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A Merry Christmas to all!!

Hmmm.....you know me, the old stuff thrills..

The Super Pocket put out by Blaze that accepts all the Evercade games. The scanline option on this thing YES!!!

The original Gameboy games, hack&slash platform, and pinball Kirby. I think the kirby game was released over here in the US as Kirby pinball land.
The eggmania for the GBA is a Tetris influenced puzzle game. It has the falling blocks but your character has to catch them and place them where needed. You're timed, strategy and stress.
The Sega game is a side scrolling beat'em up.
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I also got a Funko Pop Sonic...........

hmmmmmmm................yeah 
It was good, hope everyone had a good time eating with family.
We were thankful for much this year.

@BLUEVOODU
I thought this was it. Our community is small as it is. I kept thinking at least I would have wanted to say good-by.  I try coming here once a day. Glad to see this thing is back...
I like forums even though they are a thing of the past that have been buried and ran over by the social media bus.
I'm here for the long haul. I guess I will continue to work on some projects for posting.

Boom Shakalaka

Happy Birthday!!

What am I doing? I saw these Pokemon hacks available on Ali Express. Got this one and started playing. Somehow it hit the gaming mood at the moment. I'm in a grinding mood. I have enjoyed this so much that I have ordered about thirteen other different hacks, Including hacks of Pokemon Sword & Shield. They are on their way.

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Ahhhh.....so that was the issue. I tried the last few days but could not get through.

BUMP!
This is a bit of an update. The screen went black again shortly after the last fix. Fixed it with the same method as above. It got me to thinking as to probable cause. I turned off everything connected to any screen "sleep mode." I have had no issues since. I am thinking that there is either a bug in software, or, more likely, a conflict between Linux and the Asus hardware. Maybe?
The screen does cut off when you fold the laptop. It will not, with it just sitting there, and, you have walked off to do something.
Of course it does have a slight impact on the battery life, charge may not last as long as before. But no issues, so far.

@BLUEVOODU it still had that "eshop music." The only other thing that it had to download was the transfer app to use between the Wii and the Wii-U. I was surprised that there was anything to connect with at all. I expected a 404, or a "check your internet connection" type message.

@Grindspine I am thinking that this is the saddest part of the modern consoles that has internet access as a part of the gaming experience. When you have a console die on you and want to continue using one. You, as in  my case, go out, and find, purchase, and find that there is info lost. I had a Wii die on me. I never thought about it until after the fact. Not sure what I even had on that old one, game saves, game downloads. I do have a 3DS with game downloads which I treasure. I always liked independent publishers on the e-shop, good games.

@BLUEVOODU it was a note from Nintendo about how I can transfer all the Wii stuff to the Wii U. Must have been automated in some way. LOL
Hope I can do something to make it happen again.
Something really weird. I was able to go to the e-shop and download an app, skyward sword. It was the only thing on there. Something about saving your data.

@BLUEVOODU lost it! We had some bad storms move through the area this past week and lost power for several hours. When everything went back up, no blue light. Sad.....................I guess I can go in and see what it was now.

How do you pay with your palm?
I know that Aldi was testing a new way at one of their stores. But it was the store cameras adding up things you placed in your basket. When you got to checkout everything was paid for and it sent the receipt to your phone. You had to be pre setup to shop.

Happy Birthday!!!

This week I turned on my Wii because I remembered that I never have changed the internet settings to my present fiber optics. I haven't used the Wii that much since I have a Wii U to play Wii games. To my surprise, the very next day the disc slot is slowly flashing blue! I do not want to do anything to change this because this is like a ghost in the machine. I am not turning it on because I am afraid of losing this. This is retro warm fuzzies. I am going to get a back up Wii console just to take its place, maybe.
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Our local Walmart, which I might go into every few years, has drastically reduced their game area. The game rack is maybe four feet wide and shoulder height. It is dominated by Nintendo Switch games. I am not sure if there are DVDs on the shelf, but there are those box displays in the isle that you can dig into.
My Family and I are going back to seeking out hard copies of tv shows and movies. And I think there is a surge of interest out there for wanting DVD collecting again. We have unknowingly gone from ownership to access. It is nice and convenient to stream but you lose control. With having the advantage of the DVD I can watch my favorites when I want. No looking for it and the streaming service has taken it off issues.

