Video Game Thread v. Series Xbox One X Series Switch S 5

[ErHaO]

I played console versions of Bethesda games and loved all of them (did not do 76 but apparently that game has gotten solid as well). Not against mods at all, but if I start doing that I can't help myself and don't know when or where to stop.

Really my only problem with Bethesda games thus far is the shit performance and the (rare) occasion of something game breaking. Their game design has always resonated with me.

I can believe Starfield is the real thing because it very much looks like a Bethesda game and it's visuals do not impress me at all. And current gen console systems pack a punch, it is not like the PS3/PS4 days where there always was a huge bottleneck (ram and atypical chip for PS3, ancient CPU for PS4).

[TheOutlawXanadu]

In some ways, I feel like we need Bethesda games more than ever. I often miss the style of RPG where you create a character, spend hours talking to people, and feel ownership over the experience. At the same time, I also feel as though time may have passed Bethesda by. People just aren't going to let buggy, stuttering 30 FPS games slide anymore. And a lot of what is being promised in Starfield has already been done before by games like No Man's Sky. Bethesda took so long to make this game that it started as "ambitious" but ended as "dated".

[El Barto]

I give Bethesda the benefit of the doubt on the bugs because the games are so complex with all of the things that can be done in any particular order. As complexity increases, so do the number of things you can't predict. I'm sure they've got hundreds of beta testers, but until you've got hundreds of thousands of real players behaving like real players you're not going to find everything that can go wrong. And at that point the designers have moved onto the next project. Some nerd can take a break from hand-crafting bigger titties for his PC long enough to fix a texture bug for them.

I've come across game breaking bugs, but they're typically fixed by the unofficial patch, or a little command line wizardry. Typically it's just because you off somebody prematurely when they're needed for a later quest.

All that having been said, I won't touch it until at least the second USP is released. 

I actually thought the gunplay in Fallout 4 was fun. I know people like it the least of the Bethesda main studio titles, but as far as I am concerned it is their best game in terms of core gameplay (I do prefer Skyrim and Fallout 3 as total packages though). And unlike Cyberpunk and Battlefield, the games were complete and expansive in features at launch (but very messy technically).

I don't get the dislike of FO4 at all. I think it's not only excellent, but also the only FO game I don't truly dislike. And I'm a big fan of Bethesda's concept or RPG. As TOX said, there's something to be said for taking ownership of your character from the beginning of the experience. I just want to like the universe, and the earlier FO games weren't interesting for me.

[Dublagent66]

FO4 didn't hold my attention for very long.  Went back to it and it still wasn't doing anything for me.  So, I don't understand why people like it.  Pretty damn boring just aimlessly wandering around trying to figure out shit to do.

[El Barto]

FO4 didn't hold my attention for very long.  Went back to it and it still wasn't doing anything for me.  So, I don't understand why people like it.  Pretty damn boring just aimlessly wandering around trying to figure out shit to do.

I take a different approach, I suppose. In most of these sorts of games I find the main quests to be the weak points. My quest is always to improve my character, and deal with other people's problems when I'm damn good and ready. For me, looking for things to do means looking for ways to better my PC, through XP or better gear. Helping the Institute or the Stormcloaks is a side-gig for me. That's what I like about these games.

[Herrick]

In some ways, I feel like we need Bethesda games more than ever. I often miss the style of RPG where you create a character, spend hours talking to people, and feel ownership over the experience. At the same time, I also feel as though time may have passed Bethesda by. People just aren't going to let buggy, stuttering 30 FPS games slide anymore. And a lot of what is being promised in Starfield has already been done before by games like No Man's Sky. Bethesda took so long to make this game that it started as "ambitious" but ended as "dated".

I think the game will sell really well right when it comes out and I'm sure there will be tons of pre-orders. I don't think gamers have learned their lesson.

No Man's Sky may have done these things already but it's not like There Can Be Only One.

