SKG Retrogaming

This will be the final post for SKG Retrogaming. The Skeptical Geek is no more. He has outlived his usefulness, and after 6 years, needs to be put out to pasture. In his place, say hello to Grandpa Gaming of Las Vegas.

We are launching the rebrand at New York Comic Con, Oct 12-15. To celebrate, everyone buying a system at NYCC gets an exclusive tote bag, see picture below. We are also making some exciting new product improvements. What was the Ultra Box, new the Great Grandpa, is vastly improved. Instead of 24 systems, 8000 games on a 400 GB SD card, we are giving you 40 systems, 16,000 games on a 2TB SSD drive. This allows me to vastly expand my PS1 and Dreamcast libraries, add PSP and a host of smaller, more obscure systems. Sorry, still no PS2 or Game Cube. Not possible, at least with the current generation of hardware.

The new website is currently under development, at https://grandpagaminglv.com. It should be fully operational by the time NYCC starts, or just a little bit after. Queries to the old website will automatically redirect tot the new one, so don't worry if you are still using the info on my current business card. In the meantime, make sure to check out ant follow the new FB page, at Grandpa Gaming of Las Vegas.

It's been, and still is a lot of fun. Looking forward to seeing you all at a show in your area as I begin this new chapter in my business.

SKG

I get asked a lot for Commodore 64 games. Now the Retro Box will play N64, and other classic computers, but there is a hitch. Generally, in order to play classic computer games, you have to know how to use classic computers.

Well, there is an emulator that can be installed that supposedly helps simplify the process, and I had a week and change between shows, so I installed it and tried it out.

While it does attempt to auto load the games, skipping the Load and Run commands, playing them is another matter. It turns out that the emulator has about 100 configuration options and every game needs a different combination of those options to run. Also, you can't save these options on a per game basis. That feature is supposed to be there but it doesn't work. I got midway thru the Bs during play testing before I realized it was never going to happen.

As a former software engineer, I know that 90% of R&D projects are dead ends. It's a lot more frustrating when you are the company, however. All I can say is that I try my best to give you all what you want, but sometimes it just isn't a possibility.

In any case, keep checking this page. Major announcement coming early next week. And possibly a couple of minor ones earlier.

Have a Skeptical Day,

SKG

The Skeptical Geek returns to Utah for FanX Salt Lake. This show is always a great time, so please come by and say hi. Also say hi to the new Skeptical Assistant, Fabian.This is his first show, so go easy on him. This is also the last show the Geek will be doing, before he becomes a Grandpa. Check this page next week for the big announcement.

Have a Skeptical Day,

SKG

P.S. Booth 2525

The Skeptical Geek returns to the home of Harry and Izzy's Steakhouse, aka Indianapolis, for Indy Pop Con. Awesome guest list, terrific group of vendors, and Downtown Indy us always a blast. Come check us out, booth 703

Just put up a couple of more blog posts. I reviewed 2 controllers. One is the Hyperkin Scout Bluetooth controller, the first BT controller I have used that I can actually recommend to my customers without feeling ill. The other is the Mayflash F300 Elite, which has a built in restrictor to allow you to use it as a dedicated 4 way joystick for games like Donkey Kong and Pac-Man. Check them out.

SKG

Just put up a blog post on the website, the first in a long time, but some more coming up. It is about improving your experience on 2 of the most popular N64 games ever, Super Smash Bros and Goldeneye 007.

Aas you know, the Skeptical Geek is not a rest on your laurels guy. I am always looking for ways to add value for my customers. It has bothered me for a while that these two games aren't as good as they could be. It is a lot better, but as with anything N64 emulation wise, it is nto quite as good as the original.

Belo is the link to the blog post. The SSB solution is pretty simple, but for the Goldeneye one, you will need to connect your Retro Box to the Internet, which probably means a USB keyboard. I have made the instructions as clear as I can, but if ther is anything you don't understand, please send me an email.

Check back in the next couple of days for links to a couple of controller reviews. One is a Bluetooth controller that actually doesn't suck, something the Geek had given up on as impossible. The second is a joystick controller that lets you play your favorite 4 way games like Donkey Kong and Pacman correctly.

