HoshiChiri

And that might work great- while YOU'RE in charge. You do mention social security, which implies you intend to retire someday. What if your successor isn't so resolute? What if they're willing to bend the morals a lil' bit to prove they too can generate income- better income, even! Small businesses can make something like this work- a pro-corporate tool applied with prudence for customer gain. But the second other people can grab the handle, it's only a matter of time before someone uses it like a hammer & beats the customer base for pennies. Sometimes the most pro-consumer thing you can do, is just keep the most abuseable options out altogether.

I have finished the setup for the Japanese PS2! Since I made it a semi-portable unit, it needed a way to get carried around. I finally found a proper bag for the purpose- it's a simple soft-sided cooler shaped lunch bag. Zippered pocket in front for memory cards, mesh pocket in top that's perfect for a DVD sized case... only problem was keeping the system components separated. So, I made a lil' divider out of cardboard & covered it in felt this afternoon. I think it came out well!

If there's one thing I've learned in my life of retail work, it's this: Businesses Expect Exponential Growth. Forever. It's not just enough to make money, you have to make more money than the year before. But eventually, you'll hit the plateau of what your customers will pay- so you start cutting corners or introducing new ways to squeeze that extra bit more out. Ad-based gaming could start out with all the bright promises of 'we won't overdo it, it'll be fair, & you'll never HAVE to pay'- but it won't matter. Eventually the push from investors/developers/anyone tied to your company, really, will erode those ideals & bring us an ad-filled abomination. Case in point: mobile games. They literally did what you say! Old games were free, just watch an ad every couple stages. Now look at them- I downloaded one called 3D match on my mom's recommendation. Mid-stage ads, between stage ads, ads for getting items/gold... it costs SIX DOLLARS to drop the ads! Which might be worth it if they didn't also charge you for power-ups AND to access the gold you earn while playing! It's a mess. I can't get behind ad-based gaming, there's just too much room for it to go very, very wrong.

After a bit of fitting about, I have officially acquired a Japanese PS2 to play my new import games! (I had to cancel my original order & grab one from another seller). I can finally use this joytech screen without jury-rigging it with velcro & prayers! And yes, I had to try the Trance controller (not like that! Minds out of the gutter!) It actually didn't work at first, & there's no guides online- but I did find someone mention in passing their motor had seized. So- I opened it up, got the game going, and literally prop-started the thing! Once it started going consistently it didn't need my help anymore, so I closed it back up- if I have issues later I'll have to find something to grease it with. It is an interesting thing- the trance acts as a 'base' while the controller vibrates with some of the musical flourishes. I didn't realize it wasn't an excact mimic of the controller! I have also learned that Beatmania is quite similar to Pop n' Music... which in turn means I'm terrible at it! ? It's becuase the music is tied to the notes you hit, so if I mess up I have trouble getting back on rhythm. I guess I have everything I need to practice, though!

I got through the thread wondering why all these solutions I knew of weren't getting mentioned until I hit the necrobump. We've made some serious progress on TV game gear in the last decade!

Quick update: since I hadn't received any updates on my gift card situation, I decided to double-check the balance on the old card... they did reload it. It just took several days. Despite the email specifically saying they'd have to mail a new card. *sigh* it's fine though- since literally none of the games I wanted were available locally secondhand, I did an online order: 1 pre-owned AC New Leaf for my niece's birthday (since she will not care if it's cart only), 1 new copy for me (so we can play together), a pack of AC amiibo cards & a mario ornament to pad out for shipping. Between the birthday coupon, the CAG coupon, the pro certificate & the gift card, cost me $26. Don't often get to feel like I did good at Gamestop these days. We'll see if that lasts once the order comes in.

Sounds good- glad you're not dead! ?

It's probably worth asking for a partial refund if you know you intend to keep it either way- the response might dictate your choice. Leaving anything other than positive feedback can hurt a seller, so the question is: are you bothered enough to want to ding the guy? If not, no feedback is best- that's the true neutral these days (no punishment & no gain). If you do ask for the partial refund & get it, positive will pretty much be required.

Like the others, I'm fine with waiting for a complete copy- but since it's been 2 months, I thought I'd check in. Any progress on printing?

I'm currently in a bout of modern gaming fatigue. I'm not so off-put by the fetch quests & such as long as it's not overly grindy & the gameplay is generally fun. What usually brings it on for me is play session length. Modern games are typically big sprawling things with lots of cutscenes & sidequests & pretty visuals, that TAKE TIME to absorb. You don't play a modern game for 20 minutes. It's gonna be a notable part of your day if you're gonna be properly immersed. And sometimes, I don't want to dedicate that time to a game. The usual response is to just go back to an older title- right now I'm playing the copy of Talmit's Adventure I got for AA's Secret Santa. No constant cutscene or drawn-out tutorials or weird side events. The Mole King kidnapped the Princess, go save her! Then you're playing- no tutorials, figure it out! You can beat a stage in just a few minutes, & the password/continue setup is very forgiving so super-short play sessions are still satisfying. It's great! But I know me, eventually I will crave a meatier experience, then it's back to the Yakuza series ?

