Booting Up Content Again in the Near Future - Who's In?

[alienjesus]

A guide to that in general might be nice.

So, I was thinking I might start assembling the guide on best digital download deals I mentioned before.

I was thinking I might separate it out by service though, in order to make it so there isn't one massive article. How do people think I should divide it though?

I was thinking these would be the separate articles:

- Retro bargains on Wii U VC/eShop
- Retro bargains on 3DS VC/eShop
- Retro bargains only on Wii VC (ignoring the ones I've listed that are also on Wii U?)
- Retro bargains on PSN (I can't really separate PSP/PS3/Vita because of the overlap, I'd just have to make compatability issues clear
- Retro Bargains on XBox Live (Probably focusing mostly on 360? Unless people can help me out on XBox One stuff?)

An alternative would be to seperate it by system or manufacturer, like 'Best SNES bargains on digital download services' or 'best Turbografx bargains on digital download services'

I was gonna leave out Steam or GOG or whatever. Someone else can brave those, I'm not a big enough PC fan to try

Maybe I'll put some community threads up for each of these since more heads always help, and you guys will be more knowledgeable than me about what is a good deal. Maybe I'll set a low end price to be accepted onto the list like 'the physical copy costs more than $60' or something like that?

[ElkinFencer10]

I think you should mention the titles that overlap between Wii and Wii U and just make a note of it.

[Jagosaurus]

I think the 240p scene is cool. I've seen several folks ask about it with little feedback in return. It would niche IMO but I'd read it. It's an alternative to the XRGB or HD TV route.

I think an article about using CRT PC monitors would be really awesome. I would love to have an old Atari or Commodore monitor but it's daunting to research all the models. Almost everything is BNC or 9 pin 15 Hz VGA. What would work, what adapters do I need, etc. If it has composite, how does it look? I know CRTgamer uses a newer VGA monitor for Dreamcast lightgun games. Now that's article worthy! This goes with my retro computer suggestion from earlier as well (although I am planning to emulate those due to space constraints).

Ziggys burning guide is my most used resource on the site. I can't tell you have times I've ran across it on Google as well while trouble shooting.

I had no idea when to use Dameon Tools. All the .bin/.cue, .iso/.mp3, and other multiple disc formats are also nicely laid out there.

This saved me big time when I got into ripping my PS1/PS2 collection, although I was using ImgBurn in reverse to create a digital file from a physical disc. I was clueless before reading it.

Here to help with any of the "old meets new" articles. My current areas of current knowledge where I feel I could best contribute:

- Open PS2 Loader (retail PS2 .isos off PS2 HDD)
- POPStarter (retail PS1 .bin/.cues off PS2 USB)
- General PS2 mod talk (FreeMcBoot, WinHIIP, IDE HDD, Network Adapter, UlanchELF, Simple Media System, CUE2POPS, etc.)
- oXbox stock HDD upgrade
- oXbox fan & cooling upgrade
- oXbox retro console emulators
- Convert oXbox .iso PC rips or DLs to .xbe format via C Xbox Tools PC application
- General oXbox mod talk (FTP, Time Server, Homebrew Games, IDE HDD compatibility, DVD2Xbox, XBMC, Icons, etc)
- Ripping PS1, PS2, oXbox games
- PC emulators for retro consoles
- Virtual Drive Emulators
- DOSBox
- Retro Trio clone console (now a bit outdated)
- Flashcarts (NES N8, SD2SNES, Mega ED v2, general pros/cons talk)

Optical Disc Emulators are a scene I follow heavily but I currently don't own any.

These and similar subjects along with R Pi, HD TV connections, & RGB will be very popular IMO.

I also dig the simple game review suggestions. Sometimes we get too overwhelmed with these cool projects & coinciding write ups. I'd be willing to help with a periodic review. It would force me to finish more games as well. I'd personally chose some off beat stuff. I'd enjoy writing Atari ST reviews for example. These can keep the front page fresh & drive S.E.O. traffic to us. Those search algorithms do look for frequency of content.

[BoneSnapDeez]

As someone who has and enjoys both the Retron 5 and RetroFreak I'd be up for writing a compare/contrast type thing, if there's any interest in that.

[jp1]

I will read any content published on the site. I don't have the time, inclination, or frankly the chops to offer any myself.

I still think it would be cool to see more "Pushed the Limits" and "Hidden Gems" those have always been favorites of mine. The last generation of consoles could conceivably be included now.

