So the PlayStation Mini is a very nice piece of hardware but we can't really discuss why on these boards.
What I can say is that if you don't have your heart set on having the USB cords to your controllers match the system perfectly, you can easily make them longer. If you open the controller there is a standard micro USB connection. I replaced the stock cables with some 10' braided ones I had and it's a huge improvement.
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KoopahTroopahThe koopas, the troopas.Philadelphia, PARegistered Userregular
Looks like reviewers and select streamers got a 'Review' copy. Philly D showed off that they sent him one before today's video, but didn't offer a review yet.
SteevLWhat can I do for you?Registered Userregular
Another new mini has been announced! Don't worry, though, chances are you probably won't be terribly interested. It's the PC-8001.
It was an early computer put out by NEC about 40 years ago in Japan. First look makes me think of the C64 Mini:
And here's why you probably won't be wanting one:
Unfortunately for fans, the PC-8001 Mini will only be available in limited numbers of around 500 units only. Those who purchase the PC-PM750NAA PC 40th Anniversary Edition Premium Package laptop (limited to 500) will get the PC-8001 Mini included as a set. The premium laptop package is going for 201,800 yen (roughly $1,900). The other way is through a lottery raffle available only for those who’ve purchased any LAVIE series PC by NEC.
So the PlayStation Mini is a very nice piece of hardware but we can't really discuss why on these boards.
What I can say is that if you don't have your heart set on having the USB cords to your controllers match the system perfectly, you can easily make them longer. If you open the controller there is a standard micro USB connection. I replaced the stock cables with some 10' braided ones I had and it's a huge improvement.
We've had enough discussions on the, er, unofficial abilities of the SNES Classic here. I do wonder exactly how close that has skirted to the limits, though.
It makes sense, from a certain point of view (as the saying goes). The PCE/TG16's biggest market by far was Japan; it was a fairly unsuccessful, niche machine in America, and in Europe, or the UK at least, it was pretty much the domain of enthusiasts via the grey import market as it was then (that's how I got my PCE GT originally). So, if you're just doing one lineup of games worldwide (presumably to lower costs), it being predominantly Japanese is understandable. It's still got plenty of games in English, even if it's just under half, and probably quite a few of the Japanese games weren't officially translated. Obviously some were where the Mini is only getting the Japanese version, but still.
Either way, it's a massive lineup of games with some real bona-fide classics on it. And now it's got one of the most glaring omissions - from the English language lineup, at least - taken care of (Splatterhouse).
I'm kind of in love with this thing and how they've done it, really. Just because it's so off-the-wall. But then, it was always a somewhat off-the-wall console to begin with. And I'm still amazed this version is even going to exist. Like, NES, SNES & Megadrive/Genesis, sure. But I never would have thought we'd even get a PCE/TG16 Mini.
It makes sense, from a certain point of view (as the saying goes). The PCE/TG16's biggest market by far was Japan; it was a fairly unsuccessful, niche machine in America, and in Europe, or the UK at least, it was pretty much the domain of enthusiasts via the grey import market as it was then (that's how I got my PCE GT originally). So, if you're just doing one lineup of games worldwide (presumably to lower costs), it being predominantly Japanese is understandable. It's still got plenty of games in English, even if it's just under half, and probably quite a few of the Japanese games weren't officially translated. Obviously some were where the Mini is only getting the Japanese version, but still.
But it was worse than that, Brandstetter says. TTi could rarely even get U.S. versions of existing Japanese games onto shelves. TTi would submit lists of games the company wanted to put out in the West, only to have Japan offer only a fraction: "if we gave a lineup, a list of what we thought would be the killer lineup for Christmas, we maybe got one out of the 10 or 15 titles we asked for," he says.
"And it wasn't like the titles had to be redone or anything. We would do the translation over here, the packaging had to be done. And then it just didn't happen," Brandstetter says. He flew to Japan for meetings, presenting research on what games would do well in the U.S. market -- only to wait, and wait, and then get very little.
For example, he wanted to release Konami's PC Engine Castlevania title, Dracula X: Rondo of Blood -- predecessor to the classic Symphony of the Night. "Have you ever played that game? That would have made a huge difference. It sold like crazy over here in the gray market," he says. Nothing ever materialized out of his request. Every negotiation had to go through Japan, and answers were slow or not forthcoming at all.
"It's almost like you can sit there watching paint dry. It's like, you're telling them what will make money and they just don't. And it's proven. 'Look, here's Sega, they're doing things. Here's Nintendo, they're doing things. See what they're doing? If we just do what they're doing, we'll make money.' And that doesn't make sense to them," Brandstetter says.
(That link is a fantastic history of the TG-16 in general, BTW.)
