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Stardock

Read More Humble Bundle Game On: Humble Bundle I already own at least five of these games (on discs and digital), but I couldn't resist paying the average price to get these games again. When I donated, they gave me a breakdown of how ....

If you want to customize your Windows (especially Windows 11), there is a great Humble Bundle offer available now. You get six Stardock software for $25… or if you prefer, you can donate a higher price or lower the price and get just three or five items.

I will break down what each software does and why you might want to use them:

Start11
Customize the Start Menu to how you want. You can make it look like Windows 7, you can change the Icon, you can change the search… If you hate the default Windows Start Menu, this is a great way to make it useable.

Multiplicity KM
Multiplicity can enable keyboard and mouse to access two or more client computers from a host computer. I have my ROG Ally, that perhaps I can access or vice versa. This might be a great way to share files and work across multiple computers.

SpaceMonger
Manage your space over your multiple hard drives. I haven’t really use it, but it can be useful to find very large files to delete.

Fences 4
This is a great way to organize your desktop. Like many people, you can have a million icons on your desktop… with Fences, you create these floating windows and organize these icons. When I first ran it, it automatically organized my desktop, which is pretty awesome.

IconPackager
Create custom Icons or use their theme Icon packages. I’ll eventually will create my own custom icons, but right now the theme is pretty good (but limited).

CursorFX4
If you hate the default Windows pointers, this will make it much easier with their themes. You can also create your own custom pointers.

Yours,

Weekend Gamer

Read more Weekend Gamer and Technology.

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

ROG Ally Review

Description 7-inch, FHD (1920 x 1080) 16:9, Gorilla Glass DXC, Gorilla Glass Victus, 120Hz Refresh Rate Windows 11 Home 512GB PCIe 4.0 NVMe M.2 SSD (2230) Storage 16GB LPDDR5 (6400MT/s dual channel) RAM AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme Processor ("Zen4" architecture with 4nm process, 8-core /16-threads, 24MB total cache, up to 5.10 Ghz boost) AMD Radeon Graphics (AMD RDNA 3, 12 CUs, up to 2.7 GHz, up to 8.6 Teraflops) Bluetooth 5.2, Wi-Fi 6E(802.11ax) (Triple band) 40WHrs, 4S1P, 4-cell Li-ion Battery Type-C, 65W AC Adapter, Output: 20V DC, 3.25A, 65W, Input: 100~240V AC 50/60Hz universal 1x 3.5mm Combo Audio Jack, 1x ROG XG Mobile Interface and USB Type-C combo port (with USB 3.2 Gen2, support DisplayPort 1.4), 1x UHS-II microSD card reader (supports SD, SDXC and SDHC) 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 …

Even though handheld gaming devices have been around for a while now, such as the Sony Vita or the Nintendo Gameboy… it wasn’t until Nintendo’s Switch that really opened my eyes to the idea of gaming on the go and also, when you “dock it”, it is also a home console. The idea that this system can “switch” between portable and home console was really exciting to me.

Since then, we’ve seen various Chinese companies putting out micro handheld PCs, such as Aya Neo or OneXplayer or GPD Win, but they were very expensive, and has to be imported from China.

When the Steam Deck entered the handheld gaming market in July 2021, it changed everything. For only $399 (for the entry Steam Deck model), you can get a handheld to play all your Steam games! It was (and is) an unbeatable value.

Now, there’s a new kid in town: ASUS’ ROG Ally, a Windows 11 handheld that can play Steam games, but also every other Window-based games. The ROG Ally beats the Steam Deck in every way: Windows 11, faster hardware, double the fans (and quieter), full HD display at 120Hz, a smaller and lighter device… and at a competitive price of $699 (if you compare that to the highest Steam Deck etched screen of $649).

I will spotlight some of the ROG Ally’s key features:

WINDOWS 11
So let’s start with the ROG Ally’s advantage: it runs Windows 11 by default. This has a huge advantage; in that it opens up a whole new avenue of gaming. However, that’s also a disadvantage, running Windows 11. You see, Windows wasn’t built for handheld, and you can tell, with all its services, “bloat ware”, performance, and terrible hibernation options. So, you need to view the ROG Ally as a tiny laptop computer, and not as a gaming only device. Sure, it can game, but it’s certainly designed to do a lot more.

