LodgeNet

[prfsnl_gmr]

So...I am on a business trip and staying in a pretty nice hotel; however, the LG flat-panel television in my room is equipped with one of those LodgeNet pay-per-view systems. Moreover, the LodgeNet system, in addition to various movies, is offering cutting-edge Nintendo 64 games that you can play for $6.95 per hour.

Anyway, I noticed that the awesome, conversation-piece LodgeNet Nintendo 64 controller is connected to the television with some sort of telephone line, and from what I have read, it seems that the LodgeNet system was like an early "cloud" gaming system. If this is the case, then the LodgeNet system - despite being ridiculously overpriced - was actually somewhat ahead of its time when it was released.

It appears that someone on the DigitPress forums has already listed the 31 games available for the LodgeNet Nintendo 64 system, but since those forums are down at the moment, I am recording them here for posterity:

Mario Kart 64, Super Smash Bros., Mario Tennis, Super Mario 64, Mario Party 3, Paper Mario, Kirby 64, Excitebike 64, Hydro Thunder, Rush 2: Extreme Race USA, Pokemon Snap, Mario Golf, Star Wars: Rogue Squadron, Star Fox 64, Donkey Kong 64, The Legend of Zelda: The Ocarina of Time; Ready 2 Rumble Boxing, 1080 Snowboarding, Mortal Kombat 4, Yoshi's Story, The New Tetris, Dr. Mario 64, The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask, Rampage 2: Universal Tour, Wave Race 64, Virtual Pool 64, Gauntlet Legends, F-Zero X, Midway's Greatest Arcade Hits, PilotWings 64, and Virtual Chess

With this list, you can recreate the LodgeNet experience in your own home by flushing $7 down the toilet and playing Nintendo 64 Ready 2 Rumble Boxing for exactly 60 minutes before abruptly powering off your system. I recently played through Paper Mario, and by my calculation, if I had played through it on a LodgeNet system, it would have cost me approximately $250. How much do you think it would cost to play through every game on the LodgeNet N64 system?

Also, I know that there were Super Nintendo and GameCube LodgeNet Systems. Does anyone know what games were available for those systems? If so, I think that they should be listed here for posterity. Were there any LodgeNet exclusives? (There was also a hotel PlayStation system, but I am not sure if it was LodgeNet or another company. Does anyone know what games were available for it? Again, I think that they should be listed here.)

Does anyone have any memorable LodgeNet experiences? I never ordered the LodgeNet Nintendo services, but I did order the PlayStation service when I was a teenager. After playing Jumping Flash!, WipeOut, Ridge Racer, and Twisted Metal for an hour, I was not convinced that the PlayStation's software lineup justified the PlayStation's hefty price tag. (It took my friend's copy of Final Fantasy VII to push me over the edge a year or so later.)

Finally, does anyone actually own one of these systems? If so, how did you get it, how does it work, and what can you do with it in your home?

(I posted this in the Nintendo section because the LodgeNet systems appear to be "lost" Nintendo game systems. If the moderators think it should be moved, then please relocate this topic.)

[oldschoolnesgamer]

Here is an interesting read that goes into further detail about the Lodgenet system: http://s9.zetaboards.com/Nintendo_64_Fo ... 7070678/1/

[irixith]

I had one of these in a hotel room once about 5 years ago -- and even then I scoffed at the $6.95 per hour rate. I said so to the desk staff, and they offered me $6.95 to play one game as much as I wanted during my stay instead.

So I played Mario Party 3 all night, boo-yah.

I always felt that system would have been much better if $6.95 was a per night rental fee instead of a per hour fee. It's simply too expensive to be practical.

[prfsnl_gmr]

The Mario Party story is awesome. I will definitely ask for that deal the next time I am travelling (and 6.95 is a good price to play Mario Party 3 these days).

I wonder how many LodgeNet controllers were ruined by intense Mario Party sessions (and how they explained the broken controller to the front desk)?

[AmishSamurai]

I remember something similar when I was living in a hotel for a bit, except it was SNES games. I played the shit out of Donkey Kong Country 2 on it. At least for two hours.

[fastbilly1]

The controllers pop up on ebay occasionally. I had a friend who use to work for lodgenet grab me one of their broken ones. He told me the system itself was just a server running emulation. Which makes sense when you see that the controllers have RJ11 plugs at the end.