Kirk

I read the review and thought, "It would be funny if this were an RCMADIAX game", and then I looked up at the top of the review.

I genuinely laughed out loud.

LOL

And, RCMADIAX, you still haven't gotten back to my last email about possibly putting some of my games on Wii U and/or NX.

And, I've had an idea that uses a kind of slot machine like this as the basis for something kinda cool—so let's talk about some of this stuff. . . .

Much respec.

@VanillaLake And it's really only because the function does not properly inform the form. It has what looks like a cartridge slot but it doesn't work. So it ends up looking a bit like giant and cheap keyring toy; although I'm obviously exaggerating a bit because it's ultimately not that too bad. But, this is why I'd rather Nintendo went with a box that was reminiscent of the NES look and style but still its own thing that actually made sense with what Nintendo is going for here. It could still look similar to the original NES, much like the Genesis Model 2, SNES Jr., NES 2, etc. all capture the general look and feel of the originals, to a degree, but are mostly smaller and slicker. Still, it's basically fine. I do, however, still want more games, ideally the dual wired/wireless controllers, and def a bundled power adapter in the UK version.

@Kroko Except, he's been working on this since before the NES Classic Edition was even announced*. So, don't act like what he's done isn't extremely cool, or even that Nintendo couldn't take a few pages out of his book.

*"I started work on this a couple of weeks before Nintendo announced their NES Classic system." – from the description in the YouTube video.

@Damo You could def store NES games on something that's at least something like NFC, and almost certainly actual NFC, seeing as that's what Nintendo did with those old scannable game cards for the GBA eReader:

In fact, putting the games on simple cards like the ones used in the PC-Engine is how I'd go about something like this personally:

I think a modern and similarly tiny console box much like the PC-Engine, using roughly the same type of game cards, would be pretty awesome. It's sort of how I ideally imagined the "NES Classic Edition" being in my head before it was ever announced.

But, I do actually like what Nintendo's done with the NES Classic Edition, in terms of everything being pre-loaded on the console from the get-go. Although, I just wish there were maybe the Top 100 NES games on there rather than only 30—along with dual-wired/wireless controllers, and an actual power adapter in the UK. And then it would be a system that would just blow me away. Then I wouldn't have to worry about the likelihood of a NES Classic Edition 2 coming out in X months time with 20 of the same games as seen on the NES Classic Edition 1 and 10 new games.

For 8 mins of actual gameplay, and my feelings on Sonic Mania:

http://www.inceptional.com/2016/07/28/8-awesome-nostalgia-fueled-minutes-of-sonic-mania/

I'm so excited for this game, and I'd absolutely love to see it on 3DS (and Wii U as well), with proper 3D parallax too.

@Kit @Kit It's entirely it's own thing, not some copy of Nintendo's Patented hardware or copyrighted software or whatever. It just happens to play Nintendo's games. There shouldn't be any issues on that front, from what I can see. In fact, just think about it as some unofficial third party peripheral that works on/with any other Nintendo console, like a third party gun attachment for the Wiimote or whatever; no one has to get permission from Nintendo to make these kinds of things, again, as far as I'm aware.

Yeah, it's a kind novel idea and all, but "FUGLY" would be the perfect word to describe this thing.

Now this is just very cool indeed.

In all honesty, it's actually closer to what I imagined when I often talked about Nintendo re-releasing its old and classic consoles but with a few small tweaks here and there to make sense in modern times (like making the actual consoles and games smaller, adding display connections for modern TVs, and that kind of stuff). And, having the cartridge slot also makes sense on this model, because it actually works, unlike the faux cartridge slot on Nintendo's NES Classic Edition.

It all makes great sense to me, other than scaling the controller. Just go with a normal-sized controller, because you actually have to use that thing to play the games, and you'd obviously want it to be comfortable and practical.

Aside from that one niggle with the overall idea, it's pretty frikin' awesome.

