Original Gameboy Tetris is still my favorite version of that game. NES would be a alternate choice for me and then everything else is pretty much crap as I don't like those variations of Tetris, just the standard stuff from Gameboy or NES.
Like already mentioned... it's quite simply NOT worth it at a $300 price increase. it was already too expensive before the price increase. now it just makes no sense at all, especially since it's not like a fairly high end device or thereabouts either as at $800-950 it had better be a device that can easily play the latest games etc for many years to come.
makes one wonder if prices of PC hardware will ever return to semi-normal(?) or if things are going to remain inflated for the foreseeable future.
I get AI can be good for some uses, but when it starts really screwing over most people (on general prices of PC hardware etc), it just ain't worth it overall. but sadly, AI ain't going away. so whatever happens, it's going to play itself out for better or worse.
p.s. but given all of the price BS on pretty much everything lately, ill just continue to hang onto my desktop PC's 3rd gen i5 + NVIDIA 1050 Ti setup. I had my NVIDIA GPU since 2017, which is the longest I ever owned a primary GPU for. hell, my motherboard I had for 14 years this month which is easily the longest I had a primary PC for as my previous high was 6 years and 2 months. but basically when I got my GPU back in July 2017 I think I paid $135 for it at the time which was a decent price for a respectable GPU. but it seemed like not all that long after that prices started to shoot up with Bitcoin BS etc and now it's just getting worse because of AI. but basically one should be able to get a half-decent GPU for no more than $200, maybe $300 high side. but at the rate things are going it's going to price a lot of people out of stuff that used to be reasonably priced to where you are going to have to have money to burn to buy any half-decent PC hardware. because I don't need anywhere near high end, just something that can do 1080p @ 60fps (although I could get-by on 30fps+ since 30fps is still easily playable) for a fair price.
@Bot_Bot_69 ; Yeah, that XBLA (through Xenia emulator on PC) works and feels just like original, but with a bit better graphics (I briefly played it roughly a year ago for the first time). I think that leaked one was roughly from the 2006-2007 time frame if I recall correctly. but was never released due to some BS rights issues etc from what I heard.
but as far as the general topic... the feel of the GoldenEye game is unique as I particularly like the feel of the DD44's.
The answer is obvious overall as there is no real debate here... Software Emulation.
because to state the obvious... there is too small of a real world difference to justify hardware that costs $100-200+ (and the higher the hardware costs the bigger this gap gets) over something that's basically free (assuming you got a half-decent PC) and just as good in the real world for pretty much everyone. because those who claim 'lag' as a primary excuse for hardware being better, I think that's greatly exaggerated, especially if you are using a decent software emulation setup.
my evidence... if there was any real noticeable difference to where it was a real problem, then it would be unlikely I could beat Tyson six times in a single day (back in Sep 2025) on Mesen2 emulator for the PC using my 8BitDo Ultimate 2C wired controller (it's a solid bang-for-the-buck controller) which they say has a 1000Hz polling rate for whatever that's worth and I am NOT using 'Run Ahead' at all as it's on it's default of '0', so I am playing it straight up. because on say Tyson specifically ones room for error is minimal and if there was any obvious controller lag on that fight specifically, it would be most noticeable.
or to put it another way... those who 'claim' to notice a difference, if I was playing the odds, I doubt the vast majority of those types could notice it in a double blind test. like if they had to tell the difference purely from playing using exact same controller and screen etc on FPGA or real hardware vs software emulation and without them knowing which it was running on and do it say twenty times with it being random of whether they are using software emulation or real hardware/FPGA etc. I am sure you get my point
p.s. even for the more hardline nit-picking types (like even trying to go out of ones way in favor of real hardware)... I would be curious to see what someone like 'Summoning Salt' (record holder for Punch-Out) would say about hardware vs software because I figure if it's not a big deal there, or even if there are some differences but nothing that a very high percentage of gamers could notice, then ultimately it's a non-issue short of the extremely talented pro-level types which excludes nearly everyone. because I figure for something to be a legit issue it would need to be something the common gamer or so could easily notice and makes them do noticeably worse on a game because of it.
