I don't understand the point of this controller. So it's a gamecube controller that's missing the sticks? How is this in any way better than using the normal gamecube controller?
This doesn't make me think about Sonic, it makes me think about Sega of America and how crazily resentful and disrespectful they seem to have been to their parent company Sega of Japan. 32X, Mega CD, Saturn, Dreamcast... All these fumbled launches weren't bad luck, they were SoA saying "we don't care what you guys are planning, we'll design our own machine and we'll take yours only when we're ready. The market will be diluted and confusing, hype windows will be missed, developers won't know which platforms to target... But at least we won't be doing things your way, SoJ!"
I have to forsake my namesake and go with the PS1 dual shock. Once they added dual analogues and rumble, Sony perfected the controller so completely that they have effectively never needed to change it since. With a split d-pad for precision and beautiful symmetry, the dual shock is literally iconic for gaming in general; it's everything a controller should be.
@Damo I think @MarioBrickLayer was saying: perhaps interview a legal expert for an article, to speculate on why Sega might have an issue with this MD project as opposed to that SMS project...
I wouldn't call this a scam; you have to promise people something good for it to be a scam. This was a sad, misguided mistake from day one. Nobody wanted this silly product, nobody was ever going to want it, and the years that Tommy & Co. spent clinging to such an obviously dead concept makes me believe that this was honest foolishness as opposed to malicious deception.
@Papichulo I have had lots of very good times emulating the N64 on PC. Mario 64, Banjo, the 2 Zeldas, Wave Race, Wayne Gretzky's Hockey, WWF... All of these I've fully completed multiple times on emulator, and loved every minute of it. Even with a playstation style controller where you have to get creative with the mapping of the C buttons (but not completely shuffle everything around like the **** NSO expansion pack) it works fine, and has been fine for about 15-20 years now. If you can't stand a single pixel being out of place though then there's really not much point thinking about emulation at all.
My "piracy machine" of choice is still the Funkey S. It's ridiculously tiny but kind of perfect for the novelty factor, which is what handheld retro gaming ends up being for me in practice. It plays everything up to and including PS1 games... If I want to dig deep into Final Fantasy 7, I can do that on my Switch, but if I want to dally around with random old roms then a key chain-sized joke device is almost the perfect way to do it.
@bryce951 nah I'm all about this cup and ball now. You never know which way that crazy ball is gonna go! (Just kidding, thanks for the heads up! Is it Christmas already?!)
@smashboy2000 nice, thanks! I didn't mean to be cynical, I'd love to play PSX and N64 on FPGA.
Haven't been following the scene properly but I always got the impression that the N64 was "too hard"?
As in, emulating behaviour is one thing but once you try to reproduce actual hardware this complicated, you'd need exponentially more power and time?
On a tangent, I picked up a raspberry pi 4 for xmas with the hope of turning it into an N64 box via retropie. All hopes were soon dashed when I discovered that it can only emulate at about half speed and the audio is excruciating. If a mature system such as retropie can't get N64 running then I wouldn't hold out much hope for random Chinese boxes such as this. Of course the ideal machine would be the Switch but Nintendo keep holding out on N64 games there...
When I was a lad my favourite Australian football team's iconic jumper had only one logo on it: "Speed Kills" from the government agency trying to prevent traffic accidents. I always thought it was ironic because they were the fastest team in the league.
Bennett Foddy didn't make VVVVVV. That was Terry Cavanagh. I highly doubt he made Ape Out as well - he's the QWOP guy; the Getting Over It guy.
That crank though... I first thought it would be some gimmick where it's the only way to charge the battery. Hence you really have to make a "play date" with yourself and commit to it.
Not sure whether I'm disappointed or relieved now...
Edit: so I bought Ape Out on the weekend and I have to admit I was wrong about that one - Bennett Foddy is listed in the opening credits. Don't give him Terry Cavanagh's stuff though!
Comments 170
Re: Review: Retro-Bit LegacyGC - Perfect For Game Boy-Loving GameCube Fans
I don't understand the point of this controller. So it's a gamecube controller that's missing the sticks? How is this in any way better than using the normal gamecube controller?
Re: Sega Of America Thought Sonic Was "Unsalvageable" As A Character
This doesn't make me think about Sonic, it makes me think about Sega of America and how crazily resentful and disrespectful they seem to have been to their parent company Sega of Japan.
32X, Mega CD, Saturn, Dreamcast... All these fumbled launches weren't bad luck, they were SoA saying "we don't care what you guys are planning, we'll design our own machine and we'll take yours only when we're ready. The market will be diluted and confusing, hype windows will be missed, developers won't know which platforms to target... But at least we won't be doing things your way, SoJ!"
Re: Random: Did This '80s Furniture Commercial Inspire Super Mario 64?
Why doesn't Nintendo make furniture anymore, they've forgotten their roots
Re: Review: Forever Pak 64 - Fixing Your N64's Ticking Time Bomb
256 Kb should be enough for anyone.
/- Bill Gates
Re: Poll: So, What's Your Favourite Controller Of All Time?
