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PlayStation (Games)

Help for the Ultimate Multi-Console Gaming Setup? 119

Posted by Cliff from the easy-gaming dept.
punkrockgeekboy asks: "In our recreation room we have an NES, SNES, N64, GameCube, and a PS2. In the next few months I plan to replace the PS2 with a PS3, and also add a WII, and an Xbox360. Most of my consoles just gather dust because it's too much of a hassle to hook them up when I just want a quick Mario fix. How do people manage all of these console? In a perfect world there would be some nice, attractive rack system with 10 shelves that has clean wire management, and some sort of a built-in console switcher, so I can just power one on, hit the 'shelf 2' button, turn on my tv & surround sound, and start mashing buttons. Does anything like this exist?"
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Help for the Ultimate Multi-Console Gaming Setup? More

Help for the Ultimate Multi-Console Gaming Setup?

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  • Here's something. (Score:2, Informative)

    by therpham ( 953844 )
    It's not 100% exactly what you're looking for (I don't think, I didn't actually read the article) but it's pretty close. Ultimate DIY Gamer's Cabinet [lifehacker.com].

    • Erm... (Score:5, Funny)

      by thrill12 ( 711899 ) on Saturday December 09, 2006 @12:56PM (#17174746) Journal
      that's just a cabinet... with game consoles in it... how could that be ultimate ?

      When I think of Ultimate (with capital U) DIY Gamer's Cabinet, I think of neon-lights, plasma flow around the cabinet, totally useless smoke coming out from behind the cabinet in at least 4 different colors, actuators that move the cabinet around when you're playing a game - just for the fun of it ! - , smoke-glass that changes state electrically so while gaming, you can light up the console you're playing with (ofcourse with light in the cabinet to accentuate them).

      But this ? This is just IKEA's idea of a gamer's cabinet (with the blue fans as only discerning feature) !
      • When I think of Ultimate (with capital U) DIY Gamer's Cabinet, I think of neon-lights, plasma flow around the cabinet, totally useless smoke coming out from behind the cabinet in at least 4 different colors

        Sounds like Wurlitzer needs to start making game cabinets...

      • Re: (Score:3, Informative)

        by StingRay02 ( 640085 )
        IKEA's not a bad way to go for this. I have a TV cabinet from Wal-Mart that has six shelves, space for my 36" TV, and two cabinet spaces. I keep my Dreamcast, SNES, N64, PS2, Cube, Xbox, DVD Player, Combo player (with broken DVD drive), switcher, 45 games, 60 VHS tapes, controllers, wires, component switcher and assorted other crap all inside it.

        My TV (SD) has one coax, one S-video/composite, and one component/composite input. It also has audio out which I plug into my surround sound. The component s
        • You do know that the SNES, N64, and Game Cube all accept the same output connection, right? Why not just keep those three on the same shelf, and move the AV cable back and forth as needed? Sure, it's not as easy as a component switcher, but it's easier than plugging stuff into the VCR and such. Further, your PS2 plays DVDs, so you can take the DVD player out as well, maybe making room for a 360, PS3, or Wii.
          • As far as I know, PS2's dvd player is buggy as hell. Two friends of mine who use their PS2s to play dvds both have trouble playing some discs.
            • I'm having issues playing games on my PS2 already, and I've never used it as a DVD player. Another reason why I won't risk playing DVDs. I don't want to hasten the thing's practically guaranteed death.

            • Re: (Score:2)

              by GeckoX ( 259575 )
              I keep hearing this, and the other one about using your PS2 on end.

              In my experience, both are FUD, but YMMV.

              I've been using my PS2 as my exclusive dvd player, on end, for 4 years now. Never had a problem. Not one.
              • Must be nice to be you! My launch PS2's laser assembly died approximately 6 months after purchase. After much phone calling, tooth pulling, etc., I was able to get someone at Sony to repair the damn thing under warranty.

