Depending on how many old games purchased this would be cheaper as well. Anyone here gone down this road and have any words of advice?
To go totally retro would include (re)buying the old systems but I'm thinking the clone console is going to be a lot more reliable after all these years. I don't think Menace comes to fix these
Why bother purchasing old games unless you are going to use the original console for each system. You might as well go PC and emulator route so this way all your bases are covered for arcade classics and all console systems. If you have an old computer kicking around like a PIII or P4 with 1gb ram and 500gb hard drive it will do otherwise you can find these HP off lease desktops used for $100-150. It is no big deal to output it to an older tube tv via s-video or rca cables using one of these converter boxes for $20usd shipped.
http://www.ebay.ca/itm/TV-RCA-Compo...308111?hash=item419a57a00f:g:FN8AAOSw3ydVu0C~
Now for controllers you can buy the original ones and hack them to work via USB otherwise Retrolink makes replica controllers for many popular systems that are plug and play.
You can buy one of each if you want that "authentic" feel when playing games for each system otherwise I would say the Sega Saturn (last one) is the best one to have as it will cover most era of popular consoles such as NES, SNES, Master System, Genesis and can even be used for MAME arcade games.
I've been playing with emulators since I was in university back in 1997 and building MAME projects for myself and friends for the good part of the last decade. If you have any other questions or want to give emulators a try you are welcome to come over and knock yourself out on my personal MAME project.
It's a dual screen, 4 player Nintendo red tent project I put together earlier this year. It plays over 400 arcade classics and my favorite consoles era of games I grew up with. I didn't really want to document my red tent project as what I did would be considered
sacrilege by the hard core Nintendo fan boys. My previous MAME cab was a generic Dynamo Hs2 cab outfitted with reproduction Street Fighter II Champion Edition artwork. This is the exact same style cab I spent countless hours on as a kid at convenience stores and arcades. The red tent I have above was something I always wanted to do but I was never able to source a red tent out for a reasonable price. I like the red tent primarily because it is made of metal, can be taken apart for easy moving up and down my stairs and for the foot print it occupies it doesn't rob too much of my pinball space either. The main problem with my old MAME cab was that it is only 2 players and now my daughter is at the age where she is enjoying a lot of the multiplayer beat'em up games like Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles to play with myself or her cousins. So this red tent is perfect because not only can it have up to 4 player controls but each single or pair of players can have their own screen too.
My take on video games is emulation can do a good enough job for most games and depending close to the original you want to get between 4-way to 8-way to 49-way joysticks, spinners or trackballs to play certain games. It can all be done if you willing to invest the money and integrate it into your cab's control panel. I will admit there are certain games such as Super Sprint where it may emulated properly but the physical feel of whipping that wheel around the corners is just not the same.
Also I have most of the Retrolink USB controllers I listed above and can be hooked up to my MAME cab for you to try too Bob. Let me know if you want to swing by or feel free to ask any questions.
