General Retro Discussion

[Dcubed]

Disappointing to hear about the limited video output options when docked; hopefully that gets sorted soon as that would be my main reason for purchasing this thing.

Universal Sleep Mode is a VERY welcome feature though

Nice to hear that controller support is seamless.  Not exactly a fan of the original DMG D-pad though; was hoping for something a bit more akin to the GBAsp TBH.

Edited December 14, 2021 by Dcubed

[Ike]

Less than an hour now.

@Julius @Dcubed@Will

[Happenstance]

How much is it again?

[Ike]

6 minutes ago, Happenstance said:

How much is it again?

$219 just for the console. The price went up due to price of components.

[Happenstance]

13 minutes ago, Ike said:

$219 just for the console. The price went up due to price of components.

It's tempting because I do like Analogue but I never really was a handheld gamer and don't have many carts still in my retro collection to use on it...

[Julius]

Well, I got one. Just waiting for that dreaded email to say when!

Was on an emergency meeting which started when I was supposed to finish at 15:30, so stepped away for 2 seconds because "someone was at the door" and got in the queue. Not auto-filling payment details was a bit of a pain, but otherwise relatively smooth. 

Still waiting on that confirmation email, mind...anyone else get lucky? 

EDIT: well, confirmation email get, but no mention of when to expect it. Going off what I've seen elsewhere I doubt I'll be part of the January shipments, but like I said before, don't mind waiting as I'm in no real rush 

Edited December 14, 2021 by Julius

[Dcubed]

I’ve decided to hold off.  I’ve spent too much recently and I can’t justify the cost here when I have a perfectly good IPS/USB-C GBA and Gameboy Interface setup already.

[Will]

I had a really busy afternoon and totally forgot to be ready for this on time. I have an order in at least but god knows when I’ll actually get one.

[Ike]

20 hours ago, Julius said:

Nice! Look forward to hearing your impressions 

Are there any games in particular you're looking forward to trying out on the Pocket first? 

Been holding off playing Dragon Warrior III until it arrived. Although I did wonder which would arrive first, The Pocket or Dragon Quest III 2D-HD.

[CrowingJoe79]

Now, this I remember.

The last boss battle with the Joker wasn't that hard!

I think the hardest level was against the Penguin. 

 

[Dcubed]

Right! I've got a few bits of hardware that are currently just excess, taking up space, and I'm looking to sell them.  Figured that I'd rather post them on here for you guys to snap them up, before I chuck them onto eBay.

Original Xbox (Modded)

Spoiler

This system is a ver 1.2 Original Xbox, which has been modded to run the latest Unleash-X dashboard and is pre-configured to run retail disc games in 480p/720p as appropriate.  No hardware modifications have been made, it's a pure soft-modded system.  No games have been installed onto the HDD.  Comes standalone with no controllers or cables; making it a perfect drop-in replacement for anyone who wants to replace their OG Xbox with a modded one that is region free, which runs all region games (including PAL) in 480p/720p.

It works perfectly.  Only reason why I am getting rid of it is because I have just replaced it in my setup with a hardware upgraded modded Xbox (which came with a nice 300GB HDD pre-installed - which I used to rip my own physical disc games onto for greater convenience); so I have no use for this one anymore.

 

Playstation Vita original 1000 OLED model (with 32GB Official Vita memory card)

Spoiler

Fully working Playstation Vita, comes with an official 32GB PS Vita memory card.  A fair few hairline scratches to the body & screen, would describe the condition as "fair" overall.

I recently got a new PS Vita that I have modded to run all of my PSP (physical UMD rips and PSN downloads) games & PS1 PSN downloads (along with a SD2Vita adapter - just got sick and tired of having to deal with switching PSN accounts all the time!).  So this other system is now redundant for me.  Comes with a charging cable, the 32GB memory card and nothing else.

 

New Nintendo 3DS

Spoiler

 

Fully working New Nintendo 3DS (PAL region).  Generally in good physical condition, aside from two annoying scratches on the top screen (caused by the edges of the bottom screen; if you've ever owned a 3DS, you'll know what I'm talking about.  It's near unavoidable with regular use).  The A Button is also a bit unresponsive sometimes, sometimes you have to press it a bit harder for presses to register.  Otherwise it's fully working (I replaced this with a fresh N3DS some time ago, and this one is currently just sitting around unloved).  No mods, no built-in games or anything like that; it's as stock as it comes.  I can chuck in a 3DS charger as well if you want one.

 

I'm willing to accept below average eBay prices for these, since I really just don't want to deal with the hassle of eBay fees and dodgy potential buyers etc if I can help it.  PM me if you want them and I'll give you some mates rates

[Dcubed]

OOH!!

https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2021/12/segas-astro-city-mini-is-getting-a-tate-version-packed-with-shmup-goodness

There's a new version of the SEGA Astro City Mini coming... and this time, it's in…

This one comes with a new lineup of games, and they're not all vertical shmups... but yeah, they're mostly all vertical shmups!

Quote

• Zaxxon
• Action Fighter
• Wrestle War
• Desert Breaker
• Raiden
• Batsugun
• Dogyuun
• V-V / Grind Stormer
• Same! Same! Same! / Fire Shark
• Outzone
• Tatsujin / Truxton
• Tatsujin / Truxton II
• Kingdom Grandprix
• Armed Police Batrider
• Battle Bakraid
• Strikers 1945
• Gunbird
• Moon Cresta
• Sengoku Ace
• Cosmo Police Galivan
• Sonic Wings

Nice lineup

Edited December 17, 2021 by Dcubed

[Julius]

Fulfillment update is coming on Monday, for those who have got Analogue Pocket pre-orders in recently:

Fingers crossed mine comes sonnet rather than later, but yeah, got enough elsewhere to keep me busy just in case! 