Yeah I remember hearing rumors and stories of how the Japan side thwarting the US side from actually doing well. I know that NEC computer side was really rotten towards their US branches through the early 2000s so wouldn't surprise me that the other groups were the same.
Honestly I never knew the TG16 got an official UK release, and I was already a fan. Never once saw it mentioned in one of the myriad gaming magazines I read at the time, let alone an ad of any description, and certainly never saw one in a shop. Even the Wikipedia page barely mentions it.
Mind you, if they put any kind of region lock on it (like they did with the US one, just changed the pin-outs on the HuCards from the PCE layout), that would pretty much make it a paperweight. (Edit: Japanese models went a step further, and would actually check to see if it was a US game and refuse to run it if so. Except for Klax, apparently!) (Further edit: Euro models just played US games at 50hz; there were no actual PAL games made!)
All so batshit insane.
(Also, there's currently a boxed UK one on eBay. For £200, plus postage. Er, no.)
The choice to make the European version of the Mini be the Core Grafx is really an implicit nod to the import market that actually gave a damn about the system. Fun fact: the original white PC Engine was invariably modded to work with UK TVs via PAL RF only (pretty common for import consoles at the time, and RF was all that version of the console was designed to work with in the first place), but the Core Grafx, while otherwise technically (almost) identical, was capable of SCART output through its new AV out, providing a huge jump in visual clarity as well as stereo sound output.
Further to the video, check out the PC Engine Mini version. It goes through the entire Japanese lineup, the entire US lineup, then the new additions, and then there's what looks like a sneak preview of the system's UI (at 1:56).
Further to the video, check out the PC Engine Mini version. It goes through the entire Japanese lineup, the entire US lineup, then the new additions, and then there's what looks like a sneak preview of the system's UI (at 1:56).
Further to the video, check out the PC Engine Mini version. It goes through the entire Japanese lineup, the entire US lineup, then the new additions, and then there's what looks like a sneak preview of the system's UI (at 1:56).
I'm pretty excited about the turbo graphix mini. It seems like they learned the lesson that Sony didn't, you need to put love and care into these things.
I wonder if Sony will try again. Having not owned a PlayStation until PS3, I was interested in the mini. Until they announced the lineup and negative impressions started coming in, of course.
Definitely getting the Genesis. I was a Nintendo kid - I think I need to finally put the old Nintendo fanboy to rest by owning the old competition. I suppose that means I should get the TG16 too.... but I dunno. I probably should save for that Arcade 1up TMNT.
I spent the morning shifting furniture around and taking measurements before even buying the kit. So, nothing as serendipitous as just fitting perfectly by chance.
I wonder if Sony will try again. Having not owned a PlayStation until PS3, I was interested in the mini. Until they announced the lineup and negative impressions started coming in, of course.
All indications are that it was a mega bomb, so I wouldn't hold your breath. Which sucks.
I wonder if Sony will try again. Having not owned a PlayStation until PS3, I was interested in the mini. Until they announced the lineup and negative impressions started coming in, of course.
Definitely getting the Genesis. I was a Nintendo kid - I think I need to finally put the old Nintendo fanboy to rest by owning the old competition. I suppose that means I should get the TG16 too.... but I dunno. I probably should save for that Arcade 1up TMNT.
I have no interest in a PS mini, but target had it for 9.99 a little ago so I picked up one just to collect it.
I wonder if Sony will try again. Having not owned a PlayStation until PS3, I was interested in the mini. Until they announced the lineup and negative impressions started coming in, of course.
Definitely getting the Genesis. I was a Nintendo kid - I think I need to finally put the old Nintendo fanboy to rest by owning the old competition. I suppose that means I should get the TG16 too.... but I dunno. I probably should save for that Arcade 1up TMNT.
I have no interest in a PS mini, but target had it for 9.99 a little ago so I picked up one just to collect it.
I'm waiting for a price like that in the UK. I'll grab one then.
I wonder if Sony will try again. Having not owned a PlayStation until PS3, I was interested in the mini. Until they announced the lineup and negative impressions started coming in, of course.
All indications are that it was a mega bomb, so I wouldn't hold your breath. Which sucks.
Yeah, I'm not. It would be a shame for Sony to learn the wrong lessons. People wanted a PS mini, they just didn't want a shit one.
I wonder if Sony will try again. Having not owned a PlayStation until PS3, I was interested in the mini. Until they announced the lineup and negative impressions started coming in, of course.
Definitely getting the Genesis. I was a Nintendo kid - I think I need to finally put the old Nintendo fanboy to rest by owning the old competition. I suppose that means I should get the TG16 too.... but I dunno. I probably should save for that Arcade 1up TMNT.
I have no interest in a PS mini, but target had it for 9.99 a little ago so I picked up one just to collect it.
