Nintendo Direct 03/27/2025

Link: https://www.ign.com/articles/nintendo-direct-march-2025-everything-announced

Interesting move by Nintendo to unveil a Switch focused Nintendo Direct, especially when we’re supposed to get a Switch 2 Direct in a few days…7

Ubisoft makes a deal with Tencent…

Link: https://finance.yahoo.com/news/ubisoft-carves-top-games-unit-164015707.html

Perhaps it was always the plan, even if AC Shadows was a financial success.

Major Publishers looking to delay games to avoid being beaten by GTA VI

Link: https://www.thegamebusiness.com/p/major-publishers-plan-to-delay-games

Announcing GTA VI’s release date will be cataclysmic for game releases as no one wants to release alongside GTA VI, as it’ll look especially bad.

Gamestop Closes Down More Stores (and invests in Bitcoin?)

Link: https://www.ign.com/articles/gamestop-plans-to-close-a-significant-number-of-stores-and-invest-into-bitcoin

The bitcoin plan was in unanimous agreement from the top level execs of this sinking ship.

RGG Studio justifies the reuse of assets in the “Like a Dragon” series

Link: https://www.ungeek.ph/2025/03/rgg-studio-directors-explain-their-approach-to-reusing-assets-in-like-a-dragon/

Perhaps it was always the plan, even if AC Shadows was a financial success.

Cristiano Ronaldo is now a fighting game character

Link:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fbeEWm4%5Fqeg

This was announced a while back but we couldn’t have possibly imagined Ronaldo being an actual playable character in the new Fatal Fury.

Game Informer returns with ALL Staff

Link:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eoVfBvxKdm0

Game Informer is BACK!

Japanese Gaming is Back on the Rise! 5/8 major companies reported record profits.

Link: https://automaton-media.com/en/news/japans-aaa-game-industry-performs-strongly-as-5-out-of-8-major-companies-hit-record-breaking-share-prices/

Japanese Gaming is back! Not that it ever left or anything but people seriously underestimate how important the Japanese are to gaming as a whole.

Hope for Silksong After All

Link: https://steamdb.info/app/1030300/history/?changeid=U:60144384

Silksong’s Legal Line was changed from “Copyright Team Cherry 2019” to “Copyright Team Cherry 2025”. Now I’m not saying Silksong’s coming out this year…. but I’m saying it’s coming out this year.

HP’s “Steam Deck”

Link: https://www.videogamer.com/news/hp-doesnt-want-windows-on-its-steam-deck-competitor-but-valves-simple-steamos/

HP does not want to make a Windows handheld, but would be far more interested in making one with SteamOS on it.

Google Makes Android Development Private, But Will the OS No Longer Be Open-Source?

Link: https://www.techtimes.com/articles/309791/20250327/google-makes-android-development-private-will-os-no-longer-open-source.htm

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#SteamController #gamingnews

Theme song composed by Gardiner Bryant

In this episode of Off the Console, we dive into the latest gaming and tech news! From Assassin’s Creed Shadows’ historical controversy and Steam Deck performance insights to the rise of home labs for game streaming and Nvidia’s latest GPU reveals — we’ve got it all. We also explore handheld gaming trends, Ubisoft’s DRM concerns, and the future of gaming interfaces. Tune in for insightful discussions, hardware breakdowns, and the evolving landscape of game development!

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#SteamController #gamingnews

Theme song composed by Gardiner Bryant

This week on Off The Console, we dive into some of the hottest topics shaking up the gaming and tech world! First, the Nintendo Switch 2 is finally revealed, but the drama doesn’t stop there—Nintendo’s lawyers are already making waves at CES 2025. Plus, the imminent TikTok ban in the U.S. is causing chaos, with users flocking to alternatives like REDnote.

We also discuss Elon Musk’s controversial gaming habits and the shady truths behind Honey’s coupon practices. On a brighter note, we break down an exciting interview with Pierre-Loup Griffais at CES, where Valve drops new insights on SteamOS and the future of gaming hardware. Lastly, we explore Sony’s wild AI patents and the staggering number of unplayed games on Steam.

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#SteamController #gamingnews

Theme song composed by Gardiner Bryant

In this week’s episode, we dive deep into the gaming industry’s hottest developments, from Microsoft’s bold handheld gaming plans to Lenovo Legion Go’s challenge to the Steam Deck. Discover the exciting potential of new SteamOS devices, cutting-edge features, and the hurdles of compatibility and software. We also explore the latest CES tech from AMD, Intel, and NVIDIA, speculate on the Nintendo Switch 2, and discuss Tencent’s new designation as a military company. Stick around as we tackle innovations in gaming controllers, the rise of AI in gaming, and what it means for speedrunning, voice acting, and copyright. With insights into the future of immersive gaming and the role of Linux in gaming, this episode is packed with the tech and gaming news you don’t want to miss.

🃏 Hi-Tech is grinding our a perfect game of Balatro 🕹️ James is playing Chess Mess 🏗️ Gardiner is trapped in VR games?

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#SteamController #gamingnews

Theme song composed by Gardiner Bryant

This week we talk about CES 2025 including Valve’s presence and other details. Plus, we chat about the outrageous pricing of the RTX 50 series cards, the Half-life 3 rumors, FFVII Rebirth going multiplatform, the resurrection of Tango Gameworks and more!

What’s everyone been playing?

Hi-Tech:

Grinding Balatro

James:

Half-Life 3 Copium Game

Gardiner:

Dome Keeper

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CES 2025 is AROUND the Corner

Link: https://www.ces.tech/

Technology of Tomorrow…. TODAY! CES is a trade show where tech companies from all around the world come to showcase their new hottest tech. Sometimes they’re products that are basically ready for production, and sometimes they’re high concept devices and machines made by companies that desperately need investors. While not explicitly gaming oriented like E3, Gamescom, or Tokyo Game Show, there ARE always companies showing off gaming hardware.\n\nAll of this… in a few days. Who’s gonna be at CES? What companies? What content creators? What SHOULD we look forward to?

Valve @ CES - Related to Above Topic

Link: https://x.com/sadlyitsbradley/status/1874899690464198753

We already know Valve’s going to be at CES with Lenovo… the big question is what ELSE will Valve do there?

Nvidia RTX 5090 & 5080 Price Revealed (in China)

Link: https://www.tomshardware.com/pc-components/gpus/rtx-5090-and-rtx-5080-listed-for-usd2-600-and-usd1-350-at-chinese-retailer-leaked-listing-suggests-blackwell-might-see-a-price-hike-at-least-in-china

The RTX 5090 is listed for 18,999 Yuan ($2600) & the RTX 5080 listed for 9,999 Yuan ($1350). As per this source, China employs a 13% VAT. After adjusted for VAT the prices end up being $1200 for the 5080 and $2200 for the 5090. A 37% price hike for the 5090.\n\nPrices MAY be different over here but the prices for the 4090 have remained somewhat similar between the US and China when adjusted for VAT.

“#Valve #Halflife #GMan #2025”

Link: https://x.com/mikeshapiroland/status/1874213952680607922

Mike Shapiro, best known as the voice of The G-Man from Half-Life posted a mysterious video with mysterious hashtags. The Half-Life 3 rumor mill begins once again…

“Final Fantasy VII Rebirth sales don’t disappoint but they can’t be exclusive to a single console anymore”

Link: https://x.com/Knoebelbroet/status/1873115322032787872

https://br.ign.com/final-fantasy-vii-rebirth/134307/news/nao-podemos-ser-exclusivos-de-um-unico-console-diretor-de-final-fantasy-7-rebirth-diz-que-numeros-de

Yoshinori Kitase, producer for FFVII Rebirth did an interview with IGN Brazil. Kitase says the sales are doing good but it is clear that modern games cannot be exclusive anymore… that they need to offer the game to as many players as possible. FFVII Rebirth’s PC port comes out later this month, nearly a year after it was released as a PS5 exclusive. Still no word on if FFVII Remake or Rebirth will come to Xbox.

Tango Gameworks Lives Again Thanks to Krafton

Link: https://wccftech.com/tango-gameworks-lives-again-thanks-to-krafton/

Today, at the dawn of the new year, Tango Gameworks has resumed social media communications with the following message to all its fans:

A New Start\nTango Gameworks studio has been reborn as Tango Gameworks Inc., proudly joining KRAFTON Inc.\nWe’re excited to continue crafting games that bring joy to players around the world.\nThank you for your continued support as we embark on this new journey!

As a reminder, the Japanese studio previously also released The Evil Within, The Evil Within 2, and Ghostwire: Tokyo. Those franchises have stayed with Microsoft for now, but they don’t appear to be used for the time being. As such, it’s not inconceivable that Tango might ask for the license at some point in the future, though the current focus is undoubtedly on Hi-Fi Rush 2.

EmuDECK adds ShadPS4

Link: https://steamdeckhq.com/news/emudeck-adds-ps4-emulation-support-shadps4/

PS4 emulation is now easier than ever on the Steam Deck thanks to EmuDECK.

it is possible to play some of these on the Steam Deck

Luck be a Landlord banned from Google Play?

Link: https://blog.trampolinetales.com/luck-be-a-landlord-might-be-banned-from-google-play-2/

Another game being scrutinized for gambling aesthetics (in this case, literal slot machines). But like Balatro there are no real money transactions beyond the game itself.

Recettear - One of the most influential doujin titles gets an HD Remaster

Link: https://x.com/Recettear_EGS/status/1873564667366506965

Recettear: An Item Shop’s Tale was a doujin title released in 2007 at the 73rd Comiket and historically one of the first independent games from Japan to be released on Steam. It has inspired quite a few games, like Moonlighter, Potionomics and even the likes of ConcernedApe’s upcoming game, Haunted Chocolatier. One of the most capitalist games of all time where the goal is to make a shitload of money from the loot you find in dungeons. Possibly the antithesis of Disco Elysium.

It’s getting an HD remaster in 2025. Capitalism Ho!

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#SteamController #gamingnews

Theme song composed by Gardiner Bryant

Join us for the latest episode of Off the Console as we dive into the hottest gaming tech news of the week! From Valve’s ongoing controversies and the assumptions made by CoffeeZilla, to the innovative Ioneo 3 and its modular design. James, aka The Brink, is joined by HiTech (and Gardner in spirit) to discuss their latest gaming adventures, the photorealistic vs. stylized graphics debate, and more. Plus, we touch upon the fascinating world of War Thunder leaks and the unique challenges faced by game developers today. Don’t miss this engaging discussion and be sure to tune in for our CES predictions next week!

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#SteamController #gamingnews

Theme song composed by Gardiner Bryant

A Special Edition Off The Console episode! We watched The Game Awards and made predictions and talk about announcements. All live!

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#SteamController #gamingnews

Theme song composed by Gardiner Bryant

Valve heads to CES with Lenovo?! What the hell is going on with Balatro and PEGI? And as Sony comes to an agreement with KADOKAWA, the “final spec” approaches. And as the year closes, Valve and us look back at our past year in gaming and surprises and games we kinda forgot we played this year too!

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#SteamController #gamingnews

Theme song composed by Gardiner Bryant

Valve is cooking up something behind the scenes! It seems Valve may be bringing back the old Steam Machine initiative! Will they succeed? And will there be an armada of SteamOS devices aiming for Nintendo’s portable crown? On the heels of this, Valve has also included guidelines on how to properly use the Steam brand on your product’s box!

And Valve’s Class Action lawsuit heats up! Will they be able to make it out alive? And what happens if they lose? What happens if they win?

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#SteamController #gamingnews

Theme song composed by Gardiner Bryant

Is the AAA gaming bubble finally bursting? In this discussion-packed episode, we talk about the shake-ups rocking the industry; from the rise of indie gems (and whether they get enough recognition) to the slow downfall of bloated blockbusters. We debate whether Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree truly deserves a Game of the Year nod, share our excitement for Steam Deck community rumblings, and dream big about the Steam Controller 2. Plus, we tackle Valve’s controversial 30% revenue split, Sony’s bold move to acquire FromSoftware’s parent company (and the intrigue of a possible hostile takeover), and the potential of SteamOS 3 to redefine PC gaming.

With the Steam Autumn Sale just around the corner, we also highlight the best deals and must-play titles. With guest host Noah from Steam Deck HQ, this is a can’t miss episode!

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#SteamController #gamingnews

Theme song composed by Gardiner Bryant

A White Steam Deck OLED, Xbox handheld rumors, PlayStation Trophy controversy, and Half-Life 2 anniversary! Plus, Retro Pocket 5 insights and hot GPU rumors. Dive into gaming’s latest!