I have went back and started, trying, to collect the original Gameboy Pokemon games, and playing. I, for some reason, am finding them more enjoyable. Something about the simplicity and strategy of those older games. I have been playing my Gameboy Pocket and this has kept that feeling and gaming alive. I have Shield for the Switch. That game is what caused me to want to go back to the originals and try them again. OI have several for the DS and 3DS.

Happy belated Birthday! I am sorry I missed this yesterday.
@Mai Valentine since I retired it seems that I do not game like I used to. I have found myself so busy with a lot of things.

@BLUEVOODU i am using Xfce Desktop Environment/Window Manager on top of a Debian Stable base. I love it. The people that have produced the distro have put together a great package. What I really liked about it most is that it set everything up for me I did not have to tinker with anything. It recognized and installed all drivers. I have been using it on an old 32bit Lenovo IBM R60 laptop since last year. The Macbook and the Lenovo are two distinct configurations internally. I would think the Macbook would not be easy to have drivers, that is my assumptions being that it is Apple. when I can load up a distro and then began immediately start using it, they have my attention and loyalty. Different distros have their good and bad clashes when it comes to hardware during the boot and install process. I have had some that I want to use but could not get to even begin to install onto a particular computer, lock ups, freezing. Then try another distro and it installs without a hassle.
When I was making the decision on what distro to install on these Macbooks, I wanted tumbleweeds because it was a rolling distro, but it would lock up. Then I thought to myself, go with MX Linux, you like that, and it is Debian with the MX team's packaging. I have loaded some of my drawing program, Krita and GIMP. All ready have an office program installed, so I am good to go. Just simple casual computing. I game retro so no concerns there. I do think they have it where you can load up steam. But I do not game on my computers. I did go through a period where I experimented with emulation but I would rather have the real thing. And there are enough Chinese stuff out there for emulation that there is no need to tie up your computer with something like that. 

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It looks like my journey to find that "special path" to a long term secure computing experience has added a new element to the equation. Having successfully installed Linux on that old 2008 Macbook gave me inspiration and the old imagination gears started churning. My 2012 Macbook Pro was my daily for years. It pulled me from the Linux road, but the OS lost support, it expired, about the time I retired. When I retired I began doing a lot of my banking, bills, and taxes over the net. There was a growing concern for security which would be a need for OS support. It is too expensive to stay in that Apple ECO system. I need something long term and it not cost an arm and a leg. I am unwilling to take that old Macbook Pro ,wipe, and install anything else on it simply because I have so much "Mac Stuff" on it and it is MY Macbook, and it has an old Photoshop installed, and some other things I hold dear, etc. I just wouldn't be able to find anywhere else. I'm sure you understand? Right? Sooooooo........

I got on eBay. I need something to make into my Linux machine. A solution to what I am seeking. Lo and behold someone had a 2012 Macbook Pro up for sale. $60!!! And those pictures, it looks so clean. Wait a minute those hands in the photos, it is a girl that is selling it. The Seller name is female, hmmmm. There is one thing that I have learned, girls take good care of their stuff. I ordered and received it and it is mint, just-like-new, out-of-the-box, condition. Opening it up, the hinges are still tight. I was blown away. The battery only has been used 107 cycles and it is good. Booting from USB I have installed MX Linux 23.2 64bit, fit it like a glove, everything works, even the camera. I am typing this out on it now. That is one thing I love about MX Linux it detects and sets up everything, works out of the box. Or it has for me. It is based off of Debian. That is a big plus for me because I like Debian and I feel that it is a very stable Distro.

