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retrogaming

Handheld Emulation Battle: Anbernic RG280V vs PS Vita

January 7, 2022 By ausretrogamer


Emulation is fraught with so much controversy, sometimes for good reason. In this post, we won’t be getting into the moral discussion of emulation nor it’s comparison to playing games in their native format/system. With our recent acquisition of the Anbernic RG280V, we have been asked multiple times, is it better that the PS Vita? Well, as with any comparison, it all depends on the use cases, sprinkled with personal preferences, like playing in a vertical (RG280V) or horizontal (PS Vita) orientation, is it pocketable or does it have an OLED screen, to name just a few.

Let’s get one thing straight, we aren’t comparing apples with apples here. The PS Vita, even though it’s getting long in the tooth, is a powerful beast with an awesome OLED screen (the 1000 series), able to play and emulate everything up till the PSP, plus everything in between like the Nintendo 64, GBA and Sega’s Dreamcast. In comparison, the RG280V is able to play and emulate all your old classic 8, 16 and 32-Bit systems without any issues, including the PS1 and GBA games. So, just on sheer number of systems that can be emulated, the PS Vita wins the battle. However, be mindful that modding the Vita to play emulators isn’t for the faint of heart, so be prepared to manually configure it to make it all work properly. For what it’s worth, getting PS1 games to emulate properly on the Vita was rage inducing. The RG280V on the other hand is (almost) plug and play – just drop your games (legally obtained roms, of course) in their relevant folders and you are good to go – all configuration is set for you, including button mapping and the like. Oh yeah, the RG280V also boots up in less than 10 seconds, so you’ll be playing on it in no time compared to the boot-up sequence on the PS Vita.

We honestly love both of these handhelds, but we do find ourselves playing all the classics more often on the RG280V as it’s easier to setup and use, the D-pad, buttons (face and shoulder) and the screen (and its aspect ratio) are amazing and we absolutely love its form factor – it’s such a pocketable unit when compared to the PS Vita.

So which do you choose? Well, if you like horizontal orientation, and OLED screen and are technically inclined and don’t mind tinkering for hours on end to mod and setup the Vita, then that is the way to go. If you prefer to spend less (under AU$120), have a powerful pocketable little unit with a portrait orientation and its ease of setup and use, then the RG280V is for you – unless you have massive hands, then we’d say go for the PS Vita.

No matter which one you go with, you honestly can’t go wrong. Happy gaming peeps!

The RG280V boots up in no time when compared to the PS Vita

Atari Lynx battle! 

APB – horizontal v portrait!

Ninja Five-O baby! Both systems emulate really well.

Our current favourite emulation handheld – it is rock solid

 




Filed Under: Retro Gaming Culture Tagged With: Adam firmware RG280V, Amiga, Anbernic RG280V, Atari, C64, Emulation, Emulation battle, Enso, GBA, Henkaku, N64, OpenDingux, PS Vita, PS1, Retro Gamer, Retro Games, Retro Gaming, retrogames, retrogaming, RG280V, RG280v v PS Vita, sega, VitaIsland

May The Festive Season Be With You

December 23, 2021 By ausretrogamer

Wow, another year has flown by! It was another year for all of us to put behind and hope that 2022 brings us all a better, safer and healthier year!

From the ausretrogamer team, we wish you all a wonderful Festive Season, which we hope is filled with fun, laughter and lots of gaming, be it video games, pinball, board games or whatever tickles your fancy! Oh yeah, we hope Santa brings you what you wish for!

Next year we celebrate an important milestone, our 10th anniversary of all things ausretrogamer. But for now, it’s time to relax, be merry and we’ll see you all in 2022!



image source: supplied




Filed Under: Retro Gaming Culture Tagged With: Arcade, Atari, ausretrogamer, Christmas, Christmas 2021, Commodore, console, Festive Season, gamer, gaming, Geek, Merry Christmas, nintendo, pinball, Retro Gamer, Retro Gaming, Retrogamer, retrogaming, Santa, Season's Greetings, sega, Video Games, Xmas, Xmas 2021

TAITO EGRET II mini – United Games Entertainment brings exclusive version to the West!