[ErHaO]

Bethesda is Microsoft now so Starfield will be likely be mostly marketed to drive gamepass subscriptions, not individual sales/pre-orders. And it is (unfortunately) not on PS anymore. At this point in time Xbox gamepass has over 25 million subs (Xbox and PC), so I am sure plenty of people will play Starfield regardless of it's state/reviews. For me, if it isn't good I will just wait until it is. But the pre-orders / traditional sales will be much lower due to the nature of the Xbox ecosystem/businessplan.

[King Puppies and the Acid Guppies]

I give Bethesda the benefit of the doubt on the bugs because the games are so complex with all of the things that can be done in any particular order. As complexity increases, so do the number of things you can't predict. I'm sure they've got hundreds of beta testers, but until you've got hundreds of thousands of real players behaving like real players you're not going to find everything that can go wrong. And at that point the designers have moved onto the next project. Some nerd can take a break from hand-crafting bigger titties for his PC long enough to fix a texture bug for them.

I've come across game breaking bugs, but they're typically fixed by the unofficial patch, or a little command line wizardry. Typically it's just because you off somebody prematurely when they're needed for a later quest.

All that having been said, I won't touch it until at least the second USP is released. 

This is pretty much how I look at it. I could say there are certain bugs that should have been fixed long ago (bugs that have been around since Morrowind), but the devs know the community will patch them almost immediately, so why bother. And since it will be the same modding tools we've had since Morrowind (albeit with numerous updates since then), the modders can hit the ground running as soon as the game is released. And actually I've seen people talking about working on texture/model stuff already for Starfield. The modding community for Bethesda games is the largest out there by a large margin....and, dare I say, the most talented. The things they've done with Skyrim and Fallout 4 are amazing, not to mention the amazing mods still be released for Morrowind, Fallout New Vegas, and Oblivion. I mean Morrowind is 20 years old now.

[Herrick]

Bethesda is Microsoft now so Starfield will be likely be mostly marketed to drive gamepass subscriptions, not individual sales/pre-orders. And it is (unfortunately) not on PS anymore. At this point in time Xbox gamepass has over 25 million subs (Xbox and PC), so I am sure plenty of people will play Starfield regardless of it's state/reviews. For me, if it isn't good I will just wait until it is. But the pre-orders / traditional sales will be much lower due to the nature of the Xbox ecosystem/businessplan.

Oh that sucks. I didn't know they were not making a PS5 version. I just read a little about it after reading your post. I cannot tell if they're releasing it as a launch exclusive or if they're never releasing it for the PS5. I think these days, never say never when it comes to this kinda stuff.

[King Puppies and the Acid Guppies]

Bethesda is Microsoft now so Starfield will be likely be mostly marketed to drive gamepass subscriptions, not individual sales/pre-orders. And it is (unfortunately) not on PS anymore. At this point in time Xbox gamepass has over 25 million subs (Xbox and PC), so I am sure plenty of people will play Starfield regardless of it's state/reviews. For me, if it isn't good I will just wait until it is. But the pre-orders / traditional sales will be much lower due to the nature of the Xbox ecosystem/businessplan.

Oh that sucks. I didn't know they were not making a PS5 version. I just read a little about it after reading your post. I cannot tell if they're releasing it as a launch exclusive or if they're never releasing it for the PS5. I think these days, never say never when it comes to this kinda stuff.

At this point I could almost guarantee it won't come to Playstation. Bethesda is now a Microsoft first party studio, so XBox/PC only. Besides PC is the best place to play a Bethesda game anyways.

[ErHaO]

Bethesda is Microsoft now so Starfield will be likely be mostly marketed to drive gamepass subscriptions, not individual sales/pre-orders. And it is (unfortunately) not on PS anymore. At this point in time Xbox gamepass has over 25 million subs (Xbox and PC), so I am sure plenty of people will play Starfield regardless of it's state/reviews. For me, if it isn't good I will just wait until it is. But the pre-orders / traditional sales will be much lower due to the nature of the Xbox ecosystem/businessplan.

