Off The Console

Show notes: https://www.patreon.com/posts/153066072 📢 Don’t forget to subscribe, leave a comment, and follow us on your favorite podcast app. Become a Patron! https://www.patreon.com/cw/OffTheConsole/home

The console wars just got a whole lot weirder. This week on Off the Console, we’re breaking down Microsoft’s Xbox Project Helix — a next-gen console that plays PC games too — and asking whether Xbox is even a console company anymore. Meanwhile, Sony is reportedly pulling major titles back off PC (yes, even Wolverine), and Nintendo just sued the US government over tariffs. It’s a lot. We also dig into Resident Evil 9’s surprisingly great 9.5/10 debut, Road to Vostok proving Godot can go mainstream, and the shocking news that Apple dropped a $599 MacBook that might actually be a good deal. Plus: dynamic pricing is quietly coming to game stores, Highguard is circling the drain, and customs agents destroyed one of only 50 copies of an ultra-rare visual novel demo. Oh, and OS-level age verification bills are moving through multiple states — and we have thoughts. 📢 Don’t forget to subscribe, leave a comment, and follow us on your favorite podcast app. Become a Patron! https://www.patreon.com/cw/OffTheConsole/home

Find links to every topic and watch the bonus episode here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/151927445 📢 Don’t forget to subscribe, leave a comment, and follow us on your favorite podcast app. Become a Patron! https://www.patreon.com/cw/OffTheConsole/home

Find the show notes and our bonus episode here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/xboxs-new-ai-ceo-151349583 📢 Don’t forget to subscribe, leave a comment, and follow us on your favorite podcast app. Become a Patron! https://www.patreon.com/cw/OffTheConsole/home

Read the show notes and find our 40+ minute bonus episode here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/episode-66-show-150796024 📢 Don’t forget to subscribe, leave a comment, and follow us on your favorite podcast app. Become a Patron! https://www.patreon.com/cw/OffTheConsole/home

Find links to all the stories in this episode here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/149624996 Subscribe to our RSS feed, and engage on the Fediverse at: https://podcast.subscribeto.me/@OffTheConsoleShow/episodes/ep-65 This week we’ve seen massive market cap wiped from the stock market thanks to Google’s AI, Valve is being sued on behalf of gamers, a third of the gaming industry lost their jobs in 2024/2025… and why has High Guard’s reception been so poor? Join @games_revealed , @HiTechLoLife , and @gardiner_bryant as we discuss this week’s hottest gaming and tech news. Become a Patron! https://www.patreon.com/cw/OffTheConsole Join our Discord! https://discord.gg/dVkKcZH2Qy 📢 Don’t forget to subscribe, leave a comment, and follow us on your favorite podcast app. Become a Patron! https://www.patreon.com/cw/OffTheConsole/home

This week we’ve seen massive market cap wiped from the stock market thanks to Google’s AI, Valve is being sued on behalf of gamers, a third of the gaming industry lost their jobs in 2024/2025… and why has High Guard’s reception been so poor? https://www.patreon.com/posts/149624996 📢 Don’t forget to subscribe, leave a comment, and follow us on your favorite podcast app. Become a Patron! https://www.patreon.com/cw/OffTheConsole/home

Jeff Bezos wants to kill the home PC, but the RAM crisis might beat him to it. From modders soldering their own memory to Valve’s new Steam Machine “Verified” ratings and Tim Sweeney’s latest PR disaster, we’re breaking down the most chaotic week in tech. Is ownership officially dead? Find the Bonus Level episode and show notes here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/148483629 📢 Don’t forget to subscribe, leave a comment, and follow us on your favorite podcast app. Become a Patron! https://www.patreon.com/cw/OffTheConsole/home

Find links to all the stories in this episode here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/147343024 Subscribe to our RSS feed, and engage on the Fediverse at: https://podcast.subscribeto.me/@OffTheConsoleShow/episodes/ep-62 Join @games_revealed , @HiTechLoLife , and @gardiner_bryant as we discuss this week’s hottest gaming and tech news. We also have special guest @ThePhawx ! Become a Patron! https://www.patreon.com/cw/OffTheConsole Join our Discord! https://discord.gg/dVkKcZH2Qy 📢 Don’t forget to subscribe, leave a comment, and follow us on your favorite podcast app. Become a Patron! https://www.patreon.com/cw/OffTheConsole/home

