/vr/ - Retro Games

[Anonymous No.4660627]

How do you guys justify the price of physical carts, a high end CRT, and systems when there's emulation for pretty much every system on every system? I mean, it just sounds like it's all for bragging rights to actually own anything physically, or at least done out of nostalgia. With filters and USB replica controllers, what's the point?

[Anonymous No.4660635]

>>4660627
I don't, the only retro vidya I own is my childhood collection, everything else is emulated.

[Anonymous No.4660639]

First of all, there is no justification for true collectorfags. People that have this compulsive need to buy hundreds of games that they'll never play just for the sake of collecting are mentally ill. However, there is a fine line between this and buying games to enjoy them.

Now for me, I buy games to enjoy them. I have a few different consoles and whatnot, but when I buy a new game, it's something that I really want to play and intend on squeezing life out of. As a gainfully employed adult, I like to occasionally buy myself a new game to enjoy and really relish it. For me, that's justification enough.

Now, in terms of how this relates to emulation... first of all, anyone telling you that they don't emulate because of glitches, input lag, etc., is probably lying. I can't speak for everyone, but personally, I just like owning the physical media. I enjoy traveling to different places and finding cool game stores and coming home with a new game just as much as I enjoy playing it. Emulation lets me play the game, but it doesn't let me enjoy the process of acquiring it. With that said, emulation DOES have problems. There are a lot of console with shit-tier emulation (e.g. N64) that don't do the games justice, as well as previous mentioned issues like input lag and visual problems which are nearly unavoidable. By and large though, I just like the authentic experience and everything that comes with it.

If you like to emulate, more power to you. I just like having nifty little pieces of history than I fool around with. It's a fun hobby and it really shouldn't impact your wallet in any significant way if you aren't compulsive about it. Just play what you enjoy, how you enjoy.

[Anonymous No.4660641]

>>4660639
>thinking anyone will read that

[Anonymous No.4660645]

>>4660641
This isn't /v/, once in awhile you can actually have a discussion here.

[Anonymous No.4660650]

Nostalgia, enjoying the feeling of buying physical media, carrying on with what we're just used to, the autistic satisfaction of collecting stuff, the fact that some games and some systems are poorly emulated, if at all. Could be a lot of things.
Personally I just enjoy having physical copies of the games I really like and emulate the rest, and real hardware with a CRT is what I'm comfortable with.
Also "replica" USB controllers are usually never as good as the real thing and thinking that you need a high end CRT to enjoy retro games is a meme.

[Anonymous No.4660651]

>>4660641
I read it it, here's a TL;DR for you:
>true collectorfags are dumb because owning things to own them is dumb
>it's fine to drop cash on an expensive game if you plan on playing it
>there's no good reason not to emulate, even though emulation isn't perfect, esp with certain consoles (N64)
>some people just like owning physical media but hoarding is silly

[Anonymous No.4660656]

>>4660627
I do both. I used to think emulation was the best, but i love having the consoles and games. Its the feeling of puting a cart into a gb/snes/genesis/etc... I like to look at my games/cases and read through my manuals when im about to play a game again. I like the sound loose carts make while searching through a box. Its the old save file you never erase and every once in a while you load it up. It is nostalgia (partially), but alot of my collection is consoles and i never owned as a kid. Personally i love playing gb/gbc/gba games in bed with my sp ( i never had an sp as a kid, they are pretty nice).

[Anonymous No.4660658]

>>4660651
Elegant.

[Anonymous No.4660694]

>>4660627
>the price of physical carts
I used to pay $60 for these games brand new. Now I pay $100 for a flashcart that covers 95-100% of the library, or $5-30 for a modchip and whatever I feel like spending on blank CDs.
>a high end CRT
Some people must have the best video they possibly can, and have the money to spare on it. I'm happy with my $10 29-inch with S-video.
>and systems
Unless you are trying to get a Neo Geo, Jaguar, or something else niche like that, you can get Genesis, PS1, and most of the Game Boy line for $20-25, and most other major consoles from the 2600 up for less than $50. NES and SNES were getting stupid thanks to the e-celebs, but the NES and SNES classic seems to have had an effect on prices. NES's are currently $40, and the SNES is actually at $40 as well if you look past the CIB's listed under "loose (sold)" on VGPC.

