A personal epiphany: no, all my consoles don't need to be hooked up

[BocoDragon]

This is just something I've realized about my game setup and my life... I used to desire all my consoles placed on shelves beside their respective game collections, all hooked up in my home theater at the same time with high quality switchboxes and whatnot. Now I've given up that dream. It's a logistical nightmare having this huge videogame setup with your high tech AV setup. It looks ugly. 9/10 people don't understand. It's just not elegant.

Essentially, I've given up the "room of doom"

I've decided to keep the modern consoles out with my living room setup (which 9/10 people DO understand.) No game boxes, even. The whole thing is so clean, and so much more zen. The retro videogame collection IS shelved in a cool displayed way.... but tucked away into the bedroom.

some revelations (some might be obvious to some people.. but it was not obvious to me in my previous ideology)

1. There is a 14 inch TV to demo the "retro" collection on a whim (appropriately retro itself)... but the actual idea is that if you want to play SNES games on the home theater.. you can. Just lug it out to the main TV like the old days. It's much more fun to bring out the whole console anyway. I suppose I treat old consoles like those "TV Games" now. The truth is that this is how game consoles were originally designed and used by the Japanese... they actually put the game machine away in the box when they aren't using it. I always treated it like a permanent fixture like a microwave or something. If you look at the toylike designs of the consoles you see that they are meant to be lugged around.

2. Backwards compatibility takes care of 99% of the games I want to play in the home theater. Sometimes I secretly rooted for the end of BC because it would make my old consoles obsolete. How silly that was. My PS3 is 100% a PS1 and 2 (I have the 60GB model). My Wii is 100% a Gamecube and also has the VC. Most Xbox classics work on 360. This is simplification... and at social gatherings where people play games... the less technological complication the better. You just want to play the games.

3. There is very little complication with wiring. I keep a Gamecube S-video monster cable hooked up to service most old Nintendo systems. I used to wish I had 3 of these to keep SNES/N64/Cube hooked up the the same time. Why, when you could just swap one cable? Most other old consoles have proprietary composite or s-video connections, and this is where the front inputs on my theater receiver are my best friend.

So... just some alternate thoughts on the topic of game collection and setup. I know I obsessed over how to build the "perfect game room" for years... but the unfortunate side effect of that mess is that it is such a spectacle, and very hard to manage. Now I just have a shelved game collection in my bedroom with no logistical concerns... The actual game playing is done in a clean room that is intended for living. I'm much happier.

okay, so I do have an Arkanoid machine in my living room, but that is pure class man

[Frankie_Says_Relax]

I'm there with you. I understand where you're coming from and I think it's certainly reasonable ... though, personally I couldn't care whether or not people "understood" my previous attempts at "room(s) of doom".

I currently have my Wii, 360, PS3 and a mod-chipped PS1 with a CDR with the "It Might Be NES" emulator and close to every single US NES ROM on it out in my living room. (As well as a MAME cab.)

I also have a switchbox and a TV setup that allows for quick attachment of my PSP video output, or any classic systems that I bring out of storage if I feel like it.

While my apartment is pretty large for the rent that I pay and the location that I'm in, I prefer to keep a majority of my classic collection in storage in my art studio/weight room. Though I do my best to keep it all categorized in varying size plastic boxes/storage tubs so when I DO want to rock the Atari 2600, I can grab those specific tubs, play, and when I'm done it can all neatly go back into storage.

I would like to have a room dedicated to gaming in the future, and I'm sure when I own some property and have the extra space that I'll do that ... but for now, there are great options for playing classics through modern systems, and I only have so many hours in the day to game anyway.

[thedeityofhardcore]

to save room I emulate the NES and Genesis on PS2 and Dreamcast.

Not ALL NES games seem to work though.

[BocoDragon]

I'm there with you. I understand where you're coming from and I think it's certainly reasonable ... though, personally I couldn't care whether or not people "understood" my previous attempts at "room(s) of doom".

