OT: Video Game Computers/Gadgets/Gizmos Thread

[MikeIsGood]

To be clear - EA dug Bioware’s grave.

[BMatt07]

I played the Anthem alpha and I was a little worried at the time, seemingly many of the issues from the alpha have not been fixed before retail release.

I'm not surprised by the reviews for Anthem. Unfortunately, I think it's time to come to the realization that BioWare just isn't the same BioWare of old. It's a bummer to see because KOTOR was my favorite game as a kid, and I loved the Mass Effect series (hated the ending to 3, but I digress).

EA's decision to basically abandon all single-player games have really left a lot of the studios under their umbrella in pretty rough states. It's a shame.

[FrieAaron]

Playing the beta, Anthem seemed like a game that might be really good in a year but just had too many playability issues to throw down full price for in it's current state.

[Ron Swanson]

It's one thing that I don't really understand for this generation of gaming. Do younger people have no interest in single-player games anymore? Most every new release these days has an online element, but seemingly every major AAA title is gravitating towards entirely online PvP gameplay and abandoning any sort of single-player narrative.

It's rare for me to find a game where playing with other friends or random people on the internet actually enhances and improves the experience, let alone finding the time where we're all free for a couple hours to play. It's just not for me I guess.

[MikeIsGood]

I played the Anthem alpha and I was a little worried at the time, seemingly many of the issues from the alpha have not been fixed before retail release.

I'm not surprised by the reviews for Anthem. Unfortunately, I think it's time to come to the realization that BioWare just isn't the same BioWare of old. It's a bummer to see because KOTOR was my favorite game as a kid, and I loved the Mass Effect series (hated the ending to 3, but I digress).

EA's decision to basically abandon all single-player games have really left a lot of the studios under their umbrella in pretty rough states. It's a shame.

I know the next Dragon Age is under development, and it’s one of my favorite IPs, so I’m excited...but it’s more like afraid of how badly it will be ruined.

[TroyD92]

It's one thing that I don't really understand for this generation of gaming. Do younger people have no interest in single-player games anymore? Most every new release these days has an online element, but seemingly every major AAA title is gravitating towards entirely online PvP gameplay and abandoning any sort of single-player narrative.

It's rare for me to find a game where playing with other friends or random people on the internet actually enhances and improves the experience, let alone finding the time where we're all free for a couple hours to play. It's just not for me I guess.

I think it has to do with how unsociable kids are now. Like I grew up right when online gaming was born, and it was awesome (Halo2, battlefront, counter strike, etc) because I could play with my friends I normally wouldn’t see. However I still played single player games and hung out with my friends. I don’t think kids nowadays hang out with each other much (Atleast my younger cousins/nephews don’t).

[MikeIsGood]

It's one thing that I don't really understand for this generation of gaming. Do younger people have no interest in single-player games anymore? Most every new release these days has an online element, but seemingly every major AAA title is gravitating towards entirely online PvP gameplay and abandoning any sort of single-player narrative.

It's rare for me to find a game where playing with other friends or random people on the internet actually enhances and improves the experience, let alone finding the time where we're all free for a couple hours to play. It's just not for me I guess.

I hate MP games. Even when I’ve played MMOs I’ve tried to find out how I can solo them. I deal with people enough all day; I game to be in solitude.

And I especially hate children.

[machu46]

It's one thing that I don't really understand for this generation of gaming. Do younger people have no interest in single-player games anymore? Most every new release these days has an online element, but seemingly every major AAA title is gravitating towards entirely online PvP gameplay and abandoning any sort of single-player narrative.

It's rare for me to find a game where playing with other friends or random people on the internet actually enhances and improves the experience, let alone finding the time where we're all free for a couple hours to play. It's just not for me I guess.

I'm 27...I think the multiplayer aspects improve a lot of games to be honest. I still enjoy solo games too like the Uncharted series, the Batman Arkham series, basically all sports games, and a couple others, but some of the most fun I've ever had with gaming has been via multiplayer modes like GTA Online, The Division, Rocket League, and now Apex. And I think the multiplayer side of things probably encourages microtransactions more than solo play does since people want to keep up with their online friends, so it probably improves the finances of video games to make multiplayer a priority.

