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Dragon Age: The Veilguard

Dragon Age: The Veilguard Read More Dragon Age Anyway, I am really enjoying Dragon Age: Inquisition at the moment. Even if the game is not my all-time favorite game, it is certainly my favorite game of 2014! Dragon Age: Inquisition is currently on sale on EA's Origins system for $39.99 …

I previously mentioned that Dragon Age: Dreadwolf coming out in early 2025…. Well, there’s a couple of changes since then. Electronic Arts (EA) announced that the name is now called Dragon Age: The Veilguard, and it is coming out October 31, 2024.

After watching the game trailer, I can’t say that I’m excited about the game or the name change. “Dreadwolf” sounds so cool, while “Veilguard” sounds boring. Also, the art style looks cartoony, like something like World of Warcraft, which I personally do not find appealing.

Of course, I’ll still give it a chance, but given that it’ll cost $70 on launch, I might wait for the reviews before pulling the trigger. Traditionally, I would wait for a sale, which may happen six months or one year after launch. I can (and will) wait, because I find the new “standard” pricing of $70 is just too much for the asking.

When I bought Dragon: Inquisition in 2014, it was $40. In just a decade, the gaming inflation price has nearly double. The more it costs, the less I’m likely to buy. After all, I have years and years of video games (over 1,600 games) that I can always go back and re-visit… including re-playing Dragon: Inquisition, now with all the bugs stamped out with all the DLC.

Speaking of pricing and costs of games… check it out: Epic Games is giving away The Callisto Protocol for free on August 22. This game is actually very good, despite the clear and obvious Dead Space influence.

The story behind this game, as I understand it, was that EA was not going to make a Dead Space 4, so the Dead Space series creator, Glen Schofield and his team formed a new studio and worked on The Callisto Protocol.

Gigantic: Rampage Edition and The Callisto Protocol free on Epic Games

Unfortunately, EA decided they were going to remake the original Dead Space game around the same time. Both The Callisto Protocol (Dec 2022) and Dead Space (Jan 2023), came out around the same time and I read that basically no one bought The Callisto Protocol.

In fact, I didn’t buy The Callisto Protocol until December 2023, because it was on sale on Steam, and I thought it was pretty decent. I didn’t understand why no one liked the game. I thought it was a hard game… and maybe it was a little too much like Dead Space, that perhaps they could have gone in a different direction. Also, I didn’t like the name, I had a hard time remembering what it was called, and may have referred to the game as “the Dead Space knockoff game.”

Anyway, for the price of $0.00 on August 22, I wholly recommend checking it out.

Yours,

Weekend Gamer

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vu ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com

Weekend Gamer: Claw x Fallout

MSI Claw x Fallout Read More MSI Claw The handheld gaming space is heating up with another contender: MSI Claw A1M. This PC handheld gaming device was announced at CES 2024 (Consumer Electronic Show). …

When I wrote about MSI Claw, joining the Steam Deck, ROG Ally, and Legion Go, in January 2024, I basically said it was “too little and too late.”

The main standout feature of the Claw is that is using Intel’s CPU chips, vs all the other handhelds using AMD… but it’s really not enough to win me over.

However, it was just recently announced that MSI has a re-skinned Claw x Fallout variant of their MSI Claw. Of course, now I’m interested. The stupid part of my brain is screaming, shut up and take my money! … but the smart of my brain is saying no. That’s because there’s also a new version of the Claw called Claw 8 AI, which uses a new Intel Core Ultra Lunar Lake processors and a newer version of the Intel’s Arc integrated graphics. That just translate to a faster, better, larger (8 inches), and superior version to the Fallout variant (which looks to be based on the first version of the MSI Claw).

I still don’t care, I want the Fallout Claw.

With the recent announcement of the ROG Ally X and now the Claw 8 AI, can a new version of the Steam Deck and Legion Go be far behind?

Anyway, while we wait to hear more… The Summer Game Fest 2024 is currently taking place, with Day 1 already over (you can watch it on IGN).

There weren’t anything worth mentioning on the first day. The two things that stood out for me is the upcoming expansion, Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree. I never beat Elden Ring, but have gotten pretty far in the game… and it might be fun to re-visit the game when the DLC comes out.

