Hey there! I'm Yoshinori Ono, CEO at Lasengle.
Welcome to my blog and thanks for dropping by!
So, the other day I had a minor disaster with the controller and back buttons on my GPD WIN3: they both suddenly stopped working (Gaaaah!!).
Good news is, I managed to fix it (phew)!! And this is how.
!!!CONTENT WARNING!!!
In this blog, I've shared how I fixed the issue with my GPD WIN3 controller, but I'm not an expert. Follow these instructions at your own risk!
!!!PROCEED WITh CAUTION!!!
In Japan, there's been a lot of conversation around handheld gaming PCs this month, with the GPD WIN3 getting the most attention (I talked a little about my experience with these devices here).
The GPD WIN3 is light and portable, and I usually take it with me wherever I go, work or home. I bought it about a year ago and play on it pretty much every day, and it's made appearances on this blog since day 1.
So, you can imagine my shock when one day, it just suddenly stopped working. No warning, nothing. Out of the blue, the back buttons and controller became completely unresponsive. The touch panel and keyboard were still working, but without the controller I couldn't play any games.
I know what you're thinking, "You must've done something. It couldn't have just stopped 'out of the blue.'", "Did you drop it? Or maybe you were mashing those buttons too hard?" But I swear, honest! I wasn't doing anything I shouldn't. It just...died.
For those of you who don't know, the GPD WIN3 is a candy bar handheld gaming device, with a touch keyboard revealed by sliding the screen up. This feature makes it great for games that need a keyboard: no need to install a software keyboard so you have more screen space (you can check out my keyboard/controller setup in older blogs here and here).
It's one of my favorite gaming devices and I always treat it with the greatest of care, so it was a huge shock when it stopped working. But, at the same time, I was also pretty calm. If you've been playing games as long as I have, there's this sense of inevitability. This feeling that eventually, something's going to break. So while it took me by surprise, there was also a bit of, "So, it finally happened, huh? Well, that's life!"
Ok. So, here's what was going down with my GPD WIN3 at the time.
- The device turns on normally.
- OS functioning normally. Start up, restart, shut down, all okay.
- Touch panel is responsive. Keyboard working fine.
- Controller is unresponsive. Back buttons are both unresponsive.
First, I checked the software.
- Tried to launch WinControls to configure the back buttons. But instead got an "Initialization failed" popup and the program wouldn't start.
- The device manager didn't register the controller.
After trying a couple of things, I decided to do a factory reset.
- The OS and keyboard were working, so I repeatedly pressed the Tab key during reboot to bring up the system recovery menu, and followed the onscreen prompts.
- If the menu doesn't appear and the device boots normally, repeat the above until it does.
(Before you run the recovery, you'll get a warning that all your data will be deleted--this is not a drill! Make sure you back up anything you want to keep!)
...but even after all that, the problem wasn't fixed (like, seriously?? After I did a full backup. Sigh).
I went online hoping to find an answer but nobody had the same symptoms and a solution. I concluded that it was unlikely to be a software issue.
That meant one thing. I had to operate. I knew that this could potentially cause more damage, but extreme times call for extreme measures...
...then, just as I was about to void my warranty, I had a brilliant idea! A search in English might just bring up a solution.
So I opened up in the search engine, typed in "GPD WIN3 controls not working", clicked search and found this:
Finally! A ray of hope!
Following the instructions on the link, this is what I did:
- Took out all the screws from the back.
- Carefully removed the back cover (the video made it look easy, but there are clips holding it in place, so you have to be real gentle when you do this to avoid snapping them).
- Very, very carefully set aside the front component, trying not to touch anything.
- Using an alcohol wipe, gently cleaned the terminal on the back (the small board about the size of a pinky fingernail with 6 tiny circles) and the terminal on the front (the one with the small pins lined up), which were shown at the end of the video.
- Waited for the alcohol to dry completely (just to be safe) and put everything back together.
Then the moment of truth. Drum roll please...It worked!
The problem was completely fixed!!! Controller and back buttons back to normal. Basically the modern day equivalent of blowing on a cartridge (remember those days?), but as long as it works, I'm not complaining!
I am eternally grateful to the person who shared their experience on reddit. Thank you, whoever you are! And I hope by sharing my experience I can help someone else too.
After my euphoria died down, I realized that the factory reset had been completely unnecessary. Which was pretty annoying because restoring my setup was not an easy task (sigh).
But, if you've been debating buying a handheld gaming PC, don't let my experience put you off. There are so many different devices on the market to choose from, and new ones are constantly being announced.
Which brings me to some exciting news!! News that I've been waiting on for a while...
Steam Deck is now available for pre-order in Japan!!!!!
If you're about to purchase your first handheld gaming PC, or if you're just thinking about which one to buy, I very much recommend you check out Steam Deck.
Steam Deck official website
https://www.steamdeck.com
If you're in Japan, you can order from here.
https://steamdeck.komodo.jp/product/steam-deck/
(I'm not on commission from Valve, I just love their gear!!).
Now that my device is up and running, on to my featured game for blog #19: Loopmancer.
Loopmancer is a side-view action game.
It features gorgeous 3D graphics that give it real depth, but the action takes place on a single axis so there's no need to worry about lining up with enemies on different planes. The controls are super simple--attack, jump, dash, dodge--allow for fast-paced and fun action-packed play.
There are four main weapon types: melee, ranged, sub-weapons and skills. Each category offers a nice wide range of options to choose from, and I had a lot of fun experimenting with different combos as I tried to find my favorite play style.
The melee weapons especially had incredibly distinctive battle animations, and every weapon has an Overkill counter that when fully charged lets you unleash a master attack. Naturally, I wanted to try out all the weapons to see what kind of Overkill they produced!
Loopmancer is set in the near-future. A cyberpunk world where neon signs and bright kanji billboards contrast with the gloomy overcast sky and rain-soaked streets filled with puddles.
The story revolves around a time loop, and the main character is a detective.
The game presents you with dilemmas that you have to choose from to progress. "A and B are both in trouble. If you save A, B won't make it, and if you save B, A won't make it. Who will you save? Decide quickly before it's too late!". And the game's not kidding: a 30 second timer pops up and you have to decide before it ends.
The first time I played, I was like "Wait, What? A countdown? 20 seconds left?? Ok, er, A or B, B or A, which do I choose ...Argh, I dunno??! This one?!" and made a choice without much thought. As the game progressed, I'd think back on my decisions, wonder what'd happen if I'd made the other choice--and then realize that it was the only choice I could make.
Loopmancer is really great at drawing the player in so you'll empathize with the character, and experiencing the same sense of conflicting emotions as you make a choice between a rock and a hard place.
I played Loopmancer in English because there was no Japanese language support. Most of the event scenes are played out with English audio and subtitles, but there were a couple of characters who would switch to Japanese when talking together, and I thought that was a pretty cool touch.
Loopmancer is one of those games I just couldn't put down. The controls are simple, the action is fast-paced and stylish, and I really enjoyed the time-loop story element and near-future world setting.
There was a part in the game where characters talked about people living past 100 years old. It got me thinking: maybe the era when living past 100 is the norm is not so far off after all. It'd be nice if I'm still around to see it.
That's my take on Loopmancer!
Thanks for reading.
The next game is calling my name so gotta go--till next time!
Yoshinori X（Twitter）