Oh that sucks. I didn't know they were not making a PS5 version. I just read a little about it after reading your post. I cannot tell if they're releasing it as a launch exclusive or if they're never releasing it for the PS5. I think these days, never say never when it comes to this kinda stuff.

Everything Bethesda is first party Xbox now. Xbox is completely focused on getting people into the gamepass ecosystem, PS does not fit into that. 

And yes some Xbox titles see PS release still. Some due to deals that were made prior to acquisition (Psychonauts 2, Deathloop), some because the game is a service and the more people in that service, the better (Minecraft, online RPG's, Call of Duty in the future).

I doubt Starfield, Doom, Wolfenstein, Arkane titles etc. will see release on PS5 in the future.

[Herrick]

Bethesda is Microsoft now so Starfield will be likely be mostly marketed to drive gamepass subscriptions, not individual sales/pre-orders. And it is (unfortunately) not on PS anymore. At this point in time Xbox gamepass has over 25 million subs (Xbox and PC), so I am sure plenty of people will play Starfield regardless of it's state/reviews. For me, if it isn't good I will just wait until it is. But the pre-orders / traditional sales will be much lower due to the nature of the Xbox ecosystem/businessplan.

Oh that sucks. I didn't know they were not making a PS5 version. I just read a little about it after reading your post. I cannot tell if they're releasing it as a launch exclusive or if they're never releasing it for the PS5. I think these days, never say never when it comes to this kinda stuff.

At this point I could almost guarantee it won't come to Playstation. Bethesda is now a Microsoft first party studio, so XBox/PC only. Besides PC is the best place to play a Bethesda game anyways.

Agreed. I just feel slightly bad for the PlayStation people.

[Dublagent66]

Bethesda is Microsoft now so Starfield will be likely be mostly marketed to drive gamepass subscriptions, not individual sales/pre-orders. And it is (unfortunately) not on PS anymore. At this point in time Xbox gamepass has over 25 million subs (Xbox and PC), so I am sure plenty of people will play Starfield regardless of it's state/reviews. For me, if it isn't good I will just wait until it is. But the pre-orders / traditional sales will be much lower due to the nature of the Xbox ecosystem/businessplan.

Oh that sucks. I didn't know they were not making a PS5 version. I just read a little about it after reading your post. I cannot tell if they're releasing it as a launch exclusive or if they're never releasing it for the PS5. I think these days, never say never when it comes to this kinda stuff.

At this point I could almost guarantee it won't come to Playstation. Bethesda is now a Microsoft first party studio, so XBox/PC only. Besides PC is the best place to play a Bethesda game anyways.

Agreed. I just feel slightly bad for the PlayStation people.

Don't feel bad.  I don't.  PS has way better exclusives anyway.  We're really not missing out on anything.

[ErHaO]

Bethesda is Microsoft now so Starfield will be likely be mostly marketed to drive gamepass subscriptions, not individual sales/pre-orders. And it is (unfortunately) not on PS anymore. At this point in time Xbox gamepass has over 25 million subs (Xbox and PC), so I am sure plenty of people will play Starfield regardless of it's state/reviews. For me, if it isn't good I will just wait until it is. But the pre-orders / traditional sales will be much lower due to the nature of the Xbox ecosystem/businessplan.

Oh that sucks. I didn't know they were not making a PS5 version. I just read a little about it after reading your post. I cannot tell if they're releasing it as a launch exclusive or if they're never releasing it for the PS5. I think these days, never say never when it comes to this kinda stuff.

At this point I could almost guarantee it won't come to Playstation. Bethesda is now a Microsoft first party studio, so XBox/PC only. Besides PC is the best place to play a Bethesda game anyways.

Agreed. I just feel slightly bad for the PlayStation people.

Don't feel bad.  I don't.  PS has way better exclusives anyway.  We're really not missing out on anything.

Eh I would've greatly preferred buying a single box for my TV and gaming on that, regardless of the brand. Bethesda and Activision are huge and I do not like the fact that MS bought some of my favourite studios.


