IrishNinja
Member
...yeah, im thinkin that too. shame, i really like it when the DC knows the date! its one of my favorite gaming system OS's...it's like, do you wanna play, listen to music or what bruh
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Retro-GAF unite!
- Thread starter IrishNinja
- Start date
Shin Johnpv
Member
Dreamcast HDMI mod is getting announced at Too Many Games, and GBA Everdrives go on sale (or maybe pre-order) at Too Many Games as well.
Beer Monkey
Member
If the DC HDMI can do letterboxed 960p with scanlines, I think I'm sold even though I'm a CRT diehard.
Please keep us updated abut the status of both of these. HDMI for Dreamcast would make might setup so much simpler, and a GBA Everdrive wouldn't be too bad, either.
Shadowman16
Member
HDMI Dreamcast sounds awesome. I'd be tempted to get one just for both Shenmue games.
Hawk269
Member
Yeah, I would love to have a HDMI mod for my DC. I have a pretty big library on it and would benefit from that. Right now I go DC>VGA Box>VGA to Component>Frameister to play it on my big screen 4k set. Looks good, but I am sure a pure HDMI signal would be even better.
Danny Dudekisser
I paid good money for this Dynex!
All I need is the OSSC for DC, when that thing finally ships.
Hanzo -> OSSC is gonna be sweeeeet. Haven't played a DC on a decent screen for years due to not having a good way to get VGA on modern displays.
Hanzo -> OSSC is gonna be sweeeeet. Haven't played a DC on a decent screen for years due to not having a good way to get VGA on modern displays.
Since you have a Framemeister already, wouldn't a Toro be the best option? I absolutely love mine.
There's no general retro PC gaming thread so I'll just post here about my thoughts on KotOR 1 as far as how it compares to the Xbox version and beyond.
First of all, KotOR is a challenging game to get running on PC. I'm amazed Steam sells games that hardly work out of the box on today's hardware. Thankfully, the based PC mod scene saves the day! A plethora of bug fixes and graphics updates are available. Namely, there's the 16:9/HD resolution fix. The original game runs at a maximum of 1280x1024, 4:3 or something like that. A resolution patcher is required for 16:9, 16:10, etc... modern resolutions. Meanwhile the Xbox version is also locked at 4:3 unless you can hex edit the game's files to your liking.
The game on a modern PC can be run at higher color space with a generous bit depth of RGB 4:4:4, 12bpc/36bpp. Then there's the obvious higher frame rates and AA solutions. The Xbox version not only runs at a lower frame rate, but animations themselves appear to me to be even lower that the overal frame rate. This is most apparent on Taris where there are lots of NPCs walking around. It gives droid NPCs a more noticeably jittery stride. It's almost comical. The AA on Xbox was non-existent, whereas I'm running it on PC with 8xSSAA. There is one advantage on the Xbox in my own experience... The screen tearing. There was no screen tearing I could detect on Xbox, but the PC screen tears like a mother fucker no matter what setting I use. Windowed borderless, V-sync... nothing stops this creep tearing train. BTW, windowed borderless was an absolute must for me on my PC. For some odd reason, in game audio would not work at all in standard full screen. It was strange but I prefer windowed borderless anyway.
So that's most of the visual enhancements, but there's also fantastic audio enhancement mods. Some saintly person decompressed and remastered the music from mono low bitrate and frequency, to stereo 44Khz; 22bps. The end result on a 5.1 setup is stunning to say the least. Theres also some higher quality combat audio mods. It really adds a cinematic touch to the combat moments of the game.
I loved my time on the Xbox version, but PC is definitely the way to go on this game.
First of all, KotOR is a challenging game to get running on PC. I'm amazed Steam sells games that hardly work out of the box on today's hardware. Thankfully, the based PC mod scene saves the day! A plethora of bug fixes and graphics updates are available. Namely, there's the 16:9/HD resolution fix. The original game runs at a maximum of 1280x1024, 4:3 or something like that. A resolution patcher is required for 16:9, 16:10, etc... modern resolutions. Meanwhile the Xbox version is also locked at 4:3 unless you can hex edit the game's files to your liking.
