hex65000

I do get people asking questions like How do I copy my playstation discs? Can you do it? Do you have that Dreamcast CD with almost a thousand games? Etc. I tell them that these things can be done, but I can't help them do it because it's ILLEGAL. (yes, I say it that way too.) The piracy culture has gone a fair distance and is now more on making copies for profit. The publishers now also have much stronger laws to beat on western piracy. In the old days you'd swipe a ware at 14.4/16.8hst and move it around your area to keep the goods flowing. If you did get busted, you were running way to high a profile or you were breaking the law in in some other unwise way and piracy was just a tack-on charge. The only ROMs I actively have in my collection only is the NES DC emulator. I just don't like dorking with an insane # of bulky NES carts and the inherent instability of the Toaster oven NES. I would never choose to sell copies of the disc I made up. And when I'm questioned about getting copies I just tell folks that there's this search engine called Google -- use it. I do have a small collection of NES carts (I think I'm at around 40 of 50 now) that just didn't emulate well or I didn't have the ROM and I'm too lazy to hunt down a working copy. My NES really doesn't get a lot of milage from me. I'm sure that there are guys selling this stuff for big money to foolish humans. That was always the big line for me -- the sale of it. Then there are the fuzzy edges of legality that I don't ever feel bad about: -- my legal copy has been destroyed and I want an inexpensive replacement. -- I wish to play legal original copies of games from other countries at home (without moving or owning 3 of the same basic system) ; Imports -- I wish to put my game on a different type of media and keep the original safe from potential damage. ; 'backups' or as I prefer now my PS2 hard drive. The game makers frown on these things, but in reality none of them really hurt their business. It's the next logical step of 'backups' that makes them twitch like a hummingbird in a coffeepot. Hex. [ Remembers his ancient 'glory days' as a Teenage Mutant Ninja Pirate... ]

I am with you Justin. I essentially like the convenience of improved load times and (hopefully) a lot less wear and tear on my CD drive. Although I've been installing software for the past 2 days (~6 hrs) I've chewed up about 60+gigs so far. It's also a way to keep my media from getting munged up. But yeah, HD loader may be the fuzzy edge of legality, but at the end of the day, I did buy legal copies and plan to own them for as long as I care to use Sony's stuff. Hex. [ just cant sleep because of the constant news coverage... ]

Behold the trap of modern gaming. Watch in amazement as kids who bought GTA: V.C. are disgusted that they can't even get $10 for their $50 game. For example: Kid: "I'd like to get $30 for this, I paid $40." Clerk: "You can buy the 2 pack for $30 new. I'll give you $6." Funny that I'm not motivated to buy the next iteration of the series at full price... Hex. [ Recently noticed that his PS2 collection has mushroomed for no good reason. Naughty Collection! ]

Good luck on that one. I picked up HD loader early in its second run and it is among the best money I've dropped on my PS2. Mind you, after the booter, the network adaptor and the HD I've spent around $160-$180. The other thing to keep in mind is some games choke on HD Loader. There are compatability lists that are very helpful, but some of the ones that just don't work SO tick me off. Such as: .//hack/ , Soulcalibur 2, War of the Monsters and Xenosaga. I have read reports that the current GTA will install, but I have not tried it. Actually, I filled up the 40Gig I was using in my PS2 and decided to go and grab a new drive. The closest I could get to a 120Gig was a 160GB drive. So now I'm filling it up again with the titles I previously had loaded. Also, another handy trick: If you are worried about the data integrity of a PS2 game, simply try to install it. If you get read Errs, you know the disc is probably damaged. Since the whole CD gets read in, you can know the integrity of a game without having to play it all the way through. Hex. [ Knows his FF 10 is just fine... ]

