Emulation – The PC Alternatives

   The PC is still the dominant platform for emulation, it offers far more in the way of variety and choice, and 99.99% of the time offers a more competent and a superior experience (depending on who you speak to that is.) Things have only got better and better as the years have rolled by: emulators are improving year-on-year, laptops and desktops can now be hooked up to the TV via HDMI, and the last half a decade or more has seen the Xbox 360 and PS3 controllers become the de facto PC method of controller supported input. More recently there has even been an influx of USB adaptors that enable you to plug old console controllers into the PC for use with emulators to create an even better and closer console experience.

   But what if you don’t want to do emulation on the PC? What if you want a simpler console style experience? What if you want emulation on the move? Well fear not, as emulation on other systems other than the PC has a long history, and there is a wealth of choice out there these days. My Amiga 2000 for example has a Dos 2088 PC emulation expansion board and there is also a version of the Vice C64 emulator available for the Amiga platform. Old consoles such as Sega’s Dreamcast now have plenty of emulators created for it that can be burned onto a CD-R and booted up, so even retro machines are capable of emulating earlier retro machines especially these days. 

   In this article I will be focusing on two different systems and one platform which I am very familiar with and have been experiencing emulation on for some time now. The two systems are the original Xbox and the Nintendo Wii, the other is the Android platform as I have been using a tablet which is what most people will generally use. Why focus on Android instead of other mobile devices such as the PSP or DS? Well it’s simply because I use my Android tablet for emulation and have never experienced emulation on the PSP or DS. Also the Android platform and the tablet market have exploded over the last 4 years, these days most people have a tablet and if it isn’t an iPad then it’s an Android tablet. It must be noted however that because of the wide variety in manufacturers and specs on the platform, not everyone will have the same cohesive experience of emulation on it, and that experience will come down to your specific device. 

Ease of Setup

Original Xbox – To run emulation on the original Xbox it will first have to be modded, this requires it to be either hard modded using a chip or softmodded. The latter uses exploits in software to replace the old firmware with a new custom built one and does not require any additional hardware to be installed. While I can’t speak about how easy or not the hard mod route is, I can however tell you that the softmod method is pretty strait forward to do and I’d say can be easily accomplished by anyone, no matter what your skill level in these areas are. You will have to acquire a few extras off eBay to accomplish the softmod, but it’s pretty strait forward from there on in.

   Two of the most challenging aspects of softmodding the original Xbox comes later after the new firmware has been installed. The first is using an FTP (File Transfer Protocol) program on your PC to send emulators over to the Xbox; the other is installing a larger hdd to house all the emulators you might want to install. The original Xbox comes with an 8gb hdd, once softmodded, 4gb will be used by the firmware while the other 4gb will be free to use as you see fit, but you might find that this small amount might fill up rather quickly. The former is easy enough once you know how to use an FTP program, but the latter is the most challenging technically and is a pain to be honest. There is a compatibility list out there for anyone trying to find a compatible IDE drive right off the bat, these are the best to go for especially if you manage to find a new one for sale as they are easily installed and have the best chance of working even if they are not on the compatibility list. The downside to using an IDE hdd is that they are now really expensive as they are being phased out, now they can cost double the price of a SATA drive with significantly less memory in comparison. Don’t worry though as you can use a SATA drive in conjunction with a SATA to IDE converter, but be warned that there is more of a chance a SATA drive wont work compared to an IDE drive due to incompatibility issues. 

Wii – I didn’t have to buy anything more than an 8gb SD card to softmod the Wii, but the initial installation of the custom firmware was more involved and a drawn out process than it was with the original Xbox. This puts the Wii ahead of the Xbox because although the initial setup is more complex, once its complete there are no more additional steps to be taken afterwards. The SD card is essential as this is where the new firmware and emulators will reside, you will need at least an 8gb SD Card, but if you find yourself needing a bigger card later on then everything can be copy and pasted over to the new card. Installing emulators is made easy by plugging the SD card into a PC and putting them in the correct folder, this is far easier and less time consuming than the FTP method employed by the Xbox. 

