Console Emulators: Are they worth your time?

The short answer is yes. The ones that I have tried work nearly perfectly, and the best thing is that they're free. So, instead of tracking down a console, then finding and buying all the games you want, you can download a game and be playing in a matter of minutes. All you really need for some great retro gaming is some decent computer knowledge and a PC compatible gamepad/controller, then it's off to the races.

Here is a list of console emulators I would recommend:

NES
-JNES
-NEStopia

SNES
-ZSNES
-Snes9x

Sega Genesis
-Fusion
-Gens

N64
-Project 64

Sega Dreamcast
-Chankast

Sony Playstation
-ePSXe
-pSX

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Valve Confirms Steam Expansion into Non-Gaming Software

Valve confirmed rumors today that it's expanding it's Steam service beyond video games, reports http://www.gamesindustry.biz. The specific details have not been released, but Valve did note that the software will range from creativity to productivity. The new software titles are set to hit Steam September 5th.

This is great for gamers, and software users alike, because it will bring many of Steam's great features to other types of software. You can expect easy installation, automatic updating, and the ability to save your work to your personal Steam Cloud space, all features which have made Steam great.

Developers are urged to submit their software via Steam Greenlight, so all of you software developers can enjoy the publicity that Steam will offer.

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Teen Hospitalized after Four Day Call of Duty Marathon

A Columbus, Ohio teen was hospitalized after a four-day Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 marathon left him severely dehydrated. His mother reported that he only emerged from his room to get snacks and to take a single, short shower.

The boy is said to have collapsed multiple times after playing MW3 for at least four days. He was admitted to the hospital and given an IV to replenish his lost fluids. His mother has taken his Xbox 360. Emergency physician at Nationwide Children's Hospital Dr. Mike Patrick seems to think that this is an emerging trend as he urged gamers to use common sense, and to take breaks to drink, get exercise, and sleep.

Surprisingly, this is not the first time this happened so far this month, as a Taiwanese man died earlier from a Diablo III marathon.

Gamers, let us shed a tear for our fallen kin, as some of us are apparently idiots. This leaves us to ask, "What were his parents doing during these four days?"

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Top 10 Worst Video Game Consoles of All-Time

#10-Phillips CD-i

You know that you're a terrible console when you can screw up Mario and Zelda games. Honestly, how hard is it to make a decent Mario game? The CD-i never really felt like a real console. It was mostly marketed to the older generation, and the looks portray that. It looks like a DVD player, and the TV remote style controllers were supposed to be easier for the older generation to use, but they weren't even usable. The game library was mediocre at best, leaving it at number 10 on this list.

#9-Apple/Bandai Pippin

Apple is known for it's great design, innovation and being user friendly, but it also has a rep for producing vastly underpowered hardware. That trend was continued with the Apple/Bandai Pippin. It was supposed to be a console, multimedia player and web browsing computer in one, but it did each task poorly. It had a painfully slow 66MHz processor and 14.4-kbps modem. The console also was released with a pricetag of $600. Very few games were ever released for it, making it a complete failure as Apple's sole console venture.


#8-Amstrad GX4000

This console was released in Europe in 1990, and was killed quickly by the Sega and Nintendo powerhouses. The console had solid graphics cababilities, and much of its hardware was on par with the Sega Genesis and Super Nintendo. Still, it was terribly marketed, and came off the market after only selling 15,000 units.


#7-Nintendo Virtual Boy

The Virtual Boy is Nintendo's signature failure. Nintendo hopped on the 90's virtual reality bandwagon and came out with their own VR console. The thing is the technology was not even available at the time for VR, and all the VR products that came out at the time were just overpriced, underwhelming products. Even with our technology capabilities now, no one wants VR products, we'll just stick to our TV's. The Virtual Boy was just awkward to use. The only colors it displayed were red and black, and it caused eyestrain and headaches after extended use. The funniest thing about this console is that it only had 14 games that were ever sold for it.

