Some kind of low end basic game console for TV?

[iKingRPG]

Is there some device out there that I can connect to my the for under $30 that has basic games like pong or pacman or something? And no I don't think I'm gonna buy a used Chromecast or firetv stick. Perferably uses HDMI input.

[minibois]

You could get a Raspberry Pi and run RetroPi or similar on it. Of course you have to legally obtain the Pong or Pacman ROMs of course.

There are clone consoles, but those all tend to have lackluster emulators on them, making the games for example play slower or have poor sound.

[iKingRPG]

1 minute ago, Minibois said:

You could get a Raspberry Pi and run RetroPi or similar on it. Of course you have to legally obtain the Pong or Pacman ROMs of course.

There are clone consoles, but those all tend to have lackluster emulators on them, making the games for example play slower or have poor sound.

True. I could do that with a wireless mouse... But the ROM thing would be hard. clone consoles are good like my mom bought these things that are like Gameboy clones for less than $20 and they have super Mario and stuff.

[minibois]

1 minute ago, iKingRPG said:

True. I could do that with a wireless mouse... But the ROM thing would be hard. clone consoles are good like my mom bought these things that are like Gameboy clones for less than $20 and they have super Mario and stuff.

You could also wait for a sale on a Steam Link (normal price is 50 USD, but I have seen it as low as 5 USD too) and just stream games over that thing.

Otherwise, a clone console could be an option..

[Stefan Payne]

32 minutes ago, iKingRPG said:

Is there some device out there that I can connect to my the for under $30 that has basic games like pong or pacman or something? And no I don't think I'm gonna buy a used Chromecast or firetv stick. Perferably uses HDMI input.

Not really.

Because for the old stuff you should preferably use a CRT as they look like garbage with HDMI.

 

So that means we're in the PS3 and XBox 360 area. And they ain't 30€ or so.

[nekogod]

You can pick up a ps1 or original xbox for about $30 you'd then need an adaptor to convert composite to hdmi and they're about $10

[Stefan Payne]

...and increase input lag....

[SteveGrabowski0]

Probably the best low cost console you could buy is a PS2. Everyone had them and they're everywhere, so you can often find them from places like Goodwill, Letgo.com, Craigslist, etc for $20. Though you'll definitely want a component cable too, which you can find at Gamestop for $15 or so. I use the one that's a combination 360 / Wii / PS3 cable (the PS2 and PS3 component cables are the exact same thing). If your TV only has HMDI there are a couple of HDMI adapters for a similar price. Though the best way to play PS2 would be on an old CRT. Even composite looks good on a CRT TV.

[Kawaii Koneko]

I would just pick up a used PS2 or XBox. They can be had pretty cheap, especially if you buy one with a broken disc drive. Honestly, you don't really need a disc drive anymore since you can fairly easily mod them. There are various methods but for my XBox I didn't use the disc at all during the softmod process. I did use the MGS3 exploit with a disc for the PS2 Fat but I know there are other ways that don't even require a working drive. But ideally it is nice to have a working disc drive.

 

You won't be using HDMI without a converter but really, component is just fine for those systems. You will need a hard drive though. For the PS2, you will need a network adapter and a hard drive to go along with it. So that will add to your cost but I believe there is a way to run games from a usb drive. It isn't ideal but it works. For the games you want to play, you would be fine.

 

However, since you want to keep the costs low, I would recommend going the XBox route. IIRC, you can use the stock hard drive. It won't get you far with big games but for the basic emulation you want to do, it would be perfect.

 

Either way, the XBox and PS2 are excellent systems for emulation, not to mention they both have some really good game libraries. They both have excellent controllers as well although I think the PS2 has the better controller. Just make sure you get one of the smaller XBox controllers and not the big fat one.

 

Hell, what is a used Dreamcast going for these days? You can run homebrew stuff right out of the box with that. You can use a VGA to HDMI adapter pretty easily as well, although the adapter will for sure put you over your budget.

[iKingRPG]

1 hour ago, Kawaii Koneko said:

I would just pick up a used PS2 or XBox. They can be had pretty cheap, especially if you buy one with a broken disc drive. Honestly, you don't really need a disc drive anymore since you can fairly easily mod them. There are various methods but for my XBox I didn't use the disc at all during the softmod process. I did use the MGS3 exploit with a disc for the PS2 Fat but I know there are other ways that don't even require a working drive. But ideally it is nice to have a working disc drive.

