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LOL... was there something going on in town or a reason to dress up?

There was no special occasion. This was just random.

Whoa wait a minute. More birthdays in February?

Happy Birthday!!!

"Certain" games get backward compatibility. As long as the XBone has been out I am not too hopeful at this point that there will be any updates. 

We had Superman on a street corner in my town. 
It is all that CGI they use in movies now-a-days. It gives you unreal expectations. So when you see the real thing, you tend to be a bit disappointed.



The guy that took the picture almost ran a stoplight from laughing. That is so disrespectful of a superhero.

I got the XBOX one for only one game, Cup Head. After having it since Christmas I have been puzzled about the game library. For the length of time it has been on the market, I am not impressed. I loved the 360 also, mainly due to the number of bullet hell shooters available for it. But it did have a lot of other good games, and a better library.

I, being a dedicated retro gamer, had no interest in the present generation until I saw Cup Head. So it is not like I was ever considering the XBone or the PS4. I would rather be on my old consoles, Genesis, SNES, NES, N64, or my newest Super Retro-cade. 

It is best to just keep everything simple then and not rock the boat. It is a total giant headache when something gets whacked.

Is there a way to put something up so that we could put a like on someones post? I have seen that feature in some forums.

Take thought when you consider this as a less family friendly board that I inwardly have the maturity of a thirteen year old even though I am 63 outwardly. 

Ummmmm.... couple of apples, few prunes, and some chopped dates. 

Somehow I missed this thread. Late to the party as usual.   
Snatcher_L EGA was dead a long time ago. We just did not have the heart to bury it.

I'm good.

Yes! Happy belated Birthday! 

Thanks for all the Birthday wishes. My Family blessed me with a "gamer's birthday."
I was a very good day!




And MasterMario, payback. LOL

I am really the wrong person to respond to this question. 

I stopped building my own rigs a few years ago. My needs are not that demanding as I do not game on a PC. My last purchase was a used Think Center. I loaded up my Linux OS and have enjoyed it with no regrets. And the $40 for the Think Center did not break the bank. 

[Fei Hao]

Just thought I would share. I have three Sega Genesis consoles, the Original first one, Genesis two, and the portable Nomad. They all work perfect, fine, good, nice gaming machines. But I have this quirk about me, I love fiddling with clone systems, always comparing them to the original hardware. Recently I purchased the new Fei Hao Sega Genesis clone which contains HDMI output, my main reason for wanting this console, and a couple of 2.4ghz RF wireless six button controllers. Here are some of my first impressions.

Console: The outward shell is taken from the first original Genesis, or Mega Drive as it was called across the pond. And really, it looks just like that original Mega Drive outwardly more so than the US release of the console, colors match. It almost leads you to believe that they used the same molds for the plastic shell as was used for that original Sega console, with a little modification. The reason I say that is because it has the snap out area where you would normally plug in the Sega CD, but there is no motherboard. There is very little on the inside as with all clone systems, typical. And the snap out cover will fit my old Genesis exactly. The console will even fit the CD system base.

One thing they included from the original was the headphone feature with the volume control. I am glad they kept that, but one thing that is lost, which is a deal breaker for many Fans I am sure, no stereo. I don't understand why. The original Genesis one had stereo in the headphone jack.  Audio is not as deep and rich as the original. But it is better than a lot of other clone systems. I don't get that gritting of my teeth, or wincing in pain while playing.

It has both HDMI and RCA outputs, so you can use it on HD flat screen or an old CRT television. The RCA output has bad signal noise. So I am forced to use the HDMI. It has a switch on the back so you can toggle between Japanese and US games, sorry, no PAL. Cart slot on top has no guide for the US games like the original Genesis. This allows for the Japanese cart compatibility. So you need to be careful as you push a cart in and sort of feel your way into the correct position. Not as bad as you would think but still something you need to be aware of if you plan to get one of these things. Not sure of the damage that can happen because of that, or durability. I feel that no clone has any long term durability.
In The Package: You get the console, two wireless controllers, one wired controller, HDMI cable, RCA cable, AC adapter, instruction leaflet (how to hook it up), and they threw in an 11-N-1 multi cart. If you get it in the box, the name Fei Hao is on the package. There is nothing on the console or any of the accessories to indicate the name of the manufacturer.

