Excellent news! Managed to bulk purchase a collection of official new, in box controllers on eBay years ago which will likely last me a lifetime but it's still great to see more options out there for us enthusiasts. Will look forward to checking these out.
I get the distinct impression this'll be a high quality addition to any PS fan's bookshelf but what I'd really love is a Playstation Anthology similar to that of the Geeks Line books. However, unlike that one, it should have a thorough detailing of say the top 300 games, as I appreciate there's too many for one book to seriously cover.
They could make up for this by including a comprehensive release date list in chronological order at the back, for those of us with more obscure tastes who don't wish to spend all their time on Wikipedia.
Books like this just seem strangely incomplete without a thorough analysis of what made these consoles great in the first place, which is almost always the games.
As far as I know, there's nothing out there right now that comes close to this description for the OG Playstation, which strikes me as rather odd given the console's huge popularity and influence on popular culture over the years.
@nocdaes 4K is very necessary for videos such as this, especially in my use case. I already own an Ultra HDMI modded N64 that connects to modern TVs, so would very interested to see what tangible differences there might be between the two solutions. You're far less likely to see any potential improvements in your average, lossy 1080P YT upload.
It's not simply about the resolution either. Analogue also mention some 'Original Display Modes' that are "virtually indistinguishable recreations of CRT displays to capture the warmth, depth, and texture in every frame. The soft glow of phosphor, vibrant colors intersect with immersive scanlines and shadow masks. This isn't just upscaling - it's an unprecedented transformation."
When a company makes such grandiose statements as these, it can only compel any reader interested in the product to want to see it in action before laying down money, particularly those of us who already have alternatives that may or may not be better. That's my point, we just don't know at this juncture.
As for respect, it works both ways. Analogue should respect its customers by providing them with enough information to make an informed choice before purchasing. As it stands, that's not the case for me and I'm sure many others who've invested in 4K upscalers and console mods over the years. If a video wasn't possible for legal reasons, then so be it, I can happily respect that but it doesn't mean customers should automatically presume this is better than what they have and purchase it regardless.
I appreciate the extra context of your past experience with Analogue, so thank you for that. However, it would still have been nice if they'd been able to provide some native 4K footage prior to orders going live.
As they haven't, the optics don't look good, which is unfortunate. The other more minor issues I could overlook, but not this. It doesn't seem unreasonable for potential customers to want to know precisely what they are buying into and see it for themselves.
Of course, on one level I can see why they didn't. A 60 second promo video, showing off Nintendo's time worn classics running at their absolute best would no doubt have provided Nintendo with strong grounds to have it removed.
However, it's still asking a little too much for me. I'm not prepared to give up money, no matter how reasonable the price appears now, to wait up to 5 months for a system that may not even live up to the hype.
So yes, looks like I will be waiting it out and checking out footage as and when it becomes available. Hopefully this is just an IP / copyright issue and everyone invested in it can walk away happy because if the Analogue video and compatibility claims are true, it looks set to be an incredible console that most of us long-time N64 fans will be proud to own and enjoy their collections on for years to come.
So many unknowns with this product. No video footage of the console running, no official release date and no idea on when we'll get any updates about orders. If you order the black version and want the controller, there's no guarantees you'll get it anytime soon because it's not even out yet!
They're expecting way too much trust from customers if they're genuinely confident about the quality of this console. Sure, they've released some solid products of late, not least the Analogue Pocket but that doesn't mean this one will fulfil all the big promises they've made in their advertising spiel.
Right now it looks like they're cashing in on a very ripe N64 retro market, hungry for something better to work with modern 4K screens and willing to overlook any potential pitfalls. Hopefully this all turns out well for those who've ordered but right now this is not a good look and quite frankly, a little surprising given how established and respected they've become in recent years.
Comments 5
Re: A New Project Is Making Strides To End The N64 "Controller Lottery"
Excellent news! Managed to bulk purchase a collection of official new, in box controllers on eBay years ago which will likely last me a lifetime but it's still great to see more options out there for us enthusiasts. Will look forward to checking these out.
