GamingFan4Lyf

Now that I have a gaming PC - which is a freakin' beast, by the way - I should really dive back into the world of RTS games.

I used to really love the genre back in the day - especially Starcraft, Red Alert, and Rise of Nations (which is on PC Game Pass). I got a little bit into the "Age of" series, but not as much as the aforementioned games.

@PartyMarty @Markatron84 That is so [expletive] up!

Holy cow. I had no idea Game Informer was getting shut down.

Wow, has it really been that long?!

@Mustoe Prebuild comes tomorrow. I probably won't really get to give it a thorough testing until the weekend.

During the week will mostly for getting things setup proper and the weekend will be the stress test for gaming.

@NEStalgia "but why not just use the fan/rgb headers on the mobo anyway"

Not enough connectors on the mobo for all the extra fans the case had.

At the end of the day, I am better off as the Micro Center build only had a 4060 Ti 8GB due to initial budgeting reasons, but my wife felt bad for me for all the inconvenience so we upped the budget so I could get a machine with a 4070 Super (and a free copy of Black Myth Wukong to boot).

@NEStalgia I was so mad when the case fans didn't work at all! I spent a lot of time trying to be extra careful and reading instructions carefully to make sure I did this right the first time (P.S. I didn't as I used the wrong screws when I was assembling the water cooler to the CPU and had to redo it).

I had issues with Micro Center when I went to pick up the parts to build (they couldn't find my order) and spent 2 hours in the store essentially doing what I had done online the day before to avoid having to spend 2 hours in the store.

Frustration set in and I was just "done".

I am sure the prebuild won't have the storage I wanted (Samsung 990 Pro) or a PCIe 5.0 mobo, but I can reasonably expect everything to work out of the box - unfortunately Best Buy's website doesn't give the breakdown of the exact components used.

Using Micro Center has been less than ideal. I know the case failure wasn't their fault, but they operate like a store from 30 years ago - not great in an online world and limited brick & mortar locations.

@Ilyn The way I see it, the CPU/RAM combination will probably last for a long time as consoles continue to be the focus of developers and I just don't see even the PS6/Nextbox APUs being better than that.

So, when games stop run well (though I do feel like DLSS and Frame-gen will probably extend the life of GPUs going forward - even if you have to use more aggressive DLSS profiles in the future), it will probably just require a GPU upgrade (possibly motherboard) rather than fully replacing the whole PC.

@Mustoe My TV is actually a little too small for the room it's in, so I pull up a chair when I game with a controller (or sit on the floor). No "couch play" for me!

Plus, I still do plan to use an Xbox controller on PC for a lot of games (where it's supported). I'll probably slowly transition back to keyboard and mouse, but any third-person titles I play will probably be with a Gamepad.

But, honestly, I got a gaming PC because I am getting tired of the console ecosystems and I fear it's only going to get worse as the years go on.

I wanted a system that can do it all.

Microsoft's focus isn't really consoles anymore (even though it pledged a next console) and Sony's domination only makes it more likely to see how far it can go to bend its costumers over a barrel in years to come.

I am not going all "PC Master Race" on anyone.

For me, it makes the most sense. I like older games a lot as well as new games and PC covers that from both the official channels - GOG, etc. - and via emulation! I don't have to clutter my house with consoles!

@Mustoe Ryzen 7800X3D with 240mm liquid cooler, 32GB RAM, Nvidia 4070 Super, 2TB M.2, and a 27" LG Nano 1440p 165Hz HDR monitor.

It is a CyberPowePC prebuild from Best Buy and monitor was $150 off.

I WAS building one from Micro Center (which is an hour drive from me). I got it all in the case only to find out the PCB for the case fans and RGB was shot on the case - nothing I did got those case fans running or the RGB when hooked into that board.

I called Micro Center and was told that I needed to return the whole case. So, I had to take everything out and just decided to take everything back.

I didn't want the hassle of re-assembling everything again and bought Prebuilt - because, honestly, if something else is busted when I finally do get it hooked up, it will be another 1-hour drive back to Mico Center.

Best Buy is 10 minutes away.

I wanted the experience of building myself again, but that was shattered by faulty equipment and the cheapest route is a store 50 miles away!