Read the show notes and watch the bonus episode: https://www.patreon.com/posts/147343024 📢 Don’t forget to subscribe, leave a comment, and follow us on your favorite podcast app. Become a Patron! https://www.patreon.com/cw/OffTheConsole/home

Join the community and get the bonus show here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/146811924 Our latest episode of Off The Console covers this week’s tech disasters… plus some kinda neat stuff! We explore the collapsing pillars of the gaming industry and the bizarre tech “advancements” no one actually asked for. Today we’re discussing the Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 disqualification drama, the potential “SEGA-fication” of Xbox, Nvidia’s quest for perfect, total enshittification, and the moment 300 terabytes of Spotify’s library hit the 🏴‍☠️pirate🏴‍☠️ seas 🦜. 🔥 Support the Show on Patreon! Love the show? Get the exclusive Bonus Show where we get spicy, off-topic, and deeply personal. This week’s Patreon-only episode includes: The Death of AAA Gaming: A deep-dive essay on why the $200M budget model is a suicide pact for developers. 2026 Predictions: From the “Next-Gen” Switch to the total collapse of live-service clones, we’re calling our shots for next year. The Uncanny Valley Ruining Lives: A terrifying study shows how minor video call glitches are costing people jobs and even parole. The SSD Miracle: The story of the lucky Redditor who ordered 2 Samsung 9100 Pro SSDs and received two full palettes worth over $5,000. More Toll Roads: Why America is obsessed with charging you to drive on your own streets. 📢 Don’t forget to subscribe, leave a comment, and follow us on your favorite podcast app. Become a Patron! https://www.patreon.com/cw/OffTheConsole/home

Find links to all the stories in this episode here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/146322382 📢 Don’t forget to subscribe, leave a comment, and follow us on your favorite podcast app. Become a Patron! https://www.patreon.com/cw/OffTheConsole/home

Read the show notes and watch the bonus episode: https://www.patreon.com/posts/145243790 Bonus Show Timestamp: 00:00 Thoughts on the apocalypse 15:30 Honey lawsuit might be dismissed 28:54 OpenAI’s shameless suicide lawsuit 36:38 Grok and the danger of AI 40:38 Should you need a license to use the Internet? 47:01 Steam Machine pricing 📢 Don’t forget to subscribe, leave a comment, and follow us on your favorite podcast app. Become a Patron! https://www.patreon.com/cw/OffTheConsole/home

Welcome to this special ‘Off the Console’ episode! We’ve compiled a collection of our favorite moments from past episodes, including hilarious highlights, insightful guest interviews, and intriguing discussions on gaming tech and beyond. Enjoy clips featuring Gardner’s unique insights, high-tech analyses, and even a former Master Chief’s real-life experiences. Stay until the end for an amusing AI chat with iconic characters and a deep dive into the latest in gaming industry news. Let us know your favorite moments in the comments and be part of our awesome community! 📢 Don’t forget to subscribe, leave a comment, and follow us on your favorite podcast app. Become a Patron! https://www.patreon.com/cw/OffTheConsole/home

Join @HiTechLoLife , @games_revealed , and @gardiner_bryant as we discuss this week’s hottest gaming and tech news. Become a Patron! https://www.patreon.com/cw/OffTheConsole Join our Discord! https://discord.gg/dVkKcZH2Qy Get ready for a massive episode as we dive deep into one of gaming’s biggest events of the year! The Game Awards! 📢 Don’t forget to subscribe, leave a comment, and follow us on your favorite podcast app. Become a Patron! https://www.patreon.com/cw/OffTheConsole/home

