The Switch 2 Was Never Meant to be a Powerhouse Console

Certain consoles come along and brag about how powerful they are. "This new PlayStation will render water so realistically you'd swear you're swimming," or, "You can see every blade of grass in this new Xbox game," and so forth. Nintendo's consoles haven't ever (to my memory) been focused on bragging about computing power or such. The idea has been to make fun and interesting games via their wacky ideas. These ideas sometimes work out amazingly (the smash success of the Wii and Switch consoles) or flops a bit (the Wii U struggled). 

Still, complaining about a Nintendo console struggling to render games with the best graphics or such just doesn't make much sense. It is like complaining your shortberry shortcake ice cream sundae doesn't have any banana--you could've just got the banana split then! I saw all this as Polygon had an article remarking on how some ports to the Switch 2 of popular games already have it struggling to chug along a bit. I get the idea, but the Switch 2 will, most likely, find a way to keep itself relevant for a bit even as Sony or Xbox hype up their newest uber-powerful machines (which won't even support discs in Sony's case). I think the Switch 2 will continue to do just fine within its processing limits and remain a fun console known for just that: fun. Plus, the fact that we can at least have physical versions of many games if we want is a nice feature in an era where everything is going digital-only, whether we like it or not.

I'm Bad at, "Drop Duchy," but it's Still Incredibly Fun

"Drop Duchy," has been on computers, but recently came to all finer consoles. It is a mix of genres and gaming ideas. There are roguelike elements, resource management, military strategy, and it is all wrapped up in a strange game of Tetris. It sounds bizarre, and it is, but I dig it! I'm also very bad at it.

I'm not the best at puzzles or planning out fancy strategies in games. I often will find my little army vastly outnumbered in a round of, "Drop Duchy." That, or I'll make a mistake with resource placement. Hell, sometimes I'll just kind of forget I had a piece reserved for something and totally screw up the whole board, repeatedly. I am an extremely mediocre player of, "Drop Duchy," but it is such an enjoyable game, I know that's okay! I don't feel I have played enough to offer a true, "Review," but I'd highly encourage everyone else to give it a try!

The Monkey's Paw Has Curled a Finger: Game Pass Prices Have Dropped, But With One Notable Change for the Worse

Ya'll know about the cursed monkey paw, right? Originally a classic short story simply titled, "The Monkey's Paw," by W.W. Jacobs, it involves a mysterious mummified monkey's hand that grants wishes but at a terrible cost. It has been homaged and riffed on in everything from, "Are You Afraid of the Dark?" to, "The Simpsons," and plenty of other media. Well, if anyone pulled out their monkey's paw today and said, "I want Microsoft's Game Pass to be cheaper, right now!" you've got your wish, with a little evil monkey-magic thrown in. You see, as of today, the Game Pass has gone down in price with the most expensive, "Ultimate," option decreasing from $30 to $23 and all the other selections going down in price as well. Something won't be, "Day One," on Game Pass anymore, and that, "Something," is pretty huge.

As Patricia Hernandez over at Polygon discusses, "According to Microsoft, everything that is currently included in either subscription will remain available after the price change. However, future Call of Duty games — including this year's unannounced Call of Duty entry — will no longer be day one releases on Game Pass. Instead, newer Call of Duty games will be available on Game Pass the following holiday season, or about a year after they first release. Existing Call of Duty titles already on the service will continue to be available for Game Pass subscribers." This might sting for many players as when it comes to the biggest games around, I often think of, "Pokemon," "Minecraft," and, "Call of Duty," being huge (there is GTA, but at this rate VI ain't never coming out). Obviously, the price increase ended up doing more harm than good, with many players (including yours truly) presumably giving up on Xbox/Game Pass with the drastic jump in cost back in October. I suppose a mix of lowering the price but charging people for (sooner) access to a big game is hoped to balance everything out. If you love Game Pass and, "Call of Duty," however, that Monkey Paw just zinged you thoroughly. Now, we shall see how this all shakes out.

