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When lockdown-related stresses got to me, I found a lot of comfort in my old Nintendo DS Lite. I never saw the appeal of retro game collecting, but that combina

When lockdown-related stresses got to me, I found a lot of comfort in my old Nintendo DS Lite. I never saw the appeal of retro game collecting, but that combination of comfortable design, good battery life, and gentle screen display was exactly what I needed to ignore the doom scrolling and stresses triggered my more modern technology. I have been tempted to get an emulator console, but they all have brighter, higher resolution screens and shorter battery lives, so I don't actually know if I'll get in the same "flow". Maybe I'll reassess after I finish this stack of JRPGs (which may take a decade). Once everything became "connected" (around 2010), obsolescence became inevitable. That Psion5 or Zen Stone can remain timeless because they will never sync a contact list or download a patch. The owners know what they do, and seem confident that they will not fail.

illwrks 6y ago
I picked up a WiiU in 2018 but never really gave it much attention until lockdown. Wii Sports was a good bit of entertainment at times with my family, but I spent many nights playing Mario kart online with strangers, or playing Zelda Breath of the Wild and a few others. Being in lockdown is frustrating but the opportunity to explore a digital world and engage with other people online is a good distraction.
T-hawk 6y ago
I've been doing what you describe with emulator consoles during the lockdown as well. I got the NES and SNES classic versions, and they do indeed have that same effect for me. I use them on a TV with no other computer or cable hookups, and it's perfectly comfortable to get into the flow of the game with no doom-scrolling temptations or other distractions.
alasdair_ 6y ago
If you want a fun emulator project, try building a RetroPie arcade. I just finished one with my son for about $150, including the raspberry pie, the joysticks and buttons Amazon for $35), the wood for the enclosure and a super cheap screen and speakers. I’ve found so many fun arcade games that I never had a chance to play in a real arcade as well as galaga and other classics. Highly recommend!
- tarek_computer 6y ago
  That is great. Any good tips on the wood part ?
  - madengr 6y ago
    If you don’t have tools or desire for serious woodworking, you can get a nice cabinet here: https://www.monsterarcades.com/bartop-arcade-diy-kits https://www.monsterarcades.com/bartop-arcade-diy-kits I bought a full size one (furniture grade plywood) and stained it. Looks like a nice piece of furniture.
  - alasdair_ 6y ago
    We used 3/4 inch MDF (which is basically just sawdust and glue) along with a few 2X4’s. A regular saw works but I borrowed a jigsaw to make things easier. You will need a drill with a 1 inch wood bit to make the holes for the buttons. Hope that helps!
    - tarek_computer 6y ago
      Great. Thank you!
0xabe 6y ago
Which JRPGs?
damontal 6y ago
The sound on the DS Lite is really good too even compared with the 2DS and 3DS. If you hold it at the right distance you can get a really nice stereo surround effect.
kumarsw 6y ago
I also have a few vintage-ish computing devices from the pre-2010 non-connected era. One is an AlphaSmart Dana "smart" keyboard that runs a version of PalmOS which I use for notetaking. It emulates a USB keyboard so it's easy to send notes to any computer. I can write equations in Pandoc markdown and render in PDF later. The other is a Garmin GPSMap 62s from the late 00s/early 10s. Unfortunately, I'm unaware of open software to interact with it, but Garmin has shockingly kept the GPSMap 6x series in production and still provides updates for both the BaseCamp desktop software and firmware.

illwrks 6y ago

I picked up a WiiU in 2018 but never really gave it much attention until lockdown. Wii Sports was a good bit of entertainment at times with my family, but I spent many nights playing Mario kart online with strangers, or playing Zelda Breath of the Wild and a few others. Being in lockdown is frustrating but the opportunity to explore a digital world and engage with other people online is a good distraction.

T-hawk 6y ago

I've been doing what you describe with emulator consoles during the lockdown as well. I got the NES and SNES classic versions, and they do indeed have that same effect for me. I use them on a TV with no other computer or cable hookups, and it's perfectly comfortable to get into the flow of the game with no doom-scrolling temptations or other distractions.

alasdair_ 6y ago

If you want a fun emulator project, try building a RetroPie arcade. I just finished one with my son for about $150, including the raspberry pie, the joysticks and buttons Amazon for $35), the wood for the enclosure and a super cheap screen and speakers. I’ve found so many fun arcade games that I never had a chance to play in a real arcade as well as galaga and other classics. Highly recommend!

tarek_computer 6y ago
That is great. Any good tips on the wood part ?
- madengr 6y ago
  If you don’t have tools or desire for serious woodworking, you can get a nice cabinet here: https://www.monsterarcades.com/bartop-arcade-diy-kits https://www.monsterarcades.com/bartop-arcade-diy-kits I bought a full size one (furniture grade plywood) and stained it. Looks like a nice piece of furniture.
- alasdair_ 6y ago
  We used 3/4 inch MDF (which is basically just sawdust and glue) along with a few 2X4’s. A regular saw works but I borrowed a jigsaw to make things easier. You will need a drill with a 1 inch wood bit to make the holes for the buttons. Hope that helps!
  - tarek_computer 6y ago
    Great. Thank you!

0xabe 6y ago

Which JRPGs?

damontal 6y ago

The sound on the DS Lite is really good too even compared with the 2DS and 3DS. If you hold it at the right distance you can get a really nice stereo surround effect.

kumarsw 6y ago

I also have a few vintage-ish computing devices from the pre-2010 non-connected era. One is an AlphaSmart Dana "smart" keyboard that runs a version of PalmOS which I use for notetaking. It emulates a USB keyboard so it's easy to send notes to any computer. I can write equations in Pandoc markdown and render in PDF later. The other is a Garmin GPSMap 62s from the late 00s/early 10s. Unfortunately, I'm unaware of open software to interact with it, but Garmin has shockingly kept the GPSMap 6x series in production and still provides updates for both the BaseCamp desktop software and firmware.