Keeping with the theme of my recent interview with the developer behind the largest-running Nintendo Switch piracy program, I thought I’d post another piece in a similar vein. Some time ago, I reached out to a pirate known as *Masquerade:* a prominent figure in the game piracy scene. Working both solo and as part of a group known as KaOs Krew, he's what’s known as a *repacker* - someone who takes DRM-free games and rebuilds them with streamlined installers to make them easier to install and share. I wanted to ask him all about... well, everything: * What drives him to do what he does * How he views the scene now — and what the future might hold * The risks, stories, and challenges behind the curtain * And most importantly, what it actually takes to repack a game ------------ *This interview is conducted for journalistic and educational purposes only. The intention is to explore the motivations, ethics, and technical aspects behind unauthorized software distribution platforms this. The interviewer does not condone, support, or participate in software piracy, nor does this site provide access to or promote the use of illegal content or tools. Readers are encouraged to respect intellectual property laws in their respective jurisdictions.* *This post was also made with the moderators’ permission. Not having direct links or instructions on **how** to pirate means this is just what it appears to be - information from a source you won't hear from typically.* ---------- # Section 1: The Piracy Scene: **Tell us all about you, who is ‘Masquerade’? How did you get started with gaming?** Masquerade is just an online personality. The character used in my profile picture is The Masked Gentleman from Professor Layton and the Miracle Mask, a Nintendo 3DS game. I've always had a certain affection for masked characters. Behind the mask, I have a scientific career. I'm not very much of a gamer in my personal time. My introduction to gaming was when the Nintendo Wii was around, it wasn't much of an interest to me beforehand. My favourite games to play were the LEGO series by TTGames. They're a fun, light hearted collectable-fest. I like the franchises from which the games are based on (Star Wars, Harry Potter, Pirates of the Caribbean, etc.) and because they're made for kids, they don't take a lot of thought to play. At the time, I wasn't really interested in your typical violet videogames like Call of Duty so I was put off from consoles like the XBOX or Playstation. Alongside the Wii, I also happened to be gifted a Nintendo DS with an R4i card loaded with some popular games at the time. This wasn't my first introduction to piracy, but this was the first introduction to my favourite game series - Professor Layton. Since these simple beginnings, I haved owned an original Playstation, DS, 3DS, Wii, Wii U and XBOX 360.  **How did you first get involved in the piracy scene, and what motivated you to join?** I like being able to contribute. Piracy has always been an interest of mine, emboldened by being able to provide free media for my friends and family. Very little of the work I do is for personal gain. I signed up to rin forum in 2018. My first major contribution and start to the Masquerade piracy career was with sharing files for Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Wildlands in late 2019. This is the PC game in which I have the most hours, I enjoy it a lot. I've played over 500 hours of that game. It was rewarding to me to share the files for the game and I knew from there that I wanted to contribute more in future. I certainly never imagined I'd be where I am today. I'll always be thankful to the people I've met and who have helped me along the way. **How has the piracy scene evolved over the years, and where do you see it going?** I don't think I can comment too much on the history piracy scene since I only really started exploring this world beyond surface level in 2017. I think those who are interested in piracy history, especially around videogames, would LOVE the [YouTube channel ModernVintageGamer](https://www.youtube.com/@ModernVintageGamer). I cannot recommend this channel enough. The content is all incredibly well researched and presented in such an intriguing way. Some of my favourite videos are detailing anti-piracy measures from early games consoles. As for where I see the piracy going, I want people to strive to learn some coding skills, even just the basics, and learn to tackle little things like custom triggers. Start off small and work your way up. **What challenges do piracy groups face today that they didn’t face a decade ago?** I think the current state of the DRM scene explains a lot. 10 years ago we saw the first ever game protected with Denuvo, FIFA 15, which was humiliated by Chinese P2P groups and CPY. The warez scene is pretty much the same today as it has always been. Supply, crack, pack and release. The p2p scene perhaps suffers from pressure of demand to share new games. As someone who shares a large amount of games, in the past I have certainly felt a lot of pressure to release more new games. 10 years ago there was no Discord and reddit communities were considerably smaller so the lines between being "in" on the piracy scene and not were a lot less blurred than they are today. One of the difficulties is just how large the game piracy audience is and the challenge this brings is everyone will have various levels of understanding of what is "correct" and incorrect. [An example of this is a semi viral tweet attempting to explain Denuvo cracks](https://x.com/XRTerra_/status/1659941730123231234) which is incorrect on so many levels. (*writer's note - this is a Twitter link, if you don't like visiting that site, avoid clicking it!*) **Do you think piracy has had any positive impacts on the gaming industry?** Yes, look no further than Danger Gazers and Repella Fella. Posting pirated versions of their own games worked out really well for both developers. I don't think developers should target pirates in particular, but I do think they should see us as people and understand why we do what we do and reap the benefits of this approach. Start off by getting rid of DRM that affects the real customers too. **How do you balance your love for games with the legal risks of piracy?** I don't love games *that* much. I have a small collection of games that I do absolutely love. I have taken relevant measures to ensure my security online. **Have you had any memorable experiences with any repackers, developers or other members in the ‘scene’ you might like sharing?** I'd prefer to keep this one to myself. ---------- # Section 2: The Repack Scene: ---------- **What inspired you to join KaOs, and how did the group come together?** KaOs Krew is one of the oldest repack groups in the business along with the likes of Kapital Sin. When I first started repacking, I went solo. I didn't touch torrents much, all of my files were shared via Google Drive. In May/June 2022, Google took action against GDrive abuse and took down a lot of the exploits I was using to store an insane amount of data. One afternoon, I opened my account to learn that I had lost about 17TB of backed up repacks over two Google Drives. Strangely, this is not the sucker punch of a loss it sounds like. I don't feel strongly attached to the repacks, more the work and skills learned whilst making them. After this, I faced a big issue. I had my own website which had no alive links so I'd have to start again, or I could ask to join an existing repacking group and release under a new name. This would liberate me from having an empty catalogue and being swamped with upload requests I could never fill. At the time, my upload speed was still 2mb/s so taking to upload the 7TB I have backed up locally would be a futile task. I had actually been offered a place in KaOs Krew multiple times by KiNG since I had started repacking but the data loss pushed me to join. I don't know much about the origins of the KaOs Krew. I am happy knowing that the group has a clean history and the name is well known amongst those of us who have been in this scene for a long time. KaOs has outlived many others who have came and gone over the years, perhaps even myself one day. **What’s the most challenging part of creating a quality repack?** The main compression algorithms all repackers used have not really changed since 30th December 2018 when the final version of lolz compressor released. Instead, the quality aspect from the release comes from being able to reverse compression methods and rip game data from archives to allow for selective download options. By far the most challenging aspects of repacking for me is when I face a difficult compression algorithm or encryption scheme that I don't have sufficient knowledge to deal with. I have made friends with talented people who can reverse engineer some code and data formats but sometimes achieving perfection is outside of my current knowledge. I hope to learn more about dealing with complicated formats in the future. A lot of Japanese developers have started using encryption in Unity games. Japanese developers love encryption - I wish they would stop already. Sometimes you will also get seemingly random decompression failures - ancient algorithms can just be a little buggy here and there. **How do you decide which games to focus on when repacking?** I mainly follow the upcoming SteamDB upcoming list. I typically avoid rubbish asset flip games. I like to repack games with a charming art style regardless of the game engine. Also, I like to make time to repack the family friendly games published by Outright Games. There's something immensely special in my mind of parents who will download games for their children to enjoy or enjoy as a family. Games that use a unique engine (or literally anything other than Unity or Unreal) are also exciting to see. **What’s the community response like when you release a major title, and do you feel pressure to deliver?** People appreciate my repacks, even moreso since I have joined KaOsKrew. I'm very grateful for this. I used to put myself under a huge amount of pressure to release highly anticipated titles as quick as possible because there is a certain element of racing against other repackers. I don't put myself under as much pressure these days. My attitudes have slightly changed in that I'd rather take some extra time to make a better repack. This decision has been heavily influenced by FitGirl having 100+ games in her upcoming list. With the amount of new games releasing exponentially increasing, there's only competition for a small amount of hot new releases. The rest will just come when they're done. 2021 me would be disappointed but the scene is different now. **How do you approach compressing large games while maintaining their quality?** There is little to no relationship between the size of a game and its complexity to repack. Here's some examples: * SHINORUBI: tiny game, uses LZMA algorithm which makes it interesting to repack. * God of War: huge game, uses no compression, easy repack to make. * Steel Division II: huge game, simple compression algorithm, constant decompression errors meaning you have to punish those installing the repack in order to repack it correctly. * Franchine Hockey Manager: tiny game, no interesting algorithms, easy repack to make. **Have there been any games that were particularly difficult to repack?** Mario Kart 8 has always been a weird one that comes to mind. It uses one of Nintendo's proprietary algorithms. When you recompress this data and load the rom into the emulator for testing, some courses will work fine however others cause the emulator to crash. I mentioned Steel Division 2 earlier. This game uses ZLIB/DEFLATE algorithm which is easy to deal with thanks to Razor12911's XTool but you get decoding errors every time you try and decompress your final archive. To repack this game properly, you need to decompress every single game archive individually and then make your archive. During installation, you need to extract all of the decompressed data and recompress it on the users' disk which is slow and means you need an excessive amount of disk space for a task which is always done in memory. I don't really like doing large games due to the insane amount of time they take to complete. ARK Survival Evolved took nearly 50 hours to compress. Never again. ------- # Section 3: Gaming: ------- **What are some of your favorite games, both from the past and recent releases?** Few things would make me happier than explaining my favourite games: * Professor Layton. My absolute favourite videogame series of all time. Please look them up and give them a go if you've never played them before. These simple puzzle games have fantastic characters, emotional soundtracks and beautiful stories that truly push the boundaries of what a puzzle game should be. Despite replaying these games many times over the years, I still end up in tears by the time the credits roll. These games mean so much to me and I'll continue to replay them again and again. Professor Layton and the Lost Future is probably the best game, followed by Pandora's Box. Nothing will ever beat these games as being the best I have ever played. * Persona 5 Royal. I struggled to really fall in love with any game other than Professor Layton until November 2022 rolled around. This hit Japanese game which I had heard only a little bit about was getting a release on PC and Nintendo Switch. Cool! I was working with FitGirl at the time to work out getting the Switch rom to work correctly in emulators and figuring out between the two of us the best way to compress the rom. It's important to test the games that get repacked so I must have played the first 10 mins of the game a good 5 or 6 times over, tweaking little bits each time. Something about the opening of Persona 5 just... hit me. The casino, Life Will Change playing over the desparate voiceover, the pure adrenaline of the moment that the player is dropped into. I found myself thinking... "I need to try this game". I was hooked. I spent my entire Christmas sinking hundreds of hours into this game and feeling every single emotional pull. The third semester was so unbelievably emotional and I found myself feeling empty and hollow after I finished the game. Its a feeling I am sure that those who have finished Persona 5 will know well, that broken feeling and not being able to fill the hole that was left. * Persona 5 Tactica. When this game got announced, I was gutted by the goofy artstyle. I actually warmed to this a lot and really enjoyed the game. The soundtrack and extended cast were excellent. Again, had me in tears many, many times. Other games I have enjoyed are Persona 3 Reload. This one was fun but my dumbass failed to understand the gravity of the ending. The Episode Aigis DLC didn't really work for me. A solid 8/10 nonetheless. Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Wildlands is my most played game on PC with about 500 hours in game. I can play this repeatedly. Watch_Dogs 2 is another one I have played a lot of. I do also enjoy Hitman. Do check out RTGame's series of Hitman gameplay if you want a good laugh. **How do you stay up to date with the latest in gaming, and do you get to play a lot outside of repacking? So many people I’ve talked to [*in gaming*], and who are legitimate developers struggle with even wanting to play games, when essentially their 9-5 is about them. Do you feel that same struggle?** Honestly I have no clue about any upcoming games. I only keep tabs on the SteamDB upcoming list and I have my RSS feeds for warez releases. There have been many times where I have opened the site and gone "oh, that's released today, cool" and been taken by surprise. I play only a little amount of games as and when I wish. Having other hobbies does help. **Are there any genres or franchises you’re particularly passionate about?** I have already spoke about my favourite games, so I hope instead that I could talk about some of my favourite films and music instead? I like punk music, my favourite bands are UK Subs, Subhumans and the Dead Kennedys. I have a small collection of my favourite films too - including Smokey and the Bandit (I + II) and Cannonball Run (I + II). Snatch and Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels are also in there. Watch Amelie too! **How do you feel about the rise of live-service games and their impact on game ownership?** Vote with your wallets. That's all I can say on the matter. **Do you buy many games? Being such a name in this scene, and essentially having free reign over endless games, do you support any devs? Any games?** I don't play any pirated games. All of the games that I play, I own. # Section 4: The Steam Deck and Handhelds: **How do you think the Steam Deck, Ally (X), Legion Go have impacted gaming, especially for pirates and modders? Have you personally seen any shift with these becoming so common-place?** I have no comments to make regarding handheld consoles. I don't know anyone in real life who owns one. **Have you done any specific optimizations in your repacks for, say, Steam Deck users? When I interviewed Dodi [*another 'big' name in piracy*], he mentioned some of his repacks are specifically for Steam Deck users, and the Deck coming out directly changed his process.** Nope, no such practices. **Do you think devices like the Deck could push more people towards piracy due to ease of access? So many users think (wrongly in my opinion) that pirating on the Deck and Linux is too much of a hurdle, I see it as the opposite. An open OS and a easy process. What do you think?** Piracy is already easy enough on a mainline system, so I don't see it any harder on a handheld. Open Source operating systems are great but I will only offer guaranteed Windows support for my installations. **Have you received any interesting feedback from handheld Windows users, or Steam Deck users about your repacks?** No, I know people online who own them but I haven't had any specific feeback about handhelds and my repacks. -------- # Section 5: Future of Repacking & Piracy: -------- **Where do you see the future of the repack scene heading in the next few years?** It's not looking great - the rapid integration of the oodle compression algorithm into the likes of Unreal Engine is making repacking harder. Oodle is a very efficient algorithm and you save only a small amount of data when a game is compressed by default with a high level of Oodle algorithm. The sheer volume of new releases is also posing a challenge as I simply don't have enough free time to repack loads of games anymore. Beyond that, things will keep ticking over as normal. I don't imagine a huge amount of changes. **How do you think A.I. and new technology will affect piracy and repacking?** The only space for Large Language Models in repacking is the use of ChatGPT for writing quick little scripts, for example, when you need a script that will check and modify the first 4 bytes of a file when you have several thousand files to modify. It saves a lot of time because you then don't need to learn the basics of a programming language. Beyond that, LLMs are useless and should be purged from the face of the earth. People joke about using ChatGPT to crack Denuvo. Like that's ever gonna happen. **What’s your vision for KaOs Repacks, and are there any plans for growth or new directions?** Just keep ticking over, it's a very relaxed group which I appreciate. I don't think there's much of a way to grow the group further beyond taking on more repackers which are in short supply and I wouldn't want the quality of the group to degrade. We do the games we can. **How do you handle the constant updates and patches that modern games receive?** I don't really do many updated repacks unless there is a major update or DLC released, in which case there is ususally a warez scene release to accompany this. **Do you think game streaming services will impact piracy, and how?** You cannot pirate streamed games. Like I said for live service games, vote with your wallet. I'd certainly just buy games that I can keep the files for and crack myself, should the way to download them be removed. If all games are streamed, it will probably be game over for piracy. **What do you think of new users who are trying to enter the repacking and piracy scene?** A big mistake I see newbie repackers make is purchasing domains/hosting/remote servers without having experienced repacking for a few months first. Get at least 4 months of steady releases under your belt and then decide if you want to continue or if it's not sustainable. Don't waste your money on domains/hosting etc... in this case. Build your reputation slowly, from the ground up, using existing platforms. Only when you grow a large enough audience should you even remotely consider purchasing ANYTHING. Secondly, never stop learning. Do lots of research, read old forum posts. Look beyond basic toolsets. You don't become a good repacker instantly. ------- # Bonus Questions: ------- **Have you noticed a rise in demand for Linux-compatible repacks?** Yes, I have noticed this and I can only offer my apologies for those who have issues installing mine on Linux. The tools I use are built for windows, so support for other operating systems are never guaranteed. It's excellent to see Linux becoming more common! **Do you see Linux becoming a more dominant platform for gaming in the future?** Yes, but I can see this being in the forum of specialised operating systems like SteamOS. **How do you approach compatibility when repacking for Linux users?** I don't think about Linux at all when making my repacks. YMMV. *Confirmation/proof from when this was sent back to me:*  ------- # The end! ------ …and that’s that. Again, I’d encourage you all to remember this is not endorsing the practice or repacker, it’s just a chance to have someone explain how and why they do what they do. As I keep on saying - a ‘peek’ behind the curtain. *I have also done a few of these interviews now, and posted them here to Lemmy, if you'd like to read them:* * [Nintendo Switch Piracy Program](https://lemmy.world/post/32339854) * [RetroDECK](https://lemmy.world/post/29089602) * [Heroic Games Launcher](https://lemmy.world/post/29307275) * [Lutris](https://lemmy.world/post/29459679) * [Gardiner Bryant](https://lemmy.world/post/29876029) * [The RomM Project](https://lemmy.world/post/30310701) ...and I have more to come in the future. # *Mastodon:* If you want more of this kind of thing, come join me on Mastodon! 

I'm sure you've seen by now that I've been arranging interviews with developers of various Linux and Steam Deck programs and projects, done in a question-and-answer style, and posting them here to Lemmy. These have mostly been with personal friends of mine. Projects like Heroic, Lutris, RomM Project, Junk Store and so on. My idea for these is to give you all a peek behind the curtain (*so to speak*) as to *who* is behind the projects you know and love - but this time the interviewee and content is a *little* different. I got in touch with the lead dev and creator of what is called a 'Nintendo Switch Freeshop'. This dev runs the biggest piracy freeshop around - *over 1 petabyte at its peak* - and they're doing it right under Nintendo's nose. I wanted to know what brought them down this road, how they justify their piracy, and what it’s like operating something so massive (*and illegal*) in the shadow of one of the world’s most aggressive copyright enforcers. What I got was a surprisingly candid look into the mindset of someone who sees themselves less as a thief, and more as a digital archivist, a rebel, or even a necessary evil in a broken system. *This interview is conducted for journalistic and educational purposes only. The intention is to explore the motivations, ethics, and technical aspects behind unauthorized software distribution platforms this. The interviewer does not condone, support, or participate in software piracy, nor does this site provide access to or promote the use of illegal content or tools. Readers are encouraged to respect intellectual property laws in their respective jurisdictions.* *This post was made with the moderators’ permission. I’ve omitted both the name of the shop and the interviewee to avoid inadvertently promoting or encouraging their work.*  -------------------------- # Personal Background & Development History: -------------------------- ***How did you first get into software development or programming? I’m trying to imagine how someone ends up running the most prolific Nintendo Switch Freeshop (currently)...was this one a gradual progression from ‘regular projects’ to your program?*** I was around 14 or 15 years old, stuck in my room during the COVID lockdown. One day, I created a simple JSON file that allowed me to install games on my 3DS using an app called Universal-Updater. The games were hosted on a free Dropbox account. Originally, I uploaded the file to a random GitHub repository — mostly just to avoid losing it. At the time, I didn’t know much. I could only build small websites in JavaScript and tweak JSON files, but that was about it. Then one morning, I woke up to find dozens of videos talking about my little 3DS script. Back then, it only had a few games and, to be honest, it was pretty bad. But I think people were feeling nostalgic about the old Freeshop, which probably explains why it got so much attention. That’s when I had the idea to create the eShop, mainly to meet a need I personally had. I was also inspired by an old, now-defunct project made by a developer on GitHub — I think his name was "Tom Stalcker" or something like that, I can’t remember exactly. His work had left an impression on me, and I wanted to recreate something similar in my own way. Apparently, I wasn’t the only one looking for something like this. Seeing how much interest the project was generating, I started working on it more seriously — but still for fun, and out of passion. I wouldn’t say it was a gradual or “traditional” progression. Once things started taking off and gaining some visibility, I focused entirely on making the kind of service I’d personally want to use as a user. So no, I didn’t start with "regular projects", even if I’ve worked on other things since then that helped me level up my skills — both in development and in server management. ***Speaking of your program, can you tell those reading here who haven’t a clue – what is it, what does it do, how does it run?!*** This question is actually quite broad considering the number of related projects, but let’s say we’re talking about the most well-known one. To put it very simply, it’s like the Nintendo eShop — but without financial barriers. Everyone is equal, regardless of their wealth, and can download content (*games, updates, additional content*) without having to pay. Its main purpose is the preservation of digital heritage. ***Have you worked on any non-piracy-related projects in the past? Indie games, tools, programs or otherwise?*** Yes, I’ve personally made some mini-games before. Usually, when it’s just for fun, I like to create mashups — for example, I’ll challenge myself to mix Mario Kart with Space Invaders, just out of curiosity and for my own enjoyment. I also often build simple websites just for fun — to improve my skills, explore ideas, or sometimes simply because something made me laugh and I wanted to turn it into a little project. ***What drew you specifically to console hacking/homebrew/piracy scene?*** I didn’t have any money, and like many kids who own a console but can’t afford games, I just wanted to be able to play video games. ***Would you consider yourself more of a developer, a hacker, or an activist or something else entirely?*** I wouldn’t presume to label myself as any of those. I’d say I’m simply someone trying to do what I love, creating what I’d want to have as a user, while also trying to help as many people as possible. ***Are you operating solo, or is this a collaborative effort?*** Generally, I prefer not to answer this question, but no, I’m not working alone. It wouldn’t be possible to manage the community, handle the servers, add content, and do the programming all by myself. So yes, there are several of us, although for security reasons, I prefer not to specify how many we are or who manages what. -------------------------- # Creation of the shop: --------------------------  ***When and how did the idea for your freeshop begin?*** During the COVID period in 2019-2020, refer to the first question in the previous section. ***What 'technical challenges' did you face in building a freeshop for the Switch compared to older consoles like the 3DS?*** On the 3DS, I wouldn’t say it was very complex, because for the app itself, we had forked Universal-Updater at the time — although that might soon change given some big projects aiming to simply patch the 3DS eShop are in development. But I’d say the biggest challenges we faced on the Switch were, first and foremost, dealing with DMCA takedowns from companies like Nintendo and Markscan... Another major challenge was bandwidth for a public, free shop. In terms of numbers, the public shop serves at least 200TB every 24 hours on a normal day. ***How do you source the game files and keep the library updated?*** I’ll answer this question in two parts. First, I’ll explain how we managed to gather over 12,000 games right from the launch. Without bragging, I’m someone who analyzes a lot, so I’m quite skilled at creating workarounds and even more so at developing automated scraping systems. Using my knowledge, I created a set of scripts that, initially, scraped the biggest trusted sites offering Switch games. This required two things: integrating an ad blocker (like uBlock) directly into all the scripts, and then scraping the affiliate links. Once all the links were collected, I wrote a simple script to bypass link shorteners stuffed with ads, to get the full list of 1fichier.com links. When the 1fichier.com links list was ready, I just used a program like JDownloader to mass-download everything. But that only worked for the first few months. Later, I was contacted by someone who had a full backup of the entire content from an old shop. Regarding adding new content, there are several sources: One external source is the scene, with dumps coming from teams like Venom, Suxxors, to name a few. Since (*another shop I'm omitting the name of*) closed, most new content comes from our own dumps, which we do thanks to donations and payments we receive for our professional services. We dump around 200 to 300 games per month, and up to 500 updates some months. DLCs occasionally come in dumps too, but that’s rarer — although we’re getting more interested in those lately. ***Do you design it to be resilient against takedowns or detection? Speaking of, can you tell me about that side of this, I can’t imagine Nintendo is unaware of your efforts, have you been contacted at all, DMCA’d, any legal notices?*** Regarding the systems we have in place, yes, we’ve implemented more than a hun- dred techniques, methods, and systems to ensure the entire project isn’t affected by DMCA takedowns. As for the DMCAs, we receive them — whether for content, links, or other reasons — sometimes over 500 in certain months, either directed at us or companies linked to our services. Most of these are generated by automated systems from companies affiliated with Nintendo, like Markscan, and some are directly issued by the legal team of NOA (Nintendo of America). ***Why create something this polished and accessible, knowing it could attract heavy legal attention?*** The goal isn’t focused on the legal side. Whether it’s me personally or other members of the team, we primarily want to create a trustworthy service — exactly the kind of service we’d want to have ourselves as users. Just because we’re doing something that goes beyond the legal boundaries in some countries doesn’t mean it has to seem shady, obscure, or inaccessible. -------------------------- # Ethics, Legality, and Preservation: --------------------------  ***How do you personally justify what is undeniably piracy with the project?*** Personally, I don’t limit myself by legal boundaries; my limits are ethical. As long as what I do is ethical and doesn’t harm almost anyone, I’m okay with it. The most important thing is to consider who this project impacts — both positively and negatively — including our users, donors, Nintendo, game studios, and so on. The reality is that out of 100 people affected, over 98% are helped and given the opportunity to dream. So, since the project has a positive impact on more than 98% of the people directly or indirectly affected, I don’t mind it. I believe projects like this serve a necessary purpose. ***Is this about game preservation, access, anti-corporate stance, for monetary gain — or just practicality? I’m super curious what stance you take for justifying this kind of platform. I interviewed one of the two ‘main’ PC gaming repackers last year, who said that where he lives (a ‘third world’ country) the price of games means any and all gaming was totally inaccessible to he and everyone he knows. He did this (in his words) as a way to give those who wouldn’t be able to game a chance to do so.*** Our goal is both preservation and access, because by enabling access, we indirectly ensure preservation. One of the first things to understand is that if services like this exist, it’s because there is demand — and where there is demand, there will always be supply. Moreover, thanks to services like these, some games will still be available in 200 years simply because a service — whether ours or another — dumped and shared them. If projects like (*shop name omitted*) eShop exist, it’s to give users and people confidence that when they come to our service, they will only find trusted, high-quality files. That’s also why, for example, you won’t find any ads on our platform. Monetary gain is not something we’re interested in. Of course, what cannot be denied is that an infrastructure like this isn’t free. Generally, the people who pay or donate are not paying for the games themselves, but for the service we provide. ***Do you think there's a meaningful difference between pirating current-gen games and legacy titles?*** Of course there is a difference. I consider that “pirating” an old game isn’t really pi- racy as soon as the game is no longer commercially available, because piracy means stealing. But at what point can it be considered stealing when the content is no longer sold? Regarding recent games, the main issue is the price, especially with Nintendo openly mocking its users by selling Mario Kart World for around $90. And we’re still talking about Mario Kart… I agree with Nintendo that purchasing power has recently increased in Japan, but they forget one important detail: the majority of their users simply aren’t Japanese. For example, the Brazilian currency is worth about four times less than the US dollar. So, I would say that people who “pirate” retro games don’t have the same needs as those who pirate recent games. Old games are mostly no longer legally accessible, whereas recent games are inaccessible mainly because of their price. ***How would you respond to indie devs or studios who rely on every sale?*** Unfortunately, some developers make great games but end up paying the price. However, blaming piracy isn’t the right target — if anyone should be blamed, it’s companies like Nintendo. This question comes up quite often, and while the impact of piracy on indie developers is one of the few real indirect effects, it largely stems from decisions made by Nintendo and others. ***What’s your take on Nintendo’s approach to digital rights and game availability?*** I would simply say that Nintendo shows absolutely no respect for their community and is now solely focused on filling their pockets. Back in the day, we had real games—not necessarily standing out for their visual quality, but for their ability to bring people together. Today, Nintendo mostly just re-releases remakes originally from old consoles, selling them for $60. It’s getting worse with the Switch 2, where they now dare to sell texture packs or minor upgrades for $5 to $10. Unfortunately, Nintendo’s priorities today are purely financial. And I’d rather not even talk about the closure of the 3DS eShop, which would have been a huge disaster if projects like hShop didn’t exist. I want to clarify that hShop is neither a competitor nor directly or indirectly affiliated with (*shop name removed*). Our eShop for the Switch is simply what hShop is for the 3DS. -------------------------- # Gaming Life & Relationship with Nintendo: --------------------------  ***What's your history with Nintendo consoles — were you a fan growing up?*** I mainly played on the 3DS from when I was 6 until I was 15, so I don’t have as much experience with other consoles. For many years, my 3DS was my only way to escape my reality, from a childhood that was simply very difficult... The 3DS was simply Nintendo’s best era, and I don’t think we’ll see anything like that again given the current direction of their latest consoles... ***Do you still play games regularly? If so, what’s your current favorite title or platform?*** Unfortunately, over time, I play less and less. I truly enjoy only older games now, and I have less and less time to play. It’s one of my regrets not to make more time for it, but life seems to go faster and faster with each passing year. ***Have your views of Nintendo changed over time — either as a fan or as a developer?*** Yes, a lot, as I explained earlier. ***Were there any particular events or decisions by Nintendo that directly motivated you?*** See previous answers =) ***Do you see a piracy front-end mimicking the Nintendo eShop as an act of protest against Nintendo’s practices? Or are you purely mercenary here – this is for money?*** It’s important to know that (*shop name edited out by me*) eShop was fully funded by myself from 2019 to 2024, so no, this is not about money. We simply want to provide a high-quality, trustworthy service that is as user-friendly as possible. -------------------------- # The Broader Scene: --------------------------  ***What do you think the future holds for freeshops like yours*** I can’t give a very detailed answer to this question, but it’s important to know that the more piracy is condemned, the more accessible it becomes. The community, pirates, and hackers will always evolve and become increasingly motivated... ***Have you got any data for us? I’m beyond curious to know, have you got any idea of the metrics: total users, total downloads, how much data you host? I read that “at its peak the service was handling over 1 petabyte of data per day” – that’s a crazily large operation. And I really don’t expect to get an answer for this one, but how much have you made, an estimate would be nice, from your freeshop?*** In terms of bandwidth, yes, it has reached several petabytes per day during some peak periods. However, on quieter days now, we handle between 200 and 300 terabytes within 24 hours. As for users, we recently surpassed the milestone of 3 million across all services combined. Regarding financials, personally, this does not generate income for me. I prefer to prioritize improving our services and expanding our projects. You should know that personally, money is not an issue for me. I’m a pretty simple person— as long as I have a roof over my head, food to eat, and internet access, that’s enough. Between the ages of 18 and 20, I founded four bulletproof hosting companies, which I later sold. Today, I still own two companies—one in hosting and another providing large-scale network systems for major enterprises. When I need extra money for vacations, I sometimes take on freelance work, like building websites and other projects. So, financial gain isn’t something I’m interested in. ***Do you believe the piracy/homebrew community is growing or fracturing?*** No, the community is growing and will continue to grow. It’s important to remember that the more piracy is punished, the more services will become available. Also, as games become increasingly unaffordable, the demand will only keep rising. ***Are you concerned about potential legal action or consequences? We all know about [Gary Bowser, who was sentenced in 2021 to 40 months prison and $14.5m USD in fines](https://www.ign.com/articles/nintendo-hacker-gary-bowser-released-from-prison-still-owes-millions). This has to play on your mind, right?*** I am not worried about that at all. I’m not completely reckless—if it’s going to happen, it will happen. Life is short, so I prefer to do what I want now. Besides, I’m not acting blindly; I’ve already taken precautions and prepared for any eventuality. When you do something like this, you always need to keep some advantages. You also have to understand that Nintendo doesn’t have the same power everywhere. I could mention countries like Iran or Panama, just to name a few. Panama, for example, is one of the few countries that has no agreements with the NSA or similar agencies. ***Do you plan to expand features — or create tools for other platforms? By your own words elsewhere on the internet, I read it’s been quite a tumultuous year for your program...what exactly happened?*** We plan to eventually expand our projects across all platforms, including consoles up to the PS4 and PS5. We also aim to explore torrenting, IPTV services, and streaming platforms. Our core goal remains the same: providing access and maintaining high-quality service. This year has been quite eventful, with personal challenges as well as a tenfold growth in user numbers. As a result, we had to completely overhaul parts of our network, add new servers, improve some systems, and even rewrite others from scratch. ***If Nintendo offered a better digital access or preservation model, would that change your approach? Further, what would make you close shop and change your stance? Would that even be an option?*** I don’t think that will ever happen, but the only way to shut down services like ours would be to reduce the demand—because without demand, there’s no need for supply. Personally, I don’t see myself involved in the project much longer. I created it in 2019, and now it’s 2025. Whether we like it or not, a project like this is extremely mentally exhausting, even if it’s enjoyable to manage. It’s complex and has grown very large. But no worries—I’ve already started planning my succession, and trusted people will be ready to take over and contribute to the project. Personally, I plan to step away before 2027. It would become too costly to maintain and pointless without users. But we all know Nintendo will never admit what they are doing or change their stance. ***What do you think about the Nintendo Switch 2?*** There’s so much to say—between game prices like Mario Kart World at $90, a $500 console that only comes with a black and white theme, $10 texture packs, and even paid software just to learn how to use the console... I just hope other manufacturers like Sony, Microsoft, and the others don’t follow this same path. But honestly, it doesn’t really matter, because by doing this they’re alienating a lot of people. There are now many who are solely focused on breaking the console’s security, and the more Nintendo continues down this road, the more they’re pushing their own community away. ***Anything in general you’d like to say? The floor is yours!*** The one thing I want to say to everyone is: don’t overcomplicate things. Today’s society has become way too complex. Live and enjoy the present moment because you never know what tomorrow will bring. Do what you want, when you want — we only have one life. And remember: in whatever you do, only those who achieve less than you will try to put you down. -------------------------- # The end! -------------------------- ...and that's that. Again, I'd encourage you all to remember this is *not* endorsing the program, it's just a chance to have someone explain how they justify doing what they do. As I keep on saying - a 'peek' behind the curtain. This was quite brief, but their time was limited and I'm grateful that they even accepted my request and let me do this. I've edited *some* of their answers, as you'll see - 99% of these edits have been to remove the eShop's name. *I have also done a few of these interviews now, and posted them here to Lemmy, if you'd like to read them:* * [RetroDECK](https://lemmy.world/post/29089602) * [Heroic Games Launcher](https://lemmy.world/post/29307275) * [Lutris](https://lemmy.world/post/29459679) * [Gardiner Bryant](https://lemmy.world/post/29876029) * [The RomM Project](https://lemmy.world/post/30310701) ...and I have more to come in the future. # *Mastodon:* If you want more of this kind of thing, come join me on Mastodon! 

