Strangely enough, I feel the N64 didn’t have great longevity. Don’t get me wrong – flying for the first time in Super Mario 64, wandering Hyrule in Ocarina of Time, these were major milestones for gaming on par with watching Jurassic Park for the first time. Yet somehow, the blockiness aged poorly compared to the sprite-art of the SNES generation which is still heavily used in indie games, and those blocky textures are harder to tolerate today.
It suffers similar to how early PS1 games suffer, we really had a lot of stuff to figure out with 3D games even beyond graphics, both movement and camera controls have come a long way.
Unfortunately my N64 got fried in a power surge a few years ago, lightning hit a transformer and the surge wiped out the console and controller. Game cartridge actually survived, so I played it on the family shared N64 after that till they packed it up for a new system. But I still managed to unlock that last character in Mario Golf.
Impractical because? Impractical for who? Cause game devs seem to have a completely different opinion on the matter,
Cheshire Noir
4 years ago
Let’s see: I have a Megadrive, Original Xbox, PS2, PS3, XBox 360, Wii, Wii U, Amiga CD32 and some NES I need new edge connectors for.
…and that’s just the consoles!
I’m with you. I have NES, SNES, N64, Gamecube, Wii, Wii U, Playstation, Playstation 2, Playstation 3, Playstation 4, Genesis, Dreamcast, and if you count handhelds I have Gameboy, Gameboy Color, Gameboy Advance (x4), DS, 3DS and a PSP.
I didn’t get many consoles but I kept the ones I had. Sega Genesis w CD addon, PS1, PS2, PS4. Sadly my whole list since my dog enjoyed eating the 2600 controllers and cables.
You guys made me feel kind of jealous. The only console I had (and still have) is New Nintendo 3DS XL, and I don’t use it much these days (bought it mostly for Pokemon, and the people I played with moved on to Sword & Shield, which I didn’t, because for me not implementing all of the creatures is unacceptable, plus I think they way they handled transfer from previous games and paying for online access is a rip off). Before getting my first PC, I had an Amiga 500 (gave it away to a family member some time later),… Read more »
GamerLEN
4 years ago
Heh, some days I still dream about when I was ten playing old N64 games for the first time. Banjo Kazooie, Zelda 64, hell Mystical Ninja starring Goemon. Ah, memories…
Demonicdueler
4 years ago
My house has 2 different 360’s, a PS2, a NES collection box, and a SNES all set up or ready to be set up at my house at all times, along with every modern day console. They all have equal footing in my heart.
Pretty close here: My favorite is still my PS2, with my Gamecube going to a nephew since I picked up a Wii years ago (backwards compatibility!!). My housemate brought a 360 and its fine! I usually prefer PC games but a few really are better with their original controllers! And I don’t have to jump through hoops to get those controllers and perfect emulation on PC (though I do have a USB PS2 controller… if my PS2 Slim ever does crap out, and it’s not something I can fix this time, I’ll be sad but okay) Heck though, sometimes I… Read more »
Philip Elthorpe
4 years ago
It’s why I’m glad Microsoft, with the XBOX One and Series X, outright refused to sunset their past. Every time I boot up an old XBOX game and get the ‘spark chamber’ boot sequence, I smile, knowing that their history is still our present day.
True, but it really couldn’t have been any other way. Consoles time in the spotlight is short and every generation is fighting with the next generation, not the previous one. I am glad they let him go. There aren’t many Dreamcasts left out there and looks like his wires won’t be lasting much longer.
Anders Christensen
4 years ago
I’d like to see an Atari 2600 sometime… I still have one in working condition
Kenju
4 years ago
I like that despite the reasons listed, the PS4 didn’t actually voice them until after they were out of earshot from the Dreamcast. Even though he knew the weapon would have been ineffective even if loaded he was respectful and let the older system keep his dignity.
If only more people treated older generations of fellow humans the same way.
Still, this was a very nice way to close the encounter, respectful, insightful, and humble.
solo tort
4 years ago
They are just us on a shorter time scale… they are always training our replacements.