@pocketmoon ; While I get it's a popular series, I tend to agree with you. I don't get it's appeal either. there is much better games out there to say the least.
Thanks for bringing it to my attention. I just got this going on Linux. I turned on bilinear filtering as it's a bit too pixelated without it and raised resolution to 1920x1080 (as without doing that it starts in a small window). I was using a fairly recent version of MAME but ill likely stick with this new emulator since they claim it's better. I never looked into the online stuff, but this supposedly has it.
the final usable game size is "92.0 MiB (96,474,783 bytes)" which the programs they give you to create it, name it "kinst.bighard" which you load into main emulator.
p.s. besides the 2D MK games, which are my clear #1 fighting games of all-time (with the peak being UMK3(arcade)), I would say Killer Instinct (1994) is probably my favorite outside of those as it's really the only one of any real worth outside of the MK games back in those days (I never understood the appeal of Street Fighter series etc as those just ain't as fun to play as 2D MK games are easily #1 and for a non-MK game Killer Instinct (1994) would likely be my choice). but one things for sure, when it comes to announcers no one tops Steve Ritchie(MK2/MK3/UMK3 etc) or Chris Sutherland (KI(1994) etc). although you can tell Sutherland is heavily modified unlike Ritchie who basically sounds like that.
@sdelfin ; Speaking of 'Super Mario World' (on SNES) I beat that for the first time not long ago now on Mesen2. but I did use a infinite lives cheat, although other than that I played it straight. but I find that game more frustrating then fun. I would say I had more enjoyment out of Donkey Kong Country (I played for first time Aug 2025 using infinite lives cheat) even though I like Mario more in general (primarily because of Super Mario 64).
NOTE: I enjoyed watching Max Dood (popular fighting game channel on YouTube) playing World for the first time not long ago (he happened to 100% the game (which I did not do)), which he has a real SNES, than actually playing it though as for Mario games 'Mario 64' is easily my #1 as it's stuck with me the most long term (I played it when it was new) that I still enjoy the most to this day. I play the MorsGames PC port nowadays as it's the best because it's got widescreen, 60fps, improved camera and a HD graphics pack etc (the backwards long jump exploit still works, but I did not take advantage of it) and I 100%'ed it on my last playthrough last year (likely my first time 100%'ing it).
my playthrough of Punch-Out in Nov 2024 I basically went 10-0, lost to 2nd Don Flemenco, so 10-1, then won straight to Tyson for a 13-1 record (so I was 13-1 going into Tyson fight). but after beating Tyson my final record was 14-46, so I lost 45 times in a row on Tyson before winning (NOTE: I just reloaded a save state after losing on 2nd Don Flemenco (to start of Round 1) and counting it as a loss 'if' I decided to reload a save state to Round 1 on Tyson. but I don't think I did it much if at all on Tyson since anytime I did it, I counted it as loss just to see how I would do. so I likely just played it as best as I could and if I lost, I lost). I suspect that's probably the best run I had (like playing game from start to finish) or not far from it (although I can't say for sure, since I generally never count that stuff, so I did it that time just to see how I would do). but when I did this, I was looking up some strats on YouTube as there is definitely some stuff I learned to use that helps on characters (Tyson, Super Macho Man and maybe a bit more) that I did not know in the old days in the early 1990's when I beat it on a real NES. so in a way I consider that a bigger accomplishment than my more recent stuff even though I do think I have gotten better at the game lately than in the old days (but I was early teens tops back in the early 1990's as all of my teenage years were in the 1990's).
also, on that playthough I beat Tyson with TKO in Round 3 at 2min46sec mark with 9,340 points. if I waited another 14 seconds I would have won by decision as winning by decision I think requires a minimum of 5,000 points. but usually on my random Tyson fights 'if' I do win, there is a decent chance it will be Round 2 as if the fight goes on too long I might end up losing even though I have won in Round 3 here and there. because even when I do generally beat Tyson I would guesstimate a large portion of the time I have gotten knocked down twice within that first 1min30sec on timer of Round 1 (which is basically the hardest part), so it does not leave me much room to breathe for the rest of the fight.
