/vr/ - Retro Games

The sound isnt really that bad between models, it's just people being picky.

You can pick up model 2 gennys really cheap and they are piss easy to mod for AV and s-video, so any sound differences won't even matter.

As for the "audiophile" PS1, most people use them as CD players hooked up to their expensive HIFI setups.

I just have mine running through my 5.1 Sony home theater system and it sounds great.

Model 1 and 2 Genesis are pretty identical in performance. Going with either is a matter of preference (I like Model 2, and the sound quality is just fine). Model 3 is kind of small and light, but the slot where the cartridges go is a bit wider and is able to play imported games without modifications.

>>662849
I definitely will not be modding anything, I like my hardware utterly pristine, the most I'll do is try to buff out scratches.

So for the PS1 you pretty much need a stereo system for it to matter? I don't even know what that fucking port is

The best one is the MultiMega, it has Gen and CD built into one small package. Alternatively, Nomad is best if you don't care about CD or 32X.

Or just a model 2 if you want the ideal basic model.

>>662857
What is ideal about the Model 2 over the Model 1? I sure as hell am not counting on tracking down a MultiMega.

Also there's a gleeful sort of appeal in assembling the console + CD addon

>>662849
Also it should be noted if you're interested in the 32X or CD attachments, they will not work on Model 3. Aesthetically, they tend to look better with Model 2 as well.

Model 1 is the best for sound, although it isn't bad on the Mega-Multi/CDX either. If you can find one for a decent price go for it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tiu8wDLV_9g

>>662863
There were two different Sega CD models, one is designed to match the Model 1 and one is designed to match the Model 2

They can still be mix and matched though, they just might look a little awkward

fwiw, you need the very early models of the first gen Genesis if you want to play Zany Golf and Populous. Basically the models that don't have the "Licensed by..." message on startup. I don't readily know how to pick those out on visual inspection alone.

I sometimes wonder if stores/people threw out perfectly good copies of those games because they couldn't get it to run on their later model Genesis.

>>662874
I've had half a dozen model 2 megadrives and none have sounded as bad as that.

>>662871
Holy crap, I can't believe I forgot about the other design. I haven't seen it in the local game store in years.

Get a TeraDrive.
Bonus points if you post from it.

>>662878
The earliest models have "HIGH DEFINITION GRAPHICS" on the upper edge like this

>>662874
holy fuck that's like night and day when you hear them side by side like that. I'll avoid the Model 2 then.

Don't tell me there's anything that makes the Model 2 superior for Sega CD titles...

>>662884
well, it IS a tray-loader, and anyone who owned both PS2s knows that a fliptop is often more reliable...

>>662854
wat..

You just use the RCA connectors.

>>662861
Size I guess. I dunno. They're just game systems right?

>>662906
...yeah but you won't get any better sound than a normal PS1 unless you're using that weird little midget hole there right?

>>662894
There are more than one variation of the HIGH DEFINITION GRAPHICS genesis.

>>662907
h...have you been reading the thread at all?

>>662917
shit fuck why can nothing be easy

so should I just find any Model 1 and be done with it? Specifically look for a Model 1 with the HIGH DEF label? This is why I get so confused

>>662915
why would you think that?

That hole is a DC plug, i have no idea what it is for.

>>662923
...oh. OH. Fuck. The...

Okay, now that I feel retarded, help me out and explain to me why a set of red/yellow/white cables like that is different from the AV multi out that terminates in red yellow white cables.

>>662915
I thought the fact that it was called "audiophile" meant it had a certain mod done to it.

>>662863
It is possible to use the 32x on the Model 3 Genesis, but you need to mod it
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T3IZNCaLJSw

>>662886
If only they didn't used a 286...

>>662930
Because the RCA plugs go directly from the sound chip whereas the multi out port goes through a bunch of other circuitry which effects the sound.

Also that model of PS1 uses a much better DAC, so even through the multi out it will still sound better than any other PS1.

Also what the fuck is it about the Genesis that seems to magnetically attract filth? I have NEVER seen a SNES that was particularly grody, yet every Genesis I have looked at to buy secondhand looks like pic related, like it was literally smeared in mud. What the hell? Is it just all those little grooves? Is it the shiny plastic?

>>662936
thank you!

>>662950
Might possibly have something to do with the previous owner?

>>662950
it shows up way better because it's black

>>662950

I found an okayish M1 Genesis at a pawn shop weeks back. Cleaned it up with rubbing alcohol and it looks fairly new.

