NeoGAF

Vitacat · 07:34 PM

Originally Posted by clay_ghost

Any n64 emulators? I always want an device that can support fullspeed n64 emulators. Any devices that can do that?

This is probably possible on the Zero, but the question is at what speeds and frame rates. That remains to be seen. Looking way back at projects like UltraHLE which achieved full speed N64 emulation, albeit with limited compatibility, on 266Mhz Pentium 2's, I suspect a talented dev could pull it off.

But I would not buy a Zero if N64 is your main interest, because it's not guaranteed. Buy a Zero because of all the full speed 8 bit and 16but emus and indie games it already has right now. If we get full speed PSX and/or N64 as well someday, that will be icing on the cake.

N64 emulation is full speed on my Samsung Galaxy Note II (a ~$700 flagship device), but virtual controls suck, and attachment controls make it significantly less portable. One of the cheapie Chinese Android gaming devices (i.e. Yinlips) might be ok for N64, but keep in mind (according to what I've read) none of them have real analog controls yet. Their "analog" nubs are actually just digital 8 way. So controls for N64 emulation will always be a bit off. The Zero's nub is true analog and has been demonstrated on one of the videos. Plus there's the sound lag issue on the Android devices, so sound effects will be out of sync -- a problem the Zero does NOT have (also demonstrated in one of the videos).

koziakauzu · (01-12-2013, 07:32 PM)

I think I have one already, for half the price and full compatibility up to the N64

redlemon · (01-12-2013, 07:57 PM)

Originally Posted by Castef

And yet, no rotating screen. :(

Yup, having a button on the dpad side would have been really nice for shmups. It was a nice feature on the caanoo despite having to use an analog stick.

cyberheater · (01-12-2013, 07:57 PM)

Originally Posted by koziakauzu

I think I have one already, for half the price and full compatibility up to the N64

Why post this rubbish. This is a thread about the GCW Zero. Make your own thread about emulation on that failed handheld.

Vitacat · 08:04 PM

LOL. I have 2 PSP's and a Vita. PSP is NOT "full compatibility" up to N64. It's crap for N64 and good to decent for 16bit systems. Its biggest problem, aside from the 16:9 screen with weird resolution, slow CPU and tiny RAM, is that its dev scene is dead. The Zero can already wipe the floor with it. A hacked PSP is great and I love mine, don't get me wrong, but the Zero is still ultimately better for retrogaming.

Also, a new video was posted showing Pilotwings running perfectly and full speed, a game that is often not well emulated: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zKIz3wlbqCU

thekonamicode · (01-12-2013, 08:17 PM)

I have a PSP and a PSP Go and I've never been satisfied with any levels of emulation available on those systems.

tim.mbp · (01-12-2013, 08:52 PM)

I'm in for one. Could use a decent retro emulation device. That fact that it looks like a good d-pad and it runs Linux out of the box sealed the deal for me.

Orayn · 10:33 PM

EDIT: I'm dumb.

Harteex · (01-12-2013, 09:12 PM)

Originally Posted by gingerbeardman

Are there any plans for a unified front end to all the emulators?

Alekmaul makes all his emulators look the same way at least. But not all emulators are by him.

Originally Posted by Tempy

Nice to see the screen is bigger.

When is the nub used? N64, PS1, and PC games which uses the mouse/joystick? I suppose there's not much they can do about the positioning of it, but the GCW Zero seems to scream for a grip add-on. I'm wondering if it'll possible to modify a PSP grip add-on to accommodate the GCW Zero.

Does HDMI-out work? I don't think I've seen vids of that in action.

I played a netgame of Quake 1 against some other GCW owners, then I used the nub. Otherwise I haven't used it much, I prefer dpads myself.
But yea, I can imagine it's useful when/if we get a PS1 emu. And other ported 3D games of course.

About HDMI, I'll have to get back to you about that.

And also, zear wanted me to post his video when he's playing a netgame of duke3d:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bpUSf5EmeY4

Lettuce · (01-12-2013, 09:41 PM)

Originally Posted by R1CHO

It is possible:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aq13...e_gdata_player

I was hoping for something a bit more discreet...

Thats the one i have, and made playing Resident Evil Revelation sooo much more easier and comfortable. Maybe the developer could make something like it

gingerbeardman · (01-12-2013, 10:04 PM)

Originally Posted by Harteex

Alekmaul makes all his emulators look the same way at least. But not all emulators are by him.