Also, I know PC gaming is a thing, but for a variety of reasons that never worked out for me personally (and a PC that checks the PS5 boxes is still like over twice the scalper price here as of now, PC's have become very expensive).

[Herrick]

Bethesda is Microsoft now so Starfield will be likely be mostly marketed to drive gamepass subscriptions, not individual sales/pre-orders. And it is (unfortunately) not on PS anymore. At this point in time Xbox gamepass has over 25 million subs (Xbox and PC), so I am sure plenty of people will play Starfield regardless of it's state/reviews. For me, if it isn't good I will just wait until it is. But the pre-orders / traditional sales will be much lower due to the nature of the Xbox ecosystem/businessplan.

Oh that sucks. I didn't know they were not making a PS5 version. I just read a little about it after reading your post. I cannot tell if they're releasing it as a launch exclusive or if they're never releasing it for the PS5. I think these days, never say never when it comes to this kinda stuff.

At this point I could almost guarantee it won't come to Playstation. Bethesda is now a Microsoft first party studio, so XBox/PC only. Besides PC is the best place to play a Bethesda game anyways.

Agreed. I just feel slightly bad for the PlayStation people.

Don't feel bad.  I don't.  PS has way better exclusives anyway.  We're really not missing out on anything.

Like what? More and more of those former PS exclusives are coming to the PC. I've bought 6 exclusives and 4 of them were released or will be released on the PC. And kind of oddly enough, the two exclusives I didn't finish due to lack of interest haven't been ported.

[Dublagent66]

Bethesda is Microsoft now so Starfield will be likely be mostly marketed to drive gamepass subscriptions, not individual sales/pre-orders. And it is (unfortunately) not on PS anymore. At this point in time Xbox gamepass has over 25 million subs (Xbox and PC), so I am sure plenty of people will play Starfield regardless of it's state/reviews. For me, if it isn't good I will just wait until it is. But the pre-orders / traditional sales will be much lower due to the nature of the Xbox ecosystem/businessplan.

Oh that sucks. I didn't know they were not making a PS5 version. I just read a little about it after reading your post. I cannot tell if they're releasing it as a launch exclusive or if they're never releasing it for the PS5. I think these days, never say never when it comes to this kinda stuff.

At this point I could almost guarantee it won't come to Playstation. Bethesda is now a Microsoft first party studio, so XBox/PC only. Besides PC is the best place to play a Bethesda game anyways.

Agreed. I just feel slightly bad for the PlayStation people.

Don't feel bad.  I don't.  PS has way better exclusives anyway.  We're really not missing out on anything.

Like what? More and more of those former PS exclusives are coming to the PC. I've bought 6 exclusives and 4 of them were released or will be released on the PC. And kind of oddly enough, the two exclusives I didn't finish due to lack of interest haven't been ported.

I'm talking about console exclusives.  I'll take PS over xbox or pc any day.

[Herrick]

Bethesda is Microsoft now so Starfield will be likely be mostly marketed to drive gamepass subscriptions, not individual sales/pre-orders. And it is (unfortunately) not on PS anymore. At this point in time Xbox gamepass has over 25 million subs (Xbox and PC), so I am sure plenty of people will play Starfield regardless of it's state/reviews. For me, if it isn't good I will just wait until it is. But the pre-orders / traditional sales will be much lower due to the nature of the Xbox ecosystem/businessplan.

Oh that sucks. I didn't know they were not making a PS5 version. I just read a little about it after reading your post. I cannot tell if they're releasing it as a launch exclusive or if they're never releasing it for the PS5. I think these days, never say never when it comes to this kinda stuff.

At this point I could almost guarantee it won't come to Playstation. Bethesda is now a Microsoft first party studio, so XBox/PC only. Besides PC is the best place to play a Bethesda game anyways.

Agreed. I just feel slightly bad for the PlayStation people.