                I'd estimate that was about 4 years ago now? About 8 months after they repaired it, it started doing the dreaded DRE again and I was able to use the laser voltage potentiometer trick to spark it back to life. As it stands currently, the unit *will not* play any DVD video, will barely
          • For my PS2 and Xbox, I have component cables. The both sets of cables have plugs for both Xbox and PS2. For a while, I only had one set of cables, and I was plugging and unplugging the PS2 and Xbox as the need arose. It was a pain in the ass. Add to that, the only thing I plug into the VCR is the N64, and I only do that because I have composite cables for it, and I added it to my collection several months after I finalized my setup. Plugging the N64 into the front of the VCR takes about 3 seconds and r
    • Nice layout, but all those blue lights seem awfully distracting.
  • I saw one at some pay as you game store (bogus!). You connect all your consoles up to one unit, sound cables and all. Find the number which corresponds with that console flip that switch and turn on your console and you're ready to game! Forgot what it was though, just thought I would tell it exists and it's out there (do I sound like X-Files yet?).

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by Rahga ( 13479 )
      " (do I sound like X-Files yet?)."

      Unintelligible, overwrought, and pointless? Yes.
    • I saw one at some pay as you game store (bogus!).

      Ever heard of an arcade?
    • Well They made "hydra" cables that essentially have one set of AV hookups on one end and then a number of specialized dongles on the other for conencting to multiple consoles. I saw one at Walmart Last night for $12 it had one dongle for Xbox 360, one for Xbox 1, one for PS1, PS2 or PS3 (since they use the same connector), and one for Gamecube, N64, SNES, or NES (since Nintendo has used the same connector up to the Wii). I tried a cable like this in the past, it was a combo PS2/Xbox Component cable, it ha

      • Re: (Score:1)

        by mink ( 266117 )
        The problem you had with your Hydra was that the PS2 when it is "off" is just in standby mode and seems to ground out the audio lines (or something). If you reach around to the back of the PS2 and flick the real power switch, you will get full audio from the Xbox. This appears to only be a problem with the PS2 (out of all the consoles I have) but I do not have any of the current generation machines.
        • Interesting... though you'd think if a company was going to build a multi-purpose cable they'd build in the necessary (simple) circuitry required to keep the PS2's audio output from interfering with the other devices.
  • The Wii already replaces the Gamecube, and probably all of the other Nintendo systems you listed (via downloads).

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by Rahga ( 13479 )
      It won't work for me, as I doubt they'll make Nekketsu Street Basket: Ganbare! Dunk Heroes [rahga.com] available stateside on the Wii anytime soon. :)
    • No way will Nintendo put all of the games in my collection on the Virtual Console, and if they do, I'm still not paying $5 a pop to re-buy them. A subscription service would be nice, but a better option would be a USB add-on where I could plug in my NES, SNES, N64, GB, and GBA games. I'd pay $60 for that, but I doubt I'll spend that much on games I already own. Downloading enhanced remakes or new original games over the VC is a different story though.
      • I imagine Datel might make such a device, since they have done it before to compete with a 1st party nintendo product (the GameBoy Player). Datel could give away the emulator w/ Wii Max Media Player, and sell the cart readers for $20-$30/ea.

    • Re: (Score:2, Informative)

      by StillAnonymous ( 595680 )
      A modded XBox is a better choice if you're looking to emulate old systems. Throw in a big hard drive, all the emulators you want and go to town. You don't have to worry about which titles will be released, when, and how much they'll cost.
      • You don't have to worry about which titles will be released, when, and how much they'll cost.

        True. You merely have to worry about having Bubba as a cellmate.
    • But he has original consoles with original games. Why should he pay for games again?
      • But he has original consoles with original games. Why should he pay for games again?

        Unless he has some obscure 'I'll Bet they won't re-release these' games then the Wii is attractive from the standpoint of simplicity, ease of use, lack of clutter, and yes some games are improved. Improved, not in better sprites or textures, but in better framerates and if you have the component cables, progressive scan. Mario 64 despite being emulated still looks cleaner and crisper on the Wii than the original N64.

        I actu

  • Backwards compatibility, not monstrously large rackmounts for ten and twenty year old hardware. Seriously, we're just talking about running one computer's software on a different (but vastly faster) computer's hardware. That's not an intractable problem. There's no reason why playing old console games on a new console should have to be any harder than playing old computer games on new computers, and in fact it's kind of sad that often the best way to play old console games is *also* on new computers.

