tomkatt

Same. I loved the PS1 and PS2.

It's been easy enough to set up a gaming PC in the living room for both desk and couch gaming (my gaming rig automatically switches to the TV if the TV and receiver inputs are on). Sony exclusives just aren't what they used to be, and I haven't really cared much since the PS2/PS3 era. I sold my consoles in 2012 and haven't looked back, still more games than I'll ever have time to play.

In the early 00s I made a fair bit of money as a side hustle fixing stuff that the Geek Squad had messed up.

I did this for a bit in the late 90's and early 2000s. Didn't really do many jobs (I had two jobs and college to deal with already). Eventually quit altogether after a pastor gave me a computer to fix that was riddled with porn and malware. I cleaned it up, gave it back in good shape, and a few days later he wanted his money back because it had viruses again and said I hadn't fixed it.

I told him I'd give him his money back if I could look at it right then and there and confirm he didn't download a bunch of porn again. He took the machine and left without another word. It was small change stuff that was more hassle than it was worth, and that was the end of it for me. I do not need to know this stuff about people.

Fuck. Yet another company I donate to behaving like shitheels. Fuck. No more donations I guess.

Thankfully I’m not paying it. Even before the AI boom I saw the overall upward trend in power costs. I went solar with battery backup when I had my house built and I bought enough to be at or above 100% offset with net metering. The only thing I pay is the grid-tie connection fee each month, and I get a small check from the power company each year for any overage I generate.

I run into it often, but I live in a rural place where eggs are commonly sold in huge quantities (like bulk 5 and 1/2 dozen cartons). Usually I'll find another carton that's got cracked eggs as well, and swap for some good ones.

I hope to be on that path. I’m in my 40s and tired of the grind. Nowhere close to retirement yet, but I am likely on track to pay off my house early in the next two years (maybe 7 years into a 30 year mortgage) which will go a long way.

I’m saving as much as I can and hoping I can retire lean in my mid or late 50s.

Right now though all I can think of is that I need a sabbatical after my current job ends (either layoffs or just quitting) because I really need a break.

Maybe consider some of us just want to play with friends and/or spouses or partners.

Reintroduce LAN play and locally hosted multiplayer servers. IDGAF about playing with randos, I just want to play with my wife, and I’d prefer it to not be something that can shut down because the company went broke or didn’t care anymore.

Seriously, I barely play any new games, and pretty much no AAA that have come out the last few years. This year I've finished:

• Splinter Cell Chaos Theory, Conviction, and Blacklist
• Super Mario World
• Grim Dawn (co-op)
• 999 (9 Hours, 9 Persons, 9 Doors)
• Across the Obelisk (multiple times, wife and I play this co-op)
• Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin
• Stella Glow
• Ball x Pit
• Rainbow Six Vegas 2
• ChainStaff
• 9 Years of Shadows
• Ace Combat X
• Live A Live remake

And currently I'm playing Megacopter: Blades of the Goddess solo, and Divinity: Original Sin 2 with my wife.

I'm having a blast tearing through the backlog this year, and I've barely bought any games compared to previous years. My Steam Deck alone has like 150+ games on it I'm looking to play through, and that doesn't even account for all the retro games I'm looking to play via emulation.

Been on Linux since 2015 as my daily driver, and since 2023 for my gaming PC. Pretty much zero issues, and in some cases, much better performance and compatibility than Windows.