Sony is Raising the Price of a PlayStation 5, Nintendo is Charging More for Physical Games, and Further Mayhem...

Sit down, Gen-Z and younger, to listen to the old Millennial. You see, it used to be that our console games were only available on physical cartridges and discs, which wasn't always optimal, but it was nice to be able to boot up a game and simply play it. No patches or fixes, zero random updates, it just worked. With the rise of digital, physical game sales have steadily decreased (stores like GameStop expanded into a variety of markets to compensate). You can download a game to your console, and that can be great! If you can afford the console.

The PlayStation 5 was released in November of 2020. It has a digital-only version and a fancy Pro version, but is arguably a half-decade or so old in tech (with the Pro a bit fancier). As us Millenials who played consoles back in the day can attest (and GenX who played the even older consoles will agree), usually when a console is around for a while, the price starts to come down. It is older tech, a newer generation will eventually be on the way, and so forth. However, with computing power being gobbled up more and more for AI, those microchips and GPUs, and such, are being bought in large quantities and costing more. Plus, our moronic President's tariffs don't help, either. That is why Sony just announced a price increase on the PS5. Yep, a PS5 that cost $500 in 2020 is going to cost you $650 in 2026, a whole one hundred and fifty smackers more. All the various PS5 models are shooting up in price, with the PS5 Pro set to cost $900. Dropping nearly a grand on an already-outdated, "Pro," model of a gaming console sounds insane, but welcome to 2026! People are not reacting well to this news, obviously.

You might be saying, "Forget that noise! I want to play new games, but I'm mad at Sony for this increase and don't want to pay the higher price for Xbox Game Pass, either. I'm going to stick with my Nintendo Switch/Switch 2 and enjoy physical games on them, none of that digital mumbo-jumbo!" Well, Nintendo is going to start charging more money for the physical copies of their games as opposed to digital, starting with, "Yoshi and the Mysterious Book," running $60 for a download (that you do technically own at least) , but $70 for a copy you can actually, "Own," in the sense of holding it in your hands. Nintendo is saying this is a misunderstanding and, "The cost of physical games is not going up," but, uh, yeah, they are! Don't tell me your game is going to be sixty dollars, then put out information saying the physical copy costs more, followed by you acting like the $60 you already disclosed is some kind of, "Digital discount." That's the equivalent of peeing on my leg and telling me it's raining--then, trying to sell me an umbrella!

Back to you shouting out loud to anyone who will listen, "Alright then, screw gaming, I'm just going to stream Netflix and save some money!" Oh, you sweet Summer child, Netflix is raising its prices, yet again, and you can expect to pay $20 for the, "Standard," ad-free plan, which you may recall won't let you share your password with friends anymore. Again, welcome to 2026--everything is more expensive and less user-friendly! If things are getting to the point you want to dust-off your old Bluray or DVD player and just check-out movies from the library, I don't blame you. Hell, some libraries let you get games too. Maybe try that, at least until the government outlaws libraries because nothing awful our current administration could do would surprise me at this point. Now, if you excuse me, I have an idea to bring back the renting of game consoles like in the old days, but with an added twist, kind of like a timeshare. That idea may sound absolutely terrible, and that's why I say for a third and final time, "Welcome to 2026!" Let's all try to make it out alive.

What's Up with the Xbox?

Hey, you know the Xbox? It is pretty popular in all its forms, but lately has struggled to succeed as much. Well, the Xbox division of Microsoft is having a huge shake-up. To summarize, "Microsoft gaming CEO Phil Spencer's retiring, his assumed replacement and Xbox president Sarah Bond has resigned, and the suit now being tapped to take over Spenny's gig currently has the following job title: president of Microsoft’s CoreAI product." Well, that's interesting. It is a new era with Microsoft Gaming's new CEO, Asha Sharma, assuming control with the promise that Microsoft isn't giving up on the Xbox as a brand or has plans to force, "AI Slop," upon us. The Xbox isn't dead, although some have called it as much.

