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Portable Retro Emulation

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What is it about the need to ‘hack’ handheld systems to play old school video games? Is it the challenge (to hack), is it the fact you are doing something shady or is it purely to just play your ‘backup’ video games from gaming generations gone by?

What ever the reason, there have been a plethora of options for retro gamers to either soft or hard mod their portable beasts to play classic games. In parallel, there have been dedicated emulation handheld systems to help with your hit of nostalgia, like the GP2X, Caanoo and the latest beast, the RK2020, to name just a few.

CycloDS – the softmod hack for the Nintendo DS

We have quite a few handheld systems that we use to play our favourite retro video games, some emulate better than the others, but our favourite right now is the PSP for playing Mega Drive and SNES games. We have the exciting new RK2020 retro handheld coming to our office, so stay tuned for our review on that little beast 🙂

WARNING: Hacking your systems is not without risk and can also void your warranty.

 

Digital Pinball Cabinet – Nintendo Switch

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There is nothing like anticipating the arrival of a cool gadget. We originally ordered Far East Pinball’s Digital Pinball Cabinet for the Nintendo Switch back in April, but due to the current world health crisis, we knew that shipping it from Japan to Australia was going to impact its arrival. Well, we are quite chuffed to finally have this cool contraption in our hands!

As huge fans of pinball video games, we always felt that the experience could be better. Don’t get us wrong, playing pinball games on your fave console are darn awesome these days, even if you are playing them using a controller. But, to get the most immersive experience playing pinball video games, you need to have the screen vertically oriented, which the Switch does quite admirably. If you have the FlipGrip, you’ll understand how awesome it is to play these games in their proper TATE orientation.

Bumping Action!

Far East Pinball’s Digital Pinball Cabinet takes the experience of playing pinball video games that one huge step forward. The Digital Pinball Cabinet for the Nintendo Switch allows you to play pinball using proper arcade flipper buttons and best of all, allows nudging, shaking and slap saving via its built-in motion sensors, just like a real pinball machine – but be careful not to tilt! The device is really easy to use, you just slide the Switch into the cradle, plug in the connector cable into the Nintendo Switch’s Type-C port, slide on the (grey) lockdown bar and you are ready to flip! The cabinet also has cut-outs along the side to access the Switch’s headphone jack, vents, volume and power buttons.

The Digital Pinball Cabinet comes with 7 arcade quality buttons, three buttons on the right of the cabinet, two button on the left and two buttons on the front. The cabinet allows for two distinct button mapping configurations, but we encourage players to use the default mappings. It also provides the means to change the motion/nudging settings to be high/low sensitivity or turned off. Oh yeah, the only buttons that are not mapped are the plus (+), minus (-) and the screenshot button – a very minor niggle that actually doesn’t affect the use of this awesome piece of kit.

The overall built quality of the unit is good, but it could be better. There is a DIY look and feel to it with some rough edges on the 3D printed case and lock down bar, but we are being quite picky now and in all honesty, you get over this  quickly one you playing games on it. Speaking of games, we played Pinball FX3, Star Wars Pinball, The Pinball Arcade, and Stern Pinball Arcadewithout a hitch. Playing these games using the Digital Pinball Cabinet has given us a renewed love for playing pinball video games.

If you are into playing pinball video games on your Switch, then we very very highly recommend you consider Far East Pinball’s Digital Pinball Cabinet – it’s flippin awesome! 

NOTE: If you are interested in buying the Digital Pinball Cabinet for the Nintendo Switch, you will need a Japanese address, as Far East Pinball only ships within Japan. We used a mail-forwarding service to purchase our cabinet. The total cost for the cabinet and then mail-forward shipping was AU$180.45.

 

FunKey S – All Your Retro Games On A Keychain

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We promised no more Kickstarters, but this FunKey S – the world’s smallest handheld gaming system, has grabbed us by the scruff off the neck and it ain’t letting go!

You can relax with the question about funding, the FunKey S is already well and truly funded – by a long shot! Right, let’s get straight to it – if you want a retro gaming system small enough to fit on your keyring so that it can be taken anywhere, then the FunKey S is your jam. The FunKey S features a clam-shell design, just like the classic GameBoy Advance SP. Once opened, it greets you with a 1.54″ IPS LCD screen and a D-pad style controller. This teensy little beast is no slouch, with an ARM Cortex-A7 CPU @ 1.2 GHz under the hood. Playtime is roughly 90 minutes on a 20 minute charge, which is pretty decent too.

