I hope you all are safe and well during these initial months into this global COVID19 pandemic.
We can't drive around, socialise as much as we used to. Something that we are maybe now just becoming acclimatised to.
I myself actually just before the lockdown sprained my left ankle and have been off that foot for 5 weeks now. So no driving or traveling about for me at the moment.
In my weeks staying indoors it did bring back memories of my student days where I was quite the gamer and stayed at home alot.
So with this newfound idle time on my hands I found myself on Amazon and Yahoo Auctions sourcing my home retro gaming setup.
So I found a new old stock unopened copy of Gran Tursimo 4 and just had to have it for nostalgia's sake. This was the game I spent the most amount of my student life playing. Cementing my passion for cars and more specifically the Skyline GTR.
Another thing (other than a GTR) I always wanted but could not afford back then was the first generation Playstation 3.
The reason why the first generation is notable is it was this initial generation which included a Playstation 2 (Emotion Engine) CPU so it had hardware based backwards compatibility with PS2 and PS1 games.
Also to get more into the weeds on the PS3 is the first initial run of production was done in Japan. The Cell Broadband CPU of the PS3 (joint developed by Sony, IBM and Toshiba) was so cutting edge they did not want any knowledge drain on this technology.
I specifically sourced one of these Made in Japan first gen PS3s.
I already had a PS3 Super Slim which I brought over from Australia but I wanted that PS2 compatibility. The quality reduction with newer models is really evident. It is hard to believe the blue PS3 is newer.
The previous owner had upgraded the HDD from the stock 60GB to a 500GB. I was also pleased to find he had speced it with a high rpm 7,200rpm 2.5" drive too, up from the standard 5,400rpm 2.5" drive PS3/PS4s come with.
One thing about the JDM copy of GT4 was that it came with a very detailed guide book which I always wanted too.
I was surprised at the amount of content it had. Most notable was an interview with the RB26 GTRs chief test driver, Kato and how driving and.developing the cars on the Nurburgring was like. Fun fact, the initial development mule for the BNR32 was a S13 chassis!
Playing GT4 again brought back so many memories. It is still my favourite game in the series to date. Yes I had to recreate my own BCNR33.
Despite being one of the new games on the PS2 which had a 1080i mode extended play did strain the eyes quite a bit. So I had to retire back to my copy of GT6.
That said it was a nice trip down memory lane. I think one thing that the quarantine has done is caused us to reconsider what we really care about and what is really important to us. A good time for personal reflection.. How are you guys spending your time in lockdown?
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