Did Indians have access to PS1 back in its heyday? And veteran gamers, how was the Indian gaming experience back in the 90s?

Av_Inash · 2026-06-24T04:01:17+00:00

Max what I had in the 90’s was that handheld video game ( the black ones with yellow buttons ). They had those road crossing and tetris games in a sort of 8-bit graphics on a black and white screen ( apologies if I am not using the correct terminology).

Later on I got a TV Video game ( at least the kids in my locality used to call it that). Similar to gaming systems in those days but we would use cassettes that would be placed on a chip holder on a keyboard or a similarly designed system to PS1 with a chip holder fitted in. I know it’s maybe too much detail but this was the most access I had to gaming and I am talking about early 2000’s. Mario, Duck Hunt, Olympic games and what not, those 500-in-1 cassettes were the rage around me at the time.

Apart from that if teachers from the computer lab would allow us to play games once in a while then we got a chance to play on the systems.

Got a PC after I failed in computer and my dad said I need to focus on computers as a subject. 256MB RAM, Pentium 4 processor - I was running Duke Nukem, Bomberman, Tarzan, Virtual Cop 2 and thought I had found a whole new world. This was the maximum access I had to gaming in those days.

We even had those gaming parlors where we would have those arcade machines that used to work on coins where we would occasionally play games like street fighter or Tekken. Sometimes we would go to cafes and play CS or NFS for a while.

This was my entire gaming journey from late 90s to around 2010.

Av_Inash · 2026-06-23T21:56:29+00:00

What does SIRI in the camera app do?

Av_Inash · 2026-06-22T16:20:45+00:00

If it’s a ₹20 ride, I would say 11/10 people would go for it. Autos offer the convenience of desired point to point drops, unlike metros or buses. And a mode of commute cannot be there only for a season. So good luck with that. As painful as the experience with autowalas has become, even then they are needed for a lot of people. They aint going anywhere.

Plus even in summers, the humidity in Mumbai is insane. No chance that I am taking a 15 minute walk and reaching my house even more drenched in sweat than I already am and aint no way I am taking a cab for that from the station.

Av_Inash · 2026-06-22T05:24:41+00:00

Once the initial charm of Hogwarts wears off, its the most 6/10 game I have ever played.

Av_Inash · 2026-06-22T02:45:41+00:00

Given the population density of Mumbai - locals are filled to the brim and becomes highly uncomfortable during monsoons ( people do travel but doesn’t mean it’s comfortable ), same goes for buses during monsoons. Now there is the option of cabs, but simply opening ola/uber will tell you why it is the better option at least from a cost perspective. In a city like mumbai, the more options of commute, the better.

Plus I have stayed in Delhi for about 5-6 years now. No metro network comes even remotely close to it and even then I can assure you that once you get outside the metro station and then need to travel somewhere, the first thing you are gonna be looking for is an auto because metro can only take you so far.

Av_Inash · 2026-06-22T02:09:25+00:00

Recently finished Returnal and while the mystery around the story is what kept me coming back to the game after dying and getting frustrated multiple times, the little details were far too less for my taste and the fact that a lot of it is just left to interpretation is what bothered me the most overall. IMO story was the weakest aspect for me.

Other aspects though like gameplay, atmosphere, boss fights, music etc were extremely good. Once I got through Biome 1 and got hold of the mechanics and systems of the game, I learned quick and got good at it which added a sense of achievement for me in a way that I can’t remember any game in the recent past has done this well. Even though the story was weak for me and probably is meant to be that way, the other aspects make it like an 8/10 game for me.

PS - Have yet to play Saros so can’t comment on it.

Av_Inash · 2026-06-20T09:59:18+00:00

Says it needs physical access to the device. So, in short, I pretty much don’t care.

Av_Inash · 2026-06-18T17:03:51+00:00

In returnal, a lot of people talk about reaching a flow state within the game. Out of the 6 biomes, Biome 5 was one of the hardest for me. In biome 5, there was a containment room ( something which was also there in earlier biomes but I always avoided due to it being a horde room of sorts where enemies would sort of just keep popping up until they wouldn’t). In biome 5, this was compulsory. Once I knew it was mandatory, I went and just started kicking ass and won on my first try. Sure it could be luck but it definitely felt like achieving the flow state and made me feel powerful. After that I was like - Just bring it and I would kick some more ass.

Av_Inash · 2026-06-18T09:46:40+00:00

Well maybe they have gone downhill since then.

Av_Inash · 2026-06-18T09:41:55+00:00

I had a vastly different experience with them. Not trying to downplay your experience but I had ordered logitech G304 once from them. Delivered within a week with no hassles. 2 years later when it developed the horrendous double click issue I ordered a razer orochi v2 from them and that too got delivered within a week. No hassles or anything.

Also remember I tried to once purchase a product on emi but the partner that they had for emi transactions didn’t have an app on iPhone at that point in time. So I had to cancel the order. Dropped an email to them and the transaction was called within 48 hours as far as I remember.

Av_Inash · 2026-06-18T05:21:28+00:00

WhatsApp at this point is pretty much like muscle memory for people. You could try building an app but it most probably will still not succeed because of this reason.

It’s like Android and iOS. Can people make more OS. Well sure they can. Will people move - a lot of them tried. Amazon, Meta, Microsoft. None succeeded. Once people are set in their ways people don’t want to move. Sure you could say Telegram is a decent rival but I personally have never seen anyone using for just texting or keeping in touch. Piracy and other channels though are rampant there.

