socrates63

Mail Order Monsters -- my latest addition to my EA folio collection. My favorite top games for the Atari 400/800 are filled with Electronic Arts' earlier games -- M.U.L.E., Archon, Seven Cities of Gold, One on One. Because of those sentiments, I started collecting other EA games and products released in the folio style packaging. I have around 18 or 19 (photo below). Other companies were also releasing their product in similar folio packaging, and I've picked up a few of those as well.

Wow, that Honda is extremely clean, I mean extremely clean 😮. It must have been kept in the garage most of its life. The exterior chrome is in amazing condition. I'm not sure why this is considered the genesis of the mid-size sedan though. My first car, the 1979 Volvo 264 GL, was very similar in size. I can see how the Accord may have popularized the size since Japanese cars shot up in popularity during the 80s for their quality. But the video makes it sound like any car before this were all behemoths. That was mostly true for American cars but certainly European car makers weren't exporting giant cars to the US back then. I miss the buttons on the dash. I am not a fan of dials although many years, a car salesman told me that I was in the minority as far as market research showed. "You must be a computer guy" is what he told me when I said that I preferred buttons to control the cabin air flow. Yup, you've got me pegged. One thing that scares me about this accord is the massive sun roof. My Volvo had a sun roof and it leaked. That experience has since traumatized me when I see sun/moon roofs. Fun trip down memory lane!

I don't think any of the Atari consoles gets as much love in the way of homebrews and hacks as the 2600. Just going by what I see available on AtariAge, the 5200 receives the least amount of support. The 7800, especially recently, has been getting a steady stream of new releases. The Jaguar gets some love, but man, Jag homebrews are expensive. My favorite Atari console is probably the 5200 for two reasons. One, I love the design. It's the pinnacle of 80s aesthetics and reminds me of K.I.T.T. from Knight Rider. Two, the 5200 being essentially a console version of the Atari 400/800, I love the game graphics and sounds. The Atari 800 is forever my first love. Having said that, I haven't spent much time with it. Hopefully, that will change this summer. I am expecting to have my new gaming setup finished later this month. About the TG-16, I acquired one 2 or 3 years ago specifically to take part in the I/O high score challenge. I ended up getting a PC Engine Core Grafx from a local gamer/reseller. It's much cheaper than the TG16, and I think it even looks better. It's certainly more compact so takes up less physical real estate. I also got the Everdrive for it as I have no desire to collect games for the system because of the high game prices.

Oh I wasn't submitting a score 🙂 Please don't include my 2600 score for the competition. I intend to submit one from the VCS version. Thank you for the tip. I did read on reddit about possible difficulties with updating the system. Fingers crossed.

I picked these up earlier today from a local gamer/reseller. He ran a sale in the local FB group last week. The DS library has so many interesting games beyond the obvious/popular ones. In that way, it reminds me of the PS2 library. I had Broken Sword on my wishlist for a long time and found it in the wild a few times but always passed on it. I finally got it because the price was good. I know I have the game for the computer, but I haven't played it yet. Since I've been into handheld gaming lately, I think the DS version may be my first time playing it. The other DS games all received good reviews and they were inexpensive--my favorite kind of game. Tetris 2, on the other hand, is not so well regarded from what I've read. However, it was an opportunity to add an inexpensive CIB Game Boy game to the collection, so I grabbed it although I already had the loose cartridge.

This is my high score from three years ago, but it's the 2600 version. I need to set up my VCS that I bought during the Memorial Day sale (still in the box).

Super Mario Bros. 3 is a birthday gift from my son and his girlfriend. They thought I had an NES, but I don't. I told my wife that I now have a reason to get an NES 🙂 The others arrived today from three different sellers. I've so far held back from collecting many Atari computer games but I have a soft spot for Atari releases especially the pre-silver box older games and their box art.

Finally added A.L.F. to my TV show collection. I probably only saw about half the shows when it was on the air, but I loved the show. It doesn't seem to be in syndication like many other shows, so I'm glad to have the DVDs.

Amoeba Jump on the VCS? Rock on! This is one of my top 2600 homebrews--one of those easy to learn but hard to master type games.

Wow! RGB via the cartridge! That's definitely a selling point for me. I just got a Sony TV which has been modded for RGB input.

Some DS games I picked up today from a local gamer/reseller. He also tossed in a Moon DS cartridge holder since I was getting the game. I didn't know there were holders for single cartridges. Except for Neves which I had never heard of before, I had these on my wishlist for a while now.

@RickR I haven't played this one yet. I'm not too sure that the disk will even read. It's wavy, so maybe heat damage? Regardless, I actually need to set up my 800XL along with all the consoles that will be connected to my new-to-me Sony TV. Now that I'm healthy again (dealt with back issues and sciatica the past ten months), next month, I am hoping to set up my office where the CRTs will sit. I got shelves for the room last year but they're still in the boxes unopened.