As ever and always, I’m back with a week’s worth of gaming news I’ve spotted and thought I should share with you all! Being in the middle of the various gaming sales ‘season’, you’re probably too busy either buying games and never playing them (*yep, that old joke again*) or enjoying your cheaply bought games on your PC or handheld! Hopefully this week’s news is a nice little distraction from spending your money. *So what are these posts?* My aim for these News Posts in general is to make them a more *clearly not a professional, but someone who cares about gaming* manner than most gaming sites do now. I see *so* many sites, even the independent ones, bombarding with ads, banners and reminders to support them. I get it, I really do, but it’s an unpleasant experience to me. My ever-lasting inspo is the old, old video game sites, blogs and magazines that I never had the privilege of being alive for: * **Image/gif/link heavy** (*though once again this week I have few GIFs, so this dot-point’s a bit needless*) * **Personal voice** (*I can’t help rambling, send help – this won’t be even slightly professionally written*) * **Mostly news or articles or points** which you won’t find on normal gaming sites. These are the smaller, lesser things that I’m drawn to. I *know* you’ll have spotted the big news articles, so I’m hoping some of these smaller ones might have been missed by you. A mixed bag of what I’ve considered news this week, so there really *is* a bit of everything ahead. So grab a coffee? Or a tea? Or a fresh juice? And enjoy <3 ----------------------------- # General Gaming News: ----------------------------- # *Humble Choice Price Hike:*  I get asked so very often why I’m not a member of these game bundle programs: Humble and Fanatical. I’ve not done it once, and...honestly I can’t tell you why. Maybe the biggest factor is that I’m a GOG supporter first-and-foremost. Maybe because I know I’ll end up with games I never have the intention of playing? I *do* mean to, eventually, but maybe I’ve waited too long. Humble Choice started back in 2019 giving you games to keep each month, typically they’re Steam keys, though that’s not always true. There’s been criticisms lately however, ones I see most often are * A decline in quality game offerings (*though to me that is subjective*) * Things few want like EA Origin keys * IGN Coupons (*WTF even is that?*) * *Some* customer support issues in the past Anyway, adding to that is a price hike for some. There’s been a price increase in some parts of the world starting in May 2025, but it seems to now be crawling across the board:  Pricing: Currency / Current / New - USD / $129 / $154.99 - CAD / $159 / $194.99 - EUR / €109 / €134.99 - GBP / £98 / £‎119.99 ----------------------------- # *The Alters & Fashion:*  ZA/UM claim to be *the* developer of Disco Elysium. That claim isn’t sitting well with the developers themselves who made the damn game. Members of the original Disco Elysium team: * lead designer Robert Kurvitz * writer Helen Hindpere, and * art director Aleksander Rostov ...were forced out of ZA/UM in late 2021, and never received proper compensation for a game they made. In fact, after they got kicked out, Rostov publicly encouraged players to pirate Disco Elysium, stating they made no money from current sales and viewed the official version as no longer representing their work. Anyway...I’m just saying while ZA/UM claim to be the dev...that claim comes with a lot of baggage these days. ZA/UM have a branch, which is...weirdly a fashion house. [ZA/UM Atelier](https://atelier.zaumstudio.com/) have a new collaboration with 11 Bit Studios (*whose game The Alters has just released*) which is releasing clothing inspired by The Alters. > *“This collaboration with ZA/UM Atelier felt like a natural extension of that philosophy — an embodiment of identity through design. We can’t wait to see how our community responds to this fusion.”* - Tomasz Kisilewicz, The Alters game director at 11 bit studios    Weird, right? ----------------------------- # *GOG on Prime and CAPTCHA:*  If you’ve been redeeming GOG games from Amazon Prime’s Prime Gaming each week, you’ll have by now seen the CAPTCHA challenges which pop up. You can be trying your best to select which squares feature a bit of a motorcycle for a *long* time. I’ve seen a lot of complaints thinking things are broken, and asking why it even exists. *WHY:* It’s just crowd control. The number of people who claim a game to keep forever can be really high – esp for games which are popular (*like just over a week ago we had Tomb Raider I-III Remastered given away*), when this happens GOG’s servers can be hammered pretty hard, so this is just a method of slowing the people down. It can be annoying, and take my advice, if it *is* too annoying, just wait a day or two to claim. The number of people drops low, then you’re not going to be limited. *IS IT BROKEN:* No, for the reasons explained above. *SHOULD YOU EVEN BOTHER WRITING THIS HERE?* Not *really*, but I have seen an awful lot of people who are worried that something in the service has gone wrong. And if there is even one person who reads this and now knows all is okay...then that’s fine by me! ----------------------------- # *Gabe and Half-Life:* You’ve probably seen this by now, but even if you have...it’s too good to not share again. 3Dguy2 has made this *stylized 3D model* of Gabe in the obvious attire.  There was the usual *tiring* claims that this is A.I. generated and low-effort, and the artist shared their artstation page [which you can find here with this link, if you wanna see more of their art!](https://www.artstation.com/khatri3d) to quell those claims. They’re also emailing it to Gabe (*who has a history of replying to regular users’ emails quite often!*), so I hope they get a nice reply :) ----------------------------- # *Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II Enhanced:*  If you’re tired of recent games being re-released (looking at *you* TloU and GTA V) for another cash-grab, then prepare to be disappointed. Hellblade II (2024) is getting the same treatment: * Comes to Xbox Series X|S, Xbox on PC, Game Pass, Steam, and, for the first time, PlayStation 5 on August 12. * This updated version includes graphical and gameplay additions, as well as an enhanced Photo Mode and developer commentary. * August 12 will also see the game become Steam Deck Verified.  **Performance Mode:** Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II is a cinematic experience of immersion where we push real-time visuals to deliver rich, believable environments and characters to sink you deep into Senua’s story. Now, with Performance Mode, we’re excited to give you the option to experience gameplay at 60 FPS (not available on Xbox Series S). The result is smoother gameplay, especially noticeable during combat and fast-moving moments of the game. On PC, where you’ve had more flexibility with performance based on your personal hardware, we’re now offering a ‘Very High’ preset to push that fidelity even further. The team has also been hard at work optimizing the game for Steam Deck, so when this update lands, the game will be Steam Deck Verified for the first time. Wherever you choose to play, we’ve made sure the experience is optimized for your chosen hardware. **The Dark Rot Returns:** The Dark Rot from Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice has returned and offers an additional challenge for Senua on her quest to Iceland in this optional game mode. The Dark Rot will grow each time you fail, and if it reaches Senua’s head, her quest is over and all progress will be lost. Do you think you’re up to the challenge? **Enhanced Photo Mode:** We have an incredible community of Virtual Photographers who have captured stunning moments from the world of Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II. We’re really excited, then, to enhance the toolset within Photo Mode with improvements across a multitude of settings, as well as an all-new ‘Motion’ tab for custom cinematic video capture. We can’t wait to see what you create with these new tools at your disposal. **Developer Commentary** Let us take you behind the scenes of Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II with over 4 hours of insightful commentary, exploring the craft and creative decisions that went into making the game. Hear from the ensemble cast, key collaborators in depicting Senua’s experience of psychosis, and members of the development team who poured their heart and soul into Senua’s story. [Here is a link to the YouTube video announcement for this, it will be arriving August 12th this year](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bOSjv1Nb1-E)  ----------------------------- # *Runescape 3 & Microtransaction:* There’s a few headlines and videos being shared about which state that Runescape 3 is removing microtransactions. And this is not the whole truth. Jagex are running a series of one to two week long experiments to gather data to re-evaluate their monetization practices. > We will turn off Treasure Hunter, instead offering bundles of Stars and Knowledge Bombs for direct purchase (capped at 1 bundle per day) > We will offer a large selection of past cosmetic overrides - including some previously only available via TH - for direct purchase all at once They are temporarily disabling gambling through Treasure Hunter, while offering a capped direct daily purchase of experience and direct purchases of cosmetics. It seems they are trying out the daily FOMO method to condition players into purchasing the daily bundle so they don't miss out. ----------------------------- # *FBC: Firebreak Reaches 1m players:* Maybe not the best numbers for a developer as beloved as Remedy is. Will it have the staying power for the long-run? I’d say...maybe not. They’re already making changes however, so I guess we’ve got to keep an eye on it. For now, here’s their own statement pic:  ----------------------------- # *Steam Deck Work/Play Case:* If you’ve followed along with me on Mastodon long enough then you’ll well and truly know I love sharing 3D printed gaming things. This one looks wonderful, too. Makes me think of a *very* William Gibson-ish Cyberdeck look. A Steam Deck user shared their print and thoughts on it: > *I'm joining the ranks of users that will do anything but hold the deck. It's a nice print, but I had to use the split file version because it's too big for my printer to do in one piece.*  > *Ergonomics are ok, there is some room for improvement. It's kinda nice to treat your steamdeck as a laptop.*  > *The cults3d link has a list of compatible keyboards. I used a logitech K380. The K380s also works since it's the same dimensions. You can use the logitech pebble mouse. I got this mouse from aliexpress*  Here’s a couple pics from the maker themselves, just for some color:  [The creator of the file also has a video showcasing their design, and it’s well and truly worth a look – YouTube link here!](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X56O9ePVx8Q&t=19s) ----------------------------- # *Sales Season:* *Everyone* will be aware of the Steam Summer Sale on right now, but I’d love to remind people that its not the only front who is cutting prices for the season: * **Steam Summer Sale** runs from 26th June to 10th July * **GOG’s Summer Sale** runs from 18th of June to 9th of July * **Epic Games** Summer Sale begins on 17th July ...have you picked up any games? What have you bought, recommend some deals for everyone here, because it might shock you but we *do* all love deals here! ----------------------------- # *Warhammer: 40,000 Master Crafted – Refunds, Discounts & Patches:*  Seems like *no one* was happy about the ‘Master Crafted Edition’ coming out recently: buggy, overpriced, no discount for anyone who owns the original, barely any reviews (and those that are there on the Steam page are negative) – they’ve clearly realized they’re in strife and had to correct it. As it stands they have only *ninety four user reviews* on Steam, and those equate to being ‘Mostly Negative’. [The official statement is here, on Steam, if you’d like to read it in its entirety.](https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/3169520/view/523095184762732964) But to summarize, * Refunds Extended: Full refunds available regardless of playtime if requested via Steam Support before July 10, 2025 (6pm BST / 10pm PST). *This feels underhanded to me, sticking to a limited window for people being able to get their money back if they didn’t see this statement? Not right!* * Owners of the Anniversary Edition get 50% off the Master Crafted Edition from June 26 to July 10 (but If you already bought at full price and are eligible, you’ll need to request a refund, then rebuy at the discounted rate which is...suspect to say the least) * Patch Improvements are also in the works, covering UI/UX, gameplay fixes, platform and controller support, networking, tech fixes and so on (*read the above link to check their full notes on what they’re working on*) ...I suppose to be fair, at least they’re trying to fix their mistakes, if only because it fell flat for them. More than some companies end up doing! ----------------------------- # *Fallout 4 Themed RetroPie:*  This is...amazing. Made by ‘CheezyJesus’, this build is about as nice as you can find for a RetroPie arcade machine. Custom designed and 3D printed, it’s *so* good, it should be official. I’ll let them do the talking by just copying their words, and sharing the images but...no one can deny this effort. Fallout 4, by the way, is my fav of the series. Perhaps because I didn’t grow up on the games, and by the mere fact it is the most recently made – I just love it! *Anyway, in the users own words from hereon out:* > This is the most ambitious project I had the absolute pleasure of doing so far.  > A 3D printed Fallout 4 themed, RetroPie arcade machine, based on one of the computer terminals in the game. I wanted it to feel as vintage as possible. so I used a CRT from one of those early 2000's B/W portable TVs as a screen. And it looks great!  > The hardest part was definitely sanding and painting. This was my first time sanding and painting a 3D print. It was challenging, especially with the size of the build.  ----------------------------- # *Brazil warns Nintendo:* Okay, a *tiny* bit of sensationalism in my little headline there, but its still 100% true. Nintendo is facing at least *some* legal scrutiny in Brazil over the much criticized Switch 2 policy where they can ‘*permanently disable consoles for unauthorized use’* without clear justification. This, along with a mandatory arbitration clause that prevents users from suing Nintendo in Brazilian courts, even in class actions directly violates Brazil’s Consumer Code, according to consumer agency Procon-SP. Nintendo has 20 days to respond. ----------------------------- # *Switch 2 Manual:* I’ve shown this users booklets/manuals off before. They make such high quality inserts for game cases (*since as you know, modern gaming has well and truly done away with anything inside the game case*), and they look better than you’d expect from the companies themselves. I can’t help but share a *lot* of photos of this, since it’s so beautiful. Apologies in advance! This time around **RowanFN1** has made them for Mario Kart World. I’d say for $80 USD something like this wouldn’t be too much to ask, but alas...modern gaming is all about the money and stripping back the features. Anyway, as always, in their own words: > The Manual is a bit more traditional on all the info bits and controls etc. and has checklists for Grand Prix, knockout Tour, character outfits while viewing their stats. Meanwhile the Booklet is all about free roam and called the Explorapedia, listing all the P-Switch Missions, Peach Medallions, ? Switches and more for you to check off and complete in free roam.  > I tried to combine them but that would've been about 90 odd pages, which is insane. So a 40 page Manual and a 52 page Booklet was the choice as I did really wanna cover all the areas.  ----------------------------- # *Playnite Theme for Handhelds:*  If you’ve not heard of Playnite, its a free, open-source game launcher and library manager that unifies all your PC games—across platforms like Steam, GOG, Epic, and emulators—into a single customizable interface. Currently it’s *only* available for Windows, but the devs have promised an eventual Linux release also. [You can check out the Playnite link here if you’d like to read more on what it is, via their site.](https://playnite.link/) A user by the name of AsciiMorseCode shared a theme they’ve made for handhelds which *do* run Windows, tailored to make it feel like a more handheld-friendly environment. > Toggle is my take on making Playnite feel natural on smaller screens while keeping performance smooth. I wanted something inspired by the Switch 2.  > The whole design is built around thumb-friendly navigation. All the important buttons and controls are positioned where you can actually reach them comfortably when holding a handheld.  > Performance was a huge priority - Toggle is intentionally lightweight so it runs smoothly even on lower-powered devices. Clean and fast was the goal.  [If you’re running Playnite with a ROG Ally, or a Legion Go, or even a Steam Deck running Windows, the link to the GitHub release is here!](https://github.com/jonosellier/toggle-theme-playnite/releases/download/v1.0.2/Toggle_28b7d2c0-105b-4632-8dca-d11348bd61d2_1_0_2.pthm) ...one thing to note, though: > Works best with ExtraMetadataLoader for game logos and Now Playing for the session management features. I've included some recommended Playnite settings in the screenshots on GitHub, but note that wider screens will need to have more columns shown. ----------------------------- # *AudioPin - (stop Windows devices changing)* Someone created a tool called AudioPin for Windows – which lets you create prioritized lists of audio devices for input and output, with the option to separately pin devices for communications. > Ever been annoyed by Windows audio defaults changing when you plug or unplug devices? > This utility allows a user to "pin" a selection of audio devices in windows with a prioritised list. On any change to audio devices AudioPin should very quickly re-assert your pinned devices setting the highest prioritised available device as default. Not applicable to me, but I’m sure there’s at least *some* users here who might have missed this, and have the need for it. I’m sure I’ve done a terrible job of summarizing what it is and what it does, [so the link to the GitHub page is right here for you to check it out!](https://github.com/Xjph/AudioPin) ----------------------------- # *Death Stranding 2:* Norman Reedus (*Sam Porter himself*) posted this on his socials, just a nice reminder that Kojima can still deliver an amazing experience:  ----------------------------- # *Crystal Dynamics Cosplay:* [The Community Director at Crystal Dynamics, Meagan Marie](https://www.meaganmarie.com/about/) shared her cosplay dressing up as Lara Croft from Rise of the Tomb Raider from the peak of Mount Rainier/Tahoma. The reason it looks so accurate? She’s had decades of cosplay: > *Over the years cosplay has afforded me incredible opportunities, including being featured on CNN, in Time Magazine, Marie Claire UK, and even modeling for original Wonder Woman art for Justice League: A League of One by the phenomenal Chris Moeller.*  ----------------------------- ----------------------------- # Quick Dot-Points of Interest: ----------------------------- * [**Stalker 2** has released official modding tools](https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fps/wanna-make-mods-for-stalker-2-thatll-be-700-gb-of-hard-drive-space-please/). Some are angry that it requires 700GB of space, but that’s just the typical rage-bait headline. The reason for the size is that the devs are giving modders the uncompressed resources – which is rare and quite amazing of them * **Ready or Not** will have new, more strict censoring on the game due to console ratings required for release. *"If a content change was just a texture swap, we were able to apply it to console only while keeping the PC version the same as before. However, if the change involved transforming an entire asset this was less feasible." *](https://steamcommunity.com/games/1144200/announcements/detail/526472884483260568) * A man in California has [stolen over $10K USD worth of Nintendo Switch games from libraries](https://www.eurogamer.net/california-man-steals-10k-of-nintendo-switch-games-from-libraries-now-faces-more-than-a-large-late-fee) and is now finding himself being held accountable. Stealing from libraries? Hope he gets all the books thrown at him * [**Callina Liang** has been officially cast as Chun-Li in Legendary’s upcoming live-action Street Fighter movie.](https://www.themoviedb.org/person/3775598-callina-liang) It is now in pre-production. No matter how great it *might* be though, it won’t have my girl [Kylie Minogue’s Cammy in it](https://mastodon.social/@flwwhtrbt/114645770516580171), so it can never reach that level of amazing to me! * [**Curtis ‘50 Cent’ Jackson** has also been cast for the live-action Street Fighter.](https://www.themoviedb.org/person/62644-50-cent) He will be playing Balrog * **Xbox 360** has seen an update, fixing the game title cards looking ‘stretched’ (they now fit nicely) and adding an advert for the Series X. Interesting that MS remembered the 360 existed, [here’s a picture of the new look if you’re curious.](https://files.catbox.moe/rn2kuk.jpeg) * **Donkey Kong Land** is now officially 30 years old! ----------------------------- # *Sable / Free:*  If you haven’t already claimed it, [Sable was a free title from Epic Games this last week until July 3rd](https://store.epicgames.com/en-US/free-games). It’s a lot of things, but the best part of Sable to me is the art design. Beautiful colors and minimal animations. That and the music being provided by the band [Japanese Breakfast!](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_Breakfast)  While it *does* run into some performance issues in certain sections, I tested it on my Steam Deck and plays great! I’ve mostly been playing it on my desktop PC though, this time on Heroic with EOC enabled to collect achievements (*something I never used to enjoy, but lately have been embracing a lot!*) It’s *such* a beautiful world, and well worth playing through.  The game has no combat, just pure exploration, some (*very mild, and I’m risking it by calling it so*) platforming sections, zero combat. If you’ve claimed it, or perhaps you’ve bought it elsewhere and haven’t got to it yet...please give it a try. It’s such a nice little game. Another little ‘box’ Sable ticks for me is the collecting. I know some people hate searching for little things scattered about gaming landscapes, but Sable does it so nicely. Ugh it’s so pretty. [The launch trailer is here, if you’d like to see some of the gameplay](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fojy_YRseGk&list=RDFojy_YRseGk&start_radio=1) And finally, I found something created by a fan – the LEGO hoverbike is a fan creation, and I thought it was kind nice, so here it is:  ----------------------------- # *NEC PC Engine LT:* Only because I thought this was super interesting, and haven’t ever seen it before! A user by the name of Retroaffaire shared their photos and words on this one: > Released in Japan in Dec 1991 for a hefty ¥99,800, has a great (for the time) built-in flip-up 4″ TFT screen. It’s essentially a fully-featured PC Engine with internal speakers, an AC-only power system, and a traditional controller port, and even a TV tuner. You could hook up the CD-ROM² unit too. Extremely limited production run, estimated between 1,000–5,000 units.  ----------------------------- # The Future of my posts: ----------------------------- *If you’re just here for the news, that’s it for this week!* However for anyone who might be more invested in these week-by-week, I’m just going to be upfront about what’s next. You probably know I’ve had a few health hiccups these last few weeks. I’ve been type 1 diabetic since I was *very* small, and also have a rather more rare affliction called Addison’s Disease (*J.F.K. had this, and it’s why he frequently carried a flask of chicken soup with him!*) Such a long time with the former has left me with newly diagnosed ‘proximal neuropathy’ – which means a small part of my hip feels either numb-to-touch, or like it’s being split with a hot knife. I don’t know, things are just piling on and I’m feeling quite sick each day. Stress makes my Addison’s worse, which in turn makes me physically worse off. So! While it takes me a few minutes to write up a *small* post on my Mastodon acc, here it takes a little longer and even little things are taxing for me lately. I’m just going to warn you all that I’m *maybe* pausing these for now. Maybe a week will go by and I’ll feel 100% and this will all seem pointless to have written, but then again, perhaps not. My next appointment is on the 17th with my specialist, so I’m realistically thinking I might be taking a break at least until then. I do want to say though that I LOVE writing these. I love that Lemmy is a small, condensed and personalized gaming community and I recognize now after a few months so so many of the regular usernames who chime in and comment here. I’m so grateful you’ve all shared that you enjoy these with me. And so lucky that I’ve been encouraged to keep on writing them. Keep your fingers and toes crossed for me that things improve, okay? ~ P.D. ----------------------------- # *Previous Posts:* If you’d like to read my previous Gaming News posts (they’re mounting up in number now!), then you can find them here: * [Steam Deck / Gaming News #2](https://lemmy.world/post/26182097) * [Steam Deck / Gaming News #3](https://lemmy.world/post/26306459) * [Steam Deck / Gaming News #4](https://lemmy.world/post/26483935) * [Steam Deck / Gaming News #5](https://lemmy.world/post/26707576) * [Steam Deck / Gaming News #6](https://lemmy.world/post/27035556) * [Steam Deck / Gaming News #7](https://lemmy.world/post/27435521) * [Steam Deck / Gaming News #8](https://lemmy.world/post/27639264) * [Steam Deck / Gaming News #9](https://lemmy.world/post/27761213) * [Steam Deck / Gaming News #10](https://lemmy.world/post/28239730) * [Steam Deck / Gaming News #11](https://lemmy.world/post/28590388) * [Steam Deck / Gaming News #12](https://lemmy.world/post/28805418) * [Steam Deck / Gaming News #13](https://lemmy.world/post/28889066) * [Steam Deck / Gaming News #14](https://lemmy.world/post/29248253) * [Steam Deck / Gaming News #15](https://lemmy.world/post/29568046) * [Steam Deck / Gaming News #16](https://lemmy.world/post/29826595) * [Steam Deck / Gaming News #17](https://lemmy.world/post/30260407) * [Steam Deck / Gaming News #18](https://lemmy.world/post/30575740) * [Steam Deck / Gaming News #19](https://lemmy.world/post/31344024) * [Steam Deck / Gaming News #20](https://lemmy.world/post/31564422) * [Steam Deck / Gaming News #21](https://lemmy.world/post/31947999) ----------------------------- # *Mastodon:* I *do* tend to post there each and every day, 99.99% gaming nonsense. If you want more of this, then come drop by! 

