Here are some of the consoles we would have loved to see get the high def mini, form factor, plug & play treatment:

N64 Mini

When Nintendo quickly followed up the NES Classic Edition with the SNES, many of us hoped we were witnessing the birth of a new trend.  Perhaps they’d go back into the archives and create retro mini consolized Game Boy units, Game Boy Color, Game Boy Advance, Virtual Boy.  The possibilities were endless.

The most exciting of these of course would be an N64 Mini.  When Sony went ahead and released a Playstation Classic in 2018, it seemed the 5th generation of home consoles were ready for a new war of living room supremacy.  Unfortunately neither Nintendo nor Sega took the bait, leaving Sony’s entry into the classic edition segment the most recent console to receive such treatment.

As for Nintendo, it makes sense why they didn’t go all in with an N64 Mini – and the reason is their own Nintendo Switch Online service, which hopes to attract gamers of all disciplines to their Switch platform through the availability of abundant retro titles (many from the N64).  It’s a shame too because an N64 Mini would have been spectacular.

CD-i

While CD-i refers to a media format more than a single piece of hardware, Phillips replied to Tweets from users begging for a CD-i Mini with a response that sounded like such an announcement might actually follow.  Sadly, at present, it never has.

The CD-i library is surprisingly robust – with 214 total games released from 170 different developers.  Perhaps most famous among these coming in the form of the officially licensed Nintendo titles:  Hotel Mario, Link: The Faces of Evil, Zelda: The Wand of Gamelon, and Zelda’s Adventure.

3DO

From afar 3DO is remarkably similar to CD-i; it refers to a media format that could be licensed so that actual console hardware could be manufactured and distributed by a wide variety of brands.

While CD-i encompassed a wide variety of multimedia applications (encyclopedias on CD, edutainment titles, etc.), 3DO was more game-centric.  Over 200 titles were officially released by the end of its run, including some very faithful ports of arcade titles like Super Street Fighter II Turbo.

Amiga CD-32

Did you know that back in 1993 Commodore tried its hand at a 32-bit console to do battle with the likes of Sony, Nintendo and Sega?  The CD-32 was based upon their Amiga computer line but failed to make much of a dent in the market.

Now here’s where things get interesting from a Mini perspective.  Retro Games Ltd. has already done all the heavy lifting in creating an HDMI mini version in their Amiga A500 Mini.  All they would need to do to drive we console gamer types crazy with desire is develop a second shell shaped like the CD-32 and give the A500 controller a black paint job.  Here’s hoping they’ll consider it.

PC Classic

Back in 2019 a company called Unit-e announced a PC Classic console, one that would come chock full of games from the DOS era of home computing.  Despite a very strong public reaction, the PC Classic has yet to manifest and even updates from the company have gone cold.

Of all the possible mini classic editions, the PC would certainly be the easiest to achieve as there would be no licensing to procure from a hardware or branding standpoint.  The only licensing involved would be that of the games themselves and with tens of thousands to choose from even from a single era, finding a few dozen titles interested in participating is all but a given.

Here’s hoping Unit-e sees this one through to fruition.

Sega Saturn

We’ll end this list with what is perhaps the system most likely to see the light of day.  When Sega threw its hat in the classic edition ring with the Genesis Mini back in 2019, the talk of where they could go from there was immediate.  After all, why not go on with a Sega CD Mini, a Saturn Mini, a Dreamcast Mini?  To the surprise and delight of many, Sega listened and, in 2022, followed up with the Genesis Mini 2, a unit packed with different Genesis and some Sega CD titles (and a 6-button controller rather than the 3-button of the original Genesis Mini).

All of this to say, Sega clearly gets the demand here and, of all the brands mentioned on this list, has everything needed (including the massive back catalog of titles) to continue producing these things.  And, unlike Nintendo, doesn’t have any current hardware on the market to be concerned with competing against.

The post A Look At Those Mini Classic Editions We (Probably) Won’t Be Getting appeared first on Old School Gamer Magazine.

Sega has finally released the Genesis Mini 2 through Amazon exclusively and the initial feedback has been very positive.  Perhaps even more fascinating, the inner box flap of the Japanese edition includes a QR code that leads to a survey asking buyers if they’d like Sega to continue producing retro minis and if so, which console they would like to see done next.  The options include all of the usual suspects – Saturn, Dreamcast but the list also extends back to Sega’s earlier hardware entries: The SG-1000, 1000 II and the Mark III (Master System to we American types).

