The importance of a good setup.

[nakamura]

A lot of people have dedicated gaming setups on here but how much importance do you place on a good setup?

Me personally I have three SD consoles linked to a CRT via a scart splitter and one HD console to an LCD. The LCD and scart splitter are connected to a Sony DVD home theatre system for 5.1 and Pro Logic II sound.
Since everything is interconnected it is all accessible at the touch of a button as I find when you have to set a console up, you are less likely to play it.

Since I first got stereo sound in 1994 I now cannot live without it. I cannot understand in fact how people will play games with sound just coming from a tv, it sounds so hollow and lifeless in so many cases.
I picked up The Last Story for my birthday and tried it out for half an hour just though my TV. I liked the game overall but I was underwhelmed. I tried it again yesterday but this time I started again with my full setup in use, curtain drawn and surround booming. It sounded utterly amazing and took me right into the game. Three hours later I turned it off!

So, good sound is paramount for my gaming setup, of course a nice RGB picture is also needed but that goes without saying.

[Skull Commander]

My games room is quite simple in the grand scheme of things. Retro wise everything is connected to a 14" Sony Trinatron through RGB Scart (apart from the PC Engine Core which is just component). My Xbox 360 is through a 32" Samsung LCD. Sound wise it's all hooked up to my 15 year old Sony stereo which has "Vintage" Pro Logic Surround. It still sounds really awesome despite it's age and has two massive main speakers that I double as tables! I will go digital once that one dies (sadly it's on it's last legs now), but we have a digital setup downstairs for sound, and it isn't that much better.


That Sony stereo died on me

On the bright side once we get ourselves sorted out we are buying a new setup for downstairs and I'm getting the 2.1 system for my games room. Just using some pretty basic speakers at the moment though.

[charlesr]

I plug my limited retro stuff into my Plasma. It looks great - better colours than on my Sony Trinitron. (N64 basically - for the DC I normally go with VGA, and component for the xbox1 and Wii).

I use VGA for the xbox360.

Good surround sound is really important to me - I love hearing exactly where the helicopters are in BF3 and hear people creeping up behind me. In shmups, I love hearing the music and often games have audible cues like P.N.03 which you need to be able to hear clearly.

I have it all hooked up apart from the xbox1 and can switch it all with the Logitech Harmony.

Couldn't go back.

[nakamura]

Sounds like you both have some good setups.
Skull Commander, even with a stereo it makes a massive difference. I could never go back to just TV sound as you lose so much bass.
Streets of Rage is a game that comes to life with stereo sound due to the pounding basslines.

[Baseley09]

Yes generally my feeling is that if you are not playing, watching or listening at the highest quality available, then you are missing out.

That said, it's not the be all, I'm quite happy playing PC Engine in composite (preferable ), watching Laserdiscs, or listening to MP3's, im sure a lot of us do this in compressed formats on pissy in ear headphones.

Surround formats definitely add to a game if used correctly, if the producers have gone for these sound formats and you dont use it, you for sure do not get the intended experience.

[nakamura]

Indeed.

I recently went to see Strider to setup his retro systems in a small gamign room. It was an utter mess to start with. Three hours later I had arranged the whole room around and hook his DC/Saturn/PS2 and SNES to a lovely CRT with my old Sony stereo for the sound. It was excellent when I left.

Hope the bugger uses it!!

[Skull Commander]

Sometimes I do play my retro without the stereo hooked up. There is an appeal to playing older stuff through Mono just like I did when I was a kid!

The other thing I would comment on is wires. I often look at the pictures of set ups on here, and I can't believe the lack of wires. I couldn't spend hours with trunking and wire tidies, as I'm always shifting stuff about. I just accept that to have a big retro set up you need wires. Nests of them everywhere!

['Press Start']

I have my 360 (HDMI), PS3 (HDMI) and Wii(Component/Phono) hooked up to a 5.1 amp then one HDMI Lead off to the TV.