Controls: You can use the original Sega controllers which is a great big plus. But it also comes with a couple of 2.4ghz RF wireless six button controllers. I put these controllers to the ultimate test. I pulled out all my Genesis shoot'm ups, including Gunstar Heroes, and some platforming. Responsiveness was spot on and I did not detect any lag. I set 15 feet from the console. The controllers, themselves, felt good in my hands, but they are noticeably smaller than the original. Buttons, for some reason, set high, clicky, and the directional, a bit floaty. Other than those oddball quirks, it played well, I had no trouble using them, and never thought about those things, which might be annoying for some. Except, I did have problems pulling off fire balls in Street Fighter II with any of the supplied controllers. Switched to my original controller and had no problem. That directional button made all the difference. Ha-Do-Ken!!!

The one odd controller included in the package is close to the size of the original, wired. There is a switch on the bottom for some unknown purpose. It also has the feature of attaching an arcade stick to the middle of the directional button. The directional button has this annoyance, it pushes down into the controller. What is up with that? I will not use this thing anymore.
Graphics: As for playing the games in HDMI? You have to keep in mind that these games were made to work on the old CRT televisions which depended on the scan lines for them to look good. They are pixel, sprite graphics which have a tendency to look a bit blocky with jaggies. If you hook the original Genesis to your HD flatscreen, this is what you see, stands out, and shocks most diehard retro gamers and they find it offensive. With the HDMI hookup on this console there seems to be a smoothing effect, sort of like there is some anti-aliasing going on in the output. This makes everything look softer and pleasing to your eye. There are those games in which it works better than others.


I have tried a good chunk of my game library. Virtua Racing is the only thing that would not boot, as expected. It also plays the Everdrive China version, and reproduction carts.
Final Thought: What is the best way to play your Sega games? Simple, on the original hardware. You can pick up a Sega Genesis or Mega Drive cheaper, or close to the same price as I paid for this clone, $60USD plus range. But there is that concern of playing your games on an HD TV. This is only one alternative, there are others. And it is not that bad, IMO. Personally, I have been more satisfied with this clone, more so, than any other Sega clone.

Burnout Paradise goes on my list as a must purchase for my XBOX one, right now.

I think their choice of media may be slightly behind blu ray disks as a dual layer bluray holds 50 GB (UHD bluray can be double that) of data where the biggest nintendo game card holds 32 gb.

I am not trying to defend their choice of 32gb as the limit on their cart size.
And I don't want to hijack this thread but...................I think the technology of the disc in general is no longer viable. The present consoles have become so powerful that they have left the disc technology behind, be it Blu-ray or DVD. It is now inadequate. It served its purpose in its day. Case in point, load times to enable you to play the game (My XBOX 1 kills me). Some new media needs to be invented. I think Nintendo realizes this with the Switch. Today's consoles need instant access. Either we need a new media or its digital downloads, or cloud based gaming. I just feel that even more with this current generation consoles.

Playstation Live was a very good app. You could watch people play games and you could follow, rate them, and chat. The screen had a section on the right side for chatting. You had to create an account in order to participate. The gamers could include themselves in the picture or just the game they were playing. It was streaming straight to your Vita. For me, it was just fun meeting and seeing how gamers around the world lived and played their games. There was one artist I enjoyed watching them as they drew anime and manga characters. The streaming was from peoples PS4. 

My Wife gave me an XBOX one for Christmas. I mainly wanted the console for only one purpose, Cuphead. Love that game. Having the XBOX one, I find myself comparing it with the 360. Gaming on the 360 seems so much better in the games and choices. In the games category, that I enjoy, I find the One Library very shallow. One thing that I found bad about the system playing 360 games, backward compatibility, Deathsmiles, Akai Katana, Esp galuoa 2, Otomedius, they are not compatible. That really sours my milk. 
I would like to find similar selections as well as a few good Japanese translated RPGs. I am still searching for something through the One library. What really blows me away is the length of time the console has been available and I find it difficult going through the games and finding very much stuff that I desire.

I have the books on an e-reader and also hard-copy. I really like the movies, but I view them totally separate from the books. I enjoy the movies for what they are and do this with all "book to movies." I want to enjoy the movie and not just sit and be critical.

I pull the books out every other year and read them again. I could never listen to an audio book. No my MO.