I don't particularly care either, but it does project an image and affects the outcome of my life. I have more of a need for a comfortable socializing living room environment than a hardcore gamers den at this point in my life (I am recently single again). Not passing judgement on the great rooms of doom... it's just that I don't want everyone who passes through my house to be constantly thinking about videogames. Those who want to game can "opt in" and ask me about my collection (and how)

Perhaps it is a different story if you can home a dedicated RoD stashed somewhere in the house though.

[debian4life]

to save room I emulate the NES and Genesis on PS2 and Dreamcast.

Not ALL NES games seem to work though.

How do you emulate an NES on a PS2?

Regards,

Brian

[debian4life]

I keep my NES, PS2, Gamecube hooked up to main tv's. I keep my TI99/4a hooked up to a 15 inch TV. I want to get a Commodore monitor for it for nostalgia sakes and hook my TI up to it.

Regards,

Brian.

[Frankie_Says_Relax]

How do you emulate an NES on a PS2?

Regards,

Brian

"It Might Be NES" will run on a mod-chipped PS2 or one with a flip-top-lid PS2 and the Gameshark 2 PS1 disc that came with the early versions of Gameshark 2 for PS2.

[sylvestor]

I know where your coming from. I have a nearly perfect set up right now.A finished basement devoted gaming and displaying my collection. I have multiple systems all set up, along with surround sound, but it looks professional, no wires showing at all. I've come to the realization that I will probably do what you do if I decide to collect for any additional systems.Also we may move, so I may have to adjust to a smaller room.Right now my entire import collection is displayed on shelves with all the cover art on display when you walk in.That's one thing I won't change.For me collecting is all about the display.I put a lot of thought into the room itself so it looks neat and well thought out instead of cluttered.Problem is the bigger the collection gets the harder that becomes!

[emceelokey]

I actually like "retiring" my consoles back into their original boxes and into my closet or shelves. When I retire a systems I give it one more playthrough and try to get around to some games that I didn't get around to yet and then put it away until I get an urge to play it again. I have 4 systems hooked up right now and the cords for those alone are a pain in the ass to get it to look decent and go behind my shelf and to my t.v. I also don't want to have a system plugged in that I'm probably not going to play for months at a time.

[DefaultGen]

.....

[boatofcar]

When I got to college and found myself with more closet space than desk space I decided I should finally keep 1 at a time hooked up and focus on beating games instead of having gaming ADD all the time.

I came to the same realization last year. When you only have one console hooked up, you never have to waste time thinking about what system you're going to play next.

[Bandicat]

This sounds like the same issue I am dealing with right now. My living room has slowly been turning into a Room Of Doom. Come to think of it, my whole townhouse is turning into a Room of Doom.

My living room originally had an N64, PS2, Gamecube and XBOX hooked up to it. The Wii replaced the gamecube, because of the backward compatibility. This worked well because I had a Mad Catz system selector. Once I started reparing NESes, I added an NES to the mix and connected it to the front AV input of the TV. I also didn't have any room left on the entertainment center, so it just got put on the floor in front of it.

Reparing NESes, caused me to start aggressively collecting NES games, accessories, and systems to repair, all of which ended up finding a home in the living room. Now I just recently got a PS3 with Rock Band. I crammed that on top of the PS2, but now have to alternate between the NES and PS3 AV cords in the front. The Rock Band guitar controller is now out in the open also .

Every other room is littered with videogame stuff. Right now there is a pile of used 72-pin connecters on kitchen counter, a PS1, and all of its cords/controllers, a sealed universal RF adapter, and sealed Gamecube controller on the floor in my office. The Rock Band drums are also in there to keep my cat away from them. There is an Earthbound box on the kitchen table. An old gaming magazine is in the upstairs bathroom. My bedroom closet is where everything else is normally kept, but right now about half of that stuff has been dragged out and I could go on and on. Actually looking back at this post, it appears I have.