Still, I think what Nintendo is doing is generally pretty great too, but I still wish it had saw fit to include far more games in the bundle, like the Top 100 NES games I mentioned in other articles, and maybe also included some of the other stuff I mentioned too, like making the controllers dual-wired/wireless (you'd just unplug the cord/charge-cable), and actually including a power supply in the UK.

@Retro-Bit Coolio.

Cheers for responding.

@aaronsullivan lol

I honestly really just wanna frikin' see this thing already.

But, basically, it's sounding very much like a combination of two ideas I've had in the past, to a degree. You all know what's coming here:

http://www.inceptional.com/2015/06/26/heres-the-gist-of-my-idea-for-nintendos-nx/

Combined with:

http://www.inceptional.com/2016/01/20/ahead-of-the-nintendonx-curve-again/

Specifically the Wiimote like controllers with the symmetrical button-come-d-pad designs on the front. Just stick one on each end of the main "GamePad" and sorted.

So, this basically:

https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2016/07/gallery_let_this_awesome_nintendo_nx_mock-up_excite_you

But will it REALLY be like that. . . .

@Retro-Bit Can I ask you a somewhat senstive question. . . .

What kind of licensing fee do you have to pay to get these games on the console (like, how much per title or whatever)?

And, if you can't even broadly answer that, could you at least give me an indication if you believe it would be possible for a company like Nintendo to have say the Top 100 NES or SNES games on one of its Classic Edition consoles and still sell if for basically the same price as its available for now?

Because, that's what I really think Nintendo needs to do to make these things basically the near perfect realisation of this kind of all-in-one retro console, especially when all the games come pre-installed with no ability to add any games after the fact.

Also, you guys say you're bundling 100 games with your system: Are you trying to go for all official titles?

If you pull that off you'll have already done a far better job than both Nintendo and Sega. I mean, sure, you might not get all the biggest and best first party games, but 100 official games would still be mightily impressive.

@samuelvictor I'd say Street Fighter II is basically the only game it's [arguably] better for.

And, man, the [white] Jap Sega Saturn really is a thing of beauty (even now, which shows just how gorgeous it is):

I mean, genuinely, I think that is a far more stunning/striking piece of kit than the likes of Xbox One, PS4, and Wii U.

But, it's interesting just how much simply using a different colour scheme can largely ruin that:

@PlywoodStick That person was probably committed to a mental hospital shortly after, I expect.

And, on my design you don't have to worry about shoulder buttons because you would have the triggers and "brake-grips" on each of the controllers. You pull the triggers with your index fingers, and squeeze/pull the brake-grips with the rest of your fingers:

The brake-grip would be much like Nintendo's recent controller Patent actually (but I got there first! lol):

Obviously Nintendo's design in the image above is way more bulky and elaborate than mine, but the basic premise is exactly the same: You pull a pressure sensitive and slightly force-resistant "brake-grip" along the handle of the controller with your fingers.

And, in my design your index finger is still free to pull that separate trigger button too.

Note: Also, don't confuse the specific shapes of these controllers with the specific functionality. The shape doesn't have to be exactly as it's shown here; it's the functionality that's more important.

Edit: Oops! My bad. I typed this as soon as I saw that first image; and then I noticed the images below the first one in the article. So, yeah, that's basically what I was talking about.

I like it.

I do, however, feel that for the design to really work the two control areas would have to be identical, so if two people are holding one each there isn't a slightly unfair advantage to one player or the other. So, I might be inclined to put the four face buttons on both sides and simply have them act like a d-pad normally on the left side. Maybe replace the A, B, X, Y with little directional arrows on the left side too, but otherwise function exactly the same as the buttons. In a sense, it would be a bit more like the PlayStation's d-pad, with is almost separated direction "buttons":

And much like I did for the button/direction controls on the centre mock-up Wiimote controller in this old image (which can be used as either buttons or a d-pad):

Note: This is not me faulting his design, because he's just doing what you'd automatically expect; it's more me pointing out what I'd hope Nintendo would consider if it were to go with such a design were you can remove the control areas and use them as basically little Wiimotes.