As ever and always, I’m back with a week’s worth of gaming news I’ve spotted and thought I should share with you all! This week is slightly less than is typical (*1,000-ish words less than my last week’s I can tell you!*) for a few reasons: * I’ve cashed in some of my crypto and bought a cabin. Which makes me sound like an actress in a Stephen King movie * I’ve had some odd health hiccups lately – nerve damage in my hip which means I feel nothing when touching a small patch of skin, but it also feels like it is on fire So I’ve been a little distracted, but I *do* pinkie-swear next week’s will be back to my normal output! *So what are these posts?* My aim for these News Posts in general is to make them a more *clearly not a professional, but someone who cares about gaming* manner than most gaming sites do now. I see *so* many sites, even the independent ones, bombarding with ads, banners and reminders to support them. I get it, I really do, but it’s an unpleasant experience to me. My ever-lasting inspo is the old, old video game sites, blogs and magazines that I never had the privilege of being alive for: * **Image/gif/link heavy** (*though once again this week I have few of these, so this dot-point’s a bit needless*) * **Personal voice** (*I can’t help rambling, send help – this won’t be even slightly professionally written*) * **Mostly news or articles or points** which you won’t find on normal gaming sites. These are the smaller, lesser things that I’m drawn to. I *know* you’ll have spotted the big news articles, so I’m hoping some of these smaller ones might have been missed by you. A mixed bag of what I’ve considered news this week, so there really *is* a bit of everything ahead. ----------------------------- # General Gaming News: ----------------------------- # *A New PS2 Emulator – Iris:*  After 7-8 months of working on it, Lycoder (also goes by Allkern) has released their PS2 emulator called Iris. While games are running with very low/low/unplayable frames at the moment, they want to reassure people that this is constantly in development and improvements are being made regularly. Windows, Linux and MacOS are supported. [The GitHub page is here, if you’d like to read a little more!](https://github.com/allkern/iris) [...and here is the link to the 0.10-alpha build of Iris](https://github.com/allkern/iris/releases/tag/0.10-alpha) > *Funnily enough, it was only very recently that I fixed a DMAC bug that was keeping a lot of games from booting, and now this opens up a ton of potential to further debug and fix other issues, which may lead to even more games to boot. There's still a lot of work to be done, especially in the optimization department. I'm really looking forward to continue working on this project and advancing PlayStation 2 emulation!* It’s lovely to have another player in the scene, particularly with PS2 emulation. And, naturally, here’s some pictures:     ----------------------------- # *System Shock 2: 25th Anniversary Remaster Delay:*  ...sorry, don’t want to make you panic if you’re a PC gamer – no delays on that front, but if you’re a console gamer then it has been delayed for now:  Knowing the publishers, I’d say you’re in good hands without having to wait too long to play it, and I’m *so* excited to play through myself. ----------------------------- # *How to Fix Xbox’s Stupid Update:* I can’t even be bothered taking picture to illustrate this one, but if you’re on Xbox you’ll have seen it. Select a game and then you’re presented with a new screen giving you *another step* before you can select it again to play the game. And half that screen is taken up with their hopeful promotions of DLC and micro-transactions. Shitty. Anyway: Settings / General / Personalization / Games & Apps / Choose whether game huds open automatically from the following places - * Recently played list * Groups * Installed games ----------------------------- # *Grounded 2 Hype:*  With the announcement of Obsidian’s Grounded 2, the numbers of the first game (*Honey, I Shrunk The Kids meets [Arrietty](https://wallpapers.com/images/hd/the-secret-world-of-arrietty-1920-x-1080-wallpaper-rbrq2u54hpe44f3z.jpg)* have exploded, bring a 193.8 boost to current players. The game shot up the Xbox charts from #88 to #23 (overtaking Halo: MCC and Elden Ring) [The game was announced two weeks ago, and the trailer is here for those curious](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q0HQNOtg1WI) The first game on Steam holds a ‘Very Positive’ rating with 66,596 all-time ratings. ----------------------------- # *Lies of P:*  I’m *sure* you’ve read this in at least four other places by now, but it still warms my heart. I couldn’t really make it through Lies of P – the souls-like and even souls-adjacent genre is not my cup of stressful tea. What I *did* love though was the atmosphere and setting, reminding me for no particular reason of [Drood, the novel by Dan Simmons about the last five years of Charles Dickens and how spooky it could get.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drood_(novel)) Anyway, the devs behind Lies of P and Overture (the DLC) got a bonus for their efforts, with the two selling over 3m copies combined. They got a bonus, two weeks vacation and a free Nintendo Switch 2. IDK, a nice rarity in today’s gaming world! ----------------------------- # *Still Wakes The Deep:*  The Chinese Room - Developers behind the BAFTA-winning-game Still Wakes The Deep have laid off some of their team, just after the release of their DLC – Siren’s Rest. > At a glance, around 10 staff with the studio listed as their current employer have the 'looking for work' label on their LinkedIn profiles – though this is not a reliable metric by itself. [A full article telling you not much more than I just wrote is here on GamesIndustryBiz if you’re wanting to find more details on things.](https://www.gamesindustry.biz/still-wakes-the-deep-developer-the-chinese-room-has-seemingly-made-a-small-number-of-layoffs) However, The Chinese Room *will share news on changes for the studio in the coming weeks* so more will come out, I suppose. Sad news for those who worked on the rather amazing game. ----------------------------- # *Subnautica 2 Dev Vlog:*  The latest dev vlog for the game has come out, titles ‘Building Unknown Worlds’ > *Join senior narrative designer Seth Dickinson, level designer Artyom O’Rielly, environment artist James Stout, and senior environment artist (and rock connoisseur) Ben Hale as they walk you through the incredible work that goes into building out the world of Subnautica 2.* [The link to the YouTube video is here, go watch it, its a great glimpse behind what is going on behind the scenes!](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xyG963F4q-8) My fav comment on the video is this one: > I have never been so excited over rocks ----------------------------- # *LEGO Island in Browser:*  As the title says, the game is now available to play in your browser. I’m way too young for this game to have any impact in my life, but I think the older members here might remember it. Released in 1997, it’s certainly got a rabid following.  The link to the site is... now unavailable, the mod checked in in the comments and wanted it changed, so you'll have to do a search yourself for it, sorry! And one more thing, I found the fact the devs created a physical island in actual LEGO when making the game, and this is ancient and adorable:  ----------------------------- # *Auto-Shutdown after game download:* A gamer by the username of Avaneesh13 has created a Python-based application when they saw room for it – shutting their PC down for them after a big game download completed (*rather than having their PC on all night*) This application is called SteamDown, and [the link to the GitHub page is here for you to read through if you’d like.](https://github.com/Avaneesh13/SteamDown) **SteamDown:** * Monitors your Steam download activity in real-time * When downloads go inactive for a set period (you choose how long), it automatically performs an action of your choice * Actions include: shutdown PC, sleep mode, stop Steam, or other custom actions * Completely free and open-source > *I kept starting massive game downloads (looking at you, Call of Duty) before going to bed, only to wake up and find my PC had been running idle for 6 hours after the download finished at 3 AM. Felt wasteful and probably wasn't great for my electricity bill either. Now I just set it to wait 5-10 minutes after downloads stop, then shut down my system automatically. Much better for power savings and peace of mind.* **How it is different from other solutions:** *Generic system monitors that don't understand Steam's download behaviour specifically * Command-line tools that require technical setup and aren't user-friendly * Part of a larger system suite with bloatware I didn't want * Paid solutions for what should be a simple utility **Technical details:** * Written in Python and built it as a standalone .exe (no installation needed) * Works on Windows primarily, though I might explore macOS/Linux support * Planning to add support for other launchers like Epic, GOG, etc. in future updates. * Codebase clean and modular in case anyone wants to contribute or fork it > *The functionality should be working as expected - it reliably monitors Steam and performs the shutdown actions. The UI could use a bit of work though (I'm more of a backend person), so if anyone has suggestions or wants to contribute on the interface side, I'd welcome the help!* Again, the GitHub link is at the start of this section, so take a look if you’re curious! ----------------------------- # *Epic reaches 500:*  When Epic officially started their free games each week, all the way back in 2018, no one anticipated it would go for as long or be filled with the quality titles it has today. Starting with Subnautica (*though unofficially giving away Shadow Complex Remastered before this in an effort to get users to install the launcher*), we’re now up to 502 PC games given away. Now they’re even expanding on this, with mobile phone games given away free each week. This coming week’s giveaway will be Sable (*more on that later!*). [But if you’d like to scroll down the list of *every* game given away by Epic, you can do so with this article which gets updated each week on PCGamer](https://www.pcgamer.com/epic-games-store-free-games-list/) ...though be warned, it might make you sad to see what you’ve missed out on. And what *is* this free games each week on Epic thing I mention? Well, there’s a tiny chance you don’t know: The Epic Games Store gives away free games every week (to keep forever) as part of its strategy to attract new users and keep existing ones engaged. Anyone with a free Epic account can "claim" these games during the giveaway period (usually one week), and once claimed, the games are permanently added to the user’s library—no strings attached. This initiative started in 2018 and is funded by Epic to build its user base. The games are often high-quality indie titles big-budget releases, and you don’t need a subscription—just an account. If you’re a Linux gamer you can use methods such as Heroic Games Launcher or Junk Store to play these games without requiring Epic’s own launcher (Epic’s CEO Tim Sweeney is famously anti-Linux). ----------------------------- # *Warhammer 40,000 DLC:*  Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader, the *incredibly* well regarded cRPG made by Owlcat Games has released their next DLC – Lex Imperialis. ([...the YouTube link for the trailer is here](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dh9lu23PCiA)) > *Lex Imperialis, the second major expansion for Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader, offers a new 15-hour storyline and introduces the Adeptus Arbites — a faction of incorruptible enforcers — alongside a new companion: the grim and relentless Solomorne Anthar. Featuring battle familiars like cybernetic eagles and cyber-mastiffs, this DLC is AVAILABLE NOW to all players.* Rogue Trader holds ‘Very Positive’ ratings on Steam, with 22,120 reviews on Steam. I own the game on GOG, and I enjoyed it far more than I expected to. There’s a lovely gothic/space setting, kinda unsettling, and a deep game behind the Warhammer branding. While releasing this DLC, Owlcat games is also working on two more games (*both ‘coming soon’*): * [Warhammer 40,000: Dark Heresy](https://store.steampowered.com/app/3710600/Warhammer_40000_Dark_Heresy/) > Become an acolyte of the Inquisition in this grim dark, party-based, story-driven cRPG. Lead investigations, uncover grand conspiracies, master tactical combat, and wage a secret war against heresy. Make tough choices as a conduit of the God-Emperor’s will.  * [The Expanse: Osiris Reborn](https://store.steampowered.com/app/3727390/The_Expanse_Osiris_Reborn/) > The Expanse: Osiris Reborn is a third-person Action RPG set in The Expanse universe. You’re no hero — just a merc caught in the wrong place at the wrong time, trying to hold your crew together and keep the ship up and running. Your choices will shape your story.  One thing is for sure with Owlcat (*aside from the initial release of their games tending to need a patch or two!*), they care about their games and support them for the long haul. ----------------------------- # *Crosswind – MORE PIRATES!!!* Since you’re reading this, you’ll *probably* know by now that I cry about the lack of games set in the golden age of piracy. It’s a setting I like to think is popular but just...kinda ignored. AC: IV Black Flag is *still* in my opinion the best-of-the-best, but we’ve got another to add to the collection. Crosswind!  > Crosswind is a survival adventure in the Age of Piracy. Explore procedural open world, gather, build and craft. Overcome challenging bosses in soulslite combat. Sail your ship, fight on land and sea, play solo or with friends. Live your swashbuckling life in PvE or rise to power in optional PvP.  They’re calling it a ‘pirate survival adventure’, and they devs known as Crosswind Crew have released a statement along with the trailer, which is as follows, in their words: Crosswind is our dream pirate game. Heavily inspired by great titles like Valheim or Enshrouded, it also feautres naval combat similar to AC: Black Flag and soulslite bossfights. The upcoming Alpha is a big milestone -- with playtesters live feedback we will be able to thoroughly verify a lot of work and designs. It's not gonna be perfect, but we hope it will move in the right direction, and we are absolutely willing to complete this journey whatever it takes. The Alpha will feature: * Basic survival gameplay (building, crafting, upgrading); * 3 unique biomes scattered across a big archipelago - each with unique resources, enemies and bosses; * 3 playable ships and one NPC merchant (of course to plunder it!); * Land combat, basic naval combat and early version of boarding actions; * Very basic Tortuga social hub. All in all we hope it will provide 30-40 hours of a survival adventure, but of course some parts of the game will be much less polished then others. For those interested in playtesting: we start small, and have very limited server slots for the test, but for those willing to try the game -- the signups are open on Steam page. We will be gradually letting people in starting tomorrow; Steam picks people randomly. There will be other tests in the future, so even if you want to try Crosswind and don't make it in the first wave, you may get luckly later.  [The Crosswind Steam page is here, for you to check it out](https://store.steampowered.com/app/3041230/Crosswind/) [The Crosswind trailer on YouTube is here, via this link](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VLdlhSiaKK8) ----------------------------- # *Jurassic World Evolution 3:*  After some people got (*rightly*) angry at Jurassic World Evolution 3 using A.I. generated assets for scientist portraits, the devs realized they’re being stupid and released a statement: > *Thanks for your feedback on this topic. We have opted to remove the use of generative AI for scientist portraits within Jurassic World Evolution 3.* [...you can read their statement here on the Steam community page](https://steamcommunity.com/app/2958130/discussions/0/599654768975026771/?ctp=16#c599656262950498876) Meh, I’m hardly going to celebrate devs for doing the bare minimum here.  ----------------------------- # *Major Mod - Black Orchestra:*  ...admittedly a game and gigantic mod I’ve never heard of before, but Black Orchestra Worldfront: 37-54 is coming. Made for Rising Storm 2 Vietnam, it adds the Pacific, Western, Mediterranean and Eastern Fronts of World War II to the game. The mod is deemed *feature complete* now, * [Here is the trailer, showing off the upcoming mod contents](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T20ZBi54Ws0) * [This is the link to the modDB page where the full info is](https://www.moddb.com/mods/black-orchestra37-54) * [This is their site](https://www.blackorchestra.net/) ----------------------------- # *GOG Library Price Checker:*  Someone has made a site which checks your GOG games library and gives you an estimate on the value of the total games. Or, it makes you feel awful about seeing a cold number stating you’ve spent *way too much*. It’s wonky, and makes mistakes, and doesn’t seem to register all games. I can also see GPT everywhere in this, which as someone who enjoys writing kinda makes me feel icky. But whatever, if it helps people get an idea across then that’s the better of the A.I. uses these days. I guess all-in-all, it’s still a fun idea in theory. One I should note I have *not* done or checked myself. [Here’s the link to their site](https://gog-account-value-checker.vercel.app/) ***In their own words:*** So I wanted to check how much my GOG games library is actually worth — like how SteamDB does it for Steam users — but turns out… there’s nothing like that for GOG. And if there was anything, it either asked you to log in or paste your cookies... which to me instantly screamed obvious scam 🙃 So I thought: why not just make something myself? Here's what I did: * You just grab a list of your games from GOG (don’t worry, I explain how to do this — since GOG gives no easy export option, had to get creative). * Upload that CSV to my site. * It fetches current prices from GOG, calculates your total value, base prices, and savings. * You get to download the results as a CSV or as a cool little trading card-style badge image. I'm a CS student (cooked ), and this is kinda my first real utility site — so I’d love feedback, suggestions, criticism, anything really. Will try to make a video walkthrough soon for those who need visual instructions. Let me know if anything breaks, or if there's something you'd want to see added. yes It’s hosted on Vercel for now because, well… it’s free and I’m broke The ads are just me playing around with how a “real” implementation might look — not trying to cash out or anything, just testing stuff in the wild. ----------------------------- # *Where is your Q&A?*  You might remember in my last news post I shared I mentioned that I have been chatting to the lead dev of a program which makes piracy on a jailbroken (Custom Firmware or CFW) Nintendo Switch. The program works as a replica to the official Nintndo eShop except...it’s not filled with shit, ironically. And it doesn’t slow to a crawl to search through. Anyway, it’s a piracy portal. I wanted to interview them with the idea of getting a glimpse behind why they do it, how they do it, how they justify doing it. All without sharing the name of this program, or the name of the dev. *Anyway*, they’ve been a little busy, I’ve shared my side with them and am still waiting on their responses before I format it up and add some pictures, generally make it fit to view on Lemmy here. Anyway, it’s coming *soon*, just to let you know! ----------------------------- # *Switch 2 Compatibility Tracker:* Speaking of Switch, someone has made a webpage which tracks Switch 2 compatibility with Switch 1 games: > *[I saw that the lists here](https://www.nintendo.com/us/gaming-systems/switch-2/transfer-guide/compatible-games/) don't update regularly (last updated June 5), and that Nintendo says to check individual eShop pages for updated information. So, I made a webpage that scrapes the eShop for up-to-date information. Check it out! Feedback is welcome! [The GitHub page for the tracker is here](https://github.com/MarcusWilliamson/Switch2CompatTracker) and updates twice daily! ----------------------------- # *Junk Store’s Pricing Revealed:*  The next iteration of Junk Store is close to launching. Promising emulation, more store-fronts and even (planned, not there yet!) cloud saves. Currently Junk Store works as a plugin via Decky Loader on your Steam Deck – install the plugin and from the gaming mode on your Steam Deck you can enjoy Epic Games titles. With a paid extension to *that* (a one-off purchase of $6) you can also enjoy GOG games. The next iteration will be a subscription model, and I’ll share Junk Store’s own words on their announcement below: ***Tldr:*** Junk Store is almost ready. It’s a full rebuild — faster, more stable, no Decky required, and packed with new features. Pricing is USD$40/year with a 7-day free trial, and you keep everything released during your subscription. The open-source version remains available. Early supporters get a discount, and we’re rolling out in waves to keep things sustainable. ***The Longer Version*** We’re close to launching the new version of Junk Store — rebuilt from the ground up after over a year of work. It’s faster, more stable, and adds major features like Amazon support, a download queue, and simplified extension generation (no coding needed). This version is fully standalone — no more Decky required — and is based on everything we learned from the original. We know pricing will be a sticking point for some, so here’s the plan: * $40 (USD) for 12 months of updates * Includes all extension presets (currently GOG, Epic, Amazon — more to come) * You keep everything released during your subscription * Renewal is $40/year * 7-day free trial — cancel anytime (Stripe handles billing) To keep things sustainable, we’ll be rolling out in waves. Hosting and bandwidth aren’t free — and based on the original version’s download volume, opening the gates all at once would sink us. Existing supporters will be onboarded first and get a discount that reflects their earlier contributions. We also want to clear up a few things: * This version does not share code with the open-source one. * The free, open-source version will remain available. * Junk Store does not handle any credentials except its own. We expect a few bumps early on — this is new code, and no software survives first contact with the public. But it’s already been battle-tested internally and testers. *What’s Next?* If all goes well, we’re planning: * Itch.io support (and possibly EA, Ubisoft, Battle.net) * Cloud saves (done right) * Game-specific presets * Better extension creation tools * Full localisation * Community extension sharing * Automated updates [For a more detailed breakdown head [to this link] here](https://www.junkstore.xyz/comingsoon/) Thanks again to everyone who’s supported this journey. We’re almost there. Game on. So, what do you think? Will you be trying Junk Store out? I *think* Gardiner is planning a video showcasing what it does and how it does it, closer to the date if that helps you visualize what it’s capable of! ----------------------------- # Retro Gaming Finds: ----------------------------- I’ve just come across a *few* fun retro gaming-centric things, so while they’re not at all news-worthy in the hard news sense, they’re amazing in every way and I’d be remiss to not add them to their own section here. If you’ve interest in older games (*by my sense because I am so young what is ‘old’ might make you cringe*), so settle back and enjoy these ones: # *Underwater:* Just someone’s custom bathroom efforts, which seems totally appropriate here:  # *PS1 Concept Logos:*  # *PC-88:* The PC88 was an 8-bit computer that was dominant in Japan in the 1980s, and has a bit of a reputation for *very* pixel-y blocky boxy graphics. What comes out beautifully though are the city-scapes in the games. The images will follow, but in order they appear from the following games: * Tien Gow Pia Special (1989) * Can Can Bunny (1989) * Snatcher (1988) * Misty Blue (1990) * Burning Point (1989) * Imitation wa Aisenai (1989) * Can Can Bunny Superior (1990) * Paragon Sexa Doll (1989)         # *Costanza:* Yep, George owned a Virtual Boy. I also think it’s pretty funny that the series has him as the *fat one* and by today’s standards he’s honestly pretty trim. Weird. Sad about our society now, I think. Anyway, Virtual Boy here:  # *Wall Art:* It’s *amazing*, but if you wanna be totally accurate to the time: * DK has a tie on, whereas the original does not * ‘jumpman’ should have red overalls and a blue shirt * Peach is used instead of Pauline  # *Michael Jackson:* Keen eyes may spot that it is GoldenEye in the N64 there, next to his *throne*.  ----------------------------- # That’s that for this week! ----------------------------- Sorry again that it’s been a little smaller than as is typical, I have a lot on my plate right now but I do plan the next to resume my typical way-too-many-words standard I seem to have set for myself! # *Previous Posts:* If you’d like to read my previous Gaming News posts (they’re mounting up in number now!), then you can find them here: * [Steam Deck / Gaming News #2](https://lemmy.world/post/26182097) * [Steam Deck / Gaming News #3](https://lemmy.world/post/26306459) * [Steam Deck / Gaming News #4](https://lemmy.world/post/26483935) * [Steam Deck / Gaming News #5](https://lemmy.world/post/26707576) * [Steam Deck / Gaming News #6](https://lemmy.world/post/27035556) * [Steam Deck / Gaming News #7](https://lemmy.world/post/27435521) * [Steam Deck / Gaming News #8](https://lemmy.world/post/27639264) * [Steam Deck / Gaming News #9](https://lemmy.world/post/27761213) * [Steam Deck / Gaming News #10](https://lemmy.world/post/28239730) * [Steam Deck / Gaming News #11](https://lemmy.world/post/28590388) * [Steam Deck / Gaming News #12](https://lemmy.world/post/28805418) * [Steam Deck / Gaming News #13](https://lemmy.world/post/28889066) * [Steam Deck / Gaming News #14](https://lemmy.world/post/29248253) * [Steam Deck / Gaming News #15](https://lemmy.world/post/29568046) * [Steam Deck / Gaming News #16](https://lemmy.world/post/29826595) * [Steam Deck / Gaming News #17](https://lemmy.world/post/30260407) * [Steam Deck / Gaming News #18](https://lemmy.world/post/30575740) * [Steam Deck / Gaming News #19](https://lemmy.world/post/31344024) * [Steam Deck / Gaming News #20](https://lemmy.world/post/31564422) # *Mastodon:* I *do* tend to post there each and every day, 99.99% gaming nonsense. If you want more of this, then come drop by! 

As ever and always, I’m back with a week’s worth of gaming news I’ve spotted and thought I should share with you all! *And this one is a long one!* This one’s got a bit of everything, and it’s my *twentieth* of these posts! Hard to imagine so many of these have been posted so far, but one thing does remain – writing these makes me super happy to write. So, while we're on the topic, thanks to all of you for even wanting to read along with these when I post them :) *What are these posts?* My aim for these News Posts in general though is to format them in a more *clearly not a professional, but someone who cares about gaming* manner than most gaming sites do now. Less demanding? My ever-lasting inspo is the old, old video game sites, blogs and magazines that I never had the privilege of being alive for: * **image/gif/link heavy** (*every time I make these, at least 4 GIFs end up being too big for Lemmy to upload, and it always makes me sad*) * **personal voice** (I can’t help rambling, send help – this won’t be even slightly professionally written) * **mostly news or articles or points** which you won’t find on normal gaming sites. These are the smaller, lesser things that I’m drawn to. I *know* you’ll have spotted the big news articles, so I’m hoping some of these smaller ones might have been missed by you. A mixed bag of what I’ve considered news this week, so there really *is* a bit of everything ahead. So grab a coffee? Or a tea? Or a fresh juice? And enjoy <3 ----------------------------- # General Gaming News: ----------------------------- # *GEX:*  The Gex trilogy has finally arrived on GOG and Steam. Will it cause a stir? I’d say...not, the games are just poor emulation in a new wrapper. [Check the trailer](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EIjmJuaV8YM) and you’ll see something like polygon stabilization (*‘jumping’ textures*) we see DuckStation do so well (*for ‘free’*) is completely missing. Anyway: > Everyone's favorite tail-whipping, channel-surfing, gecko is back in a collection that features all of his best-selling adventures! Interestingly, they opted to *only* use the U.S. voices for this one. The originals had different voices for different markets (Leslie Phillips in the U.K. and Dana Gould in the ‘States). If you’d prefer something a little lighter, check AVGN’s video on YouTube where he plays the original three games and gives his (angry – it *is* the Angry Video Game Nerd, afterall!) reviews from three months ago. [The link to *that* video is here!](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nH325JnIMZs) Just check this image of this newly released Gex Trilogy, it’s directly from the [Steam page!](https://store.steampowered.com/app/3183970/GEX_Trilogy/) Amazing:  [And of course, here’s the link to the GOG page for the game, too!](https://www.gog.com/game/gex_trilogy) ----------------------------- # *Starfleet Academy:*  Back in 1997 a game was released, Star Trek: Starfleet Academy: the game simulates the life of a typical Starfleet cadet, with the player learning the basics of flying a starship and engaging in role-playing with a crew of cadets, with the eventual goal of becoming captain of their own ship. The game included full motion video featuring William Shatner, Walter Koenig and George Takei reprising their roles from the original television series and movies, and a multiplayer simulation mode allowing for up to 32 players. [It’s still available on GOG (*because, of course it is!*)](https://www.gog.com/en/game/star_trek_starfleet_academy) but I’m sharing something interesting I found. Nick Acosta, a big fan of the game, has remastered the opening to the game. > I’ve reimagined the opening sequence of the 1997 PC game Star Trek: Starfleet Academy, replacing its dated CG effects with recomposited footage from the original ILM model work used in the first six Star Trek films. I also created new matte paintings and redesigned interior backgrounds to better align with the look and feel of Starfleet in 2288.  > I’ve always loved this game and felt it was an underrated addition to the Trek timeline—bridging the events between Star Trek V and VI.  Their work is *incredible* on this one, and seems as official as you could get. Updates include: * Original physical models restored and recomposited * All 3D effects replaced with modern lighting and detail * New matte paintings for interiors and FX sequences * Production design aligned with the 2288 Starfleet aesthetic * Revised title sequence and updated credit order * I used an animated version of an unused Ralph McQuarrie Matte Painting of Starfleet Command from Star Trek IV [Of course, the link to it being shown off on YouTube is here, and *really* - you should click this and have a look. This is the kinda thing I *love* to find, fans caring so much about a fear-forgotten game that they take the time and effort to bring it to life again!](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i48QC08cvOk) > This is a fan preservation and restoration project—a tribute to the timeless quality of ILM’s practical model work and a chance to reimagine this scene using today’s compositing tools. ----------------------------- # *Nexus Mods Sold:* You’ve no doubt read all about that by now, it’s going to be old news but...it’s still *big* news to me. Nexus Mods has been sold: In ‘An Update From DarkOne’, they stated: > After almost 24 years of running Nexus Mods, the time has come for me to step back from the day-to-day management of the site. This isn't a decision I've made lightly - far from it - but one I think is in both my and the community's best interests. > I started this project back in 2001, in my bedroom, with a 56k modem, an excitement for the upcoming release of Morrowind and with no grand ambitions or intentions. I didn’t set out to build a business, I just wanted to make a place where modders could share their work without worrying it would vanish into the internet either the next time a fansite went offline or a publisher decided they were done with it. That idea grew legs, sprouted arms, and turned into Nexus Mods. [Their entire post is here, you should check it out if you’re interested!](https://www.nexusmods.com/news/15301) [Resetera users discovered that both new owners named by Dark0ne](https://www.resetera.com/threads/nexus-mods-site-has-been-sold.1219452/page-2#post-141554013) work for a company called [Chosen](https://wearechosen.io/). It's vague to what extent this is a sale. Dark0ne mentioned the owners have "changed hands", but also mentions "I’ll also be working with the team to help guide the overall direction of the site, just without needing to be the person who signs off on every little thing and without taking responsibility for any and all things Nexus Mods". ----------------------------- # *The Deck Trap:* This one’s...pretty typical of the Steam Deck community, you’ll see it generally fall into two categories: those who leave the Deck stock and just, idk, *use it*, and those who like to tinker. Then there’s this effort, which is tinkering x1000. Snicker-Snack83 has created an all-in-one effort which, in their own words because they went into great detail, is: > This is the DeckTrap, as I'm calling it, and it's a portable dock with a number of cool features.  > It doubles as a kickstand using the dbrand killswitch, with two HDMI ports, Ethernet, and an adapter for use with AR glasses. The battery is 20,000 mAh and all the cables are rated for 65 watts, with an on/off switch to ensure the dock doesn't drain the battery when not in use.  > It's something that anyone can build, but all the parts amount to $257, so making them would be kind of expensive. As someone who travels I find it very useful. It lets me use the XREAL glasses on the go without killing the battery and it doubles as a dock when on the go and you're looking for a way to connect it to the TV.  I’ve seen a ton of pointlessly weird and mean comments over this. What is it with gamers who like to just put someone down for sharing their work? It’s *weird*. This is specific, and they love it. They saw a problem with their own gaming, and solved it! Is it for me? No. But as someone who goes through airport security often with a suitcase full of suspicious looking tech (*I’m a pen-tester who works red ream*), I know how this kinda thing can grow!  I love it!  ----------------------------- # *Next-Gen Minecraft (for consoles):*  Maybe some remember this. In 2017, Mojang announced the "Super Duper Graphics Pack" for Minecraft, promising enhanced visuals (*including shaders*) for Xbox consoles. However, this project was postponed to 2018 and ultimately canceled in 2019 due to ‘technical challenges in achieving consistent performance across devices’. The community felt a little confused why a company like Microsoft, with its infinite wealth, didn’t focus on this idea a little more. Mojang is hardly an indie crew. But, it seems like *some* good things come to those who wait eight years. Now, with this next-gen update, all 3,000 textures will be replaced with PBR materials (color, roughness, emission) optimized for Physically-Based Rendering, aiming to accurately simulate the physical behavior of the light source and materials to achieve realism. PBR materials are a very important step if you want to add ray tracing or even path tracing. Until now, Minecraft used only simple color textures, so renderers like the famous Nvidia Minecraft RTX didn’t work with the standard game. The next-gen Minecraft renderer will be released on June 17, 2025, and will be enabled by default on Xbox Series X. [This is the 5-ish minute video they shared on YouTube, detailing a *lot* and showing what the update has done. Well and truly an interesting watch, even for me who is not a fan of Minecraft!](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NTOLOErWN4w) ----------------------------- # *The Thing:* ...or maybe, the thing about John Carpenter is that he is a gamer. He frequently shares his thoughts on games, what he enjoys, what provides a good atmosphere. I found that long ago in 2024 he enjoyed Prince of Persia’s The Lost Crown (*I did too! I was sad to see the team didn’t get a chance to expand and refine with a sequel*), and tweeted this one:  That’s all, IDK, [I just though it was neat!](https://c.tenor.com/eHIRFWRKeQoAAAAC/tenor.gif) ----------------------------- # *Switch 2 + Staples:*  Did everyone see the drama that happened when the Switch 2 was released? GameStop stapled receipts on the Switch 2 box which damaged screens on launch day upsetting customers. Everyone blames GameStop (yeah, that’s valid), but I’d say *some* blame lies with Nintendo for having no buffer zone between the cardboard box’s lid and the console itself. It’s literally thin cardboard / soft cover / console screen. [Here’s an artcile (short one) on The Verge detailing that issue.](https://www.theverge.com/news/680966/nintendo-switch-2-gamestop-screens-staples) Anyway, GameStop have leaned into their own issues and have made a pretty funny ad about it. Here you go:  ----------------------------- # *Coincidence:* VERY briefly, also spotted a user sharing this and it made me laugh:  ----------------------------- # *Clair Obscur: Expedition 33’s Improvements:*  The developer of the *insanely* popular Expedition 33 have stated that they’re working on various bits and pieces: > Bonjour! We're currently exploring a wide range of future improvements — from accessibility features to new content and all sorts of bits and bobs we're actively assessing. Naturally, this also includes expanded localisation options! > While we don't have specific timelines or confirmed languages to share just yet, we wanted to let you know that it's very much on our radar. Wheee! [Their statement which I’ve copied is here, on Bsky](https://bsky.app/profile/expedition33.bsky.social/post/3lrpzry3pnk2f) ----------------------------- # *EmuReady is Ready:*  This one is for those who love the SBC gaming handhelds, but there *is* plans for this to end up on Decky Loader, for the Steam Deck. The release post is so detailed and nice that I’m not even going to bother annoying you with my own words, I’ll just (painstakingly) format it so it looks pretty here on Lemmy. I’ll make a couple of changes (remove some words and embed the links), but nothing changes anything here: https://emuready.com/ is a platform designed to help users share and find emulator compatibility reports more effectively. After a lot of feedback, 1000 commits later, EmuReady is now live for everyone to use! [By the way, it's open source, so if you want to contribute, check out the GitHub repo.](https://github.com/Producdevity/EmuReady) (*leaving a star on the repo means a lot to me and helps others find it!*) **Features:** * Share emulator settings to get your game running * Upvote and downvote reports to help others find the best settings * Search for games and emulators to see compatibility reports/listings * Configurable your profile with devices and socs you use to only see relevant reports * Performance ratings - See if a game runs "Perfect" or "Potato Quality" before you waste 3 hours tinkering * Custom fields for every emulator - Because some emulators have 47 different graphics settings and we're not animals * Device/SoC/Emulator/Console filtering * Dark/Light mode  **Coming soon:** * Trust system (probably shipping tomorrow) - Build reputation by contributing quality reports and get access to approve others' reports, add devices, and more (so this platform isn't held back by how much time I have to spend on it) * [The EmuReady Mobile app]( https://github.com/Producdevity/EmuReadyApp) (*very early stages*) * A Decky plugin for the Steam Deck  **Maybe Coming:** * Automated settings export/import (I am experimenting with this for the emulators that support a config file, but it is not a priority right now) **Never Coming:** * Ads.  [If your device isn't included yet, please send a message in the discord server or create a GitHub ticket and I'll add it :)](https://discord.gg/YyWueNxmzM) ----------------------------- * Most Played at Next Fest:*  June’s Next Fest is, as we all know is a week‑long digital showcase on Steam—held three times a year (usually February, June, and October), where players can download and play hundreds or thousands of free demos of upcoming PC games, watch developer livestreams, and add their favorites to wishlists . Next Fest exists to give developers early feedback and build hype, while giving gamers a no-cost chance to explore and discover new titles before they launch, like the age of gaming long before my time, when demos were typical! Anyway, Steam shared a post giving the top 50 most played demos! * [Vindictus: Defying Fate (action RPG / souls-like)[https://store.steampowered.com/app/3576170] > Experience intense action brought to life with diverse, unique characters. Read your enemy’s attacks and strike back for maximum impact in Vindictus: Defying Fate. Immerse yourself in signature combat and a gripping narrative.  * [Wildgate (multiplayer space/adventure)](https://store.steampowered.com/app/3504780/Wildgate/) > Wildgate is a PVP multiplayer shooter that blends tactical ship-to-ship combat with fast-paced first-person action. Evade deadly environmental hazards, search for powerful weapons and ship upgrades, and be the first crew to escape with the Artifact... or the last crew left flying. * [Jump Ship (co-op space PVE)](https://store.steampowered.com/app/2841820/Jump_Ship_Demo/) > Jump Ship is a mission based co-op PvE for up to 4 players, where you are the crew of a spaceship. Transition seamlessly from crewing the ship to on-foot exploration and space walks. Engage in intense battles both on the ground and in space, and always keep your ship upgraded and intact. * [Mimesis (online co-op / horror / action)](https://store.steampowered.com/app/2827200/MIMESIS/) > 4 Player co-op survival horror game. When the cursed rain falls, 'Mimesis' appear, perfectly imitating your teammates, bringing a new level of tension you've never experienced before. * [Dead as Disco (single-player / action / rhythm / beat ‘em up)](https://store.steampowered.com/app/3763830/Dead_as_Disco_Demo/) > Martial arts meets music video in Dead as Disco, a neon-drenched Beat ‘Em Up where every punch, kick, and combo syncs to the music. Join Charlie Disco on a quest to confront the villainous Idols and reunite the band.  ...figured I’d add the top 5 here for the heck of it (*yes, it **is** an excuse to share some GIFs*), but [check this link out as it has the whole top 50 covered.](https://store.steampowered.com/sale/nextfestmostplayed) ----------------------------- # *The Loss of Pak-Sen Lim:*  Malaysian-born British actor Pik-Sen Lim died on Monday, June 9 at the age of 80. Lim had an extensive career in British theater, film, and television. PC Gamer readers will recognize her as the narrator of Dark Souls and Dark Souls 3's opening cutscenes. [The opening cinematic to Dark Souls III is here, if you’d like to view it](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_zDZYrIUgKE&t=2s) [Her imdb page link is here, if you'd like to see her career](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0510586/) ----------------------------- # *Farthest Frontier Delay:*  Farthest Frontier has pushed back their long-anticipated 1.0 launch until October 2025. They stated that they need time for polish, bug fixes, optimization and [posted an updated Road to V1.0 (which you can read here with this link)](https://forums.crateentertainment.com/t/the-state-of-early-access-update-08/146024) Farthest Frontier, from their own game page: > Protect and guide your people as you forge a town from untamed wilderness at the edge of the known world. Harvest raw materials, hunt, fish and farm to survive. Produce crafted items to trade, consume, equip and fight with as you battle for your survival against the elements and outside threats. It currently holds a Very Positive rating on Steam, with 18,769 reviews (*all time*) ----------------------------- # *3DS at Bob Dylan:*  Just another funny quick one, saw this shared about – someone spotted taking a photo at a Bob Dylan concert with their 3DS. Not only that, but taking it a step further and using the circle pad pro attachment! ----------------------------- # *Epic Games Delisting:* Epic has removed Dark and Darker from sale on the Epic Games Store, thankfully if you *have* purchased the game you will be issued a full refund. Dark and Darker: > An unforgiving hardcore fantasy FPS dungeon PvPvE adventure. Band together with your friends and use your courage, wits, and cunning to uncover mythical treasures, defeat gruesome monsters, while staying one step ahead of the other devious treasure-hunters. It currently holds Mixed (all time reviews) and Mostly Negative (recent reviews) on Steam, so...maybe you’re not missing out on much. Here’s the statement Epic made:  ----------------------------- # *Epic’s Languages:* Epic has also added additional language support to their launcher, but *not* their website (yet). The languages added are: * Bulgarian "bg" *Czech "cs" * Danish "da" * Dutch "nl" * Filipino "fil" * Finish "fi" * Hindi "hi" * Hungarian "hu" * Indonesian "id" * Malay "ms" * Norwegian "no" * Portuguese (Portugal) "pt" * Romanian "ro" * Swedish "sv" * Ukrainian "uk" [This information is from the developer documentation which you can read with this link on Epic’s site.](https://dev.epicgames.com/docs/epic-games-store/store-presence/localize/supported-languages?sessionInvalidated=true) ----------------------------- # *Animal Crossing / Gamecube / Decompiled!*  Another monumental fan effort has been achieved. The team behind the Animal Crossing decompilation have reached 100% progress on recreating the game's code. This isn't a full 100%, as noted by project creator Cuyler, who states that there's still work left to do, but it means Animal Crossing for the GameCube can be modded fully, and soon ported to other platforms, once released. Additionally, the same team has been working on backporting and translating content from the Japanese-exclusive Dobutsu no Mori e+ into a project called Animal Crossing Deluxe. > It's my pleasure to announce that as of <t:1750082820:R>, Animal Crossing's [decompilation](https://github.com/ACreTeam/ac-decomp) hit 100% matching and linked game code. While not fully 100%, the way the game is set up means that we can fully mod the game. There's still some work to do on supporting libraries like the GameCube SDK, among others. However, this does not impact modding. **HUGE** shoutout to everyone who contributed and supported the project along the way! This has been 2.5 years in the making! I'll have a more fitting announcement when we hit complete 100% in the future! ----------------------------- # *GameSieve Updated:*  GameSieve is, in the developer’s own words: > Full-text search for the entire GOG game catalog, with advanced filters and price-tracking for 12 currencies. I've tried to optimize for information-density without reducing usability. I also put a lot of effort into correcting and enriching the data from GOG's API. Lots more of all of that to come. They’ve made a lengthy post for what’s next, and what’s been happening with their site, and I’m just going to copy it (*almost*) verbatim – I love this site, and use it all the time, and I definitely recommend you visit and bookmark if you’re a regular GOG user! *Anyway, in their own words:* Nearly two months ago, I launched [GameSieve](https://gamesieve.com/), my independent price tracker, game discovery service and improved search engine for GOG. In the weeks since then, I've been building some frequently requested quality of life features and new abilities. Highlights include: * The ability to remember preferred defaults. This could be just the country for which you want to see prices listed, but it becomes particularly useful if there are genres or developers which you never want to see (cough whale rock cough). Just exclude them all, and then click the "remember" button underneath the applied filters. * Sorting by price, discount, release date (original or on GOG) or title (added to the existing default of sorting by price improvement). * Showing included products and goodies. * Filtering for GOG's new [bundles with dynamic pricing.](https://gamesieve.com/grouped_product-dynamic-pricing) * Filtering [GOG’s new modded games.](https://gamesieve.com/grouped_product-modded-game) * Filtering [by age rating.](https://gamesieve.com/#age_rating_pegi) * I've recently created [a GameSieve sub-reddit](https://old.reddit.com/r/GameSieve) for those interested in following the details of ongoing development. See [the changelog](https://www.old.reddit.com/r/gamesieve/comments/1l323by/changelog/) for the full details of everything that's new. The big thing I'm aiming for (which based on initial exploration looks feasible, but will still take a long time to implement correctly, and might still prove to be too complex) is the ability to create various types of lists and then filter by them. I'm quite ambitious there, hoping to eventually allow for wishlists (imported from gog, optionally managed (with priorities) on gamesieve), owned games (on gog or elsewhere), lists of games you never want to see and maybe public "gog mixes". I'm actively asking for feature requests, both in general, and for such lists. (It really helps me to have a thorough understanding of a wide range of desires and usecases - what are you trying to do, what information do you need to see for that to work? The more details the better!) Feel free to drop them here, or [on the roadmap](https://www.reddit.com/r/gamesieve/comments/1l325xo/roadmap_and_feature_requests/) I make no promises about what I'll implement, but almost all of what I've added since launch was caused by someone asking for it, or at least voicing a desire which made me realize (how) I could implement a related feature. *And that’s that one!* ----------------------------- # *Kernelbay:*  I spotted this game and *had* to share it, because of how unique it looks and feels to me. There’s (apparently, thought it *has* to be small and niche) a small but growing trend of games running as overlays on the desktop instead of full-screen apps. These games float above the desktop, partially transparent, blending into the background while you work. They act more like ambient experiences...always there, but never demanding attention. This developer is creating Kernelbay, a cozy idle fishing game built around this idea.  It runs as a transparent window, with your fisher upgrading gear and exploring tiny handcrafted dioramas while you go about your day.  [Their Steam page is here, wishlist it I guess if you’re interested!](https://store.steampowered.com/app/3686480/Kernelbay/)  (*I did try attach two GIFs here, to show it in action - but both being around 19mb was too much for Lemmy to be able to upload, sad*) ----------------------------- # *Borderlands 4 DRM:*  Borderlands is shipping with Denuvo DRM (yuck), but they’re also applying Symbiote (2K’s custom DRM) – so I suppose we can see why their recommended specs for playing Borderlands 4 are on the higher side. So, UE5’s often-poor performance + *two* DRM’s running in the background + higher rec’s for specs? Hmmmmmmmm. ----------------------------- # *RetroAssembly:*  There’s a new web-based ‘retro game cabinet’ concept which as launched. Arianrhodsandlot shared a quick post on RetroAssembly, which is just getting started. Again, in the dev’s own words: Hi! I’m excited to share RetroAssembly, a web-based retro game collection cabinet. It lets you play and organize games from classic consoles—right in your browser. No installs, just upload your ROMs and play! **Price:** $0 – RetroAssembly is completely free and open-source. I originally built this for my own use, and now I’m excited to share it with the community. **Getting Started:** * Visit retroassembly.com * (Optional) Try the demo games * Login to upload your own ROMs and play instantly in your browser—no extra software needed! **Key Features:** * Supports NES, SNES, Genesis, GameBoy, Arcade, and more * Auto-detects and displays beautiful box art for your games * Save and sync your progress, resume anytime * Some emulators support gameplay rewind * Navigate your library with keyboard or gamepad (spatial navigation) * Retro-style visual shaders for that authentic vibe * On-screen virtual controller for mobile play [Here’s a link to their GitHub](https://github.com/arianrhodsandlot/retroassembly) [Here’s a link to their Discord](https://discord.com/invite/gwaKRAYG6t) ...and if you *do* try it out, let me know what you think! I’d be curious (haven’t the time myself at the moment!) how it runs and looks! ----------------------------- # *FBC: Firebreak Launches:* Remedy’s new multiplayer game, FBC: Firebreak has launched everywhere (*for free, if you have Game Pass!*) and reviews are rolling in. FBC is a three-player cooperative first-person shooter set within ‘*a mysterious federal agency under assault by otherworldly forces*’. If you’ve played Remedy’s brilliant game Control then you’ll have an idea of the setting, it’s that game’s universe this one’s set in. Currently the game is sitting on ‘Mixed’ reviews on Steam, with under 1,000 being submitted. [PC Gamer has given it 60/100](https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fps/fbc-firebreak-review/) (which some take to mean a terrible, terrible, scathing review but to *me*, idk, 60/100 seems like a fun time?) I suspect Remedy might have seen this title as a passive income – skins and micro-transactions are the bread and butter of the gaming industry these days, but...we’ll see if FBC stays the course and sticks around I suppose. ----------------------------- # *Marathon Delayed:*  Looks like Bungie and Sony have delayed the rather universally hated Marathon 'reboot' (hard term to use, since it has nothing to do with their classic, old, single-player titles of that name) It is now *delayed indefinitely*. Terrible reviews of their closed Alpha tests, a shitty account by an artist where Marathon displayed stolen art assets, it's not hard to see why this has been delayed. > “Through every comment and real-time conversation on social media and Discord, your voice has been strong and clear. We've taken this to heart, and we know we need more time to craft Marathon into the game that truly reflects your passion. After much discussion within our Dev team, we’ve made the decision to delay the September 23rd release.” ----------------------------- # *My Interview:*  My friend Gardiner Bryant asked me if I’d like to post the occasional thing to his website. For now, some of the interviews I do with developers (typically Steam Deck / Linux / gaming) are going to start popping up on there and...that’s kinda exciting! To start with I’ve shared an interview you’ll *only* read there, with another friend of mine, Eben Bruyns who created Junk Store. He and I did that early last year (*-ish, my memory of exactly when is hazy!*), and roughly covers things like: * What Junk Store is * Development motivation * How the project evolved * What its like to develop a program for Linux * Challenges he faces, UI/UX ...and so on. I’d love it if you’d read through, it’s 15 or 20 mins worth of back-and-forth between he and I! [Of course, the link to it is here!](https://gardinerbryant.com/an-interview-with-the-dev-behind-junk-store/) ----------------------------- # *My next interview:* I’ve approached a developer of a program for the Nintendo Switch. I understand this one might be a sensitive topic for some, but stick with me for the moment. They run a *very* successful app, a program which replicates the look and feel of an official Nintendo program, but allows users to download and install games and DLC to their jailbroken Nintendo Switch for free. And they are 100% a pirate. The level which they’re operating is, at the peak, around 1 petabyte of data per month, so this one’s no small fry. I wanted to ask them about their motivations, their reasons for creating and maintaining such an idea, their experiences with being devs and gamers, how (or *if) they justify what is stealing, whether it is an ideal which motivates them or the money, and the threat of Nintendo’s lawyers. This isn’t condoning the project (the opposite, I won’t share the name of it, nor that of the developer), it’s something as far as I can tell hasn’t been done before. I can see *why* it hasn’t, but to me this is the interesting thing – a peek behind a curtain of a shadowy service. I wanted to know the *how* and the *why*, so I asked! This won’t be posted for a few days, and will only be shared on the c/games Lemmy community (since it is outside the scope of others I post to!) ----------------------------- # *Prime Gaming’s Bonus:*  With Amazon’s Prime Day, they’ve released a bonus pack of games out of the blue as a giveaway. If you’re unaware (*and are one of the three here on Lemmy who don’t pick up a pitchfork whenever I share anything about Prime Gaming*), Prime Gaming is a bonus for your Amazon Prime subscription. Each week they give a handful of game codes away for you to keep forever. GOG, Epic Games and Amazon titles are yours to keep. I’ll be crucified for saying it here, but to me its the best deal in gaming at the moment, purely because of the GOG games you get. **This bonus day of games includes:** * Tomb Raider I-II-III Remastered (GOG) Play the original three Tomb Raider Adventures: For the first time ever, play the complete experience with all expansions and secret levels on modern platforms in this definitive collection. Prime members and Luna+ subscribers who claim Tomb Raider I-III Remastered Starring Lara Croft can link their Luna and GOG accounts to play via Luna in supported countries. * Saints Row 2 (GOG) Saints Row 2 brings true freedom to open-world gaming. Players can play as who they want, how they want, and with whomever they want in this sequel to the much acclaimed and tremendously successful Saints Row. Prime members and Luna+ subscribers who claim Saints Row 2 can link their Luna and GOG accounts to play via Luna in supported countries. * TOEM (GOG) Set off on a delightful expedition and use your photographic eye to uncover the mysteries of the magical TOEM in this hand-drawn adventure game. Chat with quirky characters, solve their problems by snapping neat photos, and make your way through a relaxing landscape! Prime members and Luna+ subscribers who claim TOEM can link their Luna and GOG accounts to play via Luna in supported countries. * Star Wars Rebellion (GOG) It is a time of great upheaval. The first Death Star has been destroyed, marking a major victory for the Rebellion. But the Empire remains strong. As commander, you must choose to take control of either the Rebel Alliance or the Galactic Empire. Your goal: complete domination of the galaxy. * Saints Row IV: Re-Elected (GOG) After a catastrophic alien invasion of Earth, the Saints have been transported to a bizarro-Steelport simulation. With homies new and old, and an arsenal of superpowers and strange weapons, they must fight to free humanity from alien overlord Zinyak and his alien empire, saving the world in the wildest open world game ever. * Dungeon of the ENDLESS – Definitive Edition (Amazon Games) Dungeon of the Endless is Amplitude Studios’ take on the demanding Roguelike genre, mixing in Dungeon-Defense mechanics for a unique gameplay experience. Of them all, I’m actually going to say TOEM is my fav (*and I am a HUGE Lara Croft fan!*) It’s a perfect game for the Steam Deck, cozy and interesting and hand-drawn, too. I love this game *so* much, you’ll have such a nice time playing through, I can’t recommend it enough ----------------------------- # *Xbox’s Next Console:* Xbox has released a...idk what to even call this, a ‘hype’ trailer? A promise of what is next? Xbox is patnering with AMD for their next generation system (Xbox console, handhelds, phone gaming, streaming, PC and so on). > We’ve established a strategic, multi-year agreement with AMD to co-engineer silicon across a portfolio of devices, including our next-generation Xbox consoles. Together, we’re delivering deeper visual quality, immersive gameplay, and AI-powered experiences - grounded in a platform designed for players, not tied to a single store or device, and fully compatible with your existing Xbox game library. But what has most talking is the (seemingly throwaway) line in their statement: > Not locked to a single store Is this the much talked about Steam integration? I’d doubt it (what manufacturer will let you use their service to give money to another platform?!), but...I do hope I am wrong! [Anyway, here’s the link to the video they uploaded onto YouTube: Xbox + AMD: Powering the Next Generation of Xbox](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VOCtRanwXrA) ----------------------------- # *GoldenEye 64 DD44 3D Print:* Just something fun, I noticed a user by the name of Arniel86 made a great 3D print of one of the weapons from the old Nintendo 64 game: > Was an interesting design to work with, looks nothing like the TT-33 its supposedly based off. But I chose to keep it looking as in game as possible.  [The link to their MakerWorld page where the files are free is here, if you’d like to see more or start your own print!](https://makerworld.com/en/models/1525866-goldeneye-007-64-dostevei-dd44-prop-replica#profileId-1599518) ----------------------------- # *Hades II Update:*  Hades II which is still in Early Access (but which plays like a damned fully finished game, albeit one without a proper ending so far) has released another big update. Titles Spread Fear in The Unseen: > Our third Major Update for Hades II is finally here, focused on expanding core combat, Guardian encounters, and character relationships, with lots of new visual flair! Their change-log and notes are extensive, so you’d be better checking them out on Steam with their announcement: [Which is through this link here!](https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1145350/view/512959549469100056) [And here is the update trailer on YouTube!](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Gv0eQjJ-gY) ----------------------------- # That’s Enough! ----------------------------- I think I’ve ranted enough here by now. I *still* have more interesting bits and pieces I’ve come across, but I’m told quite often how my posts take a looooong time to get through, and if I keep it up then it’ll never end! **What have you been playing?** One thing I *can’t* leave out, is asking what you’re all playing right now! I’d love to know what (if anything!) you’re enjoying! I’ve actually started God of War. Somehow I never really gave it much time, giving up before that opening tree sequence each time, but out of the blue I stuck with it and I’m having a great time. I’m playing that on my desktop PC (for the highest possible fancy settings) and have been enjoying a few of the WipEout games emulated via [RetroDECK](https://retrodeck.net/) But what about you? AAA? AAAA? AA? (this is getting odd), indie? Emulated? Tellll meeee!!! # *Previous Posts:* If you’d like to read my previous Gaming News posts (they’re mounting up in number now!), then you can find them here: * [Steam Deck / Gaming News #2](https://lemmy.world/post/26182097) * [Steam Deck / Gaming News #3](https://lemmy.world/post/26306459) * [Steam Deck / Gaming News #4](https://lemmy.world/post/26483935) * [Steam Deck / Gaming News #5](https://lemmy.world/post/26707576) * [Steam Deck / Gaming News #6](https://lemmy.world/post/27035556) * [Steam Deck / Gaming News #7](https://lemmy.world/post/27435521) * [Steam Deck / Gaming News #8](https://lemmy.world/post/27639264) * [Steam Deck / Gaming News #9](https://lemmy.world/post/27761213) * [Steam Deck / Gaming News #10](https://lemmy.world/post/28239730) * [Steam Deck / Gaming News #11](https://lemmy.world/post/28590388) * [Steam Deck / Gaming News #12](https://lemmy.world/post/28805418) * [Steam Deck / Gaming News #13](https://lemmy.world/post/28889066) * [Steam Deck / Gaming News #14](https://lemmy.world/post/29248253) * [Steam Deck / Gaming News #15](https://lemmy.world/post/29568046) * [Steam Deck / Gaming News #16](https://lemmy.world/post/29826595) * [Steam Deck / Gaming News #17](https://lemmy.world/post/30260407) * [Steam Deck / Gaming News #18](https://lemmy.world/post/30575740) * [Steam Deck / Gaming News #19](https://lemmy.world/post/31344024) # Mastodon: I *do* tend to post there each day, 99.99% gaming nonsense. If you want more of this, then come drop by! 