@sdelfin ; I did not use Run-Ahead at all (it's set on '0', which is the default, which is basically disabled) as it's basically cheating. I played NES Tyson straight up when I beat Tyson six times in a single day (I did beat Tyson in the old days on a real NES back in the early 1990's).
side note on Tyson... save states are nice for practicing though, like if a person is struggling to get out of the first round, once they do, it's a good idea to create a save state before Round 2 starts, this way if you lose you can reload (at start of Round 2) and keep practicing until you feel you are good enough and then do a proper run from start to finish playing straight up. when I won I played straight up. although I likely did load a save state when losing though, but it was before Round 1 started, so it's basically legit unless someone is full-on nit-picking or trying to set records in which case any use of save states are not allowed. but basically what I did is legit as it just saves me time re-entering the Tyson code each time you lose (but I am sure I have beat it here and there with entering the code without using any save state whatsoever).
prior to getting that 8BitDo Ultimate 2C wired controller at the end of 2024 (on Linux any kernels older than 6.12 require setting up a udev rule for it to work in the controllers preferred Xinput mode) I was using a official wireless XBox360 controller and it's USB dongle (which I had since I think 2006) and, as you probably already know, it's dpad pretty much sucks. so the 8BitDo Ultimate 2C was a solid upgrade over that. on a side note, I still have another brand new XBox360 controller in box (I doubt ill ever open it at this point).
but yeah, I can't complain with the 8BitDo Ultimate 2C overall as it's hard to beat for performance/price combo (and has hall-effect sticks/triggers which supposedly don't develop stick drift). hell, when I got that controller I bought two since given the shipping costs it was not much more for me to get two controllers, so I did that instead. but I have not even opened the second one as it's still new in the box.
also, I think some people are obsessed with "input lag" even though in the real world it's too small to matter. maybe there is some scenario's where it's a issue(?) but I think it's exaggerated by-and-large. because at least with Mesen2 (on Linux) using that 8BitDo controller I can't say I notice any obvious issues on NES Tyson as it feels normal/good to me.
also, I have used a Sega gamepad before, I don't remember having any obvious issues with those, but I have probably not touched a real one since the 1990's. I had a Sega Saturn at one point to back in the 1990's (I still have my Dreamcast but it's dpad, while not horrible, I would consider it a downgrade vs the 8BitDo controller I have for PC usage).
p.s. on a side note... a while ago I was using Run-Ahead on a Wii with a emulator playing NES Tyson just to mess around and ramped up the run-ahead a lot and it was blatantly obvious it was cheating as you could basically see Tyson swing to where you would definitely be knocked down, but yet you could still fairly easily dodge (it looked weird on screen to).
@-wc- ; I can't complain about SNES dpad ; I have never touched a Neo Geo, but when it comes to dpads in general it's hard to go wrong with a Nintendo-like dpad as I feel that's the best all-around dpad design as it's the one that stuck with me the most long term.
p.s. my current general use controller on PC for playing games, or even old school games on Mesen2 (NES/SNES emulator etc), is 8BitDo Ultimate 2C (wired). I have not touched a real SNES controller in probably 30+ years now, but that 8BitDo controllers dpad feels similar off the top of my head (there might be differences but nothing I would complain about). or put it this way... it's good enough for me to take out Tyson in NES Punch-Out (on Mesen2 emulator for PC) six times in a single day last year and that's one game you can't afford to have a so-so dpad or reaction time.