Have a Skeptical Day,

SKG

Improving Performance for Super Smash Bros and Goldeneye 007 | SKG Improving Performance for Super Smash Bros and Goldeneye 007 by The Skeptical Geek The N64 is one of the most popular systems ever, don’t ask me why. It is also one of the most notoriously difficult to emulate. Althought the Pi 4, which I use now, is far better than the Pi 3 that I started this bu...

Well here is something you don't see everyday: 2 retro gaming legends side by side. One, of course, is the Skeptical Geek. The other is Charles Martinet, beloved voice of Mario. They say we look a lot alike. Can you tell us apart? No, seriously, can you? At our age it's getting to be a little difficult.

Really good guy. When I told him ( true story) about how people constantly come up to me at shows and ask for his autograph, he just said to scribble something illegible and draw a mustache on it. He did ask for a cut of the proceeds, which is fair. I'm not saying I'm considering it, but sales are a little down from last year when everyone had stimulus money, and a new revenue stream would be nice.

Joking aside, the Geek has been busy. Coming off a string of solid shows in Tampa, Boston and Chicago, getting ready for Indy Pop Con in a couple of weeks.

Chicago is always a blast. Got a chance to take in a White Sox game (Cubs were out of town). I have been to about half the MLB parks in the country. Now as a west coast person, I hate to say this, but the White Sox hotdogs are the best ballpark hot dogs I have ever had. Sorry Dodger Dogs, you are now number 2.

Keep an eye on this space. Have some tips for improving a couple of high profile N64 games coming up. And sometime in the next couple of months, the Skeptical Geek is going to become a Grandpa, which is odd, as he never had any children. A riddle, you say? Check back for the eventual answer.

Have a Skeptical Day,

SKG

Well that was embarrassing! Showed up for Tampa Bay Comic Con yesterday, and completely forgot my SD cards, so I couldn't actually sell any systems. I've got them all today though, so anyone who came to see me yesterday, please come back. I can now sell you all the Retro Boxes you want. Also, a void friend of mine pointed out to me that when I make these little posts, I need to include my booth number. I am in booth 937, stop by and say hey.

The Skeptical Geek is back in the Sunshine State for Tampa Bay Comic Con. This is always a fun show,with a great lineup of guests and vendors, so please stop by and check us out.

The Skeptical Geek truly appreciates customer feedback, both positive and negative. Especially feedback that tells me something isn't working as well as it should, because ot helps me improve the product. One guy, 8000+ games, I can only play test so much, so this kind of feedback is vital.

A couple of customers recently brought to my attention some Genesis games that were failing to load properly, which I wasn't aware of. The games are
Centurion
Road Rash ( The first one. 2 and 3 have always worked)
Super Street Fighter II
Team USA Basketball

I have fixed these, they are all now working going forward. If any of you wish to get these games fixed on your Retro Box, contact me, and I will send you the appropriate files, as well as instructions for installoing them. You will need a blank USB drive, and a USB keyboard.

I also added a special treat to the Loaded and Ultra boxes, something I have wanted to get working for years, but just now was able to. I am including this even though I know it will generate about a zillion support calls and emails. It is the 1990 Nintendo World Championships game for NES. This was a really cool concept. You play 3 different games, on a strict timer, about 6-7 minutes long. First you play the original Super Mario until you get 50 coins. Then you play Rad_Racer until you finish the first course. With the remaining time you play Tetris. Your combined score is

SM + (RR * 10) + (Tetris * 25)

It is a very fun and surprisingly addictive little game.

Here is where it gets tricky. You have to have two controllers plugged in to get the game to work. You START the game using the player 2 start button. But you PLAY the game using the Player 1 controller. Aggravating, but there it is. Well worth checking out though.

Anyway, come by this weekend and check us out at Fan Expo Denver, or the weekend after at Fanboy Expo Knoxville. Look forward to seeing you all.

Have a Skeptoical Day,

SKG

It's been a crazy few weeks for the Skeptical Geek. Had my two best shows of the year in Detroit and Phoenix, followed by my worst show in 2 years in Dallas. Now normally this is a solid show for me, but the person who did the floor layout is a complete incompetent, and I got stuck in this little aisle that was nearly invisible because of all the huge booths nearby. Seriously, you pretty much needed a compass, a guide dog and a Ouija board to find my booth. To those few brave souls who actually found me and made a purchase, I appreciate you more than you know. To the person who laid out the floor plan, please resign and find a job you are good at.

