Modern Vintage Gamer

Happy New Year! A new impossible port has arrived. We take a closer look at Grand Theft Auto 3 GTA3, known as DCA3 for the Sega Dreamcast. This is a port that was said to be impossible with just 16 Meg of memory on the Dreamcast, and yet it is fully playable from start to finish on a stock Dreamcast with the game burned onto a CD-R. Incredible stuff. In today's episode we see how the latest and one of the very best Impossible Ports came to be.

The Nintendo 64 has always been a difficult machine to emulate correctly. But in 2025 - we should be well and truly past all of it right? Not exactly. Issues with Plugins, performance, graphical glitches, stutters. Unless you have a very powerful machine, these are common things many of us will run into when emulating the Nintendo 64. But why? And Is there any hope for fast, accurate N64 emulation in 2025 and beyond? Let's discuss in today's episode.

The Nintendo 64 has always been a difficult machine to emulate correctly. But in 2025 - we should be well and truly past all of it right? Not exactly. Issues with Plugins, performance, graphical glitches, stutters. Unless you have a very powerful machine, these are common things many of us will run into when emulating the Nintendo 64. But why? And Is there any hope for fast, accurate N64 emulation in 2025 and beyond? Let's discuss in today's episode.

A new N64 Flash Cart is out - And its only $50. The SummerCart64 is a custom-made cartridge that allows you to develop and play games on the N64 console. It is the first N64 flash cart that is feature complete and completely open source. SummerCart64 employs features such as 64DD hardware emulation, automatic save backup during gameplay, or ability to behave like a stock Game Pak with direct mode, making it the best choice for both players and game developers. In today's episode we take a closer look at the SummerCart64 in more detail!

Nintendo finally has shadow dropped the Switch 2 reveal trailer. Let's talk about it

Shadow of the Beast was a groundbreaking achievement in video games. In 1989 the concept of multi-layer parallax scrolling, and 120+ colors on screen running on a stock Amiga at 7mhz was unheard of. And yet Psygnosis and Reflections made it possible. As a game - Shadow of the Beast was a disappointment, but as a tech demo? It's one of the greatest ever made. In this episode we take a deep dive into the graphics of Shadow of the Beast.

The Super Nintendo has arguably aged better than any other console. In 1990 the SNES launched with advanced graphical effects. Transparencies, masking, pixelation effects and yes MODE7, but the hardware was capable of much more. In today's episode we deep dive into some of the unique features that the Super NES had built into its hardware that its competition was not capable of (without clever programming tricks). This is the Timeless Beauty of SNES Graphics.

The MemCard Pro 2 has become an interesting all in one solution where not only can you store an almost unlimited amount of virtual memory cards, but thanks to Multi-Purpose Memory Card Emulation (MMCE) protocol its now possible to run PS2 games directly from the same memory card. How well does it work in practice? In today's episode we look at this exciting new functionality.

Feels like 2011 all over again.

It's harder than ever in 2025 to play DOS and Windows games on original hardware, but a modern ITX motherboard known as the ITX-Llama has recently released - it uses a Vortex X86 System on Module processor package and with old school ports like PS2 Mouse and Keyboard as well as a dedicated AGP slot for connecting up a graphics card, the ITX-Llama has been designed to check off every box you could possibly need to play old school games. I can finally build a modern Windows 98 PC experience that I've been searching for. In today's episode we take a closer look at this awesome motherboard.

NYKPOYZX , SXIOPO..The Letters Mason! What do they mean?! The Game Genie - the original famous cheat device that was developed by Codemasters and published/distributed by Galoob and Camerica around the world. It allowed anyone the ability to create their own cheat codes thanks to a simple user interface that promoted discovery to uncover new codes based on modifying existing codes. Many a video has been made about the Game Genie, but I've never understood how these codes were generated in the first place. In today's episode we sit down and figure it all out. Please Enjoy!

