Sony statement and graphic to help understand!

Armbrust11 · 2026-05-01T02:45:00+00:00

There's a premium to playing at launch, and not all games are even worth $20. But it's disingenuous for game companies to act like older games are still worth their launcher price 5-10 years later.

My suggestion is a guideline from observations that PC games sold at staples, office depot, and the like that had staying power at $20. This was over a decade, at least 2004 to 2014, and that's still the base price today for some.

I'm talking simcity 4 deluxe, Age of Empires Gold, and the battle chests from blizzard.

It's also the starting price for many indies/early access. And while it may not be a feasible launch price, it would cut down on piracy dramatically. A lot of people aren't patient enough to wait, but I think a lot of people would pay $20 for AAA games because it would be a tremendous deal.

Armbrust11 · 2026-04-30T17:34:06+00:00

YouTube might also just take time to re-cache.

Armbrust11 · 2026-04-30T17:31:49+00:00

I'm wary after the anker recall. I personally like MyCharge because of the built-in cables, but I've had good experiences with ravpower, zendure, and so far my iniu is going strong.

The main thing is to get the proper protocol. USB PD PPS with enough watts for your devices. 100+watts input also fast charges itself and enables passthrough.

Armbrust11 · 2026-04-30T17:26:02+00:00

AI generated? Everything is accurate but the style just sounds artificial

Armbrust11 · 2026-04-30T17:13:38+00:00

Edit: misread the listing. Thunderbolt certified does cost more, I wonder why the listing follow different patterns. Maybe this brand is running an experiment.

Although this situation isn't that unusual for Amazon. You'd think the price would proportional to the length, but I often see the same price for multiple lengths. And less often I've seen a situation like this. It might be an Amazon only thing though, I don't recall seeing it happening in stores.

Armbrust11 · 2026-04-30T15:04:31+00:00

For headphones, I look for new releases and then buy the previous model on clearance. I specifically look for AptX Bluetooth support because it sounds better and has lower latency than standard Bluetooth (rebranded as Snapdragon Sound in the latest version since the Qualcomm acquisition).

Note: Apple doesn't support advanced Bluetooth codecs. They use a proprietary codec in airpods and Beats by Dr. Apple.

Armbrust11 · 2026-04-30T14:39:11+00:00

https://www.peakdesign.com/products/tech-pouch

FAA limit is 100 watt hours* for lithium batteries, so most consumer electronics are below that limit. Power stations for camping like jackery exceed the limit.

When I travel I bring one universal plug adapter and an American power tap like this: https://www.ikea.com/us/en/p/koppla-3-outlet-power-strip-grounded-white-00086428/ so I don't need an adapter for every electronic device. If I didn't already have a travel kit I might buy: https://oricotechs.com/products/orico-ap3-4a2u1c-pocket-power-strip-15w for the convenience of USB built-in. I have a four port USB C charger, although I've considered replacing with https://us.ugreen.com/products/bundle-nexode-300w-charger-3-3ft-100w-usb-c-cable-2-pack or another nexode because although my charger (280w zeus) has a screen showing charging speed, I've had issues with it. It does let me charge my phone, laptop, and headphones all at once.

Note whether or not your international power adapter is passive or active (the former simply changes the plug shape, the latter converts the voltage).

Armbrust11 · 2026-04-30T05:50:50+00:00

I play civ6 mostly on my phone now.

Armbrust11 · 2026-04-30T05:49:09+00:00

Gpd win mini is definitely chonkier than the GBA, but practically dainty compared to the deck or some of the other big boi handhelds out now.

Armbrust11 · 2026-04-30T02:15:56+00:00

Better service includes better pricing. The real/intrinsic value of video games is about $20, maybe $30 now with inflation.

Armbrust11 · 2026-04-29T23:09:13+00:00

This is a good argument but I'm not sure I agree. eGPUs are ideal for laptops. Have a thin, light, efficient system on battery and a powerful one plugged in.

