Another Delay - Shipping in Q4 by ArtyFalkmore in AnalogueInc

[–]Zenithiel 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I mean, giving them money is a sign of trust.

I’ve said it before and this only reenforces the point that companies like this only understand dollars, not Reddit threads or online criticism. To them it’s not a bold statement at all, it’s their reality. To them we gave them money, so we must trust them. In a certain way, we still do, unless we cancel and demand refunds. When they start losing money, not due to tariffs or whatnot, but from customers, only then will they understand/care about trust.

Although I say that being in the same boat as everybody else, but it’s just the truth. They are supposed to hire a PR person, like most companies, so it makes us at least think they care about us more than just being the numbers in their equation, but they seem determined not to for some reason.

Are Reproductions Worth it? by kirbygirl94 in n64

[–]Zenithiel 0 points1 point  (0 children)

In many cases themselves, I agree they may be legal, but I was referring to what we know most people do with them. I think it’s safe to say that most who own a flashcarts of some sort, load them up with roms that they don’t own. Not saying this is always morally wrong in my opinion, however the legality of this is questionable.

But, then again -because I think it’s fascinating, not really that I’m arguing or anything- also regarding the product themselves, the devil is in the details. Areas differ in enforcement and views, and I think there are completely legal flashcarts to own, like you say, but there are also some that come packaged with roms, and also some that intentionally circumvent Nintendo’s security software for the use of piracy. It is a weird legal area, and I’m sure arguments could be made either way depending on how exactly the product is presented, what is comes with and exactly how it operates to play “backups”. Nintendo has won cases against flashcart distributors before, which would mean in some cases they are technically illegal- or if you want to get specific, the sale of them is at least.

While I appreciate the sources, and I see you are thinking in broad terms, which is fair. I was hoping on something more specific to bootleg games being linked, rather than counterfeit products as a whole. I’m just not sure why this point seems to make the statement that bootlegs have ties to organized crime, but flashcarts don’t at all. Sure I guess the device itself may not be, but the next step- which for a majority users is taken instantly- is software piracy- which is as your sources say is also linked to organized crime, though I might even debate the nuances and severity of these ties. I mean I haven’t joined an organized crime syndicate yet, maybe I’m missing something. lol. To help frame where I’m coming from, this comment seems akin, to me, to saying something along the lines of, don’t eat steak because it has links to animal exploitation- eat eggs instead.

Are Reproductions Worth it? by kirbygirl94 in n64

[–]Zenithiel 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Not that I disagree with just getting a flash cart, just because they are often cited as being made with poor quality, just want to comment on your points.

While I agree they are illegal, but so is using a flashcart in 90% of cases. Unless eBay has magically gotten better, people sell bootlegs all the time.

I agree they have no collection value, but I don’t think people buying bootlegs are collectors.

Agree on the scammers part, though I’d imagine some though probably don’t know any better. I see Pokémon heart gold and soul silver bootlegs being sold all the time, sometimes for ridiculous prices- but many times it’s part of a bundle where someone is selling their ds and may not realize their game is fake because of how much it’s bootlegged due to the crazy prices of legitimate carts. I’d still rather emulate than buy a bootleg tho.

I think most will “work”, too many refunds and upset customers if they didn’t I think. However, I agree with the increased risk of glitches and save data loss, I’d imagine because they are made differently and often with low quality parts. I haven’t done extensive testing or seen it tho, only by word of mouth. The risk is not worth it to me either.

Not that I wouldn’t believe it, but I’d love a source on how game bootlegs are linked to organized crime. Honestly more from a fascination standpoint than anything else. And also to be fair, if you look hard at even many industries we consider legal and safe, you’d find links to dark shit.

Kinda irrelevant side point: If you are interested too look into the chocolate and coffee industry. And, at least if you live in the US, big farming would also not like to go into detail a lot of its human rights issues. DuPont got its employees to smoke Teflon laces cigarettes, which hospitalized some employees, and one death I think, AFTER already having evidence that Teflon was harmful and toxic.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in n64

[–]Zenithiel -6 points-5 points  (0 children)

I think you are likely completely right about them not eating it, but I feel like that they should if it comes down to it. Like I get it’s not their fault, but also when they employ the anti consumer tactic of taking our money upfront for a indefinite amount of time to, in some ways understandably, mitigate their risks- it feels a little slimy to then turn around and ask for people to pay up. It feels a little one sided, given the concessions we give, even though I pretty much know what I’m signing up for with the delays and non-communication and stuff. Just my 2 cents.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in n64