@Ilyn I am going the desk-based route. I have a nice quiet room in my basement I can use (plus the ambient temperature down there is cool).

Can't wait to play all of these on PC when it arrives on Tuesday!

Farewell Series X (and PS5)!

@NEStalgia It's a fair point. I am hesitant to go Intel due to both cost and it's recent instability issues (I know it's getting fixed, but it still worried me for the future). Plus, everywhere I have read, the AMD 7800X3D is like THE gaming CPU to have.

I don't care about multi-tasking and productivity. The only "multi-tasking" my PC would ever do is emulating Roland SoundCanvas and MT-32/CM-32L for DOSBox/SCUMMVM.

Perhaps I should just get while the getting is good (and I got a bunch of bonuses from work).

@Mustoe The only thing preventing me from pulling the trigger is that we are kind of reaching a transition point for PC hardware.

I priced out a DIY AMD 7800X3D, Nvidia 4070 Super, 32GB RAM, and a 2TB Samsung 990 Pro. With monitor, keyboard, case, liquid CPU cooler, cables, surge protector, etc., I have it priced under $2K.

Buuut, AMD's new CPUs are set to be released, and I want to see how they compare to the 7800X3D. Plus...I want to see if Nvidia's 50 series GPUs are close to release (Sept/Oct??).

I'd rather start with the "latest and greatest" CPU/GPU architecture right out of the gate if it makes sense to do so.

"The real goal here is to take a broad set of content to more users in more places, and build something that looks more like, to us, a software annuity and subscription business with enhanced transactions and the ownership of IP which is quite valuable long-term,"

And this, my friends, is the future of Xbox - straight from Amy Hood's mouth.

I'm not surprised, though. The writing has been on the wall. It's just "nice" to finally get "confirmation" from an executive.

Microsoft will still make consoles, but its console focus will be more like something akin to the Surface line of products.

I am already making moves for getting out of the "premium console market" and building a nice mid-range PC so I can get all the games (minus Nintendo - I'll still buy Nintendo consoles unless it, too, goes PC release route) in one place.

Sony's dominance will only continue to strengthen its ambition to bend its customers over a barrel with price hikes and remasters (and be defended for it because...Sony).

Microsoft clearly isn't focused on the hardware anymore.

Throw in the fact that the idea of a subsidized console might be coming to an end, I am just better off getting a good PC at the cost of convenience.

At least the developers are having a little fun with the delay.

It sucks, but I do get so tired of games releasing too early due to deadlines and needing patches along the way, so I'd much rather things get delayed a few months to ensure the game is in the most polished state it can be (before the masses get a hold of it and find the most random bugs that QA testers probably didn't even think could be possible).

When Microsoft first announced the names, I had a feeling people would be confused - especially if they are not completely on the up-and-up on gaming.

If Microsoft continues to make Xbox consoles a closed system, it really needs to get back to achieving the original intention of Xbox: essentially merging PC and console development into a single workload stream.

There is absolutely no reason why a game that has a PC release (especially for these older titles) can't be a checkbox click away from being an Xbox release and completely eliminates this whole "Xbox isn't worth the time" mentality that developers are having with things like this.

And if there is some kind of red tape that Microsoft is internally creating that prevents games from releasing (e.g. requiring all new games to have native Series X|S versions rather than having the option to rely on the amazing backwards compatibility Microsoft worked so hard on creating), than Microsoft needs to rethink its release requirements.

Xbox needs games to thrive. Xbox isn't thriving so games aren't releasing.

I just wonder at what point Microsoft will see that Game Pass is becoming more of a headache than it's worth. Especially with such little growth.

A true bold move is to get rid of all paid services on a console. No charge for multiplayer. No charge for subscriptions. None of it.

Just have a strong console with great games with a digital storefront that has amazing sales throughout the year.

Done.

Imagine being the console maker that has no other strings attached outside of buying the machine and playing the games.

@JonBoyJ For the last 14 years, I would agree with you - I ditched PC for console back in 2010 simply due to convenience, cost, and exclusive content.

