https://news.xbox.com/en-us/2025/10/01/xbox-game-pass-ultimate-premium-essential-plans/

Could be a genre, a developer/publisher, or franchise. What's the video game equivalent of fast, not particularly good, but maybe a guilty pleasure?

cross-posted from: https://lemmygrad.ml/post/9298177

Article says:

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I’ve been closely following handheld PCs ever since Valve announced the Steam Deck. In the years since, they’ve only gotten more expensive without offering meaningful performance improvements. Worse still, it looks like every new PC handheld is bigger than the previous one. What gives?

The Price Is Not Right

As a handheld PC buff and the resident handheld PC reviewer over at TechPowerUp, I’ve seen and used my fair share of PC gaming handhelds. Aside from the Steam Deck LCD, the common feature they all share is the high price of admission.

Even the Steam Deck OLED and the ASUS ROG Ally, the two “affordable” options on the market, will set you back $550 and $650, respectively, which is a pretty penny.

Virtually every Windows PC handheld, including popular options from big-name brands such as ASUS, Lenovo, and MSI, can be considered a luxury commodity made for hardcore PC gamers ready to pay the premium for a handheld capable of running all their favorite PC games.

Instead of more competition driving prices down, the average price you need to pay for a PC handheld has been steadily on the rise ever since the Steam Deck made them part of the mainstream gaming milieu. I had hoped big-name vendors would one-up Chinese boutique brands and their overtly expensive offerings, but the reality tells a different story.

For example, devices powered by AMD’s Z1 Extreme chip entered the market at about $700, the MSRP of both the original ROG Ally and Lenovo Legion Go. The ROG Ally X, a souped-up version of the original, debuted at $800, but now costs $900 thanks to the tariffs.

The Legion Go S, which Lenovo touts as the company’s “more affordable [PC handheld] option,” retails for $600 for the SteamOS version with the Z2 Go that’s a bit more powerful than the chip powering the Deck. The SteamOS version coupled with the Z1 Extreme, comparable in power to the ROG Ally X, sells for $830.

Handhelds powered by AMD's Z2 Extreme chip are even costlier. The most affordable Z2 Extreme version of the Legion Go 2 is priced at an eye-watering $1,350, while the Z2 version (comparable in performance to the Z1 Extreme) coupled with a meager 16GB of RAM, will sell for $1,050! Even without the tariffs, these prices are not right.

The only Lunar Lake handheld you can buy at the moment, the excellent but also pricey MSI Claw 8, will set you back $1,000, while its cousin, the Z2 Extreme-powered Claw A8, is selling for €999 over in the EU, which means it too will break the four digit barrier once it finally lands in the US.

You can bet that the upcoming ROG Xbox Ally X from ASUS and Microsoft will also sport a similar price, showing that, as time goes by, PC handhelds are only shooting up in price instead of the other way around.

Instead of getting more affordable over time, the recent crop of "affordable" handhelds sport the same prices as high-end ones did just a few years ago, while the high-end options cost as much as budget gaming laptops, without offering worthwhile performance improvements.

Pricier, Without Worthwhile Performance Improvements

New PC handheld devices being prohibitively expensive wouldn’t be such an issue if they brought worthwhile performance improvements.

But the reality isn’t as rosy. Credit where credit’s due, the Z2 Extreme does deliver impressive performance gains at low power (anything from about 40% at 15W to impressive 2x performance jumps at 10W and below), but at 20W and above, the gains are quite slim. We’re talking around 20% improvement, with some games seeing even slimmer gains.

This is not enough to justify the exorbitant prices of Z2 Extreme handhelds, and it looks like AMD is the main culprit here, not vendors. I mean, AMD flat-out said that "We charge more for our CPUs than our competitor does," with that competitor being Intel.

Case in point are two MSI handhelds that offer very similar gaming performance. The MSI Claw 8 powered by Intel’s Lunar Lake platform, which I reviewed, is built like a tank, made of high-quality materials, and has an impressive cooling setup consisting of two fans and two massive heat pipes.