The other thing at the Summer Game Fest was the president of The Wand Company showing off the new Pip-Boy and Lucy’s Backpack. Both are $200 each, but I’m trying to save money, so I’m only getting the Pip-Boy. But who knows, I’ll probably just get the backpack too.

Over at Epic Game Store, you can grab Marvel’s Midnight Sun video game for free. This game had a retail price of $60, so this is a fantastic deal, if you don’t already own it.

Yours,

Weekend Gamer

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Up At Noon at Summer Game Fest 2024

vu ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com

Weekend Gamer: ROG Ally X Details

ROG Ally X Read More ROG Ally Now enter the ROG Ally from Asus. With the one-year anniversary of the ROG Ally coming up in June 2024, Asus will be announcing a new version of the ROG Ally, named ROG Ally X. It is not a full upgrade, but a mid-cycle refresh. …

It’s official, here are all the official information on the new ROG Ally X. Prior to the June 2 announcement, we already got all this data in a leak. Everything in the leak was correct, including the double battery life (80W) and even down to the price of $799. The only thing new is the exact release date - which is June July 22, 2024.

As a fan who own the original ROG Ally since launch date (June 2023), it’s become my go-to handheld gaming device, beating out the previous champions the original Steam Deck and original Nintendo Switch.

As I already previously mentioned, I am disappointed in the higher price, and that there are no changes to the CPU and 7” LCD screen. At that $800 price, it’s hard to recommend that over to the original device, which you can regularly get on sale for as little as $500 (it’s currently $477.99 on Amazon). At a $300 difference, to me, it doesn’t make any sense for you to buy the new one, if you’re only getting marginal improvements (basically only better battery life).

To me, the real reason why you would want the new ROG Ally X is for their upgraded USB4 eGPU support. The original did support eGPU, but you had to own a ROG XG Mobile External GPU Dock, which are expensive and never available in stock.

If you are going to go through the eGPU route, like me, you need to buy an eGPU enclosure (with your own graphic card) or buy a pre-made eGPU device. eGPU are not cheap, you can end up spending another $1,000, so basically your ROG Ally X will cost over $1,800 just for the ability to game on the go, but also turns into a desktop gaming class computer, when you dock it.

To me, that is the perfect computer solution, especially if you travel a lot, but also need it to perform when you’re at home. This is incredibly useful for those who only wants to deal with one Windows device. Me, on the other hand, I do own a very good desktop PC, which is my preferred gaming computer when I’m at home. While I want the eGPU solution with the ROG Ally X, I don’t know how useful it would be for me, as someone who don’t mind switching over to my desktop.

Thinking about all the extra cost that I will upgrade or have to buy, it’s probably not worth it to spend all that extra money… when what I have, the original ROG Ally suits my need just fine.

So, if I go with the ROG Ally X route, here’s a breakdown of how much money I will have to spend:

Product	Price
ROG Ally X	$800
ONEXGPU AMD Radeon RX 7600M XT (USB-C 4.0)	$850
Samsung 4TB NVME m.2	$400
Total:	$2,050

Alternatively, you can buy the GPD G1 eGPU (Radeon RX 7600M) or a standard eGPU enclosure if you have an extra GPU laying around. They’re going to cost about $800 to $1,000 depending on your card… still, when you add it all up, the true cost is going to be about $2,000 or more… that’s not even including the 4K monitor ($300) and ROG Azoth Keyboard ($250). Thankfully, I already own those items.

At that price point, just buy yourself a good desktop computer (about $1,000) and a first gen ROG Ally ($500), and it’s the better option for most people.

As for me, while I do want to go the eGPU route, the cost doesn’t really justify my use case. The smart money is just to wait for any bugs or problems in early release (for example the ROG Ally’s SD overheating problem), or wait for a sale. Now that I think about it, what if the new eGPU devices that I’m looking at doesn’t work with the ROG Ally X, due to system bugs or unsupported AMD drivers? Or what if the eGPU solution is not very good, based on the USB4 bandwidth standard? There are so many questions I have. We won’t know until people get a hold of the product and tests it out. I should wait until they work out all the kinks.

The biggest problem, for me, is that I already own the first ROG Ally and am quite happy with it. However, the scenario that I can see is that I will go to a Best Buy and see the new ROG Ally X on display, and then I’ll just make an impulse buy. That’s how it is going to play out.