I have an addition to my Synapse collection -- Blue Max 2001. I'm not sure why I never knew about this game back in the day since I was a big Blue Max fan. This is my 13th Synapse game, most for the Atari and a few for the C64. Like this one, some Synapse games contain both the Atari and C64 versions on the same floppy (different sides). I think in terms of the box, this one is in the best condition. I mean, it's in great condition and looks like it just came off the store shelf. One of these days, I hope find Alley Cat and maybe Rainbow Walker for a decent price.

Wow lovely collection @Lynx15! You surely do live up to your user handle. I was gaming on the Game Boy when the Lynx (and Game Gear) were introduced. Because of their size and concerns about battery use, I didn't look too much into them. I did get a Lynx II a couple of years ago, so I could have the Atari handheld in my collection. I do have a few games and homebrews from Songbird. I also have the Lynx flashcart from Retro HQ.

The things important to me: Play rom files. I have a little over 200 3DS game. I believe a jailbroken 3DS can dump the rom off of the cartridge onto the SD card. The convenience of playing rom files is nice. Homebrews. Having a way to play homebrew rom's is very cool. With the Gameboy, GBA, and DS, I have a way to play off of an SD memory card. Having said that, I'm not sure how many compelling 3DS homebrew titles there may be. I haven't looked into it. Region-free. I believe the 3DS is the only Nintendo handheld that is region locked. The Gameboy, DS, GBA, and Switch are all region free. I have a couple of PAL 3DS games, so it's not a huge deal, but it's nice. 3DS eshop purchases. Since the 3DS eshop shut down recently, it would be nice to have an offline option to be able to access my purchases in the event Nintendo decides to make my purchases inaccessible some day in the future. I know I can still download my purchases today but insurance for the future. There's much more functionality and features for those who like to mess around.

So... are you gonna open it and play it on your new PC?

Picked up a couple of games and a spare New 3DS XL from a local gamer. I love the 3D effect on the New 3DS models (the 3D on the original 3DS didn't work as well). The 3DS happens to be jail broken. I have a couple of PAL 3DS games that'll come in handy.

So much content nowadays--finding time is a challenge.

From what I've learned from others, battery life is really dependent on the type of game and config (e.g., refresh rate). I've only played Vampire Survivor. I think for me battery life has been 2-3 hours. That's the range I've heard most commonly mentioned as well. I'm only playing in 20-30 minute chunks so it works for me. I'm planning to get a 25k+ mAh battery charger as I intend to travel with it this summer.

It's been nearly three weeks since I got the Steam Deck so I thought I check in. The first week was spent in nervous anxiety because the Sandisk 1TB microSD card that I got (the one that is usually recommended) didn't work with the Steam Deck. The Deck failed to format it. I could format it with an utility on my Windows laptop though. After looking into possible solutions to the problem, I ended up returning it to Amazon and getting a replacement. Fortunately, the replacement worked just fine with the Steam Deck. I guess the SD has a very narrow fault tolerance? I've been gaming on it for two weeks, and I've been having a blast playing Vampire Survivors. That's the only game I've played so far although I have installed more than a dozen other games. One of the best things about the Steam Deck has been Valve's validation program. Games that receive Steam Deck Verified status are games that Valve has tested for several design and functional criteria. Among them are games have to have sufficiently large enough in game text and no manual tweaking is necessary for optimal playability. I absolutely love this. I love the idea of handheld gaming so I have a bunch of devices, but the Sony Vita failed me in this regard. It has a gorgeous high resolution screen, but I found that most games simply down-scale the resolution to fit the Vita's screen. What this means is that things are often small-- too small--and my old eyes can't cope. On Nintendo handhelds, most games have been designed with the handheld's limitations(?) in mind so playing games on them have always been a good experience. The Steam Deck is following in that tradition, and it's great to see that Valve has invested in ensuring a good end to end user experience. The Steam Store has a view that only shows Verified games. It looks like almost all games have the verification status visible somewhere in the product page--Verified, Playable, x-Not Playable-x Unsupported, Untested. At some point, I will dive into the world of emulators. Emulation in the Steam Deck seems very well regarded. I want to rip my PS1 and PS2 collection at some point so I can play them off of a hard drive (I have a modded PS2). It would be fun to see how they play on the Steam Deck.

As far as controls go, the Steam Deck supports mouse and keyboard and console controllers as well. So from a controller stand point, it’s on par with a regular PC. I totally hear you about the time factor, Rick. That’s a big reason why I opted for the Steam Deck. The mobility of the Switch has allowed me to spend more time playing games. Since I had it near me, I just played wherever in the house I happened to be when I had some time here and there. I have multiple handhelds (Gameboy, Gameboy Color, GBA, DS Lite, 3DS, PSP, Vita), but I never spent much time with them (except for playing Picross on the GBC last year and playing Tetris and Tennis way back when on the GB). I think it was the size of the Switch screen and the comfort of the Split Pad that hooked me on playing games on a handheld. Hopefully, my theory is right, and I will spend a good time playing games on the Steam Deck. I will report back. I wish I would have picked up the VCS when it was on sale. Glad to hear that you love it. It’s good to hear that the PC upgrade cycle is mostly dead. I don’t play games that demand a lot of hardware power anyway and certainly don’t need all the graphical bells and whistles enabled. To me, the games from the PS3 and Xbox360 days look fantastic.