    • emulators (Score:4, Insightful)

      by Nasarius ( 593729 ) on Saturday December 09, 2006 @12:41PM (#17174596)
      If you don't want to buy all your old games again, a computer (think mini-ITX or Mac mini) with a set of emulators and ROMs is definitely the way to go. I haven't tried it myself, but Google for MythGame.
      • Another vote here for the parent. MythGame is what I use in place of my NES/SNES/N64 along with 2 playstation joypads and a PS2->USB convertor. Works like a treat and in many cases actually looks better than the original console due to the software upscaling.
      • You'll need a pc that has some kind of TV out.

        One nice thing about emulation though is there are lots of up sizing algorithms that work well for video games and you can make old NES games look smooth on large HD tvs.

        • You'll need a pc that has some kind of TV out.
          Fortunately, that's not really a problem. Every standalone video card I've seen for years and now quite a few integrated graphics solutions have TV outputs. I can even get component HD out from all of the GeForce 6 and 7 series hardware I have. Pretty much the only way you can buy a computer now without TV out is if you buy the cheapest POS they offer.
          • Ahh, when I did this about 5 years ago that was not even close to the case. I guess I should take a second look.

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by ivan256 ( 17499 )
        MythGame is a little rough around the edges though. You'll spend hours setting up keymappings and such. It took me several days before I got min how I like. Plus you won't have the feel of the original controller unless you want to hack some hardware. Also, unless you spend a small fortune, media center PCs are really loud.

        • Also, unless you spend a small fortune, media center PCs are really loud.
          They don't have to be: ASUS Pundit [asus.com]

          • Re: (Score:2)

            by ivan256 ( 17499 )
            Very interesting. Thanks for the link. That's much cheaper than most low-noise rigs. Still not what I'd consider 'cheap', but not ridiculous like most options.

    • Re: (Score:1)

      by DarkJC ( 810888 )
      The problem with this is that consoles generally change hardware architectures with every generation (the Wii excluded, it uses the same architecture as the GameCube). Sony solved this problem by throwing in the old PS1/PS2 hardware in their new console. Microsoft solved this problem by using a software emulator, but unfortunately it's not foolproof and only works for specific games. I'm sure Nintendo has to retool (or at least test) the games that are released via virtual console so that they can run on th
  • You only need three consoles, the three from the new generation: the Wii, the PS3, and the Xbox 360.
    The Wii replaces your NES, SNES, 64, and GC (full backward compatible with GC, virtual console for the rest).
    Now that you only have three you have to deal with the wires of, it will be easy to buy a switcher box (even auto-switcher if you like) at a radio shack or somewhere that can handle all three, along with your satellite or cable box.

    • Re:Three:Wii, PS3, X360 (Score:5, Insightful)

      by Stormwatch ( 703920 ) <`moc.liamtoh' `ta' `oarigogirdor'> on Saturday December 09, 2006 @12:44PM (#17174626) Homepage
      The Wii replaces your NES, SNES, 64, and GC (full backward compatible with GC, virtual console for the rest).
      Sure, if you buy all your NES/SNES/N64 games again...
    • Of course, that assumes that Nintendo will release ALL the classics on the Wii. This isn't backwards compatibity in that someone can just throw the cart into the Wii. This is "When we get around to releasing it, if ever" backwards compatibility.

      • Re:Three:Wii, PS3, X360 (Score:4, Interesting)

        by MindStalker ( 22827 ) <mindstalker@@@gmail...com> on Saturday December 09, 2006 @12:56PM (#17174748) Journal
        BTW, there is already instructions on how to load an emulator and old games into the Wii. And if one actually owned the old games I don't think they should have to feel guilty about doing this.

        • Re: (Score:1)

          by Gangis ( 310282 )
          Reference, please... I have not heard anything about this. Thanks!
          • Apparently as the Wii is fully compatible with the Gamecube you use the same method as you would with the gamecube, using the "Action Replay".
            The action replay is sorta like a game genie for modern game systems, it plugs into the memory card slot.

            The full instructions I havn't been able to find, but lots of confirmation that "it works".

    • Re:Three:Wii, PS3, X360 (Score:4, Insightful)

      by Jerf ( 17166 ) on Saturday December 09, 2006 @12:58PM (#17174762) Journal
      What's with this weird idea that the Virtual Console has every Nintendo, Super Nintendo, et al game ever made already available for (paid!) download? Have you missed the people complaining about the selection at launch?