Android – Out of all three the Android platform is the easiest to get emulators installed on. It’s as easy as downloading free or paid for emulators off the Google Play store, install them and away you go. If there are certain emulators you want but can’t find on the store, but have found elsewhere, then the APK file can be downloaded or side-loaded onto your Android device, it’s that simple, and for that reason the Android platform wins in this category hands down. 

Plug & Play Experience

Xbox – As the original Xbox is a console, my hopes always were that in softmodding the system it would bring a console type experience to emulation that I couldn’t get from the PC at the time, and sure enough it didn’t disappoint. I have found that most of the emulators, although made or ported by different developers, seem to work to the same basic design and principles as one another, and in doing so have brought some uniformity across the board to the emulation experience on the machine. All emulators I have used are plug & play: once installed they require no further setup or configuration, they are ready to go from installation, they just require you to hit play and this is very much in tune with a console style experience. You can of course mess with options and configuration if you wish, but it’s not mandatory or necessary. Controller integration here is flawless as you would expect it to be, and for anyone wondering, the d-pad works really well for older 8/16-bit games. 

Wii – As with the Xbox, I was hoping that the Wii would deliver a similar experience with emulation, and as development on the Xbox was to such a high standard, I was also expecting the same standards on the Wii. Unfortunately things turned out to be a mixed bag, which is a shame as well as a missed opportunity. I don’t know whether this is due to the fact that the Xbox has had a far longer gestation period in comparison, but the emulation experience is somewhat lacking on the Wii and often far from the plug and play experience that should be on offer. The most common 8/16-bit emulators (Nes, SNES, SMS, Mega Drive) are fine and do offer a good plug and play experience with the added advantage of plenty of different control options via Wii Remote, Classic Controller (Pro) and the Game Cube pad. But I have found that for everything else there always seems to be something getting in the way, be it screen adjustment, setting configurations before play or an emulator just being plain fussy about where stuff is placed or what it can and can’t play. Stick to the most common core of 8/16-bit consoles and you will be fine and have a pleasant enough console type experience, but stray any further and emulation on the Wii will leave you considering better alternatives. 

Android – Hot on the heals of the original Xbox is the Android platform, and you would think that this platform would be the furthest away from a plug and play experience, but from my hands-on it does a far more competent job as a whole than anything offered on the Wii. Just like the Xbox it’s as simple as loading up an emulator and hitting play, with touchscreen controls already mapped out onto the screen. I have yet to come across any emulator that didn’t offer a ready to go plug and play experience, even all the emulators mimicking old computers are ready to go.

   There are a few hoops you will have to jump through to get a more console type experience, such as connecting a controller (Moga, PS3, 360) and connecting to a TV via a HDMI cable, but these will only seek to make a ready and accessible experience more complete. Syncing a controller up to a tablet will mean you will have to first dive into an emulators options to set it up and map the button layout before diving into a game, but once done you shouldn’t have to do it again when booting up the same emulator. 


Emulator Settings & Options

Xbox – In this area the original Xbox once again rules supreme over the competition as the sheer wealth of settings and options that are on offer that can be tweaked in each emulator is mind bending. You can tweak and change just about anything, not that you will necessarily want to, but there are plenty of easy pickings worth having a mess about with such as graphical and texture filters, audio filters, frame rate etc. Its to the credit of all involved with bringing the emulators to the Xbox that you can dive straight into playing games with no need to go anywhere near the settings whatsoever, but if you did wish to change or tweak options even further for whatever reason, then the user is certainly well catered for. 

Wii – For most of the emulators bar a few the choice and scope of settings on the Wii’s range is positively anaemic compared to those on the Xbox with less than a tenth of the choice on offer to the user in comparison. Once again the main 8/16-bit console emulators are reasonably catered for with some good and worth while settings on offer to users, but its still a lot less than what you will find on the Xbox. While it can be said that choice is not everything, it can also be argued that the more options and settings available to the user to tweak, the more they can adjust and cater to their particular experience, taste and variables in HDTVs. When it comes to settings in emulators I am an advocate that more is better as it allows for more freedom and flexibility and in the end will only add to the gaming experience overall. Sadly though this is an area that is underdeveloped in many emulators on the Wii so don’t expect the earth to breath fire here. 

