I have a Pro 2 controller that I mostly use for emulated games on my PC (and the Super Console X-Pro I have hooked up to my TV). For more modern games I prefer Xbox or Switch Pro controllers and I have one of each.
The reason for my preference is the placement of the left stick and d-pad, most modern games assume you'll be using the stick as your primary input and as such both the Xbox and Switch controllers place it closer to the edge of the controller, making it more comfortable to use, but most retro console games from the NES up to the Saturn and PS1 weren't really made with a joystick in mind so I like having the 8bitdo controller with the d-pad in the more prominent place closer to the edge for those games.
I could not care less about either the Amico or the ***** new games that they've advertised for it. I'd like to see a compilation of original Intellivision games from back in the '80s, like Intellivision Lives back in the PS2/Xbox/GameCube era, but that's about it.
@-wc- The way it works on Switch is that the compilation that's just titled "Namco Museum" is all arcade games (plus Pac-Man Vs. which was originally a GameCube game), while the two "Namco Museum Archives" compilations are NES/Famicom ports.
I voted yes but honestly I think it's debatable. One idea that's kind of been bouncing around my mind as to why I find retro consoles so fascinating is the incredible changes in experiences between generations. From the first generation of consoles up to the sixth generation every step up in technology was not just an incremental improvement, it felt like a revolution.
The first generation was mainly composed of Pong clones, compare the best Atari 2600 or Intellivision games to that. Pitfall, Yars' Revenge, and Adventure must have been mind blowing.
Now compare those Atari 2600 games to just about anything on the NES or Master System, again the leap between Pitfall and Super Mario Bros. or Adventure and The Legend of Zelda or Final Fantasy is so huge it barely feels like evolution. Now you could have games that told stories, that saved your progress and weren't just arcade style score attacks. Then the SNES and Genesis came along and more or less perfected 2D gaming. Again, compare Zelda on NES to A Link to the Past on SNES or Crusader of Centy on Genesis and it's like comparing the original Flash Gordon serials to Star Wars.
Of course, in the fifth generation, the PS1, Saturn, and N64 introduced true polygonal 3D games that again felt like a completely new kind of experience. I remember the first time I played Super Mario 64 the freedom on offer blew my mind. Finally, the PS2, Dreamcast, GameCube, and original Xbox hammered out the rough edges of the previous generation's games in much the same way that the SNES and Genesis did for 2D gaming.
I think the PS3 and Xbox 360 (leaving Wii out because that's around the time Nintendo just said ***** it, we're doing our own thing) were the first generation that really felt more like an incremental upgrade than a revolution. PS3 and 360 games certainly had better graphics than PS2 and OG Xbox games, they could certainly create larger worlds and more complex AIs, but the difference wasn't really that great. Like, if you compare GTA: San Andreas on the PS2 to GTAIV on the PS3 you can see the improvements, but it still feels like a similar experience in a way that the jump from Adventure to The Legend of Zelda, or TLoZ to A Link to the Past, or ALttP to Ocarina of Time, or OOT to Wind Waker did not. And I think the subsequent generational changes are similarly incremental.
PS2 to PS3 to PS4 to PS5, Xbox to Xbox 360 to Xbox One to Xbox Series X, it almost feels more like upgrading your PC to keep up with more demanding software rather than bringing in a whole new system with entirely new design philosophies built in.
I've played a few of the games from this system via emulation and to be honest I'm not greatly excited by them, but I have to say that, much as I love the Genesis and all the great Sega arcade games, I wish Sega as a company would recognize that their history extends beyond just the Genesis. It's so rare to see rereleases from any of their other consoles. Even systems like the Game Gear, Sega CD, and 32X which were contemporary with the Genesis/MegaDrive get ignored, not to mention its predecessors the SG-1000 & Master System, and successors the Saturn and Dreamcast.
Comments 5
Re: Guide: All 8BitDo Controllers & Accessories - Which Should I Buy?
I have a Pro 2 controller that I mostly use for emulated games on my PC (and the Super Console X-Pro I have hooked up to my TV). For more modern games I prefer Xbox or Switch Pro controllers and I have one of each.