Unfortunately, since it’s Windows, you basically want or need a mouse and keyboard. The touch screen and pop-up keyboard is fine, but is limited (for example there is no F4 key).

To make the handheld more useable, ASUS implemented their Armoury Crate SE software and ROG Command Center that runs in the background and can be pulled up anytime using the two dedicated buttons on the side of the screen. While it works, for the most part, it’s not an ideal solution. The true solution is to have MicroSoft or ASUS to build a special OS for ROG Ally… otherwise, it’s basically a laptop with special Armoury Crate software overlay.

Since Windows 11 was intended to be run on a laptop or desktop, it has various software and background services that are unneeded for a gaming device. For example, they pre-install Office and the Amazon video streaming services.

The other added bonus of running Windows is that you can now run games that uses anti-cheat software, for example, Destiny 2 will run on Windows but not the Steam Deck. You can also run any Xbox PC Games, meaning you now have access to hundred of games via the Windows-only app. In fact, MicroSoft is bundling a free three months of Game Pass Ultimate to any ROG Ally user. This is a $45 added value. I did take advantage of the free Game Pass… but I suspect I will be cancelling it after my three month trial as I don’t use the service enough (especially after they got rid of the free Xbox 360 games) to justify continuing my subscription. If there is a game I want to play, I don’t mind buying it, knowing I always have access to the game (sometime a game will leave the Game Pass service).

How to Upgrade your ROG Ally Internal Storage

Description The Rocket Q4 2230 is finally here, bringing up to 2TB of high-performance storage for your Steam Deck, ASUS ROG Ally, and other devices. It’s a single-sided M.2 2230 NVMe SSD designed for maximum compatibility. It’s the easiest way to avoid the uncertainty of an OEM, double-sided, or M.2 2242 SSD solution for your valuable tech. This drive may also fit in longer slots while maintaining the advantages of a physically small drive. That means Gen4 performance of up to 5GBps sequential and up to 800K IOPS with high responsiveness, low latency, and excellent power efficiency, even when placed into a Gen3 slot. The Rocket Q4 2230 is the simplest way to get the most internal storage in a single drive without having to rely on microSD cards or external storage. This SSD offers gaming desktop class storage performance in a small form factor, perfect for your Deck and other devices to get the best loading and transfer times. Combining the powerful Phison E21T SSD controller with reliable and efficient Micron QLC, this tiny SSD is fast and efficient while packing in up to 2TB to handle all your games and files. It’s also backed by Sabrent’s warranty and comes with a copy of Acronis True Image for your convenience. 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 …

On Sunday, I upgraded the internal storage on my ROG Ally. This is one of the easiest installations I’ve done on these devices.

I followed the comprehensive guide was published on Asus’ website on Jun 09, 2023.

What you will need:

ROG Ally

A size 0 Phillips head screwdriver

The latest BIOS software (as of this writing, 3.19)

2230 M.2 NVMe drives (I’m installing the 2TB Sabrent NVMe 2230 Card)

USB-A or USB-C keyboard or dock with ethernet port

The website said you need to deplete the battery to 25% or less, which is easily done by just playing a game on battery and before you know it, voila, 5%. You need to fully shut down Windows, make sure there is no spinning fan or flickering lights. The ROG Ally needs to be completely off.

Remove the SD card if you have one, remove the screws and the back plate. Flip over the flap, remove the battery, and remove the SSD. Install the new SSD, re-plug in the battery cable.

After that is done, plug in the 65-Watt power cable that came with the ROG Ally and hold down the volume down and power button at the same time. This should bring up the Asus BIOS. This may take a few minutes, so don’t worry, just let the computer do its thing.

Once you’re in BIOS, you need to exit the EZ mode by pressing “Y” and go the advanced tab. Select the Asus Cloud Recovery, the software should automatically detect and download everything you will need to run the ROG Ally system, including their SE version of the Armoury Crate.

You will need to get access to the internet. You will need a physical keyboard to type in your password to your WiFi, or you can get direct internet with a dock and ethernet cable.

Depending on your WiFi access, this may take a few hours to download. The Windows 11 image is about 16GB, at least that was the number that I saw. Do not unplug the power cable, let it download everything. The entire process took me over 2 hours, so be patient.