Android – Emulators on the Android platform are slightly ahead of the Wii in the amount of settings and options open to users, but only by a small margin. In some emulators choosing certain graphical options or plugins will either open or restrict the amount of settings available in relevant fields. There are also a wide range of input settings on emulators on this platform as there are quite a lot of Android Bluetooth gaming pads to choose from these days, and that’s on top of the options given for tweaking touchscreen controls. You will also find that most emulators will give you options as to how they handle the frame rate and GPU; this comes in quite handy with the wide ranging hardware that has adopted the Android platform.

   The biggest difference and advantage emulators have in this category over the Wii is that development is very much on-going as opposed to the Wii where development seems all but dead. Emulation on Android is moving forward and fast catching up to Xbox levels of quality, and six months from now there will undoubtedly be newer versions of emulators available with a wider range of settings on offer that will be implemented to a greater degree. 


Overall Quality and Experience

Xbox – From my experience the original Xbox has given the best overall experience, and is outstanding in the quality of emulation on offer. While it lacks the option of a physical keyboard and mouse for the old micro computer emulators, developers have still managed to find the best logical workarounds and produce or port emulators that outperform what’s on offer on other platforms. What you can find on the Xbox is a wealth of choice where the quality of emulation on offer can only truly be rivalled by what is on the PC, no surprise there then as the Xbox is basically a consolized PC. The Xbox has always been synonymous with modding, emulation and homebrew which began no sooner had the console been launched, a factor that also contributed to its success no less. This inevitably gives the original Xbox a leg-up when compared with any other platform as development is so far ahead: at present I feel there is a generational gap between what is on Xbox and what’s offered on the Wii, and perhaps three years gap capered to Android. The Android platform will soon catch up, but I feel the Wii will always lag far behind.

   I cant say that I have encountered any problems with emulators, the usual suspects are still fussy about certain games as is the case on the PC, and on the whole I can say I have had a flawless and enjoyable experience overall. Another great part of emulation on the system is that as far as emulating old consoles go, the Xbox gives as close to a console style experience as you can get, even beating the PC with its USB controller adaptors.

   There is a barrier to all this however as the extra steps you’ll have to take in the modding and setup process to get the best possible experience will be a problematic and sticky experience for some, a complete barrier to others. Having to FTP everything you want over to the system is a pain in the backside as it’s a cumbersome process by todays standards and a time consuming one at that, but these headaches are well worth suffering as the results speak for themselves. 

Wii – I find that I can’t really recommend the Wii for emulation, not when there are better options available. But having said that if you don’t have any other options open to you, and you just want the basics, then the Wii route is one worth taking. It does a competent job with the main 8/16-bit consoles as these emulators are great: frame rate is smooth with accurate and reliable emulation, there are a reasonable amount of basic options and the controls are flawless, although I do find the picture rather hemmed in when compared with other systems. But venture outside of these core emulators and towards anything more exotic or computer based then problems and reliability issues will abound, not to mention emulator specific quirks.

   I can’t help but be very disappointed with the state of emulation on the Wii; it should be a lot closer to where the original Xbox is even with a generational gap between development. It has advantages in its varied controller options, and that a mouse and keyboard can be hooked up via the USB ports for computer based emulators, but sadly only to then be let down by poor emulation and GUI implementation.

   What’s worse is that the Wii seems to be all but abandoned, or at least things have stalled and there has been little movement or development. After a year or more I would expect to see some updates and progression, with newer versions of emulators on offer, but that’s sadly not the case as nothing seems to have moved forward. Its seems as if the Wii cant shake off the dust that always seems to want to cover it and keep it tied down. 

Android – From my experience I have found emulation on Android to be fantastic, especially for such a small portable device I can take with me on my travels. Its not the complete experience on its own because lets face it, touchscreen controls are quite honestly shit, shit is what they are and will always be as they will never be good enough to replace real buttons, d-pads and analog sticks. So investing in a wireless Bluetooth controller, whether it is Moga, Xbox 360, PS3 or one of the many others on the market at the moment is simply a must to complete and round off the emulation experience.

   Emulation is of a high standard, it’s easy to obtain, install and there are plenty to choose from as well as numerous different ones available for any given system. But while most of the emulators are of a high standard, just how well they run will more than likely depend on your specific tablet. More Ram, GPU and graphical grunt the better, but that does not necessarily mean a specific emulator will always run smoothly, it also depends on how much other stuff is running in the background. I have found I got better frame rates and next to no lockups when shutting everything down that I could before running an emulator. You might also find on rooted tablets that squeezing them for more ram and GPU power might help a lot with this, so this is something to bear in mind.

