Game & Gadget Podcast - Pixel Refresh – Details, episodes & analysis

I am joined by Mike from vswitchzero, who has a fascinating YouTube channel dedicated to 90s retro PC hardware and gaming. In this podcast, we explore the fascinating history of this exciting era of 3D acceleration advancement with classic graphics cards including the 3Dfx Voodoo while delving into the repairs, nostalgia and the pitfalls of revisiting retro PC computing.

Topics include:

• Commander Keen, Doom, Quake and the evolution of PC gaming hardware during the 90s
• Introduction of 3DFX and Voodoo graphics cards, including personal experiences and significant technological leaps
• Voodoo 2 SLI configurations and their impact on 3D gaming
• Comparisons between 3DFX, PowerVR and other competing technologies of the time
• Popular sound cards like the Creative Sound Blaster series and Yamaha DB50XG/SW60XG
• General MIDI and enhanced gaming experiences through better audio fidelity
• Mike’s Train Wreck Voodoo 2 repair
• Issues with capacitor failures and maintaining vintage hardware
• Benefits of modern retro PC projects and new hardware options mimicking retro systems
• Insights into building and maintaining retro PCs versus using modern emulation tools like DOSBox
• The joy of hardware repair and the satisfaction of reviving old systems
• Early PC setups, the transition to multimedia PCs and the rise of CD-ROM drives
• Reflections on the transformative era of PC gaming in the 90s
• Ongoing retro hardware projects and the increasing value of vintage components

SUBSCRIBE TO THE SHOW: Amazon Music | Apple Podcasts | Deezer | Pocket Casts | RSS | Spotify | YouTube Music | YouTube

SUPPORT THE SHOW: Donate to the Game & Gadget Podcast & Pixel Refresh
SUBMIT QUESTIONS FOR THE SHOW: Submit a question for the Game & Gadget Podcast
FIND OUT MORE: What is the Game & Gadget Podcast

WEBSITE: Pixel Refresh – Gaming, Gadgets & Tech both Retro & Modern
EMAIL SUBSCRIBE: Latest Articles / Reviews via Email
PIXEL REFRESH YOUTUBE CHANNEL: Pixel Refresh on YouTube
FREE GAME SOUNDTRACKS: ScummVM Music Enhancement Project

Original post link: 90s Retro PCs with vswitchzero Interview – Game & Gadget Podcast #39, created by James Woodcock.
For even more content, visit Pixel Refresh - Retro Gaming & Modern Tech.

Original post link: 90s Retro PCs with vswitchzero Interview – Game & Gadget Podcast #39, created by James Woodcock.
For even more content, visit Pixel Refresh - Retro Gaming & Modern Tech.

I am joined by Tony Warriner who is one of the founders of Revolution Software as we discuss more gaming, gadgets and technology both retro and modern.

Topics include:

• Tony wants to play Elite on his BBC Micro, but the smoking capacitors have other ideas
• James’ original Xbox had a hidden surprise, a leaking clock capacitor that nearly destroyed the console
• Restoring James’ Commodore 64 – real dead bugs
• The C64 Tapecart SD for fast loading cassette games in just a few seconds
• The amazing Commodore 64 loading graphics and music
• Importance of preserving the stories from those who experienced such big tech and software advances
• The Sony PlayStation Vita with its stunning OLED display where sales flopped
• The cleverness of the dual screen display of the Nintendo DS
• Drooling over modern crystal replacement cases for retro consoles
• SEGA Dreamcast modding with the GDemu and DreamPSU
• The original power supply on the C64 is another danger!
• The video tour of Tony’s collection of retro gear
• ‘The Spectrum‘ hardware announced for emulating classic Spectrum titles
• What is a ‘sensible’ retro collection purchase?
• James’ lovely yet battered Amiga 500 purchased for £30

SUBSCRIBE TO THE SHOW: Amazon Music | Apple Podcasts | Deezer | Pocket Casts | RSS | Spotify | YouTube Music | YouTube

SUPPORT THE SHOW: Donate to the Game & Gadget Podcast & Pixel Refresh
SUBMIT QUESTIONS FOR THE SHOW: Submit a question for the Game & Gadget Podcast
FIND OUT MORE: What is the Game & Gadget Podcast

WEBSITE: Pixel Refresh – Gaming, Gadgets & Tech both Retro & Modern
EMAIL SUBSCRIBE: Latest Articles / Reviews via Email
PIXEL REFRESH YOUTUBE CHANNEL: Pixel Refresh on YouTube
FREE GAME SOUNDTRACKS: ScummVM Music Enhancement Project

Original post link: Game & Gadget Podcast #38 – Original Xbox Ticking Disaster, PS Vita Beauty & More…, created by James Woodcock.
For even more content, visit Pixel Refresh - Retro Gaming & Modern Tech.