Yours,

Weekend Gamer

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vu ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com

ROG Ally X

ROG Ally X Read More ROG Ally Now enter the ROG Ally from Asus. The ROG Ally will address all the things that I wanted in my Steam Deck: Windows, faster chip, better screen, higher resolution, pleasing looks, and the ability to dock in their enhance graphics …

With the one-year anniversary of the ROG Ally coming up in June 2024, Asus will be announcing a new version of the ROG Ally, named ROG Ally X. It is not a full upgrade, but a mid-cycle refresh.

I’ve had the original ROG Ally since June 2023, launch date, so I’m a massive fan and looking forward to what the next handheld will improve.

In a leak from videocardz.com, here are the upgrades: a longer-lasting 80W Battery and the XG Mobile connector has been replaced with a USB4 connector (for external GPU). Those are my two biggest complaints about the original ROG Ally, so I am very pleased that they’ve addressed those issues with the new ROG Ally X.

The disappointing news is that it’ll still retain the same AMD’s Ryzen Z1 Extreme chip and 7” LCD screen.

I’m also not happy that there’s a price increase, which makes sense for all the upgrades… but it’ll be a hard sale to someone who already own the original version or for someone buying the product for the first time. I think the original is actually very good, and if you don’t need the USB external GPU or bigger battery… why not save the money and get the first ROG Ally? Or better yet, why not get a Steam Deck for $400 if you really want to save money. For most people who don’t care about hardware or Windows or eGPU options, and just wants a handheld gaming device, you can’t go wrong with a Steam Deck.

As for me? I’ll probably get the new ROG Ally X. I’ll go to the Best Buy store to buy it.

The main draw for me is the eGPU option. You see, the original ROG Ally uses Asus’ XG Mobile connector, which was very, very expensive and can only be used on the ROG Ally and Asus’ Flow Tablets. Don’t get me wrong, I still wanted to get an XG Mobile, but the expensive price and limited stock always pushed me away. Now with the USB4 eGPU option, I can invest in a cheap external GPU and get this ROG Ally X desktop-style gaming!

Think about how cool that could be… you can play handheld, but when you’re at home, you dock it with the eGPU and suddenly your ROG Ally X becomes a true gaming powerhouse.

So, yeah ahead of the ROG Ally X release date, I will be shopping online for some eGPU options… that’s just how excited I am about this potential.

NOTE: Of course, the information was “leaked” and not officially from Asus… so all this speculation could be wrong. For example, they may try and lower the price or push the release date.

Specs	ROG Ally (2023)	ROG Ally X
Image
Colors	White	Black
Processor	AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme	AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme
RAM	16GB DDR5	24GB DDR5
eGPU	RG Mobile	USB4
Storage	512GB m.2 2230	1TB m.2 2280
Display	7” 1080p VRR	7” 1080p VRR
Battery	40 Wh	80 Wh
O/S	Windows 11	Windows 11
Price	$700	$800
Date	June 2023	June 2024

Yours,

Weekend Gamer

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vu ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com

Weekend Gamer: Fallout Edition

Fallout (Television Series) Season 1 Based on one of the greatest video games of all time, Fallout is the story of haves and have-nots in a world in which there’s almost nothing left to have. 200 years after the apocalypse, the gentle denizens of luxury fallout shelters are forced to return to the incredibly complex, gleefully weird and highly violent universe waiting for them above. Read More Fallout I was most excited to see some of the main cast (Walton Goggins, Ella Purnell, and Aaron Clifton Moten) for the upcoming Fallout television show from Amazon Prime on stage. They even had a guy in a power armor suit! …

Ahead of the highly anticipated Fallout television show, which is set to debut on April 12, 2024, we are getting a ton of Fallout goodness. I have compiled everything Fallout here.

Fallout: McFarlane Toys

FALLOUT: MCFARLANE TOYS
mcfarlanetoysstore.com

In breaking news, McFarlane Toys announced their partnership with Amazon MGM Studio and Bethesda to create brand new Fallout collectibles based on the upcoming television.

I will, of course, be buying these, as I am a fan of their DC Comics 7-inch toyline and generally happy with their prices. Unfortunately, based on their bad sculpting for The Witcher or “statues” of Diablo IV, this might not be a knock out of the park.

Although I want to see Fallout action figures, based on their comment of “collectibles”, I think McFarlane may be making statues or props. I guess we’ll have to wait and see.

