Best Console or Machine to play Emulators on tv-hd?

[Demon-Seed]

Hey Guys
I have a itch.. an itch for consoles etc.. on my hd tv.  I am wanting to play consoles, including N64, PSX and maybe beyond.  I want something cheap but with wireless controllers. I would really like to have a front end with screen shots too. I have considered a WII, an Android and MIN ITX computer.  So far the cons I can see are MINI ITX is way to expensive.  Android is cheap but the interface is not all that good.  Wii seems ok.... any suggestions?

thanks
Jim

[SNAAKE]

jtag xbox 360

its pricey but usually worth it. I can get you a slim set with all wires and controller but it will be 300+shipping.

you can play mame, finalburn, xbox 360 games, xbox1 games, etc. I know nes, snes, genesis stuff works fine. never tried psx/n64. those probably wont run full speed.

if you really want it let me know. I have one in stock now and might get more in the future. can use usb drive to play games too.

[SlammedNiss]

jtag xbox 360

its pricey but usually worth it. I can get you a slim set with all wires and controller but it will be 300+shipping.

you can play mame, finalburn, xbox 360 games, xbox1 games, etc. I know nes, snes, genesis stuff works fine. never tried psx/n64. those probably wont run full speed.

if you really want it let me know. I have one in stock now and might get more in the future. can use usb drive to play games too.

With the obvious exception of playing 360 games, what if any other advantages are there over just a regular Xbox? You can usually pick one of those up locally for under $25-30 and can be modded rather easily.

[SNAAKE]

xbox360s for 25? source please. buying all

exception is being able to run homebrew anything. what I use for my arcade games. you can also play xbox live arcade games and "obtain" DLCs.

[Demon-Seed]

Hey
Never thought of a 360. I have one here but its just stock.....

Jim

[epicfatigue]

i would go get a garbage 775 for like $30.

The advantages are its a PC you can just hook a wireless 360 control to it and have all the games you wish.
You can also use it as a media center etc etc.

[Demon-Seed]

Hey
Sorry whats a 775? I found a 775 chipset on some motherboards but not sure if that is what your referring too.

Jim

[epicfatigue]

Hey Jim yes thats what i was referring to. its an older model chip-set generally DDR2 they can be had a dime a dozen and they preform well.

n64 might struggle on an 360 i am not 100% sure though.

[Demon-Seed]

Hey
I have been away from the computer building for several years. What specs would you recommend? In regards to 360 on YouTube the n64 seems to run great I am just not sure on the compatibility. I thought of a computer but it has to not be an eye sore or the wife will snap!! In regards to wireless pc controls how do they work A thank u for all suggestions thu far.

[05SRT4]

Hey
I have been away from the computer building for several years. What specs would you recommend? In regards to 360 on YouTube the n64 seems to run great I am just not sure on the compatibility. I thought of a computer but it has to not be an eye sore or the wife will snap!! In regards to wireless pc controls how do they work A thank u for all suggestions thu far.

For wireless console controllers on my PC I use a PS3 controller. Ill I needed was the freed software and a Bluetooth transmitter for the PC.

PC specs for N64 and that era..... nothing crazy that's for sure I had a Pentium 4 Dell desktop with integrated graphics and it ran Project64 flawless. Some games had glitches but I think it was the rom itself.

I play a ton of console games on my WII that's another option to. (you will need to mod it)

[Demon-Seed]

Hey
Yea I thought about a WII but was not sure on how well PSX and N64 ran? Can you play light gun games with the WII or no? I would think that you could not.  What about saving and loading of games while you play? I know PC's can what about WII or 360?
Jim

[05SRT4]

Ive seen youtube videos of the wii running N64 and PSx but Im not sure about the quality. I know the NES and SNES can use the wii motes as light guns. they don't feel light the original though.

[sharpfork]

I'm a fan of the xBox 1 + coinops or vision for a unified front end but n64 and psx are hit/miss.  Component cables are a must for HD.
The x360 has more power but the Ui is all over the place in the different emus. I have one as an option in my cab but I'm the only one who can navigate around.
PC gives you the most options bviously but the setuptime is exponetially greater that coinops.
Android is promising but there is the lack of a unified UI / front end.  I'm going to pick up an OUYA to play with on my HD tv and see how it goes.
The Wii is pretty cool but the last time I looked at PSX is wasn't so hot.  Also, no unified front end.

[Howard_Casto]

You pretty much need to go with a pc.  Emulators just aren't there on the consoles mostly due to interface (front end) and controller issues (although on the Wii it's damn close, for the record). 

A classic xbox and coinops is certainly one option, but no hdmi out (just component) and a "you'll play these games and like it" mentality makes it horrible for customization. 

Also there will be that one game that needs an oddball controller to play it well (n64 games come to mind) and while on the pc you can buy an adaptor and play it properly, on a game console you can't. 

A 360 controller is a really good generic controller for the pc... I prefer wired because you can pick them up cheaply and they don't accidentally start up my 360 in the other room.  It is the official pc controller at this point, superseding Microsoft's old sidewinder line and even having it's own interface protocol for programmers.  So it'll work on pc games automatically, which is a nice bonus.  If all you want to play is psx era games and older you can get away with a pc with really low specs.  Expect to get top-of-the-line if you want to play any wii/ps2 games though. 

