TG16_IS_BAE

Most people will say a game is underrated that actually is not underrated. I’ve heard people say TLOU2 is underrated.

But Demon’s Crest? 100% underrated. What that game achieved in terms of mood and setting was amazing considering the hardware. Truly a gaming gem.

More things I can ignore in the name of emulation.

Wait, they stuck RPGs on this thing? How can you even read the text?

I would prefer a Saturn!

@Anyone at Nintendolife

Have you been able to physically open the machine and look at the internals? How does the build quality on the inside look?

Super interesting article!! Keep ‘em coming!!

Was just talking to my wife yesterday about this exact same thing. Wow.

@cleveland124 Mr. Dream isn't the hardest thing in video games, same with Iron Mike Tyson (bless his soul.) Your experience does not determine that of others!

@cleveland124 I have, and I don't. Please stop acting like I've never played this stuff, lmao. Emulation is just that good, these days!

@Swoltacular True! Im sure there are people that use such functionality, though for legal reasons I can see why others would not. I don’t have any use for that though. GameCube only had one game that I liked on it, and the Wii titles I enjoyed are stuck on their closed server, so emulation is the best fit for me there.

@cleveland124 Who said I hooked up old consoles to modern TVs? Almost every post I've mentioned I either use emulation, or original hardware on a CRT. Obviously there is input lag when using a console on an HDTV, but that's not what anyone here is talking about, last I checked!

@cleveland124 Been playing Punch Out for 30 years, I guess that's not enough :/

@Reprise Thank you! Others are clarifying the same thing, too.

@Yorumi Gotcha! I wasn't sure if there was an actual difference or not. Sounds like it was a step up on the way to the DVD.

@cleveland124 Again, I'd have to believe it by seeing it firsthand. I'm VERY picky with this stuff, and all the FPGA machines I've tested out with friends just never seemed worth the excessive cost. The only game I've ever experienced issues with is Mega Man X3, but that game is bugged even on the original hardware. Everything else I play, Punch Out included, has never felt better!

@doctorhino That's neat! The more you know LOL

@Reprise I have zero technical expertise with the Dreamcast, but isn't a GD-ROM drive just another name for a CD-ROM drive, or is it actually a physically different thing? Sorry, I just never got that because it never seemed to come up on any other console. What I'm asking, is it a proprietary thing exclusive to Dreamcast, or is it just another thing renamed to sound different?

@Swoltacular I'll be sticking to emulation, as well, but none of my emulators have the capability of ripping the rom straight from the cd or cartridge. That's the main selling point for the polymega, I would imagine.

@cleveland124 What lag? Are you talking about controller inputs? I use all wired controllers on my PC, so I never experience latency. Is that what you are referring? I've done side by side comparisons with all the hardware types, FPGA, emulation, and the real thing on my CRT. 10 years ago I would have been able to spot the difference immediately, but these day I really can't.

@doctorhino Very true. I also wonder if there are legal reasons behind streaming emulation? Is that a consideration? No idea, I don't post videos or stream lol.

@status-204 All good point, but what's weird to me is I see no difference between FPGA, emulation, and the thing on my CRT. It feels like emulation has really bridged the gap, and FPGA just feels like a gimmick to sell people on. Is it really that much better than emulation, 'cause if that's the case I'm not able to notice, even side by side!

@doctorhino Oh nice, I use something similar called Playnite, though it fails really hard at the automated organization so I ended up manually reworking everything. Same idea, and yeah I love tinkering so the setup process was fun.

@doctorhino Never heard of bigbox, is it software or a piece of hardware?

@Damo Definitely would be an interesting prospect. Thanks for shedding light on this thing. I'm still on the fence due to lack of cash flow from covid, but maybe later, assuming this isn't some super limited thing like Analogue.