It is good to be back on a powerhouse computer again and using Linux full time. I have used the Chromebook for over a year now. And it does have its Pros and there are some big Cons. And I will still use the Chromebook even though it is a low powered device, but Linux is my long term solution. MX Linux 23.2 will have support for the next maybe five years. I plan on using either a flash drive or an SD card for all my saves. That way when I need to install the newest version of MX Linux, all I need to do is install. I won't have anything on this laptop. I will already have backup.

The Chromebook is an experience. There are a lot of things you can do with it as a casual user, but it is not a powerhouse that you can really sink your computing teeth into. I could still recommend it to someone only under certain circumstances, depends on their use. Right now my plans are to make this 2012 Macbook Pro my daily. Chromebook will cover banking, bills, etc, for now. I don't know, it may become just something to use over social media and net surfing, youtube, creating documents, listening to music. The limited power and the fact you use your email to open it up is a deal breaker, really, unless you set up a dummy email, not your main stuff. The Chromebook is great for schools and businesses and that is the thrust of the market for its use. Home personal use? One would have to consider how they use it. But for me I have my 2012 Macbook MX Linux and I am happy. I have my Mac Mini set up on a 32inch flatscreen for my desktop. I haven't stitched it over to Linux.........................yet........you better believe that I have thought about it the last couple of days. Might have to grab another one from eBay and experiment.

I have started watching each day an episode of the Bad Batch. I think that is what it is called, it is on Disney+. I am 2 episodes deep in to it and I am hooked.

Some years ago I was curious about Macbooks, Apple stuff, etc. I was wondering about the OS and started looking on eBay. I picked up a 2008 Macbook Unibody for around $20 to $25, can't remember exactly but it was cheap and the OS was outdated. I was able to learn and enjoyed playing and tinkering with it. I ended up sticking it away and purchasing a Macbook Pro with a supported OS. And it was my daily for many years.
Recently I started reading and watching Youtube videos about installing Linux on a Macbook. I had to dig out this old 2008 Macbook. And I downloaded the newest version of MX Linux and put it on a bootable USB. I held down the option key while turning on the laptop. I held the key down until the two options to boot appeared on the screen. Chose the USB drive and booted into the Linux install. It runs like a top. It fully makes this laptop up-to-date and very usable. This could be a good laptop for my daily. All it needs is a new battery. Linux has made this thing modern and breathed new life into it. Everything works but the camera, not sure, but I might have to do a bit of fiddling for that. But I do not need it really.
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Happy Birthday!! 

hmmmm.............

I took it apart and fixed it this morning.

I unplugged the battery and then hooked up the AC adapter, turned it on. Evidently something was hung in the boot up.

But this does not change my opinion in my previous post.

BIG update on my ASUS Chromebook. The screen went out, black screen. Nothing works that I found online concerning the issue. Being that it is refurbished there was only a 90 day warranty. But wait I took out the 2 year warranty that was offered. Talked with them on the phone today (allstate). They sent me the label, paperwork, to my email. I printed it all out and was packing everything up, filling out the paperwork to be included. Whoa....back the bus up. The information that needed to be included, passwords, ID, PIN, to get into my Chromebook, everything needed that would open it up. My wheels started churning in my head. Surely these people are good people, trust worthy, full of integrity. Yeah, right. I know this Chromebook cost me $99. But giving everybody that handles this access to everything just doesn't set right with me. (especially access to my email and Chrome has saved some of my critical stuff.) Nothing may happen, but I do not want to take that chance. Which causes me to draw a conclusion, that Chromebooks may be okay, but if there is some sort of failure, it might be the best route, to just, accept the loss and move on. If this was just something used on the side with an unimportant email account I would not think much about it. But I was using this to be my banking, bill paying, notebook.
I am on the little Lenovo Chromebook at this moment, Wife did not like it, likes her 2009 macbook pro. I have lost nothing because I used a 256g micro sd as my hard drive saving everything.