Valve’s NEW Hardware… ANNOUNCED Link: https://store.steampowered.com/sale/steammachine https://store.steampowered.com/sale/steamcontroller https://store.steampowered.com/sale/steamframe Valve announced a TRIO of devices. A TRIO. THREE. DEVICES. A new Steam Controller, THE Steam Machine, and finally, The Steam Frame which was once called the Valve Deckard. The Steam Controller is an evolved Steam Controller featuring all of the inputs the Steam Deck has, but in a controller form, and with some additional bells and whistles. The Steam Machine is Valve’s return to bringing Steam to the living room… this time with more confidence in their work on Linux and Proton. The landscape’s changed drastically since their first attempt over a decade ago with Proton existing as a core part of Steam on Linux. The Steam Frame is Valve’s standalone VR headset. Not quite a true successor to the Index but it’s something more. A standalone ARM headset designed to play full fat PCVR games, with the ability to sideload Android APKs. What’s more interesting too is SteamOS on ARM. It includes FEX-EMU, a translation layer designed to run x86 binaries on ARM on TOP of Proton translating Windows calls to Linux calls. One has to wonder how performant games will run on the Frame. :::info Let’s play a game… how much do YOU think ALL of the new Steam Hardware will be? Whoever’s closest to the real MSRP of the devices will win eternal glory. ::: The real reason we’ve yet to get a Steam Deck 2 Link: https://www.ign.com/articles/valve-says-it-has-a-pretty-good-idea-of-what-steam-deck-2-is-going-to-be-explains-why-its-holding-off-for-now The Steam Deck 2 is still happening, it just isn’t happening now because as valve claims “there’s no offerings in that landscape”. Valve apparently isn’t interested in performance gains as low as 50% at the same battery level. They want more. More more more. Battery life is a major consideration, otherwise we’d have extremely powerful handhelds without the battery to keep them alive for long. SteamOS on ARM? Link: http://pcgamer.com/hardware/vr-hardware/steamos-launching-for-arm-fex-translation-layer/ https://www.theverge.com/news/818672/valve-android-apps-steam-frame Valve states that with the release of the Steam Frame, they will also release an updated SteamOS with ARM support. Now I doubt you would be able to run this on just any ARM based system, like a modern smartphone, but there may be a place for SteamOS on various Snapdragon based handhelds, such as the AYN Thor and whatnot. More testing required but SteamOS for ARM will include FEX-EMU for running games. Word has it that you’ll just be able to run Android apps on here and even sideload Android APKs too. Who will be nominated at The Game Awards? Find out 11/17 Link: https://www.thegameawards.com/news/nominations-live-on-monday https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Game_Awards#Video_games_and_media We won’t have nominees announced by the time this podcast releases, but we’re gonna take our best shot at predicting who’s gonna be nominated, and later on we’re gonna predict who’s gonna win. Should we live stream this? :::info Who will win GOTY? Take our bets now! Also announce the live stream ::: Sony’s Bungie Acquisition not going as expected. ~$204M impairment loss Link: https://thegamepost.com/sony-destiny-2-sales-user-engagement-not-reached-bungie/ Destiny 2 was in a good spot before the Sony buyout, which is why Sony bought the studio for a big sum of cash… but Destiny 2 is now in dire straits. The lowest player count it’s ever seen and Marathon isn’t looking too good for prospective players either. All of Bungie hinges on the upcoming Star Wars themed expansion for Destiny 2… Renegades. The Grand Theft Layoff Saga - Hundreds of Rockstar employees furious Link: https://www.eurogamer.net/this-is-a-blatant-unapologetic-act-of-vicious-union-busting-hundreds-of-rockstar-employees-sign-letter-to-management-demanding-fired-colleagues-get-reinstated A number of employees had their employment grand thefted in what appears to be union busting. Hundreds of Rockstar employees PISSED and signed a letter to management demanding they get reinstated. Somehow… Concord Returned Link: https://thegamepost.com/sony-concord-playable-again-custom-servers/ Concord, the catastrophic live service failure, has returned thanks to a community made server. Concord released last year and lasted only two weeks before shutting down and all purchasers were issued refunds, with the studio itself going under soon after. Of course it’s work in progress but there is evidence of the return of Concord, at least not by Sony. 📢 Don’t forget to subscribe, leave a comment, and follow us on your favorite podcast app. Become a Patron! https://www.patreon.com/cw/OffTheConsole/home

We talk GTA VI’s new release date, Rockstar’s alleged union-busting, Soulja Boy’s questionable new handhelds, and Square Enix’s AI-powered QA plans—plus we break down if Steam’s dominance is turning into a real-world monopoly. It’s chaos, caffeine, and consoles as always. Become a Patron! https://www.patreon.com/cw/OffTheConsole Join our Discord! https://discord.gg/dVkKcZH2Qy #OffTheConsole #GamingPodcast #GTAVI #RockstarGames #SteamDeck #SouljaBoy #SquareEnix #GameNews #VideoGames #PCGaming #GamingHardware #AIinGaming #GameDev #GamerTalk #Podcast #TechNews #FutureOfGaming #Th3Brink #GardinerBryant #HiTechLoLife 📢 Don’t forget to subscribe, leave a comment, and follow us on your favorite podcast app. Become a Patron! https://www.patreon.com/cw/OffTheConsole/home