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#SteamController #gamingnews

Theme song composed by Gardiner Bryant

In this episode, Gardiner, James, and Hi-Tech welcome Russ from Retro Game Corps! Today we’re debating Palworld’s bold moves against Nintendo, celebrating the PS5 Pro release, and exploring what Steam’s new API means for developers. We cover Amplitude’s split from SEGA, the fall of Multiversus, and why the M4 Mac Mini packs serious power. Plus, GeForce Now just changed its game with time limits. Tune in for all the latest in tech and gaming!

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#SteamController #gamingnews

Theme song composed by Gardiner Bryant

Recording Date/time: March 15th 10 AM EST

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The Supposed Xbox Handheld

Link: https://www.windowscentral.com/gaming/xbox/xbox-hardware-report-project-keenan-next-gen-xbox-2027

Dubbed Project Kennan, it appears to be a handheld made not inhouse by MS but in collaboration with a PC manufacturer. Currently unknown who this player is. It is however said to be unmistakenably “Xbox” in an era where everything is an Xbox.

Fortnite and Epic Anti-Cheat services coming to Windows on Snapdragon

Link: https://onlineservices.epicgames.com/en-US/news/windows-on-snapdragon-support-is-coming-to-epic-online-services-anti-cheat-and-fortnite

So they’ll support ARM but not support Linux on x86?

Steam - A Year in Review 2024

Link: https://steamcommunity.com/groups/steamworks/announcements/detail/751641001553035272

I think it’d be a more fun surprise if we read this on the show without knowing any specific data points.

SteamOS 3.7.0 PREVIEW

Link: https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1675200/view/529841158837240756

Read the changelog

Saudi Arabian gov’t buys Pokemon Go + 100 million player’s real-time location data

Link: https://lemmy.world/post/26731033

Niantic has sold their rights to the games they developed with Nintendo to the Saudi crown. No word on if that deal includes sold all their consumers’ historical data but it will definitely mean anyone who continues to play this game will have Saudi spyware on their devices.

Yet another reason to not play these types of games.

Is this yet another attempt by the Saudi’s to sportswash their image?

The Triple I Initiative RETURNS

Link: https://iii-initiative.com/

The Triple I Initiative was an indie only showcase that surprised us last year with some crazy announcements! This year they’re set to return bigger and better than ever! With no ads!

Bazzite DX & GDX

Link: https://universal-blue.discourse.group/t/introducing-the-bazzite-developer-experience-alpha/7342

Bazzite’s latest innovation? Two new spins of their operating system focused on the Developer Experience.

Assassin’s Creed Shadows - Steam Deck Optimized?

Link: https://www.pcguide.com/news/we-are-supporting-steam-deck-at-launch-ubisoft-changes-stance-on-assassins-creed-shadows/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HInwdVFWvVs

Ubisoft initially stated that the game would NOT be supported on Deck due to the high spec requirements… but now it seems they’ve reversed this stance. As of the making of this document it’s still Unsupported… but I’d be surprised if it ran at a decent framerate on Deck.

Disco Elysium: Reimagined for the TikTok Generation

Link: https://www.eurogamer.net/disco-elysium-is-being-reimagined-for-mobile-devices-to-captivate-the-tiktok-user

“We intend to captivate the TikTok user with quick hits of compelling story, art, and audio, ultimately creating an all new, deeply engaging form of entertainment,”

Steam Spring Sale 2025

Link: https://store.steampowered.com/

No more Steam Catgirl

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#SteamController #gamingnews

Theme song composed by Gardiner Bryant

Join us as we chat about what we’re playing, dive into how we come up with fresh video ideas, and react to Sony shutting down Firewalk Studio. We tackle anti-cheat’s impact on Steam Deck, explore the new M4 Mac Mini, and break down Ubisoft’s latest NFT gamble. Don’t miss the insights, tech takes, and gaming news.

Join @Gamesrevealed@mastodon.world, @HiTechLoLife@meta.masto.host and @gardiner_bryant@mastodon.social as we discuss this week’s hottest gaming and tech news.

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#SteamController #gamingnews

Theme song composed by Gardiner Bryant

Get ready for a jam-packed episode! We’re diving into retro handhelds, taking on horror games, and dissecting the latest on Starfield. We’ll cover the Qualcomm and ARM feud, Google’s search monopoly, and even the Internet Archive hack! Plus, we debate gaming launchers, relive Prince of Persia, and give Halloween gaming recs. Don’t miss out on the laughs, insights, and gaming nostalgia!

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#SteamController #gamingnews

Theme song composed by Gardiner Bryant

We’re ranting about printers, diving into Steam Next Fest, and debating AI’s role in gaming. We explore rumors about the Steam Deck 2, discuss GameFreak’s latest leaks, and break down what’s going on with Ubisoft and Sony. Plus, are AAA games sustainable? Tune in for laughs, hot takes, and all things gaming!

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#SteamController #gamingnews

Theme song composed by Gardiner Bryant

Nvidia vs AMD… Who will reign supreme in the GPU wars? We also discuss Steam’s rapid growth, the impossible PC port, modern day graphics, and how Discord may be selling out?!

What’s this all about? Only one way to find out, by checking out this episode of Off The Console!

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#SteamController #gamingnews

Theme song composed by Gardiner Bryant

In this episode of Off the Console, the hosts dive into the exciting world of gaming, focusing on the Next Fest event and the plethora of game demos available. They discuss their experiences with various demos, the performance of the Steam Deck, and the competitive landscape of the GPU market, particularly between AMD and Nvidia. The conversation also touches on the impact of AI on the GPU market and the potential of the Framework desktop for customization and performance. In this conversation, the hosts delve into various topics surrounding the latest advancements in motherboard technology, gaming consoles, and the implications of data privacy practices by companies like Mozilla. They explore the potential uses of a new motherboard, the future of gaming consoles, and the impact of AMD’s new architecture on gaming performance. The discussion also touches on the controversial practices of Mozilla regarding user data and the state of game development, particularly focusing on the implications of software patents.

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#SteamController #gamingnews

Theme song composed by Gardiner Bryant

This week, we cover Microsoft’s latest AI abomination–this time targeting the gaming industry. Plus, we deep dive into the new state of matter that Microsoft claims to have “invented.”

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Topics Microsoft Muse - A Generative AI for “Gameplay Ideation” - Backwards Compatibility?

Link: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/research/blog/introducing-muse-our-first-generative-ai-model-designed-for-gameplay-ideation/

https://news.xbox.com/en-us/2025/02/19/muse-ai-xbox-empowering-creators-and-players/

Microsoft’s Muse project is an AI model designed for gameplay ideation. In their examples, they’ve trained their model one 1 second of real footage from a Ninja Theory game called Bleeding Edge. It’s… something alright.

But one of THEIR biggest claims is that they “believe this could radically change how we preserve and experience classic games in the future and make them accessible to more players”. Using AI to… preserve older games inaccessible? I mean… we have a thing. It’s called Emulation, and it’s pretty fucking good.

Microsoft’s new State of Matter

Link: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/19/technology/microsoft-quantum-computing-topological-qubit.html

It’s not Solid, Liquid, Gas, or Plasma… it’s something new entirely, as per Microsoft. MS dubs it… the “topological qubit”. All of this to fuel a quantum computer. Personally I can’t wait for a quantum GPU to fit in my PC powered by this mysterious state of matter.

Amazon v Steam - How David felled a Goliath

Link: https://gameworldobserver.com/2025/02/19/why-amazon-failed-to-compete-with-steam-store

“We never validated our core assumptions before investing heavily in solutions”

The Death of the AA games market

Link: https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/ps5-japan-studios-closed-because-the-double-a-market-has-disappeared-says-shuhei-yoshida/

Former President of Sony Interactive Entertainment, Shuhei Yoshida spoke about the death of Sony’s former “Japan Studio”. He chiefly attributes the death of the studio to the evaporating AA market, where AAA games got bigger and bigger and indies came in to fill in the void. Are AA games truly dead? Is the middle class of gaming dead?

VxKex NEXT - For those who refuse to leave Windows 7 behind

Link: https://github.com/YuZhouRen86/VxKex-NEXT

https://github.com/i486/VxKex

https://x.com/TheBobPony/status/1891308340837249317

“VxKex NEXT is a set of API extensions for Windows 7 that allow some Windows 8, 8.1 and 10-exclusive applications to run on Windows 7.” Quite a few programs that no longer support Windows 7 (most notably, Steam) runs on Win7 using VxKex NEXT. Quite impressive really, though VxKex isn’t made for games. Still curious about them effectively bolting forward compatibility onto an older version of Windows… and how far one could feasibly take it.

Team Fortress 2 - SDK Released

Link: https://www.teamfortress.com/post.php?id=238809

https://github.com/ValveSoftware/source-sdk-2013

Team Fortress 2 is a beloved game that’s sort of fell to the wayside many years ago. But today marks a day when Valve did the TF2 community a massive favor, by effectively open sourcing TF2. In theory, this change allows gamers the freedom to essentially create new games based on TF2. Any game made using the Source SDK must be free however. Valve is also updating their back catalogue of multiplayer games including 64bit support, HUD scaling, prediction fixes, and more.

Grand Theft Auto VI - The Next Big “Creator Platform”?

Link: https://digiday.com/media/rockstar-games-talks-with-top-metaverse-creators-with-an-eye-on-making-grand-theft-auto-the-next-creator-platform/

Grand Theft Auto VI is heavily speculated to feature the ability to create custom experiences in GTA VI, ala Fortnite or Roblox. In fact, Rockstar is said to be in talks with top creators in Fortnite/Roblox and GTA content creators for this explicit reason. Not much else has been revealed about it but the game is also speculated to ALSO have a budget of $2 BILLION. Good chance user generated content may fit the quota. Having users generate the content while R* takes a bit off each sale.

Epic v Cheater - Does the Punishment Fit the Crime?

Link: https://x.com/JakeSucky/status/1891565780283617631

https://x.com/FNCompetitive/status/1891564240604999725

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XouE9KalIVA

Epic Games has taken action against a player who account shared to qualify for the Fortnite Championship Series. On top of legal action, they’ve also permanently banned that player from entering any Epic sanctioned tournaments indefinitely and forced the prize money to be donated to charity. On top of that, they also made the player post a public apology on YouTube. Is public humiliation a good anti-cheat strategy?

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#SteamController #gamingnews

Theme song composed by Gardiner Bryant

Welcome to another episode of Off The Console with Gardner, and James, and Hi-Tech. This week we dive deep into Sony’s State of Play, updates from Nintendo vs PalWorld, and Steam’s newly implemented policies. We also celebrate hitting 300 YouTube subscribers and discuss some exciting game news including Borderlands 4, Digimon Story Time Stranger, and a new collaboration between Gearbox and Sega. Don’t miss our top tips on avoiding scams, especially involving fake Elden Ring playtest invites. Plus, we explore the impacts of AI on critical thinking and touch on Scarlett Johansson’s call for deepfake regulations. Join us for all the latest in gaming and technology!

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#SteamController #gamingnews

Theme song composed by Gardiner Bryant

This week, we’re talking about the potential return of E3 in the form of IICON! We also talk about EA doubling down on their live service rhetoric and how Linux gamers are SUPPOSEDLY all cheaters, as well as Sony’s DMCA actions against fanmade Bloodborne projects combined with the very recent PSN outage (which is up as of the uploading of this video. And lastly, how S&box may change the gaming industry by letting people publish their own S&box games as standalone games!

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#SteamController #gamingnews

Theme song composed by Gardiner Bryant

This week, we’re talking about the impact of potential tariffs on TSCM–the world’s largest chipmaker–and the negative impact it will have on everyday prices. We’re also talking about the future of PlayStation and Microsoft’s strategies. We explore the buzz around GTA VI’s rumored price tag and the surprising fall of live-service games like Multiversus. Whether you’re a hardcore gamer or just love staying up-to-date on all things nerdy, this episode is packed with fresh insights and lively debate—don’t miss it!

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Trump wants to issue tariffs to Taiwanese Chip makers like TSMC, up to a 100% tariff supposedly.

