Now what does PlayStation need to do to make more retro gamers hop on and shell out the cash for the Premium tier?  Their line up of classic games has to be outstanding.  At the time of this writing we don’t know what will be offered yet in regards to the older games.  First party titles are to be expected but hopefully we’ll get titles that DON’T have HD remasters.  Say the original line up includes games like Jak and Daxter or Final Fantasy X.  Good games, but each has a PS4 HD equivalent that not only looks better, but also has trophy support.  If gamers, modern and retro, have a choice on playing a game with updated graphics, most will be choosing the remastered one.  Graphics aside, PlayStation also needs to show that they learned from their PlayStation Classic blunder.  Not saying all the games on that system were bad, but the selection was weak compared to the 16-bit consoles SEGA and Nintendo put out.  The game line up should also be diverse, and hopefully include games that are becoming super expensive on the second hand market.  It would be great to play classics like Tomba or Brave Fencer Musashi on this service, but that leads us to the biggest thing PlayStation needs to do.

When this launches, and the game library is good, the emulation quality will be the deciding factor.  We all remember the outcries from Nintendo fans about the spotty emulation when the N64 games came out on Nintendo Switch Online.  While those fires seemed to have died out, there’s no telling what PlayStation will go through should the emulation be bad.  Sadly PlayStation doesn’t have the best track record when it comes to emulation quality.  The Classic was ridiculed for its spotty emulation and there is no way that will fly here.  They already have an uphill battle since the PS3 games are streamable only so that may add some problems, but the games that may be under the microscope more are the PS1, PS2, and PSP titles.  A lot of those games haven’t been available since their original release, and gamers will be going over the quality of the emulation with a fine tooth comb before going on social media with their verdicts.

As of now, the new tiered PlayStation Plus is scheduled to launch this June.  PlayStation said that more news will be revealed closer to launch, and these reveals may make or break this new model.  Originally I was all for the Premium tier.  I was ready to fork over my hard earned cash but the more I thought about it, the more hesitant I became.  I don’t want to spend money on games I already own physically, or can play the HD version on my PS5.  While I remain hopeful, I also remain cautious.  PlayStation burned fans before with the mini, so if they learned their lesson from that, we may see something pretty special.  Only time will tell.

The post What PlayStation Needs To Do. appeared first on Old School Gamer Magazine.

On account of a seemingly endless series of non-gaming related distractions (sometimes referred to as life), I’ve been regretfully slow at responding to some of the great reader questions that find me on social media.

Let’s take a look into the digital mailbag and see if we can’t rectify that situation.

Q) Regarding your coverage of 16-bit fighting games, wondering if you’re planning on continuing on with 3D titles (some of my favorites to date).  Also what was the worst fighting game you played back then?

I honestly gave consideration to carrying on with the fighting game coverage into the 3D foray when titles like Virtua Fighter and Tekken and Battle Arena Toshinden came onto the scene.  In fact, it could be argued that the transition to pseudo 3D began even earlier than these when games like Ballz 3D came to the 16-bit platforms.  The trouble, I soon discovered, was that there is no definitive point to stop.  It could very easily be argued that 3D fighting games from those days never stopped being produced and still exist today.  One of the problems of writing for a retro-centric mag is that there is no clear and concise line between what separates modern from vintage.  And if there were, it would be forever advancing as newer hardware is a very frequent cycle.

In short, this is the long way of saying that while I do remember that transition to 3D well and respected it at the time for what it was, stopping the coverage at the conclusion of the 2D era made for a good bookend.

As for the worst – that’s tough!  I had some very dubious titles in my Genesis collection while waiting for SFII; Street Smart, Fighting Masters, Slaughter Sport.  I think one of the worst though had to be the home port of Pit-Fighter.  Atari had beat Mortal Kombat to the punch (no pun intended) on the whole digital scanned characters in a one-on-one fighting game but abysmal controls and some of the choppiest animation in existence at the time made this one of those rare instances where it couldn’t go back to the rental store quickly enough!

Q) You seem to cover the Amico a lot but rarely talk about the new VCS.  Why play favorites?

I do try to treat all new retro-themed hardware equally but the VCS is a tough sale for me.  While it is admittedly nice to once again see the Atari logo on a new piece of hardware – especially one with some wood veneer face plating; the price and purpose of the new VCS really make it difficult for me to even understand what they are attempting or who it’s for.