However, with Microsoft seemingly slowly abandoning console as a priority for Xbox and my fears of what an unchecked Sony will look like in the premium console market one day (with basically Microsoft out of the way), I'm not so sure sticking around the console market is a great idea, either.

Unfortunately, another problem lies on the business side where console makers may not be able to subsidize hardware going forward. The $500 console might be dead next generation. If you are a multi-console gamer, one could be paying $1200 - $1500 for both consoles to begin with (and probably closer to $2K for all three consoles).

But I can't argue consoles convenience value. It's absolutely there and I don't blame anyone for sticking with them just to be able to "plug and play" for gaming. It's super easy and there is a reasonable expectation that every game just works. That guarantee isn't there on PC.

This is my personal choice. My only point to make is that $3000+ is extreme. If you can DIY your rig, then even $2K is high. But it all depends on what you want out of a PC.

@JonBoyJ I mean, if you are a one console person, then gaming PC might not make as much sense.

But if you want the "best of all worlds", it's better to get a PC and you don't need to spend over $3K to achieve it.

@JonBoyJ @WhiteRabbit I have been pricing a DIY PC and honestly...$3K is ridiculous unless you absolutely need to use an Nvidia 4090.

AMD 7800X3D
32GB DDR5 6000 RAM
Nvidia 4070 Super 12GB
2TB Samsung Pro M.2 drive (7450 MB/s Read speed)

Completely out-classes the Series X/PS5 and is $1576. Honestly, I don't see PS6/Nextbox beating that CPU/RAM combination.

Take into account PC doesn't require Game Pass or PS+ as well as games getting handed out for free left and right on top of regular sales and can last you well over 10 years without needing any component updated, I'd say PC gaming is the way to go if you want be able to experience Xbox and PlayStation games at their absolute best.

I am absolutely ditching consoles (except Nintendo Switch), but I am waiting to pull the trigger until I see what the Nvidia 50 series cards have to offer (as this is very close to Nvidia's timeframe for release new GPUs - Sept/Oct).

Does this mod also automatically bypass character dialog and just set Main Quest waypoints when you interact with the proper character? Or, better yet, just let you walk away when NPCs talk to you.

😂

This should get followed up with a trailer for an Xbox exclusive Deadpool game (starring Ryan Reynolds) that makes fun of console wars and Spider-Man exclusivity on PlayStation.

That's surprising, actually. I guess for those who just want to play the game at the lowest price, the Series S is the perfect purchase.

Castlevania: Symphony of the Night (even though it lacks the FMV of the PlayStation version), Elden Ring, and...hmm...tough choice, not sure I could pick a 3rd without kicking myself that I should have chosen something else.

Truly depends on the game and whether or not it gets a day 1Game Pass release. The only recent example for Xbox is when I pre-ordered Alan Wake 2.

@NEStalgia Maybe there is something to getting a desktop with a more mid-range GPU at $300 (which is more capable than a Series X or PS5 at the moment - assuming you go with a higher end CPU and RAM out of the gate) and then 4 - 5 years, getting another mid-range GPU at $300 and maybe some extra RAM.

It will cost less than buying a Microsoft console, a PlayStation console, and will still probably be more powerful and can still run all the games at a minimum of console settings.

I know PC gamers tend to want to go beyond console settings, but I am more looking at this from a cost of ownership/convenience of having one platform perspective.

I feel like, for gaming, CPUs and motherboards are the one thing where PCs have a gigantic advantage and could last 2 or 3 console generations. RAM and GPU are where the upgrades need to happen more often - but if you keep the RAM and GPU in check, you end up spending less in a 14 year period than owning a bunch of consoles at $500 - $600 per console.

Plus, you still have access to a massive back catalog of games (even if some of those games need community patches to work on the latest OS/DirectX versions).

@QuoVadis I loved PC gaming back in the day - and things were a heck of a lot more complicated back then as there really weren't that many games that had Graphical Presets like they do now. Drivers were incredibly finicky - updating them sometimes cause major problems. Plus, there was still very much "console games" and "PC games" back then.

Game Pad support also wasn't common either and made third-person action games a pain to play sometimes.

My work laptop can do light gaming (basically limited to about 720p and Low settings for anything modern - if it works at all). But, man, PC gaming is so much "easier" now than it was before.

