/vr/ - Retro Games

>>1418569
Why did they call the American MegaDrive "Retardis"? Because NoA and SoA were staffed by American businessmen, that's why.

I don't play game consoles to stare at them, who cares?

It looks like some Transformers prototype head

Britfag here. I actually don't mind it. Let's be honest, how often do we look at the console we're playing on?

I dunno, I kinda like it, and I say that as a person from a PAL region.

>>1418601
It's not the ugliness of the console, it's the reason why. It's bugging me. We know the sky is blue, but WHY is it blue? We may never know.

we got jipped

>>1418625

It's blue because of the way the atmosphere scatters li- oh, you're being funny.

>>1418625
Because Nintendo of America thought it was a better idea to have a design that used straight lines instead of curves. This is mainly because the western NES sold so well.

>>1418569
after the vidya market crash and them having to create an ugly as VCR looking thing called the NES maybe they didnt think the americans were ready for a sexy sleek console yet

>>1418639

I don't think it sold because of the way it looked...

>>1418640
No but because it sold well they thought it was better to have a design for the SNES that was in keeping with it. Brand identity

>>1418639
For some reason I think there's much more than just the lack of curves. The entire Super Nintendo has a lot of things they obviously went out of their way for. The cartridge part is indented up, the bottom is full of ripples, there's protrusions and the-opposite-of-protrusions everywhere.

I mean they really could have just made a flat, box-like Famicom.

And that doesn't even explain the purple everywhere.

>>1418643

I can see their reasoning but it just seems unfounded to me. I don't know how much of a brand association a grey box has with Nintendo, though I suppose it may have had some back in the day as the only Nintendo product people had exposure to was in fact a grey box.

>>1418643
I'm not sure what the American NES and the SNES have in common other than making me puke a little in my mouth.

>>1418647
They must have gone to the design team and said "do what you want, as long as the overall design is straight instead of curved". My guess is that the NA version's design was rushed.

Why doesn't the controller have those bright colored buttons like PAL snes has?

>>1418653
Yeah, most westerners didn't even know what a Famicom looked like back then

Is this all Atari 2600's fault? The SNES and Atari share some thang now that I think about it.

>implying the us snes wasn't the best console

>>1418708
>muh feelings tell me one is better

>>1418601
Pretty much this.

>>1418712
>implying this argument isn't 100% subjective to begin with
unless you have some kind of objective proof that the us snes isn't the best console?

>>1418776
Objective proof: It's the same console with the same graphics, faggot.

>>1418619
We'll mine is right under the TV so I have to stare at it a lot.

The OP's question is "why is it ugly" not "how is it so ugly"

>>1418639
in their demented mind they were region locking the console.

>>1418805
We're talking designs though, not performance

>>1418852
Do you know why America needed a redesign?

>>1418853

The first design wasn't free enough.

I like it better. L

Its all marketing faggotry. Just like when they made the nes a front load because they didn't want it to look like a "game system" since the third party Atari stuff nearly crashed the market. So they made it look like a VHS player.

>>1418853

Because ain't no faggy curved and colored console going under my freedom screen!

USA! USA! USA!

>>1418672
Essentially. The NES idea as a VCR was basically done because of the crash.

>>1418569

I like the way it looks. It's not blatantly boxy and VCR-like as the NES; it has some elegance to it. It's somewhat clumsy-looking, yes, but to my eye it's more interesting than the curvy rectangle look the Super Famicom has. I've never seen a Super Famicom in person; maybe I'd feel differently if I did. But that console looks like an ordinary, boring toy to me. It looks nice enough, but I still like the SNES better.

on the subject, are these things rare/valuable at all?

>>1419024
It's just a second redesign, people might claim it as rare due many people only really knowing about the initial design. Suppose it'd be like if people claimed the redesigned PS1 was rare.

>>1419028

Well, if less were made and sold, then it's rarer. No?

>>1419024
they're not "rare" pre-se, but they aren't quite as common as the original SNES and they usually go for $10-$20 more

>>1418569
This looks like an American muscle car from the 70s.
>>1418627
This looks like a honda civic.

I guess it all depends on how much of a faggot you are.

