I’ve been fortunate enough to do some traveling recently around the Bay Area. While there, I took the BART system and overheard a conversation unfold that went something like this:
Guy #1: You see (Steph) Curry tear it up in the (basketball) World Cup?
Guy 2: Nah, I don’t have time to follow basketball. Baseball is still going and football just started!
Hard to argue with Guy #2 — it’s hard to justify scrounging every day for every single scrap of news, sports or otherwise. Even on the weekend the 24/7 news cycle makes keeping up difficult. With headlines shifting throughout the day, it is easy to miss what was front page worthy material in the morning by the time noon rolls around.
The phrase “I have seen the future, and it works” is attributed to Lincoln Steffens, a proto-socialist who thought the USSR would be humanity’s haven for order and beauty. What he saw in the soon-to-be failed state, however, was merely a glimmer of the true light. Here is the true light:
Some of that NBA Jam biz.
It is a homemade arcade system equipped with every worthy game of our generation; it is the shimmering jewel of the ages, three decades-worth of pixels and magic. According to its assembler, Brian Collette, brother of baseball writer Jason Collette, the device has all you require:
A hearty giggity goo! A giggity goo to echo across the ages!
The principle of the machine is very simple — it’s basically just an old computer with a MAME emulator inside it. For more info on the parallel beauties and troubles of emulation, check out David Wiers’ excellent emulator article.
Why would we ever need another gaming device?
The hard part, really, is the hardware. But according to Brian, this is a device you, sir and/or madame, can build too:
You will need a cheap PC and monitor. Says Brian: “I used a $200 Dell, any old one you’re no longer using would work; doesn’t need much modern power. Add some old computer speakers.”
And for the cherry atop the castle of techno-awesome, Brian elected to add a coin-operated edifice so as to simulate spending extra money on playing these games. (And though he does not explicit suggest this, it may also work as an excellent power play in the family dynamics. He who controls the quarters controls the universe.) According Brian, this cleverness “only requires some simple wiring setup. They sell them here.”
(NOTE: We and I personally do not get any kickbacks from any of these above-linked business. Of course, if you work for one of those businesses, feel free to send me free stuff.)
A glimpse at the coin-operated majestyness. As a whole, the setup looks daunting, but those with any experience in hardware, it might be a lot easier to fit modern computer components into what is now a spacious casing.
And before you assault your loved one with tales of digital valor and majesty — and therefore signify the pressing need for a device such as this in your own home — girdle yourself with this knowledge: Apparently Brian is not the only enthusiast in the house. According to him, it’s a family affair:
My wife and son love it too, there’s nothing like playing a game on a real arcade machine whether it’s Galaga or Street Fighter II. Even Nintendo games like RBI Baseball translate well.
So really, not building one of these babies is like voting no on family values.
A hideaway keyboard and mouse because, let’s face it, interfacing with a computer using only a joystick and eight buttons would be torture.
Bri-man estimates the total cost in the $500 to $1000 range, depending on what you’ll need to buy fresh. I, for instance, have lobbied to save at minimum two old towers (both of which have smaller processors than my Nexus 5 at this point), so I’d be gravy on that end, but the monitor would need to be acquired — perhaps via prudent garage saling. But can we put a price on awesome? Or, more importantly, can we put a price on the validation we will douse ourselves in when we suddenly have a (moderately) legitimate reason for storing those old computer parts in the baby’s closet?
Few things can flood my memory banks with thoughts of my childhood better than hearing the startup music for certain Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES) games. From FIFA Soccer 96 to Cal Ripken Jr. Baseball — and of course other games such as Super Mario World and The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past — I have fond and vivid memories of spending hours in front of the TV. I wasn’t fortunate enough to own a SNES, instead I relied on my friends to get my video game fix. Sometimes I would simply watch my friends play and be amazed by what I was seeing on the screen. Those high quality graphics pumping through the 16-bit chipset was something that captivated me. For the first time in my life rather than pretending to be Cobi Jones or Kasey Keller in the backyard, I could pick up a controller and really play as my favorite soccer stars.
Fortunately there is a way to go back in time, at least for video games, and it doesn’t even require a DeLorean. Short of purchasing an older system on eBay or Amazon, the best way to replay those games is to download a system emulator. To be a nine-year-old kid again isn’t something I find particularly appealing, but it would be a lie to say I didn’t occasionally long for the days of playing on a SNES again. Read the rest of this entry »
I don’t have much to complain about — particularly when it comes to technology — but when my Chromecast first arrived I must admit I was disappointed I couldn’t stream things like baseball or soccer right away, as I hit a bit of a technical snag. In my mind, the universal plug-n-play (or UPnP) seemed fairly straightforward. While I’m not a network engineer, I pride myself on my ability to get something up and running, particularly something as seemingly simply as Chromecast. To see a picture like this was immensely frustrating:
