Some of My Stuff

As you can see the majority of content here has been posted on the MyMedia sites and I thought it was time I did something specific for my blog. So I went around the house with my piece of crap Olympus camera(hence the shit image quality) and took a few happy snaps of the gaming stuff I've collected over the years.
Gaming is a big part of my life but it isn't the most important or else I would have all the latest and greatest gear as well as everything interesting that has been released in the past. But you know how it is when bills and loved once come first your habit...sorry, hobby comes second which in my opinion is they way to go anyway. The stuff show in following pictures I have collected over time some of which has been with me since I was a kid, and yes that Atari 2600 slim was one of them.


On the top of the shelves there's an Atari Lynx, Game Boy Advance(I have an SP but it's not pictured), Neo Geo Pocked and a Wonder Swan. Top shelf is the Nintendo 64 which I bought not long ago because my original ones were stolen along with my games. The middle shelf is an Atari 2600 slim and the Atari VCS(woody). Bottom shelf is an NTSC SNES.



Top shelf is a Sega Dream Cast and a limited edition Street Fighter controller for a PS2. Sorry the next two shelves are pretty dark but you can still make it all out. The middle shelf is a Sega Saturn and next to it is Sonic the Hedgehog 1, 2 and 3 for the Mega Drive. The bottom shelf is a Mega Drive with the Mega CD.


That's my lounge room set up, I've done what I can to integrate my nerdy hobby into an average lounge room setting lol. On the left of the TV there's a Wii which I've done a black case swap on. On the right is my 40gb PS3 that has had a 320gb hard drive installed, the keyboard and mouse on the coffee table are for the PS3. In the shelving compartment there's an original Playstation and a Game Cube. I want to get a bigger LCD TV at some point but this will do for now and my couch isn't too far away from the TV anyway and everything runs through the Pioneer 7.1 amplifier.

Here's some pics of other gaming stuff I haven't found a home for yet.

Atari games, NTSC SNES games PS1 accessories and what's left of my Commodore 64 collection.


My most recent addition is this PAL SNES with games, controllers and a Super Game Boy adapter. I still have to clean them up a little but I'll find a spot for it all soon.


I also don't mind a bit of PC gaming and here's my "multipurpose" rig. It's Q6600 2.4Ghz Intel Quad core with Zalman cooling core, 4gb DDR2 RAM, BD drive, Asus 9800GT GPU and some glowing case accessories thrown in there for good measure. It's good enough to run most games at full spec so I'm happy for now. I still plan to over clock the CPU and get a 24in monitor at some point. You can also see on the top shelf above the monitors there's a first gen PSP and normally there would be my DS Lite there but someone has wandered off with it -_-

Well that's it basically I hope this didn't come across as a "OMG look at all my shit" kinda post because that wasn't my intention. I like videogames and I wanted to share that plus I now I have something I can link back to an interesting discussion we're having over at MyWii.com.au check it out as there's lots of other cool pics of collections being posted there all the time.

Apple Pippin Retrospective

Some may have noticed that there has been an absence of these Retrospective articles for a while and I apologise to anyone who was been looking forward to them. Recently I have moved house and had to jump through hoops to get a half decent Internet connection, which made researching these articles a little difficult. Now I’m back on track and eager to take people down memory lane and or learn a little about the vast history in videogames.

CHECK OUT THE FULL ARTICLE HERE!

PS3 Hard Drive Change Over

After you have downloaded some demos, PSN games, installed a few installation data packs and added various media your PS3 hard drive starts to show its limits. It doesn’t matter what version of PS3 you have, extra storage space can always come in handy and upgrading to a larger capacity hard drive couldn’t be simpler. This is something I’ve wanted to do for sometime now and I only held back because opening your PS3 in anyway will void your warranty. Now my PS3’s warranty expired not long ago and my hard drive conveniently decided to kick the bucket so the timing couldn’t be better. Now as mention earlier the procedure will void your warranty and we will take no responsibility for any hardware failures or problems that you may encounter. Don’t let that scare you though, this guide will walk you though it step by step and once completed you’ll be shocked on how straight forward it is.

Choosing a Hard Drive

A Sata 2.5in hard drive

The PS3 uses a Seagate 2.5in Sata 5400RPM laptop hard drive. When it comes to selecting a new hard drive it’s all up to you on how large you want the capacity to be and it doesn’t matter what brand you use either as long as it’s an 2.5in Sata hard drive. 5200RPM is recommended although a 7200RPM will still work but some people have experienced overheating issues from the faster drive speed. It’s your call on the drive speed I personally recommend the 5200RPM drive just to be on the safe side. There’s a good selection of compatible drives on the market with a 320GB being around the $100AUD mark and 500GB costing around $160AUD, if you’re not in hurry it’s always best to shop around and as technology advances the prices of these hard drive will continue drop.

