W♥M

Lenovo Legion Gaming PC

Specs Intel Core i5 11th Gen 11500 2.7GHz Processor NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 12GB GDDR6 16GB DDR4-3200 RAM 512GB SSD+1TB HDD Microsoft Windows 11 Home 10/100/1000 Network 2x2 802.11ax WiFi 6 Bluetooth 5.1 400 Watt Power Supply Free game: Warhammer 40,000: Darktide - Imperial Edition (must be redeemed by 11/10/2022) Read More Lenovo With Lenovo Smart Display, it’s pretty much free. If you want music, you can upload all your MP3s to Google Music and access them via the Smart Display. Of course, if you prefer, you can subscribe to Google Music, YouTube Music … 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 …

Since I got the the Straight Talk Home Internet, which promises 10-100mbps 5G speed, I’ve been enjoying fast downloads of games for my Steam Deck and Xbox Series X. I average about 30-50mbps. Unfortunately, my aging Fallout iBuyPower Computer could not enjoy the same download speed. This is because the Wi-Fi chip in the system is old (2017) and uses old protocol. Plus the computer was downstairs, far from the router. Whatever the reasons is, it has trouble connecting to the network and the speed it was getting was often under 1-4mps. I suspected it was the Wi-Fi card because the Xbox, sitting right next to my computer, was doing 80mps!

As I’ve previously mentioned, I’ve been looking around for a new gaming computer, and this was just the final straw. There are numerous problems with the Fallout computer, first the fan is starting to rattle and prevents me from doing audio recording because it was so noisy. Next, in order to upgrade the video card, I would have to replace the power supply. Also, the old computer would just not upgrade to Windows 11. Plus, it was just getting slow.

So, it was time. 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. Just a quick Amazon search, shows that the average 3060 card is $400-$500. The 3060 card will be a massive improvement over my old 1660 card.

Download Speed

The key thing for me is the WiFi 6 card, which is the latest protocol. Of course, the first thing I did when I started up the computer was doing a speed test… and yes, it’s now fast and on par with what my Xbox was getting, in terms of download speeds.

With the fast internet connection, I’m able to re-download all the software that I need. All my movies and music are on external hard drives, so physically moving them to the new computer was effortless. I’m just afraid that with so many hard drives (6 in total), that the 400 Watt power supply might not be powerful enough. The first game I’ve re-downloaded is Elden Ring, which I am enjoying on the Steam Deck.

The new computer does have one USB-C, which is great. I’m going to have to get a USB hub to take advantage of it.

This is my first Windows 11 machine, so, at first, I’m not used to it. At first I wish it was Windows 10, as it’s what I’m familiar with… but I suppose over time, I will learn to understand and get used to Win 11.

Otherwise, I’ve zero complaints about the new computer. It’s fast, and it runs whisper quiet, which I absolutely love.

Yours,

- Weekend Gamer

PS I got the free promotional game Warhammer 40,000: Darktide - Imperial Edition when I bought the Lenovo Legion. At first, I thought the game code is inside the box, but that is not the case. If you buy it, look for the game code on your receipt. The promotion ends 11/10/2022, which is in about a week. The game official comes out November 30. You’ll need both an Nvidia and Steam account… but if you’re into PC gaming… you’ll already have one.

Read more Technology.

vu (vu@weheartmusic.com) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com

Weekend Gamer: Fallout 3 free on Epic

Read More Fallout Fallout 3. Obviously, I'm still playing the game. At one point in the game, you have to go into Vault 112's virtual environment and it's seriously straight out of the Twilight Zone. You need a high Charisma or Speech skill …

Sure, you already own Fallout 3. If you don’t own it, it’s practically on sale all the time. If you’re still super cheapskate, you can finally get it for free on the Epic Game Store for free, starting October 20th.

I bought the game in 2008, not exactly convinced that the Fallout series will benefit from a first-person view. You see, I came from the original games, which is turn-based and top-down view. I love those original games! I didn’t think Fallout would work in 3-D, but I was wrong!

What I am right is that Fallout should be a single player game… taking it online in Fallout 76 is a disaster, and fans would agree with me. We don’t want an always-online game.