If given my vote, I’d be all for the continued Sega evolution: Saturn, Dreamcast and it would be great if they pulled a Nintendo and gave us the 8-bit Master System as well.  Another option was for a Genesis 3 Mini; as, after all, the original Genesis did end up being offered in three different hardware packages and a library of games (especially when sprinkling in offerings from the Sega CD and 32X) large enough to fill at least three minis.

All of this to talk not just about Sega but about an interesting little system we almost got just prior to the pandemic.

This device was going to be called the PC Classic from a company called Unit-e.  In 2018 they built the prototypes and attempted to go through the crowdfunding route of realization.

This particular retro system targeted PC games (as the name suggests) of the DOS era – think Commander Keen, Jill of the Jungle, Doom, and Quake II.  The software list, as is often the case with these systems, was far from finalized, though many suspected it would contain other classics of the era such as Oregon Trail, Civilization, Myst, etc.

Sadly, the system was set to debut just as the pandemic swept the world and the resulting economy/ global chip shortage has left Unit-e struggling to devise a strategy to get the machines to the public.  The project has not been canceled, however.

We’ve been following along with updates on the company’s Facebook page and those interested can watch the initial video presentation for the PC Mini here.

Here’s hoping as the world settles into a new rhythm and chips become increasingly more available, the PC Classic will come to join the ever-expanding fray of retro mini plug ‘n plays.

The post PC Classic – A DOS Era Plug n Play appeared first on Old School Gamer Magazine.

In the time since many, many brands have followed suit – everyone from arch-rival Sega to Konami (flying the NEC flag) to SNK with the Neo Geo and even a pair of Commodore computers turned HDMI-equipped mini.

It’s become a bit of a guessing game around here to try and figure out what retro hardware will be the next to receive the modern treatment (we keep hoping for CD-i and 3DO) but it looks like the next big one to arrive will be another 80s era personal computer – this time 1987’s Sharp X68000.

The Japan-only computer originally boasted a Motorola 68000 CPU running at 10 MHz, 1 MB of RAM, custom sprite hardware and an 8-channel sound chip (later iterations of the line would increase these specs).  While that may sound pretty limiting by today’s standards, the original 68000 was known for some of the most accurate home arcade ports of the era.

In fact, so in line with the arcade hardware of the era, the Sharp X68K actually served as Capcom’s CPS system development machine at the time.

Like with most computers of the era, the actual number of game titles released is fuzzy (there was no need to seek the official seal of approval to develop and release computer games, unlike the contemporary console counterparts), there are still several hundred officially recognized games.  Some of the machine’s big hitters include Gradius, Strider, Final Fight, Alien Syndrome, Street Fighter II: Champion Edition, and Castlevania Akumajo Dracula (ported to the PlayStation as Castlevania Chronicles).

While the final games list to be included on the mini is yet to be announced, it looks like Zuiki Inc. would be responsible for the manufacture and release of the new unit (they may not sound familiar to you but they actually produce most of the mini consoles on the market today for the commonly known brands).

While the pics released on Zuiki’s Twitter feed (shown here) seem to show a very completed hardware design, it’s not clear whether or not the US will ever receive an official release (after all, the original upon which it’s based never left Japan).

We’re hopeful, however, that Amazon of Japan will make ordering the hardware as easy as it has been to import systems like Sega’s Astro City Arcade Mini to the US.

Expect updates here as more information is released.

The post Sharp X68000 Retro Mini Edition Announced appeared first on Old School Gamer Magazine.

The American Genesis 2 will be launching on October 27th, 2022 and, like the foreign Mega Drive incarnation, will include 50 fresh classic titles (23 of which have been announced so far) and will include both original Genesis games as well as some from the Sega CD catalog.

Differentiating 2019’s Genesis Mini from the Mini 2 at a glance will be a non-affair given that the latter is shaped like a miniature Model 2 console and will come standard with the 6-button controller rather than the original package’s 3-button.  Note, however, that the Genesis 2 will only include a single controller compared to the original package’s pair.

Sega says that both controllers will be compatible with either system.

In addition, Sega has said that the Genesis Mini 2 will be powered by an entirely new system-on-ship (SoC); one which will include additional flash storage and greater processing power needed to properly emulate the Sega CD hardware.