In the Navy, we were told that you have to train your replacement. For instance, If you wanted to do a different job, then someone has to be ready to do the job you are vacating. makes it interesting considering the manpower shortages.
Richard II Weatherfield
4 years ago
My PS3 is still in service, though she doesn’t see much action these days.
Runevok
4 years ago
I still have my original blocky PS2 with memory card power cord needs replacement but other than that it still runs just like it did when I first got it I sometimes break it out to play some old ps1 games.
Ahhh the memories…..
Grufferstein
4 years ago
I did not sign up for this feels trip
Kayote
4 years ago
I mean the speed running community still keeps these consoles alive. No longer fighting the console war they just have a need, a need for speed.
Him.
4 years ago
This one goes out to my dad, who keeps the fires burning in his PS3 and has for many years.
And another one for all of you who run emulations of ancient games from generations long since past, keeping those memories alive and strong.
I definitely miss my original Xbox. I bought one used very late into its life cycle so I picked up a ton of great games for super cheap. One of my favorite parts about the Xbox was since it came into being before the huge push for all online gaming and it had four controller ports there were a bunch of fun co-op four player games.
It’s also a huge bummer that they haven’t really been able to get great emulation of it working. I’d love to give some of those older games a go again.
There are times that I’ve been tempted to get an old X-Box solely so I could have the privilege of replaying Mercenaries: Playground of Destruction again.
Oh look, they didn’t shoot the old guy regardless of his harmless status. What if that was reality?
Cwadd
4 years ago
Still have my PS3 that can play gen1-3 ps games. Love it! Never getting rid of it.
Vuris
4 years ago
I miss my old sega dream cast and games. Glad i converted to pc years ago, but I do cherish the consoles I have. Great times, great memories, and still fun as hell to play.
Morthax
4 years ago
Im one of those that likes the oldies. I collect systems. Got pretty much every console back to the Atari. Turbo Graffix probably being my favorite console. A few handhelds as well, but not many.
Classic Joe Memes
4 years ago
Old soldiers never die, they just . . . fade away.
Jacob Bielski
4 years ago
Oh, if only IRL did body armor totally nullify the rounds from whatever gun was just two decades old.
Jacob Keller
4 years ago
It’s crazy with all of the remakes and remasters that are coming out how uninterested I usually am in them. I mean I still bought the crash and Spyro remasters but I still love booting up the originals every once in awhile. It just hits different.
I have every Nintendo system up until the Wii, every Sony except PS3 and I have every Xbox. Needless to say I still play all of them at different times. I still mostly play my PS4 but it’s still nice to have the classics and games I grew up playing.
Miguel
4 years ago
Dang, was expecting Game Gear and Saturn people to show up.
Michael L Livote
4 years ago
Bravo, well done Tim! I’ve kept all of my old consoles, even after I stopped playing on consoles (PC all the way now). Makes me wanna get ’em out and grab a six pack and play till the lockdown is over…..
My bro is riding out the virus in Ireland, playing on PS2
EthernetGuru
4 years ago
Classic.
Omegasonic2000
9 months ago
Today marks a month from the day I got my PS5, and this just hit me hard. My PS4, which I’d been playing with practically every single day for almost 8 years, broke down badly in August after two blackouts struck in a row and turned my console off in the middle of data restoration. All it needed was a hard drive switch, but it wasn’t the same anymore. It was slower, less responsive, more prone to doing strange stuff… so I decided it was time to make the leap when I was able to afford it. That PS4 had… Read more »
Some of those old games are still worth playing, even if they don’t have the late st graphics.
Also, Tim, great story as usual. The timing would have been perfect if Sony didn’t postpone their Playstation 5 announcement.
Dreamcast had some awesome games. It also had great graphics compared at the time. So yeah…I still have mine lol
Damn that’s deep…. makes me feel sad for all the consoles i discarded as soon as their new versions showed up…
I’m pretty sure my N64 will outlast us all. If you’re reading this in the far future, you just have to blow on it.
Strangely enough, I feel the N64 didn’t have great longevity. Don’t get me wrong – flying for the first time in Super Mario 64, wandering Hyrule in Ocarina of Time, these were major milestones for gaming on par with watching Jurassic Park for the first time. Yet somehow, the blockiness aged poorly compared to the sprite-art of the SNES generation which is still heavily used in indie games, and those blocky textures are harder to tolerate today.
