{"id":342,"date":"2024-09-24T03:34:04","date_gmt":"2024-09-24T03:34:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.drivingnowhere.com\/?p=342"},"modified":"2024-11-20T23:06:34","modified_gmt":"2024-11-20T23:06:34","slug":"vidyagame-collecting","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.drivingnowhere.com\/index.php\/2024\/09\/24\/vidyagame-collecting\/","title":{"rendered":"Vidyagame Collecting"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

I know this is shocking to hear, but I spend a lot of time playing videogames.

I don\u2019t go out much being a homebody cripple, I never eat out, and I\u2019m a single dude. What I do<\/strong> always have is a baller setup at home to play games. And last year I was due for an upgrade on my gaming PC. Typically I save up cash and I do a new build every 4-5 years. Well, that time came around and I honestly just didn\u2019t have the enthusiasm to do it. My computer is still good enough for my sim racing needs on my 60hz ultrawide, and while I could go for the full-blown 144hz triple monitor \/ Virtual Reality setup\u2026 I\u2019m not a competitive racer. I just like to hot lap and I\u2019m honestly happy with my rig for that.

Gaming wise I just didn\u2019t feel like a new computer would be worth it for the handful of titles I\u2019d be able to maximize. I ended up finding a used Mac Mini for dirt cheap (M1 with 16gb of ram) and for non-gaming purposes, it\u2019s been a fantastic machine. Plenty fast, ultra quiet, efficient, and if you\u2019re as balls deep into the Apple ecosystem as I am\u2026 it\u2019s pretty great. Funny how going this route ended up saving<\/em> me a ton of money.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Soooo after that I had a few grand burning a hole in my pocket. Nearing my \u201cmid-life crisis\u201d as a cripple without a wife or kids, what could I possibly be interested in? Hmmm\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n

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I grew up in the 90\u2019s and had a Sega Genesis while my friend had a Super Nintendo. So I have a lot of nostalgia for that era and ended up getting those systems. After a few months I managed to get most of the games I loved from back then. Some titles are just stupid expensive, I have no intention of ever getting Earthbound, but you can still get a lot of good stuff for reasonable prices. Especially on the Genesis. For Super Nintendo, I actually had custom cases made for my games too. They mimic the cardboard box art, but instead use a durable plastic clamshell case. They look fantastic on my shelf!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While I was pretty much the<\/em> N64 kid<\/a> and would consider that my era, I\u2019m self-aware enough to know those games don\u2019t hold up as well. While I had an N64, collecting for that is a bit expensive too, so I ended up getting a PS1 and have picked up a few games that still interest me from that generation. <\/p>\n\n\n

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After that<\/em> I got a PS2 (region modified so I can play cheaper Japanese games\u2026) as while I was also a Nintendo guy during that era when I was 13-14, there\u2019s no goddamn way I\u2019m collecting for Gamecube. PS2 is a lot<\/strong> cheaper. I actually missed out on a lot of PS2 games during that time too, so it\u2019s been fun picking up titles occasionally and trying em out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Oh and during all of this, I also started paying attention to optimizing my retro hardware. Which led me down the CRT rabbit hole. I have three now. Started with just a little desktop television, which I use now in my room on a lazy susan so I can play games in bed too.. I then got a 24\u201d Sony Trinitron that I loved and used as my primary CRT for a year on a retro cart I built<\/a>\u2026 before discovering a 36\u201d Trinitron. The odyssey of getting that thing, bringing it into my house, and finding a piece of furniture that could withstand its weight was insane. I\u2019ll never go through that again\u2026 but I have to admit playing retro games on this thing is an experience. Eventually, my brother and I will prolly go our separate ways and when I live alone I\u2019ll likely go the retrotink 4k route as I have no intentions of dragging this beast with me. Hopefully it\u2019ll be cheaper by then.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Anyhoo, during the PS3\/360 era I was about 17-18. The collecting fever recently exploded on the 360, but I\u2019m happy to have focused on the PS3. Bit cheaper to pick up games for that still and as a bonus I can watch blurays on that setup, which surprisingly comes in handy as in the retro corner I have setup I can watch movies on the little oled panel I have. Of which I got for $150 (!) during an awesome black friday sale. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Games and movies look incredible on this thing.<\/p>\n\n\n

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I got a Wii too, those things are hella cheap to pick up, and while there\u2019s a MASSIVE amount of shovelware on that system, there are some genuinely good games too if you dig. So while that system is never a big focus of mine, I always keep my eyes open to games for it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Also, there\u2019s a fantastic homebrew scene on the Wii and with the Gamecube controller ports scratching that Gamecube itch becomes a lot more affordable\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Wii U was one of the systems the nostalgia bug in me initially desired the most. I was all in during the Wii U era and have a lot of great memories. Yeah, that system was a flop for Nintendo, but man there are so many good games. Unfortunately not a LOT of good games. What I have though is pretty much everything I want and they\u2019re all bangers. Only missing a handful of titles I\u2019d like, but they\u2019re just too expensive for me to justify picking up. Xenoblade Chronicles X, WarioWare, and Twilight Princess HD being a few. Fun fact: A lot of its games got ported to the Switch and are virtually identical, but if you have a Wii U it\u2019s WAY cheaper. Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze on the Switch is rarely less than $40. On the Wii U? $12-14.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Funny enough right now the PS4 era is at its cheapest. If you wanna start collecting games, go for it! Despite being my least focused on console, I ended up with the second largest library in my collection being the PS4. When titles are only a few bucks.. it\u2019s hard to just pass that up.<\/p>\n\n\n

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When I discovered how cheap PS4 Pro\u2019s are (helps that they lack ultra hd playback that it SHOULD\u2019VE had during its era) I picked up one of those to play my PS4 games at my desk on the same 1080p display I use for my switch. I absolutely LOVE this setup.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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I finally got a PS5 last year and I\u2019d argue with folks saying there isn\u2019t enough games to justify it. There\u2019s plenty of great experiences on there and outside of dropping a ton on a weird livingroom gaming PC setup, there\u2019s no better way to game on a 4k television. Although,<\/em> I am planning to sell my PS5 to my brother and go on a little PS5 hiatus for a few months. Going to pay off a card and be a bit financially responsible for a while before pulling the trigger on that stupid PS5 Pro\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n

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 So that\u2019s what I\u2019ve been up to lately. The videogame collecting bug has bitten me pretty hard. Unfortunately, it seems the gaming industry is aiming to kill physical media, especially by requiring a separate purchase of the disc drive with the PS5 Pro, but even in the worst case scenario where it all goes the way of Steam with digital only releases and the values of all my games plummet\u2026 it makes me happy just looking at my games on my shelf. I know that sounds lame, but it brings me back to being a kid at Blockbuster browsing games to rent. \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Speaking of Blockbuster\u2026 I made a “KEVBUSTER” case so my brother could borrow Switch games without me worrying about the case. Heh.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

-K<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I know this is shocking to hear, but I spend a lot of time playing videogames. I don\u2019t go out much being a homebody cripple, I never eat out, and I\u2019m a single dude. What I do always have is
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