Comments 314

Re: Anniversary: Game Boy Color Turns 25 Today

AJB83

I love the GBC. I didn't even mind some of Nintendo's own games on it - somewhat strangely, I don't buy Nintendo systems for Nintendo games.

I've been pumping it on my RGB30 since I got it. Lots of V-Rally, Wacky Races, Game And Watch Gallery 3, any and all Looney Tunes/Tiny Toons games and a lot of rom hacks, colour hacks and new indie games. Such a great system with loads of memories attached!

Re: Powkiddy RGB30 - A $90 Analogue Pocket Rival? You'd Better Believe It

AJB83

I think people get too stuck on semantics on the internet.

All I know is that I would have loved an Analog Pocket, and I would have loaded it full of ROMS and FPGA cores, since I sold off my cart collection years ago, but a combination of price and wait time led me to getting a handheld emulation machine. And the RGB30 fit the bill perfectly.

At the end of the day, no matter what you're playing on, all the options we have play these games really well, and that's what matters to me.

Re: Powkiddy RGB30 - A $90 Analogue Pocket Rival? You'd Better Believe It

AJB83

I got mine a couple of weeks back, and I'm absolutely enamored with it. It is indeed amazing for handheld emulation. SNES I bump up to 8:7 and it looks great without looking squished. All 4:3 content, I bump up to 5:7 to claim back some more screen real estate, and again, they look great without looking squashed.

I'm not sure what he meant in the review about PS1 not playing all that well, it really does. But only at native resolution. If you use the double-res setting in RetroArch on the default core, then it plays well, but the sound skips a bit. You'll get the flawless performance at native res from the default core though.

I also found the buttons really great, not at all cheap feeling. They look it, but they don't feel cheap in-game. I also found with some higher thumb grips, the analog sticks work super well, with a better range of motion than I expected from the 'Nintendo Switch-style' descriptor people tend to lump on them. Build quality is pretty fantastic on my black unit too. I thought the plastic would feel cheap, but it doesn't. It feels more solid than any of the GBA models ever felt to me, at any rate.

My only issue so far is battery life. Even the 6 hours quoted here seems generous in comparison to mine. It drains too fast for my liking. I usually turn Wi-Fi off and bring it down to 50% brightness, which still looks good, but I'm seriously considering just getting a mini power bank and taping it to the back of the unit to play for much longer sessions and to crank up the brightness just a tad.

The screen is a superstar though, and is absolutely perfect for all the LCD shaders I have applied to my handheld systems. If they release a model with the same resolution, but OLED, man, I'd get another in a heartbeat!

I absolutely love the RGB30, and I'd absolutely recommend it for anybody on a budget, and even then, it'll be worth picking up just for the screen, especially at this price. I'd only ever consider getting either an upgraded model, or an additional system with widescreen for those other systems. I think I'll wait for a linux machine that can play PS2 and Gamecube perfectly though, before I splurge on another.

Re: Nightdive CEO Pitches Potential Way To Remaster More Classic Titles

AJB83

It'll be fine, they won't get sued or anything that dramatic. Before all the official work, Kaiser was creating builds of games - like Doom 64 - that required you add your own rom/data files. So they could very well do the work to build the container to run the improved versions, but then require you to add your own game files from your own collection. I don't think there's anything illegal about that if they're not selling the actual game, which they won't be. They're paying people to create the builds, not charging for the finished product.

I say good on them. I'd definitely be interested in supporting them with this endeavor should it come to pass

Re: The PlayStation Version Of Ultima Underworld Is Now Playable In English

AJB83

I had no idea this existed on the PSX! Cheers for the head's up! Literally just got my PowKiddy RGB30 today, and I've been loading up my SD card with games, so it goes without saying that this is going on there too.

I wonder what the controls are like? This appeals to me more than jumping back into DOSBOX and wrestling the controls of the game that way

Re: Anbernic Might Be Working On A Nintendo 2DS-Style Emulation Handheld

AJB83

@RupeeClock I just purchased the Powkiddy RGB30! This will be my first emulation handheld that isn't Raspberry Pi based! I have a RetroFlag GPI unit with a Pi Zero 2 W in it. I love the actual unit, but the screen is pretty horrid. So I'm eagerly awaiting this unit and the fantastic screen it seems to have. That aspect ratio is perfect for what I want it for, and I can deal with the bezels for other systems. The price was excellent too... with some discounts, it was around $140 AU with a 32gb card included.

