Review: 32 GB Sony Memory Stick PRO-HG Duo (MS-HX32B) for PSP

Decided to give this a shot after not being entirely pleased with my PhotoFast adapter with two 32 GB micro SD cards.


What was wrong with the PhotoFast solution?

• Terrible XMB load times (as in, 10 seconds or more). Granted, there is a custom firmware solution that allows you to load games directly, even within other games, but if you don't feel like decrypting and renaming all your games, your games are still labeled as a bunch of nondescript letters and numbers.
• Some game music just doesn't load. To see what I mean, load Capcom Classics Collection Remixed, and play Street Fighter II (any version will do). With the PhotoFast, the little VS jingle for your second match will not play. It doesn't matter if you decrypt the file into an uncompressed ISO; this particular bit of music will never play on a PhotoFast. A game not playing music is a big deal!
• Very fragile. Once you put it in, expect it to break if you ever take it out.

Results with the MS-HX32B:

• Quick XMB loading.
• The Street Fighter II second VS screen jingle plays, though a bit later than expected. For comparison, there was absolutely no problem with a 2 GB memory stick.
• As sturdy as any other memory stick.

I've also tried it with official PSN PSP downloads (meaning heavily compressed), and the compression lag is still there. I tested this with WTF: Work Time Fun with minigames I know have consistent lag (namely Hand Bell Delight).


So would I recommend it? Absolutely. The price is still outrageously high compared to micro SD, but at least you don't have to worry about copying content from a PS3. While I'm certain B&H has a genuine listing (and there are fakes), I saved about $30 by searching for the same product number on Amazon. I bought mine from MemoryWhiz.

Words I hate (2017-12-19, again)

• quantative

Goddamn, another one in the same day? You mean "quantitative." Or maybe even "qualitative." 

Words I hate (2017-12-19)

• equivalate

Now that's a new one. What happened to "liken?"

OSSC and Line 5x

Thursday may have been Thanksgiving but it felt like Christmas. Turns out my DVDO Edge is capable of doing OSSC Line 5x with NES and SNES after all! Well, mostly.

I never had any trouble using Line 5x with my other consoles (Genesis, PS1) or with my supergun, but Line 5x with NES and SNES remained incompatible with my setup. I played around with sample options and timings, none of which I ever understood, and I never really got anywhere. Turns out, trying different cables even at this point still proved effective. Before I always used a cable like this. Then I tried another cable, which looked super-plain (so I doubt it was advertised as 4K-ready), and to my surprise, SNES Line 5x now worked with my PC monitor (remember, my chain is: source > DVDO Edge > Monoprice Item 5369 + 2029 > HDfury (VGA out) > monitor).

The "bad" cable according to its specifications has a "10.2Gbps data throughput." I don't know what the specs are of that first cable that worked, but as I was looking for other cables on Amazon, I found one of the cables that my brother had given me and the description of that one says "Supports the latest HDMI 2.0b Standard - 4K, UHD, 3D, Audio Return Channel (ARC), Category 2 Certified,18 Gbps / 600 MHz Refresh Rate, 2160p, 1080p, 48 Bit Deep Color, Ethernet and is backwards compatible with earlier versions."

Takeaways:

1. If SNES in Line 5x doesn't work, but most of your other consoles do, keep trying different cables anyway until you get SNES Line 5x to work. 
2. You want at least a high-speed cable. Apparently that's not just a marketing term; it actually means 18 Gbps. More than enough for standard 1080p, but the OSSC demands yet more. (By the way, ultra high speed cables are much more expensive at $30 for a 6-foot cable, but they boast 48 Gbps.)
3. No need to replace all of your cables (though it couldn't hurt). For this purpose, the only HDMI cable that really matters is the one going from the OSSC to the display (or in my case, the DVDO Edge).

I had less luck with NES in 5x mode with the OSSC going to the DVDO Edge hooked up to a 2009-ish Bravia. The dropouts, while not super-frequent, were still enough to make me switch back to Line 3x. SNES on the other hand was solid.

And for some reason, Tetris & Dr. Mario on the SNES didn't work with any of my setups at Line 5x. I suspect the game has a weird resolution; you can notice on the title screen that the overscan is different.


UPDATE: I found some new things and posted them at shmups. Long story short, to get NES and SNES Line 5x to work without drops, switch from Line5x format 1920x1080 to 1600x1200 and back to 1920x1080. I'd suggest leaving those settings for 5 to 10 seconds before switching.

Or better yet, just get the 48 Gbps ultra high speed cable. I haven't had any problems with it so far.

No more 32-bit apps on iOS 11... and that's OK?

Today I bought the remaining Cave game I didn't already have from the App Store at full price. And I can play it because I'm still on iOS 10.3.3.

Am I curious about iOS 11? Sure. But my iPhone 6s is pretty old now, and eventually my phone will be too old to run the latest iOS anyway. So why not stop at the latest iOS that allows you to run both 32-bit and 64-bit apps? Heck, I can even play Aka to Blue on my 6s as well. And I can listen to it all through my headphone jack, which now all smartphones are getting rid of.

If I'm really hard-up for 32-bit apps on a tablet, I'll just get an iPad with Retina display (iPad 4) which cannot run iOS 11, so I don't have to worry about "too-high" firmware when buying used.

Will I ever buy a new phone? Sure... in another 10 years or so. Then my iPhone 6s will be used like an iPod Touch.

Weird-ass dream (2017-11-18)

Had a dream where Subway had a deal for five subs for five dollars. That is a good deal!

Hatsune Miku: Future Tone DLC, bundles

[ORIGINAL POST]

Came dangerously close to buying redundant Hatsune Miku: Future Tone DLC! You just need the Future Tone Bundle, Season Pass, and Unlock Key.