Also, the Geek went to the doctor recently, and was told that my blood sugar is dangerously high, and to get it under control or risk diabetes. So I've basically eliminated chocolate and soda pop, and reduced my fruit juice intake drastically. These were 3 of my major food groups, so it has been rough. My moods are ranging from apathy to depression to mindless rage. Supposedly at some point I am going to feel better. Counting the days until that happens.

In brighter news, the Geek is in Kentucky for the first ever Louisville Pop Con. Good group of guests and vendors, definitely come by an check us out. But if I try to attack you suddenly because of the low blood sugar, try not to take it personally.

Have a Skeptical Day,

SKG

The Skeptical Geek returns to his native habitat, a desert, just in time for Phoenix Fan Fusion. This is one of my favorite shows of the year, so please come by and check it out.

Stay Skeptical

SKG

Been a crazy couple of weeks. had a really good show in Detroit, followed by an OK show in Houston. In Vegas just long enough to go to the dentist and have her tell me some things I definitely didn't want to hear, I won't go into details.

I just wanted to bring your attention to one of the coolest devices I have seen in years. It is called an Xbox Adaptive controller, and it is designed around folks with serious physical disabilities. I had a woman in Houston buy one of my boxes to share with her quadraplegic son, and we set up this device on a Retro Box, and got it to work. It has an oversized D-pad and 2 really huge buttons for A and B. In addition it has about 2 dozen RCA plugs in the back that you can plug in bubble type buttons for all the other functions of an Xbox style controller.

Now there is no way that this is a real profit maker for Microsoft. The size of this market doesn't really justify the R&D cost for a device like this. This is just an example of them actually doing some good in the world. In a day and age in which everyone, myself incuded, has become more cynical, it is nice to see that that can actually happen.

In the next several weeks, I will be in Phoenix, Dallas, and probably near you at some point, so come out and say Hi. Below is a link to the device so you can check it out.

Stay skeptical,

SKG

Xbox Adaptive Controller | Xbox Connect switches, buttons, joysticks, and mounts to create a custom controller experience that is uniquely yours.

The Skeptical Geek returns to Michigan for Motor City Comic Con. Come by, say hi, and get yourself a Retro Box. And bring me a jacket, will you? It's the middle of May and it's still cold out at night. What's up with that?

Have a Skeptical Day,

SKG

The Skeptical Geek returns to the mountains of Northern Utah for Anime Town in Sandy, UT. This will be a small show, only a few thousand attendees expected, so please, stop by, keep the Geek company, and give him something to do.

BTW, what do you think of the new look? According to friends, it makes me more approachable when I am working a show.

Stay skeptical

SKG

The Skeptical Geek returns to the heart of rock and roll for Fan Expo Cleveland. Come by and say hi, get that awesome retro gaming experience you've always wanted.

Stay Skeptical

SKG

Long time no post. The winter months were slow, not much happened. Back on the road now, though, and all is right with the world.

The Skeptical Geek is back in the land of peaches and Coca Cola for Atlanta Comic Con. Vast improvement over previous years of this show. Big show floor, awesome selection of guests and vendors. If you've never been, or it's been a few years, I encourage you to check it out. Stop by and say hi to the Geek as well.

Have a Skeptical Day,

SKG

The Skeptical Geek returns to the heart of Rock and Roll for Christmas Connection in Cleveland. Featuring the triumphant return of the Skeptical Sister in Law! Yes, the O.G. Skeptical Assistant is back for a limited engagement, 3 days only. Come say hi, and check out all the awesome vendors, some of whom are almost as cool as the Geek.

Have a Skeptical Day

SKG

The Skeptical Geek is in the city of ...

Actually, I have no idea what Baltimore is the city of. I'm going to go with crab cakes.

The Skeptical Geek is back in the city of crab cakes for Baltimore Comic Con. Come for the awesome seafood, stay and buy a Retro Box. In fact, buy several. They make awesome trick or treat gifts. I guarantee the kids will never forget you.

Have a great and Skeptical day,

SKG

Picked up this kit a few days ago. Looking at it as a possible new product. It would be an all in one unit, the Raspberry Pi and all the games inside the joystick unit. Just plug in power and hdmi, and you're ready to play.