< My Opinion Alert! > And for this fact (the subject line) I am thankful; For Nintendo builds little gaming TANKS. If Sony tries to pull the same cost-cutting tactics that they continue to get away with on their PSx systems, nearly every PSP that was bought on release day will die in about 6 months. I also agree that Nintendo has tried some different approaches to gaming. Some have worked out -- and some were just bad bad ideas. Nintendo just has a bad habit of not always thinking a task all the way through it seems (hardware side the Big N rarely half-asses their software). I do get some good enjoyment out of their games and am slowly making a new wantlist for them. (Paper Mario 2, Custom Robo, Metroid, Pokemon) On the other side of the coin I've been jonesing for that Steel Battalion 'uber-controller' since day 2. Hex. [ Last seen reformatting his PS2 HD... ]

I picked this game up on Monday and am totally hooked. It's just so deranged to literally pick up everything in an area and clumsily wobble this huge ball of crap around to make a star. And I hate mentioning it, but in the intro, I thought the King's head was a roll of film or something. When he talks down to you I was disturbed by the royal tights that he wears. Scary. Damn Bears... Still... best $20 I've spent on a current gen game in a while. Hex. [ It's like super magical Puni-Kyen* Monty Python... ] * not that I really KNOW what those two words actually mean in Japanese.

For me the problem I run into with the 2600 sticks is that the metal dome will drift because the sicker they used to hold everything down has started to lift. I usually don't see too many breaks with the plastic ring. Maybe I've been lucky so far. My inclination at home is to use my 'space age' stick. As for the Wico or Atari stick, I tend to place the stick on a flat surface (table / tv tray) and have at it in that manner. The leaf switches they used in the wico design hark back to an arcade machine controller. It's not too often you see the sticks, let alone a dead one. Hex. [ Still trying to find the answers to life's annoying problems... ]

Two options: Find the closest Batteries Plus location and tell them what you want. They have a spot welder on site to attach solder tabs to lithium cells. Option 2: http://www.newark.com/ Watch that polarity... Hex. [ Is feeling a LITTLE burned out this AM... ]

Just a handy 'for your reference' thing... You can order _FREE_ samples of some ICs from chip makers. Companies like: On Semiconductor Analog Devices Fairchild Semiconductor and Texas Insturments It's quite scary since they'll spend real money to ups/fed-x you a 0.10 part for free. They do get sensitive to abuses, so I keep my orders limited to what my current project(s) require, and I select 2-3day delivery. I'm rarely in a huge hurry. Hex. [ Needs to find his lost mini-tube of (3) CD4050s ... ]

I too am a Win98SE user. My reasons are varied: - Old 8 / 16 bit apps are better behaved. I actually have some software of my own that do direct port read/writes. Win 2k or better just don't work under these circumstnces. - Old scanner that I'm not giving up. I have a UMAX SCSI scanner that has no drivers for the NT-class OSes. I talked to the company well over 5 yrs ago and when I told them I wanted win2k drivers they effectively told me to buy a new scanner. Which I refuse to since this one still works just fine. When it dies, then I'll get a new scanner. I do run 2k on one of my machines, but it's an old dual processor P3-500. XP is staying out of my life as long as possible. I would suggest running 2k if you can for Doom 3. My vidcards are too wimpy for Doom currently. Perhaps later I'll pick it up. Hex. [ Still loves his wimpy Kyro 2... ]

It looks like their site has been suspended... Nice. I did get the disc I ordered though, I still need to buy a HD and fire this beast up. I fear that this project is going to be short lived because of the website going away. Hex. [ Has been playing Game&Watch gallery boxing for an hr straight and I need a break! ]

The GTA series hasn't thrilled me terribly. If I find a copy for X-crate for cheap, I'll get it just to say that I can plok down and play it. Is it me or has Gamespot crawled into Rockstar's shorts on this game? I'm leery about the glowing preview because of junk like this: http://www.penny-arcade.com/view.php3?date...004-06-30&res=l http://news.spong.com/detail/news.asp?prid=7014 It's the post-mortem reviews that will make or break this game. However I'm sure that Rockstar will make a bajillion dollars from all the little thuggies who love this series. Hex. [ Thinks that he's getting too old for this noise... ]