But damn if my N64 isn’t still kicking.
It suffers similar to how early PS1 games suffer, we really had a lot of stuff to figure out with 3D games even beyond graphics, both movement and camera controls have come a long way.
Unfortunately my N64 got fried in a power surge a few years ago, lightning hit a transformer and the surge wiped out the console and controller. Game cartridge actually survived, so I played it on the family shared N64 after that till they packed it up for a new system. But I still managed to unlock that last character in Mario Golf.
My SNES was dropped down the stairs almost 20 years ago. I found it again (missing most of the outer casing) and it still works!
“War. War never changes.”
Soviet Strike?
Fallout
I never played fallout, those games give me motion sickness.
The first two games were isometric turn based rpg. You do not get much motion sickness from it.
With what changes at ever growing phase, how changes little bit but basics have remained same, why is same as it was thousand years ago.
“War…has changed.”
“War has changed.” – Solid Snake
one reason id rather get originals then remakes. give me a reason to fish out the old guys
Been playing my PS3 recently. Infamous is still a great series. My older consoles are packed away, but I know where they are.
I dunno, PS4s. At this rate, I’m not sure you have replacements. Just logos and talks of impractical SSDs.
Impractical because? Impractical for who? Cause game devs seem to have a completely different opinion on the matter,
Let’s see: I have a Megadrive, Original Xbox, PS2, PS3, XBox 360, Wii, Wii U, Amiga CD32 and some NES I need new edge connectors for.
…and that’s just the consoles!
I’m with you. I have NES, SNES, N64, Gamecube, Wii, Wii U, Playstation, Playstation 2, Playstation 3, Playstation 4, Genesis, Dreamcast, and if you count handhelds I have Gameboy, Gameboy Color, Gameboy Advance (x4), DS, 3DS and a PSP.
I didn’t get many consoles but I kept the ones I had. Sega Genesis w CD addon, PS1, PS2, PS4. Sadly my whole list since my dog enjoyed eating the 2600 controllers and cables.
You guys made me feel kind of jealous. The only console I had (and still have) is New Nintendo 3DS XL, and I don’t use it much these days (bought it mostly for Pokemon, and the people I played with moved on to Sword & Shield, which I didn’t, because for me not implementing all of the creatures is unacceptable, plus I think they way they handled transfer from previous games and paying for online access is a rip off). Before getting my first PC, I had an Amiga 500 (gave it away to a family member some time later),… Read more »
Heh, some days I still dream about when I was ten playing old N64 games for the first time. Banjo Kazooie, Zelda 64, hell Mystical Ninja starring Goemon. Ah, memories…
My house has 2 different 360’s, a PS2, a NES collection box, and a SNES all set up or ready to be set up at my house at all times, along with every modern day console. They all have equal footing in my heart.
I think your consoles disagree and have all-out warfare at night when you sleep like Toy Soldiers. XD
Pretty close here: My favorite is still my PS2, with my Gamecube going to a nephew since I picked up a Wii years ago (backwards compatibility!!). My housemate brought a 360 and its fine! I usually prefer PC games but a few really are better with their original controllers! And I don’t have to jump through hoops to get those controllers and perfect emulation on PC (though I do have a USB PS2 controller… if my PS2 Slim ever does crap out, and it’s not something I can fix this time, I’ll be sad but okay) Heck though, sometimes I… Read more »
It’s why I’m glad Microsoft, with the XBOX One and Series X, outright refused to sunset their past. Every time I boot up an old XBOX game and get the ‘spark chamber’ boot sequence, I smile, knowing that their history is still our present day.
Isn’t the Series X the “XBOX 2” parallel?
I’ve got a TV in my basement set up with all my old consoles going back to the atari 2600. Sometimes you just gotta fire up nostalgia.
Well that was bleaker than I was expecting
True, but it really couldn’t have been any other way. Consoles time in the spotlight is short and every generation is fighting with the next generation, not the previous one. I am glad they let him go. There aren’t many Dreamcasts left out there and looks like his wires won’t be lasting much longer.
