 'Releases' as that cleans up the overall look of the game, especially text. but it still maintains games original look. to apply this to the game once you got the final build (i.e. the 'us_pc' folder) you basically rename the 'gfx' folder to 'gfx_orig' and then extract the 'gfx' folder of the HD graphics pack to the 'us_pc' folder (so same directory and you will now have 'gfx_orig' and 'gfx' folders there) and then copy the contents of 'gfx_orig' to 'gfx' but DO NOT overwrite. after you do that it will be 'HD' and you are all set. I noticed if you don't copy the contents of the original to the HD one (but like I said DO NOT overwrite), that the main Mario screen in-game has messed up colors on it but after doing that things look normal.
basically you get widescreen, 60fps (it's actually 30fps but through interpolation it looks like 60fps), improved camera etc. you can notice the improved camera as on original N64 you had the yellow buttons to change camera where as now you got a bit more control over the detail of the camera with right analog stick. it's not completely free moving but it works well and is a improvement from original N64 game.
even the 'backwards long jump' exploit still works which allows one to get up the infinite stairs with less than the normally required 70 stars as I tested it and it works although I did not take advantage of it (I just did it again and again just to see if I could get the hang of it and I can). I 100% the game last year meaning I got all 120 stars even though only 70 stars are required to beat the game.
p.s. the file mentioned in Step 4 (i.e. 'baserom.us.z64' is the actual game data (don't worry, it's not linked to there so it's safe for me to post this info) and must have a MD5 file hash of "20b854b239203baf6c961b850a4a51a2" (you can run a MD5 file hash check on Linux using "md5sum precisefilenamehere" from terminal from location of that file). if what you find online does not match that, there is a good chance running the file through this will correct it... https://hack64.net/tools/swapper.php ; it does not download anything as you input the main game file mentioned in Step 4 (the actual N64 game data) into it and it immediately outputs a file to download and you can check the file hash.