Sega Genesis = Less Friction

[djc]

I have two "go to" consoles. The first is the Atari Lynx (don't laugh - hear me out...). I keep one in my office with a number of duplicate games I own. If I am working and need a stress break, it's right there and I can have a quick play of California Games or something more cerebral like Chip's Challenge. This used to be a spot held by my Turbo Express but that system is awaiting a recap/LCD upgrade.

For actual consoles, for me has to be the Sega CDX. Same reasons that everyone else noted about the Genesis plus I can play my Sega CD games without needing to mess around with multiple power adapters. I can even hook up my 32X and play those games if I want as it works fine with the CDX.

[Robotrek]

I ADORE the Genesis. I managed to get one in December 1989. I only had two games, Alex Kidd and Revenge of Shinobi. Alex Kidd was barely enough to scratch my platformer itch (I never even really liked the one I'd played on the Master System, Miracle World), so it kind of took a back seat. Revenge of Shinobi though? It blew ALL of my friends away. The massive character sprites (which had a wicked digitized look), the thumping, bumping music, and excellent stage themes really took us by surprise. It briefly made me forget about my Commodore 64 for crying out loud! Except during the night time when I couldn't use the living room TV, in which case I'd just play my C64 or Atari 2600, which I had a WICKED cool setup for.

[envytomdead]

Less Friction Gaming - that is a good term. As a father of twin 3 year olds, I have little time to play games. So it has to be efficient the Genesis has been my go to in it's many forms(original hardware, atgames portable, Genesis mini and the megaretron hd). The 2ds and the Atari flashback portable are close seconds. Perhaps this should be a new category in the system reviews?

[Voor]

This leads to the question…..

Which systems have the WORST friction?

Also, how does digital download come into play? On my switch, it’s certainly easier/faster to select a game on the menu that’s already there, as opposed to loading the cartridge. Neither is a hassle, of course, but just curious.

[Matchstick]

This leads to the question… Which systems have the WORST friction?

The NES, for sure - if the cartridge connector inside is old and worn-out. You could be blowing into those cartridges for hours, only to have the game randomly glitch-up and crash on you for no apparent reason.

Nomad and Game Gear come to mind, too, for their battery life and how poorly the screens tend to age.

(...friction... blowing... I think I need a cold shower...)

[VideoGameCritic]

As for the worst, I'd say it's games that are on a disc on a system that's online. In that case you get all the hassles of a disc (insert, load, etc) with all the annoyances of online (updates, profiles, etc).

As an example, if I'm going to begin reviewing a game for the PS4 or Xbox One, I basically feel as if I need a few hours carved out of my day.

[mbd36]

I’ve really pinned down what I like and I can’t stand controllers with more than 4 buttons. So many people loved turbo buttons and all this 3d junk. There’s even people that say the Genesis has too few buttons. But it’s an Arcade like system for the most part and you don’t need many buttons.

I’ll try not to make it a SNES smash fest but it was my brother’s decision which one to get and he chose SNES. I wanted a Genesis so bad. The SNES controller was praised for having turbo buttons but looking back in hindsight decades later I could give a darn. And On the topic of you think about the PS1 controller, when it came out it didn’t seem that complicated. But if you really think about it that’s a lot of buttons. Yuck.

I know I’ve mentioned load times before. And I was under the impression that load times was just a PS1 5th gen thing and that eventually there wouldn’t be load times in future generations. The PS1 is practically unplayable because of the load times. But yea I feel like it’s a sick joke there’s still agonizing load times on modern consoles.

The SNES doesn't have turbo buttons. Maybe you're getting it mixed up with Turbografx.

Anyway, my "go to" system is the NES. Most of the points about how the Genesis is so convenient and "pick up and play" applies to the NES.

[mbd36]

This leads to the question… Which systems have the WORST friction?

The NES, for sure - if the cartridge connector inside is old and worn-out. You could be blowing into those cartridges for hours, only to have the game randomly glitch-up and crash on you for no apparent reason.

That's why I like my NES top loader. The picture quality isn't as good, but games work without much hassle. I sometimes have to clean carts with rubbing alcohol.

It's better to clean carts than blow into them. Blowing doesn't actually do anything except add more moisture and corrosion to the contacts.

[jon]

I’ve really pinned down what I like and I can’t stand controllers with more than 4 buttons. So many people loved turbo buttons and all this 3d junk. There’s even people that say the Genesis has too few buttons. But it’s an Arcade like system for the most part and you don’t need many buttons.

I’ll try not to make it a SNES smash fest but it was my brother’s decision which one to get and he chose SNES. I wanted a Genesis so bad. The SNES controller was praised for having turbo buttons but looking back in hindsight decades later I could give a darn. And On the topic of you think about the PS1 controller, when it came out it didn’t seem that complicated. But if you really think about it that’s a lot of buttons. Yuck.

I know I’ve mentioned load times before. And I was under the impression that load times was just a PS1 5th gen thing and that eventually there wouldn’t be load times in future generations. The PS1 is practically unplayable because of the load times. But yea I feel like it’s a sick joke there’s still agonizing load times on modern consoles.

The SNES doesn't have turbo buttons. Maybe you're getting it mixed up with Turbografx.

Anyway, my "go to" system is the NES. Most of the points about how the Genesis is so convenient and "pick up and play" applies to the NES.

I meant the SNES shoulder buttons on the top left and right. Honestly the Genesis and Neo Geo controllers are perfect and the most complex I'd ever want. I mean maybe shoulder buttons are ok for a game like NBA Jam but anything else is just too complicated. I kind of compare the Genesis to the Neo Geo. Because both are pick up and play and have that 68k blast processor which the SNES inexplicably didn't. I view the Genesis as an affordable Neo Geo. And yes, the NES has a lot of the same pick up and play qualities. The 5th gen is kind of the bad ending of a good play.