11 Retro Consoles into 1 TV Wont Go...

Well it does, and it has.

I have a B&O TV with 2 SCART inputs plus 2 other inputs which I dont use, RF and S-Video.

I have an RGB modded Japanese Nintendo 64 with an Everdrive Cartridge which has a SCART output and therefore occupies one of the SCART inputs. Therefore I have 10 other consoles all competing for video time and I have decided to go the composite cable route, as none of my other consoles have any special features.

I bought an 8-way Composite input box from Amazon for about £20.

7 consoles goes into this and the remaining 3 share a 3 port composite switcher which I hope will not degrade the picture quality too much. We shall see. The 3 hanging off this 2nd switch will most likely be the consoles I use the least of have such a bad video signal that it wont matter too much, e.g. NES.

I am also planning on switching around the power supply set up as I hate the idea of leaving any of these retro consoles powered on.

Hoping to move house in the next 12 months, and I intend to leave the B&O TV behind as it doesnt have the picture adjustment option which is present on most other B&O TVs I have seen. Its an upgraded feature which is too much to mess around with.

3 Raspberry Pis and 3 Projects

Right well I now am the proud owner of 3 Raspberry Pi computers.

A classic B+, a Raspberry Pi 2.0 and now 3.0.

Why the hell have I bought another Pi when I have 2 that I really just dont use as it is.

Well my intention is to fully utilise them in the following configurations. I had no intention of buying a 3.0 as I didnt really see the point as I already was "happy" with that I had and didnt use, but the 3.0 has a dedicated Amiga emulator that runs the operating system perfectly. I have been considering buying an Amiga A600 as I wanted to get back into the retro computer before.

So the Raspberry Pi 3.0 becomes my Amiga machine, so what of the other 2?

Raspberry Pi 2.0 will become my Kodi device of choice. I recently got into Netflix and while I enjoyed the service I didnt use it enough to justify the monthly subscription. Well enter Kodi a software and service thats been around for so long now, Im embarassed I havent really used it before. The Pi 2.0 will now sit in the lounge, hard-wired to the internet with a lovely little bluetooth keyboard and trackpad.

And as for the Pi B+? Well that will finally become my 8 and 16 bit retro machine emulator. I know the Pi 2.0 and above runs a few of the SNES and Playstation games better than the older Pis, but those games I really want and the B+ cant run, I already have in original format.

New Local Retro Gaming Shop

Danger, warning.
There is a new shop opened locally to where I live and it looks like its recently opened and I intend to pay them a visit today.
They cover all the retro consoles and a lot of the hardware as well, so while its good I dont have to travel across the country just to stare at common PS1 and SNES games, it does mean I could be spending a lot more money in one day then I intended to.

Recent Visits to Retro Gaming Shops - Level Up Games, Playnation, Retro Game Base

I have recently been visiting 3 retro gaming shops in my "area" with varying levels of success in terms of purchasing items and wanted to report on my experiences and thoughts.

I work in Maidstone currently and the 2 big shops close to me (i.e. within 1 hours drive) is Level Up Games in Canterbury and Xpress Games in Ashford. I will dismiss Xpress Games straight off as they have such a small section of retro games that it cant be considered a part of their business. A "bargain bin" box of PS1 games and a selection of Nintendo 64 cart only of the most common games. Visiting here was a disappointment and I left buying nothing.

I have been to Level Up Games several times now and while they dont have anything wildly new every time I visit, they have a good social media presence, and post new items on Facebook which you can reserve or ask the prices of. One of the features I have discovered about retro gaming shops is that the main store front content doesnt cycle that much, but instead its the new items in that sell quickly, while the older stock just seems to be the same week in and week out. The irony is that you need to be a regular visitor to get these items as they rarely hang around the shop for long, sometimes less than 1 day.

Playnation Games
I have been frequenting this shop quite a lot recently and made most of my recent hardware purchases here. They have a lot of retro games for all platforms, and despite carrying some modern games, their focus is on the retro. They are open longer hours and have the benefit of being about 30 minutes drive from where I go on a Saturday with my youngest children.

Retro Game Base
Im aware the RGB are trying to sell their business which means they are at odds with wanting to move on and also keeping the business open as a viable enterprise. I intend to visit them again more often but this can only be done after work as they have late and early closing times.

3 New Retro Console Additions

Just a quick update to say I have gotten my hands on a UK Pal NES and Super Mario Bros. 3.

I have also got my mits on a cheap Megadrive and MegaCD combination.

And finally the 3rd acquisition is a Zelda Branded Nintendo Gameboy Advance SP with Zelda The Minish Cap cartridge.

To be honest the NES is a vanity thing as the RetroPie emulates this beautifully, and the MegaCD is more of a trophy piece as I just dont see myself playing or collecting for it.

