Thread 715544618

Why did companies stop making mini consoles?

>>715544618 (OP)
Sega won.

Nintendo wants you to pay for NSO instead.

>>715544618 (OP)
emulators exist

>>715544618 (OP)
I was really hoping we would have gotten a gameboy or gameboy color classic loaded with a bunch of games

>>715544618 (OP)
this thing should have a battery and a mini screen you could insert on the cart slot

>>715544909
Thank you, Vegan-kun.

>>715545035
I eat a low carb-high protein diet.

>>715544618 (OP)
I think the PS1 mini bombing killed that.

>>715544618 (OP)
They make for good novelty gifts and that's it. Also they're limited to pre-sixth gen since greedy companies think games that came out 20+ years ago are worth full price.

>>715545336
Probably also the huge spike up in controller complexity/cost after 4th gen.
(I don't think I've ever even heard about a 5th gen mini being produced.)
What I'd actually love the most would be a Dreamcast mini, but I assume that's absolutely a never-ever tier thing.

>>715546318
There's a Playstation mini...
The problem with all these things is they kind of suck. None of them run the games without weird emulation errors, which is unacceptable because Genesis and PSX emulation is essentially perfect at this point.

>>715544618 (OP)
People easily mod them and suddenly they have the entire consoles library installed on official hardware, even if the emulation is worse, and that scared nintendo and sony into never doing it again.

Greed.

>>715544618 (OP)
>No FF4
why?

>>715546765
>Oh no, we can't continue to make money on software we finished 30+ years ago.
sigh

>Cut games
>Made it available to buy only through Amazon Japan for some reason
Fumbled hard.

>>715544618 (OP)
Playstation tried, and failed miserably.

>>715544618 (OP)
Let's look at which "mini" consoles we got:
>NES
>SNES
>first PlayStation
>Mega Drive
What do all of those have in common? Emulators for all of those consoles are so well optimized that they can run on a piece of shit e-waste ARM chip from a decade ago. N64 already requires much better hardware to emulate well. So does the Dreamcast. Saturn is much more demanding than either of the previous two (yes, even while it's a gen before Dreamcast), to say nothing about the PS2. This is also the reason why chinkhelds haven't advanced much in the last year, either. ARM chips have stagnated and stopped dropping in price like crazy.

>>715544618 (OP)
Fucking perverts kept fucking them and posting it on social media.

hello

>>715544618 (OP)
It was just a tiny fad

>>715544618 (OP)
What else is there to make? Nintendo wants you to paypig for NSO. Going for 6th gen would require significantly more powerful hardware and emulation optimization, it wouldn't be possible to make a PS2 or Dreamcast mini and sell it under $100 while still making a good profit.

>>715544618 (OP)
N64 emulation sucks and would've been severely limited. It probably would've had half the games, so Nintendo is out. Plus normies wouldn't like the trident controller. Saturn emulation was shit and would've had an even smaller library and it's not a popular console. So Sega is out. That leaves the PS1. Which Sony did release, but is a polarizing console at best. 6th gen is not going to happen. Microsoft isn't going to make a mini console just for the original xbox. Nintendo would rather release their limited selection of gamecube games as a way to boost NSO sales. Sony packages their PS2 games as part of PS Plus. Sega could be the only one I see benefiting from a Mini Dreamcast.

>>715548132
Also getting a library would be a pain, games started to bloat in dize and the ps2 most famous aspect is how many 3rd parties made software for it.
You can launch a ps2 mini without san Andreas but will rockstar actually let Sony just take their game and rerelease it? Probably not without a payment and even than maybe not. Those players could have bought the remaster where rockstsr gets all of the money

>>715548549
>Mini Dreamcast
I keep hearing that Sega lost the source code for Sonic Adventure and that's why we're stuck with the DX version. Is that true?

>>715544618 (OP)
Phones.

>>715544618 (OP)
Subscription models make more money.

>>715544618 (OP)
Because they sucked

>>715548935
Yes it's true. Haruki Satomi also has the Epstein client list.

>>715548549
>Sega could be the only one I see benefiting from a Mini Dreamcast.
The system itself sure but the controller would really be a problem, the VMU was integral to the experience, even if they cut that out and cheap out on everything you're still looking at something quite expensive to manufacture relative to what you are selling: a cheap collector's item for a quick shot of nostalgia.

>>715549207
>the VMU was integral to the experience
Just... leave it out. Nintendo left out all the gameboy advance link cable features in their gamecube library on the switch 2. No reason Sega can't do the same. These mini consoles in general don't sell well unless you're Nintendo anyways. That's why everyone backed out as soon as Nintendo stopped doing it.

