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[VGEsoterica]

I still remember when I got the PS1 as a kid; brand new shiny 3D console with a copy of Crash Bandicoot. I'd never seen 3D outside of arcades and now suddenly it was hooked up to a tv in my house. Needless to say my nostalgia for the PS1 generation is huge.

But did you know the hardware got a ton of pivots...the most unique being the Taito G-Net? It's an overspec'd PSX with PCMCIA cards as the storage medium vs discs with extra ram and sound hardware on board. And it still has a decent amount of exclusive games that never got any home ports. Sure it's not in a nicely designed beige box with the Sony logo on the top...but for what it lacks in ease of use it more than makes up for it in having an absolutely awesome library filled with unique experiences.

Plus with some modding you can get it booting other PSX arcade games that were never designed for the system. So you can't beat that!

But Gaf...I am curious who knew about the G-Net and who collects arcade hardware here? I know this is more of a console/PC space...but I am sure there are some arcade fans around

 

[IFireflyl]

I had never heard of this before now. I love seeing small bits of gaming history like this come into the light.

System 16 - Taito G-NET System Hardware (Taito)

System16 - The Arcade Museum. Detailed Hardware information on Arcade Hardware and Systems.

www.system16.com

 

[Ceallach]

I collect a little Arcade hardware. I have a supergun and a number of boards as well as a 4 slot MVS and too many games(though prices now are preventing me from completing it fully) and a System 246 though I only have AEUG vs Titans, Gundam vs Gundam, YuYuHakusho, and Tekken 5(base), I had a racer that came with the board, but no way to really play racing games since I didn't have any of the driving hardware just the disc and card.

 

[VGEsoterica]

I collect a little Arcade hardware. I have a supergun and a number of boards as well as a 4 slot MVS and too many games(though prices now are preventing me from completing it fully) and a System 246 though I only have AEUG vs Titans, Gundam vs Gundam, YuYuHakusho, and Tekken 5(base), I had a racer that came with the board, but no way to really play racing games since I didn't have any of the driving hardware just the disc and card.

It’s actually not TOO hard to create custom driving controls. For controllers GameCube makes the best mod candidate but you can also pick up and require old DB9 PC wheel and pedal sets (pre-USB as you don’t need any of the logic it brings)

 

[Neo_GAF]

same goes for the CPS changer. i never heard of this system until recently.

capcom having a console is so wyld!

 

[Ceallach]

Yeah, I always intendo to look into how to set a lot of that stuff up. I'd really like to get a light gun, driving controls and drum controls somehow because I'd love to grab Ridge Racer V, Time Crisis 3/4 and some Taikos.

 

[nkarafo]

PS1 level hardware released in 1998 in the arcades? When everyone already had PS1/N64/Pentium+Voodoo at home and the Dreamcast was on it's way?

Who would want to spend money to play for a few minutes, the same kind of games you play at home all day?

 

[VGEsoterica]

Yeah, I always intendo to look into how to set a lot of that stuff up. I'd really like to get a light gun, driving controls and drum controls somehow because I'd love to grab Ridge Racer V, Time Crisis 3/4 and some Taikos.

The light gun stuff becomes the most complicated due to all the sensors. I don’t recommend starting there

 

[reinking]

PS1 level hardware released in 1998 in the arcades? When everyone already had PS1/N64/Pentium+Voodoo at home and the Dreamcast was on it's way?

Who would want to spend money to play for a few minutes, the same kind of games you play at home all day?

You have a NEO GEO avatar and you are asking this question?

 

[EverydayBeast]

Really liked watching those arcade games.

 

[nkarafo]

You have a NEO GEO avatar and you are asking this question?

You compare the Neo-Geo with the more mainstream priced consoles?

The Neo-Geo was the other way around. An Arcade board at home, to be able to have an arcade experience at home. With the price to match.

This one is a home based hardware (PS1) to the arcades so you can have a... home experience at the Arcades? No wonder these games never made any impact.

 

[reinking]

You compare the Neo-Geo with the more mainstream priced consoles?

The Neo-Geo was the other way around. An Arcade board at home, to be able to have an arcade experience at home. With the price to match.

This one is a home based hardware (PS1) to the arcades so you can have a... home experience at the Arcades? No wonder these games never made any impact.

Who would want to spend money to play for a few minutes, the same kind of games you play at home all day?

 

[VGEsoterica]

You compare the Neo-Geo with the more mainstream priced consoles?

The Neo-Geo was the other way around. An Arcade board at home, to be able to have an arcade experience at home. With the price to match.

This one is a home based hardware (PS1) to the arcades so you can have a... home experience at the Arcades? No wonder these games never made any impact.