I am really thinking that a LINUX laptop might be the best thing for what I am wanting to do online that needs a lot of security and would be safe.

[First Impressions?]

I posted this review on my "blog" site this week. Thought it might be of interest here. I love to tinker with things like this.

First Impressions?
I have been looking for a good Sega Mega Drive/Genesis clone handheld for a long time. This portable has been on my radar for several months. I have been digging around for some sort of review to sink my teeth into and have come up short. I found one on youtube but it was frustrating as the person just did not do his homework. He just opened the box and started fiddling with the console ending up with me having more questions than answers once he was through.

This is what seems to be labeled the MD-16BIT console model number HG-943. I am assuming it is manufactured by FEI HAO being that name is on the label located on the back of the console. The box has Shenzhen Tianzi Technology Co. Ltd.

You must understand that this is a System On a Chip (SOC) technology. It tries to emulate the original console on one chip. It depends on who is manufacturing the console whether or not they have been very successful in their endeavors. Some are close, some are not very.

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Size comparison against the 3DS, Nintendo Switch Lite, Gameboy SP, and the Gameboy Pocket.

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Basic Observation:
The console is shaped like a brick with a quirky look and the button configuration is not Sega. The whole arrangement, the directional button and the shoot/jump buttons are just not the "Sega" experience.

What's in the box:You get the console, two wireless controllers, charge cable, and an HDMI cord. You also get an instruction manual which does have broken English and poorly constructed sentences. No help here. The biggest problem with the instructions is that the illustrations do not match the console. So you are left with trying to figure out everything from scratch.

How does it feel:
I have medium sized adult hands. It feels very comfortable to hold and the buttons are intuitive to a handheld device. They are easy to reach, have short travel in the pushing, and are a little clicky.

The screen:
The screen is about 4.5 inches which is a very satisfying and nice acceptable size. The color is good and it does have a sweet spot when it comes to angling it for play, not too bad, just average and common on these devices. It would have been a whole lot better if it had been IPS, but it is what it is. There is no brightness control. If there is a lot of light where you are playing the screen seems to be darkened by it. It is better to play in the shade or in an area where there is not a lot of light. It was probably set this way so as to save battery life. The screen is sharp and the games look great on it, good color and contrast. There is no aspect ratio adjustment. It is on the console in the manual but not on the console that came out of this box. That could be a killer for some gamers. The picture is stretched across this screen, distorted. Some games it is not so obvious, just depends on what you are playing. But still you do notice the difference if you are a Mega Drive/Genesis fan. You have an HDMI out on this console, so guess what? Yes you are right the screen is stretched on the big screen, be it 32in or 55in. The console's screen is easily scratched. I already have a slight little scratch on the left side. You can't see it unless you tilt the unit a little in the light, but I know it is there, if you know what I mean. And I have only had this five days! The screen is better than the Sega Nomad unless you have performed a mod.

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The Console:
On the top you have the HDMI and AV out on the left and your charge input on the right. You also have two shoulder buttons. Bottom of the console, you have a port one and two, one on the left and two on the right, for your standard Mega Drive/ Genesis controllers. There is a switch on the right to turn these ports on when they are in use. There is also your headphone port with a volume control wheel. On the right you have two switches that are for region adjustment, NTSC, Japan, PAL. On the face there is the reset, select, and start, which are clearly marked in English. The shoot/jump buttons are arranged in a diamond configuration of four buttons, six buttons total when you include the shoulder buttons. And these buttons are marked just as you would find on a Sega Mega Drive/Genesis controller, just not arranged as you would want them. Oh, and the on/off switch is on the top right of the console. All things are clearly marked, molded in the plastic shell. The console feels of a good solid build and I know some of the weight comes from the 2000mAh battery. But really, the plastic housing has a good thick and sturdy feel, and seems very durable, impressive. There is only one speaker, on the back of the console, where I put my fingers, which can muffle the sound. Headphones are a must.

