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14
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84
Joined
1 yr. ago

I just play Steam Deck and write about gaming + Linux a lot

  • If it doesn't, I highly recommend the OSTENT 1,400 mAh batteries. Higher capacity than the original and they work perfectly. 100% the one to choose!

  • Oh absolutely. This was exactly me for the longest time. I review retro handhelds, so I've had everything from the entry-level to the high power ones (like the Odin 3 Max). I thought you couldn't get better than upscaled graphics and save states, but when I got a re-obsession semi-recently with the PSP:

    https://gardinerbryant.com/tag/psp/

    ...I've realized that native hardware just has magic to it. The handheld is slim, the design is retro futuristic in the best way (in my eyes), the jailbreak and add-ons are invaluable and the experience is just fun. I've just reviewed the Retroid Pocket Nova, am reviewing the Anbernic RG SP, and have a couple more on the way, but that isn't stopping me absolutely loving WipEout on my PSPs :)

  • So recently, I spent a fair time chatting with the creator of PSPunk, a website I’m sure many here might have visited. But that chatting (which ended up being an interview) pivoted instead to something a bit different from what I usually end up doing with articles.

    Rather than just talking about the website itself, we ended up discussing the people who keep older gaming communities alive. We covered how PSPunk started as a simple custom firmware guide, why preserving guides and community knowledge is just as important as preserving games themselves, the modern PSP homebrew scene, and why the handheld still has such an active community more than 20 years after launch. You might recognize me from a few PSP articles I’ve done these last months, I just…think they’re neat:

    It was also interesting hearing from someone who doesn’t consider themselves a developer or a major figure in the scene, just “a helpful user who creates guides.” I think that humility says a lot about projects like this, because every community needs people documenting, organizing and preserving information just as much as it needs people writing the software.

  • Technology @lemmy.world

    The People Still Keeping the PSP Alive: PSPunk

    gardinerbryant.com /the-people-still-keeping-the-psp-alive-pspunk/
  • That and the ending (V for Vendetta) were the sections I wrote in this article. Because as soon as I saw the news, it was all I could think of :(

  • "For some people the choice to use a bot or not is a choice of having the job, or not."

    That would be Gardiner's side of the article. I contributed by wroting two sections on this one:

    • The Shadow of Fahrenheit 451, and
    • “People should not be afraid of their governments. Governments should be afraid of their people.”

    Just to explain whose take is whose for this little article, at least.

  • Technology @lemmy.world

    AI companies are now destroying warehouses full of rare books

    gardinerbryant.com /ai-companies-are-now-destroying-warehouses-full-of-rare-books/
  • But I do still think search would be nice

    I gave them all my feedback, and they have said that firmware updates will bring this and other features in as improvements. This isn't in users' hands yet, so (ironically) my waffling review actually did some help for them and users who end up with them!

  • No, this is the on/off (and lock) switch, by pressing it in, but it is the volume wheel!

  • Hi there!

    I am not Gardiner, but he is one of my best friends! While you'll know Gardiner from his YouTube (I assume!), he and I run the site together, equally. His focus will be no surprise to you, but mine is almost entirely the gaming scene, and then some forays into new things :)

  • I had a LG G6 for awhile, which had the lovely focus of quad-DAC and made sound beautiful

    Such a shame they no longer make phones :(

  • Edit: worth saying: thanks for posting this though, I am interested in seeing gadgets and it is an interesting design and has unique features.

    Thank you! Don't worry, zero offense taken! These things are pretty niche these days, so you're well and truly in the majority with that POV!

    I can take my phone and stream music from my server. If I really want to I can download to the phone (simple drag and drop KDE connect style or syncthing if I want to go that route). I use only FLAC by the way.

    This is the important part here, the quality of those files is dependent on the DAC your phone has. Phones don't place much emphasis on high-quality DAC implementation because they’re built more for things like for convenience, battery life, and mass-market audio (think Bluetooth earbuds and streaming compression). They’ll play your FLACs for sure, but the internal DAC and amp stage are usually an afterthought rather than a focus.

    This one's built around the Cirrus Logic CS43198 chip, which has one purpose in life: make sound good!

    In the end these won't be super convenient for most. But there's plenty of people who want to drop using their phone for everything now, or who want to try out a new way of listening to music.

  • A few months back I had a grand plan about buying a ton of options, going from entry level to high-end, a refurbished and done up iPod, a Zune, a feature on the PSP's sound capabilities...but after two or three I got distracted

    Reviewing this was a pleasure, and reminded me why something like this little fellow is magic for music. The sound difference between FLAC on this V.S. streaming is enormous!