Most importantly, the games are loaded via its SD card slot, supporting memory cards up to 128GB, which should be enough for pretty much every retro game under the sun – which bring us to the shady part. To play NES, SNES, Game Boy (Original, Color, GBA), Sega Master System, Sega Genesis / Megadrive, Sega Game Gear, Atari Lynx, Playstation, WonderSwan and Neo Geo Pocket games, you will have to hunt for ROMs in some pretty murky areas on the web, which is kinda not so legal.

If you are craving to play classic video games on the go, then you can’t really go past this small and very cute foldable handheld!

story & image source: technabob

 

Internet Connected Pinball Machines – The Future Is (Almost) Here!

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*This article was nominated in the ‘Favourite Pinball Publication or Article‘ category for The 2020 TWIPY Annual Awards*

The future has caught up with pinball. No longer will this pop culture mechanical icon operate in the old world ways. The online reckoning is here!

The time for real pinball machines to be online has come. The current crop of pinball manufacturers like Stern Pinball and Jersey Jack Pinball are surely tinkering away to have their machines internet ready and connected in the not too distant future. Actually, Jersey Jack Pinball have been beta testing hardware dongles to allow some of their back catalogue machines to connect to the internet via WiFi, but this is still fiddling around the edges of the true potential of pinball machines being online. Companies like Multimorphic have shown the big boys of the pinball world how it’s done by announcing head to head play on their P3 machines, as part of their campaign, so the precedent has been set.

image source: Multimorphic via Twitter

We published a speculative feature a few years ago regarding pinball innovation, specifically around the implementation and use of technologies, like utilising telemetry via IoT (Internet of Things), however, this particular editorial explores the possibilities of internet and online pinball and its applications and services manufacturers could potentially use to deliver their online capabilities for the player, collector and operator.

When it comes to online services, there are really two main options, free or paid subscriptions. No one likes to pay for an online subscription, but the precedent has already been set by Microsoft and Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE) with their respective XBox Live and PlayStation Network (PSN) subscription platforms. These platforms have a decade plus head start and provide a myriad of services for their subscribers, so the value proposition of having an annually paid membership is enticing. Pinball has a lot to learn and catch up on in this regard, so careful consideration must be given when creating an online service, ensuring it provides everything pinball players have been craving for, and more importantly, what players have been complaining about. Studying the two video game online service platforms from Microsoft and SIE will definitely give pinball manufacturers the edge in delivering an online platform rich with options and services for their subscribers straight off the bat, thus giving them value for money. But, things are never clear cut or that simple!

image source: pinballandmore

Pinball manufacturers implementing a paid subscription for their online service must tread carefully. When users pay for an online service, their expectations (of what is offered), must come close to being met, otherwise there will be a backlash which will be difficult to recover from. Meeting users’ expectations of an online service is no small feat and is quite unrealistic. If an online service is priced reasonably and competitively, then expectations will be tapered down, but users will still want to see value for money.

The flip side to the paid subscription is offering the online service for free. One thing we have all learned over the years is that nothing truly is for free. If pinball manufacturers (the providers) offer their online pinball services for free, then rest assured that you will be bombarded with online ads and the data collected (by the provider) will be sold to interested parties to recoup their costs in keeping the lights on and ensuring the service keeps running as expected – pretty much what Google does when you create an account to use their services, like Gmail. If you don’t like ads popping up while using an online service, then you are out of luck. Free (or freemium) services still cost money to run, so the provider will do what is required to ensure their services can keep running and investment being made for new and improved services.

Enough talk of free and paid online subscriptions, we want to throw around some ideas of what applications and services could potentially be offered by pinball manufacturers to home collectors, players and operators in connecting their silverball playing beasts to their online services.

We gazed into our crystal ball and came up with a few applications, but you be the judge if these will be of value to you when choosing to subscribe to an online pinball service (free or otherwise) to connect your pinball machine:

Underpinning all of this online connectivity is security, from secure login to ensuring users do not cheat or circumvent online services. How these online pinball service providers ensure that your data will be secure in transit and at rest? How will they ensure someone isn’t cheating in tournaments? This is fundamental to any online offering, as the implementation of the security construct needs to be at the heart of the online service and its many applications. A good start would be to use multi-factor authentication or one-time pin (OTP) services like LastPass’ Authenticator. As for ensuring a level playing field (pardon the pun) for tournament play, service providers could ‘push’ tournament settings with a checksum to ensure all participants are playing to the rules –  levelling the machine is another variable here, perhaps a digital level display on-screen could be used, ensuring everyone participating sets their level per the tournament rules, otherwise they will not be allowed to compete.