It is essentially a very pricy Linux box with an included 2600 emulator.  Already there are instructional videos appearing online on how to get the UI to work on any PC.  Worse still, at $300 without a controller, and the fact that titles purchased outside of their Vault system aren’t cheap, it’s really encroaching on next gen prices to play some titles that are available just about anywhere else these days (for considerably less).

Again, no bias intended but unless the hardware cost comes down substantially or they begin to get some exclusive killer apps, the Flashback 9 Gold with its 110 titles, two controllers and 720P output that I picked up for $50 will probably retain its entertainment center location.

Q) What is your feeling on this Next Generation madness?

I am usually a sucker for the latest and greatest hardware but have bowed way out of the mess that has been the Playstation 5 and XBox Series X launch.  Sony and Microsoft did consumers no favors when releasing (just before the holidays, no less) hardware that they knew couldn’t keep up with consumer demand.  It’s no industry secret that Covid has severely limited raw material production and stymied shipping times and, as predicted, resulted in a situation where demand severely outweighed supply.

This isn’t the first time we’re seeing this and it surely won’t be the last (a very famous example of this technique being used to manufacturer extreme demand would be Nintendo with the NES Classic Edition) but it feels like the public in general is extra antsy of late – due, in no small part I’m sure, to political unrest, Covid-induced isolation stir craziness and the arrival of government stimulus checks.  It’s all adding up to a fever pitch where product is being purchased up by scalpers who are demanding (and getting) exuberant money for the hardware.

The worst part about this all is that this is possibly the most unnecessary hardware generation in the history of home gaming – the reality is that 85% of consumers don’t even own displays powerful enough to capitalize on the hardware’s increased video output and there is no exclusive “next gen” software slated to be released for the next two years.  In short, waiting on this one makes a lot of sense.

Q)  Why hasn’t Nintendo released an N64 Mini yet?  What do you think will be the next retro console to get a mini?

As to why Nintendo hasn’t released an N64 Mini, I can only speculate.  The most likely answer is that Nintendo, being Nintendo, marches to the beat of its own drum.  They don’t seem overly concerned with what’s going on in the industry at a given moment, instead opting to release products that no one sees coming.  Another way of saying it is they generally like to be trend setters, not followers of trends (even the ones they create).

Aside from that, Nintendo is in a strange position.  Unlike many of the other retro minis being produced, Nintendo is still a very active company in the current console and handheld generations.  They still manage to make millions upon millions in selling their retro games across all of their platforms (both physically and in their e-shops).  Often times their biggest competition on these things is themselves.  So while no one doubts an N64 Mini would sell extraordinarily well, it’s very possible Nintendo doesn’t see the need to open a factory to manufacturer the new hardware when they still have many of the titles available from the system’s library available for purchase already.

As far as what will be the next retro mini – this logic is the opposite of my answer above.  Companies that are not currently active in the industry have a great opportunity to capitalize on licenses and hardware that has been lying dormant for decades right now.  If you were a rights-holder to something like 3DO or CD-i or Amiga CD32, this would be a gold mine opportunity.  Strike while the iron is hot.

If you wanted my prediction, I’d take the easy way out (since it was already confirmed) and say it’ll be another from Sega.  Which one, however, that’s a bit tougher.  Most are hopeful it will be a Dreamcast Mini but I’m not so sure they would leapfrog to the very last piece of hardware they manufactured.  I would hope they would do a Saturn Mini next with plans to follow that one up with the Dreamcast a couple years after.

The post The RETROSPECTIVE Mailbag appeared first on Old School Gamer Magazine.

Know the Cost of Consoles

Now this one isn’t really a tip but more of a ‘heads up’ for those who are set on starting a console collection.  Even though these consoles are older, they are not as cheap as you might think or want them to be.  I did some research and went to the Frank and Son collectible show in the City of Industry California to get some averages on the prices for these consoles and here are the results starting with Nintendo.  Keep in mind these are all “complete” consoles meaning that the people selling them include all the necessary cables and at least 1 controller.  I’m also including loose consoles, those that are Complete In Boxes (CIB), and some special edition ones I was able to find while collecting the data.