>had both a Model 1 HD Genesis and an Audiophile PSX
>tfw the Genesis is in pieces, exposed to the elements on my father's deck, since about 2002
>tfw I sold the Playstation to some Mexican kid and his family for $25

/wrists

>>662989
Audiophile PSX has dropped in price by a lot. It's not as cheap as later models, but it is cheaper.

I got one recently on eBay for $23, free shipping.

>>663013
I just got one a few weeks ago for $1 at a flea market.

>>662835
your list misses the wondermega/x'eye
it wasn't made by sega, but it was sanctioned by them of course, but I think you were paying for looks on this one, since it cost me than just buying the sega cd and genesis

>>662928
No. It's called that because the audio from the unit is better than other Playstations and -- apparently -- better than many component CD players, thus audiophiles have used it in their racks. I'm a little skeptical because I can't imagine someone including a TV and the clunky CD player GUI in their audio setup just for some probably marginal quality gains.

>>663046
cost more

>>663061
I've heard of people just leaving them one continuously, leaving them at the CD Player Screen.

>>663070
on*

>>663061
>I can't imagine someone including a TV and the clunky CD player GUI in their audio setup just for some probably marginal quality gains.
you would be surprised what lengths some supposed "audiophiles" would go to
that being said, I've never seen /mu/ talk about this, so that might be a sign of how legitimate that is right there.

>>663061
And it goes without saying but unless you're planning to connect your audiophile PS1 to a stereo system for actual music listening you won't notice any improvement. You would need high quality components and a controlled listening environment to make it worthwhile.

>>663070
wouldn't that only work until you changed the cd?

Model 2 Genesis is great. Been rocking with one for two decades now. Grab the PAL adapter cartridge to play imported games.

>>663075
Heh yeah I was going to qualify that statement, but when I tried to put myself in the audiophile mindset I imagined they'd be more freaked by the idea of interference from a TV or bad resonance from the PS1's plastic casing or something.

>>663081
Why would that change anything?

It doesn't leave the screen when you open it up.

Combine it with the PS2's dvd remote(or other similar remote) and you're set to go.

>>663093
oh yeah, those are good points
personally I really like music, but I could never bring myself to think like an audiophile, that just a level of obsession (and money wasting) that I could never commit to.

I saw a "High Definition" Genesis in good condition today at a thrift shop. $30. How reasonable of a deal is that? Seemed kind of high.

>>663108
Depends on how "good" good condition is. If it was relatively free of scratches and nicks I'd throw down on it

>>663013
>>663034
Not feeling suicidal over how much money I could have made off them, but rather how poorly I treated such legendary consoles.

Just found my Wonderswan though so I'm feeling better.

>>663102
This is not news to anyone I'm sure but I saw a custom wooden volume knob in an audiophile magazine for $400. If there is any resonant quality to the wood I can't imagine it would make a difference if it was attached to the receiver or just sitting in the corner of the room.

>>663116
It looked virtually perfect, which is mainly why I noticed it. I'm torn...

>>663095
I thought that if you changed the cd with another audio cd still in it the same number of tracks would stay on the system, which would cause a problem if say, the first CD you put in had 9 songs, but the CD you wanted to listen to had 11

>>663126
Not to my knowledge. I'm pretty sure it scans for the number of tracks when the lid closes.

>>663125
Fucking buy it, it's hard to find ones that aren't scratched up.

Is it possible to do an AV mod to a top loader NES or should I just get an AV Famicom and a Famicom > NES converter?

>>663156
I don't agree with console modding but people here have actually posted their AV modded toploaders

>>663161
It's mainly so I don't have to hook it up via RF. I'm not really worried about video quality, I just have all of my retro systems hooked up to a system selector, and it'd be a pain in the ass to have to change it to Channel 3 every time I want to play NES.

>>663161
Modding a console is not like Bubba-ing a gun.The goal is to add functionality or restore locked-off or ignored capabilities of the system without changing the appearance. This isn't like putting an M4 stock on a Garand.

Also, I'm all for painting systems if the original casing is fucked to hell and back, and Retr0brite is not an option.

>>663093

>>663198
dear christ it's like the Borg got ahold of it

>>663198
Fuck man, they could've at least kept the controller ports. Or the memory card slots.

At least keep the pretense that it's a video game console.

I still have my Model 1 first run from when I was a kid, the sound is the best quality, and the headphone jack allows for easy access to stereo sound (although some might argue the optional AV jack wires are even easier on later models). And, most games didn't really use the stereo separation much if at all. The sound chip definitely was rougher in Model 2 and 3 though.

