General Arcade & Retro Chat' Special Championship Edition

sniper_samurai

Doom is getting a new SNES port next year, no details as of yet other than it will be released by LRG as a NTSC-U cart and what is listed in the tweet below.

https://twitter.com/LimitedRunGames/status/1821642624735793232?t=jQ4ViTLXe4moiYYQBPJ0Gg&s=19

https://twitter.com/RandalLinden/status/1821650810125873345

Retr0gamer

Upgraded the PS2 while I wait for repair parts. I got grindoomers new beta of opl. This allows exFAT formatted hard disks so you can basically copy and paste iso files to the hard disk, no more needing third party software. So the PS2 now has a 2TB SSD which admittedly is a bit overkill.

It's not all roses and champagne. OPL is a bit funky so I had to use OPL manager to rename all the files so it could recognize them. On top of that Klonoa 2 no longer works, a game I took ages to get working on my load hard disk. Hoping it's just a bad dump as it's totally failing to boot whereas it usually has sound issues until you fix the settings for it. Most other games I've tried have worked but not tried every thing, there over 200 games on it now!

Inviere

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122482733#Comment_122482733

Just as a matter of interest, are you using one of those 3rd party hdd adapters that have a SATA interface?

Retr0gamer

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122482788#Comment_122482788

Yes and I've read they can be a bit jank and prone to failure after I bought it.

What's your opinion on them?

Inviere

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122482851#Comment_122482851

I've never used them, but had read the same in that they can be hit/miss and prone to failure (which is annoying.) Wasn't sure what direction to go with my own PS2 when I eventualyl get around to it. There's ways now of loading games through the memory card port, USB, sata, disc, network, etc….they all seem to have their own drawbacks & there's no single winner.

Retr0gamer

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122482887#Comment_122482887

From my experience the network adapter hard drive approach is the best. Very few compatibility issues and stuff like Klonoa 2 can be fixed by using settings to slow the data transfer to replicate the DVD drive. I've not had a game not work yet other than kingdom hearts 2 and that looks to have been fixed.

USB is handy to have as it's easier to hot swap games but the read speed over USB is slower than DVD read speed so there are compatibility issues with some games that just can't be fixed. Memory card will have the same issues.

I'll see how I get on with my SSD and if it throws up any annoyances but my experience with the old 120GB physical ide hard disk has been great.

o1s1n

I'm still happily rocking that cheapo memory card SD loader with a 128gb card in mine. Makes PS2 backup playing feel more like an Everdrive cart/SD solution rather than a HDD one. Definitely worth picking up as they're so cheap. I think there might be a way to load games onto an internal HDD with it too so you could even just use it as a handy transfer tool.

Inviere

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122482904#Comment_122482904

The official HDD adapter was king, but being IDE based is a real pain these days. If I could get a source on a good quality reliable SATA version, I'd probably lean that way yeah.

@o1s1n any cutting/judderyness in cutscenes etc?

Retr0gamer

Apparently a ide to sata convertor is an option.

I went through the compatibility lists and honestly didn't see any games I'd be interested in with issues, it's improved an awful lot. It's worse for options that aren't a hard disk but honestly it's still really good.

o1s1n

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122482946#Comment_122482946

Absolutely no issues at all so far, to surprising levels.

I assumed it was going to be a slow mess like the Dreamshell SD loader for the Dreamcast (which is practically unusable)

Inviere

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122482957#Comment_122482957

It's more the cheap hardware used in these knock off sata adapters that concerns me, if I could get a known one that is solid then that'd be the obvious choice.

CiDeRmAn

One for Retr0,

He'll know why

https://nintendoeverything.com/under-defeat-coming-to-switch-on-december-5-in-japan/

Retr0gamer

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122489684#Comment_122489684

Worth every penny of the 80 euro I spent 🤣

I wish these releases would come to PC.

sniper_samurai

Someone has put a gameplay video up of the new SNES Doom port.

https://youtu.be/0oEUF1Py5-4

Inviere

Obviously a huge improvement over the official release.

Inviere

Definitely a handful of ChatGPT posts in A&R lately, what's the point?