>>1418569
The American console looks better than the euro one. The color scheme is just worse.

>>1418569
Why do Americans drive their SUV to the end of the driveway to check their mail?
There are some questions we will never know the answers to

>>1419107

>>1418569
This looks like a taurus from the 90s

>>1418627
This looks like an Aston Martin.

See how easy shitposting is? You don't need to bother, we could do it too if we'd actually want to.

>Colorful American SNES looks uglier than ugly cinderblock PAL SNES
Huuh yeah I guess that's the reason the American SNES looks like a frowny face when you turn it upside down and not the ugly cinderblock PAL models

I think the US SNES looks much better. I love straight lines in design though. The purple has grown on me too.

>>1419625
Some of us have long driveways, bro.
I use my subaru.

Why do people think the NES looks like a VCR? I know it was designed to be front loading like a VCR but the similarities end there. Every VCR I have ever seen is black and if they arent black its usually silver. The NES has its own unique design and I never thought it looked like my VHS player when I was a kid

>>1418573
Mega Drive is an incredibly generic name, as is Mega-CD.

>>1418569
They wanted to make it as big as Genesis so it looked as powerful. It doesn't make much sense, but then again, neither does video game marketing.

>>1419024
IIRC they don't work with RGB SCART. The first runs were cheaper anyway, so I got one of those.

>>1419868
>I know it was designed to be front loading like a VCR but the similarities end there.

The NES is also huge like a VCR, and you can stack it with the rest of your TV appliances.

Why do muricans call their system the Genesis? Were they really selling these in churches?

I like the SNES more than the Super Famicom.
come at me.

Also, flip up headlights are the sexiest thing you can put on a car.

>>1419868
>has never seen a top loading VCR
I wish more consoles were front loading, it makes it easier for me to get them around my TV.
10 front loaders would be far better than the 2 front and 8 flip-top/top loading consoles I've got now. less shelves.

I got a US redesign after selling my original SNES long ago.

It looks/sounds fine but I don't like that it doesn't have a power light, and ultimately I like the original design better. I don't see what's so ugly about it.

>>1419981
Genesis has more meaning than a Book of the Bible. Also they were probably going for "Sounds cool"

>>1420035
wat? Ive seen em all even betamax players. I still think the NES looks unique.

>>1419709
My inner /k/ disagrees with what I'm about to say, but the Taurus is better.

>>1419868
The glossy black band across the front of the NES is clearly designed to resemble the IR sensor on a VCR.

>>1420072
or maybe they just wanted it to seem racially diverse?
white when you buy it, with small amounts of black, yellow when it gets older, and brown if you smoke alot.

>>1420080
And when you want to appropriate a cartridge from another culture into your system, the privilege-checking tabs prevent you from raping the poor game.

>>1420285
But only if you're uncut.

>>1419965
They can be modded for RGB relatively easily, and tend to have a better picture than the older models.

>>1418569
American are scared of the bright colours on the controller thinking it would make them gay

>>1418569
No idea, mate.

>>1420575
First one looks like a cheap Toys-R-Us one-off TV game with permanently attached composite video.

Second one looks like a sturdy gigantic BBC I can ram up my ass and it would still work.

>>1418619
Uh.. Every morning? I just stare at them in awe for a few minutes. What? You don't do that?

>>1418569
The American Super Nintendo redesign was not that good, but the console inside was pretty much the same.
I think the worst offender in this case was the NES.
I mean, look at it. Compared to the famicom it looks horrible.
Also, they removed the awesome controller trays and added a terrible and useless cartridge tray that breaks easily and ruins the pins.

>>1420728
Only my two cents but.. it looks more like the VCRs/products adults where buying at the time. Bricks. They where selling it as a, entertainment system. Which might have helped maybe a handful of parents get tricked into buying it with ROB.

Kind of how Xbox is trying to repackage itself as a "all in one system" as a selling point now that it is possible.

>>1420753
Yeah, that's what they were trying to do. Some people back then even called the nes carts "tapes", imagine that.

>>1420728
The NES was Nintendo's biggest marketing troll.