The 23 games announced for the Western Genesis Mini 2 thus far:

• After Burner II
• Alien Soldier (Japanese)
• Bonanza Bros.
• Fantasy Zone 
• Lightening Force
• Mansion of Hidden Sls. (CD)
• Night Striker  (CD/ Japanese)
• The Ninjawarriors  (CD/ Japanese)
• The Ooze
• OutRun
• OutRunners
• Rainbow Islands Extra
• Rolling Thunder 2
• Shining Force CD  (CD)
• Shining in the Darkness
• Silpheed  (CD)
• Sonic 3D Blast
• Sonic CD  (CD)
• Splatterhouse 2
• Star Mobile (previously unreleased)
• Super Hang-On
• Vectorman 2
• Virtua Racing

While Amazon is taking preorders for the North American unit already, strangely an international shipping charge of nearly $22 takes the $80 system to just over $100 total.  Whether or not Amazon USA will begin taking preorders for the console without the international transportation rate tacked on is yet to be determined.

To learn more, Sega of Japan now has an official North American Genesis Mini 2 site.

The post North American Genesis 2 Becomes Official appeared first on Old School Gamer Magazine.

In the event that you missed it, Sega has confirmed a new retro mini console follow-up to its 2019 Genesis Mini. While the new Mega Drive 2 looks a lot like the second iteration of the Mega Drive (Genesis) hardware, the real claim to fame over the first is an entirely new list of preinstalled games, this time taking from both the Genesis Cartridge and Sega CD libraries.

They initially announced 11 game titles (click here for a refresher), and now they’ve followed up with an official announcement naming games 12-22.

Genesis Cartridge Games:

After Burner II
Columns III: Revenge of Columns
Megapanel
Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water
Out Run
Puzzle & Action: Ichidant-R
Splatterhouse 2
Star Mobile

SEGA CD Games:

Night Striker
The Ninja Warriors
Starblade

Also of note is that while Sega has announced an official Japanese release date for the new system (October 27) for roughly $70 US, they have yet to officially announce a North American counterpart to the Mega Drive 2. It’s a safe bet they will give the success of the 2019 Genesis Mini and, given that some of the text-heavy RPG titles would be extremely difficult to play without localization, simply importing a Japanese unit isn’t a foolproof workaround.

The post Sega Announces 11 More Titles For Upcoming Mini appeared first on Old School Gamer Magazine.

I envisioned a miniature standalone piece of hardware that does its best to look like an actual Sega CD to plop next to your Genesis Mini chock full of Sega CD titles. What Sega is apparently putting out is another Genesis (Mega Drive), this time mimicking the Genesis Model 2 hardware.

The Model 2 Genesis was what we now call a “slim” incarnation of a console – a more cost-effective, scaled-back version of the original hardware with a smaller form factor. The original was released in 1993 and eliminated the headphone jack, used a smaller AV-out, and ran off a simpler, cheaper board.

However, separating the new Genesis 2 Mini from its predecessor will be the inclusion of a preinstalled library of 50 different titles from the 42 games that came on 2019’s Genesis Mini, among these several Sega CD exclusives such as Sonic CD and Popful Mail.

While the entire list is yet to be finalized, Sega is promising the inclusion of more 3rd party titles this time around and some of the more hardware-intensive Genesis titles like their 1992 home arcade port of Virtua Racing.

It looks to aim for around a $79 MSRP (the same as the 2019’s asking price) and, while it will include 7 additional games, will only include a single 6-button controller this time compared to the former’s inclusion of a pair of 3-button units.

The confirmed games list so far:

• Silpheed (CD)
• Shining Force CD (CD)
• Sonic CD (CD)
• Mansion of Hidden Sls (CD)
• Popful Mail (CD)
• Virtua Racing (Genesis)
• Bonanza Bros (Genesis)
• Shining in the Darkness (Genesis)
• Thunder Force IV (Genesis)
• Magical Taruruto (Genesis)
• Fantasy Zone (Genesis)

Here’s where things get interesting. While the unit itself may again look like a miniature Genesis, Sega plans on offering a miniature Sega CD add-on that can attach, to look just like the original Genesis/CD combo (complete with replica cartridge for the slot and disc for the drive). This will, of course, all be non-functional as the board inside the Genesis will be responsible for the game emulation but collectors will likely appreciate the ability to have a complete miniature for nostalgia. The add-on will cost $35.

I’m really thrilled that Sega is going to continue on with producing miniature incarnations of their legacy hardware and have felt all along that after the Genesis, the Sega CD was a very natural course of progression. I’m not, however, thoroughly convinced the way they are approaching it will be entirely clear to users. The idea of being able to purchase the mini CD drive add-on is neat but it would have made more sense to me to either produce the unit out of the box with the two combined or even just make this unit a miniature CD attachment that hooks up to 2019’s Genesis Mini. And while it’s cool they are mixing and matching titles from both platforms, I think it would have been even better if it just included 50 Sega CD titles.