KeRbDoG

Yea, like from this poster on the the Gamecube HDMI thread. I think the idea is that the poster gains some sort of creditablity with post numbers and the posts look semi legit to a passing read and prob avoid the normal review/delete by a mo if it was just a "ah +1 to that", maybe some sub-forums don't allow you to post with no posts? The bot then posted what looks to be an advert here

80s Synth Pop

Once they have enough reputation, they then post a topic like

"Meta Ireland Phone number 014xxxx̌xxx"

with the number of a scam centre.

Then idiot Google indexes it and when people search for "Meta Ireland Phone number" that's what comes up in the search results. Call the number and get scammed.

80s Synth Pop

LOL I just searched that and boards.ie and community.ireland.com are riddled with it.

Google really is gone to the dogs indexing this garbage.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058363349/can-i-contact-facebook-in-ireland-1-4434342

DaveyDave

Probably done on purpose to get companies to pay more for SEO or something? Large companies are continuously letting their software or algorithms turn to hot garbage on purpose.

DaveyDave

Anyone ever check out videos on the World of Longplays channel? Even if they're tool assisted, I'd never be able to memorise a game. Speedruns are similar.

I checked out Shinobi 3, it's interesting to see what they do differently, whether it's platforming in different ways or just waiting a second for an enemy to move to a certain spot to make your next move easier. To this date, despite playing it over and over for the last 17 years and being one of my all time favourite games I have never beaten the game. The stage with the flying rocks or whatever they are always messes me up. I think I might have gotten past it once, but I lose too many lives/abilities that would put me in an impossible position to finish the rest of the game especially as there's an insane difficulty spike on the last level. One day...

Speed runs too, I always find it amazing how people discover glitches and shortcuts but even then, you still need to memorise the game. The RNG, the patterns enemies take, the hit boxes etc. My favourite games that I know inside out and can play with my eyes closed I'd still never be able to speed run. I never got the achievement on the XBLA version of Sonic for beating the game in 45 minutes, although I got the one for beating Sonic 2 in under an hour. Just couldn't do it!

Retr0gamer

To think that Google made their name on a search engine that just worked. And now it doesn't. The only reason they are still going is that competitors like bing are complete dog ****.

o1s1n

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122497024#Comment_122497024

The only game I've ever come close to memorising to those levels is the first Sonic the Hedgehog. Playing it is more meditation than playing a game really, I just zone out. It's actually a great stress reliever! 😁

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122497261#Comment_122497261

It's crazy when you think how many search engines there used to be. And you could use specific search engines for looking for certain things.

I used Yahoo as my main hub in the late 90s/early 2000s. Had a Yahoo mail account, was always in the Yahoo Chat rooms and then the Yahoo search engine. How things have changed.

Still find it mad to think that chat rooms have basically vanished completely. They were such a cornerstone of the internet back then.

Retr0gamer

I used to use different search engines to find specific roms. I actually discovered Google that way. Back then people could only upload a small curated selection of a few roms so it took a lot of searching through geocities and angelfire sites to find a working rom you wanted.

I remember the likes of cult of kefka and mame.de being incredible that you could get such a big lost of games from!

o1s1n

Oh I remember the Cult of Kefka website too! Actually I'd zero knowledge about FF VI back then so the name was completely lost on me. 😂

You have to wonder how many of the roms dumped back then are still the ones in use today, or were there loads of redumps over the years?

Steve X2

I used to love mame.dk back in the day(around 2000-2001 i think). I would download roms in work as the internet was slow at home and spend the evening playing away. Ahh Compaq computers, thanks for the internet :)

bugs

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122498504#Comment_122498504

You can bet loads of the dumps made back in the 90's are still in use. However, REDUMP, NOINTRO, etc. have dumped pretty much every systems images/roms multiple times per year. Each release is not a complete redump of the entire sets but over time I'd guess they've caught everything.

Retr0gamer

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122498716#Comment_122498716

I remember going to college so I could download the enormous 80MB rom of metal slug 3 and take it home on my 100MB zip disk.

There were times I spent the entire day in college in the library downloading roms.

o1s1n

Always wished Zip disks went a bit more mainstream than they did. They're a bit like the Sega 32X of data transferring. Everyone had moved on to CD before they really ever got a chance.

Steve X2

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122498977#Comment_122498977

I still have my Clik disks and PCMCIA drive around here somewhere. Never had a need for them, but they were cool at the time(in my head anyway).