On the flip side, the Z2 Extreme-powered MSI Claw A8 costs the same as the Claw 8, but features a shell made of lower tier plastic, its cooling setup packs louder fans and only one heat pipe, and you’re only getting 24GB of RAM instead of 32GB, as found on the Lunar Lake model.

Personally, I think AMD made a mistake keeping the Z2 Extreme on the now dated RDNA 3.5 architecture. The chip didn’t bring worthwhile performance improvements; it’s still stuck with temporal upscaling (FSR 4, reserved for RDNA 4 GPUs, is machine learning-based just like DLSS), while costing much more than the Z1 Extreme.

Since we won’t see RDNA 4 GPUs in mobile APUs, and with rumors saying AMD won’t make Z3 chips anytime soon (if ever), it looks like mainstream PC handhelds won’t get noteworthy performance gains for at least a few more years, which is grim news for PC handhelds fans.

Intel could come to the rescue with its upcoming Panther Lake series of mobile chips, but as of this writing it looks like we won’t get a low-power chip coupled with a beefy iGPU like we did with Lunar Lake.

Truth be told, Chinese brands such as GPD and Ayaneo are working on handhelds powered by AMD’s high-end Ryzen AI Max 385 and Ryzen AI Max+ 395 APU (also known as Strix Halo) that should offer performance similar to the laptop version of the RTX 4060. But the catch is that these two APUs are designed to run at very high power envelopes. Their optimal TDP is set at 55W, which is bonkers for a handheld PC!

GPD and Ayaneo have also had to compromise the design of their upcoming handhelds to make Strix Halo APUs work in a handheld form factor. For instance, the GPD Win 5 doesn't even have a built-in battery; you have to use an external battery (included with the device) that connects to the handheld via cable. Lastly, they will be super expensive; the most affordable version of the GPD Win 5, featuring the Ryzen AI Max 385, costs around $1,220, and that's the preorder price for the Chinese market. You can bet the regular prices for markets outside China will be notably higher.

It seems like PC handhelds are hitting a wall regarding gaming performance, a wall they won’t surmount for at least a couple more years. Sure, we will get devices powered by AMD’s Strix Halo, but these will be exotic, luxury devices aimed towards well-off enthusiasts and not your average PC gamer who'd like a taste of that sweet handheld gaming PC life.

When a Handheld Is Too Big to Be Called Handheld

There’s another handheld PC trend I’m not very fond of: the average handheld PC is getting bigger and bigger.

My How-To Geek colleague Bertel King has already written about this and I tend to agree with him: PC handhelds are getting too large.

The first mainstream PC handheld, the Steam Deck, made a 7-inch screen the standard. Then the 8.8-inch Lenovo Legion Go arrived and broke every record size-wise. Nowadays, it looks like 8-inch screens are becoming the sweet spot.

Now, honestly, I’m fine with an 8-inch handheld as long as it has as good weight distribution and ergonomics as the MSI Claw 8. But even that size is pushing it. As someone with medium-sized hands, I had a hard time reaching the bumpers on the Claw 8 while testing it, and had to remap the bumpers to the two bottom buttons.

The Legion Go 2 is even worse in this regard with its humongous 8.8-inch display and weight of more than 2lbs, making it heavier than many thin and light laptops. Other behemoths include the 8.4-inch Ayaneo Kun, the missing-in-action 10.95-inch Acer Nitro Blaze 11, and the upcoming 11-inch Abxylute 3D One.

Worse still, even Nintendo and Sony have embraced this trend of supersizing. The Switch 2 is humongous compared to its predecessor, thanks to its 7.9-inch screen and weight of 1.18lbs, which is getting dangerously close to the PC handheld territory. The PlayStation Portal isn’t as heavy, but its 8-inch screen does make it quite large compared to PlayStation handhelds of yore.

Can the PC Handheld Market Be Turned Around?

PC handhelds are getting more and more expensive and larger without offering worthwhile performance improvements. Can the PC handheld market recover? Performance-wise, I don’t see the trend of drip-fed performance improvements dying out anytime soon.