With sports games, while I still prefer playing solo, playing online provides a challenge that AI simply can't replicate due to coding issues (though it's possible that if offline play was more prioritized, maybe these companies would have figured out how to replicate that more by now).

And just for me, I moved away from home so most of my friends are spread around the country in different cities; playing online together is a good way for us to stay in touch and continue being friends.

[Superfito]

Anyone dig into Metro Exodus? It looks **** fantastic - I just don’t have time right now.

The whole “we’re pulling out of Steam two weeks before launch for Epic’s larger cut, if you don’t buy it there we won’t launch our games on PC anymore” fiasco kind of turned me off.

Ehhh, I respectively disagree. Steam has plenty of competition from Windows, every publisher owned store and the three console OEMs. The marginal savings Deep Silver is going to make off the extra royalty %, when you factor in that they are going to sell less copies on Epic Store vs. Steam, is likely marginal. Steam offers value add with their service that Epic simply does not - chat, better friend support and even refunds. So overall, I think it's a pretty clear loss for consumers.

Honestly, with all the Xbox ads featuring Metro maybe MS didn't want this game offered on the Steam store and it was part of an advertising deal. When you stack up just the royalty delta, no way it tells the whole story.

[Superfito]

It's one thing that I don't really understand for this generation of gaming. Do younger people have no interest in single-player games anymore? Most every new release these days has an online element, but seemingly every major AAA title is gravitating towards entirely online PvP gameplay and abandoning any sort of single-player narrative.

It's rare for me to find a game where playing with other friends or random people on the internet actually enhances and improves the experience, let alone finding the time where we're all free for a couple hours to play. It's just not for me I guess.

I'm 27...I think the multiplayer aspects improve a lot of games to be honest. I still enjoy solo games too like the Uncharted series, the Batman Arkham series, basically all sports games, and a couple others, but some of the most fun I've ever had with gaming has been via multiplayer modes like GTA Online, The Division, Rocket League, and now Apex. And I think the multiplayer side of things probably encourages microtransactions more than solo play does since people want to keep up with their online friends, so it probably improves the finances of video games to make multiplayer a priority.

With sports games, while I still prefer playing solo, playing online provides a challenge that AI simply can't replicate due to coding issues (though it's possible that if offline play was more prioritized, maybe these companies would have figured out how to replicate that more by now).

And just for me, I moved away from home so most of my friends are spread around the country in different cities; playing online together is a good way for us to stay in touch and continue being friends.

Live games offer devs and publishers a chance to create more sustainable revenue streams by offering products like micro-transactions to consumers. Also, live games are really hard to pirate; in the case of some games like Overwatch, people will even purchase multiple copies!

[FrieAaron]

It's one thing that I don't really understand for this generation of gaming. Do younger people have no interest in single-player games anymore? Most every new release these days has an online element, but seemingly every major AAA title is gravitating towards entirely online PvP gameplay and abandoning any sort of single-player narrative.

It's rare for me to find a game where playing with other friends or random people on the internet actually enhances and improves the experience, let alone finding the time where we're all free for a couple hours to play. It's just not for me I guess.

I'm in my mid 30s and have always preferred gaming online to single player. Started playing Quake day and night in middle school and never looked back.

[jschligs]

It's one thing that I don't really understand for this generation of gaming. Do younger people have no interest in single-player games anymore? Most every new release these days has an online element, but seemingly every major AAA title is gravitating towards entirely online PvP gameplay and abandoning any sort of single-player narrative.

It's rare for me to find a game where playing with other friends or random people on the internet actually enhances and improves the experience, let alone finding the time where we're all free for a couple hours to play. It's just not for me I guess.

I'm in my mid 30s and have always preferred gaming online to single player. Started playing Quake day and night in middle school and never looked back.