Fallout: London

FALLOUT LONDON
fallout4london.com

This upcoming mod for Fallout 4, will take place in London. The game is set in the year 2237, events between the original two Fallout games. This will be the first game that is strictly British, so I’m very curious about the unique UK-only guns and armor, and fashion.

The free mod is scheduled to be released on April 23, 2024.

Magic: Fallout

MAGIC: FALLOUT
wizards.com

It’s the crossover you never saw coming: Magic: The Gathering and Fallout. I love both, so this is pretty awesome…. Unfortunately, I know that I will be spending quite a few caps trying to collect all the cards. I really want a Power Armor and I want those Bobbleheads cards.

I got so excited about the Fallout crossover, that I ended up re-downloading the Magic Arena card game in anticipation of getting free Fallout digital cards.

Magic: Fallout will be out March 8, 2024. I will be poor March 9th…

Fallout S.P.E.C.I.A.L. Anthology

Fallout S.P.E.C.I.A.L. Anthology
bethesda.net

Finally, Bethesda will be selling the Fallout S.P.E.C.I.A.L. Anthology. You can pre-order it now directly from them, and it will likely ship in a few months. I am disappointed in the release, as it’s Steam digital codes only… and I already own all those Fallout games on Steam. In fact, I own all these games on pretty much all platforms.

The $60 Anthology comes with 7 S.P.E.C.I.A.L. Cards with Steam game codes and one Mini-Nuke, with bomb sound. I only really want the Mini-Nuke… so if Bethesda can just sell that product for, say, $20, I will be happy to hand over the cash.

Details:

The Complete Award-Winning Collection
Experience the definitive collection from the award-winning Fallout® series. The Fallout S.P.E.C.I.A.L Anthology features all seven critically-acclaimed games (Fallout 76, Fallout 4: Game of the Year Edition , Fallout 3: Game of the Year Edition, Fallout New Vegas: Ultimate Edition, Fallout Tactics, Fallout 2, Fallout) and official add-ons in a premium collectible set, packaged in an exclusive mini-nuke storage case, complete with audible bomb sound.

INCLUDES:

7 S.P.E.C.I.A.L. Cards with Steam game codes

One Mini-Nuke, with audible bomb sound

Prime Gaming: Fallout

Briefly:

Amazon is giving away the original Fallout game for free via GOG at Prime Gaming. Unfortunately, I already own the game, so I won’t be redeeming.

Epic Games was going to offer all three original Fallout Trilogy for free this Thursday, however they pulled down the leak. Instead we’re getting Super Meat Boy this week. Fear not, I believe those games will be available for free sometime within the two months before the television show is launched. I’m actually not that excited about it, since I already own all three games on Epic already.

Yours,

Weekend Gamer

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vu ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com

Introducing the MSI Claw

Read More ROG Ally Now enter the ROG Ally from Asus. The ROG Ally will address all the things that I wanted in my Steam Deck: Windows, faster chip, better screen, higher resolution, pleasing looks, and the ability to dock in their enhance graphics … Lenovo I bought the Lenovo Legion T5i 26IOB6 Gaming PC for $850 today from MicroCenter. This is a great price, it’s about 40% off the original asking price. Most of that money probably goes to the Nvidia 3060 video card. … Steam There’s no more waiting… You can now buy Steam Deck, right now, without reservation. According to steampowered, it’s been more than a year since it was first announced, but due to numerous supply chain issues and …

The handheld gaming space is heating up with another contender: MSI Claw A1M. This PC handheld gaming device was announced at CES 2024 (Consumer Electronic Show).

I’ve been following this gaming space for a while now, and always happy to see something new… especially, if the competition will bring in better performance and pricing.

I can’t afford another handheld, having own the Switch, the original Steam Deck, and ROG Ally, I just can’t justify spending another $700 on either the Legion Go or MSI Claw… but, I am looking into them and seeing what they can bring to the table.

So what makes the Claw stand out with all these handhelds? It’s the first one to use Intel, instead of AMD that all previous handhelds have used… so it could be a game changer. I’m a fan of Intel actually… as all my desktops that I own are powered by Intel i7 or i9 chips.

If the Claw’s Intel chip can produce a more powerful gaming experience, I will be the first in line to shout its praises. Again, I probably won’t be buying it, unless I see some massive improvement over my ROG Ally.