Anyway, if you have not played Fallout 3, there’s no reason not to play, especially if it’s free on October 20th on Epic.

Also, if you are wondering, yes, people have gotten Epic to run on the Steam Deck, using the Heroic launcher. I have Heroic, but after I couldn’t run some GOG games, I just gave up.

The other problem is that while Steam Deck can run Fallout 3, it’s not a good experience because of the controller scheme. It’s meant to be played with a mouse and keyboard, so you have to compromised when you play it on the Steam Deck, because obviously you don’t have a keyboard. However, you can always get the Steam Dock and hook up a keyboard and mouse to it… at that point, why not just run it on a dedicated computer or laptop?

So speaking of the Steam Deck, this is my only device that I’m using for gaming currently. That is because it’s so easy to start and stop, especially if you only have a few minutes on your break or waiting for something. With the Xbox, you have to sit down by a television, you have to turn it on, etc. The same can be said for my gaming laptop, I would have to log into Windows, I would have to find the game to launch, and so on. With the Steam Deck, you just wake it up and it’s good to go.

Yours,

- Weekend Gamer

vu (vu@weheartmusic.com) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com

We♥KC- October 17-23, 2022 Upcoming Shows (Kansas City / Lawrence KS)

Read More Mumford & Sons After a brief health-related delay that caused them to miss Bonnaroo, UK band Mumford and Sons has resumed their summer arena/amphitheatre Tour, to great reviews and sold-out shows. …

Read more Kansas City Music Guide.

Fall leaves, pumpkin spice, and a continued Rocktober! Temps may have cooled, but the music is still hot, so get out and see a show while the weather still permits.

Here’s what’s happening in the Kansas City/Lawrence, KS metro October 17th-23rd.

(Several artists are still requiring precautions for entry, so check with the venue and/or assume vaccination proof, might still be required)

Monday Oct 17

Illuminati Hotties, Oct 17, recordBar,$20

Illuminati Hotties have announced a fall tour, running through North America in October and November. The cleverly named LA indie punk band led by Sarah Tudzin had a new album Let Me Do One More, released just over a year ago, but has also since released some non-album songs. Enumclaw and Olivia Barton slated to open.

Tuesday Oct 18

Marcus Mumford with The A’s, Midland. $29.50-$79.50

The Mumford & Sons front man hits the road in support of his debut solo album ‘(Self-Titled)’, which was out on September 16 (via Island Records), with lead single, “Cannibal’. Produced by Blake Mills, the record features Brandi Carlile, Phoebe Bridgers, Clairo and Monica Martin and he was one of the featured performers of last weekend’s Hulu stream of Austin City Limits Festival.

Live, he plays 3-4 Mumford & Sons favorites as well as a few New Basement Tapes songs (a Dylan-related project he participated in), including “Kansas City”, which should be a treat to hear locally.

Sylvan Esso’s Amelia Meath and Daughter of Swords’ Alexandra Sauser-Monnig are both members of Mountain Man and they’ve now come together for a new band called the A’s. Their debut album, Fruit, is out via Psychic Hotline and features covers of folk songs, lullabies, ballads, and more.

Turnstile w JpegMafia, Snail Mail, Uptown, $35-$99.50

Now on their Love Connection Tour, Turnstile still has fans talking about their previous local appearances this Spring supporting latest album, Glow On. The new shows feature support from fellow Baltimore-ans Snail Mail and Jpegmafia.

Turnstile had previously wrapped up a North American tour where every show on that tour sold out way ahead of time and with a solid triple-bill, have graduated to bigger venues. We caught Snail Mail headlining earlier this year and the show looks to be some joyous organized chaos, a celebration of Baltimore area bands, and a chance to experience acclaimed new music from three different genres.

Wednesday Oct 19

Kurt Vile w Julia Shapiro, Liberty Hall, $36-$45

Philadelphia-based rocker is touring on his new album, "(watch my moves)," bringing his backing band The Violators along for a round of 2022 dates. He’s worked in a Silver Jews cover into the setlist of recent shows and we caught him back in May in Minneapolis. Special guest is Julia Shapiro of Chastity Belt.

