The Spam Thread!

[huckleberrypie]

That "get a new iPhone to stay hip" thing with them millenials just sounds like plain BS to me. Giving them iSheep the impression that their devices are the best no matter what is just as much. I'd find it ironic for a twelve-year old to have a Kit Kittredge doll whose backstory revolved around saving up and appreciating what you have, and then ask for that damn iPhone X just because. I'll give Apple credit for security considering how vulnerable and fragmented Androids are, but if you're paying for prestige alone you definitely have problems.

[cpd2009]

It's the main reason why I tend to avoid Apple products nowadays. Overpriced and for the most part, overhyped. Oscar, my unlocked Android phone will be two years old this coming April, and he still fits my needs well. The battery is holding up rather nicely too.

As with Macs, many digital artists and authors are known to still use them, and have used them for decades. I guess they have such strong brand loyalty that they don't realize or care that a Windows PC can run the same programs (or have similar alternatives) and cost half as much as a brand new iMac, while also having much better performance. Security updates to Windows are also more frequent.

I think art colleges that tend to lean towards Macs, along with the false belief that Macs are free from viruses likely help these people stick with their iMacs. Or it's the increasingly simplified UI of the OS. Who knows?

[huckleberrypie]

Well to Apple's credit, it's the turn on and forget mantra that made them popular. iOS tends to be a wee more efficient towards resources - notice how Android devices tend to stuff themselves up with more RAM than the equivalent Android device.

[cpd2009]

Well, I decided to test the battery life of the FC Pocket, and it's pitiful. It only runs about 2 1/2 hours before the battery runs down. And there is nothing on the system that tells you when the battery gets low. No red light or sudden shutdown. The games will just glitch out and freeze, followed by the LCD display going dim.

The battery claims it's 700mAH. And NOAC's usually don't draw that much power. Perhaps the LCD display is cutting the battery life in half?

I'm not sure if it's the third-party no-name battery not holding a charge, but I am tempted to stick one of my genuine GBA SP batteries in it and comparing battery life with the aftermarket one.

[huckleberrypie]

Well, I decided to test the battery life of the FC Pocket, and it's pitiful. It only runs about 2 1/2 hours before the battery runs down. And there is nothing on the system that tells you when the battery gets low. No red light or sudden shutdown. The games will just glitch out and freeze, followed by the LCD display going dim.

The battery claims it's 700mAH. And NOAC's usually don't draw that much power. Perhaps the LCD display is cutting the battery life in half?

I'm not sure if it's the third-party no-name battery not holding a charge, but I am tempted to stick one of my genuine GBA SP batteries in it and comparing battery life with the aftermarket one.

It sure is reminiscent of the time when Sega and Epyx experimented with backlit colour LCD screens on the Game Gear and Lynx, only to end up failing in comparison to the Game Boy. That was the moment when watered down hardware worked well in Nintendo's favour, runtimes outweighing the lack of colour and a backlight. Which is a shame as the Game Gear is essentially a miniaturised Master System and the Epyx/Atari Lynx boasting Mode 7-esque texture manipulation amongst other things. Both of them were indeed too far ahead of their time, owing to the primitive state of mobile display technology and the use of power-intensive backlights.

[cpd2009]

https://nintendowire.com/news/2017/12/20...ed-europe/

If this is to be believed, the 3DS' twilight era may be just beginning. 2017 still had some rather decent releases for the 3DS/2DS platform, but some big first-party titles only play in 2D, like Mario Party Top 100 and Super Mario Maker. There also appears to be more effort into promoting the New 2DS XL. If this is any indication, the 3DS may die out first, leaving the cheaper 2DS units going around for a few more years before the line is discontinued completely.

Makes me glad I purchased my New 3DSXL when I did. They are getting hard to find in comparison to a 2DS/New 2DSXL, and the color I usually see is the Galaxy Style. Amazon had an exclusive SNES-themed 3DS recently.

Once the 3DS/2DS goes away, it will be the end of a unique era for handheld gaming. The DS/3DS dual screen design was very innovative, and it helped popularize casual gaming and Animal Crossing.

It will also close the book on Nintendo's DorkAge, if they don't royally screw up the Switch in 2018 that is.

[huckleberrypie]

Given how there are plans on a mainline Pokemon game for the Switch from what I've heard, I am not that surprised to see the 3DS being retired eventually. And idk if it still makes sense for companies to churn out licenced games for the 3DS as smartphones have largely taken over the portable gaming space, not unless those developers are aiming for maximum profit through PortOverdosed titles.

[cpd2009]

Pointless image post, since I haven't uploaded any for awhile.

I got some Christmas money as a gift. There is a flea market in my new town, and I spotted a brand new licensed Nintendo DSi XL hard case. Though it says DSi XL on the outside, it fits my New 3DS XL just fine. In fact, until recently, you could find these same cases at Walmart, except they just used a 3DS logo instead of the DSi XL one.







I also got a Build-a-Bear Workshop game for no reason other than to check it out. It's your basic licensed virtual pet game, except you create a virtual Build-a-Bear Workshop critter and care for it and stuff. It's a sales tool for the actual Build-a-Bear stores obviously.

And for those curious, the games in my case are Animal Crossing New Leaf (empty and in the 3DS), Tetris Ultimate, Puzzle and Dragons Z/Super Mario Edition, StarFox 64 3D, Rock Blast, Flash Focus, Personal Trainer: Walking and that Build-a-Bear game.

[huckleberrypie]

I actually have a ROM for that game, downloaded mostly for the lulz though it's actually out of curiosity as I am looking for some games to test the Drastic emulator on.

[cpd2009]

Are modern computer montiors "wobbly" to an extent? I discovered that my otherwise nice Dell S2316H monitor does have a very noticeable wobble to it after I had to transition to a cheaper Walmart self-assemble computer desk. My previous desk was too large for my move. The desk is stable, but it's a bit more moveable than my old desk. Slightly move the desk and the monitor wobbles rather noticeably. :/ There seems to be no real way to get rid of the wobble either besides buying a nicer, more solid computer desk, which I cannot really do right now.

I guess this is a rather bad case of form over function? I know older LCD monitors that aren't so thin and light tend to be more stable due to thicker plastic bases. There is such a monitor at the local flea market, but the seller wants $120 for it. It's an older HP LCD, at 1600x900 resolution... slightly lower than 1080p.