In my own experience with both Intel and AMD, I found that games and software run better and faster on Intel. AMD are generally much cheaper in pricing, but runs slower (but since it’s inexpensive it’s forgivable).

The other cool thing about the Claw, besides that awesome/awful name, is that MSI will be supporting the device with a custom dock with External GPU to enhance the Claw. Right now, the only viable eGPU solution is the ROG Ally, because of its proprietary connection, is very, very expensive. I am going to assume the Claw’s eGPU/Dock solution is also expensive. There’s a lot that we don’t know about… but I’m definitely interested in seeing more of the Claw.

Anyway, I’m excited to see another entry… but it’s probably too little and too late.

Here’s a comparison chart below. I have not included any Chinese companies, such as Aya Neo or OneXPlayer, because they do not have a US presence. You can always import their handhelds, but you’re never going to see their product at Best Buy or MicroCenter, etc. You will probably find MSI in stores, if they push it into retailers… I wouldn’t mind checking them out at Target (and who knows I might make an impulse purchase).

The other thing to note is that the Rog Ally was (perhaps it’s still on sale?) on sale for $599, making the AMD Z1 Extreme version an amazing deal and value.

The biggest thing between these handhelds is the software. Most people love the ease of use of the Nintendo Switch or Steam Deck… and Windows 11 might not be for everyone. These Windows devices all have special software to make it useable on the handheld, for example, ROG Ally has their Armoury Crate and Command Center and Lenovo has Vantage… MSI will have their own software called MSI Center M. We don’t know anything about it yet… but I can tell you that since ROG Ally came out in June, they have been updating their software to squeeze out bugs and add a lot of new features.

Compare	Nintendo Switch OLED	Steam Deck OLED	ROG Ally	Legion GO	MSI Claw
Release Date	September 20, 2019	November 2023	June 13, 2023	October 2023	March 2024
Price	$349	$549	$699.99	$699.99	$699.99
O/S	Nintendo	Linux	Windows 11	Windows 11	Windows 11
CPU	ARM 4 Cortex-A57	AMD Zen 2	AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme	AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme	Intel Core Ultra 7
Memory	4 GB LPDDR4 @ 1331/1600 MHz	16 GB LPDDR5 @ 5500 MT/s over 4x 32-bit memory	16 GB LPDDR5 @ 6400 MT/s on dual channels	16 GB of 7500Mhz LPDDR5X RAM	32 GB of LPDDR5-6400
Storage	64 GB eMMC with microSD	512 GB NVMe SSD with microSD	512 GB NVMe M.2 SSD with microSD	512GB of PCIe Gen4 SSD with microSD	512GB of PCIe SSD with microSD
Screen	7-inch OLED at 1280×720 @ 60hz	7.4-inch OLED at 1280 × 800 @ 90hz	7-inch LCD 1920 × 1080 @ 120 hz	8.8-inch LCD 2560×1600 @ 144 Hz	7-inch LCD 1920x1080 @ 120 hz
Controllers	Removeable Joycons	Standard controllers with two touch pads	Standard controller	Removeable controller	Standard controller
Power	4310 mAh Li-ion battery at 39 watts	5200 mAh Li-ion battery at with 45W Charger	40 watt 4S1P, 4-cell Lithium-ion battery with 45W Charger	49.2 Watt 900mah Battery with 65W Charger	6-Cell, 53 Watt Battery with 65W Charger
Weight	420 g (15 oz)	669 grams (1.475 lb)	608 grams (1.340 lb)	854 g (1.88 lb)	675 g (1.48 lb)
eGPU	No	No	ROG XG Mobile (expensive)	Yes but limited to USB-4 speed so not much to be gained	MSI eGPU with dock designed for the Claw

Yours,

Weekend Gamer

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vu ([email protected]) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com

Weekend Gamer: 2024 is here!

Read More Epic Games It’s that time of the year. Epic Games is doing their annual 12 Days of Christmas giveaway… well, it’s more like 15 days of Christmas. Already, I’m very happy to now own Fallout: A Post Nuclear Role-Playing Game …

Epic Games
epicgames.com

The amazing Epic Games’s Christmas Game Giveaway is ending. As the previous years would have it, the two big game giveaway happens on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. This year that honor goes to Ghostwire: Tokyo and The Outer Worlds: Spacer's Choice Edition… so if you only have to grab a few games, those are the big two.