Unleashed Recompiled is a native PC port of Sonic Unleashed from the Xbox 360 to the PC that uses a process known as static recompilation. The results are incredible - with a fully native PC port that uses DirectX12 and supports enhancements such as ultra-wide aspect ratios, high frame rates and internal resolution enhancements. The Static recompilation tool known as XenonRecomp, takes a native Xbox 360 executable and converts it into C++ code that can be recompiled on PC. This is an exciting new way to preserve Xbox 360 games, especially when we consider many titles have been delisted or are stuck on the hardware. In today's episode we take a look at this exciting new approach to preserving your Xbox 360 games.

Silicon Knights was a well-known Canadian video game developer that was responsible for games such as Eternal Darkness, Too Human and Metal Gear Solid: Twin Snakes for the Nintendo GameCube. Sadly, the studio went bankrupt and closed their doors in 2014. In today's episode, we unearth a lost cancelled prototype from the studio that was in development for the Xbox 360 in October 2011 and was an interesting take on detective-based adventure games. Project-PO is a lost Silicon Knights game that has been unearthed and preserved. Please Enjoy!

Tony Hawk's is a series of skateboarding video games published by Activision and endorsed by the American professional skateboarder Tony Hawk. From 1999 to 2007, the series was primarily developed for home consoles by Neversoft with generally annual releases. The series was a global phenomenon selling millions and was one of the best-selling video game franchises of the early 2000s. However, it turns out that some of the games were riddled with code that can be exploited for unauthorized code execution. Here is how the Tony Hawk series can hack 3 generations of home console starting from the Sony PlayStation to the Xbox 360 by using buffer overrun exploits.

A look a the newest Xbox 360 software only Hypervisor Hack known as BadUpdate. It requires a Xbox 360 - any model including the later Winchester revisions - on the latest system version (17559), a USB flash drive, Rock Band Blitz Trial and some patience. This latest hack is a very exciting update for the Xbox 360 community. In today's episode we take a closer look at the BadUpdate exploit.

As we approach a new Nintendo Switch generation its time to reflect. The Nintendo Switch was the system that changed my life. It landed me a job in the video game industry, and for that I will be forever grateful. In this episode I wanted to take a moment to reflect on the impact that the Nintendo Switch has had on me just before Switch 2 is revealed on April 2nd.

The Switch 2 has been officially unveiled in the Nintendo April 2 Direct. We know about the price, games, hardware and much more. Let's take a closer look at all the annoucements.

Nintendo has confirmed backward compatibility on the Nintendo Switch 2. Let's discuss how it works in some detail.

The Sega Dreamcast refuses to die. In recently times some incredible ports have appeared on the system thanks to the dedicated homebrew development community that continues to keep the Dreamcast not only alive, but as one of the very best communities out there. In today's episode we take a closer look at more incredible ports - GTA Vice City, Wipeout and Doom 64

Nintendo has updated their backward compatibility website with some new information and updates on fixed games. Lets check it in in more detail and what this means tl;dr : Don't sell your Nintendo Switch 1 quite yet...

he Motorola 68000 CPU was released in 1979, to compete with the Intel 8086. The chip was designed to be powerful and versatile and made its mark by not only powering some of the most iconic and beloved games in the 1980s and 1990s, but it also ruled in the home and in the arcades. It helped define the gaming experiences of a generation and left a lasting impact on the industry. Today's episode is a love letter to one of the most influential CPU processors ever and one that many still love to write code on. Please Enjoy!

A development build of Far Cry was found on an Original Xbox Development kit (XDK), in this episode we take a closer look at the build and uncover some interesting findings. As usual the build is preserved and available for everyone to enjoy (archive.org link below). Dumped from an old Crytek Development kit - dated October 27 2005. This build was created after Far Cry Instincts launched (Sept 2005) and appears to be an attempt to port Far Cry to the Original Xbox which was scrapped possibly in favor of the XBLA (Far Cry Classic) version on the Xbox 360 A 128Meg Xbox is required to launch the game (either debug or retail) The hdd.img has also been provided which contains some additional .xbe's however they are corrupted. XEmu will run the build however there are graphical issues.