Is it possible he could share his menu code so other emulator authors could use it? That would be a good start. Enough for me to be in.

redlemon · 10:37 PM

Originally Posted by Orayn

Caanoo doesn't have an analog stick, it's a clicky 8-way thumbstick like the Neo Geo CD. Educate yourself!

It was definitely a analog stick. I owned one. Emulators had dead zone settings in them. Your thinking of older gp2x devices.

Orayn · (01-12-2013, 10:33 PM)

Originally Posted by redlemon

It was definitely a analog stick. I owned one. Emulators had dead zone settings in them. Your think of older gp2x devices.

Then I am clearly mis-remembering a review/impressions video. My bad, sorry.

Agent X · (01-13-2013, 03:00 AM)

This looks impressive! I'd be highly interested in a machine like this for classic video game emulation. It seems like a really well-designed unit, with almost everything I could wish for in a system aimed at that segment of the market, including a 320x240 LCD, HDMI out, A/V out, Micro SDHC, and USB connectivity.

I wonder if the video output could handle higher resolutions than 320x240? If so, then it might be possible to emulate higher resolution machines like the Amiga and hook up to a TV or monitor to get the "full" experience.

thechristoph · (01-13-2013, 03:37 AM)

Originally Posted by Lettuce

I was hoping for something a bit more discreet...

I just ordered that grip based on your post here. I've never used a grip on a handheld as I've largely thought they looked cheap or were against the point of a handheld. Then I realized I haven't taken a handheld out of my house in roughly five years. And I probably would have enjoyed them more during those five years with a grip. After having that epiphany, I do hope that a grip finds its way to market for the Zero.

N64 emulation would be nice but I'm really not counting on it. It would be amazing to have No Mercy or VPW2 in my pocket, but most of the rest of the N64 library I'd ever want to replay have been released on DS and 3DS.

Lettuce · (01-13-2013, 03:40 AM)

Originally Posted by thechristoph

I just ordered that grip based on your post here. I've never used a grip on a handheld as I've largely thought they looked cheap or were against the point of a handheld. Then I realized I haven't taken a handheld out of my house in roughly five years. And I probably would have enjoyed them more during those five years with a grip. After having that epiphany, I do hope that a grip finds its way to market for the Zero.

N64 emulation would be nice but I'm really not counting on it. It would be amazing to have No Mercy or VPW2 in my pocket, but most of the rest of the N64 library I'd ever want to replay have been released on DS and 3DS.

You wont regret it mate, and you'll think to yourself, "why the hell didnt i get one earlier?"

thechristoph · (01-13-2013, 04:01 AM)

Originally Posted by Lettuce

You wont regret it mate, and you'll think to yourself, "why the hell didnt i get one earlier?"

I looked at it closer and even though my search was for a "3ds xl grip", it appears to be an original 3DS grip. The hunt continues... but I will get one.

Vitacat · 04:43 AM

KS at over $32,000. Seems to have slowed down today. Hopefully pledges will pickup again soon.

If anyone here is a reporter for any tech or gaming blogs, please let your readers know about the GCW Zero Kickstarter. It could really help this cool little project succeed.

Originally Posted by Agent X

This looks impressive! I'd be highly interested in a machine like this for classic video game emulation. It seems like a really well-designed unit, with almost everything I could wish for in a system aimed at that segment of the market, including a 320x240 LCD, HDMI out, A/V out, Micro SDHC, and USB connectivity.

I wonder if the video output could handle higher resolutions than 320x240? If so, then it might be possible to emulate higher resolution machines like the Amiga and hook up to a TV or monitor to get the "full" experience.

I believe it can, so yeah, hopefully that may be possible, along with filters perhaps. Since it also has USB, maybe we could also plug in a keyboard and have full retro computer emulation eventually. :-P

Vitacat · (01-13-2013, 06:31 AM)

Added Kicktraq to OP:

KodeAndGame · (01-13-2013, 07:48 AM)

Originally Posted by Vitacat

Added Kicktraq to OP:

I'm hoping things may have slowed down due to weekend. Maybe it'll pick back up on Monday. I should be able to back this tomorrow. Looking forward to revisiting some of my 8/16 bit games.

Reclaimer · (01-13-2013, 08:58 AM)

Fuck it, I'm in.

I'm a bleeding heart for: handhelds, retro, indie, opensource, proper resolutions, dpads. Having a great portable emulator will be awesome! I've been transferring saves from my actual snes carts to my laptop/iPad (and back to the carts) to play on the go... And a well made handheld should fit right in with this!