      I wasn't going to say anything but you're not the only person claiming the Wii can fill in for all the old systems; you're just the highest rated at the time I hit "reply".
      • All I can figure is that Sony's implementation of backwards compatability with the PS2 spoiled a bunch of people into thinking that's a right, not a feature. From everything I've read, the only system that can be 100% replaced by the next gen systems is the GameCube by the Wii. The 360 is limited BC, I thought the PS3 worked much the same way as the 360, with the addition that you can't use PS2 peripherals at all. You definitely don't get NES, SNES, N64 BC. What you get is the video game equivalent of a

    • Re:Three:Wii, PS3, X360 (Score:5, Insightful)

      by damiangerous ( 218679 ) <1ndt7174ekq80001@sneakemail.com> on Saturday December 09, 2006 @01:05PM (#17174826)
      Why do people insist on answering a question that wasn't asked? He asked for the best way to store those consoles. He didn't ask "how can I keep playing these games?"

      It's a good thing this isn't a home forum.
      Q: Help, my heating bill is enormous! How can I best winterize and save energy?
      A: You should sell your house and move into a one bedroom apartment.

      I have a collection of old consoles as well. If I just wanted to play the games I'd have an emulator set up (although I do as well). The point is that people who collect old consoles like the old consoles. People aren't keeping old consoles in their living room because they think there's no other way to play Mario. We're not idiots, we're all very familar with emulators.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by Guppy06 ( 410832 )
      "The Wii replaces your NES, SNES, 64, and GC (full backward compatible with GC, virtual console for the rest)."

      With respect to the GameCube compatibility, where on the Wii shall I plug in my Game Boy Player?
  • I don't know if this is any help, I haven't as many consoles setup as you but I have a desk setup where I do work/gaming (rather than a living room TV setup) and use the following:

    - A Samsung 244T 24" TFT
    - 4 port KVM into the DVI port of the above which I have my computers plugged into
    - XBox 360 in the 15 pin analog VGA port (can play XBox games)
    - Wii in the composite in (can play my old Gamecube games)
    One of my machines on the KVM is on 24/7 and I put audio into the line in of this machine and have 5.1 sur

  • AV Control Center (Score:5, Informative)

    by trickydisko ( 140390 ) on Saturday December 09, 2006 @12:47PM (#17174652)
    Joytech (among others) make a few devices which will switch between various audio/video inputs. The manufacturer's page is at:

    http://www.joytech.net/1/products/av/9/AV-Equipmen t.htm [joytech.net]

    I use the European version of the AVCC2, and I like it!

    As for a rack, all 3 of the new consoles will stand vertically, which may save you some space. The Wii will replace your GC, and the older Nintendos if you can stand to pay for them yet again.

    • Doesn't standing your consoles vertically send the chance of malfunctions and breakdowns through the roof?
    • Is there a similar product available for purchase in the U.S.? The "AV Control Center 245C" looks like exactly what I need myself, but nobody seems to carry it Stateside.
  • If anyone remembers the Screen Savers on TechTv, I believe Yoshi's "Yoshibox" was exactly what you are looking for.

  • Not really that hard (Score:5, Informative)

    by lidocaineus ( 661282 ) on Saturday December 09, 2006 @12:50PM (#17174686)
    Get a preamp or integrated amp with every connector from composite on up - for general stuff like this, Denon makes some kickass integrated amps on a good scale of power and connectivity - they have upconversion from composite and s-video to component and analog to digital hdmi, which is sweet for cutting out some monitor cables, and you can go as basic or fully frilled out along their product line, with various power steps (the AVR-887 [denon.com] has a good pile of connectors and is fine for video game systems). If there aren't enough connectors, get a break-out switcher box such as the Pelican [pelicanacc.com] System Selector Pro - everything from component on down to composite with digital audio inputs (there are a bunch of different, older versions that you can get for cheaper too).

    As for actual physical layout, well, if you want it to look nice, you'll really just have to get a custom install, though you can get away with messy with a false wall, or just buy something that looks good, wire up really well in the back, and never move the systems.

    I have an Xbox 360, Xbox, PS2, GCN, Dreamcast, Saturn, SNES and Genesis + Sega CD (tray loading) + 32x, and it's all set up very cleanly on a generic shelving unit in the corner, next to a smoked cabinet for all the actual audio/video components... but god help me if I ever move one of the systems.