   The portable market is a very fast moving one, and with so many different devices on the market it’s always best to search the web and do your research to make sure you pick the right device for you to save yourself from disappointment. With the Android sphere being so fragmented with different tech specs there will always be problems, but emulation development seems to be keeping up pace and improving all the time, and as a result it looks set to overtake the original Xbox sometime in the very near future.

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Wii Classic Controller Pro

   With the Wii now being discontinued by Nintendo and the Wii U on store shelves (which is still to hit any kind of stride though there is plenty of time yet,) some may think it a bit odd to be talking about the Wii’s Classic Controller Pro. But with so many great games in the Wii library (yes there are a great many of them,) there will ultimately come a point, at least there did for me anyway, when certain games will come along which will make you carefully consider whether to buy this particular controller or not?

   I like the Wii Remote and Nunchuk, and don’t have a problem with using them because as a Wii owner, I know that not all games will make me wave my arms about nonstop all day long. I also believe that they (Wii Remote/Nunchuk) still have great potential as a control method, and when utilised properly they can really add to a game and make the overall gaming experience a whole lot better, the Wii version of Resident Evil 4 is a prime example. Unfortunately we all know that for every game that got the controls right, there are probably two or more that didn’t for one reason or another. One issue with the Wii Remote is that it was never as sensitive or precise enough than Nintendo would have us believe all those years ago, and for some genres it wasn’t the revolutionary control method it should have been. It seemed the Wii Remote, Nunchuk and the first person shooter genre were going to be a match made in heaven, surly this was the perfect control method for such a genre? I still believe it is, or at least it was, if only coders had worked their magic better, and it still could be in the future if the tech was redesigned and beefed up somewhat. But as time has shown, it has never really panned out all that well with the odd exception that is, with many games in the FPS genre feeling as though they had received ported mouse and keyboard controls.

   This is the point where you start lamenting the lack of a second control option (at least I did,) and wished there had of been one right from the very inception of the console itself. Eventually a more traditional controller did appear in the form of the weirdly shaped Classic Controller, and then later with the much better shaped Classic Controller Pro. But the question for any Wii owner is whether it is worth buying one considering how they still seem to hold their price like any coveted Nintendo product? The answer really lies in the number of games you want to play that actually support this controller and whether or not you frequently use a moded Wii for emulation. If there are enough retail, virtual console and WiiWare releases that will outweigh the cost of buying one and you do use the console for emulation, the Classic Controller Pro is essential. Its worth pointing out that any game which supports the Classic Controller also supports the Classic Controller Pro as they are essentially the same product in different shells. 

   As a general controller goes, or a traditional controller in Nintendo’s case, this is in my humble opinion, the best the company has ever produced. I have never been that struck on Nintendo controllers, even when I had a SNES when I was younger, I always preferred to use a third party pad instead of Ninty’s very own. As for their other controllers through the generations, I find the NES pad extremely uncomfortable to hold for any length of time, I didn’t like the feel of the N64 analog stick and found the general design of the GameCube pad just weird. So for me at least, I find the very by-the-numbers design and button layout very comfortable and pleasing, especially when playing a game for several hours.

   The grips sit neatly in the palm of each hand and the shape lets my fingers naturally curl around the top of the pad onto the shoulder buttons while I find the two analog sticks perfectly placed apart for the thumbs. The face buttons are quite large and have a nice pop to them, and thankfully the d-pad is rather large for a Nintendo controller which gets a big thumbs up from me. That’s another complaint I had with the N64 and GameCube controllers, the d-pads on them were tiny and felt just something awful, so I’m very pleased Ninty didn’t do the same on this pad.

   This pad isn’t without its quirks though, and while I understand the reasoning behind them, it would have been nice to have had a pad featuring the rest of the bells-and-whistles we have all generally become accustomed to over the last two generations. This controller is not wireless, so to pass its inputs onto the console it plugs into the bottom of the Wii Remote and piggybacks off its wireless signal. It’s better than plugging the pad into the console and stretching a lead across the room, but annoying all the same as going down this cost cutting route means it also lacks rumble and a built in speaker. I’m sure the mandate behind the Classic Controller Pro was to produce a traditional style controller that would meet the needs of the target consumer it was aimed at, yet be produced for significantly less by stripping its features back to the core basics.