@Luffymcduck We actually sold it in the Gamestation I used to work in. Which corporate idiot decided that was a good idea

@BulbasaurusRex I basically just think the Genesis 6-button controller is inferior to the SNES controller in pretty much every way. I think the SNES has a vastly superior d-pad, and it works absolutely perfectly for diagonals too. Other than the special moves in the Street Fighter II games, which are just hard to execute in general (whatever controller you're using), I've never had any issues with the SNES d-pad not registering diagonals properly. The diamond button layout is also just better for so many types of games; it's a much more ergonomic, intuitive, and versatile layout. Think about playing games like Robotron: 2084 and Smash TV with it for example, where you can actually use it basically like another d-pad for all intents and purposes. And I also think the shoulder buttons on the SNES just open up so much more possibilities than having those buttons squeezed next to the others on the front of the pad. Think about the air-brakes in F-Zero, using them to barrel roll in Star Fox, or for strafing in Doom for example. Yeah, overall I just think the SNES controller blows the Genesis one away (be it the 3-button or 6-button Genesis controller).

@retro_player_22 Yeah, it would def be a strange choice including huge RPGs on there if there's not save states.

@Aurelis Old games never looked as bad on my TVs as they do on Nintendo's VC, but I live in the UK and apparently we generally had better connections back then. I played most of my games via S-Video or SCART, and the picture was basically as good as any of the modern retro consoles I see that are trying to get the best quality retro images possible. I was maybe a bit lucky in that respect. But, as a result, these NES games look terrible to me, like pale (literally) imitations. And, the emulators probably are a little part of that too, because these game really do look great on modern emulators. But, if a bunch of homebrew coders using emulators can get it looking that good, so too can/should Nintendo I say. I'm also not accepting any excuses whatsoever for Nintendo not having proper versions of these classic Super FX chip games and stuff on its Virtual Console too; it really needs to get that stuff sorted. I expect more from Nintendo, and I really do feel it's just doing the bare minimum at times, because it knows the most loyal Nintendo fans will lap it up regardless--but not me.

@retro_player_22 I just copied and pasted the list as I found it on the website, and the list actually varies from one model of the console to another. If I missed any I wouldn't take that to mean anything. I'll go remove the non-ones and add the real-ones, just for you. But, basically, it's a pretty great list of official games imo.

@HammerKirby I can but dream of an ideal.

@8itmap_k1d Well, the emulated NES games on my PC are of a far higher/better quality than the official versions of those NES games on Virtual Console (and the emulated versions of the likes of SNES AND Genesis games are basically perfect too), so these emulated games could easily be just as good as anything that Nintendo puts out, and potentially even better. In fact, I'm genuinely worried that the versions of the NES games Nintendo puts on the NES Classic Edition might just look the exact same as on the Virtual Console, and that would be a major disappointment imo, and an instant zero interest in the system for me. Those dull and muted colours, and the whites that are more like light grey, are just not good enough. And, you can't even play games like Star Fox and Yoshi's Island on Nintendo's official Virtual Console, while the homebrew guys got these games working basically flawlessly a long time ago. But, there it is; a bunch of homebrew hackers did a better job than Nintendo itself--and that's just factually true.

I think they made the wrong choice going with the Genesis 6-button controller design over the SNES controller design; it's an inferior controller design imo, especially the d-pad, which is right at the heart of all these retro games. There's a reason most controllers mimic the SNES design rather than the Genesis design and it's not just "because".

I'm still interested in finding out more about the system though, particularly what games come bundled. If they manage to put 100 proper/decent games on there, I'll be mightily impressed.

@HammerKirby I think Nintendo could manage it if it REALLY wanted.

But, I'd have a major issue if it meant going above the £50 in the UK too, so it might not be entirely feasible to give me exactly what I want. I couldn't say with 100% certainty either way.