The game on a modern PC can be run at higher color space with a generous bit depth of RGB 4:4:4, 12bpc/36bpp. Then there's the obvious higher frame rates and AA solutions. The Xbox version not only runs at a lower frame rate, but animations themselves appear to me to be even lower that the overal frame rate. This is most apparent on Taris where there are lots of NPCs walking around. It gives droid NPCs a more noticeably jittery stride. It's almost comical. The AA on Xbox was non-existent, whereas I'm running it on PC with 8xSSAA. There is one advantage on the Xbox in my own experience... The screen tearing. There was no screen tearing I could detect on Xbox, but the PC screen tears like a mother fucker no matter what setting I use. Windowed borderless, V-sync... nothing stops this creep tearing train. BTW, windowed borderless was an absolute must for me on my PC. For some odd reason, in game audio would not work at all in standard full screen. It was strange but I prefer windowed borderless anyway.
So that's most of the visual enhancements, but there's also fantastic audio enhancement mods. Some saintly person decompressed and remastered the music from mono low bitrate and frequency, to stereo 44Khz; 22bps. The end result on a 5.1 setup is stunning to say the least. Theres also some higher quality combat audio mods. It really adds a cinematic touch to the combat moments of the game.
I loved my time on the Xbox version, but PC is definitely the way to go on this game.
Laws00
Member
Okay how do I remove this marker from the cart?
I've been wanting this game so I got it cheap due to how it looks. I was like fuck it. I can just clean it up. It has been put through alcohol through and through EVERYTHING all the contacts. I just don't know how the hell to get rid of this blue ass marker without going over it again and again?
nail polish remover or something?
I've been wanting this game so I got it cheap due to how it looks. I was like fuck it. I can just clean it up. It has been put through alcohol through and through EVERYTHING all the contacts. I just don't know how the hell to get rid of this blue ass marker without going over it again and again?
nail polish remover or something?
Okay how do I remove this marker from the cart?
I've been wanting this game so I got it cheap due to how it looks. I was like fuck it. I can just clean it up. It has been put through alcohol through and through EVERYTHING all the contacts. I just don't know how the hell to get rid of this blue ass marker without going over it again and again?
nail polish remover or something?
There's chemicals in dry erase markers that people tend to recommend as a good solvents. I think they might be found in dry erase board cleaners. Benzene is the old chemical, but it's toxic and a carcinogen.
Danny Dudekisser
I paid good money for this Dynex!
That cart is disgusting.
sixteen-bit
Member
try goof off
eXistor
Member
I use stain removal sponges.
Just use a little bit of water on the sponge and wipe it off. You're ssentially lightly sanding down the cartridge so be careful not to overdo it as the plastic will be smoothed out as well if used too much.
Great post, televator, was just thinking if it was worth picking up the KotOR games on Xbox. Doesn't one of them have dlc that can't be had because of the xbl servers being shutdown too?
Danny Dudekisser
I paid good money for this Dynex!
Thanks. Gonna look through this later -- I actually really enjoy seeing shit like this.
Laws00
Member
looking at those made me almost throw up in my mouth
and thank. i have heard about the mr.clean eraser for practically everything. i know for the sneakers
Apparently the N64 was the generation of abused games!
Thanks! KotOR 1 had Yavin IV DLC that was on Xbox Live, yes. That indeed got shut down. However it can still be added easily. Via a game patcher that you can FTP onto your soft modded Xbox and execute it in there through the UnleashX dash. I did this myself, and it worked flawlessly.
7DollarHagane
Banned
It's funny how many are n64 games. The labels were really horrendous and fragile.
Have you use v-sync from the graphics card itself through an nvidia/AMD control panel?
IrishNinja
Member
HDMI's a cool option, but get with the times ya'll - there's been several ways to get great visuals out of the DC on modern sets for years now
I guess it's worth a shot. It's what I use to force the high AA already anyway.