I think they list them for $20 right now but I'd check their website for inventory. I know they're pretty much sold out in some areas thanks to how long they've been trying to get rid of them.
Target seems to clearance things way faster than most other retailers. If you obsessively scan them (and are willing to wait) you can get some great deals, but they vanish quick.
I wonder if Sony will try again. Having not owned a PlayStation until PS3, I was interested in the mini. Until they announced the lineup and negative impressions started coming in, of course.
Definitely getting the Genesis. I was a Nintendo kid - I think I need to finally put the old Nintendo fanboy to rest by owning the old competition. I suppose that means I should get the TG16 too.... but I dunno. I probably should save for that Arcade 1up TMNT.
I have no interest in a PS mini, but target had it for 9.99 a little ago so I picked up one just to collect it.
I'd buy one for $10 if I found it. Especially once I found a way to use a controller I hate less.
That being said, regardless of what Sony does moving forward...Playstation emulation is almost absurdly easy, comparable to SNES and Megadrive emulation (and actually may come with some benefits in the move towards 3D graphics on even the most basic PCs, unlike those). PC emulation of Playstation games was a common thing during the actual lifespan of the console itself. The constraint for running Playstation games via Hakchi CE on the SNES isn't power, but storage space. Not wanting to break any forum rules, for your actual PS1-playing needs you have so many options available to you (and with Sony's offering, you were going to probably need to change some things anyway).
That little plastic case is cute though. At least I think so. I wonder if anyone's figured out how to cram a suitable Raspberry Pi board in there or even use the buttons.
0
Brainiac 8Don't call me Shirley...Registered Userregular
The Playstation Mini was a sadly missed opportunity. I ended up finally grabbing one for five bucks and it does have some great stuff on there. But in the years of amazing games that went through the PS1 era, the games they ultimately chose showed no care or concern for the systems actual legacy.
It was just sad, and the lack of analogue controllers meant no Ape Escape, which should have been there. :P
The Playstation Mini was a sadly missed opportunity. I ended up finally grabbing one for five bucks and it does have some great stuff on there. But in the years of amazing games that went through the PS1 era, the games they ultimately chose showed no care or concern for the systems actual legacy.
It was just sad, and the lack of analogue controllers meant no Ape Escape, which should have been there. :P
That's the one change I would have made to the hardware itself - analog would have been amazing. Otherwise, the Classic is somewhere between a Pi3 and 4 from what I've read. It's a pretty great little box. My understanding is that they've even got Half-Life running on it - you install a Core and your own files from a Steam installation and it runs solidly (I haven't tried that yet).
With an 8Bitdo adapter you can use a Dualshock, and if you replace the interface with Bleemsync you can change the controls to include the thumb sticks. So if, theoretically if you managed to somehow get Ape Escape or Tony Hawk on there, you can use the sticks. Also, you can use the settings to swap it back to NTSC instead of PAL
PAL was such a weird thing in that it was definitely superior to NTSC, at least in resolution (576i) and arguably colo(u)r reproduction, if not framerate*; but that if something built for NTSC was run under the PAL standard, it made the content significantly worse unless the content was properly reworked. Which, funnily enough, it often at least partially was (not at all was actually quite rare; see UK Tekken 3 for one horrific example).
* - SCART solved the framerate issue, at least; it was basically a necessity for running imports well. Although to be honest I'm not sure if it actually bypassed a lot of the PAL stuff, I probably need to look into the technicals.
Everything moving to the HDMI standard(s) makes everything so much simpler. (As do things like 100-240v power supplies, and UK TVs still also supporting 50fps when needed, purely for backwards compatibility purposes for DVDs and so on.)
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What I can say is that if you don't have your heart set on having the USB cords to your controllers match the system perfectly, you can easily make them longer. If you open the controller there is a standard micro USB connection. I replaced the stock cables with some 10' braided ones I had and it's a huge improvement.
Looks like reviewers and select streamers got a 'Review' copy. Philly D showed off that they sent him one before today's video, but didn't offer a review yet.
Twitch: KoopahTroopah - Steam: Koopah
It was an early computer put out by NEC about 40 years ago in Japan. First look makes me think of the C64 Mini:
And here's why you probably won't be wanting one:
We've had enough discussions on the, er, unofficial abilities of the SNES Classic here. I do wonder exactly how close that has skirted to the limits, though.
Steam | XBL
https://gematsu.com/2019/08/turbografx-16-mini-pc-engine-coregrafx-mini-pc-engine-mini-final-lineup-announced
The only one in English is Splatterhouse.
This is such a weird thing.
Steam | XBL
Either way, it's a massive lineup of games with some real bona-fide classics on it. And now it's got one of the most glaring omissions - from the English language lineup, at least - taken care of (Splatterhouse).