I'd like to think I'm the perfect split. My favorite games include Morrowind, Oblivion, Skyrim, KOTOR all for singleplayer but then I loved Halo 2, CoD MW2, Battlefield 4 and other heavy MP games. What I don't necessarily love is the ones that require you to play as a group...like Destiny 2 never really floated my boat.

[MikeIsGood]

Anyone dig into Metro Exodus? It looks **** fantastic - I just don’t have time right now.

The whole “we’re pulling out of Steam two weeks before launch for Epic’s larger cut, if you don’t buy it there we won’t launch our games on PC anymore” fiasco kind of turned me off.

Ehhh, I respectively disagree. Steam has plenty of competition from Windows, every publisher owned store and the three console OEMs. The marginal savings Deep Silver is going to make off the extra royalty %, when you factor in that they are going to sell less copies on Epic Store vs. Steam, is likely marginal. Steam offers value add with their service that Epic simply does not - chat, better friend support and even refunds. So overall, I think it's a pretty clear loss for consumers.

Honestly, with all the Xbox ads featuring Metro maybe MS didn't want this game offered on the Steam store and it was part of an advertising deal. When you stack up just the royalty delta, no way it tells the whole story.

Not arguing that it’s overall a loss for consumers. That likely was always going to be unavoidable as someone tries to get into the Steam market share. That sucks. But so does the Steam monopoly.

Their market share is big and I think you’re downplaying their size compared to their competition. The console shares are beside the point as I think it’s a discussion of the PC space, and on PC they have really had free reign to do whatever they have wanted the last several years, which is why their cut had gone up all the way to 30%. The user base they offer reflects that, but it’s a pretty outrageous cut IMO. It’s not a marginal difference moving to Epic which was offering them 18% more of their own profits.

I guess I just don’t understand the fervor. With them honoring all pre-sales on Steam, what’s the big deal that they did this 2 weeks, 2 days, or 2 years before release? The timing affected literally no one, and that’s what (from what I have seen) they have gotten the most flack from. I know it’s not a point you were making, but I wanted to mention it since it’s gotten so much attention.

Your point on Microsoft I can’t discredit, as I obviously have no idea what else might be going on. I’ll just say that I don’t care where I launch a game from as long as it launches (no issues there really that I’ve seen), and if the deva think they’re going to get more money elsewhere then more power to them.

Good discussion, though. I may be missing something - just my two cents.

[tydett]

I play games with and for my friends (yikes do I regret buying the Division, even at $8), but nothing compares to being immersed in a great JRPG or single-player action adventure. My favorite games over the past few years have been Persona 5, God of War, Horizon: ZD, Mario Odyssey and the Dark Souls games. It's pretty easy for me to see why.

[Sauce Boss]

The whole “we’re pulling out of Steam two weeks before launch for Epic’s larger cut, if you don’t buy it there we won’t launch our games on PC anymore” fiasco kind of turned me off.

Ehhh, I respectively disagree. Steam has plenty of competition from Windows, every publisher owned store and the three console OEMs. The marginal savings Deep Silver is going to make off the extra royalty %, when you factor in that they are going to sell less copies on Epic Store vs. Steam, is likely marginal. Steam offers value add with their service that Epic simply does not - chat, better friend support and even refunds. So overall, I think it's a pretty clear loss for consumers.

Honestly, with all the Xbox ads featuring Metro maybe MS didn't want this game offered on the Steam store and it was part of an advertising deal. When you stack up just the royalty delta, no way it tells the whole story.

Not arguing that it’s overall a loss for consumers. That likely was always going to be unavoidable as someone tries to get into the Steam market share. That sucks. But so does the Steam monopoly.

Their market share is big and I think you’re downplaying their size compared to their competition. The console shares are beside the point as I think it’s a discussion of the PC space, and on PC they have really had free reign to do whatever they have wanted the last several years, which is why their cut had gone up all the way to 30%. The user base they offer reflects that, but it’s a pretty outrageous cut IMO. It’s not a marginal difference moving to Epic which was offering them 18% more of their own profits.