Thought this might be worth a share here. The developer of Junk Store (letting you play Epic Games and GOG titles on your Steam Deck) did a podcast with G. Bryant which he's shared on YouTube. They cover things like: * What is JunkStore? * What inspired JunkStore * What sets JunkStore apart from Heroic/Lutris? * Original vision for JunkStore * Goals for v2 of JunkStore * What are your next goals for JunkStore? * Recounting the JunkStore/Steam Store thing * The NSL drama from Eben's perspective * Eben's interesting living situation * What everyone needs to know about JunkStore * Conclusion [Here is the link to the interview on YouTube, which runs at 20:38](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRVFqHGkqio) But there is also a longer, uncut interview which runs longer on Gardiner's blog for his suppporters: > *In this nearly 50-minute interview, Eben Bruyns and I discuss the history and future of JunkStore, plus we chat about his interesting living situation, our favorite video games, his perspective on the Non-Steam Launchers drama from a few months ago, and how Steam accepted (then rejected) JunkStore on Steam.* [The link to that longer version, again for his paying members, is here](https://gardinerbryant.com/full-interview-with-junkstore-creator-eben-bruyns/)

Well it’s been a little longer than it typically is for me covering recent gaming news I’ve spotted, and that’s entirely my fault! *I am sorry!* But, hopefully you’re still in the mood to read through some bits and pieces I’ve spotted recently! *What are these posts?* My aim for these News Posts in general though is to format them in a more *clearly not a professional, but someone who cares about gaming* manner than most gaming sites do now. Less demanding? My ever-lasting inspo is the old, old video game sites, blogs and magazines that I never had the privilege of being alive for: * **Image/gif/link heavy** (*every time I make these, at least 4 GIFs end up being too big for Lemmy to upload, and it always makes me sad*) * **Personal voice** (I can’t help rambling, send help – this won’t be even slightly professionally written) * **Mostly news or articles or points** which you won’t find on normal gaming sites. These are the smaller, lesser things that I’m drawn to. I *know* you’ll have spotted the big news articles, so I’m hoping some of these smaller ones might have been missed by you. A mixed bag of what I’ve considered news this week, so there really *is* a bit of everything ahead. So grab a coffee? Or a tea? Or a fresh juice? And enjoy <3 -------------------------------------------- # GOG News:  -------------------------------------------- # *One-click Mods:*  I know some of you have seen this by now, but its still important to highlight. GOG has brought in a simple mod program to their site, which is...quite unlike what is available elsewhere. While you’re still free to mod your GOG games as you typically do, this method takes *one* major mod (which itself might be made of a few separate elements) and applies it to the game required. If you’d like to play that modded game, you download it (with one click!) and play! You install selected mods with…well, just one click. No manual setup, no digging into folders, you just hit install and go. > The first batch includes some all-time community favorites: * [‘Horn of the Abyss’ for Heroes of Might and Magic III](https://www.gog.com/game/heroes_of_might_and_magic_iii_horn_of_the_abyss) * [‘Phobos’ for DOOM 3](https://www.gog.com/en/game/doom_3_phobos) * [‘Unofficial Patch’ for Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines](https://www.gog.com/en/game/vampire_the_masquerade_bloodlines_unofficial_patch) * [Fallout: London – One-click Edition](https://www.gog.com/game/fallout_london_oneclick_edition) * [‘Enderal: Forgotten Stories for The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition](https://www.gog.com/en/game/enderal_forgotten_stories) * [...and coming soon – The Elder Scrolls Skyblivion for The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition](https://www.gog.com/en/game/the_elder_scrolls_skyblivion) So, you’ll need the base game in your library, but if you own it, then you’ll be able to download and install this pre-modded version of the game and just...skip the mod headaches! *Everything* runs smoothly right out of the box. These mods aren’t just fan content, they’re part of how games survive. Some restore cut content, others add entire campaigns, new factions, or modern fixes that never made it into official releases. GOG is treating them like the preservation work they are, and they hope this makes it easier for more people to enjoy what the modding community has built over the years. * [GOG themselves made an official announcement on YouTube you can watch here, where they cover it](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pTn4IaYakFc) * [And the link to the available (so far) mods is here, too, if you want to read about each one](https://www.gog.com/mods) * [Here is a link to the GOG forum discussion on the new one-click mods!](https://www.gog.com/forum/general/experience_your_favorite_classics_on_the_next_level_with_gog_oneclick_mods_skyblivion_coming_soon_b0c02/page1) -------------------------------------------- # *Some GOG Game Updates:* As always, I try to bring some attention to some games which have had updates (or releases) recently, because...well if you’re a GOG user you’ll certainly know, sometimes keeping games up-to-date can be difficult, or pass you by. Mostly though, this is probably just going to be an excuse for me to add some GIFs and talk about a handful of games I love? * [Trudograd](https://www.gog.com/en/game/atom_rpg_trudograd)  Trudograd is an interesting one. This is a kinda ‘expansion’ on the base game (*though that base game is not required to play Trudograd*) Atom RPG, and is a great take on Fallout 2. Those turn-based post-apocalyptic cRPGs you love? This one is a fantastic example of them. Trudograd was released in 2021, and somehow still having fixes and lil updates. If you love the original two Fallout games, then this might be one you enjoy * [Arctico](https://www.gog.com/game/arctico) (-80% off currently on GOG)  Arctico is as independent as you can get, but the dev is *so* dedicated to the game, which is lovely to see. It’s sitting at ‘Mostly Positive’ (1,913 reviews at time of typing) on Steam, so it *is* a niche game.  > Explore Arctico with your dog sled, kayak, and parachute! Build and customize your base camp, gather resources and samples, set up labs, and take good care of your dogs in this peaceful island. This latest update is from June 5th, and was the ‘major base building update’. I’d recommend this one, if you want a cute, cozy and kinda relaxing off-kilter game, you can get it on GOG or Steam, and IDK, makes me feel nice to have supported a little venture into game dev! * [Captain Blood](https://www.gog.com/game/captain_blood)  This is a odd game, it was abandoned back in the 360/PS3 era (15 years ago now) and left for dead: > The story of Captain Blood begins in 2003, when Akella, the publisher behind the original three Postal games (including the now-infamous Postal 3) announced it was going to make a pirate game based on the work of novelist Rafael Sabatini. After an initial reveal at E3 2004, production on the game was restarted. Playlogic, which you may remember for cult horror hit Obscure 2, signed on as publisher. But in 2006, progress on Captain Blood again came to a halt and development of the game was restarted a second time. The first trailer arrived in 2008. A website went live in 2010. And after that, silence. But, somehow the game was reassembled and relaunched and is now available for everyone to play. Is it worth it? I think it needs a few more patches, but I am a *total sucker* for pirate games (*seriously, we have so few in gaming!*). It’s very of-the-time, very ‘2006ish’ and rather clunky, but I’m a fan of the novel (which is really only a name-sake for this project), and I’m glad its getting updates and patches! * [Crow Country](https://www.gog.com/game/crow_country)  I know, I know, I’ve shouted at you all before to play this but...you *really* should play it! If you’ve any nostalgia (you’re old) or curiosity (me!) for the ‘survival horror games’ from the PlayStation 1 era like Resident Evil, Silent Hill, Dino Crisis etc...this one should be one for you! > The year is 1990. It’s been two years since the mysterious disappearance of Edward Crow and the abrupt closure of his theme park, Crow Country. But your arrival has broken the silence, Mara Forest. If you want answers, you’ll have to venture deep into the darkness of Crow Country to find them…  It’s sitting at ‘Overwhelmingly Positive’ on Steam right now, out of 5,038 reviews, and...since I’m writing about it here in my ‘recently updated on GOG’ section – you’ll no doubt see that it has been updated! Puzzles, tricks, riddles, an abandoned theme park, some horror – and even an ‘exploration mode’ for those (*like me*) who aren’t actually super-duper great with horror scares! * [Timberborn](https://www.gog.com/game/timberborn)  Want to help beavers create a giant metropolis? If you’re into Sim City-ish games, then this one will tick that box for you: > Humans are long gone. In a world struck by droughts and toxic waste, will your lumberpunk beavers do any better? A city-building game featuring ingenious animals, vertical architecture, water physics, and terraforming. Contains high amounts of wood.  ‘Overwhelmingly Positive’ on Steam, with 29,667 reviews, this is one of the coziest ‘just ten minutes more’ games I’ve played, and the water physics in it are *incredible* - barely any bugs, and obviously updates and support are super consistent. One thing to note though is that this game *is* in Early Access, but in this case, it is...in my eyes well beyond what you’d expect for E.A. -------------------------------------------- # *Newly Released on GOG:* I also thought it might be nice to just share a tiny copy/pasted ‘about’ for some recent games to arrive on GOG, a snap-shot of what they looks like (*or my fav – a GIF!*), and a link. This is by no means comprehensive...just something fun :) * [**Trident’s Tale**](https://www.gog.com/game/tridents_tale)  > Set sail for an epic action-packed adventure in Trident’s Tale, where you’ll become Ocean, a bold young captain on a quest to reclaim the legendary Storm Trident—a mythical artifact that grants power over the seas. But beware the ocean is vast, treacherous, and crawling with danger at every turn!  [(link to the trailer here, on YouTube)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n-SvYzh9STE) * [**The Alters**](https://www.gog.com/game/the_alters)  > The Alters is an ambitious sci-fi survival game with a unique twist. You play as Jan Dolski, the lone survivor of a crash-landed expedition on a hostile planet. To survive, you must form a new crew for your mobile base. Using a substance called Rapidium, you create alternative versions of Jan—THE ALTERS—each one shaped by a different crucial decision from the protagonist’s past. [(...and here is a trailer for this one, too – if you want to see more!)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=965Km7t6KwM) * [**Repose**](https://www.gog.com/game/repose_deluxe_edition)  > In the facility, each step, each shot, each mistake costs precious energy. Rendered entirely in black and white, this mystery can be unravelled. The puzzle can be solved. Don't ask who tried to solve it before. Do the job. Find oxygen and sleep. Go deeper. And don't ask about Aaron. [(trailer link via YouTube is here!)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t8mJruGwKhQ) * [**Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine – Master Crafted Edition**](https://www.gog.com/game/warhammer_40000_space_marine_master_crafted_edition)  > Step into the armor of a relentless Space Marine and use a combination of lethal weaponry to crush overwhelming Ork forces. Immerse yourself in an intense and brutally violent world based on the richest science fantasy ever created. [(there’s a link to the trailer for it here, on YouTube if you’ve somehow not seen it yet!)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MpYyzhLwfrY) * [**Anoxia Station**](https://www.gog.com/game/anoxia_station)  > Anoxia Station is a mining management game set in a dystopian near-past. A supervolcanic eruption devastated the Earth’s surface, rendering it uninhabitable. Nations now teeter on the brink of extinction relying on the Terranauts - miners sent into the hellish depths of this dying world-. Their mission: extract petroleum, crucial to sustaining humanity's essential infrastructures and survival.  [(link to the trailer here on YouTube)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EpRiRYck-RU) -------------------------------------------- # *This Month on GOG:* Just a recap of a couple things I have covered before, but...this month there really has been a fair lot of GOG news, which is a bit of a rare thing. So if somehow you missed what I shared before, there’s some brief dot-points here for you: * [GOG added authenticator apps for your account](https://www.gog.com/forum/general/you_can_now_use_authenticator_apps_to_keep_your_gog_account_secure_582bd/page1) * [5 Warhammer games entered the GOG Preservation Program, along with Armageddon and Sanctus Reach becoming GOG exclusives due to being removed from Steam](https://www.gog.com/gog-preservation-program) * [GOG invited the public to apply for jobs at their company, in a range of positions](https://www.gog.com/work) -------------------------------------------- # *GOG’s Meeting Rooms (in their own words):* > Every GOG employee is a gamer, so we love to gamify our day-to-day work. Each meeting room in our office is named after a game-related place, so throughout the day, we find ourselves visiting places like Khorinis, Tristram, Night City, Erathia, and more! It makes each meeting feel a bit like an adventure. And yes, every meeting in Tristram should start with “Stay awhile and listen” but that is a work in progress. Bonus fact – we also have a meeting room called Roach and to be fair – it’s as comfortable as riding a horse. Fortunately, Roach meeting room won’t suddenly appear on a roof of a building. Or will it?  -------------------------------------------- # Retro Gaming / Emulation News: -------------------------------------------- # *SBC Gaming (briefly):* I’m not going to go into much detail here, because in at least one of these the specs of the upcoming handheld are presented in one of the pictures. SBC (single board computer) handhelds began as primarily community built and driven Raspberry Pi projects, but now has well and truly become polished handhelds. Running Android or Linux, they’re released (*it is joked*) every week or two, but sometimes really are magic. The latest to be announced (or leaked) which are interesting to me are: **Anbernic’s RG Slide:** [One thing to note of the RG Slide is that there has been a leak of the price, which will be $189 (USD)](https://www.theverge.com/news/686862/anbernic-rg-slide-handheld-emulator-console-psp-go)   **Ayaneo’s Flip 1S DS:**  **Retroid’s Dual Screen Add-on:** One thing to note on this one is that MelonDS (a Nintendo DS emulator – or *the* DS emulator!) has released their own update to support this incoming dual screen add-on: > In anticipation of the upcoming dual-screen Android handhelds, I’ve taken the opportunity to implement dual-screen support in melonDS for Android! We now have two great ways to enjoy the Nintendo DS in all its glory: DraStic, and my own fork of melonDS with dual-screen support.  [GitHub link is here](https://github.com/SapphireRhodonite/melonDS-android/tree/Dual-Screen)  -------------------------------------------- # *MGS/17:*  Nothing to go into here, but Metal Gear Solid 4 has now turned 17 years old! And...is somehow still locked to the PlayStation 3 platform. I know we’re all assuming (*let’s face it, with strong reasons to!*) that the next MGS ‘pack’ on Steam will bring it to modern systems, but for now it’s a nightmare to play. Emulation is still a mess, I have read plenty of people who tell me how easy and fine it is to emulate, even on the Steam Deck – that’s certainly *not* true. It’s the opposite of easy, and it runs poorly. Interesting though, that Metal Gear predicted the use of AI and rise of certain global threats. Mechanized walking tanks won’t be too far off, we already have them in miniature form, it’s just scaling them up at this point. And here’s a little snapshot of the ladies behind the B&B Unit in MGS4:  Anyway, happy birthday MGS, you still remain one of my fav ‘franchise’ of games ever made! -------------------------------------------- # *Game Boy Coasters:* **Otzedotze** has been making some fun little coasters, as you’ll see:  > I wanted to test the color system on my 3D printer, so I quickly turned some titlescreens into coasters. [You can download the files here:](https://makerworld.com/en/models/1515823-gameboy-titlescreen-coasters#profileId-1587867) -------------------------------------------- # *PS2 Jailbreak:* This one is kinda niche, admittedly, but if you've an interest in the PS2 jailbreaking scene, then you'll be excited to hear a new exploit is coming for ProtoKernel models. It will allow for DTL-H10000 and DTL-H10000S to be finally disc-less exploitable. Took 25 years, but now we can say that all PS2 models are hackable without discs! I found these images demonstrating the process, but it *is* coming soon:  -------------------------------------------- # *Atari Handheld:* This one’s...curious. While hitting the nostalgia notes for those old enough to have experienced it back before time began, it’s going to be an incredibly niche product. The criticism I’m seeing (and agreeing with), is the limited-to-three-games idea. I do understand licensing is a nightmare to organize, but when the entire library of the 2600 is *maybe* 10-16MB big, there’s no excuse for keeping the number of games so low (*I suspect it’s a petty attempt to make more money by selling more of these with similarly limited game options*) Regardless though, it *is* a nice retro design:  -------------------------------------------- # *Arari Decanter Set:* IDK, this just made me laugh when I saw it. Done by the same studio that is making (apparently) the handheld above – ThumbsUp — its a glass decanter set for all the fancy Atari fans! Just added this because it was mildly amusing:  -------------------------------------------- # *Massive Update for PPSSPP:*  No, it’s not the sound of me calling a cat (*I know...that old joke*), PPSSPP is overwhelmingly referred to as *the* emulator. It’s been around forever, runs on a potato, performs perfectly. A few days ago, version 1.19.1 was announced, and is making a *lot* of people who enjoy emulation very, very happy! [The full release notes are here, via ppsspp.org](https://www.ppsspp.org/news/release-1.19/) [And the ‘upcoming changes’ page is here, on the same site](https://www.ppsspp.org/news/upcoming-changes/)  Of interest though: > From now on, major releases will be yearly, instead twice a year. Due to the additional platforms supported, the release process is longer and more complicated than ever, so it doesn't make sense to do it too often. The plan is to make a new major release every spring, probably March or April. > Additionally, upcoming requirements from Android means that we will soon have to update an important development tool (the NDK) to a newer release, which will force us to drop support for the very oldest version of Android. Not to worry too much though, as the current estimation is that we'll still be able to support Android 4.3+, which is still very, very old! > Another new thing is that in the next release, the "Windows ARM64" release will be considered officially supported. This doesn't make much difference though as it already worked well, but I now have a device to test it on! ARM64 is the CPU architecture (or rather, ISA) used by processors like the Qualcomm Snapdragon and Apple Silicon. The former is starting to show up in PC laptops and is performing really well in my testing, much like the latter. [If you’d like more info presented in a far more professional manner, you can visit this blog post by Gardiner Bryant who covered it perfectly!](https://gardinerbryant.com/ppsspp-1-19-is-here-with-some-huge-changes/) -------------------------------------------- # Other Gaming News: -------------------------------------------- # *Xbox/ROG Handheld Prices:*  I won’t bother covering the ROG Xbox Ally and ROG Xbox Ally X (*horrible naming conventions, typical for the Xbox ecosystem*), but I *will* mention that the pre-order, release date and price for these has leaked. * Pre-orders for both are set for August, 2025 * Release is October, 2025 * €599 (*or $499 USD)* price tag for the standard ROG Xbox Ally * €899 (*or $799 USD*) for the higher-end Ally X [Full article with the source of the leak, and all kinds of filler to make the article seem to be lengthy is here if you want to read more!](https://thegamepost.com/rog-xbox-ally-ally-x-pre-order-release-date-and-pricing-leak/) -------------------------------------------- # *Another Xbox ‘leak’:* [Take this one with more than a single grain of salt](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63b41bbd7ff4986ab006fd16/cffe001b-8873-4b91-b0e2-224d0c81634b/Biggest+Salt+Mines+in+the+WORLD.jpg), but ‘*code strings attached to Xbox Game Pass*’ suggest an incoming price hike. Again. [A WindowsCentral link is here if you wanna dig deeper!](https://www.windowscentral.com/gaming/xbox/a-new-string-attached-to-xbox-game-pass-suggests-a-price-increase-may-be-imminent) -------------------------------------------- # *Digital Foundry with Switch 2’s Cyberpunk:*  The full video is best, but here’s a brief breakdown of what you can expect (*it runs well but Phantom Liberty struggles*): * 720P/810P Handheld (Via DLSS upscaling) or 1080P docked (Via DLSS Upscaling) * Better Texture Quality than PS4 or Series S * Better reflections than PS4 or Series S * Better Framerate than PS4 * Similar FPS to Series S Quality mode except in Phantom Liberty * Significantly better asset loading speed than PS4 * NPC/Vehicle Density on par with PS4 but behind Series S * Outdoor shadows less sharp than PS4 Interior Shadows improved compared to PS4 * 40FPS mode is kind of pointless as it doesn't hit it in stress tests and Quality mode is actually more stable One thing to remember, in handheld mode the game runs at 360p/450p and is then upscaled to 720p. [Here is the link to their video on YouTube, if you’d like *all* the details!](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C7fExZx1QyU) -------------------------------------------- # *Epic Games Browser Library:*  A user (**jamesyb0y**) has created a handy way for you to see your Epic Games library. Currently there’s...weirdly no way for you to see what games you have from Epic on their website. The only kinda workaround to seeing them is to go through the account and transactions pages – which is arduous and stupid. So they’ve made a browser extension (currently only on Chrome, but it *has* been submitted to Firefox and is under review for now, so it is coming soon if you’re a Firefox or fork user). The Epic Games Library Extension addresses those weird limitations by providing: * Direct access to your games library without navigating through multiple pages * Built-in search functionality to quickly find specific games * Sorting options to organize your collection * A clean, user-friendly interface for browsing your games Its a nice addition, for those who want to check if they might have claimed a free game before buying it again! -------------------------------------------- # *Crescent County:* The developers stated that after being rejected by over 50 publishers, they instead crowdfunded their game – called Crescent County – on Kickstarter in under 23 hours. I just thought this game was interesting, and to bring it to some attention, because it shows how darn *hard* it is to have a game made. Of course the indie game scene is its own gigantic and fruitful world, but the idea that publishers expect a massive amount of hype created before the game is even ready: getting followers and posts to make them even take note? Exhausting. Anyway, on to Crescent County:  > Crash headfirst into this witch-tech open world, drifting and driving on the back of your new motorbroom. Make deliveries, trick out your broom, and race your new friends (and crushes) as the sun sets. Get into gossip, sort your life out, and discover what it means to find home.  > During the day you’re a motorbroom courier: delivering packages, herding sheep, and fixing leylines. Help the locals and get to know their struggles and endless drama (plus earning yourself a little bit of cash). Plan your day by picking your jobs and broom setup, and then zoom around getting things done!  [There is a demo on Steam now, which has controller support!](https://store.steampowered.com/app/2202650/Crescent_County/) And here is a link to their Kickstarter, it only has a few days left and I’m linking it because they’ve got *all* the info there to better show their game](https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/annahollinrake/crescent-county) -------------------------------------------- # *Firebreak:* I’m *so* excited for Remedy’s upcoming game, Firebreak!!! *Do you have friends to play this with?* ...no, no I do not. But I’ll be jumping in solo and loving it regardless. Anyway, this one’s for the Steam Deck users – Remedy shared their video showing it playing perfectly on the Steam Deck itself. And fans of their (beautiful) game Control might notice some sticky notes there in the background, too! [The link is here!](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IgSQhXRX4R8) -------------------------------------------- # That’s That: -------------------------------------------- I know, not *so* much covered this time around, but I solemnly pinkie-swear that the next ‘issue’ I write up will be back to form. I’ve actually gotten some odd news – I’ve got a bit of nerve damage. So that depressing fact is what is weighing on my mind lately, and while I *do* share daily on Mastodon, writing one of these up just kinda felt a bit too Leviathanesque to me. I also changed the image I attach to these posts, unsure if this one will be ‘it’ for good, but...idk, do chime in if you’ve any ideas on that! -------------------------------------------- # What have you been playing? Can’t help but sneak this in, as I always do. I’d love to hear what games you’ve been playing. Have you tried anything from Steam’s own Next Fest 2025? Emulating? Have you found a little-known game you’d recommend? I’d love to hear it! I’ve been gaming a little less than usual. I’ve got a bunch of new games from GOG, and have been playing Death Stranding instead! -------------------------------------------- # *Previous Posts:* If you’d like to read my previous Gaming News posts (they’re mounting up in number now!), then you can find them here: * [Steam Deck / Gaming News #2](https://lemmy.world/post/26182097) * [Steam Deck / Gaming News #3](https://lemmy.world/post/26306459) * [Steam Deck / Gaming News #4](https://lemmy.world/post/26483935) * [Steam Deck / Gaming News #5](https://lemmy.world/post/26707576) * [Steam Deck / Gaming News #6](https://lemmy.world/post/27035556) * [Steam Deck / Gaming News #7](https://lemmy.world/post/27435521) * [Steam Deck / Gaming News #8](https://lemmy.world/post/27639264) * [Steam Deck / Gaming News #9](https://lemmy.world/post/27761213) * [Steam Deck / Gaming News #10](https://lemmy.world/post/28239730) * [Steam Deck / Gaming News #11](https://lemmy.world/post/28590388) * [Steam Deck / Gaming News #12](https://lemmy.world/post/28805418) * [Steam Deck / Gaming News #13](https://lemmy.world/post/28889066) * [Steam Deck / Gaming News #14](https://lemmy.world/post/29248253) * [Steam Deck / Gaming News #15](https://lemmy.world/post/29568046) * [Steam Deck / Gaming News #16](https://lemmy.world/post/29826595) * [Steam Deck / Gaming News #17](https://lemmy.world/post/30260407) * [Steam Deck / Gaming News #18](https://lemmy.world/post/30575740) -------------------------------------------- # Mastodon: I *do* tend to post there each day, 99.99% gaming nonsense. If you want more of this, then come drop by! 

# *Epic Games’ Unreal Fest:* Plenty was shown at this years Unreal Fest, I thought I’d just format this together for Lemmy. Unreal Fest Orlando ‘25 gave us an expanded look at Epic's roadmap for the store in 2025 and what's next. So, here’s a summary and a bunch of pictures to show what they’re up to: **From Epic Games Store 2024 Year in Review:** Next year we will continue to make significant investments in the Epic Games Store with the intention of improving both the player and partner experience. Some of the highlights include: **Epic Games Store Mobile App:** The Epic Games Store on Android and iOS will continue to be a focal point of our development roadmap throughout the next year. Initial work on the app will include building an enhanced App Library & Discover Experience to scale against an ever-increasing catalog size, and, for our developers, AAB file type Support. This is only the start; much more is still to be announced! **Non-Gaming Apps:** The Epic Games Store aims to allow the publishing of all types of content a gamer might need across PC and mobile offerings. Within our Self Publishing Tools, we’ll be opening up the ability to self-publish non-gaming apps offering a wider variety of content to be listed on all Epic Games Store supported platforms. **Gifting:** Sharing is caring, particularly when it comes to gaming, and so in 2025 we’ll be adding gifting to our list of purchase options! **New Download Manager (PC/MAC)**: Originally planned for release in Q4 2024, the wait is nearly over and our PC Launcher will have an entirely new Download Manager, now arriving in Q1 2025. The functionality will include the ability to control the timing of updates, schedule downloads, and reorder your queue; amongst other quality-of-life changes. **Pre-Loading (PC/MAC):** Pre-Loading will allow players to download and install their pre-purchased content ahead of launch, ready to play from the moment a title is officially released. **Search & Browse Overhaul (PC/MAC):** New features including predictive search and semantic search are in development along with several under the hood improvements.  Expanded Search will move into full release with improvements. **Multi-Platform Social:**  We’re bringing new social features to all of our players with robust support for connecting with your friends. This comes via all new voice chat, text chat, game independent parties, invite/join/play and looking-for-group features across all Epic Games Store supported platforms. **Platform Store Switching:** Users will be able to switch from their native platform store view to other supported platforms to browse and shop for apps.   *Beyond these highlights, we're also dedicated to improving your experience through continuous updates to the Launcher and Store, focusing on areas like performance, stability, and ease of use.* [The full link is here, so you can see more!](https://store.epicgames.com/en-US/news/epic-games-store-2024-year-in-review) # *Expanded 2025 Roadmap from Unreal Fest Orlando 2025:*  -------------------------------------------- **PC:** * Download Manager (March 2025) * Pre-loading * Gifting * Language Expansion -------------------------------------------- **Mobile:** * Search and Browse * Friends, Presence, Text and Voice Chat * Authenticator and QR Code Login -------------------------------------------- **PC + Mobile:** * Wallet Cards (POSA) * EGS Webshops -------------------------------------------- **Ongoing Workstreams:** * Product Page Improvements * Improved content discovery and surfaces * Search Improvements -------------------------------------------- **Mobile SPT will come Q4 2025**  -------------------------------------------- **Up Next Roadmap:**  **PC:** * Dynamic Merchandising Surfaces * Regional Storefronts * Bundling * Friends Activity and Social Shopping -------------------------------------------- **Mobile:** * Library Management * Gifting * Clip Capture and Sharing -------------------------------------------- **PC and Mobile** * Remote Install * Multi-Platform Shopping -------------------------------------------- **Ongoing Workstreams:** * Launcher Performance * Improved Wishlist Communications * Social. Social. Social. -------------------------------------------- # *2025 Roadmap Concepts:* -------------------------------------------- ***PC Concepts:*** -------------------------------------------- **Gifting:**  **Pre-Loading:**  **Expanded Store Localization:**  -------------------------------------------- ***EGS Mobile Concepts:*** -------------------------------------------- **EGS Mobile Improvements:**  **EGS Mobile Search:**  **EGS Mobile Browse:**  **EGS Mobile Social:**  **QR Code Login:**  **Authenticator:**  -------------------------------------------- # *PC + Mobile Concepts:* -------------------------------------------- **Wallet Cards:** (*Epic's own V-Bucks will work to purchase games on the site, not just as Fortnite's currency*)  **Webshops:**  [The link to the livestream / video on YouTube (presented in 4K) is here, if you'd like to see it in video form](Livestream 2, Day 1 | Unreal Fest 2025 - YouTube) -------------------------------------------- # Other News: -------------------------------------------- # *The Witcher 4:* > The show kicked off with a technical demo we’ve been working on with CD PROJEKT RED — not The Witcher 4 itself, but a showcase of some of the cutting-edge tech powering the new Witcher saga. We also revealed the latest on Unreal Engine 5.6, including major performance upgrades to empower teams to build large-scale open worlds that, just like this tech demo, run smoothly on current-gen hardware. > When we launched Unreal Engine 5 three years ago, CD PROJEKT RED [announced](https://www.cdprojekt.com/en/media/news/new-witcher-saga-announced-cd-projekt-red-begins-development-on-unreal-engine-5-as-part-of-a-strategic-partnership-with-epic-games/) they would collaborate with us to bring large open-world support to the engine. Together at the State of Unreal, we revealed what we’ve been working on.  The Witcher 4 Unreal Engine 5 Tech Demo follows witcher Ciri, a professional monster slayer, as she explores the never-before-seen region of Kovir in the midst of a monster contract. The tech demo provides an early look at a number of 5.6’s powerful new open-world features in action — all running on PlayStation 5 at 60 frames per second with raytracing — including the new, faster way to load open worlds via the Fast Geometry Streaming Plugin.  As Ciri explores the bustling market of Valdrest, we see how 5.6 handles busy scenes full of high-fidelity characters and visual effects like ML Deformer. The tech demo also showcases Nanite Foliage — which provides a fast and memory efficient way to achieve gorgeous foliage density and fidelity, slated for release in UE 5.7.  - one thing to note is that the videos other channels on YouTube have of the tech demo of Witcher 4 are limited to 1080p - *not* 4K. The only 4K video you can see at the moment is from the Epic presentation itself, but maybe that'll change?! -------------------------------------------- # *Epic Itself:* The Epic Games Store has now paid developer and publisher partners over $2.1 billion since launch. On mobile, EGS now has a library of 70 awesome games and 40 million installs to date, and it’s on track to hit 70 million by the end of 2025. To give publishers an even better deal, we just changed our initial revenue share to [0% for the first $1 million then 12% thereafter.](https://store.epicgames.com/news/epic-games-store-updates-revenue-share-keep-100-of-the-first-1m-per-product-per-year) The facts are just presented by a bunch of pictures, so I'll share them here:        -------------------------------------------- Obv lots more was announced and covered, including Unreal Engine 5.6, but this is all I can be bothered formatting!