Re: 'Sony: Year By Year' Book To Celebrate Seven Decades Of The Japanese Tech Giant
I get the distinct impression this'll be a high quality addition to any PS fan's bookshelf but what I'd really love is a Playstation Anthology similar to that of the Geeks Line books. However, unlike that one, it should have a thorough detailing of say the top 300 games, as I appreciate there's too many for one book to seriously cover.
They could make up for this by including a comprehensive release date list in chronological order at the back, for those of us with more obscure tastes who don't wish to spend all their time on Wikipedia.
Books like this just seem strangely incomplete without a thorough analysis of what made these consoles great in the first place, which is almost always the games.
As far as I know, there's nothing out there right now that comes close to this description for the OG Playstation, which strikes me as rather odd given the console's huge popularity and influence on popular culture over the years.
Re: Pre-Orders For FPGA N64 'Analogue 3D' Are Open Now
@nocdaes 4K is very necessary for videos such as this, especially in my use case. I already own an Ultra HDMI modded N64 that connects to modern TVs, so would very interested to see what tangible differences there might be between the two solutions. You're far less likely to see any potential improvements in your average, lossy 1080P YT upload.
It's not simply about the resolution either. Analogue also mention some 'Original Display Modes' that are "virtually indistinguishable recreations of CRT displays to capture the warmth, depth, and texture in every frame. The soft glow of phosphor, vibrant colors intersect with immersive scanlines and shadow masks. This isn't just upscaling - it's an unprecedented transformation."
When a company makes such grandiose statements as these, it can only compel any reader interested in the product to want to see it in action before laying down money, particularly those of us who already have alternatives that may or may not be better. That's my point, we just don't know at this juncture.
As for respect, it works both ways. Analogue should respect its customers by providing them with enough information to make an informed choice before purchasing. As it stands, that's not the case for me and I'm sure many others who've invested in 4K upscalers and console mods over the years. If a video wasn't possible for legal reasons, then so be it, I can happily respect that but it doesn't mean customers should automatically presume this is better than what they have and purchase it regardless.
Re: Pre-Orders For FPGA N64 'Analogue 3D' Are Open Now
I appreciate the extra context of your past experience with Analogue, so thank you for that. However, it would still have been nice if they'd been able to provide some native 4K footage prior to orders going live.
As they haven't, the optics don't look good, which is unfortunate. The other more minor issues I could overlook, but not this. It doesn't seem unreasonable for potential customers to want to know precisely what they are buying into and see it for themselves.
Of course, on one level I can see why they didn't. A 60 second promo video, showing off Nintendo's time worn classics running at their absolute best would no doubt have provided Nintendo with strong grounds to have it removed.
However, it's still asking a little too much for me. I'm not prepared to give up money, no matter how reasonable the price appears now, to wait up to 5 months for a system that may not even live up to the hype.
So yes, looks like I will be waiting it out and checking out footage as and when it becomes available. Hopefully this is just an IP / copyright issue and everyone invested in it can walk away happy because if the Analogue video and compatibility claims are true, it looks set to be an incredible console that most of us long-time N64 fans will be proud to own and enjoy their collections on for years to come.
Re: Pre-Orders For FPGA N64 'Analogue 3D' Are Open Now
So many unknowns with this product. No video footage of the console running, no official release date and no idea on when we'll get any updates about orders. If you order the black version and want the controller, there's no guarantees you'll get it anytime soon because it's not even out yet!
They're expecting way too much trust from customers if they're genuinely confident about the quality of this console. Sure, they've released some solid products of late, not least the Analogue Pocket but that doesn't mean this one will fulfil all the big promises they've made in their advertising spiel.
Right now it looks like they're cashing in on a very ripe N64 retro market, hungry for something better to work with modern 4K screens and willing to overlook any potential pitfalls. Hopefully this all turns out well for those who've ordered but right now this is not a good look and quite frankly, a little surprising given how established and respected they've become in recent years.