Making Retro CONSOLE games feel like old PC games

If I told you that playing retro console games with a keyboard changes the experience and makes them feel like old PC games, would you call me a dweeb and slap me in the face? If 'yes', then please don't watch this video...

8BITDO RETRO KEYBOARD:

MONITOR:

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- MY GEAR -

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- MUSIC CREDITS -
Intro: Captive Portal - Intro For A Nonexisting Video Game
Outro: RoccoW - Chipho instrumental

00:00 NO
00:17 Un-fath-om-ab-ub-ble new heights
03:02 Why would you want to do this?
04:53 How to do it
09:39 I love it
13:21 That's it!

[Rmg]

This brings me back to the 2000s, downloading emulators for the first time and playing sonic 3 with my keyboard

[tom.peters]

I'm not your father, but I am very proud of everything you have achieved here. I know it's hard when you don't always get the attention you need, especially as a child, but that's what made you who you are today and many people feel like you. A family is not always just the one you were born with. Family can also be a bunch of dweebs and lady dweebs who share common values, like retro games and root beer. 🍻

[mmm-Bacn]

Another thing you didn't mention in the video that really brings up the nostalgia factor of your setup is that square monitor. Sure, you can add overlays or something to take up the extra space on a 16:9 display, but I really like the way those games take up the screen on there and it almost breaks my brain out of thinking it's a modern PC!

[Reddison]

Just got the IBM Version of the 8BitDo keyboard... and man is it beautiful; And running DOSBOX-X as we speak.

[elemileTLDR]

Back in late 90's, my older cousin got me into emulation through NESticle. When I first tried the roms he shared with me, it puzzled me to see he mapped the D-Pad sideways over the arrows (e.g. D-pad right over arrow up), and B-A stacked over PgDn and PgUp. I remapped them more sensibly and played normally; until one day when he came back, saw what I've done, remapped them like they were before, grabbed the keyboard in his hands from the right side and started playing with his thumbs, as in a regular NES controller... Mind blown.

[tessjdt]

I'm an old man and remember when console Emulators started to make traction in the mid to late 90's. I played all my arcade and console emulators with a keyboard. I totally rocked SMB3 and Street Fighter 2 with these keys! I love that fight sticks are now using keys. 'bout time!

[nickweger]

You just reminded me of my dad setting up Mame for my brother and I on our family computer back in 99 or 00. We played Streets of rage, bomberman, metal slug, tmnt… All on keyboard controls, and all these games worked in coop with one keyboard too! This was such a lovely video to watch and remember a simpler time

[RemoWilliams]

Oh yeah it was strictly keyboard and mouse growing up on the pc, and sometimes only keyboard. Quake, wolfenstein, doom, I played lots with only keyboard. Great video as always.

[rometherevenant]

I love your channel and really love your content. The consistency and charm is what keeps me here. Excellent video as always.

[crystalwater]

I use to play all of my roms back in 2003 with a keyboard. I eventually walked 3 miles to Media Play to buy one of those Gravis cheap gamepads for the PC and was SO happy when it easily worked with the emulators and Ninja Gaiden Trilogy on SNES was the first game I tested with the gamepad.

Miss those days.

[Melo_Vinicius]

Very good video, as always... I'm Brazilian, and my written English isn't that good, so I'm using Google Translate to write this comment, I hope it's not too confusing. I have a project to build a retro PC that runs several other PC-only systems, preferably with the closest possible experience to how they really were, in this case, running Amiga Workbench, DOS, Windows XP, MSX and the like... And your channel is a great inspiration, the project is still in its early stages, but I intend to start in the near future and if possible document it for a channel here on YT as well, anyway, just stopping by to congratulate you on your work and say that I'll continue following from here, big hug

[ralphmcmahan]

I would like to thank all the people over the years who have uploaded the box-art, manuals, and video clips for all the games. Having all that really makes the experience so much better.

[masqueradian]

Just found this channel and I love it so much already

[quipsilver]

Honestly, you made the video because doing this made you have that magical feeling of playing old games on a keyboard, and wanted to share it with everyone, that's a pretty cool reason to make a video.

Also it was a good video, keep it up!

[IslanKleinknecht]

Me getting back into emulation after 20 years: "wow, things sure have come a long way! I remember playing so many RPG's using the numpad, but now I have all these controllers and handhelds to choose from!"
TechDweeb, smacking them out of my hands and grabbing me by the shoulders: "WE NEED TO GO BACK!"

[LB_adventurer]

my dad has some of those old PC RPG games and most of them come with a strip of paper that you put at the head of your keyboard with the keybinds listed on it to make it easier... something to print out if you can find them online somewhere... btw i love the build and the concept of playing old NES games on a classic looking PC. It looks fun

[trevor_mounts_music]

This is how I emulated in the early 2000's...square dell monitor playing SNES and SEGA with a keyboard. Good times, Dweeb.

[fredo]

Wife got me the NES keyboard for Christmas. Been loving it. Using it between desktop, laptop, and Steam Deck. But that Commodore one is chef's kiss as well.

[megan_alnico]

As a software engineer who grew up with a lot of these games, I had to actually make a concerted effort to move to controller in the last 5 years or so. Too much time on the keyboard really really messed up my wrists.

But this is absolutely how I played emulator games for a long time.

[mrwasi]

ZSNES and NESticle with a keyboard back in the day!