The Sega CD is one of those systems that is falling away to obscurity at an alarming rate, some purity in its Mini incarnation would have been very welcome here.

All such minor complaints aside, that Sega is returning to the retro mini ranks like this is a very encouraging sign that fans may get a Saturn and Dreamcast Mini yet.

The post So We’re Getting a Sega CD Mini – Sorta appeared first on Old School Gamer Magazine.

That’s a surprisingly good question but the answer may disappoint.  What we classify as the first console hardware generation (the Pong systems) actually predate the idea of bits altogether.   Why?  Well because bits typically refers to the data bus between the processor, the RAM and the GPU (graphics processor), the original Pong systems contained none of this.

Rather than process information like a modern computer, early hardware made use of transistors, like computers were doing as far back as 1954 (before that computers used vacuum tubes).  In essence, a transistor is a physical binary switch that can be in one of two states (off or on), very much like the binary bit the microprocessor would do a little later on.

A very interesting look as to how these early games worked can be found in this article and proves that even a game as simple as pong would have required several bits of memory to function.

As for the home consoles that followed, even the second generation (Atari 2600, Intellivision, ColecoVision etc.) were in fact powered by 8-bit processors.  There are often rumors that they were 4-bit and doubled to 8 upon the 3rd generation but these are untrue.  No 4-bit system ever existed (though it should be noted 4-bit processors did exist and were used in many calculators and even early simple handhelds).   The reason NES and Sega MS games look so superior to the graphics of the prior generation has all to do with the amount of RAM dedicated to graphics.

Q) I was wondering what language was used to program games for the NES and SNES? Could anyone write a game for these systems on today’s personal computers?

Let’s start with the last part of your question first.  Yes. Coding a game can be very easily done on today’s technology using any one of a variety of readily available options.  To mimic the resources available to developers at the time or to just get a better understanding of how systems like the NES process information across their data registries, using an emulator is a very convenient way of starting fresh or deconstructing the code of an existing game to see what does what.

That’s not the only means, however.  We live in a time where developing a game for nearly any platform (even modern hardware) can be accomplished using powerful preexisting engines (like Unity and Unreal).  Anyone with an internet connection has access to the same exact tools and resources as the best developers in the industry.  The myriad of options, customizations and controls of these engines can be extremely intimidating to beginners, however, so there are much simpler tools out there (Game Salad, GDevelop etc.) that all but eliminate the need to know how to code to make a game.

If you want to develop a game using pre-existing tools that can even be saved to a cartridge for play on original NES hardware, have a look at NESmaker.

Now as for the beginning of your question, most games were originally developed for the NES using 6502 assembly language and 65c816 assembly language for the SNES.

If you’re not familiar with assembly, it’s a low-level language that controls memory resources directly through the processor’s registries (6502 is, of course, the NES’ CPU).  This was critical as memory was so limited, working in a higher language would have been too taxing on system resources to run quickly and smoothly.

On the NES, writing game code in assembly was essential, but by the time the 16-bit era came around, some developers began writing in C and using the assembler just for the base code.  By the N64 era, programmers could develop games entirely in a higher-level language like C, though even then MIPS R4K assembly was still vital for maximizing the hardware configuration’s resources directly.

These days C++, C# and Python are popular languages for developers who prefer to do their own coding over using premade toolsets.

Q) Help settle a bet – was Purina’s Chase the Chuk Wagon or Mattel’s Kool-Aid Man the earliest known cross-promo in video gaming?

The answer is neither as both were released in 1983. Midway had an arcade racing game that served as a video game promotion for the Datsun 280-Z (called 280-ZZZAP) all the way back in 1976.

The post RETROSPECTIVE Mail Bag: Q&A Time appeared first on Old School Gamer Magazine.

As hard as it is to imagine now, when the Amiga line of computers came on the scene in 1985, the Commodore 64 was only three years old. And, contrary to common misconception, the two Commodore personal computer platforms coexisted all the way until 1994, when the C64 was finally discontinued. The Amiga line would go on another two years, finally getting its plug pulled in 1996.

What makes its early debut so impressive is that when you go back to personal computers of the early to mid 1980s, they feel, for the most part, like computers from the early to mid 80s. Interfaces were clunky and complex, tasks were difficult to achieve, processing was painfully slow. And, by and large, the specs out of the box were what you’d be working with for the duration of the hardware’s life cycle.