I mean think about it, if it wasn't for Nintendo trolling Americans, they wouldn't nearly be as popular today.

>>1421027
Even more proof that people don't know what they really want.

>>1418641
>NES
>ugly

kek

>>1421027
What a waste of space.

Famicom master race.

>>1419981
SoA was going to originally name it the Tomahawk

>>1421071
Famicom carts are so much more efficient and appealing than NES carts it's ridiculous.

>>1421129
SoJ actually*

>>1418840
Sort of, yes. The cartridges were made to be a different shape, and then the system didn't look right with a straight-lined cartridge, so they remade it to look better with the new carts.

>>1418569
>>1420575
>>1420728
>>1421027
What the fuck, America?

>>1420728
The NES redesign reminds me of my old Betamax top-loader.

NES and SNES carts are so much better than Famicom and Super Famicom carts for one reason; end labels.

>>1421176

collector here; this x1000

>>1421180

>>1421180
>collector
>loose
yeah, sure.

>>1420728
are there people that seriously think that gaudy ass console japan had looks better than the us one? i mean come on the thing looks like a chinese bootleg

>>1421182

I collect to play, not to fill up shelves. That said I have a decent number of boxed games.

>>1421182
not that guy, but i'm in the middle of making cases for my games, so i have the display benefits of a box plus i can play my games. i'm working on getting manuals too

>>1421182
>>collector
>>loose
>yeah, sure.
hahaha you're the one spending retarded prices on cardboard and paper.

rather play games not hoard shit thanks, enjoy your useless shit anon, I bet it was pricey.

>>1421183
Considering how everything in America is made in China, I'm not surprised that Americans are conscious about things looking like Chinese bootlegs.

>buy flash cart
>feel urge to sell collection
>sell collection
>/vr/ is now created on 4chan

>>1421254
no, the famicom seriously looks like some right out of a chinese/BR bootleg thread on /v/. i don't get how anyone can think it looks better than anything

>>1418573
Same reason Rockman is Mega Man outside of Japan. Already existing copyright.

>>1421275
As I said, I'm not surprised that Made In China is ingrained in American culture. I personally don't exactly know what a "Chinese bootleg" looks like, but the Famicom looks pretty nice in my opinion.

>>1421278
Wait a sec. I'm not keen on this subject.

Do I understand right if I say that they couldn't name Rockman Rockman outside of Japan because of copyright reasons?
Why did it work for other franchises?
Couldn't they have been so butthurt that neither Rockman or MegaMan could be used outside of Japan/US? Like in Europe (probably works because of the ties to the US), or S. America, Russia, other parts of SEA and Africa

>>1421279
it's not ingrained in American culture. bootleg consoles are really cheaply made consoles, like pic related. the famicom looks like one

>>1421307
Well yes that's because many of them are based on the Famicom.

>>1421289
Something existed outside of Japan that was called a rockman, and capcopm would have had to pay a royalty to them if it was sold outside of japan.
Likewise, something existed in the US that was allready named the megadrive (my guess is a computer peripheral) so they had to rename it.
>Why did it work for other franchises?
because nothing existed outside of that country that had the same name.

lets say that I run a company that makes toilets, and I want to sell my toilets in britbongistan. However, the britbongs have a type of blender that's named "toilet", so now I have to pay a royalty to that blender company every time I sell a toilet over there. Unless I change the name to Dookiebowl. Now I dont have to pay the shit blender company anything.
However no one outside the US has something named and copyrighted as "toilet", so I can just sell my product as is there.

>>1421338
Ah ok, didn't knew there was already something avalable with the same name. Thought is was just some moneygrabbing bullshit.

>>1421331
it's pretty sad when the original looks no better than the cheap copies

>>1421186
my thoughts exactly, i dont think its reasonable to pay a lot of money for a cardboard box, when you play the games, I collect mostly snes and i only buy for the game and the handbook,
besides I hardly find boxed games at my local fleamarkets

>>1418573

>Not calling it the Sega Genesis.

>Calling it the SAYGER MAYGER DROIFF!

I think we came out on the winning end.