Sure, creating a bespoke APU design that pairs a relatively humble CPU with a beefy GPU and high-bandwidth memory would be possible in principle, but PC gaming handhelds aren't popular enough for AMD, Intel, or NVIDIA to work with vendors in creating such a chip.

The first PC handheld that could come with a semi-custom solution is the Steam Deck 2, but that one’s years away.

I reckon that the rumored PlayStation handheld will boast quite a beefy bespoke APU made by AMD that will likely put most PC handhelds to shame. If we’re lucky, and the handheld PlayStation ends up selling like hotcakes, perhaps AMD will ultimately offer something similar to PC handheld vendors.

When it comes to the ever-increasing prices, I can see them stabilizing, but I don’t think any other PC handheld will come close to the Steam Deck LCD anytime soon.

The reason is simple: Valve earns money from selling games with the Steam Deck being a sort of vessel for selling Steam games, allowing the company to offer it for only $399.

Luckily, if you aren’t interested in playing the latest and greatest PC games, you can pick between buckets of various retro handhelds, some of which (like the upcoming AYN Odin 3) pack powerful mobile chips capable of running many PC games via Android apps such as Winlator.

Or you can simply get a Switch 2. It’s not a handheld PC, but it’s still an awesome portable gaming machine. You can also opt for a preowned Steam Deck or ROG Ally, both of which can be found at attractive, “budget” price points over at eBay and Facebook Marketplace.

I believe we will get a proper budget PC handheld that isn’t a Steam Deck once the market matures, more players enter the fray (HP, Alienware, Razer, and so on), and we start seeing some real competition. The downside here is that this likely won’t happen anytime soon.

Lastly, while the sizing-up trend is in full swing, there are still options catering to PC gamers that prefer more compact handhelds. You’ve got devices such as the ROG Ally X, the upcoming ROG Xbox Ally X, and the MSI Claw 7, each packing more compact, 7-inch screens.

What I would like to see next is more devices featuring 6-inch or smaller screens. Unfortunately, the majority of PC handheld buyers prefer larger, less portable devices. I don’t think big-name brands will offer something as portable as the Ayaneo Air 1S or the GPD Win Mini. That’s a shame, because I’d love to see a Steam Deck Mini.

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At the end of the day, I’m still excited about the upcoming PC handhelds. But I don’t like this trend of ever-rising prices coupled with disappointing performance improvements, which will hamper the steady adoption growth PC handhelds have enjoyed since the release of the Steam Deck.

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Honestly, I somewhat like some of these trends, such as the bigger screens and yet... there are drawbacks and the prices are ridiculous.

I prefer some of the Chinese brands such as the Sugar handhelds because they're at least kinda wacky and different as well as powerful.

Your thoughts?___

cross-posted from: https://lemmygrad.ml/post/9306468

The summary of the video states:

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After such a long time, I finally get to share my biggest project with you all.

Big enormous shoutout to ‪@ThaddeusSilva‬ for composing the track for this reveal, as well as the other tracks used in this video!

Tracks featured:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2tXiZQnPcfg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z3ZbhbcScIA

Assuming you're reading this after watching the reveal, this is iiSU: a front-end / launcher founded by yours truly, with the same love and care you normally see in my video content. It was bound to happen eventually, and today marks the beginning of home launchers reaching new heights.

Front-end development is being led by none other than the legendary Huesos - prioritizing the dual-screen branch.

Huesos's Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/SapphireRhodonite

Back-end development has also initiated and we have more ideas brewing now that a full passionate and talented team is formed.

This is by far the most ambitious thing I've ever done, not to mention this is my first time even designing an app, let alone develop one from scratch. I hope you're as excited as I am, because there's still so much to share in the future!

For those who want to join the Discord, here's the invite link for you!

https://discord.com/invite/5JkBtVqd

You can reach me there a lot quicker if you have any questions or want to take part in the development process.

I've also created a paypal link for those who want to support iiSU and gain a few perks in the process, like early access when the app reaches its beta phase. https://ko-fi.com/usagishade

Alright, that covers everything for now! I'll be seeing you a lot more often as I've got a lot of free time to pour into this.

Til next time!

