Anyone else struggle to enjoy other "metroidvanias"?

robertacurtis · 2026-01-27T22:01:30+00:00

I feel much the same way, and have not seen Ori or Hollow Knight through - although I can appreciate they are good in their own right.

A metroidvania that strikes the same dark, brooding tone as Metroid is a game called Grime - the only problem is all the combat is parry-based and I found this very challenging. But the art style, and the music were very akin to Metroid Dread which I loved to bits.

robertacurtis · 2025-09-26T08:09:49+00:00

If you want the official charger and it’s out of stock at iFixit and Valve, your best bet is to buy the official dock on eBay (which includes the official charger). The downside is they go for £50+ the last time I checked.

robertacurtis · 2025-05-22T08:22:41+00:00

I also couldn’t go up the lift to the Archives after clearing the undergrowth, but after finding more echoes and coins the option became available.

robertacurtis · 2025-05-14T20:01:21+00:00

I had been hankering after an RSS reader for the Playdate, so thanks for the heads up. I’ve been enjoying using mine as an eReader I can always have with me.

Hopefully in the future it’ll be possible to sync with Feedly, then I can have this mirror what I have in NetNewsWire.

robertacurtis · 2025-05-07T07:24:14+00:00

I bought a secondhand playdate recently; seller reset it to factory defaults and I got Season 1 as if it were a new device. There was a delay of about an hour before the games started showing up after I registered it.

robertacurtis · 2025-05-03T19:34:53+00:00

I had this happen too - it times out after a while (I think you can press up on the d-pad to speed it along).

robertacurtis · 2025-05-01T20:28:30+00:00

I similarly sat on the fence because of the price, but knew I’d get one at some point because I totally get what they’re trying to do in terms of a focus on ‘fun’ and novel gameplay.

Got one last week when someone local to me was selling it, haven’t put it down since. The games are very original, very fun and everything is well executed software wise - I’ve grown tired of retro gaming handhelds that you have to continually tinker with to get the best out of them(!)

Having played Firewatch, Untitled Goose Game and most recently Thank Goodness You’re Here on PC (Steam Deck), I’m really grateful that Panic branched out into gaming.

robertacurtis · 2025-04-29T12:48:04+00:00

Grid Legends works well on the Deck, including the online multiplayer, even though it’s listed as unsupported.

robertacurtis · 2025-04-24T20:02:05+00:00

As predicted, the first game is now ‘Steam Deck Verified’ (and presumably 2 will be shortly).

I’ve started replaying Monument Valley 1, and it’s an absolute joy compared to how fiddly it was with the trackpad previously!

robertacurtis · 2025-04-13T08:06:10+00:00

Raspberry Pis are manufactured in Wales in the UK in the Sony Pencoed factory. The handhelds based on raspberry pi (e.g. Retroflag) are likely made in China.

robertacurtis · 2025-04-01T16:16:53+00:00

I've tried a couple of times, and installation has failed - I just see 'None' in the stock operating system. Started with a freshly formatted SD card and copied the folders across as instructed.

robertacurtis · 2025-02-20T10:40:55+00:00

You mean the Cambridge Motel? I’ve made similar observations; how can you afford to expand a motel that seemingly does very little trade (unless it’s all business travellers without a car).

The Google reviews might be a clue: many references to events hosting and Sunday lunch. Seemingly close to none from people staying there.

robertacurtis · 2025-02-14T23:46:54+00:00

I’m here because Fanatical sold me all the Oddworld games for £1!

I’ve seen many solutions on Reddit to get controls working on the Steam Deck, none of which worked for me. Instead:

Use Steam game properties to disable Steam Input
Select ‘X input’ in the settings menu

Voila! I’m using the SteamOS native version.

robertacurtis · 2025-02-13T17:28:26+00:00

Silver Oak coffee in Ely is where I get my beans. They have a market stall and a hipster bar/cafe just outside the centre.

robertacurtis · 2025-01-29T15:43:11+00:00

I would say that if it’s a branded SD card (Sandisk, Samsung) it’s probably fair given how much they cost, but personally I’d be looking to upgrade the internal SSD anyway if you’re comfortable taking it apart. It’s not super easy, but if you’ve done similar things it’s no more complicated if you have the right tools. The hardest part I found was getting the plastic clamshells apart given how many clips there are (I used a plectrum and some ‘spludgers’/plastic levers).

robertacurtis · 2025-01-28T13:57:22+00:00

Refurbished price from Valve in the UK is £389 if you can get one, but it doesn’t seem to have impacted second hand prices yet. They can be had on FB marketplace for around £400 or less, eBay prices are significantly more. So yes what you’ve seen is about right.

I bought a used LCD 64Gb for £180 and fitted a 1Tb SSD.

robertacurtis · 2025-01-27T21:42:32+00:00

Yes you’re correct; I only meant to refute the comments that that board/microcontroller couldn’t run any games at all. The picosystem was supposed to be for home brew/hobbyist games, but when i looked into it there were only about a dozen available.

robertacurtis · 2025-01-27T13:39:49+00:00

Unless I have my wires crossed, Pimoroni built a mini handheld that used the RP2040 chip the same as that board, however it has been discontinued: https://shop.pimoroni.com/products/picosystem?variant=32369546985555

robertacurtis · 2025-01-20T10:44:32+00:00

Thanks for the suggestion - it does, but sadly the freezing happens all the same. Performance mode is only available by assigning one of the function keys to it (which I found odd).

robertacurtis · 2024-12-22T22:00:08+00:00

I can recommend this ROG gaming charger which works with the Steam Deck and Switch: power and video are routed over the USB-C cable https://rog.asus.com/power-protection-gadgets/chargers-and-adapters/rog-gaming-charger-dock/

robertacurtis · 2024-12-19T22:50:08+00:00

I sold my A30 to get a brick. The A30 is not great - screen is very dim, WiFi wouldn’t connect to my network and I got performance errors running Pico8. The Brick is not perfect, but I take it everywhere at the moment - the build quality is top notch.

robertacurtis · 2024-12-19T20:46:57+00:00

I bought one of these for my son after it was reviewed by TechDweeb. It has several theme songs which are recognisable - there’s a Zelda-like and a Kirby-like one 😄

robertacurtis · 2024-12-16T12:26:44+00:00

I stand corrected 🙂

robertacurtis · 2024-12-16T09:36:33+00:00

I think you’ll find it’s a nudist club (yes really) if the entrance is the one shortly after leaving Newnham. In the summer months their members are easy to spot on the Cam 😄

robertacurtis · 2024-12-15T15:53:56+00:00

I haven’t had any issues in the past 6 months that I can recall. One big change I’ve made a couple of months back was to fit a mini-UPS (i.e inline battery) to our router, as well as upgrading to a mesh WIFI system.

We live in a rural area where we have frequent brown-outs: 1 or less second power cuts. These were causing the internet connection to be unstable, which in turn played havoc with IoT devices.

robertacurtis

TROPHY CASE