Pros:
1. Joystick and buttons very good, arcade quality. Very responsive game play.
2. Unit still small enough to be portable.

Cons:
1. Expensive. Parts cost about $100 in addition to my current costs, and it takes over an hour to build. Would have to charge close to $500 to be worth it.
2. Limited to single player experience. Don't have access to the USB ports to plug in more controllers.

What do you all think? Would a Single Player Special be a hit or miss?

Have a Skeptical day,

SKG

Long time no post. It's that time of year when I am sprinting from show to show, trying to keep supplied, and planning next year's events. Just finished an amazing New York Comic Con, and getting ready for shows in Detroit, Baltimore, Providence and Cleveland. Whew!

The Skeptical Assistant left me for my brother. I know, it sounds like a country song. I'm trying to sell the story to Garth Brooks. Seriously though, she was my brother's fiancée, they tied the knot, and she needed a job with a more predictable schedule than I can provide. I honestly wish them well on days I don't resent her for being a traitor.

So there I was, no Assistant, and heading into the busiest time of the year, when along comes the Skeptical Roommate to the rescue. She runs the Pinball Hall of Fame in Las Vegas, and had been working with a new volunteer who she thought would fit the bill nicely. Introductions were made, and we have done 3 shows so far. She got her feet wet at Amazing Con Las Vegas, got her sea legs at FanX Salt Lake, and was seriously thrown into the deep end at NYCC.

So without further ado, I bring you the newest member of Team SKG, Veronica aka The Skeptical Nurse. She is actually a former combat nurse, which is pretty good training for the kind of crowds we get at some of these cons. Her next scheduled show is Rhode Island Comic Con in November. Come by and say hi. Then buy a Retro Box, cause the holidays are coming up.

As always, have a Skeptical Day,

SKG

Back on the road again, after a couple of weeks off, in the ungodly heat of my home town, Las Vegas. Look for me this weekend at C2E2 in downtown Chicago, and next weekend at Fan Expo in Boston.

Slight update on the pricing. I've decided to set different prices for shows vs. the website, partly to compensate for the added expenses of website sales, like shipping materials, but mostly to provide an incentive for folks to purchase at the shows, which are my bread and butter. Unfortunately, since I can't really lower my show prices due to continued inflated prices for the Pi boards, website prices will go up.

Show prices will continue to be $250 for the Basic Box, $350 for the Loaded and Japanese Box, and $450 for the Ultra. Website prices have increased to 299/399/499. For you who follow my FB page, however, there is a way around that. Just use the promo code "showprice" at checkout to receive, well, the show price. Just my way of saying thanks to those of you who have supported me all this time.

Have a skeptical day, and come out to a show some time and say hi.

SKG

Just made some updates to the instruction manual, and uploaded the new version to the website. In the Colecovision section, it has some information on the new emulator used in the Pi 4 boxes, and which buttons on the Xbox controller correspond to which numbers on the Coleco one. Also included are instructions for doing a virtual disc change for multi-disc PS1 games, and how to clear your VMU in Dreamcast when it gets too full. Enjoy, and have a skeptical day,

SKG

The Skeptical Geek returns to the Windy City for Fan Expo Chicago. Amazing show in one of my favorite towns. Come by and check us out.

The Skeptical Geek is announcing his first completely new product line in over 2 years, the Retro Box, Japanese Edition. Over 5900 Japanese (plus a smattering of Korean and Chinese) games from 10 different systems (US names are in the parentheses):

Famicom (NES)
Famicom Disk System
Super Famicom (SNES)
Megadrive (Genesis)
Mega CD (Sega CD)
PC Engine (Turbografx-16)
PC Engine CD (Turbografx-CD)
All 3 Game Boys

You get all the JRPGs that never made it to the states, in their original glory. Plus a number of other categories that don't really exist here, like cooking games, quiz games, dating games and more Mahjong games than you can shake a bag of tiles at.

The new system will debut at Anime Town in Salt Lake City this weekend, and then go live on my website next week. Regular price will be $350, but the show special price will be $300 even. For those of you who can't make it to Salt Lake, email me and mention this post, and you will get the show special price too, plus free shipping.

This being a completely new product, I look forward to your feedback on it.

