Grackler

Honestly I love the idea in many ways (not all,, I'd like the OS to be more open), but no. I just got a Nothing Phone and I'm pretty happy with it, this also looks costly. If it wasn't so much might be a good shout for a kid (50/50 on if other kids like it or bully them for it tho!)

Nice to see the pico chip (slightly older 1st gen RP2040 in this case I think?) doing well! I love electrionics and was worried that RPi were going to get burnt making their own chipsets. But it seems to be doing great! Bitmap Buearu used the pico for their Doom SuperFX upgrade too IIRC!

I can't see why this wouldn't be possible for other console carts too, access speed depending?

Really excellent article! Interesting, well written, and plenty of good research (but honest enough to say what wall you hit!)

Think this could be a definitive (for now) bit of work on why Mr X is called Mr X!

Bonkers how many AI bros are willing to get up in arms over anyone not liking AI. We've had the job losses, energy shortages, price shocks, political corruption and (as is obvious from the other comments) the general upsetting of the vast majority of creative people though a lack of even disclosure (which as an AI lover I can't see what wrong with disclosing it and letting consumers decide what to back? Or worried your AI horse won't make it if consumers have a clear eyed choice?)

Not seen any of these much touted AI benefits myself yet, just seems like everything costs more, is lower quality, social fabric is fraying and frankly evil mega-corps are getting more and more power over every aspect of life, in exchange for a bit of slop digital content. But I'm sure I'll get a ChaptGPT-made lecture in a bit on how great it is, that doesn't address a single point directly!

2012, still in the 360/PS3 era, London Olympics....this article feels like it's come from a different era!

Always stunned by how Starfox Adventure ran. It looked (and sounded) incredible, really high-grade effects, smooth animation, top soundtrack... I chose it as my first GC purchase (after the pack in Pikmin) and those two really felt next-gen! I will say I understood and agreed the reviews of the time (80% ish) that the gameplay was solid but unspectacular.
I did (and do) wonder where the YouTube era screeching-disgust for the game came from. It was a lukewarm reception at worse in 2002, and it clearly wasn't a bad game by any stretch of the imagination, particularly for that era. It was fun and well made, better than 4/5ths of what you'd see coming out, even if it wasn't quite good enough go compete with the very best in the genre (namely Wind Waker the next year). But for some reason around the early 2010s time of this article, the YouTuber hive mine decided it was the worst thing ever!

Great interview! Sounds like a larger than life character.

One thing I find fascinating is how much other big UK businesses sprung from the computer games revolution here is the 80s (had no idea Deep mind came out of someone from Bullfrog!).

The talk about who gets the credit for games and the lack of power the developers have sounds prophetic now, given this was in 2019 before the mass firings of the last couple of years.

I adore the form factor of the PSOne, I think it's one of the nicest mini machines, so it's nice to see the SuperStation mimic it!

It's a shame it's the size of the PSOne, but lacks the CD-ROM drive. I can see it's getting one as an add-on but...that slightly invalidates the swish form factor? It's not like it has a screen attachment like the the PSOne either as far as I can tell (which would have been lovely, but obviously complex to produce), so I feel like it wastes its looks a tad.

One question I have is on the AV side, and it's pure curiosity for anyone who knows! I know the actual PSOne was considered inferior to the early model PlayStations when it came to its CD audio output capability. I'm no audiophile, but how do the sound outputs on FPGA devices like this compared? If one has the SuperDock, would it be an amazing Hi-Fi CD player, or is the D2A stuff in there just not as high grade?

This is odd because if you really wanted to relive the scantily clad ads and (in my memory far more common) magazine covers of the era, their are plenty of real ones. So many complaints about what is "lost" or "taken", but ironically not only were these images not lost to time, they were made and widely spread around using the latest consumer tech! So not so lost or taken really!

There is the more serious point of AI being used to fake history. These might not amount to much but titillation with a bit of "fall of the West to Woke" sprinkled on...but the volumes of AI fakeries getting made, and the shovelling outwards and promotion social media allows it, does raise serious worries about history getting re-written and people's views being shaped by algorithms controlled by untouchable CEOs.

Damn, well should make a fun Christmas gift at least!

(It is quite depressing how these US Tech Bros have crippled so many fun things of late. Got forbid you want to get a kid and upto date Raspberry Pi!)

@Zenszulu was hoping someone mentioned this! Didn't stop the 15 BBFC cert in the UK, assumed it was for other markets or to please Nintendo?