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So it boasts a cleaner UI and shows all your achievements. I think this is a ROM for the Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2. Like a tablet or phone launcher, I guess. Probably you can put this on a handheld PC as well (like a Steam Deck, maybe).

The app is developed for Android devices as well.

Your thoughts?

Maybe I missed something in the short video (which is two minutes long) but I'm not sure what this is exactly.

Chroma Squad is a fantastic turn-based RPG that is both a loving homage to the Power Rangers, but also an ingenious look at the production of a TV series. Rather than fighting evil as the Crayon Box of Justice, you instead play a manager of a new Super Sentai show hoping to become the greatest show on television. It's a formula that works fantastically.

cross-posted from: https://beehaw.org/post/22388618

It's reported that the Google Play store entry of Eden emulator (a Switch emulator) is no longer available. We don't know the reason, but my educated guess is that Nintendo might have striked. I recommend to download current official clean builds and source code for backup, just in case you want to use it later.

• Homepage: https://eden-emu.dev/
• Downloads: https://github.com/eden-emulator/Releases/releases/
• Source: https://git.eden-emu.dev/eden-emu/eden

I personally still use last official build of Yuzu, even today (playing Tears of the Kingdom). I never tried Eden, but it might be useful to archive it, so I do not need to download builds of others if I can't build it from source for any reason.

Here is a random article about this subject: https://www.androidauthority.com/play-store-first-nintendo-switch-emulator-3597451/

Pay to get paid offers, decline the offers to get nothing

I'm putting together a survey for an organization to figure out what would be the best game(s) for a tournament. It would hopefully be team based. Questions like which consoles people own and which games they play and what types of games they like to play. I'm just not well versed in every competitive game. This is in the central U. S. So certain games are probably more popular here. I'm not necessarily trying to find the most popular game but the game the most people would reasonably want to play.

I really like Ayaneo's build quality, so it should be interesting to see how the Pocket AIR Mini will turn out.

Has anyone noticed all the train games hitting Steam lately? Here's one that looks pretty badass, Denshattack!, with some very striking graphics.

Anyone else hyped for this? Looks like the perfect game for perfecting runs.

Watch Dogs Legion is a great game thanks in large part to its incredible recruitment mechanic. It's got its flaws and limitations, but Legion laid the groundwork for what could have been a great feature going forward. Too bad Ubisoft killed Watch Dogs.

I'll probably get it eventually, but I'm curious about how folks are finding it on day 1.

Got to say I'm pretty disappointed to see lots of negative reviews on steam talking about performance issues and optimization problems, while Gearbox evidently still had the time and resources to put together more than $100 in day 1 DLC.

I have an upcoming trip with an extremely long-haul flight so I'm looking to pack my Steam deck with as much as I can to try to make it more bearable.

I have a merely 3 year old PC I bought for 1500€ a 5600x and 3060ti, yet it for some reason can't run cronos, a single player linear game, on low settings without constant lags

The whole game consists of grayscale. There is simply nothing that would require the computing power

And its not really a realistic progress of computing requirements, while they state that my entry level ryzen 5 5600x can run it on optimal settings, for some reason they require an extremely up to date GPU, which just tells me that they just crammed in every kind of graphics tech so their Grayscale smog looks better

Lately, the more time I spend in online games I’ve been (more frequently than before) coming across players that essentially don’t play games to their fullest extent. I’m not talking about grinding meta builds, sweating off in ranked game modes or combing through online forums for the best way to play. I am talking about ,for example, playing R6S and never participating in the drone phase, never using your operator’s abilities and never creating rotation holes. I don’t mind players not knowing what these things are or not playing the game optimally. I do mind simply turning your brain off and just run around to try and farm kills. This is a player not wanting to play R6 as they refuse to interact with what sets it apart and I can only wonder if this is because they are forcing themselves to play/like the game either because it has the “tactical” tag to it or because a popular streamer played it recently. Said players would be happier just playing another faster paced game. I am using R6 as the main example but there are multiple games when that also applies, like tanks in MMOs not marking enemies, people in BFs not spotting hostiles and drivers in racing sims refusing to let go of the gas pedal to take a corner. That’s it though from me I just wanted to blow off some steam and get my words out. GG