The future is digital. HDMI is digital. HDMI is the future.
I'll be pissed if PS4 Neo doesn't launch with native RF support! I'll settle for composite I guess. /sThe future is digital. HDMI is digital. HDMI is the future.
What was/is the connection where you literally screw the terminals on to the back of the TV? Is that a different version of RF? I remember doing that for something back in the day, I think it was due to the TV and not the device (probably NES).
IrishNinja
Member
The future is digital. HDMI is digital. HDMI is the future.
fuckafuture!
SD cards though, those are undeniable. these discs are gonna be just for the shelves down the road...kinda like most carts with an everdrive, but still
D.Lo
Member
But old consoles are not the future, they are the past.The future is digital. HDMI is digital. HDMI is the future.
Pretty sure classic car enthusiasts don't want to mod their 70s Supercars with electric engines either.
7DollarHagane
Banned
But they do put new tires on them and replace the parts that brake down.
D.Lo
Member
Original parts, or duplications of the originals or other parts from the era.
Completely different from retrofitting ultra-modern designs into old machines.
I am very much against most of these dramatic console surgeries to add in HDMI. In 20 years when a Lazer 3 connection is standard, 2016 modded consoles will be left with a hacked up 20 year old tech ruining their 50 year old antique.
mariosbrother
Member
Edit: nvm, it's late and my ability to read has expired.
That was RF.
That's what I normally do and it works perfectly.
It's very useful for capture cards and if you plan to play an old game on an HDTV without a converter/upscaler. And yes, I'm aware about a CRT being the best for them, but this is an alternative option at the very least.
I think the point is more about these technologies not being as future proof as we think they would be. Sticking to the original RGB 240p and potentially upscaling to whatever resolution our future TVs will be, instead of hacking into the console to add 1080p digital which will be outdated in a few years. In 20 years, when we have 10k TVs, HDMI will be out the way of the DVI-D, and you will have a useless 1080p HDMI mod. Then you either upscale the 1080p upscaled 240p, or mod the console again for the latest connector and resolution.
Plus, most of the shell hacks look terrible.
Plus, most of the shell hacks look terrible.
Shin Johnpv
Member
Yes and No. Depends on the car enthusiast. You see people who go for the OEM style, and then people who don't. I know plenty of folks that have dropped modern fuel injected engines into their 70's muscle cars that should have had a carburetor. It's easier to get more power out of, easier to maintain, easier to find people to work on it etc etc. Plus the plethora of cars that had to be converted from running leaded gasoline to unleaded. Then you have the folks who put in modern audio equipment, not just the head unit but the speakers and wiring. There's lots of ways people adjust old cars to include modern development.
I personally don't think HDMI will be going anywhere any time soon. (though you could say 20 years isn't any time soon but that's semantics.) The very design of HDMI is a standard that can grow and change, while still being affordable to manufacture. We've already seen HDMI go from 1080p60 with 4.9Gbps to 4k60 with 18Gbps. We also went from supporting 8 channels of audio to supporting 32.
The whole point of HDMI is that it can grow, change, and adapt to what's needed. That's why these HDMI mods are so good.
GBA Everdrives? finally ^_^
what everdrives are left still? I feel like every major console is done, unless they do a DS everdrive. not sure how necessary that is, though.
I can't wait until the big focus is on SD card loaders for disc based systems. there's already mods out there for DC and Saturn, it's just still super early days and not easy to get your hands on.
let me put the entire PS2 library on a SD card and play that shit.
sixteen-bit
Member
I'd love to see ones for Neo Geo Pocket and Wonderswan. Ed Manly has developed flash carts for them but they are functionally rather rudimentary compared to Krikzz's Everdrives.
yeah that would be sweet. I hope there's a big enough market for some of those more obscure consoles to make development of those everdrives worth it.
