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In search of pixel perfection with the Analogue Super NT
The 16-bit aesthetic is the new vinyl. It taps into a growing vein of '90s nostalgia, and it also reflects a longing for a tactile past world that just predates full-scale digitization. Fat, colorful sprites represent an era when technology was still analog and full of exciting possibilities. The Super Nintendo is as much an emblem of this retro near-futurism as it is a game machine. But boy, is it also a great game machine. Hence, nostalgia for the Super Nintendo is currently at its absolute peak. There are half a dozen or so clone consoles on the market and advanced emulators such as Higan that run with near-cycle perfection on high-end PCs. Then there's Nintendo's own incredibly popular SNES Mini. In short, there is no shortage of ways to play these classic games right now. All options have their strengths and drawbacks, but Analogue's new Super NT retro console easily blows them all out of the water, delivering sprites with pixel-perfect accuracy, zero lag and considerable polish.
SNES-inspired 3DS XL hits Europe in October
Miss out on the SNES Classic pre-orders that went up (and promptly sold out) overnight? Nintendo has a consolation prize for you. Sort of. The storied game-maker will release a Super Nintendo-themed 3DS XL this October 13th. There's a catch though: It'll only be available in Europe. As Polygon notes, last year Japan got a Super Famicom-styled 3DS XL, and it still hasn't made its way to our shores. But given that the Super Famicom itself was exclusive to Japan, that makes sense. The same can't be said for the SNES one. We've reached out to Nintendo for more information and will update this post should it arrive.
Play the lost 'Rayman' prototype if you have a SNES emulator
While the dream of playing a lost version of Rayman for Super NES on Nintendo's Switch console hasn't come true (yet), we have a bit of an update about the game itself. Archivist and game developer Omar Cornut recently borrowed the ROM original developer Michel Ancel (above) teased last fall, dumped it to his computer and then uploaded the files to Dropbox for everyone to play. Everyone who has a Super NES emulator that'll read a .SFC extension, of course.
The charity that wants video game karts in every hospital
In many ways, Jonathan Watson is like other 11-year-olds. He does his homework, dreams of becoming a doctor and plays video games when he can. Depending on the day, his favorite is either Minecraft or The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. Unlike most kids his age, though, Jonathan is at the hospital every three weeks for blood transfusions -- a procedure that can take up to six hours at a time. When I visited him at Mott Children's Hospital in Ann Arbor, Michigan, he wasn't slaying dragons or building a pixelated fortress; he was replaying the opening levels of Rayman Legends on a kart that had just been wheeled in. The kart was donated by a local Eagle Scout who raised funds through the Gamers Outreach Foundation (GO), a nationwide charity that puts medical-grade gaming equipment in hospitals around the country. The "GO Kart" Jonathan was using included everything needed to play video games: a modest Samsung television, an Xbox 360 (though any console will fit) and a pair of gamepads. The kit itself is hardly revolutionary, but anyone who's schlepped their gear to a LAN party can appreciate the simplicity of this rolling, self-contained setup. At Mott and 19 other hospitals around the country, they're the most popular "toy" available. And when you're a kid with a medical condition like Watson's, it's easy to see why.
Ben Heck's multi-system retro controller
try{document.getElementById("aol-cms-player-1").style.display="none";}catch(e){} Using a build idea from the element14 Community, Ben takes an ESP8266 module and creates the ultimate all-in-one retro gaming controller for the Super Nintendo, Sega Megadrive / Genesis and Nintendo Entertainment System. To get the digital signals from the buttons across the wireless transmission to the receiver, Ben will have to use shift registers such as the 74HC595 to combine the bits into a data stream. It's not all straightforward, though: Felix steps in to help with LUA scripting and the team hits a snag with the programming. Fortunately, designing the enclosure is a lot simpler thanks to Autodesk Fusion 360. After a lot of testing, soldering and taking apart a Sega controller, the team creates a controller of wonder. Which consoles would you control? Would you design it any differently? Suggest a build on the element14 Community.
Get a look at the lost Super NES 'Rayman' game
When he isn't busy cryptically teasing Beyond Good & Evil 2, game developer Michel Ancel laments (above) past projects lost to the sands of time. Like the Super NES version of Rayman that was scrapped in favor of iterations for the Atari Jaguar and original PlayStation. As noticed by Motherboard, Ancel managed to find an old prototype cartridge and fired it up.
Nintendo makes SNES games exclusive to 'New' Nintendo 3DS
Want to play classic, Super Nintendo games on the go? Hope you updated to Nintendo's vaguely named "New" Nintendo 3DS last year, then -- the company just announced that the latest additions to its virtual console library are exclusive to the revised handheld. Starting later today, NN3DS owners will be able to download Super Mario World, F-Zero and Pilotwings from the Nintendo E-Shop.
'Rare Replay': gaming classics at their best-worst
It wasn't until after I'd repeatedly pummeled an oversized rat's testicles that I realized why preserving video game history is so important. Were it not for Rare Replay, an anthology of 30 games spanning 32 years, I'd never have played Battletoads Arcade and would've missed one of the finest moments from one of gaming's most storied developers. Replay is an invaluable record of developer Rare's legacy, but it's neither complete nor perfect. Before Microsoft purchased the studio for $375 million in 2002, Rare made games almost exclusively for Nintendo. GoldenEye and the Donkey Kong Country series (arguably its biggest hits) are absent here thanks to publishing and licensing deals, while other games have been scrubbed free of Nintendo references entirely. While Replay's remastered contents are the best they'll likely ever look, games aren't movies, and visuals are only one part of the equation here. So can a slick, modern package make up for any shortcomings that result from playing decades-old games? The answer isn't so simple and it fluctuates wildly from one classic Rare title to the next.
A look at the evolution of modern video game controllers
If anything's kept pace with how video games have changed over the years, it's how we interact with them. Our biggest touchpoint with virtual worlds is the gamepad and -- akin to how games themselves have evolved from simple 2D affairs into 100-hour-long labyrinths in three dimensions -- controllers have changed to accommodate that. What you'll find in the gallery below is a comprehensive look at gamepads from the past 30-plus years of gaming, including high points and missteps alike. [Image: Adafruit Industries/Flickr]
eBay alert: EVERY SUPER NINTENDO GAME
Remember that scene in The Professional where Gary Oldman turns to a guy and says "Bring me everyone" and the guy is like "What do you mean by 'everyone'?" and then Gary Oldman goes"EEEEEVERYYYYYYYONE"? Well, if you win this auction, the seller will ship you EEEEEVERYYYYYYY ONE of the 720 Super Nintendo games released in the US, all of which are complete, and many of which are sealed. Plus you get 74 duplicates, which you can then use to recoup some of your investment.The collection includes future Virtually Overlooked subjects like Bronkie the Bronchiasaurus, Pieces, and Cacoma Knight in Bizyland. The price is a little high per game, but the convenience factor of not having to comb hundreds of eBay auctions and game stores for a complete copy of Super Troll Island is considerable.If you win, and you don't want your extra copy of Super 3D Noah's Ark or Packy & Marlon, please consider sending it along to your friendly neighborhood bloggers. Just a thought.[Via Game|Life]