St. Lucia, The Truman, $27.50-$55

The new album, Utopia I EP just arrived on October 7, with lead single “touch” released ahead of that for this electro-pop band led by Jean-Philip Grobler, a South African based in Germany. (with his wife, and they even had a son during the pandemic).

“In a way, this is my personal rebellion against the darkness of the world,” states Jean-Philip. “From the beginning, the name St. Lucia came from me making escapist music. In South Africa, there’s a place called St. Lucia, and it’s similar to the island in the Caribbean because it’s where you escape. It’s utopia. There are many ideas of utopia, whether it means virus-free or a virtual tech utopia. It’s easy to feel depressed these days, so I’m trying to bring something joyous to the world.”

In This Moment w/ Nothing More, Sleep Token, Cherry Bombs, The Midland. $29.50-$49.50

Since coming to life in 2005, gold-selling hard rock provocateurs In This Moment have presided over a diehard fan base under the watch of a similar “mother” figure front woman Maria Brink- joined by co-founder and lead guitarist Chris Howorth, bassist Travis Johnson, guitarist Randy Weitzel, and Kent Dimmel.

Alternative Press claimed, “Maria Brink is the Lady Gaga of the metal world” and went on to add, “Ritual (their 2017 album) flourishes as the metal love child of art-pop, gospel, Morrissey and Johnny Cash that the world didn’t know it needed until now.” Newest album, Mother [Atlantic/Roadrunner] is a 14-track opus featuring lead single “The In-Between”. Arrive early for the numerous support acts on this full evening of new rock.

Trash Taste, Folly. $45-$145

The Trash Taste Boys- Joey, Garnt, and Connor arrive on stage as they talk, rant, and discuss about everything and anything. Aka Gigguk, The Anime Man, and CdawgVA, they’ve built up a healthy following on YouTube and Twitch channels as well as with their podcast.

Thursday Oct 20

Swan Lake: World Ballet Series, Folly Theater, $35-$105

A part of the World Ballet Series, Swan Lake will be performed live by a multinational cast of 50 professional ballet dancers. See the Dance of the Little Swans, count the 32 fouettés performed by the Odile and immerse yourself in Tchaikovsky’s musical score. The production features detailed, hand-painted sets as well as over 150 radiant costumes.

Friday Oct 21

Sister Hazel w Spin Doctors, Oct 21, Ameristar Casino, $45-60

A rewind back to the indie 90s show, Spin Doctors have more than 12 million albums sold and a Grammy nomination while Sister Hazel is known for topping the charts in the late 90’s with hit “All for You,” and other hits.

Kansas City Jazz Orchestra and Hanover Big Band, Oct. 21, Yardley Hall. $15-$49

Founded in 2003, KCJO is one of the nation’s preeminent big bands, performing classic and original repertoire in a variety of settings. In 2013, Clint Ashlock was named Artistic Director and conductor and the KCJO supports music education, also hosting masterclasses conducted by their visiting artists, in addition to school programming.

The Hanover Big Band incorporates all styles of big band jazz. The soloistic freedom of the arrangements showcases the charisma and excellence of their musicians. Their repertoire includes Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Glenn Miller, Benny Goodman and Woody Herman, as well as contemporary compositions (They play KC Bier biergarten Oct 17 and Knuckleheads Oct 18 as well) and watch the two entities join forces in a fun competition here.

Real Talk Comedy Tour featuring DeRay Davis, B. Simone, Rickey Smiley, more, Cable Dahmer Arena- Independence. $63.50-$183.50

Urban comedy’s best comedy voices join together for a night of laughs.

Miyavi, Knuckleheads, $25-$100

The Japanese guitarist is gaining recognition around the world for his unconventional style of playing the guitar—not with a pick, but with his fingers and his “slap style”. We’re fans of innovative guitar playing, as evidenced when we saw three prominent fingerstyle players at a show earlier this summer. Newest album is last fall’s Imaginary and the show is recommended for any guitar aficionados.

Pecos & The Rooftops, Uptown. $19-$40

A close knit group of friends from Texas that came together while in college in Lubbock. The country rock band is Pecos Hurley (Vocals/Acoustic Guitar), Brandon Jones (Rhythm Guitar), Zack Foster (Lead Guitar), Kalen Davis (Bass), and Garrett Peltier (Drums).
 Their latest EP, “Red Eye” was out in early 2020, but new music is promised soon, so hope to hear a preview.