I would really love to see something that connects the innovations of retro game mechanics to current games. Easily done with ongoing IPs of course, but I'm sure there are plenty of examples of games that pull from early console inspiration.

Build a bridge from Pole Position to Forza...that kind of thing.

It would be really cool to rate how powerful or innovative each home console was in relation to the widely available consumer electronic market of the time as well, grade on a curve...if you will.

Really just throwing out the kind of stuff I would love to read, but couldn't necessarily write.

[ElkinFencer10]

As someone who has and enjoys both the Retron 5 and RetroFreak I'd be up for writing a compare/contrast type thing, if there's any interest in that.

I'd definitely be interested in that. I've got the Retron, but I've been interested in the Retro Freak for a while.

[Jagosaurus]

As someone who has and enjoys both the Retron 5 and RetroFreak I'd be up for writing a compare/contrast type thing, if there's any interest in that.

I'd definitely be interested in that. I've got the Retron, but I've been interested in the Retro Freak for a while.

I only commented a few times on the Retron 5 and Retro Freak threads but I lurked hardcore, mostly to find out the pros & cons of each. That's a great article.

Article Series Idea:
I was thinking of a good series could be:
"The State of [Insert Topic] in 2017"

For example:
- The State of the Framemeister XRGB Mini in 2017
- The State of Atari Jaguar Emulation in 2017
- The States of Sega Saturn Emulation in 2017
- The State of Jaguar Homebrew and Indie Games in 2017
- The State of Dreamcast Homebrew and Indie Games in 2017
- The State of Optical Drive Emulators (ODE) in 2017
- The State of Clone Systems in 2017

If we wanted some modern topics:
- The State of 4K Gaming in 2017
- The State of Adroid Gaming in 2017
- The State of Virtual Reality in 2017

This gives us & readers a snapshot of where each subject is today, but allows us to update with time as subjects progress. I think this would also encourage us to make said updates annually.

The State of Jaguar Homebrew and Indie Games in 2017 - Additional Details:
No one has mentioned homebrew games on retro systems yet, but the Jaguar recently had several retail worthy cartridge and CD homebrew/indie games released (thanks to Reboot, Orion, & Songbird). Also, CJ at Atari Age (Reboot team member) ported over a ton of Atari ST games to the Jaguar (work via flaschart and/or emu). Several of these also received a box & cart release. Yes, you missed out on R Type & 4 player compatible Gauntlet II Jaguar releases! That would be a fun article IMO, and it's info that needs more coverage. I could interview those devs for added insight and include images of the box/cart with gameplay screenshots.

The State of Atari Jaguar Emulation in 2017 - Additional Details:
I could write this article within a week from today. I just recently tested the entire retail cartridge library (49 games) across the 2 Jag emulators in the thread below (a bit more testing needed in older builds as well) and created a compatibility chart. Some games work in Project Tempest, but not in Virtual Jaguar & vice versa, so the chart comes in very handy.
viewtopic.php?f=27&t=51244

Everyone talks about how poor Jaguar emulation is, but it's sitting right at 73.5% compatibily between the 2 emulators with a few caveats. I think we could reel in folks searching for info about emulation on the system and post the compatibility chart as a public resource. We could combat the myth of how terrible Jag emu is and help the community. No one is covering this particular emu scene as a whole! I think it would get us site hits as folks grow more curious about obscure consoles and emulation becomes more mainstream.

Thoughts on those ideas - the series as a whole and the Jaguar homebrew & emulation articles?

[fastbilly1]

So I cant say I can help with content yet (possible large change in my personal life in the very near future), but I will say there needs to be a definitive goal for the site. In the past we were trying to be the gateway for retrogaming. But I dont think retrogaming really needs a gateway anymore since it has become pretty mainstream.

[ElkinFencer10]

So I cant say I can help with content yet (possible large change in my personal life in the very near future), but I will say there needs to be a definitive goal for the site. In the past we were trying to be the gateway for retrogaming. But I dont think retrogaming really needs a gateway anymore since it has become pretty mainstream.

Agreed. I think our new focus should be the marriage between retro and modern, a place where people can discuss the merits of both equally and have them judged in the context of their time. Not a lot of folks can talk about a retro game without judging it by modern standards or its more modern sequels.

[marurun]

There are certainly lots of taglines that can emerge from that: the intersection of gaming's past and present, for example.