I think that, if you have the resources to support that niche, which the savings from cheap offers hopefully allowed for, and you want to see it grow, it’s worth paying more.

[Copypasta of the other repost] While I know the situation described in the article can set a precedent, the title feels misleading at best, given the article describes a single case, and not (yet) a widespread practice.

I don’t make many calls, but I have observed the custom ROM I use, ArrowOS, has native screen and audio recording, so perhaps it also has call recording functions, and even if not, I imagine the screen/audio recording could be used for that purpose too.

VPN maybe?

Samsung’s been around for a while, some of their devices even have locks on hardware features if the bootloader is unlocked, e.g. the camera in those fold phones, so I ask, what devices exactly?

Step 1. Get your unique unlock code
(…)
Go to the dedicated page for the bootloader code.
Enter the IMEI 1 and serial number in the text fields of the form.
Click the blue button Get your unlock code.
You will then get your unique unlock code with further details.
Write down the code somewhere. You’ll need it later.

That sounds a lot like a form of external validation, so not really independent of third parties, and therefore not really an option for what I asked.

My current phone is a 2019 model, and it handles my demands decently.

Ooooooh

I’ll keep an eye to that phone. Thanks!

User GodlessCommie commented here in the post that Pixel phones use an online check, so maybe OnePlus is the same indeed.

Sadly it’s still a dependence on a 3rd party.

User over_clox commented here in the post that apparently a device known as Blu B131DL allows for the bootloader to be unlocked independently, so I’ll keep an eye for that.

To exemplify the watermark, here’s a screenshot I took of a FFX blitzball game some years back (metadata says it was back in 2016).

It has native screenshot functions, yes, but they are highly compressed. Iirc, there’s a tool for taking uncompressed screenshots, but given the watermark in the screenshot, it’s most likely the native function.

Also a few more since the emulators list is split in a weird way and I missed them:

• For MSX: 真・魔王ゴルベリアス　先取り横スクロール面
• For PICO-8: #hasicontent, Celeste Classic 1 and 2, Slipways Classic, Dusk Child

Dunno what systems are made for the device, but checking a list of included emulators in a so called “Onion” operating system, I see a few other devices being listed, so if you don’t mind, here are some more:

• For arcade: the other Metal Slug games up to 4 (have yet to play further), The King of Fighters 2002
• For MS-DOS: MegaRace
• For PC-98: コテ・DE・メクール
• For NES: Böbl, Micro Mages, Nix: The Paradox Relic
• For Genesis/Mega Drive: Wonder Boy in Monster World, Tanglewood
• For NDS: Shantae: Risky’s Revenge

Avoided all plot-heavy titles, even when they may have long sections low on plot.

Maybe Celeste Classic? Apparently someone made a homebrew port of it to the GBA.

There’s also Final Fantasy VI, which can be played kinda with the brain “on automatic” on quite a few sections as well as having overall plenty of places to save.

And since you’ll be emulating them, if your device has save states features, Shantae for the GBC could be a good pick too. It is harder and less save-friendly than FFVI, but with save states, it should be better as a pick and play title.

And although focused on speedrunning, the impression I got from the homebrew Augury Red Code is that it is also nice if playing without having to focus too much on it.

Metal Slug 1 and X, and also Gunbird, all 3 released in the PS1, also benefit from save states to be more “pick and play”.

Agreed with Magician and RmDebArc, and besides that, it could also be for the challenge, for the enjoyment, or because the vision of the dev only works in such a platform. And with emulators that allow commercial use around, the developer can also publish his games to modern platforms without having to rebuild the whole game.

Link for the platform: https://bandwagon.fm/

Afaik most such Reddit alternatives support RSS feeds, so a RSS reader could be an option.

Demo can be found on Itchio:
https://gortyncode.itch.io/chantey-prologue

I prefer psychological horror over jumpscares by a long shot, so my recommendations are a bit slower than what people may recommend, but if it strikes your and your wife’s fancy, here are them:
Dreaming Sarah, Wishing Sarah, Tanglewood, Parasite Eve, Wake Up (by Philosophic Games), UNLOVED, The Corruption Within.