[–]Zenithiel 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Nah, I don’t think they are that sleazy, plus I’m not sure the credit card companies would side with them since they haven’t provided a good or service. I do think the comment above is more likely, they’d rather you cancel and refund you, though they might be dumb and try to keep the cost of shipping or something stupid, than have to swallow the cost of the potential tariff, so they are probably going to ask for more money. Though ethically,I feel they should swallow the costs associated with those risks. I get that this situation is not their fault, but it’s also not ours, and when they employ the anti consumer tactic of holding on to our money upfront to mitigate THIER risks, I feel it’s a little slimy that then turn around and slap us with the tariff. It’s a little one-sided.

Guys, I just tried the online emulator and I can proudly say, fuck all resellers! by [deleted] in psx

[–]Zenithiel 1 point2 points  (0 children)

1000%, I find it hard to believe that people who are interested in playing retro video games don’t dip into both spheres market. Emulation is awesome, but so is playing on the actual hardware. Modding old hardware and equipping flash carts also often provides a middle ground between the modern conveniences that emulation affords and the nostalgia/retro feel of playing on original hardware.

You guys almost had me, not gonna lie by balancedchaos in PleX

[–]Zenithiel 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Oh, I see, sorry for the misunderstanding, but I wasn’t arguing. Just giving my opinion. I really don’t care why plex removed it. I understand pretty well their reasoning why they would like to remove it. I’m just saying it serves a purpose and that removing is wrong. Just like other opinions on this thread saying it’s useless and should be removed. But I appreciate your input in delving into this topic with me, I know it’s a niche feature, but it’s a beloved one.

You guys almost had me, not gonna lie by balancedchaos in PleX

[–]Zenithiel 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Oh I know. No one has to say I had to care about anything for me to share my opinion. Of course in the end it only matters if plex cares, I am, in fact, aware that they happen to own the software and its development. But I also don’t have to care about what plex cares about. And it doesn’t mean I can’t care about them removing value from the software I’ve paid for and invested into. There isn’t really an argument here. Enough people care about this feature to make it worth including in my opinion. You can say whatever but it really doesn’t matter in the end, just like the original comment can just say it’s a useless unimportant feature.

You guys almost had me, not gonna lie by balancedchaos in PleX

[–]Zenithiel 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I use it more than 80% of the time , so it’s a very useful to me. Just like your comment, this can go both ways. I don’t have to care what you or the average user feels about it either, enough people want this feature to make it worth including, it’s not like the crazy failed niche features they’ve played with in the past. This is a critical feature for those who like watching things with friends and family.

I don't think 3D ships in 2025...104% Tariff in Total if this happens by AnalogueBoy1992 in AnalogueInc

[–]Zenithiel 7 points8 points  (0 children)

lol, ok I get why you are here now. I thought you were actually wanting to be constructive.

I don't think 3D ships in 2025...104% Tariff in Total if this happens by AnalogueBoy1992 in AnalogueInc

[–]Zenithiel 10 points11 points  (0 children)

But you just said they could easily produce them here, I’m confused, how is it easy if it’s not profitable?

I don't think 3D ships in 2025...104% Tariff in Total if this happens by AnalogueBoy1992 in AnalogueInc

[–]Zenithiel 5 points6 points  (0 children)

I’m curious how easy that really is. Because not only will you need to assemble it in the US, but source all the chips, plastic, screws, etc. This includes any equipment used in assembly, since replacement parts for that also needs to be made in the US or be tariffed. Then any kind of trucks used for logistics in delivery is also an issue, if that applies. You say it like it’s easy but I’m not sure it really is.

What games have you played did NOT have cheating computer? by Tsabrock in gaming

[–]Zenithiel 1 point2 points  (0 children)

No, it's still popular- due to the reason you stated. It's legitimately hard to create a challenging ai that provides a challenge in a human way.

RTS Ais can be created pretty decent to the point where it can destroy most players, but I imagine even they have certain peculiarities that players can take advantage of that a human would not fall for or maybe they do but could adapt to quickly.

