So for some background, I grew up playing Guitar Hero and Rock Band. I started playing when the first game came out, and got better all the way up until Rock Band 3 was released. I've said pretty often that out of everything in my life, I was best at Guitar Hero. When looking back at my old scores on scorehero, they still rank top 500 in the world. But my junior year of high school, I stopped playing for the most part. I was introduced to Stepmania at the time, which was fun, but I never got fully into it. There were also a lot of people that played DDR at school, but it wasn't for me, either.

Maybe my Sophomore year of college, I started playing Osu!. I enjoyed watching twitch streams for League of Legends, and a player named Boxbox would play in between games. I started to do the same and found myself improving pretty quickly. Now, I wasn't great by any means, but I was consistently challenging myself with different tracks. But again, my interest with this game waned, and I stopped playing rhythm games for the most part.

Last winter, I took a trip to Texas to visit with some friends. While there, we went to an anime cafe that had an arcade section. This was my first experience playing several different games: Hatsune Miku Project Diva, Sound Voltex, and Jubeat really stood out the most. I also got to try out Beat Saber for the first time, but it hurt my eyes too much for me to want to really get into it again.

So that brings us to today. I have been greatly enjoying Muse Dash. I've been travelling with my Switch and playing a few songs during my lunch break now. I'm already approaching a skill ceiling for me (mostly because my hand has started hurting from too many spam sections). However, something I can still play to improve on is my overall timing. I am regularly early/late for notes, and that can be practiced on easier songs that don't cause me pain.

The tracklist is also really nice, and it looks like the game gets monthly updates, as well. I've also been using some art from the game for my desktop background as well as my profile pic for different services. And now I'm looking at other rhythm games to potentially pick up. Musynx is the number 1 contender, mainly for the soundtrack. I'd also like to pick up one of the Miku games, but I'm not super into vocaloid music (yet). I'd also like to get a special controller to play with. My hope is that it would help me control my hand pain when playing more difficult songs.

#100daystooffload #daysixty #gaming #rhythm #musedash

#100daystooffload #dayfiftynine #raspberrypi #gaming

Nowadays, I'm focusing a lot on the video side of the equation. I've come to the conclusion that I want to try playing all of my devices on a modern 4k display. For some things like the PS4 and the switch, it's easy. But as we go back in time, things get tricky. I have an NES, a Gamecube, and a Wii, with no way to hook them up. I'm saving up to get an OSSC now to at least alleviate the Wii side of things. The NES will likely need to be modded, and the Gamecube will sit pretty on the shelf (it doesn't have digital output, so it's gonna be stuck regardless).

The next piece of the puzzle is ensuring everything can be easily sent through a capture card in order to stream. Luckily, a friend helped me save a lot of money by recommending I get an HDMI matrix instead of an AV receiver. I found one on Ebay and made the plunge. So far it has worked great and I may end up picking up a second, just to increase how many devices I can run through at one time. I also picked up an HDMI Splitter to let me capture footage from my PS3 as well.

Once the video side of things is completed, I'll switch back to audio. I wouldn't mind having a simple soundbar to increase the sound quality over the TV speakers. I'll also end up trying to get a bluetooth transmitter, as well as a headset to keep my mic quiet during streams. At the moment, though, it isn't important since I can just monitor the audio from my laptop with minimal lag.

Barring 8K being adopted in the mainstream, I should have an extremely versatile setup by the end of it all. I'd be able to swap out the TV without stressing about the overall workflow.

#100daystooffload #dayfiftyseven #gaming

Holy moly, this TV is huge in that room. It feels like it takes up the entire wall. It's an upgrade from the 49” TV my mom gifted me. The screen quality is perfectly acceptable for me at this time. The main drawback is it only has 2 HDMI inputs. I have several consoles to hook up, and I really dislike swapping cables around if I want to play something else.

The original solution I came up with was I would need to buy a receiver. I found one that I knew would work without compromising on loss of quality. I was just going to have to save up $600 to get it. I ended up talking with a friend way more familiar with gaming AV stuff, and he suggested I save some money and get a thing called an HDMI matrix. I'd never heard of it, but it's essentially a receiver without all the bells and whistles to do surround sound and whatnot. So I dropped $50 to get a used one on Ebay that should fit in nicely with my setup.

With the money saved, I think I'll end up getting an OSSC and another Raspberry Pi. I'll still wind up under my initial budget, and I'll have an even better setup. Stay tuned for updates :)

#100daystooffload #dayfiftythree #gaming

Fast forward to about a year ago and I legitimately bought a copy of the game to play a bit with friends. I ended up doing a trial for a server and we goofed around and made a small hub area, but that was it. Our schedules kinda prevented us from playing together, and on top of that, I still wasn't getting hooked in.

When I first got my domain, I also tried my hand at hosting my own server. I used a guide to get everything hooked up to Google Cloud, and got it working. It was a learning experience more than anything, and was retired within a few days. But I really liked the idea of building up my own site with a few additional applications.

So this past weekend, I decided to take a bit of a plunge. A friend in a Discord server had a birthday recently. They constantly watch different minecraft vids and play with others in the server using Hamachi. So I splurged a bit and got a server started. And with this time, I'm actually enjoying playing. I've done a bit of exploring and light building and it's been a good time. Unfortunately, schedules have kept me from playing with a few people on the server, but they've been making good progress on their own. I hope one day soon we'll all be able to do a celebration of sorts together.