To return to my headline, "What's up with the Xbox?" Do you need one, really, anymore? A lot of Xbox games are going over to Nintendo and Sony devices, as well. Rebranded PCs are little handheld Xboxes, and so forth. You don't need an Xbox to play so-called, "Xbox," games...so, why? I mean, if you love the exceedingly expensive Game Pass, I can see how that can be handy for trying out games you don't get to ever actually, "Own," without plopping down more cash. I did enjoy the Game Pass, but I gave up on it with the wild price increases.  Will Sharma be able to bring us a bright new era of Xbox, or is this the first bell ringing out in the cemetery to mark the funeral procession? That's a messy metaphor, but its fitting considering how much of a mess this all seems to be. The people expected to take over Xbox in the near future are out, some random AI exec, few seem to have heard of in regard to video-games is in, and I haven't even mentioned the new AI head will be working quite closely with Sharma (a bit worrisome for promises of avoiding AI slop), and is named Matt Booty. Yes, I giggled the first time I read his name.

New CEO, Asha Sharma

The Xbox has an unclear future despite claims otherwise. I see a lot of buzzwords and flowery language, but bragging about AI integration or promising a bright new future with a, "Reinvention of play," can end up ringing hollow if not backed up by clearly evident action--and hopefully action with a positive impact. Clearly, 2026 is going to be an interesting year for the Xbox as we know it, and that's an understatement!

"Halo," is Coming to the PlayStation 5

Back in the day, we had us some console wars. In May, I blogged about how vicious companies could be towards each other before relations thawed a lot this decade. In the aforementioned post, I even said, "...how long until a, 'Halo,' game arrives on the PS5..." without suspecting that before the year would end we'd get an official announcement; yes, "Halo: Combat Evolved," will be launching on Xbox, PC, and PlayStation 5. It is a new remaster of, "Halo," with fancy graphics, gameplay tweaks, and so forth, but it is still at its heart, "Halo," and somehow on the PS5. 

I guess at this point, it doesn't matter too much what console you have if you want to play a game from Microsoft, as they want to port stuff to anything that can handle their games. This is welcome news for me, as I cancelled my Game Pass for now and am playing my PS5 a lot more than my Xbox Series S. It just is interesting how years ago the idea of, "Halo," on PlayStation seemed outlandish, but now here we are.

With the Latest Price Hike I'm Canceling My Xbox Game Pass

I don't play a ton of video-games these days. I do sometimes get a chance and enjoy renting games for my PS5 from the library and/or VStock. With my Xbox, I've used the Game Pass to sample various titles as I don't, "Own," them via the pass, but can play a variety of stuff. I'm going to cancel my pass this month, however. The main reason? A sudden and massive price hike with little to show for it. Yeah, Microsoft, this wasn't a good move.

There are various, "Levels," of Game Pass, and the, "Best," in terms of getting the most games to play, is the Ultimate Level. It has been $20 a month for a long time, but starting this November, it is shooting 50% to $30. This means it will be the most expensive streaming service around, to my knowledge. The other Game Pass echelons will be going up in price too, with many saying the, "Premium," level will now be best as there isn't too much coming via Ultimate besides some big day-one games to fiddle with. I'm just quitting for now, though, as I don't want to pay more for less. Other folks are angry as well, and Microsoft isn't giving us much for this upcoming cash grab besides a lot of old Assassin's Creed titles or that Hogwarts school game, if you're into Harry Potter games without Harry Potter.