#6-Gakken TV Boy

You may not have heard of this console before because it was only released in Japan. It was released in 1983 and had a mildly successful run until the Nintendo Famicom was released later that year, killing it. It had a small library of pretty bad games, although it did have Frogger. The design was awkward, with a weird t-shaped joystick and a handle on the left side used to grip and stabalized while playing. This console is a true oddity.

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Top 10 Worst Gaming Accessories of All-Time

#10-SNES and Sega Genesis-Aura Interactor

The best of the worst is the Aura Interactor. It was a vest that turned low frequency sounds into momentum that would thump you while you played. The thing actually worked (sort of), and was pretty well received by virtual reality geeks, but there was really no point for 2D console games. It couldn't differentiate between background noise and game sounds, so what it ended up doing was vibrating the whole entire game. Getting thumped while playing Mario or Sonic won't really make the experience much better. Plus, the pricetag scared people off, this thing cost around $160.





#9-All Wii Accessories

Coming in at #9 is...all of the Wii accessories. Wii probably has the largest library of accessories of any console in history, and 99% of them do nothing. All these stupid Wii sports attachments are just ploys to make money off of kids and stupid rich parents. Nintendo really attempted to cash in with the Wii Motion Plus, which just made the Wii remote function in the way it should have in the first place.

It doesn't stop there. They try to sell us stupid Wii remote grips, things that take your pulse, and Nunchuks that you need to play nearly every game, but for some reason they don't just come with the Wiimote. Great job cashing in Nintendo.

Look at this hilarious video from CTA Digital, the makers of the Wii bowling ball:





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Top 5 Worst Game Controllers of All-Time

#5-Xbox

The original Xbox controllers fit no one's hands. The Xbox was supposed to be an "adult's console", but they ended up making controllers that were designed for Shaq. Honestly, who thought this would be comfortable? At least the controller was completely functional, and Microsoft corrected it when a new, smaller version of the controller was released later. Maybe that was their strategy to make a little extra cash? Make a horribly large controller, then make people need to buy the new ones to play comfortably, something to think about.


#4-Intellivision

I have no idea why Mattel went with the weird disc thumbstick for  the intellivision controller, but it was a mistake. The disc was frustrating and awkward to use compared the the standard joystick. The buttons on the side were placed weird, and the controller overall was just not comfortable.


#3-Atari Jaguar

What the hell is this thing? It looks a like a remote control for a RC car. This is one of the reasons the jaguar failed, the controller was atrocious. The buttons are in a weird spot up in the corner. The number pad at the bottom is worthless. Each game came with overlays you put over it that would tell what each button would do, but it didn't really work.



#2-Phillips CD-i

Phillips should have never wasted their time trying to make a game console, because honestly, what the hell kind of controller is this. It looks like a primitive wiimote. The little joystick-pad thing in the middle was hand to move. I didn't really understand the thinking behind any of the controller designs for the CD-i, but they were all pretty terrible.



#1-Atari 5200

The Atari 5200 controller was just a failure overall. The design was horrible, the joystick was meant to be held in your hand, but there were easy to press buttons on the side that got accidentally pressed all the time. The number pad was worthless, because you actually had to take your hand off of the stick to use it. The thing that made this the worst of all time was that they were known for breaking. I doubt you could find one 5200 controller in the world that is not broken, or has not been broken at some point.

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Top 10 Fighting Game Characters of All-Time

#10-Fulgore (Killer Instinct)

#9-Nightmare (Soul Calibur)

#8-Scorpion (Mortal Kombat)

#7-Kazuya (Tekken)

#6-Sol Badguy (Guilty Gear)

#5-Terry Bogard (Fatal Fury)

#4- Sub-Zero (Mortal Kombat)

#3-Jin Kazama (Tekken)

#2-Chun Li (Street Fighter)

#1-Akuma (Street Fighter)

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