 

You won't be using HDMI without a converter but really, component is just fine for those systems. You will need a hard drive though. For the PS2, you will need a network adapter and a hard drive to go along with it. So that will add to your cost but I believe there is a way to run games from a usb drive. It isn't ideal but it works. For the games you want to play, you would be fine.

 

However, since you want to keep the costs low, I would recommend going the XBox route. IIRC, you can use the stock hard drive. It won't get you far with big games but for the basic emulation you want to do, it would be perfect.

 

Either way, the XBox and PS2 are excellent systems for emulation, not to mention they both have some really good game libraries. They both have excellent controllers as well although I think the PS2 has the better controller. Just make sure you get one of the smaller XBox controllers and not the big fat one.

 

Hell, what is a used Dreamcast going for these days? You can run homebrew stuff right out of the box with that. You can use a VGA to HDMI adapter pretty easily as well, although the adapter will for sure put you over your budget.

Well I have an Xbox One and Fire TV Stick but i was hoping there was some clone console that could run basic games like pong pacman or super mario or something. I just found some cheap NES consoles maybe ill try that thanks tho.

[Stefan Payne]

15 hours ago, SteveGrabowski0 said:

Though the best way to play PS2 would be on an old CRT. Even composite looks good on a CRT TV.

Naa, not really.

Though its OK for games, though S-Video (wasn't the first to use that Commodore C64??), Component and RGB are to be preferred if possible.

37 minutes ago, iKingRPG said:

Well I have an Xbox One and Fire TV Stick but i was hoping there was some clone console that could run basic games like pong pacman or super mario or something. I just found some cheap NES consoles maybe ill try that thanks tho.

There are but they are more expensive and the old consoles look like garbage on modern TV Screens because they were made for 4:3 aspect ratios and less sharpness...

 

It really looks worse on modern screens...

Just tried a PS2 a couple of days ago and really didn't like it on a TFT, though the Graphics of the PS2 were pretty bad anyway, even for the time...

[iKingRPG]

2 hours ago, Stefan Payne said:

Naa, not really.

Though its OK for games, though S-Video (wasn't the first to use that Commodore C64??), Component and RGB are to be preferred if possible.

There are but they are more expensive and the old consoles look like garbage on modern TV Screens because they were made for 4:3 aspect ratios and less sharpness...

 

It really looks worse on modern screens...

Just tried a PS2 a couple of days ago and really didn't like it on a TFT, though the Graphics of the PS2 were pretty bad anyway, even for the time...

Ok. I will get a NES classic edition from Amazon but it has HDMI output and internal storage with 30 games because it is like a modern version of the original. they are about $60. It is okay if they don't look great it is just my grandpa is coming to visit us.

[Stefan Payne]

1 hour ago, iKingRPG said:

Ok. I will get a NES classic edition from Amazon but it has HDMI output and internal storage with 30 games because it is like a modern version of the original. 

Not really...

Its just Emulation with an ARM Chip that plays ROMS. the good thing is that people say its easily hackable.

There is however a Console that works with an FPGA and has an HDMI, so technically its not emulation as the FPGA is programmed to be the Original Hardware. 

 

But to be honest, I'd get the Super Nintendo as that has way more real good games. If you haven't played any 8bit Games it might be hard to get into as they tend to be very simple - and rather short (Contra 3 is only like 15-30min long if you don't die)...

 

So that would be a bit better...

And IIRC they should be similarly priced as well...

[SteveGrabowski0]

7 hours ago, iKingRPG said:

Ok. I will get a NES classic edition from Amazon but it has HDMI output and internal storage with 30 games because it is like a modern version of the original. they are about $60. It is okay if they don't look great it is just my grandpa is coming to visit us.

The NES Classic is amazing, but get an extension cable for the controller. The cable is only 2.5 feet long.

[iKingRPG]

On 11/14/2018 at 8:28 AM, SteveGrabowski0 said:

The NES Classic is amazing, but get an extension cable for the controller. The cable is only 2.5 feet long.

I know

[iKingRPG]

On 11/14/2018 at 3:07 AM, Stefan Payne said:

Not really...

Its just Emulation with an ARM Chip that plays ROMS. the good thing is that people say its easily hackable.

There is however a Console that works with an FPGA and has an HDMI, so technically its not emulation as the FPGA is programmed to be the Original Hardware. 

 

But to be honest, I'd get the Super Nintendo as that has way more real good games. If you haven't played any 8bit Games it might be hard to get into as they tend to be very simple - and rather short (Contra 3 is only like 15-30min long if you don't die)...

 

So that would be a bit better...

And IIRC they should be similarly priced as well...

Ok.