Games Retrospect

So I have a DualShock 2 and the X button doesn't register anymore, I was wondering if there's any way to fix it. I know what most people are going to say: "Dude, throw it away and go get another one because DualShock controllers are really cheap at this point." Thing is, where I live, the only PS2 controllers you can get are cheap Chinese knockoffs that look just like the real thing, but absolutely suck. So if you can share some videos or articles where they explain a solution to this problem I'd really appreciate it. Thanks in advance!

I remember going to school one day early in the morning during the world cup and seeing a plethora of CRTs on the street. Those are the moments that just ruin relationships. Most were crap, but as someone who grew up in the 90s, I'm really attached to CRTs.

I went to grandmother's house today. She has a couple of TVs, the main ones are a 25-inch Telefunken with composite, S-video and component and the second one is a 21-inch LG that goes all the way up to 1080p/1080i. She watches cable using RF on both. I feel bad for those TVs.

I use YouTube and Plex on my Xbox One. It's fine and I'm pretty sure there are better ways to experience those sites. The thing that kills me though is that you never know for how long you'll be able to use them. If Microsoft ever discontinues those apps, I better find a Roku or something.

I've always wanted the last model that doesn't have a power brick. I have no idea if they are reliable or not, but that is the slimmest and smallest PS2, so it sounds really convenient to have. If anyone here has experience with one of those, I'd like to know what you think.

Personally, I've always wanted one of the slim models, but some friends from when I was a kid had problems with them. Maybe they are unreliable as people here say. The one I have is one of the older models (I have no idea which one) and works fine. When I was a teenager though, the game was playing froze and I lost some progress. I was playing Digimon World 3 for a few hours and it was a hot summer. It sucked, but it was also awesome. Whatever PSone you can get is fine, I think. That thing has a massive library of games you can play.

You have no idea how lucky you are to walk into a local supermarket and buy all of your video game supplies. My local Wal-Mart (I live in a city with a population of 150,000 outside of the US), they don't even have Xbox One games because the console isn't that popular over here. Most of the things I need I can get online, but I need to pay extra for the shipping. I just got the screen protectors because I think they are essential and the next thing I'm getting is one of those transparent (they call them crystal) cases that attach themselves to the system. I kind of hate those cases that let you put the games inside because I want something that protects the console all the time. In the end, it's all relative and if something is going to break, it's going to break anyway. I like to think, that I'm taking as many precautions as I can for that not to happen. Specially where I live where you can't really get some things.

I'm looking at some screen protectors and cases for my Nintendo 3DS and trying to choose the best one. I'm wondering if other people pay attention to things like this or if I'm the only one obsessed with protecting my portables. I own a tablet, phone, PSP and Nintendo DS and all of them have cases and screen protectors, so maybe it's just me. Should I just ditch the protectors and case combo and get a game instead? The 3DS is going to go in my Jansport bag, so I'm extremely worried it's going to get crushed by books or scratched by pointy things. How do you protect your portables? Are there any particular brands that you recommend? How much are you willing to spend on protection?

I use Firefox for browsing with a couple of add-ons but those depend entirely on how you browse the internet. For search, I prefer DuckDuckGo, not a perfect replacement for Google because the latter has integrated so many services like maps, Google reviews and so on, but at least you don't have to worry about privacy (or should I say lack thereof) that much. I'm kind of surprised more people aren't switching from Google and Chrome to other alternatives like you're doing. I'm often baffled how most people couldn't care less about large companies selling their personal information.

So the lower-end trinitrons only have s-video and composite? That's interesting, I'll make sure to ask for pictures of the back of the TVs to make sure I'm getting one of the better ones.

You can't beat free, right?

I've owned a Logitech Wireless Action Controller for the PS2 for almost a decade. I've only had a problem with it once which involved the X button getting stuck every once in a while, but I remember cleaning it and solving the issue. But now I can't use it anymore because the receiver doesn't turn on the light. I think that's how it worked: the receiver blinked (or you had to push the button for the light to blinked) and then you pushed a button on the controller and voila! But the receiver's light never turns on regardless of what I do. I looked up the manuals online to see if I was doing everything wrong, but I can't seem to find a solution. Help! I really want to play Final Fantasy VII and I don't want to go back to a wired controller. Can anyone help me to check if the problem is the receiver not working properly or if I'm not configuring it properly?