Plus, there is no need for any of these stupid services.

@NEStalgia Part of the reason I got out of PC gaming around 2010 was because PC hardware was so expensive to "stay current".

But, unlike 2010, pretty much all games release on PC at some point now (well except all Nintendo published titles and only select Sony games - I doubt Astro Bot will ever release on PC).

I guess I am just stuck with doing the whole multi-console thing - unless Microsoft goes 100% third-party publisher by the end of the generation (in which case I will buy a PS6) or decides to make its next console 100% PC-based (in which case I will get that as I seriously doubt Sony would be able to block its games from running on said Xbox PC as that would give Sony power to essentially block a PC just because it says "Xbox" on the plastic - and I just don't see Valve, GOG, Epic letting Sony do that).

@NEStalgia "Honestly desktop 4090 probably won't carry you through NEXT generation either."

Yeah, that's my worry too.

But with things like Frame Gen, DLSS, etc. I wonder if something like a 4080 or 4090 - while not able to run "Ultra" settings on new games down the road, could get away with "Console settings" and still provide a decent experience longer than GPUs have before we had this technology.

My goal is to just play the games at the minimum "console quality" for a couple of generations. Maybe wait until the 50 series of Nvidia cards are released?

Plus, I am also looking at a broad spectrum of games. I can run emulation on a PC. Things like GOG provide older titles that I am also a fan of.

If I were to take the leap, I'd definitely look at the top-tier GPUs now - even if it's overkill - because mid-tier GPU, while cheaper, won't go the distance.

I am strongly mulling over selling off my Xbox Series X and PS5 and pulling the trigger on a good gaming laptop.

I am just worried about requirements for the next generation.

Would getting a laptop with an Nvidia 4080 (and DLSS, Ray-reconstruction, and Frame Generation, etc..) carry me both through this generation and through next generation?

Would the physical hardware even last that long (especially when most places say that gaming laptops really only have a 3 - 5 year lifespan)?

I really don't want to get back into building gaming desktops (as they have a longer shelf life) like I did in the early 2000s and I like the convenience of a laptop. But, I also don't want to have to spend thousands on a new machine every 3 - 5 years, either.

I am just growing tired of both Xbox and PlayStation's ecosystems (I just want the games, not the baggage that comes with it). I am also tired of having multiple consoles, cables, controllers, etc. in the house when a gaming laptop can pretty much cater to all my gaming needs (well, except current Nintendo hardware that I will always own).

While I certainly have appreciated the value of Game Pass Ultimate, I wouldn't be hurt if it just went away entirely. In fact, I'd love it if one of the Big Three took the biggest leap and just did away with all services and just existed based on great games for the hardware and marketplace sales - you know, like how PC storefronts rely on great games and marketplace sales.

No charge for online play
Free Cloud saves (well Microsoft already does this...)

Good thing my Game Pass Ultimate is good until mid-2026.

@Kekelstvo The Callisto Protocol has four different difficulty settings.

The difficulty settings are:

Minimum Security: This setting is for players who prefer a story-based experience where the gameplay is an auxiliary due to the nerfs to enemies and the buffs to weapons.

Medium Security: This is the default setting where most players will be comfortable and is for people who have played a game or two like this before.

Maximum Security: This setting is for players who want a challenge and are prepared to face many challenges during their experience with the game.

Contagion: This is the hardest difficulty setting in the game.

My conspiracy theory:

Developer wanted to do a bulk game delay to work on Series S optimizations in an effort to keep release date the same across the board but was provided incentive to release on other platforms "on time" and delay only the Xbox version.

Interesting.

Just goes to show you what can happen when a developer is passionate about its project and still gets the support it needs to try to turn things around rather than simply calling it an "L" and close the studio....

@anoyonmus @InterceptorAlpha I guess. Just seems odd to put a whole bunch of arcade games using RE Engine in Arcade Stadium, but then use the old MT Framework for the Marvel Collection.

Couldn't Capcom have just used all Arcade Emulation work that was already done in RE Engine but with these Marvel games instead?!