Another week has passed, and so it’s another excuse for me to post a bunch of gaming news I’ve spotted over the last few days! I’m *sure* most of you know the drill by now: *What are these posts?* My aim for these News Posts in general though is to format them in a more *clearly not a professional, but someone who cares about gaming* manner than most gaming sites do now. Less demanding? My ever-lasting inspo is the old, old video game sites, blogs and magazines that I never had the privilege of being alive for: * **image/gif/link heavy** (although GIF can be tricky on Lemmy, some big ones refuse to show, and ones I plan on including end up unable to upload) * **personal voice** (I can’t help rambling, send help) * **mostly news or articles or points** which you won’t find on normal gaming sites. These are the smaller, lesser things that I’m drawn to. I *know* you’ll have spotted the big news articles, so I’m hoping some of these smaller ones might have been missed by you. A mixed bag of what I’ve considered news this week, so there really *is* a bit of everything ahead. So grab a coffee? Or a tea? Or a fresh juice? And enjoy <3 -------------------------------------------- # *Return of the Steam:* Both OlliOlli World and Rollerdrome have been reinstated back to Steam after being delisted. Nice and cheerful news, right?   Wrong. Especially in the case of the utterly adored Rollerdrome: > Pirate it. Entire team got fired after game released so why support 2k. Seems like this one has a tiny (not tiny at all) bit of an angry audience who, while adoring and signing the game’s praises, loathe what has happened on the corpo side of things. [If you wanna know everything there is to know about this sad story, then watch this doco that Raycevick put together on YouTube, it’s *such* wonderful production value, and worth watching](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JnSpTyRuapk) * [Rollerdrome holds a ‘Platinum’ certification by community ratings on ProtonDB, working great](https://www.protondb.com/app/1294420) * [OlliOlli World *also* has a rating of ‘Platinum’ on ProtonDB, and the top-most comment with the users’ settings made me laugh](https://www.protondb.com/app/1190170) -------------------------------------------- # *DeckCube:* If you’ve ever wanted to have the best of the Steam Deck (portability) and the best of the GameCube (*ahhh, portability via a handle?!*) then this user – Otzedotze made a GameCube handle for your Steam Deck. > It works like 50% of the time. Then it falls off the Steam Deck and your Steam Deck falls to the floor. Good times. They’ve also shared the files on Maker World (under the name Bitz`Primmus) which you can [find here with this link if you’d like!](https://makerworld.com/en/models/1458861-the-nintendo-gamecube-controller-adapter-for-the-s#profileId-1520888) > It was already pointless on the GameCube — and now it’s even more useless on the Steam Deck. Especially since the Steam Deck version comes with the amazing feature of… falling off instantly! **ABSOLUTELY AWESOME!** And, obligatory pictures:  -------------------------------------------- # *Deck Tag:* I have to ask, what did *you* do with the tag on your Steam Deck zip-lock? This user took it to the obvious conclusion and has it where it belongs, I’d say:  -------------------------------------------- # *Epic Games ‘Free Games Program’:* It looks like Epic’s weekly free titles, which were suspected to end mid-this-year are *maybe* not stopping. We got a little scare when court documents from one of their many their skirmishes with Apple showed the end date of their freebies at mid-2025. Who’d have guessed, but taking one throw-away line in a dense document and guessing that spelled their end of their program...might have been wrong?! Anyway, the clue we’re seeing that maybe the program won’t end is there being a special nomination in this year's DevGAMM awards for Indie Games on EGS, one of the requirements mentioned the option to choose to participate in EGS Free Games Program in 2026. So...maybe? Maybe not? Who knows, that was all I could find. Anyway, [here’s a link to the awards](https://devgamm.com/awards2025/) and here’s the image for you:  With games like GTA V, Control, and Death Stranding given totally for free, this service is amazing for gamers who’d not have the opportunity or means to experience these titles without it. Hate Epic all you want, it helps some! -------------------------------------------- # *Download.it saves FilePlanet:* **120,000+ Historic Gaming Files to Find a New Home**  Download.it, the trusted multilingual software download and review platform, announces the upcoming merger with FilePlanet.com, to be completed on May 29, 2025. Over 120,000 historic FilePlanet gaming files, including rare demos, mods, patches, and promotional materials, will be preserved and remain freely accessible through Download.it's infrastructure. Originally founded in 1997 and previously operated by IGN Entertainment Inc. (Ziff Davis), FilePlanet served as an essential resource for gamers, modders, and enthusiasts for almost 28 years. Facing permanent closure, FilePlanet was acquired by Download.it to ensure these files, many unavailable elsewhere, could remain accessible to gaming communities around the world. Download.it, established as a reliable destination for software, apps, and game downloads for Windows, macOS, and Android platforms, has always emphasized free and convenient access without registration barriers or fees. This merger furthers the platform's commitment to digital preservation, combining resources to create one of the largest free download archives online: over 500,000 files totaling nearly 30TB of content. **Key facts about the merger:** * 120,000+ historic gaming-related files saved from FilePlanet * Combined archive of 500,000+ files across both platforms * Nearly 30TB of preserved digital content * Free, no-registration-required access continues * Automatic redirects preserve all historic links * Starting May 29, users visiting original FilePlanet.com URLs will automatically redirect to equivalent pages at the new address, safeguarding decades of historic links and bookmarks. [Visit FilePlanet's new home starting May 29 with this link](https://fileplanet.download.it/) **About Download.it:** Download.it is a multilingual software review and download portal, providing trusted, curated downloads for Windows, Android, and macOS users globally. Offering software, apps, games, utility tools, and now a historical gaming archive, Download.it serves millions of visitors with fast, reliable, and free downloads each month -------------------------------------------- # *Sonic the Hedgehog’s New Home:*  After a [careful restoration in 2023](https://x.com/segaforever/status/1693669492482510862), the legendary Sonic the Hedgehog statue from the now-closed SegaWorld London has found a new home inside Sega Europe’s recently relocated headquarters in Chiswick Business Park. Once a central attraction at SegaWorld (an ambitious arcade and theme park launched in 1996) the statue now stands in Sega’s modern office, surrounded by lame, personality-free things like ping-pong tables, relaxation zones, and a digital gallery. [Link to a video on YouTube which gives you an ‘inside look at SEGA’s brand new office, which runs for just over one minute](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rlWvBSmyQAI) Originally thought lost after SegaWorld closed and transitioned into Funland Arcade, the statue resurfaced in 2019 thanks to Danny Russell from Sega Forever. It was restored by Croydon-based special effects studio 13 Finger FX, bringing new life to a cherished piece of gaming history. Sega Europe’s move to Chiswick, following two decades in Brentford, symbolizes a fresh chapter for the company—while also celebrating the return of one of Sonic’s most iconic UK appearances. Before:  After:  -------------------------------------------- # *Stellar Blade’s Lock:*  > It seems Shift Up did indeed have discussions with Sony to get this resolved. There appears to be no change with any of the other region-locked games published by Sony on PC. In a move no one really expected (since the opposite was announced only a week or so ago), we’ve now got Stellar Blade not enforcing Sony’s senseless region lock. It is now available in *over* 250 countries. But: * The rest of Sony’s own catalogue still *does* enforce their own PSN region lock * Stellar Blade still has Denuvo DRM There's also a demo available that's out now, if you'd like to try it out (on the Deck, too!):  -------------------------------------------- # *Nine Sols:*  The adorable hand-animated, Japanese folklore-inspired (with *very* Sekiro-ish combat) Nine Sols has sold over 800,000 copies across all platforms now!  > It’s been Red Candle’s own odyssey, six years, countless challenges, and now a sunlit horizon. > Thank you for walking this road with us, and for the chance to cross paths on the Way.  I also love how it’s dubbed ‘Taopunk’ – a fusion of Taoist philosophy and a cyberpunk setting: Eastern mythology + sci-fi bits and pieces. If you enjoyed Nine Sols by the way, look up Bō: Path of the Teal Lotus. While Nine Sols is reaction-based combat, Teal Lotus is more platforming, but *both* are beautiful in their setting. -------------------------------------------- # *Xbox Handheld Sidelined:* Microsoft has apparently (*though to be fair it’s not 100% confirmed, more like 75%*) ‘temporarily’ shelved its upcoming in-house Xbox handheld device to focus on improving Windows 11 gaming performance. Especially for third-party devices like ASUS's Xbox-branded Ally model I shared a few News Posts ago - "Project Kennan." While multiple prototypes for a Gen-10 Xbox handheld exist, internal priorities have shifted toward enhancing the software experience for Windows-based gaming handhelds, which let’s face it...sucks a lot and needs work. The decision seems influenced by the rise of SteamOS, which offers better performance and battery life on devices like the ASUS ROG Ally and Lenovo Legion Go. Microsoft remains committed to developing its own handheld hardware in the future, but for now, it's leaning into partnerships and platform optimization. [Here’s an article on Windows Central, by Jez Corden which goes into way more detail about the fact it’s not confirmed-confirmed](https://www.windowscentral.com/gaming/xbox/exclusive-xboxs-handheld-pembrooke-has-been-sidelined-for-now-as-microsoft-doubles-down-on-windows-11-pc-gaming-handheld-optimization) And here’s one of the leaked Xbox-Ally-Kennan console images:  -------------------------------------------- # *Persona 4 Remake?*  Voice actor Yuri Lowenthal has maybe released the fact there’s an upcoming P4 Remake coming, maybe out of spite? In a now deleted Bsky post, he just didn’t hold back:  So, I guess we’re now looking forward to that? -------------------------------------------- # *Cyberpunk 2077:*  Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty has sold 10 million copies and Cyberpunk 2 has entered pre-production phase! That’s...honestly a *lot*, but it’s amazing to read on each, too. Their only DLC (having planned two, but dropped the second) selling so much is well and truly deserved. Phantom Liberty is worth its weight in gold!!! [You can read all about it in CD Projekt Group’s Q1 2025 Earnings report here, if you’re so inclined.](https://www.cdprojekt.com/pl/wp-content/uploads-pl/2025/05/prezentacja-wynikowa-grupy-cd-projekt-q1-2025-en.pdf) -------------------------------------------- # *The Witcher:*  To start with, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt has sold 60 million copies! An insane number that is very nearly matching that of Skyrim! Also just announced is the fact that The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is getting cross-platform mod support: > *We will introduce cross-platform mod support for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S later this year. For the first time, creating, sharing, and enjoying mods for The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt will be easier and more accessible than ever.* [More information will be released in time, but for now you can check their link here to read more!](thewitcher.ly/CrossPlatformModSupport) Annnd if that’s not enough Witcher for you, you can watch their 10th Anniversary Celebration with the devs: > It’s been 10 years since The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt was released. To mark this occasion, we invited some amazing people who worked on the game to travel back in time and share some stories. [...with this link here to YouTube. It goes for 20:33 and is well worth your time!](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A5alL6_Kc_k) ...and lastly, I just love this art by IfrAgMenTIx, and had to leave it here below:  -------------------------------------------- # *Selaco:*  I’ve rambled about Selaco a million times now, since it is pure sorcery what the devs have done with the GZDoom engine to make a game look *this good*, but I’m gonna do it again: * [Check out their Early Access trailer they released 12 months ago, and be impressed!](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bFI1QSd4T2g) > *The story takes place during a violent invasion on Selaco, a massive space station sheltering the last refugees after Earth’s fall just a few years prior. You play as Dawn Collins, an ACE Security Captain who, with her recent promotion and high level security clearances, is digging deep into the truth behind Selaco's murky history. Before she can finish her investigation, Selaco is rocked by explosions and armed invaders.*  [Find the game’s Steam listing here if you’d like to see/read more about Selaco itself](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1592280/Selaco)  Anyway, the devs have announced that Selaco has a huge update (V0.90) and a sale (their highest discount yet!) on Steam at the moment. I’d list some, but the list and changes are sooooo extensive, you’re better reading them here: [Read the whole *extensive* patch notes and announcement here](https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1592280/view/517462514506663200) [And check Digital Foundry’s video on the game, with how impressed they are with it!](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KgKnfXTj_H4) -------------------------------------------- # *2005’s Punisher (a ‘definitive’ version)*:*  This is a very specific one I stumbled over, but there’s always a chance that there’s a fan of the 2005 PS2 game The Punisher in here. The user Javi096 has done their best to compile the best-of-the-best replacements to make that game the ‘ultimate’ version it can be. Pointless even writing this paragraph, just read the user’s notes on it: > Hey everyone! I’ve shared this with some Punisher communities, thought I’d share it here in case there are any fans and because I did this all off a steam deck.  > Over the last year or so I’ve been trying to put together what I feel is a content complete edition for the PS2 version of the classic Punisher game. Back in the day it was heavily censored and lacked exclusives from the PC version such as exclusive costumes for The Punisher. Thanks to the texture replacement feature and luck finding texture rips of the exclusive costumes, I was able to bring those costumes to the PS2 version for the first time ever! I even took it a step further and added additional costumes to give the game a nice variety of content. > In the files I included there is a cheat file to remove the censorship and add additional violence to the game. As well as an HD texture pack created by Bl4ckH4nd over at GBAtemp. Instructions are included how to set it all up. [*(note, the link to the pack they’ve compiled is here with this link to their Google Drive)*](https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1AicmsWEOFrHenMOoaJ_UwHsiEvv0zgKH) [Lastly, this link is to a new mod that’s been created that further restores cut content and adds even more blood and gore](https://www.moddb.com/games/the-punisher-2005/addons/punisher-premastered-for-pcsx2-ps2-emulator) -------------------------------------------- # *Thai Prime Minister & Game Boy:* There’s not much I can think of to say about this either, it’s just amazing: one of the reporters interviewing Thailand prime minister has a ‘camera’ you’ll recognize:   -------------------------------------------- # *Reshade 6.5 releases:* ReShade is basically a powerful graphics tool that lets you add custom post-processing effects to most PC games. Think of it like Instagram filters, but way more advanced and applied live while you play. **What it does:** It "injects" itself into the game's rendering pipeline. This allows it to grab the image right before it's shown on your screen and apply a wide variety of visual effects (called shaders). **Common things people use it for:** * Color Correction: Make colors more vibrant, change the mood (e.g., desaturate for a gritty look, add a warm tint). * Sharpening: Make blurry textures look crisper. * Depth of Field (DoF): Create cinematic blurry backgrounds/foregrounds. * Ambient Occlusion (AO): Add subtle contact shadows for more depth. * Anti-Aliasing: Smooth out jagged edges, often better than in-game options. * Film Grain, Bloom, Lens Flares: Add stylistic touches. **In short:** It lets you customize how your games look, often dramatically improving visuals, making older games look newer, or just tweaking things to your personal taste. [Change log here if you’d like to read more of what has changed on this version](https://reshade.me/releases/9998-6-5) -------------------------------------------- # *Custom PlayStation 2 Slim shell:* I just loved how this one looks, thought someone might be interested in this! [The link to it is available free here, if you wanna click it!](https://www.printables.com/model/1298355-playstation-2-slim-case-70-77k-drive-less)     They’ve also included the STEP file in this, if you wanted to remix or build something off it! -------------------------------------------- # *Steam Deck – watercooled:* IDK, I’m just going to copy their words for this one too. I found this user who posted: *I built a custom water cooling loop for my Steam Deck using leftover parts from an old PC build. I also played around with overclocking and undervolting*, and I was pretty fascinated. The Steam Deck community is filled with the tinkering sort, and these kind of projects are usually more of the ‘because I could*, not should! Anyway, here’s their efforts in their own words (and pictures!)   **System Modifications:** I used the Smokeless UMAF Runtime Patcher to modify the BIOS and raise the TDP limit from the stock 15W to 27W. CPU overclocked from 3.5 GHz to 3.6 GHz. GPU overclocked modestly from 1.6 GHz to 1.7 GHz. I also applied a slight undervolt of -10 mV to the CPU, GPU, and SoC. **Why only +100MHz OC?** I know the Deck can handle more, and I’ve tested higher overclocks — but I decided to scale things back and prioritize balance between CPU and GPU performance. My thought process was: if I overclock the CPU too aggressively, it might draw so much power that the GPU wouldn’t have enough TDP headroom left — and vice versa: if the GPU draws too much power, the CPU could become the bottleneck. Since both components share the same power budget (even with the raised 27W limit), pushing one too far can end up starving the other. So instead of having one component run much faster while the other gets throttled, I chose to modestly overclock both by 100 MHz. This way they can operate more evenly under load, and the system stays stable, responsive, and cool. **Thermal Results (with custom loop)** All temperatures are measured while gaming in Full HD (1920×1080) resolution via HDMI output — not the Steam Deck’s native display. That higher resolution puts extra load on the system, making these results even more impressive: Idle temps: * ~27–29 °C (depending on room temp) * Doom Eternal (medium settings): ~40–45 °C under load * Helldivers 2 (low settings + internal upscaling): ~50–55 °C * Max temp observed, even during long sessions: never above 60 °C **Notes & Observations:** I probably didn’t win the silicon lottery — I tried undervolting more, but my system became unstable very quickly, so I couldn’t take it much further than -10 mV on CPU, GPU, and SoC. Still, the small undervolt runs completely stable with no negative effects. System feels snappy, stable, and most importantly: quiet and cool. Water cooling on a handheld is obviously overkill, but it was a fun project and I love the results. -------------------------------------------- # *Game Pass in May:* Just a handy graphic, to show what was generally regarded as an amazing and hard-to-beat month of Game Pass titles, and a handful which are still to arrive:  -------------------------------------------- # *Expedition 33 sells 3.3 million:* Expedition 33 has sold (*over this number, by the time you’re reading this!*) 3.3 million copies. Have you played it? Are you obsessed? Its funny how a turn-based game has made such a stir in all the gaming circles lately!  -------------------------------------------- # *LEGO Gear Rex:* A little while back I shared a fun alt LEGO build I spotted. One takes (in theory, in practice I have *no* idea how people can figure these out!) an existing LEGO set, and builds something entirely different out of each piece in the set. [(that post, where the user takes a safari set and makes Shagohod from MGS is here if you want to take a look)](https://mastodon.social/@flwwhtrbt/114527843492232204) Anyway, I found another one, this time Metal Gear Rex being made from the LEGO set for a Millennium Falcon.   IDK how people work these out, this is *amazing* to me, esp since I am a massive MGS fan. [The instructions / page on how to is here on rebrickable if you want to see it all, including a YouTube video on it!](https://rebrickable.com/mocs/MOC-199727/CreationCaravan%20%28Brad%20Barber%29/metal-gear-rex/#details) -------------------------------------------- # *PS2 on my Steam Deck:* I’ve been revisiting my RetroDECK set-up on my Steam Deck in the last few days. I *was* emulating a huge number of Switch games on my Deck, but having long since re-joined the Switch hardware world with an OLED I chipped (*for that lovely custom theme CFW world*), I’ve gone back and removed 99% of them from my little library and instead am focusing on PS2 (and PS3) titles instead. So, what I do is: * I use RetroDECK on my Steam Deck, I much prefer this over EmuDeck as it doesn’t break every week or two. It’s stable and lets me run *everything* including my ROMs, emulators, bios, mods, texture packs etc all from one SD card – with ease. [Link to their site here](https://retrodeck.net/) * I grab HD texture packs for the PS2 games I’m enjoying the look of, to try out in the ‘best that they can be’ kinda way. These texture packs act as higher res textures replacing the originals in the games, it can go from a few hundred mb all the way up to the most I’ve found, being 29GB on a Silent Hill title. Download the HD Texture Packs, place in folder, apply in settings and it looks *pretty*. [Here’s a great collection of these packs if you’re curious, on archive.org](https://archive.org/download/cover_20231010) * And of course I tweak the settings in PCSX2, the PS2 emulator, and upscale the output to what feels nicest to me. I’m kinda new to the PS2 library. Or not new just...I’ve never really dived in to it, besides some of the obvious big titles. Anyway, here’s what I’ve got so far, just...coz I’ve written all of this and now I’ve got to make some kind of conclusion to my ramble:   -------------------------------------------- # *DOOM Promo*: This one was spotted in Barcelona (*in Plaza Drassanes*) and is obviously a paid, commissioned advert – but a wonderful one, regardless. Celebrating the latest DOOM game (The Dark Ages):  -------------------------------------------- # *Game Informer Archive:*  The Game Informer archive just got upgraded with its entire backlog, so if you’ve nostalgia or curiosity over the 1990s and gaming, then this will be a winner for you!  > Since Game Informer’s return in March, we’ve offered a backlog archive of all our magazine issues going back to 2012. With today’s expansion of that archive, we’re now growing that archive to include all Game Informer magazine issues, going all the way back to issue number 1, first published in 1991. [You can do so by following this link to their own announcement, which then directs you where to go](https://www.gameinformer.com/announcement/2025/05/29/the-game-informer-magazine-archive-expands) Or, if you don’t want to have to create an account to see them (*which you are required to, silly Game Informer*), then you can just read the entirety of Game Informer on RetroMags instead: [The link to which is here!](https://www.retromags.com/files/category/486-game-informer/) -------------------------------------------- # *That’s all, I think?!* -------------------------------------------- Despite having a ton more to write and share, I do think sometimes that maybe too much is too much. I’m edging closer to 4,000 words in this post so far, so...maybe I’ll leave it here! If you’d like to read my previous Gaming News posts (they’re mounting up in number now!), then you can find them here: * [Steam Deck / Gaming News #2](https://lemmy.world/post/26182097) * [Steam Deck / Gaming News #3](https://lemmy.world/post/26306459) * [Steam Deck / Gaming News #4](https://lemmy.world/post/26483935) * [Steam Deck / Gaming News #5](https://lemmy.world/post/26707576) * [Steam Deck / Gaming News #6](https://lemmy.world/post/27035556) * [Steam Deck / Gaming News #7](https://lemmy.world/post/27435521) * [Steam Deck / Gaming News #8](https://lemmy.world/post/27639264) * [Steam Deck / Gaming News #9](https://lemmy.world/post/27761213) * [Steam Deck / Gaming News #10](https://lemmy.world/post/28239730) * [Steam Deck / Gaming News #11](https://lemmy.world/post/28590388) * [Steam Deck / Gaming News #12](https://lemmy.world/post/28805418) * [Steam Deck / Gaming News #13](https://lemmy.world/post/28889066) * [Steam Deck / Gaming News #14](https://lemmy.world/post/29248253) * [Steam Deck / Gaming News #15](https://lemmy.world/post/29568046) * [Steam Deck / Gaming News #16](https://lemmy.world/post/29826595) * [Steam Deck / Gaming News #17](https://lemmy.world/post/30260407) If you’d like to see more of my odd gaming things I find or never-shut-up-about, then you can find me on Mastodon: 

Hey everyone! I’ve recently been sharing the occasional interview I do (*again, I suppose Q&A is a more appropriate term for what I’m doing*) with devs for Steam Deck, Linux and general gaming projects you might know and use. I’m doing these so you can get a little bit of a glimpse behind the curtain, so to speak. I feel like we use all these programs and projects, plug-ins and apps without ever really getting to know who is behind them, and these people deserve a chance to tell a little bit of a story as to why they made what they made, or do what they do! Previously, I’ve shared interviews here on Lemmy with: * [Gardiner Bryant, an independent (mostly Linux) journalist](https://lemmy.world/post/29876029) * [The dev team behind Heroic Games Launcher](https://lemmy.world/post/29307275) * [Mathieu Comandon who created Lutris](https://lemmy.world/post/29459679) * [The dev team behind RetroDECK](https://lemmy.world/post/29089602) [The RomM Project:](https://romm.app/)  Today I’m sharing my Q&A with the team behind The RomM Project, which is an open-source, self-hosted application designed to organize and give you a new way to view and play your retro video game collections. It offers a clean, responsive web interface that allows users to scan their ROM libraries, then grabbing the metadata from sources like IGDB, MobyGames, and Screenscraper, and playing games *directly in your browser* via built-in EmulatorJS support. Supporting over 400 gaming platforms (*seriously*), RomM accommodates various naming conventions, multi-disk games, and custom tags. It even integrates with tools like Playnite and muOS, and upcoming features include device syncing for games, saves, and emulator settings. If you’ve an interest in programming, gaming, retro gaming, emulation or are just...curious, then this will be for you! This interview was answered by three out of five members of RomM. The two who could not make it, Arcane and Adam, did say the answers given by those who could, accurately reflect their own views and experiences. So...let’s start! ------------------------------------------- # 1. Team History & Background: -------------------------------------------  # *I’d love you to introduce yourselves, who is involved in the RomM team?* **Zurdi:** The RomM team is officialy composed by 5 great members: Arcaneasada (gantoine), Mr. Moon, Danblu3, Adamantike and me (zurdi) **Moonraka:** I'm from Eastern NC, USA. I do tech support, hype and crowd control for the team! **danblu3:** danblu3: Hi, I’m Dan. Otherwise known as danblu3. I am a recent hire in the team as long with Mr Moon and I am basically tech support, you will see me actively participating in issues and problems that arise trying to get this software installed, especially within the discord. # *Give me a little overview of RomM as a project?* **Zurdi:** RomM is a self-hosted rom/saves/states manager with the bonus of having emulatorjs (from emulatorjs.org) integrated into the UI to provide a smooth player experience. We also have some external integrations like a playnite plugin or a muOS client to directly interact (mostly download your roms) from other devices # *How did the team come together? How did you all find each other?* **Zurdi:** I started the project at the beginning of 2023 and the first member to join me was Arcane, a couple of months after I released it to the general public. He showed so much interest in the project and his vision and knowledge of the open-source world was extremelly valuable for me since this was the first time I was working in something like this. After that, some months in the future and after creating the discord server, Danblu3 started to help in the community a lot and we decided to offer him to officially be part of the RomM team as he has a very good knowledge of the emulation scene and the technical stack in general becoming a extremelly useful member as kind of technical support. Some time later Adamantike also started to contribute in the project and after some time with some really good PRs, we decided to offer him another slot as a official member. We needed more develping muscle and he is a very experienced developer with great ideas of how things should be done and designed. Our most recent addition was Mr. Moon, and like what Danblu3 did, he was helping in the community with passion. As we did with Dan, we offered him to be part of the team since his help alongside the Dan help was so valuable for us since we couldn't manage developing RomM and also providing the support demands from the users. **Moonraka:** Danblu3 basically kidnapped me from the discord and I woke up a team member. Actually I just found passion in learning docker, Linux and helping others in the support section. It helped my own skills and made friends with the team! (Leaving them to do their job of development) # *How did each of you first get into retro gaming or emulation—was there a particular game or system that started it all?* **Zurdi:** I can't even remember when I started emulating. I am 32 years old and for me retrogaming is just play some games guided by nostalgia. I think the first emulation software I tried was a game boy advance emulator in 2005. **danblu3:** I think I was kind of lucky to get into retro gaming, I always have fond memories of my SNES when I was little and from there my love for gaming went from PS1 and onwards, when I was younger I had the gameboys, the GBA etc. So all of those retro consoles have been solidified in my memories and bring back fond memories. Also, there were SO many games around that time I could only afford the one or two, so having access to emulators and so forth let me live what childhood I might have missed. **Moonraka:** Sega was my first home console I remember having as a child. I also got to experience Sega Channel (basically game pass before it's time). Played emulators and handhelds growing up. Looking back on that it feels like RomM fills in that childhood nostalgia from that experience of streaming games or downloading them to your system. # *Before RomM, had you worked on any other open-source or tech projects together (or individually)?* **Zurdi:** I am a software engineer (MLOps specifically) irl, so not in a open-source project but I have an extense carrer inside tech projects. **Moonraka:** No my first time being on a team or project. **danblu3:** I have dabbled in the retro community before with a project called “Core Type R” I believe the project is shut down or on hiatus but that was fun and my first experience being apart of the project over the internet kind of thing. ------------------------------------------- # 2. The Birth of RomM: -------------------------------------------  # *Was it a pre-existing problem or gap in the retro gaming/emulation world which inspired RomM? You have a rather unique outlook at retro gaming – a self-hosted web application to organize and play old games. I can think of only a couple others which use similar methods. What made you choose *this* way for RomM?* **Zurdi:** I started to developing RomM because after some years self-hosting, the only true alternativewas [gameyfin](https://github.com/gameyfin/gameyfin), there was also called [catridge](https://github.com/jamjnsn/cartridge) (but I think it was an abandonware, not even in a ready-to-use state) and since I only had a raspi 4B, I couldn't self host it because it only had support for x86 architectures, so after some time without seeing progress from the gameyfin side to support it, I decided to start my own solution. There also was a kind of a frontend for emulatorjs but I am a lover of aesthetics and design, and that frontend was really ugly. Some time later great projects like gaseous and retrom appeared as an alternative to RomM, with it's own perspective and way to do things. # *Was there a specific moment or conversation when you all said, “Okay, let’s actually build this”?* **Zurdi:** As I mentioned before, the team was slowly built over time, so there wasn't really a “Okay, let’s actually build this” # *What were some early prototypes or ideas that didn’t make the cut—but helped shape RomM? I’d love to hear any, if they exist!* **Zurdi:** There are a video I made from when RomM was a prototype but the design was so bad - [*n.b. the link is here to YouTube if you’d like to see it*](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1i6bn_IVCgE) so after a couple of releases I decided to redesign the whole interface. You can clearly see RomM in that early stage. # *How did you land on the name “RomM”? Was it always the plan?* **Zurdi:** Yes! When i first thought about a name, that was the one I first could think about and it didn't change since # *Were you inspired by any other apps or platforms? /are you close to any other other projects’ teams? There’s a lot of unique takes on the concept in this space: Pegasus, ES, LaunchBox, and so on. I can’t imagine there’s any rivalry, have you any kind of ‘working relationships’ together?* **Zurdi:** Of course. The main inspiration was catridge+gameyfin. About relationships, we are really close to the Retrodeck team (actually that's the first platform we have plans to integrate with as a PC handheld frontend) and also we are friends of emulatorjs devs, gaseous/hasheous devs and retrom devs. We all provide our own perspective to things, but we all support each other when needed. I think that to build great software we need to swim in the same direction and help each other. # *Looking back now you’ve all come so far, with such an established user-base with so much feedback, is there anything you’d do differently in those early stages of development?* **Zurdi:** Once thing I would change is to design better how we manage saves/states and how we integrate some things into the system, now that I know a lot more of the emulation scene, I think I designed some things poorly. ------------------------------------------- # 3. Development & Tech Choices: -------------------------------------------  # *What tech stack does RomM use, and why did you choose it?* **Zurdi:** RomM is built with python+fastapi in the backend and vuejs+vuetify in the frontend. It is distributed through a docker image. I decided to use that stack because I already knew python pretty well since it's one of the main languages I use at work, and I chosen vuejs as frontend framework because a lot of years ago, I needed to use it to build a little tool at one of my past jobs but I felt I wanted to go deeper with it (back then it was Vuejs 2, now we use Vuejs 3) and this was the perfect opportunity for it. # *What’s been the hardest technical challenge so far - something that kept you up at night?* **Zurdi:** We want to develop a device-sync system where you just use RomM as a centralized cloud save/state system and you don't need to manage them manually (right now only if you use the integrated emulatorjs is automatically managed, otherwise you need to download/upload manually from/to RomM any state or save you get from your handheld/pc devices). That's going to take a lot of time to design properly. # *How do you balance making it user-friendly for beginners while still powerful for advanced users?* **Zurdi:** We try to really think on the UX, but sometimes it's hard to keep things simpler when some technologies like docker are involved. Sometimes you just need to have a little bit of technical knowledge base. In any case I think RomM now is way more user-friendly than before. # *How do you balance making it user-friendly for beginners while still powerful for advanced users?* **danblu3:** They have me test it. Haha. But no seriously, when something is developed it will go through a couple of alpha and betas, and even internal testing only. I am usually pretty good at A-B flows, as in, I am a pretty good user of the product and if something doesn’t feel right or doesn’t flow correctly, I will let the team know, explain how it should be and usually it’s accepted. # *What’s a ‘hidden’, or perhaps less acknowledged feature or design decision you’re especially proud of?* **Zurdi:** I am really proud the UI design itself, I know some users choose us before other alternative just for the visuals (since the alternatives are great tools too), but also how the backend is build in terms of authentication/multi-user management. **danblu3:** You can actually play flash games in the browser, using the RufflesRS player :) Oh. And the team will tell me off for not saying this. ***WE SUPPORT RETRO HANDHELDS!*** We recently with the help of Jeod from Portmaster have made our app compatible with anything that can run Portmaster basically, this is a really quick and efficient way to get the games on your handheld WITHOUT pulling out your SD card. Seriously. Get on it, it’s so cool. # *How has open-source feedback shaped the direction or architecture of RomM?* **Zurdi:** Every user has their own unique perspective and way of emulating and managing their ROMs and systems. Learning how people actually use their setups and how they wish they could provides valuable insight and inspiration. This kind of feedback helps us see beyond our own habits and assumptions, which can be very limiting. Without it, we risk building something too narrowly focused on our personal workflows, instead of something truly useful and flexible for a wider community. **danblu3:** Having an open Discord I would say has definitely shipped some features into RomM. Before we had any DLC or Patch support (letting you store update files and so forth against the main rom) there were many heated discussions between the community of what RomM should be. This passion drove us to working on the DLC support (even though it was already on the back burner, but seeing the users practically cry out for it, we bumped it up a couple of notches) # *If someone wanted to contribute to RomM, where should they start?* **Zurdi:** * [We have a very detailed contrubution guide here](https://github.com/rommapp/romm/blob/release/CONTRIBUTING.md) * [A development environment setup guide](https://github.com/rommapp/romm/blob/release/DEVELOPER_SETUP.md) * [And some branding guidelines for RomM itself or third party apps/clients/plugins](https://docs.romm.app/latest/Miscellaneous/Brand-Guidelines/) **danblu3:** We are open source, so pulls, forks, write ideas within the discord. The team is extremely friendly and will talk through the ideas and help you with the pulls if needed. ------------------------------------------- # 4. Community & Culture: -------------------------------------------  # *What’s the RomM community like? How would you describe the people who use or support your app?