A\V Rabbithole

[Herschie]

I can't be the only one here who's been down this avenue before. Oh, the game doesn't look quite right, let me pay $400 for a Framemeister from Japan. Well, maybe I need a CRT. Ok, now I need a bigger CRT. Hey, this one doesn't have component! Ok, now this one does, but it needs new capacitors! Well, the geometry still isn't quite right! Oh look, a SCART adapter for my Framemeister! Gee whiz, I can't get those scanlines to look quite right. Now I need a component switchbox. Darn it, now I need one with more inputs! Why does something seem off with these colors? What do you mean my surround sound system isn't compatible with Wii U and Switch?

You know what? I wish I would have just plugged the darn thing in via component and played it! Just enjoyed the stupid game, and not worried about all this crap.

About twenty years ago, I was the same way with my car stereo, always wanting new amplifiers, new subwoofers. Now I have to upgrade my electrical system. Why is there a hiss? Oh no, sparks! Darn it, my alternator is fried and I'm stuck on the side of the road! Is it just me, or is that right front speaker not working? Why does the bass make the CD skip? I keep on getting dirty looks from my neighbors! Gotta keep it down in a bad neighborhood so they don't steal everything I've got. Now this door panel doesn't fit quite right! I can't believe Chronic 2001 sounds just as good in my buddy's car, he's got the stock speakers!

I oughta change my name from Herschie to Rabbithole!

[Matchstick]

You know what? I wish I would have just plugged the darn thing in via component and played it! Just enjoyed the stupid game, and not worried about all this crap.

Ain't that the truth. It can be easy to forget that games are simply meant to be played and enjoyed.

Plenty of us here grew up with our consoles connected to our TV with a coaxial RF cable. And in my case, that TV was black and white, with knobs on it. But did that stop me from enjoying Berzerk, or even Mega Man?

Hell no. Not in the slightest. And any time I think about my TV now, I always remind myself it's better than RF.

I think we've all tinkered with our setups over the years. Myself, I stopped at S-Video. Anything after that was just too expensive, and didn't provide enough of a jump in quality to justify the extra cost.

I'm glad you've had a moment of clarity, Herschie. Time to just play the games and not sweat the details

[Robotrek]

I simply use a GBS control board to convert component to a VGA signal. And it looks EXCELLENT on my twenty year old VGA monitor.

[scotland]

Same here in tinkering with set-ups to keep vintage systems alive and kicking. Eventually, the old tech will fail or just fall too far behind ever advancing tv technology (as light gun games have)

What I miss most on emulation vs vintage systems are things tied more to nostalgia, I think - the feeling of pushing in a cartridge, or that one controller that just feels amazing playing a certain game.

[Matchstick]

Eventually, the old tech will fail or just fall too far behind...

Great observation. This is something I always try to keep in mind, as well.

I love old tech, but I also tend to keep one foot out the door in regards to it, so to speak. I know that one of these days, my VCR won't wind tapes, or the NES just won't turn on, etc. I've managed to repair some of my old consoles with simpler issues (weak solder joints, loose connections) but when it comes to replacing all the capacitors, or cleaning up acid damage from battery leaks? Hmmmmm. That's a bit much for me.

Besides, I've gotten 30+ years of use out of both the 2600 and NES, as well as my original Game Boy. I know they won't last forever, but they've had a great run. I'm just doing my best to enjoy them all while I can.

As far as the nostalgia ties, when the mood strikes me, I love pouring up a Big Gulp, grabbing a bag of Doritos, and taking a stack of cartridges off the shelf, sitting on the floor while I play each one for a few minutes before swapping it for another. Something about sitting on the floor by the screen, knowing you can't get too comfortable because of swapping games and pressing buttons on the console... yeah. That's my happy place.

[Herschie]

I love old tech, but I also tend to keep one foot out the door in regards to it, so to speak. I know that one of these days, my VCR won't wind tapes, or the NES just won't turn on, etc. I've managed to repair some of my old consoles with simpler issues (weak solder joints, loose connections) but when it comes to replacing all the capacitors, or cleaning up acid damage from battery leaks? Hmmmmm. That's a bit much for me.

This, and I'm concerned about it becoming a fire hazard, especially after my wife made me watch the episode of "This is Us", where the old crockpot catches fire. And I would love to fix a CRT, but I have no idea what I'm doing, and they can be flat out dangerous to work on.

[bluenote]

I am definately into the AV side of gaming, for sure. I have a framemeister, and all my older consoles are RGB. NES is RGB modded, I use RGB through the framemeister for my Genesis, SMS, SNES, etc. I got my 2600 RGB modded. I don't have a CRT, nor do I have room for it, so for me RGB was the next logical step to have everything looking great on my LED TV.

I'm a big music collector (CD's), and I look at video games the same way: Why have a large CD collection and then you listen to them on a boom box? Why not get a decent, proper 2 channel stereo and listen with better quality? Same with video games. why spend all this money on the games, but then you are playing them with lesser visual quality?

This is just me though, of course, everyone is different. This is all the upgrades I'll be doing, I'm quite happy with my setup the way it is.

[Herschie]

Same with video games. why spend all this money on the games, but then you are playing them with lesser visual quality?

This is just me though, of course, everyone is different. This is all the upgrades I'll be doing, I'm quite happy with my setup the way it is.

I actually prefer to play them just as I did back then, rather than what gives me the the best visual quality. My wife thinks I'm nuts, but I insist on a CRT and RF for my NES. With N64, sure there's S-Video, but I played "Ocarina of Time" via component.

[travistouchdown]

I use S-Video for 1999 and prior, HDMI or Component for 2000 and up. Keeps things simple. Not a lot of upscalers and all that crap. S Video looks great for older systems.

[scotland]

I definitely get the 'play it just as it was' - that is truly reliving the experience. It is why (and this has been controversial here in the past) I don't ever see anything on MAME as 'arcade perfect'. If it doesn't have arcade controls, then it isn't 'arcade perfect'.

Having said that, I am fine with all sorts of middle grounds. I've A/V an Atari Jr, and I've tried (but I failed) to A/V mod an Odyssey 2 as well. I always play my NES A/V out as well. RF is a pretty compromised way to carry both outputs, and was done for cost savings or wider adoption more than being state of the art at the time.

As with others, I've gotten decades of play out of my consoles (and my family computers) and it is hard to ever feel anything but grateful at the longevity. I think Dave mentioned once that floppy disks have long surpassed anything every expected of cheap mass produced magnetic storage media.