I will be giving the Gameboy Advance a lot of use as the battery life is far better than my 3DS.

My View on the Different Sources of Retro Games

I've tried most methods of getting hold of retro hardware and software for gaming purposes and want to give my thoughts on all aspects of these.

eBay
It's rare to get a bargain on eBay these days and if you do manage to spot one you'll be outbidded within minutes. eBay is an unsatisfying way to sell hardware and software and a minefield if you buy. The only good thing is that as a buyer you have a fair amount of protection.

Amazon
I have never seen a piece of retro gaming less than the market price on Amazon. It may be a good source of hardware or current tech but you won't find any bargains on Amazon or its sellers.

Retro-Gaming Shops
While these kind of places are considered the backbone of the gaming community in reality they are commercial operations that are only as good as their current stock and the relationship they have with their customers. Sadly both of these are wildly different.
Most retro shops that do well engage their customers via Facebook and Twitter. Stock ranges from the expected and routine hardware and software to some genuine gems. Most commonly these items are snapped up by serious collectors and rarely get into the hands of an average collector. It's almost as if the best stuff is already earmarked for an existing customer and a casual visitor is lucky to get anything half decent. It's almost as if the stock in the shop is the leftovers the hardcore collectors didn't want.

CEX & Game
You won't find anything retro here. The PS2 games they stock are the most common ones and the odd Gamecube games they have aren't worth looking at. There will come a time shortly when they will out all their "retro" games and all that will remain retro in these shops will be PS3 and XBOX360.

Friends, Family and Word of Mouth
If you haven't already you should at least ask, but in reality your mum and dad would long ago sold anything you left behind after you moved out.

Car Boot Sales
Private traders and the odd lucky strike are your only hopes for these kind of places. It doesn't take long to burn out on these as greedy collectors and existing car boot traders scour the early visitors buying up any stock and reselling quickly.

Facebook Groups
I recently joined one of the many Facebay groups and it's rare to get any retro games or consoles here. You may get lucky with a CRT TV but in reality the "big" collectors are already posting "wanted" ads and most people who sell here are clearing out old Wii crap.

Gumtree & Craigslist
I recently found out that Gumtree is part of the eBay network so while I have found the odd bargain most of it is overpriced and like Craigslist can be mostly discarded as who wants to sift through hundreds of daily adverts for that one bargain.

Is the Golden Age of Retro Game Collecting Over?

Once a console manufacturer is getting ready to launch its next console, it does everything it possibly can to liquidate any old stock of hardware and games. It is at that point the console is on borrow time. The moment they stop making the console its at that point the console is considered a retro machine. Of course you will still be able to buy the equipment for most likely a year after its final manufacturing date.

So as of now the Playstation 3, the Nintendo Wii and the Xbox 360 I would considered as being retro and surprisingly also the best time to acquire any of those games you missed first time around.

The trouble is collecting games for any console older than these 3 is nothing short of a nightmare.

Any console from the 1980s is impossible to find working units or games that arent already in the hands of collectors, and those machine you find up for sale are not the pristine units you would hope to find.

Any console from the 1990s has an unrealistic price tag associated with it and it was during this boom era that console and gaming started to impact on other forms of media.

Any console from the 2000s would have already been snapped up by collectors already, as Im certain that during this decade the savvy collector would have kept hold of any games or consoles worth keeping. For instance a good quality Gamecube is proving to be very hard, and the good games are impossible to find.

If I Ran a Retro - Gaming Store pt1 - Stock

If I Ran my own Retro - Gaming Store there are quite a few things I would do differently.

There are 3 types of customer

Regular Visitors/Collectors - usually local
Casual Visitors/Collectors - not as local but still a customer
Online Customers

Each one requires a different approach and also feeding of information.

When new stock comes in not everything would go on the shelf. Stock rotation is essential and a big haul of stock requires careful planning as to what goes in the shop and what stays in the stock room.

Something CEX would do well to bear in mind, you need only stock 1 copy of a game on the shelf for it to sell. Having 10 copies of FIFA 2002 just looks desperate.

I would cultivate a relationship with all collectors so I knew their wants.

Most retro shops I have visited seem to have a feast or famine approach to stock which seems to be unique to this industry. By holding some stock back it ensures the regular visitors are catered for, plus you get to tell them in advance of stock items which will be coming in "next week" and the irregular visitors are guaranteed to get to see something worth the trip.

Those stock items that take a while to shift I would put on eBay to free up shelf space for quality and genuinely collectible games.

Summer Plans

It happens every few years, but my wife goes back home to visit her family and takes all my children with her, giving me free reign of the house and to play and do what I want.

In previous years I have ploughed through some games which require my attention more than a few hours a week, and this year will be no different. It will also give me ample opportunity to work on a few projects as well that I havent had the chance to explore.

