Last edited by StealthLurker; 05-01-2009 at 10:16 PM.
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Picture of the games from my previous post:
Far East of Eden: The Apocalypse IV-Sega Saturn
GREAT excuse!
I love my PCE Duo. Got it boxed for about $50 and I love bragging about it. No extra RGB enhancements yet. I show my wife PCE games running and then switch video modes and show her the same game running on Wii (D4 connection) and it's really night and day. The Wii looks a lot nicer... although I do enjoy playing on the Duo with the PCE controller a lot more. My wife? She doesn't care about games at all. I just like the attention. http://www.digitpress.com/forum/imag...003_monkey.gif
50 bucks boxed! Grrr one of the perks of living in Japan? =) I don't think I'd be able to live in Japan. It would look like I as paid in games and electronics. hehe
Most "normal" people don't see the hub-bub about picture/video quality. I spend a lot of time/resources on various gadgets, high-end video processors, distribution amplifiers, converters/transcoders, cables, etc etc and rave about the picture quality, color purity/intensity, scaling, deinterlacing, noise reduction blah blah blah. However when I show it to friends/family they just don't get what's the big deal about it. oh well...
Don't really have D-Terminal inputs around here (except on my XRGB-2+, lol)... but an RGB modded PCE Duo on a Sony ProFeel CRT (aka PVM - Pro Video Monitor) is about as pure an image as you can get, as long as the geometry is calibrated correctly. Also got a Sony CRT with an actual JPN 21-pin RGB input coming in from Japan and picked up a Samsung LCD with SCART input last week out of SCART curiosity. The Sammy doesn't compare to a CRT for oldschool stuff, but looks pretty darn decent with SuperFamicom on an LCD.
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Last edited by StealthLurker; 05-10-2009 at 10:18 PM.
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[ Severely Outdated Game Collection Pics ]
[ My Multi-screen MADNESS!! ]
Yeah, I guess you could say it's a perk. Most of those deals are found away from the popular places to buy games, like Akihabara. A boxed PCE Duo there is around $200. With the time to shop around that comes with living here, you can find better deals. Still, I have seem some decent deals in the main shops that tourists frequent occasionally.
On the other side of the coin, try finding an American system in Japan like an Atari 2600 or Jaguar for less than $200, or a Lynx for less than $150. Good luck with that.
I'm just happy that my wife acknowledged the differences! I just picked up a Mega Drive yesterday, and totally forgot how crappy the video that thing puts out is. I probably won't mod it, or my Genesis, since I can play the games on my Wii, X-Box or PC, but still... Sega could've been nice and at least provided S-video! For some reason, the MD/Genesis looks worse than other systems.Most "normal" people don't see the hub-bub about picture/video quality. I spend a lot of time/resources on various gadgets, high-end video processors, distribution amplifiers, converters/transcoders, cables, etc etc and rave about the picture quality, color purity/intensity, scaling, deinterlacing, noise reduction blah blah blah. However when I show it to friends/family they just don't get what's the big deal about it. oh well...
Hmmm... I can't comment much on LCDs and other thin screens. Of course I can run emulators from my PC onto my LCD monster, but my main (and only TV, in my "huge" Japanese apartment) is just a Trinitron flatscreen, widescreen CRT. To be honest, games to look pretty darned good on it. Even on the PS3, since it can do 720p/1080i with D-Terminal connections. Unfortunately, light guns don't work on it. I'm not a videophile, but I can definitely see the difference between a standard video cable, component/D-link and *gasp* RF.Don't really have D-Terminal inputs around here (except on my XRGB-2+, lol)... but an RGB modded PCE Duo on a Sony ProFeel CRT (aka PVM - Pro Video Monitor) is about as pure an image as you can get, as long as the geometry is calibrated correctly. Also got a Sony CRT with an actual JPN 21-pin RGB input coming in from Japan and picked up a Samsung LCD with SCART input last week out of SCART curiosity. The Sammy doesn't compare to a CRT for oldschool stuff, but looks pretty darn decent with SuperFamicom on an LCD.
Last edited by Breetai; 05-12-2009 at 08:36 AM.
Newest "imports":
-Super Famicom- Super Donkey Kong 3 (Donkey Kong Country 3) *new*/unused for $5. My wife bought it for me!
-Mega Drive- Chibi Maruko-Chan: Waku Waku Shopping
Just got Faussete Amour in the mail. It's just the disc only in a jewel case. It was about sixty bucks on Ebay. I was quite intrigued about how this game played, and figured this was the cheapest option.
Oh it definitely is. For a lot of us (including myself), I get 99.99% of my japanese console gaming and some arcade pcbs/accessories online. For me personally, a vast majority (2/3's or more) of that is via Yahoo Japan using a middleman service (due to lack of availability in other sources). Often times the middleman fees are more than the product itself by 2, 3, or even 4 times! Slap on shipping within japan and then to the US. The last 3 packages I received combined, the total shipping charges were in slight excess of 700 USD!!! Just for friggin shipping! Cost of goods plus middleman fees not included!