Is this proof that Game Pass is not a sustainable model? Is this because Microsoft is thinking of launching a, "Free with ads," style version of Game Pass? Will a massive number of cancellations counteract any possible benefit of a price increase? Clearly, there are many questions that only those with access to big ol' spreadsheets (for how much money Game Pass has made/lost) or the ability to tell the future (for how this will work out) can answer. All I personally know is I don't use my Game Pass enough right now to want to pay $360 total a year. If a title comes to Game Pass which I'm chomping at the bit to play. I may dive back in for a month someday in the future, but for now, I'm much happier just occasionally renting games and buying ones that I determine I absolutely love and need to own. I mean, heck, that PlayStation Network has its own Game Pass-style options that might start looking pretty attractive to sample now as well, even!

The Xbox Handheld is Going to be Pricey

Game consoles in general are going up in price due to tariffs/the economy/etc. With that in mind, you may have hoped the previously announced handheld-style Xbox wouldn't cost too much, but you also realize it could be costly. Officially called the ROG Xbox Ally, it can now be preordered and costs a pretty penny/tens of thousands of pennies. According to Kotaku, "There are two models of the Xbox Ally, the ROG-made handheld console that’ll either play or stream not just Xbox games, but also games via multiple other storefronts, including Steam," and the prices are $599.99 for the ROG Xbox Ally 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD and $999.99 (so a grand after tax) for the ROG Xbox Ally X 24GB RAM, 1TB SSD. A portable Xbox (that does play Steam too, to be fair) costs more than the standard option, in other words.

If you've got money to burn and love video-games on the go, this could be a spectacularly fun time. For many folks, however, that is a high price tag. You could get a decent gaming PC for that price or practically two Xbox Series X consoles. If you squint at it a bit and think of this more as a portable PC that can play Xbox games (like a fancier Steam Deck) as opposed to a portable Xbox, it sounds a bit less abhorrent in terms of price...maybe? I suppose, come the release date of October 16th, we'll see if these sell out, sit on the shelves, or the result is somewhere in between.

The, "Mindseye," Game Had as Bad a Launch as Folks Expected

"Mindseye," is an open-world-ish shooter game that had a former longtime, "Grand Theft Auto," producer (director for this game) named Leslie Benzies, involved in its creation with the new studio, Build a Rocket Boy.  As its release date neared, there were concerns expressed about the game being functional/more than vaporware. As the launch neared, Build a Rocket Boy co-CEO Mark Gerhard went on a strange PR offensive, saying people were funding a smear campaign against the game. Gamers were hoping for something akin to, "GTA," "Mafia," or the like, but as many feared, the launch is a hot mess. Reviews are negative, and people are demanding refunds. As for damage control, that's just making things worse!

There were big plans for, "Mindseye," according to Build a Rocket Boy. User-created content enabling some kind of Roblox-esque community was intended, but will this game last long enough for any dreams of long-lasting content creation to come to fruition? We've seen games launch in a messy state and be drastically improved with patches. I'd argue that of two big examples of that, "No Man's Sky," and, "Cyberpunk 2077," that even upon launch both were quite good, even if flawed, however. "Mindseye," just seems like it was delivered to players in shambles, with gamers left to pick up the pieces. I always prefer it when a game surprises people pleasantly, but not this time. "Mindseye," can be played on an Xbox, PS5, or via STEAM, but that is not recommended right now by most folks, clearly.

The Switch 2 Officially is for Sale

The Switch 2 is (theoretically) available in stores now. I previously discussed that it looked powerful and pricey at its $450 price point. That assessment still stands. Plus, many--including myself to a degree--are wondering if we're even nearing seeing the end of consoles (as we know them at least), considering almost any console can play any game these days (except with Nintendo only sharing stuff with other companies a little bit). That said, besides one store accidentally stapling through the screen of the new console on any copies they sold, this seems to be a relatively chill launch. Some folks waited in line, and a number had success even without a preorder. I haven't read of any absurd fist-fights breaking out or thefts occurring. 