Saturday Oct 22

California Honeydrops, Knuckleheads, $27

The Bay Area blues, R&B and funk band celebrate their 14th year together with the release of their latest studio effort, “Soft Spot” just released on October 7. The LP follows the release of their cover album, Covers From The Cave, two live albums, and a first double-album.

Led by vocalist / multi-instrumentalist Lech Wierzynski, their diverse musical influences include R&B, funk, Southern soul, Delta blues, and New Orleans second-line, expect an energetic dance party vibe. Special guest Scott Pemberton.

Highly Suspect, The Midland, $29.50-$39.50

On their Midnight Demon Club Tour, we caught the Brooklyn rockers last month on the first show of the tour, thrilled to be playing live again in shows initially scheduled for Spring 2020. The multi-GRAMMY® Award-nominated and gold-certified band - Johnny Stevens [vocals, guitar], Ryan Meyer [drums, vocals], Rich Meyer [bass, vocals], Matt Kofos [guitar] and Mark Schwartz [synths] have a new record, The Midnight Demon Club, on Roadrunner/FRSKT and even worked in a QOTSA cover into the set we caught live. Tiger Club to open.

“A New World: Intimate music from ‘Final Fantasy” Folly. $46-$80

From the team that brought you Distant Worlds: music from FINAL FANTASY, the FINAL FANTASY VII REMAKE: Orchestra World Tour, NieR: Orchestra Concert, and more, AWR Music Productions is presents a new program of music to celebrate the 35th Anniversary of FINAL FANTASY. Under the direction of Eric Roth, the New World Players chamber ensemble perform exclusive arrangements from throughout the FINAL FANTASY series in the personal style of this outstanding musical production.

Napoleon Dynamite Film Screening/Conversation, Yardley Hall $25+

A fan-favorite film screening, audience Q&A and moderated discussion by Lonita Cook, film critic at KCTV-5 with Jon Heder, Jon Gries and Efren Ramirez. The evening promises to be a celebration of the comedy classic that made Napoleon Dynamite, LaFawnduh and Pedro household names. Jon Heder (Napoleon), Efren Ramirez (Pedro) and Jon Gries (Uncle Rico) have plenty of behind-the-scenes stories and anecdotes. VIP packages available.

The Sponges with N2N, Aura. $20

Electronica EDM act comprised of Nik Eaton and Ryan Slepin with new singles, “Shake It” mixing heavy bass and electro blips, and “Volume” feat. Griz.

Grupo Firme,T-Mobile Center,CANCELED

Sunday Oct 23

Dead Poet Society, Bottleneck- Lawrence,$17-$20

LA via Boston alt/indie band is out on their The Tour That Never Ends with support from their label mates BRKN LOVE, in between supporting Highly Suspect for their fall headline run. A deluxe edition of their latest record “-!-“was just released, featuring extra acoustic and live tracks.

john c (johnc@weheartmusic.com) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com

Weekend Gamer: You can buy the Steam Deck and Docking Station right now

Read More Steam I’ve put down my $5 to preorder my Steam Deck. I decided to get the $400 entry model. I think that is a fantastic price, considering that I looked at similar handheld PCs, such as the Aya Neo and OneXPlayer, and they are usually $1,000 or more …

There’s no more waiting… You can now buy Steam Deck, right now, without reservation.

According to steampowered.com, it’s been more than a year since it was first announced, but due to numerous supply chain issues and component shortages, they couldn’t deliver on all the demand. If you wanted one, you had to wait up to a year to get your device. I personally had to wait a little over a month… but as of today, there’s no waiting.

With that announcement, they are also releasing their official Docking Station, which is shipping in one or two weeks. The price is $89, which is more expensive than all the third-party docks out there… but I don’t mind getting the official docking station, because I wanted to support Steam, and for reasons, which I will address below.

The official docking station has DisplayPort 1.4, HDMI 2.0, Ethernet Port, 3 USB 3.1, and a USB-C pass-through power input. The best part is that it comes with a 45-Watt charger (this by itself is $30 alone).

