Got the okay on a game room - now what?

[LugNutX]

I've recently gotten the go-ahead from the wife to turn an underutilized room in the house into a gaming/office area. We're looking at roughly a 12x12 space to treat as a clean slate. I need YOUR help to get my ducks in a row.

I currently have my older consoles hooked up to a 27" CRT. However, I'm interested in moving the PS3 and 360 into this room, which will necessitate a move to LCD (or similar technology), as I'm not interested in tracking down one of the widescreen CRT HDTVs.

Seating distance will only be ~6 feet, so probably something in the 40"-46" range w/ 1080p.

I understand the image quality issues associated with this, so I have decided to use my Xbox to emulate anything that's too old to display properly. I know many folks detest this method, but I have no problems with it. I'll still have my carts on display, they just won't get the usage they were getting. It will also cut down on the number of inputs I need. Anyone else doing this and happy with the results?

Secondly, what is the preferred (reasonable) way to hook up older hardware to newer televisions? I'm looking for the best cost-to-quality ratio...what you may call "good enough". No uber upscalers or $500 converters. The current gen consoles make it easy - HDMI. However, things get trickier the further back you go. What are your opinions on the following:

Xbox (used for Genesis, SNES, NES and arcade emulation) - Component
PS2 (also used for PS1 games) - S-Video
Gamecube - S-Video
N64 - S-Video
Dreamcast - S-Video (perhaps VGA if the new TV has the option)

Does the 480p capability on the PS2 and Gamecube outweigh the ease of just using S-Video?

I'm not sure my Dreamcast gets enough use to justify the $30 VGA adapter, even though I know the quality difference is quite visible. Thoughts there?

Finally, seating. My wife would like be able to use the room as an emergency guest room if needed. I'm guessing this means I need to investigate some sofa bed/nice futon options. I've been out of college for several years now, so I'm looking for something a little nicer than the typical dorm setup. Anyone with experience there?

Sorry if this whole post sounds like a rambling mess. I'm trying to gather my thoughts and start planning some of this. The more I think about it, the more excited I get! All comments are appreciated and encouraged!

[noiseredux]

the couch thing... how do you feel about Ikea? Good prices, looks nicer than "typical dorm" stuff, and you could easily get matching entertainment center and shelves for your games if need be?

[CRTGAMER]

Take a look thru the recent posts
A lot of your hookup questions have been answered already. For instance there is discussion just in the past hour concerning a PS2 Component connection. You can also check the Guides section in the Board Index. My CRT vs LCD signature link might answer you video connection issues.

[Ziggy]

If you don't mind using your oXbox to emulate the older consoles, than that's cool. But don't assume they'll look like crap before you've actually tried it. Retro systems look amazing on my 32" HDTV.

[LugNutX]

noiseredux - Ikea was my thinking as well. They have a few options online, but I'll have to do a "butt check" at the store this weekend. Given the size of the room, I don't think a full sized couch would work anyway.

CRT - Sorry for the duplicate questions. I looked through several posts before I made this, but I'll go back and double-check for further info. It looks like the PS2 component cables are highly recommended, but I would have to resort to using a component switch. Not sure if the cables + the switch are worth the cost, but I guess that's something I'll have to decide.

Ziggy - I will ultimately try each one, but I was just trying to avoid the "OMG, your old consoles will look terrible" discussion. I realize this is part of the trade-off. Here's to hoping my experience with the original hardware is as good as yours!

[Ziggy]

noiseredux - Ikea was my thinking as well. They have a few options online, but I'll have to do a "butt check" at the store this weekend. Given the size of the room, I don't think a full sized couch would work anyway.

Not sure where you're located, but there's a place around me called Big Lots that have some nice couches for cheap.

There's also HomeReserve.com, I wont bother to bloat this post, so I'll try and be short: I haven't actually purchased from them, but I came ::this close:: to getting a love seat or sofa. They come in pieces and you assemble it. The negative space inside the couch is actually utilized, it's storage space! Since the couch is put together by you, you can take it apart as easily. This makes moving it (if you ever have to) easier. Also, parts of the couch are replaceable. Each piece of couch has a big number of fabrics to choose from. You can even order samples of the fabrics for cheap (I have ordered a few samples myself). My main reasons for wanting one is because I want a couch in my bedroom, but I don't think I could fit one up the stairs and make the turn into my room. But since this couch comes in pieces, it would definitely fit. And also, they're fairly cheap. Though you can get a "normal" couch for about the same price in Big Lots and even some furniture stores. Anyways, check out all the videos on their site. I thought they looked great.