ICE uses Halo to recruit - says to “Destroy The Flood” Link: https://www.gamefile.news/p/halo-ice-developers-react Halo may not be what it used to be, but the news of Halo’s remake sent waves across the internet… and the government has noticed. Former creators of Halo during its halcyon days have weighed in, calling the ad to “Destroy The Flood” disgusting. They’ve also clarified that the various figures in the Halo universe are NOT meant to be parallels to anything in the real world. IE: The Prophets are not Popes, Flood aren’t Illegal Immigrants, and Chief isn’t Christ. 90% of all Windows games runs on Linux, data shows Link: http://tomshardware.com/software/linux/nearly-90-percent-of-windows-games-now-run-on-linux-latest-data-shows-as-windows-10-dies-gaming-on-linux-is-more-viable-than-ever https://www.protondb.com/dashboard Historically, Gaming has been one of Linux’s sore spots. Even as recently as a decade ago, Linux was considered non-viable for most games. But things have changed due to Valve’s diligent work with Proton. Born from the ashes of the Steam Machine initiative, Proton has changed the game for Linux gamers, so to speak. Data from ProtonDB as reported by Boiling Steam shows that 90% of Windows titles runs on Linux with no issue. This chart does NOT include any performance limitations, unlike say, Steam Deck Verified, so if you have a high powered gaming PC and want to game… you can! That said this still doesn’t indicate that we’ll see anti-cheat games decide to work on Linux. Robots are here… and they’re not as cool as you think they are Link: https://www.1x.tech/ Instead of a sweet cyberpunk looking robot that looks like it could murder you, it looks like a stupid felt robot wearing a turtleneck with beady eyes. It’s a robot you can pre-order for $20K, and exists to do your household chores for you. It COULD be useful for disabled persons or the elderly, and it’s made to automate your chores. It’ll do everything from open the door for your guests, to doing your laundry, to washing your dishes and putting them away. But for any chore it doesn’t know by default, you can schedule a 1X Expert to guide the robot. It’s also AI enabled too, but rather than being hooked up to Skynet it’s hooked up to an LLM of sorts. I’ve seen no footage of this robot mowing the lawn, which is about the only task that I feel I’d want to automate. Amazon Lays Off “Significant” Portions of Gaming Division - Kills New World Link: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-10-28/amazon-makes-significant-cuts-in-video-game-division 14,000 corporate jobs are being removed. It’s unknown how much of that is gaming, but what is known is that Amazon in an internal memo has mentioned “significant role reductions” in its San Diego, Irvine, and central publishing offices. Amazon however seems more interested in expanding their cloud gaming service, Amazon Luna, featuring more and more casual and “AI-focused” games. One particular game that is being effected is the MMORPG known as New World. Since the Irvine office has been affected, New World’s devs will halt new content rollouts effective immediately. They say servers will live through 2026, but it’s only a matter of time until this game dies. It’s even worse since it’s an MMO, and an MMO without a large enough playerbase to support its ecosystem will fall. It’s unknown if Stop Killing Games will save this game or not… sadly. “Gross Misconduct” - Take-Two as they bust a union Link: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-10-31/-grand-theft-auto-studio-accused-of-union-busting-after-firings?accessToken=eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJzb3VyY2UiOiJTdWJzY3JpYmVyR2lmdGVkQXJ0aWNsZSIsImlhdCI6MTc2MTkzOTg3MSwiZXhwIjoxNzYyNTQ0NjcxLCJhcnRpY2xlSWQiOiJUNTBISEpHUFFRNkMwMCIsImJjb25uZWN0SWQiOiJCMUVBQkI5NjQ2QUM0REZFQTJBRkI4MjI1MzgyQTJFQSJ9.9NYooKXrBMU_quRYMOSw6uACDogcIuS-E27t4GD8f2g&leadSource=reddit_wall Take-Two fires 30-40 people. Cites “gross misconduct”, but a British trade union claims T2 did this to