A couple of months ago, I posted about the best CRT TVs for retro gaming. At the time, I really didn't know that much about the different between RF, Composite, Component, RGB and so on. Although I'm by no means an expert about the topic by now, I feel like I've watched enough videos and made enough research to feel more comfortable about the topic. So I ended up getting a 21-inch Toshiba that a guy at the local TV store gave to me for free. I was extremely excited at the time, but I kept doing research and people keep bringing up the same sets again and again. So I already gave up on getting a Sony PVM, BVM or an equivalent from other brands. I live in a small city and the local TV station got rid of them years ago. The alternative is Sony Wega Trinitron and a couple of those keep reappearing on Facebook Marketplace. My questions are the following: Are they as good as people say because I've never seen one hooked up? How much would you pay for a 29-inch Trinitron (that's the size I keep seeing)? Which connections do those TVs have? I assume they do composite and component, but what about RGB Scart? Is it worth spending money on that TV and carrying it to my house for that alone? I'm not expecting to get answers for all of these questions, but if anyone can send me links to other people's articles so that I can read them that would be awesome. Then I need to convince my wife... but that's for another thread I guess. Thanks!

What about playing on a PS2 with a component cable? Would that be better? Over the past few years, I feel like I've learned a lot about the technical aspect of consoles, but there are so many things to consider, ways to hook them up to TVs, alternative ways of playing, emulators and so on, that I often find myself questioning the way that I've been using them. The YouTube channel My Life in Gaming has helped me a lot, but there's a lot to take in and they can be overwhelming (yet incredibly educating.) Sadly, it's not always as easy as finding a PVM or a 36-inch Sony Trinitron because most mortals don't have access to those, myself included.

I remember putting two large encyclopedias on the sides so that the heat would dissipate better. Some of the longer games I'd beat during the summer break and the only thing I had in my bedroom was a small fan. Those were the days...

I've watched videos about those POUND cables, they sound awesome, but I'd have to pay for international shipping and they are always sold out. I guess it's not really worth it. Thanks!

Apparently, I've had a different experience with the PSX. I remember playing Digimon World 3 for hours and the console freezing when I was younger. I assumed this was a common issue, since I've heard people mentioned it before. My TV accepts both component and composite, but since I already have component I feel it's a shame the PS1 doesn't support that. What resolution do PS1 games output on a PS3? I looked it up but I can't find anything. I'm not really a technical guy, but I thought PS1 games looked great on a PS3. I'm probably wrong, though.

So I'm looking at my original PlayStation (I have one of the older models) because I intend to hook it up to my CRT to play some games on it. But I started thinking about the possibilities... So hear me out: the old PS1 models are big, they have heating issues and you can't use component to connect it to some of the newer CRTs like the one I got. Is it worth using the PS2 to play original PS games? Is that considered a viable option in terms of emulation and technical proficiency? Oh, and has anyone here have the last PS2 model that's incredibly light, small and doesn't require a power brick? I've always wanted one of those, but since I already have a slim PS2, it's hard to justify getting another system just because it's lighter, smaller and doesn't have a small power brick... Anyway, I'm really interested in going back to some old PS games and I'm wondering what's the best way to do so. Thanks.

Just out of curiosity, if you had the time, resources, energy or money to start a YouTube channel today about something video game-related that's not on the platform, what would you make? I feel like even though YouTube content's growing exponentially on a daily basis, there's some content that's pretty much inexistent. Just to give an example, I often find myself looking for reviews about older games only to find that there are barely any videos about it. Also, only recently some people started making video game documentaries (two channesl I recommend are No Clip and My Life in Gaming) and so far that's been uncharted territory.

At this point, so many people have brought up the Boom Blox games that I've added them to the list. Thanks!