>>715544618 (OP)
Mini consoles are stupid

>>715544618 (OP)
They barely even started. Also no, they're still making them, IIRC there's some new NeoGeo one that just came out too.

The biggest reason why companies don't make more of these things is primarily licensing.
Like, how are you supposed to get the license to add [game] to the system when the company that made [game] has been merged and sold off five times since the 90s? Or said game had licensed music in it that you'd have to go get the rights to redistribute again.
Plus, making one-off hardware like this is generally kinda iffy in the first place and I'm damn sure these companies are just shitting together something from some no-name factory in China anyway.

I dunno, anyone with a third of a brain is just going to buy some Anbernic or a Retroid Pocket, or an Everdrive on a real console or something and not bother with buying some overpriced mini console with 7 games on it.

>>715547214
Because FF6 is better.

>>715545195
>snoys ruin something yet again
imagine my shock

>>715544618 (OP)
You could buy your own novelty mini PC, a micro monitor, and a controller for a grand total of $150 and then emulate literally anything simpler than a PS3.

>>715550221
The whole point of these was the case, controller, official emulation and of course the collecting aspect. Even with a custom case it's not gonna feel the same as an official product

>>715547478
you can't even hack this like with the genesis mini 1 i dont get why these are more fucking expensive

>>715550631
Yes and that is a niche audience within a niche audience

>>715544618 (OP)
people want the most iconic games, not just first parties. it turns out licensing is a money sink. furthermore, unlike consoles which sell tens of millions of units, small batch production of hardware gets expensive real fast

>>715544618 (OP)
They were always a gimmick. Also the linux OS they all run (besides the PS1 mini) is awful and causes severe audio lag.
>>715546576
>There's a Playstation mini...
That's dogshit, and it really shouldn't have.

>>715544618 (OP)
The best games are made by third parties or are being remastered

>>715544618 (OP)
Because not even Nintendo can emulate N64 and Wii Mini already exists

>>715544618 (OP)
Someone gave me a mini snes as a gift but I don't even own a television any more, wtf am I even supposed to do with this

>>715550631
>official emulation
That's worse than what you get for free.
>>715546765
>People easily mod them
>that scared nintendo and sony into never doing it again.
>sony
You have to be a special kind of retard to hack a PS1 mini expecting to play the majority of the systems library

>>715555008
>I don't even own a television any more
Your computer monitor doesn't have hdmi?

>>715555258
If I'm using my computer why would I not just use a far superior emulator and a controller that doesn't fuck up my hands

>>715544909
the mini consoles are running emulators (and some roms that were sourced from the internet)
they are physical "let me google that for you" boxes

the snes classic was based and i was able to help my girlfriend hack it and load it up with nes snes gb gbc gba and genesis games in like 1 hr

>>715555414
>SNES controller
>bad
Fuck outta here

>>715555008
>television

I hate underage people, jesus christ.

>>715544618 (OP)
No open source extremely lightweight emulators to steal from, no extremely cheap chips up to the task available.

>>715544618 (OP)
Because they sell old games via a subscription plan

>Kirby anniversary rolls around
>no pink Kirby themed game and watch
fuck you Nintendo

>>715555008
>Trannymai
>Troonimai
>Groomimai
>Goonimai
>41imai
>Xe/ximai
>Splittinmai-cock
>Dilatemai-Axewound
>2ndplacenimai
>ProtrectedByTheTrannyJannymai
>Pedonimai
>Dickgoodbai
>DEMONimai
>Onim-ACK!!!

Get your dick split.

>>715544618 (OP)
So they can sell you Subscriptions

>>715546765
>Greed

Is this the worst of the 7 Deadly Sins?

>>715548549
>Sega could be the only one I see benefiting from a Mini Dreamcast.

Unless Sega tries their own take on Capcom’s Fighting Collections but with Saturn and Dreamcast games mixed in

>>715549465
>Nintendo left out all the gameboy advance link cable features in their gamecube library on the switch 2.

Didn’t some Gameboy and N64 games have connectivity features such as Mario Golf and the Pokémon games? If so, that was left out too.

>>715549710
You’re the type of person to also say size matters

>>715545087
yeah, we know cannibal.

>>715555008
Treasure it anon

>>715544618 (OP)
A better question is why did they start. It was nothing more than a covid era cash grab filler product. Even Nintendo was caught off guard by how much they sold

>>715544618 (OP)
They were fucking stupid

Why did Microsoft never release a Classic Mini console?

I would have liked to see a Classic Mini version of the first Xbox.