You and me both. I've been on the prowl for a copy of Landstalker since I picked up Timestalkers (DC) -- an okay RPG with an odd level system. But hey, it's not like I have nothing to play... Hex. [ fix it up... test it out... Rawhide! ]

Still waiting on mine... Not that I have a HD to drop in yet, but that's the easy part really. Out of curiosity, have you tried any PS1 titles? I would guess that it would work flawlessly. It's not a DVD and their small size would allow storage of several titles with no problems. Hex. [ Is getting kinda antsy about the missing disc... ]

That is true. You can knock Nintendo for all sorts of things, but their hardware is pretty well built. The more I think about it, it is curious about how he's having problems with those shoulder buttons. My experience with their customer service was also quite good. They shorted me a spare part that I had ordered and I called and got the part 2nd day shipped with no hemming and hawing. Very impressive. Hex. [ will spare the current gen system analysis since I've done it before... ]

For me that's the best excuse to buy them. Sometimes I get _really_ lucky with stuff like that, sometimes not. I really need to find some decent thrift stompin' grounds... And a million dollars... And a monster truck to crush my enemies... yeah thats it. Hex. [ Too busy shouting at other people in thier trees... ]

No I didn't. I'll tell my friend to try and be ginger with his SP buttons. I'm one of those oddballs who did the afterburner kit, bought a set of NiMH batteries, and a charger. I still wish you could get those kits inexpensively. Hex. [ did a good job overall, and can point out his mistakes faster than most observers... ]

Tom, that kiosk looks beautiful. I wish I had the physical space and cash to get one of those units for myself. Something you may want to consider is the possibility of making it in a kit form, or a means of easily breaking it down for transport. That may put a dent in that shipping cost. I know proper funiture doesn't use particleboard , but something to mull over just the same. Again, excellent work! Hex. [ Also known as a wreck in progress... ]

Could you elaborate on your projects? Although, I'm totally swamped and want to finish the 5200 switchbox project. I just got done running it through the network analyzer. Just looking at the uncalculated data I think I did a pretty good job with the layout. The next step is to send out for a batch of final rev. boards and start building. After that there is the speed sensor project that has nothing to do with console gaming. I want this project to just _DIE_! ! ! Then I want to finish my attempt at the Genesis 2 overclock. I've just realized that the SRAM attached to the CPU is rated at about 8MHz (120ns) and I plan to run the CPU at close to 14 MHz (70ns or faster). I'm a little worried that the machine will glitch to high heaven unless I add faster system memory. That and I need to order the new 16MHz CPU that will gracefully handle the higher speed clock. Next in the cue is the Genesis 2 video breakout box. The real challenge is not what must be done. The hard part is going to be keeping the cost of parts as low as possible. Last in line is my 'golden brick' project where I plan to make the ultimate power brick that will support multiple systems and add more regulation and line stability going into the system v/s a regular power brick. And I am sparing very few expenses for construction. Then I have free time. Until my next odd little idea. Hex. [ Likes doing handy projects that are less exotic than some... ]

I haven't gotten too far into it, but I have found Metroid Prime to be a fairly competent FPS. The only problem I have run into is driving, aiming, jumping, and rotating at high speeds with the ctrler. Once again the wish for a KB/mouse combo springs up. Other than that what little I've played has been pretty fun. Starfox is a 3d platformer with a definite 'furry' tip of the hat. Again, nothing ground breaking, but pretty competent and the camera ctrl isn't painful. I _swear_ what is the deal with cameras and 3d platformers? Would it be _that_ bloody hard to shift to a 1st person mode? I have nothing meaningful to contribute over Zelda or Harvest moon. Hex. [ Is still playing Dr. Muto, but is hitting the brick wall pretty hard right now... ]