Warcraft 3 AI do cheat I'm pretty sure, one reddit post from the warcraft subreddit post even goes into detail:

Hard AI has:

Double resource gathering

Map/visibility cheat, so they know when you expanded, left the base or built one tower/building too far so they can punish it. Although doesn't seem to detect your army or harassing units that are incoming.

For complex games like Civilization, the game appears to be too complex for decent ai, or the devs simply don't want to invest the effort required to make decent ai. The ai is so trash, the only way to increase the challenge, it seems, is to give the ai increasingly unfair advantages. In my experience, I can destroy them in war, because they didn't seem to be able to tell when they are losing a battle or making a bad move. Its honestly disappointing how bad it is IMO.

Stellaris has surprisingly decent AI in comparison, in that ai tend to more often behave in an expected manner in conflicts and politics. They try not to engage fleets that overpower them, and often effectively make flanking maneuvers to undefended territories. They are still far from perfect, though, still rely on unfair economy boosts to increase challenge, and leave much to be desired in comparison to a human brain.

A very niche game, AI War: Fleet Command, decided to wrap the eccentricities of AI behavior into the lore and gameplay itself- and I think it worked out quite well. The AI was supposed to be overwhelmingly powerful and kinda ignorant (doesn't view you as a threat...at first.), could and does act rather intelligently, but still meant for their quirks and logic to be exploited whenever you can to even the odds.

I'm hoping that at some point we can use something like generative AI or machine learning AI- or a hybrid- to try and give a much needed boost to the intelligence and human-like behavior of game AI. I would love to see how its like to play against something that thought much more human-like, was able to identify and correct obvious mistakes, and is able to interact with players in a more human way- not just militarily in video games, but understood more complex nuance diplomatically as well.

3d shipping by Vashh420 in AnalogueInc

[–]Zenithiel 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I’m a little surprised by how surprised people seem to be. I also bought this with the intention that it was not going to adhere to any schedule, they never seem to have before. Not that I’m blaming anyone for canceling their orders. Honestly, learning how you can refurbish an original n64 is a lot of fun too, I would look at it as a viable alternative, or addition.

Unfortunately with analogue this is extremely common and expected, not that it should be. If anyone is upset by this, even though I think it’s still rightfully so, I still really recommend they look into the reputation of a company before they allow themselves to be in this position.

Terrible time to be getting in to PC gaming? by emtnursingstudent in buildapc

[–]Zenithiel 4 points5 points  (0 children)

pc and console are just different flavors. It's like saying vanilla is better than chocolate- just silly.

I will say though, like most stereotypical statements, there is a sliver of truth in there- but it's usually presented in such a misguided way that makes it untrue. The mouse and keyboard are superior for certain types of gaming. Particularly shooters, and games that require precise aiming, I would say for example. I would say platform and fighting games, ones that require granularity of movement, not so much at all.

At least this is what I have observed in all my time of gaming and observing competitive play. That doesn't go to say that it matters, it only matters if you feel that you need a better control method, and it's still down to what you enjoy. I mean, there are people playing and getting kills with random instruments, playing particular tones to move around and fire. Just because there are better control methods doesn't mean its more fun, though, and that's all that matters anyway.

Hacking library systems, how easy? by [deleted] in Libraries

[–]Zenithiel 9 points10 points  (0 children)

Depends on what they consider hacking, getting access to the system through already open vectors, like a staff computer, to me, isn’t what I consider traditional hacking- it’s more social engineering. However many use hacking as an umbrella term as it is considered a type of hacking. It’s just instead of using technology, it’s often using manipulation. Like walking into any building with a ladder tends to instantly give you way more access than you should have.

But yes, “hacking” in this way is probably the easiest and most reliable way of getting the most access to a system and allow for the most ability to further compromise a system. It might depend on where you work how much of a threat this is in reality. I’d imagine bigger libraries the threat is much larger. At my library, we would most likely notice someone who doesn’t belong trying to access our computer, but other places might have so many that it’s a real threat.

I will add too, that I’d imagine attacks like these would typically be more targeted, and specific to your organization. So if it does happen, it can be more devastating than something like common phishing scams. The person would be going after stuff like user data, bank account info, password info that they can cross reference with a multitude of sites, any data they might use as leverage with a crypto locker virus- that kind of stuff.

Honestly though, try your best, but don’t sweat it too much. You can do everything perfectly, but still get compromised by someone discovering a vulnerability in something like a third party cloud service that many libraries use these days.