The console is a simple push the cartridge in, turn on, play, no menu to configure anything. The carts are inserted in the top of the console and the cartridge slot has a spring loaded dust cover.

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Games:
You guessed it, all the Mega Drive/Genesis games that are out there, except for Virtua Racing. But that can be expected. I have only found the newest Hyperkin console to be able to play that game. It is a common game that clone consoles just have a problem playing.

With a short learning curve due to the button placement you are playing some of your favorite games. I found it very awkward using the six buttons in fighting games. Vectorman one and two would only work after I did a reset using that particular button, strange. The Sonic & Knuckles lock-on tech works but I found it very finicky as it shakes and loses contact interrupting the gameplay. It would only be good for playing during a TV hookup gaming session. Yes the Game Genie works, but you still have that extension hanging out there for a wiggle. My Game Genie did feel tighter than the Sonic & Knuckles set up. I have tested over a hundred games, not all that I have, yet, but enough to satisfy me that the console has good compatibility.

Reproduction games work on this console. I only had a few that seemed to not boot, out of maybe thirty games. The Everdrive cart, Chinese version, works. Even hacks, and homebrew are included in this testing, like the cart version of Final Fight, Gun Slugs, Darius, Xenocrisis, they work. Reproduction, homebrew, carts are a mixed bag. I found some were difficult to remove from the console, sometimes certain games would lockup at certain points in the gameplay. If a cart which had a homebrew, reproduction cart, did not work, the game would play when put on the everdrive, or if it was preloaded on a multi cart, it would play.

The best route to go if you do not have a big collection of games would be an inexpensive multi cart or the everdrive. That way you would not have a lot of money invested. If you want to invest in the original games I would suggest the original console too. I don't have any PAL games to try except for Zero Wing. And it will play on any NTSC Sega console. I only have two Japanese games, only one of them would play.

(And I should mention that there are about 118 built-in games. Well, they call them games. I have a different opinion. Simply turn on the console with no cart in the slot for these (ahem) games to boot.)

What about the Audio:
We are talking about a clone console in which reproducing an accurate Mega Drive/Genesis audio has always seemed troublesome, with some clones being ear bleedingly off. Some games seem to be good, acceptable, other games where umm, there is something a little, you know, while others maybe the music drowns out the special effect sounds, nothing when it comes to clones, is perfect. It is just the nature of the present technology in cheap clones. You just accept it and game, or stick to the original console.

HDMI TV experience:
Understand I did not purchase this console for TV gaming. I totally had the sole purpose of playing my game in my hand. I have the original Genesis 1 hooked to my TV. With that being said this was an easy setup for playing. The two wireless controllers (two AAA batteries needed) were an instant connect, boom! My problem? The "A" button on the "Player one" controller does not work, defective. The light on the back of the controller shows that it is connecting with a flash for every push of the button, but nothing. That becomes critical for some games when it does not give you a way to pick button configuration in the options. Can I take the second controller and use it? No because each controller is set, with one being Player 1 and the other one is Player 2. Each has been pre-configured and has no way to change and switch. I have other wireless controllers that contain a switch for that purpose, but not these two, not this console's controllers. The wireless are very responsive and I did not detect any lag. Buttons sit kind-of high but overall a satisfying experience. And they do have the look of Sega controllers, small, but feel comfortable in your hands. I do have the option of using the original Sega controllers. That works well by flipping the switch on the console for that purpose. Found that a Hyperkin Mega Drive/Genesis controller works okay. I, personally, will never use this console in this manner. What about the bad controller, I will pitch it aside. I do not expect any type of compensation from the seller being that I got it from Aliexpress. No big deal to me, just the way it is.