* **Zurdi:** The RomM community is made up of passionate retro gaming fans, tinkerers, and self-hosting enthusiasts. One of the most remarkable things is how much they help each other where it's troubleshooting, sharing tips or offering feedback, there's a strong spirit of collaboration. It's a small but growing group of people who genuinely care about preserving and organizing their game collections. **danblu3:** *Awesome.* We have a fostering community of homelabbers which is growing every day, where they all share their little tidbits of the next best thing. We have some extremely smart community members roll through the door and make some wicked plugins that we take inspiration from, just, honestly, the community is lovely. **Moonraka:** I think our community is incredibly welcoming. We have international users from all over. It makes it a fun and vibrant place from all hours of the day! Generally just excited people to get the project running! # *Have there been any unexpected use cases or creative customizations that users have shared with you? Perhaps someone has suggested something and you all think “okay that’s it, we’re doing *that*”..?* **Zurdi:** Some users have their libraries spreaded across different locations, so they use the docker mounts as I didn't think of at the beginning for example, in a pretty smart way. Also, how they use some of the features to store hacks, emulator binaries, or other kind of files that RomM is still not meant for. **danblu3:** It’s more… a user has said about a feature that just kind of ticks in our head and we all go “Yea, that makes sense. And will make RomM extremely cool” and begin working on it. Some recent examples would be adding a simple letter toolbar as you scroll, so you can skip to the correct letter. # *How do you handle feedback or criticism—especially from passionate retro gamers?* **Zurdi:** I think the whole team handle feedback pretty well. Of course, as any human, we can have a bad day where we are not as sympathetic as usual (the less days of course), specially with those users that demands things instead of request things **danblu3:** I would say me and Mr Moon are the filter before the passionate words make it back to the devs, but we have had some arguments within Discord with some passionate users, those have mostly died down now though. We handle it well, there is some language barrier issues we have definitely faced with some users using some translation devices and things might get crossed, but we’ve never outright banned or told someone no. **Moonraka:** I think our community helps police itself. There can be translation issues at times, which can come off as passionate/emotional. Demands can be annoying as this is a passion project and the devs have their personal lives. We've stopped giving eta/windows for when features drop, this has helped. # *Are there any moments where you thought, “This is why we built this”?* **Zurdi:** Yes, some users talked to me to say that they had great times with they family and friends, that they got a closer relationship with them thanks to RomM or that they were just waiting for something like this for years and they finally have a solution that theyreally like. Those moments are what keep me putting effort into this for as long as I can. **danblu3:** Pretty much every day when sorting someones issue, when they say it’s all working, art being filled in, metadata being grabbed. It’s like the person I helped is experiencing the joys of Christmas again or something, it’s a nice feeling. # *Have you made any real friendships or meaningful connections through RomM?* **Zurdi:** Of course. Specially the RomM team, which I can call now friends, but also some of the community members are great people that make RomM a better product and a better community in their own way. I don't want to name anybody to not forget someone, but they know who I refer to. **danblu3:** Hell Yes. Mr Moon, Zurdi, Arcane, Adam, the home labbers (Duncerman..). I have so many friendships made from this one discord server, I feel lucky I joined this discord to be honest. **Moonraka:** Danblu3 (probably wouldn't be here without ya) Ryu (Kitty-Dragon), Doakyz, Deek, and others. The RomM team - Arcan, Zurdi, Adam and Dan made me feel welcomed and I was offering something to the team! # *What are your hopes for how the community grows or evolves in the future?* **Zurdi:** I want the community to become a go-to hub for anyone interested in ROM management and emulation, especially within the self-hosting scene, but also beyond. A place where people can share knowledge, discover tools, and help each other. **danblu3:** I just want us to grow, I want us to be known. I want people to say “rom” and they go, you mean the program or the game cartridge rom? I know that is kinda ridiculous to say but I truly have faith in these devs to make this the central location for all retro needs (as long as you self host it, that is!) *Moonraka:** Just continue to gain passionate members. We recently added tags for experts, NAS, Hypervisor, and etc. This has helped people feel they can contribute in little ways. It helps us tag and ask users of a certain group what tweaks were needed in support threads. # *Does your team feel ‘burn out’? Most devs for gaming projects I talk to end up walking a ‘fine line’ for gaming – they work on the project so often that their own time gaming gets less and less. Do you ever feel this?* **Zurdi:** Yes, everyone in the team felt burn out at least once. Since we are passionate software developers, we spend free time on this after spending our lives developing sotfware for our irl jobs. Also supporting users when they have issues is very time demanding (thanks Dan and Moon), so whenever any team member needs to dissapear for any amount of time, they don't even need to tell anyone. Just get some rest for the amount of time you need. **danblu3:** I am personally not a dev but I know that our team can suffer a little from it. But I will let them explain more about it. In relation to the support side, yea, it can feel a little overwhelming but the payoff is worth it. **Moonraka:** All I do is continue to contribute to support so I can free devs up to do their work. ------------------------------------------- # 5. Game Preservation & Legal Grey Areas: ------------------------------------------- # *Where do you personally draw the line between preservation and piracy?* **Zurdi:** For me, perservation is when we (personally or a community/website) offers a way to acquire games that are impossible to get otherwise. Piracy is anything that involves to get any game that can be currently bought in any format or store. **danblu3:** *Sheesh. Talk about a hard question to answer. Thanks PerfectDark.* The line is extremely thin for me if I was being honest, for example I find modding physical and soft modding consoles fascinating and how they can give our old devices some much needed love. But yes, they also open the doors to piracy. I think preservation is key, you should be allowed to make a backup of your legally owned games and you should be able to play them on your console in any way you see fit (SD Card, Flash cart, ODE) If you buy the hardware, you own it. I agree that the big companies should ban online interaction, but, for local and just keeping your collection which could easily corrode into a digital format… that should be left alone and up to the user. # *How do you think the industry could better support legal preservation and access to older games?* **Zurdi:** I am not really sure about this. Maybe some big companies should give their bless to preserve already dead games (games that are impossible to get as I said before) **danblu3:** I don’t think they can? Just being honest. I think they should back away and let the community handle the work, there are already some really impressive community projects archiving older cartridges and CDs etc. # *Have you ever had to deal with legal pushback or warnings, even indirectly?* **Zurdi:** Not at all. **danblu3:** No I have not. # *Do you see RomM as playing a part in keeping gaming history alive—or is that a side effect?* **Zurdi:** I think that if that happens will be a side effect of how users decide to use their RomM instance. Also, having different options to self-host your library will make that more users will preserve their libraries and we will have a better archive of gaming history. **danblu3:** 100%. The fact we let you play retro games you own in your browser, as technology gets even more powerful and more plugins and full feature software is developed into RomM. Imagine just handing your phone to your child to play LoZ: A Link to the Past, playing it perfectly in browser, then they pass it to their kid and their kid etc. With a RomM library your preservation will always be there, your memories, your saves, etc. # *What do you think people misunderstand most about ROMs, emulation, and legality?* **Zurdi:** One of the biggest misunderstandings is that emulation itself is illegal. it’s not. Emulators are just tools, and they’re perfectly legal in most countries. The legal gray area usually comes from the ROMs themselves. **Danblu3:** [That] it’s not easy. And it’s an EXTREMELY thankless task, there is so many smart people out there spending their OWN time in making these emulators, these rom images, these compression tools and algorithms, so stop for a minute and say thank you to the devs. They do not hear it enough, seriously. # *If copyright wasn’t a barrier, what would your dream feature or archive look like?* **Zurdi:** The ultimate dream would be a RomM feature where you don't only access your library but any library in the world, becoming a distributed, giant library across the whole globe. ------------------------------------------- # 6. Vision & The Future of RomM: ------------------------------------------- # *What’s one big feature or change you’re excited to explore in the near future? Can you give us any sneak peeks at what you might be working on? Or hoping to?* **Zurdi:** I think a lot of users already know, but our ultimate goal is to offer a smooth experience of cloud save sync, where you can forget about where you are playing. You just play in any device, connected to RomM, and everything is managed automatically. **danblu3:** At the minute when you match information we do it based on the name, we do strip tags and make the name as close as possible but mismatches occur. Hash matching will abolish this and more, we will read the content of the file and match it to a known hash record, if it matches. That is the game, metadata pulled, scraped. Done. # *How do you see RomM fitting into the broader self-hosting movement?* **Zurdi:** RomM fits naturally into the self-hosting movement because it gives users full control over their game collections. Just like with media servers or file hosting platforms, people want privacy, ownership, and flexibility. RomM shares that philosophy: no tracking, no vendor lock-in, and full freedom to adapt the tool to your setup. It’s about empowering users to build their own ecosystem, exactly how they want it. **danblu3:** I see us being included in those “Top five apps you must install” articles and so forth, just under the *arr stacks. **Moonraka:** I see it was one of those essential apps in everyone's arsenal. Who doesn't love games ;) # *Do you ever see RomM being integrated into other platforms or services?* **Zurdi:** Yes! we are triying to integrate into as many devices and platforms as possible, but that takes a lot of time to do. **danblu3:** I want us to. My dream would be to see us added to popular front ends like ES-DE and so forth. Imagine browsing through the front-end, choosing your game, that sends a signal to RomM to either download or even stream that game, to let you play it. Then when your done, the save is uploaded and the rom is removed from the local system. Meaning all you need will be the frontend software. # *What motivates you to keep working on it, especially as a non-commercial passion project?* **Zurdi:** What I said before. When I read some comments of people that I don't know, telling me how their lives are a little bit better thanks to RomM, is more than enough. Also as a passionate developer I can explore technologies that I can't in my irl job. **danblu3:** On the support side, what motivates me is the fact that the devs are incredibly smart. If I can remove as much noise from them as possible so they can focus on the work, then I will keep doing it until the end of time. **Moonraka:** I just enjoy the community and work! # *How would you love people to describe RomM five years from now?* **Zurdi:** The "ultimate, self-hosting rom management platform" **danblu3:** Passionately. Saying how it needs to be the number one or two app they install within their homelab. # *What is everyone’s favorite games? Retro **and** modern?* **Zurdi:** Hard to choose! For modern I would go for cyberpunk, god of war 2018 and ragnarok and maybe outer wilds. For retro I would go for The legend of Zelda Oracle of Seasons, Pokemon red and Super Mario bros Deluxe for gameboy color. **danblu3:** My retro pick would be LoZ: A Link to the Past, any system I get working which has an emulation kind of system this would be my testing game, and I usually get quite far before I remember I am configuring it… Modern: My current addiction is Clair Obscur Expedition 33, it’s crazy good. The combat, the story, seriously. If you like Persona like games or just turn based RPGs, get on this. It’s crazy how good this game is. My GOTY by far. **Moonraka:** Retro - Front Mission, Final Fantasy, Sonic Modern - Xcom, Titanfall, Yakuza series # *What’s one game you think everyone should try at least once, and why?* **Zurdi:** I think outer worlds [*n.b. my own note here, maybe ‘Outer Wilds’ is meant here?!*] is an experience that crosses that line between a game and a vital experience. At least for me that I have a really big passion for the cosmos and everything that involves the vast universe, and also the mysticism and the ancient cultures, outer worlds is an experience that leaves an empty place in your soul when you finish it. **danblu3:** Legend of Zelda, Ocarina of Time. It’s probably the best LoZ and it seems to be a passion project for most people to get it running as good as it can possibly look on any device. **Moonraka:** Yakuza series. Just insanely funny, random and passionate. Glad a guy at the used game store turned me onto it back on PS2. # *Finally...any last words for people reading?* **Zurdi:** Thank you to everyone supporting us, to those who help others in the community with their setups, and to everyone who enjoys using RomM. And a special thank you to our amazing team, without them, RomM wouldn’t be what it is today. **danblu3:** Thank you all, from the bottom of my heart. RomM is so powerful not just due to the devs but due to the community as well. I truly love this community and I hope we continue to grow and foster in the future. I would do specific shout outs but I only have a small bit to type in, so people who know who you are, keep being you! :) **Moonraka:** Thanks for the opportunity to answer! ------------------------------------------- # And that’s that!!! ------------------------------------------- Thanks for anyone who read through, I hope you enjoyed the latest of these! Some links to follow, if you’d link to see more of RomM: * [This is a live demo on The RomM Project](https://demo.romm.app/) * [You can find the RomM site here with this link](https://romm.app/) * [This is the link to their GitHub](https://github.com/rommapp/romm) * [Here is a link to their official Discord community](https://discord.com/invite/RGPJHNMMwJ) As ever, I’m just writing these up, alongside my various gaming News Posts as my way of leaving something unique in the Lemmy community. I have more of these to come (my good friend AA who is a developer with Decky Loader is going to do this next, but I haven’t been non-lazy, and haven’t even written questions to him yet -_-), and...well, I hope you enjoy it! -PerfectDark :)

Well, it’s that time again for this last week’s interesting gaming news I’ve spotted! I know a couple of days back I shared a GOG-specific News Post, but this time it’s back to the general everything-and-the-kitchen-sink collection I find. *Why even do this?* My aim for these News Posts in general though is to format them in a more *clearly not a professional, but someone who cares about gaming* manner than most gaming sites do now. Cozier? My ever-lasting inspo is the old, old video game sites, blogs and magazines that I never had the privilege of being alive for: * **image/gif/link heavy** (although GIF can be tricky on Lemmy, some big ones refuse to show, and ones I plan on including end up unable to upload, and *this* time around, not one GIF!) * **personal voice** (though as someone who has always written with plenty of dashs: - ...I’m only just hearing they’re favored by A.I. text generation, so that’s concerning...) * **mostly news or articles or points** which you won’t find on normal gaming sites. These are the smaller, lesser things that I’m drawn to. I *know* you’ll have spotted the big news articles, so I’m hoping some of these smaller ones might have been missed by you. I visited a few gaming sites this week, and was reminded how shit they are. Even the small, small ones have begging banners up the top wanting donations, support, Patreons, affiliate links, etc etc. I know why they’re there, but its annoying. So grab a coffee? Or a tea? Or a fresh juice? And enjoy <3 ---------------------------------------------------------- # General News: ------------------------------------------- # *ZOTAC:* ZOTAC showcased the prototype of their next-gen handheld running Linux at Computex 2025. Unique in that they’re the first two have *two* trackpads on their handheld, like the Steam Deck does. It’s also nice to see it running Manjaro, which actually looks nice! Anyway, a handful of pictures here from someone who was getting a hands-on impression, it’s nice to see more in the handheld space!     * [Here is a YouTube video showing it off](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3pqnmUVGcGU) * [Here’s their site](https://www.zotac.com/product/handheld/zone-handheld-gaming-console) ------------------------------------------- # *Denuvo:*  Irdeto’s shitty DRM has been removed from a few games this week, which is always, always nice to see! ([despite Stellar Blade’s developers claiming it performs *better* with Denuvo](https://www.dualshockers.com/stellar-blade-pc-can-run-better-with-denuvo-than-without-claims-devs/) -__-) so, constantly running non-game code on top of the main executable, making it...better?! Anyway, some Denuvo has been removed this week, including: * [**Dragon Quest III HD Remake** has been stripped of the DRM](https://steamdb.info/depot/2701661/history/?changeid=M%3A9149249826105582092) * [**ENDLESS Dungeon** also](https://steamcommunity.com/games/1485590/announcements/detail/541106412549308606) - *Turns out the latest Windows 11 update wasn’t playing nice with it, causing crashes for some players. So, we’ve taken it out to help keep things running smoothly* * **FANTASIAN Neo Dimension** – removed due to license expiry ------------------------------------------- # *Emulation via Xbox:*  If you didn't see it, Microsoft is making 'Developer Mode' free next month for the Xbox consoles, removing the $19 USD fee. Emulating *all kinds* of systems is possible on the Series X/S consoles, and also on the One X (and I *think* even the One?!), which you do by sideloading Universal Windows Platform (UWP) apps, in this case - emulators!!! # *Systems that play and run well:* * NES / SNES / Game Boy / GBC / GBA * Sega Genesis / Master System / 32X / Sega CD * Nintendo 64 – (runs well enough, though with some tweaks) * PlayStation 1 * PlayStation Portable (PSP) (full speed on *most* titles) * Sega Dreamcast (not all games) * Nintendo DS – Playable with some touch/mouse emulation workarounds * Neo Geo / Arcade (MAME/FBA cores) * Atari, MSX, TurboGrafx-16, etc. # *Systems that play, but maybe not perfectly:* * PlayStation 2 (*I found most games I was interested in worked really well, and there's a ton of people who share their settings! The first time I finished MGS3 was on my Series X console maybe 2/3 years ago this way!*) * Nintendo Wii / GameCube – Via Dolphin core in RetroArch, has decent performance all around, but not 'perfect'. * Nintendo 3DS – Runs but limited by controls and UI workarounds and is kinda just not worth the effort in my opinion! * Sega Saturn – Some progress via cores like Yabause or Kronos, but compatibility varies. A few years ago using your Xbox to emulate all kinds of games was super easy and free, done by Retail Mode. Then MS freaked out and only made it possible on 'Developer Mode' in mid 2023, which required that aforementioned one-off license. Next month, it's free for individuals, so...time to use your Xbox for emulation again! (I'd recommend it, anyway!) [An article sharing details on the fee being dropped is here via Windows own blog](https://blogs.windows.com/windowsdeveloper/2025/05/19/microsoft-store-expands-opportunities-for-windows-app-developers/) [And here is a link if you’d like to read more from a non-official source](https://xboxera.com/2025/05/19/microsoft-makes-individual-developer-accounts-free-next-month/) And further, if you want to see what people *can* do with emulation on the Xbox, here’s a few video links on YouTube: * [This one is a full set-up video, but shows you what is possible for Dolphin specifically](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m73fGlWfl-k) * [And a general one here](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TB0VllzmGGw) And finally, if you'd prefer a written guide (*sorry, its on Reddit, I remembered it was a good source of information back when I was emulating on my Series X, and seems the most obvious community to link here!*) [This guide has been posted detailing all that is needed to set up and run emulation, it is '**How To Activate Dev Mode And Install UWP Games And Apps'**!](https://www.reddit.com/r/XboxRetailHomebrew/comments/1ktgw97/guide_how_to_activate_dev_mode_and_install_uwp/) ------------------------------------------- # *Original Far Cry Dev Build Found:*  Yup, as the title shows, a few weeks ago someone bought and original Xbox dev kit and found an early development build of Far Cry on there! This is a pretty common occurrence actually, and whenever someone shares *any* dev kits of any kind, you’ll see comments leap in saying to preserve what is on there. *Why?* - because this is gaming history, like what we’re seeing in this Far Cry build, you get to see how the game is made in the different stages, and preserving what would otherwise be lost is so, so imporant. They shared: > I acquired an Xbox Development Kit recently and found this development build of Far Cry on it, there is no audio in this build and the FPS are dropping when looking at the trees, thought some of you might find this interesting. Dumped from an old Crytek Development kit - dated October 27 2005. This build was created after Far Cry Instincts launched (Sept 2005) and appears to be an attempt to port Far Cry to the Original Xbox which was scrapped possibly in favor of the XBLA (Far Cry Classic) version on the Xbox 360. Since sharing it, they’ve been in touch with Modern Vintage Gaming (MVG) on YouTube, who has long-since made their video on it. * [You can watch it here if you want!](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5FnvVf6SWC4) * [And here is a link to archive.org where the Far Cry build has been shared to](https://archive.org/details/hdd_20250428) ...and lastly, Wired wrote an article back in 2018 called ‘The Teens Who Hacked a Video Game Empire—and Went Too Far’ which covers the story of some people who obtained and utilized Xbox 360 dev kits, leading to the discovery of unreleased game builds. [The link the *that* one, is here on Wired](https://www.wired.com/story/xbox-underground-videogame-hackers/) ------------------------------------------- # *Dev Kits:* Funny that when I searched recent dev kit news, I found *this* person who found a entire box of these in a warehouse. One thing to note is that he is wearing gloves and does *not* in fact have carrot-hands:  These however, while still being in the dev kit family (*and still going for a fair price-ish, around $150 USD each*), aren’t the true deviest of dev kits. These ones are the CAT-R models, they're regular Wii Us that just have a different DVD drive that can read dev disks. [Here’s some mentions on them on the gbatemp forum](https://gbatemp.net/threads/dumping-wii-u-kiosk-systems-without-hardmods.585676/) The rare ones are the CAT-DEV and the most desirable the CAT-SES with the HDD since they can often contain super interesting data. ------------------------------------------- # *One More (Xbox) Thing...* I just wanted to share this effort, too. As you’ll no doubt know, I just LOVE custom builds and hardware hacks on consoles – I love how people make them their own, design print and use their own housings, and make what is already amazing even more personalized. This is made by the user KierzXCV, and is an unfinished product (*they’re still tweaking, and even apologize for the ‘spaghetti wires’!!!*) I found this so called Xbox Mini build, and I LOVE it, first some photos:   [Here is the shell they used (and changed themselves)](https://www.printables.com/model/952485-original-xbox-slim) > I changed quite a few things as you can see including lowering the controller ports and adding a screen. My printer is a Bambu Lab A1 with a 256x256 print bed. This allowed me to split the front into 3 pieces with tabs that gets rid of the split where I placed the screen and make it look more one piece. This is where the 2 tone colours come from without the need of a multi extruder. > Added the LCD which is a 16x2 screen (will be doing a 20x4 update also, but can't use the standard ones a lot of people use on the regular Xbox's even when board is trimmed down as still the rear PCB is too tall). The XBMC4GAMERS LCD file is easily edited to accommodate for what you want displayed. The console itself it TSOP modded with Cerbios, so I used a [AladdinXT to drive the screen thanks to Ryzee119](https://github.com/Ryzee119/AladdinLCD) > I've also added a Pico W as a wireless controller adapter inside the case with a switch on the rear that allows you to go between regular ports, or the Pico W. Soldered my data lines from the controller port to TP2 and TP3 on the Pico W. [The fork that allows the onboard Bluetooth of the Pico W to be used can be found here](https://github.com/wiredopposite/OGX-Mini). This meant I didn't need a seperate adapter and it is only the Pico W unit that's worked in. > And to finish off, I'm just gonna say please ignore some of the spaghetti wiring. It's still in test phases and very unlikely to be final print lol. ------------------------------------------- # *Witcher 3 – DRM:* I just love this one, a little note left in the game which is a nod to how DRM-free gaming is the way to go (being the ethos on which GOG is built!) – this is just...idk it makes me smile, so here it is:  ------------------------------------------- # *Steam Deck Delivery Girl:*  Everyone’s fav art of 2024 – the Steam Deck Delivery Girl - was the mascot for the sales on Steam last year, all created by nemupan [(link to their bsky page is here, if you want to see their ‘thank you’ post once they were all done!)](https://bsky.app/profile/nemupan.bsky.social/post/3les6on4vm22x)  Luckily one cosplaying fan, n8sniper, has brought her to life, with a little photoshoot (their first ‘pro’ shoot!) that is just...I can’t even express how well done it is! Here’s some of her photos of the efforts:     ------------------------------------------- # *Xbox Retro Classics:*  A few days ago, with no fanfare, Xbox announced a whole new additional benefit to Xbox Game Pass: the *Retro Classics* > Discover timeless classics and hidden gems with Game Pass. Retro Classics includes over 50 restored and ready-to-play games available for Xbox Game Pass members. Power up your play with community challenges, competitive leaderboards, all-new challenge modes, high-score rankings and more. > Play over 50 classic games from Activision like Commando, Grand Prix, Kaboom! Mech Warrior 2: 31st Century Combat, and Pitfall! > Take on friends, rivals or the entire world with unique challenges – or dive in solo – and collect achievements. Save your progress and continue later for the first time for many games. > Available for Game Pass members to play on console, PC, and on supported devices with cloud gaming. They plan to expand the lineup with nothing being removed (unlike how Game Pass operates, where a game is eventually removed from the service – *except for first party games of course*), aiming for over 100 titles soon enough. [There’s a link here to purexbox’s site which has the full current collection of titles, which I find easiest to look at when toggling ‘reader view’ on your browser](https://www.purexbox.com/news/2025/05/xbox-retro-classics-the-full-list-of-games-included-at-launch) ------------------------------------------- # *Elden Ring’s Numbers:*  ER has had the numbers crunched by *Alinea Analytics* and we get to see Elden Ring’s player distribution by platform (Steam, Xbox & PS), and a little more data including wishlists. Steam is the clear winner, obviously, accounting for 43% of the game’s 36 million players, but I found this one interesting (and unsurprising)!!! ------------------------------------------- # *Unpredictable Indie Industry:*  Veteran indie developer Dan Marshall from Size Five Games chatted about the unpredictable nature of achieving success on Steam in today's saturated gaming market. He noted that traditional strategies for indie game visibility, such as wishlists and influencer endorsements, are no longer effective (*which took me by susprise, but maybe that damn influencer freight train is slowing down?!*). Marshall pointed out the randomness of which games gain popularity, citing the success stories of Balatro and Vampire Survivors as examples. Despite their modest initial appearances, these games found large audiences through word of mouth, but also that success is difficult to replicate. I found this one a great read, and I *rarely* find good articles these days, the [article itself is on PC Gamer and really worth a read!](https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/veteran-indie-dev-says-success-on-steam-these-days-is-impossible-to-predict-why-did-balatro-take-off-you-could-write-a-million-f-ing-essays-and-none-of-them-will-be-definitely-right/) ------------------------------------------- # *Custom Covers:* I know, I know, I can’t stop myself sharing custom game covers. [I just find them so nice to see!](https://i.pinimg.com/originals/64/10/fc/6410fce49e0e0dedba1b3b71d71bee69.gif) A user by the name of artninjaguy shared his custom-made cases for loose games he had: > I got some aftermarket dust sleeves for the cartridges and designed theses end labels for them. All I had to do was print them out on some good quality paper and stick them on the spines with some double-sided mounting tape. They're not identical to the original boxes for the games, but I tried to design them with a similar visual identity to the retail boxes. I'm quite happy with how these turned out and they seem to be holding up pretty well. And here they are:      ------------------------------------------- # *SAG-AFTRA, A.I. and Darth Vader:*  The Screen Actors Guild‐American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) has filed an ‘unfair labor complaint’ against Epic Games. The problem (they say) centers on Fortnite's use of an AI-generated voice for the character Darth Vader, which mimics James Earl Jones' iconic portrayal. Despite J.E.J (and family) ‘selling off’ his voice for use by A.I. The union though, contends that Epic implemented this A.I. voice without prior negotiation, violating fair labor practices. This complaint is making plenty chat about the ongoing tensions in the entertainment industry regarding the use of AI and its impact on creative labor. The verdict though? I think its going to go nowhere and fall flat, they (SAG-AFTRA) seem to be scrambling to do something, and picking an odd one to do so with. But I guess we’ll see! ------------------------------------------- # *Epic’s Mystery:* And again, Epic have shared some teaser of the next week’s free games. The ones they’ve given away during their big sale lately have been great games, so we’ll see if this coming week’s two titles (and a phone game as well) will be up to that level of quality or not. Here’s their own teaser image. If *you* can guess it from this, for God’s sake consider working as a code-breaker, because I haven’t the foggiest notion on what it can be.  ------------------------------------------- # *System Shock 2 25th Anniversary:* With the game's remaster for the 25th anniversary just around the corner (arriving on June 26th!), Nightdive has showed a few pictures, these of the enemies you'll be encountering. I'm *so* excited to buy this one on GOG, anyway, pictures:     ------------------------------------------- # Steam News (Compiled):  A bunch has happened for Steam over the last week, and I have *no* doubts you’ve read your fill on each of them. So I’m just going to throw a paragraph on each ‘thing’ they did here so you can read a brief summary – otherwise it’d seem like I’m ignoring the ‘biggest’ news and that’s weird. Right? ------------------------------------------- # *SteamOS Compatible:* Valve has expanded its game compatibility ratings by introducing a new "SteamOS Compatible" label. This system assesses whether games function properly on SteamOS-based devices, evaluating aspects like game and launcher functionality and anti-cheat support. Titles meeting the criteria will be marked with a blue checkmark, complementing the existing green checkmark for Steam Deck Verified games. Valve anticipates approving over 18,000 games with this new rating, aiming to ensure a seamless gaming experience across various SteamOS devices # *SteamOS Everywhere:* Valve officially, and finally expanded SteamOS support to third-party handheld gaming PCs with the release of SteamOS 3.7.8. The update introduces official support for the Lenovo Legion Go S and improved compatibility for devices like the Asus ROG Ally (*which I will always curse because I bought the first edition and had it nuke my SD cards*) and the original Legion Go. Users can now install SteamOS on these AMD-powered handhelds using Valve's provided recovery images and installation instructions. The update also brings enhancements such as a new "SteamOS Compatible" game library tab, Bluetooth microphone support in desktop mode, and a battery charge limit feature to prolong battery lifespan. # *Steam Client Update:* On the 20th, Valve released a new update to Steam, with some nice improvements and changes: * Enhanced controller hotplug detection for certain third-party devices. * Reduced memory usage of steamwebhelper when launching games or switching to/from Big Picture Mode. * Fixed issues where games failed to connect to the Steam process under specific conditions. * Resolved problems with game preloads showing 0bps disk activity. * Addressed rare crashes of steamwebhelper when switching to/from Big Picture Mode. ...and more, but there’s a few for you! # *Neural Interface Project: Starfish:* Valve is developing a neural interface project named **Starfish**, focusing on creating a specialized ‘electrophysiological’ chip designed to record and stimulate brain activity. While specific details are limited, this seems to work with Valve's long-term interest in brain-computer interfaces, and IDK, I think I trust this (only slightly, tbh) more than Elon’s weird brain-chips. ------------------------------------------- # Some Quick News Dot-Points: ------------------------------------------- * **SteamOS 3.7.8** the update (Go Country) which I covered a few points above has arrived to the ‘stable’ channel. Lots of tweaks and additions in this one (way too many to mention), and I’m sure 99% of you have already noticed this and read all about it. For the 1% who have not, the [link to Steam’s own changes are here if you’d like to read them!](https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1675200/view/820329049655084700) * **Fantasy Life i** by Level 5 has now sold over 500,000 copies! Fans of the original on DS have come out alongside new fans who are purely PC gamers and...just love it! * **Game Boy (Nintendo Online)** have added some games for May 2025 with Nintendo Classics: GRADIUS THE INTERSTELLAR ASSAULT, SURVIVAL KIDS, Kirby's Star Stacker and The Sword of Hope. [Trailer on YouTube is here for the announcement!](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BRmpwGGTXOo) * **Sifu** was offered by Epic Games (again) to claim for free, as a part of their May Sale. The game runs *so* well on the Steam Deck, and if you’re not already claiming the Epic titles they give away each week, you *really* should be. This was given away alongside Deliver At All Costs, which is given away right as it launched. They’ve done this for two other titles, but the only other one I remember off-hand was Cigni which was given away as it launched. [You can read more about Epic’s weekly free-to-keep games here!](https://store.epicgames.com/en-US/free-games) ------------------------------------------- # Just For Fun: ------------------------------------------- I've been enjoying the odd emulated older system game lately, when I have the time (as ever, I use RetroDECK to emulate anything on my Steam Deck) - and I've found some nice, fun *old* images. IDK, make you all smile or something: **Melissa Joan Hard playing Sega Dreamcast:**  **Christian Bale playing Amstrad CPC:**  **Link to the Past in 3D:**  This one was made out of sandstone! ...who knows how, but its amazing. **Send in my next patient:**  * **14" TV with built-in Dreamcast from 2000:**  ------------------------------------------- # What have you been playing?! ------------------------------------------- I love to ask this, because it's *fun* to me, by this stage I recognize user-names, and I like to see what games everyone is playing * AAA (or even AAAA) * AA * Indie * Emulated * Retro gaming on actual hardware Anything of the above, I'd love to hear what you've been playing! I've enjoyed Enslaved: Odyssey to the West lately. I bought it *super* cheap on Steam a month or so back, and have been playing a little bit each day on my Steam Deck (*of course*)  Aside from an odd warning at the start (press 'b' twice and it disappears), and one instance of Trip getting stuck behind a ladder she needed to climb - requiring a restart, I just have had no issues. I've also used a mod from Nexus which replaces the videos with upscaled 1080 versions too, which while not strictly necessary...helps it look pretty. Really recommend the game! I'm looking at other games of the same vintage - kinda the PS3 era, [Remember Me is one option I've found, it looks fun!](https://store.steampowered.com/app/228300/Remember_Me/) I've also been playing Super Mario Wonder on my CFW Switch OLED. I've really loved getting back into the Switch, I swore off it completely when I got my Steam Deck and culled my collection, but having one again? Makes me happy! ...so, what have you been playing?! # Previous News: if you want to quickly jump to all the other News Posts I've shared here on Lemmy, this will make it easier: * [Steam Deck / Gaming News #2](https://lemmy.world/post/26182097) * [Steam Deck / Gaming News #3](https://lemmy.world/post/26306459) * [Steam Deck / Gaming News #4](https://lemmy.world/post/26483935) * [Steam Deck / Gaming News #5](https://lemmy.world/post/26707576) * [Steam Deck / Gaming News #6](https://lemmy.world/post/27035556) * [Steam Deck / Gaming News #7](https://lemmy.world/post/27435521) * [Steam Deck / Gaming News #8](https://lemmy.world/post/27639264) * [Steam Deck / Gaming News #9](https://lemmy.world/post/27761213) * [Steam Deck / Gaming News #10](https://lemmy.world/post/28239730) * [Steam Deck / Gaming News #11](https://lemmy.world/post/28590388) * [Steam Deck / Gaming News #12](https://lemmy.world/post/28805418) * [Steam Deck / Gaming News #13](https://lemmy.world/post/28889066) * [Steam Deck / Gaming News #14](https://lemmy.world/post/29248253) * [Steam Deck / Gaming News #15](https://lemmy.world/post/29568046) * [Steam Deck / Gaming News #16](https://lemmy.world/post/29826595) # My Mastodon: I share every day on there, mostly gaming news and all kinds of nonsense, if you wanna have *more* of this kind of thing? Then feel free to follow along there!  I hope this has been fun, thanks as always for letting me share these!!!