This week, the Nintendo Wii Homebrew community was rocked by allegations of stolen Nintendo SDK code as well as new allegations of stolen code from RTEMS - an open-source real time operating system implementation found inside libogc - the open-source library that powers almost all homebrew applications. This discovery has led to the "closure" of one of the most popular homebrew apps - The Wii Homebrew Channel. But are these allegations legitimate and if so, what does this mean for the future of Wii homebrew? Will Nintendo attempt to stamp out Wii homebrew once and for all? Highly unlikely in my opinion. Let's discuss what drama has transpired and what the likely outcome will be.

A look at one of the greatest puzzle games ever created. Lemmings in 1991 was developed by DMA Design and published by Psygnosis. Originally releasing on the Amiga and Atari ST it has seen ports to 20 different computers and consoles and has sold over 15 million units. In this episode we take a look at Lemmings and how it changed the industry.

The Nintendo 64 community has been doing some incredible work bringing back older N64 games to modern platforms. Traditional emulation is now being replaced by Recompilations, Decompilations and Ports. But what exactly do these terms mean? In this episode we take a closer look at the N64 and the various ways developers are modernizing games to run on today's hardware platforms and beyond.

A look back at the Nintendo Game Boy Advance, Nintendo's ARM based 32bit handheld that was a 2D powerhouse in 2001 and could also run impressive 3D games too. And it all ran on 2 AA batteries!

The Nintendo Switch 2 is launching this week but how we got here has been weird. Here are my thoughts on the Switch 2 and the launch of the hardware later this week.

The Nintendo Switch 2 is here, and the most interesting aspect for me is backwards compatibility with original Switch titles, focusing on how well older Switch games might run on the new console. In this episode we run various games that suffered from performance issues on Switch 1 hardware. How do they perform on the Nintendo Switch 2? Lets take a closer look !

The Nintendo Switch 2 launched June 5, and now that the initial excitement and hype has died down, its time to review the unit. The Switch 2 represents an upgrade to the original Switch from 2017, but is it worth the $450 of your hard earned money? Lets dive in and take a closer look at the hardware.

Testing 11 Backward compatible Switch 1 titles on the Nintendo Switch 2 - all of them see improvements running at 60fps. Let's see how much they are improved in the Switch 2 compared to the Switch 1 hardware.

One of the exclusive features of the Nintendo Switch 2 is the addition of GameCube Emulation to the NSO service. Initial impressions are positive, and will satisfy most fans of the GameCube, however after several hours of playtime it becomes obvious that problems exist, and improvements are needed. The emulation is solid but the experience as it stands isn't great. From input lag, incorrect analog sensitivity, performance and average online networking, in this episode we breakdown all the good, and bad with the GameCube NSO service. Hopefully Nintendo can address one of more of these in upcoming revisions. Please Enjoy!

This is the story of Psygnosis, from their inception to their rise to prominence on the Amiga. Psygnosis was a pioneering game developer that rose to fame in the late 1980s and early 1990s. From their humble beginnings to creating iconic titles for the Amiga, this video traces Psygnosis' journey, highlighting their innovative games and lasting impact on the gaming industry. This is Part 1 focusing on the early days. Part 2 will come later in 2025. Please Enjoy!

A look at the current state of 'physical video games' in 2025. It's not looking good for collectors of physical games video games across all major platforms and although its a slow process, its clear that physical games are dying. Is it even worth buying physical games anymore or should you just go all digital? In this episode we discuss.

In the early days, Super Nintendo Emulation was inaccurate and required a fast Pentium II PC to run at full speeds with sound, but in 1997 everything changed with the released on ZSNES, a blazingly fast SNES emulator written entirely in x86 assembly language that ran even on a 486 PC with playable speeds. While other emulators existed, ZSNES brought emulation to the masses with its UI and features. In this episode we take a closer look at how ZSNES pioneered modern emulation and played a significant role in advancing emulation technology during its time.

Here's a look back at one of the best years ever in video games - 2001

A look a the newest V1.2 Badupdate Exploit - Xbox 360 software only Hypervisor Hack that we covered back in March 2025. It requires an Xbox 360 - any model including the later Winchester revisions! A USB flash drive and Rock Band Blitz Trial. This updated 1.2 hack runs much faster and reliable and is now a recommended option to hack any Xbox 360. In today's episode we take a closer look at the BadUpdate V1.2 exploit.