At the very least, I don't see any real issue (beyond corporate greed) with giving us the exact same system but with the Top 100 games installed rather than just 30, and that would mean being able to plug physcial carts would be basically unnecessary anyway. I could also live with wired controllers (as long as they extend the wires much further, to an actual practical length). But, add in a frikin' power adapter in the UK version. lol

@rjejr Nope. lol

I've just remembered that I posted this article about what I'd want from a 25th anniversary Sonic game roughly six months ago:

http://www.inceptional.com/2016/01/13/can-sonic-have-a-happy-anniversary/#more-772

And it seems that Sega did actually largely give me what I was hoping for, Sonic Mania, which is basically a very nice surprise.

@BLPs So, you're telling me that if NX offered an experience something like this you'd consider that worthless or whatever:

http://www.inceptional.com/2015/06/26/heres-the-gist-of-my-idea-for-nintendos-nx/ (just my own idea for what it could be)

Dude, based on what we know it will almost certainly be the most powerful dedicated handheld console ever made, with potentially some very unique hardware features, and there's a chance it might even go beyond just what the hardware is doing too; as in, the firmware and software might offer more than most people imagine too.

For a handheld, which is basically what this thing is if the rumours are true, I don't see how that can possibly come over as a disappointment to you.

WTF were you expecting from a new Nintendo handheld console?

Now, if Nintendo markets this as a new home console, even though it's actually a handheld, then I can see how you could easily be disappointed, because then it really would just be another totally underpowered home console with a gimmick.

So, maybe it's more about how you personally are choosing to see this system than what it actually is and what we're actually getting—if the rumours are accurate—possibly.

And I don't care about all the leaked corporate info stuff.

@BLPs I think you're entirely missing the point here. lol

@rjejr Hey, I actually trust Damien does have quit a bit of info we aren't privy to, in that I expect his sources do have some legit information to share with him (even if not all of it will pan out), but I'm def in interested to hear some actual official info on this thing from Nintendo finally.

@Damo I guess they've made enough to keep the product line going for now.

But, this did get a sequel too:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/N-Gage_(device)

lol

@rjejr Yeah, there really are a lot of unknowns and things that seem a bit questionable. It will be real interesting to see how it all plays out, for sure.

@Damo Do you know if the Shield overall has been a money maker for Nvidia?

Or, was it always gonna make a loss as a product, but with the intention of then selling the tech to a company like Nintendo off the back of the product's potential?

I'm not sure I really expect you to know all the details, but I'm curious.

@Damo Seems like a pretty expensive way to go about showcasing the tech.

Just make an Ad—saves likely tens and possibly even hundreds of millions. lol

But, joking aside, I do get what you're getting at.

"Nintendo NX Deal Is A Vindication Of Nvidia's Shield Program"

But is it really?

I mean, I certainly still don't give a **** about the Nvidia Shield, and I'm sure most other people don't either. So, how exactly is it great news for the Nvidia Shield program that Nintendo is making a console that might be primarily a handheld that can also stream to the TV and is apparently using one of Nvidia's chips?

It's nice for them if the chip is getting use in more technology, but I still see the Shield as a bit of a flop, unless its entire purposes was really to only be an advertising tool and little more. Seems a rather expensive way to advertise your chip though.

@rjejr It will indeed be nice when Nintendo tells us more.

And, I don't really know how much help having the separated RAM and stuff would be; I expect it would help and not be too much of a bottleneck, if that's what Nintendo was going for. I'm really not that technically informed/aware about low level stuff like this though. I actually wish I were.