@Ristar24 ; Agreed. it must be largely because people could not have it in why they want it now(?). because back in those days (I am late 40's now as all of my teenage years were in the 1990's) pretty much everyone was primarily concerned with Genesis/SNES since that's pretty much where all of the good current games were at. even once those faded, as you already know, then Playstation etc took over.
but in the 1990's (at least here in the USA) there was really only two major battles of consoles... 'Genesis vs SNES' and 'Playstation vs N64' (in the 1990's I was with the N64 even though I realize PS1 sold roughly 3x the consoles. I think I eventually had a PS1 but that was likely in 1998 where as with N64 I got that when it was new pretty much). sure, there was other decent consoles in those days but those were a bit outside of the norm, like Saturn/Dreamcast (I had both of those at one point in the 1990's etc). I stil have my original Dreamcast as it's the only console I still have from the what I would say are 'glory days' of consoles as by the 2000's consoles did not carry weight like they previously did, especially by the late 2000's or so (maybe early 2010's max). for the record... the last console I bought was the XBox360 as past that consoles largely died if you ask me overall. technically, I did get a Wii past that point but that was much after it's hey-day, so I don't really count it (and I did not really use it much anyways. mostly playing around with moding).
anyways, back to Neo Geo... even if in the 1990's the Neo Geo was priced similar to the SNES/Genesis, I can't see it doing all that well assuming it still had the exact same games it does with how things played out. sure, I realize if the console price/games was less it's possible more developers would have made games for the system and potentially made it successful though on a more mainstream level. but I guess we will never know as that's not how things played out.
so unless someone is a die-hard fan of certain games on this system (which if they were, it was probably more of a recent memory sort of thing since very few could afford that in the old days) and is obsessed with physical consoles, overall it does not make much sense since it comes back to hundreds of dollars for something you can basically play for free on a PC (a PC is by-far the best all-around gaming device nowadays and has been this way for AT LEAST a easy 10-15+ years). so unless someone has money to burn (like spending hundreds of dollars means little-to-nothing to them), it does not make much sense overall as it's more of a novelty sort of thing and for that price range it's just too much.
hell, even if a person was to look at all 1990's consoles (or thereabouts) and if you were to rank consoles based on all-around game quality, even if we put aside the "heavy hitters" (i.e. Genesis/SNES/PS1/N64) there would likely still be consoles that most people prefer all-around more like say Dreamcast/Saturn etc. just on a personal level looking back between those four major 1990's consoles, the PS1 would likely be my least favorite overall all things considered (who knows, it could partially be because I have the least nostalgia for it and for Playstation stuff in general for that matter as I did have a PS1/PS2 at one point but they never really stuck with me long term like other consoles of their day do).
@NoirConceit ; Sadly, you are probably right given what happened here. it's sad how some people want to suck the life out of everything they're around. a bunch of low life scum. it's like they are unhappy and they want to make everyone else like them.
but you would think in general retro gamers, being they are probably older than a typical gamer, would generally be a lot less likely to engage in questionable behavior since that sort of stuff is for the 'kids' (i.e. 20 somethings and younger).
Ill likely check it out since in my book Mike Tyson's Punch-Out on NES is pretty much my #1 NES game if I had to choose only one NES game as my favorite it would likely be that.
p.s. but for those who like Punch-Out I suggest the fan-tweaked SNES version by 'Infidelity' (on archive dot org website) at about 200MB. works well in Mesen2 emulator as it's basically got souped-up original music etc.
@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 29
Re: "A Small Tribute To One Of My Favorite Games" - Game Boy Tetris Is Being Ported To Sega Genesis
Original Gameboy Tetris is still my favorite version of that game. NES would be a alternate choice for me and then everything else is pretty much crap as I don't like those variations of Tetris, just the standard stuff from Gameboy or NES.
Re: Thanks To AI, The Steam Deck Now Costs As Much As $300 More
Like already mentioned... it's quite simply NOT worth it at a $300 price increase. it was already too expensive before the price increase. now it just makes no sense at all, especially since it's not like a fairly high end device or thereabouts either as at $800-950 it had better be a device that can easily play the latest games etc for many years to come.
makes one wonder if prices of PC hardware will ever return to semi-normal(?) or if things are going to remain inflated for the foreseeable future.