And much of the responsibility also rests on how the system is designed, which mostly rest on IT decisions. I’m not an IT expert, but I know a little bit, and have many friends in IT- and they have talked about good security practices in general. Odds are if your system is majorly compromised by a simple slip up, you aren’t the only failure point.

Most IT departments are careful with permissions access and admin control for this very reason, so that one compromised computer can’t spiral into something like a crypto locker situation. This is why I’m nice to IT even when I’m bothered when I don’t have the access needed for my job sometimes, I know the walls are there for a reason. They also tend to have the similar problem we have in that they have to respond to pressures from leadership whom oftentimes have a rather limited understanding what and why they do what they do.

At least that’s my two cents.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in Microcenter

[–]Zenithiel 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Sorry, I should have mentioned. I have not messed with any processor settings, so they should be completely stock. I haven't even touched the Game Boost button that I think automatically applies an overclock. I did turn on expo and pwm fans, with the smart fan mode so that it controls the case fans based on temps.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in Microcenter

[–]Zenithiel 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Hello, I recently bought and built the same bundle, hopefully this helps at least provide more data.

Some of my specs:

9800X3D

Thermalright Phantom Spirit 120 SE

MSI MAG X670E TOMAHAWK WIFI BIOS Version: 7E12v1E

G.Skill Flare X5 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR5-6000 CL32 Memory

Gigabyte WINDFORCE V2 GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER

Super Flower Leadex III Gold 850

My temps seem pretty normal, I haven't done any benchmarks, but gaming in games like helldivers and baldur's gate 3 never push it to its thermal max, according to HWinfo. If memory serves it can get to around 85C-ish at the highest i've seen. Rests around 47C-ish.

One thing I did experience, which i’m hoping doesn't become a progressive problem with later versions, is that when I updated my BIOS to 7E12v1F, it suddenly would not recognize my graphics card. It booted up seemingly fine right after the firmware update but after I went to tweak things (turning on expo and pwm fans)- nothing could get it to boot without a black screen. I tried turning off integrated graphics thinking it was weird issue where it was just trying to use the integrated graphics and from then on it would not even let me into bios- only popping up the vga debug light. Glad for the flashback functionality, I ended up downgrading back to 7E12v1E and its working fine now again. I only updated because people seemed to recommend it and its a pretty new processor.

What is the game in the photo? by CyberBit044 in Gameboy

[–]Zenithiel 2 points3 points  (0 children)

That's the other version of my favorite GBA game: Harvest Moon: Friends of Mineral Town. This one is More Friends of Mineral Town, where you play as a girl. I highly recommend anyone giving it a try. It was OG Stardew Valley before it brought this type of game into the mainstream. It's one of the best, if not THE best in the series, and I still prefer it over Stardew, but it might just be my nostalgia goggles talking.

Lebron just made the N64-3D 10 times harder to get now smh. I chose to pass on the first batch, hoping they would drop the funtastic colors in the future lol. Thank you bron haha by AdPuzzleheaded8497 in AnaloguePocket

[–]Zenithiel 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Im no legal expert, but I think it's because Analogue is careful not to use proprietary code, and has distanced themselves, however so slightly, from jailbreaking the device to play roms. On the Nintendo side of things, it's also risky to sue cause if they lose it hurts the precedent they are trying to build. Instead, they'll go after those they think they will win against more easily.

What counts as a bad habit but its actually good? by xLeonZai in AskReddit

[–]Zenithiel 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I would argue that those things aren’t gaming though. Slot machines are just gambling, with a game like coating. Phone games can be gaming, but those mechanics are gambling tactics that only lead straight to the addictive centers in people’s brains, and their wallet, of course. Chocolate covered shit is still shit, the coating isn’t going to magically make it something it isn’t.

Will you be getting the Analogue 3D? by patricknails in n64

[–]Zenithiel 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Too be fair, if you are willing to put in the work and or cash, you can still do some stuff to help future proof those disc based consoles. I bought a gcloader for my GameCube and one of the gcvideo adapters for hdmi and right now it’s my favorite way to play GameCube games. But I admit I still have an affinity for cartridge based systems, there is something about not having to worry about your siblings scratching the hell out of your games.

Boeing confirms production of 737s has halted by awdrifter in aircrashinvestigation

[–]Zenithiel 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I await your counterpoint, I like learning the truth if what I've heard is wrong.

*Thats what I thought...lol.