I'm kind of in love with this thing and how they've done it, really. Just because it's so off-the-wall. But then, it was always a somewhat off-the-wall console to begin with. And I'm still amazed this version is even going to exist. Like, NES, SNES & Megadrive/Genesis, sure. But I never would have thought we'd even get a PCE/TG16 Mini.
Steam | XBL
Especially since NEC's Japanese side kept cockblocking great releases.
(That link is a fantastic history of the TG-16 in general, BTW.)
Steam: betsuni7
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Mind you, if they put any kind of region lock on it (like they did with the US one, just changed the pin-outs on the HuCards from the PCE layout), that would pretty much make it a paperweight. (Edit: Japanese models went a step further, and would actually check to see if it was a US game and refuse to run it if so. Except for Klax, apparently!) (Further edit: Euro models just played US games at 50hz; there were no actual PAL games made!)
All so batshit insane.
(Also, there's currently a boxed UK one on eBay. For £200, plus postage. Er, no.)
The choice to make the European version of the Mini be the Core Grafx is really an implicit nod to the import market that actually gave a damn about the system. Fun fact: the original white PC Engine was invariably modded to work with UK TVs via PAL RF only (pretty common for import consoles at the time, and RF was all that version of the console was designed to work with in the first place), but the Core Grafx, while otherwise technically (almost) identical, was capable of SCART output through its new AV out, providing a huge jump in visual clarity as well as stereo sound output.
Steam | XBL
Further to the video, check out the PC Engine Mini version. It goes through the entire Japanese lineup, the entire US lineup, then the new additions, and then there's what looks like a sneak preview of the system's UI (at 1:56).
Spoiler alert: it looks gorgeous*:
* - although given that it uses the PC Engine aesthetic, it might be subject to at least visual change for the other versions.
Steam | XBL
That UI looks pretty good. Obviously borrowing a lot from Nintendo's Mini systems, but still cool!
Yup. If you're going to borrow from another one, might as well be a great one.
The animation for the system card and the CD-ROM, followed by the Super CD-ROM2 boot screen, is just too cool.
Steam | XBL
Steam: betsuni7
Definitely getting the Genesis. I was a Nintendo kid - I think I need to finally put the old Nintendo fanboy to rest by owning the old competition. I suppose that means I should get the TG16 too.... but I dunno. I probably should save for that Arcade 1up TMNT.
I spent the morning shifting furniture around and taking measurements before even buying the kit. So, nothing as serendipitous as just fitting perfectly by chance.
He's doing science!
All indications are that it was a mega bomb, so I wouldn't hold your breath. Which sucks.
I have no interest in a PS mini, but target had it for 9.99 a little ago so I picked up one just to collect it.
Selling Board Games for Medical Bills
I'm waiting for a price like that in the UK. I'll grab one then.
Steam | XBL
Yeah, I'm not. It would be a shame for Sony to learn the wrong lessons. People wanted a PS mini, they just didn't want a shit one.
Whoa, I'm broke and I'd buy one at that price.
I'd go get one today just for screwing around with if it was the latter (and there were any in stock).
I'd buy one for $10 if I found it. Especially once I found a way to use a controller I hate less.
That being said, regardless of what Sony does moving forward...Playstation emulation is almost absurdly easy, comparable to SNES and Megadrive emulation (and actually may come with some benefits in the move towards 3D graphics on even the most basic PCs, unlike those). PC emulation of Playstation games was a common thing during the actual lifespan of the console itself. The constraint for running Playstation games via Hakchi CE on the SNES isn't power, but storage space. Not wanting to break any forum rules, for your actual PS1-playing needs you have so many options available to you (and with Sony's offering, you were going to probably need to change some things anyway).
That little plastic case is cute though. At least I think so. I wonder if anyone's figured out how to cram a suitable Raspberry Pi board in there or even use the buttons.
It was just sad, and the lack of analogue controllers meant no Ape Escape, which should have been there. :P
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That's the one change I would have made to the hardware itself - analog would have been amazing. Otherwise, the Classic is somewhere between a Pi3 and 4 from what I've read. It's a pretty great little box. My understanding is that they've even got Half-Life running on it - you install a Core and your own files from a Steam installation and it runs solidly (I haven't tried that yet).
....why the hell is that not the machine's standard procedure?
* - SCART solved the framerate issue, at least; it was basically a necessity for running imports well. Although to be honest I'm not sure if it actually bypassed a lot of the PAL stuff, I probably need to look into the technicals.
Everything moving to the HDMI standard(s) makes everything so much simpler. (As do things like 100-240v power supplies, and UK TVs still also supporting 50fps when needed, purely for backwards compatibility purposes for DVDs and so on.)
Steam | XBL