I think they meant “Neo Geo games were graphically inferior in the late days” and was trying to imply that did nothing to effect the fun you could have with them

 

[AlphaMale]

Chaos Heat looks awesome! Totally my type of couch co-op game.
Someone please port it to the PS!

 

[nkarafo]

Who would want to spend money to play for a few minutes, the same kind of games you play at home all day?

When exactly you could have Neo-Geo quality games at home other than owning an AES? Not before around 1999 where you could emulate the games on modern PCs at the time. The Neo-Geo tech was already 10 years old by then.

I think they meant “Neo Geo games were graphically inferior in the late days” and was trying to imply that did nothing to effect the fun you could have with them

And i would disagree. Neo-Geo games still had the best looking 2D graphics/animation up to the Dreamcast era. The PS1/Saturn had a hard time porting those games because of the slow CD and low RAM and N64 carts were far smaller in ROM size. Metal Slug 3 was released in 2000 and still had the best sprite based graphics at release.

On the other hand, what did the G-Net had to show for in 1998 that you had not seen already on the PS1 in the previous 4 years?

 

[reinking]

When exactly you could have Neo-Geo quality games at home other than owning an AES? Not before around 1999 where you could emulate the games on modern PCs at the time. The Neo-Geo tech was already 10 years old by then.

You're missing the point. It was just a side comment I made in regards to how you had phrased something. If you can't understand that it is not a big deal.

 

[VGEsoterica]

Chaos Heat looks awesome! Totally my type of couch co-op game.
Someone please port it to the PS!

It’s the perfect couch co op game

It has a sequel. That’s ONLY on PS1. Chaos Break. Give that a shot!

 

[thicc_girls_are_teh_best]

And i would disagree. Neo-Geo games still had the best looking 2D graphics/animation up to the Dreamcast era. The PS1/Saturn had a hard time porting those games because of the slow CD and low RAM and N64 carts were far smaller in ROM size. Metal Slug 3 was released in 2000 and still had the best sprite based graphics at release.

I have to disagree with this to a degree, partly because a lot of the best-looking 2D games in the late '90s never even came to the Neo-Geo. Dodonpachi, Marvel vs Street Fighter, Rayman, etc. Those were among some of the best-looking 2D games out there and looked better than some of Neo-Geo's later releases.

On the other hand, what did the G-Net had to show for in 1998 that you had not seen already on the PS1 in the previous 4 years?

That is a good point. G-Net basically seems like another Sega ST-V type of board. But to answer your other question "why play games at an arcade you could play at home all day?". Well, because a lot of arcade versions of certain games had controls that were much better with the type of interfaces only arcades could house. That's one reason.

Social environment was another, plus you could play games at an arcade for much cheaper than at home if you were skilled enough to beat them on limited credits or ICC them. Whereas even with a rental, you were still paying out maybe $5 or $10 bucks for a few days.

 

[nkarafo]

But to answer your other question "why play games at an arcade you could play at home all day?". Well, because a lot of arcade versions of certain games had controls that were much better with the type of interfaces only arcades could house. That's one reason.

Social environment was another, plus you could play games at an arcade for much cheaper than at home if you were skilled enough to beat them on limited credits or ICC them. Whereas even with a rental, you were still paying out maybe $5 or $10 bucks for a few days.

IMO the arcade experience was always mostly about the spectacle. It was always like that from the beginning. Arcade hardware was always about no compromises and most of the time it was designed around the needs of the games and not the other way around. I visited the arcades because the games looked above and beyond of what i had at home. With stuff like the Model 3 being the peak example of the gap between home systems and arcades.

When this stopped being a thing i lost interest and it seems like i wasn't the only one. Arcades declined at that exact time.

 

[thicc_girls_are_teh_best]

IMO the arcade experience was always mostly about the spectacle. It was always like that from the beginning. Arcade hardware was always about no compromises and most of the time it was designed around the needs of the games and not the other way around. I visited the arcades because the games looked above and beyond of what i had at home. With stuff like the Model 3 being the peak example of the gap between home systems and arcades.

When this stopped being a thing i lost interest and it seems like i wasn't the only one. Arcades declined at that exact time.

For sure, home consoles catching up (more or less) with arcades hurt the latter. But I don't think the market needed to fizzle out the way it did, there were and still are so many other qualities to the arcade market that weren't fully tapped into IMO. Sega were in the best position to realize this in theory; in practice they did so much damage to their home console brand, they were no longer in a position to do it by 2001.

What the market's transformed into now is mainly redemption games at FEC chains with only a few traditional game developers still on the scene, such as Raw Thrills. Exa-Arcadia was an interesting effort, they've had some pretty good releases. But they have no 1P development teams specifically for that device. One thing we can learn from Sony & Nintendo is that software exclusivity can be just as big or bigger a draw as spectacle. I think if the right developers actually targeted the strengths of an arcade market with modern tech and made great exclusive software for it (alongside a business model friendlier for operators), it could see a resurgence.