I've got a plan of switching my bedroom into my office, and then using the bigger room as sort of a den, where I will hook up the PS3 and "hide" the rest of the Rock Band stuff. Possibly bring all my NES stuff up there too. I just need to put the plan into action though.

[strassy]

i have been debating how i will handle this situation. right now i have a roommate, but i will be moving to a place by myself soon. our current setup is:

In the living room:
X Box 360 (belongs to my roommate)
NES
SNES

I also have in my room:
Generation NEX
PS2

I also own a Genesis/Sega CD which is not presently hooked up.

When I move into my own place (which will be about 150 miles from where I presently live), I am thinking about buying an X Box 360. My friends play online pretty often and with the headset, it will be a good way to stay in touch, since I won't see them nearly as often.

I would like some input as to how I will have things setup in my new place.

To recap, I own/will own:

NES
Generation NEX
SNES
Genesis/Sega CD
PS2
X Box 360

I really don't want to have them all hooked up in a visible place. I know most of you probably wouldn't care, but I would feel too nerdy (hey, i'm in denial)

My thoughts are to have in the living room:

NES
X Box 360

In the bedroom:
Generation NEX

That leaves the Genesis, SNES, and PS2 out in the dark. these all get played WAY less than my NES, but I do play them on occasion. I don't like the idea of having to daisy-chain the RF switches for Genesis of SNES all the time. I'm thinking of either having these systems hooked up, but hidden away somehow (maybe in a cabinet or something) or having the cords plugged in, but the consoles themselves hidden away in a closet, and I can just grab them when I want to.

If anyone else has experienced a similar dilemna, I'd like to hear about it. Any input from anybody?

[James8BitStar]

I learned this particular lesson a long time ago. Nowadays I usually have no more than two consoles hooked up, and one of them is ALWAYS the NES (If the NES is ever NOT hooked up, I know I've gone crazy).

[HYB]

In my room, connected or not I have a Nes,Snes,N64,GC, Wii, PS and Xbox 360. Also the vcr, dvd player and digibox reside in the same 50x50 cm area and they're piled into this mass of tech. It drives me insane, and it's not pretty. My wires are all messed up since I like playing all of the consoles (except the wii has replaced GC). My games are stored neatly in a shelf and other places where they fit though. I hope I get a nice TV stand with doors so I can place the consoles neatly in there.

Also I'm hoping to get a PS2 soon so I better get to work with sorting all this stuff out. I need to buy more shelfs. I don't even have more than a hundred games or so, but my manga/art book/reference book collection is taking up a lot of space, and so are the boxes and school books.

[Mangar]

I've dealt with this problem awhile ago. Originally - I had all my systems hooked up to my 61' HDTV and Receiver through an elaborate switching system. All the systems were on display to the right of the Television on this rather nice oak bookshelf, and in order to play the system you just hit the "button" and turned the power on. It actually didn't look that bad really, since all the games were safely hidden away and all people saw was an excellent home theater setup with what looked to be old "collectors items" on display to the right. It was actually a nice conversation piece, and I can sort of give the setup a belated thanks in helping me get laid with this one chick I brought home who happened to see the Colecovision, and insisted on coming back to the place to play it. (She grew up with one, hasn't seen one in years, etc.. etc..) All in all it wasn't bad.

The problem was that it also wasn't really functional. Getting a particular system "on" required a literal maze of buttons and remotes, and with the games safely "hidden" away it was a fucking bitch to find something i wanted to play, and quite frankly - I found myself almost never playing any of my retro consoles. They turned into conversation pieces. Period. The only time they were ever turned on was on those rare occasions an old friend i grew up with stopped by, or someone just "Had to play Colecovision Smurfs!" and that required roughly 15 minutes of finding the carts, manipulating the maze of buttons, and hoping i remembered to find my extension cables so that the games could be played while sitting on the couch, and not on the floor. I'm probably not doing the lack of functionality justice, but trust me - Playing things turned out to be a pain in the ass, and thusly i did so rarely.