What you’ll Need

Equipment and tools required

• A replacement 2.5in Sata laptop hard drive.


• A external storage medium formatted to FAT32 for backing up data. Either an external hard drive or a large capacity USB flash drive will do the job.
• 
  
• Sixaxis controller, you’re not going to get very far with out one.


• The correct sized Phillips head screwdriver. It is very important that you have the correct sized screwdriver because the screws that hold the hard drive in place are securely fitted and it’s easy to thread the tops off. If this happens be prepared for a lot of extra work.


• A small flat head screwdriver or something with a small flat tip to pop open the hard drive dust cover


• A flat clean surface to work on


• Something to occupy your self while watching progress bars, some of these take upwards of 20 minutes

Backing Up your PS3 Data

If you have a brand new PS3 console and are game enough to pull it apart you can skip past this step. In the PS3’s menu select Settings> System Settings> Backup Utility> Backup and then follow the prompts to back up your system data. It is recommended to try and do a clean back up which means avoiding all unnecessary back ups. All media that’s on your PS3 that you can easily replace, demos and unused game data should be deleted. Not only will this reduce the risk of backup errors it will also speed up the process.

Removing the Original Hard Drive

The PS3 hard drive cradle exposed

With PS3 console disconnected from the power source and placed on a flat surface use your flathead screwdriver to pop open the hard drive dust cover located at the bottom on the console. With the dust cover removed the PS3 hard driver cradle will be exposed, in order to remove the cradle and hard drive you need to remove the blue anodised screw which you can see pictured above. This is the part when things can go sideways if you don’t be careful, make sure you have a Philips head screwdriver that fits the screw head perfectly or you can damage the screw quite easily. Hold the console with one hand (get someone to help here if you like) and using a sensible amount of force slowly remove the blue coloured screw. If you feel the screwdriver slipping out of the screw head then you need to apply more fore to the screwdriver.

At this point the hard drive is ready to be removed

Once the blue screw has been removed lift the wire latch located on the hard drive cradle and then slide the unit back. At this point the hard drive plus cradle is now ready to be extracted from the PS3 console.

Swapping over the Hard Drive

The original PS3 hard drive removed

Now that you have the PS3’s hard drive out of the console you do the swap over. There are four Phillips head screws holding the hard drive to the cradle, these screws are also tightly fitted so take the same precautions as you did when removing the blue screw. While doing this keep a mental note on which way the hard drive faces so you don’t have to do things twice.

The new hard drive fitted to the cradle

Place your new hard drive in the cradle and screw in the four screws. Pictured above is my 320GB Western Digital hard drive fitted to the PS3’s hard drive cradle. From here on you basically reverse the steps you took to remove the hard drive cradle. Place the new hard drive back into the PS3 console, slide it across until it locks into place, push down the wire latch and re fit the blue screw securely, clip the dust cover back on, plug everything back in and fire it all up.

System Restore

Once you turn your PS3 console on for the first time after installing a new hard drive you will automatically be asked to format the hard drive. If you just replaced a hard drive in a new PS3 console then you are ready to go from here, all you have to do configure the system settings to you likings.

To restore you PS3 to it’s original state prior to removing the internal hard drive first plug in the storage medium you used to back your system onto. Then via the menu go to Settings> System Settings> Backup Utility> Restore> and follow the prompts. (If you are interested in adding another operating system to the PS3 this would be a good time to explore that before you restore your PS3)

From here on you get the pleasure of watching a very uninteresting progress bar crawl its way across the screen and that’s it you’re done! See that wasn’t too hard was it? Once completed you can go back into the System Settings and under System Information you can see the amount of available hard dist space you now have and yes, just like every other system the PS3 will tax its fair share of space.
If you get stuck or are uncertain about anything there’s many knowledgeable members on this site that will be wiling to help you out.

Written by Matthew Armitage
Note:This guide is originally hosted on MyPS3.com.au anyone can use this information but please contact me first if you wish to host it on another site. Thank you.

Mattel Intellivision Retrospective

One of the Atari 2600's toughest competitors, broken promises, controversial accessories, industry firsts and millions of units sold. All of this plus much more in this weeks Retrospective article on Mattel's Intellivision. I've never personally owned a Intellivision or even knew a great deal about it, so I quite enjoyed researching information about the system. If something like this was around now today's gamers couldn't handle a few minutes with that pack in controller and would be reaching for the Wii Remote in no time. None the less it's still quite the interesting system for its time. Click the link below to check out the full article

CLICK HERE FOR FULL ARTICLE!