prevent unionization. It’s being called the most blatant and ruthless acts of union busting in the entire games industry to this point. Judge allows class action lawsuit from authors against OpenAI to proceed Link: https://www.businessinsider.com/open-ai-chatgpt-microsoft-copyright-infringement-lawsuit-authors-rr-martin-2025-10 https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/26204915-chatgpt-game-of-thrones-sequel-idea/?mode=document One of the first viral AI copyright situations happened when users fed ChatGPT the entire A Song of Fire and Ice book series, and had AI more or less generate unofficial sequel books, based on George R.R. Martin’s works. He was understandably not happy. Now a judge has allowed a class action lawsuit against OpenAI and Microsoft to proceed, denying those two companies’ motion to dismiss the lawsuit. Exhibit F showcases a prompt presented by the authors’ lawyers showcasing ChatGPT’s ability to create detailed summaries of Game of Thrones and to present an alternate third book in the series that takes the series in a different direction. The New Steam Controller, known as the “Triton” Link: https://x.com/gabefollower/status/1983330154178064856 The new Steam Controller is code named “Triton”. Of course that’s not its official product name. The Steam Deck was internally referred to as Jupiter and the OLED model was referred to as Galileo. But the controller may be closer to release than we realize. It’s only a matter of time before we get one. It may very well be the endgame controller for all games. Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang eats Korean Fried Chicken, stocks jump up 30% Link: https://www.tomshardware.com/tech-industry/korean-fried-chicken-stocks-surge-30-percent-as-nvidia-ceo-jensen-huang-dines-out-on-local-delicacy-entire-industry-buoyed-by-secret-ingredient-jensanity Korean Fried Chicken might be the world’s best fried chicken, come at me. And Jensen Huang might agree. He was in Seoul meeting with top execs from Samsung and Hyundai, but photos of him eating the spicy fried chicken and having a few beers went viral. Viral to the point where stocks in Korean Fried Chicken chains jumped up anywhere between 20-30% on the KOSDAQ. Love the Korean Fried Chicken promotion, but hate that this could jack up the price of Korean chicken here. Xbox’s real competitor… not Sony or Nintendo… but TikTok Link: https://www.forbes.com/sites/paultassi/2025/10/29/satya-nadellas-plan-to-take-on-tiktok-with-xbox-makes-no-sense/ Satya Nadella, CEO of Microsoft, proclaims that gaming’s true enemy isn’t other gaming systems, but shortform content like TikTok. Ex-PlayStation exec Shawn Layden said something very similar in the past… In a sense, it is true, TikTok, much like anything else, competes for your limited time. But that’s like saying going outside or work competes with your ability to game. It true in a sense, but utterly ridiculous to say. Nintendo v Palworld Update - Japan Rejects Nintendo Patent Link: https://gamesfray.com/japan-patent-office-rejects-nintendo-application-relevant-to-palworld-dispute-cites-games-like-ark-as-prior-art-after-third-party-submission/ Japan has rejected a specific patent for a monster capturing patent which was submitted by Nintendo. The specific patent (patent number 2024-031879) revolves around capturing creatures by throwing an object… IE: Throwing a Pokeball or Pal Sphere to capture the creature. It was ultimately rejected by the Japanese Patent Office as they claim the patent “lacks originality”. the JPO cites specific prior art examples, such as Monster Hunter 4, ARK: Survival Evolved, and most surprising of all, Craftopia which is also developed by the same developers as Palworld, Pocketpair. It’s specifically worth mentioning that this is NOT a final verdict. The case still rages on, but it undoubtedly strengthens Pocketpair’s case. 📢 Don’t forget to subscribe, leave a comment, and follow us on your favorite podcast app. Become a Patron! https://www.patreon.com/cw/OffTheConsole/home