 

[VGEsoterica]

I have to disagree with this to a degree, partly because a lot of the best-looking 2D games in the late '90s never even came to the Neo-Geo. Dodonpachi, Marvel vs Street Fighter, Rayman, etc. Those were among some of the best-looking 2D games out there and looked better than some of Neo-Geo's later releases.



That is a good point. G-Net basically seems like another Sega ST-V type of board. But to answer your other question "why play games at an arcade you could play at home all day?". Well, because a lot of arcade versions of certain games had controls that were much better with the type of interfaces only arcades could house. That's one reason.

Social environment was another, plus you could play games at an arcade for much cheaper than at home if you were skilled enough to beat them on limited credits or ICC them. Whereas even with a rental, you were still paying out maybe $5 or $10 bucks for a few days.

its similar in concept to ST-V but ST-V was basically 1:1 spec'd with Saturn where the Capcom ZN-1 and ZN-2 / G-Net / Namco "System" series of boards were enhanced spec PS1's

 

[VGEsoterica]

For sure, home consoles catching up (more or less) with arcades hurt the latter. But I don't think the market needed to fizzle out the way it did, there were and still are so many other qualities to the arcade market that weren't fully tapped into IMO. Sega were in the best position to realize this in theory; in practice they did so much damage to their home console brand, they were no longer in a position to do it by 2001.

What the market's transformed into now is mainly redemption games at FEC chains with only a few traditional game developers still on the scene, such as Raw Thrills. Exa-Arcadia was an interesting effort, they've had some pretty good releases. But they have no 1P development teams specifically for that device. One thing we can learn from Sony & Nintendo is that software exclusivity can be just as big or bigger a draw as spectacle. I think if the right developers actually targeted the strengths of an arcade market with modern tech and made great exclusive software for it (alongside a business model friendlier for operators), it could see a resurgence.

Arcades are def a LOT diff these days then they used to be and NOT in a good way

 

[cartman414]

When exactly you could have Neo-Geo quality games at home other than owning an AES? Not before around 1999 where you could emulate the games on modern PCs at the time. The Neo-Geo tech was already 10 years old by then.




And i would disagree. Neo-Geo games still had the best looking 2D graphics/animation up to the Dreamcast era. The PS1/Saturn had a hard time porting those games because of the slow CD and low RAM and N64 carts were far smaller in ROM size. Metal Slug 3 was released in 2000 and still had the best sprite based graphics at release.

On the other hand, what did the G-Net had to show for in 1998 that you had not seen already on the PS1 in the previous 4 years?

Practically no console since the Neo-Geo/Saturn has used 2d specific hardware.

 

[thicc_girls_are_teh_best]

Arcades are def a LOT diff these days then they used to be and NOT in a good way

True. IMO it doesn't have to be that way, but we need an outsider who understands the potential to come in with money and talent to make it happen.

Personally I have so many ideas for the market I feel could genuinely work, but I have no connections nor big money to make it happen. Maybe I'll get lucky and hit a jackpot someday.

 

[VGEsoterica]

True. IMO it doesn't have to be that way, but we need an outsider who understands the potential to come in with money and talent to make it happen.

Personally I have so many ideas for the market I feel could genuinely work, but I have no connections nor big money to make it happen. Maybe I'll get lucky and hit a jackpot someday.

The problem with arcades now are just filled with ticket redemption games that use popular IPs and marry the laziest gameplay to them.

I took my nephew to an arcade recently. All he wanted to play was this Plants vs Zombies lightgun shooter. It was the jankiest thing ever

 

[the_master]

Thanks!
Love your videos.
I’ll try to get one at the end of the year

 

[VGEsoterica]

Thanks!
Love your videos.
I’ll try to get one at the end of the year

Thanks

 

[Tarin02543]

Another great post. We both share the same passion for exotic and rare hardware although I lack the funds for my own collection.

 

[thicc_girls_are_teh_best]

The problem with arcades now are just filled with ticket redemption games that use popular IPs and marry the laziest gameplay to them.

I took my nephew to an arcade recently. All he wanted to play was this Plants vs Zombies lightgun shooter. It was the jankiest thing ever

I feel sorry for kids today, in that respect. Those ticket redemption games are just cheap dopamine hits; they aren't going to have any replay value whatsoever in later years the way actual arcade classics have provided.

 

[Pimpbaa]

Soul Calibur and other Namco arcade games at the time used upgraded PS1 hardware (System 12) as well.

edit: system 11 too, but I’m not sure if that had upgraded specs.

edit: fuck me, already mentioned.