You are so fortunate. I do not use Duracell due to the problem of leakage. I do not have that problem with any other battery brand. 

I almost had a Virtual Boy. I was in a Blockbuster way back at a point when they were dropping the Virtual Boy rental. I had it in my hands, in a plastic case with games, for around twenty dollars. I just did not have the nerve, chickened out at the last moment. Although I wished that I had gone through with it, I really have no regrets. Not sure I could handle the way the unit produced the images.

They had around three or four of them.

I bet those batteries were not Duracell. I will not allow Duracell in my house anymore. Every encounter with that battery brand always ends in leakage for me.

Here is an old photo of my Neo Pocket Color Slim. Wow have I really had it that long? I know that the older model seems so chunky after handling the slim.


My all time favorites are Metal Slug 1 & 2. Other than those two games, my focus recently has been Samurai Shodown 2, Dark Arms, Match of the Millennium, and Last Blade.

[Gunstar Heroes]

I consider the Gameboy Advanced SP, with the bright screen, the pentacle of Nintendo's achievement in portable gaming design. Even though they have introduced other, more advanced, portables over the years, I still feel this way about this system. It fits so well in your pocket and still offers plenty of gaming that has aged well.


Gunstar Heroes was a pleasant surprise back in the golden era of the Sega Genesis. It appeared in the latter half of the system's lifespan. With me, it became an instant classic and has stood well the test of time. And it only made sense to bring this to portable gaming with a release of a sequel in Gunstar Future Heroes for the GBA. Excellent, story, hand to hand combat, run and gun gaming that brings joy to any lover of the genre. If you do any retro gaming and love the GBA SP you owe it to yourself to pick up a copy. Especially if you love the genre. But if this only wets your appetite for this type of gaming and want more, I got something for you. These are my recommendations if you love this type of gaming.



Alien Hominid: Only released in Europe, as far as I know. I managed to get me a copy. And wow, this is my game. Unrelenting humorous pure run and gun action, agents pouring in from everywhere, love this game so much. A totally must own. The one game I run to when I want to just shoot.



Metal Slug Advance: This is Metal Slug. If you have not played a Metal Slug game then may I ask, where have you been living? Fun, humorous, Contra like, pure run and gun continuous action. If you liked Alien Hominid then you will love this one too. There is just some magic in the way the Metal Slug games are designed.



Astro Boy: The Treasure touch is strong with this one. I remember being blown away by this game back then. (But then I am an Astro fan.) This is run and gun Astro style in a Gunstar sort of way. It begins with a good training mode, which is needed to know how to use Astro. Even though you can see, and feel, signs of Gunstar, there is enough here to differentiate and take it to a whole new level. You have a good story to follow and the ability to choose how to level up your character. The leveling of your character, and multiple weapons, moves, is what stands out to me. So I really don't feel that it is more of the same, even though it is more of the same, in a way. You will have to play to understand. But this is still Treasure at their best.

You know I do. 
This past Christmas is really the first time that I did not pull it out just to play Christmas Knights. Not sure just how many games I have for the system. Have never counted. Not a big collection. Just know I don't have them all. Got most all of the fighting games. Love the two Panzer Dragoons. I hate myself for not getting Panzer Dragoon Saga. I remember it well sitting on the Toys-R-Us shelf. I looked at the Neo Pocket Color then I looked at Panzer Dragoon Saga ($29). Looked back at Neo Pocket Color.
Darius Gaiden, Galactic Attack, In The Hunt, good gaming. Sega Rally Championship and Daytona, my racing fun on the system. X-Men: Children of the Atom, Marvel Super Heroes, Virtua Fighters 2, Street Fighter Collection, Night Warriors: Darkstalkers' Revenge, my fighters. Knights into Dreams, and Gardian Heroes my main awesome games on the console.  This console was so 

Just remembered Whipout on the system. Like this so much better on the Saturn than the Playstation at the time. Mainly because it played better on the Saturn.

On the left is the battery case that housed 6 AAs, on the right is the rechargable 1600mAh Ni-MH. Both gave you around, maybe, 3hrs play time. To me it is horribly bulky having to snap this to the back of a supposedly portable which seems to already weigh a ton. But I loved it back then so much because I had my Genesis in my hand. Glad it was not compatible with the 32X. 


The rechargable battery was bulkier than this.