>>715551435
Probably will eventually be hackable, and when it is, there'll be plenty of room for more sega cd games

>>715555515
you can also put your own roms on them to, which means they're no more useful than a raspberry pi for emulation

>>715544618 (OP)
It was a fad.

>>715558075
It's too powerful and emulation too finnicky? There's also the problem that the og Xbox was a Halo machine, good luck filling up a library of games when it's just Halo and multiplats.

>>715557584
Yes, you can only use rental pokemon in Pokemon Stadium.

>>715549207
>the VMU was integral to the experience
I knew a kid who had a Dreamcast and didn't have a VMU. No one ever felt like something was missing. Your nostalgia goggles are over-blowing the importance of a gimmick.

>>715544618 (OP)
ran out of retarded niggers that bought them

>>715558785
I had this but in white, can confirm.

>>715558665
>good luck filling up a library of games when it's just Halo and multiplats
There are 225 Xbox exclusives according to this list: https://xbmcxbox.blogspot.com/2013/05/list-of-original-xbox-exclusives.html

>>715555590
Okay tiny hands

>>715544841
this is the only right answer.

>>715545195
>Sony having zero major first party titles coming back to bite them in the arse yet again

>>715558665
>>715559465
the original xbox also other exclusives that would undoubtedly include an original xbox classic mini
>Blinx: The Time Sweeper
>Forza Motorsport (the original)
>Conker: Live & Reloaded
>MechAssault
>Fuzion Frenzy
>Project Gotham Racing
>Amped: Freestyle Snowboarding (snowboarding video game)
>Blood Wake (a naval combat video game)
>Kingdom Under Fire: The Crusaders
>Jade Empire

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Xbox-only_games

>>715548549
>would've only had half the games
the main limiting factor for the mini consoles was licensing the third party games, and the N64 had no major third party games. it'd probably have THE best library because they would have no choice but to have the greatest hits all on one package.

>>715559229
what's the matter kiddo, couldn't get your hands on any of them?

>>715544618 (OP)
>Why did companies stop making mini consoles?

You can only really make them once. What are Nintendo supposed to do? Make new SNES games??

>>715559981
>Conker: Live & Reloaded
Isn't that just a censored, shittier version of Conker's Bad Fur Day on N64?

>>715559981
>Forza, PGR
not a chance. car licensing. same reason Gran Turismo was excluded from PS Mini

mini console for mini penis

>>715544618 (OP)
Nintendo only made them to plug up the gap between the Wii U's death and the Switch's release. They didn't have a reason to make more once the Switch was out.
Sony cheaped out big time with the PS1 mini to the point that the SNES mini had more powerful hardware and could be turned into a better PS1 emulator as a result. There's no way they would spend actual money on something strong enough to play PS2.
Dunno about Sega, Atari or any of the rest.

>>715546765
You're retarded. All of those consoles can be emulated a trillion times easier on any computer or smartphone with a simple google search. The only people putting effort into loading ROMs onto a SNES mini is the kind of person who is already pirating every retro console on their PC to begin with.
If anything, piracy on mini consoles would be more profitable for companies. Nintendo makes nothing when you download an emulator and some ROMs, Nintendo makes a hundred dollars if you buy their mini consoles.

>>715560291
I have some replacements
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quantum_Redshift

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phantom_Dust

>>715558172
At the time they were a way better deal. I got two of the psclassics for 20 bucks a pop. You could not get a single better deal at the time and the damn thing was so easy to mod. The shitty emulators it came with were EASY to replace with ones that outperformed them tenfold with extremely stable framerates and more accurate emulation.

Coming with 2 pads, hdmi cable and the hardware itself couldn't be beaten. Now that people discovered how the hardware wasn't bad on any of them and they all had shitty emulators out the box they are way more expensive just because of the casing.

>>715544618 (OP)
I skipped both NES and SNES, but I was willing to pay for a N64 classic mini... I'm still surprised it didn't end up happening

>>715544618 (OP)
They want you to use their online store where they can sell old games for $5 instead of 20 old games + hardware for $50. Also beyond PS1 the complexity is getting too high for a $1 emu box to run.

That and they'd cut into sales of other consoles, so no point.

>>715560267
If they ever revive and reboot Conker, I'd prefer it to be a friendly game and leave behind those two Nintendo 64 games and the one from the first Xbox.

>>715560850
Quantum Red Shift has this shitty weapon system that instantly kills random racers. It's not good. The title theme was good though and the racers were cool. It was fun for a little bit but a very flawed mechanic.

