Video game player crossroads-seeking a solution

[Unbeliever]

I've been mulling this over for a few days now, and once again come to the AtariAge community for assistance. Over the years, I've asked for help from you, my video game brothers and sisters, for your opinions. Again, I seek your advice. After all, if I'm in a conundrum involving video games, where else would I go? Honest opinions are always welcome, and constructive criticism is appreciated. So without further ado, here we go.

 

Currently, I own an Xbox 360, Gamecube, Intellivision, and an Atari 2600. All have some games with them, some are played, some sit on the shelf staring at me, wondering if I will ever play them again. At the moment, I've been playing my Xbox 360 exclusively, but it's starting to lose it's luster. I just can't seem to find interest in the system for more than an hour at best.

 

I'm not sure if it's a slump (doesn't feel like one), but more of a "trying to find something that will spark my interest". I was thinking of ditching the Xbox and going either more "retro" (taking the money and investing in my Atari 2600/Intellivision by getting more games) or buying/trading for a 2DS/3DS and getting a couple of games with it.

 

I've owned a 3DS before and did enjoy it, but at the time I was swapping back and forth between the console versus portable scenario. It was nice to be able to take the game system with me wherever I went, so that's an option at this point as well.

 

For my retro consoles, I do have a great library for my Atari 2600 and a moderate library for my Intellivision (currently sitting in a box waiting for my decision to either hook it up or pack it away).

 

So, my question isn't necessarily an easy one, but I figure someone out there in AtariAge land will have experienced what I'm going through. Did you reduce your consoles to one or two, focus on those, or did you keep them all, expand them, play them? I love my retro consoles, but they don't get the "love" they should. The Xbox 360's novelty seems to have worn off now. How would you go about restructuring the "love" that I have for gaming to a tighter focus? Would you just sell off consoles or pack them away in boxes, mark them, and keep them? Would you get rid of the Xbox 360 to do either portable gaming or focus on retro gaming?

 

All I need is a good few suggestions to point me in the right direction and focus a little tighter on the gaming world. Any and all hints/tips/etc. are welcome in this discussion.

 

Thanks, AtariAge members. Your thoughts are invaluable as always.

 

Steve

[Flojomojo]

4 consoles (two completely retro and two just old) seems very sensible to me, almost Spartan. It seems that you already have a very "tight focus on the gaming world."

 

You don't say what kind of games you enjoy, nor how old you are (I have found that it makes a difference in what interests a person). I seriously doubt that ditching your main semi-modern box and going more retro is going to be satisfying from either a collector's or gamer's perspective. Atari and Intellivision games are like mini-games, but they cost real money and take up real space.

 

How about grabbing one or more of those Retro Gamer bookazines, flip through it, and see if anything tickles your fancy? Or read some old game magazines, and think about what you missed?

 

Either of those is usually enough to send me to the Virtual Console or emulators right away to try out some things I've never played before.

 

My "retro gaming" takes place far from dusty cartridges and thrift stores. There has been a huge renaissance of simple, affordable gaming going on with mobile devices over the past eight years. People dismiss them as "not pure games" or for having touchscreen controls, but for me, it's like the 1980s never ended.

 

The other thing I would try is to get lost in a long, deep modern game. Something from the Elder Scrolls, Witcher, Fallout, D&D (Baldur's Gate, etc) or Star Wars (KOTOR, SWTOR) would do it for me.

[Unbeliever]

Well, to answer your questions, I'm an older gamer (49 years) and have been there since almost the very "beginning", starting with the Atari 2600 console and going through most of them later on. For gaming types, it's mostly arcade games and action/RPG games.

 

I forget that some collectors and aficionados here have many more than four systems at their disposal. I should clarify that the game systems I settle on will be "played" regularly, if that makes a difference to answering my questions. I agree with you to a point about the retro consoles..but since my Atari 2600 collection is already sizable (about 50 games or more, loose and complete), perhaps I should clear some space and make that my "main console"?

 

I bought the Intellivision from someone here to try it out and see what the games were like, since I've never owned one before. I do like the console, but again, it's not getting the attention it deserves. I could easily make space for it and set it up again, but I DO have limited space. Three areas, one is already taken up by my 360, one spot exclusively for my Atari 2600, and the third spot for the television (that has the Xbox 360 hooked to it).

 

So thank you for the advice and links. Already clicked on one and found a delightful magazine that I could order directly through the company.

 

Please, keep the comments coming. All advice is most welcome.