My solution was simple: I turned to emulation. I've seen a couple people mention this already, but instead using their X-Boxes or Dreamcasts for it - Which to me seems like a waste. It was MUCH MUCH easier to just throw in an old PC i built from spare parts, and throw on a ton of emulators. I bought an overly large hard-drive(You can get 1 Terebyte now for roughly 200$ or less) to store the roms, a wireless bluetooth keyboard and mouse(Went with the Logitech Dinovo - Which is made for living room usage. Was a perfect choice, with the keyboard being very thin and looking tasteful on my coffee table) and a wireless X-Box 360 Gamepad for controls. I also have an X-Arcade Stick on the bookshelf I mentioned, which i will break out for some games. The key is: You can literally replace every single console you own up until the last generation(PS2/X-Box) via emulation. You can also store every single game ever made for each system, and customize the front-end so that it's all easily searchable. Not to mention Mame, Computer Emulation, and MP3's - And the living room footprint is a tiny little box. Which nowadays can take the shape of nearly anything you like. Be it a small form-factor box, or a media center.

It all depends on what you want - A cluttered room of doom in your living room for all to see OR a functional way to play all your classic games and modern games with ease. I still keep some of the classic systems on display, but it's more for show. One of the sad realities of emulation that more and more people are discovering, is that as PC's get more powerful and emulators get more sophisticated - There is almost no need whatsoever to keep your classic systems hooked up.

[strassy]

that is an interesting theory, but i have never really been a fan of emulation. granted, i've never played an emulated game on a 61 inch TV, but it never felt right. the only reason I ever use emulation is to rip sound effects to my computer (my computer startup tune is the opening jig from Pro Wrestling/Baseball/other early NES sports games) and to play Final Fantasy, which is outrageously slow on the actual console. So I speed up the frame rate.

Mangar, how many consoles do you still have hooked up to your TV? Anything more than two feels superfluous to me. I'm thinking my answer will be the NES and the 360 (if i buy one), otherwise the SNES or Genesis will get the nod.

[ApolloBoy]

I've decided to keep the modern consoles out with my living room setup (which 9/10 people DO understand.) No game boxes, even. The whole thing is so clean, and so much more zen. The retro videogame collection IS shelved in a cool displayed way.... but tucked away into the bedroom.

That's almost exactly how my setup is, save for the game box part. All my systems are set on various shelves on display (or put in my closet if I don't have room). If I want to play a particular system, I just bring it over to my desk and hook it up. The only system that's hooked up full-time is the PS2, since it doubles as my DVD player.

[xfrumx]

I have 2 TV's in my living room. 1 with PS2, DC, LaserActive, SMS. The other has Wii, 3DO, Saturn, NES, SNES. I have games displayed loose and boxed on shelves. My Handheld collection is displayed crappy i need to make shelves. I will get on my upstairs/bedroom later since I am at work.

[bacteria]

I hate having loads of cables and controllers to unravel, then find the power supply unit and lug the whole thing to the television to set up, then set the television to take the side inputs, use the television audio and not main audio setup - anyway, for those of you interested, I am in the process of making a single multi-platform system in two parts; one with the PSone screen and all manor of controls and Li-ions, and the other half which will clip in place, to connect a system into it. The system will work as a stand-alone independent portable, but also can connect to the television. Solves the issues mentioned about lots of trailing and tangled wires; and gives portability. The only space issues then are the game carts themselves, which I keep in boxes.

The systems this will work with will be N64, SNES, SMS, MegaDrive, PS1, GameCube, plug 'n' play. This project is a WIP in the www.benheck.com forum (the site is up and down a bit at the moment again), initially this project is under the "N64 forum" as I am doing this system first before moving onto SNES, etc.

This is not a pipe-dream, it is reality.