Despite unexpectedly needing a physical keyboard, this Asus online recovery process was a much easier approach than my previous upgrades. I’ve had to upgrade the storage on my Fallout Computer, the ROG Strix G15 and Steam Deck… and this cloud recovery option was an amazing experience.

Also, if you screw it up the new SSD or if the new SSD is causing problems (overheating?), the beauty is that you can always put back in the old SSD and pretended like nothing happened.

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

Weekend Gamer Update: Memorial Day Weekend

Windows 11 Pro Product Description Instantly productive. Simpler, more intuitive UI and effortless navigation. New features like snap layouts help you manage multiple tasks with ease Smarter collaboration. Have effective online meetings. Share content and mute/unmute right from the taskbar (1). Stay focused with intelligent noise cancelling and background blur. (2) Reassuringly consistent. Have confidence that your applications will work. Familiar deployment and update tools. Accelerate adoption with expanded deployment policies. Powerful security. Safeguard data and access anywhere with hardware-based isolation, encryption, and malware protection built in. Read More MicroSoft That’s because I just bought the Microsoft Office Professional 2021 lifetime license for $30, after reading about it on C-Net. The article referenced Stack Social, which I’ve never heard of until today. …

It’s Memorial Day Weekend, which means I have this Monday off and it’s a long weekend for me. As usual with these holidays, there are a lot of sales and deals all across retailers. I’m planning on going to a few Half-Priced Books to take advantage of their 20% instore purchases. The problem with HPB is that their stocks are limited and are vastly different from store to store. You never know what you are going to see, day to day, store to store.

Best Buy is selling a lot of Bluray for under $10… but the cool thing is that the new Pixel 7a is being sold for $450, the first sale price since it was launched on May 10. That was fast! Even though it’s a $50 savings, it’s still not enough for me to want it. I’ve already committed to buying the upcoming iPhone 15 Pro Max, so I need to set aside roughly $1,200. I was never an iPhone guy, until I started using the $25 unlimited data/phone service from Visible. Now, it’s impossible for me to break away from the Apple ecosystem.

Anyway, over at Stack Social, I just purchased Windows 11 Pro for $40. This is the full product key, not an “upgrade” key, meaning you could use it on a freshly built computer. I just basically upgraded my Windows 11 Home on my current computer.

For most people, Home is just fine for everyone. There are some differences, such as local accounts and Hyper-V and some extra security options (as well as more faster updates), but for the most part, I personally didn’t need to upgrade to Pro… But the sale price was so good (it’s normally $199), that I couldn’t pass it up. As of this writing, I don’t have buyer’s remorse.

When Windows 11 first launched in late 2021, video gaming was a problem with stutter and lag… but it was related to driver issues for video cards. Now that it’s been out for a few years, there are no issues with gaming. Since I started using Windows 11 Home in Nov 2022, I have been impressed with its performance over Windows 10.

Fallout New Vegas Ultimate Edition

Speaking of games, Epic Games is offering Fallout New Vegas Ultimate Edition for free. You guys know I love Fallout, so naturally, I’m going to encourage you guys to get it for free. Of course, I already own this on various platform (GOG, Steam, Xbox, etc.), and you can usually find it on sale.

This is the Ultimate Edition, which means all the DLC are incorporated in this game, so there’s a ton of great content to go through.

Of all the Fallout games, New Vegas is one of my top three. A lot of fans did not like the game when it first came out, but over time, I believe they’ve turn around and would agree with me that it’s a great game. The game is 13 years old, and it could benefit from a remaster or remake of the game, in my opinion.

Also, ROG Ally Update: On the day that it was available to pre-order on May 11, 2023, I overreacted and immediately ordered it from Best Buy. It was at a location and a time (noon-ish) and at Best Buy, that I normally don’t buy from online, and at such a high amount, that the unusual activity alerted my bank to issue a stop on my bank card. I had to basically go to the bank and told them that I did purchase the ROG Ally. Unfortunately, the bank already put a stop on the payment. That’s fine, I suppose I’ll just have to go to the physical store on June 13th to see if I can just buy one at their store. It kind of sucks because my local Best Buy closed this year, so I need to travel to another city to visit a Best Buy now. You know, all this could have been prevented, if ROG Ally would just make it available at all retailers… meaning if I had purchased it from Amazon, my bank would’ve just allowed it.