I always remember the warning screens in old Resi's ( "this game contains...." White text on black), always made it feel more serious and adult to my teen brain.

Side note, Blaze seem to be doing a good job manufacturing wise (with whoever they get to make these for them in China). A complete guess, but I guess they use older chips and RAM that aren't heavily effected by the AI boom (like how the DDR2 Raspberry Pi 1-3 don't have the insane prices rise the DDR4 Pi 4-5 have suffered). I remember seeing a while ago the VS (their beefiest spec) was very simialr to a Pi 3.

£110 with a screen for these is decent (and the VS at £90/EXP at £100; never mind the insanely cheap £50 Super Pockets with a screen and licenced games).

Cart pricing has gone up, but has stayed below inflation/general SD card prices rises, particularly with design and management in the inflation smacked UK (staff NI, energy costs etc) and with Trump tariffs hitting too. Others seem to have done well in this regard too, particularly Chinese emulator handhelds with funky designs (like those DS-esque ones).

With 6 year old home consoles hitting over £560, with high energy consumption, expensive games and subscription services, and with genuine retro pricing and interest spiking too; I think Blaze and other retro/emulator console makers with similar specs/costs in are a good place right now! Could even get some market outside of old-nostalgic types like me, I find kids generally like retro games; our families little ones are less graphics-impressed than we were as kids!

I'd love a deep dive into the retro market generally if someone at TE could get some data on it, how it does by region and compared to the proper games market in terms of retro fairs, emulator console sales etc.

I maybe would have gone for the Spectrum one as I'm a massive sucker for Blaze and Retro Games Ltd; but got a "The Spectrum" and, given how old the games are, I kinda like experience them on the rubber-y keys! I didn't use one much (I was too young, played on older cousins) but even without nostalgia I like it, it feels closer to how the games were expected to be experience (for better or worse) back in their own time.

Might get a C64 one...but I really don't need it haha! Should probably just hang on for the Nexus, my EXP still works fine and plays a lot more.

@MysticWangForce Tom Baker was a highlight, but also loved hearing Burt Kwouk (Entwhistle from Last of the Summer Wine) and Sean Pertwee (Alfred in Gotham) in there too! For all the jank it had, I really enjoyed exploring 40k in such a "ground level" way back then!

I would say, I have the GoG and PS2 versions still, and I did a quick compare last year. While sharper, the "modern" PC version is far rougher than the PS2 version IMO. There's loads of sound balance issues, it has extra bugs in some scenes (I think related to game speed?) and it lacks always-fun the split-screen mode.

If you are feeling nostalgic (and crucially) have access to a PS2, I'll personally recommend digging up a PS2 copy at CeX/ebay etc, it's not beloved so often even cheaper than the Steam/GoG copy!

I don't really understand this. Not a owner and don't intend to be (so no skin in the game!) but it's pretty standard to say that you don't support sideloading firmware on paper (and a pop-up on the machine, a warning if you do it etc.) and just move the risk on.

Anyone loading 3rd party firmware likely knows this, but a text pop-up on first boot making it clear you do it at your own risk and there is no support for issues that arise should be all that is needed?

I got most of these on GoG (many via a free code in White Dwarf!) but more places to access them is always good.

Not many are essential, but they are often good fun, and capture the ever-shifting feel of Warhammer during whatever era they were made!

My Evercade machines have outshone my next gen consoles in recent years. I've enjoyed a few modern next gen titles for sure...
But I only got in on the Evercade train with the launch of the EXP in late 2022, if I think back over the "generation" so far, it dominates my memories! I think fondly of new indie games (Roguecraft DX, Full Void), replaying classics from my childhood to get much further (Final Fight, Cannon Fodder, Glover) and discovering classics I never played (Tomb Raider, Top Gear, Sensible Soccer; sidenote the best footy game ever despite its age!)

I'm still playing it a lot (Hogs of War and Turrican right now!). The EXP and Super Pockets have been great as truly pocketable consoles, and the VS is just lovely to use at home. Excited to see what they come up with next!

Ah, I did find it odd how many AAA games would dither, but never thought as to why!

I'm not sure this would ever be for me. StreetPass had a vibe, the kooky Mii characters, the mini games, the links to content in your games...it was unquestionably Nintendo!