   This controller is well worth getting even if it does feed off the Wii Remote and lack several features, especially if you can find one cheap enough, though they do tend to hold their price. If you plan on playing The Last Story, Xenoblade Chronicles, Call of Duty games or the madcap No More Heroes 2 then you will find this controller a worthwhile investment and hard earned money well spent.

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What’s In the Box? Alone In the Dark Limited Edition Xbox 360

   Released in 2008 for the Xbox 360 and PC, with an altogether different version released for the PS2 and Nintendo Wii that same year, (though with a similar plot line to the 360/PC versions,) the game was embattled by a mixed reception from critics, which then ended up in a mire of controversy. But no matter what axe Atari and the review critics were trying to grind with each other at the expense of gamers no less, the game itself got buried between the two parties, shame really because if both parties had stopped trying to score points off of each other, this great horror game might have reached greater success. 

   Alone In the Dark 5 (or 2008, not to be confused with the original game of the same name) was actually a really great horror game that sadly few have bothered to play, though it did apparently sell quite well. Its surprisingly one of the better horror games of this generation, more so than the very dismal Resident Evil (RE) offerings that have been served up to disenchanted RE fans. This game can be bought at a super cheap price, and it’s worth every penny, so if you have the chance to grab a copy then do so, you’ll enjoy this game.

   This Limited Edition version was only available to European gamers, and only available through the video games retailer Game here in the UK, so if anyone in the US likes the look of this then you will have to import it. 

Alone In the Dark Limited Edition Xbox 360
Contents; 

Game
CD soundtrack by Olivier Deriviere
Making of DVD
Edward Carnby figure
Hardback art book

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AverMedia Game Capture HD

   If there was one thing that always bothered me about capturing screenshots and video footage of games from various different consoles and computers, it was just the sheer inconvenience of it all. With the need for screenshots and video footage of a particular game very much a necessity, I was always forced to laboriously disconnect a certain console or computer from its life support and haul it from its favoured spot to the floor beneath the aging behemoth that is my desktop PC. I would then have to connect it to the machine via EzCAP (yes it really is spelt that way!?) and use Windows Movie Maker (WMM) to capture the incoming video signal from whatever games machine I was playing on. This was all very laborious and inconvenient, not to mention time consuming in the extreme, complicated more by the fact that WMM would only let me view the video signal being captured in the smallest of windows (the size of which was unchangeable.) I also only had one double plug socket at my disposal which was already being used by the PC, which meant using an extension cable. Once I was done, I had the happy job of putting everything away afterwards, only to repeat the whole process a day or two later.

   Something clearly had to be done, something had to give way eventually, and I could only hope that there was a much simpler way of capturing video footage and screenshots from all my consoles and computers with minimal amount of hassle. The biggest part of this for me was cutting out the need to use a PC entirely from the equation altogether, and I was sure that a quick search of Amazon would bring up a myriad of different devices for me to choose from. But sadly I couldn’t have been more wrong.

   At the time there was only one standalone box on the market that didn’t require a PC to operate, and furthermore was specifically aimed at those who wanted to capture video from games consoles. I was disappointed at the complete lack of choice, and I found it rather perplexing that all the other manufacturers who had various capturing devices in the same marketplace all deemed it necessary to require a PC to function with their products. But therein lies the problem for me, all the other products are essentially dedicated external video cards, they are powerful which goes without saying, but they are just the hardware component. The software side of things, where you initiate the recording, processing and furthermore the storage of the video/picture files happens on the PC end, so a PC is always needed in the equation. What I wanted was an all-in-one external capturing device that was the capturing card, storage and software all under one hood that was totally independent of a PC and a self contained unit. I found what I was looking for in the AverMedia Game Capture HD; it was exactly the all-in-one box I wanted, though it wasn’t without a few small drawbacks.