Nintendo

• NES Loose: $70
• SNES Loose: $83
• N64 Loose: $70
• N64 Special Pikachu Edition: $260
• N64 Toys R Us Exclusive Gold: $250
• N64 Transparent Black Edition: $250
• GameCube: $63

SEGA

• Master System loose: $100
• Genesis Loose (all types): $48
• Genesis Bundled with SEGA CD: $140
  

  A CIB PlayStation, Intellivision and the sealed $3,000 NES. The seller was asking for $200 for the Intellivision.

• Genesis 3 CIB: $175
• Genesis 2 CIB: $100
• Genesis Nomad Loose: $130
• SEGA Saturn Loose: $97
• Dreamcast Loose: $60

PlayStation

• PS1 Loose: $40
• PS1 CIB: $100
• PS2 Loose: $60
• PS2 CIB: $125

Hand Helds

• Game Boy Loose: $51
• Game Boy CIB: $100
• Game Boy Color Loose: $48
• Game Boy Color CIB: $60
• Game Boy Advance Loose: $30
• Game Boy Advance SP Loose: $50
• Game Boy Advance SP CIB: $150
• Game Gear Loose: $45
• Game Gear CIB: $250

Now these are just the averages I found while I was out and about but they should give you a general sense on how much you’ll be spending on the console of your choice. If you’re just starting out but want to get a CIB console make sure you’re OK with dropping a ton of money. I saw a CIB NES that was completely sealed, never opened and on sale at a booth.  The price almost made me faint.  The seller wanted $3,000 dollars for it since it the system was never opened.  In my honest opinion the 3 large price tag is a little much but as these systems get older, the more expensive they get.  Of course the data provided was from a limited source and there is a MUCH bigger market online, however that brings me to my next tip

BE WARY WHEN BUYING ONLINE

Now this should come as a no brainer when it comes to seasoned veterans in the collecting world, but if you are starting out I would be VERY careful when purchasing things online.  Especially when it comes to games and consoles.  If you’re a new collector I would highly recommend going to brick and mortar used game stores before buying games online. Not like GameStop but stores that specialize in retro games and collecting.  They normally are really picky with their trade-ins and won’t sell games or systems if they don’t work.  Also going to a retro video game convention or a trade show is another way to make sure these games are in great condition.  Since most of the games are used you can open them up and check the quality of the games, especially the disc based games.  If a disc doesn’t look right or you’re concerned if it will play or not, the stores normally will have tested it before hand or they’ll test it again to put your mind at ease.  If they can’t test it, talk to the seller, normally they’ll give you a business card with their contact info on it just in case something goes wrong.  I bought a game at a con once and was nervous it wasn’t going to play.  The gentleman running the booth said that if the game didn’t work I could email him and he would send me a copy of the game I bought free of charge.  Luckily the game did work but it’s things like that that where I was comfortable just in case something did go wrong .  Buying online is a bit of a crapshoot unless the seller has a good reputation. Luckily I have had no issues when I bought second hand games off of sites like Amazon or Ebay, but the fear is always there for me.  Even when I did buy a game at a trade show I didn’t look at it properly and it was a faulty game.  Luckily the guy I bought it from was kind enough to do a exchange but always make sure the games are in good and playable condition before you buy a game.

With these tips you should be more than prepared to start your collection.  Collecting video games is a great hobby and if you have even more tips share them in the comments down below.  It’s a big world with multiple subsections and niche’s that it will look intimidating at first, but once you get into it you’ll find a great hobby.  Plus the best part about it is that you get to play some awesome games!

The post The Cheap Person’s Guide to Starting A Retro Video Game Collection Part 2. appeared first on Old School Gamer Magazine.

While the world collectively watched Nintendo in anticipation of their impending announcement of an N64 Classic Edition mini to follow their vastly successful NES and SNES Classic Editions, it looks like Sony snuck in to steal some of the thunder with an announcement of their own: A $99 PlayStation Classic.  

Unlike the Big N, who typically reserves releasing information about their systems until after they’ve finalized the included games list, Sony decided spreading the word of their next hardware release was paramount even if only a handful of the anticipated 20 title list has been confirmed. Among these: Final Fantasy VII, Jumping Flash, Tekken 3, Ridge Racer Type 4 and Wild Arms.