This looks kinda soulless? And I find the privacy thing a bit weird to focus on, one cos StreetPass wasn't bad for privacy anyway, but two, if it's AI coded (icky, but he's forthright and it's not hurting people, a rare AI win), so it's unlikely to be as robust as you would want on that front.

I can get to the end of the first level, but never completed it!
Also no challenges for a while @JackGYarwood , taking a break? Imagine it tough to keep coming up with them!

@Skunkfish Ah missed that completely, thank you!

I live a short walk away, always recommend to people but not gone myself in a while! Definitely a good piece to have in there!

I'm not super sold on the GB style graphics personally, it's so green! Would get to my eyes on a PC montior. Maybe if I had a smaller device to run it on...

Would understand more if it was true game boy content underneath, this looks like the wrong screen format and far too sharp for an actual GB, plus the actual Metal Gear Solid on GBC it draws from was colour exclusive! Wish the green was an option and we could get a colour image. I did adore MGS on GBC so I might love the gameplay.

@mjparker77 a few days ago Funstock announced a free to join "Funstock VIP" and they claimed that members will have access to legacy carts.

Wording on the site is "All legacy Evercade carts will be available exclusively to VIP Club members only, in the future. So join today to complete your collection."
https://funstock.co.uk/pages/vip-membership

I'm not that bothered myself as I only buy the games I think looks cool or fun to try, but hopefully they've come to some accommodation with licence holders that will help them get around scalpers?

I really hope a Rare Collection 2 is coming cos it'd be annoying to have a Super Pocket with Banjo and maybe Blast Corps but not having it available on the Evercade cart!

@YENKMAN amazing! That is some serious effort/skill, most of those challenges were pretty steep, I only managed Bronze! And thanks, username is a deep cut for fans of the mag. I do miss those days!

Nice, I'll deffo give this a go Monday night!
I've got the OG PS1 version, upstairs although it's PAL game so times will probably be a bit behind the PS5 re-release (I assume that's the NTSC version at its core).

Your mention of magazine high score tables was a blast from the past! I love slightly more localised leaderboard (your friends/country/the last day or week etc) for those of us that could never trouble a world rankings!

In a similar vein: Did you see that occasional N64 youtuber Glenn Plant was attempting all the Skill Club 64 challenges from the legendary N64 Magazine?

I've not had the time to try these challenges (hopefully one time I'll have the freedom to dig into a game for it...), but I do love reading about them regardless, so please keep them up!

Samus Belmont, of course!

Always found the term interesting. You know what it means, even though there are some marked differences even between the two namesakes!

@Arcadia_Official Don’t know if you e seen yet, but TE have posted an article about ModRetro and in it say they won’t be reviewing the M64.
@BradleyCresva Who?

This and MK2 in the same year! I hope at least one of them is fun. Personally, regardless of the film is overall good or bad, I just want them to feel fun and earnest. Tongue is cheek ok in moderation; but it feels like 90% of action films lack the conviction to run with their own premise these days.

I’ve loved what I’ve played so far. It’s chunky and handles really well. There’s a good variety of difficulty ( while the harder ones are just as brutal as Xenocrisis, the lesser ones are much more approachable). And it seems to have a decent amount of content in my eyes? You’re not getting Witcher 3 but so far it does what it sets out too very well.

@RizPlays There is around a 0.00% chance Antstream get any GameCube Pokemon games!

Terrible. He's my age, far too young. Condolences to his family and friends, I will miss his writing in RG.

I think Body Harvest turned out great, but I can see the shift he talks about. Nintendo really don’t sound like they helped much, in fact I wonder if the issues they had with tension between US and Japanese branches (an issue that ultimately helped to sink SEGA) lead to them stepping back a bit in future after giving up on Body Harvest? I love the N64 but it was the nadir of Nintendo developer relations at home and abroad it seems!

I know they worked well with Rare and Retro (eventually, but sounds like Prime had similar issues to start); but in Rare’s case I get the impression the Stamper’s were a big part of smoothing that over (as a great boss should!).

For what it’s worth to people coming to this review later; Blaze and Badger Punch added a “suspend” feature.

The Suspended game deletes when reloaded, so it can’t be used to save-scum. But it does allow you to pause a session if tea’s up or your bus arrives etc. Great compromise; I bought it straight after that and it is amazing; well on its way to one of my most played Evercade titles!