December 22, 2021 By ausretrogamer

EGRET II mini – Exclusive version coming to the West
United Games Entertainment – TAITO Partnership Continues to Grow

Ever expanding German media publishing house United Games Entertainment, with its two game publishing labels, ININ Games and Strictly Limited Games, is moving into 2022 with an exciting announcement. They have secured the exclusive rights for the distribution of TAITO’s EGRET II mini in North America and Europe! The home version of the famous arcade cabinet will be available in different exclusive editions for the Western territories starting in 2022.

Great news for all fans who have been eagerly trying to order this yet to be released console, directly from Japan. With this exciting announcement United Games Entertainment, who exclusively distribute and sell TAITO’s titles in the West, both in digital and physical form, continues its growing relationship with one of Japan’s most iconic video games companies, well-known for legendary games such as Space Invaders, Bubble Bobble and many others.

The EGRET II mini is a faithful miniaturised version of the original, successful arcade cabinet TAITO EGRET II, coming with special content and features that make it a ‘must have’ for gamers:

  • A total of 40 pre-installed games, including classics such as Space Invaders, Lunar Rescue, Bubble Bobble, Darius Gaiden and many more

  • 5-inch 4:3 rotating screen (1024×768 resolution) for horizontal and vertical alignment and an optimal adaptation to the selected game

  • Joystick individually adjustable for each game – easily switch from 8 directions to 4 directions

  • HDMI output to play the games also on TV

  • Two USB Type-A controller ports for the different EGRET II mini controllers (that are sold separately)

  • Power inlet via USB Type-C port

  • SD card slot to add even more games

  • Own integrated sound through stereo speakers

  • Instruction panel for exchangeable instruction cards

  • Special in-game features like: Save states, adjustable lives and rapid fire

Games, Games and more Games!

In addition to the 40 pre-installed games on the console, 10 additional games can be added through an SD card that’s included in the EGRET II mini Paddle and Trackball Game Expansion Set, coming with Strike Bowling, Arkanoid, Plump Pop and seven other TAITO classics.

This adds up to an incredible total of 50 games of various genres, from 1978 to 1997 that will be available with the launch of the EGRET II mini!

More details about the different editions, what they will contain and where to get the EGRET II mini will follow soon!




Disclaimer: Press Release supplied by PR Hound

Filed Under: Announcements, Retro Gaming Culture Tagged With: Arcade, astro city, classic gaming, Old School, Retro, Retro Gamer, Retro Gaming, retrogames, retrogaming, tabletop, Taito, Taito Egret II Mini, United Games Entertainment, Video Games

Doing The Math on the Atari VCS Classic Joystick & Modern Controller

December 17, 2021 By ausretrogamer

“Have you played your Atari today?”

We have been on a roll lately with product reviews that have surprised us. For this review we test drive Atari’s VCS Wireless Classic Joystick and their Wireless Modern Controller.

Atari needs no introduction for many of you, so we will spare you their history, as it stretches back almost 50 years! The modern Atari company is a very different beast from the one that Ted Dabney and Nolan Bushnell found all those years ago.

With a back-catalogue of awesome Atari IP to choose from, the modern Atari has brought two controllers to the market, one being a throwback to their single button CX40 joystick with a modern twist with their VCS Wireless Classic Joystick, and the other, the Wireless Modern Controller being for the modern gamer that requires total control for their games on contemporary gaming systems. Oh yeah, seeing the Atari logo on a controller is another big selling point!

Atari Wireless Classic Joystick – $104.95 at GAMORY

First cab off the rank was always going to be the joystick! We started our gaming life on a joystick with a single fire-button, so the Atari VCS Classic Joystick felt right at home. We must admit, we were sceptical at first, but upon opening the package, the joystick looked top notch. But looks aren’t everything if the device isn’t much chop. The stick is on the short side, so if you like to grip the joystick by forming a fist around it,  then you are out of luck – unless you have really small hands. However, we never like to grip our joysticks that way, preferring the thumb and index finger control, which works and feels superb on this Atari modern joystick. The fact that the joystick doubles up as a paddle for games like Break Out (and Arkanoid), is another feather in the cap for this modern take on a classic stick. Oh yeah, there is also a second fire-button, which is conveniently positioned on the base for those games requiring two fire-buttons. Remember the orange band around the rubber boot/base of the original Atari joysticks? Well, on the modern stick, the band is replaced with a very cool LED light effect, which immediately makes you smile. Rotate the stick and watch the orange lights glow! It is these little touches that add up to a darn cool joystick for any retro or modern gamer.