TL;DR: I ordered the Steam Deck a week ago, and UPS just delivered it. The Steam Deck celebrated its first birthday, and Valve discounted it by 10% during its spring sale that ended yesterday. This purchase represents a huge shift in my gaming and collecting habits. Read below for what went into the decision. First, the Nintendo Switch demonstrated to me that a portable device with a 7" screen can be my primary gaming platform. I bought a Switch last year and have been gaming on it during the past six(?) months. The experience has been fantastic for three reasons. Due to lower back and bulging disc problems, sitting on a chair to play games has been an uncomfortable experience, and that's where the Switch comes in. I could find a bodyosition to ease the pain or discomfort and play games with it. The 720p on a 7" screen really works for me. My biggest disappointment with the handheld experience has been the Sony Vita. It has a great lovely screen and is a gorgeous piece of hardware, but due to the screen size and its relative high resolution, many games and text often appear too small for these old eyes. It's the Hori Split Pad. They are replacements for the Nintendo joycons. They are about the size of a regular console controller (the part that you grip in your hand), and they have been very comfortable to use. They make the Switch much wider than with the joycons, but that's a tradeoff that I am glad to make. I've been using the Hori Split Pad since day 1, and the Nintendo joycons included with the Switch and the Nintendo Pro controller have remained in the box unused. My Switch experience told me that a similar sized handheld with 720p was a viable handheld gaming experience for me. So that takes me to the Steam Deck. Second, I have not gamed on a PC for the past 5+ years, and I switched to consoles as my primary gaming platform 7-10 years ago (I think). I got tired of the cost of hardware upgrades and loved the idea of console gaming from a hardware maintenance perspective. However, I've wanted to get a gaming capable PC for a few years for doing stuff in addition to game playing. The only PCs I have had the past several years have been hand-me-down budget laptops from my kids, and I wanted something more powerful. In addition, using a PC sitting on the couch in front of the big screen TV has always held appeal. I briefly considered one of those micro(?) PCs when Metal Jesus featured them in one of his videos this year. However, a PC purchase wasn't something that was actively on my mind, but that took a quick turn when Valve put the Steam Deck on sale last week. It caught my attention, and I looked into it. I liked what I saw: 1280x800 7" screen (I'm glad it's not 1080p) Comfortable looking physical design Backed by Valve who has hardware product experience Nature of PC platform to be backward compatible (for the most part) Flexibility of PC platform and emulation support Considered one of the best PC gaming handhelds The Steam Deck represents a huge shift for me and my game collecting both psychologically and financially. I am anticipating that using the Steam Deck will shift my purchasing habit, and the time will come in the near future when I will spend more money on digital than physical releases (some of you are probably there already). I anticipate limiting physical release purchases to console exclusives not available on PC or whatever game that I simply have to have the physical of (Final Fantasy 7 related stuff?). Great thing about the Steam Deck is that I already have a large Steam and GoG backlog so no need to go out and build a library right away. Buying physical games has been a very expensive endeavor that I'm sure most can relate to. Over the past six or so years I've gotten into retro gaming, I have found myself becoming more a collector than gamer. Of course, that's not a bad thing depending on your goals. Shifting my attention from collecting physical releases will allow me to focus more on the games and playing them (I hope). At least digital purchases should be much cheaper than buying physical copies. I already find it liberating not to be obsessed with physical game releases by boutique shops. What I'm talking is in regards to Switch, Playstation, and Xbox consoles. I still intend to spend money on homebrew physical releases available on Atari consoles and Vectrex. Moving the dollars out from modern consoles should make for more dollars available for homebrew support 🙂 When it comes to modern gaming, what platform do you play on primarily?

Not a publisher freebie, but I have an extra Steam key for A Bird Story. I bought it as part of a bundle, and I already had the game. Send me a DM for the key. I will update this post when it has been claimed.

At Rick’s recommendation, I put Wednesday in my Netflix watchlist. I originally thought it was a horror series and had ignored it but Rick assured me that it wasn’t a horror flick/series but more in the style of Tim Burton’s movies. I’m a big fan of Tim Burton’s works, and he’s heavily involved with this series, so I was all on board. Earlier today, I finished watching the eight-episode season one. It was a fantastic ride. I think I took a week to watch all of them. And now I will never see The Addam’s Family the same way again. If you’ve been on the fence on this one and enjoy Tim Burton films, do yourself a favor and give it a watch.