Just being able to even buy from Yahoo Japan locally and only pay final auction price plus internal shipping within japan hugely increases buying power. Not to mention exploring little unknown/untapped shops.
Main drawback for most foreigners living in japan is probably space. Most people can't go around collecting arcade machines there. lol, despite being able to snag some highway robbery deals on machines/cabs there. Sometimes a SEGA Astro City goes for 100 USD!
Bah who wants those?! j/p. Oh you have plenty of family/friends stateside that will take care of it at cost + shipping... or just pick it up when you come back for visits. =)
I also bet you many westerners would be willing to trade flea market finds stateside for some "second hand / store labelled junk items" you find over there! hehehe
I just love the japanese... clean product (by western standards), but old and "dirty" (repackaged very neatly in plastic).... so "please treat as junk item article"! Such a nice change of pace from ebay where people don't have any idea what "good" condition means.
Acknowledgement is half the battle! At least the megadrive can output RGB without modification. Many options available to "tap dat" (lol):
- MD RGB cables
- Micomsoft XMD-1 or XMD-3 to s-video
- MD RGB cables + Micomsoft XRGB-2/2+/3 to VGA or component via another transcoder
- MD RGB cables + AV Demillo to s-video
etc etc etc... All should look excellent on a CRT (especially a Sony, they rock).
Actually the Victor Wondermega (non JVC x-eye lookin one) I have has a stock s-video output. Not sure about the JVC x-eye, haven't dug that out of storage in a looong time.
If you like pre HD gaming I'd definitely keep a good quality CRT around. If your CRT can do 720p more power to you. Can't beat the black levels of a CRT. You might come visually close with a high end plasma (Pioneer Kuro Elite). Each era of gaming looks best on what it was designed to run on (at least for now). Lots of things you can do (pricey tho) to improve stock looks on a flat panel, but can never match or surpass it for SD sources anyways. Only drawback for CRT is it's size limitation. Howerver, for old school gaming I don't like it waaay too big or it looks too pixelated. Big big big (50-60" plus) only matters to me for movie watching.
So for my setup I keep:
- some CRTs sticking around for 0 lag and best possible picture for SD games.
- A couple LCDs (including 120Hz) modern sports games look great and smaller lcds for easy TATE mode for shmups
- and overall preference for HD gaming/movies... plasma. =)
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Last edited by StealthLurker; 05-13-2009 at 07:06 PM.
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[ Severely Outdated Game Collection Pics ]
[ My Multi-screen MADNESS!! ]
Shipping is horrible. I'm very worried how I'm going to get my collection back to Canada when I leave Japan in a couple years...
I've never tried Yahoo Japan auctions... but I love looking around the smaller shops (and the bigger ones!).Just being able to even buy from Yahoo Japan locally and only pay final auction price plus internal shipping within japan hugely increases buying power. Not to mention exploring little unknown/untapped shops.
I don't even have enough space to hook up my consoles. My PS3 and Wii are hooked up... and that's it. I play most of my names on Wii homebrew because it's a lot easier than digging through my closet for the equivalent system and game. I don't really go looking for arcade machines/cabs for obvious reasons! I'd have to rent a locker to store it in, and it would never get used.Main drawback for most foreigners living in japan is probably space. Most people can't go around collecting arcade machines there. lol, despite being able to snag some highway robbery deals on machines/cabs there. Sometimes a SEGA Astro City goes for 100 USD!
Some of the consoles and carts I find as "junk items" really are dirty. One of the shops that I frequent has a boxed Famicom that looks to be in very nice condition sitting next to a pile of discoloured and dirty Famicoms/Super Famicoms. The boxed Famicom is 4000yen, and the loose systems are between 200 and 800yen. I don't want the boxed system because it'll a pain to bring back to my own country.Bah who wants those?! j/p. Oh you have plenty of family/friends stateside that will take care of it at cost + shipping... or just pick it up when you come back for visits. =)
I also bet you many westerners would be willing to trade flea market finds stateside for some "second hand / store labelled junk items" you find over there! hehehe
I just love the japanese... clean product (by western standards), but old and "dirty" (repackaged very neatly in plastic).... so "please treat as junk item article"! Such a nice change of pace from ebay where people don't have any idea what "good" condition means.
I'll check around. I'm guessing that an MD cable will also work fine in my Genesis that's sitting in my parent's basement.Acknowledgement is half the battle! At least the megadrive can output RGB without modification. Many options available to "tap dat" (lol):
- MD RGB cables
- Micomsoft XMD-1 or XMD-3 to s-video
- MD RGB cables + Micomsoft XRGB-2/2+/3 to VGA or component via another transcoder
- MD RGB cables + AV Demillo to s-video
etc etc etc... All should look excellent on a CRT (especially a Sony, they rock).