>>715561153
I'm glad you aren't in charge. Conker was worthless before this and pocket tales was shit. We already had banjo and DKC at the time AND M64
Conker was just another clone fated to die a worse death than glover did despite being multiplatform

>>715561264
What I would do is leave the squirrel on the fridge for many decades, and when no one remembers him, relaunch Conker as a totally family-friendly game.

It would be nice if XBOX had more games for everyone.

>>715561182
I wish I had an original Xbox back in the day.

Hopefully, in the future, I'll be able to buy a super-powerful tablet or laptop to try emulating the original Xbox.

>>715544618 (OP)
Because they realized they were making more money draining nostalgiafags like myself with subscriptions rather than fan services
At least I got yhe better late than never sense to jump ship after switch 1

>>715560850
Phantom Dust was such an incredible game.

>>715561824
Now that I think about it, the original Xbox had many games that are hidden gems.

In addition, Microsoft should release a compilation of the best games from the original Xbox in the future.

>>715544618 (OP)
Because you can't brick em with online updates.

>>715546765
>Greed.
Yeah. Your greed. Because you steal games and cry "game preservation!" when you get caught.

>>715561505
This would never work. Project spark was proof of that and then young conker was also proof of that. I'm glad you aren't in charge for much longer phil

>>715561101
>I'm still surprised it didn't end up happening
That's because they would have to invent an emulator for it.
The point of these mini consoles is making money from selling open source software.

>>715546765
Y would they care, that just drives up demand
Not like they were selling games via on online storefront on minis or anything were they
Aside note, they do still make mini consoles. There's a bunch of off brand Atari and Genesis clones that come with a bunch of homebrew games and allow you to insert real game carts

>>715547873
WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOP

>>715562356
Doesn't a n64 emulator already exist
I remember back when I used it 10 years ago it was basically unplayable but surely it's gotten better right

>>715547873
>we took a nexus 5 smartphone board and put a heatsink on it
>we want shitty android games on the television

>>715562576
>surely it's gotten better right

>>715557870
>2017
>covid era cash grab filler product.

>>715562235
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IeTybKL1pM4

They flopped and were at one point really cheap, I have modded the ps1 mini easily

>>715562576
To actually emulate the N64 you have to have something like a steam deck tier GPU.
The HLE shit is emulating just half of the system, aiming specific games.

>>715562576
None of them is open source.
You can't just download it off the Internet and put a price on it.
Also, their quality is questionable.

>>715557870
Nigga what the fuck is you doing, saying thinking?

>>715544735
This. Astro Mini and Game Gear Micro beat the competition plus PSX Mini was fucking garbage.

>>715555008
Appreciate the thought and do not think of the implicit implications and societal obligations that come with receiving a gift.
Getting gifts sucks.

>>715561505
Blinx is right there

>>715560265
Yeah kinda. Atari actually does this with their latest system, the 2600+
It runs 2600 and 7800 games, and Atari started actually licensing homebrew developers to create new cartridges featuring their work, alongside repros of older games. Nintendo just feels no incentive to because they're extremely Japanese and are therefore prideful about how they don't need such "filthy" tactics to make money (as they gouge you for $80 per new release)

>>715564343
Bro last Christmas I didn't want any gifts so I asked for $1 stuff like a bag of peanuts. We all do lists in my family so we get stuff we actually want.
I shit you not my sister gave me a sack full of peanuts. I didn't know what to do with so many.
You can explicitly ask people who love you and have known you for your whole life to please not bother and they'll do the opposite.

Because you can pretty much make your own better mini console of “x” console and download and have a shit ton of more games in it than the pic related mini console

Just get some be of those Chinese handhelds like rg xx35sp. Many of them can be connected to your tv directly or with a docking station and used with wireless controllers. That one runs ps1 games, but not so much n64 games and it costs 70 dollars

>>715558719
>>715557584
Didn't they basically say that eventually it was going to be patched back in?

>>715544618 (OP)
A Game Boy Color or GBA with like 30 games preloaded on it would sell an absurd amount

>>715565620
Not that I'm aware of, and they definitely never did. Gamefreak is really weird about Pokemon games NEEDING to connect to their bank service, which is why we'll never see the mainline Pokemon games on NSO. In Gamefreak's minds, pokemon that you can't bring into future games somehow tarnish the integrity of pokemon.

What am I looking at here?

>>715565813
I'm puzzled by chinks neglecting the GBC format to this day, wonder if they never got it or was too unpopular.

>>715565620
No, marketing put out a 'teehee we'll consider it' statement back when Pokemon Stadium had its own little shitstorm on release over lacking transfer pak support for no reason.