 

[Dexero]

It’s a variant of the Taito F1X hardware. I mostly know it through the various shmups that came out for that family of hardware (and there’s quite a few of these between Psyvariar, G-Darius, XII Stag, Ray Storm/Crisis and so on)

 

[Spukc]

I still remember when I got the PS1 as a kid; brand new shiny 3D console with a copy of Crash Bandicoot. I'd never seen 3D outside of arcades and now suddenly it was hooked up to a tv in my house. Needless to say my nostalgia for the PS1 generation is huge.

But did you know the hardware got a ton of pivots...the most unique being the Taito G-Net? It's an overspec'd PSX with PCMCIA cards as the storage medium vs discs with extra ram and sound hardware on board. And it still has a decent amount of exclusive games that never got any home ports. Sure it's not in a nicely designed beige box with the Sony logo on the top...but for what it lacks in ease of use it more than makes up for it in having an absolutely awesome library filled with unique experiences.

Plus with some modding you can get it booting other PSX arcade games that were never designed for the system. So you can't beat that!

But Gaf...I am curious who knew about the G-Net and who collects arcade hardware here? I know this is more of a console/PC space...but I am sure there are some arcade fans around

you always show the coolest retro stuff
ty

 

[cartman414]

It’s a variant of the Taito F1X hardware. I mostly know it through the various shmups that came out for that family of hardware (and there’s quite a few of these between Psyvariar, G-Darius, XII Stag, Ray Storm/Crisis and so on)

If only expansions were possible for the PS1.

 

[marquimvfs]

IMO the arcade experience was always mostly about the spectacle. It was always like that from the beginning. Arcade hardware was always about no compromises and most of the time it was designed around the needs of the games and not the other way around. I visited the arcades because the games looked above and beyond of what i had at home. With stuff like the Model 3 being the peak example of the gap between home systems and arcades.

When this stopped being a thing i lost interest and it seems like i wasn't the only one. Arcades declined at that exact time.

I get your point and I agree with you to some extent. But, see, this kind of hardware still had it's place while some simple games still had enough marketshare. Imagine developing an exotic and expensive hardware just to use it to run Sudoku and Mahjongg games... it's better to repurpose some cheap, highly available, easy to develop for hardware than "waste" r&d money on games that doesn't need that in first place. Isn't like the games are ugly because the hardware is bad, the hardware is simple because the game, even being ugly and simple, still had enough market to justify its development, even more with a cheap hardware.

 

[Ozzie666]

I get your point and I agree with you to some extent. But, see, this kind of hardware still had it's place while some simple games still had enough marketshare. Imagine developing an exotic and expensive hardware just to use it to run Sudoku and Mahjongg games... it's better to repurpose some cheap, highly available, easy to develop for hardware than "waste" r&d money on games that doesn't need that in first place.

This type of board fit in perfectly for everyone not named SEGA. My understanding is SEGA was the top tier high end level arcade center games provider. High end prices too. Namco and Taito for example aimed at the cheaper arcade centers in Japan, so this type of board made perfect sense. Even more so for Namco with an eye in supporting home conversions.

 

[marquimvfs]

This type of board fit in perfectly for everyone not named SEGA. My understanding is SEGA was the top tier high end level arcade center games provider. High end prices too. Namco and Taito for example aimed at the cheaper arcade centers in Japan, so this type of board made perfect sense. Even more so for Namco with an eye in supporting home conversions.

Sega too had it's lower end arcade boards. It fits every developer, lower end games had its market share too, hence the development of the St-V boards. But I agree that not everyone had the budget to spend high end like they did (and still do, i guess they still are strong in that market, mainly in japan).

 

[nkarafo]

This type of board fit in perfectly for everyone not named SEGA. My understanding is SEGA was the top tier high end level arcade center games provider. High end prices too. Namco and Taito for example aimed at the cheaper arcade centers in Japan, so this type of board made perfect sense. Even more so for Namco with an eye in supporting home conversions.

Sega too had it's lower end arcade boards. It fits every developer, lower end games had its market share too, hence the development of the St-V boards. But I agree that not everyone had the budget to spend high end like they did (and still do, i guess they still are strong in that market, mainly in japan).

Lower end boards existed forever. But they had a supportive/filler role. The high-end boards were the ones driving the Arcade market and hype. Those were the ones filling the Arcades with people who then may also play on the lower end ones. When this stopped being a thing and the whole Arcade market focused more on the cheaper boards (like how there wasn't a Sega Model 4 but instead Sega focused on the Naomi, which was the same as the Dreamcast at home) Arcades declined and by the time the PS2 was the standard for gaming at home, they were pretty much dead in the west.