Link: https://www.pcmag.com/news/trump-to-tariff-chips-made-in-taiwan-targeting-tsmc

Submitter: Hi-Tech Lo-Life

The Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (or TSMC for short) is quite the prolific chip manufacturer, manufacturing chips for MANY many big hardware companies like Apple, AMD, Nvidia, Qualcomm, and yes, even Intel now starting with Arrow Lake. While it isn’t guaranteed to be 100%, any form of tariff would drastically increase the price of just about anything technology related. Anything from computer components, to modern cars, to video game consoles, TVs, and much much more that we can’t even begin to imagine.

The $100 Video Game

Link: https://www.ign.com/articles/gta-6-at-100-would-be-a-bridge-too-far-even-for-grand-theft-auto

$100 for a video game. Would you buy it? Would you do it if it was GTA VI? Would you do it for anything else?

New Sony Leadership

Link: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250128118356/en/New-Leadership-at-Sony-Interactive-Entertainment

https://sonyinteractive.com/en/press-releases/2025/new-leadership-at-sony-interactive-entertainment/

Hideaki Nishino and Hermen Hulst were both co-CEOs of Sony Interactive Entertainment, and now Nishino will be the sole CEO of SIE. Hulst will continue to serve as the CEO of the Studio Business Group, which means he will still be heading PlayStation’s portfolio of first-party studios. However, he will now be reporting to Nishino, rather than leading PlayStation alongside him.

Moon Studios CEO believes Sony will ALSO follow MS’s example

Link: https://x.com/thomasmahler/status/1883273827284599091

Thomas Mahler, CEO of Moon Studios (developer of Ori and the Blind Forest) believes that Sony will follow Microsoft’s example, eschewing the traditional console market instead opting for a similar structure where they will STILL sell their own hardware, but they will also sell games on whatever platform you want to game on.

PlayStation Drops PSN Account Requirement on PC

Link: https://steamdeckhq.com/news/playstation-drops-psn-account-requirement-on-pc/

PlayStation initially required a PlayStation Network (PSN) account for PC games like Helldivers 2, restricting purchases in over 170 countries. While they removed this requirement for Helldivers 2, the restriction remained for other titles. However, PlayStation has now reversed this policy for upcoming releases like God of War Ragnarok, The Last of Us Part 2, Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered, and Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, making account linking optional and offering in-game rewards instead.

Despite this positive change, there’s no confirmation on whether restricted countries will regain access to these games. The article also notes that the PSN requirement hasn’t significantly impacted Steam Deck compatibility, aside from Ghost of Tsushima’s multiplayer. Lastly, it highlights the quiet lead-up to Marvel’s Spider-Man 2’s release on PC

Sony has filed DMCA to Lance McDonald to Remove the Bloodborne 60fps Patch

Link: https://old.reddit.com/r/pcgaming/comments/1iejj36/sony_has_filed_dmca_to_lance_mcdonald_to_remove/?share_id=T8cZoaAPO3fBECEKHZF02

Submitter: Hi-Tech Lo-Life

Bloodborne on runs on PC via ShadPS4, but still runs at a capped 30FPS unless you patch the game. With the patch, you were able to run the game at a 60FPS limit. Sony however has decided to DMCA the patch, so to speak.

Nvidia RTX 5000 Launch - Better but maybe not worth the price?

Link: https://www.theverge.com/2025/1/23/598045/nvidia-rtx-5080-review-test-benchmark

https://old.reddit.com/r/nvidia/comments/1i85jwg/geforce_rtx_5090_review_megathread/

As far as I’m aware, none of us actually own a new 5000 card. And many sources cite VRAM as being a bottleneck for newer titles and that 16GB may not be enough. Reviews for the 5080 are especially scathing with a content creator, Optimum, claiming he saw a literal 0% increase over the 4080 Super in Cyberpunk 2077. But of course the optics are different if you’re upgrading from say, a 3080. Some have observed that the 5090 is 50% more performant than the 5080.

Multi-frame-generation, the new Halo feature of the 5000 series cards, is also subsequently seeing mixed reviews. Much like the previous FrameGen tech Nvidia has, it works a LOT better with a higher base framerate as it doesn’t magically reduce latency and has increased overhead meaning your base framerate might actually be lower than normal and result in worse latency. Artifacting is also an issue. I’ve seen some videos of it in action and man… it is TERRIBLE.

The Layoffs Begin Anew

Link: https://www.eurogamer.net/ubisoft-announces-studio-closure-as-it-lays-off-185-staff

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/newsletters/2025-01-31/electronic-arts-slashes-bioware-after-dragon-age-sales-miss?accessToken=eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJzb3VyY2UiOiJTdWJzY3JpYmVyR2lmdGVkQXJ0aWNsZSIsImlhdCI6MTczODM1MTgzMSwiZXhwIjoxNzM4OTU2NjMxLCJhcnRpY2xlSWQiOiJTUVlXVThUMEFGQjQwMCIsImJjb25uZWN0SWQiOiJCMUVBQkI5NjQ2QUM0REZFQTJBRkI4MjI1MzgyQTJFQSJ9.91ztnslkcG02JwTwRRfVCXIJp8FOdqGBjCNQgz-bE8k&leadSource=uverify+wall

Ubisoft closes down a UK based studio of theirs. A support studio formerly known as FreeStyleGames, Ubisoft Leamington assisted with development on Tom Clancy’s The Division series, Star Wars Outlaws, Skull and Bones and Far Cry 5 among other games.*

And Ubisoft isn’t alone. EA is also in on it, with Bioware employees effectively being relocated into other studios and the studio being halved from 200 to 100 while Mass Effect 5 is still in pre-production.

Another Live Service Bites the Dust - Multiversus going offline

Link: https://multiversus.com/en/news/multiversus-update

Season 5 of Multiversus will be the last season of the game and starts on February 4th, and will last until May 30th. Starting from January 31st, all real money transactions will be disabled. The game WILL be playable offline, so long as you download and log into the game before the end of the season. They also say the game will no longer be downloadable after May 30th, but it is unknown if they mean the game will no longer be claimable or that you cannot redownload it if you ever decide to uninstall it.

DeepSeek r1 Destroys The USA AI Tech Market

Link: https://www.pcgamer.com/hardware/graphics-cards/today-i-learned-i-can-run-my-very-own-deepseek-r1-chatbot-on-just-usd6-000-of-pc-hardware-and-no-megabucks-nvidia-gpus-required/

https://www.pcgamer.com/hardware/jen-hsun-huangs-net-worth-dropped-by-a-reported-usd20-800-000-000-after-deepseek-fears-shook-the-ai-market-to-its-core-earlier-this-week/

https://github.com/deepseek-ai/DeepSeek-R1

A Chinese based AI LLM that trained off of the OpenAI o1 LLM. It has removed about 1 trillion from the tech stock market. On the bright side, it puts million dollar AI into the hands of the common folk. It Democratizes AI. With a dozen Mac Pros, you can have a large (68GB) DeepSeek r1 LLM that competes with OpenAI’s o1.

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#SteamController #gamingnews

Theme song composed by Gardiner Bryant

Welcome to Off The Console, the hottest new podcast that’s all about gaming, tech news, and all things nerdy. This week we cover the biggest news including Xbox Direct, the new PlayStation 6 chip, and whether the Switch 2 is killing the Steam Deck. Joined by Hi-Tech Lo-Life, James, and Gardiner, we explore personal gaming achievements, discuss Chinese Chess Mess, and shout out to a porting genius in the community. Dive deep into topics like console market movements, live services, impacts of generative AI, and the future of handheld gaming. We also reminisce about the golden days of midnight game releases and reflect on industry shifts. Get ready for insights, laughs, and a trip down memory lane!

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#SteamController #gamingnews

Theme song composed by Gardiner Bryant

In this episode of Off The Console, we dive deep into gaming and tech news! Special guest Bill from Nerd Nest joins us as we chat about Monster Hunter Wilds, Steam Deck prototype sold, Mac gaming setups, retro consoles like the GameCube, and exciting new indie releases from the Triple-I Initiative. We also get real about game preservation, digital ownership issues, and the Ubisoft lawsuit over shutting down online games. Plus, what’s the deal with big publishers getting involved in indie games?

#OffTheConsole #GamingPodcast #SteamDeck #LinuxGaming #GamePreservation #IndieGames #TripleIInitiative #GamingNews #GameOwnership #Microtransactions #TechPodcast

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#SteamController #gamingnews

Theme song composed by Gardiner Bryant

This episode of Off the Console… it’s Nintendo Week! The biggest gaming news of the week… maybe even the biggest news of the year? #OffTheConsole #podcast #Nintendo, #Switch2, #NintendoSwitch2 #Tariffs, #CristianoRenaldo, #PriceIncreases and more!

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#SteamController #gamingnews

Theme song composed by Gardiner Bryant

In this episode, we discuss the Stop Killing Games movement, which aims to protect consumers from the practice of game publishers shutting down online services without warning. The conversation delves into the legal challenges faced by the movement, the implications of consumer rights in gaming, and the potential for future legislation to improve the preservation of digital games. The case of Anthem serves as a focal point for the discussion, highlighting the need for end-of-life policies in the gaming industry. In this conversation, the hosts discuss various topics related to the gaming industry, including the uncertain future of live service games, the de-Googling movement, and the ongoing debate between Linux and Windows for gaming. They also touch on PewDiePie’s shift towards self-hosting, the implications of recent Xbox layoffs, and the controversial use of AI in workplace settings. Additionally, they explore Crunchyroll’s AI translation issues and Nexus Mods’ new age verification requirements for adult content, highlighting the evolving landscape of gaming and technology.

#gaming #StopKillingGames #Podcast #GamingPodcast #ConsumerRights #VideoGamePreservation #Anthem #GamingLegislation #OnlineGames #GameShutdowns #GamingIndustry #EUInitiative #LiveServiceGames #DeGoogling #Linux #PewDiePie #XboxLayoffs #AIInGaming #Crunchyroll #NexusMods

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Theme song composed by Gardiner Bryant

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Topics Stop Killing Games… Dead?

Link: https://www.stopkillinggames.com/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HIfRLujXtUo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p9ahH6HrtTc

Stop Killing Games has yet to hit its goal yet the deadline is approaching. MANY attribute this to PirateSoftware, a content creator and part owner of an indie publisher, railing hard against it with what many consider to be a misinformation laden video.

Xbox Layoffs

Link: https://bsky.app/profile/georgebsocial.bsky.social/post/3lsi27oqdos2f

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-06-24/microsoft-plans-major-job-cuts-at-xbox-gaming-division?accessToken=eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJzb3VyY2UiOiJTdWJzY3JpYmVyR2lmdGVkQXJ0aWNsZSIsImlhdCI6MTc1MDc3Mjc0NiwiZXhwIjoxNzUxMzc3NTQ2LCJhcnRpY2xlSWQiOiJTWUQ0VkxEV1JHRzAwMCIsImJjb25uZWN0SWQiOiJCMUVBQkI5NjQ2QUM0REZFQTJBRkI4MjI1MzgyQTJFQSJ9.iMkVuxzB6m6hT_Rpwa-NQCTCvDapSt1DaRfpnGaqUSw&leadSource=uverify+wall

Reports suggest that 1-2 thousand people may be laid off, and entire studios killed.

Sony Faces Dutch Lawsuit over “artificially high” PlayStation prices

Link: https://www.gamesindustry.biz/sony-faces-dutch-lawsuit-over-artificially-high-playstation-prices

A Consumer Group claims that Dutch consumers pay too much for digital games. The foundation has discovered that consumers on average pay 47% more for digital than physical titles. This combined with Sony’s push towards a Digital Only future means that Sony is pushing towards overcharging.

Ready or Not facing censorship as it prepares for a Console Release

Link: https://steamcommunity.com/games/1144200/announcements/detail/526472884483260568

Ready or Not is about to be released on consoles… but the PC port is also getting some changes in line with the console ports, including censored imagery. They maintain that this was necessary to facilitate crossplay and because maintaining multiple versions of a game is difficult. Ready or Not does contain a lot of imagery and themes that are quite disturbing and are equally disturbingly realistic. Some of the changes include changes to gore, nudity, and other disturbing imagery involving ingame children.

Mario Kart World patches out the ability to pick mostly 3-lap courses

Link: https://www.resetera.com/threads/nintendo-updates-mario-kart-worlds-online-removes-the-only-guaranteed-way-to-play-normal-3-lap-races-with-randoms.1228638/

People REALLY dislike the intermission courses, which are courses that have to driving from one course to another. Players online would select the “random” course option which was a semi-effective way to guarantee playing traditional 3-lap courses. Now Nintendo has patched this and people REALLY don’t like the intermission courses.