I suppose it’s probably better this way. Now that I’ve seen early reviews, it’s not exactly “twice as fast” as they’ve been claiming. The truth is, it sounds like the ROG Ally is about the same as the Steam Deck… the only difference is that the ROG Ally runs Windows 11 out of the box. Basically, once I get the ROG, I’m calling it my ROG GOG because it’ll be my GOG and Battle Net machine. I just cannot wait to play Diablo IV on handheld.

Yours,

Weekend Gamer

Read more Weekend Gamer.

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

StackSocial

Read More VPN I've been testing out some free VPN (Virtual Private Network) services. You may have a need for a VPN for various reasons: privacy, ad-blocking/ad-tracking, removing restrictions, etc. …

Ever since I bought my first purchase on StackSocial in Jan 2023, I’ve been addicted to the discounted website.

Looking into StackSocial, it’s own by American company StackCommerce, founded by Josh Payne.

The website specializes in flash sale… So these great prices are only good for a set amount of time. They’ve been around since 2011, even though I’ve never heard of them until earlier this year.

I like deals, and wanted to pass along some things that caught my eye:

Microsoft Office Professional 2021 Lifetime License for $39.99. I bought it for $29.99, but even at $10 more, it’s still a great price. Note that MicroSoft will not support Office 2021, instead focusing on their subscription product Office 365 in 2023.

AdGuard Family Plan: Lifetime Subscription for $30. I was looking for an ad blocker on my iPad or iPhone, so I saw this one-time fee for AdGuard. Unfortunately, reading its fine print, this only applies to new users. So, instead, I signed up for AdLock’s Lifetime for $20… which, apparently “Lifetime” means 10 years to this company.

RealVPN: Lifetime Subscription for $30. There are actually a bunch of VPN Lifetime Sub, so just do a search for your favorite. I did not buy any Lifetime sub, because I was already paying for Atlas VPN… but after my subscription expires, I will likely look for a Lifetime deal. A few years ago, I did some research on free VPNs (which is why I went with Atlas) … and while the “price is right” (free), there are so many drawbacks for free VPN. If you don’t mind paying a one-time price for a “lifetime” subscription, why not? Again, “lifetime” has different meaning to companies, so be aware that when they say lifetime, they mean the life of the company.

Costco 1-Year Gold Star Membership for $60. This includes a $30 digital CostCo gift card, which needs to be used all at once. I believe this only applies to new members. I didn’t look that closely, because I had a Sam’s Club membership for two years, and I found that I don’t shop often enough to warrant paying a yearly membership.

Apple iPad Pro 12.9" 32GB WiFi Space Gray for $499. I already have an iPad Pro 12.9”, and I paid around $900, so for $500, it’s a good price. Note that this item is refurbished (not new), and, looking at the images, it is the first generation iPad Pro from 2018 (which I own at one time).

BirdBike eBike for $899. It’s snowing in Minnesota, and I’m in Winter Hibernation mode, so I’m not buying this eBike anytime soon. But I love the fact that I can pedal, and when I come up to that hill, I can get assistance from the motor. The bike looks good and it does come with free shipping.

PDF Reader Pro Smart PDF Editor & Converter Tool for $39.99. You currently cannot buy any Adobe products without requiring a subscription fee. I don’t have a need to create/edit PDF files, so I’m not buying this… but if you need this software, this $40 price by PDF Technologies is a deal.

Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic Bundle for $4.99. You get two Knights of the Old Republic game for $5, so you’re paying $2.50 for each game. You need Steam to redeem the games.

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

Microsoft Office Professional 2021 Lifetime License for $30

Office Professional 2021 includes: Microsoft Office Word Microsoft Office Excel Microsoft Office PowerPoint Microsoft Office Outlook Microsoft Office Teams Microsoft Office OneNote Microsoft Office Publisher Microsoft Office Access Read More MicroSoft Anyway, when I saw that the new MicroSoft’s Surface Pro 7 (with keyboard cover) on sale for $600, I couldn’t pass it up. Currently their price is $700, but MicroSoft’s website is still showing $600. …

Happy new year!

I’ve previously said that I hated the idea of “renting” software. When MicroSoft decided to go to a subscription-based model for their Office produced (called Office 365) in 2013, I gave up on MicroSoft Office. In the past, I have worked with other alternative software, such as LibreOffice, and, recently WPS Office (which I wrote about in Sep 2022).

