That is also an original, first edition KC Deluxe Vol 1 Akira. Thrown into the mix are Lewis Hamilton's first and last championship winning F1 cars and some Dragonball for good measure.

Back in the early 1990s we didn't have YouTube or Discord or Twitch to help us make informed game purchases, we just had to read reviews in magazines or buy games based on kick ass cover art, which is exactly what I did with this. I never played the first 3 and I think there were more after this one. Sega's answer to Nintendos R-Type series. Again it was faster, crazier and turned everything up to 11 in the side scrolling shooter genre. I think there was also a 2 player option. The music was ace and the bosses were absolute bastards. I also spent a long time trying to draw the ship. I think this was called something else in the USA, Lightning Force maybe?

As a side note, I really miss the chunky but solid megadrive cases and booklets with lore and back stories. Yes, I understand the need for sustainability, its just something I remember fondly from back then.

I don't think there is a workable way to crosspost discussion posts, if I'm wrong feel free to correct me

Originally posted to !emulation@sh.itjust.works - https://sh.itjust.works/post/60105068

Hey folks, welcoming some input here on options for a smooth experience.

I have an htpc going with a simple launcher for jellyfin, edu gaming, etc, navigable with the 8bitdo controllers I have connected. What I'd really like to do is some emulation, right now I'm looking at:

• Nintendo: NES, GB, GBA, DS, 3DS, N64, maybe GC & wii but I haven't tried it
• Sony: PS1, PS2, Vita, would go with PS3 but I don't quite have the performance on that little box for it...
• Sega: Genesis, GameGear, maybe others

Probably some more, but we'll leave it there for now.

What I'd like as an end goal:

• Filtered library based on user (my kids aren't at an age where I'm going to be cool with them playing Mortal Kombat)
• Local client to run it, romM is really cool but 3DS is a non-starter unfortunately
• Preferably a single tool to showcase all the roms and make for an easy start experience

Also any thoughts on controllers are welcomed! I have a couple of 8bitdo ultimates, a few random ds3's and knockoffs, NES style 8bitdo from years ago. N64 gaming I haven't had a great experience with, and I think a dance mat, maybe a guitar hero type guitar would be fun. Feel free to make a recommendation on a controller for a specific use, even one I haven't mentioned!

TL;DR: Whats your htpc emulation setup?

cross-posted from: https://sopuli.xyz/post/45586653

From the Emudeck discord:

@everyone Hey everyone, apologies for the ping but since this is deemed as critical to the security of people's devices here, I will have to. Cemu (The Wii U emulator) was recently compromised by a malicious attacker using a known developers account, this compromise took place from May 6th to May 12th, and introduces malware that is known to steal passwords, SSH keys, GitHub tokens, and likely more they are not fully aware of at this moment. We recommend anybody who is on Linux or SteamOS to go into the EmuDeck app, Manage Emulators tab, Cemu, and click Reinstall/Update, and make sure the hash of the AppImage (Located in Home/Applications, right click Cemu AppImage, go into Properties, Checksums, and Calculate the SHA256 hash) matches the non-compromised version provided by the Cemu developers, if you have used Cemu from the dates I have mentioned, and the SHA256 hash does not match what is listed, assume your system may be compromised if it was ran. If you are on Windows, MacOS, or used the Flatpak version, you are not affected by this malware. More information regarding this attack can be found here. https://rentry.org/cemu-security-psa

The specifically affected packages were:

Cemu-2.6-x86_64.AppImage

cemu-2.6-ubuntu-22.04-x64.zip

WipEout 2097 was my first WipEout. Its soundtrack is etched in my memory and is, for me, the greatest videogame soundtrack ever. It defined my tastes in music, even when I strayed away from electronic towards metal. But my absolute favorite memories were on Wip3out, especially the Special Edition.

Everything about this game is perfect. It's incredibly beautiful, fluid and fast for a PS1 game. The classical physics are refined to perfection. The Designer's Republic have done their best job ever at designing the identity of this game. The soundtrack is great. The tracks are varied and a breath of fresh air after the industrial-design-fest of 2097.

It has the most content of any classic WipEout. 8 new tracks, 8 tracks remade from WipEout and WipEout 2097, 6 prototype tracks including two with a mysterious proto-"Zone" ship, all the classic teams and new ones for varied gameplay...