My intention is to accumulate money in Paypal to spend on a guitar finally, but also explore some retro goodies before reselling them on eBay at a later date. I hope to try some old computers, such as BBC Model B and the Commodore 64 with Disk Drive. I might even push the boat out and go for some harder to find/rare consoles such as PC Engine or the Atari Jaguar.

I intend to get the spare Wii running Gamecube ISO backups, visit (time permitting) a Retro Gaming Market in London during July as well as visiting a few retro gaming shops in the area.

My Sony laptop that I have owned for over 7 years is getting near to death and I have decided to replace it with a cheap HP cloud laptop and a decent desktop PC.

Reorganising my Consoles

As previously mentioned, I am slimming down my console collection, but its not going to happen as quickly as I initially thought. Most of what I sell is sold on eBay, and I have a ton of material (mostly old CDs and Role-playing books) that need to be sold first, so I will be hanging onto my consoles for a little while longer.

Still the only TV I have left to play on is the old B&O in the loft. The other current gen consoles have been distributed or will be distributed around the house in various forms, mostly serving as a Youtube portal or Netflix device.

Hand Helds - I am selling the PS Vita as it doesnt really earn its keep, and I expect to get back what I paid for it. I will be keeping the Nintendo 3DS for now as it has an R4 card and access to unlimited games, all it needs is a new battery.

Retro Consoles - The Megadrive and Gamecube are going to be the first 2 consoles to go as I dont feel any love for the Megadrive, and what games I do want to play, I can managed perfectly well on the Raspberry Pi. The Gamecube was more of a novelty as my Nintendo Wii plays all the Gamecube games without a problem.

The next batch would be SNES because of a lack of access to games, and both the Dreamcast and Saturn for the same reasons. For now I will be holding onto the Nintendo 64 and Playstation as both of these are earning their keep as emulation isnt great yet for either machine.

Modern Consoles - here comes the tough choices. The Playstation 3 is in the lounge, and the Playstation 4 is in the master bedroom, which leaves me with the Wii U, 2 Nintendo Wiis and the Xbox One.

I have configured one Wii to run Wii ISOs and the other to run Gamecube ISOs meaning I can sell off any unwanted Gamecube games I have on ISO. The Wii U will most likely join the Playstation 3 or 4 and the Xbox One the same.

The final console choice is going to be where I put my Xbox 360, as I have too many Guitar Hero/Rock Band stuff to just sell off.

I will keep what I can in the loft and use the CRT TV, and maybe sometime down the road buy another LCD TV.

A couple of Retro-Consoles just have to Go

I have decided that I am going to sell a couple of the retro consoles I recently bought.

The Nintendo Gamecube is going because I have a 2nd Wii for the children, and if need be I can use the Wii as a Gamecube as I intend to keep the controllers. I am also investigating the possibility of running Gamecube ISOs on the Wii using homebrew, meaning I will be able to sell my small collection of Gamecube games as well.

The other console I have decided to sell is the Megadrive. The reason behind it is due to my lack of connection to the console. I love the SNES, I love the Saturn, I just don't feel the same passion for the Megadrive. I am happy with a Raspberry Pi running it under emulation, as it runs at the proper speed rather than slowed down for PAL.

I have also decided to sell off a couple of Nintendo 64 games as I already own them on the Rare Replay collection on the XboxOne.

My Retro-Set Up December 2015 Edition

Hi all, I've finally gotten my retro gaming set up almost exactly where I wanted it. It has gone through several iterations looking for the best arrangement.

A Bang & Oulfsen 32" television. If you look closely the TV is on a proper B&O stand (its metal and solid wood as it weights a ton).
There is double SCART input, but I have everything running through a SCART switcher.
There are two towers of consoles, each one is covered by a black table placemat to protect from dust, and also from sun bleaching/discolouring.
Power is supplied to the entire set up via a single switch, meaning none of the consoles are left in standby mode.

On the left at the top is my Lego Dimensions base and collection, and is home to my Nintendo console collection.

• Shelf 1 - SNES
• Shelf 2 - Nintendo 64
• Shelf 3 - Gamecube
• Shelf 4 - Modern console controllers

On the right is my Sega console collection, topped of by my Amiibo and Disney Infinity character collection.

• Shelf 1 - Megadrive
• Shelf 2 - Saturn
• Shelf 3 - Dreamcast
• Shelf 4 - Retro console controllers.

Hiding under the TV shelf is a Playstation 2 slim, which doubles as my Playstation 1 console. And beneath that is a very underused Wii Fit board.

My future plan is to put an LED spotlight under each shelf to illuminate the consoles, as well as putting in a much bigger SCART switch that changes SCART channel automatically.