And of course, byuu explains latency better than anyone. https://byuu.org/articles/latency/

[Anonymous No.4660706]

>>4660694

Where are you finding $40 NES systems?

[Anonymous No.4660721]

>>4660706
On Ebay. Pic related. Don't fall for the buy-it-now scheme, go auction and be patient.

[Anonymous No.4660732]

>>4660627

Nostalgia for me. I hate CRTs though and just play everything on a giant HDTV with a scaler.

[Anonymous No.4660747]

>>4660627
autism

[Anonymous No.4660752]

>>4660721

Damn what a steal

[Anonymous No.4660786]

Try posing this question to vinyl record collectors and watch them fucking hate you

I have difficulty with this conundrum myself though. I would probably still want to collect CRTs and cool old electronics in general if I was one of those stunted individuals who won't play videogames, this actually makes them a whole fuckton more useful and justifiable. There's also the aspect of fulfilling childhood dreams, I don't own a Saturn but when I do eventually buy one I'll enjoy that nostalgia. I'm fucking the only one who's ever thought this specifically I'm sure but I remember one time I looked at my cigarette lighter and thought back to childhood, when some kid found an empty one on the playground and we all gathered around and it was the biggest deal ever, now I'm an adult and can just go buy one, it's one of those weird things that makes you feel good, puts your age and life in perspective, you can recapture some of that magic you felt as a kid while simultaneously appreciating (thanking heaven above really) that you're now a grown up and can do and posses whatever you want.

Normal people aren't inspired this way by such simple things as a lighter so they buy consoles and games they always wanted. This probably operates with CRTs too, like as a kid you imagine "one day I'm gonna have a GIANT TV" and a new flat panel as nice as they are doesn't quite satisfy the vision you created back when you were sitting in school daydreaming or saw a mega-fucker 90s set up in a magazine back then or visited your dad's rich friend or whatever. So often people talk about feelings like this as if they're something to be suppressed or some kind of mental flaw but that's horrible imo, plenty of other hobbies are quite backwards looking as well and frankly a whole lot more obnoxious and expensive than having some old videogames.

[Anonymous No.4661109]

you don't need a high end crt just a regular one is fine and there are hundreds of retro games you can get real cheap such as complete ps1 games but also good cartridge games like sonic, i would only pay a lot for an old game if it had some personal importance to me

[Anonymous No.4661119]

Having owned that shit since it came out, or when people didn't give a shit about old games and prices were rather cheap (early 2000s)

[Anonymous No.4661123]

>>4660627
because we are gaming hobbyists, we enjoy it. the artwork, the craftsmanship, the creators, the production. jesus christ man, I don't give a fuck if you emulate I really don't but I've grown to HATE the vocal minority of people that can't stop bringing up this topic.
I've heard it all before, I don't care if you don't think it's harmful to emulate, I don't care if it is. it's a personal choice to support the industry or to not support it. that's all, it's my choice.
also don't worry about what I have in my wallet and what I choose to spend it on.

[Anonymous No.4661125]

>>4660786
>one time I looked at my cigarette lighter and thought back to childhood
You're not the only one
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dz4giR9Ru10
Nostalgia and childhood memories aren't a bad thing, if anything it means you have good memory, and aren't traumatized by the past. I know some people who blocked their whole childhood memories, that's just sad.

[Anonymous No.4661128]

MUH INPUT LAG!!!!!

How can you ever 100% Parappa the Rapper on Retropie, huh? Fucking morons.

[Anonymous No.4661161]

I'm a poor fag and a minimalist, however one of the few things I own is my vidya game collection.
I just like looking at and owning my own games. It's a fun hobby and not really expensive since my favorite systems are Sega and Sony.

[Anonymous No.4661168]

>>4660627
What business is it of yours?
If emulation works for you, then emulate.