[Malenko]

well, there are a good amount of emulators on a Dreamcast (Master system, Genesis, NES, SNES, TG16, NeoGeo, and old MAME) you can hook them up to most HDTVs via VGA cable

Genesis emu running Sonic1 on a DC with an SLG:

[Necro]

Interesting - I'm actually working on something like this now since my cab is done and I'm nuts. 

Originally, I setup my Wii for this purpose (it's modded).  The options are basically use the emu's front end itself or use WiiFlow.  WiiFlow is good, but the UI leaves something to be desired when you're missing art or have huge numbers of games.  Also, PSX and N64 emulation is fairly crappy on the Wii.  Anything above those (DC, PS2) isn't going to happen at all.  Controller wise, you can readily get an adapter for NES and SNES, maybe N64.  There is NOTHING available currently to get Atari/Genesis controllers onto the system, however, that doesn't cost >$50US.  (Which is obscene IMHO.).    I got this working decently enough that I'm going to get some family members opinions on it when they come over this weekend. 

I'm now trying to integrate something similar into my HTPC (a nettop, Foxconn nt330i) using Rom Collection Browser in XBMC.  It's working well, is easier to navigate if art is missing, and overall the emu options are better.  The 'classics' all work fine (computer power wise) and Project64 seemed to run full speed/fine as well.  Adapters are also readily available - I got ones for Genesis, Atari, NES, SNES, PSX for ~$35 shipped.  (all seperate, but still...the Atari/Genesis one is for 2 controllers, SNES for 2 controllers, PSX and NES for one controller).  I AM however having major skin/XBMC freeze issues due to rom list size so...not sure if that's the PC, my setup, or XBMC.     Note that this PC runs Win7.  I've heard that the controller adapters have some issues with *nix based systems, something to keep in mind.

[Hunk_4TH]

For me it's definitely PC! Since so many emulators support CRT shaders like HLSL,GLSL and the awesome SweetFX injector!

[mandijames]

i would go get a garbage 775 for like $30.

[MacGyver2]

I'm now trying to integrate something similar into my HTPC (a nettop, Foxconn nt330i) using Rom Collection Browser in XBMC.  It's working well, is easier to navigate if art is missing, and overall the emu options are better.  The 'classics' all work fine (computer power wise) and Project64 seemed to run full speed/fine as well.  Adapters are also readily available - I got ones for Genesis, Atari, NES, SNES, PSX for ~$35 shipped.  (all seperate, but still...the Atari/Genesis one is for 2 controllers, SNES for 2 controllers, PSX and NES for one controller).  I AM however having major skin/XBMC freeze issues due to rom list size so...not sure if that's the PC, my setup, or XBMC.     Note that this PC runs Win7.  I've heard that the controller adapters have some issues with *nix based systems, something to keep in mind.

Are you running Openelec by chance?   I have the same system, but have yet to find a good launcher for running in OpenElec. 

[ark_ader]

I'm now trying to integrate something similar into my HTPC (a nettop, Foxconn nt330i) using Rom Collection Browser in XBMC.  It's working well, is easier to navigate if art is missing, and overall the emu options are better.  The 'classics' all work fine (computer power wise) and Project64 seemed to run full speed/fine as well.  Adapters are also readily available - I got ones for Genesis, Atari, NES, SNES, PSX for ~$35 shipped.  (all seperate, but still...the Atari/Genesis one is for 2 controllers, SNES for 2 controllers, PSX and NES for one controller).  I AM however having major skin/XBMC freeze issues due to rom list size so...not sure if that's the PC, my setup, or XBMC.     Note that this PC runs Win7.  I've heard that the controller adapters have some issues with *nix based systems, something to keep in mind.

Are you running Openelec by chance?   I have the same system, but have yet to find a good launcher for running in OpenElec.

Take a look at puppy arcade 10.  It has a decent launcher.

[severdhed]

i use either a modded xbox or a wii for my console  emulation needs.  the n64 emulation is hit or miss on both of them, some games run fine, others are choppy.  plus due to the awkward controller layout of the n64, the controls don't always translate well to other controllers. i dont like the n64 emulator on the wii because it uses button combos to bring up the menu, instead of the home button..so frequently when my kids are playing, the emu menu pops up accidentally.  i have not tried psx emulation on the wii yet, it works fairly well on the xbox...but once again, some games work better than others.  as for the other consoles, nes, snes, genesis, 32x, turbografx all are emulated well on both systems.  i prefer the wii with the classic controller over the xbox because nothing beats a nintendo Dpad....and there is no wire to trip over.

[Demon-Seed]

Hey Guys,
I am leaning towards a PC now as I could load all the games, and hyperspin so it could be a flawless integrated system. Right now I have original NES, Genesis, SNES, N64, etc... and was planning on buying those SD carts for each system to have the authentic play, however they are each at least $100. I could use a pc instead.  Plus I plan on getting a flat screen for my retro games and would have to invest another 400$ into a XRGB 3 upscaler!!  I would thing PC emulators can upscale to HDMI?  Only thing I would lose is light gun games, but I plan on a light gun cabinet.

Any suggestions? what type of video card would I need to optimize video to a newer tv?
thanks
Jim

[Brian74]

Dont bother with anything that dont have at least a gig of memory. If you get one with hdmi out, you can run the audio threw that. Thats what I did.  I have a galaxy 640 gt in my htpc. I run all my consoles on it.

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