@Antray1984 I do largely agree with you about all the negatives, but there's def more than 10 great games on the list of titles available on the Sega Genesis Classic Games Console:

Alex Kidd in the Enchanted Castle
Alien Storm
Altered Beast
Arrow Flash
Bonanza Bros.
Chakan: The Forever Man
Columns
Columns III
Comix Zone
Crack Down
Decap Attack
Dr. Robotnik’s Mean Bean Machine
ESWAT: City Under Seige
Eternal Champions
Flicky
Gain Ground
Golden Axe
Golden Axe II
Golden Axe III
Jewel Master
Kid Chameleon
Phantasy Star 2
Phantasy Star 3
Ristar
Shadow Dancer: The Secret of Shinobi
Shinobi III: Return of the Ninja Master
Sonic & Knuckles
Sonic Spinball
Sonic the Hedgehog
Sonic the Hedgehog II
Sonic 3D Blast
Streets Of Rage 1
Streets Of Rage 2
Streets Of Rage 3
Sword of Varmilion
The Ooze
Vectorman
Vectorman II
Mortal Kombat I
Mortal Kombat II
Mortal Kombat III

In fact, I'd say almost all of the official games on the list are pretty great. Sure, the no save feature is a major problem in a few cases, but overall it's actually a pretty great little list of titles imo.

I would, however, also say that basically every single game on the NES Classic Edition is a worthy addition. So, I'm def not faulting Nintendo for the games it did provide. I just wish there were more games in there by default. I mean, imagine if it were actually called the NES: Top 100 Games Classic Edition and we got all these games bundled on the system:

http://retro-sanctuary.com/Top-100-NES-Games-Page-1.html

Now that would be something truly special indeed. And, now the lack of an option to use proper NES carts really wouldn't be much of an issue at all either.

@ThanosReXXX That's why it's all back and forth: These devices are basically geared toward casuals and parents who are looking for cheap stocking fillers, so the quality isn't particularly important. But, at the same time, a lot of people picking them up will also be collectors or fans who grew up with these systems and maybe actually expect pretty high quality—particularly the people picking up the NES Classic Edition, I'd say. So, I'd still want a generally high quality all-round. Now, Sega's system is done and dusted; it is what it is. But, I do expect Nintendo to get it right, and not just in terms of quality but also the overall value-proposition. And, ideally, I'd still want more games and basically all of those other features I mentioned above. It just makes good business sense to realise these things about the best you possibly can imo.

Again, I'd love to see Nintendo do a SNES Classic Edition in the future, and hopefully someone at Nintendo sees this just in passing and mentions it to a higher up at the company:

http://www.inceptional.com/2016/07/23/heres-what-i-want-from-a-snes-classic-edition/

Because, that would be a near perfect realisation of this kind of hardware/software concept imo, and something I would very seriously consider purchasing (even as genuinely skint as I am).

PS. No, I don't really find any of those non-official games in the Genesis Classic Games Console appealing personally, not in the slightest, and I definitely wouldn't included any of them if I was in charge of this thing. But, I would include more than 30 official games for sure. In fact, I'd maybe go for that magic 100 number as mentioned in my article. And, to be clear, it really doesn't add anything to Nintendo's costs to include 30 or 300 of these digital copies of ancient games, and I don't care how much they cost individually/accumulatively on VC either—I just think it would be awesome to really realise this idea to basically its full and glorious potential.

Just imagine if a SNES: Top 100 Games Classic Edition actually came with this list of titles:

http://retro-sanctuary.com/Top-100-SNES-Games-Page-1.html

I mean, who wouldn't instantly jump on that?

The one thing I would say about the NES Classic Edition is that there really isn't a single dud in the list of games Nintendo has included, imo, and that's commendable.

Double or triple that number though, and basically get all the best NES games possible on there, so people don't have to even think about all the other great games that aren't bundled (or fear another $60 NES Classic Edition [2] appearing in the near future)—maybe you could think of it like the ultimate NES: Top 100 Games Classic Edition—and then we'd be onto something real special.

These are the kinds of things that go through my mind—making it something truly magical.

Dang it; now I really want Nintendo to do a proper SNES: Top 100 Game Classic Edition, with all the other features I mentioned above too (ability to use old SNES carts, dual-function wired/wireless controllers, included power adapter in the UK)! But, I don't want the price to be hiked up just because there's a few more features; I still think fifty pounds in the UK is the right price to target.

http://www.inceptional.com/2016/07/23/heres-what-i-want-from-a-snes-classic-edition/ (this is what I'm thinking)

I'm not sure anyone fully understands how much I want this. lol

@ThanosReXXX Yes, but think of the typical throwaway mobile games that many casuals enjoy these days. . . .