>>1420728
Sorry but the famicom looks extremely dated, like right out of the 70s. It also looks cheap, fragile, and is hard to distinguish from the other garbage consoles that had saturated the market.

>>1421213
Not him but boxed Super Famicom games are relatively cheap, easier to find online than jsut a cartridge sometimes and the boxes are really, really pretty most of the time.

>>1421176
Famicom carts are better in my opinion because you can easily store them in cassette tape towers. I have two plastic ones that barely take up any space and combined can hold 200 games total.

Yeah, the lack of end labels is a pain, but I guess it isn't too hard to make some cheap ones and stick them on.

Aren't any of you kids on here actually old enough to remember the stated real reason for the Super Nintendo's design? They had an article on it in Nintendo Power. It's shaped that way so people can't fit a standard size drink (soda can, coffee mug, etc.) anywhere on it. Many morons had ruined their NESs by setting drinks on them, just to spill said drinks. Lance Barr came up with this design for the SNES in an attempt to prevent that from happening again; it was documented common knowledge back in the day. He also listed the Famicom as too "soft" looking, as his seconday reason.

>>1421731
obviously setting drinks on any console is fucking stupid and anyone who does it should be ashamed, but how do you spill something that's set on an NES to the point where the liquid gets into the system and ruins it? wouldn't the shit just cover the outside?

>>1421830
the bumpy bits on the right are a vent. spill something ontop and it'll leak through that.

>>1421071
>>1421027
The NES cartridge was huge so that they'd have room to add all sorts of additional hardware (save batteries, memory mappers, maybe even a coprocessor). It's difficult to find pictures, but by 1990 the boards in most new carts took up pretty much the whole space.

its only ugly because of the weird grey and purple color scheme. would've looked cooler with black instead of grey or something

>>1421679
>putting stickers on your games
please tell me you're kidding

>>1421731
Americans are fucking idiots.

>>1421731
that's stupid i still fit drinks on it

>>1421961
>generalizing this hard

>>1421961
We're still as smart as Japan, it's just spread out more thinly, due to the size of our country.

>>1420710
This guy gets is.
Years of murican TV ads have trained him to want big things to compensate for his small penis.

>>1421182
>collector
He was referring to the dust collector he built out of loose carts.

>>1421278
>Already existing copyright
Your knowledge of history and law and as good as your knowledge of English.

>>1421289
He's bullshitting. Just ignore.

>>1421338
Please stop bullshitting

>>1421307
That literally just looks like a first-model Playstation with Pokemon Yellow jammed in.

>>1421731
> the stated real reason for the Super Nintendo's design?
>It's shaped that way so people can't fit a standard size drink (soda can, coffee mug, etc.) anywhere on it.

Look at this: >>1418569 You could easily put two drinks below the buttons, and another two drinks on the huge, flat back of the machine.

Now look at this: >>1418627 Anywhere you put a drink would slide off due to the curves.

Of course, this makes the American console superior because I can put a total of 4 of my drinks on it, while the Japanese console has no such feature. I couldn't even put one drink on it. What if I wanted to drink a nice Cola while playing some Super Nintendo? I'd need to put it on the American system.

>>1419981
The name "Mega Drive" was already being used in the U.S. by a completely different company that specialized in PC accessories, IIRC.
It's not odd to see a product go by different names in other countries. Starfox was originally released in Europe as "Lylat Wars" because a shitty Atari 2600 game still held the copyright to the name "Star Fox" well into the N64 era.

>>1420728
Compared to the famicom it looks amazing.
The famicom looks like shit. Worse is that the controllers were hardwired on the famicom and the placement of the wires on the controllers holy fucking stupid.
They made that shit look amazing when they brought it over here.

>>1421071
>>1421027
I will give them. Tiny carts would have been great for space saving.

>>1421894
That's a load of shit, Famicom cartridges were smaller, and the most intensive games were for the Famicom.

>>1421894
I think the only Nintendo PCBs that would take up most of an NES cart are some dev boards.

>>1424948
That and those early NES carts that contained a pin converter in the cart.

>>1419981
The "Genesis" fits with the retro-future chic look the model 1 had going for it.

it also helps that naming your console "Genesis" is a really fucking cool thing to do. Sega always had really badass names for their consoles. The GENESIS, the SATURN, the DREAMCAST. Great names.

