This. It’s a pain to rip stuff in a compatible format for use on the RHEA/PHOEBE (especially for those in an OS X environment.)
While I have ripped most of my library, I still have not managed to get a working copy of Elevator Action Returns. Even resorting to images found online, I haven’t had any luck getting it to work.
First world problems I guess, lol.
Just about all of the stuff I tried putting on my Phoebe Saturn has not worked. I was fortunate it at least came with stuff already on a card. Not sure Padus DiscJuggler even worked properly on my Windows 10 machine.
Assuming it’s still the same, sorting games is also annoying with the requirement that games go in numbered folders (02, 03, etc). Want to put a game somewhere in the beginning or middle but still keep everything alphabetized? Great, manually redo all your folders.
Found this link. http://www.theisozone.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=64&t=69852
May try the advice given there to see if I can get some stuff actually working for once.
King of Fighters 1999
Last Blade 2
Two great games.
I had a failed snipe on ebay this weekend. I almost got 10-15 games and a white saturn with controllers and such but I was iffy about because he didn’t test the console. Even still, I should have tried to go earlier by the time i sniped the bidding was done and I lost out. Chicken shit i am.
Thanks for the link @Mega
My issue specifically was the necessity to run DiscJuggler in either a virtual machine or via Boot Camp on my Mac.
Eventually I had limited access to a Windows-based laptop, but it didn’t have an optical drive, so in order to rip games I needed to create an image using my Mac, then mount it using Daemon Tools on the PC (that itself was running a virtual version of Win XP in order to get DiscJugger to work correctly) then “rip” the virtual disc image that the machine had created in Daemon Tools in order to get a proper .CDI image out of it all. While this worked without issue for most of my titles (albeit slow moving and needlessly tedious) EAR was one title that I could not get to work, despite repeated attempts. I have even tried using images I found online, but have not been successful, so I have essentially given up at this point, and moved on.
Got a Model 2 Sega coming my way. Should I try and snipe a Phoebe or is it worth waiting to see if anything comes of Dr. Abrasive’s Satisfier this year?
The Phoebe’s are really good. Yes I complain about getting things set up, but essentially once you have your images on your SD card, it just works, so I would say go for it.
Man this thread had me looking into a saturn…then I checked some game prices and nope.gif’d out hard lol. I don’t recall seeing much Saturn stuff local either (besides maybe sports games). Good luck in the hunt Kawika!
Edit, of course I immediately follow this post by browsing my local criagslist. Model 2 listed for $25 but won’t spin discs, quick google seems like it’s a common issue that can be fixed. I’m not home now so I guess I’ll check when I get there. Lol, this fucking hobby; I may need to get back into amateur motorsports as it may be cheaper!
I consider the Saturn to be a japan only console. It flopped so hard here and the games so expensive I just don’t see any point in collecting NA games for it.
I sorted out my issues with RHEA/PHOEBE by converting everything to .MDF and using the gdemu(for dreamcast) sd maker to add games to the RHEA/PHOEBE card
Yeah it weirds me out when Americans look at Saturn (and Turbografx) from a ‘buying locally’ perspective.
Why would you do that? The Japanese models look better, are cheaper, the games are cheaper, and there are literally hundreds more games including by far the best games each system has to offer.
I would say at least 99% of people living in North America can’t read or speak japanese, myself included
You don’t need any knowledge of Japanese to play almost any games except RPGs or adventure. Around 40-50% of Japanese action games are fully in English, or have an option to be, and another 30% have menus in English and just incidental screens (eg endings in Street Fighter) in Japanese.
Yeah, Especially since region modding things is a thing. I’ve been exclusively looking at Japanese Saturn’s but with the Action Replay I wasn’t overly concerned which one I would buy. I knew I didn’t want to buy US games but wouldn’t mind burning some that were less import friendly. But since I said PCE in the thread title I think you know which way I was going with these two consoles. I came across a TG16 last year in the wild and I was like nah.
When the PS1 came out I would say 50-60% of the games I would buy were from Japan.
Except when imports are available locally. I have bought hundreds of Japanese games over the years from local stores in the Vancouver area. I have used online buying more for PAL games.