Original post link: Game & Gadget Podcast #38 – Original Xbox Ticking Disaster, PS Vita Beauty & More…, created by James Woodcock.
For even more content, visit Pixel Refresh - Retro Gaming & Modern Tech.

I am joined by Aaron Fothergill previously from Argonaut Games and now with Shifty Eye Games, Steve Ince who is an artist, game designer and writer working on games from Revolution Software such as Broken Sword and also a new guest to our podcast Rees from YouTube channel ctrl-alt-rees as we discuss more gaming, gadgets and technology both retro and modern.

Topics include:

• Steve Ince discusses his retirement from gaming work
• What games Steve has been playing now he has a little more time
• Steve releasing yet more books!
• The pain of the developer crunch time
• Life as ctrl-alt-rees and his fascination with Atari
• Atari ST and the MIDI capabilities
• Computers for homework *cough* games!
• Homework on an Acorn Archimedes A3010 and dot matrix printers
• Atari ST and 32 person strong multiplayer games with MIDI connections
• The horror when you realise what you have thrown away, and then it becomes valuable
• Steve’s computer journey
• Taking a high quality scan, reducing to 128 colours for PC, reducing to 32 colours for Amiga
• A changing colour pixel for a convincing ‘blink’
• Broken Sword on the Nintendo Wii
• Rise of the Triads and the music of Lee Jackson
• The ever growing retro community
• Robin Williams suing Disney and the risk of the colour blue

SUBSCRIBE TO THE SHOW: Amazon Music | Apple Podcasts | Deezer | Pocket Casts | RSS | Spotify | YouTube Music | YouTube

SUPPORT THE SHOW: Donate to the Game & Gadget Podcast & Pixel Refresh
SUBMIT QUESTIONS FOR THE SHOW: Submit a question for the Game & Gadget Podcast
FIND OUT MORE: What is the Game & Gadget Podcast

WEBSITE: Pixel Refresh – Gaming, Gadgets & Tech both Retro & Modern
EMAIL SUBSCRIBE: Latest Articles / Reviews via Email
PIXEL REFRESH YOUTUBE CHANNEL: Pixel Refresh on YouTube
FREE GAME SOUNDTRACKS: ScummVM Music Enhancement Project

Original post link: Game & Gadget Podcast #29 – Atari ST Nostalgia, Pink Genies & More…, created by James Woodcock.
For even more content, visit Pixel Refresh - Retro Gaming & Modern Tech.

Original post link: Game & Gadget Podcast #29 – Atari ST Nostalgia, Pink Genies & More…, created by James Woodcock.
For even more content, visit Pixel Refresh - Retro Gaming & Modern Tech.

I am joined by Tony Warriner who is one of the founders of Revolution Software and Aaron Fothergill previously from Argonaut Games and now with Shifty Eye Games as we discuss more gaming, gadgets and technology both retro and modern.

Topics include:

• Atari Jaguar – 64-bit development issues with Tom & Jerry chips
• Threading commands with the Atari Jaguar
• Nintendo Wii U naming failure
• Nintendo Switch and Valve Steam Deck
• Folding smartphones and remembering the Motorola V3i and WAP
• Beyond smartphones, the Apple Vision Pro?
• 3D cinema with custom 2D glasses
• 3D televisions dead, but 3D movies still being released
• Disney+ IMAX and the 4K Blu-ray disks NOT always including premium features (Dolby TrueHD, Dolby Vision etc)
• Streaming services licence issues, content removed
• The Orville, more Star Trek than Star Trek
• The wonders of Plex
• Couldn’t even playback an MP3 music file without stuttering on a 486 PC

SUBSCRIBE TO THE SHOW: Amazon Music | Apple Podcasts | Deezer | Pocket Casts | RSS | Spotify | YouTube Music | YouTube

SUPPORT THE SHOW: Donate to the Game & Gadget Podcast & Pixel Refresh
SUBMIT QUESTIONS FOR THE SHOW: Submit a question for the Game & Gadget Podcast
FIND OUT MORE: What is the Game & Gadget Podcast

WEBSITE: Pixel Refresh – Gaming, Gadgets & Tech both Retro & Modern
EMAIL SUBSCRIBE: Latest Articles / Reviews via Email
PIXEL REFRESH YOUTUBE CHANNEL: Pixel Refresh on YouTube
FREE GAME SOUNDTRACKS: ScummVM Music Enhancement Project

Original post link: Game & Gadget Podcast #28 – Atari Jaguar Development, Beyond Smartphones & More…, created by James Woodcock.
For even more content, visit Pixel Refresh - Retro Gaming & Modern Tech.