Super pumped!!!

Re: Best Gundam Games Of All Time

AJB83

@Damo I can't say I've heard anything negative about them myself. I got the three volumes for next to nothing years ago and gave them a crack - they're right up there with my faves on the Saturn. I've actually wondered why nobody ever mentions them these days. Give them a go, they emulate well!

Re: Best Gundam Games Of All Time

AJB83

This list is SERIOUSLY lacking Mobile Suit Gundam Side Story: Blue Destiny on the SEGA Saturn.

The three episodic volumes played together make for a fantastic game. Awesome graphics, sound and brilliant controls.

Re: Guide: All 8BitDo Controllers & Accessories - Which Should I Buy?

AJB83

I really, really love the form factors of the SN30 Pro and the Pro 2, but I find the input lag to be a hindrance; if it's all you play with then you won't notice, but if you switch controllers regularly, then the input lag tends to stick out, at least to me.

I got the Bluetooth Ultimate controller on release, and it is a darn sight better on the lag front. Bluetooth Mode is great, the hall sensor sticks are sublime and the 2.4ghz mode on Switch and PC is flawless. I wish it was made out of the same materials as the Pro 2, but it still feels great in the hand.

That being said, I wish that 8bitDo would just bite the bullet and release a 2.4ghz variant of the Pro 2; now THAT would be my Ultimate controller!

Re: Sega Rally Homage Over Jump Rally Now Has A Steam Page

AJB83

@Dogemaster21777 There's also a really great portable version of the PC port of Sega Rally 2 on archive.org. It has full controller support, is able to run at high resolutions, and there's a widescreen mode in there too! It's my go-to way to play right now, much smoother than the Dreamcast port even with the 60fps cheat, and with less input lag too: something that has always irritated me about the Dreamcast version.

Search for Sega Rally 2 Portable on archive.org and you'll find it!

Re: WipEout Phantom Edition Is An Enhanced PC Port Of The PS1 Classic

AJB83

So I just sat down with it. The combination of high framerates, analog controls and the Ballistic NG collision model makes the game an absolute breeze, haha. Won both championships and just unlocked Firestar.

I did notice some physics oddities. Some of the animated background elements go super-fast, and there's some weird physics quirks sometimes once the game takes over playing when you finish a race. Nothing too crazy though, and nothing that ruined the actual gameplay. I'm sure these will be ironed out eventually

For the ultimate experience, I added in the Saturn Soundtrack, along with the WipEout: The Music album and put it on random. Having both albums on there is god-like.

This first WipEout will always hold a special place in my heart. I owned the Saturn port back in the day and played it over and over and over and over, haha.

Yeah. The other PS1 WipEout games kinda need this treatment now too, phenomenal work.

Re: Anniversary: F-Zero X Is 25 Today

AJB83

@SuntannedDuck2 Well, Raw Thrills licensed Cruis'n, and did all the work on that game. If not for them, that series would be dead too.

Even SEGA is doing a better job with their IP these days in terms of new releases, and that's saying something.

I always liked the F-Zero vibe, but never got along with the gameplay, although the sense of speed has always been fantastic. I still listen to all the soundtracks to this day too - all are gold.

And don't even get me started on Wave Race. OK, too late. Boy, that series was amazing. I can only want an ultimate edition. Imagine if they reverse-engineered the Wave Race 64 water physics, slapped on a Metroid Prime Remastered-style coat of paint on it and put in the all the tracks from 64 and Blue Storm.

Le sigh.

Re: 8BitDo Is Updating The Legendary Neo Geo CD Controller

AJB83

@sdelfin Yeah, I am super excited to use this on PC with SNES emulation. The micro-switch joystick is going to be amazing, and the added shoulder buttons make it literally perfect for a SNES layout. Being able to scale up Mode-7 and go widescreen with SNES games now in emulators means it'll be a pretty special experience, at least for me it will be!

I have many 8bitdo controllers suitable for SNES games, but I really can't go past the micro-switch joystick.

I'm definitely tempted by the limited edition designs. I think I'll be wanting two units. One all-black original, and either the Iori or Kyo edition. Probably Iori, because I do like those purple flames

Re: Slick OutRun-Style Racer Slipstream Getting Free Expansion This Month

AJB83

@smoreon It kind of yo-yo's. The AI, depending on the update can go from manageable to super tough, but eh, I tend to just go full time-trail with it most of the time now, so it doesn't affect me all too much. It is better than the original release though, that's for sure.