Steam’s Spam Issue & Stolen Games

Link: https://www.gamepressure.com/newsroom/steam-is-dealing-with-spam-valves-platform-has-been-flooded-with/zb811a

https://kindanice.itch.io/dire-decks

Steam is dealing with a glut of spam and games stolen from Itch.io. The Switch eShop also has a similar issue. The big question is how do you deal with it?

Steam’s Summer Sales

Link: https://store.steampowered.com/

What are YOU buying?

Gacha game denied release on Steam, brings up greater questions in regards to Steam’s approval system

Link: https://forum.nexon.com/bluearchive-en/board_view?board=3028&thread=2982148&allBoard=1

Visual Novel fans have suffered due to Steam’s inconsistent approval policies when it comes to Visual Novels and other anime adjacent games.

Fedora 32-bit drama

Link: https://discussion.fedoraproject.org/t/f44-change-proposal-drop-i686-support-system-wide/156324

Fedora proposed the removal of 32-bit library support from their distro. This would have serious knock-on effects for the likes of Steam and also Bazzite. The founder of Bazzite Kyle Gospodnetich left a comment saying this proposal would mean the end of Bazzite and the lack of Steam next. After some discussion, they were able to come up with some solutions to the problems posed by the proposal.

I spoke with Kyle this week about the news. We ended up having a conversation 45 min conversation. He laid to rest many of the myths about this proposal.

It looks to me like Bazzite is the fastest growing Fedora-based distro, with over 1,000 unique contributors, and over 700 TB of image downloads (not including torrent distribution).

Windows is getting rid of the Blue Screen of Death after 40 years

Link: https://www.theverge.com/news/692648/microsoft-bsod-black-screen-of-death-color-change-official

• Microsoft is replacing the traditional Blue Screen of Death (BSOD) error message in Windows with a new Black Screen of Death (BSOD) design.
• The new BSOD will have a simplified black screen design, dropping the blue color, frowning face, and QR code of the old BSOD.
• The new BSOD will still provide information on the stop code and faulty system driver, allowing IT admins to more easily diagnose issues without needing to analyze crash dumps.
• Microsoft says this change is part of a broader effort to improve the resiliency of Windows, especially after the CrowdStrike incident last year that left many Windows machines booting to a BSOD.

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#SteamController #gamingnews

Theme song composed by Gardiner Bryant

The Switch 2 Preorder Fiasco continues! And could tariffs affect the price of the Steam Deck 2?!

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PS5 Prices increased in the UK, EU, and Australia

Link: https://www.euronews.com/business/2025/04/14/sony-hikes-playstation-5-prices-by-25-in-uk-europe-and-australia

Nintendo Switch 2 Pricing Updates

Link: https://old.reddit.com/r/nintendo/comments/1k24xj1/nintendo_switch_2_price_to_stay_at_449_in_the_us/

https://www.nintendo.com/us/whatsnew/nintendo-maintains-nintendo-switch-2-pricing-retail-pre-orders-to-begin-april-24-in-u-s/

https://www.eurogamer.net/switch-2-edition-zelda-games-wont-support-cloud-saves-to-backup-your-data

GeForce 5060Ti, 5060 releases

Link: https://www.tomshardware.com/pc-components/gpus/nvidia-geforce-rtx-5060-ti-16gb-review

China’s new HDMI/DisplayPort Competitor… GPMI

Link: https://www.tomshardware.com/tech-industry/china-launches-hdmi-and-displayport-alternative-gpmi-boasts-up-to-192-gbps-bandwidth-480w-power-delivery

4Chan Hacked, Jannies Doxxed, Many of Whom Found to use .edu emails

Link: https://www.the-sun.com/tech/14029069/4chan-down-updates-controversial-website-hacking/

Internet Archive sued by the Music Industry for $700 Million+

Link: https://x.com/internetarchive/status/1912923563234898329

Yes, this is happening and may threaten the internet archive as a whole.

19% of Japanese People in their 20s struggle with living expenses while paying a shitload for Gacha games

Link: https://automaton-media.com/en/news/almost-19-of-japanese-people-in-their-20s-have-spent-so-much-money-on-gacha-they-struggled-with-covering-living-expenses-survey-reveals/

Recurring Gaming Trends: “Classic” MMO instances and unexpected crossovers

Link: https://old.reddit.com/r/Games/comments/1k14tor/maple_story_classic_world_announced/

YouTube

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#SteamController #gamingnews

Theme song composed by Gardiner Bryant

In this episode, Russ from ⁨@RetroGameCorps⁩ joins us to discuss the latest trends in gaming, including Xbox’s grand ambitions for the future, new handhelds including the new ROG Xbox Ally, Nintendo Switch 2, and even a potential PlayStation handheld? We also talk about the rise of AI in places where we may not necessarily want them!

Join @Th3Brink, @HiTechLoLife and @GardinerBryant as we discuss this week’s hottest gaming and tech news.

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#SteamController #gamingnews

Theme song composed by Gardiner Bryant

In this episode, James and Hi-Tech Lo-Life discuss the latest trends in gaming, including the rising prices of games, the innovative features of Half-Life Alyx, and the new ROG Xbox Ally handheld console. They also delve into the Nintendo Switch 2, share their thoughts on the Summer Game Fest, and explore the diverse genres within the gaming community. In this engaging conversation, the hosts delve into various aspects of the gaming industry, discussing new game concepts, the impact of Game Pass on developers, and the challenges faced by GameStop. They also explore the success of Stellar Blade, the return of Halo, and the social commentary found in Final Fantasy Tactics. Additionally, the discussion touches on YouTube’s introduction of unskippable ads and the nostalgic anticipation for Spaceballs 2, highlighting the evolving landscape of gaming and content creation.

#GamingNews #HandheldConsoles #NintendoSwitch2 #SummerGameFest #ROGXboxAlly #GamePricing #GamingCommunity #Gaming #GameDevelopment #GamePass #Halo #StellarBlade #FinalFantasyTactics #MindSEye #HalfLifeAlyx #GameStop #YouTubeAds #Spaceballs2

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#SteamController #gamingnews

Theme song composed by Gardiner Bryant

This episode was recorded live June 6th, 2025 to coincide with the Summer Games Fest livestream.

Watch the full livestream here: https://www.youtube.com/live/iuOEk6-331w

Music by: Stranger Things - https://pixabay.com/users/music_unlimited-27600023/ https://pixabay.com/music/synthwave-stranger-things-124008/

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#SteamController #gamingnews

Theme song composed by Gardiner Bryant

In this episode, Join @Th3Brink, @HiTechLoLife and @GardinerBryant, as we make wild predictions on what Geoff Keighley will show off at his show! Will we FINALLY see the Deckard? Or an Xbox Handheld? Or a bunch of ok titles?

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#SteamController #gamingnews

Theme song composed by Gardiner Bryant

In this episode, Join @Th3Brink, @HiTechLoLife and @GardinerBryant, and special guest Cary (The Phawx) dive deep into everything from retro gaming setups to CRT nostalgia, NVIDIA’s ongoing controversies, the state of VR (and the elusive Deckard), and speculation around the Switch 2 vs Steam Deck 2 battle.

We also hit on highlights from Computex 2025, discuss the AI takeover of content creation, and reflect on how the gaming landscape is evolving—plus some wild talk about mimes, RPGs, cyberpunk dreams, and whether CRT filters on CRTs will destroy reality.

🔧 Topics include: • Blueprints: A roguelike with house-building horror vibes • The retro CRT resurrection & Trinitron treasure stories • Doom: The Dark Ages impressions (and frustrations) • Cyberpunk aesthetics & Japan’s influence on the genre • Steam Deck 2 vs Switch 2 performance debate • VR: The good, the bad, and the wishful thinking • NVIDIA’s current market strategy, AI dominance, and drama • AMD’s rising challenge (again) • AI’s potential to disrupt YouTube and search engines • Bungie, Halo, and how storytelling has changed in gaming

If you’re into handhelds, hardware, or heavy-handed humor—this one’s for you.

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#GamingPodcast #SteamDeck #Switch2 #Computex2025 #VRGaming #RetroGaming #GamingNews #NVIDIA #AMD #Cyberpunk #OffTheConsole #TechPodcast #PCGaming #HandheldGaming

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#SteamController #gamingnews

Theme song composed by Gardiner Bryant

We’re chatting about severe allegations towards Bungie, Valve’s supposed hack, Steam updates, Fortnite’s AI Darth Vader, and more!

#gaming #tech #podcast #fortnite #ai #valve

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#SteamController #gamingnews

Theme song composed by Gardiner Bryant

Today we have @imLinguin@fosstodon.org from @heroiclauncher@mastodon.social on the show along with our regular hosts: James @Gamesrevealed@mastodon.world, Hi-Tech @HiTechLoLife@meta.masto.host, and Gardiner @gardiner_bryant@mastodon.online

Heroic Games Launcher

Link: https://heroicgameslauncher.com/

Submitter: Hi-Tech

Our Special Guest runs the Heroic Games Launcher. We should talk about that!

Grand Theft Auto VI - Delayed + Trailer?

Link: https://www.rockstargames.com/VI

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VQRLujxTm3c&t=8s

Submitter: Hi-Tech

Grand Theft Auto VI is possibly one of THE most anticipated games of the year… well, was, until it was revealed to release in 2026. 05/26/26

Half-Life 3 “Playable, End-to-End”

Link: https://www.eurogamer.net/half-life-3-is-not-just-in-development-its-now-playable-end-to-end-leaker-suggests

Submitter: Hi-Tech

Another round of Half-Life 3 rumors springing up just as we got news of GTA VI.

Is Valve the Bad Guy now? - Classic Offensive

Link: https://classic-offensive.net/#/play

Submitter: Hi-Tech

Valve has requested Classic Offensive not be released. For those who don’t know, Classic Offensive is a more classic CS experience based on CSGO assets. It was initially slated for release (for free) and greenlit on Steam. The problem then became Valve ghosting the developers when they asked questions about licensing and eventually releasing the game. But then VERY recently, Valve asked them to shut it down. It’s a very Nintendo move if I’ve ever seen one. It’s a perceived threat to their digital hegemony in CSGO / CS2 because it’s Counter Strike without all of the lootboxes.

JRPG Developers Prop Each Other Up

Link: https://noisypixel.net/clair-obscur-expedition-33-hundred-line-creators-celebrate-promote/

Submitter: Hi-Tech

Clair Obscur has been a HUGE hit, making waves for western developed JRPGs and one of the highest rated games of the year, both reviewers and user scores. One other game that came out and potentially broke the record for the most writing/dialogue in a JRPG is The Hundred Line. Both JRPG devs have propped each other up and recommended each other after finishing one. A rare positive story in gaming.

Genshin Impact - “We are required by law to age verify US player accounts”

Link: https://genshin.hoyoverse.com/en/news/detail/155805

https://consumer.ftc.gov/consumer-alerts/2025/01/ftc-settlement-order-bans-sales-genshin-impact-loot-boxes-kids-under-16-without-their-parents

Submitter: Hi-Tech

If you recall, quite a few months ago the FTC has banned the sales of Genshin Impact lootboxes to kids under 16. This is the result of it, and US players must now verify players’ ages with verification processes rolling out on May 20th. It is currently unknown what this age verification process entails. Failure to comply by July 18, 2025 WILL result in account suspension and friend list/chat history deletion, with no further notice once you’re suspended due to legal issues. Failure to comply by July 20, 2026 will result in total account deletion, which also includes your other HoyoVerse games too. Genshin Impact is rated T for Teen (13+) in the US.

Computex 2025

Link: https://www.computextaipei.com.tw/en/index.html

Submitter: Hi-Tech

Computex is the OTHER big tech showcase besides CES earlier this year.

Japanese Game Preservation Society on the verge of shutting down

Link: https://www.timeextension.com/features/we-might-be-about-to-lose-a-powerful-force-in-the-world-of-video-game-preservation

https://www.gamepres.org/en/support/

https://www.youtube.com/@gamepresorg

Submitter: Hi-Tech

The Japanese Game Preservation Society is an organization focused on the preservation of older titles from Japan. Including physical media like floppy disks, etc. They are seemingly on the verge of bankruptcy and supposedly barely have enough to pay rent.

A 100% Tariff on International Films

Link: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cjr7e2z1rxyo

Submitter: Hi-Tech

100% Tariffs on something that isn’t a physical good. Many movies we like can also be considered international. The Dark Knight can be considered British. Trump claims Hollywood is dying. Maybe there’s a VERY good reason for this?