I was recently watching a video on John Hankok's YouTube channel. At the time, he had bought a rare and expensive Sega CD game for his collection and he mentioned that he uses CD error-checking software for some of the most expensive games. Honestly, I had no idea this existed. My questions are the following: 1) is this a reliable way to check if the games you get work well or not and 2) which do you think is the best piece of software I can get to try it? Anecdotally, I used a program (I can't remember the name now) to check for errors on a disc I knew doesn't work properly and I got no errors so maybe there are certain programs that work better for games. If anyone can point me in the right direction that would be awesome since I just got a copy of Twilight Princess that was expensive and I'm wondering if there's any way to check if the DVD's fine or not. As usual, thanks for your comments and contributions.

For the post few months, I've been trying (and for the most part failing) to add more controllers to my collection at a fair price. But what do you think is the sweet spot for the number of controllers for most systems in case you have people over and you want to play multiplayer or in case one breaks, fails, gets lost or whatever. Here's the number of controllers, I personally have for each system in my collection: PlayStation: a Logitech wireless controller that's awesome, though X button doesn't work properly and a knockoff controller that simply sucks. PlayStation 2: the same as the ones on the PlayStation. Nintendo 64: two controllers that have the same problem, the joystick in both is broken. Nintendo Wii: two controllers. I never needed more, but I want additional controllers for games like Super Smash Bros. Brawl or Mario Kart Wii. SNES Classic: the two controllers that came with the system. Xbox 360: three controllers and I'm more than happy with the number, though it never hurts to have more. Xbox One: only one controller and that's the one that came with the console. These are extremely expensive where I live and although the controller works perfectly, it bugs me that I only have one. What about you? How many controllers do you have for each console and what's your ideal number? Looking forward to reading your opinions and ideas.

I'm trying to focus on my Nintendo Wii collection for a while, so I'm wondering what people consider the best games on the platform. Personally, these are the games I have: Super Mario Galaxy Super Mario Galaxy 2 Mario Kart Wii Super Smash Bros. Brawl Tatsunoko vs. Capcom Wii Sports PES 2011 New Super Mario Bros. Wii The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess (I'm actually waiting for this one to arrive in the mail.) Also, I'm desperately trying to find the following games: Xenoblade Chronicles Metroid Prime Trilogy The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword Wii Sports Resort Monster Hunter Tri The Last Story Punch-Out!!! But I know there are a ton of Wii games I'm not even considering that might be a lot of fun to play either alone or with friends and family. What about games like Wii Party or Wii Play? Are there any good light gun games on the system that I'm not considering? What games make great use of the WiiMote? What games make great use of the controller's microphone (I watched a video about a horror game that made creepy noises when there were dangerous creatures around, it was called something like "The Calling", I think)? Thanks!

The Super Smash Bros. series is one of my favorites to play with friends and family. I used to play the original on an emulator a lot back when I was a teenager and since then I've been trying hard to add those games to my collection. As most people probably know, Super Smash Bros. Melee has become increasingly rare over the past few years and some of the used copies can be quite expensive on sites like eBay. So my question is simple, what do you think is a fair price for that game on good conditions? I found someone that's selling it for around $25 and even though it may not sound like a lot of money for most people, it's to me, but then again, I'd love to have that game in my collection. According to reference site Price Charting, that game usually sells for around $50 loose, so $25 sounds like a great deal. The only things stopping me are 1) the fact that I found it online and other than looking at some blurry pictures I can't really see the conditions of the game and 2) I don't have a GameCube yet, though I definitely want to add one to my collection soon (I do have a Wii, though.) Any fans who happen to know more about the game please help me with the price and I'd also like to know what are the contents of the box (manual? pamphlets? instruction booklet?) This is a game that I definitely don't want to be buying twice. Thanks in advance!

The thing about the N64 option is that I already have a functional one with the transfer pak, I'd only need a copy of Pokemon Stadium and the Game Boy games. That said, having a GameCube with a Game Boy Player sounds amazing, but also extremely expensive since I don't have anything. I did some research and suing the latter sounds like a fantastic option when it comes to playing Game Boy Color and GBA games on a big screen.