Should be the same. The X-Eye and Wondermega 2 are exactly the same except for the wireless controllers on the WM2 as far as I know. I came across a WM2 last weekend... but it's 20,000yen with no box.Actually the Victor Wondermega (non JVC x-eye lookin one) I have has a stock s-video output. Not sure about the JVC x-eye, haven't dug that out of storage in a looong time.
I'll keep that in mind! I'll need a new TV in about 2 years.
If you like pre HD gaming I'd definitely keep a good quality CRT around. If your CRT can do 720p more power to you. Can't beat the black levels of a CRT. You might come visually close with a high end plasma (Pioneer Kuro Elite). Each era of gaming looks best on what it was designed to run on (at least for now). Lots of things you can do (pricey tho) to improve stock looks on a flat panel, but can never match or surpass it for SD sources anyways. Only drawback for CRT is it's size limitation. Howerver, for old school gaming I don't like it waaay too big or it looks too pixelated. Big big big (50-60" plus) only matters to me for movie watching.
I don't think I could justify owning so many TVs to my wife! I can probably get away with one large LCD/plasma, one CRT and maybe another small TV in the bedroom. My wife likes Tetris Plus, the Puzzle Bobble games, Puyo-Puyo games and Saturn Bomberman on the Saturn, so I have a great excuse to keep a Saturn in the bedroom! hehe Then again, perhaps I can think of more productive activities in that room...So for my setup I keep:
- some CRTs sticking around for 0 lag and best possible picture for SD games.
- A couple LCDs (including 120Hz) modern sports games look great and smaller lcds for easy TATE mode for shmups
- and overall preference for HD gaming/movies... plasma. =)
Thanks for the advice, though!
Ugh, I would absolutely not collect if I had to pay those sorts of shipping/middleman fees. It's ludicrous how much shipping costs, even by ocean freight.
I'm a Yahoo! Auctions addict, but I tend to use it more for hard to find stuff (arcade stuff, tickets, etc). Small shops are the best!Just being able to even buy from Yahoo Japan locally and only pay final auction price plus internal shipping within japan hugely increases buying power. Not to mention exploring little unknown/untapped shops.
Heh, I have 3 cabs in my apartment right now (though one is sold to my buddy). I think Astro City cabs USUALLY go for around $100 on Y!A. I picked up both my Egret II and Atomiswave SD for around $300-350 eachMain drawback for most foreigners living in japan is probably space. Most people can't go around collecting arcade machines there. lol, despite being able to snag some highway robbery deals on machines/cabs there. Sometimes a SEGA Astro City goes for 100 USD!
Original white PC Engine hucard system and AV booster. I am shocked at how small this little guy is.
Salamander I had for a long time. Something to hold me over until I can get my Duo R's controller port fixed.
Last edited by Lord Contaminous; 05-14-2009 at 12:24 PM.
Question: does the original PCE and the Duo use the same AC adapter? The reason is because I have a PCE Duo but if I find a PCE for cheap I'll pick it up. If I don't have to buy another power adapter, then it makes things easier. I assume the original PCE, Coregraphx I & II and Supergraphx all use the same adapters as well.
Going by another thread here, my Mega Drive I power adapter or Neo Geo adapter should also work. I guess I could test it, but then I've got to dig out my boxed systems from the back of my closet. Maybe on the weekend.
Last edited by Breetai; 05-14-2009 at 10:06 PM.
*SLAPS FOREHEAD*
Only in Japan baby... only in Japan. An Egret 2 or AWSD for 350ish USD... drool! Any notable PCB finds in your hunts?
*SLAPS FOREHEAD AGAIN*
Yeah the guy I used to buy japanese cabinets from would tell me how much he'd get them for in his trips to Japan to acquire stock. Doesn't help when I know what he's charging me. He also imported skylines too. His warehouse was a tiny little universe of all things awesome.
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Last edited by StealthLurker; 05-14-2009 at 10:15 PM.
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[ Severely Outdated Game Collection Pics ]
[ My Multi-screen MADNESS!! ]
Deathsmiles and Raiden IV (been meaning to pick one up) came in about a week and half ago. Haven't tried DS yet. Promised myself I wouldn't play games til after finals. So far so good still sealed... same with Donpachi. =)
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[ Severely Outdated Game Collection Pics ]
[ My Multi-screen MADNESS!! ]
Damn StealthLurker, still beastin' just like our Neo Geo.com days.
From what I understand, the PC Engine systems before 1991 do have the same AC jack the black Duo does.
But as of wattage, that's an iffy issue on my part. Best advice I can give you is to search around.
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For those that have never physically been near a PC Engine, I got some pics to emphasize its tiny size.
Last edited by Lord Contaminous; 05-16-2009 at 09:27 PM.
Actually it's a bit yellowed, the flash on the camera gave it that clean illusion which isn't a bad thing really, it shows the yellowing didn't go too out of hand. I'm still going to disassemble the machine and soak the shells in bleach.
That's what I did for my Duo R controller. it too was once yellowed.
Last edited by Lord Contaminous; 05-17-2009 at 06:44 AM.