 

Steve

[leods]

What got me "back" into gaming with more energy was just a Change in mindset. Learning games instead of just playing games. Try some high scores, or learn a fighting game.

 

The 360 has a bunch of olcschool collections that are quite cheap. Not too many cheap Scrolling shooters, but some. The Prices are probably approaching it's lowest. And the sheer ammount of games and how easy the are to acquire makes the console a great System to Play and collect for right now.

 

But I don't know your gaming Habits. It's hard to say.

 

But to be hones 1 hour a day of gaming is enough. I would actually like to Play one hour a day. I find myself often getting an oldschool game and playing for 30 minutes to one hour and then getting tires. But that's good. Those are more intense gaming experiences. It's not like some modern games where you Play for one hour but you're just Walking around anyway.

 

Edit: is Price a concern? I just got a PSP and that Thing is godly... Much cheaper to collect for than a 3DS at the Moment, and there's really a ton os stuff to Play on it, And with the right console and Setup full of possibilities.

Edited January 11, 2016 by leods

[+thegoldenband]

The chronological hole in your collection -- call it from 1985-2001, roughly -- is pretty much my favorite era in gaming, especially the decade from roughly 1987-1997. At least for me, the relationship between gameplay, aesthetics, complexity, and goals hit a "sweet spot" more reliably than anything that came before or afterward.

 

I don't own an XBox, 360 or otherwise, but I play my Intellivision and GameCube with some regularity and grew up with the VCS. Still, If I had only those four systems, I think I'd get tired of gaming fairly quickly.

[Unbeliever]

It could possibly be the fact that since acquiring Kingdoms of Amalur for my 360 that I'm burning out. I'm playing my sessions way too long (at night especially), way more than an hour's time. So that could easily be the "cause" of the lackluster attitude right now. There's always "just one more quest to complete" or "one more area to explore", taking me past my limitations...I guess I have video game limitations now, even though I swore never to admit that.

 

So instead of shooting everything out the window or trying something new, maybe I should set limits on play time. Atari is good for quick games, and maybe setting a limit on RPG's on the Xbox 360 might help. I hate to sound like a parent setting video game times, but it could very well do the trick.

 

Leods, price right now is definitely a "problem", so what I have will have to suffice, unless I do some trading for something else. No job helps contribute to that of course, and if I collect something, it would have to be low price (like an Atari 2600 cart or perhaps an Xbox 360 bargain bin game).

 

I did notice some classic arcade games available for the 360 (Pacman and the like). Would you recommend those? Has anyone put some arcade games on their 360's?

[cimerians]

I keep everything I own but over the last couple of decades I've organized things down to what I want out and what I want stored (archived). Everything else is emulated or played digitally in some form. Since I enjoy a wide range of games from every system I never sell anything. I organize things so I dont see them staring at me. Ex. All my PS2/Xbox/GC games are ripped and played on homebrewed machines, physicals are stored away. I use multicarts. I use emulation too.

 

I concentrate on one title at a time on whatever platform.

 

I keep "arcade" and "favorite" games within reach.

 

Keep a list of what you have. I give games in the list priority. Must play (High Priority), Need to check out (Low) , Archived (None).

 

Store stuff away that bother you. Keep only things that you want to play around you. If they don't mean anything to you then sell them but for me I've done that before and re-bought stuff. You never know when you might want to revisit a title.

 

I devote one day a week to classic games. It varies but at least one day a week. Somedays its Sunday other days its Tuesday etc.

 

I don't typically play portable games cause I'd rather spend that time reading but when I do I stick to my rule of one game at a time.

 

Also, I don't force myself to play anything. If I don't like a game it gets shelved. I definitely give it a chance but life's too short and backlogs are huge.

[leods]

Capcom Digital Collection, Namco Museum, Mega Drive ultimate collection, Under Defeat HD, Akai Katana, Mushihimesama Futari, Raiden 4, RAiden Fighting aces, dodonpachi resurrection, deathsmiles, Pop cap hits.

 

The xbox 360 has a ton of good oldschool stuff and ports of modern arcade games. These I mentioned are all physical Releases. Some of those are expensive, most are cheap though.

 

I actually liked some digital games I got also, if you're interested I can post some more.

 

I guess now I understand what you're saying. Because I have this Problem too. These modern RPG and adventure games are too spread out. You don't really feel anything is Happening. You Play for an hour, but you barely Progress, you just make some generic side quest, but you feel like you should do more, but it's damned repetitive, so you actually don't feel like doing more.