Edited December 18, 2021 by Julius

[Ike]

So I got the shipping email my Pocket Monday, original delivery estimate was Wednesday. Wednesday came and went and no movement on the tracking so I was getting a bit anxious it got lost or something. Got an update email later that night that Fedex had received the parcel and delivery was due Friday. Phew. As I mentioned, the office is closed next week.

Woke up Friday to an email saying delivery had been delayed to Monday. So now I was panicking wondering if I will need to dash to the office and wait for the delivery or something (they didn't let me change the delivery address). Got a text a bit later saying it out out for delivery anyway. Didn't get a timeslot or anything so my backup plan would have failed. It arrived, so panic over after bit of a rollercoaster of emotions.

The device is a real beut, feels like a nice size and weight. Screen is amazing. Not had a real go of it yet though. Was going to use my Everdrive but I don't think the memories feature will work correctly (which isn't available at the moment). Got a message that sleep mode doesn't work with the type of cartridge so guessing it doesn't like flash carts.

The dock only supports a limited number of controllers so far. Mine came with a EU wall adapter so I had to use a phone one.

The hard case has some pins which go into the screw holes on the unit so hold it in place which is a nice idea. Not sure if I've seen that before.

I got the screen protector as well (the protective film is still on the minute) but I don't have a good track record with applying screen protectors.

The packaging is also very nice, very Apple-esc. You even get a sticker.

So at the moment, this thing was worth the wait.

[Dcubed]

How do GBA games look & play on the Pocket @Ike? What controllers have you managed to get working with the dock?

[Ike]

36 minutes ago, Dcubed said:

How do GBA games look & play on the Pocket @Ike? What controllers have you managed to get working with the dock?

I've got a PS4 controller working so far using a wire. Pressing the PS button is supposed to open the Analogue menu but it wasn't working.

Supported controllers so far are 8BitDo Pro 2 and M30 (Bluetooth), PS4 and Switch Pro.

Here's a couple of GBA games, not the best pics, mind. I think my phone messed with the colours a bit. It's a bit darker in person.  I'm happy with how it looks. 

This is using the "Analogue OS" display settings. The Dragon Warrior III image is using a GBC filter.

As i suspected, I'm not a huge fan of the shoulder buttons, feels like you're touching the cart a bit too much and it's bit of a loose fit so potential of knocking the cart out may be there if you're a bit too rough.

[Dcubed]

How's the d-pad? I hear it's more like the original DMG Game Boy's one, does that sound right to you?

[Ike]

26 minutes ago, Dcubed said:

How's the d-pad? I hear it's more like the original DMG Game Boy's one, does that sound right to you?

Got a little wiggle to it, it feels fine. Think I need a longer play session. I didn't have a DMG so I can't really compare.

[Dcubed]

https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2021/12/the-taito-egret-ii-mini-is-getting-a-western-release

United Games Entertainment (Inin Games/Strictly Limited Games) will be distibuting the Taito Egret II Mini in Europe!

[Will]

On 12/17/2021 at 11:35 PM, Julius said:

Fingers crossed mine comes sonnet rather than later, but yeah, got enough elsewhere to keep me busy just in case! 

Which group did you get in the end? I'm B which I'm OK with given how long I forgot to put my order in for. It will be a nice Christmas present for next year.

[Julius]

1 hour ago, Will said:

Which group did you get in the end? I'm B which I'm OK with given how long I forgot to put my order in for. It will be a nice Christmas present for next year.

Nice, I also ended up in B myself!

Would've been nice to have it next month, but I've got plenty of other games to play so I'm probably in the opposite of a rush for it, and it also gives me a bit of time to really look into what I want to pick up for it, outside of the few GBA games I already have lying around. 

[Dcubed]

I just started playing Metal Gear Ghost Babel (AKA Metal Gear Solid GBC) for the first time; which I just got for Xmas…  Holy shit!! This game is SO GOOD!!! I should’ve played this years ago!!

So far, this is easily the best MGS game I’ve played since MGS3! Absolutely loving it so far!

Edited December 27, 2021 by Dcubed

[Dcubed]

Well lookie at what just came through my door...

Nice

Nabbed these for about £70 each; not bad considering that they normally go for £100-140 each.  Also got away without paying customs fees, double nice 

Edited January 5, 2022 by Dcubed

[Goafer]

On 27/12/2021 at 4:56 PM, Dcubed said:

I just started playing Metal Gear Ghost Babel (AKA Metal Gear Solid GBC) for the first time; which I just got for Xmas…  Holy shit!! This game is SO GOOD!!! I should’ve played this years ago!!

So far, this is easily the best MGS game I’ve played since MGS3! Absolutely loving it so far!

It's a brilliant game and has become surprisingly expensive on eBay. Currently listed for £90 for just the cartridge. 

I have one copy from when I bought it brand new and I must have bought a second copy a few years ago, as I now have 2. Don't recall paying much for the second copy, so I must have got lucky and got it before the prices went up.

Shameless photo of one of the copies. 

 

[Ike]

On 05/01/2022 at 1:28 PM, Dcubed said:

Also got away without paying customs fees, double nice 

Just a FYI as it's good to know, the import fee threshold was increased from £15 to £135 (https://www.gov.uk/goods-sent-from-abroad/tax-and-duty). Seems to be the only good thing to come from Brexit*.

* No idea if it was related to Brexit or not.