So, all of that has changed as of today, January 1, 2023. I’m completely back on MicroSoft Office (in fact, this article is written on Word). That’s because I just bought the Microsoft Office Professional 2021 lifetime license for $30, after reading about it on C-Net. The article referenced Stack Social, which I’ve never heard of until today.

There are some restrictions: the license only grants one computer at a time and you have to pay the one-time payment using PayPal or Venmo. That’s actually not a choice, since PayPal owns Venmo. My PayPal account was burned a while back when hackers got access to it, so it’s permanently disabled for the time being. My only option was creating a Venmo account, and that went pleasantly easy. You need a phone and an app, and it seemed pretty secure. Just set your privacy to private, as by default, it’s set to public.

After payment went through, you’re given a code, which is tied to your MicroSoft Windows account. After installing Office, everything just worked. I now own Word, Excel, Access, PowerPoint, and so many other Office productivity software. What a deal for $30.

I still stand behind WPS Office and will likely to use it on my laptop or my iPad, considering that my MicroSoft Office can only be used on my main computer. I can live with that, since most of my productivity will be done on my primary PC.

So far, I love being back in Office. It’s been a long time. I do miss it. No matter how amazing the copycat software are, nothing compares to the real thing.

If you have a business or a student, the life time ownership of Microsoft Office Professional 2021 for $30 is an amazing deal, I highly recommend you getting it right now. The sale ends on 1/8/2023. Even if you only want to use one of the products, it’s definitely worth it. If you decide to pass this up, you are going to kick yourself when you need Office in the future.

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

Hakos Baelz Gaming PC

Read More iBuyPower Since owning the new iBuyPower’s Fallout computer, I’ve been spending a lot of time on the computer. I’ve been really into RGB lighting for my computer and recently purchased …

The Hakos Baelz Gaming PC announcement couldn’t come at a better time.

I am actually in the market for a new computer. My current iBuyPower desktop computer needs an update. The exhaust fan is starting to make a lot of noise, so it’s preventing me from doing audio recording. I know I can fix it with a replacement fan, but I don’t really know the make and size. Plus, the video card (GeForce GTX 1660 Ti) is old and upgrading the card will require replacing my power supply. Also, currently, for whatever reason, I can’t get Windows 11 to install on the current computer.

Anyway, so I have been looking at some HYTE Y60 PCs, as it looks very cool with it’s clear glass front and side view of the computer’s interior. Plus, I like the fact that the case was designed for the new generation of GPU. In older computer case design, which didn’t take into account of the weight and size of GPUs, you had something called “GPU sag”. The Y60 case solved this by routing the PCIe to the bottom, so your card can stand vertically. So, yes, I have been looking closely at these Y60 computers.

If I were to buy a Y60 pre-built computer, I would want a unique one like the Hakos Baelz RDY Gaming PC, which has custom artwork on the glass, complete with a free custom Hakos Baelz desk pad. Why would you want a generic case when you can get one with artwork… especially, if the prices are basically the same.

There are two version of the Hakos Baelz computer, costing $2,100 and $2,700. There is a $600 difference gets you an i9, GTX 3080 card, and a 2TB NVME.

Hakos Baelz	Hakos Baelz Pro
Windows 11 Home	Windows 11 Home
Intel® Core™ i7-12700KF CPU	Intel® Core™ i9-12900KF CPU
MSI MAG Z690 TOMAHAWK WIFI DDR4	ASUS PRIME Z690-P
32GB DDR4 3600 G.SKILL RGB RAM	32GB DDR5-5200MHz G.SKILL RGB RAM
GIGABYTE GeForce RTX 3070 - 8GB	MSI GeForce RTX 3080 - 10GB
1TB WD Black M.2 GEN4 NVMe SSD	2TB Samsung M.2 NVMe SSD

While I want the Hakos Baelz Computer, I’m probably not going to buy it. I need to wait and see what other options I have. Wouldn’t it make sense to license other popular brands? Sticking with anime, how about Robotech, Lone Wolf and Cub, Fist of the North Star? Or a Batman computer? How about a He-Man computer? You can even jokingly dub it “Most Powerful Computer in the Universe.” Or a Transformers computer? You can call it Teletran One and have a custom gimmick transformable computer part. The possibilities are endless.