 

I have been avoiding These games. I played a couple hours of Fallou 3, and I definitely ain't touching that again untill I'm retired. Too much time wasting.

 

The xbox 360 actually has a great library, but a lot of the stuff I consider good is sorta unknown.

[Unbeliever]

Yes, if you'd give me your digital list, that would be great.

 

Between postings (and wondering where to take my career path, since I seem to have to divert from my "chosen" profession), I played a couple of rounds of Ms. Pacman on the 2600 and two games of Phoenix (same system). That seemed to help with the lackluster "ho hum" feeling. Nothing like a good Atari 2600 game to help out in between times.

 

I was seriously considering getting rid of the Xbox 360 (again), but this thread has convinced me to keep it and expand upon it more. I picked up Fable Anniversary the other day for about $10, so that was a good deal.

 

The unknowns for the 360 system are actually what I'm searching for, something different than the standard that I've been picking up since I got the system last year around September. The "unknowns" I seem to instinctively avoid, but that's just foolishness. Probably because I've grown up with the more familiar titles. Time to expand my gaming, I think.

[Keatah]

I think we all start out as gamers and eventually somehow move into collecting as a way of adding more sophistication and excitement to the hobby. Building a collection of games is like building a tiny city or family or something alive and organic. It's a living collection in a sort of way. Especially if it's been curated and conducted over a length of time.

 

Problem is so many games are simply variations on a theme. And collections can easily and quickly become watered down. My guess is that no more than 20-30 new games each year are worth checking out.

 

As far as keeping up the excitement level, don't even try. You'll burn out and get bored. Just go with the ebb and flow. There is no right or wrong here.

 

Years ago I had several thousand cartridges, consoles, and cabinets. The collection was destroyed. I didn't care too much because it was getting out of hand and impractical to keep tabs on everything and actually enjoy the stuff. It was getting watered down with ports and me-too games and I spent more time looking through racks & stacks of carts trying to find something rather then getting down to a good game of chess. Got tired of seeing 7 different copies of Zaxxon for 7 different systems. And the most important "port" of all was missing. The genuine arcade version! Not only that - there was a lot of physical work involved in setting up and tearing down a console compared to actual game time. And the situation wasn't improving. Setting up for VCS, then wanting to play Intellivision and then Colecovision was crazy making. Eventually I got into multiple setups that sprawled everywhere consuming even more space.

 

For the longest time ever since I was a kid I always wanted one single box to play every game ever made. An all-in-one deal. It only took 14 years for this wish to get seriously get underway with the first emulators like MAME, Activision Action Packs, Microsoft Arcade, Dave Spicer's Arcade, Mike Cuddy's Gyruss sound emulator, and Digital Eclipse's single game emulators. All this worked on one piece of hardware! I was in heaven!

 

Today I maintain my original Apple II paraphernalia, Ti-59, TRS-80 Pocket Computer 1, 2, and 4, and my first 486 PC. Everything else is emulation. Including the Apple II. Seems to be a good working balance that doesn't overwhelm me or ever becomes boring. I can keep a section for all my favorite material and "archive" the rest. I can play VCS Space Invaders one moment, and within seconds I can play arcade Gyruss and Tac/Scan. The amount of "preparation" time with switching systems or driving to the arcade went way way down and game time instantly shot through the roof!

 

I can accumulate digital crap forever and not run out of space. Like it was no big deal to clear a spot for the new VCS Scramble and Rom Hunter's V11 pack. No clutter was added. And with the convenience and realism of properly set-up emulators, the experience you get is premium. Above and beyond a mound of spotty and tedious vintage hardware.

 

Setting-up, upgrading and updating emulators takes about the same amount of time spent on acquiring real hardware, maintaining it, cleaning it, and organizing it. Perhaps less once you really get going and understand the lay of the land.

 

So that's how I conduct classic gaming and vintage computing.

Edited January 12, 2016 by Keatah

[bretthorror]

I, too have to bring up the question of you not having consoles from 1985-2001 because the amount of great games on the cheap for those systems is absolutely massive. If you don't like that era, no biggie, but you could get a lot of cool stuff from around there that might get you more interested. The 360 market right now is a buyer's market and older stuff is generally a seller's. You'll likely not get much for your awesome 360 stuff, especially when you compare it to what you might end up, good or bad games, from the profits from selling. Gamecube games are really expensive sellers now, though. I love the 2600, but it oftentimes makes me just want to play the real arcade versions in MAME.