I did previously bought a third-party dock for $33, but I had to spend another $25 for a 65-Watt Charger, so when you add it up, it’s about $60. You do run the risk of buying a cheap/terrible unofficial product… so I don’t think it’s that unreasonable to ask for $89 for the official one, especially if you know the product was especially designed for the Steam Deck from Valve.

I’ll probably set one up by the television and one closer to my work desk.

Yours,

- Weekend Gamer

vu (vu@weheartmusic.com) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com

Steam Deck: First Impressions

Read More Steam I’ve put down my $5 to preorder my Steam Deck. I decided to get the $400 entry model. I think that is a fantastic price, considering that I looked at similar handheld PCs, such as the Aya Neo and OneXPlayer, and they are usually $1,000 or more … Elden Ring Yes, I’m finally playing Elden Ring, the game that literally everybody was playing in February 2022. The game went on sale on disc, so picked it up. I popped in the disc, expecting to play the game. Guess what? … Cyberpunk For some odd reason, Best Buy, allowed me to pick up my pre-order for Cyberpunk 2077 video game for the PC. The game is not officially out until December 10, 2020, on a variety of platforms: Windows …

I’m so excited to finally get my hands on the Steam Deck

Downloading queue

As soon as I opened the case, I immediately booted it up and started downloading Elden Ring. On my slow hotspot connection, it was going to take 11 hours to download 50GB. In the meantime, I did download some smaller games to test out the unit, particularly older games like Galaga or Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge. Those ran as I would expect: amazingly well. What I’m more interested in is if the Deck can handle modern graphically-intense games like Elden Ring and Cyberpunk (which does not run well on the PS4).

What I’ve experienced so far, it’s a really good system. As you may or may not know, the SteamOS is actually running in Linux. What that means is that anything that can run on the Linux desktop mode, you can run it on the Steam Deck. So there are a lot of enthusiasts that have created various software to modify how Steam function and look.

I did briefly explore Desktop mode by changing some themes and downloading Firefox. It’s not a great experience on Desktop mode because the Steam Deck wasn’t designed to run in desktop. For example, after downloading Firefox, I couldn’t get the touchscreen keyboard to load up, and it was generally slow and not as responsive.

For most people, I suggest just sticking to the SteamOS. That’s what I’m going to do from now on (although it’s good to know that I can muck around with Linux if I get bored in the future).

The Steam Deck screen looks great. Games looks great on it. The audio is very loud and very good for its size. Controllers is good too. I like the D-Pad, I like the buttons. Some people complained that the Deck has a very loud fan. Maybe it’s just their device, but mine didn’t make that much noise. The Deck does get hot, and you can feel the heat leaving the vents on top and on the back.

The AMD Zen 2 CPU, combined with 16GB DDR5 and custom GPU, it’s very fast. Much faster than the Switch and better than the PS4. All this power needs a super fast charger, which Valve included out of the box: a 45-Watt charger.

The ability to use any hardware or software that is supported on Linux, you can truly use the Steam Deck as a desktop/laptop.

There are some minor complaints I have about the Steam Deck. I’m just nit-picking, they’re not really complaints, but more like what I hope can be improved in the next generation Steam Deck. I think the device is very big. Holding it, looking at it, I don’t really think it’s meant to be a pocketable handheld gaming device. It’s almost double the weight and size of the Nintendo Switch, and certainly much, much larger than the portable Switch Lite or the PlayStation Vita.

My Steam Games

I own over 300 games on Steam, but only about 80 of them are Deck Verified… which means they will run on the Deck without any issues. Some games will run on Steam Deck, but it’s not optimized for it. For example, some text might be too small to read on a small screen. So the problem is that developers needs to update their games to run on Steam Deck - and on older titles, that might not be possible.

I wish there was a cover over the MicroSD card reader. I accidentally ejected the card a few times, which I’m very worried about damaging my expensive 1TB SD card. It’s a valid concern. On my camera and one any phones that accepts MicroSD cards, there is a cover that keeps the card safe in its place.

I absolutely hate the two mousepads/touchpads on the Deck. I hated it on the Steam Controller, I absolutely hated it on the Deck. If they got rid of it to make the Deck smaller, I will co-sign that.