[Anonymous No.4661171]

>>4660651

Doing God's work

[Anonymous No.4662553]

>>4660627
I don't.
>Never pay more than $20 for a video game.

[Anonymous No.4662692]

Because I already bought all these things in the 90s you dingus

[Anonymous No.4662716]

>>4660627
The real thing is better. No input lag, filters don't look as good as a real crt.

[Anonymous No.4662727]

>>4660627
>not playing emulators with your wii on a crt tv
>not playing nba showtime on nbc with friends
>Not watching some Space Ghost from coast to coast on a crt.

Pc is not the same thing, you have all the distractions to avoid retrogames.
You have social media to chat with qt's, music, 4chan and youtube. Is not the same feel.

[Anonymous No.4662768]

>>4660641
typical sam hyde fan

[Anonymous No.4662779]

Emulation vs. real hardware/media is a false dilemma. It's not either/or. You can enjoy both.

Now for the question of "why" spend the time and money on real hardware and games that are considerably more expensive and inconvenient (in terms of taking up space) instead of just emulate (even if that emulation was theoretically perfect)? Why do book collectors pay premiums for first editions while the "emulated" reprint isn't desirable? Because the former has a living history, actually being from the time period in question, the latter does not. It might also have aesthetic elements (leather bound, illustrations, etc) the latter does not, just like a videogame cartridge has aesthetic elements an emulated file does not.

Now this line of thinking surely aggravates "gameplay purists." Who cares about all that shit? It should just be about the gameplay! Again, this is simplistic black/white thinking. It's not a zero sum affair. Appreciating the history, technology, and design of consoles and games doesn't detract from enjoying the final product (the game on the screen) on its own terms. It's not like "collectorfags" would suddenly stop playing videogames if every physical console and game in existence spontaneously combusted, and emulation was now the only choice. But since the option to recreate that historical experience still exists and is reasonably accessible and affordable, gamers who are also interested in the aforementioned historical elements of gaming have any easy choice. That said, some games are prohibitively expensive and inconvenient to collect (Neo Geo AES's library, arcade machines) for most people, so emulation is the most reasonable option.

I personally think real hardware is a superior experience, but that's because I am interested in the history, etc. Some gamers aren't. And that's fine.

[Anonymous No.4662787]

>>4662779
Solid explanation my friend. I do feel though that you can still love the history of video games while preferring emulation. I spend a good amount of time researching games and learn facts about the production history and even in game exploitation.

Personally I don't really enjoy owning things. I like to live with the bare minimum and do all my archiving and media consumption through my laptop. I think it, like you mentioned, all boils down to lifestyle and personal preference.

[Anonymous No.4662795]

because the jews will kill the internet and control your computers but they cant kill a good ol crt and physical

[Anonymous No.4662827]

>>4660627
It's like classic cars. Newer cars, for the most part, run better, can go faster, and are easier to use, but the enjoyment of fixing up or even just driving an old car is nice. While I see emulation as an entirely positive thing, I honestly don't see it as a replacement for the real thing.

[Anonymous No.4662848]

>>4660627
Sony Trinitron cost me $10 at goodwill

Physical carts I collected from thrift stores back when they were cheap, what I don't have is suplemented with Flash Cartridges

I have a Nespi for emulation but I don't really use it as I don't have to.

[Anonymous No.4662852]

>>4662787
>I do feel though that you can still love the history of video games while preferring emulation.

Of course. What I meant by "living history" is that the object actually occupied a real physical space in a certain time period. It sat on a store shelf, then someone bought it (who I wonder? Did they beat the game? Enjoy the game?), and eventually "lived" long enough to see the current time period, so it's worth continuing to preserve. This is why antique collectors like patina. It suggests the object has a story to tell. You can say the physical cartridge/console itself is the "patina" of the game code and microchips.

[Anonymous No.4662858]

Purely for speedrunning. If you speedrun in any serious capacity and go for records or top times, on most cases you must play on original hardware. Having a CRT (no input lag) helps a lot with precise movement too. And they're dirt cheap, mine was 5 bucks from a yard sale.

[Anonymous No.4662894]

>>4660627
How do you justify having sex when there's porn?