“Super Nintendo, Sega Genesis
When I was dead broke, man, I couldn't picture this
50-inch screen, money-green leather sofa
Got two rides, a limousine with a chauffeur
Phone bill about two G's flat
No need to worry, my accountant handles that”
NOTORIOUS B.I.G. - JUICY
Video games.
We all know them and a lot of us love them. Whether gaming on an old Nintendo or trying to rank up in Call of Duty, the “electronic playground” that was first introduced back in 1972 by Magnavox and Ralph Baer has evolved to become the biggest money maker in entertainment, even MORE than the movie industry. Of course when consoles are $500 and games are $70, it’s kind of hard to NOT rake in the millions.
But, it’s not those PS5’s and Xbox Series’ we are talking about today.
Nah, I’m going to take you on a trip through time. The OLD stuff like I played when I was a kid. You see, unlike a lot of these kids who are only discovering these older games through emulation, I lived a lot of it.
It is that experience that I’m going to use today to help the younger “Gen Z” kids, who are bringing back everything from Polaroid cameras to cassette tapes, navigate some of the older consoles that may have gotten an undeserved bad rap when they were originally released.
Some of these got their bad reputation from their unreliability, others from stereotypes of what was on the console, even more because of poor sales, and even worse, being in the wrong place at the wrong time.
But now, there’s plenty of options to experience real hardware accuracy with more modern conveniences such as:
-FPGA platforms like MiSTer, Analogue Pocket, and others that emulate the hardware the games play on rather than the games themselves.
-BlueRetro adapters which allow for modern controllers to pair up with retro consoles.
-HDMI modifications for better picture quality.
-Flashcarts and Optical Disc Emulators (ODE’s) which can hold an entire library of games on a microSD card or SSD.
So, with conveniences like that, I think it’s high time we look at some of history’s “worst” video game consoles, break down why they have a bad reputation, explain why it’s undeserved, give you some game recommendations, and go over what modifications are available to give you the best experience.
Here we go…..
ATARI 5200 (1982)
WHY IT GOT ITS BAD RAP:
The Atari 5200 was released in 1982 in order to compete with Mattel’s Intellivision and Coleco’s Colecovision (though it was designed to compete with the former).
Its analog joystick which combined a joystick and paddle controller was prone to breaking and did not self center, something that was frowned upon when playing a majority of its games.
The console at launch was also not compatible with titles from the Atari 2600 while their Colecovision competitor was with their Expansion Module #1.
Later on, a revised 5200 would add compatibility with a “VCS Cartridge Adapter”, but it was too little, too late.
On top of all of this, the unit was nothing more than a stripped down Atari 400 home computer made into a console.
WHY IT’S UNDESERVED:
The Atari 5200 was a powerful console for its time. It may have been just a stripped down home computer from 1979 but that’s what most consoles are nowadays in 2023. What you see on gaming PC’s will become consoles years from now. It was a machine that played the hottest Atari arcade titles and ones they had licenses for in near arcade quality.
Case in point, Pac-Man. This is a game who’s poor quality on the 2600 started a video game crash that would come to a head in 1984. This is the one you all are familiar with:
And now take a look at the 5200 version:
MUCH BETTER! The joystick was a pain in the ass, yes. But there were plenty of third party solutions for that such as this Wico for the 5200:
The best way to think about the 5200 is by using the analogies of the last generation we had of video gaming. Buying a 5200 and playing its games was like upgrading from a PS4 to a PS4 Pro or from an Xbox One to a One X. It was also a successor to an older console, a concept that wouldn’t fully be accepted until the Playstation and Nintendo 64 days.
RECOMMENDED GAMES:
The Atari 5200 is FILLED with arcade ports and really fun ones at that. Pac-Man and Ms. Pac Man, Berzerk, Galaxian, Space Invaders, Mario Bros, Pengo, Moon Patrol, etc. It was truly the arcade at home in 1982. Not only that, but it also featured enhanced ports of 2600 hits like Pitfall, River Raid, Mountain King, H.E.R.O., and Megamania.
The console being a stripped down Atari 400 computer also meant some exclusive to console titles like Star Raiders (which did appear on the 2600 but was a game for the Atari home computers first), The Dreadnaught Factor, Ballblazer, Rescue on Fractalus, Astro Chase, and the RealSports series of games.
It’s got 69 (heh heh) officially released titles and lots of homebrew games and ports such as Adventure II, Beef Drop, Koffi Yellow Kopter, Pac-Man Arcade, Tempest, Rob ‘n’ Banks, and Intellidiscs. For an “awful” console, there’s sure a lot of amazing games to play.
MODERN CONVENIENCES:
If you want the easiest way to play without the godawful controller, then you can play it on the MiSTer FPGA. There’s no Analogue Pocket core as of yet, though hopefully that can change.