   The Game Capture HD is small and compact for what it is; it’s an unobtrusive box that can be easily found a place between your favourite consoles, as it’s almost half the height of a GameCube and only a few centimetres bigger width wise. It essentially acts as a pass through box by which the video output of a console is connected to the unit via a component lead, with the output from the box connected to a TV via component cable as well. The video signal from the console passes through the Game Capture HD where it can be recorded and stored on its way to the TV, but best of all, and most importantly, there are absolutely no lag or latency issues while you play, and no impact to the video quality (depending on which mode the box is set to.)

   The Game Capture HD has a compartment underneath it to fit a 2.5” SATA hard drive, which you can add one anywhere up to 500GB in size (500GB recommended by AverMedia,) or the unit has one USB port on the front if you wish to use an external USB storage device. Be warned though, like any media unit, if you do decide to fit a hdd internally, or use non-flash USB storage externally, then it is recommended that you use one that runs as fast as possible, preferably 7200rpm or above.

   The unit has two buttons on the front, a power button and a record button, which you can be used instead of the remote. The remote, like the unit, is small and compact, but is essential as it is used not only to initiate the unit and record function, but to set the video and picture (screenshot) quality (of which there are three different levels of quality and compression to choose from,) but to also jump between a full and minimal functionality mode. Full functionality mode gives you access to all the menu and preview options while you are playing a game, so you can play back what you have just recorded, or mess with the quality and compression options. The only downside to this is that full functionality does impact slightly on the video quality you see on the TV, but only by a barely noticeable degree, and only on the real-time TV image, this does not impact on the quality of the video being recorded. Minimal functionality has no impact on the TV image and gives you a flawless picture while you’re playing a game, but the menu and video/picture playback options are not available, you are only able to use the record and stop function.

   The quality of the screenshots and Video that the Game Capture HD records really speaks for itself, on the best quality settings this device records and captures some very high quality video and pictures. I have never had any complaints about the quality of any video I have recorded, and I have had nothing but a flawless user experience with this box. There are several drawbacks to the Game Capture HD however that are worth taking into consideration when buying one though, they are not show stoppers by any means, but rather features that would only have complemented the device and make it a more complete Game Capturing all-in-one box.

   First off then, as you might have spotted already, this is a HD video capture box, so it naturally captures video in HD quality. The initial firmware out of the box (firmware version 1.5) will capture video in AVI, but as of the latest firmware update (firmware version 2.0.6) it now captures video in MP4. I have tested the quality of both video types from both firmware versions and they are fantastic of course, and now that the system captures video in MP4 as of the latest update the video is more compatible and friendly with video editing software and other media playing devices.

  The downside is that as a HD capturing device it only accepts component HD video input, so in other words it only captures video from the current generation of consoles (Xbox360/PS3/Wii,) or at least anything through a component lead as low as 480i all the way up to 1080i at 50/60hz. The Game Capture HD can also capture video from an Original Xbox if you have one, as when used with a component lead and its HD video output enabled, games will run at 480p and the odd few at 720p. The Game Capture HD does not have a composite input so you’re really out of luck for older systems, which is a real shame for anyone like me that has a variety of different systems and computers from various decades past. Not being able to capture composite video signals is somewhat of a disappointment and a missed opportunity by AverMedia to make this box the all-in-one video capture box that any gamer could ever need. It also means anyone whishing to capture composite video from older systems will need to look elsewhere, and annoyingly find a place for another device.

   Another drawback that I have come across is that this particular box only accepts component, furthermore it only allows for one component input at a time. This is also another missed opportunity, AverMedia could have at least allowed for a HDMI input at the very least, which would allow for more than one console to be hooked up at any given time, albeit by different input cable types. Or they could have offered two HDMI inputs and a component as is the standard on most HD devices these days. But truth is there was a lot more they could have done really and as it stands, this oversight or lack of foresight makes for a lot of unnecessary cable swapping that could have been avoided.

   Another feature that the Game Capture HD lacks is the ability to adjust the brightness and contrast of the video being recorded, and although it’s nothing major, it should really have been a standard feature in the box’s settings. While the box does record a crisp image that quality wise is great, the video and the screenshots do turn out to be pretty dark compared to the image being viewed on the TV. Whether AverMedia never thought to add brightness and contrast settings, or whether they thought the user could adjust these in game or even on the console end, who the hell knows? But the fact remains that the video does turn out way too dark, and this is another thing that could have easily been addressed, and it could still be addressed in a future firmware update. The only way at the moment to remedy this is to post process the video or screenshots via video editing software for the former (or Youtube if you plan on uploading) and something like Paint.NET for the latter, all of which will fix the brightness issues and make the image as it should be.