#100daystooffload #dayfourtyeight #gaming #minecraft

For this session, I wanted to see how he would feel sitting back and watching me go through a more cinematic game: The Last of Us. Initially, I just wanted to go through the introduction with him, but he got pretty invested in it, especially after the car crash. I can remember him calling out “Is this a game?”, and being awestruck with how far gaming has come, visually and thematically. There was a hint of sad frustration in his voice when we finished the tutorial, “With everything going on in the world right now, why would someone make this game?” He was surprised when I told him the game was nearly 10 years old at this point, with a sequel that was released just a few months ago.

We ended up stopping at the point where Joel meets Ellie for the first time. I'm not sure when we'll get another chance to play through some more, but it was a nice two hour experience that the two of us can remember for a while.

#100daystooffload #dayfourtysix #gaming #personal

Custom Firmware

When most people refer to hacking their game consoles, they usually mean having 'custom firmware' installed. Many consoles nowadays have some form of security on them to make sure only approved programs can run. Installing Custom Firmware is a way to bypass the security so anything can be run without issues. There are risks involved, but for me, the benefits make it worth it.

Homebrew

For many, being able to run custom software is a big reason why they hack their software. Homebrew can range from homemade games to utilities that boost performance to screen capture tools to ports of games like Doom. The possibilities for homebrew are pretty much endless, and will help keep some of your favorite consoles alive. For developers, they are able to learn more about how the system is designed to run. For users, the system gains more features than ever before. Some of my most used homebrews are custom themes, VitaDock, emulators, and the aforementioned Doom ports.

Custom Patches/Mods

Have you ever wondered how that one YouTuber was able to do a Pokémon randomizer? Or maybe you prefer playing a JRPG with the original Japanese dub? With custom firmware, it is possible to make these changes.

Game Dumps & Backups

This is the bread and butter of why I enjoy having hacked consoles. When I started university, I gained an appreciation for digital downloads for games. At the time, I was primarily gaming on my PC, so it made the most since to just use Steam. Being able to have so many games on the machine ready to run without having to scramble for a disc is a great convenience. As I shifted back to console gaming, I continued buying games digitally. This was extremely useful with my 3DS, so I wouldn't have to carry multiple cartridges if I couldn't decide what to play. However, a major limitation of digital games is the lifespan of the storefront. For example, when the Nintendo Wii Shop went down last year, any games bought could no longer be downloaded. I realized it was always going to be important to have physical games, just to keep them going into the future. With the help of custom firmware, many consoles are able to 'dump' the ROM from the physical game to an SD card. An added bonus to this is I can keep any discs or cartridges in great condition since they will no longer be in use (how many times were you unable to play that PS1 game because the disc was scratched up?). This does get into a bit of a legal gray area, but I personally prefer using my own games as backups and keeping them on the shelf for collection purposes.

Closing

Originally, hacking consoles seemed pretty nerve racking. But I'm happy to have made the jump. I use my Vita fvita community could make simpler terms for stuff. Like “ How do I install backups ” is pretty confusing for a total noob.or most gaming, since it is the most convenient to take with me. It's a glorious system that still has a lot of life in it, even though Sony dumped it so quickly in the west.

Special Thanks

One of my favorite sources for Homebrew information has to be Modern Vintage Gamer (Youtube). As a homebrew developer, he has more insight into exactly how things work than I ever will. His videos are short and informative, and I wouldn't know half the technical details of hacking if it weren't for him. The hacks.guide website is constantly updated with the most up to date information on hacking 3DS, Vita, and Wii consoles. Lastly, all of the devs and pen testers that make hacking possible.

#100daystooffload #dayfourtyfour #gaming #hacking

Several games I have include the same mode as well: Animal Crossing, Kingdom Hearts 3, Final Fantasy XV, and Monster Hunter: World to name a few. As I go back and play through them again, I will try using them more, just to see what I can come up with.

#100daystooffload #dayfourtytwo #gaming

A few other changes I've noticed are how I almost never stay up later than 10pm. Though I've never been one for alcohol, my overall consumption is minuscule compared to the college days. But there are positives as well: I dress a better when going out. I clean more regularly (and more thoroughly).

#100daystooffload #dayfourty #gaming

So this is the first Borderlands I am playing through entirely with someone else. My friend Beth is a big trophy hunter, and we planned on doing this platinum together. She's never played a Borderlands game at all, so her experience and approach is vastly different than mine. But we've been steadily moving through and making progress and are a little over halfway through the story now, with a decent chunk of side quests complete as well.

I became invested in the story with the introduction of one of the antagonists, Tyreen. She fits in perfectly with a lot of my other favorite fictional characters, so it makes sense when reflecting on it. I'm regularly left wondering what her motivation is. The lore of the Borderlands universe has been shown in several games, but there is still a lot to be told.

The gameplay loop is pretty par for the course for the franchise, but I can't really get a good ranking (compared to BL2) until the late game. Throughout the grind of the base game, your build changes regularly, along with your playstyle. I've also been playing through the game with three characters, so it is still very new and just different. I tend to rate the gameplay based on the endgame routine, so there isn't much to say yet.

As mentioned, I have three characters. Two are for different co-op playthroughs and the third is a solo character. I'm eating this game up. I'm sure I will make the fourth character as well, just for maximum flexibility for raid bosses. My initial thought is the fourth character will be used for public co-op to see how the community grind goes.

I also picked up a PS4 pro, so I'm experiencing the game with improved performance, and can say it looks and feels smooth most of the time. It might drop frames due to tons of particles, but it isn't too distracting compared to the drop on the base PS4.

Hopefully by the end of the month, I'll write a full review for the game. Keep an eye out!

#100daystooffload #daythirtynine #gaming #borderlands #borderlands3