Getting a grip!

We much prefer using our thumb and index finger for precision control

The joystick can be connected via USB (micro-USB cable supplied) or Bluetooth – we had a few issues trying to connect via Bluetooth (getting the dreaded unknown device message) on our Dell XPS laptop, but didn’t experience this on our other Lenovo laptop. With that said, once you are connected, you can really only play games that require one or two fire-buttons, which means this joystick is perfect for playing your old Amiga, C64, Amstrad, ZX Spectrum, Atari 2600, 7800, 400/800 and ST games (via emulation).

Love the orange light-up ring!

We tested this joystick on our LaunchBox (RetroArch / MAME) setup playing all of the two button Neo Geo games, and we must admit, the stick was absolutely flawless playing Sonic Wings 2 (Aero Fighters 2) with no lag, just total precision movement and firing, which helped us get very close to our personal best score, which says a lot for a stick we’ve had minimal amount of play time. The stick does have more freeplay when compared to something like the old TAC-2 joystick, but it snaps back to centre quite rapidly, which is exactly what a gamer needs, especially in games requiring ultra quick reflexes with precision control.

The stick is about as tall as the Sega Master System Control Stick

The old school QuickShot is built for a fist grip, whereas the Atari Classic Joystick isn’t!

The Atari Classic Joystick looks retro but has all the modern conveniences, like Bluetooth connectivity – the best of both worlds!

The more we played with the Atari VCS Classic Joystick, the more we grew to love it. It doesn’t knock the TAC-2 off the perch for our favourite joystick of all time, but the advantage of the Atari joystick is that it can be played on a multitude of gaming systems, albeit via emulation (mainly). We were going to test hooking up the joystick to our THEC64 Maxi, but ran out of time for this review. We will be sure to update this post when we do so and tell you all how we fared.

If you are yearning for a joystick to play your (one or two button type) games on PC or Android, then we highly recommend this Atari Wireless Classic Joystick – it is pretty darn awesome!

Atari VCS Wireless Modern Controller – $104.95 at GAMORY

After the awesome experience with the Classic Joystick, the Modern Controller had a lot to live up to!

It really isn’t fair to compare the joystick with the modern controller, as they couldn’t be further apart in aesthetics, controls, buttons and their use. Where the joystick can only really be used on games that don’t require too many buttons or multi-analogue input, the modern controller is right at home to be used on most (if not all) modern video games.

Just like the joystick, the controller can be connected via Bluetooth or cable (micro USB cable supplied) to your PC or via Bluetooth with an Android device. The detection and setup was a cinch. For comparisons, the Atari VCS Modern Controller is closest to the Xbox Series X|S / Xbox One controllers, so if you are familiar with those, then the Atari controller will feel right at home.

Atari vs Xbox

Face-off!

Since we do love our Xbox Series S controller, holding and using the Atari one to play games on our PC felt familiar and comfy. The triggers are just as clicky and the analogue sticks were equally as good. The D-pad is great and I prefer it to the clicky Xbox Series S controller. The Atari Modern Controller is great in hand, with smooth to touch surfaces – oo’er! We obviously love anything with a nostalgia inducing Mt Fuji logo, which is great to see dead centre on this controller. There is a feature that we didn’t understand which was the ability to switch the controller between PC or Xbox mode – we couldn’t figure this out, so if anyone has, hit us up on Twitter or Facebook!

Both the joystick and controller charge quite quickly and hold their charge for a fair few hours – we only had to charge them once while using them during this review (and they still have charge juice left!).

If you are after a modern controller to play on your PC, be it Xbox Game Pass games, AntStream, Prime Games, Steam, emulators and anything in-between, then you should check out the Atari Modern Controller. And if you are a sucker for the Atari brand, like we are, then you may not need too much convincing.