I guess I just don’t understand the fervor. With them honoring all pre-sales on Steam, what’s the big deal that they did this 2 weeks, 2 days, or 2 years before release? The timing affected literally no one, and that’s what (from what I have seen) they have gotten the most flack from. I know it’s not a point you were making, but I wanted to mention it since it’s gotten so much attention.

Your point on Microsoft I can’t discredit, as I obviously have no idea what else might be going on. I’ll just say that I don’t care where I launch a game from as long as it launches (no issues there really that I’ve seen), and if the deva think they’re going to get more money elsewhere then more power to them.

Good discussion, though. I may be missing something - just my two cents.

By biggest problem is it's a net loss for me as a consumer to use Epic --- other than some semblance of charity to developers by giving them a bigger cut. I love video games, follow the industry, and have interacted with enough devs that I want them to succeed, but at the end of the day this is a consumer business and I'm making an entertainment purchasing decision. What you are doing for me, the consumer, and the experience that you provide matters to my purchase.

Here's a good excert from David Galindo's; developer on Cook, Serve, Delicous!; post on Gamasutra about the difference in store experiences on PC:

HUMBLE STORE
DRM-free packages (optional), access to Android versions of games (APK), Steam keys, Charity-share support, gift purchases for others, refunds (case by case basis), wishlists.

GOG.com
DRM-free packages, access to the GOG Galaxy client with Achievements, Leaderboards, Friends List, forums, cloud saves, roll back branches, multiplayer API, cross play with Steam, game reviews, wishlists, Steam keys for older purchases (via special promotions that vary from game to game), refunds.

STEAM
Achievements, Leaderboards, Steam Stats, Cloud Saves, Big Picture Mode, gamepad integration with mapping and community presets, forums, artwork/screenshot sharing hub, ability to stream video within the Steam client to friends and followers, The Workshop (community mod sharing), game reviews with filtering and metrics data (such as showing which reviews were bought on Steam, or an outside store, developer responses, etc.), Linux support for non-Linux based games, friends list with chat/presence integration and block/unblock, wishlists, dev hub with “follow” feature for news related updates, game guides by the community, Steam Music integration, Family Sharing, trading card economy with unlockable content, gift purchases for friends or those on Steam, full regional pricing, refunds.

EPIC LAUNCHER
Friends list (block/unblock functionality), DRM-free packages (optional), refunds, limited regional pricing (more regions to come in 2019).

They don't offer anything that makes them different, they're just buying exclusivity windows to try to make their own monopoly. Hell, they don't even eat transaction fees that are normally part of that industry standard 30% cut and force that on us, so we have to pay more during purchases. Their region pricing is getting better, but pulling Metro from the store made that game cost exponentially more for some people with that shift (sometimes 300% more based on where you live).

My big problem is that competition should be like this: A game, say Metro Exodus, comes out on Steam and Epic, then I can pick where I buy it. Just like I can choose to order something from Target, Amazon, Walmart, Newegg, etc...etc...

[ackypoo]

i currently have an essential ph-1. i like clean android. its an absolute must. i paid $300 for it as a refurb. i adore this phone. if...i was looking for a new phone that was an upgrade, and i didnt want to spend 1k, what are my options?

[crkone]

i currently have an essential ph-1. i like clean android. its an absolute must. i paid $300 for it as a refurb. i adore this phone. if...i was looking for a new phone that was an upgrade, and i didnt want to spend 1k, what are my options?

The pixel 3s have been heavily discounted lately

[ReasonablySober]

Okay, indulge me for a minute.

Found out yesterday that there is a site that let's you edit captions for old video games and save them. I knew I was gonna propose last night. I did, then I had to let everyone know in the best way.

I feel like I did alright with my favorite VG franchise (click through).

[jschligs]

Congrats man! That's awesome - nice ring too!

[humanrefutation]

Okay, indulge me for a minute.

Found out yesterday that there is a site that let's you edit captions for old video games and save them. I knew I was gonna propose last night. I did, then I had to let everyone know in the best way.

I feel like I did alright with my favorite VG franchise (click through).

That's awesome. Congrats!

...though, for some reason, I thought y'all were already engaged?