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#SteamController #gamingnews

Theme song composed by Gardiner Bryant

🎙️ In This Episode: James and Hi-Tech Lo-Life dive deep into the hottest gaming and tech topics shaking the industry. From rising console prices caused by new tariffs, to how AI and mobile evolution are reshaping game development — nothing’s off the table. We break down the Apple vs. Epic Games legal battle, the missing Fortnite on iOS, and the pros and cons of app store alternatives.

Also on deck: 🎮 Destiny 2 legal drama 🔧 The state of controller manufacturing 🕹️ Steam Deck optimization and Proton 10.0-1 beta 🎮 Is Half-Life 3 finally happening? 🚀 What to expect from Cyberpunk on Switch 2

It’s a loaded episode packed with real talk on tech trends, industry moves, and what they mean for gamers, devs, and handheld fans alike.

⸻ #GamingNews #SteamDeck #EpicVsApple #HalfLife3 #GTA6 #GameDev #Tariffs #Switch2 #AIinGaming #Cyberpunk2077 #TechTalk

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Valve’s NEW Hardware… ANNOUNCED

Link: https://store.steampowered.com/sale/steammachine

https://store.steampowered.com/sale/steamcontroller

https://store.steampowered.com/sale/steamframe

Valve announced a TRIO of devices. A TRIO. THREE. DEVICES. A new Steam Controller, THE Steam Machine, and finally, The Steam Frame which was once called the Valve Deckard.

The Steam Controller is an evolved Steam Controller featuring all of the inputs the Steam Deck has, but in a controller form, and with some additional bells and whistles.

The Steam Machine is Valve’s return to bringing Steam to the living room… this time with more confidence in their work on Linux and Proton. The landscape’s changed drastically since their first attempt over a decade ago with Proton existing as a core part of Steam on Linux.

The Steam Frame is Valve’s standalone VR headset. Not quite a true successor to the Index but it’s something more. A standalone ARM headset designed to play full fat PCVR games, with the ability to sideload Android APKs. What’s more interesting too is SteamOS on ARM. It includes FEX-EMU, a translation layer designed to run x86 binaries on ARM on TOP of Proton translating Windows calls to Linux calls. One has to wonder how performant games will run on the Frame.

:::info Let’s play a game… how much do YOU think ALL of the new Steam Hardware will be? Whoever’s closest to the real MSRP of the devices will win eternal glory.

:::

The real reason we’ve yet to get a Steam Deck 2

Link: https://www.ign.com/articles/valve-says-it-has-a-pretty-good-idea-of-what-steam-deck-2-is-going-to-be-explains-why-its-holding-off-for-now

The Steam Deck 2 is still happening, it just isn’t happening now because as valve claims “there’s no offerings in that landscape”. Valve apparently isn’t interested in performance gains as low as 50% at the same battery level. They want more. More more more. Battery life is a major consideration, otherwise we’d have extremely powerful handhelds without the battery to keep them alive for long.

SteamOS on ARM?

Link: http://pcgamer.com/hardware/vr-hardware/steamos-launching-for-arm-fex-translation-layer/

https://www.theverge.com/news/818672/valve-android-apps-steam-frame

Valve states that with the release of the Steam Frame, they will also release an updated SteamOS with ARM support. Now I doubt you would be able to run this on just any ARM based system, like a modern smartphone, but there may be a place for SteamOS on various Snapdragon based handhelds, such as the AYN Thor and whatnot. More testing required but SteamOS for ARM will include FEX-EMU for running games. Word has it that you’ll just be able to run Android apps on here and even sideload Android APKs too.

Who will be nominated at The Game Awards? Find out 11/17

Link: https://www.thegameawards.com/news/nominations-live-on-monday

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Game_Awards#Video_games_and_media

We won’t have nominees announced by the time this podcast releases, but we’re gonna take our best shot at predicting who’s gonna be nominated, and later on we’re gonna predict who’s gonna win. Should we live stream this?

:::info Who will win GOTY? Take our bets now! Also announce the live stream

:::

Sony’s Bungie Acquisition not going as expected. ~$204M impairment loss

Link: https://thegamepost.com/sony-destiny-2-sales-user-engagement-not-reached-bungie/

Destiny 2 was in a good spot before the Sony buyout, which is why Sony bought the studio for a big sum of cash… but Destiny 2 is now in dire straits. The lowest player count it’s ever seen and Marathon isn’t looking too good for prospective players either. All of Bungie hinges on the upcoming Star Wars themed expansion for Destiny 2… Renegades.

The Grand Theft Layoff Saga - Hundreds of Rockstar employees furious

Link: https://www.eurogamer.net/this-is-a-blatant-unapologetic-act-of-vicious-union-busting-hundreds-of-rockstar-employees-sign-letter-to-management-demanding-fired-colleagues-get-reinstated

A number of employees had their employment grand thefted in what appears to be union busting. Hundreds of Rockstar employees PISSED and signed a letter to management demanding they get reinstated.

Somehow… Concord Returned

Link: https://thegamepost.com/sony-concord-playable-again-custom-servers/

Concord, the catastrophic live service failure, has returned thanks to a community made server. Concord released last year and lasted only two weeks before shutting down and all purchasers were issued refunds, with the studio itself going under soon after. Of course it’s work in progress but there is evidence of the return of Concord, at least not by Sony.

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#SteamController #gamingnews

Theme song composed by Gardiner Bryant

We talk GTA VI’s new release date, Rockstar’s alleged union-busting, Soulja Boy’s questionable new handhelds, and Square Enix’s AI-powered QA plans—plus we break down if Steam’s dominance is turning into a real-world monopoly.

It’s chaos, caffeine, and consoles as always.

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#OffTheConsole #GamingPodcast #GTAVI #RockstarGames #SteamDeck #SouljaBoy #SquareEnix #GameNews #VideoGames #PCGaming #GamingHardware #AIinGaming #GameDev #GamerTalk #Podcast #TechNews #FutureOfGaming #Th3Brink #GardinerBryant #HiTechLoLife

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The Steam Frame - Valve’s Next Hardware?

Link: http://old.reddit.com/r/GamingLeaksAndRumours/comments/1n7ojk1/steam_frame_trademarked_by_valve_computer_hardware/

https://uspto.report/TM/99370857

https://uspto.report/TM/99370861

https://old.reddit.com/r/GamingLeaksAndRumours/comments/1n84pmv/steamvr_datamine_seems_to_confirm_that_steam/

Submitter: Hi-Tech Lo-Life

Valve has trademarked the name “STEAM FRAME”, which covers categories of game consoles, accessories, and controllers. We’ve talked a lot about wanting a Steam home console of sorts, more or less resurrecting the old idea of a Steam Machine, but this time being helmed by Valve with actual Valve hardware. Could a Valve hardware release be imminent? A trademark of course doesn’t actually mean that’s what the system will be called. “Neon Prime” was trademarked two years ago and the current game is named Deadlock.

Of course, SadlyItsBradley noticed that all mentions of the Deckard have been renamed to… Steam Frame? So not a new traditional console so to speak but a VR Headset to challenge the Quest 3?

The Legion Go Gen 2… $1000+ monstrosity?

Link: https://news.lenovo.com/pressroom/press-releases/legion-gaming-devices-ai-tablets-software-best-in-customer-choice/

https://www.tomshardware.com/video-games/handheld-gaming/lenovos-legion-go-2-packs-ryzen-z2-extreme-and-an-oled-display-thick-gaming-handheld-starts-at-usd1-049

Submitter: Hi-Tech Lo-Life

Lenovo’s next generation hardware is coming October 2025, and it has a more elegant name than ASUS’s. But the price point is… out of this world, with the Z2 version starting at $1,099.99 and the Z2 Extreme version starting at $1,349.99. The big question is… what the hell contributed to the massive price increase? Tariffs, OLED, VRR, the Z2E?

We live in a post-Silksong world now

Link: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1030300/Hollow_Knigh1t_Silksong/

https://www.dexerto.com/gaming/hollow-knight-silksong-player-count-3246060/

https://www.polygon.com/steam-down-hollow-knight-silksong-release-nintendo-eshop-crash/

Submitter: Hi-Tech Lo-Life

Those of us have that played it… tell us how it is? Also let’s look at reviews. Silksong has also exceeded 500,000+ concurrent players on Day 1… as a result it seemingly crashed both Steam & the Nintendo eShop.

Google v USA - Google IS a Monopoly but will continue to stay as one

Link: https://www.cnbc.com/2025/09/02/google-antitrust-search-ruling.html

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2025/09/03/google-search-monopoly-remedy-ruling/a8a67e42-88f2-11f0-895c-97bd39cbdc59_story.html

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2025/sep/03/google-monopoly-case-ruling

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cp8zdrenm1zo

Submitter: Hi-Tech Lo-Life

Google was deemed an illegal monopoly by Judge Amit Mehta years ago, but Judge Mehta subsequently gave Google a win, stating that Google will NOT be forced to sell off Chrome or Android.

A rare example of a AAA game abandoning Raytracing… Battlefield 6?

Link: https://www.windowscentral.com/gaming/battlefield-6-wont-support-ray-tracing-heres-why-ea-is-prioritizing-performance-for-all-players

Submitter: Hi-Tech Lo-Life

Developer Christian Buhl of DICE has come out and actively stated that they will not have Raytracing at launch, nor will they have it in the future for Battlefield 6. I found this super interesting as Battlefield V was one of if not THE first commercially released game with Raytracing, back when it the RTX 2000 series was new.

Key figure leaves the studio behind Fairgame$, another Sony live service

Link: https://insider-gaming.com/another-key-fairgames-developer-quietly-leaves/

Submitter: Hi-Tech Lo-Life

Fairgame$ is another title in Sony’s mostly failed live service initiative, and arguablly the LEAST interesting of the bunch, including yes, Concord. Why is Sony so insistent on these live service games?

Maybe Unreal Engine 5 ISN’T to blame after all? Tim Sweeney says devs are to blame

Link: https://clawsomegamer.com/tim-sweeney-on-unreal-engine-5-optimization-issues-the-main-cause-is-order-of-development/

Submitter: Hi-Tech Lo-Life

Unreal Engine 5 has been a very hot point of contention, especially given recent games have ran kind of poorly and with some that don’t really look THAT much better than prior UE4 titles. But Tim Sweeney, CEO of Epic Games states that developers may need to change their workflow, namely how many developers target high end first and tack on low-spec testing at the end. Optimization should be begin early. He vows to provide more support and expanding ‘developer education’ so that ‘optimize early’ becomes standard practice.

God help us all, GTA 6 may be a ‘AAAAA’ game, says Devolver co-founder, and that’s why the entire industry is taking cover from it like it’s a nuclear blast

Link: https://www.pcgamer.com/games/grand-theft-auto/god-help-us-all-gta-6-may-be-a-aaaaa-game-says-devolver-co-founder-and-thats-why-the-entire-industry-is-taking-cover-from-it-like-its-a-nuclear-blast/

Submitter: James

 Devolver Digital co-founder Nigel Lowrie has basically declared Grand Theft Auto VI a whole new beast—calling it a “AAAAA” title. That’s gaming lingo for “beyond AAA,” like AAA but five times more intense, in both scale and cultural clout. Yeah… it’s that colossal. 

Industry Impacts:

• It’s not just talk—some developers delayed other games to avoid being vaporized by GTA’s mega-release. 
• There’s ambient dread that we might be hitting peak AAA world building, and that future high-budget games will always be chasing this level of spectacle, which might not even be sustainable. 

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#SteamController #gamingnews

Theme song composed by Gardiner Bryant

This week on Off The Console, we’re diving deep into some of the biggest news in gaming and tech! The internet is buzzing with rumors about a brand new PlayStation 6 Portable that could be a serious competitor to the Nintendo Switch. But is Sony’s rumored handheld a Switch killer, or just a pipe dream?

We’re also talking about the “Silksong Effect” and how the surprise release date for the long-awaited indie game has caused other developers to delay their own titles to avoid direct competition. Plus, in a shocking turn of events, we discuss why so many developers at Gamescom 2025 were unable to get their hands on a Switch 2 dev kit. Did Nintendo actively discourage them? Find out!

Find this episode’s show notes, subscribe to our RSS feed, and engage on the Fediverse at: https://podcast.subscribeto.me/@OffTheConsoleShow/episodes/ep-44

Join @HiTechLoLife and @gardiner_bryant as we discuss this week’s hottest gaming and tech news.