>>663156
AV Famicom is the best version of the Famicom/NES, and not very expensive, even in box. The video quality is best, AND it's a toploader without as many cartridge issues. No-brainer.

>>663254
What about the controllers? I know it used special controllers that only it used.

I'm not really a fan of the dogbone controller either.

>>663034
Yeah, I saw 3 at a swapmeet a couple weeks ago, never going for more than $10. I didn't pick up any of them because they were super dirty and I don't need another PS1/CD player.

What's a good price on a saturn and are there models to look out for?

I stopped putting up with stock AV on my consoles a long time ago.

>>662928
>>663061

That model's known as the audiophile playstation because it contains the same DSP Sony used in their super high end stereo gear at the time.

Sony had a shortage of the intended audio chips, and instead of delaying production and risking getting curb stomped by Nintendo, they used what was on hand and compatible.

>>663280
For a while, people were desoldering the DACs from those systems and selling them for $30 a pop.

As evil as those faggots who take SID chips out of C64s.

>>663259
you can use any controller with that port, including the USA ones. I don't know where you heard that but it's wrong. only the original Famicom had hardwired controllers that were difficult to replace, all others in all markets with the black ports were inter-compatible

I have a SCPH-1001. It's disc drive doesn't work though. If I replace it would it be the best possible console to use? I have 2 other big PS1 consoles, one looks fucking brand new, but is a 9001 or something, and the other one I have is the one from my childhood which is a 7500 or simular.

What do, /vr/?

>>663298
Do you want it to listen to music, or to play?

If you want it to listen to music, go ahead an attempt a repair, if you want it to play games, just play on one that works. The sound quality of the earlier models doesn't mean shit if you're playing on a 13" magnavox tv.

>>663298
You can buy the laser assembly pretty cheap on ebay, or just stand the console on it's side.

>>662924
Yeah, just get an HD model 1. You're very likely to get one with good sound.

>>663307
I use the 9001 for playing. I might end up doing what >>663309 mentioned and get a laser assembly off of ebay along with a modchip. Use my 9001 for playing regular games and the 1001 for piracy related matter. If I ever decide to try it with a stereo system I don't own many CDs anymore then I'll be set.

>>662835

>Genesis sound
>good
>ever

flat and empty 5 channels of square waves

>>663324
>Not having appreciation for FM synth
must you people make everything some kind of tribalist dickwaving contest? Go back to /v/ if you're going to play Apples to Oranges with me.

>>663324
Yeah. Yuzo Koshiro's work is notoriously the worst kind of trash!

Oh wait...
http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLCEADFEC225609B64

>>663330
>http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLCEADFEC225609B64

You're arguing composition, I'm talking about the technical aspects of Genesis sound, which is pretty fucking awful.

Composers can make a good bit of music but it'd always sound better if performed on virtually anything other than the Genesis FM synthesizer.

>>663324
>never played Thunderforce 4
Just leave.

>>663330
>>663343
2-3 good works do not mean the soundchip wasn't a piece of shit.

Besides, the actual soundchip is shit, not what came out of it.

>>663343

>composition is the exact same thing as production!

It's the chip I'm arguing that's god awful, not the compositions.

I mean the Genesis was fine for gaming I'm just saying there's no reason to try and be an autistic audiophile about which model, since they all are varying degrees of horseshit for sound.

>>663340
Composing music involves working with the technical aspects of your instrument. The hardware isn't shit, most '90s game music composers were just lazy cunts.

>>663354
It doesn't sound bad at all when utilized properly.
Look up Thunder Spirits, a port of Thunderforce 3 (technically TFAC) to the SNES. The PCM music sounds like ass compared to the FM original.

The problem is that FM synth is a bitch to compose on. Unless you were Sega or Technosoft, (or had experience working with the Yamaha chips Sega has a boner for) your music was going to sound like shit. Don't blame the tool because the user is incompetent.

>>663416
it's more like "don't barge into a thread where people are asking what version of a console has the best sound output to go IT DOESN'T MATTER CUZ THE SOUND IS ALL SHIT COMPARED TO OTHER CONSOLES like some kind of petty sperglord"

>>663416
>The problem is that FM synth is a bitch to compose on.
Not really. The issue isn't composing on an FM synth, it's designing sounds. Composing could be done equivocally FM or not. But since sound construction is a bit different it's harder and the hardness depends on your interface since with a better toolset you can construct sounds the way you want it. I'd say the most difficult thing would probably be for any form of sound morphing, FM can be touchy in when you change shit. Even small shifts in modulating can drastically change the sound. So you really need to get sit down and work out how the sounds will alter with each setting as you change it. Though most music doesn't bother with that anyway and just slaps out a standard instrument and it does the pitch changes all fine more or less. Then throw it in any form of composition you've got interacting with it. Composing for FM otherwise is identical to really working with any sequencer your comfortable with.