I get AI can be good for some uses, but when it starts really screwing over most people (on general prices of PC hardware etc), it just ain't worth it overall. but sadly, AI ain't going away. so whatever happens, it's going to play itself out for better or worse.
p.s. but given all of the price BS on pretty much everything lately, ill just continue to hang onto my desktop PC's 3rd gen i5 + NVIDIA 1050 Ti setup. I had my NVIDIA GPU since 2017, which is the longest I ever owned a primary GPU for. hell, my motherboard I had for 14 years this month which is easily the longest I had a primary PC for as my previous high was 6 years and 2 months. but basically when I got my GPU back in July 2017 I think I paid $135 for it at the time which was a decent price for a respectable GPU. but it seemed like not all that long after that prices started to shoot up with Bitcoin BS etc and now it's just getting worse because of AI. but basically one should be able to get a half-decent GPU for no more than $200, maybe $300 high side. but at the rate things are going it's going to price a lot of people out of stuff that used to be reasonably priced to where you are going to have to have money to burn to buy any half-decent PC hardware. because I don't need anywhere near high end, just something that can do 1080p @ 60fps (although I could get-by on 30fps+ since 30fps is still easily playable) for a fair price.
Re: You Can Now Legally Rip Your Wii, GameCube And Xbox Discs Using A Blu-Ray Drive
@TakahashiYellow ; naturally ; emulation is still the best by far for bang-for-the-buck when possible.
but like mentioned above... anyone who has a moded Wii, which is easy enough to do, can just use the built-in drive to rip games from original disc.
Re: "That's The Magic Sauce" - GoldenEye Designer Explains Why It Feels So Good To Shoot Baddies In The N64 Classic
@Bot_Bot_69 ; Yeah, that XBLA (through Xenia emulator on PC) works and feels just like original, but with a bit better graphics (I briefly played it roughly a year ago for the first time). I think that leaked one was roughly from the 2006-2007 time frame if I recall correctly. but was never released due to some BS rights issues etc from what I heard.
but as far as the general topic... the feel of the GoldenEye game is unique as I particularly like the feel of the DD44's.
Re: FPGA Vs Software Emulation - Which Is Best? We Asked Four Experts To Find Out
The answer is obvious overall as there is no real debate here... Software Emulation.
because to state the obvious... there is too small of a real world difference to justify hardware that costs $100-200+ (and the higher the hardware costs the bigger this gap gets) over something that's basically free (assuming you got a half-decent PC) and just as good in the real world for pretty much everyone. because those who claim 'lag' as a primary excuse for hardware being better, I think that's greatly exaggerated, especially if you are using a decent software emulation setup.
my evidence... if there was any real noticeable difference to where it was a real problem, then it would be unlikely I could beat Tyson six times in a single day (back in Sep 2025) on Mesen2 emulator for the PC using my 8BitDo Ultimate 2C wired controller (it's a solid bang-for-the-buck controller) which they say has a 1000Hz polling rate for whatever that's worth and I am NOT using 'Run Ahead' at all as it's on it's default of '0', so I am playing it straight up. because on say Tyson specifically ones room for error is minimal and if there was any obvious controller lag on that fight specifically, it would be most noticeable.
or to put it another way... those who 'claim' to notice a difference, if I was playing the odds, I doubt the vast majority of those types could notice it in a double blind test. like if they had to tell the difference purely from playing using exact same controller and screen etc on FPGA or real hardware vs software emulation and without them knowing which it was running on and do it say twenty times with it being random of whether they are using software emulation or real hardware/FPGA etc. I am sure you get my point
p.s. even for the more hardline nit-picking types (like even trying to go out of ones way in favor of real hardware)... I would be curious to see what someone like 'Summoning Salt' (record holder for Punch-Out) would say about hardware vs software because I figure if it's not a big deal there, or even if there are some differences but nothing that a very high percentage of gamers could notice, then ultimately it's a non-issue short of the extremely talented pro-level types which excludes nearly everyone. because I figure for something to be a legit issue it would need to be something the common gamer or so could easily notice and makes them do noticeably worse on a game because of it.