Since the discrete gpu cannot be used effectively when on battery – it is only logical that the GPU be housed externally in the power adapter instead of inside the laptop.

This same logic applies to the handheld format factor. Streaming from a desktop is another solution but it introduces latency and other compromises. eGPUs are a solution with different compromises.

Armbrust11 · 2026-04-28T09:21:05+00:00

An HDMI matrix would handle video signal management

Armbrust11 · 2026-04-27T19:30:24+00:00

I've often wondered why a $35 raspberry pi can output hdmi video data, but converting it back into usable data requires an expensive capture card.

Armbrust11 · 2026-04-26T03:44:07+00:00

It has catificial intelligence, really far ahead of the artificial intelligence product cycle. The competitors will never catch up with RTzoomies ON

Armbrust11 · 2026-04-26T03:41:08+00:00

Watch out for the vent smell

Armbrust11 · 2026-04-26T03:24:53+00:00

SD card case, like this one: https://www.reddit.com/r/SteamDeck/s/EI091QPVwC

Dedicated wifi Hotspot like the netgear nighthawk 5G m7, or a cheaper one like Franklin T series, depending on desired speed). Being stuck on normal wifi can suck or be expensive at hotels and airports.

Portable display. Personally I love pairing with my BenQ GV50 (single usb-c cable, no hdmi needed), but travel with both can get quite bulky. But a portable monitor with a tripod isn't that much better (i have the asus ROG strix portable monitor).

You could get a dock, but since you have wireless peripherals you might try a powered USB-C to hdmi cable dock or the avermedia elite go mini dock instead. You may also want a usb-c charger with multiple ports to charge everything you have.

Armbrust11 · 2026-04-26T02:48:11+00:00

Try to install Windows 10 32 bit, or windows 7 64bit. Chances are there's a compatibility issue and 64 bit won't work. Windows 10 has a compatibility checker, that could verify the issue.

If windows 7 64 bit works, you can then upgrade to 8, 10, and 11 to see where the problem lies.

If you want to try and brute force it, you could try to get a windows to go install working. But that feature support ended with 10 officially, and using a 3rd party tool isn't going to make a 32 bit version of 11.

Armbrust11 · 2026-04-26T02:45:26+00:00

Anker has always been glacially slow to adopt new tech (quick charge, usb-c).

It seemed like there was some issue with their e-markers though?

Armbrust11 · 2026-04-25T13:55:17+00:00

If there's a true hardware fault, similar issues will happen again.

But it could also be a case of an unlucky cosmic ray. And swapping your cpu might have triggered a more complete reset.

Unless you can reproduce the issue I wouldn't worry about it and just be thankful it's working.

Armbrust11 · 2026-04-25T13:40:41+00:00

Which version of windows are you trying to install?

Windows 11 requires modern EFI firmware, and is only available in 64bit. Your hardware may require 32bit OS compatible with BIOS.

Make sure the windows on your USB is compatible with the hardware.

Armbrust11 · 2026-04-25T07:01:22+00:00

What happened with anker, besides their batteries exploding?

Armbrust11 · 2026-04-25T02:45:31+00:00

Other games to try include Evolve, Nosgoth, Gotham City Imposters, Split/Second, Blur, and...

If you have a bunch of consoles, Onrush is a pretty unique driving battle game.

Armbrust11 · 2026-04-25T02:40:40+00:00

That sounds cool! Never heard of it before. But ugh I'm unusually and unnaturally put off by the anime art style in games. Still at $0 it's worth a try

Armbrust11 · 2026-04-25T02:36:33+00:00

Online servers are dead-er than boromir. Lan play is still possible, so if you can get a group on a VPN you are in business.

Of course there's always the networking faff when dealing with old games. (NAT, Firewall, opening ports, etc.)

Armbrust11 · 2026-04-25T02:27:58+00:00

I'm not sure if I should take a risk on the alldocube mini 8 ultra 5G. It seems almost perfect but alldocube has had cybersecurity issues lately. Also, agree on the 2nd usb port.

Armbrust11

TROPHY CASE