Amiga turned a lot of these institutions on their head – they came packing 16 or 32-bit processors in 85, packed in 256kb of RAM (compared to the 64k for which the C64’s name was derived), and incorporated a mouse-based, visual click operating system interface; one that, not unlike Windows, is still being used and updated to this very day.

If you’re wondering why any of this matters, Retro Games LTD, the guys behind 2018’s THEC64 Mini (then later the full-size variant THEC64) are at it again. This time they’ve turned their attention toward the Amiga in an all-new piece of miniaturized, emulation-based plug and play hardware: THEA500 Mini.

The naming in this one is a bit complex, so let’s break that one down right away. The first Amiga from 1985 was called the 1000 – the 500 didn’t come on the scene until 1987. We’re guessing this was the model for which the new mini classic edition was named because it quickly became the best-selling Amiga model.

However, while THEA500 Mini looks just like the original Amiga 500 (only much, much smaller – 10x7x3 inches) and boasts perfect emulation of the Amiga 500, Retro Game LTD had the presence of mind to design the new architecture around the later Amiga systems as well including the Advanced Graphics Architecture (AGA) of the A1200 (which didn’t come out until late 1992). Why does this matter? Simple – it gives the player access to Amiga’s entire game library. And like most long-standing personal computer lines, it is a massive library.

Unboxing and Setting Up

When you dig into THEA500’s box, you get the HDMI output, high definition console (25 games preinstalled), USB gamepad, USB optical mouse (each with 6-foot cords), HDMI and USB (A-C) cable and documentation. Everything you need to get underway except for the wall adapter, but in this, the era of the smartphone, having a cube or two laying around is all but a given. Note that the recommended wall adapter should output 5 volts/ 1 amp.

Setting the system up is as simple and plugging it into the wall, running the HDMI to the back of your TV and plugging the controller and mouse into two of the three available USB 2.0 ports. That’s all there is to it – game on.

Interface

The graphical user interface harkens back to some design cues of the original AmigaOS but much more simplified and user-friendly. Out of the box, the system comes with 25 games from which to select from a rotating carousel. Games launch with console-like efficiency. However, some (as is commonplace with computer gaming) request that the player input a name – for this an onscreen keyboard that can be operated with the controller is but a button-press away, or that third USB port can be used to support any USB keyboard. Keep in mind that the keyboard on the unit itself is far smaller than it appears in photos and is thus non-functional.  Also of note – THEA500 Mini is designed to support most USB game controllers out of the box as well so your favorite PlayStation or PC controller can likely follow you over).

As is all but standard fair these days with retro minis, the unit, which outputs in 720p with selectable 50/60Hz refresh rates (meaning the same unit was released for PAL and NTSC regions) comes standard with a variety of filter and aspect ratio options to play with.

The Games

If, like us, the original Amiga glory days managed to pass you by while you obsessed over NES then Genesis and SNES then finally PlayStation, let us assure you that gaming on the Amiga line had ironed out all of the rough spots of its computing contemporaries.

The polish that really became standard fair by the latter portion of the 16-bit era of consoles is present here in terms of graphics, scrolling, control and difficulty. The 25 games selected represent a pretty decent sampling of the spectrum – with everything from a flight sim, a pinball entry, Worms, a few race titles, pool, Battle Chess, California Games, even a couple of mascot platformers in Titus the Fox and Zool: Ninja Of The “Nth” Dimension.

More useful than trying to tell you which of the included games will be your favorite, let me instead comment that we’ve tried each and every one and they ran beautifully. We don’t have an original Amiga around here for comparison sake, but found no artifacting, glitches or tearing. Everything felt tight, precise.

The included controller is surprisingly adequate for gaming as well. We spent a lot of time with THEC64 Mini and, while the second incarnation of the Competition Pro joystick (with the microswitches) was a vast improvement over the first, often found that the precision required for many games was additionally frustrating due to the imprecise nature of the joystick concept.

Such concerns are null and void this time around. The 8-button gamepad is easily on par with what Sega and Nintendo were doing at the time. In fact, we’re impressed enough to where the long-term plan around here is to use this new pad on our C64 Mini when we tire of the Amiga. Going back with this type of input precision should make a lot of those games much more playable.

Save states are also present with THEA500 Mini, so starting over again at the start of each play session is completely left to the user’s discretion.