    • they have upconversion from composite and s-video to component and analog to digital hdmi

      My recommendation is to stay far, far away from HDMI. I'm not one of those guys who's paranoid about HDCP and DRM, but I am not a big fan of buying a $600 piece of A/V equipment and having it not work perfectly. The HDMI upconversion in these units is a disaster of picture artifacts and incompatibilities.

      I know because I recently bought several upconverting receivers in a quest to find a decent one (two Onkyo tx-sr674

      • *shrug* If the upconversion sucks, you still have all the other output options from the preamp/integrated amp, including non-converted composite, s-video, all the way back up to HDMI. The upconversion is mostly there as a convenience to rid yourself of excessive wiring; no one expects your s-video connected piece of equipment to go through a miraculous pull-down progressive image just because it's pushed through HDMI at the end.
  • Now I don't have nearly that many consoles hooked up, so my tv's inputs can mostly handle what I need without switching around cables, but I've seen a bunch of video switchers that can take care of the logistical end of what you need. Do a search on amazon for video switchers to get an idea. There's a lot of them out there, depending on what kind of connections you're using, it could go anywhere from $30 to $125 for a device that will switch between 5 or so devices to a tv at the press of a button. Consi

  • big receiver? (Score:1, Redundant)

    by crossmr ( 957846 )
    As someone pointed out, the Wii completely replaces the GC, so take that out of the equation. Depending on what you play on the NES/N64/SNES, the virtual console may or may not be for you. Nintendo looks like they're going to have a slow and arduous release schedule with no real indication of when anything is coming out. Stupid if you ask me.

    I guess some kind of receiver with lots of inputs would work well. I'm not sure how many you can get on one receiver, but most of them work on those RCA deals. As far a
    • No it doesn't.

      First, the Wii will play Gamecube games, but it does not have the ports to be able to use the network adapter (for the 6 games that support it) or the Gameboy Player.

      Also, the Virtual Console, while nice, is not a replacement for an existing NES/SNES/N64/TG16/Genesis collection. First, you have to purchase *every* game seperately at a cost of $5 to $10. Also, as you mentioned, you will have to deal with Nintendo's slow release schedule. Plus you can only have so many games on the list at on

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by crossmr ( 957846 )
        I think its going to depend heavily on what games the person plays. If they don't play the 6 online games or use the gameboy player, not an issue. Same with the virtual console. As far as emulation goes, my wife has been playing super monkey ball on it and hasn't mentioned any issues.
        • Super Monkey Ball (original Gamecube?) would not be emulation.

          The Wii hardware was designed to be a faster Gamecube which allows those games and APIs to run by simply slowing down the system timing.

          Running the Virtual Console games is pure emulation. I'm assuming that it would be very similar to the emulation used in The Legend of Zelda collection and Metroid Prime but cleaned up and a few features like save state added. I just can't bring myself to spend money on games that I've already purchased once.
          • Right. The Wii doesn't technically emulate games, since it has the same architecture as the Gamecube, only severely beefed up. I'm not sure about Zelda/Metroid on the Cube, though... I was under the impression that the 3-d Zelda games, at least, were actually converted. In fact, they must be reformatted because of the GUI/text changes made due to controller differences. You could be right about the NES Zeldas and Metroid, though.
  • I use a receiver. You can hook all yours game systems and speakers up to it.

    Alternative option. They do make stand-alone RCA switches. The only one I could find past 5 or 6 ports was this: Pelican System Selector HD, which holds 10 devices.
  • In our family room we have an N64, a Gamecube, a PS2, an XBox, an XBox360 (it lags playing Ninja Gaiden Black which is why the original XBox is hooked up), a LiteOn DVD writer/player, an additional region-free DVD player, a HD cable box, and a DVD changer which is also the surround sound controller. The consoles and DVD player are hooked up to the surround sound via a Pelican System Selector, which has something like 8 sets of component inputs (yes, I have a component cable for my Cube even). This way I can
  • That the Wii replaces the NES, SNES, N64, let's keep in mind that not all of the classics are currently available on the Virtual Console and there's a chance that there will be a good number of them that will never make it in the future. Don't throw your consoles away unless Nintendo puts every one of those old games that you would ever want to play on that service.
  • Replace your NES, SNES, N64, Genesis, Atari, Mame with a hacked XBox. It can run all of the mentioned systems pretty much flawlessly, and it's all-in-one.
  • I had a similar problem but my situation was audio/video devices, not game consoles. DVD player, Digital cable box, VCR, 200-CD changer, HTPC, and maybe a console or two in the future; all of these devices wanted to be plugged directly into my TV. Since these all varied in terms of their video connections (i.e. some are RCA-composite, some are SVideo, and some are Component), and, actually, they varied in terms of their audio connections as well (stereo RCA, 5-channel RCA, digital coax, digital optical) I