>>663513
Mind you when I say the hardness depends on the interface, it's usually somewhere from harder to kind of hard. It takes a considerable amount of practice or simply playing with shit to really come out with a sound you want. With PCM you can just gank samples from whatever sounds you like. FM if you want to do that you have to basically create a modulated algorithm to replicate it, and you can. It's just not easy. Theoretically, you can produce any PCM through FM modulation. But that requires either absurd skill to do easily or absurd brute force to replicate through any normal instrument configuration means.

Here's a demonstration as to just how easy it is to compose with FM Synthesis. Bam poke keys. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F3rrjQtQe5A

>>662886
But can it run Windows 8?

I have a model 2 Genesis/model 2 CD, and was thinking of getting something more sleek.

Genesis 1/model 1 CD is definitely the most badass, but have you seen how much a working model 1 CD sells for?

Makes me consider going for the CDX, which is super small. I don't have or plan on having a 32x, so is there any reason not to get one of them?

>>662835
You're right OP; Model 1's with the "HIGH DEFINITION GRAPHICS" are guaranteed to have the best sound. There are some versions without the text that also have the good sound. The model 1 Genesis to avoid is the motherboard revision VA7. It's internally identical to the model 2, which has the shitty sound. It's hard to determine what version motherboard a model 1 uses without removing the top, so if the seller doesn't mind you should do that to be sure. It's worth it, too; I've used several Genesis versions, and the sound quality is noticeably inferior in newer revisions.

>>664224
Crappiest sound of the lot

>>664224
You can use the Model 2 Sega CD on the Model 1 Genesis.

>>664258
That takes up even more space than the behemoth I currently have. Definitely the opposite of "sleek".

>>664262
Aight, just making sure you're not misinformed. I don't know about the CDX sadly. It might not be compatible with the Power Base Converter, and if you're going for sleekness and want a Master System down the line that's definitely something you want.

>>664276
Yeah, I heard that the Genesis 1 works with my cd, but my model 2 actually came with the thing, and I got it for the same price that a CD unit alone usually sells for, so I'm not complaining.

The Genesis 1, in addition to the (slightly) better sound, looks a hell of a lot cooler than the Genesis 2. But definitely not when attached to the model 2 CD.

>>662950
It's just that it's black. There are some filthy consoles out there.

>>664283
My Model 1 Mega Drive/Mega CD Model 2 combo does look like a Robot Wars reject, yes.

>>662930
In addition to what >>662936 said, if you're an audiophile/regular person with a stereo or home theater system, the ideal way to set it up is to run the audio cables to your amplifier/receiver and the yellow video cable to your TV. Since they are separate cables, it's easier to run them to different places than a single A/V out cable that has them gathered on the one end.

OP, don't bother going for a specific model, games are fine either way. Sega fans are just autistic like that. And, there are tons of different internal models; you can have MD1 that sounds like most MD2s, MD2 that sounds like MD1s, and so fucking on and on and on. Just pick one and enjoy it.

>>663513
Megadrive sound composing was done by converting MIDI to FM using pre-selected instruments in the sound driver. That's why 99% of MD games sounded like ass. A handful few composers went ahead and created their own instruments on the chip, and those almost always ended up sounding kickass (Streets of Rage 2, Vectorman, Comix Zone, Thunderforce, Alisia Dragoon, Ranger X, etc).

>>662950
It shows up much more because it's so dark.

That said; for whatever reason, most people I knew who had a Sega Genesis were poor as shit and lived in sort of trashy homes, so everything they owned was dirty as fuck.

>>662905
Slim ps2s are so fragile. Besides the laser and the extra noise the fat is worth the investment

>>666224
I've had my slim since 2005, and it works perfectly. I basically only use it for PS1 games though, I haven't played a ps2 game since about the time I bought it.

I went through 2 fats before getting it, meaning they lasted about 2 years before breaking.

>>664519

the genesis was for adhd arcade gamers and ea fans

>>664519
>That said; for whatever reason, most people I knew who had a Sega Genesis were poor as shit and lived in sort of trashy homes, so everything they owned was dirty as fuck.
this so fucking much.

What is it about the genesis that attracts tweakers and lowlives?

If I'm not mistaken, the model 1 genesis only has mono sound