Which Console (or Era) do you gravitate towards?

retropieuser555

So I was reading an article that apparently PS2 is the most emulated machine on Steam deck. That to me was kind of surprising as I honestly don't know much about that era (I had a GameCube at the time so missed out on the PS2 and OG Xbox)

Generally on RetroPie and emulating I seem to find myself playing either the PC Engine or the N64 oddly though. The N64 for me is probably just rose tinted glasses where it was my main console growing up; whereas the PC Engine does seem to have such a strange mix of games and always seems to have the "best" version of 8bit era games (monster world, Ys etc).

What does everyone else find on here? Which Console for you gets the most playtime on RetroPie (and Emulating in general on other setups)

hawkes_84

@retropieuser555 I'd say Megadrive for me. The Sonics, Flashback and Cannon Fodder. Then maybe n64 for the AKI wrestling games and the shooters. If decent PS2 emulation can be achieved on the Pi5 then I imagine that will be the new leader since I have a bunch of Metal Gears and Silent Hill's to get through

YFZdude

I first started exploring many NES games I hadn't played in a while. And also playing some of the greats that I never finished. I confess I use save states on the old games that were really tough because I just don't have hundreds of hours to devote to beating them like I might have in my youth. (Ninja Gaiden, Castlevania, and Mega Man series)

I've moved through the various Nintendo systems I've owned and some Sega Genesis Classics as well. I love not having to dig out old wires and hook them up to my TV hoping for a good signal on RF or RCA jacks.

Recently I've spent more time playing N64 and Gamecube games (PC build of RetroPie). I sold my Gamecube when Wii came out cause it could play those discs. Then my Wii broke and I ended up switching to Wii U. Dolphin has been a fantastic way to go play the games I don't have a console for anymore.

windg

My favourite systems in RetroPie are:

Scummvm
Psx
Snes
Megadrive
DosBox

I was using Raspberry Desktop to emulate Scummvm abd dosbox but after the release of the Jessie, scummvm was too slow. Then i discovered RetroPie and here i am.

My first console was Atari 2600 and the last Xbox 360. I am a kid of late 80's and 90's.

thelostsoul

Depends on what bubble you live. I honestly thought the SNES would be the most emulated system on RetroPie. It also depends on what era of RetroPie we speak. In older Raspberry Pi versions we could barely run N64 in a playable state and sticked to PS1 and lower systems to emulate.

When people upgrade to stronger hardware, then they are able to emulate games which were choppy or impossible before. So when people emulate on Steam Deck, I can see why they choose to play PS2 games, because they played enough and alot of older systems before. Just a theory.

retropieuser555

@thelostsoul I guess it's possible. Oddly for myself I don't really enjoy the GameCube/PS2/Xbox era all that much as a generation. On balance I'd prefer a SNES or Mega Drive game over a PS2 one for example. I guess the 16bit were peak 2D gaming whereas N64/PS1 and PS2/GameCube were early 3D gaming?

YFZdude

@retropieuser555
I know what you mean. N64 and PS1 look very dated when you play those games.

At least by Gamecube or PS2 Era the graphics had gotten much better and the analog controls don't feel as clunky.