this post was submitted on 22 Aug 2024
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Logo uses joystick by liftarn
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I've been considering my options for a living room, couch gaming/emulation system for a while. I want something with a mid tier GPU for anything remotely modern that I might want to play there.... My criteria for couch gaming vs desktop is whether it's easier/better to play the game with a controller... One example would be driving/flight sims, the analog controls are generally better than mouse/kb... The only way desktop wins in that scenario is if you own a driving sim wheel/hotas for your desktop, otherwise, gamepad is generally better for the fine controls.
I don't generally play a lot of driving/flight sims, but it's a good example.
Anyways. The primary focus is on console exclusive games via emulation, specifically retro stuff. SNES/N64/Genesis/etc. Maybe to stuff as new as the Wii? IDK. But being able to play other PC titles would be helpful.
I'm thinking about a fair high clock speed, fairly recent CPU with a fair amount of memory. IMO, clock speed is more important so the reaction times of the emulation is minimized. I don't think emulators can really take good advantage of multi threading.
My main issue is that any systems that fit the bill are super expensive. Something small/compact, with a high clock CPU, and something for graphics better than integrated.... It's not easy to find something like that for cheap.
It's not something I would use all the time, so it's not really very high on my priority list.
Surprising it's not too expensive! There are a few small form factor GPUs of the current generation that could absolutely crush any emulated game from the Wii and back. I would say one of the best is the 1650 super for the high end. Or if you are really budgeting a 1650 would suffice. Everything else is a matter of taste a few YouTubers are creating awesome PCs out of old office PCs that are tiny in comparison. If you are building from scratch ITX, can get expensive but since it's a low power pc for your tv similar to a console the parts should not be bad especially going with last generation parts that would still blast through Wii at the highest fidelity and anything lower would run incredible based on the emulator.
If I'm going that way, then I'm building a custom PC for the purpose and I've built enough PCs at this point that I'm not keen on building more.... Especially when looks are a nontrivial point.
Finding a good looking small case that I can mount on the wall (or shallow shelf) seems like a gigantic headache. Plus building in such a case is probably a nightmare since it's mostly built for looks, not for build friendliness.
I'm considering the minisforum nucxi7, to give you an idea. That whole thing is smaller than a 1650 super, and it has an rtx 3060/3070 built in, with a clean, minimal look. Not busy, but not boring.
It's just.... Basically impossible to buy, and/or afford.
Lol, I would imagine it's not that difficult to buy an office PC and throw a graphics card in it if finding an itx case and planning a build sounds like that much of a headache. At the point where you want a machine so specific and you are tired of building PCs why bother at all on atheistics? Just buy a console my friend no point in doing any sort of planning. If you want a machine that looks nice is small and runs multiple emulators then I'm pretty sure you are out of luck... Wiis be cheap and don't look bad and you can mod them to run any sorta games just by getting homebrew on a thumb drive. Small form factor cases and the hobby of building computers are fun for some but it's not everyones cup of tea.