Based on previous years, the last day of the giveaway is usually a real banger too. In 2021 we got all three Square Enix’s Tomb Raider games and in 2022 we got two games, Dishonored - Definitive Edition and Eximius: Seize the Frontline.

As for predictions, for their last day on January 3, 2024, it’s anyone’s guess… but as rumors will have it, the last two games will be A Plague Tale: Innocence and Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy.

That’s great news… even though I already own both games on another platform. It might be nice to get them on Epic now.

So far, here’s what we got for Epic Games’ Giveaway 2023:

Kickoff Special: Destiny 2: Legacy Collection (2023)

12/20 DNF Duel

12/21 Melvor Idle

12/22 Art of Rally

12/23 Fallout 3: Game of the Year Edition

12/24 Ghostwire: Tokyo

12/25 The Outer Worlds: Spacer's Choice Edition

12/26 Human Resource Machine

12/27 Cursed to Golf

12/28 Cat Quest

12/29 Snakebird Complete

12/30 Saints Row

12/31 Shadowrunner

01/01 Escape Academy

01/02 20 Minutes Till Dawn

01/03 A Plague Tale: Innocence

01/04 Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy

Read More Steam As usual, the biggest event is Steam with their annual Autumn Sale (aka Black Friday sale). All the major triple A games released last year at full price (Street Fighter 6, Starfield) are discounted to 20% which isn’t great in my opinion… ....

Steam
steampowered.com

The 2023 Steam Awards winners have been announced. It looks like, once again, Baldur’s Gate 3 wins big … taking Game of the Year and Outstanding Story-Rich Game Award.

Game of the Year Award: Baldur’s Gate 3

VR Game of the Year Award: Labyrinthine

Labor of Love Award: Red Dead Redemption

Best Game on Steam Deck Award: Hogarts Legacy

Better With Friends Award: Lethal Company

Outstanding Visual Style Award: Atomic Heart

Most Innovative Gameplay Award: Starfield

Best Game You Suck At Award: Sifu

Best Soundtrack Award: Last of Us Part 1

Outstanding Story-Rich Game Award: Baldur’s Gate 3

Sit Back and Relax Award: Dave the Diver

Looking at the list of winners, I’ll have to admit, I haven’t played any 2023 games, except for Baldur’s Gate 3 and Starfield (which I did not love). I’m not sure why Red Dead Redemption or Last of Us Part 1 are on the list, because these are old games. I suppose if they were new to Steam, that could qualify them… but personally speaking, I do not believe they should have won for the year 2023.

You noticed a game that didn’t win, but was released last year? Diablo IV. Yeah, I was super excited for the game… until I played it and it sort of sucked. You see the problem is that the monsters scales with you as you level up. Meaning if you’re at level 20, the monsters are also at level 20… so it’s meaningless to level up. I want to feel powerful when I go back to Act 1, not struggling to fight a cockroach. Whoever made this scaling decision, you suck. There are no options to turn it off either, you’re just forced to play it this way.

On a bright note, looking forward to 2024, I will try to get into the Path of Exile 2 … even if it means paying to get in (this is a free game).

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vu ([email protected]) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com

JSAUX RGB Docking Station

Read More ROG Ally Now enter the ROG Ally from Asus. The ROG Ally will address all the things that I wanted in my Steam Deck: Windows, faster chip, better screen, higher resolution, pleasing looks, and the ability to dock in their enhance graphics …

I recently purchased the new JSAUX RGB Docking Station, a 12-in-1 dock, meant for the Steam Deck, ROG Ally, and Legion Go… based on the white variant and the holographic sticker, that I feel they specifically designed it for the ROG Ally (to match its white plastic and RGB lighting).

The main reason why I got this dock is for the ability to go 4k at 120Hz, along with an SD and MicroSD card reader. The other bonus is that the power supply will automatically put the ROG Ally to 30-Watt Turbo mode.

It sounds great on paper, right? Except the problem is that the device is made of cheap plastic and the kick-tray does not hold anything. The tray itself is very flimsy, and I feel I can easily break it just by applying a little pressure. It’s also designed very poorly, because as soon as you put something on it - it will tip over the very light docking station.

