New Get City, post here when you get something new

CosmicSmash

The Last Bandit wrote: »

Handy if the laser on your PS2 is a bit tired and refuses to read anymore.

That's why I want to do it, got another ps2 there, but it's only going to happen again sooner or later. Started not reading the blue disks, not long after it gave up reading disks all together.

Retr0gamer

You can FTP over with the right program on the memory card or use winhip. Some hard drives won't fit the network adapter but if you want you can mod the adapter to fit. Basically you rip all the plastic off the connectors cut some of the metal so you can move the cable connectors around. Well worth doing, the only game I know of that doesn't work is kingdom hearts 2 but not being able to play that game is a plus point IMO.

Myrddin

o1s1n wrote: »

I haven't read into it too much, but I think you can just boot using Fmcb and it loads up the HDD for you.

I think you can then just FTP games over with a network cable?

Hmmm, on investigation it looks like the best way to transfer games is via an IDE enclosure. That's a bit annoying!

The memory card is the first item to boot, so that loads you straight into the FmcB dash which is like the stock dash but with more options. Depending then on what programs come on the card, you'll see them listed. HD Loader is usually at the top, so you just click that & it loads the HD Loader proggie where you have options to install games to hdd, play from hdd etc

CiDeRmAn

Picked up a Snes today from Martineatworld.
Thanks loads.
This will be turning a colleague in work from Gamer to Retrogamer!

Retr0gamer

CiDeRmAn wrote: »

Picked up a Snes today from Martineatworld.
Thanks loads.
This will be turning a colleague in work from Gamer to Retrogamer!

You can't clone me!

CosmicSmash

Retr0gamer wrote: »

You can't clone me!

Couldn't resist. How about we start calling you Dolly;)

MrVestek

I sense some photo shoppage on my lunch break...

Star Lord

Got myself an iCade at the weekend, so stuck MAME4Droid on the tablet and a few games, runs much better than I thought it would!

Tomo.Murphy

Just got a VGA Box for the Dreamcast from console goods on ebay. Wasn't expecting it until at least tomorrow.

http://ie.rs-online.com/mobile/p/digital-video-monitor-cable-assemblies/6162306/

Anyone know if that will work for connecting the audio to my HDTV or will I have to connect a set of speakers/headphones?

Probably a stupid question, but I've never tried running audio in to a headphone out jack and I'm not sure if it works.

MrVestek

Tomo.Murphy wrote: »

Just got a VGA Box for the Dreamcast from console goods on ebay. Wasn't expecting it until at least tomorrow.

http://ie.rs-online.com/mobile/p/digital-video-monitor-cable-assemblies/6162306/

Anyone know if that will work for connecting the audio to my HDTV or will I have to connect a set of speakers/headphones?

Probably a stupid question, but I've never tried running audio in to a headphone out jack and I'm not sure if it works.

Most if not all TVs will have a stereo jack input beside or near the VGA port in order to get sound from the 'PC'.

You should be fine.

Tomo.Murphy

MrVestek wrote: »

Most if not all TVs will have a stereo jack input beside or near the VGA port in order to get sound from the 'PC'.

You should be fine.

Thanks for the reply :-)

Sure it's cheaper than any of the standard 1M VGA cables I've come across anyway.

Just glad I can start playing the DC again. Couldn't get it to tune in on any of my newer TVs with the RF cable until I got something better. It did tune in all of the Saorview channels though, so....

The Last Bandit

Tomo.Murphy wrote: »

Thanks for the reply :-)

Sure it's cheaper than any of the standard 1M VGA cables I've come across anyway.

Just glad I can start playing the DC again. Couldn't get it to tune in on any of my newer TVs with the RF cable until I got something better. It did tune in all of the Saorview channels though, so....

TV may not have an analogue tuner installed since its got a digital one for Saorview.

MrVestek

The Last Bandit wrote: »

TV may not have an analogue tuner installed since its got a digital one for Saorview.

Are they actually getting rid of analogue RF from TVs now?

RGB Scart and VGA will have a negligible difference in terms of quality. The reason most people rave about VGA is because of the guys in the USA.

Both the Japanese and us Europeans have been able to do RGB Scart for years which is the highest quality signal you can possibly get from the console before pure VGA.

The USA never had scart and the Dreamcast couldn't do component output so they had no way of getting these signals to their TV.

o1s1n

VGA is just RGBHV isn't it? In that case the picture quality will be no different to standard RGB scart.

I think what happens with the Dreamcast is that once it detects the VGA cable it outputs 31K 640X480 for a PC instead.

The lack of RGB is one reason why Americans rave so much about Sony broadcast monitors.

Actually it makes you think, what legacy is worse, growing up in PAL land slow down but with beautiful RGB or growing up in US NTSC land, where you had full speed but dot crawl and colour bleed.

At least we can easily mod our consoles for 60hz I guess, bit easier than trying to hunt down broadcast monitors!

CiDeRmAn

Star Lord wrote:

Got myself an iCade at the weekend, so stuck MAME4Droid on the tablet and a few games, runs much better than I thought it would!

I had an icade but sold it.
Just never used it.
It might be a good idea to try switching out the buttons and stick for something better though.

Retr0gamer

Well the yanks had s-video which isn't a million miles away from RGB quality. I'd much rather faster games though.