00:00:00 Cold open 00:02:03 What has Hi-Tech been up to this week? 00:04:38 What has Gardiner been up to this week? 00:08:14 Silksong causing other indies to delay their game 00:22:06 How do you manage juggling games? 00:24:46 LEAK: PS6 will have a handheld variant 00:32:28 Nintendo still not providing Switch 2 devkits 00:42:25 Twitch streamers are making more money than devs are 00:50:31 Postal services around the world are refusing shipments to the US 01:03:29 Are PC handheld prices out of control? 01:26:46 Roblox has smashed its concurrent player record.

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#SteamController #gamingnews

Theme song composed by Gardiner Bryant

🎮 The gang is BACK with a massive episode! We’re breaking down all the biggest news from Gamescom 2025, from the shocking Helldivers 2 x Halo crossover to the unbelievable confirmation that Silksong is actually real! 🤯

But that’s not all… Sony just dropped a bombshell, raising the price of every PlayStation 5 model. 💰 Is this the end of the sub-$500 PS5? We’ll tell you what this means for your wallet.

Plus, we’ve got the scoop on Valve’s new “Fremont” device, which is showing some insane performance gains over the Steam Deck. We’re also talking about the end of Splitgate 2, the White House investing in Intel, and a lawsuit that could make ad blockers illegal in Germany. All this and more on this week’s episode!

In this episode:

Gamescom 2025 Wrap-up: 🎮 The biggest announcements from Opening Night Live, including Sekiro: No Defeat, a new Lego Batman, and the return of Bubsy!

PS5 Price Hike: 💸 The PlayStation 5 just got more expensive. We break down the $50 price increase and its impact.

Valve’s “Fremont” Revealed: 💻 A new handheld from Valve is spotted on Geekbench, with a massive performance leap over the Steam Deck.

Splitgate Lives On: 🙌 The “Stop Killing Games” movement scores a win as Splitgate 1 lives on with peer-to-peer matches.

Marvel Rivals’ OCs: ❓ Marvel gives Netease the green light to create original characters for Marvel Rivals. But does anyone want them?

Nvidia’s Black Market: 🚫 Gamers Nexus investigates the smuggling of AI GPUs to China and gets a copyright strike from Bloomberg.

Intel’s New Allies: 🇺🇸 The White House and Softbank are investing big in Intel, but what does that mean for the future of x86?

The Worst Movie of 2025: 🎬 We talk about the hilarious trainwreck that is the new War of the Worlds film.

Mini SSDs Arrive: 💾 Biwin unveils a tiny new SSD that’s blazing fast, and we talk about which handhelds will use it.

Spigen Sues Trump: ⚖️ Trump’s new phone ad features images of other companies’ products, leading to a lawsuit from Spigen.

Ad Blockers at Risk: 🇩🇪 A new lawsuit in Germany could make ad blockers illegal, threatening the way we browse the web.

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#SteamController #gamingnews

Theme song composed by Gardiner Bryant

In this episode, the hosts discuss a variety of topics ranging from personal experiences in Japan to the latest in gaming technology. Hi-Tech Lo-Life shares insights from his recent trip, including cultural observations and food experiences. The conversation shifts to the future of handheld gaming devices, particularly the GPD Win 5, and the importance of online safety in gaming communities like Roblox. The hosts emphasize the need for respect in cultural interactions and engage with their audience about their experiences and feedback. In this episode, the hosts discuss various pressing issues surrounding online safety, gaming culture, and the impact of economic factors on video game purchases. They delve into the challenges faced by platforms like YouTube and Roblox, the implications of payment processors on game availability, and the decline of PC gaming in Japan. The conversation also touches on the spending habits of Gen Z and the potential future of the gaming industry, particularly the rise of indie games amidst economic pressures. Additionally, the introduction of YouTube’s AI age verification system raises questions about privacy and safety for younger users.

#Gaming #TechNews #HandheldGaming #GPDWin5 #JapanTrip #CulturalInsights #FoodAdventures #RobloxSafety #OnlineSafety #YouTubeCensorship #AIAgeVerification #PCGaming #GenZGaming #VideoGameCulture #FutureOfGaming

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Killing The Internet For The Sake of “Children”

Link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/online-safety-act-explainer/online-safety-act-explainer

https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/1748/text

https://old.reddit.com/r/Games/comments/1mbmlz9/age_verification_in_the_uk_and_xboxs_ongoing/

https://support.spotify.com/uk/article/age-restricted-content-age-check/

https://www.tomsguide.com/ai/youtubes-new-ai-age-verification-is-coming-soon-heres-whats-going-to-chang

The UK recently passed a law that effectively forces online platforms to block access to content that may be harmful to “children” where children are likely to access it, with companies being fined £18 million or 10% of their annual turnover, whichever’s highest. It also allows the UK’s Office of Communications to explicitly block any website they want. The US is re-introducing a similar law called the Kids Online Safety Act (S.1748). One common theme is this idea that they need to protect children by forcing adults to submit verification to these companies…

This also affects gaming. Xbox in particular already has a blog statement about what this means for gamers in the UK. Players who claim to be over 18 will get constant nagging notifications asking them to verify. Also all social features on Xbox Live will be limited to those who actually verify their age starting next year. If you do not comply by then, then you’ll be limited to friend only interactions on Xbox.

Spotify has also implemented Age Checks for content marked at 18+. YouTube has ALSO joined in on this bandwagon too, and will implement this starting August 13th in the US as well. Is YouTube Dead? Is the internet dead?

Gamers Working Together to reverse Payment Processor Bans

Link: https://old.reddit.com/r/Steam/comments/1m9ly2j/so_i_got_a_response_from_visa/

https://www.thegamer.com/steam-gaming-industry-visa-payment-processors-adult-games-banned/

Gamers have been in a frenzy ever since Payment Processors and Collective Shout decided to go after adult games on Steam and Itch.io. Some gamers have even gotten responses from Visa, where they claim as long as said material being transacted is legal, then it’s good to go.

The New Age of AI SLOP - Amazon Invests in Fable’s Showrunner AI Streaming Platform

Link: https://variety.com/2025/digital/news/netflix-of-ai-amazon-invests-fable-showrunner-launch-1236471989/

https://www.showrunner.xyz/

Fable, an AI Startup has created the Showrunner service, which has been described as “Netflix for AI”, allowing users to effectively AI generate entire TV shows based on some set parameters. They are also in talks with major Hollywood studios and companies like Disney to license IP for use in this Showrunner AI platform. Some have posted clips of AI generated episodes on YouTube… and lemme tell you they do NOT look good.

Sony Sues Tencent for blatant Horizon knockoff

Link: https://www.gamespot.com/articles/sony-sues-tencent-over-horizon-lookalike/1100-6533493/

Tencent’s “Light of Motriam” is VERY evocative of Sony’s Horizon franchise. From the robotic dinosaurs, to the ancient futuristic civilizations, to the juxtaposition of depicting indigenous lifestyles to said sci-fi elements. Sony is suing Tencent with claims that the game is such a blatant ripoff that it’s actually confused people into thinking that it’s the next Horizon game. What is worth mentioning is that Tencent apparently does NOT have shares in Sony in any capacity.

DuckStation Dev Stenzek to cancel Linux support for the emulator

Link: https://github.com/stenzek/duckstation/commit/30df16cc767297c544e1311a3de4d10da30fe00c

Stenzek is fed up with Arch Users and has had it with their complaining to him even though it’s clearly user error. Step one was refusing to build in Arch environments. Step two is outright refusing to build in Linux support. Hasn’t happened just yet, but it’s highly disappointing. yd

The Top 20 Japanese Game Studios by Average Salary

Link: <https://www.gamerbraves.com/top-20-japanese-game-companies-revealed-based-on-employee-salaries/

| Rank | Company | Average yearly income (JPY and rough approximate in USD) | |––|––|––| | 1 | Sony Group Corporation | 11,132,231 ($75k USD) | | 2 | Bandai Namco Holdings | 10,950,000 ($74k USD) | | 3 | Nintendo | 9,626,857 ($65k USD) | | 4 | Sega Sammy Holdings | 8,791,596 ($59k USD) | | 5 | Akatsuki | 8,557,000 ($57k USD) | | 6 | DeNA | 8,540,000 ($57k USD) | | 7 | Capcom | 8,328,000 ($56k USD) | | 8 | Koei Tecmo Holdings | 8,105,686 ($54k USD) | | 9 | GungHo Online Entertaiment | 7,504,000 ($50k USD) | | 10 | Bank of Innovation | 7,421,000 ($50k USD) | | 11 | Crooz | 7,290,000 ($49k USD) | | 12 | Nexon | 7,256,000 ($49k USD) | | 13 | Drecom | 7,188,223 ($48k USD) | | 14 | Konami Group Holdings | 7,108,375 ($48k USD) | | 15 | Digital Hearts Holdings | 6,743,000 ($45k USD) | | 16 | Colopl | 6,719,000 ($45k USD) | | 17 | Imagineer | 6,528,603 ($44k USD) | | 18 | Klab | 6,449,000 ($43k USD)  | | 19 | MyNet | 6,339,917 ($42k USD) | | 20 | FuRyu | 6,231,302 ($42k USD) |

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Theme song composed by Gardiner Bryant

The Great NSFW Purge of 2025 - Itch.io, Steam, and MORE

Link: https://itch.io/updates/update-on-nsfw-content

https://aftermath.site/waypoint-quit-steam-vice

https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/australian-anti-porn-group-claims-responsibility-for-steams-new-censorship-rules-in-victory-against-porn-sick-brain-rotted-pedo-gamer-fetishists-and-things-only-get-weirder-from-there/

Unlike Steam, ALL NSFW content has been deindexed from the site, meaning it will not show up in Browse or Search. This comes at the heel of the news that Steam had removed a ton of NSFW content for not meeting the standards set by Visa/MasterCard. Itch has also removed games from libraries with no chance of a refund.

Related News: Vice Writer Ana Valen published two articles about the Steam Payment Processor Controversy and who is behind it. Savage Ventures, Vice’s owner, demanded Valen remove said articles. She has since quit, alongside two OTHER writers too over what appears to be censorship of the topic.

Many have suggested Valve and the like not capitulate and instead offer stablecoin payments… but can such a thing really exist?

VTuber Talent Agency VShojo Implodes as EVERY VTuber leaves the company

Link: https://www.pcgamer.com/hardware/streaming/twitchs-most-popular-vtuber-leads-a-mass-exodus-from-her-agency-claiming-it-withheld-over-usd500k-in-charity-funds-this-entire-situation-has-broken-me/

VShojo is a VTuber Talent Agency host to some of the biggest VTubers (and Streamers) period, such as Ironmouse. And on the topic of Ironmouse, she was the first of what would be this mass exodus of talent due to VShojo withholding funds meant to go to Immune Deficiency Foundation (about $500,000+) despite Ironmouse being the one to raise all of these funds to go specifically to this charity.

In solidarity, MORE and more talent has decided to leave, including some OG members too. On top of that, some talents have revealed not being paid by VShojo for MONTHS.

Stop Killing Games REACHES GOAL

Link: https://www.stopkillinggames.com/

They finally hit 1.4 Million! They SHOULD be safe unless a SIGNIFICANT part of the signatures are botted, which I HIGHLY doubt. As of the writing of this segment the exact count is 1,414,231

1/3 of all online teenagers use AI chatbots for “friendships” and “romantic conversations”

Link: https://www.dexerto.com/entertainment/one-third-of-teens-use-ai-for-friendship-and-romantic-conversations-3230725/

https://character.ai/

Common Sense Media conducted research and discovered that 1/3 of all teens use AI chatbots to replace traditional human interaction for things like romance and friendships.

We should also try Character.ai for this one since that’s ONE such website where people can talk to AI facsimiles of fictional characters or real people.

Destiny 2’s World’s First Raid Race FULL of Cheaters

Link: https://www.forbes.com/sites/paultassi/2025/07/25/70-of-destiny-2s-top-contest-mode-clearing-raid-teams-cheated/

Destiny 2’s new expansion pack, The Edge of Fate, released and with every new expansion comes a new raid in the form of “The Desert Perpetual”, and with every new raid, a world’s first raid race. As per the article, of the top 100 teams to finish, 70 of those 100 were cheating in some form or another. Many of these could be gleamed by reviewing team stats, since raid completion stats are made public to everyone.