I kind of understand the Monster Hunter Stories - probably super easy to port those since they were MT Framework on 3DS so just keep it in MT Framework where available.

My gripe is specifically with these retro collections where the Capcom Arcade boards across varying generations have already been emulated once in RE Engine in Stadium but then reverts to the MT Framework for another set of Arcade Games. Makes zero sense, to me!

Why in the heck would Capcom still use the outdated MT Framework for new releases (knowing full well Xbox doesn't support it anymore) - especially when the Capcom Arcade Stadium used RE Engine to power the emulation?!

If Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy, Spyro Reignited Trilogy and Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1+2 have all been patched up to use the API for Micrsoft Store on PC, then I am sure these 3 games will hit Game Pass very soon.

You know what is curiously NOT on Game Pass PC?! Doom 2016. Doom Eternal is on Game Pass PC, but not Doom 2016. I wonder what's taking that so long.

Also, Heretic, Hexen, etc. haven't dropped on PC Game Pass either despite now owning both Raven Software AND Bethesda and those games also being available in the Microsoft Store on PC for a while.

@Fenbops Gotta love that 15fps goodness of the N64!

@Banjo- I played all the way through Goldeneye 007 and it was a lot easier to "read" the game.

Perfect Dark was not.

When I say incoherent, I am talking about level and objective design. It was a mess.

Perhaps, if I had played it during its era it might have been better, but after years of modern game design "spoiling me", it felt more daunting than enjoyable.

In other words, it aged like milk.

I have no real affinity for Perfect Dark perhaps things that people may not like about this new game don't stand out as problems for me.

I skipped it during the N64 years and I recently gave it a try via Rare Replay and, to be honest, I didn't get the hype - it felt completely incoherent.

In the first mission, I wandered around the building killing bad guys looking for a way to progress only to find out I had to enter an elevator I had passed a bunch of times and could have finished it out a lot quicker than I did.

It all just felt like terrible game design.

But this reboot looked fantastic, and I can't wait to give it a go!

@BAMozzy The Coalition has a lot of ex-Epic employees working for them - which has led to a very close relationship with Epic itself (hence why they are consider Unreal Engine wizards). It's almost like having Epic working internally for Microsoft.

It's also why The Coalition was tapped to help optimize UE5 for both Series consoles AND DirectX (and was part of the team getting The Matrix Awakens demo working on Series X|S). So, it makes sense why they are the "go to" studio for everything UE5-related.

Love to see it! Whatever gets games out at the highest quality (e.g. polished and performant) is something I support.

Know a great way to send a message to Bethesda to stop doing this?

Don't pay for anything extra.

@AllStarGamer @Ricky-Spanish I mean, when you consider that the Digital Deluxe version of Alan Wake 2 costs $79.99 (when not on sale) and doesn't include a copy of Alan Wake Remastered....I'd say the physical edition is kind of a deal at $79.99 (since it has all the same stuff plus a free copy of Alan Wake Remastered).

I guess there is the argument that they could have released the "base game" at "base game price" for those that don't want the DLC.

It's that Limited Run Collectors Edition that's ridiculous.

"Alan Wake 2 sheriff who bares a striking resemblance to Quantum Break's Jack Joyce"

Are you just saying this tongue-in-cheek or are you not aware that both Jack Joyce and Sheriff Breaker are played by Shawn Ashmore?

@DennisReynolds Oh I completely agree on that! He put the Eye of Sauron on his entire department, no doubt.

All I am saying is that a pay decrease won’t do squat. Even stepping down wouldn’t do squat.

Those studios were probably doomed when the ink dried on the ABK deal as far as Microsoft corporate were concerned.

@DennisReynolds Pretty sure corporate Microsoft would say “Cool, we’ll cut your salary.” And then close the studios anyways because it’s not enough savings.

@DennisReynolds Even if cutting his salary saved 20 jobs, it wouldn’t save an entire studio.

@DennisReynolds A pay cut or quitting may save like...3 jobs not a whole studio.

I quite enjoyed this one. Glad we could see gameplay.

I also like that stop-motion look of the cutscenes. Gives it a very distinctive syle.

Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess looks like it's going to be so much fun! It's nice to see experimentation still exists within AAA developers.