Not everybody who wants a Switch 2 on day one is succeeding at getting the console, while some folks got multiples to flip for a profit (as always happens). Still, initial glitches or quirky system rules aside, this seems to have been a pretty relaxed debut of the new console without being so laid-back as to create the impression of a flop (the Wii U tried so hard but failed so epically). I'm in no rush to purchase a Switch 2. Cost of it aside, I have plenty of games I need to get into via my Game Pass on my Xbox Series S, as well as some PlayStation 5 titles I want to sample still. I don't need to add another console with fun games into the mix when I'm as behind on trying titles as I already am. That said, I wish anybody who has already acquired a Switch 2 hours upon hours of fun with the new, "Mario Kart World," or whatever they choose to play.

A Ramble About the Console Wars at the News of How a, "Gears of War," Remaster is Coming to Xbox AND PlayStation 5

My birthday year starts with 19 instead of a 20, so I'm older and remember how things used to be quite different for better and worse. I grew up in the time of the console wars, where people were viciously loyal to one company and their games over another corporation. You were a Sega fan or a Nintendo fan, for example. You hated the other folks with a passion! Then, it was all about Sony, Nintendo, or Microsoft with GameCubes/Wii, PlayStation 2/3, Xbox generations, and so forth in the early 2000s. Somewhere along the way, the icy relations started to thaw (arguably, the end of Sega being in the console Market when they gave up on the Dreamcast is one big moment), and the console wars now seem relatively antiquated.

Yes, there are differences between a PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S. There especially are differences between those and the Nintendo Switch. Still, you can play certain games with people on other consoles or a PC--that would be unheard of some time ago! Xbox is even letting some of their console exclusives go over to others, with the latest example being a, "Gears of War," remaster coming to both Xbox and the PS5. For years, the, "Gears of War," franchise has been synonymous with Xbox almost as much as Halo--how long until a, "Halo," game arrives on the PS5 or Sony maybe decides to share some love towards Microsoft with a, "Last of Us," adaptation or such? Right now things are more in the direction of Xbox stuff on PlayStation, but we will see.

Banjo Kazooie is owned by Microsoft, but they'll let them appear in a, "Super Smash Brothers," game on the Switch, and Nintendo lets Switch players enjoying, "Minecraft," spend time with Xbox fans of the game. Sony has zero issues with their, "Fortnite," players seeing those on other consoles as well. All of these companies are in competition, yes, but they seem to want to collaborate a bit if it provides benefits (AKA money) for them because the players are pleased. This is a good thing, undoubtedly, it just felt a bit odd when Sonic and Mario started hanging out and it only gets stranger seeing all these other companies so eager to share when I recall how the idea of Sony, Xbox, and Nintendo getting along like this seemed absurd two or so decades ago. It used to be, "[Sega] Genesis Does What Nintendon't," or, ""Do Not Underestimate The Power of PlayStation." Now it's more like, "Hey, let's all play together!" I like it, the tonal shift just is fascinating to someone who remembers the old days.

The Official, "Oblivion," Remaster Was Announced and Released Today

Elder Scrolls Games have a lot of fans. Many folks (myself included) adored the 3rd in the series back in 2002, "Morrowind," while the fourth, "Oblivion," came out in 2006 and has numerous fans and the most recent came out in 2011--"Skyrim," and was pretty popular as well. In what was technically a massive surprise if it hadn't been such a badly kept secret, a total remaster/reworking of, "Oblivion," was announced and promptly released today by Bethesda on PS5, Xbox, and PC. There is still that mod in the works too, so you could basically play two totally different and, "New," versions of, "Oblivion," this year if you wanted.

Early buzz for this remake is positive. It looks good, even if a little muddy and muted. I'm going to be honest and let you all know that while I loved, "Morrowind," and quite liked what I played of, "Skyrim," I randomly enough never played, "Oblivion." I'm not sure why, I was perhaps a bit busy in 2006, seeing as I graduated high school and went off to college that year. I did play video-games somewhat during my initial collegiate time, however, but while I dabbled in, "Dead Rising," and, "Hitman: Blood Money," a good deal, I just never tried, "Oblivion," and therefore can't offer any opinions on the original's quality or if this remaster compares favorably. It is available for, "Free," on Xbox's Gamepass, however, so perhaps I should give it a try sometime in the near future? The question is what other game from my backlog I've been meaning to play that I'll need to delete first to have the memory space, however!

