This way, the cases can vary a bit in design, as long as they supply internal mounting. There might even be half-size rear brackets. The IO stuff could go on separate boards. Hmm.maybe add some FC and NES colors? With relatively compact modern hardware inside, there's space to make things modular, sort of like a computer case. Of course, I really like the SONY HitBit F1XD so let's add some of that! Maybe the case is modular so the drive front can be swapped out, along with other parts.
With a Motorola inside, maybe the X68000 look would be appropriate. The NeXT cube was apparently difficult to tool, being made from many unique pieces. Edges kind of need to be sloped like on the Mark 3 below (they're sloped on the NES if you look carefully). These kind of square cases are more expensive to tool. I imagine that the Nintendo Famicube was released in 1988, featuring a fast processor, up to a Megabyte memory and a built in floppy drive. "Something released by some guy" is a lot less interesting to develop for. authority, attracting a lot more developers.
Of course, if it was actually Nintendo (or SEGA) who released something like this, the system and its restrictions would gain a certain. Compiled C code is not as fast as hand optimized ASM but the programmer can scale into using more advanced inline ASM later on and this lowers the entry threshold for beginners. I did a quick and dirty game-logic benchmark test on my Arduino UNO which runs at 16Mhz, and found that it's probably quite enough for more advanced NES type games (especially with a side GPU). A physical game can sit on the shelf where you can feast your eyes on it while smoking a pipe, nodding with pleasant memories.ĬPU speed and memory is a bit less important when it comes to creating identity so I went for specs which would make programming easier whilst not being overpowered and unrealistic. real pinball machines vs video game pinball. For me, floppy disks vs SD card files is like. And when bored one can fiddle with the springy dust cover or browse the manual.
Last but not least, real floppy disks turn game media into something which can be touched, and certainly heard! You'll never wonder if something is loading or not. The joypad design can limit and encourage certain designs and simplifications. DIY consoles have none, and modern consoles have become very minimalist, don't you think? It's like they don't want to be seen, camouflaging themselves as generic monotone (monolithic) living room devices. The console case will create a physical identity for the console itself. The sound chip is bound to bring some recognizable character to the audio. The tile based PPU and 8 color/tile limit will encourage certain designs and aesthetics, reminiscent of the NES whilst not being as ruthless with color restrictions. A static 64 color palette will create a certain overall color feel. * Lagom is a Swedish word for striking the right balance (because of unmentioned considerations), not going overboard. So, to create something different I must decide on a a set of pleasant and "lagom"* restrictions: In addition, for me the experience is not just about the game on the screen and its sounds, but the presence of the hardware, a unique controller in hand, and the churning of a floppy drive. In comparison, a ZX Spectrum, C64 or NES game can be recognized almost instantly. However, I feel that these have no tangible identity. There are many cheap game consoles and retro products out there such as the Ouya, Gamestick, Raspberry Pi, Gameduino, Uzebox and various XGameStation stuff. The PC Engine is another interesting system. This is not a SMS project though, so maybe another time. 16 colors is perhaps more than I would use per sprite, but because the palettes are shared between all sprites I probably wouldn't use more than 4-10 colors per sprite. *The SEGA Master System had something going with the total 16 BG + 16 FG colors. This project aims to conjure up a of missing link of sorts, a NES 1.5. NES sprites feel like they really could use two more colors or so, while SNES sprites tend to use muddy gradients and needless anti-aliasing because it's so tempting to use all the colors. I think I mention it in my unfinished pixel art tutorial.Īs a graphics guy I feel that there's something missing between the NES and SNES*. Keeping color count down and having a uniform palette is often a good idea even when you do traditional art, so I think old hardware limitations can align with that. But, I do really believe that restrictions can benefit you as an artist, at least when it comes to staying consistent within a certain graphical style. Our minds seem like a good puzzle, and being efficient with pixels and data be satisfying in that way. Working within tight restrictions is much of the fun for many people into making games (or graphical mockups) for older systems.
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