Where to buy:

Both the Atari VCS Classic Joystick and Modern Controller are available at GAMORY.

Too Cool For School!

 




Disclaimer: The Atari VCS Classic Joystick and Modern Controller were kindly supplied by GAMORY for this review.

Filed Under: Modern Gaming, Retro Gaming Culture Tagged With: Atari, Atari 2600, Atari controllers, Atari review, Atari VCS, Atari VCS Classic Controller, Atari VCS Controller, Atari Wireless Modern Controller, classic, gamer, gaming, Gamory, modern gamer, Retro Gamer, Retro Gaming, retrogaming, Review, tbt, throwback, Video Games, Vintage, Xmas

Shadow Ninja – Awesome C64 Chiptunes by SID Ninja 64

December 15, 2021 By ausretrogamer

What can we say, we are suckers for sweet, sweet C64 SID chiptunes!

We were recently stumbled upon the Shadow Ninja chiptunes concept-album on Bandcamp by the mysterious musician SID Ninja 64. What we heard was quite impressive and literally music to our ears. The original SID tunes on this album are stylised after great C64 maestros like Tim Follin, Jonathan Dunn, Matt Gray, Ben Daglish, Jeroen Tel and Chris Hülsbeck to name just a few – a pretty good darn pedigree.

If you are into SID tunes or chiptunes in general, check out SID Ninja 64’s Shadow Ninja album right now!

image source: SID Ninja 64




Filed Under: Announcements, Retro Gaming Culture Tagged With: 80s, Art, Bandcamp, C64, C64 SID, chiptune, chiptunes, Jeroen Tel, Jonathan Dunn, Matt Gray, Music, muzik, Old School, Power of Bushido, Retro, retro computing, Retro Gaming, retrogaming, Shadow Ninja, SID, SID Ninja 64, SID tunes, spotify, Tim Follin

The 2021 Christmas Gift Guide

December 8, 2021 By ausretrogamer

The silly season is upon once again! After the last couple of years we’ve had, we reckon it is time to spoil ourselves and our loved ones on some stuff that will spread the cheer.

With the millions of things out there, we thought we’d give you a hand at picking some cool geeky items in this year’s gift guide. So no matter if you are a retro or modern gamer, into emulation, pinball, a Star Wars fan or into comics, we have you covered.

Anbernic RG351V $209.99 (via Amazon)

LENOXX Bluetooth/Turntable Retro Music Centre $179 (via Catch)

The Legend Of Zelda Game & Watch $69 (via Catch)

Arcade1Up Mortal Kombat II Midway 12-in-1 Legacy Series Arcade Machine $770 (via Catch or Amazon)

Pinball : A Graphic History of the Silver Ball $31.96 (via The Book Depository)

The Best Of Archie Comics $23.14 (via The Book Depository)

LEGO Star Wars Darth Vader Helmet $71.20 (via Amazon)

Pixel Frames Street Fighter II – Car Scene 9×9 inches (Big) Shadow Box Art $45.59 (via Amazon)

Game and Watch Display Stand $9.50 (via Etsy)

Exploded PS1 – Art Print Poster (A4 size) $20.00 (via Etsy)

Enhanced Wireless Controller Super Mario – Nintendo Switch $89.00 (via Amazon)

Hyperkin M07280 RetroN 77 HD Gaming Console For Atari 2600 $103.70 (via Amazon)

TheVIC20 – Full sized VIC20 with working keyboard $260.64 (via Amazon)

LEGO Super Mario Master Your Adventure Maker Set $42.87 (via Amazon)

NOTE: Prices correct at the time of publication




Filed Under: Retro Gaming Culture Tagged With: Arcade, Art, Atari, Christmas, Christmas Gift Guide, Geek, gift guide, gifts, Gifts for Geeks, gifts under $100, nintendo, Retro, Retro Gaming, Retrocomputing, retrogaming, Star Wars, street fighter II, VIC20, Xmas, Xmas Gift Guide

No Coins Required For This Phantasy Arcade Game Exhibition!