Otagi - Xbox - Post render using Paint.NET

Otagi - Xbox - Original Screenshot pre-render

   It’s a shame that the Game Capture HD has the small issues that it has, if AverMedia could only have gone that extra mile, it would make all other capturing devices on the market worthless, it really could have been the all conquering solution. But having said that using this all-in-one video capture box is a far better solution to capturing current gen gaming footage in my opinion, as there is nothing worse than having the major headache of setting up your console next to the PC just to capture some video. What the Game Capture HD is in essence is pure convenience as opposed to other devices that require a PC, which are quite honestly the total opposite. The Game Capture HD is definitely worth purchasing even with its small faults, and I am certainly happier and better off using it over the cumbersome irritation of other devices period.

Otagi - Xbox - Original Screenshot pre-render

Otagi - Xbox - Post render using Paint.NET

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Nintendo Gamer Magazine

   This is the second time I have started writing this, the first time I went off on a complete tangent about how current gen gaming (at least on the Xbox 360,) has lost me, and how I’m looking for my games and gaming experience elsewhere. But I was really going off topic to be honest as all I really want to talk about is Nintendo Gamer Magazine and what’s made me pick this fine issue up.

   Firstly, as you can probably tell from the front cover, it has a great article about the Wii U, a console I'm eagerly awaiting and shall be making my next gen system, so this was the magazines first draw for me. This article is great because it aims at looking through all the speculative and rumour mill bullshit to read between the lines based upon actual fact’s given by either Nintendo themselves, or actual reliable sources that are in the spotlight, as opposed to those that remain hidden in the shadows of secrecy and can offer up any load of old tosh as god given fact. This was a very interesting read, one that laid out the facts, read between the lines, and aimed to keep an open mind at where the Wii U might be in terms of its graphics, power, price and features when  its released.

   The second thing about this magazine that attracted me to it was all the retro goodness within its pages. Now I love the Nintendo of old, the days of the 8-bit and 16-bit Nintendo, those were magical times, and when I was young nobody could seperate me away from my Game Boy or SNES, it just wasn’t going to happen. I can fondly remember taking my Game Boy everywhere with me, no matter where I went, the classic handheld was by my side in an all encompassing carry case. But I have to admit, the newer Nintendo, that from at least the N64 onwards (although I wouldn’t class the N64 as new,) I could never seem to connect with. I gave the Wii a major try when I bought one 6 months after launch, and I'm still impressed with the system, and still think even now that the motion controls have huge potential. But I was waiting for games for what seemed like forever, so I sadly and regrettably sold it, in hindsight, I wish I hadn’t as there are some amazing games on the system now, but hindsight is a wonderful thing.

   Anyway, going way off topic again. But at the back of Nintendo Gamer you will find an epic best of list, each full of a sizable amount of games, with each given a short sentence or two as to why it was chosen. All Nintendo’s main systems are there, from the NES, right the way through to the 3DS, it even gives a best of games list for the Wiiware and Nintendo’s eshop, and for those of you that were wondering, no the Virtual Boy is not listed.

   But for us retro gamers the goodness doesn’t stop there, they have a great many other article’s, reviews and tip-bits on games from the past that graced Nintendo’s many systems. They cover the N64’s Glover, Viewtiful Joe, Freedom Fighters (one of my personal favourites that I loved on the PS2, though not retro, ) Aliens 3, Micro Machines for the NES and much more. One aspect of the retro content in this magazine that I really like is that it starts to creep in from the centre-fold onwards, and instead of being bunched up into its own retro section, it is cleverly mixed together alongside all the modern games.

   I’ll really be looking out for the next issue, and I hope that Nintendo Gamer will continue the great mixture of new and old together that feels quite refreshing. So if you’re a retro gamer like me, and you like Nintendo’s classic systems and games, as well as their modern stuff, Nintendo Gamer is a worthy buy, I gave it a go, and found it to be a surprisingly enjoyable read.

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