What hobbies did you pick up during the pandemic and have you been able to keep them up?
What hobbies did you pick up during the pandemic and have you been able to keep them up?
I had been wanting to learn how to play the guitar for years, but laziness, i guess, kept me from it. I picked it up with moderate seriousness and am very greatful i did. I wish i would've started sooner.
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Being stuck inside gave me the opportunity to go back and replay some of the video games that I grew up with, and the chance to try the games that I saw in stores but wasn't able to get at the time. I have a PC that is plenty powerful enough to emulate games from the Gamecube, PS2, and original Xbox, but it just doesn't feel that same when the game aren't being played on the original hardware. Hardware that is rapidly aging and degrading, and games on discs that are also getting worn down, scratched, thrown out, or just lost somewhere. I also always kinda wanted a collection of consoles.
So far, I have a Gamecube and PS2 that were in a non working condition when I bought them from ebay. The GC reads games from a SD card, and the PS2 read games from a harddrive installed in the expansion port. Both are using external devices to convert the analog video to HDMI, but I recently ordered an internal converter that I can install in the PS2.
I have a half assembled Xbox on my desk that I have been working on for... way too fucking long at this point, but it is really show why "Murphy's Law" is called a law. It has a mod chip for a custom OS, and an internal HDMI converter. However, I fucked up some solder joints installing the HDMI converter and it fried the card. Had to wait a couple months to get a replacement. There is also a Wii I got from a family member that is next in line when I get the Xbox functional.
Awesome! A hobby that refurbishes is great for the environment!
I'm on my 3rd PS2 now. I think the last one I got from gamestop refurbished for $45. Usually cleaning the lens fixed them up when they'd break down, but this latest one hasn't given me any trouble (I also haven't played it much since I got a PS4 a couple years later). I'm really interested in those HDMI converters though. Are they device specific or are they just standard RCA to HDMI converters?
I've got one of those old school sound receivers, but it kicks off a lot of heat. If I could pump everything through HDMIs, through a new receiver and then up to the TV, that might cool off our media room a lot. It's like #30 on my "Stuff to Do" list.
Currently the PS2 is using a generic composite video to HDMI that is powered by one of the PS2's usb ports, and the Gamecube is using an EON GCHD Mk-II. The EON is made specifically for the Gamecube as it plugs directly into 2 ports on the back of the console, the video out and an auxiliary port for power. The Xbox will have a Stellar XboxHD+ kit, it is a bundle of the OS modchip and an HDMI converter. The mod that I am waiting for with the PS2 to replace the janky generic converter is a PixelFX Retro Gem.
PixelFX is trying to make the Retro Gem to be one "size fits all." Supposedly the board "will" work with any console, and they sell different wiring kits for PS1, PS2, and N64. Other consoles are in the works, and I think they almost have a kit for the Dreamcast ready? So I am really excited to try this out, even though it looks like one hell of a motherfucker to install.
Edit: I should add that the Stellar and Retro Gem are internal and replace the original video out port on the console
Id recommend the next step would be CRT(the old tube tvs) repair! So many are tossed every day where most just need a simple tube swap or alignment.
They are big dangerous things though so definitely read up and study up so you don't get fried or seriously injured.
They add a lot to the old game systems and harm the enviorment from improper dispoal. Save a CRT 💚
Going with a full retro setup with a CRT was the original plan, but I did not have room for a separate entertainment system. And now that I have already converted a couple consoles to have HDMI, I dunno if I'll ever get a CRT. ¯\(ツ)/¯ Things may change in the future tho