I also wish there was another USB-C on the bottom of the device. Right now, there is one USB-C port on top, so all the Docks designed for the Steam Deck looks … ugly. On the Switch, the USB-C is on the bottom, so you just “dock” it in the stand and voila, it’s charging and in its stand. Since the Steam Deck has the USB-C on top, it’s not as elegant. You have to bring up the chord and manually locate the USB-C and plug it in. Not great.

I wanted to buy a third-party Steam Deck Dock, but I’m waiting for the official Docking Station to be release. Valve is having some supply issues so they haven’t announced or released the Dock yet.

Yours,

- Weekend Gamer

vu (vu@weheartmusic.com) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com

Steam Deck Update

Technical Specs Processor AMD APU CPU: Zen 2 4c/8t, 2.4-3.5GHz GPU: 8 RDNA 2 CUs, 1.0-1.6GHz Storage 64 GB eMMC (PCIe Gen 2 x1) 256 GB NVMe SSD (PCIe Gen 3 x4 or x2) 512 GB NVMe SSD (PCIe Gen 3 x4 or x2) Display 7" - 1280 x 800px (16:10 aspect ratio) Optically bonded IPS LCD Expansion UHS-I supports SD, SDXC and SDHC USB-C with DisplayPort 1.4 Alt-mode support; up to 8K or 4K Read More Steam I’ve put down my $5 to preorder my Steam Deck. I decided to get the $400 entry model. I think that is a fantastic price, considering that I looked at similar handheld PCs, such as the Aya Neo and OneXPlayer, and they are usually $1,000 or more …

When I placed my $5 deposit to buy the Steam Deck in Aug 2022, I was convinced that I wouldn’t get it until 2023. I was so wrong.

I recently got the alert that I have three days to purchase the Steam Deck. So it took a little over a month to finally fulfill my order. It could be that someone else turned down their Steam Deck, due to disinterests, or the email went to a spam filter, or lack of funds, and I may have gotten their Steam Deck… or it could be that Steam really was ramping production to meet demand. Either way, I’m so excited to finally get my hands on this thing.

I bought the cheapest one, because all three version are basically the same device (same chip, same speed), with the only exception of storage. The cheap version comes with 64GB, but I can always expand it with an SD card.

Again, I have been shopping around at various hand-held devices, such as the OneXPlayer and Aya Neo, and they are all very expensive (about $1,000). The only advantage is that those devices runs the full Windows operating system by default, so you can play GOG or Epic games.

With the Steam Deck, you have to go through a lot of trouble to install Windows on the device. Since the hardware is so new, and Windows doesn’t really support it, getting Windows to run on the Steam Deck is difficult.

Now that I’m waiting for the Steam Deck to ship to me, I am shopping for some new Steam Games. I’m excited to see that Sony is making some of their PlayStation games available on Steam, including God of War, Marvel’s Spider-Man Remastered, and Horizon Zero Dawn Complete Edition. All of which are Steam Deck verified (meaning they will run on the Steam Deck without issues). Since I probably will never buy a PS5, these PS games are the only way that I’ll get to experience them.

Also, it’s laughable, but none of the PS games will install on my Steam Deck because they’re all over 64GB in size. I probably need to invest in a 1TB SD card ($140) or 512GB card ($70).

Yours,

- Weekend Gamer

vu (vu@weheartmusic.com) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com

Elden Ring

Read More Demon’s Souls I was a bit surprise to hear that the 2009 Gamespot Game of the Year went to Demon's Souls. What was so surprising is that the game was hardly marketed here, I mean I didn't really see any advertisement for the game nor did I read any reviews …

Yes, I’m finally playing Elden Ring, the game that literally everybody was playing in February 2022. The game went on sale on disc, so picked it up. I popped in the disc, expecting to play the game. Guess what? You can’t just put in a disc and play the game.

The game required a 50GB download/update. This might be more common than you think, as sometime the game on the disc is actually not complete. For example, if there are cut scenes or files that are too large to fit on the disc, you need to download the missing components. It just basically suck, because you can’t really play games offline.

