New to retro, need some advice

[zspaun]

My TV has SCART, my Sega Mega Drive doesn't (nor my PS1...)

[theclaw]

Not much of a problem then. Those output SCART even in America.

[Nyukki]

Regarding OP, I still have my original PSX but I only play emulated PSX mainly because I no longer have to deal with memory cards, plus ePSXe on an HDTV looks really awesome.

Of course, going for originality, playing on original hardware and a CRT is the best and most "accurate" way of reliving the past, but I don't oppose emulation of older consoles for convenience purposes. I also don't have space for a CRT and emulate all my old consoles from an HTPC, but use original controllers with USB converters.

I had my NES hooked up to my HDTV and I must say, it looked really crap, plus you still had screen tearing and other problems, so I actually prefer emulating the NES as long as I'm using an original controller. You do, however, miss out on the whole taking cartridges from the shelf and looking at the covers, deciding what game to play part.

PSX emu I've never had problems with. Dreamcast, PS2 and other newer consoles do work fairly decent, but often you need to be prepared to spent a lot of time setting things up and doing a lot of googling, which can get a bit frustrating, so it might be worth getting original hardware just for plug-and-play convenience.

[Anapan]

First of all, Welcome!
Due to your perfectly worded questions I'll add my 2 cents.
How perfect you want your setup depends on how much you want original hardware (the main goal here) and how well you want it to translate to your display. If you want to spend the money making your consoles look like a CRT (the way they were meant to be viewed) on your HD screen you need stuff in-between your console and display to change the low-resolution picture to something less blurry and more crisp or simulate scanlines. That gets expensive, but as far as I'm concerned is money well-spent.
On the other hand, for certain consoles you can get much more out of the data the game has available by using emulators. Dolphin has already been mentioned. I'd like to mention PS1:
You can vastly improve your experience using an emulator. I found settings that worked for me which I listed here:
Dealing with a 1080P Screen

[Reprise]

My TV has SCART, my Sega Mega Drive doesn't (nor my PS1...)

Duuuude, not a problem! (Unless I'm missing something) You can buy RGB SCART cables for both the Mega Drive and the PS1 (and most consoles actually - apart from the incompatible N64 - For that, just get S video cable). Ebay is probably your best bet. Their cost ranges from around 8 - 15 ish GB Pounds, depending on console. Not sure what that is exactly in Euros sorry.

It's definitely worth it. All my retro consoles (bar the blurry mess that is the PS2) look absolutely glorious on my HD televisions through RGB SCART. It's the best way to go

Edit: Apart from the Dreamcast. Dreamcast looks best through the VGA adapter.

[theclaw]

It's trickier to find s video cables ready for PAL n64.

But that's one of the consoles most hardcore users should not go PAL anyway.
Few major PAL exclusives, and 50hz on a system already known for sluggish framerates...

[brainerdrainer]

I still use old TV's for all of my gaming. I have never owned a flat screen tv in my life

[Damm64]

You totally should get a CRT TV for older console games (like that megadrive) HD TV + 16 bit games work awful to me.

[zspaun]

Again thank you all for your contributions, they're greatly appreciated!

Well after some research and thinking and looking at my space... No option for a CRT... The only option for a dedicated emulator setup would be with a 1080p LCD monitor (if i need to separate from my main setup) but that's still the same thing...

So after doing extensive reading I decided so far:

a) 8bit+16bit (NES/SMS/SMD/SNES) --> Via emulator and buy carts only to add to my collection... I did a little experiment where I messed around in my Mega Drive carts...Looked at the box, the manual...Then popped the game in my emulator... Works for me
(I use a generic USB controller but this can be improved very easy)

b) PS1 -> boot the CD thru ePSXe or my PS3/PS2 if a game doesn't work properly (which I came to understand is a rare occasion)

c) PS2 - needs some optical lens cleaning
d) my old XBOX is a tank, works perfect !

So far undecided -> N64, Wii, Gamecube (I need a bluetooth adapter to test the Wiimote to see how good it works)


I tried Saturn emulation, I had really bad luck with games, they don't really work properly and the emulator is not as good as other emulators for other systems...
The Dreamcast emulator i tried was barebones but it worked with Crazy Taxi...Skies of Arcadia not... I'm guessing I should give up the emulation path for these...

[GSZX1337]

a) 8bit+16bit (NES/SMS/SMD/SNES) --> Via emulator and buy carts only to add to my collection...

You could invest in a device such as the Retrode to rip your own ROMs. Hey, it's better than just buying them to put on a shelf.

(I use a generic USB controller but this can be improved very easy)

Thankfully, this is true. Unfortunately, the TurboGrafx-16 doesn't seem to have any USB adapters.

So far undecided -> N64

I'm looking into N64 emulation myself. I haven't messed with it due to not having an N64 controller USB adapter. Whenever my Raphnet adapter comes in I'll mess a bit more with it. Bright side of this s that even if N64 emulation falls through, the console is pretty accessible and most the good games can be had for a decent price.

Wii, Gamecube (I need a bluetooth adapter to test the Wiimote to see how good it works)

I'd just get a Wii since they're not too much right now and you can get a WODE to boot disc images.

I tried Saturn emulation, I had really bad luck with games, they don't really work properly and the emulator is not as good as other emulators for other systems...

Saturn emulation does have a way to go before it reaches the same level as PSX emulation. Games run well in my experience, but there's no sort of enhancements such as increased resolutions or filters.

The Dreamcast emulator i tried was barebones but it worked with Crazy Taxi...Skies of Arcadia not... I'm guessing I should give up the emulation path for these...

Since burned games can be played on the console with ease I wouldn't bother with an emulator. In some cases, CDI copies of the games are superior to playing the original game (ie. Space Channel 5 Part 2 using the PS2 music and videos). Sure the nullDC emulator is pretty impressive when games are ran at 1080p, but in this instance playing burned copies is the more convenient option.