Counter Strike 2 Update “Rug Pulls” Collectors out of BILLION$$$ Link: https://www.dexerto.com/counter-strike-2/cs2-skin-update-rug-pulls-collectors-as-1-billion-wiped-from-market-cap-3273322/ New CS2 update will let you trade 5 lesser value items of a covert rarity, and then trade them up for a Knife or Glove. Knifes are CS2 gold and have traditionally been worth THOUSANDS. Some creators are apparently upset because their knife collection isn’t worth nearly as much as they were before. Should’ve SOLD your knives before Valve dropped the update LMAO. Over 5000 Steam Games… fail to even make back the $100 publishing fee Link: https://www.gamesradar.com/games/over-5-000-games-released-on-steam-this-year-didnt-make-enough-money-to-recover-the-usd100-fee-to-put-a-game-on-valves-store-research-estimates/ A true nightmare for the average indie game developer. You publish a game, pay Valve $100, and then hope you can earn enough to make a living. But the horrors of game development only begin AFTER you release the game. Many indies come out and find success, but for every success, 100 must fail. But worst yet, some of these games don’t even make back the flat $100 fee Valve charges to even publish a game on Steam. One can only know the true horrors of indie game development whilst living as a starving artist during development. ChatGPT Atlas - An AI Browser Nightmare Link: https://openai.com/index/introducing-chatgpt-atlas/ It exists. James will try it out in the BONUS episode. Halo: Campaign Evolved… or Devolved? But either way, coming to PlayStation Link: https://news.xbox.com/en-us/2025/10/24/halo-campaign-evolved-answering-the-big-questions/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hSjbIM0iegY To Celebrate Halo moving to Unreal Engine 5, they’re doing a full on remake of Combat Evolved, which is coming day 1 to Xbox, PlayStation 5, and Steam. They promise THIS time, 2-Player splitscreen co-op on console, with 4-Player Cross-platform online co-op. They’re also giving you a brand new set of prequel missions featuring Master Chief and Sgt. Johnson. There are some features coming from later Halo titles coming to Campaign Evolved, such as the ability to sprint (which is an option to disable), hijack vehicles, use weapons usable from later in the series such as the Energy Sword (which was not possible in Halo 1). But there are concerns about a couple of things, such as changed art designs, the move to Unreal Engine 5, and implementing features & weapons from later Halo games. Exclusive Games “Antiquated”… Next Xbox to be “Premium” and “High-End” Link: https://www.gamespot.com/articles/exclusive-games-are-antiquated-xbox-president-says/1100-6535625/ https://www.windowscentral.com/gaming/xbox/next-xbox-wont-be-cheap-sarah-bond-teases-a-very-premium-high-end-next-gen-console-experience Sarah Bond, President of Xbox says that people are moving past the idea that games should be limited to a single platform or store. Do you agree? Given the Xbox Series X we had for years went UP in price, one can only imagine how much more a new gen Xbox would be, assuming they don’t leave the market like we think. AI Games are “Going to be Amazing” Link: https://www.reddit.com/r/pcmasterrace/s/nxDeOlYcYe https://x.com/mattshumer_/status/1981406315693187430 https://x.com/mattshumer_/status/1981798226635190641 Dead Internet “Theory” in full force here. AI Bro generates this CINEMATIC EPIC “gameplay” footage full of crazy shit no competent dev would actually leave in. It’s going for this sort of gritty realistic cinematic style but it’s full of goofier shit than most cartoony or anime games. Fedora will allow for AI-Assisted Contributions (With Disclosure) Link: https://www.phoronix.com/news/Fedora-Allows-AI-Contributions The Fedora Council has made their judgement. AI-Assisted Contributions to the project will be allowed… with proper disclosures. The big question is how will you hold anyone accountable for AI-Assisted code? And most importantly, how can you tell code is AI if someone who’s good at coding actively hides any sort of telltale signs of AI code? New Memory Standard - SOCAMM2 nearly ready for prime time Link: https://www.tomshardware.com/pc-components/ram/nvidias-homegrown-memory-design-is-nearly-complete-and-standardized-jedec-says-socamm2-will-replace-the-bespoke-socamm1-standard-that-nvidia-created SOCAMM2 is a new physical standard for memory backed by Nvidia and designed for use in next-gen AI servers. Current iterations make use of LPDDR5X memory, and are said to consume only 1/3 the power of an RDIMM module of an equivalent size while approaching the performance of memory modules soldered directly onto a motherboard, without introducing much signal loss from say a DRAM slot. This standard would also be installed parallel to the motherboard in question, rather than perpendicularly. Ideally could this be a new memory standard that PC handhelds should strive for? We buy a barebones PC handheld with no storage and memory, but then we supply our own SSD and SOCAMM2 drives? 📢 Don’t forget to subscribe, leave a comment, and follow us on your favorite podcast app. Become a Patron! https://www.patreon.com/cw/OffTheConsole/home