I don't see any need to worry over HDMI mods. The Ultra HDMI N64 for example has a direct 480p mode that scales well on my 1080p TV set and will look great on future 4K/8K/etc televisions (which should have even better internal scalers).
People are going to continue tinkering and improving on mods, but there will be no critical need for a new hardware mod any time soon as the principal reason for doing this was to bring old consoles out of the analog era and obtain a pure digital signal that non-analog, non-240p/480i TVs can display and scale without a problem. It's not a mere short-sighted solution for today's 1080p TVs.
Lo and behold...
http://retrorgb.com/ultrahdmi.html
People are going to continue tinkering and improving on mods, but there will be no critical need for a new hardware mod any time soon as the principal reason for doing this was to bring old consoles out of the analog era and obtain a pure digital signal that non-analog, non-240p/480i TVs can display and scale without a problem. It's not a mere short-sighted solution for today's 1080p TVs.
Lo and behold...
http://retrorgb.com/ultrahdmi.html
PumpkinSpice
Banned
TBH I don't think just scaling to 480p digital is a great solution due to the pixel aspect ratio problem. Over analog, 240p, 480i, and 480p can have non-square pixels but when it's digital 480p is forced to square pixels (edit: or at least not the same PAR that you started with, since you can do non-square digital 480p). If you're starting with a digital signal in the console that means the whole picture is the wrong aspect ratio, and good luck finding a TV that will re-correct 8:7 back to 4:3.
I'd actually prefer to see scaling to 720p in this case if we're going to force it a digital signal, since you could resample just handle the scale horizontally to 1280 samples which looks pretty good. That would also allow good (1.5x) scaling to 1080p, and pixel perfect to 4K/8K.
I'd actually prefer to see scaling to 720p in this case if we're going to force it a digital signal, since you could resample just handle the scale horizontally to 1280 samples which looks pretty good. That would also allow good (1.5x) scaling to 1080p, and pixel perfect to 4K/8K.
socksfelloff
Member
I guess it's worth a shot. It's what I use to force the high AA already anyway.
The future is digital. HDMI is digital. HDMI is the future.
I thought VR was the future? I'll wait for the dreamcast VR mod.
Ps2 has several ways to run games without the optical drive.
Gamecube has an SD reader and wii HDD options
Ps1 has psio
All the major consoles with optical drives are covered at this point. The creator of the Saturn /DC options said he may look into Sega CD next.
sixteen-bit
Member
what's the status on PSIO? that looked real promising last time I saw it.
And is there actually a good way to run backups off a SD card for PS2 at this point? I remember trying to see what the backup scene was like for PS2 a few months ago and it was a shit show.
PumpkinSpice
Banned
You can use OpenPS2Loader, the latest and greatest HDLoader successor, with an SD->IDE adapter to do SD card. Compatibility still isn't perfect though.
sixteen-bit
Member
I didn't even know it was possible to install on PSone. Doesn't it use the serial port?
socksfelloff
Member
Psio has sold a few waves so far. I've missed it each time though.
For ps2 you can run games off a HDD pretty easy with great compatibility. You can also run games over smb. Usb compatibility is limited due to the slow speed of usb 1.1
The ps2 scene is a shit show though. It's a sea of broken links and old guides. I'm tempted to write an up to date guide.
It does, and there is no serial port on the PSone, However, the connections are still possible: each pin of the serial port connects to various stuff, chip legs etc, which are still in the console. Last I recall the creators said it could be done, though I don't think anyone tried. You'd have to do some extensive research with the technical documentation to map everything correctly.
[edit] (I'm very tempted to add a wild bear gif to my post now.)
Shin Johnpv
Member
A dude made an Atari Lynx one and is working on a Jaguar one as well. There's another guy working on a NeoGeo one, but that's going to be like 400 bucks.
Yeah but they're not easily accessible. You can't just go online to a site like stoneagegamer.com and order on the way you can everdrives. Plus it sounds like the dude who does the Saturn/DC doesn't seem interested in making them more readily available/affordable.