I fell in love again. I hadn't touched this game in almost 25 years and I love it as much, if not even more than before. I've been a lifelong WipEout fan, I've since done and enjoyed them all (except Fusion. Fuck you you ugly-ass bastard), I've spent hours on BallisticNG just to scratch that itch. But WipEout 3 Special Edition is and forever will be my love.

"Find and join gaming sessions for dead games, niche mods, and retro netplay, or schedule your own. No account needed."

I'm in no way affiliated with this site. I stumbled across it the other day and thought it deserves more attention.

Another retro game post from me, I'm just posting my collection. If you want me to stop just say! I'm using my own knowledge of each game and promise not to use Wikipedia so corrections please. They are games i used to own and have a sentimental attachment to.

This is a very rare Japanese reviewers or promotional copy of Vib Ribbon. You play a wire frame rabbit jumping over obstacles in time with the music as you "evolve". What was really cool about this game is that you could put your own music CDs in and it would randomly generate a level for you. What makes this even rarer is that the factory sealed tab is upside down! The New York Museum of Modern Art has a copy of this game as a permanent exhibition as a display of late 90s digital expression. The music from this game has been living rent free in my head for nearly 30 years.

I never got to play the sequel / reissue / demo, so I found this video quite interesting. The various tweaks and expansions look pretty good to me, altho the graphics seem more like an eyesore. Purple armor and needlessly over-detailed graphics lead the charge on that.

Some games don't look all that great with the Apple ]['s rasterized graphics, but I'd argue that classic Bilestoad was one of the best-looking ones of all.

Anyway, see what you think...

I really love the level design of Need For Speed II. It's at the same time intentionally unrealistic, but still feels "realistic" at the same same - as opposed to the cartoony feeling of the likes of Mario Kart.

So, what more modern games reach that atmosphere? Burnout Paradise to some extent, but even that loses by far to the track scenery design of NFS II. I've seen all tracks on NFS II SE so many times that something more would be good to find!

I wanted to check out some of the new, third-party hardware made for the Dreamcast recently. I bought a Retro Fighters D6 controller and an 8BitMods VMUPro. (Note: these may be in stock at other retailers, like https://stoneagegamer.com/ or https://videogamesnewyork.com/. 8BitMods ships from the UK, the others are from the US.)

The D6 is a wireless controller that works with the Dreamcast via controller port dongle. Also works with the Nintendo Switch, and PC with a USB dongle. I love this type of controller; most of the games I play these days can be played with just a d-pad and face buttons. The similar 8BitDo M30 has been my go-to controller for a few years now.

The VMUPro is like a nicer version of the original VMU. Works as a VMU, but has a higher resolution + backlit screen, better battery life, more storage (takes a microSD card), and can also run apps specifically made for it. It even comes with emulators for the Game Boy, Game Boy Color, Game Gear, Master System and NES.

I haven't actually tried them out yet. I'll post some reviews later. I'm excited about these -- I haven't dusted off the Dreamcast in a while!

I never heard about this game until recently, but it has been such a fun experience so far! Looks great on Analogue 3D :)

I have the 8BitDo Ultimate 2 Bluetooth, GameSir Supernova, and GuliKit KK3 Max. I use these controllers when playing emulated retro games, so I thought I would share my thoughts on them if anyone is looking to pick up one!

All three use magnetic sticks and triggers (TMR or HE), have trigger locks, gyro, good rumble, and are multi-platform! I believe all three let you change the settings using keymaps on the controller itself. They all let you disable the lights around the sticks if you prefer that. These controllers all use membrane ABXY and d-pad, since I prefer those over clicky microswitches.

8BitDo Ultimate 2

Pros

• D-Pad is very "free" and it's easy to change direction (this could also be a con depending on the game), it feels very nice to use
• Only one of the three to use TMR sticks, which I hear are more accurate than hall effect while consuming less power
• The nicest looking controller with the Yellow colour in my opinion!
• Has a charging dock that doubles as a USB dongle extender
• The switch to enable trigger lock is the easiest to access of the three