Having said that, I’ve been offline and playing the Elden Ring game, after that one-time 50GB update. In recent news (as of today): “Microsoft is making it easier to play games on your Xbox Series X, even if it’s offline — as of the 2208 update released earlier this month, you won’t be forced to do an online compatibility check to play a game from an Xbox One disc. Instead, you can just pop the disc in, install the game, and play; no internet connection required.”

That works out just fine for me, as currently I’m only connecting online via my iPhone’s internet connection on Visible Mobile.

As for Elden Ring, playing at first was overwhelming, as the game is open world and you can wander where you like. I like that sort of game play, but I found myself getting killed a lot and I didn’t really understand all the mechanics in leveling up or farming for “souls”. I’ve played other “souls” games, starting with Demon Souls on the PS3, so I’m familiar on how they work. To be honest, I’m surprised that this sort of role-playing/action game is beloved by so many gamers… as they are very hard game. They’re so hard, that I’ve never beaten any souls games. I like playing them, but man, I generally suck at my timing for defending and attacking.

What drew me into Elden Ring is that the software developer, FromSoftware, hired George R. R. Martin (Game of Thrones) as writer. There’s actually not much of a story, but it’s clear that FromSoftware wanted a Western perspective/writing style to the game to appeal the Western market.

Anyway, I’ve been watching some masters at the game explain how you can level up faster and how they did it. It’s fascinating. You can go from level 1 to 100 in just an hour. There are obviously some exploits, but I didn’t think it was cheating.

Right now, I’m at level 15 and I’m still learning all the basics. I still suck at defense, but I’m enjoying what I already put into the game. From this point, I’m just going to take it easy and explore the world.

Yours,

- Weekend Gamer

vu (vu@weheartmusic.com) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com

Weekend Gamer Update (August 2022)

Read More Steam Weekend gamer here. This weekend, we will look at Steam’s Steam Deck (not to be confused with Elgato’s Stream Deck). For some months, I’ve been eyeing on the handheld AYA Neo as a … Nintendo Switch I’ve wanted the Nintendo Switch since I first heard about it last October 2016. The system launched in March 2017, but it immediately sold out everywhere. … Xbox 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 … Sony Still, you know I’m still somewhat interested in seeing the next generation of gaming consoles… and today, Sony showed up what the upcoming PS5 will look like. And holy crap, it is so ugly. …

It’s the weekend, and here’s your Weekend Gamer update.

I’ve put down my $5 to preorder my Steam Deck.

I decided to get the $400 entry model. I think that is a fantastic price, considering that I looked at similar handheld PCs, such as the Aya Neo and OneXPlayer, and they are usually $1,000 or more. Even though Steam said they are ramping up production, and it’s listed as delivery date of “October-December 2022”, but I doubt that I will get my Steam Deck until 2023. The company already announced they are working on a Steam Deck 2. I think the smart move is to just wait for the second version, as it will fix all the problems in the first version...

I think my main reason for wanting a portable PC game console is that increasingly I’m very unhappy with the performance of my Nintendo Switch. I recently launched Diablo II on the Switch and it was just unplayable. Whenever there are hundreds of enemies on screen, the Switch just crawls to a snail’s pace. The Switch desperately needs a refresh. Come on, it’s been five years already!

Also, after six months, I finally cancelled my Xbox Game Pass Ultimate. The main reason is that I honestly did not have the time to fully take advantage of Game Pass. I love the fact that I could I try out the full games that I normally wouldn’t pay money for... And for titles that would normally cost $60! It was a huge savings, but at the end of the day, I would just rather buy (and own) the games that I like. What I am trying say is that I end up just playing the games that I already paid for.

I had a problem with Game Pass removing some games when they end their license agreement with Xbox. It’s very frustrating to play a game one month and then come back a few months later only to find out that game is no longer accessible, because it left Game Pass.

The last straw that broke the camel’s back was when Microsoft announced that they will no longer be offering free downloads to Xbox 360 games in their subscription services (they simply ran out of games to give away). The one saving grace of Game Pass was that you were allowed to keep one Xbox 360 game for free (yours to keep forever!)… and it was going away as of October 1st.