Have a skeptical day

SKG

Team Skeptical (the Geek and the Assistant) return to the Sunshine State for Megacon in Orlando. Come say hi, and check out the new, improved Retro Box. See you there.

SKG

Say hello to the new face, or rather faces, of the Retro Box. As of today, the Skeptical Geek is officially migrating from the Raspberry Pi 3 platform to the Pi 4. I was hoping to put this off for a bit, but the complete lack of available Pi 3 boards forced my hand, so I have been working nonstop to upgrade the software.

I have solved the excessive heat issue by using some specialty cases that are designed with this in mind. I am debuting the new systems this weekend at Megacon in Orlando, please come and check them out.

The new hardware comes with a lot of advantages. In particualr, N64 performance is much better that with the Pi 3. While still not perfect, the vast majority of games play acceptably, or even superbly. Yoshi's Story is finally playable, at least from the limited play testing I was able to do, and it even looks as though multi-player Goldeneye is a possibility. Dreamcast performance is is also vastly improved. For the first time since starting this, I no longer feel as though I have to apologize for the DC, or the N64. Very exciting.

A few product changes. Some more Arcade games have been added, that wouldn't work on the Pi 3, bringing the total for that platform to over 1730.

The Loaded Plus, unfortunately, is no more. Juggling 5 product lines, plus the Handheld, was getting to be a bit much, especially since I am getting ready to debut an all new product in just a few weeks, keep watching this page. Since both PS and DC perform well, I no longer feel I need a separate product for each, if you want one, you get both. And you get a lot of it too. By using a different file format, I was able to fit a lot more PS and DC games into the available space for a Loaded Box, namely 350 PS and 140 DC games. All you folks who wanted more PS sports games are in luck, there are tons of them. I have also modified the lists for both systems to cut down on the number of duplicates. The previous lists had games that were already on the Arcade, or N64. I have tried to fill the space with games that are exclusive to each platform, to give you more variety for the money.

The Desktop feature is also gone. It didn't want to cooperate with the new hardware. When I tried to add it, the system claimed it was installed, but wouldn't launch. I had to upgrade the entire OS, and when I did, the Desktop worked but the sound in all the games was broken. I had to make a choice between Desktop and sound, not a hard one. Sorry about that. I will keep an eye on the situation, and if there is a way to add it safely, I will let you know.

The remaining stock of Pi 3 boards will be used for Basic Retro Boxes, since there is nothing on there that requires the extra processing power.

The prices are $250 for the Basic, $350 for the Loaded, and $450 for the Ultra.

As I said previously, I am getting ready to launch an all new product line in a few weeks. No details yet, but let's just say, that all you folks that have been asking about the Japanese versions of all the different game systems, I have been listening, and I think you are going to be happy. Keep checking this space.

Hope you enjoy the new features on the Retro Box, and have a Skeptical Day,

SKG

The Skeptical Geek is in the Show Me State, for his first ever appearance at Planet Comic Con in Kansas City. Stop in and check us out. Amazing show floor with tons if great vendors, some even almost as cool as the Geek. Hope to see you there.

SKG

The Skeptical Geek is looking to hire someone to do some QA work. I am working on a new version of the Retro Box, that will be all Asian games, or Asian versions of games released world wide. It will be mostly Japanese games, but a few Korean and Chinese games as well. The systems I intend to include are the Famicom, Super Famicom, Mega Drive, Mega CD, PC Engine, PC Engine CD, all 3 Game Boys and Arcade, if I can figure out a way to separate the Japanese from other versions of the same game.

Here is the problem: I don't read Japanese. Makes play testing these games a bit of a challenge. I need someone I can give the system to, who can play test the device and suggest areas for improvement. I should have a unit ready by about May 1, the idea is to debut it at Anime Town Salt Lake in June. I need someone who
a) Loves classic video games
b) Is fluent in written Japanese
c) Has about 20-40 hours or so to play test the device. Not all of the games, of course, but enough to let me know if it's a feasible idea, and to suggest areas for improvement.

The person will get a free system, of course, and an agreed upon rate for their time. If interested, please email me so we can discuss details.

Have a skeptical day,

SKG

The Skeptical Geek is in Virginia for Galaxy Con Richmond. Come check out all the awesome vendors and celebs, and try out the new, improved Retro Box.

Have a Skeptical day

SKG