Apologies…….

Firstly today my apologies for the lack of posts since last June, once again everyday life has got in the way leaving me with little time to think of and work on any new posts, it is my definite intention to do more posts though this coming year so stay tuned!

GameBoy and Virtual Boy Anthology Review

 

The publisher GeeksLine has been responsible for some of the best retrogaming books of recent times with their series of anthologies on a variety of systems including PC Engine, SNES and GameCube.  I have owned the excellent SNES Anthology for some time, their latest title focuses on the GameBoy and VirtualBoy (a standard GameBoy only anthology is also available) so let’s take a look.

Weighing in a hefty 544 pages this is a proper read, and it doesn’t disappoint, as well as the usual section listing every single GameBoy and VirtualBoy title ever released in great detail there are articles about the history of both systems, unreleased titles, accessories and a section showing all the stunning box art for both machines.  They even provide a pair of 3D glasses so the screenshots of the VirtualBoy games can be viewed properly which is pretty cool!

The whole book feels really premium and fans of the GameBoy and VirtualBoy will absolutely love it, now can we have a GameBoy Advance Anthology next please GeeksLine?

Available from https://www.geeksline-publishing.com/

TRJ RATING : 10/10

RetroGamer Presents : The Handheld Gaming Collection Review

 

The monthly magazine, RetroGamer has, for a long time been a title I always look forward to receiving in the post each month.  They’ve also done a series of ‘bookzines’ on a variety of retrogaming subjects, a recent title being ‘The Handheld Gaming Collection’ which is an outstanding and highly recommended read for any gaming handheld fans.

It starts with a section entitled ‘Clash of the Handhelds’ where a section is dedicated to each device, there is some information about each device, an essential game for that system and a rating out of 10 for Battery Life, Ergonomics, Support, Tech, Impact and Screen.  This section really gets the publication off to a great start.

The rest of the title is a series of fascinating articles about all the leading systems including GameBoy, PSP and GameBoy Color to name but a few, there are also some Top 25 countdowns as well, some Hidden Gems articles and some system retrospectives.

It really is an outstanding publication and one you’ll find yourself dipping into time and time again, an essential title.

Available to purchase from https://www.magazinesdirect.com/the-handheld-gaming-collection

TRJ RATING : 10/10

I absolutely LOVE the Steam Deck!

 

For a while now I’ve owned a Steam Deck and I have to say I absolutely love it so thought I’d details the reasons why.  The only thing I would say is that if you’re a newcomer to retrogaming emulation this is not the system for you as it is not an easy device to set up, I had to use two pieces of Windows software on my laptop to do so - Warpinator, which pairs with the corresponding app on the Deck and allows roms to be sent wirelessly and Linux File System for Windows where the ‘Share’ folder on the SD card is recognised as a normal Windows folder allowing for roms to be dragged and dropped in the usual way.

Anyway on with the reasons why this is now my number one emulation device :

- Despite its size the Steam Deck is actually really comfortable to use for long periods, even more so if you add either Satisfye’s excellent StylthGrip or the equally good grip from Skull and Co.  Also it’s not as heavy a device as you might expect either.

- It can be a dual boot system meaning Steam games can remain on the internal storage and retrogaming roms can be stored and accessed separately via the SD card.

- The superb Batocera custom firmware is also available for the Steam Deck which is installed to the SD card and can be booted into separately from SteamOS on the internal storage, it is a highly usable and enjoyable experience with a number of themes available including the gorgeous Artflix theme (pictured below), I just love the carousel of system logos on the home screen and the way the box art is displayed on the game lists, brilliant!

- The emulation performance is flawless right up to and including PS2 and the larger screen means the games look absolutely amazing!

- The build quality of the Deck is outstanding, the trackpads are responsive and the shoulder buttons, d-pad and analogue sticks are perfect!

- Overlays are automatically supplied on Batocera for most systems which means no wasted space on the screen and adds to the experience, these can though be turned off in the Settings.

- It is by far the best device for playing all 60 Game & Watch roms through Mame, again the bigger screen and the responsive controls make for a fantastic experience!

- It truly is a one-stop emulation system for everything, it’s just brilliant!

- Even though setting it up is a challenge it is highly rewarding and satisfying to see your hard work there in front of you and looking so great!

So there you have it, my personal reasons why I absolutely LOVE the Steam Deck, emulation really doesn’t get much better than this! A truly game changing device!