The Spam Thread!

[huckleberrypie]

I've previously mulled about getting an Android-based TV box, but that is rendered moot by the fact that my folks got their hands on a 4K Samsung smart TV. It ain't Android (instead running off a variant of Tizen iirc) but it should do the job. Not to mention that you could pretty much stream footage from the PC to the telly using Steam Link - I know there's a remote display feature built into Windows 10 but somehow I couldn't get it to work on my laptop. As far as monitors go, I'm mostly satisfied with how my AOC monitor turned out even after a year of use. 1080p's a nice upgrade from the 1440x900 resolution I've had for like ten years, though my only beef with the new monitor is that it suffered from blur with certain colours.

And yeah, for as long as Nintendo has these sheeple fanboys who'd white-knight and sing praises of them regardless of their shortcomings, they will never learn and would suffer on the long run. EA's learning this the hard way when a number of European Union jurisdictions decided to file anti-illegal gambling suits against the company, on the grounds that it is potentially corrupting children who might get their hands on a FIFA or Star Wars title riddled with loot boxes.

[cpd2009]

A lot has happened in the past few weeks.

For one, the newest Windows 10 update was released, and then pulled. Some users were reporting that their personal files were being deleted upon upgrading. Fortunately, this did not happen to me. However, MS finally recognized the risk of this problem and has since pulled the October update from distribution. I managed to get my two PCs updated before it was pulled. Even if you wanted to download it, you can't. It's even been removed for manual download. MS will no doubt release a newly patched version soon since they count on these bi-annual updates to promote and spread Windows 10.

But really, they should just go with the once a year model that Apple uses. It would allow more time to fix major bugs like file deletion or instability. Having a feature update every six months is probably not going to work out well in the long run.

Oh yeah, the holidays are coming. That means companies trying to ride on the "mini retro console" craze. Recently announced was the Sony PlayStation mini, a whole bunch of AtGames consoles featuring various arcade and Atari games, and the Neo Geo mini. There are even rumblings that Nintendo is planning an N64 mini and some kind of GB emulation thing that slides on to your smartphone.

Kind of makes you wonder how long this retro craze is going to last. It's obviously a fad started by Nintendo thanks to their line of mini Classic systems. All fads must come to an end, and when it does, I'd bet we are going to start seeing these mini consoles at garage sales, flea markets, resale shops, etc.

I'm keeping an eye on various retailers and TV shopping channels to see what kinds of retro gadgets they may release this year. I'm also itching to get back to that little kiosk in the big city mall. I haven't decided whether or not to save up for a Pandora's Box emulation console, but last time I was there, they had different models of handheld NOAC clones with hundreds of games. They still had the NES-style CoolBaby systems, but they appeared to have sold out of the Nintendo classic 1-to-1 knockoffs. Amusingly, knockoff mini consoles that mimic the look of the SNES Classic have been reviewed on YouTube, but they still contain the old 8-bit games. It's just the shell that's different.

[huckleberrypie]

"GB emulation thingy that slides onto your smartphone..." I wouldn't be surprised if Nintendo locks down the companion app and encrypts the hell out of those ROMs.

As far as Windows 10 is concerned, the document-killing bug the recent service pack had could very well be a class-action lawsuit in the making, especially as some of the files in question are important documents or cherished photos taken by families and kept for the past decade or so. And data recovery companies would be having a field day as well.

[cpd2009]

The GB smartphone accessory surprised me. Gaming news sites reported on the patents that were found. I would have thought Nintendo would have just went with a self contained GB classic with no cart slot and a selection of built in games. Hell, they can build the things themselves with off the shelf components like their other classic consoles.

In fact, there is already a third-party GB smartphone accessory from Hyperkin, a company infamous for Famiclone hardware. It's called the "Smart Boy" and it has been on the market for around a year. Like their standard Famiclones, the SmartBoy lets you play real GB/GBC cartridges on your smartphone using this odd adapter and an associated emulator. Nintendo's device appears to be a similar concept based on the patents recently filed.
https://www.businessinsider.com/nintendo...os-2018-10

Obviously the games wouldn't be built in, perhaps sold individually, Virtual Console style? Yet another way Nintendo uses nostalgia to milk money from people.