Original post link: Game & Gadget Podcast #28 – Atari Jaguar Development, Beyond Smartphones & More…, created by James Woodcock.
For even more content, visit Pixel Refresh - Retro Gaming & Modern Tech.

I am joined by Tony Warriner who is one of the founders of Revolution Software as we discuss more gaming, gadgets and technology both retro and modern.

Topics include:

• Image generation with A.I. is scary good
• A.I. is a replicant?
• A.I. introduces James Woodcock
• A.I. introduces Tony Warriner
• Who is Steve Warriner? Tony wishes he knew!
• The A.I. risk to copywriters
• The A.I. risk to artists and copyright
• The benefits of Artificial Intelligence
• Using A.I. to make appointments
• Creating a coffee drinking squirrel
• Voice assistants that simply don’t understand
• Tony’s book on the history of Revolution Software updates

SUBSCRIBE TO THE SHOW: Amazon Music | Apple Podcasts | Deezer | Pocket Casts | RSS | Spotify | YouTube Music | YouTube

SUPPORT THE SHOW: Donate to the Game & Gadget Podcast & Pixel Refresh
SUBMIT QUESTIONS FOR THE SHOW: Submit a question for the Game & Gadget Podcast
FIND OUT MORE: What is the Game & Gadget Podcast

WEBSITE: Pixel Refresh – Gaming, Gadgets & Tech both Retro & Modern
EMAIL SUBSCRIBE: Latest Articles / Reviews via Email
PIXEL REFRESH YOUTUBE CHANNEL: Pixel Refresh on YouTube
FREE GAME SOUNDTRACKS: ScummVM Music Enhancement Project

Original post link: Game & Gadget Podcast #27 – A.I., ChatGPT, Bard, Voice Assistant Chaos & More…, created by James Woodcock.
For even more content, visit Pixel Refresh - Retro Gaming & Modern Tech.

Original post link: Game & Gadget Podcast #27 – A.I., ChatGPT, Bard, Voice Assistant Chaos & More…, created by James Woodcock.
For even more content, visit Pixel Refresh - Retro Gaming & Modern Tech.

I am joined by Tony Warriner who is one of the founders of Revolution Software and Steve Ince who is an artist, game designer and writer working on games from Revolution Software such as Broken Sword as we discuss more gaming, gadgets and technology both retro and modern.

Topics include:

• James acquiring the Mattel Electronics Intellivision Console and games
• The Intellivision voice synthesis add-on
• The joy of cartridges compared against cassette, floppy disk and more
• Tony states “You could do a great game with 48K”
• The juggling of switching multiple floppy disks for a single game
• Why did James get a PC? To play the “talkie” version of Simon the Sorcerer!
• Select, menu and adjust – remembering the Acorn Archimedes A3010
• Steve explains how he managed the audio recordings for Beneath a Steel Sky “talkie” version
• Characters with accents?
• Discworld and the famous actors who did the many voices including ‘Jon’ Pertwee
• How Broken Sword music and voice cast influenced the story of the sequel
• The different voices of Nico Collard in Broken Sword
• Directing the voice cast and whether any of us can act!
• The easter eggs Tony and Steve have snuck into their games
• Piracy… the voice of pirates
• Classic TV, the good and mostly the bad

SUBSCRIBE TO THE SHOW: Amazon Music | Apple Podcasts | Deezer | Pocket Casts | RSS | Spotify | YouTube Music | YouTube

SUPPORT THE SHOW: Donate to the Game & Gadget Podcast & Pixel Refresh
SUBMIT QUESTIONS FOR THE SHOW: Submit a question for the Game & Gadget Podcast
FIND OUT MORE: What is the Game & Gadget Podcast

WEBSITE: Pixel Refresh – Gaming, Gadgets & Tech both Retro & Modern
EMAIL SUBSCRIBE: Latest Articles / Reviews via Email
PIXEL REFRESH YOUTUBE CHANNEL: Pixel Refresh on YouTube
FREE GAME SOUNDTRACKS: ScummVM Music Enhancement Project

Original post link: Game & Gadget Podcast #26 – Intellivision Console, “Talkie” Versions & More…, created by James Woodcock.
For even more content, visit Pixel Refresh - Retro Gaming & Modern Tech.