These homebrew games might be total **** to more core gamers like us, but to the casuals and moms who are actually gonna pick up systems like the Genesis Class Game Console, it's another 40 free games.

All they will see is more bang for their buck; and that's still ultimately how I see it too, even if the 40 homebrew games are crap.

Nintendo could still add in quite a few mores games . . . and also still actually choose good ones.

Edit: Also, it's interesting to note that the guy in the video says he got his system for only $35.

Edit 2: And, funnily enough, I can't really tell the difference between the sound quality of the Genesis Classic Games Console and the original Genesis in that video, so it really can't be quite as bad as everyone is going on about. Not perfect, sure; but the way people were talking, I half thought it was going to be almost totally garbles or something.

@BornInNorway81

The NES Classic Edition lets you play 30 official NES games on your TV, tethered to the console (even if you use the optional Classic Controllers), and with save states. And that's it, nothing more.

The Genesis Classic Console let's you play 40 official Genesis games plus 40 homebrew games, as well as all your old Genesis carts too, with 2 bundled wireless controllers (and there's also the option to use normal wired Genesis controllers too via the included standard controller ports), and it even comes with a power adapter in the UK (shocker), and for 10 bucks less than the NES Classic Edition. And, if you get the handheld version—it's a frikin' fully-fledged handheld Genesis!

That's simply more value for your money. The dodgy quality of the Genesis Classic Edition's sound doesn't mean you're getting less value; it simply means the quality isn't as good—potentially (because there's still a chance these NES games may in fact use the same visual setup as current NES VC games, and that would be just as below par as the substandard sound on the Genesis Classic Edition as far as I'm concerned).

What you are getting with the Genesis Classic Console, particularly the actual handheld console, is clearly more bang for your buck than what Nintendo is offering with the NES Classic Edition. Anyone that isn't a total Nintendo fanboy can see this.

Nintendo's really not being doing great for quite a few years now. It had such a great track record up until that point.

@SH007ME Indeed. lol

@diwdiws Which would be worrying, if Nintendo hasn't gone about things in just the right way.

@RCMADIAX Coolio.

@smm1 Yeah, I'm kinda worried that it might turn out the NX isn't actually powerful enough to play all the current Wii U games as is, which would be a pretty big blunder imo. This is of course assuming Nintendo even has any intention of letting us play all those Wii U games on the system in one form of another (most likely digital)—which, if it doesn't, would just be another one of those silly decisions imo. At least, if it's not throughly figured out a way to make not being able to play the Wii U titles on the NX not something to be upset about.

@HammerKirby Yes, but you still get 40 actual genesis games (that's 10 more than the NES Classic Edition), and you get wireless controllers, and you get the ability to use actual Genesis carts, and you get a power adapter in the UK version, and, even though you might not think it's worth ****, you do still get another additional 40 homebrew games in there as well—and it's still actually $10 cheaper than the NES Classic Edition too.

So, you do get what you pay for; and I'm simply saying it would be nice to get a little bit more for the $60 you're paying for the NES Classic Edition. And, in the case of the total number of games, I think it makes even more sense to included more in the NES Classic Edition by default because there's absolutely zero way to add more after the fact. With the Genesis you have access to basically the entire games library because of that cartridge slot on the top, so the number of games that come bundled isn't as big of a factor since you can technically add many more after the fact, although you still get more in the box regardless.

@Airola Well, I've never once claimed the experience of playing on these systems is better than what the NES Classic Edition will offer, just that they're offering more bang for your buck. So, what I'd like here is for Nintendo to offer a bit more bang for your buck too, and without sacrificing any of the other stuff it is already doing right.

@SH007ME In terms of purely the aesthetic design, I liked this thing the moment I saw it. It's pretty slick looking.