How authentic do you need it to be?

[Cepp]

This has been playing on my mind a lot over the past several months and especially now that I just killed my SNES mini (never trust me with a soldering iron ). When I first started rebuying old games in the late 90s/early 2000s everything had to be original, emulation wasn't enough, even when it was still on a CRT via DC homebrew for example. More recently though I bought an everdrive for my MD and NES and well... I think for the MD at least that might be enough. I'm happy to use that while my games sit on the shelf and collect dust and if they're just going to sit there then I might as well sell them. Now I'm thinking I might be happy just emulating with a small PC hooked up to my CRT for everything bar my NES/MD/PS2.

So where do you guys fall when it comes to retro gaming? All original? Emulation only? Or somewhere in the middle?

[Brad]

Original. Not out of snobbery but just because I've found that if I only have a game available by emulation I simply won't play it. It's like it has no value to me.

[Leon Retro]

I have used emulation quite a bit on the Xbox and PC - and the games can look really authentic if you set things up properly. I'm someone who believes good emulation can get very near to the real thing. I also use genuine Japanese Saturn joypads through USB, so that helps.

You can't beat using the real hardware though. That's why I own nearly every console(sometimes multiple machines) and still collect stuff. But I do have Everdrives and think they're great. I have tons of games for all sorts of systems, but I never intend to have complete collections, I just buy games that I know I want or ones that appeal to me.

I think using real hardware is more important than using real software. Although, with games I am really fond of, I make sure to own the original boxed games, as it makes me feel a stronger connection to them. Just having a rom or copied CD doesn't have the same magic.

So, I'm someone who enjoys emulation, Everdrives and real hardware & software. All of them are important in their own way.

[Cepp]

When it comes to owning every machine I want to play games on it's just...too much clutter for me. Not that it's stopped me from cramming a ton of consoles under the telly mind you That's another reason I've been thinking about this really, I want to curate my collection further than I already have (which is currently the same as you Leon with owning my favourites + everdrives) but still have access to everything in a way that I'm happy with.

[Leon Retro]

which is currently the same as you Leon with owning my favourites + everdrives) but still have access to everything in a way that I'm happy with.

I have tons of original boxed games for everything from the SNES & Mega Drive, to the PS1, GBA, PS2, Game Cube, Xbox etc... But I only buy games I know I really enjoy, or games that I feel will be my cup of tea. My collection for the 360 & PS3 is quite slim because I don't enjoy a lot of modern games.

I like to own boxed copies of my favourite games because I enjoy having the case and looking at the box art. The thing with collecting, though, is it's tempting to buy games you don't rate really highly just for the sake of it - and before you know it, you've got loads of games you're not very fond of. So I try to be strict, but temptation does get the better of me sometimes. I think collecting is addictive and enjoyable, but it can feel negative when you get greedy.

So that's where emulation and Everdrives come in. You can play games before you buy, so if I get to really like a game by using a rom, I like to buy a boxed copy. That method helps to ensure I have a collection of games I truly have a passion for. Everdrives have been a huge positive for retro gaming imo.

[Cepp]

I like to own boxed copies of my favourite games because I enjoy having the case and looking at the box art. The thing with collecting, though, is it's tempting to buy games you don't rate really highly just for the sake of it - and before you know it, you've got loads of games you're not very fond of. So I try to be strict, but temptation does get the better of me sometimes. I think collecting is addictive and enjoyable, but it can feel negative when you get greedy.

So that's where emulation and Everdrives come in. You can play games before you buy, so if I get to really like a game by using a rom, I like to buy a boxed copy. That method helps to ensure I have a collection of games I truly have a passion for. Everdrives have been a huge positive for retro gaming imo.

I think this might be my main issue to be honest. I've been pretty restrictive in what I buy but I still have more than I can realistically play, not that it takes a lot of games to reach that point these days heh.

[randombs]

For me, authenticity usually loses out to convenience. Also, I only play retro games to relive my younger gaming days, not because I think old games are better.

This means that, although I do have rather large rom sets for various systems, I really just play Sonic, Mario, Streets of Rage and various Street Fighter games. I do have boxed originals of Sonic, SoR, Eswat, etc, but they were cheap and just for admiring as I didn't even own an MD to play them on! Besides, when I finally did get an MD it looked awful on my LCD.

Bearing this in mind, I try and recreate the feelings I had playing these games as much as reasonably possible so I use USB Saturn and SNES pads.

