As gaming and media systems begin to become outdated and slow, there is a tendency that we have to upgrade to something new, and completely disregard the old. Often this is a result of trying to keep up with the curve, in pushing a device to attempt something it was never built for. Other times, bloat on older systems can inhibit performance to the point they can no longer handle the tasks they once performed effectively.
Looking at these realities, we want to examine how it can be possible to give older devices another lease on life. There can be a lot more to older systems than many people realize, and by taking advantage of this, we can create dedicated entertainment systems with a surprising amount of depth.
Table of Contents
Starting Out
The best advice for getting older devices running like new is to consider a reformat, or a system reset. Over time, whether we realize it or not, a whole host of programs and data can seep into our devices, and this can have an enormously debilitating effect on performance. Reformatting or factory resetting will clear the slate, giving users enormous room in which to work.
Once this is complete, the next step is to update drivers and necessary programs so that they will run effectively. Mobiles will tend to do this automatically. PC users can have a more difficult time, but there are a variety of programs that can streamline this process significantly.
As Media Machines
One of the simplest and most reliable uses of older devices is to turn them into basic video and audio players, as well as internet browsers. These technologies tend to be highly scalable, and on fresh installs, they can often handle almost anything that a newer device could.
For example, this online casino for Canadian players works well even on our older testing devices. This is because websites like this rely on less-demanding software like slots, blackjack, roulette, and even live games. All of this is modern, but as part of an industry that understands many players have limited devices, it has an immense amount of flexibility.
For users considering this route on mobiles or PCs, we would recommend keeping these devices as clean as possible to ensure better performance over the long-term. This is especially useful advice for mobiles, which can suffer from massively reduced battery longevity if a lot of programs are running in the background.
For Traditional Gaming
Users looking for more traditional video game experiences are probably not going to be able to run much in the way of modern gaming, however, this represents only a tiny portion of the gaming pie. For mobile gaming, older apps from the earliest days of smartphones are usually still freely available on the app stores or as searchable downloads, making the process simple.
PC users, on the other hand, have a potential library of games going back to the eighties. At least from the period of the late ’90s to today, many of these will be playable as they currently exist. Some that don’t translate well to modern hardware might require what are called source ports, which bring the code into more recent operating systems.
Otherwise, for both mobiles and PCs, there is the option of emulation. We’ve talked about this before, but the general idea is that emulation allows users the ability to play older PC and console games on more recent systems. This hugely widens the potential gaming scope and can be a fantastic way to store hundreds of games on devices with even the smallest hard drives.
As with any older piece of technology, the true value is determined by the user. With a little hard work, it can be possible to repurpose even the humblest of machines into a key part of your entertainment setup. So, next time you’re thinking of throwing an older device out, consider giving it a second life, and you might be surprised at what you, and it, can accomplish.