This is so very disappointing, because I know Jsaux can do better. They have access to metal, seeing as I bought their stand that goes over the official Steam Deck Dock to allow for wider devices. I thought that was a very good product, it’s very sturdy and there is no way you can bend or break the stand. Unfortunately, the RGB tray is the complete opposite, you can bend and break it and is completely useless in the RGB Docking Station.

I don’t think I would be complaining as much if it wasn’t the fact that it’s $85, which is the most expensive dock I own. I cannot recommend this dock.

Even though it wasn’t designed for the ROG Ally, I would recommend getting the official Steam Deck Dock… this thing is made of metal and can hold the Steam Deck nicely. The dock is also update-able, via the Steam Deck.

P.S. This might work best as a dock for the Legion Go, as the Go comes with a kickstand… so you don’t have to “dock” it.

JSAUX RGB Docking Station sucks at one thing: holding your ROG Ally

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vu ([email protected]) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com

Weekend Gamer: Black Friday 2023

Steam GOG Epic Games Read More Black Friday With Black Friday coming up this Friday (November 25), we are already starting to see some really good deals on Bluray/UHD discs. Some of my favorite A24 films are on sale, including X, Everything Everywhere All At Once …

It’s that time of the year again, Black Friday is this Friday, November 24, 2023, and with digital game sales… they all started on November 21st, and ending on November 28th.

As usual, the biggest event is Steam with their annual Autumn Sale (aka Black Friday sale). All the major triple A games released last year at full price (Street Fighter 6, Starfield) are discounted to 20% which isn’t great in my opinion… but it’s the first sale and might be worth it if you’re itching to play. I have downloaded the demo to SF6 and played Starfield for free via Xbox Game Pass, and I wasn’t all that impressed with these new games. So I am probably going to play the long game and wait for at least a 50% discount.

Meanwhile, my favorite GOG’s Black Friday sale has the usual games on discounts… however, I already own all the games I want on that platform. The biggest news is that GOG will eventually get all the PlayStation games that were available on Steam. Unfortunately, I already own those PS games on Steam… but now that I know these games will eventually make their way to GOG, I may wait it out.

If you want the latest games at a discount, the best deal I’ve seen is Epic Games with their 33% off coupon, which you can use on any game priced at $15 or more. So you can get the new RoboCop: Rogue City or Alan Wake II game for $33.50, which is the best price currently. The other thing is some games are exclusive to Epic (for a time), such as Assassin’s Creed: Mirage.

The only problem is that you have to use the Epic Game launcher, that is my only complaint.

Of course, Xbox, PlayStation, and Nintendo, all have their Black Friday sales… but just note that you’ll be confined to their respective platforms. Xbox does have “Xbox Play Anywhere”, which means if you own the game on Xbox PC, you also own it on Xbox. However the titles are somewhat limited, and you need to buy the game using the Xbox Game Store.

Also, we can’t rule out Amazon, which has been running their Black Friday Sale all week. Whatever you do, do not buy into Amazon’s Luna Gaming, which is their online gaming service. Like Google’s Stadia, I don’t see a future for Luna either.

While we’re at it, most the PC games can be played on a Windows-based device. I still recommend the ROG Ally, which is currently on sale at Best Buy for $100 off. While everyone still raves about the Steam Deck, it is limited to only Steam games … so you can’t play Epic Games or Blizzard Games or Xbox Games on the Steam Deck. Plus, the Steam Deck is limited to 800p, while the ROG Ally is 1080p native.

Yours,

Weekend Gamer

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vu ([email protected]) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com

Weekend Gamer: PC Handhelds 2023

Read More Steam There’s no more waiting… You can now buy Steam Deck, right now, without reservation. According to steampowered, it’s been more than a year since it was first announced, but due to numerous supply chain issues and …

Steam Deck OLED
steampowered.com

Faced with competitions from Asus ROG Ally and the recently-released Lenovo Legion Go, Valve announced the new Steam Deck OLED.

The Steam Deck OLED addressed most of the complaints of their first version of the Steam Deck… mainly a better display and a better battery life.

While I’ve had the original Steam Deck since August 2022, I didn’t immediately notice how bad the screen was until I had the ROG Ally to compare it to. Looking at a side-by-side image, you can clearly see the clarity of the ROG Ally display vs the original Steam Deck.