Don't feel bad.  I don't.  PS has way better exclusives anyway.  We're really not missing out on anything.

Like what? More and more of those former PS exclusives are coming to the PC. I've bought 6 exclusives and 4 of them were released or will be released on the PC. And kind of oddly enough, the two exclusives I didn't finish due to lack of interest haven't been ported.

I'm talking about console exclusives.  I'll take PS over xbox or pc any day.

I'm talking about console exclusives too. PlayStation used to have the best ones. I bought a PS3 & PS4 just for the exclusives but those exclusives are becoming less and less. I'll probably end up buying Judgement and its sequel though. Judgement was supposed to come to PC but that deal fell through...something to do with the talent agency or agent of the actor or something.

[Chino]

Any of you guys play Chiv 2? My buddy gifted it to me last night. It's on Steam and on sale now.

[cramx3]

I'd probably take a PS over Xbox for those exclusive games, but no way would I ever choose a console over a PC.  These days, as already stated, a lot of those PS exclusive games make their way to PC now. 

I also, finally, just scooped up a 50% off xbox elite controller 2.  I've been saying for awhile I wanted to get a new controller for my PC and I got a nice sale on it. 

Also, new TNMT game comes out tomorrow!  I plan on getting that for the switch.

Any of you guys play Chiv 2? My buddy gifted it to me last night. It's on Steam and on sale now.

I haven't but that's very similar to Mordhau right?  Is it better/worse?

[Chino]

I haven't but that's very similar to Mordhau right?  Is it better/worse?

I'm having a really hard time determining that. There's a ton of stuff that's better... like lightyears better. But the combat feels less competitive or something. A bit more casual I guess. I'm figuring out the mechanics and getting my key bindings how I like them, but I'm having a good time.

[ErHaO]

It is clear xbox and PS are aiming for gaming as a service/ecosystem seperately of hardware. You technically don't even need capable hardware, both offer streaming services. I can easily connect a controller and continue games on my smartphone if I have solid wifi somewhere. PS also just launched a new form of PSplus, which is a step slowly in the direction of gamepass (but for Sony it obviously is best to have people buy 10 million copies at launch year).

[Dublagent66]

I'd probably take a PS over Xbox for those exclusive games, but no way would I ever choose a console over a PC.  These days, as already stated, a lot of those PS exclusive games make their way to PC now. 

Well, eventually coming to PC is a lot different than being available on PC at launch.  That's the whole idea of an exclusive release.  Sometimes those ported games take at least 6 months to a year.  As far as the console wars go, Sony is clearly the leader in the industry and as PC gaming has become more popular, of course they're gonna port the highly successful games to PC to expand their customer base.  That doesn't mean they aren't exclusive releases.  The higher end AAA games or even more difficult to port because of performance issues.  I wouldn't want to play a game on PC that was originally coded for console anyway.

[Herrick]

I'd probably take a PS over Xbox for those exclusive games, but no way would I ever choose a console over a PC.  These days, as already stated, a lot of those PS exclusive games make their way to PC now. 

Well, eventually coming to PC is a lot different than being available on PC at launch.  That's the whole idea of an exclusive release.  Sometimes those ported games take at least 6 months to a year.  As far as the console wars go, Sony is clearly the leader in the industry and as PC gaming has become more popular, of course they're gonna port the highly successful games to PC to expand their customer base.  That doesn't mean they aren't exclusive releases.  The higher end AAA games or even more difficult to port because of performance issues.  I wouldn't want to play a game on PC that was originally coded for console anyway.

An exclusive used to mean only available on a certain platform. I have no problem waiting a few years or whatever. Maybe it would be different if I were into multiplayer games. I'm fine with playing a port. Some aren't that great but I'm good as long as they're playable and don't have any game-breaking bugs.

Agree about Sony being in the lead. The last Xbox I bought was THE Xbox. I've bought a PS2, PS3, & a PS4 for the exclusives. I might even buy whatever the latest Nintendo console is...but years from now. I really miss Mario, Zelda, & Metroid.

