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Five days off here makes it wonderful. 
Did a NES marathon on one day so far.
Happy Thanks Giving everyone!!!

I never thought of loot boxes as being a problem like that. I had a Marvel Loot box sub for a while. It was horrendous trying to get unsubscribed. The loot boxes were never on time. And they would not cancel the sub. I finally had to get rid of the card used to make payment. That ended my time with loot boxes and it left a bitter taste in my mouth. But considering them gambling, that thought never occurred to me.

Do you take into consideration the worth of your video games?
I am conscience of the fact that I have many video games that have worth and value. The kind of value that if they died, I would not have the resources, or the desire to spend that much, to repurchase them. But gaming is my first thought rather than thinking about the value. My value of them is in the fact I have them to play and enjoy.
What sparked my thoughts on this is some videos on youtube that asked the question of, what is the value of your video game collection. I see my accumulation of games as being my gaming collection. Not an investment that has monetary value. I would never consider ever selling anything. I also hope I am never in the position where I be forced to sell. I do sometimes feel that I have too much. Those that I treasure the most are my game carts.
Let me back step a little, when I say selling my games there is one thought that always comes to mind. What if one of my disc related consoles died? I would be troubled as to what direction to take, sell the games, or reinvest in a console that possibility would die quicker than the one that just failed? That would be horrendous. But the thing is, one day I will be faced with that decision. That is why I always check out the clone retro systems just to see if maybe, just maybe, how close have they come to the real thing. There have been those days that I have cringed as I have pulled out a Saturn, Dreamcast, or Turbo Duo, and flip it on hoping everything will work great.
Your thoughts?

@targetrasp try it. You might like it Gunny. Just keep your eyes on your ship dodging bullets with your thumb on the fire button. Get some, get some, get some, Hoorah. 

@BLUEVOODU maybe they will do the same as with the 3DS. We might see a "new" switch. 

@BLUEVOODU it is a bullet hell shooter. What more would anyone want? But seriously, I paid $17 USD for a physical copy and do not find it as enjoyable as Danmaku Unlimited 3 that was a digital download that was $4.99 from the eshop. But at the same time if you were to purchase that game as a physical copy, astronomical price point. I think the difference is the play mechanics. Psyvariar won't give you fond memories like Mars Matrix. It does have nice visuals, but it falls below the bench mark of other shmups that have gone before it. I would recommend the Danmaku digital download if you want some arcade shooter fun. (I can't believe I am recommending a digital download.  )

I got this on my switch lite. I am playing it on "easy." I am too scared to change it to a higher difficulty. 

@BLUEVOODU really, to be honest, Nintendo technically closed out their line of portables. The Lite is a totally different concept for them, a different animal. The Lite is an oddball. The Switch is a hybrid that embodies a home console that is also portable. That is why it is called a Switch. And the Switch Lite is technically not a Switch but a portable of the Switch, which is why it is called a Lite.  There is that reorientation of perspective to adjust to the difference, the oddball portable of a hybrid portable console.

It is a dedicated portable that does play the same games as the Switch. This is a first for Nintendo and a new direction in their perspective for portable gaming. I don't know why, but my mind drifts toward the thought, where will they go from here? What does the next generation hold for Nintendo? Portable gaming has been the field where they have dominated. I do find it interesting how they have handled, maneuvered around, the competition of tablets and smart phones.

I guess the reason I see it as a descendant of the GBA line, it is flat, open, gamecard slot at the top, with the screen vulnerable to scratches and nicks, looks like a deformed mutant GBA to me. I cannot get that out of my mind. This is so gameboyish in design to me, sorry. A lot more powerful though.

Happy Birthday!!!!

I have been with the Company for 20 years. Part of the celebration was money. I decided to blow it on a Switch Lite.
First impressions?
No camera! (Buzzer goes off) I liked the camera feature in the DS line of portables. Yes I know it was low quality, but it was still a good handy camera for catching the moment.
Wifi issues, seems weak in picking it up, unlike my DS and 3DS consoles. I can be all over the house with those but not the Switch Lite.
No charge light! Whut? I need to have the console on in order to know when it is fully charged.
No instruction manual to help in set-up. Had to go online to get through it.
I fingers seem to be fat. Found it very clumsy to tap in the letters. A stylus would have been nice.