Hopefully there's some sort of cloud access... Dropbox?

gingerbeardman · (01-13-2013, 12:41 PM)

Originally Posted by thechristoph

I looked at it closer and even though my search was for a "3ds xl grip", it appears to be an original 3DS grip. The hunt continues... but I will get one.

Best grip for original 3DS is the Mario Kart 7 steering wheel.

R1CHO · (01-13-2013, 12:47 PM)

Originally Posted by Reclaimer

Fuck it, I'm in.

I'm a bleeding heart for: handhelds, retro, indie, opensource, proper resolutions, dpads. Having a great portable emulator will be awesome! I've been transferring saves from my actual snes carts to my laptop/iPad (and back to the carts) to play on the go... And a well made handheld should fit right in with this!

Hopefully there's some sort of cloud access... Dropbox?

I dunno, right now i think that you can have access to the console with your wifi connection using the gcw as a ftp server.

Reclaimer · (01-13-2013, 04:12 PM)

Good enough! :)

Agent X · (01-13-2013, 04:53 PM)

Originally Posted by Vitacat

I believe it can, so yeah, hopefully that may be possible, along with filters perhaps. Since it also has USB, maybe we could also plug in a keyboard and have full retro computer emulation eventually. :-P

Yeah, I was thinking about that with the USB, that you might be able to connect a physical keyboard. I saw a Commodore 64 emulator being demonstrated on one of the recent GCW Zero videos. In the video, the user could bring up an onscreen keyboard, but it would obscure part of the display. The ability to connect a physical keyboard would be practical here.

Most old computers only had one or two buttons on their controllers, but would sometimes use one or more keys on the keyboard for additional controls, as well as selecting game options or pausing the game. For computer games that only require light keyboard usage of a few specific keys, the emulator might be able to set up a profile for a game and map those keystrokes to buttons that would otherwise be unused.

richisawesome · (01-13-2013, 05:02 PM)

So...I want one. I live in the UK.

What would my options and overall cost be, taking my location into account?

Vitacat · (01-13-2013, 06:32 PM)

Originally Posted by richisawesome

So...I want one. I live in the UK.

What would my options and overall cost be, taking my location into account?

It would be $135 plus $20 shipping. Take a look at the different pledge levels on the KS. :-)

gingerbeardman · (01-13-2013, 06:51 PM)

Originally Posted by Vitacat

It would be $135 plus $20 shipping. Take a look at the different pledge levels on the KS. :-)

plus 20% ($30) UK customs duty = $185 = £115

richisawesome · 07:11 PM

Originally Posted by gingerbeardman

plus 20% ($30) UK customs duty = $185 = £115

Oh excellent

I couldn't load up the ks on my phone. Thanks to you both!

If this thing can play DKC2 at full speed, im fucking in.

Vitacat · (01-13-2013, 08:47 PM)

Originally Posted by richisawesome

Oh excellent

I couldn't load up the ks on my phone. Thanks to you both!

If this thing can play DKC2 at full speed, im fucking in.

I think it should, no problem. I saw DC1 going full speed, nice and smooth, in one of the videos.

I just hope the KS can make it. Numbers are still climbing but trending downward, and the tech/game press has all but ignored the GCW Zero, probably due to CES. :-( If they would report about the kickstarter on a few major blogs it might send it over the top this week. At least that's what I'm hoping for.

eggwolio · (01-13-2013, 11:44 PM)

I just wish it had like two more buttons. I'm surprised that as many times as people have mentioned wanting N64 emulation, no one has mentioned the flawed button layout for said emulation.

Vitacat · 12:39 AM

Originally Posted by eggwolio

I just wish it had like two more buttons. I'm surprised that as many times as people have mentioned wanting N64 emulation, no one has mentioned the flawed button layout for said emulation.

N64 emulation is not really what this was specifically designed for, altho it's possible. Plus, how many N64 games truly need all the buttons available at once? I sold my N64 long ago, so I don't recall, but I suspect the Zero has enough buttons for most games.

Also, GCW posted some nice forum banners, which I have added to the OP. :-)

lepo · (01-14-2013, 04:10 AM)

I'm in .. I am a sucker for handhelds and this one seems pretty well done
Can't wait to play some amiga games on the go!

KodeAndGame · (01-14-2013, 05:08 AM)

Hmm, any of you guys have any idea if this device will allow for an additional pad via usb or something?

plc268 · (01-14-2013, 05:42 AM)

Originally Posted by Reclaimer

Fuck it, I'm in.

