Gam3B0x - The Ultimate Gaming Console

Hi everybody!

While I'm sure none of you recognize me by my username, I've been an active member on the site for over a decade. (you may have seen some of my "Fun Facts!" comments on the Emuparadise facebook page. <Non-official, just stuff I share> ) Anyway, video games have always been a HUGE part of my life, and thanks to emuparadise so has emulation. It's allowed me to not only share some of these older experiences with younger siblings, their friends, other people my age who missed out on a lot of gaming history... but most importantly, play retro video games! Which is what brings me to this post today.

For as long as I can remember, I have always wanted an Emulation Console. Something that I could just turn on and grab a controller and play all of these amazing roms and ISOs without any of the tinkering and screwing around with picking a game from a File>Open menu or having to use weird controls, or have games half-work because of under-powered PC parts. For a long long time, I didn't think anything like this was possible, and honestly I was working towards getting things like an EverDrive for all my consoles, and burning backups to disc for softmodded consoles, etc.

However... about 2 years ago I stumbled on this amazing program called "HyperSpin" which no doubt some of you have heard about. It's primary function is to act as a visual front-end for various emulators on custom built arcade cabinets. Quite honestly, it's very incredible. (I actually recommend you google "HyperSpin Cabinet" and check out some of the amazing stuff on youtube that people have done.) The moment I saw this though... I saw it's potential for something greater. Yet... all I can find are people building arcade cabinets or the occasional HTPC.

For me... this wasn't enough. I wanted a console! So... after 2 years of work, I give you (at 85% complete) SkyHighGam3r's "Gam3B0x" Console.
Attachment 48773

This simply plugs into the wall, into the HDMI port, hookup a controller (ANY controller that attaches to windows) and THAT IS IT. At no point are you even aware this is running Windows, as it will boot right into HyperSpn. It plays just like a console!!!

Here is a video of what you see when you turn the system on, as well as a quick tour of the main menu and systems that are fully playable, ALL with the controller.

https://youtu.be/8Uyy8zrPbbY

If you would like to know more about some of the philosophies behind my project, as well as how I have some more in-depth info about the project, you can check out my hyperspin thread here: http://www.hyperspin-fe.com/topic/14...rspin-console/

Please let me know what you think!

A PC inside of a console like case

Nothing new to be honest, this has been done countless times over the years, still it has always been a nice idea

I still use my original Xbox for emulation and it is an actual console still (can't stand Xbox pads so use PS2 pads mostly) most things do just work on it however it does have limitations

My Wii is also very impressive for emulation while still keeping Wii and GC compat at the highest level, even rail light gun shooters from other systems like NES SNES ect ect run perfect using a Wii Mote this system can also use any HID USB controller, that often I have used a PS2 pad via a USB convertor as well as a GC convertor (the GC pads are also good pads anyway, not too different from a 360 pads though lacks L3 and R3 thumb stick buttons and only 3 back triggers that may pose problems for some systems like PSX)

That is as far as I was willing to go but current gen consoles can also be used for emulation and work rather well from what I have heard

Hyperspin is kinda old now, though I admit I have not looked at it for a long while now. Retroarch that is also a simple multi system front end seems to be the one to go for and Retroarch is highly ported over to many systems now including PS3 and unofficially to a few more than officially listed allowing it's use directly on a console or other platforms

Yeah, I have seen PC in console cases before. I felt like what made mine a little different is it's high level of presentation, as well as you'd just turn it on, it'd go straight to what is shown in the video, and you'd never have to touch anything but whatever controller you wanted to use. With something like the Wii, you have to navigate with the wii-mote to the homebrew channel, then pick the channel for your emulator, then scroll a dull list of undoubtedly messy looking rom titles. From what I've seen of Xbox emulators, it's almost the same thing.

As for RetroArch, I'm not sure I'd call it a front-end in itself, but it is invaluable for trying the emulators together, which is why this is running it for almost every system.

There are a million little tweaks no one seems to want to bother with as well, like removing nonsense like (USA)(RevB)(!)(1.3) from roms, renaming them so they make sense Target: Renegade is now Renegade 2 - Target Renegade. Or how I redid the US version of Super Mario Bros 2 to be Super Mario USA and threw the real super mario bros 2 into the NES wheel as if it has been localized. Box art and all. Honestly there are so many little things like that I can't list them all.

Really the point here was to take something that was being primarily used for an Arcade setting, and put it into a console setting. I have not seen anyone do this with HyperSpin.

I posted a video of the NES wheel which shows off some of the tweaks I mentioned above:
https://youtu.be/Uibgwftq3ag

I feel like seeing is easier than me talking about it lol.

I'm not an emulation expert, and for me it's fantastic, i would love to make something like this. Thanks for sharing.