If real hardware is the way to go, there exists an SD flash cartridge for the 5200 called the Atarimax Ultimate SD:
For better video quality, an RGB mod DOES exist, it’s called the SOPHIA and it’s a GTIA replacement that outputs via DVI:
For controllers, there’s a few options. You can either get an arcade stick like this one:
Or you could get a controller with analog like this:
Or if you are willing to put up with the crappy joystick, you’ll need to rebuild the controller with gold contacts as the original ones don’t work at this point. ALL original 5200 controllers are a time bomb. If they somehow still work, they won’t stay that way. So, an aftermarket might be your best bet. For the easiest time, I recommend just sticking with the MiSTer.
SEGA CD (1992)
WHY IT GOT ITS BAD RAP:
Released in 1992, the Sega CD was an add-on for the Sega Genesis that in addition to adding virtually unlimited storage space to the console, but also added such things as scaling and rotation similar to the Super Nintendo’s Mode 7, CD quality sound and music, more memory, and a second CPU.
But with all that came a hefty price tag, even more than the competing Turbografx CD add on, retailing for a whopping $299 ($630 in 2023 dollars) at a time when the Turbografx unit was selling for $149.99 and the Turbo Duo which combined the Turbografx-16, the CD add-on, and its Super System Card for the same $299.99 price tag.
Not only that, but the system, especially the first model with the sliding tray, had a reputation for breaking down. Discs unable to be read, the tray getting stuck or not opening, and issues with the audio would pop up over the years. The Model 1 especially is known as a ticking time bomb as all units of that are prone to failure eventually once the laser goes bad, the belts break, capacitors leak, or all three.
In addition, the system quickly gained a reputation for its interactive movies which people later tired of due to it being nothing more than a memorization game the same as Dragon’s Lair which also got ported to the add-on. Also being released for this add-on was enhanced versions of Sega Genesis games, just with cutscenes and CD music.
People wanted more out of their $299 investment and they felt like they didn’t get it.
However, they didn’t look very far….
WHY IT’S UNDESERVED:
While it’s true that there are a lot of Full Motion Video (FMV) games, there’s a lot of another genre that it has that doesn’t get nearly enough attention: Role-Playing Games!
The Sega CD is an RPG fan’s DREAM console. So many great RPG’s grace the Sega CD, such as Lunar: The Silver Star and its sequel Eternal Blue, Popful Mail, Vay, Dark Wizard, and of course the biggest one of all…..Shining Force CD, a remake of the two Game Gear Shining Force games with two all-new “scenarios” which have a save file so big that you’ll need the RAM cart as the internal memory of the unit is too small to hold all of the files needed!
RECOMMENDED GAMES:
The Sega CD is also home to a lot of shooters as well. Not as much as the Turbografx and CD mind you, but still enough the satiate the appetite of even the most die hard fan of the genre. Lords of Thunder, Night Striker, Tomcat Alley, Sol-Feace, Silpheed, Keio Flying Squadron, Robo Aleste, and many others grace the console.
All this is in addition to all those “enhanced” Genesis games like NBA Jam, Mortal Kombat, Ecco The Dolphin and it’s sequel Tides of Time.
Don’t forget all the amazing exclusives for the unit like Sonic CD, The Terminator, Snatcher, Final Fight CD, Spider Man vs The Kingpin, WWF Rage in the Cage, and the definitive version of Mickey Mania.
The library is really deep once you take the time to look into it.
MODERN CONVENIENCES:
These days, you don’t even need a Sega CD at ALL in order to enjoy its games on real hardware! Thanks to amazing work by Krikzz and Terraonion, you can now buy flashcarts for the Sega Genesis that have FPGA chips inside that emulate the hardware of a Sega CD, allowing you not only to store the entire Sega CD library on one microSD card, but also to be able to load them straight from cartridge without having to buy or fix a temperamental add-on!
You can also play these games on the MiSTer as well with the MegaCD core.
3DO Interactive Multiplayer (1993)
WHY IT GOT ITS BAD RAP:
Price, price, price, and price. Upon its release in October of 1993, the future of video gaming arrived with a steep price tag of $700, a price that no other console since has launched with although the Playstation 3 came close with its $600 price tag for the higher end model and earlier the Neo-Geo AES retailed for $650.
Those who DID decide to pay the $700 at its launch was treated to only ONE game, the aptly named “Crash ‘N Burn”. That’s it…. ONE. GAME.
While the library would have some good games, some of which would be ported to the Playstation and Sega Saturn, it was also known for a lot of shovelware and other miscellaneous things as licensing fees for this console was really really low. That would be the catalyst for tons of adult oriented titles, FMV games, and a lot of other non-games that would only be eclipsed by the Phillips CD-i.
Speaking of Playstation and Saturn, it had the misfortune of being released two years before those two consoles were released, and for much much cheaper prices. It may have kickstarted the 3D revolution in gaming, but it was at the wrong place, at the wrong time, and at the wrong price. Had it been released a year earlier and with a lower price point, it would’ve been a much more fruitful effort.