Original post link: Game & Gadget Podcast #26 – Intellivision Console, “Talkie” Versions & More…, created by James Woodcock.
For even more content, visit Pixel Refresh - Retro Gaming & Modern Tech.

I am joined by Jan Hofmeister, who has spent years restoring for free, in particular point and click adventure game box art and posters – creating stunning print quality tributes to these classic titles. Titles from Lucas Arts, Adventure Soft and more in beautiful high quality using a variety of assets from the original box art, magazine full-page spreads, manuals and more.

Although the audio version of the podcast is still available, this is very much a visual presentation as Jan takes us through a selection of his work and details for the first time the processes and applications he uses for these restorations.

Topics include:

• How Jan became interested in restoring game box art and posters
• Jan’s fascination with Lucas Arts point and click adventure games
• The early days with the Commodore 128 and Maniac Mansion
• How it became a hobby and a skill
• The influence of Jurassic Park in computer graphics
• Restoration of Zak McKracken and the Alien Mindbenders process demonstrated
• Restoration of The Secret of Monkey Island process demonstrated
• Restoration of Indiana Jones and the Infernal Machine process demonstrated
• Restoration of The Curse of Monkey Island up close
• Restoration of Simon the Sorcerer up close
• Jan’s work on the cover of Back to the Future: The Game
• The sad side of Jan’s restoration efforts
• How you can support Jan’s work

SUBSCRIBE TO THE SHOW: Amazon Music | Apple Podcasts | Deezer | Pocket Casts | RSS | Spotify | YouTube Music | YouTube

SUPPORT THE SHOW: Donate to the Game & Gadget Podcast & Pixel Refresh
SUBMIT QUESTIONS FOR THE SHOW: Submit a question for the Game & Gadget Podcast
FIND OUT MORE: What is the Game & Gadget Podcast

WEBSITE: Pixel Refresh – Gaming, Gadgets & Tech both Retro & Modern
EMAIL SUBSCRIBE: Latest Articles / Reviews via Email
PIXEL REFRESH YOUTUBE CHANNEL: Pixel Refresh on YouTube
FREE GAME SOUNDTRACKS: ScummVM Music Enhancement Project

Original post link: Game & Gadget Podcast #25 – Restoring Retro Game Posters with Jan Hofmeister, created by James Woodcock.
For even more content, visit Pixel Refresh - Retro Gaming & Modern Tech.

Original post link: Game & Gadget Podcast #25 – Restoring Retro Game Posters with Jan Hofmeister, created by James Woodcock.
For even more content, visit Pixel Refresh - Retro Gaming & Modern Tech.

I am joined by Tony Warriner who is one of the founders of Revolution Software as we discuss more gaming, gadgets and technology both retro and modern.

Topics include:

• What technology did Santa bring us in 2022?
• Remembering dedicated sound cards
• The loss of the headphone port on phones and tablets
• The 486 CPU TURBO mode switch
• Swapping through multiple floppy disks in games
• Broken Sword 3 and the 3D engine
• James’ Christmas Eve process or bringing out retro tech before the new stuff comes along
• Tony still loves his ‘portable’ Steam Deck
• Missing a Sony portable gaming device
• Sony trying to rule the world with countless storage formats they created
• 3D televisions and cinema and its failure
• Modern VR and the Metaverse
• Mastodon and its recent success
• The hunt for alternative social media services
• Movie and TV subscriptions services, we lost the leave cable / satellite dream
• The joys of Plex

SUBSCRIBE TO THE SHOW: Amazon Music | Apple Podcasts | Deezer | Pocket Casts | RSS | Spotify | YouTube Music | YouTube

SUPPORT THE SHOW: Donate to the Game & Gadget Podcast & Pixel Refresh
SUBMIT QUESTIONS FOR THE SHOW: Submit a question for the Game & Gadget Podcast
FIND OUT MORE: What is the Game & Gadget Podcast

WEBSITE: Pixel Refresh – Gaming, Gadgets & Tech both Retro & Modern
EMAIL SUBSCRIBE: Latest Articles / Reviews via Email
PIXEL REFRESH YOUTUBE CHANNEL: Pixel Refresh on YouTube
FREE GAME SOUNDTRACKS: ScummVM Music Enhancement Project

Original post link: Game & Gadget Podcast #24 – The Death of 3D, Mastodon Rise, Joys of Plex and More…, created by James Woodcock.
For even more content, visit Pixel Refresh - Retro Gaming & Modern Tech.