I'm a bleeding heart for: handhelds, retro, indie, opensource, proper resolutions, dpads. Having a great portable emulator will be awesome! I've been transferring saves from my actual snes carts to my laptop/iPad (and back to the carts) to play on the go... And a well made handheld should fit right in with this!

Hopefully there's some sort of cloud access... Dropbox?

Ahh, a fellow retrode user! It's been great transferring my old savegames that I've used on emulators to physical carts. Never thought about storing them on dropbox.

I'm tempted to buy in on the GCW Zero, but at the same time, I'd rather do most of my gaming on the official hardware at this point, since I own flashcarts for just about everything anyway. But, if it starts getting close to the goal, I may just cave and buy in anyway.

Vitacat · 05:46 AM

Originally Posted by KodeAndGame

Hmm, any of you guys have any idea if this device will allow for an additional pad via usb or something?

That should be very possible. It's something I'm hoping to see, along with plugging in a USB keyboard for retro computer emulation. Just a matter of the devs coding drivers and having them supported by the emulator, I'd guess.

Originally Posted by plc268

I'm tempted to buy in on the GCW Zero, but at the same time, I'd rather do most of my gaming on the official hardware at this point, since I own flashcarts for just about everything anyway. But, if it starts getting close to the goal, I may just cave and buy in anyway.

Well, they're at about 30% now, and Kicktraq has them trending toward being funded. So hopefully we'll have you as part of the gang soon. ;-)

Burai · (01-14-2013, 08:01 AM)

Originally Posted by Vitacat

It's not the greatest name perhaps, but GCW Zero isn't any more complicated than Nintendo 3DS. GCW is the company, Zero the model name.

That only works if the company has millions of dollars to spend on advertising and retail awareness like Nintendo did when they first launched the NES.

If you're kickstarting a hobbyist project, it needs a snappy, catchy name. Ouya and GameStick stick in the mind, GCW Zero just doesn't. It's a generic, non-descriptive name with a boring logo attached to some rather generic looking hardware. I can't help but think this is part of the reason why the gaming blogs aren't picking up on this thing.

Alextended · (01-14-2013, 08:11 AM)

Eh. Don't like how they're aiming it so hard to emulation that it gimps its potential for newer games. Every complaint people have posted about it here just gets countered with "but it's adequate/great for emulation" and that's not good imo. Oh well.

Qblivion · (01-14-2013, 08:13 AM)

That ABXY placement makes me angry.

richisawesome · (01-14-2013, 08:44 AM)

Originally Posted by Qblivion

That ABXY placement makes me angry.

Then open it up and swap the buttons round if it really insults you that much.

richisawesome · (01-14-2013, 08:46 AM)

Originally Posted by Alextended

Eh. Don't like how they're aiming it so hard to emulation that it gimps its potential for newer games. Every complaint people have posted about it here just gets countered with "but it's adequate/great for emulation" and that's not good imo. Oh well.

Then its not for you. This is a handheld primarily designed for retro emulation.

Alextended · 09:05 AM

Originally Posted by richisawesome

Then its not for you. This is a handheld primarily designed for retro emulation.

It's still gimped in that way though, if it's so emulation hardcore why not give us 6 face buttons to make N64, Capcom beat 'em ups, other old arcades, etc, way more comfortable to play? Why not give twin sticks for PS1 emulation either? But anyway, the thread title didn't make it clear it was purely for emulation, since retro is used so widely these days, so I entered, sorry. Edit: it only has two shoulder buttons also as far as I can see, that's even more gimped than I thought... Is the accelerometer capable of analog tilt steering at least, for racing games (and if so are the triggers analog)? Or is it just for vague shakes and such?

richisawesome · (01-14-2013, 09:07 AM)

Originally Posted by Alextended

It's still gimped in that way though, if it's so emulation hardcore why not give us 6 face buttons to make N64, Capcom beat 'em ups, other old arcades, etc, way more comfortable to play? Why not give twin sticks for PS1 emulation either? But anyway, the thread title didn't make it clear it was purely for emulation, since retro is used so widely these days, so I entered, sorry. Edit; it only has two shoulder buttons also as far as I can see, that's even more gimped than I thought. Is it at least analog tilt capable to use it as a racing wheel of sorts or is the accelerometer mentioned limited to just vague shakes and such?