So, something I just learned: I had a Gamestop gift card & decided to use it to buy a replacement Pacman tamagotchi. I set up a 'pickup in store' order- and it was canceled for lack of stock. That's fine, system only showed 1, inventory errors happen. I went to re-order at a different local store... and the gift card no longer worked. Apparently, if Gamestop cancels your online order & you used a gift card, they don't just reverse the charge, they mail a different card. So not only did I have to pay fully out of pocket, I have to hope the new card comes before the end of the month so I can use it on my birthday coupon game instead. What the heck kind of company can't reverse a charge on their own gift cards?! It'd make some sense if it was a proper online order, or if I'd done the cancelation... but seriously, the card can't be refunded 30 minutes later? *sigh*

Oh, that's basically what I've done! The set from Amazon Japan with 2 games & memory card is bought, they just can't mail it. Once they can- or once I find a local deal & cancel the order- my current slim will go to my sister (she's been getting back into gaming lately.) The second slim is technically my fiance's, so it's boxed up in his stuff- and the fat I've got hooked up is my original from 2001, & it ain't going nowhere! ?

I'm not sure for Xbox, but PS4 & Switch are very much NOT region locked. I've got European games for both & Japanese/Asian releases on Switch, zero issues. In fact, many games on Switch will see your system's language info & automatically run the English version of the game for you! Online is still locked though- I was disappointed to learn my import copy of Taiko no Taisujin couldn't use DLC from my US account. Luckily the US digital release went on sale for like, 10 bucks shortly after & that fixed things ?

Hey, if I can open an Xbox controller & find a teaspoon's worth of birdseed, im sure grease can work through a few curvy vents!

Yeah, I came to the same conclusion- except I did pick up a slim 75000 model. Reason being, I have one of the Joytech LCDs, but it's only compatible with a slim (and doesn't lock properly on models newer than the 75000.) This way I don't have to futz around with hooking it to my bloated entertainment center for a quick play session. Plus, I'll be able to play PS1 imports too! Well, I shouldn't say I picked one up yet- turns out Japan's turned off most out of country shipping due to "super-covid" concerns ? So while I have an order in with Amazon Japan, I don't actually know when it'll ship! It's ok though- they won't bill me until it ships, so I have time to poke around more local sources for a comparable deal. Gonna be hard to beat though- at least I think so. Silver 75000 model, black oem controller & memory card, hookups, & copies of Ico & Final Fantasy 12- $92 shipped. Most appropriate slims I can find are more expensive and/or lack the extras.

Since you brought up shooters specifically- there's an accessory Fangamer sells called the Flipgrip that allows for a vertically-oriented screen in handheld mode. Here's a link to the games that support it- which, naturally, covers a lot of vertical shooters.

I'm still interested in one! Nice to see this finally coming to fruition! ?

Interestingly, they seem to be similar in cost to a Japanese console- and given the choice between a system from Serbia that I have to hope will work, or a stock console from Japan that will almost certainly work, I'd get the Japanese one.

Oooo! *runs to check* and there's stickers too! Awesome! Definitely- right now I'm debating between 'finding an appropriate swap magic setup' and 'buy an import console'. Swap magic let's me put my current spare ps2 to use, but is by far the harder option to come by. An import machine gives me access to ps1 titles & a chance to get my joytech lcd set up properly- but means I'll have a very superfluous 3rd ps2 hanging around. Decisions!

Doesn't appear to be made anymore- there's a few copies on Ebay, but anything that isn't $100 or more is disc only- meaning on top of making sure the version is correct to my console, I need to find the appropriate sensor covers to allow the swapping to occur. Also stumbled onto a scph-7500 satin silver Japanese PS2 on ebay... notable largely becuase it has the screw holes to accommodate my joytech LCD, and matches it in color- that's a mighty tempting find, to be honest! ?

13. Yakuza 4 (PS4) Weird to think I've played 5 of these games this year! This one threw me with the split story- when I first realized I was playing Akiyama I was disappointed ("I don't want to be this lazy a$$!") but I quickly warmed up to the idea ("this lazy a$$ is actually awesome!") I'm taking a lil' break before I continue into Yakuza 5, as I fear I'm starting to burn out a bit. Not sure what I'll play next...

I already did some googling on Free McBoot... it seems that it allows for backups/homebrews, but not imports. I certainly don't want to kill a console, but between me & my fiance we have 3 PS2s & only one of them sees any use- so I definitely have an 'experimental system', so to speak. I honestly half-wonder if it'd just be better to get an import console- guarantees I could play import PS1 too. The only reason I'm kinda holding back on that is, quite simply, then I'd have 4 PS2s... and that's really kind of excessive!

If you haven't already, make sure your TV is outputting a 4:3 image. The stretch to 16:9 adds a LOT of fuzziness. I messed that up a bit when I got my first non-tube TV, just becuase it didn't occur to me that it would be such a big deal. And definitely fiddle with your cables. Use the a/v coax adapter previously mentioned & try different cables for the connection if you got spares. Heck, if you're feeling up to it, open your consoles and jiggle around the wires internally. These are old machines, and they can be finicky- all sorts of things can help your picture. My intellivison was unplayable (no horizontal hold) until after I opened it. Didn't really do anything, just took out all the parts & put them back... and then it was fine. Experiment a little!

Having opened my Secret Santa presents this morning, I find myself very much in need of an import solution for my PS2- I'm hoping someone here can get me pointed the right way! I want to run the original discs, not backups or rom/isos (just how I roll). I'm VERY willing to mod- I have a spare PS2 slim just waiting for something to do- but I have no soldering ability of my own, so if that's a factor I'd need someone who does installations to help. I'd prefer not to use 'lifehack'-style fixes that could strain the motor/laser (you know, 'use a paper clip to force the door open & switch discs while it's spinning!' kind of things.) If that's my only option though, I could try it... anybody got any thoughts?