Original post link: Game & Gadget Podcast #24 – The Death of 3D, Mastodon Rise, Joys of Plex and More…, created by James Woodcock.
For even more content, visit Pixel Refresh - Retro Gaming & Modern Tech.

I am joined by Steve Ince who is an artist, game designer and writer working on games from Revolution Software such as Broken Sword and Aaron Fothergill previously from Argonaut Games and now with Shifty Eye Games as we discuss more gaming, gadgets and technology both retro and modern.

Topics include:

• Steve Ince’s 201 Things for Better Game Writing book
• Steve’s entrance to writing for games
• Questioning the writing quality of Willow and The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power
• Original Xbox Live is back with Insignia
• Midtown Madness 3 on Xbox Live
• Atari Jaguar Emulation with BigPEmu featuring 100% compatibility
• The brands that still exist, but do they really?
• SEGA and the success with Sumo Digital
• So many sequels and digital de-aging
• AI writing, some examples better than others
• The craziness of Twitter and James moving to Mastodon
• Remember Friends Reunited?

SUBSCRIBE TO THE SHOW: Amazon Music | Apple Podcasts | Deezer | Pocket Casts | RSS | Spotify | YouTube Music | YouTube

SUPPORT THE SHOW: Donate to the Game & Gadget Podcast & Pixel Refresh
SUBMIT QUESTIONS FOR THE SHOW: Submit a question for the Game & Gadget Podcast
FIND OUT MORE: What is the Game & Gadget Podcast

WEBSITE: Pixel Refresh – Gaming, Gadgets & Tech both Retro & Modern
EMAIL SUBSCRIBE: Latest Articles / Reviews via Email
PIXEL REFRESH YOUTUBE CHANNEL: Pixel Refresh on YouTube
FREE GAME SOUNDTRACKS: ScummVM Music Enhancement Project

Original post link: Game & Gadget Podcast #23 – Writing for Games, Xbox Live with Insignia & More…, created by James Woodcock.
For even more content, visit Pixel Refresh - Retro Gaming & Modern Tech.

Original post link: Game & Gadget Podcast #23 – Writing for Games, Xbox Live with Insignia & More…, created by James Woodcock.
For even more content, visit Pixel Refresh - Retro Gaming & Modern Tech.

I am joined by Tony Warriner who is one of the founders of Revolution Software and Aaron Fothergill previously from Argonaut Games and now with Shifty Eye Games as we discuss more gaming, gadgets and technology both retro and modern.

Topics include:

• Tony’s ‘Revolution: The Quest for Game Development Greatness‘ book passed its goal on Kickstarter
• Our experience and love of the arcade
• The addiction and gameplay style of the arcade to get you hooked
• Why the arcade typically had just 3 characters for your name / initials
• The virtual on-screen keyboard for signing into TV apps – yuck
• Not playing too much online gaming and then getting a chance only to die over and over again
• Early VR headsets, cardboard VR and modern VR
• The Xbox 360 Live Vision camera
• Using your face likeness on the Xbox 360
• What games we have been playing
• How 16-bit games captured James’ imagination
• AI generated pixel art
• Tony’s new game is no longer a Shmup

SUBSCRIBE TO THE SHOW: Amazon Music | Apple Podcasts | Deezer | Pocket Casts | RSS | Spotify | YouTube Music | YouTube

SUPPORT THE SHOW: Donate to the Game & Gadget Podcast & Pixel Refresh
SUBMIT QUESTIONS FOR THE SHOW: Submit a question for the Game & Gadget Podcast
FIND OUT MORE: What is the Game & Gadget Podcast

WEBSITE: Pixel Refresh – Gaming, Gadgets & Tech both Retro & Modern
EMAIL SUBSCRIBE: Latest Articles / Reviews via Email
PIXEL REFRESH YOUTUBE CHANNEL: Pixel Refresh on YouTube
FREE GAME SOUNDTRACKS: ScummVM Music Enhancement Project

Original post link: Game & Gadget Podcast #22 – Arcades, Xbox 360 Live Camera & More…, created by James Woodcock.
For even more content, visit Pixel Refresh - Retro Gaming & Modern Tech.

Original post link: Game & Gadget Podcast #22 – Arcades, Xbox 360 Live Camera & More…, created by James Woodcock.
For even more content, visit Pixel Refresh - Retro Gaming & Modern Tech.