The 25 Included Titles:

Alien Breed 3D • Alien Breed: Special Edition 92 • Another World • Arcade Pool • ATR: All Terrain Racing • Battle Chess • Cadaver • California Games • Dragon’s Breath • F-16 Combat Pilot • Kick Off 2 • Paradroid 90 • Pinball Dreams • Project-X: Special Edition 93 • Qwak • Simon the Sorcerer • Speedball 2: Brutal Deluxe • Stunt Car Racer • Super Cars II • The Chaos Engine • The Lost Patrol • The Sentinel • Titus the Fox • Worms: The Director’s Cut • Zool: Ninja Of The “Nth” Dimension

Game Library Access

What separates THEA500 Mini (and THEC64 family) from just about any other modern plug-and-play retro mini console on the market is the ability to add games from the system’s library. The process here is drag and drop files onto a USB drive simple using the WHDload package, which, when installed includes a free 26^th game in the first person shooter Citadel.

In the event that you tire of the included titles, do keep in mind the Amiga has amassed a library of some 2,200 official games and estimates placing the real-world number closer to 6,000.

Conclusion

THEA500 Mini takes everything we’ve come to expect from Retro Games LTD (excellent build quality, bulletproof performance, plug and play simplicity, spot-on emulation) and elevates it to the next level.

The only downside we could find after two straight days of playing nonstop is that the $140 MSRP places it at the top of the modern retro plug-and-play hardware chart. The cost of entry might be a bit steep for some in these trying times but the way we look at it is video gaming hardware remains on the lower end of the entertainment spectrum in even the worst case scenarios (after all, the PS5 is $499 and Sony can’t get one to reach a store shelf due to demand).

Another way to say it? If you can swing the $140, you will find countless hours of quality gaming entertainment here – and, for us, across a library of titles that we had no prior experience playing. Like traveling back in time. If you’re a fan of retro gaming in general, this is a must-buy.

And though this next one is a long shot – we’d love to see a further iteration of this hardware available in the CD32 shell as well. What’s a CD32 you ask? In September of 1993 Commodore entered the console video game market by releasing their own CD-based 32-bit home video game system based on their Advanced Graphics Architecture chipset from the Amiga 1200 personal computer – exactly like the setup of THEA500 Mini. A CD32 Mini, even if it was no different from the internals and game selection of THEA500 would be a console collector’s dream.

Specs

All Winner H6 ARM processor (Cortex A53)

512mb Ram DDR3

3 x USB 2.0 ports

HDMI Port

USB-C Port (Power )

256mb Flash Rom (OS/25 games)

$139.99 / Available Now

https://retrogames.biz/products/thea500-mini/

The post Console Review: THEA500 Mini appeared first on Old School Gamer Magazine.

The saga thus, for those who care, is well documented throughout the web, so I will not spend much of my column space reiterating the multiple hardware delays, the cringy tactics of selling people empty boxes to serve as the (vague) promise of forthcoming games, and the recent CEO swap-a-roo that, to the eyes of many, represents the final nail in the coffin for the system’s ever seeing the light of day.

The finger of blame for what is turning into quite a disaster can be divvied up to point in several directions, and, while it seems most rewarding to blame Tallarico entirely, the truth of the matter (according to SEC filings) is the company, despite several successful crowdfunding campaigns, has been chasing zero from the onset.

In fact, according to the latest intel, not only has Intellivision reported having made no revenue since its resurrection in 2018, but it may also not be able to operate beyond July of this year. Not only has it apparently been unable to turn a profit, it seems they’ve managed to chock up a chunk of debt to the tune of $3.1-million in outstanding loans in that same period of time.

This is, of course, very bad news to anyone who put up cash to fund the project. Whether or not they would be entitled to any sort of recompense should the whole company fold this summer is yet to be determined.

Additionally baffling is what happens to consumers who preordered the Amico hardware from reputable gaming dealer franchises like Gamestop or through Intellivision’s official site.

Aside from the obvious investor financial turmoil, the fact that the hardware is degenerating toward the realm of vaporware in a hurry is a loss for the entire industry. Why? Well, mostly because it was attempting something that seems so logical on paper: To offer a piece of modern technology designed to replicate the gaming experience of yesteryear.

So what, you say? There are dozens of ways to do that on the market already? You wouldn’t be wrong. Anyone with a Nintendo Switch or a Steam account can tell you about retro game titles (both old and original alike) at the modern gamer’s disposal. Yet even still, we know the market for modern (HDMI-ready) equipment designed to play retro video games is red-hot. One need look no further than at the ongoing list of “retro mini” consoles released in recent years for confirmation.