Yours,

- Weekend Gamer

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

WPS Office

WPS Office wps.com Free Includes Writer, Spreadsheet, Presentation, and PDF Editor Available on Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, and iOS Install on any device you own Compatible with MicroSoft Office Does not need to be online Read More MicroSoft Anyway, when I saw that the new MicroSoft’s Surface Pro 7 (with keyboard cover) on sale for $600, I couldn’t pass it up. Currently their price is $700, but MicroSoft’s website is still showing $600. …

I used to love MicroSoft Office. Well mainly for Word and Excel, but when MicroSoft decided to go to a subscription model… I decided it was time to move away from Office. Previously, I had Office 2003, which is a little dated and won’t work on Windows 10. I tried the new Office 365 and I liked the new updates, but I still wasn’t willing to pay for a subscription.

After hearing from so many people asking to just purchase the software, instead of “renting” their software… MicroSoft caved in and gave us the Home & Student Edition, which has a one-time payment. Unfortunately, their asking price is expensive. We’re talking over $150 for one computer (although Amazon has it on sale for $100), it’s still not worth it to me.

Like I said, I have looked for alternative to Office. I’ve tried out the free Office Libre, which I do not like at all. I tried out Google Suite, which is very basic, and you constantly have to be online.

Nothing worked for me…. that is until I discovered WPS Office. The Office includes WPS Writer (a knockoff of Word), Presentation (a knockoff of Powerpoint) and Spreadsheet (a knock off of Excel), as well as a PDF Creator (which works like Adobe Acrobat).

What I mostly needed was WPS Writer. Wow, this software is identical to MicroSoft Word. It reads and open and edit Word Documents, including the latest docx files, without any issues, it’s practically Word.

All the shortcuts and all the amenities of Word can be found in WPS. I just can’t believe it’s completely free. There are ads, but they aren’t intrusive. The ads are mostly trying to get you to upgrade to their Premium subscription, which costs $30 a year.

I’ve been using it for nearly a month now, and I can say that I am officially abandoning Word, in favor of WPS. If you want to give it a chance, or looking for a free Word alternative, check out WPS.

The $30 annual subscription for WPS Premium gets you the following.

PDF editing

File format conversion

Same account can be used up to 3 PCs and 6 mobile devices

No advertising

20 GB of Cloud storage

Cloud collaboration

I think if you want the online access (between your computer and mobile device, such as an iPad), the 20GB storage might be worth the $30/year fee… but for me, the free version works for me. I think if they offer some sort of one-time payment, I would be more eager to go that route.

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

Xbox Game Pass Ultimate

Read More Xbox Since owning the Xbox Series X, I had to do a lot of research to see if I made the right decision. It’s still hard to get your hands on the latest gaming consoles, but it seems like I am seeing the Xbox Series S …

So, I joined Game Pass.

There are two price points, the $10 per month pricing is strictly for Xbox games, and the $15, called Game Pass Ultimate includes PC, EA and Xbox Gold (you need this to play online Xbox games). Between the two prices, I thought the $15 was the better, considering you get much more for only an additional $5 extra.

Right now, the price is very good, but I’m seeing the writing on the wall that the price may go up late this year or next year. If you look online, Netflix and Amazon both raised their subscription prices, it just makes sense that MicroSoft will soon follow, especially since they just announced that massive buyout.

Anyway, shortly after subscribing to Game Pass, my measly 50 games went up to 480 games… which is so amazing. I can see how this is a must subscription for gaming fans on a budget or it’s something you want to give to your children.

Like Netflix, you don’t really own the game. So when you cancel your service, your Game Pass games will no longer run.

Sony’s version of Game Pass is called PlayStation Now, which ended in 2020… and they are planning on relaunching it this year under the code name Sparticus. Competition is good, but between the “stream only” PS Now and Game Pass, I would go with Game Pass any day, based on more titles and the ability to download your games.

Speaking of more titles… The 480 games sounds really impressive, however, I would say that I’m only interested in about 5% of those games. That’s because the majority of games are much older games or game genres that I don’t care for (for example sport games). Plus, some games will only run on the PC (such as the new Torchlight 3).

Regarding the older games, if you have never played them, then you’re not going to have a problem with Game Pass. In fact, I downloaded some old games, just to see what it is like on the new Series X console, and I have to say that seeing these games in upscaled 4k resolution, it’s like experiencing the game for the first.