Battery:
Not sure how long it takes to charge this battery to a full charge at this point. The longest I have had it charging was six hours, and that was a ¾ full. Must be a slow trickle charge. I have gotten a few hours of play time, about three. Nothing in the manual about charging.

And that is another annoying issue. In the upper right corner of the screen is the battery icon, which stays there in the corner of your game. No way of turning that off, that I know of. It shows how much of a charge that you have continuously. Is it a welcome or an annoying feature? To me it is both. It can get in the way of some games.

Final Thoughts:
Considering my hands-on experience, even though it has been a short time, it is easy to come to some conclusions about the gaming side of this console. The cons that I have mentioned above is the elephant in the room. If you choose to ignore those things, you find a console with some enjoyable gaming. It is with mixed feelings that I have begun to enjoy this thing. It is the best handheld clone system that plays game cartridges which I have owned. I do have the Sega Nomad. Is this a good replacement? That is the wrong question to ask. Can I have a good Sega gaming experience with this clone console? It is not for everyone. A diehard Sega fan would have issues with the elephant in the room. There is nothing about the look of the console design that says, "SEGA." But it does play my games that I want to play. The real question is, "Is it worth a purchase?" For me it is. And I hope I have given you enough of an Idea for you to make an informed decision. Is it for you? Only you can make that decision. How durable are these Chinese consoles? That is really a gamble. I have one which is the Retro Bit Retrogen, a Sega Mega Drive/Genesis clone handheld, cartridge based, have had it for years, it still works. Then there are some which die with a short life from cheap capacitors.

I give this console a thumbs up.

Thanks for the Birthday wishes!

My spoils!
I also got three games for the Switch,
Sonic Mania
Star Trek: Prodigy Supernova
Digimon Story: Cyber Sleuth complete edition

In the photo three NES games and two for the Famicom.
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Happy Birthday!!!

I finally sat down and watched this one. Maybe my tastes in movies are completely different.
My thoughts on this movie are,
It feels too much of a "Disney+" production quality.
It seems to be an extended episode of Ms Marvel.
It does not merit a theatrical release because of the above. I would have felt cheated if I paid the theater price to see this.
I can see, due to some elements in the movie, why it had movie audiences reject it. There were some awkward moments, one of those being the singing planet.
I will say that Fury somewhat redeemed himself in this one after, what I personally saw, in the "Secret Invasion" as a failure.
I also thought from the "Secret Invasion" series that somehow these were to be connected? That did not happen, my mistake? I guess I was expecting a different plot.
I felt like the movie was rushed and short, adding to the frustration of an "episode" feel.
There were some concepts here that I liked and I felt needed development and placed into a better, more fleshed out, written script. Speaking of the team of heroes. I get the message from the movie that this was a one time thing.
On the whole I did enjoy the movie to a certain extent. I enjoyed the comic book hero stuff. I think when you compare it to the release of the Avenger movies, it does not compare because in those movies there was the character development in which we saw and enjoyed. It was rich and well written, and directed. Disney is capable of producing those type of movies again if they would just take the time and stop cookie cutting these fast cheap productions. Yes I would like to see a second Captain Marvel movie. No I don't want a Disney channel kiddo quality version to insult my intelligence. That first Captain Marvel movie was good.

Maybe I hold Disney to a higher standard when it comes to my comic book hero movie expectations. I know that most of the DC movies have been somewhat lackluster but I have still enjoyed watching them. Maybe it is because I want to see a good production of those heroes and I have given up hope?

My biggest problem, and it disturbs me, with any of the Star Trek series is when they run out of ideas they revert to a war that lasts for the rest of the series to a certain extent. Or they just don't know how to end it. Why can't it just end with things as being normal and let our imagination take it from there? At least the original series did not have this problem. Early seasons are always my favorite with any of the Star Trek TV franchises after the original series.

I have grown to appreciate "enterprise" and "Deep Space Nine" in my old age.

I got the first three seasons of Deep Space Nine for Christmas. So, that is what I am presently watching.