112
votes
Accepted
Why does the original Game Boy support four shades of grey?
The first computers were monochrome; they only knew 2 colors, as for each pixel, you only had 1 bit:
0
1
As for the Gameboy, it supported 2 bits per pixel, which gives us 4 possible colors to choose ...
- 44.3k
77
votes
Why does the original Game Boy support four shades of grey?
While Nolonar's answer is true from a technical perspective, it's not the actual reason why the developers chose to go with a monochrome system. Gunpei Yokoi, the creator of the Game Boy, ...
- 717
69
votes
Accepted
What does RTC stand for?
RTC is indeed short for "Real Time Clock." What this indicates in terms of flash cartridges is a bit more complex.
Some games shipped with an internal clock chip that kept track of the time even ...
- 119k
42
votes
Accepted
How can I ensure my PlayStation 2 will last a long time?
Firstly, I think it's important that you noted that nothing lasts forever. The PS2 has components that will eventually wear out over time, even if preserved or used sparingly.
Most notably, it is ...
- 37.2k
34
votes
Accepted
My 3DS got wet, what did I lose and what can I recover?
Assuming the 3DS cannot be repaired, there's good news and not-as-good news (and maybe a little bad news) I'll start with ---
The good news:
Game Cartridges: all your save data is stored on the ...
- 18.4k
30
votes
Accepted
What is the record word size for a gaming system?
64-bit, really. All current-generation consoles are based on 64-bit processor architectures (AMD Zen x86-64 on the PS5 and Xbox; Nvidia Tegra AArch64 for the Nintendo Switch). Yes, they support SIMD ...
- 921
21
votes
Accepted
Turn off Steam Controller without using big picture mode
Update 2015-11-05
You can now hold down the controller button for 4 seconds without launching Big Picture at the same time!
This change has been in the beta channel for a while, but it seems to have ...
- 376
20
votes
Accepted
For PC gaming on external storage, should I use Flash or HDD (hard disk drive)?
I believe neither are good options.
Running Fallout 4 will most likely keep the drive active for the entire duration of your playtime. Neither external flash nor HDD have sufficient heat dissipation ...
- 14.5k
20
votes
What are the correct specs for an SNES power supply?
I just went and checked the power supply on my SNES (an original Nintendo power supply)--it's 10 V at 850 mA. Your supply is slightly lower voltage.
Speaking as an electrical engineer with some ...
- 1,753
19
votes
For PC gaming on external storage, should I use Flash or HDD (hard disk drive)?
These are your options in order from best to worst:
Solid State Drive (SSD)
A solid state drive will provide much faster access than a mechanical hard drive. Amazon shows that in August 2015 you can ...
- 581
19
votes
What is the record word size for a gaming system?
The 6th generation of consoles is known as 128-bit era.
The Dreamcast and the PlayStation 2 were the last systems to use the term "128-bit" in their marketing to describe their capability.
...
- 35.6k
17
votes
Accepted
How prevalent is the dock scratching the Nintendo Switch's screen?
Don't worry too much about this. I'm pretty sure a big part of the "scratch fiasco" is websites and YouTube channels looking for ad impressions (and money), unfortunately. I've removed/docked my ...
- 9,367
13
votes
13
votes
What does RTC stand for?
RTC - Real Time Clock served to keep track of date and time when the cartridge is without a power supply.
In this Pokemon cartridge example you can see the battery that is powering the clock.
You ...
- 131
12
votes
Accepted
How does an SSD improve gaming performance?
How do SSDs improve gaming performance?
SSDs improve performance by reducing loading times, assuming the game is installed on the SSD, of course.
Do they somehow impact the framerate?
It depends on ...
- 44.3k
12
votes
Accepted
Why is Microsoft selling physical media games for Series S?
Why Microsoft is selling physical media games for Series S
They're not. If you look more closely at the box art, you'll notice that these games are for Series X. There is no mention of "Series S&...
- 44.3k
10
votes
Turn off Steam Controller without using big picture mode
You can press the Steam button + y to turn the controller off with big picture minimized.
(This probably wasn't incorporated at the time of your original post.)
- 121
9
votes
Why did Donkey Kong 64 require more than 4 MB of memory?
Actually, there's evidence that the memory bug is just a myth.
The origin of the story about the memory leak comes from an interview with Chris Marlow, a programmer who worked on the game. According ...
- 278
9
votes
Accepted
My Xbox One controller's left joystick popped out. What should I do?
I ended up following a YouTube controller disassembly/repair video.
Note that you only have to get to the step where you remove the front plate. I needed a T8 Security Torx screwdriver bit. (Note a ...
- 721
9
votes
Accepted
Is there a benefit from using a dock to charge wireless controllers
Some charging docks uses the EXT port rather than the micro USB. This saves wear and tear on the USB port and, according to several reviews, is faster.
You also have the advantage of not needing a ...
8
votes
Accepted
Are low profile GPUs better than laptop GPUs or are they same thing?
Low profile GPUs are not the same as mobile/laptop GPUs.
Low profile GPUs generally are designed around reducing the physical size of the GPU, and not necessarily efficiency (though that ends up being ...
- 96
7
votes
For PC gaming on external storage, should I use Flash or HDD (hard disk drive)?
Realistically, the speed of the drive won't affect gameplay much. The main benefit to a HDD would be capacity and price, as an external SSD will not run nearly at the speed the price would imply when ...
- 171
7
votes
Accepted
Why did Donkey Kong 64 require more than 4 MB of memory?
Does anyone know what exactly, nearly got that game pulled at all?
Unfortunately, the actual issue will likely never be known, at least not any time soon. I will detail several technical reasons for ...
- 564
7
votes
Accepted
Is it safe to run a heavy game in a non-gaming laptop?
All modern PCs have some means of protection systems that will prevent your machine from running in unsafe temperature modes.
You can check this shutdown on overheating thread on Intel's forum for ...
- 13.7k
7
votes
Accepted
Does PlayStation 2 slimline have USB 2.0 ports?
Wikipedia has a page indicating that the Slimline had two USB 1.1 ports, like all other models of the PS2.
An additional Wikipedia source about the technical specifications for the PS2 can be found ...
- 52.8k
7
votes
What are the correct specs for an SNES power supply?
I'm assuming you're referring to the NTSC SNES released in 1991, due to the power supply being rated for 120V 60Hz, and due to asking about the SNES and not the Super NES Classic Edition (also known ...
- 44.3k
6
votes
Accepted
Can I charge the battery with just a USB cable?
Yes you can, although extremely slowly, just imagine it as the same thing as your phone.
Go to settings>system setting>USB charging-turn it on.
However, keep in mind there is a certain model that ...
- 333
6
votes
Wii U disc drive spitting out disk after making noises
Before you go and open up the Wii U or send it in for repairs, it might be worth trying a cleaning CD, as described here.
Based on the information given there, it looks like any CD-R will work as a ...
- 63.6k
Only top scored, non community-wiki answers of a minimum length are eligible