God, I remember how _hyped_ my brother and I got when we got to our hotel room and saw a pair of Lodgenet controllers. That hype was quickly dashed when we saw the “$6.95 + tax.” and my parents quickly said no.
In early 2013, LodgeNet began the process of discontinuing its gaming service after it ceased sales of its gaming units to new hotels in 2008. Its successor company Sonifi continued to provide technical support for the servers until December 2018, when the gaming service formally ceased operations.
That's crazy being charged by the hour just to play games. Definitely cool at the hotels have these built into the TVs to give you the option if you didn't have anything of your own back in those days but this is exactly why one if I did go on any kind of hotel adventure I always made a point to bring a video game system
First time I've ever seen a LodgeNet Gateway System in action. Thank you for preserving and sharing this footage! These were probably common at hotels back in the early 2000s, but footage of the menus and games is almost nonexistant. Thankfully many of the special LodgeNet game versions have been preserved by now. They were all considered lost media until recently.
When I was about five or six (2002-2003), I played the LodgeNet games after successfully convincing my parents. It was my first exposure to the first "Paper Mario", which I claimed at the time was nothing like "Super Mario 64": the first video game I ever played at two years of age at a kid's club. I was weirded out by the fact that everything in "Paper Mario" was made of paper, and I got scared when Bowser defeated Mario in the beginning because it looked as if Mario died. I quit the game midway through the prologue as I couldn't take it anymore. But when I grew older, I got used to "Paper Mario" when I later bought it for my N64 collection at home and beat it easily. Back to LodgeNet, it was essentially at every hotel room my father stayed at while he worked out of state. Also neat that the controller included the TV remote buttons.
Wildly cool!! I remember these at a hotel in the early 2000s. As with most people my parents shut that idea down real fast haha. Nice to actually see what it was like - my inner child is healing.
First time I got to Play Mario Party 3 and Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards was in 2000-2001 in Gainesville, Florida through the LodgeNet service at a Sheraton Hotel. I was like 10 and at a chess tournament as a participant. Such good memories.
Thank you for this. I added this to the lost media wiki article about lodgenet pay per play roms, and you provided valuable examples of how the roms were a little different ("available now" for namco museum, multiplayer can't be selected for New Tetris, and "if you reset your save data will be lost" on pokemon snap). Do you have any other footage by chance? Or have been to the hotel recently to see if it's still there?
Lodgenet pleassse comeback into hotel rooms again it was soo much fun in the early 2000s it would definitely work & become more popular with Nintendo switch games inside hotel rooms eventhough nowadays people bring & hook up thier Nintendo Switch systems to the big screen tvs but please Lodgenet comeback
I live in the UK but I stayed in 2 hotels in the US with LodgeNet, both were SNES! This was a godsend for me, I didn’t have an SNES when it was new and at the time I wasn’t as serious a game collector as I am now! Plus I got to play those 3 games that didn’t get retail releases!
@@Gillian_Seed Noughts and Crosses, Hangman and Postcard Puzzle. They were games made specially for inflight and hotel SNES setups for people not so keen on Mario, Zelda et al
I remember seeing this as a toddler kid which brought back my childhood memories seeing this in the hotel that’s called la Quinta in San Angelo tx during in nighttime oh my gosh the nostalgic!
God, I remember how _hyped_ my brother and I got when we got to our hotel room and saw a pair of Lodgenet controllers. That hype was quickly dashed when we saw the “$6.95 + tax.” and my parents quickly said no.
My parents said the same thing
Same my parents told me to never touch it.
My parents still let us play 😆😆 sucks for y'all ✌🏾
In early 2013, LodgeNet began the process of discontinuing its gaming service after it ceased sales of its gaming units to new hotels in 2008. Its successor company Sonifi continued to provide technical support for the servers until December 2018, when the gaming service formally ceased operations.
Due to the shutdown of the gaming service the controllers can no longer be used except as television remote controls.