Pundits are hoping that the list will expand to include one of the Crash Bandicoot titles, Metal Gear Solid, Gran Turismo, Twisted Metal, Resident Evil and perhaps one of the Spyro entries.

It appears as though the package will include 2 corded controllers out of the box but don’t get excited for analog sticks; these things mimic the original PlayStation release’s with digital D-pad only affairs. Hopefully prototype shots aren’t the final spec, however, as the cords on display look quite short. If nothing else, we hope Sony would have learned from Nintendo’s faux pas with that situation on the NES Classic.

The unit is to come equipped with HDMI output only to accommodate modern displays and, like the C64 Mini before it, will be USB powered though the power cube for your wall outlet is not included.

Optimists were hoping that a port on the back could be used to install additional content but Sony has since announced that there are no plans to support the console post release. In short, unless users manage to hack this thing, it’s unlikely you’ll be able to add games to the unit later on.

While preorders are already available at most major electronic distributors, Sony promises these units will be in the hands of consumers before the holiday season with a December 3rd release date. And since they are not Nintendo, we don’t anticipate hardware shortages to be a factor.

Perhaps the most exciting aspect of this whole development stems from the fact that indeed the retro plug and play hardware trend is approaching fever-pitch proportion. In fact, as the net’s been buzzing with news of Sony’s PlayStation Classic, Sega quietly confirmed that they are planning on releasing a Genesis Classic Edition. Not to be confused with the units readily available from ATGames, this one will be an OEM affair not unlike recent Nintendo hardware.

Sony answered the call – it looks like the ball is back in Nintendo’s court.

The post RETROSPECTIVE: Sony Enters N’s Domain With a PlayStation Classic appeared first on Old School Gamer Magazine.

The original FZ-1 model of the 3DO console with disc tray.

The early ’90s were something of a second coming for the wild west of video game console manufacturing.
The early ’80s saw a number of console manufacturers trying to make a go of it after the success of the Atari VCS. Then there was the crash of ’83 and companies shied away from developing new gaming hardware.

Nintendo would eventually re-pave that broken and beat up road while also making a tollway to try and discourage competition. Then Sega knocked the tollways down and re-opened the road for any number of upstarts that believed they had the tech and the talent to grab a portion of that sweet, sweet video game money. Enter the 3DO Company. Founded by Electronic Arts’ very own Trip Hawkins, 3DO had the technology to be a game changer in the early ’90s, they just needed someone to manufacture it. That’s where Panasonic, Sanyo and Goldstar came in. Reputable companies in their own right and fully capable of taking the specs from 3DO and making a disc-based video game console that would offer high resolution 3D graphics, interactive video games and full motion video.

Unfortunately, while the 3DO did offer impressive 3D graphics, CD quality sound and forward-thinking games, the initial price of the machine, $700 U.S. (about the equivalent of $1200 today) meant that a number of gamers would be priced out of owning the machine. The price of the console would eventually drop, but the glut of other available options, including the near equivalent Sega/Mega CD, the Atari Jaguar and the Super Nintendo, would provide stiff competition, and the arrival of the Sega Saturn and the game-changing Sony Playstation would eventually see the console discontinued.

The second version of Panasonic’s 3DO, the FZ-10 along with a handful of titles from my collection.

I was a student during the 1990s and wasn’t exactly flush with disposable income to spend on video game consoles. I owned a used Super Nintendo that I bought around 1993, and then a PlayStation once I graduated college, so the 3DO was completely off my radar during it’s short lifespan. It’s possible I was aware of it tangentially but it never resonated like the dominant companies of the era. The 3DO machine I finally bought was the original front loader manufactured by Panasonic. Also dubbed the FZ-1 model, the full name was R.E.A.L 3DO Interactive Multiplayer. You can see why everyone shortened this to 3DO. The name of the console implies that there were lofty goals for these machines as not just a video game console, but a CD player and interactive learning machine with boundless add-ons and expansions. The system came with a demo disc and one controller, but Panasonic made the curious decision to include only one controller port.

