We're almost all collectors here - lots of use have multiple classic consoles set up 24/7 most of us import games as well - usually via mod/third party device. That said - what variants are the best? Example - for NES games an AV Famicom with an adapter to play NES games + Famicom games with good composite SNES with tabs cut Which Genesis? Model 1 or 2? The PC Engine - which is easier to mod for imports? PC Engine or TG16? Duo? Pro? etc
Genesis: Model 1 for the headphone output which is the only way to get stereo sound. Alternatively, get a Wondermega. PC-Engine: Buy a Japanese console. CDs are regionfree and there are hardly any US-exclusive HuCards worth playing. And for those few great US games, there's still the possibility to get a mod. There is no such thing as a "PC-Engine Pro", just a Duo, Duo-R and Duo-RX. The original Duos tend to have sound-issues these days, so it'd be most convenient to go with a Duo-R or RX. These also have the highest quality if you RGB-mod it. NES: AV-Famicom, also because it's easier to RGB-mod if needed. "Good composite" made me giggle
I would recommend a PCE DUO-R. It has it that this version seems to be the most reliable to this date. A switchless region mod can be performed on any models existing. btw. there is no PCE PRO, only the Arcade card PRO, which when is inserted into the Hu-Card slot of a PCE with attached CD-Rom², will allow you to play one of the 12 Arcade Card only games (Sapphire, Garou Densetsu Special, World Heros II, AoF etc.). It also will enhance certain games with better, more smooth cinematics (3x3 eyes etc.), but also longer loading times.
As pointed above, the "best variants" should be divided in categories according to the amount of modding you are willing to apply to them. The best stock variant might not necessarily be the best variant when modding is considered. Personally I mod the crap out of my consoles so I tend to research the modding possibilities alot.
I don't have a RGB compatible CRT, so anything besides RGB I'm willing to mod. Right now I have an AV Famicom + NES, SNES model 2, Genesis model 2, round button Saturn + region switch + mod chip, Debug PS1, PS2 + swap disc, Xbox with softmod, Dreamcast + swap disc I'm looking to start getting PC Engine stuff so I was trying to use this thread to find the best bang for my buck.
Im asking because they actually vary a lot. You should be able to identify it using this guide. http://www.sega-16.com/forum/showth...-good-Genesis-1s-and-Genesis-2s-from-bad-ones
Hence why I sound flustered. Times have changed. Yeah a step in the right direction. We've small talked about it occasionally.
MD/Genesis: Wondermega RG-M1, just for the looks. It's a beautiful console. SNES/SFC Jr. It's so much cooler looking than the original American SNES, and it has amazing RGB output. It's also very small and light. Grey NTSC-J Saturn. I know some people think grey is a boring color, but personally I think it looks really cool. PlayStation: SCPH-100x. It has great audio quality from the built-in RCA jacks, as well as great RGB video quality. It's a pretty good CD player. 360: white Jasper unit. This model is supposed to be the most reliable of the 360 revisions, and I've never had any problems with it. I have the Arcade version, which is all white, including the disc tray. I always thought the older units with the chrome colored disc trays looked a little tacky. It looks much cooler in all white, I think. I don't play it much anymore, but I enjoy just looking at it. Those are the important ones for me. Most of the other consoles I own don't have many differences between versions. Also, you said "most of us" play imports via modded consoles. That's not true for me - I play all my imports on imported consoles, with the exception of the DC. I have Japanese versions of PSX, PS2, Saturn, SFC, PC Engine, and MD.
Genesis: Model 1. Early versions in particular. Good sound, non TMSS makes it boot slightly quicker, easy to region switch, 32X or power base converter will fit snug... SNES Jr like the PCE Duo-R excels at modded RGB. Saturn variants are less significant usually. White model 2 is very sleek. :encouragement: Playstation up to 750x has an expansion port for Gameshark type devices. I haven't tested music on a 100x to say much.
Unless space is an issue or import duties make it prohibitive I don't see the point in modding systems when barring a few exceptions you can get most systems for pretty cheap. Just doing a quick search on ebay now I found BiN Famicom, Super Famicom, N64, Gamecube, Megadrive, Saturn, Dreamcast, PC Engine Core , and PS1 imports all for around the price of a current gen game or less. The only surprising price was for an import PS2. I guess I'm asking you guys why you mod when you can get the real deal?
What do you mean? They are talking about modding the real deal for better output. For example, the Snes jr gives the best RGB picture of all snes consoles. However, it doesnt do RGB from the factory and requires a trivial mod.
That's how I feel. Modding consoles can be great, but I only like to do it when it's an improvement on the original hardware, not just a way to play imports or backups. RGB mods for the N64 and SNES Jr. make playing those consoles vastly more enjoyable. There's no advantage to playing an imported game on a modded console as opposed to playing it on an imported system, other than convenience. I forgot to mention that I've also cut the tabs in my NTSC-U N64 to allow me to play Japanese N64 games. But it's such a simple mod, and the systems are so similar anyway, that it's acceptable to me.
Honestly the easiest thing I've seen (and done) is use an Action Replay, Amazon has them and it also gives you a 4 Mb ram chip for the foreign games that use it (I don't think it was ever released in the States)
Already got and it doesn't do what I'm after. I own a JP system now, rather not have to buy a US one again to use the backup ram cart on legit US games.
When it comes to console variants when wanting to play anything in my collection, I usually just tend to use the packaged AV cables that are included with the Nintendo consoles. I'm not too stringent on the quality of the picture while I play because I'm using a CRT TV that's about as old as I am. I know I'll get flack for it, but here's how I play all my Nintendo games and consoles in my collection: NES/SNES: Yobo FC Twin. It might not be the best thing to use when it comes to playing NES or SNES games but I hardly own any games that use the Super FX chip because I just started collecting for the SNES. It does have some compatibility issues but if I ever need to play a game that isn't on that list, I can pull my SNES from my Nintendo shelf and hook it up to play it. The tabs are cut out of this so if I want to play my Japanese copy of Chrono Trigger or Seiken Densetsu II, I can. N64: NTSC-U Nintendo 64 with the tabs cut out. I own 4 or 5 import games and they get the most play time on my Nintendo 64. I do own 2 of these and both have the tabs cut out but the other one sits on my shelf as it's my release Nintendo 64. Most if not all of my gaming is either done on those particular consoles or I use emulation on my Hackintosh/Windows computer. I prefer using my physical consoles but sometimes I have to use emulation whether it's because I don't own something or need to record something which has no reliable means of recording. As I said, I'm not one for having the best picture while playing a video game because I don't see a need for it in my case.
