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Best Way To Manage Growing Console Clutter?
An anonymous reader writes "Being the owner of several actively-used consoles, I have found myself in a perpetual state of tangled cords and controller 'land mines' when it comes to my living room. With each console supporting four controllers, and a couple of games having their own unique peripherals, this is becoming more and more of a problem. It's not so much that there isn't a place for all of this. as it is that there isn't a place that's visually pleasing, big enough to survive the growing collection, easy to use, and most importantly, cheap. I find myself having to untangle cords or digging through a box/drawer. no matter what solution I try. What have Slashdot readers resorted to when it comes to keeping all of this in check?"
You could go out and buy yourself wireless controllers. Other than those wires, the power and A/V plugs should be able to be routed through the back of any reasonable entertainment center furniture.
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Give me your consoles. You can't have console clutter without consoles.
I have 3 consoles and a DVD player running on 1 TV. For all the AV cabling, I have a junction box which deals with that quite nicely. They run around $20 at a Best Buy or some other gaming store. For Controllers, I usually have them all stored unless they are actually in use, with the exception of my GCN. I have Wavebirds for that. I'd like to go the wireless route with controllers for the other 2 systems, but Sony and MS have yet to put out a decent wireless controller. Currently they are all IR based, which tends to be exceptionally laggy, short on range, and the controllers themselves lose the feel of the original controller. When they get a Wavebird equivilent, I'll probably grab those to deal with the rest. Oh, and for power cables, Belkin sells a set of velcro ties for cable management for $5 or so. A PC supply shop should carry those.
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If you're only using one TV, I greatly recommend you get a multi-RCA switcher, and plug all the consoles into it, and it into the TV. Then just make sure your cables are neat and the switcher is moderately easy to get to to switch to a different console.
As for controller woes, I might suggest a shelving unit (maybe a smallish bookcase). Each console gets a shelf and then lay down the law about rolling controllers up and putting them on the shelf when done. Otherwise go cordless, as others have suggested. Another thing that would greatly help is color-coding the controllers - get a couple pieces of colored tape (or paint or something) and stick some on both ends of the cord. So the first player controller gets a piece of red on the console side of the cord and the controller side of the cord. This makes finding the right controller oh so much easier than tracing the tangle.
Maybe/Maybe not an issue with the various cordless models, if they have a visible switch (for switching broadcast channels) on the top I wouldn't bother, but if it's on the back or inside (like my Firestorm PC gamepad, in between the batteries) then stick something on the front.
Each console has a single Wireless Controller if only because even having 3 chargers is a big deal in a cabinet. However, if your cabinet has a free drawer you could probably get 6-7 chargers in a 32 inch TV cabinet drawer. I don't have a whole lot of room for even chargers so having friends over to be able to use the extra 3 slots on my consoles is a big deal, so I just pull the cords outa the closet for the time being, and the ensuing spiderweb traps all from passing through the living room.
If chargers were smaller, or perhaps even controllers smaller this wouldn't be such a big deal. But having to put the whole controller into a charging station is a passive waste of space, as opposed to the active waste of space of cords (wrap up controller, store in cabinet/desk/etc etc.)
It really depends on your situation.
This begs the question: Then WTF are you doing in the games section?
I would love to be able to use a PS2 controller for everything...
You might want to try something like this then: http://www.hartsunlimited.com/supxbcon.html There are a couple of adapters available so you can use ps2 controllers on gamecube and xbox, but I haven't seen any that go the other way.
The first part is to get wireless controllers for your gamecube assuming you've got one.
The second thing you can do is get a universal adapter which runs for like $15 at radio shack. It has one output (S-Video and RCA) for the TV but 3 inputs (X-Box, GC, and PS). Simply plug the adapter into all three and you've now replaced the 3 wires going from your TV to your consoles with one.
You can get rid of consoles you don't use. For example, I think the X-box is kinda useless. Since its best two games (KoTR and Halo) are both out on PC (and there's no other good exclusive games), it's a great reason to turn it into a Linux box.
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Put. Everything. Away. Every. Time. Finished an epochal 4-way multiplayer session of Halo? Unplug all the controllers, wrap the cords up, and put them away in drawers or cabinets. Yes it takes 2 minutes, but this to me is preferable than having a tangled mess of controllers, AV cords, etc. The consoles themselves sit in a nice AV cabinet with the cables going to a switch box, with enough slack in the cables to pull the consoles out of the rack and onto the floor during use. After use the console goes back into the AV cabinet, with controllers safely stowed in drawers of the AV cabinet.
MORTAR COMBAT!
I can currently play Atari 2600, Atari 5200, NES, Commodore 64, Genesis, GameBoy/GameBoy Color/GameBoy Advance, DreamCast, PSX, PS2, and GameCube games all using just three consoles: my Dreamcast, PS2, and GameCube. I could include the Sega Master System and NeoGeo Pocket in there, if I had games for those systems. (I don't do the piracy thing.) If I were willing to live with some slowdown, I could add the SNES to that list. There are MAME packs too, but I've not tried them and can't speak to their quality.