I too plan on picking this up for a couple of reasons (Prolly for X-Crate): -- darn near perfect arcade translations. I like that. -- While it does put money in Midway's pocket and they clearly are not fond of the older gaming scene, the message will be better heard when I spend my money on arcade-like titles over the 'thugged up' titles. There are currently only a few titles I really want for the current systems. This is the only one of them that Midway makes. (I think) The other 2 are .//hack #4 and Transformers. on PS2. Hex. [ also wouldn't mind Steel Batallion, but I don't have _THAT_ kind of money... At least I still have Dr. Muto ]

For a safe operating range on a voltage regulator you need about a 3V difference between your input voltage and your output voltage. You might be able to get away with a 7V input, but its jumping on the hairy edge. Also, from his inital report the input and output voltages were pretty normal. So it's unlikely that the regulator had outright failed. A heat sink will aid in keeping the part cool, but probably won't solve the problem. Bear in mind that electronic components dissipate heat. In some cases we are talking about a trivial amount of heat and dissipation occurs at a rate that it's not detectable by just touching the part. Some parts dissipate more heat because of it's current and voltage needs. (Ex: a PC's CPU needs a heat sink to help dump the thermal energy created.) I'm pretty sure that the Atari cpu does warm up after a while during play. Can someone verify that? Therefore, one way to increase operation time would be to add a heat sink to the CPU, but it seems like the part is on its way to total failure. There is no real gain to gluing a heat sink on the part. Hex. [ Feels like he got beat with a poofy stick... ]

The trend will die when the masses realize it's not all that and a basket of nachos. Until then expect a lot (more) painful hype of GTA San Andreas. Hex. [ Knows his last post in this thread made no sense at all... ]

Fatal Rewind is okay, bit it's really hard. It's a 2d platform/shooter type. I recently added a few more titles to my stack o Genesis. Crue Ball -- Motley Crue Pinball!?? Weird. I like vid-pinball games tho. Strider -- Looks better than the NES Ver., but looks like it flickers a bit. Sword Of Vermillion -- RPG; reminds me of a hybrid of Dragon Warrior and Zelda 1 There were a few more, but those were the cooler ones I aquired. Also, for the recommended list: Vapor Trail : 2d top-scrolling shooter based off the arcade game. Hex. [ Had no idea how painful Revolution X really was until today... ]

** Rant warning! Agreed. The 'thug look' on some of these kids irritates me alone. During a discussion with my girlfriend (who is a teacher) I concluded that these guys want to emulate a lifestyle that isn't remotely a positive role model. They want to be a criminal and live the gangsta life. If they were paying attention, they'd realize that there is a mortality rate attached to that. In my darker fantasies, making that criminal life shorter feels appealing. When they parade through slightly slack jawed and mumbling that they want Drivah-tree or overhyper and you can't make out any of the words that come out of their mouths. Looks like a job for my force P!mpslap. Kids appear to be more rotten as I get older and yeah, I was'nt a great kid either. I almost wish I could go back in time and observe myself from a 3rd person perspective. ** Rant off! Oh, we were talking about games... A modern crash would be a welcome sight for sore eyes. I have played some of the GTA 3 series, and just don't find them that exciting. It's okay, but the appeal hasn't appeared. I don't want Midway Arcade classics 3 -- gangsta ed. or knuckles putting a cap in Dr. Eggman's a$$ just to end the series. The Cube does have the smallest library of the current gen systems, however they seem to be generally more solid than the PS2 titles and some of the Xbox titles. Drake should have had another 6 mos. of development time. I'm told Kabuki Warriors should never have been. OTOH, Medabots Infinity needed another 1-2 mos. to make the ctrls and camera ctls better. Maybe some better voice talent. In PC games that is the nicety, if there were any nasty holes, they could be fixed in the next patch. In fact it's almost assumed that there will be a patch involved. Yeah, I'm meandering this morning... need more coffee.. Hex. [ And now my finishing move: Force Jockitch! ]