It’s really only a recent development that US games have become so valuable, especially for Saturn. Most people didn’t give a rat’s ass about the Saturn for the longest time. I was fortunate to grab up most of the best US stuff many years ago (as early as 1995 when it shipped and I was the first to get one because I worked at EB on the day of the surprise… I was off work that day and they called me and said “I think you need this.” LOL!). You can still get a lot of the catalog for reasonable prices, especially when found locally, but yeah, some games are just way cheaper and just as playable if bought as imports.
I did that recently (I know… I know… post in the Pick up thread!) with Panzer Dragoon and House of the Dead. I don’t know when I lost my copy of the original Panzer, bought on launch day, but I did. I finally decided to just buy the import so I wouldn’t have to pay damn near MSRP for it again. It’s good advice for today’s gaming world to look at both domestic and import.
One thing though… as noted above by @Socksfelloff is that language IS a barrier to entry. I’ve been looking at Super Famicom games since the Super Nt will give me easy access to them, maybe even with translations eventually, and one of the difficulties is knowing what’s what because I can’t read the labels. I know of a store down near Philly that has a bunch of imports (Classic Game Junkie) and one problem I had looking through them was having no clue what they were!
So yeah, saying just buy import isn’t always easy to do for folks who can’t read the language.
To expand on my point there is a fair amount of English in alot of Japanese games and thanks to the internet you can figure out most of what’s not but it’s time consuming.
When I started playing Castlevania 3 I started with the unmodified famicom game and when I encountered my first character to recruit I had no idea what the text said. I used Google translate and my options were “I don’t bite” and the other was like “box Jim car three”. I chose the first option which, thankfully, was the right one and then I promptly switched to the translated rom hack.
Kind of cross topic but I know some people have hang ups about downloading (and keeping games they don’t own) I have a few games like Mother 2 I know I can’t read or will ever be able to but somehow that makes me feel ok with having Earthbound on my SD2SNES. Likewise, I would never know which games I would love so much if not for those devices. Once I find a game I love from flash carts I typically try to buy it.
I think unless I find a good lot with a bunch of games for the Saturn, I am going to hold off for the Professor Abrasive thing. I just don’t see any strong need to buy today. I will keep checking craiglist and ebay for deals.
Do you find any difference from your N8 & your ED for audio? I can’t tell the difference between my Famicom cart & playing it on the N8. I’ve only had a NT for famicom games so I don’t know what they are supposed to sound like on Famicom.
Edit: I meant to say is there any difference between the Akujama cart and the ED. Anyway, you figured out what I meant to say anyway.
I actually own the NA cart of cv3 not the famicom. I knew there was no point in even trying the NA cart.
I think cv3 sounded fantastic on my N8 and thought it sounded just like what I’ve always heard. According to @D.Lo there is a difference but it’s very close to the original cart
Shipping and currency conversion is a terrible reality for many, including Canadians like myself.
While I sold off all my North American Saturn games at a premium and reinvested in Japanese copies, shipping, currency conversion, transaction fees (PayPal), duty, etc. all add up. Even though things typically end up more cost efficient in the long run, these elements add to the mental consumer barrier that reinforces gamers to buy locally. For those who have not tried the game in question (or even had the opportunity to see it in person or hold it in person) this can make the “risk” of purchasing from overseas feel like even more of a gamble.
This is on top of the previously mentioned language barrier many may face.
I’m not saying you’re wrong @D.Lo, I’m just adding some perspective as to why many don’t consider importing a real option.
But most Japanese sellers on eBay have like $6 worldwide postage on day Famicom games?
Currency conversion is what it is, but most (99%) of Japanese sellers sell in US dollars so no different to buying from the US. And buyers don’t pay PayPal or transaction fees?
I see what you’re saying and it was essentially my point, people ‘afraid’ of those things are being irrational. And I saw such paranoia on GAF, lots of fear of buying from overseas with no real basis in reality.
Hey I guess I benefit from it too. I buy from Japan and sell in the West and usually make quite a profit from these paranoid folks. And by west, bizarrely that includes Europe, who also seem afraid of buying from Japanese sellers and buy the same thing from me in Australia (with even higher postage costs and further away) instead.