I prefer the image Plasma's give as they suit both new and retro (digital downloads). Sound is important as before we are our 1st child I was really into Halo 3. Knowing the maps inside out you could tell where someone was on the map just by the direction they were shooting, even started to get the hang of 180 degree no scoping! Dead space was a pant ****ting experience through 5.1 and Mario Galaxy made the smile even bigger whilst playing due to the musical score. Atmospheric games like Assassin's Creed or Dark/Demon Souls are unplayable (IMO) without 5.1. If my 5.1 set up broke I would not play the games until I had 5.1 again.

Even if I had to loose the 5.1 set up I would get headphones. Gaming is about escapism and the visual aspect is only half the experience.

note: No wires here. No consoles on display either.

[Colin]

A good set up adds so much to some of the retro stuff, Dracula-X sounds brilliant on PC-Engine, as do other good examples like the NEO last blades. I'm going to be having yet another reshuffle to my own set up this weekend with some new additions. I don't think I could enjoy a film at home these days without full on surround, same for modern gaming. (On the few occasions I actually play a modern game!)

[speedlolita]

I just wish my PS2 sounded better via my setup, would make playing IIDX all the more enjoyable.

[Soundwave]

Everything is currently connected to My Panny Plasma...

PS3 - HDMi (optical to Amp)
360 - Component (RCA to Amp)
PS2 - Component (RCA to Amp)
Wii - Component (RCA to Amp)
SNES - Scart
Saturn - Scart
Megadrive - Scart

The SNES/MD/Saturn all make use of the TV being connected by RCA to the Amp & switched to Stereo mode for some old school goodness

Mine is all hooked up to an ageing Yamaha AV package it's very, very basic but does nicely for gaming but but it is in desperate need of an update as I'd really like to make the move to HD Audio for my Blu-Ray & HD-DVD watching.

Neil

[charlesr]

Oh, forgot to mention, my TV doesn't have speakers anyway It's 42" monitor.

[CrispyXUK]

Wii - Component
360 - HDMI
PS2 - component via scaler
SFC - RGB via Scaler
N64 - RGB via Scaler
Macbook - HDMI

All into my Denon 3311c Amp which outputs to both a Panny Plasma and Sanyo Projector, shame I barely use it.

[briareos_kerensky]

I have all consoles and PC in the same room, so I have a pretty complex setup, which got more complex over the years as the number of monitors and consoles increased; cable clutter became even worse when I acquired a XRGB-3 first and a DVDO Edge later. Then came a video acquisition card and lastly a FrameMeister...after a week of planning, I was able to clear a lot of clutter and rationalize connections after ditching the XRBG-3 and Edge in favor of the new acquisition.

My current setup include two 24" monitors (IPS and S-PVA panels); the PC in connected via Display Port and DVI.
PS3 and X360 have optical audio connections to a Joytech switch and video cables go to an Atlona 4:2 HDMI switch/splitter.
One out of this splitter goes to the primary monitor and the other to the video acquisition card (BlackMagic Intensity Shuttle).
PS2, Wii, GC and X Box are connected via component to a switch which then goes to the FrameMeister. PS2 and X Box audio is via optical to the Joytech switch.
All other consoles are connected to the same Joytech switches via RGB, composite or S-Video. The Joytech switch is connected to the FrameMeister and the FrameMeister goes to the HDMI switch/splitter.
Now, the optical connection from the Joytech switch goes to a Dolby Decoder/amplifier. All other "non-digital audio" consoles are connected to the FrameMeister, which delivers audio to the monitor (without speakers) and the monitor outputs to the acquisition card, which in turn feeds the amplifier.

I'm sure I've missed something, but essentially all consoles have audio and video plugged in, ready to be used, and recorded if necessary.

[Fader209]

My setup is in a state of flux at the moment with things being changed around.
Currently there is a 360, Wii and PS2 connected to the 40" LCD and next to that I have the PC with a fairly old 20" LCD screen. Then directly behind me is the setup for the missus, another PC with a 20" monitor and a spare 22" LCD for when the big screen is in use.
Ideally I want to get the PC on the 40" for movie time and have some 5:1 surround sound added in. I have some wood ready to get everything built and looking nice with wires hidden away etc which will be a nice project.
To buy - Component for the Wii and 24" LCD for my PC.