And why does the original Gameboy Advance continues to come to mind? It does seem to be a descendant of the line of portables with cosmetic traits?

Don't get me wrong. I do like what I am holding in my hands. I got Animal Crossing. I have ordered Ni No Kuni and Psyvariar Delta. At the end of next week Vacation and some heavy gaming to get the feel of this thing.

@BLUEVOODU the uniqueness of their situation is a first for Nintendo. Usually they have a home console plus a portable. But maybe they have returned to their roots in a way. There was that period with nothing but the NES. Or maybe the Switch and the Lite is the Home console and the portable. Depends on your perspective. Being that the Lite cannot play the entire library of the Switch, that might be the case. It will be interesting on how that does progress. I am interesting in the Lite but not in the Switch. Do each appeal to a different type gamer?

It is official. Nintendo has announced ceasing production of the 3DS console. Whether or not this causes any emotions will depend on "where your perspective is" in gaming. Have you always looked forward to new game releases, then there would be some sadness, and you may even choke up a bit. If you take a "retro perspective" in gaming, like me, then you will, to a certain extent, stop, and pause for a moment of silence, and then move on. Then start looking on eBay and purchase extra consoles, especially anything in the limited editions just for backups. And look for bargains in games prices.
Now the burden of Nintendo falls upon the Switch to carry Nintendo into the next generation of gaming. In other words they have placed all their eggs in one basket. From this point on, we will see just how thick that basket is.

https://twinfinite.net/2020/09/nintendo-ceases-production-of-3ds-handheld-consoles/

Sorry to be what I am, retro. But I really thought about this one, and I would have to say............... no. It would have to be a game that I see and it would have to get me excited for the console. Does not matter which console, it would be the game that would draw me. Back years ago I went with the Xbox 360 because of the SHMUPS that I was able to play on that console. Never thought I would ever own a Microsoft console. I am stuck at the end of the 80's into the 90's mostly. And portables, which if I get another console, at this point, it would probably be a Switch Lite.

I am not sure how a "brick & mortar" game store can survive changes that take place in this type of industry. I really don't help the cause. I am so into retro that I seek out places so that I can funnel my money toward that which I enjoy. I eBay to satisfy those wants. There is at least three places in town that gamers can go and pick up a game, GameXchange, GameStop, and Oddball. I focus on GameXchange because I can walk in there and purchase something within my interests. Anything from Atari 2600 to PS2 sort of stuff. The last time I walked into a GameStop I thought I walked into a Hot Topic, never went back.
There was a time that I can remember, the Genesis, SNES, NES, days, and it was booming for Babbages, GameStop, Kay-Bee, etc. And there seemed to be a period of time thereafter That the "goldrush" lasted. And I am setting here thinking what exacting took place in the industry. And for some reason I think about how Malls are no longer the thing. But maybe it is more than that. Was gaming healthier when it was children that were the point of sales? I know now it is the adults that grew up? And I am thinking it is bigger now. Where are people buying their games and consoles? Walmart is very limited for gamers to walk in and purchase. Where does the industry sell the most consoles?

@BLUEVOODU
I occasionally pick it up for one of those quick plays. That is basically how it has situated itself into my playtime. My days off mostly. I just ordered my first two games from Amazon. Things have kept me busy and distracted me from doing any adding to my collection until this weekend. It is still very much available on Amazon, still $99 for the premium pack which include three game carts, total 36 games.

Games I ordered today were the Mega cat cart and put in a pre-order for the Evercade Xeno Crisis/Tanglewood duel cart.

Out of my price range. Prices for a hard copy on eBay are insane. I need this game, but..................

Old poor people wait for used stuff to do their gaming on. We don't buy new. 
The last consoles I purchased new were PS2 and Game Cube. I am not surprised if the cost of next generation gaming "price of admission" reaches some point of real pain in the pocket. Really $500 is cheap when you think about what they are trying to accomplish. I am surprised that they haven't been closer to the $1000 mark. $99 used to be the point of sales when consoles were more pointed toward the kids in the families. Now that it is pointed toward the adults, I think $299 is the new selling point.
What I find interesting is the inclusion of SSD in the next generation of consoles.

