Are there any viable alternatives to a softmodded Xbox?

[Genesis Knight]

Yeah, be advised OP that N64 emulation on the oXbox is not anything resembling perfect, even with Surreal 5.5. PC is the way to go for 64, as Breetai says.

For N64 emulation, I thought that the Wii scene boasted similar levels of compatibility compared to the PC?

Really? Hacked VC games run quite well, but I think I remember trying the Wii emu and it ran worse than Surreal64. Could be wrong; I have a softmodded oXbox so I don't bother with the Wii.

[irixith]

I think everyone's pretty aware that N64 emulation sucks on every platform. If N64 emulation was your main goal, you're simply off buying the console for $10 and going from there.

However, the Wii does have Virtual Console games that have it done for you, and there's Virtual Console Injects. It's probably the best of the consoles to choose from if N64 emulation was high on the list, partially because you don't have to spend so much time mucking with settings and plugins for each individual game.

[Hatta]

A 3ghz P4 can be had for stupidly cheap if you watch Craigslist. Throw in any old ATI or nVidia card with TV-out. You can even run XBMC on it still if you desire. There are also other multiemulator front ends, e.g. gamex.

Personally I prefer the PC route since you can hook whatever peripherals you want up to it. It's not exactly easy to hook an SNES controller up to an oXbox.

[kyle39]

Thanks for all the replies everyone. Although I will concede that it seems a computer would offer the best quality and compatibility in emulation, I don't think that is the route I will take. It seems that a machine built for the purpose would work well, that would definitely require more money than I would like to spend. A used computer would be a better option for me if I see any good deals, but I still am unsure of the TV-Out options.

I am mostly leaning to the Xbox, I saw some videos and really liked how everything looked and connected. Still, I am hesitant to go with a stagnant (I'm guessing it would be by now / as compared to Wii) platform.

The Wii sounds intriguing and the price will likely drop when the WiiU releases, but I didn't like the vibe of the videos I saw on Youtube. Of the emulators I saw, everything seemed minimal on the presentation side of things, and I'm not someone who could do anything about that (not a coder or developer).

I know the Dreamcast was likely mentioned in passing or jest, but I have never owned or really played one and am considering it (also because I saw one with 18 games, 4 controllers, and other stuff for $40 on craigslist). On Zophar I see a respectable number of systems emulated, but the quality is hard to determine for an outsider (the SNES emulator?). I really enjoy NES games and have heard the Dreamcast does those well though.

The only mainstream video game console I own right now is the Xbox 360 (well, and an old NES). It doesn't seem that homebrew took off on the Xbox 360 or PS3 like the original Xbox. Why is that? Did Microsoft step up its game that much? The 360 seems like it would have a lot of potential for this use if it were opened.

[Breetai]

Opps, I forgot about emulation on the DC and PS2. I've never even bothered with the DC in regards to emulation, but have heard that it is decent. I did have a modded PS2 that I've used for NES/SMS/Genesis/SNES on about a decade ago. I recall it being pretty good.

Still, the absolute best way to go is the X-Box. AFAIK, the X-Box scene is still alive, but I don't know to what extent. The Wii emulation scene hasn't done much in a few years, from what I know. I don't expect it will get much better. Sega CD still has not been emulated on it, but works fine on the X-Box. I also recall N64 emulation being better on the X-Box than the Wii (NOT counting the games released on the VC).

I definitely recommend the X-Box if you don't want to go the PC route.

[Genesis Knight]

Xbox is still getting (sometimes staggering) updates. A new Surreal64 a while back, huge upgrades in XBMC4XBOX recently, explosive growth in the CoinOPS emulator line, Final Burn Legends...

Xbox is where it's at, period.