@JackGYarwood
Just a quick point "The Spectrum, a miniaturized version of Clive Sinclair's popular 1980s microcomputer"

I don't think The Spectrum is minaturized. I have one and it is, as far as I can tell, the same size as the original ZX Spectrum.

As for this, printer is nice, but I'm happy with The Spectrum I have. It's a nice way to play emulated Specturm games!

@ChromaticDracula no worries, really hope you enjoy it!

I haven't ordered this as I have Rare Replay, but I am tempted just to support the endeavour...or see about getting it for Christmas perhaps! Battletoads Arcade is great fun. (I'd probably play the Speccy games on The Spectrum via a USB stick, but they are good to have here!)

@ChromaticDracula Currently I don't think there is one model that does this still sold new anymore (TV and on the go in one device). My original EXP and the very first Evercade both have a mini-HDMI out, so while they are handhelds they can run on the telly through a cable.

However the current EXP-R handheld (and the cheaper, different form-factor Super Pockets) don't have a HMDI-out.

TBH I got a cable but never played that way. I use my EXP on the move and the Evercade home console (the Evercade VS, or rather VS-R now) on the telly.
For what it's worth, the games save onto the cartridges, so you can just up-plug the game, move it to an Evercade handheld and carry on!

This all seems so ridiculous, given none of these people had anything to do with Commodore and it's all trademark squatting/anti-squatting laws driving who (potentially) owns what.

This mess is worth remembering next time someone gets annoyed that the big players make "unfriendly" moves to protect their trademarks. Nintendo, Sega et al are no angels; but it does seem (I'm not a lawyer!) that international and local trademark laws do bind their hands somewhat and force then to aggressively defend them against use by others.

Nice! Wakefield isn’t too far from Sheffield, booked some tickets with friends, looking forward to it! Will visit the museum and Sandal Castle, make a day of it.

A complete aside; but since I shut my Twitter/X account earlier in the year it’s really hard to read X.com links to long tweets and impossible to read past a single link.

So I really appreciate you quoting all the relevant tweet in the article, in this and some other ones on TimeExtension, rather than requiring the reader to have an X account as many news sites do! Please keep this practice up!

I enjoyed it enough on Evercade, it's no Mario Kart but graphically impressive, it certainly was a looker!

@RossoftheRobots agree wholeheartedly! I started with an EXP at launch of that. Eventually got a VS as well. I love the instant access with a cart, I love the physicality, particularly the full colour manuals, and I’ve enjoyed many games I’d have never tried without it. So small as well, a true portable (I love the switch but it is massive in comparison, can’t pocket it!)

@w1p3out there seems to be some pretty spirited debate around the memory used and how long it lasts. Apparently Blaze say they will last a long time as thy aren’t suffering from the constantly read/write access of an SD card or SSD. Some others said they will fail if not booted occasionally to “charge” the memory. I did hear of issues with updates; but they seem to have resolved a lot of that with better firmware.

I’ve got a big ish set, maybe 20-25 carts (I don’t collect, but I do buy too much 😅) had one issue with a cart not booting (a very early one, Oliver Twins), and that resolved itself when it cooled down. I’ve had more issues with the EXP itself (a sound a bug that was fixed in a patch, and occasional hard crashes). VS has been flawless however, and I still really like the Evercade EXP, was my most played machine for a couple of years!

"Seven Rings in Hand" will no longer be the menu theme

I bet if they played it a lot and are now working on modding it that change is from pure hatred at hearing the opening bars over and over and over!

I was super impressed with this back in the day. On a modern computer screen/youtube video it looks a bit rough: over bright, flickery and pixelly. But on the small (non-lit) GBA screen of the time it looked really sharp, well coloured, and moved amazingly well!

I recall (perhaps not perfectly, I don't have it on me!) a Wil Overton penned "our man in Japan" column in N64 Magazine Issue 21 that mentioned the on-going craze of Pocket Monsters in Japan; and it said "don't think your immune to all this madness, [Pokemon] is coming to the US in a few months"! It was a small side box bit; but a year and a bit later it seemed prophetic!

Very interesting insight!

Btw if you want to avoid Instagram (a bit of a nightmare to watch if not signed in); a fuller version is viewable here on BBC Archive: https://www.bbc.co.uk/videos/cd1pr7n4w2xo

Llama soft looks fun; far less excited for those Activision titles myself (also the Activision appears to have the laziest boxart they’ve had thus far, a rainbow strip and a grid of game pics? So bland!)