Edit: Peole are misunderstanding my post. I don’t care if people don’t sweat their balls off in a game. I’m not that good in most online games that I play either and I almost exclusively play single player RPGs. My point is that people that DO play a game in ranked for example, a pretty difficult co-op game or a survival hardcore sim and don’t interact with the game mechanics is an ongoing pandemic in gaming. If you play a game like HD2 and ignore your team and just treat it like COD zombies you are not going to win. Your team is going to lose and you won’t get any points for upgrading your gear or buying new stuff. You have to meet the game itself halfway. You have to interact with its mechanics that set it apart. You don’t need to play in the hardest difficulty, when you play games like R6S you don’t need to climb the ranked ladder- hop on quick play or unranked (once upon a time we used to have Terrorist Hunt). I mean to say that a lot of people buy into those games and they decide instead of playing the game the way they want to they play it the way need to. “I like to play the game casually” then play it casually- don’t hop on the most competitive modes of the game because YOU aren’t going to have fun. If you like chiller more arcade-y games then play chiller more arcade-y games there is no need to buy a game that by design is not for your tastes.

Edit (2): This is fun I like talking to you guys about this stuff!

I've been looking around for economic simulator games recently and tbh there isn't much. But it made me think about what i actually wanted out of a game like that, and honestly...

I'd absolutely love a game set in the Japanese finance ministry during the economic boom and subsequent bubble and economic crisis.

1.I like things on a more macro scale, rather than micro. So games like cities skylines and Workers and Resources: Soviet Republic are good, but still leave me itching

2. I hate that a lot of "economic" games are just business Sims. Obviously gaming in english is a bit of an American and eurocentric thing, and these places aren't famous for loving planned economies or having interesting economic ministries

3.The time period is interesting enough for a game like this. There's political and economic conflict, elections, and plenty of economic stuff to make spreadsheet nerd like me enjoy it.

4.Of course this era and area aren't exactly represented well so id love to see a game made set in it. (I'd make it myself but A.No time and B.Im not a programmer tbh)

Alternatively, I really wish there was a macro economic game set in the USSR, China, or some other socialist country. Actually, we'll, planning an economy without spending years in education, getting a job at a ministry, spending more years working your way up, and actually dealing with the consequences of your actions would be nice.

I know this idea appeals to about 5 people, give or take 4, but still

Dear Reader who I shall never know, in your eyes, I know this game was ultimately a fiction. However, I hope you’ll follow us in our analysis and recounting of this fantastical adventure. I hope I will be able to reminisce and review what we saw together. Even if your journey is over, I hope you’ll still want to tag along. And, most importantly, with all my heart, I hope that fantasy will keep giving you strength.

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.dbzer0.com/post/52124778

This game is fun and has me hooked. I finished it after just a few days.

But the game feels incomplete and slightly rushed.

For example, as you progress through the game you can unlock new items to sell, but you unlock some items at the very end of the game, so it feels kind of pointless.

The fast travel system is not super useful as it takes you to places on the map that are kind of inconvenient and the games maps is small enough to just run to the destination just as fast in most instances.

The inventory management system is a bit annoying, you can only pick up stacks of 5 items. Not at the max, but at all. So if you just need to grab one apple to restock, you have to run back and forth to return the excess apples from the stack. You can also get into a situation where you don’t have a place to put an item down and need to trash it instead.

Money is never an issue in this game and there are perks to lower purchase prices, but it’s completely irreverent as you always have enough money.

The reward points you get to unlock things is also a bit pointless as you easy get so many of them that by the time you progress in the story and unlock the next tier, you can just buy everything right away.

The little town seems like there could be so much lore and things to unlock, but nothing happens. I assumed I was only halfway done the game when I finished it as there is so much left unresolved.

I assumed the game was made by a solo dev, but the credits rolled and I was shocked at how many people worked on this game.

So, while it was fun. I would not recommend buying it in its current state. I think it needs a few big dlcs before it can call itself a completed game.