[cramx3]

I'd probably take a PS over Xbox for those exclusive games, but no way would I ever choose a console over a PC.  These days, as already stated, a lot of those PS exclusive games make their way to PC now. 

Well, eventually coming to PC is a lot different than being available on PC at launch.  That's the whole idea of an exclusive release.  Sometimes those ported games take at least 6 months to a year.  As far as the console wars go, Sony is clearly the leader in the industry and as PC gaming has become more popular, of course they're gonna port the highly successful games to PC to expand their customer base.  That doesn't mean they aren't exclusive releases.  The higher end AAA games or even more difficult to port because of performance issues.  I wouldn't want to play a game on PC that was originally coded for console anyway.

But these games are usually single player games.  Those don't need, IMO, to be played on release the same way a multiplayer game does.  That is just me though, I'm sure lots others want to play such games upon release.  I'm used to waiting for GTA for example to come to PC. 

[Herrick]

I'd probably take a PS over Xbox for those exclusive games, but no way would I ever choose a console over a PC.  These days, as already stated, a lot of those PS exclusive games make their way to PC now. 

Well, eventually coming to PC is a lot different than being available on PC at launch.  That's the whole idea of an exclusive release.  Sometimes those ported games take at least 6 months to a year.  As far as the console wars go, Sony is clearly the leader in the industry and as PC gaming has become more popular, of course they're gonna port the highly successful games to PC to expand their customer base.  That doesn't mean they aren't exclusive releases.  The higher end AAA games or even more difficult to port because of performance issues.  I wouldn't want to play a game on PC that was originally coded for console anyway.

But these games are usually single player games.  Those don't need, IMO, to be played on release the same way a multiplayer game does.  That is just me though, I'm sure lots others want to play such games upon release.  I'm used to waiting for GTA for example to come to PC.

Yeah, the last GTA I played on a console was Vice City. I'm not saying people shouldn't be into consoles or anything silly like that. I'm just giving my own reasoning for being primarily a PC gamer. If Sony went back to putting out real exclusives that look good, then I would definitely buy a PS5.

[TheOutlawXanadu]

I'd probably take a PS over Xbox for those exclusive games, but no way would I ever choose a console over a PC.  These days, as already stated, a lot of those PS exclusive games make their way to PC now. 

Well, eventually coming to PC is a lot different than being available on PC at launch.  That's the whole idea of an exclusive release.  Sometimes those ported games take at least 6 months to a year.  As far as the console wars go, Sony is clearly the leader in the industry and as PC gaming has become more popular, of course they're gonna port the highly successful games to PC to expand their customer base.  That doesn't mean they aren't exclusive releases.  The higher end AAA games or even more difficult to port because of performance issues.  I wouldn't want to play a game on PC that was originally coded for console anyway.

Some big-name exclusives still don't have a PC port after 2 years plus or minus. For someone like me who primarily plays single player story-driven games, I just can't wait that long. I'm very curious to see if that gap continues to shrink in the future.

[cramx3]

Bought the new TNMT game for the switch today.  Might do a play through Saturday night with my gf.  She's just as excited as I am to play this game. 

[billboy73]

Nice, I will be buying it later today.  Loved TMNT and TMNT the Arcade game back in the day.  This game plays on that nostalgia for me, but it looks awesome as well.  Plus, you can play as Casey Jones...

[Dublagent66]

I used to game on PC 25 years ago before the next gen consoles came out (PS2 primarily).  Once the PS2 was released, it was all over.  Haven't gone back to PC since and as it turns out, didn't really miss much.  I've found that consoles are much more convenient.  If I'm watching TV and decide I want to play a game, all I have to do is switch over to the PS5 with a remote.  I also do all my streaming through the PS5.  It works a lot better than a smart tv.