I think that the world of retro gaming has changed a lot over the last fifteen years and continues to evolve. If a person wanted to start, at this moment, to get serious about collecting and playing, they would find many difficulties.
For the casual retro gamer there is virtual console, which is limited to only certain popular classic games. And that is dependent on obtainable licensing. But, even though limited, this is the best option for many people who do not want the clutter of another console and  that extra stack of games. Space becomes a problem real fast when collecting the real thing.

But if you want to get into playing and collecting the original carts and hardware, that may be a challenge. Hardware is easy to find and at a reasonable price. It is the carts that may be a problem. The high price of some collectible games has put them out of the reach of the average gamer, like me. I am so glad that I picked up so many when the retro consoles were still on the shelf at most stores. My gaming tastes expanded over the years to include other genres that I was not interested in back then. I have been picking up games that I find in the wild, but yard sales and local flea markets have dried up in recent years. At least they have in my area. We have had some local gaming stores to open up in the last few years which are heavy dependent on selling used media like retro games. Then there are the online shops and auctions. But the waters have become muddled. There have been a flood of reproduction carts pouring out of China. Some people have placed them onto ebay at about the same price as the real thing. Honest sellers will use words like "new parts version," "reproduction," or "custom."
Here are a few tips that I have found in case you want the real thing, or you don't want to get ripped off by someone trying to sell you a repro for a "real thing" price.

The top roll is the reproduction cart, bottom is the real thing. Notice on the reproduction that the label is larger, wider and longer. Comes down lower on the cart. If you notice up in the top left corner the sticker is coming off. Everyone that I have purchased I have had to glue down the top edge of the sticker, cheap glue or the paper is thicker, not sure. And the picture, or graphics, will not be as sharp as the original, or a completely different label. There is always that bite out of the left side of the cart. On the back you will notice that the screws are fake, plastic, a part of the cart. The cart snaps together. And you will never find the word Sega on the back.
The Sega reproduction carts, that I have found, are always glops on a PC board.


Super Nintendo carts are getting frighteningly close to the real thing. The plastic fake screws are a dead giveaway. But there are those that have the real screws. And when you open it up, PC board has chips!. But a real board will have the name Nintendo on it somewhere. I have noticed some sellers on ebay are starting to show pictures of the PC board to let you know it is the real cart. Love honesty. If I was a diehard collector, I would be very disturbed over these things.


I really don't know how to perceive reproduction carts. I know that the big video game companies have not earned any money from these games since the nineties, except those games that they have put up on their respective virtual console. Any money made on those retro carts is by the individual that sells you that game. Now I am not justifying any piracy, don't misunderstand. But it causes you to pause, begin to question, to stop and think about, your own moral standards when it comes to making a decision on whether to go that route, and it is open to discussion. I am not a collector, I am a gamer. But there have been those times I wanted something complete. I know I have been able to pick games I could never afford due high prices. I have even been able to enjoy hacked games. I have been able to have fan translated games that never came to my region. But for me the retro gaming market has changed so much that I approach it with caution at times. For a retro cart I will pay $3.70~$5.00USD for a loose cart. If I pay as much as $15USD then it better have at least the plastic case or the box.
Present state of retro gaming? If you are going out hunting, take your tools with you. If you see your "golden egg" and the price is high but tempting, ask to open the cart. I don't care if it is your favorite Gaming store or that yard sales down the street. You must see what you are purchasing, or you may get ripped. The person selling may not know.

Yes!!! 
I grabbed one of those things when it hit the shelves many years ago. Also picked up a Ni-cad battery which snaps on the back. But it no longer holds a charge. Good while it still lived. Lot better than alkalines. I use an ac adapter now-a-days. For some reason I have never tried rechargables.

I use my Nomad to try out a new game when I first receive it. Might even play through the first level then I am ready for the big screen.

Apps like,
Youtube
Playstation Live
Facebook
Ustream
Seems like there was a few others that were canceled with each update, ended support as an explanation.

I still occasionally pick it up, just to game. I use to use it all the time but they killed it for me. There have been so many of the apps discontinued which kept me glued to it. Which is strange for me. I normally love a game dedicated console. But with the Vita I somehow accepted it as a multi use entertainment device. And I kept it with me all the time.
One of the apps I really loved was Ustream.
The game I have in it right now is Injustice.