Best Buy Nintendo 64 Multi-screen Display

I remember around the time of the N64 launch in 1996, the Best Buy in my home town had a display featuring an N64. The display was 9 large TVs (CRTs, I think) connected to an N64, all displaying one image (separated into 9 different parts). There was a little kiosk in the middle of the store with a smaller TV and an N64, and you could play it - and it would show up on the big screen. The display was so big that you could see it almost anywhere in the store. I remember that they kept it for a pretty long time, because they had the Star Wars Pod Racer game running on it at one point, which came out in '99.

I remember seeing other displays similar to it, but this was the only one I've ever seen connected to a videogame system - and it was pretty huge. Does anyone remember this? I never saw one anywhere but in my home town, but I'm guessing it was a national thing.

 

Multiple monitors I used to see in large electronic stores, displaying games. I know Myer had one in Melbourne city. All of upstairs was just video games, so I remember it similar to what you're describing.

 

That sounds pretty awesome, and probably really expensive for the store too.

 

It was in many Best Buys in Southern California at the time. It's definitely something I miss.

 

I remember this in circuit city and large big box stores - they had a set up like that for the SNES too. Incredible Universe had a display like that for the SNES I remember.

 

Media Play also had one like it. They had 9 40" CRT (120" or 3 meter effective size) mounted into the wall and connected to game consoles. The store closed oh about 15 years ago at the peak of N64 and I think that display was destroyed.

It can be done today with a device that splits video data (ananlog or digital) into multiple outputs for multiple display.

I'd love to see someone grab a few of the monster 120" LCD panels and set it up.

 

Oh Media Play, always overpriced but they had a great selection at their peak. I still regret the day that I chose MegaMan for DOS over Mortal Kombat at Media Play.

 

I know exactly what you are talking about, but my best buy didn't have it. My Circuit City did have it, but I don't recall it being connected to any particular video game console unfortunately. The Disney store in one of the far away malls used to have this set up as well, and they had a huge couch and bean bag lobby where the kids could set and watch a movie on the 9 CRTs.

... Thinking about it now, my god the weight of that set up must be immense.

 

I've seen that before (actually relatively recently, I think at a Best Buy around here) with flat screen TVs. Not hooked up to a game system, just showing some promo reel.

 

We had a video wall in HMV Liverpool that I used to connect game consoles too back in the 90's. It was 4 meters tall so games looked amazing on it.

 

...you can see the pixels, they're each a foot square...

 

You'd think so but no. It looked pretty good. Of course, being the UK we used RGB for the connection. I remember on the launch of Sonic 2 we had that running on all 50 TVs in the shop including the video wall. Man, that was so cool. We did it again for the Saturn launch although we cheated and used my Japanese Saturn so it looked full screen..

 

The Hollywood Video i used to manage had a 9 CRT wall setup like that, we used it primarily to display movies and trailers on, but there were a few times when me and my coworkers would bring a console in with us and hook it up to the wall after hours, lol.

 

Let me guess, Mario Kart?

 

Too many games to list them all, but yes, Mario Kart was one of them

 

Figures, at my last job (tech support at a university) we would every now and then play Mario Kart Wii on a projector. If there's one game you can get a bunch of people to play, it's Mario Kart.

 

Forcing Mario Kart Wii on a group of people is a crime against humanity.

 

^^ that ship sailed and got torpedoed, scuttled, spat jetsam and flotsam. left oil slick for miles! :smile-new: (it was an OFFENSE to FOIST that goosestepping BS known as wiimote)
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if it didn't do ngc support. they be NO interest this side.
mario kart didn't even rank, thank fuck i wasn't paying attention!
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oh, scored a metallic silver/white DOL-003 pad for five gbp earlier...YAY! :smile-new:

 

There were actually a few games that made good use of the Wii Remote. FPSes, like the Metroid Prime games, actually work really well with the Wii Remote - it's almost like using a mouse. It also worked really well with arcade gun games, like Ghost Squad and L.A. Machineguns. Granted, most games didn't use it for anything interesting - but it wasn't totally a gimmick. It's just that developers didn't know how to use it. I also love WarioWare: Smooth Moves, even though it's very short.

 

^^ subjective.
true, some games used it, but for the ones LOCKED INTO IT, was a kick in the dick, en masse.
metroid three/trilogy is the BEST example of that smash to the face, no OPTIONAL pad support.
went out my way to buy the two ngc relzes on account of the fuckin RSI invoked with using wiimotes for any period of time beyond one minute.
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totally gutted at that game on the wii...
unless a pad overlay/patch is ever released, i'll NEVER see M3 (and spinoff) completed.
classic controller/ngc pad support games are the shit, like muramasa, and metal slug anthology, set those slags up however we like, salute or sit? :smile-new:
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i suppose it's a matter of preference, each to their own.