Games Acquired 2017

[Exhuminator]

I am thinking about getting some sort of old gaming laptop to play them.

This is a good path.

How much are you willing to spend? That will determine your options.

[prfsnl_gmr]

I am thinking about getting some sort of old gaming laptop to play them.

This is a good path.

How much are you willing to spend? That will determine your options.

I don’t know...$100 to $200, maybe? I would think an old Windows 98 laptop wouldn’t be that expensive.

[Exhuminator]

I don’t know...$100 to $200, maybe? I would think an old Windows 98 laptop wouldn’t be that expensive.

If you bought some 1998-2000 era Windows 98 laptop, chances are the screen quality would be rather dire. Dim brightness, blurry matrix, ghosting, that kind of thing. If I was going to spend ~$200 on a laptop for classic gaming, I'd consider getting a refurbished Dell with at least an i5 processor in it. You'd certainly be looking at a much better screen. I'd get something like this:



Now in that instance, if you kept the default OS, you'd be running Windows 10. That means you could play a lot of today's modern indie games just fine (I'm not talking about 3D graphically intensive ones mind, but 2D / lightweight 3D is compliant). You could also play tons of 00s and early-10s PC games just fine. And in the instance of playing System Shock 2, Vampire Bloodlines, and Grim Fandango, you could play the GOG versions of those perfectly on said laptop. Or, if you preferred, you could play the physical CD versions using a Windows 98 virtual machine on said laptop.

Anyway, that's what I'd do. Everybody has different opinions when it comes to PCs. But I will say, I've worked on, and owned, many brands of laptops, and I personally choose Dell.

[prfsnl_gmr]

Thanks for the tips, xumy. I will probably go in that direction. I have mixed feelings on Dells, though. My first one was an absolute tank, but the last one I had was absolutely the worst computer I have owned in my life. (I had multiple people try to fix it, but I still had to put cool packs on it to get it to run for more than an hour...to say it had temperature issues would be a vast understatement.)

[isiolia]

Relative to an actual Windows 98 vintage laptop, the screen will be great. However, in that price range, most refurb models are likely going to have the (typically) 1366x768 baseline panels that are fairly mediocre by today's standards. So, it's kind of relative.

That said the general notion is solid - in fact, the E6430 linked is almost exactly what I bought for myself a couple years ago or so. I proceeded to upgrade it to the point that I should have just bought something pricier (including swapping the LCD), but those are very solid machines. I have a lot of experience with the 600 and 6000 series Dells particularly due to work, but you can find similarly spec'ed/priced refurb HP and Lenovo machines as well.

[Exhuminator]

My first one was an absolute tank, but the last one I had was absolutely the worst computer I have owned in my life.

Well like any brand, it all depends on the model. Currently I've been using a Precision M6800. For over a year now, zero issues thus far.

1366x768 baseline panels that are fairly mediocre by today's standards

Yes, but he's interested in classic PC gaming primarily.

[isiolia]

Yes, but he's interested in classic PC gaming primarily.

True, but also subpar in terms of color shift/viewing angle/etc. I may just be fussy as well.

[Exhuminator]

I may just be fussy

[Segata]

[Markies]

1. Batman: The Video Game (NES)
2. R.B.I. Baseball (NES)
3. Super Monkey Ball (GCN)
4. The Granstream Saga (PS1)
5. Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind (XBOX)
6. Mega Man X (SNES)
7. Darkwing Duck (NES)
8. Crystalis (NES)
9. Jet Moto (PS1)
10. Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back (PS1)
11. Halo 2 (XBOX)
12. Destruction Derby 64 (N64)
13. Mega Man: The Wily Wars (GEN)



I bought Mega Man: The Wily Wars for the Sega Genesis!

I bought this game as a celebration of leaving my job of 10 years several months ago. I finally got around to adding it and boy how things have changed! Obviously, this game was not released in the NA, so I bought a Game Reproduction of the game. It runs super smoothly and I'm very happy to continue my Mega Man voyage. This is my second Genesis Reproduction cart after Bare Knuckle III, so I'm comfortable with the process. I'm always happy to replay the first three Mega Man games again and the addition of Wily Tower sealed the deal for me!