>>715566441
The GBA is just objectively more ergonomic and comfortable to hold. The GB and GBC both really suck to hold and I don't know why people like them. Even the GBA SP sucks to hold, but at least it provides the benefit of a clamshell design to protect the screen and make it more pocket-friendly. GBC is just all downside, if you're going to make a handheld with an exposed screen then the form factor to copy is the GBA.

>>715565620
>>715566613
The perfect compromise would have been putting in a modified Pokemon Stadium rom that always has Pokemon Red inserted. Maybe even Pokemon Yellow for the color support and Surfing Pikachu minigame. You would start the game with rental pokemon, then once you unlock the GB Tower you'd have access to the GB game where you can play through and train up mons to put back into Stadium. It would all be self-contained within Pokemon Stadium, no need for weird connections between the N64 NSO app and the GB NSO app or anything like that. But the Pokemon Home Mandate is what prevents something like that from ever happening.

>>715544618 (OP)
Because the PC can emulate everything

>>715565813
Whitout pokémon? Doubt

>>715562949
Pretty sure thats i emulated n64 in a intel igpu

>>715544962
All I need

>>715566964
the original GameBoy feels fine to hold, it just doesn't fit very well in a pants pocket. especially not in modern tight pants with tiny pockets.

I want them to do this again but as official FPGAs that can play physical copies of games. Might as well just capitalize on all of your fans. Fuck even start producing physical copies of old games again and just refer to them as a vintage series or heritage games.

>>715568374
This is such a gay looking interface.
Looks like some netflix bullshit.

>>715571467
There's way more money in subscription crap, I'm afraid.

>>715544618 (OP)
Nintendo made them during a slump, everyone else did it in order to cash in (though the genesis mini was really good). The trend is over.

I like the in-between emulator consoles that include cartridge slots, like the Sega Genesis Flashback only the 2018 revision is any good or like >>715564381 brought up, the 2600+/7800+. I wonder why officially licensed examples aren't more common.

>>715544618 (OP)
Because microconsoles are retarded.

>>715576520
Someone one suggested the Neo Geo Mini to me.
I like how it looks like a mini Arcade cabinet and has its own screen, but I'm not crazy about the selection of games. It's got like 8 versions of singleplayer KoF.

just fyi: all these mini consoles use flash memory to store their roms. If left unpowered for long enough, they'll wipe themselves and you'll be left with a little plastic paperweight.

Nintendo likes to create artificial scarcity to drive up sales. Aside from that other mini consoles like the Mega Drive mini was SHIT. And the market was flooded with knock offs.

>>715577024
>Mega Drive mini was SHIT
qrd?

>>715577060
Input lag, screen tearing and the sound was completely off. It was like you were playing a bootleg console rather then an official product. Oh and the controllers sucked. Aside from the aforementioned lag it had a problem with phantom inputs. It was garbage

>>715558075
Retard.

>>715555691
And I hate (you) Boco, so it evens out.

>>715558128
Nobody cares about hacking mini consoles anymore. Especially ones that never got sold at retail.

>>715576758
All while you can buy the games you actually want for the Neo Geo on all platforms. But the problem is that SNK went overboard with their fighting games, and to those who aren't into them, are a curious timewaster, but also not wanting to autistically wanting to learn all the arbitrary button combinations for combinations. A fighting game with a much more streamlined control scheme would do wonders (as is what Nintendo did for Smash Bros).

>>715577795
I haven't played KoF in a while but it's not just the button inputs that are difficult. You can cancel moves into specials and then cancel the specials into more powerful specials.
One button specials instead of pretzel inputs would make the game more accessible, but wouldn't help the people who fuck up the timings.

>>715578006
I may be autistic, but not autistic to attempt to finagle my way into that nonsense.

>>715566441
I will choose the one that’s not for midgets or tiny gamers, Alex

>>715580069
I'm a tiny gamer, just a bit of a gamer, a little gaming but not too much.

surprised they didn't do a mini N64.

>>715558128
last i checked any attempts stopped at around 3 years ago so safe to assume its not happening unless there's some sudden resurgence in mini consoles and then they give a shit about it again

It was really lightning in a bottle. An entirely new mob of casuals was rushing into the gaming hobby and acquiring lifestyle gaming crap to burnish their bonafides at the exact time that kids who grew up with the NES were having a midlife crisis.

>>715577351
>Input lag, screen tearing and the sound was completely off. It was like you were playing a bootleg console rather then an official product.
Are you thinking of one of the AT Games ones? I remember the one Sega developed with M2 being pretty solid