Why would it be motion capable? Did the Amiga have motion? This handheld is for retro gaming. Would you play SNES/Genesis classics with a motion sensor? I bloody well wouldn't.

as for N64 emulation, why focus on that, when there STILL isn't an adequate handheld solutionfor the SNES? the PSP, IOS and android all have SNES emulators. Yet they all suffer from poor framerates, poor sound emulation and other issues. This open source handheld seems like its focusing purely on getting a near flawless emulation level (in terms of playability) on every retro console up to the SNES.

All it needs is what it has now. If they were aiming for anything else, it would be a vastly different handheld.

Alextended · 04:39 PM

Then why have the accelerometer and one analog stick at all... Do it right or not at all.

Thread title didn't say finally a handheld great for 80s and SNES emulation and little else either.

But like I said it would be for arcade games too. SF2 and Outrun are quite retro. Not that PS1 and N64 aren't at 15+ years.

As for 100% accurate SNES emulation, since you put down minor issues on android etc, I doubt it will happen with just 1GHz.

richisawesome · (01-14-2013, 09:15 AM)

Originally Posted by Alextended

Then why have the accelerometer and one analog stick at all...

Thread title didn't say finally a handheld great for 80s and SNES emulation and little else either.

But like I said it would be for arcade games too. SF2 and Outrun are quite retro. Not that PS1 and N64 aren't at 15+ years.

I assume PS1 and N64 will definitely be possible, and should run very nicely. But its definitely clear that its designed primarily for older generations of consoles. I mean, the standard res screen is one main pointer to this (obviously that would benefit ps1 and n64 too, but still)

Absinthe · (01-14-2013, 09:16 AM)

I don't get the it. Doesn't the PSP and pretty much every Android phone on the market already do all of this emulation? Can't you get a decent controller for your Android phone (iPhone user here) and just use that. I don't see the appeal of having another device to carry around. Also, with Blutrol and IOS jailbroken I can already do this by just adding a controller.

richisawesome · 09:41 AM

Originally Posted by akmcbroom

I don't get the it. Doesn't the PSP and pretty much every Android phone on the market already do all of this emulation? Can't you get a decent controller for your Android phone (iPhone user here) and just use that. I don't see the appeal of having another device to carry around. Also, with Blutrol and IOS jailbroken I can already do this by just adding a controller.

Try playing a SNES game like Yoshi's Island or DKC on your PSP without horrendous frame skipping. And phones don't have buttons, and carrying around a controller with one is laughable. So what, im supposed to have the phone on my lap and the controller in my hands? No thanks.

That's why. Some of us care about quality and accuracy in emulation, and from all we know this handheld delivers just that.

I have a pretty decent spec Galaxy Tab with the best SNES emulator (SNES9X EX), and the emulation is STILL choppy and games like the above are fucked up because of it. Also, there's some godawful input lag.

People need to stop assuming that the PSP and Android emulators are good enough. They aren't. That's why this handheld exists.

thekonamicode · (01-14-2013, 09:37 AM)

Originally Posted by akmcbroom

I don't get the it. Doesn't the PSP and pretty much every Android phone on the market already do all of this emulation? Can't you get a decent controller for your Android phone (iPhone user here) and just use that. I don't see the appeal of having another device to carry around. Also, with Blutrol and IOS jailbroken I can already do this by just adding a controller.

PSP and Android have issues with frame skipping and audio delay ... at least with SNES emulation. Some games don't work at all.

dark10x · (01-14-2013, 02:10 PM)

Originally Posted by R1CHO

Yes. But, first you have to hack it, second is not that good for emulation really.

The PSP is great for emulation. It's a good deal better than a number of other open source systems as well. I had a Dingoo last year that I sold simply because it was so damn terrible at emulation (despite that being one of its main functions).

While the PSP doesn't handle SNES well, it can handle most other systems from that era almost flawlessly and also offers perfect PSX support.

PSP and Android have issues with frame skipping and audio delay ... at least with SNES emulation. Some games don't work at all.

SNES is the one system that doesn't operate well on PSP. Everything else from that era operates at a full speed 60 fps without any skipping or hitching.

I don't think the SNES is well suited for these types of devices anyways as you can't even enjoy a 1:1 pixel image and have to resort to scaling which looks ugly on an LCD.

Vitacat · (01-14-2013, 03:55 PM)

Well over 40k now.

If you want a Zero, tell your friends, post on your blogs etc. and let's try to get this thing funded.