The NES's name had the cool industrial thing going on. you were getting the big and blocky NINTENDO ENTERTAINMENT SYSTEM.

Someone mentioned a muscle car in this thread, and that applies to the US SNES design - big blocky, and aggressive. It very much fit the mindset of what was "cool" and "manly" in America at the time. While I like the Super Famicom, I have a lot of nostalgic admiration for the SNES. However I'd probably look for the SNS-101 if I were to buy a new one these days, because I like that model's sleek design as well.

>>1420728
>could fit famicom inside a bag
>NES requires crane lift

>>1426090
Are you saying that if you put a NES in a bag it takes a crane to get it out?

>>1421894
I have difficulty believing this. Electronics generally get smaller over time. Early Famicom games were big Hershey-bar chips taking up the whole cartridge. By the late 90s, typical Taiwanese pirate carts were just blob-tops on tiny little boards.

>>1419981
No, but there were concerns that the Altered Beast pack-in would put off religious people. When Kalinske took over, he dropped it as soon as Sonic was available.

>>1418569
Back in 1991, I would've agreed with you. The JP/EU version did look better by 1991 standards. However, the NA version seems to have aged much better over the years.
The JP/EU's color scheme (mostly light gray with a medium gray top and a dark gray cartridge slot and power/reset switches), combined with the rounded edges/corners, looks VERY dated now compared to the NA version.
The NA version has a more monochromatic color scheme (most of the console is light gray except for the dark gray eject button and the purple power/reset switches) and features a cleaner, more "squared off" appearance, which is more in line with styling trends today.
I'd still prefer the A/B/X/Y buttons to have their own individual color like on the JP/EU version, though...

>>1419981
1. "Mega Drive" was already copyrighted in the US, so Sega had to re-name it to something else.
2. "Genesis" was SUPPOSEDLY chosen to reflect a new beginning for Sega, after the failure of their previous consoles in the US (I'm not certain on that, though)
3. No, they were NOT selling them in churches; nobody would've bought one from a church anyway. The original pack-in game was Altered Beast, after all!
4. "Sega Genesis" rolls off the tongue more easily than "Sega Mega Drive". Ditto with "Sega CD" vs "Sega Mega CD".
5. "Genesis" sounds much more badass than "Mega Drive". "Mega Drive" sounds cheesy at best; at worst, it sounds like something that might be used in a gay porno.

>>1420575
OMFG I can't believe I forgot the PC-Engine vs the Turbografx-16! NEC made the US version twice as wide b/c they were afraid that the tiny size of their console wouldn't be taken seriously in their stereotypical "bigger=better" view of the US.
Of course, they didn't use ANY of that extra space to throw in additional controller ports, which was an issue since the PC-E/TG-16 only had ONE controller port! On top of that, they changed the design of the expansion port, which necessitated that super-ugly cover to hide it!
While I admit the JP version looks more toy-like, it's still far prettier than the US version, which one THE UGLIEST consoles ever made IMO.

>>1420710
I'm usually not the best at spotting trolls, but holy shit, your trolling so painfully obvious that it's downright comical. I'm an American, and even I and most other Americans agree that the US TG-16 looks like dogshit compared to the JP PC-E.
As further proof that you're trolling:
1. The US version also has what you believe is "permanently attached composite video", but on the opposite side (See pic).
2. That is NOT a composite video output. It's an RF output, just like the ones found on the back of the NES and SNES.

>>1427036
Yeah. You couldn't even get composite unless you bought the Turbo Booster add-on or the CD add-on.

>>1427043
>Not building your own composite A/V cable for $1
>Not building your own composite A/V+RGB cable for $1.5

>>1427043
And the Turbo Booster made the TG-16 even MORE hideous, which is hard to believe unless you've seen a pic (attached)

>>1427127
I still can't believe how expensive those are. You may as well just get a PC Engine Duo if you're going to spend $100+ on a composite adaptor for the TG-16.

>>1427131
Or do what >>1427124 suggested...