 

I also think you'd be well off to emulate some to get the juices flowing. Nothing like buying bad games and getting in a rut or spending too much time (as I've been doing lately) researching games when you could just fire them up for free via emulation. The big irony of the situation is people act like emulation and collecting can't go hand in hand, mainly on the anti-emulator people side. Like all the sudden because you load up a $99 Ouya with essentially every game ever from the 70s to mid 90s, you lose the joy of collecting. When I'm in a rut I fire up my Ouya and go to emulation heaven because that's where I get inspired to play. And since there are 10 000+ games on there, I have little trouble finding something to hit the spot. Even if I'm mucking around, just trying games can kill an hour or two, easily. Any modest PC can emulate all this stuff to make things even cheaper. It also helps you not buy shitty games. I always to say to anyone on a budget to buy what they need to emulate everything so they can always play whatever, and spend the money on things you actually want. It's fun to get 12 common as dirt 2600, no doubt about it. There's quality in that. But, if you really wanna try X-Man... it doesn't matter what you buy unless it's X-Man. So it's cool to be able to fire up an emulator and go to town.

 

These days, I basically buy the odd PS4/Xbox One title, Wii U games (mainly Nintendo), Vectrex homebrews/overlays I find to go with my multicart and I subscribe to Indiebox for cheap physical DRM free editions of cool new indie titles, not to mention hitting up the bundle sites every week for indie game deals. I find I'm more satisfied than ever with this strategy in addition to my emulation. I get all the legit cool shit I want and the filler is all in the emulation box, along with the good title safety net it provides. I find Vectrex to be the neatest system to collect for ever, Wii U for my old franchises and Mario, IndieBox for a cheap, throwback surprise every month and the bundle sites basically give you legit good games for literally pennies. Thanks to emulation, I don't feel like a total tool for spending $100 (Canadian) on Vector Pilot with all three overlays. I would rather have Vector Pilot and support a homebrewer than buy 40 meh old ass 2600 games I could emulate for free and the only guy making bread off them is a reseller. People might question the morality of emulators, but look at the cash I throw around to legit people in the industry/on the homebrew scenes vs. their money that is going to second hand stores.

 

Obviously, gaming is different for everyone, but I think using emulation to cement you being able to play any game on a whim and allowing you to buy what you want, it's a lot more rewarding.

[Unbeliever]

Well, let me clarify: I DID have consoles, and mostly it was the NES/Genesis during the mid-80's time frame, and then in 2001 I did get a Gamecube (had an SNES before that). I just failed to mention them due to listing what I have now and didn't elaborate on the years after high school.

 

I've also owned an Odyssey 2 system and games, Gameboy, Gameboy Advance/SP/Micro, DS/DS Lite/3DS, new 3DS. I even forayed into the Atari 5200 for a bit of time as well, so yeah, maybe not every system on the planet, but quite a few I dabbled with over the last 30 years.

 

I've even dabbled in emulation for a bit, so that's not a foreign concept as far as gaming goes. I do have a computer that has MAME on it with a few arcade hits, but the computer is not hooked up and put away. I also had a Wii system for a bit of time with the Mario games and Animal Crossing. I seemed to enjoy that system, but for some reason decided to sell it off a few years back. How easy is it to get a Wii and games these days?

 

I'll have to be honest that I'm not into emulation and would prefer to just focus on a console and play the games there. I still enjoy the arcade games from my youth, however, and again last night my Atari 2600 got a play session with a few of those (Missile Command in particular and Space Invaders..two of my all-time favorites). I keep my Atari 2600 lovingly clean and maintained as this system was my "first" and holds that special place in my gaming heart.

 

But thanks for the help so far, everyone. I really needed that sounding board to see what everyone else around here is doing these days for gaming and how they are keeping the spark going. I am not sure what I will do with my Intellivision, since it's boxed up with the games (about a dozen...4 or so complete). I should move some things around in my den and set it up again, but I'm not sure how much play time it'll get. I've attempted to sell it on AtariAge, but no one seems very interested in the Intellivision these days.

[Flojomojo]

You can get a Wii for next to nothing nowadays.

 

For Animal Crossing, the thing to get would be the 3DS, I think it's the best platform for that very chill game. You could get a 2DS (3DS without the 3D) straight from Nintendo (via eBay) for $60. There are zillions of great, deep, fun games for both the DS and the 3DS. I don't know why you let it go originally, but it's a great platform. The software cycle is winding down so you don't need to feel like you're missing out on many new games.