I had to look this up. I ran across the PS5 comparison. It seems that they are almost evenly matched. And really the differences was game releases for their respective consoles. The XBox has the edge with backward compatibility. My XBox One was supposed to be backward compatible too. But the games that I was mostly interested in, were not. Which brings up my thoughts that were occupying my brain this week. I have been thinking that I really liked the 360 more than any other XBox console. There was just more games on the system that appealed to me. Loved the Japanese shmups, and the Blue Dragon series.
As for the Series X, as usual, there is nothing presently appealing to me in the coming GEN gaming era. I am just so stuck in retro. I have been playing the NES this week!

@BLUEVOODU i thought Star Trek: Enterprise was good up until the last season. The stories in the last season were two and three episodes long. It was frustrating because I am so used to the world being saved in 40 minutes. I couldn't believe they did that. And I did not like how they ended it, it was so abrupt. The whole season seemed like they had these ideas and they knew that this was the last season. Let's just throw a lot of these ideas together and do them. It would have been better if they had planned two more seasons.

@BLUEVOODU i saw this but the purchase price caused me to have amnesia. I will stick to a real Wii. I saw several being offered on eBay for around $900. Not sure who it was selling them. I think it would be very interesting to mess with, but, I would want a much larger screen. Maybe one the size of the vita's would be good. There are too many games that just would not be right on such a small screen.

Even though I thought the movie was over hyped. I did enjoy has portrayal of the character. And it was very sad of his passing.

I haven't touched a flight simulator since the 486 or pentium 1 days. And those were very primitive compared. 
Not really sure I could back into that even though they can be so realistic today. My gaming taste has changed, spoiled. 

Ouch and WOW! 

@BLUEVOODU our company has not really slowed down but maybe a couple of weeks. We are full blast. I have worked through this whole thing. I have been out there, working, in lines at the grocery, at Lowes, and wherever else I needed to go. Even though I do take precautions, I have dismissed the fact that the pandemic is as wide spread and infectious as it is being portrayed. I know it can be serious for some people, like me, but still.... I have a hard time relating to anyone that says anything about having to stay at home. There was talk at first about working from home but that was quickly dismissed. The attitude at my place is if you live, you live, if you die, you die, we have customers to attend to and orders to fill.

I am finding that I am enjoying Star Trek: Enterprise a whole lot more than I did way back then during its original broadcast. Not sure if it is because I am older, hungry for some scifi, or what. It is not as bad as I remember. I am in the 4th season at the moment.

@Grindspine after the 37miles runs out the car automatically switches on the gas powered generator, smoothly, you hardly notice. And if you have that 9 gallon tank full, 37 miles per gallon. No fear of that 37 miles on the battery.

@BLUEVOODU best ride that I have ever owned. It is taking some getting used to, concerning the technology. Haven't purchased gas in three weeks, and I find myself having the compulsion to go get some just out of habit and routine. I find it fun to drive. The is a mode which uses the weight of the vehicle along with the car using the braking to generate electricity back into the battery as a charge. This translates into driving to work, 6.4 miles, and only use 3 miles off the battery. It is based off the way you drive also. Being a gamer, it is like a strategy game to me.  So I am enjoying this.

Happy Birthday!!!

@targetrasp I am using the money that I am saving on gas to help make payments. That was part of the plan. The battery has a range of 37miles. I am only using about 12miles daily for work and that is because of regenerative braking. I am using the battery around town. It being a small town everything is within 2 to 3 miles from home, stores, etc. Work is 6.4miles one way. If we decide to take a trip, we would use the gas powered generator. I can get 250miles out of it. Right now this is working out great for us.

I don't know how I ended up with my car being 20 years old. I guess it is because that it has been such a good car over the years, until now. It turned into a money pit this year. Last Saturday the engine blew on my 1999 Malibu in the middle of the road. And I am thinking in my mind I have to pay a bill on a repair from two weeks ago, does not relate to todays breakdown. I only have one car and this is it.
For the last three months, maybe? I have been researching vehicles planning when I retire next year to purchase a new car with my Malibu as a backup second car. That has not happened. I had to use my research, pros & cons, now! Without going into details I ended up going with Carvana and picking a 2014 Chevy Volt.
My seven day trial period ends tomorrow. And I am going to keep this. The car is in mint condition, well taken care of. It is electric with a built in gasoline generator. Very fun to drive.