CiDeRmAn

I would be sitting in the internet cafe, and split the zip across a couple of floppies, before bringing home and reconstituting the game on my hdd.

Exciting times indeed!

That would have been 1995/6

The_B_Man

Are these worth anything?

Just the boxes, no games, but has all the inserts etc.

Retr0gamer

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122506289#Comment_122506289

They're quite common unfortunately. I looked up the price of them and they weren't terribly expensive but im sure a collector will be looking for boxes for inboxes copies they have.

Retr0gamer

Fitted the Rexus Nexus and it's working like a charm and an easy install. I might have a power brick now but it's not the worst compromise.

The_B_Man

Grand so. Will lob them up on adverts for free.

Is this code any use?

Retr0gamer

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122508098#Comment_122508098

You'll get something for them I'd say.

The codes are useless with the online service down now but you know collectors will love those pristine codes.

sniper_samurai

Seems Smyths are getting in the new Speccy.

https://www.smythstoys.com/ie/en-ie/gaming-and-tech/retro-gaming/the-spectrum/p/243333

Tom Mann Centuria

^Man behind that is the same man who was part of the Spectrum Vega+, and despite jumping from a sinking ship his fingerprints are all over that fraud.

Not the same audience but for very similar money you could get a brand new fully functioning Spectrum using a ZX Pico in a brand new replacement shell and keyboard membrane. Only down side would be VGA output rather than hdmi.

CiDeRmAn

I'll definitely be picking one up

Tom Mann Centuria

Not a fan of giving Andrews any money but if it was in a nice big sale.... Mind you, even then I'm not sure I'd bother, having a Spectrum with no Sinclair and "The Spectrum" on it, just reminds me of Sorny or Panafonic, or those knock off Nes minis from AliExpress.

Maybe that's a placeholder image and he'll replace the crappy "Retro" with Sinclair if he can get the rights, and "the" with ZX.

Inviere

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122542003#Comment_122542003

Yeah never noticed that on the pic, that does look a bit cack alright.

sniper_samurai

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122542003#Comment_122542003

I think it's just The Spectrum to keep it in line with the other ones they've released like The Amiga A500, The C64 and The C64 Mini.

Tom Mann Centuria

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122542242#Comment_122542242

Yeah probably, the Retro where Sinclair should be is shíte though. Maybe he'll have second thoughts and just leave it blank instead which would be an improvement.

Inviere

I could live with The Spectrum, but agree with that awful RETRO label, that's bad and would be better blank than that.

Tom Mann Centuria

There's some good games on it, not that it's difficult to find them, and your bandwidth won't suffer downloading Spectrum Games :pac: but it's a nice blend of old and some good new homebrew.

I think a better collection than the C64 mini had at launch anyway, which is surely the only concern 😀.

Talking of Paul Andrews previous misdeeds I just wish some clever soul would come up with a Pico based board for my Vega + shell that's sat on the shelf looking at me.

https://armchairarcade.com/perspectives/2024/08/24/the-spectrum-game-list/

Retr0gamer

What if I told you the Nintendo 64 being 64-bit was kind of a lie?

So yes, the N64 was capable of 64 bit operations, so it definitely is a 64 bit machine. But there more than likely isn't any game that used the 64 bit instruction set because it takes exponentially more processor cycles to process a 64 bit operation than a 32 bit one. In fact most console cpus after were 64 bit (some were 32) and probably didn't use any 64 bit instructions either. If a process could be performed with a 32 but number there is no advantage to processing massive 64 bit integers for the same thing. The 64 bit processing is mostly just used for security checks. Of course there is some large bit processing happening on the GPU side of some consoles and there's also moving of large amounts of data between processor and GPU that need large bit sizes but it's mostly been redundant in videogames. The only game I know of that uses 64 bit floating points is star citizen.

Retr0gamer

Hearing a lot of these old retro shops are closing:

https://twitter.com/ShaneWatch/status/1828197356380266806?t=m-yz3PM0f75p-9o3-bEaAA&s=19

o1s1n

This is pretty cool, some old footage of the canned Rayman on the 32X.

Was playable at E3 1995 but then vanished.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Dv_rylhAcs

Inviere

I wonder if that's on actual 32X hardware, as it looks very good all things considered.

o1s1n

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122555671#Comment_122555671

Be gas if there was actually a Jaguar hidden behind the display!