"Starbound," Has Come to Xbox via Game Pass

Way back in 2013, I discussed how I had greatly enjoyed playing a very early beta (a pre-release test version) of a game called, "Starbound." I considered it one of my favorite titles of that year and was excited for more features to be added over time. I dabbled with, "Starbound," off and on for some months and eventually moved on, figuring I would return to it at some point in the future when it was done. I then, eventually, forgot about it as there are always more and more games to try out. However, "Starbound," has now come to the Xbox Series X/S via the Game Pass and that has me excited!

"Starbound," is complete and has had a number of patches/additions over time so that means this game is packed with features! It is fantastic that, "Starbound," now can be enjoyed on a computer and Xbox Series X/S, I look forward to trying it out on my console once I have a bit of time to dive in and try it out!

I've Been Playing Two Card-Themed Games a Good Deal

Card Games, but Virtual

I don't have a ton of time for video-games, but I do try to sample them when the chance arises via renting/Gamepass/buying cheap ones if they get lots of good reviews. Hence, it is funny that as someone who doesn't play a ton of card games I have found two themed for cards which really captured my attention as of late. Let's discuss them.

Inscryption

"Inscryption," is a game within games. It has multiple acts and isn't at all what it seems. That said, Act 1 is a mixture of a card game and an escape room. You find yourself playing this strange game themed for beasts eating each other that requires careful placement of your cards lest you find yourself dead. Don't worry if you die though, a new, "You," appears with new features--so it is a bit of a, "Roguelike," as the term goes. The thing is, there is a lot more to, "Inscryption," than meets the eye in that first Act and things get even twistier. Between exploring the mysterious cabin and how much game there is once you seemingly escape it, you can't say this is purely a card game. That said, the card-focused aspects of, "Inscryption," are extremely fun in this at times quite creepy game. You can buy a copy or play it for, "Free," on Xbox/PC Gamepass at the moment. It's worth trying out.

Baltaro

"Baltaro," is a bit like playing digital Solitare if it were mashed-up with Poker and had a whole bunch of unique power-ups in the form of 150 different Joker cards that all do wildly unique things. You see, in "Baltaro," you make Poker hands and earn points, with enough points clearing a round (sometimes rounds have little rules like Clubs don't earn points or you have to make certain hands). That sounds simple, and it would be, except those Jokers make things very interesting. Suddenly you have a Joker card that makes straights worth a lot more points and you utilize it with a Joker that allows flushes from any black suited card with a black suit or red with red so you're throwing out straight flushes with ease...until suddenly you can only play a hand once in a round and lose quickly. 

Yes, this is again a game where you will eventually lose (even if you win the minimum number of rounds to be considered a winner of a run overall). That is fine, however, as a lot of the fun is finding out what weird combinations of Jokers you can use to rack-up insane points. After all, a Joker that makes face cards repeat their points is kind of helpful, but it becomes a dangerous combo when you have a Joker that makes all cards be considered face cards for points. This deceptively simple game has become a huge hit and can be played on your computer, consoles, or phone. I bought it for just $9.99 on my iPhone and it had zero in-app purchases after that. Between these two games there is clearly lots of fun to be had playing cards virtually!

"Star Trucker," Early Impressions

I tried the new game, "Star Trucker," via Xbox's Game Pass. I found it both fun and infuriating during the bit of time I've had to sample the simulator of sorts. In, "Star Trucker," you have a big space rig you fly around via the stars. It's a mix between wild sci-fi and at times focusing on the minutia of taking care of your vehicle. One minute you're admiring a space station the next you're replacing your cabin's air filters and making sure the gravity doesn't shut off in your rig. There are lots of little buttons and things to fiddle with in your truck and it gives everything a nice tactile feel even though we obviously can't truly, "Touch," our levers or buttons. "Star Trucker," takes great pains to really make you feel like you're inside a hefty spaceship, however, whether it's cycling your cabin's cameras or pulling the horn. It is quite charming. Then the issue arises that I'm not good at flight simulators.