Video Game Collectors

Since the majority of the MySites are primarily focused around videogames it’s a fair call to assume that there’s a number of videogame collectors amongst us. Some people just end up with a stack of consoles and games from being too lazy to trade them in or even… god forbid chuck them out *weeps a little* Some of us are gamers that just can’t bare to part with the awesome memories that these consoles have given us back when they were in their prime, so a collection of the evolutionary steps in videogame technology are probably stashed away on the top shelf in a closet somewhere. Then there’s the die hard collector that will spend hours sifting through listings on ebay or bantering with a second hand dealer at some market place looking for that must have rarity. Wether you are one of the above or something in between, heck! Even if you want to check out some cool pictures of other members collection may I suggest you head over to MyDS.com.au and check out an interesting thread we have going on that’s all about videogame collections and collectors. Look I know that some of you are thinking “what’s the big deal it’s just a thread dude” well the main reason I’m here today spreading the word is because we’ve had a small taste of member’s videogame collections and now we want to see more. So if you have some gaming history stashed away somewhere in your house, fish out what you have, take a happy snap and post it HERE! It doesn’t matter if your collection is big, small or rare. If you’re a Sony, Nintendo, Microsoft, Atari, Commodore or Sega fan. Portable gaming, hobby computers or home consoles a collection is a collection and we would love to check it out. It’s not all picture posting though, there’s some good tips, general information and friendly discussion being bounced around as well.

Below are just a few shots of what the MyDS members have posted so far.

This is most of my collection, well the older stuff anyway

This is Doles284’s towers of power

This is BBking’s tribute to Nintendo

This is m24ychal’s collection of portable gaming

This is Insidious’s vast collection of Nintendo’s finest

That’s just the beginning and we hope to see more. I have to give a special thanks to the above mentioned members for letting me use their pictures.

Note: If any of the above images are too big just "right click" and select "view image" to get a full view.

Check it Out!

Getting some use out of the Wii's USB ports

When the Wii was first released Nintendo fans were pumped when they noticed not one but two USB ports fitted to the rear of the console. The common response was “OMG USB possibilities could be endless thank you Nintendo!!” Well we’re approaching the two year mark since the Wii first graced us with its presence and what has Nintendo given us that actually utilizes one of the worlds most common plugs? BUBCUS! That’s what. Ok there are a few things that are Wii related that have a use for the USB ports such as the USB LAN adaptor but WiFi is so common these days that most people haven’t bothered with it. We can jam a generic USB keyboard in there and tack away at the interwebz but how about a mouse? Bah! No one really uses the Opera Browser much anyway unless someone has hijacked their computer. Wii Speak will be the first accessory from Nintendo that will use it but that’s not out yet and there may be some time before we have any games that use it properly. The aftermarket accessory makers were quick to conjure up some gizmos in an attempt to jump on the Wii phenomenal success train. There’s an abundance of frumpy looking cooling fans available on ebay that sound like an out of tune tractor when turned on. These are pretty useless considering the Wii doesn’t over heat and speaking of useless, how about the combination fans units that come with a smooth pimpen coloured glow, a place to stash your Wii Remotes and a shoe rack…ok enough of my random loosely researched babbling I’m going to get of my butt now and find something useful to do with those dam USB ports before they rust.

Hopes and Dreams

So you’ve gone nuts and downloaded heaps of software from the Wii shopping channel and you’ve quickly chewed though the Wii’s enormous 512mb internal storage. The SD card system of deleting and reinstalling just makes you crazy and a sensible storage system is what you desire. The solution to your problem is to get a generic external hard drive and format it to FAT32 and plug that into one of the Wii’s USB ports are you are set. Nah just kidding that wont do squat but it is a feature that we have been screaming for such a long time and it just boggles my mind why it hasn’t happened. Anyway let’s do something about it… well try at least. I think if everyone got together and jumped on the “Everyone votes channel” and sent in the suggestion; “Do you want the ability to use an external storage device on your Wii” as a question Nintendo might get the hint after a few million suggestions all stating the same thing. Or option B would be to plug an external storage device in there, fire up your Wii and focus all your inner will power and concentrate on the two devices working together. Maybe the concentrated Zen-like force of millions of desperate Wii users might make it happen.

Staying Cool

No I’m not talking about those stupid USB fans that plug into the back of the Wii in an attempt to keep an already cool system cool. I’m talking about the fans that blow a steady steam of moderately cool air into your direction and are powered by the power of the USB port. These kinds of fans are common for people that use a computer all day and their boss is too much of tight ass to fork out for decent air conditioning. We can use this little device to make our Wii gaming experience more comfortable while we’re oozing with sweat from playing an exhilarating game of Wii Sports, Wii Fit or any other Wii game that has you bouncing around. Just plug the fan in and point it in the general direction of where you are standing but since in most cases these things have short leads and bugger all fan force you’re going to have to get pretty close to it in order to get any results. Handy Tip: Get a friend or relative to hold the fan closer to you wile you are playing. Please note that we will not take any responsibility if you accidently smash that person in the face with the Wii remote but we will accept any footage that you have managed to capture.