December 6, 2021 By ausretrogamer

Phantasy Arcade Exhibition is on from December 11 through January 9, 2022 at Gallery Nucleus in Alhambra, CA!

Born out of quarantine, Phantasy Arcade is an art project / unique exhibition that gives artists the chance to create their own custom (and very realistic) mini arcade cabinets! Although there are no working games, each artist has collaborated with a musician to create unique original songs or chiptunes as well. All cabinets are assembled by hand and contain a battery-powered light and optional mini bluetooth speaker for your aural pleasure.

There will be over 40 of these unique mini arcade cabinets on display and available for sale for a limited time. An exhibition soundtrack of all original music will also be available online.

To commemorate the occasion, there are cool enamel pins to adorn as well. To see the custom cabinets from the previous Phantasy Arcade, check them out here!


source: Gallery Nucleus




Filed Under: Announcements, Retro Gaming Culture Tagged With: Alhambra, Arcade, Art, Artists, California, chiptunes, custom arcade cabinets, event, exhibition, Gallery Nucleus, musicians, Phantasy Arcade, Phantasy Arcade Exhibition, retrogaming

Tetris Waffle Maker

December 2, 2021 By ausretrogamer

Now this is our kind of thing! Firebox is selling an officially licensed Tetris Waffle Maker (£29.99), which can produce seven different cute Tetrimino-shaped waffles in just a few minutes. This would be a great Xmas gift for that special someone that loves Tetris, which is about 40+ million peeps around the world (including us!) 😉

image source: Firebox




Filed Under: Retro Gaming Culture Tagged With: Firebox, Game Boy, gamer, Geek, nerd, Old School, Retro Gamer, Retro Gaming, Retrogamer, retrogaming, tetris, Tetris Waffle, Tetris Waffle Maker, Waffles

Recreated Commodore 64 User’s & Programmer’s Reference Guide

November 29, 2021 By ausretrogamer

We all owe Iain Bennie a lot of gratitude for painstakingly recreating the Commodore 64 User’s Guide and Programmer’s Reference Guide (and the Quick Reference Card)!

We recently had a notification in one of the Commodore 64 Facebook Groups that immediately piqued our interest. It was a post by Iain Bennie that advised the 24,000+ members that after restoring his breadbin 8-bit beauty, he wanted to complete the set with new copies of the (old spiral bound) C64 User’s Guide and the Programmer’s Reference Guide.

Instead of scanning the original guides, Iain re-wrote them from scratch, reconstructing every graphic, including the front and back covers, every register map, block diagram, and every table to then have a wonderful and pristine final result.

This whole process took Iain a number of months, which clearly shows in the end product. Iain also had his re-written guides printed, which we must admit, look amazing – see pics and stop drooling already!

Not surprising, these guides have garnered a lot of interest from the community, which took Iain by (a pleasant) surprise. Iain has kindly made the PDF guides freely available (here) for all of us, which is darn awesome if you ask us. Oh yeah, he even has tips on getting them professionally printed! We and the rest of the C64 community thank Iain for all of his hard work and generosity in making these guides and proving them for free! What are you waiting for, go get them now!

source: Iain Bennie via Facebook




Filed Under: Announcements, Retro Gaming Culture Tagged With: Books, C64, C64 books, C64 guides, C64 Programmer's Reference Guide, C64 quick reference card, C64 User's Guide, classic, Commodore64, Geek, Old School, Retro, retro computing, Retro Gamer, Retrocomputing, retrogaming, tbt, throwback

LEGO IDEAS – Pac-Man

November 25, 2021 By ausretrogamer

We love all things PAC-MAN! The yellow dot-muncher gave us PAC-MAN Fever 40 years ago, so of course we love this Lego Ideas entry!

If you love Lego and you love PAC-MAN, then you know what to do – hit that SUPPORT button now!

source: Lego Ideas – Pac-Man




 

Filed Under: Retro Gaming Culture Tagged With: Arcade, classic gaming, gamer, gaming, Lego, LEGO Ideas, Lego Ideas Pac-Man, Lego Pac-Man, Pac-Man, pac-man fever, retrogaming, Video Games

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