2025’s worst new game JUST came out - HunterxHunter Nen Impact

Link: https://www.thegamer.com/hunter-x-hunter-nen-x-impact-worst-reviewed-game-user-score-2025/

Move over Mindseye, a new worse reviewing game just released, and it’s the Hunter x Hunter fighting game!

Outer Worlds 2 Price Drop — Microsoft Backs Off $80 Games

→ No more $80 price tags? Microsoft’s pulling back after trying to follow Nintendo’s “charge what we want” model.

📖 Source: PC Gamer

Lenovo Legion Go 2 — First Hands-On Impressions

Better grips, OLED, and more RAM?! Is this finally the Steam Deck challenger we wanted?

📖 Source: PC Gamer

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How much power is TOO MUCH power? Off The Console is back, and this week we get to see who has all the power! 🤪 Your hosts @gardiner_bryant , @games_revealed , and @HiTechLoLife are here to dissect the craziest news in gaming and tech!

Strap in for: 🤑 Banks CONTROL Steam 🕹️ Game Industry vs. Stop Killing Games! 🥊 Is big gaming willfully ignorant? 🎮 ROG Xbox Ally X Is it EXPENSIVE???? 💀 ROBLOX DATING?! 🚨 Elon Musk’s new AI Girlfriend Experience! 🚨 Find this episode’s show notes, subscribe to our RSS feed, and engage on the Fediverse at:

Join @Th3Brink, @HiTechLoLife and @GardinerBryant as we discuss this week’s hottest gaming and tech news.

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Nvidia: The First $4,000,000,000,000 (Trillion) dollar company

Link: https://www.nbcnews.com/business/business-news/nvidia-becomes-first-company-worth-4-trillion-what-to-know-rcna217721

Submitter: Hi-Tech Lo-Life

Nvidia was already one of the most valuable companies in the world and now it’s become THE most valuable company in the world thanks to its AI products.

The Industry v Stop Killing Games

Link: https://www.videogameseurope.eu/news/statement-on-stop-killing-games/

https://www.stopkillinggames.com/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z5Ay%5FaOUcFw

Submitter: Hi-Tech Lo-Life

We actually spoke to Ross about this last week, but Video Games Europe (the lobbying group) has put out a statement surrounding the SKG movement. VGEU is helmed by many in the games industry and is backed by many of the BIGGEST publishers in gaming. Their main points of contention are as follows:

• Discontinuing Live Service Games must be an option companies can take when it is no longer commercially viable.
• Private Servers may not always be the best option due to safety and security.
• Games are designed to be Online-Only from the ground up. SKG would effectively force such games to be designed differently.

All of these points make sense if you maybe never read what SKG was actually about. As with any good game, the further we progress, the harder the enemies and bosses. We should also check on the petition progress during the show.

Nearly Half of 2025’s Best Performing Games (on Steam) came from Indies and AA studios.

Link: https://www.thegamer.com/40-percent-of-2025-top-steam-games-from-double-a-indie-studios/

Submitter: Hi-Tech Lo-Life

About half of Steam’s top 20 games this year were NOT AAA. The list is as follows. Said Indie/AA games are marked as such.

| Game | Peak Playercount | |––|––| | Monster Hunter Wilds | 1384608 | | > Schedule I | 459798 | | > R.E.P.O | 271571 | | Split Fiction | 259003 | | > Kingdom Come: Deliverance II | 256206 | | > Bongo Cat | 194508 | | Stellar Blade | 192078 | | Dune: Awakening | 189333 | | > Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 | 145063 | | Mecha Break | 132816 | | > Peak | 114492 | | FragPunk | 113946 | | Shadowverse: Worlds Beyond | 109246 | | > Rematch | 92841 | | InZOI | 87377 | | FANTASY LIFE i: The Girl Who Steals Time | 65389 | | Assassin’s Creed Shadows | 64825 | | RuneScape: Dragonwilds | 52501 | | > Sultan’s Game | 46106 | | Persona5: The Phantom X | 41622 |

“Gamepass is an unsustainable model” - Founder of Arkane Studios

Link: https://www.resetera.com/threads/founder-of-arkane-studios-i-think-gamepass-is-an-unsustainable-model-that-has-been-increasingly-damaging-the-industry-for-a-decade-impacts-sales.1236546/

https://insider-gaming.com/game-pass-killed-by-first-party-development-costs/

Submitter: Hi-Tech Lo-Life

Arkane founder Raphael Colantonio has publicly stated that they believe Gamepass is unsustainable. Gamepass has been found to lose up to 80% “premium sales” for games on the service. Gamepass’s main selling point is that First Party Xbox games come day 1. But some contrary sources suggest that Gamepass IS sustainable.

Why you (as a dev) actually give Valve the 30%

Link: https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/knowing-steam-players-are-hoarders-explains-why-you-give-valve-that-30-percent-analyst-tells-devs-you-get-access-to-a-bunch-of-drunken-sailors-who-spend-money-irresponsibly/

Submitter: Hi-Tech Lo-Life

Games Industry Analyst Chris Zukowski explicitly mentions why having access to Steam is so valuable. It’s the fact that people ON steam will just, BUY games and never play them. Drunken sailors with more money than sense! You don’t have THAT on Epic!

Call of Duty: WW2 removed from PC (Xbox Store) following Remote Code Execution attacks

Link: https://www.pcgamer.com/games/call-of-duty/call-of-duty-ww2-pulled-from-pc-following-reports-of-remote-code-exploit-trolling-players-with-notepad-pop-ups-pc-shutdowns-and-desktop-wallpaper-of-a-lawyer/

https://x.com/wrioh75753/status/1940597447467979053

Submitter: Hi-Tech Lo-Life

Remote Code Execution attacks are considered the holy grail of hacks and arguably the worst sort of exploit outside of just having physical access to the hardware in question. CoDWW2 is not the only game to have suffered a RCE attack though. Dark Souls 3 suffered one such an exploit a few years ago, prompting Bandai Namco to shut the servers down for an extended period of time. Thankfully the exploits seem to have been fixed and the online is totally playable now. But even during then DS3 was still playable from start to finish offline.

Big Companies Breaking Steam’s Rules… Will they be punished?

Link: https://x.com/altersgame/status/1939707458152448118

https://www.gamespot.com/articles/blue-archive-pc-release-appears-to-break-steam-rules/1100-6533084/

https://imgur.com/a/Hd10zoJ

Submitter: Hi-Tech Lo-Life

The Alters was caught with AI generated content in the game, but without a proper AI disclosure section on the Steam Page. If not enforced, this WILL cause issues especially with other devs attempting to hide the fact that some assets are AI generated. One instance was supposed to be a placeholder asset while most of the other instances of AI were AI powered localizations. Something that would DEFINTIELY warrant disclosure.

The OTHER major rulebreaker is in fact Nexon with review manipulation of a gacha game we’ve already talked about once on this channel. Blue Archive was hosting a review event. Hitting 10k reviews means players get rewarded! The post about the event has since been deleted, but it is worth mentioning. I am curious if and how Valve will reprimand these developers.

Capcom canceled a lecture in Japan about “Optimizing Monster Hunter Wilds”

Link: https://www.ign.com/articles/capcom-cancels-lecture-on-monster-hunter-wilds-optimization-amid-harassment-concerns

Submitter: Hi-Tech Lo-Life

Capcom cancels lecture about optimizing MHW at the upcoming CEDEC 2025 conference in Japan. There is no cited reason for this cancellation, but this comes amidst concerns about harassment and threats towards staff in regards to MHW’s gameplay and PC performance. I do find it kind of ironic that Capcom would host a lecture about optimizing arguably one of the most unoptimized games to release this year. But how much of it actually IS unoptimization vs being too advanced for modern hardware?

Infamous Crowd Funded Sega Genesis Game “Paprium” now able to run in emulators

Link: https://old.reddit.com/r/emulation/comments/1lt2eog/paprium_sega_genesis_is_now_emulated/

Submitter: Hi-Tech Lo-Life

Paprium is a beat-em-up released for the Sega Genesis game released in 2020, which was crowd funded all the way back in 2012. Many backers have not gotten their physical Sega Genesis copy, but arguably the worst thing about this game is its copy protection hardware built in, which is unheard of for homebrew games made for older retro systems. This is effectively DRM and has caused issues preventing you from emulating it properly with standard Emulators. It’s even caused issues with some Sega Genesis models and even FPGA recreations like the Mega SG. Thankfully the game has finally been cracked and can now be preserved for all, which still requires a special emulator core available in RetroArch. Of course, all of this could have been avoided had they released it on other consoles and PC like their prior Sega Genesis game “Pier Solar and the Great Architects”.

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ICE uses Halo to recruit - says to “Destroy The Flood”

Link: https://www.gamefile.news/p/halo-ice-developers-react

Halo may not be what it used to be, but the news of Halo’s remake sent waves across the internet… and the government has noticed. Former creators of Halo during its halcyon days have weighed in, calling the ad to “Destroy The Flood” disgusting. They’ve also clarified that the various figures in the Halo universe are NOT meant to be parallels to anything in the real world. IE: The Prophets are not Popes, Flood aren’t Illegal Immigrants, and Chief isn’t Christ.

90% of all Windows games runs on Linux, data shows

Link: http://tomshardware.com/software/linux/nearly-90-percent-of-windows-games-now-run-on-linux-latest-data-shows-as-windows-10-dies-gaming-on-linux-is-more-viable-than-ever

https://www.protondb.com/dashboard

Historically, Gaming has been one of Linux’s sore spots. Even as recently as a decade ago, Linux was considered non-viable for most games. But things have changed due to Valve’s diligent work with Proton. Born from the ashes of the Steam Machine initiative, Proton has changed the game for Linux gamers, so to speak. Data from ProtonDB as reported by Boiling Steam shows that 90% of Windows titles runs on Linux with no issue. This chart does NOT include any performance limitations, unlike say, Steam Deck Verified, so if you have a high powered gaming PC and want to game… you can! That said this still doesn’t indicate that we’ll see anti-cheat games decide to work on Linux.

Robots are here… and they’re not as cool as you think they are

Link: https://www.1x.tech/

Instead of a sweet cyberpunk looking robot that looks like it could murder you, it looks like a stupid felt robot wearing a turtleneck with beady eyes. It’s a robot you can pre-order for $20K, and exists to do your household chores for you. It COULD be useful for disabled persons or the elderly, and it’s made to automate your chores. It’ll do everything from open the door for your guests, to doing your laundry, to washing your dishes and putting them away. But for any chore it doesn’t know by default, you can schedule a 1X Expert to guide the robot. It’s also AI enabled too, but rather than being hooked up to Skynet it’s hooked up to an LLM of sorts. I’ve seen no footage of this robot mowing the lawn, which is about the only task that I feel I’d want to automate.

Amazon Lays Off “Significant” Portions of Gaming Division - Kills New World

Link: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-10-28/amazon-makes-significant-cuts-in-video-game-division

14,000 corporate jobs are being removed. It’s unknown how much of that is gaming, but what is known is that Amazon in an internal memo has mentioned “significant role reductions” in its San Diego, Irvine, and central publishing offices. Amazon however seems more interested in expanding their cloud gaming service, Amazon Luna, featuring more and more casual and “AI-focused” games. One particular game that is being effected is the MMORPG known as New World. Since the Irvine office has been affected, New World’s devs will halt new content rollouts effective immediately. They say servers will live through 2026, but it’s only a matter of time until this game dies. It’s even worse since it’s an MMO, and an MMO without a large enough playerbase to support its ecosystem will fall. It’s unknown if Stop Killing Games will save this game or not… sadly.

“Gross Misconduct” - Take-Two as they bust a union

Link: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-10-31/-grand-theft-auto-studio-accused-of-union-busting-after-firings?accessToken=eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJzb3VyY2UiOiJTdWJzY3JpYmVyR2lmdGVkQXJ0aWNsZSIsImlhdCI6MTc2MTkzOTg3MSwiZXhwIjoxNzYyNTQ0NjcxLCJhcnRpY2xlSWQiOiJUNTBISEpHUFFRNkMwMCIsImJjb25uZWN0SWQiOiJCMUVBQkI5NjQ2QUM0REZFQTJBRkI4MjI1MzgyQTJFQSJ9.9NYooKXrBMU_quRYMOSw6uACDogcIuS-E27t4GD8f2g&leadSource=reddit_wall

Take-Two fires 30-40 people. Cites “gross misconduct”, but a British trade union claims T2 did this to prevent unionization. It’s being called the most blatant and ruthless acts of union busting in the entire games industry to this point.