Having said all those negative things, I still believe Game Pass is worth that $10 (or $15), because if you just play one game, you’ve literally made up the price of admission. It is excellent value for the money... but I didn’t have the time for it. When I find myself with more free time, I will definitely reactivate my Game Pass.

The opposite of not good value is PlayStation 5, which is still impossible to find in retail stores. I’ve seen a lot of Xbox Series X in stores recently. I’ve yet to see one PS5 in stores. In a move that I think is a mistake, Sony announced that they are raising prices for the PS5. While the USA is not one of the region that is getting a price hike, the announcement does not bode well.

Everything I’ve researched about PlayStation 5, from ripping people off on digital games to extra $10 charge for PS5 games to Sony blocking games from Game Pass... it tells me that PlayStation is very anti-consumer and they are only interested in profits.

Yours,

- Weekend Gamer

vu (vu@weheartmusic.com) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com

Weekend Gamer: Prime Day

Read More Video Games I take that back, Mass Effect: Legendary Edition is on sale, and it’s a game (three games actually) that I’m interested in checking out the new “remaster”. It’s currently on sale for $35 on Amazon, …

Every year Amazon Prime Day comes and go, and every year, there’s never anything good! This year, the two-day event is taking place July 12 to 13, and promises “epic deals on top brands and small businesses.”

Having scrolled through countless items, the sales and discounts are just not enough for me to want to buy something. Most of the sales are 10% off, to me, that’s not enough for a product I don’t need now. Some items that never goes on sale, such as Apple products are slightly discounted - for example the new Apple Watch 7 is $309 (normally $420) and Airtags 4-Pack are $85 (normally $100).

Undoubtedly, the biggest deals are on Amazon’s own products: the Echo Show (not the new models) and their Fire Tablets.

If you’re already a member of Amazon Prime, Amazon is giving away some free digital games, including Mass Effect: Legendary Edition. Originally when this re-mastered game came out in 2021 for a full $60… but since then the game is heavily discounted (as low as $20 on Xbox), and, if you have Xbox Game Pass, the game is “free”. Many gamers interested in the game, including myself, have already bought it. Still, getting another free copy from Amazon Prime is a nice bonus.

There are a few catches in redeeming the Amazon Prime free games. Some games requires you to have an account with a third party, for example, Legacy Games or Origin account. Personally speaking, if I don’t already have an account, I just won’t redeem them… but there are others that might sign up, just to get some free games.

The other catch is that Amazon is promoting their streaming game service, Luna, so some of their “free” games requires you to sign up for their gaming service (which I won’t do).

So, even though I poo-poo the “sales” of Amazon Prime Day, I have to admit that it is good for everyone. That is because Amazon’s competitors, such as Best Buy, are also reacting to Prime Day, with their own sales, which they are calling Black Friday in July.

Yours,

- Weekend Gamer

vu (vu@weheartmusic.com) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com

Weekend Gamer: Razer Kishi Controllers

Read More Razer I probably won’t be buying any of those accessories, simply because I’m not a fan of the color scheme and I already own great products from Razer or Corsair, and they serve their purpose. … Genshin Impact According to some people, Genshin Impact is the biggest game in the world. I don’t normally play “phone games”, but I recently upgraded my iPad and wanted to check out the game …

I just bought the Razer’s Kishi Controllers (for the iPhone) on clearance from Target for $15. This is a massive saving, considering when it was originally released, it was $50 or more.

While I do enjoy the physical buttons, the instant inputs, the ability to move around without your fingers covering the screen … I find it hard to really recommend the product to anyone.

First of all, only a very few games works with the controller… and the game must be in landscape. Second, the controller will only work with a naked iPhone (no case) and must be physically connected via the iPhone dock.

Again, I don’t really see myself doing too much gaming on the controllers. When would I have the time to break out the Kishi controllers and adapt it on your phone, if I only need to game for a few mins, while waiting in line.

I’m glad I didn’t pay full price for this thing, but having said that, I do somewhat have buyer’s remorse for a product that I probably won’t be using that much.

The good news is that the Kishi will work with two very popular games: Diablo Immortal and Genshin Impact. I might have to dig around to see if there are other games that will work with the Kishi.

Yours,

- Weekend Gamer

vu (vu@weheartmusic.com) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com