  • Recommended auto-sensing component switcher (Score:5, Informative)

    by jchenx ( 267053 ) on Saturday December 09, 2006 @01:37PM (#17175056) Journal
    I have a similar dilemma myself. I have a PS2, 360, and (hopefully soon) a Wii. Unfortunately, my HDTV only has so many component inputs.

    I finally purchased a component switcher recently, the Audio Authority 1154A [audioauthority.com]. It's powered, which keeps the quality very high, and even better, will automatically sense which console is on and send that signal to the TV. No more messing with extra remote controls or having to press a button on the unit to switch. It's very nice feature, especially since the next-gen systems should allow you to wireless turn on the console (well, I know the 360 does at least).

    That said, I've heard some people may have problems with auto-sensing units in general. I'm not sure if it's a problem with their TV or the other units they plug into the siwtcher (certain DVD players, etc. I imagine). I do know, though, that the PS2 and 360 play along very well.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by Aladrin ( 926209 )
      One of the worst problems with 'auto sensing' switches is the no-signal detection. Quite a few games/movies/tv shows will use a black, then white, then black image to represent lightning or other things. This freaks out most switchers and causes them to turn off (some will turn right back on, a second later). This is obviously a hassle.

      Have you had this happen to you? Does it shut off/switch immediately, or does it wait a few seconds to be sure?

      • Re: (Score:1)

        by Osty ( 16825 )

        Have you had this happen to you? Does it shut off/switch immediately, or does it wait a few seconds to be sure?

        I use an AA1154a component video switch as mentioned by the OP and have never had this problem. I'm currently running an Xbox, Xbox 360 (was my DVD player before I got an Xbox 360 and HDMI-based upconverting DVD player), PS2, and Wii (was Gamecube before I got my Wii and component cables) and it works flawlessly. If you plan to have multiple items on at the same time you do need to think a li

        • Re: (Score:2)

          by Aladrin ( 926209 )
          Excellent, that's what I wanted to hear. I've probably spent half that on crappy switchers already. (Manual, or bad autosensing.) I'll gladly drop the money for a good one and be done.

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by jchenx ( 267053 )
        I've never experienced like that before. Maybe it's because I only have one console on at a time, so if the screen went dark, there'd be no reason to switch to anything else? And I know for certain that I've had black/white flashes in games. FFXII has quite a few of them as loading screens.

        • Re: (Score:2)

          by Aladrin ( 926209 )
          Thanks :) The cheap switchers don't even auto-switch, and they still have this problem. I just didn't want to be out that much money and find it did that.

          • Re: (Score:2)

            by jchenx ( 267053 )
            One last thing, what you pay is what you get. As you'll notice, the Audio Authority switcher is not cheap (about $150-200). The cheap switchers are, well, much cheaper. But as someone who's crazy sensitive about graphics quality, I wanted to make sure that my expensive consoles on my expensive HDTV wasn't degraded in any way. In the past, the cheap switchers noticeably affected graphics quality. I can safely say that this isn't the case with the AA 1154A.

            I hate to sound like a paid advertisement, but it too

            • Re: (Score:2)

              by Aladrin ( 926209 )
              I had actually given up. I was looking for anything up to like $300. I checked out numerous reviews online, and if they didn't have the issue I had, then there were other, worse issues.

              Oddly, even my cheapest solutions didn't have any signal problems... Just the switch-off on a black screen.

              Their site lists the unit for $220, and I'm going to just buy it from them. I don't mind paying for quality.
              • Try Video Storm (http://www.video-storm.com); good stuff, including amplified units with multiple in/outs. They have two low end products that, although not auto-sensing, can be programmed to work with the same signal you use to turn on your TV, amp, etc.