    I'm so glad you liked my artivle/review/impressions! :)

  • Technology @lemmy.world

    Hands On With The Hidizs AP30 Music Boy; A Game Boy-Inspired Music Player With Audiophile Ambitions

    gardinerbryant.com /hands-on-with-the-hidizs-ap30-music-boy/
  • Technology @lemmy.world

    Is Denuvo's Dominance Finally Beginning to Crack?

    gardinerbryant.com /is-denuvos-dominance-finally-beginning-to-crack/
  • A few weeks ago I wrote about taking a chance on a cheap "junk" PSP-2000 from Japan, replacing its faulty charging port, and ending up with one of the nicest handhelds I own.

    Quite a few people here on Lemmy reached out afterwards asking about jailbreaking, or just sharing that they planned to buy UMDs for it. I guess this article is my answer (or maybe just yet another thinly veiled excuse to write about my favorite old handheld...the PSP) to that.

    Rather than another super technical wiki, I wanted to write a bit of step-by-step with just pictures of all of it. I cover installing ARK-4 custom firmware, setting up a microSD card, loading games, movies and music, a handful of homebrew recommendations. I really, really love Sony's PSP. I think as far as industrial design language goes, you just can't beat it.

    So if you've recently picked up a PSP, are thinking about picking one up, or have one sitting in a drawer gathering dust, I hope this helps you give it a second life!

    And if you don't want to read through, then ask me here and I'm more than happy to recommend things to you.

  • Technology @lemmy.world

    A Modern Setup Guide for the PSP-2000 (Jailbreak, Plugins, and More)

    gardinerbryant.com /a-modern-setup-guide-for-the-psp-2000-jailbreak/
  • So my latest article is something that’s been on my mind for a while: the people still making physical games feel genuinely special, the lack of physical games going forward (looking at you, Sony), and what everyone lost with the old-old ‘big-box’ PC gaming era.

    I just try to take a look look back at the era of PC gaming, manuals, maps and all the little extras that made opening a new game part of the experience. How “physical” has changed in recent years, and a handful of developers, publishers and community creators who are still putting real care into physical releases today (including RowanFN, whose work creating custom manuals and inserts I had the chance to cover last year)

    If you’re interested in game preservation, collecting, or simply miss the days when a physical game was more than just a case and a download code (shitty shitty GTA VI discovery), I hope you’ll enjoy the read. It might be a bit of a…watch-me-go-off-on-tangents article, but it is still important in a way. I think.

  • Technology @lemmy.world

    Keeping Physical Gaming Alive

    gardinerbryant.com /keeping-physical-gaming-alive/
  • Technology @lemmy.world

    WeatherMaster, Open Source, and the Future of Android; An Interview with Pranshul

    gardinerbryant.com /weathermaster-open-source-and-the-future-of-android/
  • Technology @lemmy.world

    F-Droid and the Future of Open-Source Android; An Interview with DocWolle

    gardinerbryant.com /f-droid-and-the-future-of-open-source/
  • No, don't worry! It comes up a bit! Being on a space like Lemmy, writing and chatting about a subject like F-droid, and seeing the link to our site...it is a natural assumption to make!

    I'm just glad you enjoyed the article!!! :)

  • Isn’t Peertube on F-droid? People should get it so they can watch your video

    Sorry for the miscommunication! I'm Gardiner's friend, dash. Together he and I run the site linked here, but Gardiner's videos are all 100% his side! If you asked me to film and or edit a video to save my life, I'd have to start digging my own grave because all of that is pure sorcery to me!

    You can view my articles on the site specifically with this link here:

    https://gardinerbryant.com/author/dash/

  • I had to laugh, I had F-droid comment when I shared my article (about me recommending Droid-ify)

  • Feel free to send me a DM if you'd like :)

  • Technology @lemmy.world

    The Other Side of Android: My Favorite F-Droid Apps

    gardinerbryant.com /the-other-side-of-android-my-favorite-f-droid-apps/
  • Technology @lemmy.world

    Some of Android's Most Interesting Games Aren't on the Play Store

    gardinerbryant.com /some-of-androids-most-interesting-games/
  • Technology @lemmy.world

    The Quiet Modder Behind Some of Handheld Gaming's Most Interesting Hardware Hacks

    gardinerbryant.com /the-quiet-modder-behind-hardware-hacks-2/
  • Technology @lemmy.world

    Stepping Away from Streaming with the Snowsky Echo Digital Audio Player

    gardinerbryant.com /stepping-away-from-streaming-with-the-snowsky-echo/
  • Technology @lemmy.world

    Why Everyone’s Picking Up a PSP Again in 2026

    gardinerbryant.com /psp-in-2026/
  • Technology @lemmy.world

    Stepping Away from Streaming with the Innioasis Y1 Digital Audio Player

    gardinerbryant.com /stepping-away-from-streaming/