I’d like to see an Atari 2600 sometime… I still have one in working condition
I like that despite the reasons listed, the PS4 didn’t actually voice them until after they were out of earshot from the Dreamcast. Even though he knew the weapon would have been ineffective even if loaded he was respectful and let the older system keep his dignity.
If only more people treated older generations of fellow humans the same way.
Still, this was a very nice way to close the encounter, respectful, insightful, and humble.
They are just us on a shorter time scale… they are always training our replacements.
In the Navy, we were told that you have to train your replacement. For instance, If you wanted to do a different job, then someone has to be ready to do the job you are vacating. makes it interesting considering the manpower shortages.
My PS3 is still in service, though she doesn’t see much action these days.
I still have my original blocky PS2 with memory card power cord needs replacement but other than that it still runs just like it did when I first got it I sometimes break it out to play some old ps1 games.
Ahhh the memories…..
I did not sign up for this feels trip
I mean the speed running community still keeps these consoles alive. No longer fighting the console war they just have a need, a need for speed.
This one goes out to my dad, who keeps the fires burning in his PS3 and has for many years.
And another one for all of you who run emulations of ancient games from generations long since past, keeping those memories alive and strong.
Hi Tim, could you bring in the mobiles as well?
It wouldn’t be “*Console* Wars” then. So… no.
Same general reaon he’s not doing PC’s.
Very beautiful story, thanks man
This almost made me cry, well done.
I definitely miss my original Xbox. I bought one used very late into its life cycle so I picked up a ton of great games for super cheap. One of my favorite parts about the Xbox was since it came into being before the huge push for all online gaming and it had four controller ports there were a bunch of fun co-op four player games.
It’s also a huge bummer that they haven’t really been able to get great emulation of it working. I’d love to give some of those older games a go again.
There are times that I’ve been tempted to get an old X-Box solely so I could have the privilege of replaying Mercenaries: Playground of Destruction again.
I think Mercenaries was on Game Pass last I saw?
Gold. Some many many months ago.
Oh look, they didn’t shoot the old guy regardless of his harmless status. What if that was reality?
Still have my PS3 that can play gen1-3 ps games. Love it! Never getting rid of it.
I miss my old sega dream cast and games. Glad i converted to pc years ago, but I do cherish the consoles I have. Great times, great memories, and still fun as hell to play.
Im one of those that likes the oldies. I collect systems. Got pretty much every console back to the Atari. Turbo Graffix probably being my favorite console. A few handhelds as well, but not many.
Old soldiers never die, they just . . . fade away.
Oh, if only IRL did body armor totally nullify the rounds from whatever gun was just two decades old.
It’s crazy with all of the remakes and remasters that are coming out how uninterested I usually am in them. I mean I still bought the crash and Spyro remasters but I still love booting up the originals every once in awhile. It just hits different.
I have every Nintendo system up until the Wii, every Sony except PS3 and I have every Xbox. Needless to say I still play all of them at different times. I still mostly play my PS4 but it’s still nice to have the classics and games I grew up playing.
Dang, was expecting Game Gear and Saturn people to show up.
Bravo, well done Tim! I’ve kept all of my old consoles, even after I stopped playing on consoles (PC all the way now). Makes me wanna get ’em out and grab a six pack and play till the lockdown is over…..
*Looks in the closet*. Hello my:
Atari 2600, 5200, 7800
Master System, Genesis, CD, 32x, Saturn, Dreamcast, Game Gear, Nomad
NES, SNES, N64, GameCube
Tubrographix, 3DO
XBox, XBox 360
My bro is riding out the virus in Ireland, playing on PS2
Classic.
Today marks a month from the day I got my PS5, and this just hit me hard. My PS4, which I’d been playing with practically every single day for almost 8 years, broke down badly in August after two blackouts struck in a row and turned my console off in the middle of data restoration. All it needed was a hard drive switch, but it wasn’t the same anymore. It was slower, less responsive, more prone to doing strange stuff… so I decided it was time to make the leap when I was able to afford it. That PS4 had… Read more »