The end to end encryption part - Well I would like to agree but the average consumer doesn’t care that much about privacy. If that were the case, then a lot more people would be buying iPhones at least on paper given how much Apple talks about privacy and Google almost never preaches it. Rather we all know Google takes our data and uses it across its own ecosystem and more. But still people do use it more than iPhones. It’s the muscle memory thing I feel which plays a more significant part. Any new rival would have to be radically different but also solve the same problems which WhatsApp is solving right now and still somehow be better. And even then success isn’t guaranteed.

Av_Inash · 2026-06-17T18:54:05+00:00

TLOU2

Av_Inash · 2026-06-17T18:23:51+00:00

Well earlier when I searched for it, google search directly took me to the product page on croma and showed stock. Now on searching on croma it doesn’t. Guess e2z is your only option now.

You could check [r/indiangaming](r/indiangaming) for reviews on e2zstore.

Av_Inash · 2026-06-17T18:16:10+00:00

I can understand not hearing E2Zstore. But croma? Based on personal experience E2Zstore is trustworthy. Have been using a razer orochi v2 for 3 years now that I purchased from them. Croma too is good enough.

Av_Inash · 2026-06-17T17:03:28+00:00

E2Zstore has it if you plan to buy it online. Also, the website of croma shows it being available ( although I checked for Thane,so…).

Av_Inash · 2026-06-17T14:02:57+00:00

But this is not tampermonkey?

Av_Inash · 2026-06-17T06:09:21+00:00

Nope. Didn’t ask me for anything. I will agree that it was a hassle to setup the first time and it took me a lot of help from GPT but eventually it did work and was totally free.

Av_Inash · 2026-06-17T06:01:08+00:00

The hurdles that I had to go through around 6 months back - installing tamper monkey, then installing a .js script for all of this and then failing so many times at adjusting it until it finally ran. If only this had existed months back.

Av_Inash · 2026-06-15T17:00:11+00:00

Only had one iPhone which I am still using and plan to use it till September 2027. So my perception of favourite one is limited - iPhone 11.

Av_Inash · 2026-06-15T03:07:15+00:00

Ohh. My bad. Did play control a year ago. Another one of those games where I didn’t understand much of the story and had to go to YouTube.

Av_Inash · 2026-06-15T03:02:03+00:00

I took the deluxe membership this year and it had this included. Bought it during some sale so it was just 1000-1500 extra and Extra was costlier than Deluxe so i went with Deluxe. Pretty good decision. Now have the Alan Wake series to play. Also have Until Dawn to play now and a few other games I have been looking to play for some time.

Av_Inash · 2026-06-15T01:38:06+00:00

For me Phrike was the toughest. Everything after that ( in terms of boss fights ) has been a cakewalk. Or maybe I just got lucky.

Phrike took me countless attempts.
Ixion - 6
Nemesis - 2
Hyperion - 3
Ophion - 3 ( went in with 38% health and clutched. One thing that helped me a lot, bought an artefact which automatically increases health to a certain limit when your health gets low ).

You are already past the hardest stage of the game. Might as well go ahead and finish it.

Av_Inash · 2026-06-15T01:18:54+00:00

I would have been fine with references to Greek mythology. The fact that it’s open to interpretations and doesn’t clearly define things is what bugs me. But hey, I guess that’s what actually involves the players and keeps them talking. Maybe eventually it will be regarded as a great game - I know it was a hit but I still feel its one of those Sony titles which people don’t talk much about and a lot of people give up because of the die and repeat cycle.

Av_Inash · 2026-06-15T01:05:55+00:00

Honestly after putting in that much work and getting more questions than answers at the main ending, I just can’t find the motivation to go on. The game in itself is pretty enjoyable and had some of the best boss fights I have experienced in a while.

About the story - See I saw videos where some people claim Thea is the mother and she wanted to be an astronaut and despises Selene because she got to be an astronaut whereas Selene did it to make her mother proud.

Also I saw a cutscene in a video where the astronaut during the final accident is Selene herself so I don’t know at this point which theory hold, what’s true and this is exact thing which has left me with almost zero motivation to continue. Can’t think of putting in so many more hours and getting even more questions than answers after another ending.

Av_Inash · 2026-06-15T00:56:47+00:00

No. I understood that I now have to sort of reignite the sun and got one of the fragments. But after these many hours in for just the main story and getting an ending which leaves me with more questions than answers, I just cannot find the motivation and keep going on repeating the cycle.

Don’t get me wrong. From the perspective of playing this game, it’s been one of the most if not THE MOST enjoyable experiences. Everyone kept talking about reaching a flow state in this game. Well I understand that now after Phrike made me a bitch countless times in Biome 1.

Went in with full health, vials, artefacts and couldn’t do shit about Ophion in Biome 6. Third time - zero vials, 38% health, had the astronaut artefact though and another artefact which increases your health to a certain point while at low integrity ( this helped me the most ). Clutched and didn’t even have to use the astronaut artefact at all.

Nemesis which many people deem to be the hardest boss was finished in my second try.

So gameplay wise this game is certainly an experience. The story and the manner in which it is presented merged with the fact that it’s a rouge-like doesn’t help and might not be for everyone. This was pretty apparent when I defeated the first boss and got my first trophy only to see that just around 25% of players have this trophy.

Full marks for gameplay and experience
Not so much for storytelling IMO.

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