[El Barto]

In my case, and probably a few others, it's a function of what role the PC plays overall. In my situation the PC controls everything. Whatever TV show, sporting event, movie, or music I'm listening to is coming from the PC. I'm also online quite a bit (obviously). And it's configured such that I can do any 3 of these things at the same time, though I seldom do; movie on the big screen, game on primary monitor, DTF/email on secondary monitor. For me, getting the Xbox fired up would be an undertaking, and everything else happens seamlessly.

I will say there are some console games that simply don't exist for PC, and I certainly wouldn't mind playing some EA Sports titles.

[cramx3]

Everyone has their way of doing things.  For me, these days, I hardly lay on the couch.  When I'm home I'm often at my computer desk whether that be for watching shows, playing games, video editing, or just browsing (or maybe a combo of these with the dual monitor set up I can watch a sports game on one while I play a game on the other). I end up spending a significant amount of my time at my desk and not on a couch.  The PC just offers a significant more amount of "things to do" than a console ever can.  It does come at a cost, but a cost that's easily worth it for my interests and how I spend my time at home these days. 

Having said that, I did jump back into the console market a few months ago by purchasing a switch, but the switch offers even more exclusivity for games than the PS5 and has the mobile versatility of it.  And maybe what I like most is how easy and fun it is to play the switch with someone on the same console.  Playing Mario party with 4 people in the same room on the same console is something other consoles and a PC can't even offer (or at least it's not very common anymore)

[XJDenton]

Does anyone use their PC on a big TV? If so, what's the go to streaming/connection solution other than a long-ass HDMI cable?

[cramx3]

Does anyone use their PC on a big TV? If so, what's the go to streaming/connection solution other than a long-ass HDMI cable?

In the past, I used an HDMI cable and I currently don't do that or had the need to connect my PC to a TV, but I think there's a way if it's a smart TV on your home network to do a screen sharing in Windows to your TV.  (at least I saw a tiktok about doing this, just never tried or even looked into it further)

[Chino]

Having said that, I did jump back into the console market a few months ago by purchasing a switch, but the switch offers even more exclusivity for games than the PS5 and has the mobile versatility of it.  And maybe what I like most is how easy and fun it is to play the switch with someone on the same console.  Playing Mario party with 4 people in the same room on the same console is something other consoles and a PC can't even offer (or at least it's not very common anymore)

I debated posting about this, but I guess I will now. Kind of related, kind of not.

I dug out my N64 recently because Victoria wanted to play Mario Kart. I gave away almost all of my N64 cartridges to a girl in college way back when, so I don't have the fun ones everybody likes. It's a problem because certain titles go for a small fortune on the used games market.

Anyway... turns out the patent expired on the game cartridges for the 64, so making them (the hardware) is completely fair game. Amazon is filled with unofficial games now. I bought Smash, Mario Kart, Mario Party, Mario Party 2, and Goldeneye for $30 each. They're newly produced cartridges with a rom installed on them and are in no way official, but they're about half of what they go for on the used market.

My controllers were old and thrashed, so I bought a handful of new ones. I've struggled with 3rd party controllers that were designed to look and feel like the OG N64 controllers many times in recent years. Something about the joysticks just never work right. I decided to give these a go and ended up ordering four of them. They are superior to the OG Nintendo and reproduction controllers in every way. They're accurate and super comfy. Just thought I'd share.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08LNKXSTJ?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details

[Herrick]

In my case, and probably a few others, it's a function of what role the PC plays overall. In my situation the PC controls everything. Whatever TV show, sporting event, movie, or music I'm listening to is coming from the PC. I'm also online quite a bit (obviously). And it's configured such that I can do any 3 of these things at the same time, though I seldom do; movie on the big screen, game on primary monitor, DTF/email on secondary monitor. For me, getting the Xbox fired up would be an undertaking, and everything else happens seamlessly.

I will say there are some console games that simply don't exist for PC, and I certainly wouldn't mind playing some EA Sports titles.

There are a huge number of console games that aren't "officially available" on the PC. I wish there was a proper release for Castlevania: Symphony of the Night. I never had a PlayStation and I missed out on that game.