So these days I just play retro games on my LCD TV with RetroArch, my USB controllers and scanlines enabled and I'm in heaven. I haven't played anything yet that doesn't look, sound or feel as good to me as playing it on the original hardware but the experiences outside of actual gameplay - the sound the cartridge makes when you insert it into the console, the feel of the power switch, etc - always conjure up the most powerful, nostalgic memories.

Now, if emulation(or my PC spec) isn't up to scratch, that's when I'll seriously consider the original hardware(Saturn and DC, for example).

[Baseley09]

I've a real mental block, sure Ive used and continue to emulate but the thing that bugs me the most is Everdrive.

I use one on my PC Engine and despite everything I still feel like im not getting the real deal, maybe its being spoilt for choice or not having the game cases.

[Colin]

Getting engaged and going from having two houses to one means I just don't have the room for the retro kit, so from now on when I get those pangs to play anything retro it's going to have to be emulation. Nothing will ever be as good for me as real hardware, original game and a crt, but the reality is that I don't use my retro kit often enough to justify the space it consumes.

[gunrock]

For anything older than N64, it's emulation or FPGA reimplementation. I've got rid of the 8 bit stuff and mothballed the Amiga. I have an Everdrive for the N64 and a GDEMU for the Dreamcast, and will probably get an Everdrive for the PCE. I only play games that I own (though I might have tried a game ROM first to see if it's for me).
I prefer the original hardware but want to save wear and tear on lasers and cart slot contacts.

[beecee]

Just move to a bigger house Colin!

having a spare room (in an uproar again, from getting new windows in) means i have a small "selective" console corner, although the B&O MX7000 takes up a large portion of it, so thinking of downsizing the TV a little.
but to be honest i have had very little time for gaming at all, and i spend more time watching movies/tv downstairs with the other half and my daughter.

i did emulate a lot in the past, but there are always little glitches either graphical or sound that makes playing on real hardware that much better, and with everdrives that helps no end keeping the shelf space down.

but i have no doubt that when the CRT tv's eventually break, i will probably either try an XRGB again with a monitor, or just go down the emulation route as my main retro gaming source and sell of the consoles, but hopefully that's a few years down the line,

[Colin]

Balls to that, I love my house and just finished putting solid oak floors in downstairs at the weekend, I'm going nowhere!

[samanosuke]

For me I get the most enjoyment out of using real consoles and real games with a nice Trinitron CRT.

F*** the collecting bollocks - been through that with the AES, PCE, Saturn etc - now I have CONSOLidated (see what I did there?) to just MD/MCD and SNES, and in addition I am very selective on what I buy and when. For example, I currently have a lot of games on my to-do/to-finish list so haven't bought any 'new' retro games quite literally in years, save for some homebrew releases due to their limited availability. I find that with a little self-discipline, gaming can in turn be so much more fulfilling.

Portables are a different kettle of fish altogether. Happy to emulate there as nine times out of ten (Gameboy Light being the exception) the hardware is better than what was available back in the day and far more practical. I mean, sod carrying round a Lynx and enough AAs to last a few hours. In addition emulation allows me to play consoles that were never portable in the first place such as the SNES, Neo and PCE-CD. Even the mighty PCE GT can't compete with that.

[Leon Retro]

When I was into contemporary gaming, I used to think emulation was really great and I used that to satisfy my retro desires. Even though I had most consoles in storage, I didn't feel like using them because emulation seemed good enough. But over the past 5 years or so, I've got my consoles out of the storage tubs and have discovered that playing on real hardware makes me far happier than using emulation, so now I'm obsessed with real hardware again and buy old consoles and handhelds.

I can appreciate why some people feel Everdrives undermine the magic of games, because having a boxed game(especially on a nice chunky cartridge) feels more intimate. But I think Everdrives have made retro gaming even more alluring to me, because I can explore libraries and it also makes things really simple. So as much as I have lots of boxed games and still collect them, I also use my Everdrives a lot.

[nakamura]

Only real will do. However because it's extremely hard to keep so much real stuff, I focus only on systems I really want.

No MD, no PCE, No Saturn, No 8bits and so on. The SNES, PS1 and PS2 dominate my house. The Wii is also a firm fixture for its emulation qualities plus GameCube compatibility but libraries of both of those systems is small.

I'll use original stuff until it dies. I've two TV's in my lounge and when people ask why I tell them. I'm not bothered what people think.