Re: Random: Don't Play Zelda? Sally Field Wants To Know "What The Hell Is The Matter With You?"
@pocketmoon ; While I get it's a popular series, I tend to agree with you. I don't get it's appeal either. there is much better games out there to say the least.
Re: "The Best Killer Instinct Emulator Ever" Is Now Available To Download
Thanks for bringing it to my attention. I just got this going on Linux. I turned on bilinear filtering as it's a bit too pixelated without it and raised resolution to 1920x1080 (as without doing that it starts in a small window). I was using a fairly recent version of MAME but ill likely stick with this new emulator since they claim it's better. I never looked into the online stuff, but this supposedly has it.
the final usable game size is "92.0 MiB (96,474,783 bytes)" which the programs they give you to create it, name it "kinst.bighard" which you load into main emulator.
p.s. besides the 2D MK games, which are my clear #1 fighting games of all-time (with the peak being UMK3(arcade)), I would say Killer Instinct (1994) is probably my favorite outside of those as it's really the only one of any real worth outside of the MK games back in those days (I never understood the appeal of Street Fighter series etc as those just ain't as fun to play as 2D MK games are easily #1 and for a non-MK game Killer Instinct (1994) would likely be my choice). but one things for sure, when it comes to announcers no one tops Steve Ritchie(MK2/MK3/UMK3 etc) or Chris Sutherland (KI(1994) etc). although you can tell Sutherland is heavily modified unlike Ritchie who basically sounds like that.
Re: This $25 Low-Latency SNES Controller Adapter Should Be The First Thing You Buy For Your Shiny New Neo Geo
@sdelfin ; Speaking of 'Super Mario World' (on SNES) I beat that for the first time not long ago now on Mesen2. but I did use a infinite lives cheat, although other than that I played it straight. but I find that game more frustrating then fun. I would say I had more enjoyment out of Donkey Kong Country (I played for first time Aug 2025 using infinite lives cheat) even though I like Mario more in general (primarily because of Super Mario 64).
NOTE: I enjoyed watching Max Dood (popular fighting game channel on YouTube) playing World for the first time not long ago (he happened to 100% the game (which I did not do)), which he has a real SNES, than actually playing it though as for Mario games 'Mario 64' is easily my #1 as it's stuck with me the most long term (I played it when it was new) that I still enjoy the most to this day. I play the MorsGames PC port nowadays as it's the best because it's got widescreen, 60fps, improved camera and a HD graphics pack etc (the backwards long jump exploit still works, but I did not take advantage of it) and I 100%'ed it on my last playthrough last year (likely my first time 100%'ing it).
my playthrough of Punch-Out in Nov 2024 I basically went 10-0, lost to 2nd Don Flemenco, so 10-1, then won straight to Tyson for a 13-1 record (so I was 13-1 going into Tyson fight). but after beating Tyson my final record was 14-46, so I lost 45 times in a row on Tyson before winning (NOTE: I just reloaded a save state after losing on 2nd Don Flemenco (to start of Round 1) and counting it as a loss 'if' I decided to reload a save state to Round 1 on Tyson. but I don't think I did it much if at all on Tyson since anytime I did it, I counted it as loss just to see how I would do. so I likely just played it as best as I could and if I lost, I lost). I suspect that's probably the best run I had (like playing game from start to finish) or not far from it (although I can't say for sure, since I generally never count that stuff, so I did it that time just to see how I would do). but when I did this, I was looking up some strats on YouTube as there is definitely some stuff I learned to use that helps on characters (Tyson, Super Macho Man and maybe a bit more) that I did not know in the old days in the early 1990's when I beat it on a real NES. so in a way I consider that a bigger accomplishment than my more recent stuff even though I do think I have gotten better at the game lately than in the old days (but I was early teens tops back in the early 1990's as all of my teenage years were in the 1990's).
also, on that playthough I beat Tyson with TKO in Round 3 at 2min46sec mark with 9,340 points. if I waited another 14 seconds I would have won by decision as winning by decision I think requires a minimum of 5,000 points. but usually on my random Tyson fights 'if' I do win, there is a decent chance it will be Round 2 as if the fight goes on too long I might end up losing even though I have won in Round 3 here and there. because even when I do generally beat Tyson I would guesstimate a large portion of the time I have gotten knocked down twice within that first 1min30sec on timer of Round 1 (which is basically the hardest part), so it does not leave me much room to breathe for the rest of the fight.