Why is this, you ask, given that most any modern system is both capable of playing and typically has libraries of retro games collections available? Well, I can think of a few reasons. First of all, it’s self-contained. There’s something very different about plugging in a Super NES Classic Edition and gathering around the big screen when compared to the process of docking a Switch, syncing up multiple controllers, going through your personal game library, hoping nobody erases any of your save files.

Next is the appeal of the original hardware coupled to modern amenities. For many of us purists, playing on the original hardware represents much of the experience. The trouble is the original equipment is often quite old now and mostly incompatible with modern displays. Modern systems account for the advances in technology with HDMI output and aspect ratios not only designed to fill the much-larger screens of today but to also reduce input lag that is present with composite/ RGB connections outside of a CRT.

The Amico, of course, functions a bit differently than the retro minis in that while it owes its namesake and some design cues to the classic Mattel Intellivision, it is a fully modern piece of hardware. Sure, it had a host of Intellivision classic collections (as well as modern reimaginings) announced, the reality is that its specs (8 core, 1.8Ghz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor with 2GB RAM, 32GB Flash) and its ability to run external software mean it’s just a modern piece of console hardware like any other.

The real restrictions placed upon it were those enacted by Intellivision Entertainment themselves – things like an MSRP under $19.99, E for Everyone ratings and inclusion of couch co-op multiplayer modes.

The idea behind this is admirable – after all, any company could slap an HDMI output jack on a smartphone board and call it a day; Intellivision was hoping to capture a bit of the good, clean simplicity of the gaming of yesteryear with its new system.

About the best news, though, for potential Amico devotees was exclusive titles. It is this, and this alone, that separates Amico from nearly every other retro targeted piece of hardware on the market. Rather than be relegated to retro titles, reimaginings and ports, the Amico promised games that would be available on no other system. Some of these games were heavy hitters, too – like the latest Earthworm Jim.

If the Amico project truly fails, this is, what I would consider, the biggest loss to the industry. A modern ecosystem designed around retro titles, complete with new exclusives, is something no one else has tried for. Even the recent Atari VCS has proved quite unable to deliver on such an idea, instead serving as a modern Linux PC designed to run emulated retro Atari titles.

If there were one company (and piece of hardware) out there truly capable of picking up the Amico torch and carrying on with the promise of its ambition should it falter, it would have to be the UK’s Blaze Entertainment and their Evercade VS.

For the unfamiliar, the system (which just released Feb 25^th) is the home console version of their popular Evercade handheld – meaning HDMI output, corded controllers with four inputs and (twin) cartridge slots for playing their impressive (and ever-expanding) library of titles.

8, 16, 32-bit and arcade game collections make up a majority of the console’s 300-game library and, of late, are even seeing releases of original titles designed for retro hardware (things like Sega Genesis’ Tanglewood, NES’ Micro Mages).

All of their games come on physical cartridges, in boxes with full-color manuals.

If these guys were to secure some developers willing to release exclusive titles via Evercade cart, they will have managed to accomplish everything the Amico set out to do. Best of all, with a retail cost of $99 with one game and $129 for the two controller and dual game bundle, they are managing to keep the concept well within the budget of the average consumer. Plus, no concerns of vaporware here, the VS is in stores as we speak.

The post What The Fall of the Amico Really Means appeared first on Old School Gamer Magazine.

I may be in a silent minority when it comes to these matters, but I’ve been waiting around for Nintendo to release a version of the Switch that, as much as it pains me to admit, doesn’t look like is going to happen.  Worse still, it may never come to pass in future Nintendo hardware generations as well.

Before I get ahead of myself, let’s start at the beginning. I’ve been with Nintendo since the NES in 1986, having owned every single piece of home hardware they’ve released since. I was having parties in the 90s centered on cartridge-based Diddy Kong Racing and Mario Kart 64 while my college buddies were discovering Gran Turismo. I was there when the Gamecube failed to make an impact against Sony’s runaway powerhouse PlayStation 2. I was there when people who’d never played a video game before were accidentally throwing Wii-motes through their flat screens. I was even there when the Wii U was floundering like a beached salmon, doing my best to appreciate the wonky tablet controller, re-buying games from my PS3 library as a show of support.

While I certainly owned my fair share of Nintendo’s portable platforms throughout the years, beginning with the OG monochrome Game Boy, a pair of Gameboy Advances, and even the original DS in subsequent years, I’ve never fancied myself a true mobile gamer.  To my reasoning, gaming is best performed on the couch upon the biggest, highest-definition screen available.