>>1427124
I'm referring to options available at retail

>>1424992
I'd say the original US Saturn looks like a muscle car too.

>>1427131
I think I've told this story before but...
>Go to retro store
>Buy TG16
>Kinda dirty, ask for another one
>Guy comes out with one
>Has Booster attached
>Didn't even have to pay extra for it

>>1427036
you forgot to take your autism meds dude

>>1427193
What the hell makes you think I have Autism?

>>1421674
This. Most SFC games you get boxed for less than NA carts. It's almost kind of hilarious, I've practically stopped buying NA SNES completley because of the prices.

>>1427169
The TG hasn't retailed for a long time so what exactly are you referring to then? All the parts to make the cables are still available retail.

>>1418659
Now this I don't understand. If you open up the controller, it literally documents in the molding which buttons go where, and right fucking next to the "GRAY" and "PURPLE" buttons, are the names of the PAL button placements. They purposely made this shit ugly. Why

American SNES looks better, and purple was fucking cool in the 90's. I submit donatello of the ninja turtles.

>Purple Rules

The Genesis sounds way better than the MEGA DRIVE. Mega drive sounds fucking lame. Of course europeons just eat that shit up. Genesis : The beginning

>>1427373
I dabble in YJA bidding sometimes and it amazes me the things I bid on there for relatively low prices that almost no other bidders give a shit about, while had they been on ebay there would have almost certainly been a small bidding war and they would likely have sold for twice as much.

I just hope that Storage Wars types are never in a position to easily use Japanese auction sites. I find it kinda funny because I seem to recall that a decade ago Japanese games were the thing to go for for collectors (maybe that is just my own bias coloring my memory) but now a grime cart only copy of Megaman 7 is worth like $100 while a good condition complete Rockman 7 is worth a fraction of that, despite being the original version and having the better box art.

Whenever I see the American SNES, I laugh and think about these.

>>1427778
Nostalgic candy time? or just poor people candy in general

>>1427882
why the fuck are those rockets called smarties

>>1427897
forgot pic of real smarties

>>1427897
why the fuck are your smarties called rockets

>>1418569
muh unique

>>1420575
I actually like the look of the TG-16 better than the PC engine. It looks nicer next to a Genesis, plus when you start strapping on the add-ons the Turbographix looks much more consistent. All-black console and accessories means no yellowing (which seems to be very common and severe for PC engine stuff), and you'll never have mismatching colors. Pic related.

>>1427036
I think he meant that it looked like the kind of small, cheap "console" that had the AV cables permanently hanging out the back end, like those joysticks that play pacman, not that it actually had them attached.

Since your response implied you got buttmad before actually comprehending the post, people will call you autistic.

>>1430089
As you can see from the pic you posted PCE stuff was available in grey that doesn't yellow much. Purposely choosing a setup with miss matched colors is a sad desperate attempt to prove a problem that doesn't really exist can be created if you try hard enough. Also if you don't know how to whiten a console by now that's also very sad.

>>1427036 is so autistic for not knowing what you think >>1420710 was trying to imply. lol lelele

>>1427778

Are you me?

>>1430894
So now providing examples to back up my statements is sad and desperate? You are correct, I specifically chose an image that had the maximum amount of mismatch to illustrate what such a setup could look like, because I thought we were having a debate, or at least a discussion of opinions.

In any case, while it's true that there were different colors of PC engine consoles, this was before the time when you could get your consoles in a variety of colors. If you want gray, you need a Coregrafx II like in you picture. Any given PC Engine module was only produced in one color. If you have the dark gray original coregrafx, and you want to attach a CD module,you've just got to suck it up, because your only options are white or light gray.

>>1431529
>sad and desperate
Yeah, basically. It's not hard to find pictures of consoles with mismatched accessories. That doesn't mean you have to do it only that it's an option if you want to. Pretending that having a choice of colors is a bad thing certainly isn't happy and satisfied. Of course you're entitled to have the opinion that it's a bad thing but don't be surprised when people think you're a bit weird for having an opinion like that.

>>1421027
Too bad they can't do it now with the Wii U

I find the US SNES much better looking and I prefer the purple buttons, more uniform.