I have to forsake my namesake and go with the PS1 dual shock. Once they added dual analogues and rumble, Sony perfected the controller so completely that they have effectively never needed to change it since. With a split d-pad for precision and beautiful symmetry, the dual shock is literally iconic for gaming in general; it's everything a controller should be.
Re: Bitmap Books Pulls Mega Drive / Genesis 'Visual Compendium' After Legal Threat From Sega
@Damo I think @MarioBrickLayer was saying: perhaps interview a legal expert for an article, to speculate on why Sega might have an issue with this MD project as opposed to that SMS project...
Re: Trademark For Intellivision Amico Has Been Abandoned
I wouldn't call this a scam; you have to promise people something good for it to be a scam. This was a sad, misguided mistake from day one. Nobody wanted this silly product, nobody was ever going to want it, and the years that Tommy & Co. spent clinging to such an obviously dead concept makes me believe that this was honest foolishness as opposed to malicious deception.
Re: RetroArch Is Working On Hardware That Allows You To Run N64 Carts On Your PC
@Papichulo I have had lots of very good times emulating the N64 on PC. Mario 64, Banjo, the 2 Zeldas, Wave Race, Wayne Gretzky's Hockey, WWF... All of these I've fully completed multiple times on emulator, and loved every minute of it. Even with a playstation style controller where you have to get creative with the mapping of the C buttons (but not completely shuffle everything around like the **** NSO expansion pack) it works fine, and has been fine for about 15-20 years now.
If you can't stand a single pixel being out of place though then there's really not much point thinking about emulation at all.
Re: Can't Get An Analogue Pocket? This Cheap And Dinky Handheld Might Plug The Gap
My "piracy machine" of choice is still the Funkey S.
It's ridiculously tiny but kind of perfect for the novelty factor, which is what handheld retro gaming ends up being for me in practice. It plays everything up to and including PS1 games... If I want to dig deep into Final Fantasy 7, I can do that on my Switch, but if I want to dally around with random old roms then a key chain-sized joke device is almost the perfect way to do it.
Re: Hardware Review: MiSTer FPGA - A Tantalising Glimpse Into The Future Of Retro Gaming
@bryce951 nah I'm all about this cup and ball now. You never know which way that crazy ball is gonna go!
(Just kidding, thanks for the heads up! Is it Christmas already?!)
Re: We're Getting A New Shining Force Game, But Of Course There's A Catch
What, don't you people have phones?
Re: Hardware Review: MiSTer FPGA - A Tantalising Glimpse Into The Future Of Retro Gaming
@smashboy2000 nice, thanks! I didn't mean to be cynical, I'd love to play PSX and N64 on FPGA.
Haven't been following the scene properly but I always got the impression that the N64 was "too hard"?
As in, emulating behaviour is one thing but once you try to reproduce actual hardware this complicated, you'd need exponentially more power and time?
Re: Hardware Review: MiSTer FPGA - A Tantalising Glimpse Into The Future Of Retro Gaming
Wake me up when it can play N64 and PSX games. At this point I can pretty much play SNES and NES games on my toaster.
Re: The PocketGo S30 Is Basically A SNES Pad That Plays Retro Games
On a tangent, I picked up a raspberry pi 4 for xmas with the hope of turning it into an N64 box via retropie. All hopes were soon dashed when I discovered that it can only emulate at about half speed and the audio is excruciating.
If a mature system such as retropie can't get N64 running then I wouldn't hold out much hope for random Chinese boxes such as this.
Of course the ideal machine would be the Switch but Nintendo keep holding out on N64 games there...
Re: Sega Just Showed Off A Prototype Handheld For The First Time Ever
And then there's Hyperdimension Neptunia of course
Re: Feature: 25 Years Ago, Nintendo Took On The Might Of Street Fighter With Killer Instinct
Why is there not a single screenshot of killer instinct in this article, aside from the 2013 one?
Re: Atari's Attempt To Relaunch The VCS Has Just Hit Another Brick Wall
@hitherehello I believe the term is "Schadenfreude"
Re: Feature: Remember When Video Game Football Shirts Were A Big Deal?
When I was a lad my favourite Australian football team's iconic jumper had only one logo on it: "Speed Kills" from the government agency trying to prevent traffic accidents.
I always thought it was ironic because they were the fastest team in the league.
Re: Gallery: Flicking Through Sega Master System: A Visual Compendium
Before N64 rocked my world, I was all about Psycho Fox on the Master System. There was just something about it that was mysterious and awesome.
Re: Introducing The Playdate, Panic's New Handheld Video Game System With A Crank
Bennett Foddy didn't make VVVVVV. That was Terry Cavanagh. I highly doubt he made Ape Out as well - he's the QWOP guy; the Getting Over It guy.
That crank though... I first thought it would be some gimmick where it's the only way to charge the battery. Hence you really have to make a "play date" with yourself and commit to it.
Not sure whether I'm disappointed or relieved now...
Edit: so I bought Ape Out on the weekend and I have to admit I was wrong about that one - Bennett Foddy is listed in the opening credits. Don't give him Terry Cavanagh's stuff though!