The one thing we do not want to see with an online pinball service is the enforcement of downloading the latest software code and updating your machine before you are able to play it – that would be the fastest way to lose subscribers and put the fan base offside. The online pinball service should allow freedom in how it is to be used and it’s interaction with the machine. A fine balance that should be tweaked and set right from the start.

There is precedent already set by video game providers in how and what to offer to their players when it comes to an online gaming service, so pinball manufacturers can learn from these providers to ensure they strike a good balance of offering services, be it free or otherwise. In an ideal world, an online pinball service would offer all users to register for free and provide a number of basic services free of charge, including software / code updates and social media integrations as a minimum. A paid or premium level service should be compelling and provide value to the target users, otherwise, they would not be worth pursuing.

The time has come for pinball to enter the 21st century and join the internet age. Pinball is in a unique position where it can definitely be fun in its current format or provide the means for its users and players to go online and unlock new ways of playing and interacting with their machine and others around the world. The future of internet pinball connectivity is now, so the silverball is in the pinball manufacturers court – make it happen!

 

LEGO Ideas – Lego Pinball Machines

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It is definitely no secret we love featuring LEGO Ideas on this site, especially the ones with a retro gaming flavour. Well, these two LEGO Ideas entrants scratch our other itch – pinball!

Just take a look at the Lego Pinball Machine by TheAmazingCreator and The Lego Pinball Machine by Nachapon submissions – they are pretty darn cool. TheAmazingCreator’s entry is fairly simple when compared to Nachapon’s creation, which has a packed and intriguing playfield, just like a real pinball machine. We like both.

So if you love one or both, make sure you submit your vote now!

Lego Pinball Machine by TheAmazingCreator
image source: LEGO Ideas – Lego Pinball Machine

The Lego Pinball Machine by Nachapon

image source: LEGO Ideas – The Lego Pinball Machine

 

 

THEVIC20: The Wonder ColourComputer of the 1980s Returns

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Did you miss out on getting your hands on full sized  THEC64 micro computer? Well you are in luck, as you now have an opportunity to fill that 8-bit micro colour computer void!

Full sized version of the 1980’s home computer THEVIC20 will be available in October 2020

Well folks, another timeless classic has been given a new lease of life with the launch of a full-sized version of the VIC-20. Developed by Retro Games Ltd. and distributed by Koch Media, THEVIC20 is a fully licensed reimagining of the early 80’s bestselling home computer.

Following its launch in 1981, the original VIC-20 home computer went on to become the first computer of any kind to sell one million units, and even now still holds a special place in the hearts of its former owners. It’s back again almost 40 years later to tickle your nostalgia!


source: THEC64

The full sized THEVIC20 has a full working keyboard, comes with an updated micro switched classic joystick which plugs into one of the four USB ports, and connects to any modern TV via HDMI. It features three switchable modes – boot straight into original VIC-20 BASIC , C64 BASIC or switch to the Games Carousel and play one of the 64 built in games in 50Hz or 60Hz, with optional CRT Filters/Screen modes. 

As well as the classic VIC-20 and C64 BASIC modes, the pre-installed 64 games include such VIC-20 and C64 classics as – Arcadia and Laser Zone (VIC-20), California Games, Paradroid and Boulder Dash (C64); plus all new additions like Metagalactic Llamas, Subspace Striker, Mega Vault and Gridrunner (VIC-20); topped off with the recently released shoot ‘em up Galencia (C64) and classic text adventure Planet of Death (C64) to let you relive the glory days of true keyboard gaming! You can even load and save your own VIC-20 and C64 games via USB flash drive as well as access multi-disc titles.

THEVIC20 Games Menu Carousel

Selectable 50Hz or 60Hz screen refresh and pixel filter options such as pixel perfect, CRT and scanline emulation

THEVIC20 variant of the THEC64 will hit stores on October 23rd 2020 with a suggested retail price of £109.99/€119.99/~AU$199.99.