Re: This $25 Low-Latency SNES Controller Adapter Should Be The First Thing You Buy For Your Shiny New Neo Geo
@sdelfin ; I did not use Run-Ahead at all (it's set on '0', which is the default, which is basically disabled) as it's basically cheating. I played NES Tyson straight up when I beat Tyson six times in a single day (I did beat Tyson in the old days on a real NES back in the early 1990's).
side note on Tyson... save states are nice for practicing though, like if a person is struggling to get out of the first round, once they do, it's a good idea to create a save state before Round 2 starts, this way if you lose you can reload (at start of Round 2) and keep practicing until you feel you are good enough and then do a proper run from start to finish playing straight up. when I won I played straight up. although I likely did load a save state when losing though, but it was before Round 1 started, so it's basically legit unless someone is full-on nit-picking or trying to set records in which case any use of save states are not allowed. but basically what I did is legit as it just saves me time re-entering the Tyson code each time you lose (but I am sure I have beat it here and there with entering the code without using any save state whatsoever).
prior to getting that 8BitDo Ultimate 2C wired controller at the end of 2024 (on Linux any kernels older than 6.12 require setting up a udev rule for it to work in the controllers preferred Xinput mode) I was using a official wireless XBox360 controller and it's USB dongle (which I had since I think 2006) and, as you probably already know, it's dpad pretty much sucks. so the 8BitDo Ultimate 2C was a solid upgrade over that. on a side note, I still have another brand new XBox360 controller in box (I doubt ill ever open it at this point).
but yeah, I can't complain with the 8BitDo Ultimate 2C overall as it's hard to beat for performance/price combo (and has hall-effect sticks/triggers which supposedly don't develop stick drift). hell, when I got that controller I bought two since given the shipping costs it was not much more for me to get two controllers, so I did that instead. but I have not even opened the second one as it's still new in the box.
also, I think some people are obsessed with "input lag" even though in the real world it's too small to matter. maybe there is some scenario's where it's a issue(?) but I think it's exaggerated by-and-large. because at least with Mesen2 (on Linux) using that 8BitDo controller I can't say I notice any obvious issues on NES Tyson as it feels normal/good to me.
also, I have used a Sega gamepad before, I don't remember having any obvious issues with those, but I have probably not touched a real one since the 1990's. I had a Sega Saturn at one point to back in the 1990's (I still have my Dreamcast but it's dpad, while not horrible, I would consider it a downgrade vs the 8BitDo controller I have for PC usage).
p.s. on a side note... a while ago I was using Run-Ahead on a Wii with a emulator playing NES Tyson just to mess around and ramped up the run-ahead a lot and it was blatantly obvious it was cheating as you could basically see Tyson swing to where you would definitely be knocked down, but yet you could still fairly easily dodge (it looked weird on screen to).
Re: This $25 Low-Latency SNES Controller Adapter Should Be The First Thing You Buy For Your Shiny New Neo Geo
@-wc- ; I can't complain about SNES dpad ; I have never touched a Neo Geo, but when it comes to dpads in general it's hard to go wrong with a Nintendo-like dpad as I feel that's the best all-around dpad design as it's the one that stuck with me the most long term.
p.s. my current general use controller on PC for playing games, or even old school games on Mesen2 (NES/SNES emulator etc), is 8BitDo Ultimate 2C (wired). I have not touched a real SNES controller in probably 30+ years now, but that 8BitDo controllers dpad feels similar off the top of my head (there might be differences but nothing I would complain about). or put it this way... it's good enough for me to take out Tyson in NES Punch-Out (on Mesen2 emulator for PC) six times in a single day last year and that's one game you can't afford to have a so-so dpad or reaction time.