I never even knew how good RGB is until the Gamecube era. I bought one with a spare tenner after someone raved about them on this forum. The next day I bought RGB for all my consoles after experiencing how good it was. I was thinking at the time how good can a cable actually make the picture better before witnessing F-Zero GX in eye blistering RGB glory.

o1s1n

Unfortunately I was in the same boat. Didn't realize just how incredible RGB was until the mid PS2 days. Had been using composite the whole time with the PS1 and RF with the Megadrive & snes :eek:

I can remember seeing RGB scart cables advertised in PS1 games mags and thought that it was just made up crap and the picture quality couldn't possibly be improved.

The Last Bandit

I grew up using an Amstrad CPC so had RGB clarity from day one

Well ok, I only had the 'G' cus the colour monitor was too expensive....

Star Lord

CiDeRmAn wrote: »

I had an icade but sold it.
Just never used it.
It might be a good idea to try switching out the buttons and stick for something better though.

I simply got it because I wanted something arcadey, and it was under a quarter the price of good joysticks/buttons/cables etc to wire up to the iPAC, and because it's only small, it's handy enough to use. The stick and buttons are seriously clicky though!

Someday I'll get the CP generously donated to me wired up properly.

Tomo.Murphy

Picture quality never really bothered me. I mainly got the VGA box for the time it would save me. The VGA port on my tv is never in use, and I only have one scart socket that's always in use, so it seemed like the best option.

As long as I can see what's going on, I'm pretty happy.

o1s1n

The Last Bandit wrote: »

I grew up using an Amstrad CPC so had RGB clarity from day one

Well ok, I only had the 'G' cus the colour monitor was too expensive....

But what a 'G' that was!

Tomo.Murphy wrote: »

Picture quality never really bothered me. I mainly got the VGA box for the time it would save me. The VGA port on my tv is never in use, and I only have one scart socket that's always in use, so it seemed like the best option.

As long as I can see what's going on, I'm pretty happy.

VGA in.. I take it you're using an LCD then yeah?

Have you ever seen this example of video quality screenshots? It's great at illustrating the differences.

http://www.chrismcovell.com/gotRGB/rgb_compare.html

Move the mouse over the pics to see composite. Make sure you have a vomit bag on standby

Retr0gamer

Once you see the difference RGB makes to video quality you can never go back. For a 10 euro cable it just makes everything so much better.

If there's a RGB option with a console I can't play it until I have a RGB cable. I remember when the Wii came out and RGB and composite cables were delayed. It nearly killed me playing Twilight Princess when it looked so god awful.

Tomo.Murphy

I'm sure I've seen that before. It's pretty mental the difference a cable can make. I set up the PS2 on a 42 inch screen and it looked like crap.

I might pick one up for the SNES. Most of the games I have on the SNES look ok on the tv in my room through composite, but games like Pilotwings look pretty grainy. Probably made more obvious with all of the text in-game compared to games like Mario, donkey kong, fighting games, etc.

CosmicSmash

o1s1n wrote: »

Have you ever seen this example of video quality screenshots? It's great at illustrating the differences.

Most of them RGB screens aren't great. The Snes and the Playstation RGB screens are absolutely terrible imo,



Wtf is going on here.


I took a few pictures of a pal modded ps1 running through a retro console accessories cable into the mini and out through hdmi displayed at 720p.
Any bluriness is down to my cackhandness at taking pictures. The results are even better on the snes with RGB. I know there are cheaper RGB cables available, but it's worth it for the difference a decent cable can make.

o1s1n

Oh man I could stare at those photos all day :eek:

CiDeRmAn

The colleague seems pretty pleased with the SNES, hooked it up to a TV here and promptly played through without losing a life the first two world of SMB3 on Mario All stars.
He's heading into town tomorrow to pick up an extra controller and a copy of one of the SNES ports of the Mortal Kombat series.
I said he was a new retro gamer, not a retro gamer with any taste!

krudler

Retr0gamer wrote: »

Once you see the difference RGB makes to video quality you can never go back. For a 10 euro cable it just makes everything so much better.

If there's a RGB option with a console I can't play it until I have a RGB cable. I remember when the Wii came out and RGB and composite cables were delayed. It nearly killed me playing Twilight Princess when it looked so god awful.

I remember donkey's years ago GAME had a sale on cables and accessories so I got an RGB cable for my ps1, I was never arsed about it before. When I connected it and started up the ps1 it was like that bit in the Wizard of Oz when Dorothy steps out of her black and white house into the technicolour land of Oz.

Star Lord

CiDeRmAn wrote: »

He's heading into town tomorrow to pick up an extra controller and a copy of one of the SNES ports of the Mortal Kombat series.
I said he was a new retro gamer, not a retro gamer with any taste!

So long as he goes for MK2 or 3, it should be grand.
1 was censored to bits on the SNES.

Retr0gamer

Yeah but 2 and 3 are a bit crap as well :P

MK1 is actually a better game on the SNES. The megadrive is a poor conversion and plays very different from the arcade. The SNES plays much closer. However since the arcade game is one of the worst fighting games ever made with only the blood to save it then the megadrive version is the only one that retains that 'novelty'.

CosmicSmash

krudler wrote: »

I remember donkey's years ago GAME had a sale on cables and accessories so I got an RGB cable for my ps1, I was never arsed about it before. When I connected it and started up the ps1 it was like that bit in the Wizard of Oz when Dorothy steps out of her black and white house into the technicolour land of Oz.

It was about then that I discovered the joys of rgb. When I look back on the years spent playing the snes on a composite cable none the wiser. Playing import games locked on a 50hz console. But the jump from rf to composite was amazing at the time. I was still playing N64 in composite till Retro game me an edumacation in S-Video, haven't looked back on that either. Night and day difference straight away, iirc they used to included one of these in the N64 packs, wtf would you use it