Cons

• Definitely the cheapest feeling build quality out of the free
• Confusing naming scheme: the "Wireless" looks to prioritise PC (with Xbox ABXY) while the "Bluetooth" prioritises Nintendo Switch (with Nintendo ABXY). Additionally, the Lime Green colour is exclusive to the "Wireless", while the Yellow colour (the one I have) is exclusive to the "Bluetooth"
  • On that note, I can confirm that the "Bluetooth" works with my laptop running Linux!
• ABXY layout is not (physically) interchangeable
• The grip is not flared out like the other two, which many don't like. I'm okay with it, but I do prefer the flared out grips of the other two

GuliKit KK3 Max

Pros

• Interchangeable ABXY (requires a separate keycap puller-like thing)
• In my opinion the best ABXY buttons, since they feel tactile while being relatively quiet
• D-Pad, although still easy to change direction, it's more intentional as a little more force is needed to do so compared to the 8BitDo. This can be good or bad depending on the game
• Removable back paddles are really neat, and they are made of metal so they feel pretty good
• Includes a neat case that exposes the charging connector. It has slots for a button puller thing + the dongle. The keymaps are also written on the case, which is useful (but some of the symbols are ambiguous)!
• The most solid feeling hard plastic of the three

Cons

• Wireless connectivity latency is terrible with both the included dongle and Bluetooth. It's fine if I am close to the laptop, but it won't work well, for example, in a living room PC setup.
• The back paddles can't be stored in the included case
• QC is reported to be not great, I got a good unit but many others have duds
• The lights around the sticks can't be changed from the default colour, unlike the other two, since they are instead used to show what settings have been changed (but in my experience this doesn't really help all too much since it's just a small hue shift)
• Due to the shape of the ABXY buttons (the rightmost button is very deep, for example), they aren't perfectly interchangeable. You have to switch between a set of Xbox layout and a set of Nintendo layout buttons. Both are provided in the box, but it makes it more annoying to switch between the two

GameSir Supernova

Pros

• Interchangeable ABXY that does not require a special tool, as the faceplate is removable
• D-Pad is somewhere in between the 8BitDo and GuliKit in terms of "freeness"
• Also has a dock that doubles as a dongle extender. It's slightly better than 8BitDo's, since the dongle is behind the dock rather than below it, making it easier to access should you need to
• Rubber grips make it feel nicer in the hand to hold
• The triggers are the nicest of the three in my opinion

Cons

• The trigger stops don't have a microswitch, unlike the other two. You might prefer this, but I think it makes it less of an instant trigger
• Rubber grips might have longevity issues, haven't had it long enough for that to pop up

I personally use the GuliKit KK3 Max, since I sit close to my relatively small 14" laptop, so latency issues aren't a worry, and I don't need the charging dock of the other two since I won't be using it for a console-like setup. The 8BitDo controller is the nicest looking (the yellow colourway is awesome!) while also being the cheapest feeling, and I don't like the tighter grip as much, so I opted to give it to my littlest sibling with tiny hands for playing fun games on the Switch. The GameSir Supernova was given to my other little sibling who has broader shoulders than me, and they enjoy the charging dock a lot since they play games on their PC.

Here's another one from me. Wipeout was an ultra cool game. This is from 1995 and is still in fantastic condition, box and game inside are barely touched (how do you add multiple pics on here?). Wipeout featured a fantastic soundtrack featuring Orbital, Chemical Brothers and Leftfield amongst others. It was probably one of the earliest games to show what the PS1 was really capable off and blew away anything the competition had.

Comes with all sorts of cool stuff including a 3.5inch floppy disk USB drive. I'm keeping this one sealed though.

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/46478820

So there are a lot of options in 2026 to do this, but i'm not sure which is the best route.

Cheapest option for me is the Super Gameboy for SNES as i already have a couple SNES consoles. But the frame rate is sped up slightly, and it doesn't play GBC or GBA games. But this option is $30-35.

Then i have the gamboy player for the Gamecube. Player and disc run about $230 now. I can mod my Gamecube and just get a player for $65, and this way i can play all GB, GBC, and GBA games. Cons are the the input lag from buttons, but it seems the GBI interface when used with Swiss can solve most of this problem.

Then i can get a GB operator for about $60 if i'm willing to wait a month or 2. This would be a $60 option and would allow me to play my GB, GBC, and GBA games on my computer/TV. The ability to back up saves is crucial as i tend to play pokemon 95% of the time. But it's an emulator and not REAL hardware.

Which option would you go with? I'm ignoring the analog pocket and it's docking capabilities due to the cost.