When the Wii U’s proverbial plug was pulled, I, like the rest of the world, watched on apprehensively as Nintendo unveiled its next piece of hardware. Then known as the NX, this new kit, set to be released March of 2017, would do something many of us have sort of expected for a while now – it would finally bridge that gap between Nintendo’s home console and portable markets.

Console manufacturers crossing over into mobile markets is nothing new – Sega was doing it back in the 8 and 16-bit generations too, Atari dabbled, NEC got on board, SNK, even Sony had a pair of wildly successful handhelds amid its PlayStation generations.

The difference, though, is nobody ever managed to give Nintendo a true run for their portable money. Whether we are talking about the original GameBoy, the Color variant, the Gameboy Advance, the DS series – Nintendo has consistently owned the mobile console market.

So dominant has Nintendo’s portable market been, in fact, that it is credited with keeping the company afloat in even those occasional home hardware generations where the competition sent them reeling (Gamecube and Wii U, for example).

It only made sense, then, that Nintendo would slowly devise a means of pulling their two major demographics together into a single market share. The Wii U was, in my opinion, the testbed. It demonstrated the potential in combining tablet gaming with onscreen interaction and even teased the potential of continuing our console adventures in handheld mode when someone else needed the TV.

The NX (which we now know as the Switch) took these concepts to the next level, fully realizing all of the ideas of the Wii U. It was a true hybrid platform right out of the gate, combining the console gaming experience with the ability to take your games with you wherever you went. These weren’t scaled back ports, they weren’t miniaturized versions of the TV incarnations – they were the same game you had been playing on your TV, simply detached from the cord and displaying on the hardware’s own pocket-sized screen. The merger of Nintendo’s audiences was now complete.

For the next two years, the Switch built a loyal following. Nintendo moved enough units to surpass any concerns of a Wii U failure repeat, and gamers from both the TV and portable market seemed pleased with the hybrid methodology.

Then, in 2019, Nintendo announced a new version of the Switch. This incarnation would be $100 less than the $299.00 hybrid but would forego any and all of the television connectivity element in favor of a portable-only experience. Retailing at only $199, the Switch Lite integrated the detachable Joy-Cons of the hybrid directly into the hardware and shrunk the screen down to 5.5 inches diagonally (from 6.2 inches of the original Switch).

The logic here made sense – not everyone in Nintendo’s demographic cared for the home console aspects of the experience. For the mobile devotees, Nintendo had you covered. A more affordable MSRP meant no sense paying for features you wouldn’t use. If you needed to take your gaming on the go, Nintendo had the Switch for you.

Here’s my concern – While Nintendo merged two of its major demographics with the Switch, then catered a hardware iteration to those who only game on the go, why in the world didn’t they also think to release a more affordable incarnation to the rest of us? Why no console-only box for those of us who choose to play our games at home, on the big screen?

Sure, I get it – there’s the hybrid version if you insist upon big-screen gaming, but, isn’t there the hybrid version if you insist upon portable gaming too? The Lite works because it doesn’t make you pay for features you won’t use. Gamers like myself, with no inclination to carry our systems around with us, would also like the option to save $100 on features we won’t use as well.

Further, even though the original hardware works on a television out of the box, the form factor is hardly conducive for this type of setup alone. You have Joy-Cons that need to be attached to the tablet itself in order to be recharged, a cumbersome method of changing out games while the system is docked. It’s a hybrid, after all – the jack of all trades but master of none.

That being said, I would love to have had the option of buying a small set-top box with a Switch cartridge slot and an HDMI output in the rear. Package that bad boy up with a Switch Pro Controller for $199 and Nintendo would have had a viable competitor in this demand-outpacing-supply ninth home hardware console generation.

Best of all, since the Switch’s library has been amassing since 2017, the Switch TV Console would have an advantage that neither Sony nor Microsoft can, at present, match: a catalog of killer apps available now.

In conclusion – it’s well known that Nintendo marches to the beat of its own drum, and the chances of getting a third (well, fourth considering the recent OLED screen variant – another configuration designed with features that benefit only portable users) iteration of the Switch philosophy are slim at best. However, for those of us big screen gamers looking to continue with the Nintendo console tradition, it would be nice if, at the very least, we were given the same treatment as the mobile market.

The post When The Nintendo Switch You Really Want Doesn’t Exist appeared first on Old School Gamer Magazine.