Since Valve decided to keep its original 800p display, I don’t believe it will compare to a native 1080p or better resolution. However, looking at 800p on an OLED display will probably look fantastic.

Almost everything inside the Steam Deck have been upgraded, including larger cooling fan and maximum storage to 1TB (previous Steam Deck maxed out at 512GB).

Unfortunately, the processor is still relatively the same speed… which means the ROG Ally and Legion Go still have a speed advantage over the Steam Deck. The other unfortunately thing is that the Steam Deck still uses SteamOS, which is based on Linux… meaning that some Windows-based games (like all the anticheat software) will not run on the Steam Deck.

As a handheld gaming enthusiast, I am very interested in playing around with the Steam Deck OLED… but as someone who owns the original Steam Deck (and with a gaming budget), this is probably a pass for me.

NOTE: There’ll be a limited-edition version of the Steam Deck OLED which has a transparent case. It looks great, but I would imagine that it will be priced above $700. For that price, I would rather get the Legion Go.

Read More Lenovo I am very excited about this, because I am currently rocking a Lenovo Legion Gaming PC since Nov 2022, and it’s a pretty solid desktop PC. It comes with an NVIDIA 3060 card that can run any modern games. …

Legion Go
lenovo.com

You know I’ve been interested in the Lenovo Legion Go since August 2023, and now, in November 2023, the Legion Go is out now.

In my original writeup, I said that Lenovo is somewhat late to the game. And as much as I am interested in testing out the Legion Go, I already own the Steam Deck and ROG Ally, so I don’t really need yet another handheld in my life.

The pricing is the same as the ROG Ally, but for $50 more you can upgrade the storage to 1TB. However, for $100 more, MicroCenter will upgrade the storage to 2TB for you… making the total price $800.

If you don’t own a PC handheld gaming device, all the devices offer something different. Steam Deck is Linux and user-friendly, ROG Ally is Windows, and now the Legion Go offers the largest display (8.8 inches) and detachable controllers. The two standout features of the Legion Go might tip gamers in their direction, but unfortunately the size and weight doesn’t exactly make it portable. If you’re looking for a large display and controllers (including first person mode), the Legion Go sounds like it’s for you.

For me, I’m all in the ROG Ally world, because the 1080p/120hz display is so good, and it’s small and portable. It’s smaller than the Steam Deck, which is a monster (it’s larger than you think).

I say all this, but if I have the extra cash and I see it in stores, I might bite and do an impulse buy.

Read More ROG Ally Now enter the ROG Ally from Asus. The ROG Ally will address all the things that I wanted in my Steam Deck: Windows, faster chip, better screen, higher resolution, pleasing looks, and the ability to dock in their enhance graphics …

ROG Ally
asus.com

I’m more interested in seeing the upcoming Switch 2 or “Super Switch”… even though I probably won’t buy it. The original Switch processor is very slow and any current modern games won’t even run on the Switch. The last game I bought, it suffered from horrible stutter, I realized it’s not a great gaming device. I’m hoping the Switch 2 will be much faster.

If Switch 2 games are not compatible with the original Switch, then I definitely will not be buying the Switch 2. I don’t want to re-buy all my games… no one does.

I hope there’s a Steam Deck 2 (unlikely since they just announced the Steam Deck OLED) in the works… and I’m hoping for a new ROG Ally 2. What I would like to see in a future ROG Ally is the ability to use any eGPU, two USB-C, official dock, better battery life, better grip/design… maybe take a cue from Valve and put in a great OLED screen.

While we wait for the ROG Ally 2, Asus released the inferior (but cheaper) version of the ROG Ally. The cheaper version uses the Z1 chip (vs the faster Z1 Extreme chip) and costs $599. Personally speaking, I suggest spending the extra cash and getting the Z1 Extreme chip, which is currently selling for $620 because of the upcoming Black Friday Deals.

If you really want to save, the Z1 version is currently on sale for $500 because of Black Friday, and it’s a fantastic price.

Right now, my handheld gaming device of choice is the ROG Ally. When I’m not gaming on the go, I have it docked with the ROG Azoth Keyboard and a 32 inch monitor, for a desktop experience. The device is powerful enough to run all my Windows software and I can use it as a secondary productivity device.

Yours,

Weekend Gamer

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vu ([email protected]) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com