Yes, you're in a truck, but you are flying through space. Up is down and down is up, but as this is space even that doesn't always hold true. I'm not the best at games with your flying or floating around and I found myself getting incredibly irritated when I'd try to dock myself with a space station or pick up some cargo. I attempted to be as precise as I could lining my truck up with things, but often would just smash into a wall and damage my poor rig. I'd get really annoyed, but then I'd also have fun once I finally got to cruising. Once everything was hitched, I could enjoy some tunes on the space radio and kick-back..before hitting some space debris and having to do a spacewalk to fix my hull.

"Star Trucker," requires patience. You need to watch all the life support systems in your truck at the same time you're flying through space avoiding debris and then slowing down to a crawl and carefully lining-up for cargo. Even on the easiest setting, there is much to manage. It's a very endearing game one minute and has you feeling like throwing your controller across the room in a rage the next. I've had some fun with it when I'm not cursing under my breath, and if you have Game Pass there really is nothing to lose if you give, "Star Trucker," a try. I haven't played enough of the game to feel I could offer an earnest review, but my early impressions are that this is a good time...when it's not enraging you.

"The Thing," Video-game Has a Remastered Edition Coming This Year

"The Thing," is an amazing movie (directed by John Carpenter) and the sequel-ish game, "The Thing," was immense fun when I played it on the original Xbox over two decades ago (I know, I 'm old). The game followed a team dispatched to find out just what happened to the Antarctic research base from the flick, but of course things go horribly awry due to the titular alien that can perfectly imitate humans. The company that remade, "System Shock," known as Nightdive is giving us a remaster of, "The Thing," with the difference between remake and remaster being this updates a lot of stuff...but isn't a total retooling.

With improvements to textures, character models, the environment, and so forth a lot of the original fun will remain where you get to be suspicious of your team and if they are, in fact, human--but the game will look a lot prettier. This new iteration of, "The Thing," will be released for PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC later this year. I'm excited to revisit the game with some snazzy updates!

Microsoft to Share Games With Other Consoles

For the past couple of weeks, a lot of people have been theorizing about Microsoft potentially doing everything from quitting making consoles, to teaming up with Sony to offer a Gamepass on the PS5, to all kinds of outlandish ideas. To calm everyone down a, "Business update," podcast came out on February 15th that made it clear there are still plans to make more Xbox consoles, the Game Pass isn't going anywhere, and a handful of first-party games are going to be shared with competitors. Considering how some people who take the idea of, "Console Wars," very seriously were melting down on Twitter or Reddit at rumors it turned out the truth honestly could have been an email.

"Starfield," is still an Xbox/PC exclusive, contrary to fan fears, but some titles such as, 'Hi-Fi Rush," and, "Pentiment," will be on other devices than Xbox (or PC for titles that applies to). The, "Battle," between consoles is constantly evolving and with stuff like crossplay and such between devices and more game-sharing it is starting to become apparent picking a, "Side," isn't a big deal so much as just playing whatever device has games you like, which may sometimes be multiple ones--and that's okay!

Flashback Friday: All These Years Later, Were We Too Hard on the Xbox One?

You all may recall how the PlayStation 3 was struggling to compete with the Xbox 360. Then, in May of 2013, Microsoft announced the Xbox One and everyone had a field day with how stupid it seemed (myself included) and I and others said how E3 (may it rest in peace) had a clear winner that June with the PlayStation 4 absolutely spanking the Xbox One and resulting in Microsoft tweaking a bunch of features to make it more palatable to gamers. Xbox's chief Phil Spencer fully admits they lost that generation of the console wars. What did the Xbox One initially plan to do that made us so mad?