Dollar sense clue: $6.95 per hour in 2004 converts to $11.25/hr of gameplay in year 2023.
That's crazy being charged by the hour just to play games. Definitely cool at the hotels have these built into the TVs to give you the option if you didn't have anything of your own back in those days but this is exactly why one if I did go on any kind of hotel adventure I always made a point to bring a video game system
It was definitely worth the money at the time ❤️💯
First time I've ever seen a LodgeNet Gateway System in action. Thank you for preserving and sharing this footage!
These were probably common at hotels back in the early 2000s, but footage of the menus and games is almost nonexistant. Thankfully many of the special LodgeNet game versions have been preserved by now. They were all considered lost media until recently.
Where do I find thede Lodgenet versions you speak of? I looked and I don't see them anywhere.
You had EXCELLENT foresight!
Yo!!! Thank you for saving this! This was unironically a big part of my childhood.
So cool to see it actually being used, even in VHS detail :D
When I was about five or six (2002-2003), I played the LodgeNet games after successfully convincing my parents. It was my first exposure to the first "Paper Mario", which I claimed at the time was nothing like "Super Mario 64": the first video game I ever played at two years of age at a kid's club. I was weirded out by the fact that everything in "Paper Mario" was made of paper, and I got scared when Bowser defeated Mario in the beginning because it looked as if Mario died. I quit the game midway through the prologue as I couldn't take it anymore. But when I grew older, I got used to "Paper Mario" when I later bought it for my N64 collection at home and beat it easily.
Back to LodgeNet, it was essentially at every hotel room my father stayed at while he worked out of state. Also neat that the controller included the TV remote buttons.
god does seing that intro screen and hearing that background music bring back memories, along with seeing Mario cart.
That’s cool I was playing LodgeNet Nintendo When I was 8
I didn't think I could ever feel nostalgia so much that it hurts.
Wildly cool!! I remember these at a hotel in the early 2000s. As with most people my parents shut that idea down real fast haha. Nice to actually see what it was like - my inner child is healing.
First time I got to Play Mario Party 3 and Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards was in 2000-2001 in Gainesville, Florida through the LodgeNet service at a Sheraton Hotel. I was like 10 and at a chess tournament as a participant. Such good memories.
Thank you for this. I added this to the lost media wiki article about lodgenet pay per play roms, and you provided valuable examples of how the roms were a little different ("available now" for namco museum, multiplayer can't be selected for New Tetris, and "if you reset your save data will be lost" on pokemon snap). Do you have any other footage by chance? Or have been to the hotel recently to see if it's still there?
Remember staying in nyc and the hotel had one of these…. I didn’t have an n64 at home… I ran up a $600 bill! It got waived lol
How does it not have the absolute classic banjo kazooie/tooie but it has donkey Kong 64? There both rare games!!
Lodgenet pleassse comeback into hotel rooms again it was soo much fun in the early 2000s it would definitely work & become more popular with Nintendo switch games inside hotel rooms eventhough nowadays people bring & hook up thier Nintendo Switch systems to the big screen tvs but please Lodgenet comeback
Wow.
Dang, that hotel bill has to be pretty high?
How Nostalgic!!
The good old days
I’m Surprised That It’s Not a Service I Can Imagine How Did They Get Gameplay Footage Of It.
Saw this one but i got to play the SNES one instead
I live in the UK but I stayed in 2 hotels in the US with LodgeNet, both were SNES! This was a godsend for me, I didn’t have an SNES when it was new and at the time I wasn’t as serious a game collector as I am now! Plus I got to play those 3 games that didn’t get retail releases!
@adultmoshifan87 which games weren't retail releases?
@@Gillian_Seed Noughts and Crosses, Hangman and Postcard Puzzle. They were games made specially for inflight and hotel SNES setups for people not so keen on Mario, Zelda et al
I remember seeing this as a toddler kid which brought back my childhood memories seeing this in the hotel that’s called la Quinta in San Angelo tx during in nighttime oh my gosh the nostalgic!