Judge allows class action lawsuit from authors against OpenAI to proceed

Link: https://www.businessinsider.com/open-ai-chatgpt-microsoft-copyright-infringement-lawsuit-authors-rr-martin-2025-10

https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/26204915-chatgpt-game-of-thrones-sequel-idea/?mode=document

One of the first viral AI copyright situations happened when users fed ChatGPT the entire A Song of Fire and Ice book series, and had AI more or less generate unofficial sequel books, based on George R.R. Martin’s works. He was understandably not happy. Now a judge has allowed a class action lawsuit against OpenAI and Microsoft to proceed, denying those two companies’ motion to dismiss the lawsuit. Exhibit F showcases a prompt presented by the authors’ lawyers showcasing ChatGPT’s ability to create detailed summaries of Game of Thrones and to present an alternate third book in the series that takes the series in a different direction.

The New Steam Controller, known as the “Triton”

Link: https://x.com/gabefollower/status/1983330154178064856

The new Steam Controller is code named “Triton”. Of course that’s not its official product name. The Steam Deck was internally referred to as Jupiter and the OLED model was referred to as Galileo. But the controller may be closer to release than we realize. It’s only a matter of time before we get one. It may very well be the endgame controller for all games.

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang eats Korean Fried Chicken, stocks jump up 30%

Link: https://www.tomshardware.com/tech-industry/korean-fried-chicken-stocks-surge-30-percent-as-nvidia-ceo-jensen-huang-dines-out-on-local-delicacy-entire-industry-buoyed-by-secret-ingredient-jensanity

Korean Fried Chicken might be the world’s best fried chicken, come at me. And Jensen Huang might agree. He was in Seoul meeting with top execs from Samsung and Hyundai, but photos of him eating the spicy fried chicken and having a few beers went viral. Viral to the point where stocks in Korean Fried Chicken chains jumped up anywhere between 20-30% on the KOSDAQ. Love the Korean Fried Chicken promotion, but hate that this could jack up the price of Korean chicken here.

Xbox’s real competitor… not Sony or Nintendo… but TikTok

Link: https://www.forbes.com/sites/paultassi/2025/10/29/satya-nadellas-plan-to-take-on-tiktok-with-xbox-makes-no-sense/

Satya Nadella, CEO of Microsoft, proclaims that gaming’s true enemy isn’t other gaming systems, but shortform content like TikTok. Ex-PlayStation exec Shawn Layden said something very similar in the past… In a sense, it is true, TikTok, much like anything else, competes for your limited time. But that’s like saying going outside or work competes with your ability to game. It true in a sense, but utterly ridiculous to say.

Nintendo v Palworld Update - Japan Rejects Nintendo Patent

Link: https://gamesfray.com/japan-patent-office-rejects-nintendo-application-relevant-to-palworld-dispute-cites-games-like-ark-as-prior-art-after-third-party-submission/

Japan has rejected a specific patent for a monster capturing patent which was submitted by Nintendo. The specific patent (patent number 2024-031879) revolves around capturing creatures by throwing an object… IE: Throwing a Pokeball or Pal Sphere to capture the creature. It was ultimately rejected by the Japanese Patent Office as they claim the patent “lacks originality”. the JPO cites specific prior art examples, such as Monster Hunter 4, ARK: Survival Evolved, and most surprising of all, Craftopia which is also developed by the same developers as Palworld, Pocketpair. It’s specifically worth mentioning that this is NOT a final verdict. The case still rages on, but it undoubtedly strengthens Pocketpair’s case.

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Counter Strike 2 Update “Rug Pulls” Collectors out of BILLION$$$

Link: https://www.dexerto.com/counter-strike-2/cs2-skin-update-rug-pulls-collectors-as-1-billion-wiped-from-market-cap-3273322/

New CS2 update will let you trade 5 lesser value items of a covert rarity, and then trade them up for a Knife or Glove. Knifes are CS2 gold and have traditionally been worth THOUSANDS. Some creators are apparently upset because their knife collection isn’t worth nearly as much as they were before. Should’ve SOLD your knives before Valve dropped the update LMAO.

Over 5000 Steam Games… fail to even make back the $100 publishing fee

Link: https://www.gamesradar.com/games/over-5-000-games-released-on-steam-this-year-didnt-make-enough-money-to-recover-the-usd100-fee-to-put-a-game-on-valves-store-research-estimates/

A true nightmare for the average indie game developer. You publish a game, pay Valve $100, and then hope you can earn enough to make a living. But the horrors of game development only begin AFTER you release the game. Many indies come out and find success, but for every success, 100 must fail. But worst yet, some of these games don’t even make back the flat $100 fee Valve charges to even publish a game on Steam. One can only know the true horrors of indie game development whilst living as a starving artist during development.

ChatGPT Atlas - An AI Browser Nightmare

Link: https://openai.com/index/introducing-chatgpt-atlas/

It exists. James will try it out in the BONUS episode.

Halo: Campaign Evolved… or Devolved? But either way, coming to PlayStation

Link: https://news.xbox.com/en-us/2025/10/24/halo-campaign-evolved-answering-the-big-questions/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hSjbIM0iegY

To Celebrate Halo moving to Unreal Engine 5, they’re doing a full on remake of Combat Evolved, which is coming day 1 to Xbox, PlayStation 5, and Steam. They promise THIS time, 2-Player splitscreen co-op on console, with 4-Player Cross-platform online co-op. They’re also giving you a brand new set of prequel missions featuring Master Chief and Sgt. Johnson. There are some features coming from later Halo titles coming to Campaign Evolved, such as the ability to sprint (which is an option to disable), hijack vehicles, use weapons usable from later in the series such as the Energy Sword (which was not possible in Halo 1). But there are concerns about a couple of things, such as changed art designs, the move to Unreal Engine 5, and implementing features & weapons from later Halo games.

Exclusive Games “Antiquated”… Next Xbox to be “Premium” and “High-End”

Link: https://www.gamespot.com/articles/exclusive-games-are-antiquated-xbox-president-says/1100-6535625/

https://www.windowscentral.com/gaming/xbox/next-xbox-wont-be-cheap-sarah-bond-teases-a-very-premium-high-end-next-gen-console-experience

Sarah Bond, President of Xbox says that people are moving past the idea that games should be limited to a single platform or store. Do you agree?

Given the Xbox Series X we had for years went UP in price, one can only imagine how much more a new gen Xbox would be, assuming they don’t leave the market like we think.

AI Games are “Going to be Amazing”

Link: https://www.reddit.com/r/pcmasterrace/s/nxDeOlYcYe

https://x.com/mattshumer_/status/1981406315693187430

https://x.com/mattshumer_/status/1981798226635190641

Dead Internet “Theory” in full force here. AI Bro generates this CINEMATIC EPIC “gameplay” footage full of crazy shit no competent dev would actually leave in. It’s going for this sort of gritty realistic cinematic style but it’s full of goofier shit than most cartoony or anime games.

Fedora will allow for AI-Assisted Contributions (With Disclosure)

Link: https://www.phoronix.com/news/Fedora-Allows-AI-Contributions

The Fedora Council has made their judgement. AI-Assisted Contributions to the project will be allowed… with proper disclosures. The big question is how will you hold anyone accountable for AI-Assisted code? And most importantly, how can you tell code is AI if someone who’s good at coding actively hides any sort of telltale signs of AI code?

New Memory Standard - SOCAMM2 nearly ready for prime time

Link: https://www.tomshardware.com/pc-components/ram/nvidias-homegrown-memory-design-is-nearly-complete-and-standardized-jedec-says-socamm2-will-replace-the-bespoke-socamm1-standard-that-nvidia-created

SOCAMM2 is a new physical standard for memory backed by Nvidia and designed for use in next-gen AI servers. Current iterations make use of LPDDR5X memory, and are said to consume only 1/3 the power of an RDIMM module of an equivalent size while approaching the performance of memory modules soldered directly onto a motherboard, without introducing much signal loss from say a DRAM slot. This standard would also be installed parallel to the motherboard in question, rather than perpendicularly. Ideally could this be a new memory standard that PC handhelds should strive for? We buy a barebones PC handheld with no storage and memory, but then we supply our own SSD and SOCAMM2 drives?

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The Steam Next Fest - October 2025 Edition

Link: https://store.steampowered.com/sale/nextfest

• BIRDCAGE
• MOTORSLICE
• Hell Maiden
• Alabaster Dawn
• Slots & Daggers
• Insider Trading
• Yunyun Syndrome Rhythm Psychosis

Steam’s New Record! 41+ MILLION concurrent users

Link: https://www.pcgamer.com/software/platforms/steam-is-officially-bigger-than-canada-with-a-41-million-concurrent-user-record/

41,666,455 concurrent users all at once on Steam. It’s a population that’s a bit more than the entire population of CANADA. Last time Steam had broken a record was last year when it hit 35+ Million concurrent users all at once on Steam. Many factors could be involved. Could be due to Battlefield 6’s series high, record breaking sales. Could also be due to ARC Raider’s public server slam test. Or dare I say… The Next Fest? Whatever the case is, it seems no matter how you game, whether it’s on a PC, or Steam Deck, or even that newfangled ROG Xbox Ally X, you’re bound to be on Steam, so Valve just keeps winning.

The ROG Xbox Ally X reviews are IN

Link: https://old.reddit.com/r/gaming/comments/1o7cawu/rog_xbox_ally_review_thread/

The ROG Xbox Ally X released on October 16th, 2025. While many praise its performance and battery life, there are MANY criticisms surrounding the price and the fact that Windows is still Windows despite the FSE. And also the FSE feels somewhat incomplete. There are also criticisms that despite the fact that this is an Xbox branded device, this is NOT an Xbox that plays Xbox games, but a PC, despite MS’s marketing that everything is an Xbox.

Halo Studios has AI “woven into every aspect” of development says Insider

Link: https://thegamepost.com/insider-halo-studios-generative-ai-game-development/

They weren’t kidding when they said it was woven into every aspect of game development. Everything from game logic to world design to enemy behaviors and even internal workflows. It isn’t exactly surprising given game devs already use AI for stuff like vibe-coding. Call of Duty infamously sometimes uses AI generated assets for ingame assets and marketing (sometimes). The problem herein lies that AI is often being used as a substitute for human talent, not as a supplement or tool. Tighter deadlines, layoffs and Microsoft is HEAVILY invested in AI. They really want you to use AI so you can rush out games faster it seems. What a shame really. Of course this is just a rumor.

Pokemon’s Embarassing Lack of Voice Acting

Link: https://www.thegamer.com/pokemon-legends-z-a-voice-acting-story-characters-lumiose/

https://x.com/Dr_Scaphandre/status/1978580508465328239/video/1

https://x.com/MizukiumZ/status/1978697114793218539

Games don’t intrinsically NEED voice acting to be good… but The Pokemon Company can certainly afford voice actors. Even lower budget games from Japan can somehow secure pretty decent voice actors. The reason why the lack of voice acting is so egregious in Pokemon Legends: Z-A is because there are actual cutscenes where character mouths are animated as if they were talking, subtitles and all, but no voices come out. It’s the worst of both worlds, featuring meticulously animated cutscenes with no voices coming out of their mouths and subtitles you need to read following a cutscene’s pace rather than the old JRPG special of pressing A to progress dialogue boxes. Furthermore, there is a cutscene depicting a rock concert, with the lead singer belting out some lyrics but there are no words coming out of his mouth. What the hell?

Do Gamers not buy video games anymore?

Link: https://www.vice.com/en/article/us-gamers-arent-buying-video-games-anymore-new-study-reveals/?

Only 4% of gamers in the US actually buy more than 1 game monthly. 30% of gamers buy one or two new games a year, and 33% not even buying new games at all. Though general survey takeaways indicate that the industry is still funded by hardcore gamers. Of course, it’s hard to state how much of this was due to Roblox/Fortnite, but it certainly could be the case.

1 in 5 High Schoolers admit to dating AI & the rise of Fictosexuality?

Link: https://www.dexerto.com/entertainment/high-schoolers-admit-to-dating-ai-as-romantic-relationships-grow-3267837/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Akihiko_Kondo

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fictosexuality

The children yearn for AI companions, and I have no idea why. Life and relationships are all about compromises, not dating a sycophant machine that literally won’t tell you no for anything. Also somewhat related is this Japanese man, Akihiko Kondo, who unofficially married Hatsune Miku in a symbolic marriage. The marriage was not approved nor sanctioned by Crypton Future Media, who owns the rights to VOCALOID as a whole.

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