A big sticking point was how the Xbox One was going to require players to always be online to play their games and would register a game to that specific console so you couldn't loan the disc to a friend as it would be assigned to your console. Well, now we've got Game Pass and an Xbox console that doesn't even have discs, the Xbox Series S, so that really is a minor thing. Physical media was a big deal in 2013, but now it is basically on its way out (somewhat sadly). Having your console always need to be online isn't a big deal either, so many games are online or have an online element these days. Yes, the Kinect they wanted to force people to buy with the console was lame but that feature was eventually dropped. Plus, we use our consoles to watch online streaming apps a lot now too, something else Microsoft touted with the Xbox One to jeers at the idea of using a console to watch television...which is now common with lots of folks using a console for Netflix or such (especially if the television isn't a newer smart T.V. that has the apps built-in).

We all mocked the Xbox One but maybe it was just ahead of its time? Besides the Kinect were the other elements as terrible as I and others wrote they were? Maybe for 2013, but not 2024, I suppose? I guess we were a little too hard on the Xbox One in retrospect, but who knew that online gaming and a lack of physical discs would become such a big thing? I guess Microsoft and its Xbox did, we just didn't want to listen. The Kinect was awful though, I will always harp on about that.

Disappointing Gaming Trend of the Year: Digital-Only Releases--2023 in Review

It feels like in 2023 we witnessed more and more games released with no physical copies. Instead of a case and disc (maybe even a manual if we're lucky) games are only coming out on digital storefronts where you buy a copy for your PS5/Xbox/PC and at least, "Own," it but don't have anything tangible. Some companies said that skipping a physical release helped keep costs down--like with, "Alan Wake 2." Some games can't even really be, "Bought," and just appear on Gamepass such as, "Hi-Fi Rush." While sometimes a game might get a special deluxe physical edition at some point--"Baldur's Gate 3," comes to mind for that--fewer and fewer titles are even releasing on a disc (or a Nintendo Switch cartridge), never mind any kind of fun manuals or bonus stuff with the game too. 

I understand how with so many games being purchased online and downloaded this makes sense, but a part of me does miss those big old game manuals from back in the day that I'd read before popping the disc/cartridge/etc. into my console or PC and playing a new fun title. The future is often digital, however, so I guess I need to adjust to that. At least sometimes games get special physical releases as a bit of a niche collector thing (like with Limited Run Games), so it isn't all digital.

"The Finals," is as Fun as it is Explosive!

I mentioned how the game, "The Finals," was surprise-released in a previous post about video-game news. Well, I have now tried it and it is quite fun! Putting aside some controversy about AI voiceovers that have soured some folks on the game (I agree with the criticisms even if the developer shrugs them off), "The Finals," is a real hoot. It is free to play with a battle pass you can buy for all sorts of cosmetic tweaks to your characters. That aspect is like, "Fortnite," and other elements make me think of, "Battlefield," and, "Payday." The point is how in a 3 vs 3 vs 3 match you all want to get a vault and cash it. Plus, the whole environment can be destroyed beautifully. This results in tons of explosive mayhem. There are three character classes and one--the Heavy--is basically dedicated to destroying stuff. The Light class zips around and is a bit of a glass cannon and the medium build can be altered to serve more as a healer, support class, or a solid all-around choice.

Matches are fast-paced and all the character classes have enough gizmos and gadgets that the action stays fresh. The destructible environment is conducive to trying different strategies too. A bunch of opposing players were blocking their cashout box in a building in one match I was playing so I simply went outside, walked around the building, and blew a hole in the wall, quite surprising the person on the other side whom I then jumped at and walloped! "The Finals," is just simply a lot of fun and while it is pretty early in the game's life to offer a true, "Review," plus I haven't played as much as some folks, I would say in regards to what I have played, it has been a 5 out of 5 stars-level of fun! If you've got a PlayStation 5, Xbox Series S/X or a PC, give, "The Finals," a try!