mellotronrules

oh man- my mother asked me to replace her 3rd gen ipod nano battery- turns out:

thanks, Apple.

yeah, its not as bad as kotaku, but it's moving in that direction.

i usually can find the 'X' but occasionally it doesn't render properly, and you just need to refresh the page.

the podcast feed is getting pretty brutal with programmatic ads too. i know it depends on luck of the algorithm and/or your region- but having conversations get cut off every 15min by a Dunkin Donuts ad jingle isn't awesome.

well confession time- i said 'OG iPod' which implies 1st gen; to clarify- i'm working on a 5.5 gen iPod (i think my original phrasing was meant to invoke the general form factor rather than the specific SKU). thankfully it seems like one of the more forgiving models to work on- but i'm stoked to hear someone else on these boards doing much the same.

Let me begin by saying this is a judgement-free zone, and a thread of healing; your backlog is nobody's business but your own.

That said what's your damage? ; )

I think I've tapped out with (all prices USD):

SWITCH

-Gorgoa for $4.49

-Donut County for $3.79

-Portal: Companion Collection for $6.79

STEAM

-Desperados 3 for $9.99

-Outer Wilds Echoes of the Eye for $9.89

-We Love Katamari REROLL for $14.99

PLAYSTATION

-1 year of Extra for $100

and then in terms of other MISCELLANY: i got a cheap hoodie from St. Vitus (IYKYK); one of them electronics tool kits from iFixit (i have ambitions of converting an OG iPod to flash storage); and a scanner because who doesn't love home office equipment.

anyone score anything good?

hmm-

i'm thankful for these forums (cheap heat, as some cretins might say). but in all seriousness- real deal forums still encourage a type of discussion that's hard to get in more contemporary places like Discord or Reddit, so until the wheels fall off, thanks for sticking around gang.

re: games- i'm thankful for success stories like Larian. BG3 is the first game of theirs i've actively become a fan of, and while there's plenty of naysayers saying 'this can't be replicated,' i'm thankful they were able to have success on their terms while seemingly appeasing Gamers en masse.

hmm- i've only played Diablo of the 2, and my overall impression of that game is: it's a pretty good treadmill. If you want to catch up on podcasts, or see the latest Blizzard's art team has to offer, go for it. but after once through the campaign and 1.5 seasons later- that game really isn't showing me anything new.

FF16 seems divisive, and generally i'm not a fan of Stylish Action games- but if you're in the for something more engrossing and immersive- that's probably your ticket (between the 2).

@sombre: well as a sum total of the catalogue, duh. but since i've had Extra i've played-

Returnal, Miles Morales, Death Stranding, Ghost of Tsushima, Deathloop, Chicory, Stray, Blood Dragon, SUPERHOT, FF7 Remake, Demon Souls Remake, Dead Cells, Tearaway, Back 4 Blood, Thomas Was Alone, Alienation, Kena Bridge of Spirits, and Inscryption.

i keep track to make sure i'm getting the value :)

@spacemanspiff00: that's a hot tip, thanks! i was able to re-up Extra for $100ish.

even with that price hike, 9 bucks or so a month for that library still feels well worth it for me (YMWV- i still have a lot of games to play).

@bigsocrates: ah, THE CLOUD you say!?

@bigsocrates: fair enough! there's no accounting for taste (aesthetics or otherwise), and the PS5 certainly is a console that yells LOOK AT THE BIG WEIRDO I AM. in my case, i leaned into it and slapped those flaming pink panels on it- but i certainly understand the critiques.

that $30 stand is preposterous though- people love to compare Nintendo to Apple, but that's 100% Sony taking a page out of the world's favorite accessory merchant.

and agreed on the Series S- i think that's my favorite of the lot right now (specifically the black grille on white case; i think the all-black is just another boring box).