Re: "Humbling And Deeply Inspiring" - Neo Geo+ Production Forecasts Increased After "Overwhelming" Response
@Ristar24 ; Agreed. it must be largely because people could not have it in why they want it now(?). because back in those days (I am late 40's now as all of my teenage years were in the 1990's) pretty much everyone was primarily concerned with Genesis/SNES since that's pretty much where all of the good current games were at. even once those faded, as you already know, then Playstation etc took over.
but in the 1990's (at least here in the USA) there was really only two major battles of consoles... 'Genesis vs SNES' and 'Playstation vs N64' (in the 1990's I was with the N64 even though I realize PS1 sold roughly 3x the consoles. I think I eventually had a PS1 but that was likely in 1998 where as with N64 I got that when it was new pretty much). sure, there was other decent consoles in those days but those were a bit outside of the norm, like Saturn/Dreamcast (I had both of those at one point in the 1990's etc). I stil have my original Dreamcast as it's the only console I still have from the what I would say are 'glory days' of consoles as by the 2000's consoles did not carry weight like they previously did, especially by the late 2000's or so (maybe early 2010's max). for the record... the last console I bought was the XBox360 as past that consoles largely died if you ask me overall. technically, I did get a Wii past that point but that was much after it's hey-day, so I don't really count it (and I did not really use it much anyways. mostly playing around with moding).
anyways, back to Neo Geo... even if in the 1990's the Neo Geo was priced similar to the SNES/Genesis, I can't see it doing all that well assuming it still had the exact same games it does with how things played out. sure, I realize if the console price/games was less it's possible more developers would have made games for the system and potentially made it successful though on a more mainstream level. but I guess we will never know as that's not how things played out.
so unless someone is a die-hard fan of certain games on this system (which if they were, it was probably more of a recent memory sort of thing since very few could afford that in the old days) and is obsessed with physical consoles, overall it does not make much sense since it comes back to hundreds of dollars for something you can basically play for free on a PC (a PC is by-far the best all-around gaming device nowadays and has been this way for AT LEAST a easy 10-15+ years). so unless someone has money to burn (like spending hundreds of dollars means little-to-nothing to them), it does not make much sense overall as it's more of a novelty sort of thing and for that price range it's just too much.
hell, even if a person was to look at all 1990's consoles (or thereabouts) and if you were to rank consoles based on all-around game quality, even if we put aside the "heavy hitters" (i.e. Genesis/SNES/PS1/N64) there would likely still be consoles that most people prefer all-around more like say Dreamcast/Saturn etc. just on a personal level looking back between those four major 1990's consoles, the PS1 would likely be my least favorite overall all things considered (who knows, it could partially be because I have the least nostalgia for it and for Playstation stuff in general for that matter as I did have a PS1/PS2 at one point but they never really stuck with me long term like other consoles of their day do).
Re: "That Was Crazy" - Retro Panel Gets Interrupted After Bomb Threat
@NoirConceit ; Sadly, you are probably right given what happened here. it's sad how some people want to suck the life out of everything they're around. a bunch of low life scum. it's like they are unhappy and they want to make everyone else like them.
but you would think in general retro gamers, being they are probably older than a typical gamer, would generally be a lot less likely to engage in questionable behavior since that sort of stuff is for the 'kids' (i.e. 20 somethings and younger).
Re: Punch Out!! NES's Cut "Guest Stars" To Appear In New Fanmade Game Boy Color Remix
Ill likely check it out since in my book Mike Tyson's Punch-Out on NES is pretty much my #1 NES game if I had to choose only one NES game as my favorite it would likely be that.
p.s. but for those who like Punch-Out I suggest the fan-tweaked SNES version by 'Infidelity' (on archive dot org website) at about 200MB. works well in Mesen2 emulator as it's basically got souped-up original music etc.
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.