WHY IT’S UNDESERVED:
Once you get your hands on it and realize exactly what you have, it was instead a bold concept. While it could play games, it was meant more as a multimedia device. It’s even in the name “Interactive Multiplayer”. It was meant to play games, movies (both 3DO Video titles and Video CD’s with an external adapter). as well as software such as encyclopedias and almanacs. If you think of the 3DO less as a games console and more like a PC, then you’ll gather a lot more respect for it. It’s better to think of the 3DO as a more playable CD-i.
On top of that, it was an innovator in other areas as well. It was the only game console so far that was a standard in that it was licensed to other manufacturers instead of one company making the console. It tried to do to video games what Sony and JVC did with Betamax and VHS. The controller was also revolutionary as it had a headphone jack as well as a second controller port built in to daisy chain controllers instead of having a bunch of wires coming from the system.
RECOMMENDED GAMES:
The 3DO is home to a rather robust game library spanning a wide range of genres. Everyone is familiar with titles like Gex, Need For Speed, D, Road Rash, Return Fire, Wing Commander III, and others that were later ported to the Playstation and Saturn.
However, the console had other games that either were exclusive to the console or 3DO originals. Some of those titles are John Madden Football, Killing Time, Immercenary, Royal Pro Wrestling, Demolition Man, Captain Quazar, the original Alone in the Dark, Lucienne’s Quest, Jurassic Park Interactive, and others including the definitive home edition of Super Street Fighter II Turbo with Capcom even releasing a special controller just for the game.
But don’t just focus on the games. The console has a deep library of non-game software as well. Looking through these titles is a snapshot of a time where the “all in one media device” was the next big thing. Titles to check out in this category are the three Woody Woodpecker videos for the console, 20th Century Video Almanac (which I was checking out for HOURS because it’s so deep), Dennis Miller: That's News to Me, the ESPN tutorial titles, and if you’re feeling REALLY nasty, one of the MANY adult movies for the device.
MODERN CONVENIENCES:
These days, the 3DO, especially the front loading models, are known to have dead lasers and even stuck belts. Some even have dead capacitors. It’s best to think of it the same as the Sega CD Model 1.
But, there’s solutions.
A person by the name of “Fixel” has created THREE Optical Disc Emulators for the 3DO. Two internal boards for the Panasonic FZ-1 and the Sanyo TRY respectively that replace the internal CD drive. Combine that with the bracket, MicroSD/SD Adapter, and CD Door Clips all from Humble Bazooka, you’ll have a souped-up 3DO that looks stock but has more features.
But what if you have another 3DO unit such as the Panasonic FZ-10 or the Goldstar unit? Are you out of luck then? No you are NOT as Fixel also makes an external ODE compatible with ALL 3DO units that have the memory expander slot. It’s called the XPort and while it retails for $100 more, it’s worth the extra cost as it can be used on multiple 3DO’s if you have them and doesn’t need to be installed.
As for controllers, as the original 3DO controllers are both sparse AND expensive (I just spend $50 on an original Panasonic one and other ones like the Sanyo and Goldstar go for more), your solution lies in BlueRetro, an open source project that allows people to use any Bluetooth controller, such as the DualSense, Xbox Series controller, 8BitDo, and others on retro consoles. They do make one for the 3DO though it’s barely in stock.
Video wise, there are RGB mods available. The best unit to get for video quality is a Japanese variant that eliminates the RF modulator and instead includes a “Mode Select” switch that can switch between 240p and 480i. Flipping it to mode B (240p) takes away the “Vaseline filter” and allows games to run in the 3DO’s native resolution before converting to 480i. Keep in mind that certain games like Wolfenstein 3D run faster in this mode or some would have graphical issues as they relied on the 480i conversion to pull certain effects off.
There IS a “Digital AV” mod in development also by Fixel that was supposed to have been released already, but the January/February date passed without so much as a look at the final product and no word from the developer despite a few requests by this author for comment, so it may be on hold or delayed as of the writing of this article.
The Digital AV board is supposed to add HDMI support similar to PixelFX’s DCDigital and PS1Digital mods as well as have a fix for the 240p speed issue. We will see when or if this product is released what it can do. But for now, RGB mod to an external scaler such as an OSSC or Retrotink 5X is your best bet.
Sadly, this console is hard to emulate and as such there’s no MiSTer FPGA core, nor is there really a reliable emulator save for 4DO, so if hardware accuracy is what you want, the only thing to really do is get yourself an original console (preferably one with a busted CD drive) and install an ODE.
So, there you have it. Three consoles that are considered “awful” that hopefully will be given second looks and second chances given the information I shared here today. I hope these Gen Z kids that are bringing everything old back new again will be fairer to these consoles than the people who were around in their heyday were. This new generation can find the good in almost anything they come across no matter how flawed and that’s why I absolutely adore them.
I do have one request for y’all though. Could y’all maybe think about bringing back laserdisc? They are like records but they are shiny and they play MOVIES!
Hmm….