The reason for my preference is the placement of the left stick and d-pad, most modern games assume you'll be using the stick as your primary input and as such both the Xbox and Switch controllers place it closer to the edge of the controller, making it more comfortable to use, but most retro console games from the NES up to the Saturn and PS1 weren't really made with a joystick in mind so I like having the 8bitdo controller with the d-pad in the more prominent place closer to the edge for those games.
Re: Intellivision Amico 'Exclusives' Shark! Shark! And Astrosmash Are Coming To Switch
I could not care less about either the Amico or the ***** new games that they've advertised for it. I'd like to see a compilation of original Intellivision games from back in the '80s, like Intellivision Lives back in the PS2/Xbox/GameCube era, but that's about it.
Re: Namco's Dig Dug II Comes To Nintendo Switch Today
@-wc- The way it works on Switch is that the compilation that's just titled "Namco Museum" is all arcade games (plus Pac-Man Vs. which was originally a GameCube game), while the two "Namco Museum Archives" compilations are NES/Famicom ports.
Re: Poll: Are The PS3, Wii And Xbox 360 Retro Now?
I voted yes but honestly I think it's debatable. One idea that's kind of been bouncing around my mind as to why I find retro consoles so fascinating is the incredible changes in experiences between generations. From the first generation of consoles up to the sixth generation every step up in technology was not just an incremental improvement, it felt like a revolution.
The first generation was mainly composed of Pong clones, compare the best Atari 2600 or Intellivision games to that. Pitfall, Yars' Revenge, and Adventure must have been mind blowing.
Now compare those Atari 2600 games to just about anything on the NES or Master System, again the leap between Pitfall and Super Mario Bros. or Adventure and The Legend of Zelda or Final Fantasy is so huge it barely feels like evolution. Now you could have games that told stories, that saved your progress and weren't just arcade style score attacks. Then the SNES and Genesis came along and more or less perfected 2D gaming. Again, compare Zelda on NES to A Link to the Past on SNES or Crusader of Centy on Genesis and it's like comparing the original Flash Gordon serials to Star Wars.
Of course, in the fifth generation, the PS1, Saturn, and N64 introduced true polygonal 3D games that again felt like a completely new kind of experience. I remember the first time I played Super Mario 64 the freedom on offer blew my mind. Finally, the PS2, Dreamcast, GameCube, and original Xbox hammered out the rough edges of the previous generation's games in much the same way that the SNES and Genesis did for 2D gaming.
I think the PS3 and Xbox 360 (leaving Wii out because that's around the time Nintendo just said ***** it, we're doing our own thing) were the first generation that really felt more like an incremental upgrade than a revolution. PS3 and 360 games certainly had better graphics than PS2 and OG Xbox games, they could certainly create larger worlds and more complex AIs, but the difference wasn't really that great. Like, if you compare GTA: San Andreas on the PS2 to GTAIV on the PS3 you can see the improvements, but it still feels like a similar experience in a way that the jump from Adventure to The Legend of Zelda, or TLoZ to A Link to the Past, or ALttP to Ocarina of Time, or OOT to Wind Waker did not. And I think the subsequent generational changes are similarly incremental.
PS2 to PS3 to PS4 to PS5, Xbox to Xbox 360 to Xbox One to Xbox Series X, it almost feels more like upgrading your PC to keep up with more demanding software rather than bringing in a whole new system with entirely new design philosophies built in.
Re: Feature: A Look Back At the SG-1000, Sega's First Ever Home Console
I've played a few of the games from this system via emulation and to be honest I'm not greatly excited by them, but I have to say that, much as I love the Genesis and all the great Sega arcade games, I wish Sega as a company would recognize that their history extends beyond just the Genesis. It's so rare to see rereleases from any of their other consoles. Even systems like the Game Gear, Sega CD, and 32X which were contemporary with the Genesis/MegaDrive get ignored, not to mention its predecessors the SG-1000 & Master System, and successors the Saturn and Dreamcast.