A look at the incredible demo scene - how coders and musicians turn ones and zeros into art. The demo scene represents artistic creativity and technical ability. Pushing the limits that we were thought were possible. In this episode we look at the Demo Scene, its roots, history, the effects, The Demo Scene on game consoles and even code our own copper bars for fun. Please Enjoy!

In 1997 (technically on December 31, 1996!). Blizzard North released Diablo, from the creative vision of the game -David Brevik. And 28 years later the game still holds up. The game features randomized dungeons, loot, 3 classes with their own skill trees and a dark story. This formula is still very much popular to this day. Diablo was the first. In today's episode we take a look at the game that birthed an entire genre - the Action Role Playing Game.

A technical deep dive into one of revolutionary features of the Nintendo 64. Split screen of up to 4 players was a first for video game consoles. And the N64 was powerful enough to run 4 separate viewports at good speeds. In this episode we take a look at the split screen feature in the games and fire up a C compiler and show you how it's done with a working code demonstration. Please enjoy!

Today on the channel we are taking a closer look at my new retro monitor - The Checkmate 19inch IPS Retro Gaming Monitor. It features many different inputs and supports many different resolutions and frequencies for all your retro gaming needs including 15khz, 31khz, PAL and NTSC frequencies are supported- and comes packed full of features. It's modular design means you can add on additional boards as well. This was originally a Kickstarter that I backed but you can still order one. After 5 months of usage and heavy testing here are my thoughts.

A look a the newest ABadAvatar exploit - a fork of the 1.2 BadUpdate Exploit for Xbox 360. A Software only Hypervisor Hack that we covered back in March 2025 and the 1.2 Update in August 2025. ABadAvatar will exploit automatically during the Avatar sign-in screen. Rock Band Blitz is no longer required. This is a much easier and streamlined process until we wait for the Xbox 360 Softmod! In today's episode we take a closer look at this awesome new update.

Arcade games are notorious quarter munchers - and Street Fighter 2 and its various iterations were no exception. From invincibility to superhuman charging, inputs and counters, Street Fighter 2 has been long notorious for its for "cheating" AI CPU opponent. In today's episode we breakdown some of the most egregious issues that makes playing against the CPU so infuriating.

The situation with Xbox has only gotten worse and in many ways, Xbox isn't the same brand that I remember. Let's talk about it

The Sony PlayStation PS3 is an amazing system that's aging like fine wine and even better when it's hacked with a Jailbreak! Here's a look at what its capable of and the best homebrew for the system.

Game consoles and home computers have various methods that to store and reload previously saved data. It an essential part of computer science and in video games. Over the years the methods to do this have varied greatly. from early on use of cassette tape to more modern flash memory saving, this episode discusses the various methods that games are saved. Please enjoy.

Video game emulation in 2025 has been huge and in today's episode we discuss the Best Emulators that I've been using in 2025 and showing off their features. These all run on PC but many of them also run on Linux, MacOS and some on Android. These are of course my picks, please let me know which your favorites are in the comments below!

The Sony PlayStation 4 is nearly 12 years old but still a relevant hardware console in 2025. And what makes it interesting is that you can pick up used base model PS4 for around $100 . This represents exceptional value for money, which allows you to play many modern games and a back catalog of over 11 thousand PS4 titles, with some of the very best games ever made. If you're on a budget, this holiday you may want to consider a used PS4 for your gaming needs. Please enjoy todays episode!

The Analogue 3D is a modern FPGA recreation of the legendary Nintendo N64 with up to 4k resolution. Original preorder price was $249.99, and preorders were taken back in October 2024, but after numerous delays and zero gameplay footage shown, over 1 year later, the system is here - and we have one on the test bench for review. There is LOTS of gameplay footage in this episode so please sit back and enjoy this full no-bs review of the Analogue 3D. Is it worth the money and the wait? Let's find out!