The Steam Next Fest - October 2025 Edition Link: https://store.steampowered.com/sale/nextfest BIRDCAGE MOTORSLICE Hell Maiden Alabaster Dawn Slots & Daggers Insider Trading Yunyun Syndrome Rhythm Psychosis Steam’s New Record! 41+ MILLION concurrent users Link: https://www.pcgamer.com/software/platforms/steam-is-officially-bigger-than-canada-with-a-41-million-concurrent-user-record/ 41,666,455 concurrent users all at once on Steam. It’s a population that’s a bit more than the entire population of CANADA. Last time Steam had broken a record was last year when it hit 35+ Million concurrent users all at once on Steam. Many factors could be involved. Could be due to Battlefield 6’s series high, record breaking sales. Could also be due to ARC Raider’s public server slam test. Or dare I say… The Next Fest? Whatever the case is, it seems no matter how you game, whether it’s on a PC, or Steam Deck, or even that newfangled ROG Xbox Ally X, you’re bound to be on Steam, so Valve just keeps winning. The ROG Xbox Ally X reviews are IN Link: https://old.reddit.com/r/gaming/comments/1o7cawu/rog_xbox_ally_review_thread/ The ROG Xbox Ally X released on October 16th, 2025. While many praise its performance and battery life, there are MANY criticisms surrounding the price and the fact that Windows is still Windows despite the FSE. And also the FSE feels somewhat incomplete. There are also criticisms that despite the fact that this is an Xbox branded device, this is NOT an Xbox that plays Xbox games, but a PC, despite MS’s marketing that everything is an Xbox. Halo Studios has AI “woven into every aspect” of development says Insider Link: https://thegamepost.com/insider-halo-studios-generative-ai-game-development/ They weren’t kidding when they said it was woven into every aspect of game development. Everything from game logic to world design to enemy behaviors and even internal workflows. It isn’t exactly surprising given game devs already use AI for stuff like vibe-coding. Call of Duty infamously sometimes uses AI generated assets for ingame assets and marketing (sometimes). The problem herein lies that AI is often being used as a substitute for human talent, not as a supplement or tool. Tighter deadlines, layoffs and Microsoft is HEAVILY invested in AI. They really want you to use AI so you can rush out games faster it seems. What a shame really. Of course this is just a rumor. Pokemon’s Embarassing Lack of Voice Acting Link: https://www.thegamer.com/pokemon-legends-z-a-voice-acting-story-characters-lumiose/ https://x.com/Dr_Scaphandre/status/1978580508465328239/video/1 https://x.com/MizukiumZ/status/1978697114793218539 Games don’t intrinsically NEED voice acting to be good… but The Pokemon Company can certainly afford voice actors. Even lower budget games from Japan can somehow secure pretty decent voice actors. The reason why the lack of voice acting is so egregious in Pokemon Legends: Z-A is because there are actual cutscenes where character mouths are animated as if they were talking, subtitles and all, but no voices come out. It’s the worst of both worlds, featuring meticulously animated cutscenes with no voices coming out of their mouths and subtitles you need to read following a cutscene’s pace rather than the old JRPG special of pressing A to progress dialogue boxes. Furthermore, there is a cutscene depicting a rock concert, with the lead singer belting out some lyrics but there are no words coming out of his mouth. What the hell? Do Gamers not buy video games anymore? Link: https://www.vice.com/en/article/us-gamers-arent-buying-video-games-anymore-new-study-reveals/? Only 4% of gamers in the US actually buy more than 1 game monthly. 30% of gamers buy one or two new games a year, and 33% not even buying new games at all. Though general survey takeaways indicate that the industry is still funded by hardcore gamers. Of course, it’s hard to state how much of this was due to Roblox/Fortnite, but it certainly could be the case. 1 in 5 High Schoolers admit to dating AI & the rise of Fictosexuality? Link: https://www.dexerto.com/entertainment/high-schoolers-admit-to-dating-ai-as-romantic-relationships-grow-3267837/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Akihiko_Kondo https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fictosexuality The children yearn for AI companions, and I have no idea why. Life and relationships are all about compromises, not dating a sycophant machine that literally won’t tell you no for anything. Also somewhat related is this Japanese man, Akihiko Kondo, who unofficially married Hatsune Miku in a symbolic marriage. The marriage was not approved nor sanctioned by Crypton Future Media, who owns the rights to VOCALOID as a whole. 📢 Don’t forget to subscribe, leave a comment, and follow us on your favorite podcast app. Become a Patron! https://www.patreon.com/cw/OffTheConsole/home