 

As for Intellivision, it's one of the most re-re-re-released things on other platforms, even in places where it doesn't make a whole lot of sense. The Xbox 360 "Game Room" has most of the first-party Intellivision releases available as downloads if you don't want to have the moldy old console hooked up, though the controls are a little weird. I think the old Intellivision Lives! Xbox disk works on the 360 as well. There's also a Nintendo DS version, which uses the touchpad for the Intellivision keypad, which is pretty cool. I personally like the Intellivision Flashback all-in-one console, because it's self-contained and simple, and "close enough" to the original without needing RF connectors. The controllers are just as I remember the old ones, except NEW!

[Keatah]

I'll have to be honest that I'm not into emulation and would prefer to just focus on a console and play the games there. I still enjoy the arcade games from my youth, however, and again last night my Atari 2600 got a play session with a few of those (Missile Command in particular and Space Invaders..two of my all-time favorites). I keep my Atari 2600 lovingly clean and maintained as this system was my "first" and holds that special place in my gaming heart.

 

That's alright, emulation isn't for everyone, and it certainly doesn't have to be the only method by which you play the classics. I do the same with my Apple II stuff. Some of my II consoles are nearly 40 years old already. And while they are actually worth $50 - $100, I wouldn't sell them for less than $100,000.

[Unbeliever]

Thanks for the links to check things out. Wii's are really affordable today. At this point, I don't think I'll attempt to collect/play another console, as I think one more would stretch me out a little thin as far as the gaming slump. At this point, with all the helpful advice, I've decided to focus and collect/play my Xbox 360 console. Just added some arcade classics to the mix (Pacman, Ms. Pacman, and Asteroids/Asteroids Deluxe), so for quick games I'll just play those in between the other games I enjoy.

 

As far as my Atari 2600 goes, I'm also going to keep that system out and play/collect for it. There are many games I do not have for it that I still want, so adding to it once in awhile will be most satisfying. Especially if I can get a boxed/manual/cart copy. I love those and love to display them. I just can't part with it (heavy nostalgia for me), and the games I still love, even 30 years later, are part of my collection.

 

My Intellivision and Gamecube will most likely be packed away and marked. I really have no desire to join the Nintendo club again with a 3DS/2DS etc. I parted with it before as it wasn't getting any play time and sat there gathering dust. My Xbox 360 gets played at least once a day, and my Atari 2600 every other day or so. Many games for the 360 are in the $5.00 and under bin at my local Gamestop, games I really haven't played before but peak my interest.

 

I did get into emulation for awhile, but have since decided to pass on it. It's just not the same for me unless I have the original hardware to play the games on. I guess that's my loss, but I can't help feeling that way. The old arcade hits (in their Atari 2600 forms) spark my imagination and feel "right" inserting the cart and powering up the old VCS.

 

So thank you, everyone, that has helped me rethink my gaming. I did read some old gaming magazines that that is just plain awesome. Made me feel like a kid again, going through all those classic mags and thinking about games I would get once I earned enough allowance.

[Newsdee]

I don't have a lot of space to put my stuff but I try to keep as much as I can hooked up, so I can play almost immediately on those systems. I only disconnect the controllers so the front looks neater, and curate a small list of games (plus flashcarts) to have on display on shelves around it.

 

Organizing that and playing around with upscaler options to get the best results has become a little game on its own...

 

Another thing that keeps me busy is exploring FPGA projects; the MiST is chugging along nicely with small updates from time to time. Recently they added supoor for early Macintosh and the NES core was updated to work on a TV at 15khz (previously was only VGA).

[Unbeliever]

Speaking of space, I essentials have three areas to have my "entertainment":

 

The first spot holds my smart TV (I was thinking of putting my 360 here as well, but there's no room to speak of)

 

The second spot holds my Xbox 360 (controller, brick, main unit).

 

The third spot holds my Atari 2600, some games, and a small TV to play it on.

 

The room, when it was redesigned, had shelving units placed on one side (upper shelves and larger, lower shelves). There's space underneath for storage/boxes, so it's laid out pretty well but space is at a premium. My displays are at the very top (smaller shelves) that hold all my games, dvd's, pop displays, and figures. The rest of the room is taken up by a bed, dressers, and one large glass display cabinet that holds all my Star Wars/Star Trek stuff.

 

I can always swap out if desired, but at this point the niche seems to be working with the Xbox 360 and Atari 2600. I wish had more space to display more of my boxed Atari 2600 games, but there's just no spare space to work with.