At the end of the day, if you only play one game in Game Pass, then it’s worth it.

My plan is to keep Game Pass Ultimate until I’ve exhausted all the games I wanted to play, and then unsubscribe. We’ll see if I do unsubscribe when the day come, because I get the feeling that I might just stick to the service, because of all the perks.

Yours,

- Weekend Gamer

My Game Library with Game Pass

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

Top 10 Reasons Xbox Series X is better than PS5

Read More Xbox After more than a year, most gaming fans still couldn’t get their hands on either the Xbox Series X or PS5. Everytime I see a news article like “PS5 in stock now at Walmart”, it’s almost sold out immediately. . ...

Since owning the Xbox Series X, I had to do a lot of research to see if I made the right decision. It’s still hard to get your hands on the latest gaming consoles, but it seems like I am seeing the Xbox Series S and Xbox Series X in retail stores, like Target… I can’t say the same for any PlayStation.

I may sound like an Xbox fanboy, but you should know that I like them both, having own PS Vita, PS3, PS4, Xbox, Xbox 360, and Xbox One S. This is the first time that I will be skipping the PlayStation 5, and I feel like I made the right choice.

Top 10 Reasons Xbox X is better than PS5

1. Game Pass
   The best value in gaming. Access to hundreds of games for $10 a month. You do have the option to purchase Game Pass games at a discount, if you prefer to own a particular title (especially since some games are removed from Game Pass from time to time).
2. Quick Resume
   This is an amazing feature. You don’t realize how cool it is to have three or four games launching right where you left off. This is especially a nice feature if you like to dabble in various games… or have other users in the house.
3. Smart Delivery
   Xbox is smart enough to know what system you are on and will deliver the game optimized for your system. This is something PS5 is still struggling with.
4. Easy Storage Expansion
   Yeah, it’s expensive, but upgrading the storage is just plug and play. On the PS5 side, you have to shop around and then you are required to open up the device.
5. Variable Refresh Rate
   There’s no screen tearing, thanks to Xbox’s variable refresh rate option. PS5 doesn’t support this.
6. Design and Hardware
   It’s a matter of preference, but I think the Xbox X looks better. It’s smaller, it’s faster, and it looks good laying flat or standing up. The PS5 is almost 1.5 times bigger than the X.
7. Health
   It’s in your settings, but you can have Xbox reminds you to take a break if you played too long. I know this isn’t a major feature, but it’s nice to know Xbox cares.
8. Cross Play
   Xbox and PC (and some Switch) can cross play with each other. PlayStation refuses to open up Cross Play, unless the developer pays Sony their blood money.
9. Backward Compatibility
   Games going back to the original Xbox will work on the X|S. On PS5, only games on PS4 will work.
10. Future
    MicroSoft purchased Bethesda, Blizzard, and Activision, meaning that some of my favorite games like Fallout, Doom, Diablo, Starcraft will likely get the Game Pass treatment… or at the very least available on Xbox first.
    
    

Top 5 Reasons PS5 is better

1. Exclusive Games
   Games like God of War will only run on the PS5… however, Sony is releasing some of their titles on the PC a few years after it was released on the PlayStation. Also Sony said that all their exclusive games will cost you $69, a $10 markup from a standard PS5 game or Xbox new games.
2. Dual Sense Controller
   Everyone raves about the new controller, with its haptic feedback, microphone, and adaptive triggers… but the downside is that older controllers won’t work on the PS5.
3. Virtual Reality
   If VR is your thing, only Sony offers this experience. Of course, it is wired and it’s expensive… plus, it sounds like you need to plug in the old PS4 camera and PS4 controllers (for the useless lightbar) for it to function.
4. Standard NVME expansion
   Most NVME cards (with heatsink) will work on the PS5, however adding it in will requires you to open up your console and you may void your warranty if you really mess up. With Xbox you only have one option - the Seagate expansion card, and it’s not cheap.
5. Longer recording limit
   I’m not interested in recording my game play, so I don’t really care for this feature, but for those who are streamers, the PS5 is the better option.
   
   

To be honest, I had a tough time coming up with 5 PS5 features that beats Xbox… but I had to include them to be absolutely fair.

Yours,

- Weekend Gamer

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