That's a lot of gaming from just three consoles, so I'm fairly happy. It takes some effort, though. You can read about it in my last Slashdot post which has links to all the important stuff, like modding a PS2 and how each of the emulators works.
Of course, the real solution is apparently to use an Xbox. Unfortunately, I've got qualms about doing that (see discussion here, esp. the comments below the story). Others don't.
Then again, you can also go with a tiny PC next to the TV. I'm seriously considering that, although it wouldn't get rid of the DreamCast, PS2, and GC, since they're not emulated (sufficiently well) by any system yet.
Curmudgeon Gamer: Not happy
I must first admit that I haven't paid much attention to any wireless controllers for the PS2 that have come out since.
But check out Logitech's Wireless PS2 Controller. Its uses the 2.4ghz spectrum, not infra-red. My receiver for the unit is always behind the 1/2" oak doors of my entertainment center. The reach is more than sufficient.
In fact, here's a quick little review:
It comes with all the features of your standard ps2 controller -- same button config, vibrations, and analog/digital controls. The controller itself is slightly larger than the normal ps2 controllers, and once in your hands feels horribly large and heavy (due to the 4 AA batteries in it). But you get accustomed to it pretty quick. In fact, because its wireless, its more or less all I use now. Its shape is slightly more open than the ps2, as well.. it kinda feels more comfortable to me now.
The fact that it uses 2.4ghz instead of 900 mhz makes a HELL of a difference in lag (push button, a second later something happens). I refused to buy a wireless controller (such as the Mad Catz controller) until something came out running at least at 2.4g. That said, there is still some lag. Nothing as bad as the 900mhz controllers I've tried, but laying fighters like DoA, Guilty Gear, etc will bring notice to the slight lapse immediately. Rythym games, some racers, and anythign else requiring spot-on reflexes are also subject to the occasional problems. It really depends on the game. I can play Robotech: Battlecry with no noticeable lag, but I have issues in REZ. Fresh batteries can sometimes help.
For all other games, it works great. Your typical platformer's are fine. I've used mine all the way through half of the Legacy of Kain games, Jak and Daxter, Devil May Cry, etc without a hitch. RPG's, of course, are fine as well.
Don't let the advertised battery life (50 hours, for the lazy) fool you. That's with EVERYTHING turned off. Analog, and vibration, and assumes you are playing a lengthy-dialogued RPG. I've change my batteries at least 5 times this past year, with RPG's accounting for about half of the game time. Playing something that involves a lot of button mashing will obviously suck the life from the controller.
In fact, that's my biggest gripe. Why oh why Logitech couldn't put Lithiom Ion batteries in this thing, and give it a cradle to recharge in every day is beyond me. Wouldn't that be perfect? Just like your modern day cordless phones. Again, playing with a fresh set of batteries makes all the difference. I know switching them out 5 or so times a year doesn't seem like much, but that's only because I am cheap and sacrifice some lag on the controller response for extra battery life. I also NEVER have the vibration turned on (I don't miss it much, but if it were fully charged every day via a cradle, it would definitely be on). Its really just a nuisance.
Mind you, keeping an eye on your battery life is no where near as annoying as cables everywhere.
I just wish I could find something as good for my beloved Dreamcast, whose controllers cables are the shortest in the world.
There's always SOMEONE...
Slashdot: Which portable gaming system is the best?
Asshole: Get a life, fatass, and stop playing games. Oh yeah, and I have a girlfriend!
Slashdot: New Dreamcast games available!
Asshole: Well, you shouldn't be playing videobasketball anyway! Play the real one instead, fatass! Did I mention that I have a girlfriend?
Slashdot: I have a simple question, one which, surprisingly does NOT require innane social commentary... how can I make the growing amount of wires cluttering up my console slightly neater?
Asshole: You're so fat and dumb. You've probably never even SEEN a real football before. And I'm so smart and intelligent, I'm gonna mention that I have a girlfriend, and then I'll say how I don't do lame videogame sports but I'd rather play them for REAL! Oh, and instead of playing hockey, I'm going to mention in a reply to one of my own posts that instead of following my own advice/criticisms and going out and playing a sport instead of doing a passive activity, I'm going to take my girlfriend to SEE a hockey game! The calories are just burning away! Yay!
This shelf from Ikea (Heri) squeezes nicely into a corner and perfectly accomodates all four consoles (from top to bottom: GameCube, Dreamcast, PS2, Xbox). Pair it with wireless controllers and you're good to go.
My solution would be to get one of those four drawer wheeled contraptions at Target or wherever. Put one console and controllers / accessories in each drawer. Put a hole in the back of the drawer for any cables that need to reach the TV / net / power. Open the drawer when playing a game, close it when your done. Outside of the drawers use cable ties to keep things tidy.
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