So I love playing videogames. I’m even writing my Master’s thesis about videogames. I like games now, but I LOVED them as a kid. Or at least, I really loved them in retrospect – probably something that happens to one as one gets older… the application of past love to things done in the past… (there’s probably a germanic verb conjugation for that)
ANYWAY
In the name of this love, or assigned love (or past love magnified by the passing of time or past frustration forged into love by a longing for youth) over the last few years I’ve been slowly putting together a collection of retro games/ systems. Chiefly NES, but I picked up a Genesis and even brought all my OLD OLD Coleco stuff home from my parent’s house. However, and to my everlasting shame, I’ve never really spent any time with the old favourites. I own Super Mario 3, BUT I’VE NEVER PLAYED IT, for example. There are lots of reasonable excuses like “being lazy”, “being busy”, or “I’m tending my WoW garden so leave me alone”, but it really came down to convenience. Modern TVs don’t have coax connections and having system upon system set-up in addition to XBox, Wii, Bluray, etc. takes up a buttload of space.
So imagine my happiness when I came across the RetroN 3. The damn thing plays 3 different systems worth of games! 3 SYSTEMS! It has wireless controllers and modern (well, not, like, HDMI or anything, but rather the respectable composite & s-video) video outs.
So I bought this thing online, waited for it, set it up, and tried it out.
Fail #1: the wireless controllers are rubbish (I’ll tell that story another time). Well, OK, that’s annoying, but no problem. The RetroN 3 has input for legacy controllers…
Fail #2: using the NES controllers still has WAY too much lag! I don’t know if you remember old games, but what they lacked in video quality, they made up for in speed and need-for-super-quick-movements-to-avoid-the-BOUNCING-KILLER-ENEMIESOFDOOM!
So. I’m back to my legacy systems and the not-doing-it-ness that comes with them, from me.
Though it isn’t THAT bad, it will just delay the population of this blog. And hey, this really is the epitome of a first world problem 🙂
EDIT: I tried again last night and don’t hate things quite so much.
forsoothed, you filthy animals 
Does the NES pigtail adapter work with new TV’s or did you have to dig up some old nasty tube to get them going?
Luckily we still own a VCR (a first for that phrase in 2014 I’m sure). So coax into the VCR, composite into the receiver… it’s complex and stupid.
Wait wait… you’ve NEVER PLAYED Mario 3?
Let’s start at the beginning – first, place all existing consoles in a horizontal orientation if not already, and power them down. This will create a makeshift yet sturdy platform for my NES which obviously needs to be put to good use here. Throw your other system cables away and make room for the sexy brick power adaptor and the composite cables – the good old NES had those already! Coax can go die in a fire with your RetroN 3 while you seamlessly integrate this system into your modern home theatre setup and start on your long overdue Super Mario 3 playthrough.
Seriously, take my NES for a while and just play this game!
lol – that brick power supply IS pretty sexy 🙂
Re: Mario, I know. It’s so embarrassing. I’m pretty sure I’ve SEEN people play Mario 3, but I’ve never actually played it myself. Does the NES seriously have composite outputs? How did I not know that? Past me is pretty stupid…
In that case, I challenge you to a game of Mario 3 for $1M! *evil laugh*
j/k
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