For those of you wondering what you get in the THEVIC20 box:

  • THEVIC20 ColourComputer
  • 1.5m / 5 foot wired USB micro switch classic joystick (with added function keys for game specific modes)
  • a USB charging cable and USB AC power adapter
  • HDMI cable (1.2m / 4 foot in length)

THEVIC20 INCLUDED GAMES LIST

VIC-20

Abductor, Andes Attack, Arcadia, Bewitched, Blitzkrieg, Brainstorm, Catcha Snatcha, Connect 4, Encounter, Frantic, Frog Chase, Gridrunner, Harvester, Headbanger’s Heaven, Hell Gate, Laser Zone, Martians, Matrix, Mega Vault, Metagalactic, Llamas Battle at the Edge of Time, Psychedelia, Snake, Starquest, Subspace Striker, Tank Battle, Traxx, Wacky Waiters, Zor.

C64
Alleykat, Bear Bovver, Boulder Dash, California Games, Chips Challenge, Cyberdyne Warrior, Cybernoid II, Destroyer, Firelord, Galencia Mini, Gribbly’s Day Out, Heartland, Impossible Mission, IO, Iridis Alpha, Jumpman, Mega Apocalypse, Nebulus, Netherworld, Paradroid, Pitstop II, Planet of Death, Robin of the Wood, Speedball 2, Spindizzy, Street Sports Baseball, Street Sports Basketball, Summer Games II, Super Cycle, Sword of Fargoal, Temple of Apshai Trilogy, The Arc of Yesod, Uridium, Winter Games, World Games, Zynaps.

image source: Koch Media Ltd.

Ultra Rare Pinball: IO MOON by SLEIC

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Now here is a pinball machine we did not know about till now! Introducing IO MOON!

Produced in 1994 by Spanish pinball manufacturer, SLEIC, IO MOON is a rarity (and oddity) in the pinball machine landscape, where not too many people played it or owned one.

There is an opportunity right now for a collector to jump on this machine via Pinside, where it is being sold for an eye-watering US$15,000! If you have been in the pinball hobby for a while, you will understand that this high price is justified due to the rarity of the machine.

The seller, CaptainNeo, states that it took him 10 years to find IO MOON, which has been the flagship of his collection. He has done a lot of work to the machine, including the replacement of every lamp socket and more importantly, installing English ‘ROM’ sets just in case you don’t understand Spanish. The machine is also playable, which is a bonus 🙂


source: Neo S

The IO MOON rule set is apparently close to the iconic The Addams Family pinball machine, which is definitely a good thing. As keen astronomers, we love the theme, but the rarity and price are something we’ll just admire from afar.

If anyone out there has seen or played this rare pinball machine, hit us up on Twitter or Facebook to let us know what you thought of it.

source: Pinside

 

Building Miniature SEGA Arcade Machines

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The amount of talent and knowledge some people have is beyond comprehension. One particular person got our attention on Twitter, gaug888. gaug888’s miniature Sega arcade machine creations are beyond amazing! Not only are they faithful miniature recreations of their bigger arcade brethren, they also play the arcade video games they are based on – totally mind blowing!

The meticulous level of detail of these miniature creations are off the charts. We reckon Yu Suzuki would be quite impressed too!

PS: If you want to check out the complete and documented log of gaug888’s miniature creations, head to Togetter now.

image source: gaug888 via Togetter

 

Droolworthy Exotic Commodore 64 Creations

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While trawling through a few Facebook retro gaming enthusiast groups, as you do, we came across some unbelievably amazing and super droolworthy Commodore 64 creations by John Papas!

What we saw made our jaw drop so hard, that we are still having trouble picking it up off the floor! Just scroll down slowly and take in all the hybrid C64 awesomeness! We love the 64-TX and who needs the SX-64 when you can have the CX-64! To be honest, we want them all!!!

To say we would love to get our hands on any (preferably, all) of these unique C64 creations by John Papas would be the biggest understatement of the year – Simply stunning creations!

source: Australian Retro PC Enthusiasts on Facebook

 

LEGO Super Mario Will Launch In Japan First

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After the Legend of Zelda LEGO Ideas set, we thought that would be it with Lego news for this week. How wrong were we!

Japan is such a cool country! Wish we could visit there on a regular basis to stock up on super cool stuff that we will never get or get months or years later.

So what’s this about then? Well, it’s more cool Lego stuff. We previously informed you all that LEGO Super Mario was set to launch in August, however, Nintendo have announced that the Starter Course and two expansion (Piranha Plant Power Slide and Desert Pokey) sets will launch first in Japan on July 10.

Wish we could be at the Nintendo Tokyo store on July 10 to get our mits on this Lego awesomeness! Alas, we will have to wait till August 1 like the rest of the world.

story source: Kotaku / image source: Nintendo