As for encryption, you can bet Nintendo will do that with the ROMs they will probably sell. But seeing as how hackers are starting to hack into the Nintendo Switch, it's only a matter of time they are able to extract the ROMs meant for this mystery GB device.

[huckleberrypie]

I'm actually waiting for the time when Tegra X1s are converted to Nintendo Switches in the same vein as Hackintoshes, but that may not be as easy as the concept suggests due to possible subtle differences between the commodity X1 and the ones used on the Switch.

[cpd2009]

For the want of an HP All-in-One...

https://www.qvc.com/HP-24%22-Touch-All-i...ml?sc=IROA

Even though there is nothing wrong with Pearl, I still pine for an all-in-one desktop PC at times. This particular HP model from QVC is, I admit, very tempting given how low the monthly payments are. This particular HP has an Intel Core i3-7100U dual core CPU, 1TB 7200rpm hard drive, and 4GB RAM.

There are few advantages to AIOs, mainly the lack of messy cables connecting everything. The downside to most AIO desktops is the upgradeability and graphics. This HP AIO only has an option to upgrade the RAM to 16gb, plus it only has Intel HD Graphics. This means no modern gaming on this AIO, including my various pinball sims, though most casual fare (Bejweled, Angry Birds, etc) should run fine. Oh yeah... IGPs tend to steal system RAM for VRAM, so RAM available to Windows will be a bit less than 4GB. I will say they made the right call with the HDD, putting in a 7200rpm 1TB. I have experience with 5200rpm disks, and they are slow as hell.

There is also issues with repairs. With Pearl, her setup is modular so if one part goes out, I can easily replace it. The HP? It's essentially a laptop stuck inside a desktop. The RAM and perhaps the HDD are the only serviceable components. If anything else goes kaput, you must send it in to HP for repair or buy parts from HP (like the AC adapter).

Despite this, I still want an AIO. Perhaps this desire of wanting an AIO stems from my admiration for iMacs. Yes, they are becoming more and more like Fort Knox with their soldered on RAM and storage space, but I always liked their form factor.

In the long run though, Pearl is the better option mainly due to her upgradeability alone. She's going to be two years old at the end of November. Maybe instead of getting an AIO, I'll either get a HDD upgrade, or that RAM upgrade. She could use 16GB RAM. In fact, Super Lucky's Tale recommends it.

[huckleberrypie]

For the want of an HP All-in-One...

https://www.qvc.com/HP-24%22-Touch-All-i...ml?sc=IROA

Even though there is nothing wrong with Pearl, I still pine for an all-in-one desktop PC at times. This particular HP model from QVC is, I admit, very tempting given how low the monthly payments are. This particular HP has an Intel Core i3-7100U dual core CPU, 1TB 7200rpm hard drive, and 4GB RAM.

There are few advantages to AIOs, mainly the lack of messy cables connecting everything. The downside to most AIO desktops is the upgradeability and graphics. This HP AIO only has an option to upgrade the RAM to 16gb, plus it only has Intel HD Graphics. This means no modern gaming on this AIO, including my various pinball sims, though most casual fare (Bejweled, Angry Birds, etc) should run fine. Oh yeah... IGPs tend to steal system RAM for VRAM, so RAM available to Windows will be a bit less than 4GB. I will say they made the right call with the HDD, putting in a 7200rpm 1TB. I have experience with 5200rpm disks, and they are slow as hell.

There is also issues with repairs. With Pearl, her setup is modular so if one part goes out, I can easily replace it. The HP? It's essentially a laptop stuck inside a desktop. The RAM and perhaps the HDD are the only serviceable components. If anything else goes kaput, you must send it in to HP for repair or buy parts from HP (like the AC adapter).