And Andsor has indeed done a bang-up job on the game. So many free updates and modes... I can't wait to pay him more for the DLC, haha!

Re: Slick OutRun-Style Racer Slipstream Getting Free Expansion This Month

AJB83

I backed this on Kickstarter years ago, and am really happy with how this game turned out. Full disclosure, I'm one of the AI opponents in the game (AJ Belmont). I'm still not fussed on the actual AI, but I love the courses and style. The controls aren't perfect, but they've been much improved over the years. I purchased the Switch version too, it runs pretty great there.

Super eager to buy the expansion pack, it looks stunning, and I'm really digging the colours and the 3D elements that have been worked in.

Re: Jotego's Neo Geo Pocket FPGA Core Hit With Delay

AJB83

@Gorejelly I would have loved to see what a raster-style racing game looked like on the system would have looked like.... There were none, haha! Cool Boarders doesn't count

But yeah, it's a great system, love it. Again, I'll never get over the amazing microswitch joystick, it's so good.

Re: Random: Gran Turismo Director Gets Hopes Up About WipEout Movie

AJB83

@-wc- They'd be completely different movies in either case, I think! And it depends on what you're after in a movie. F-Zero would work for the masses as an anime, or a typical 3D movie that is all the rage these days.

WipEout would be far more interesting, I think, and possibly less generic. Also, a rather dangerous thing to adapt; if it doesn't hit the mark, and nail the style, then it could be a disaster.

It'd need to be a British production too. It needs that edge, something Hollywood is absolutely dreadful at these days. I'm imagining an Alex Garland/Duncan Jones pairing. One can dream

It seems the WipEout vs F-Zero argument rages on, haha.

Re: Review: 8BitDo 2.4G Ultimate Controller - A Great Option For Steam Deck And PC Gamers

AJB83

@-wc- It's not small, but they could definitely work on the comfort factor. I'm 6 foot 2, and I have large hands too. My main issue is that it's a bit straight when resting in your palms, and doesn't fit as well as an Xbox Style controller would. Still, you totally get used to it, and it's absolutely worth it for the hall sensor sticks and triggers. It is incredibly well built, and should last a long, long time.

Still, I my controller of choice for the Switch is the larger Xbox-style PXN 9670x.It's a super inexpensive controller that is less than half the price, but probably the most comfortable Switch experience I've had. Super solid, awesome colour range and for the price, you really can't argue with it. The build quality is crazy good for the price, and it has one of my favourite d-pads around.. I own better controllers, but I just can't get enough of the soft-touch rubber-feeling plastic of the PXN; I own four of them, haha

https://www.amazon.com.au/PXN-Wireless-Controller-Vibration-Compatible/dp/B09KPJPRZP/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=pxn%2B9607x%2Bwireless%2Bgame%2Bcontroller&sr=8-1&th=1

Re: Review: 8BitDo 2.4G Ultimate Controller - A Great Option For Steam Deck And PC Gamers

AJB83

@Viewtifu1 I got the Bluetooth version. The 2.4ghz mode works on Switch, but it won't wake the console. The Bluetooth mode does. However, I find the Bluetooth mode on Switch to be the least laggy of all of 8bitdo's controllers, so I use the 2.4ghz mode on my PC, and the Bluetooth mode on my Switch.

Such a great controller, almost perfect. They just need to make the next version a TAD more comfy, and it really will be the Ultimate controller for Switch/PC gamers

Re: Hands On: Xeno Crisis Continues Its Quest To Be Released On Every Gaming System Ever Made

AJB83

@-wc- You're in for a treat with Xeno Crisis then, if you decide to give it a go! I find super difficult games off-putting, but this is an exception. I always feel like I am making progress... it's a true arcade experience in that sense. It's also an audio/visual treat.

I wish I was able to keep all my consoles, but I've downsized my life, moved to the country and have gone pretty minimalist, and have only recently gotten rid of most of my collection. I still have my OG Xbox with about 180 games, but my large Saturn collection is gone, along with everything else; so it's emulation for me! Luckily, Saturn emulation is pretty great these days, and the Retro-Bit 2.4ghz controllers help a lot with my Saturn withdrawls.

One day I'll get a MiSTER or something, but until then, I've got my trusty PC and a Raspberry Pi/CRT combo for all my older stuff. I wouldn't mind a Retroid Pocket 3+, but I might just wait until a model that plays GC and PS2 flawlessly comes along