Cranking Up Your Mojo

So a lot of core gamers have been a little frustrated with the large number of Wii titles being released that are aimed at the casual gamer. Games like All-Star Cheer Squad and Wii Music makes the core gamer want sit but naked in a hot frying pan. Don’t stress too much as the good stuff can’t be too far away but in the mean time take the good with the bad. The good is that the Wii attracts all walks of people and most notably is the opposite sex. With the correct combination of words strung together to form a decent pick up line there’s a good chance that you can convince that special someone to come back to your place and check out Nintendo’s latest. After impressing that person with motion sensing technology plus the wonders of the balance board and it comes time to take a break nothing sets the mood like a good old Lava Lamp. Just think of all the late 60s and early 70s free love that was influenced by the classic lava lamp. Plug that puppy into the Wii’s USB slot and enjoy seductive sensation that once was all rage many decades ago. What happens after that is all up to you and don’t PM me screaming that it didn’t work or that you require further instructions. It should work its simple maths; Wii awesomeness + Seductive power of the Lava Lamp = You with more Mojo than a GoGo dancer…..that paragraph was so hard to keep clean o_O

What Smells Like Fish?

Fish can be great pets, they’re quiet and they don’t make a mess off the house by doing you know what on your carpet. They’re also easy to replace if one decides to go belly up, but there’s only so many times little Jonny will fall for your excuses to why the family goldfish keeps changing shape and colour each time you come back from a holiday. Hudson Soft was kind enough to step in and release the Wii Ware title My Aquarium. Which is ok but what happens when you want to play the Wii and still view fish at the same time? HA! See they didn’t think that though but fret I’ve got a solution to this. Still running with the fake fish theme a USB aquarium will provide all the soothing qualities of a real fish tank while you are swearing your head off at Mario Kart. The USB fish tank has water, plastic fish type things and it glows and they won’t die what more do you need? Note: Just a tip, don’t bother feeding them or else that tank will start smelling like a public toilet.

We All Don’t Smell Like Flowers

We all have that one smelly friend that we’re just to dam nice to tell them that the pong that they emit can strip paint off the walls. So factor in one smelly person plus the physical exertion caused by jumping around playing Wii games and you have your self one nasty, stinky, sweat filled room. To help combat stinky people fumes you can use one of these USB fragrance devices that will hopefully mask bad smells with good smells. If this still manages to fail and you can still smell your friend’s aroma of unwashed cow your only options are to sell your Wii or get a new friend. Tough love people, its not like you didn’t try.

Keeping the Go-Juice Warm

At some point you are going to run out of decent games to play and there’s some people out there that just can’t stand the thought of the money invested into their Wii going to waste. So they’ll sit there with the Wii turned on basking in the ominous glow coming from the menu screen while doing meaningless tasks like rearrange the channels or spin the planet in the weather channel. That’s all well and good if you are trying to extract every possible ounce of value out of your Wii but the reality is you will probably pass out from chronic boredom, and that coffee you made an hour ago would have evolved to cold sludge by then. In order to combat this problem you can use a USB powered coffee warmer and enjoy nice warm coffee while gawking at the Wii menu screen for hours on end until the next good game comes out. If coffee is not your forte and hyper active energy drinks is more your style and nothing peeves you off more than a warm can of Red Bull. Then there’s no need to stress because at the opposite end of the scale is the USB can cooler that will keep your next caffeine/guaranaa hit nice and crisp. Warning: excessive amount of caffeine plus hours of listening to the Wii menu music will make you skitzoid. This is now a common technique used by the military to interrogate captives

Double The Pleasure

Ok one last one for the bigger kids, sometimes your love life and your gaming passion can clash leaving you with a decision to make. In reality if you choose playing the Wii over getting your grove on with your misses there's a good chance you'll get kicked in the nads. What if there was a way keep playing the game you are currently fixated on while at the same time keeping your partner satisfied? Well you're in luck! just get your self a USB powered vibrator, select the desired attachment and you know the rest ;) Don't make it a regular occurrence or you might get replaced.

Well I could be here for days loading up your brains with awesome information about this topic but I’ll let you guys get started on what’s provided so far. There’s an abundance of USB accessories available out there and it’s a shame Nintendo hasn’t offered some useful options so far. Fingers crossed that Nintendo bring out something either useful or original.

Sega Master System Retrospective

MyMedia Retrospective - Sega Master System

It was a tough job to go up against the mighty NES back in 8bit era. Sega gave it a try with the Master System and is probably the most noteworthy of all of the Nintendo Entertainment System's competitors. Check out this weeks Retrospective Article to find out more about the classic Master system.

CLICK HERE! for full article