CRT - Sorry for the duplicate questions. I looked through several posts before I made this, but I'll go back and double-check for further info. It looks like the PS2 component cables are highly recommended, but I would have to resort to using a component switch. Not sure if the cables + the switch are worth the cost, but I guess that's something I'll have to decide.

This is the recent thread: http://www.racketboy.com/forum/viewtopi ... 28&t=34730

I even recommended a switch box, which is the one I own and use, though if you wanna use it with your 360 you'll have to stay away from it (it doesn't do HD). But you can get similar switch boxes that will be perfectly fine for about the same price. In short, spend the extra money on the switch box so you can use component cables with your PS2, it's worth it. Every one in that thread agrees.

As for the Dreamcast VGA, your TV really should have a VGA input. If it doesn't, it's not the TV you wanna buy. Anyways, if you're not gonna use the VGA input on your TV for a PC, then definitely use it for the Dreamcast. I think it'd be worth it, I'm sure others (that play waaaay more DC than me) will agree.

Ziggy - I will ultimately try each one, but I was just trying to avoid the "OMG, your old consoles will look terrible" discussion. I realize this is part of the trade-off. Here's to hoping my experience with the original hardware is as good as yours!

I haven't paid much attention to TV's since I bought mine (quite a few years ago now) but I assume that the Wal Mart special might not upscale as nice as a mid range or high end model. So that's something to consider. Also, I see no reason why you can't bring a console down to Best Buy (or where ever) to test. Look for a TV that works for you, don't accommodate yourself to your TV! Of course, you might wanna call ahead. But I would bring a NES and maybe like 2 or 3 games. All TV's have front AV ports (if it doesn't - then that's not the TV you want anyway!). Just plug it in and play a few games you're very familiar with.

By the way, here's a nice little tool to compare screen sizes: http://www.displaywars.com/42-inch-16x9-vs-27-inch-4x3

Since you have a 27" CRT now, you probably don't wanna step down in size from that when you're playing a game in 4:3 mode on your new HDTV. So you wanna find a TV that your 27" will fit inside of, if you know what I mean. I already plugged in the dimensions for you, and you can see that your 27" inch fits inside a 42" widescreen with some room left over. That's means when you're viewing something in 4:3 mode on your HDTV, it'll be large than your old 27" display.

[AppleQueso]

A somewhat cost-effective way to get nicer video from retro consoles on your HDTV might be to get some RGB Scart cables for your consoles and a cheapo Scart > Component or Scart > HDMI converter off of ebay.

Either converter should only cost you $50-60, and the cables will run you around $10-15 each. A great ebay seller for cables is retro_console_accessories, who happen to sell Scart cables modified with RCA audio jacks, which is something that comes in handy considering most scart converters I've seen don't pass through the audio. It's not the greatest way to get RGB on your TV, but it should look better than s-video and definitely better than composite.

Anyhow, it might sound a little expensive, but I did this personally and am very happy with the results. It's certainly far cheaper than trying to nab an xrgb-3 or something.

[Hatta]

If you ever want to move your're going to wish you had something better than Ikea stuff. IMO wire shelving like this looks nice and works very well. It's wide open so it doesn't collect dust bunnies or over heat. You can twist tie your cables to the wires to keep it neat looking. They're very sturdy, 350lb per shelf, which you can place at whatever position you like. And they're a life time investment, vinyl coated steel is going to last forever, and when you move they tear down and stack no problem.

I'm personally really happy with s-video for almost everything. Chasing down the best input for everything will take years, so go with what you have for now and add to it as needed. Also, you'll probably need a few of these.

[t0yrobo]

I've had pretty mixed experiences with older consoles on my hdtv (entry level Bravia). Quite a few games play fine on it, but as soon as I tried Double Dash on it I knew there was something wrong. That game's just unplayable on my set. Definitely ask the store if you can bring in a console and make sure to bring a game with really tight controls that you know well, something like a shmup or racing game should work well.
If you do decide to stick with the xbox for older games they'll look great, iirc most of the xbox emulators can do at least 720p with no problems. Just keep in mind that xbox controllers aren't the greatest for older games.

[Ziggy]

Oh, the Xbox controllers SUCK for retro gaming. Fortunately, you can kinda hijack the Xbox controller with another (retro) controller, but that's a hack job that requires soldering. I used a cheap PS2-Xbox controller adapter which worked well, but IIRC you still needed the Xbox controller for the menu buttons.

By the way, Colonel Mustard, please don't ever change your avatar!