10 Best Ways to Breathe New Life Into Your Old Game Console
If you’ve played video games for a while, chances are good that your entertainment center has at least one console that doesn’t do anything, and that sucks. Don’t let your old friend sit and pick up a rough film of dust and dirt, give him a new lease on life – or find someone to do it. Here’s how.
10. Make sure you customize it as best you can.
First, take the time to clean and fix your controllers . Those old sticky buttons and dirty joysticks aren’t fun, even if everything else is set up correctly. Beyond that, think about your TV. Display technologies have come a long way, and while much of this guide focuses on somewhat older consoles like the PlayStation 2, 3, OG Xbox, and 360, even if you have an older console it helps to connect them to your modern HDTV. the best way .
Take a little time to tweak your console’s video settings to make sure they pair well with your TV and you avoid things like overscan. Then you can take a few more steps and make sure the image is as sharp as possible. Moving from the ancient composite connection to HDMI, if available, will make a huge difference. Oh, and if you haven’t already, it also helps to properly calibrate your TV . It only takes a few minutes and it will be worth it.
9. Ditch the new series of releases and close the gap with the latest generation.
Look, new releases are great, but many of those old Xbox 360, PlayStation 2 or 3, or Nintendo Wii games are as good as they were when they were new. Their stories are as compelling as their gameplay. Sure, some of them don’t keep up with the time and we’re not saying you should go completely retro, but hard drive upgrades for these older consoles are cheap these days, and these games are cheap too.
Now is a good time to go back to the Xbox 360 and grab the games you’ve never played, or fire up your PS2 and go through the list of the best games from someone you trust . Plus, you will most likely end up playing great games that will inspire you for new releases this (and next) year.
8. Use it as a dedicated media center or set-top box.
One of the best ways to breathe new life into a console like PS3, Wii, or Xbox 360, especially if it’s connected to the Internet, is to turn it into the ultimate all-in-one set-top box . After all, there are apps for just about every video and music streaming service for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, and even some of them still work for the original Xbox or PlayStation 2 (although they are much more difficult to find), and are they all capable of playing movies. and music that you downloaded easily. Instead of spending money on a new streaming box or just watching Netflix or Hulu, grab the latest generation console, move it to your bedroom or kid’s room, and leave it as it is.
If you have a much older console, all is not lost. If there is built-in storage or you can plug in a USB drive to it, boot it up with movies or music and plug it in directly. It’s even better if this drive is connected to your network so you can move media to it wirelessly. You might be surprised at how perfect the PS2 can be, like a music player, for example, or how the PS3 can stream and play Blu-ray like a champion, even if you no longer use it for games.
7. Install the new firmware and explore the possibilities.
The beauty of old but not too old consoles is that the hacker and do-it-yourself community loves them. They are popular, easy to get hold of for customization, and you can do a lot with them. From hacking Wii for homebrew to installing custom firmware for PS3 or homebrew on Xbox 360 , the possibilities are endless. You can get a console turned into a PC, a Linux box just jailbroken and modifiable, or you can simply open the door to a world of custom software, home games, emulation, or simple ways to do what the default firmware you do, for example, add more memory or reassign controller buttons.
6. Turn it into an arcade cabinet.
Instead of hooking up your old console to a new HDTV and risking terrible picture quality, consider grabbing an old CRT, wired controller, or control knob and putting your carpentry skills to the test. We showed you how to do this from a PC , but it would be even easier with a console, and the games you want to play are already loaded into internal (or external) storage.
You can also use this MAME wardrobe tutorial as a template – again, it’s designed for people who want to set up a PC for emulation purposes, but you don’t need to do this if you already have a console that you want to enable. wardrobe with. However, the rest of the hardware – from the TV to the controls – is fine. If you’re really serious about it, you can just buy and gouge an existing arcade cabinet , but well, then you would gut the arcade cabinet. If you go down this route, try to make a deal with the broke, not a worker you could just play with.
5. Set up an arcade room with stations for your old consoles.
Ah, the best playroom is one where instead of all your hardware connected to one big screen, the room has different play stations with their own mini-libraries and places to sit and relax. Sure, you have to have a place to make it work, but you might even have a mechanism lying nearby to make it work right now. A couple of monitors, maybe a cheap CRT from a thrift store and a couple of beanbag chairs, and you’re almost on your way to your home arcade. You can even put the consoles on the coffee table with a little effort.
4. Use details for other projects.
Speaking of controversial projects, you could , if your conscience allowed you, gut the squalid console and use its components for other projects. If it’s not too old or replaceable, you can grab controllers and hard drives and use them on your PC, mobile devices, or hack controllers and turn them into consoles .
If you’d rather gut the console itself, you can insert a Raspberry Pi or Pi Zero in there to save even more space, and turn your old one-write console into a multi-platform or emulation powerhouse. Don’t get us wrong, we flinch too when classic hardware becomes an ornament , but if it collects dust and does nothing with it, it’s better to appreciate it than to leave it somewhere in a box. If you need more ideas, check out this overview .
3. Make it portable
Xbox or PlayStation “laptops” are fairly common, and in many cases do not even require much modification. This Xbox 360 case is a good start, as is this rugged PlayStation 3 . Of course, for most of us, this is probably what we end up doing on the first try, but you don’t have to go all-in or whatever if you don’t want to. A simple suitcase or backpack is enough, large enough for the console itself, its power supply, and a small LCD that can be plugged in directly.
You can go and grab a portable case like this for your console, which has a screen and space to dock the console itself. But if you look closely at something like this, you’ll want to find a good-sized bag on your own, some Velcro straps and padding that you can buy yourself, and aportable LCD from eBay like this one and build your own. It’s easy, and a great way to put your old console together and take it with you on vacation or with a friend.
2. Get the most bang for your buck by selling them
Maybe decluttering is more of your style and you’d rather tidy up your console a bit so you can sell it and make a decent scratch out of it. That’s okay too! The first thing you need to do is clean and clear the controllers , and also make sure they are in good condition so that someone else can use them. Then treat it all like a PC and make sure the fans and case are free of debris, dust, and grime – you know, nothing you’d want to see if you bought one.
Then, look for the best places to exchange or buy used consoles . Most of the establishments with the most subscribers also give you decent bucks for your old gear and are always looking for something to fill up their shelves. Likewise, check out the best places to share your games so you can offload the collection you created for the console you are selling. Hopefully you make enough money to pay for your new obsession … or maybe just a few new games for updating in the meantime.
1. Give him a new lease on life with a worthy charity.
Finally, if you really want to give your old console a new lease of life, give it one that’s worth it, donate it to a charity that can use it, and put it in the hands of someone who loves it as much as you do. -or more. Consider donating your gear to Get Well Gamers or Game Changer , who will both take your dearly beloved console and games and donate them to children’s hospitals, orphanages, or other noteworthy charities.