In order to play 2-player games, the second player would need to plug their controller into player 1’s controller, which was plugged into the console. Player 3 would have to plug into player 2 and so on and so forth for as many players and controllers as the games would allow. What a weird design decision, and just one of a myriad of reasons why the 3DO would ultimately fail. Poor Trip Hawkins. The man had been wildly successful as the head of Electronic Arts, but by the early 1990’s it was clear he had greater ambitions than leading a software company to prominence. With the idea of combining cutting edge video gaming with multi-media add-ons, he recruited individuals (Dave Needle, RJ Mical) with high pedigrees and visions that matched his own. After the announcement of the creation of the 3DO Company, there was a lot of industry buzz thanks to the success rate of those in charge.

Nevertheless, questions began to pop up as details of what was being worked on emerged. Nintendo was for kids. Sega was for teens and young adults. What was the target audience for the 3DO console? Families? Adult gamers? I believe the intent was for the console to appeal to everyone thanks to its unrealized versatility, but that is only my best guess. The console’s print ads tended to lean towards the “radical and extreme” concepts so prevalent in the 1990s. However, unless you were a very well-paid pizza delivery boy or drug dealer, the 3DO was somewhat beyond the “radical” and “extreme” gamer’s price range at launch. $699 U.S. in 1993….ouch.

Mr. Hawkins has since admitted that outsourcing initial console production to Panasonic was probably the biggest mistake the 3DO company made. It meant that Panasonic, Goldstar and Sanyo (in Japan only) had to sell at a profit (after 3DO’s cut) since they couldn’t take a loss on console sales with the assumption they would make up the difference with software sales, which was done through 3DO Co and other third party manufacturers. By the time the second iteration of the Panasonic-manufactured 3DO console, the FZ-10, and the Goldstar manufactured version were released in 1995 at a significantly reduced cost, it was too late. Sony and Sega had already either released or were about to release their own CD-ROM-dedicated consoles and Nintendo’s Project Reality was close to becoming a reality in stores. In the minds of consumers, the 3DO didn’t have enough must-own exclusives to warrant the risk.

On paper, the 3DO should have been successful. It was a cutting edge disc-based system, the only one readily available at the time. CD-ROMs could offer amazing music and in-game sounds, full motion video, 3D graphics, cut scenes and a whole plethora of bells and whistles one could dream up. The original FZ-1 model had a very clean, solid look and feel, the perfect addition to a multi-media TV stand. The 3DO Company had visions of being more than just a toy, marketing itself as an all-encompassing form of family entertainment. The game library contained family-friendly games meant to replace the outmoded board games sitting on your shelf. It contained high-concept shooters and futuristic titles that were intended to appeal to a more sophisticated gaming audience, while an early partnership with Electronic Arts provided top-notch sports and racing titles.

Star Control II, one of the best and most original games available for the 3DO.

3DO wanted to be everything to everyone, an ambition that would prove detrimental. Was it just a console? If so, why was it so expensive compared with other consoles? Was it not only a console, but also a CD player and multi-media receiver? Was all the stuff they wanted to be the reason why it was so expensive? If so, I certainly wasn’t the target audience. I already had a CD player. I had no use for CD-ROM- based learning discs. I didn’t recognize many of the games that were available for the system. I was the wrong gamer at the wrong age with the wrong socio-economic status, and I don’t believe I was alone. Today, the 3DO is considered one of those widely derided oddball consoles (see Phillips CD-I and Atari Jaguar) from a time when everyone seemed to be throwing their hat into the video game arena. There doesn’t appear to be a widespread documented community of 3DO archivists, fans or game reviewers, which is a shame. I am an avid listener of retro gaming-related podcasts and there is ZERO 3DO presence out there that is either dedicated to talking about the 3DO or at least covering it in part.

I think the general consensus of the retro gaming community is that the 3DO’s library is a bit daunting (over 200 worldwide titles) and there are a lot of junk titles available thanks to the relative ease of making a game for the system. There are a few titles available for the 3DO that are widely considered the best or one of the best versions (Road Rash, Out of This World, Flashback, Need for Speed, Samurai Showdown, Super Street Fighter 2), which can be considered reason enough to pick up one of the console iterations. Because there is so little information out there on some of the more obscure 3DO titles, this is one of the few consoles that fits the “Hidden Gem” description, but there just aren’t enough compelling reasons to own a 3DO over a Saturn or PlayStation. Unfortunate, in my opinion.

The post System Spotlight – 3DO appeared first on Old School Gamer Magazine.