                • Re: (Score:2)

                  by Aladrin ( 926209 )
                  Ah, thanks for the info. The CSW62 does indeed sound like a good unit. Unfortunately, I've heard nothing else about it, and I ordered the Audio Authority one already. I don't expect to dislike the AA unit, but if I do, the CSW62 is definitely on my list of items to research.
  • We have an NES, N64, Game Cube, Wii, Atari 7800, Genesis, VSmile and PSOne hooked up to one TV, plus the cable box, DVD and tape player. The TV has an RF input that the Atari and Genesis hook up to, and two RCA inputs. Each RCA input goes to a switch box, one 4-port auto-switching and one 6-port manually switched.

    So I have at most two things to hit to select a console: the TV input selection if it's on a different input, and the switch box if the console is on the manual one.
  • Well for starters the SNES N64 and Gamecube all share a common A/V connector, so that should cut down on cables considerably. NES uses and Wii use a different connector, so you'll have to connect them to the switch box seperately. PS3 and XBox2 can both connect to the switch box directly (they don't share their A/V connectors with their direct predecessors)... that still leaves you with your TV in, assuming you're using S-Video and not component (which is only better when using greater than 480p). Video swi
  • Definitely not ultimate, but for my old consoles, I have a couple of these daisy chained together:
    http://www.crutchfield.com/cgi-bin/ProdView.asp?g= 15270&I=158SBV55A [crutchfield.com]

    Since I don't have a HDTV, I just have my Tivo, DVD, etc all going into them. Whichever I turn on gets auto-switched to, be it the Tivo receiver, dvd player, or gamecube. They due great for me as far as ease of use. I have an older TV and I've found that these do a better job of downgrading S-video to Composite then my DVD players' internal
  • I have the following systems:

    These are in a rack next to the 32" Olevia I use for my PC's monitor:
    Atari 2600
    Odyssey 2
    NES
    SNES
    N64
    Genesis/32X/Sega CD
    Saturn
    Dreamcast
    3DO
    PS1
    PS2
    XBOX

    In addition, I have the Wii hooked up to the main 57" in the living room. I also have a bookshelf that holds the Virtual Boy, Game Boy, GBA SP, DS, PSP, Game Gear, and Lynx. I have two very packed shelves dedicated to holding the games.

    I expect that for Christmas, I would be receiving at least one more console system
    • Just a question, do you have "The Voice" module for the Odyssey 2? The graphics weren't very good, but the voice synthesis was way ahead of its time.

      Best games for "The Voice":
      Nimble Numbers Ned
      Sid the Spellbinder

      All-around best game for the O2:
      Pick Axe Pete
  • Uh, I hate to say it, but that's what a "receiver" is for. Get a good stereo receiver that handles video in addition to audio, and use that. I don't really know how this made it as a Slashdot article. I've had this set up at my place for, jeez, I dunno... a decade?
  • I don't see anyone gushing about the Wii's ability to replace all your Nintendo gear (you just have to buy the games again, thats all...). Seriously, do you really need all those consoles hooked up at once? We all know you don't, but we all know it "would be cooler if you did". It does sound like you have it already planned out, I think your best bet is going to be DIY.
  • All you need is a nice A/V receiver bud. one with multiple inputs. like a yamaha or onkyo
  • So i dont feel like googling, but i know at work we have this cable that has composite, L and R audio and S-Video on one end, and Xbox, PS2, Gamecube and 360 connectors on the other for like $15. Not a panacea, but itll help. You can find switchboxes with 5 ins for everything from coax to s-video for around $30 though.

    Ok, i did search, they have 2 listed on amazon [amazon.com], but neither are in stock and neither have a brand name listed...
  • Well one thing to do is to group your SNES, N64, and Game Cube together and just use one a/v hookup between them. All three Nintendo systems use the exact same output on them for audio and video and the cables are compatible. Doing this I keep my PS1/PS2 hooked up in one a/v port on my TV and all Nitendo systems share another.
  • make a number of switches http://www.joytech.net/1/products/av/9/AV-Equipme n t.htm [joytech.net] that do scart and component switching - there's even a specific 360 one if you click the link.
    Really nice of kit that just do what they say on the tin. Bit that I like is that as well as SCART or composite switching, they'll switch a TOS link as well (TV might have many inputs, but decoders are sometimes a bit more limited).
    Click one button on the little remote and you can flick between your consoles at will. If you get a d

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