@denis09 Honestly, when compared to the likes of Kotaku, Gamespot, IGN, etc....Nintendo Life is pretty chill. Benign, even. I've never gotten the feel that they are trying to "sell me," on something, they come across as very honest. Kotaku? Loads of shills, the lot of them. That site needs to be shut down. Gamespot is okay, but again, I feel like they are trying to sell me, as does IGN. NL feels like one of my buds telling me about some cool tech he just got. Though, their puns usually make me gag, but I think that's the point.

@Damo Of course! As an aside, will Polymega add PS2/Dreamcast emulation that we know of?

@PALversusNTSC Well, one method is legal, the other is not legal, so the people that care about that will want to use the Polymega.

@denis09 What hard questions would you have asked, regarding the Polymega?

@denis09 You got some kind of vendetta this morning/evening? LOL

@cleveland124 True about the weaker specs, but it is only going to be running games, instead of a bulky Windows OS. Definitely a huge convenience factor as well!

@MeowMeowKins Boy oh boy are you in for a treat, then. You use retro arch at all? It’s very easy to set up there. Just make sure you have the correct bios for any of the turbografx cd games, but the cartridge based ones work with just the core by itself. Here are some ideas to get you started. Lords of Thunder, Castlevania: Chi No Rinne, Ys, Star Soldier, Soldier Blade, Bonks Adventure....ah, such good times.

@denis09 I think the value they put was in how well it emulates, how low the latency is, and that you can install games, patch them and play them later. The real value is in having something that will preserve your physical collection in the long run.

@status-204 I’m not so concerned about it using emulation, seeing as emulation has been able to replicate anything I’ve thrown at it so far. I honestly can’t see the difference, even when I put it next to my CRT.

However, that’s the problem. My PC already does what this thing does, so that’s really the only thing holding me back from dropping a ton of money on a console.

@MeowMeowKins Not gonna lie, the reason I got all the classic systems was for the ability to customize what games are on there. Truly amazing little devices. Though, if memory serves me, the Turbografx mini is still in process of being hacked. I haven’t checked in on the PS1 one either, as that one was terrible in terms of emulation quality.

@Jokerwolf See, that’s the only thing really holding me back from jumping on this thing. It’s that my PC already emulates every physical game I own, and when I do a side-by-side on my good old CRT I can’t see much difference. The only temptation for me would be as a Saturn/PS1 replacement, but those are the consoles I own the least games on, so not too much value for me.

Any idea if it will support PS2 and Dreamcast later on?

@MeowMeowKins I’m 100% certain it will be hacked, after release.

I LOVE the idea of this console but I hate the price. Honestly, every piece of hardware/software I own, I also emulate on my PC. So for me, the problem is already solved. I love the sleek look of the device, and I love that it can transfer data to the console itself, but emulation is so strong these days that for collectors like me, it feels kinda moot. If I wanted to emulate everything I owned through Polymega, I would have to put down over $700 to get all the right modules. This is clearly not for me, but I hope someone gets use out of it.

@Damo Right! I appreciate you guys sharing all the info that you do, it's very useful. For people like me, it's incredible to know that there are things out there that will extend the life of my Saturn and PSOne and other disc based consoles. I barely play those because I'm worried about the disc reader burning out, these things are getting old, like me!! LOL

This has got to be one of the coolest and most fascinating console mods I’ve seen. I don’t own a gamecube, as the only game I would own on it would be Metroid Prime, and that’s a lot of space for one game. However, it seems these mods are also on other platforms, so still an interesting read!

@Anti-Matter Thats great, I’m just saying, good for you. No need to jump on every article that contains piracy related debates.

@Anti-Matter I mean, can you keep your oath in silence? You’re not impressing anybody on here, and it’s better to lead by example if you truly believe that.

@Anti-Matter Most people that force themselves to be honest in one realm are also dishonest in others. Better to just accept the fact that human nature is both great and weird at the same time.

@Friendly Not at all shady. They are promoting a device. What you do with that device is up to you. You can play emulators on almost any console, PC, and Mac. Including the Switch. Should they shut down the site because you can play pirated games on the Switch, while we are at it? Should we not sell PCs because they can emulate? Not exactly a good moral high ground to stand on, man!