Despite this, I still want an AIO. Perhaps this desire of wanting an AIO stems from my admiration for iMacs. Yes, they are becoming more and more like Fort Knox with their soldered on RAM and storage space, but I always liked their form factor.

In the long run though, Pearl is the better option mainly due to her upgradeability alone. She's going to be two years old at the end of November. Maybe instead of getting an AIO, I'll either get a HDD upgrade, or that RAM upgrade. She could use 16GB RAM. In fact, Super Lucky's Tale recommends it.

How I missed the time when you can actually muck around with a Mac and not be at the mercy of a woefully greedy religious cult with fanbois being subservient to it. Apple devices are a hit with them kids as Facetime is easy fare for them from what I heard from an American Girl collector, but that is moot when there are other services that provide something as easy yet not as locked down to a particular ecosystem.

[cpd2009]

<-- Decided to update my avatar and associated byline. It's been awhile really.

Right now as I type this, QVC is hawking the latest Amazon Fire tablets. I sometimes think about getting one of these, but I don't really feel like adding another digital ecosystem to my life. I prefer my off brand "Augen" e-reader, thank you very much.

In all seriousness, the Augen eReader was a Menards Black Friday special several years ago, and I managed to find one complete in box at a rummage sale earlier this year. The device didn't have any personal info on it, and it does display my two only Adobe DRM eBooks properly, but likely because they are "Wallace and Grace" leveled readers with pictures. I haven't tried the web browser, and probably won't given the device is so old that most websites probably won't render properly. Here is a review of the unit from the time the device appeared on the market..
https://www.the-ebook-reader.com/augen-t...eview.html

I'm kind of glad I didn't go for one of those cheapo Windows CE netbooks that were popular for Black Friday 2010 or 2011. I'd imagine those devices probably no longer work properly, or are far too slow to be usable. Still... Windows CE in 2010... boggles my mind sometimes.

[cpd2009]

Lastly, I will begin saving up money to finish upgrading Greta. All I need is an SSD and a new battery. The battery will come first. Acer still lists batteries for the Gatway NV57H laptops on their store for $34.99. Her current battery is the original and it barely lasts an hour now while browsing the web with integrated graphics.

The final upgrade is the SSD. I would like a name brand disk with good reviews and I am considering a Western Digital brand. What color should I go for? There are a couple including Blue, Black, and Green.

[cpd2009]

Keeping things going here, here is what games I'm currently playing through...

1: Batman Arkham Origins for Wii U. I completed the main storyline, but I'm in the process of completing the side quests. There is also two additional DLC episodes.... on PS3 and Xbox 360. The Wii U never got these episodes because of "lack of demand".

2: Kirby Mass Attack for DS. Started this in July, and almost finished. Relies on FakeLongetivity with the standard "grab all the medals" gimmick similar to New Super Mario Bros. Touch screen control is actually not that bad and the game really has fair challenge due to controlling up to ten small Kirbys through perilous levels with the stylus.

3: Kirby Super Star Ultra for DS. An updated re-release of the original Super NES game. It's been rather easy so far, perhaps too easy. Maybe the difficulty will pick up later on.

4: Blaster Master Zero for 3DS. A really cool looking remake of the original Blaster Master. I was only able to play just a little bit of the first level when I had to plug in the 3DS to charge the battery. First impressions are great. The 3DS has it's share of retraux pixel art games, and they look fantastic on the 3DS XL screen.

Remember the Lexibook Cyber Arcade? I remember the one Ashens reviewed on his channel a long time ago. Now, Evine TV (yet another US TV shopping channel) recently hawked an updated version of this strange handheld with 250 Chinese originals! I'm a bit of a fan of these cheap Chinese game systems due to their strange nature, and their sometimes equally strange games. There's a game showcased in their sales video showing off one of the hosts purported "favorite" ganes in which you mow the lawn.
https://www.evine.com/Product/457-434?ic...-_-457-434

It's only $19.99, and since I have a bit of extra money, I'm gonna spring for it this weekend.