I thought a dedicated GOG News post might be a nice change-of-pace. I'm not sure how much I can find or cover here, that hasn't already been shared in any case...but I *do* love GOG, and I feel they get a little less publicity or cover than the obvious alternative of Steam...so here we go :) ---------------------------------------------------------- # GOG’s Gaming News: ---------------------------------------------------------- # *Authenticator:*  GOG (*finally*) announced that you can now use authenticator apps to keep your GOG account secure. Prior to this their account security was maintained with a log-on code being sent to your email, but now you can use an app of your choice to increase the security. Authenticator apps *are* inherently more secure (depending on the app you choose!) When its enabled, and you log in to GOG, after entering your password, the site asks for a verification code as well. * The authenticator app ([like Bitwarden Authenticator for example](https://bitwarden.com/products/authenticator/)) generates a time based one time password (known as a TOTP) - usually a 6-digit code that changes every 30 seconds or so * You enter that code to complete the login! GOG stated themselves: > To provide you with better security for your accounts, we’ve introduced a new 2FA (Time-based One-Time Password) login method for your accounts. You can use it with popular authentication apps of your choice, like Google Authenticator, Microsoft Authenticator, or others. Aside from not loving Google and MS being their examples (although I can see why they are used – the most popular are just so for a reason), this is *only* good news. You can read [all about the reception of this news on their forum post here with this link](https://www.gog.com/forum/general/you_can_now_use_authenticator_apps_to_keep_your_gog_account_secure_582bd/page1) – and marvel at how some people can be annoyed and try argue that email is safer or that you can’t these apps (like *this* comment I spotted): > There are no companies I trust. Trust doesn't come for free. I only trust people, and only those who have earned it. And...now go and do this, because it *is* safer for your account and lovely GOG DRM-free library :) ------------------------------------------- # *GOG’s Hammer:*  GOG is celebrating [Warhammer Skulls 2025](https://www.gog.com/promo/warhammer_skulls_2025?source=news) with major discounts and a key update to its (*rather amazing*) Preservation Program. Five classic Warhammer games are now preserved and exclusive to GOG: * [Warhammer 40,000: Chaos Gate](https://www.gog.com/game/warhammer_40000_chaos_gate) * [Final Liberation: Warhammer Epic 40,000](https://www.gog.com/game/final_liberation_warhammer_epic_40000?source=news) * [Warhammer 40,000: Rites of War](https://www.gog.com/en/game/warhammer_40000_rites_of_war) (*also, to note, this one is free to claim and keep forever from GOG right now! Follow the link!*) * [Warhammer: Shadow of the Horned Rat](https://www.gog.com/game/warhammer_shadow_of_the_horned_rat?source=news) *[Warhammer 40,000: Fire Warrior](https://www.gog.com/game/warhammer_40000_fire_warrior?source=news) In addition, Sanctus Reach and Armageddon are now GOG exclusives, after being delisted elsewhere! More Warhammer titles are also coming soon to the platform, including: * [Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader – Lex Imperialis](https://www.gog.com/game/warhammer_40000_rogue_trader_lex_imperialis) * [Warhammer 40,000: Dark Heresy](https://www.gog.com/game/warhammer_40000_dark_heresy?source=news) * [Dawn of War – Definitive Edition](https://www.gog.com/game/warhammer_40000_dawn_of_war_definitive_edition?source=news) * [Space Marine – Master Crafted Edition](https://www.gog.com/game/warhammer_40000_space_marine_master_crafted_edition?source=news) This campaign on GOG right now celebrates Warhammer’s impact across genres and media, and makes you take note of the importance of preserving its legacy. As GOG themselves said: > Warhammer is a universe so vast it spills across genres and generations – from grimdark sci-fi to high fantasy, from tabletop to tactics, from single-player campaigns to skirmish-scale gems. It has shaped player identities, inspired modders, spawned books, art, animation, and unparalleled lore. It’s not just a franchise. It’s a world that gives meaning. And it deserves to be preserved.  [You can watch GOG’s own announcement on YouTube with this link - detailing everything in a far more fun than my bare-facts-typed-out-manner here!](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=br_EUmmrhl4) ------------------------------------------- # *Space Marine: Master Craft:*  The upcoming remaster to 2011’s Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine is not so far off, arriving on June 11th, and is a *welcome* change I think. I’ve tried a few times to play and enjoy it (*you might have even claimed it for free in December last year, alongside The Outer Worlds and Baldur’s Gate II: Enhanced Ed.*), but it does feel its old age. I’ll straight up copy the announcement because there’s no reason for me to prattle on with nonsense when the announcement *is* the news: Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine returns. Enhanced for a new generation! Enjoy quality of life & graphical improvements that take the Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine experience to the next level.  **Improvements:** Higher fidelity & improved textures 4k Resolution Improved character models Modernised control scheme + interface overhaul Remastered audio Step into the armor of a relentless Space Marine and use a combination of lethal weaponry to crush overwhelming Ork forces. Immerse yourself in an intense and brutally violent world based on the richest science fantasy ever created. In Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine you are captain Titus, a Space Marine of the Ultramarines chapter and a seasoned veteran of countless battles. A millions-strong Ork horde has invaded an Imperial forge world, one of the planet-sized factories where the war machines for humanity's never-ending battle for survival are created. Losing this planet is not an option, but a darker and far more evil threat is lurking large in the shadows of this world. With an Imperial liberation fleet en-route, the Ultramarines are sent in to hold key locations until reinforcements arrive. Captain Titus and a squad of Ultramarine veterans use bolters and chainswords to take the fight to the enemies of mankind. **Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine – Master Crafted Edition includes the original Space Marine game & all DLC:** • Chaos Unleashed Map Pack • Dreadnought Assault DLC • Iron Hand Veteran Chapter Pack DLC • Death Guard Champion Chapter Pack DLC • Golden Relic Bolter • Golden Relic Chainsword • Power Sword • Blood Angels Veteran Armour Set • Salamanders Veteran Armour Set • Alpha Legion Champion Armour Set • Legion of the Damned Armour Set • Emperor's Elite Pack • Traitor Legions Pack **STORM INTO BATTLE** Step fearlessly into the heart of combat as an unstoppable Space Marine. Never hide, never cower, just purge all that stand in your way. **UNLEASH VISIBLE VIOLENT DEATH** Using an innovative combat system, switch seamlessly from high-caliber ranged weapons to devastating close-combat strikes. Taking out an enemy has never been so satisfying. **EXPERIENCE THE GRIM DARKNESS OF WARHAMMER 40,000** Jump into a rich universe of awe-inspiring landscapes, deadly enemies, immense battles and ruthless annihilation. **TAKE THE BATTLE ONLINE** Form your own Space Marine squad or Chaos Space Marine warband and face off in 8 vs 8 online matches. Gain experience and unlock new weapons and armor to customize the devastator, assault, and tactical marine classes. Supports Cross-Play functionality  [The link for the trailer on YouTube is here](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7YxYLWIJfP8) And...lastly, it is also going to be on Game Pass – day one!!! ------------------------------------------- # *Preservation Program?*  ***I just read this and noticed that you mentioned the GOG Preservation Program...what is it?!*** I’m so glad you asked! If you’re not aware, as a part of their 16th anniversary GOG expanded their mission with a new ‘Preservation Program’. The program aims to keep classic PC games, which includes games like System Shock 2, Diablo, and Myst, compatible with modern operating systems like Windows 10 and 11.  GOG commits its own resources to update and maintain these games, even if the original developers are no longer involved. Their initiative (which has a lovely icon I’ll attach below) includes bug fixes and quality-tested builds, going beyond basic compatibility. This effort highlights the importance of *preserving* gaming history, especially since 87% of games made before 2010 are now considered inaccessible, according to the **Video Game History Foundation**. GOG continues to offer these games DRM-free, with dedicated tech support!!! ------------------------------------------- # *Lino – Library Manager:* I did cover what Lino is a couple of News Posts ago, but we’re close to when the dev has been promising their initial release to be – the end of this month, a few days from this being posted (*another dev of a another project tells me it is two days time from writing this!*. Though I doubt this date will happen (*maybe I’ll be surprsied!*), it’s nice to see the dev is close to it. *But what is Lino, for us who never saw your initial post?!* Lino is a fan-made, custom-built game launcher created by an individual developer to better suit their personal needs than existing options like Playnite or GOG Galaxy. It’s designed to offer a clean, customizable UI and features not typically found in mainstream launchers, including: * Cloud storage awareness (showing whether a game is stored locally or offloaded to the cloud) * Portable mode and syncable database for use across devices (e.g., PC and handheld) * Game tracking and stats overview * Built-in cloud save backups * Integrated screenshot viewer * Emulator support * Native "How Long to Beat" integration Initially prototyped in PowerShell, the launcher is now built using Electron and React. The developer plans to release a free version with core features and a paid version with full functionality, including custom themes, as a one-time purchase without DRM (*ew*) Where can I find more on it? [You can follow this link to their Discord!](https://discord.gg/gbPgbtV8) ------------------------------------------- # *GOG’s Forum:*  I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again, *do not forget that GOG host their own discussion forum!!!* They have topics for everything, including game-specific forums, all the way to general discussions. I think in a world where we’re used to the instant gratification of social media, we forget that places like forums can be a *better* space to chat. After all, Lemmy is based on the principles of forums! My fav of the entire forum is (I know I am a broken record) the [Unofficial DVD Covers for GOG.COM games thread](https://www.gog.com/forum/general/unofficial_dvd_covers_for_gog_com_games) It does exactly what it says it will, and is a collection of community made physical covers for people’s games! The art, artistry, design and passion in there just makes me so damned happy, and every time I am on here I go straight to etsy to find a seller who offers UV Printing services and have the cunning plan to get one done on a steelbook cover for myself. Here’s a few of the latest page, just because I love sharing these:   ------------------------------------------- # *White Logos:*  This one's a bit strange, but I've come across it *so* many times that it must be a thing? Just a week or two back I saw someone on a few places offering money for custom game icons with white, centered text. Maybe if he'd seen the following which was made entirely for GOG Galaxy 2.0, he wouldn't have had to pay for the effort: > I've been slowly working my way through my library creating more cohesive tile images and this is what I've done so far ([Google Drive](https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1mTI6VqvHKwWfyg3hUdhCg1nM0NhlXzLX?usp=sharing)). I'm still making my way through so plenty more will be added. If you have any requests, let me know. I've also included a template should anyone wish to do their own! Cheers. I've taken a few examples to share here, just in case you're curious:    So, if you're using, well, not just GOG Galaxy (*because honestly who would?!*) but any game collection front end, and you're a fan of uniform white font? This one's for you! ------------------------------------------- # *Heroic Games Launcher:*  HGL has released 2.17.0 – Franky build. In their own words (if you didn’t already know): Heroic is a Free and Open Source Epic, GOG and Amazon Prime Games launcher for Linux, Windows and macOS. Also available on the SteamDeck! The new build has been shared, and is ready for updating on your Steam Deck, or...wherever you game (since it works everywhere!) > A new Heroic release is out and it contains several new and amazing features, new designs and a lot of fixes! * New GamePage Design * [macOS] Add Button to automate Windows Steam installation * Adds a setting to download Proton versions directly to the Steam compatibility folder * It is now possible to select an image file on the sideload dialog * Update electron to latest version v36.2.1 * Fixes Issues with Epic Login and Checkout * Several fixes for UMU, DXVK and GPTK * Fixes HowLongToBeat not working anymore * Update Legendary and added a EpicGamesLauncher.exe to fix issues with Rockstar games * Fixed an issue with RemotePlay not working with Steam * Several refactors and improvements Just a couple of screenshots here:   ------------------------------------------- # *The Game That Caught My Eye:*  I know, I’m not unique in this discovery, but I saw that JDM: Japanese Drift Master has released on GOG (and...I *guess* everywhere else, too) and while it *looks* amazing, it definitely needs some work. It’s been on my wishlist for so long now, and one I’ve actually been excited for. I’ve a pretty big love for driving/racing games. My top three of recent times has been: * [Drive: Rally](https://www.gog.com/game/drive_rally) * [Art of Rally](https://www.gog.com/game/art_of_rally) * [Old School Rally](https://store.steampowered.com/app/2824660/Old_School_Rally/) (sadly no GOG release yet!) ...so I guess you can tell I love rally racing. *ANYWAY* [**JDM: Japanese Drift Master - the GOG page is here in this link**](https://www.gog.com/en/game/japanese_drift_master) - has released:  * Works on Linux * Music is *incredible* - music is a huge part of racing games for me, and one of my fav parts of Forza and even GTA V (I just spent my time driving and enjoying the modded world), and they nailed it * The manga art style they use in it is fun, and not something you see elsewhere, it's not specifically doing much, but it is a nice touch * *Definitely* needs patches, there’s some room to grow here and it feels pretty unfinished. It's like an Early Access game without actually being an Early Access game.   [This is the like to their YouTube video of a trailer for the game, so you can see it in motion](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-iebhqKtmcg) I'd maybe recommend it on steep sale, or I'd *strongly* recommend it after a *LOT* of patches and content has been fixed. For now if you just like stylish racer which you can feel a pretty drive experience in, then go for it, but for performance and content? Not yet for me. I'll go back to Art of Rally for now! ------------------------------------------- # *Prime/Free:* Don't forget if you have an Amazon Prime account, you can use the Prime Gaming benefits of free GOG, Epic Games and Amazon (also Xbox, this month!) titles for free, to keep forever. And if you *don't* have a subscription (well done!) you can just sign up for a free trial, then cancel it and keep the titles regardless. Unethical perhaps, but effective.  While we've had a ton of games already this month, this last week's (one or two days ago) included: * **Mail Time** (GOG) * **FATE** (GOG) * **Thief 2: The Metal Age** (GOG) * **Everdream Valley** (Amazon) * **Chessarama** (Epic Games) * **The Lost Ashford Ring** (Legacy Games Code - in fact if you want this, leave a comment and I'll give it to you, I've never redeemed a Legacy title!) ...and next week (claimable from the 29th of May) are the following titles: * **Samurai Bringer** (Amazon) * **Trinity Fusion** ( Amazon *I LOVE THIS GAME!*) * **Masterplan Tycoon** (Amazon) * **Liberté** (Epic Games) [You can read the full list of claimable games for the whole month here via Medium, and also see more on the service etc](https://primegaming.blog/prime-gaming-may-content-update-star-wars-galactic-battlegrounds-saga-lego-star-wars-the-e1b09ab88a29) ------------------------------------------- # *Quickfire GOG release:* Just some dot-points so you can see what games have been released in the last week or so, and what is coming soon: * Vambrace: Dungeon Monarch (*with extras*) * JDM: Japanese Drive Master * dotAGE Extended Ed. (with DLC and OST) * The Siege and Sandbox * Kathy Rain 2: Soothsayer (with extras) * Knights in Tight Spaces (with extras) * Kulebra and the Souls of Limbo (with soundtrack) ...and coming soon: * Songs of Conquest - Roots ------------------------------------------- # What I use to Play: ------------------------------------------- As ever, when I write something GOG-specific, I get people asking what *I* use (and sometimes *why*) to play GOG games, on desktop and more commonly on my Steam Deck. I recommend two methods, because I use both, but trust me...I know there's a ton of options available for us. I use Heroic Games Launcher for my desktop PC, *and* on my Steam Deck. It plays Epic, GOG and Amazon games (and there are plans coming in the future for EA via Maxima) https://heroicgameslauncher.com/ I also use Junk Store, which has support (currently) for Epic Games for free, and GOG with an add-on which is a one-time payment to the devs. Junk Store is very close to a new version however, where far more than just these two are supported, all from Game Mode with minimum effort. https://github.com/ebenbruyns/junkstore The vast bulk of my gaming library is on GOG. I'm recently appreciating Steam though, and I'm going to *start* looking at more games on there, I have pitifully few - though I have been enjoying an old game called Enslaved: Odyssey of the West on there. Aside from a couple of issues (I downloaded higher texture video files from Nexus for example because the default is woefully old and poor) it's really fun! Its such a beautiful game, and written/designed in part by Alex Garland (who wrote my most fav novel in the world - The Beach!) I'd definitely recommend it:  ------------------------------------------- # That's That! ------------------------------------------- This one's a very small news post, I've got a lot on my plate, but next time will be more wide-ranging and all encompassing where I can share all kinds of gaming news. I do hope some may enjoy these few items regardless this time, though! ...oh and if you want to, you can find me on Mastodon with the following (I typically post all kinds of gaming stuff, each day!) 

You might have seen that I've been posting my interviews, or Q&A's rather, with developers of Steam Deck/Linux projects you might know and love (with many more to come!): * [RetroDECK](https://lemmy.world/post/29089602) * [Heroic Games Launcher](https://lemmy.world/post/29307275) * [Lutris](https://lemmy.world/post/29459679) Well now I've had the chance to sit down with independent media creator Gardiner Bryant, known for his focus on Linux and gaming. Possibly most well known for: * [His PeerTube channel](https://subscribeto.me/a/gbryant/videos) * [His YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/@gardiner_bryant) * [...and his blog!](https://blog.gardinerbryant.com/) Gardiner *is* Linux, and Steam Deck, and gaming. While most might gravitate to his video content (YouTube, I'd hazard, would be what he might be most known for), I prefer his written posts. I *miss* blogs, and having his to read makes me so very happy. So, if you've an interest in what might be behind the curtain of an independent content creator, particularly one focused on gaming - then read on! ----------------------------------------------- # Origins:  ----------------------------------------------- # *Can you tell us a bit about your background? Who is Gardiner Bryant!* I'm a Mainer first and foremost. I was born and raised here. I grew up as a gamer. I played games on my SNES, N64, and PC as a youngin. My favorite game series were Super Mario (3, World, 64), Command & Conquer (Red Alert, Tiberian Sun, RA2, Generals), SimCity (2k, 3k Unlimited, 4), The Sims, and DOOM, Unreal Tournament, and so many others. # *What was your first real exposure to both Linux and to gaming? What 'clicked' for you?* My first experience with video games was Super Mario Bros 3. I remember sitting on the floor at my friend Caleb’s house watching a cartoon that he called Mario. But there was no talking. And then he handed me the controller and I realized I was in control of the cartoon. Mind blowing stuff. I was very young. I was in preschool. My first experience was probably in 2003 or 2004. One of my girlfriends’ friends was in the “computer careers” vocational class and he gave me a copy of Red Hat Enterprise Linux. It was way outside my comfort zone. I had no idea what to do with it and I rolled back to Windows XP quite quickly. After that, I installed Ubuntu Jaunty on the family PC which pissed my dad off. Then I put Fedora Core 6 on my PC and it was awesome (except I couldn’t figure out how to play my extensive collection of MP3s). As far as Linux and gaming? I tried WINE to play the classics. But it never clicked for me until the Humble Indie Bundle 4. It included some of the games I’d been playing on my Wii and 360: Bit.Trip Runner, Super Meat Boy, Shank, and Cave Story+ to name a few. This was well before Valve announced Steam was coming to Linux! Humble was Linux gaming at the time. # *Was there a specific moment or project, with video creation, gaming or writing which made you realize, “This is what I want to do”?* As a kid, my dad published comic books as a hobby. He created “Lobsterman: Maine’s First Superhero” and it demonstrated that I could do something creative and be successful at it. He also was a radio DJ and had pretty decent taste in music. Even more importantly, my mom’s parents were creatives. Joe, my grandfather, created awesome mechanical things set to music (think backwoods Maine Disney World) and Bea, my grandmother, was a collector, a seamstress, and more. They were self-employed and made their passion their livelihood. I’ve always been fascinated by tech. Video games, animation, audio & video production. As a teen I created several home movies with my friends. My church even put on “Oscar Nights” that encouraged local youths to create videos based on scriptural themes. I taught myself programming and animation as an homeschooler using Macromedia Flash. It’s just kinda been my thing, I guess! # *How did gaming intersect with your interest in open-source? Were they always linked for you?* No, they weren’t. When I was first starting out as a Linux user most of my gaming happened on my Xbox, GameCube, Xbox 360, and Wii. Don’t get me wrong, I tried games through WINE. But they were always classic PC games I had physical copies of. I didn’t get into Steam until the Steam for Linux beta. # *What drew you toward independent journalism over more traditional tech career paths?* The example of my grandparents loomed large in my life. I wasn’t super close with them (nor my father for that matter) but entrepreneurship has always been in my blood and working a standard nine to five has never suited me. Despite the risks of being independent, I can’t imagine doing anything else. However, I cannot stress this enough: I’m not journalist. Liam from [GamingOnLinux](https://www.gamingonlinux.com/) is a journalist. He checks his facts and reports on the news. I’m a writer and enthusiast and (if I’m anything journalism-adjacent) I’d be a Linux pundit. I’m also using that term in the most derogatory sense of the word. 🤣 I do have a commitment to truth and I strict ethics statement on my company’s website that I adhere to. But I just don’t think of myself as a journalist. You've cultivated a strong personal voice online—how much of that is intentional vs. just being yourself? I have intentionally put myself in everything I do. I’ve also avoided doing things that would compromise my beliefs/ethics. That sounds all high and mighty but really all it means is I’m incapable of inauthenticity. (Spell check is telling me that’s not a word. But I swear I googled it.) I can’t make myself do things that I’m not interested in. This is a double-edged sword, though, as it means my focus is fickle and the only thing consistent with my content is myself. If I had been able to sell out, I could be in a different position in terms of subscribers/income. But YouTube punishes channels that don’t specialize in exploiting their audience’s attention and they’re doing that to me right now. As far as writing goes, writing is also in my blood. I’m a descendant of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow through my maternal grandmother and both my maternal grandparents were both writers. Joe in particular was a poet, lyricist, and a composer of limericks. # *If you weren’t doing this—creating, writing, advocating—what do you think you’d be doing instead?* If I was still working for myself, I’d be doing more of what I do now as my day job: web development and backend programming. If I weren’t working for myself, I’d probably still be doing IT for the furniture store I used to work for. ----------------------------------------------- # *Linux & Gaming:*  ----------------------------------------------- # *How would you describe the current state of Linux as a gaming platform? What’s still missing?* I’d characterize Linux gaming as “strong, mature, and capable.” The biggest thing we’re missing is real anticheat support. But that will come, naturally, as adoption grows and, crucially, the kernel-level anticheat **fad** falls by the wayside. # *Do you see Proton and tools like Lutris as long-term solutions, or are they transitional?* I think compatibility layers are truly the only long-term solution for Linux gaming. Even after the Windows platform is long dead, Proton provides a stable layer gives Valve (or whoever) the capability to triage apps into a stable state. # *How do you balance enjoying games as a player vs. analyzing them as a Linux advocate?* I mentioned that I’m not able to force myself to do things I’m uninterested in. That extends to my gaming habits. I don’t play games I’ve got no interest in and if a title doesn’t hold my attention then I’m not going to talk about/cover it. It’s one of the reasons that I’ve got such an extensive collection of retro consoles and games. There’s something about the classics that the modern titles can’t seem to achieve! # *What’s one misconception you think people still have about gaming on Linux?* It is too technical or requires the use of the terminal. I had a friend tell me the other day that he doesn’t use Linux because he’d “rather use a GUI.” He was holding his Android phone and I replied, “your phone is basically Linux and it’s exclusively a GUI.” That baffled him. ----------------------------------------------- # Steam Deck & Handheld Gaming:  ----------------------------------------------- # *What do you think the Steam Deck meant for the Linux gaming scene as a whole?* It’s a symbol that serves to legitimize Linux gaming. It’s a clarion call for people who know it runs Linux. And to anyone who doesn’t know it runs Linux, it’s an affordable gaming PC. # *Have you found yourself using the Steam Deck more for gaming or experimentation/tinkering?* The only PC games I play are on my Steam Deck (except for VR, of course). I’ve got a $4,000 desktop PC and [I tried DOOM: The Dark Ages](https://blog.gardinerbryant.com/doom-the-dark-ages-full-review/) for the sake of completeness, but I only played for like 10 minutes. I actually am not much of a tinkerer anymore. I’m really busy with work so just want things to work. Honestly, that’s probably my favorite thing about Linux. More often than not It Just Works. # *Do you think Valve has lived up to the open-source ethos with the Steam Deck ecosystem?* Valve’s contributions to open source are massive. I don’t think they can be overstated how important what they’re doing is. Their work doesn’t get enough recognition. But they could stand to make more of their in-house code more open, for sure. 😉 # *What’s a feature or evolution you’d like to see in the next iteration of the Steam Deck?* A second USB port. The ability to dock a desktop GPU using a standard like USB 4. And I’d also like to see haptic trigger feedback similar to what Sony has on the PS5 controller. VRR might also be nice but that can have battery implications and the Deck 2 needs to improve on the current hardware’s battery life. I think Valve has nailed pretty much everything else. I *don’t* want to see a 1080p+ screen. It’s unnecessary and adds performance and power constraints that are not worth the upgrade. # *Is the Steam Deck’s success creating pressure for other handhelds to follow suit with Linux-based OSes?* I think they serve different markets. Many of the folks who are not satisfied with the Steam Deck’s hardware are also going to be conscious of the fact that many online games aren’t compatible with Linux. I’m keen to see how the Lenovo Legion Go with SteamOS is going to perform in terms of sales. Plus, however the next SteamOS device performs will be telling. ----------------------------------------------- # Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) Philosophy: ----------------------------------------------- # *What originally drew you to the FOSS movement? From all we’ve ever talked, you bleed FOSS, what makes the scene mean so much to you?* I believe in freedom and independence. I’ve experienced first hand how for-profit tech is built on exploitation and harming their users. I’ve come to the understanding that the proprietary software industry is impossible to sustain without fundamentally violating the rights and autonomy of their users. It will always trend towards authoritarian levels of control and that is fundamentally at odds with my core beliefs. I believe the software industry (we’re talking the proprietary software industry) would be completely unsustainable if it weren’t for the four pillars of proprietary software. They are: patent trolling, violations of privacy, licensing rather than ownership, and downright criminal behavior. These four pillars are mechanical, they’re cold, and they’re misanthropic. The free software movement stands in stark relief against the machinations of proprietary software. Instead, FOSS offers its own four freedoms. At their core the four freedoms are anthropocentric, they put the rights of the user ahead of the any other interest. # *Do you feel the broader tech culture is moving closer to or further from open-source principles? Or is that just those of us who adore it just ‘dreaming out loud’ (e.g. this is the year of Linux!)* Like I said, I think the tech industry is impossible without the problematic “four pillars.” Sure, there are some standouts (anomalies) like Valve who are interested in FOSS and contribute back to the community. But that’s a rarity. I’d like to hope that Valve can be an example of how other companies should engage with FOSS, and they sure are. But I’m skeptical (cynical?) enough to see the industry moving further from an ethical foundation rather than closer to one. # *Where do you personally draw the line between open-source purism and practicality?* I don’t think purism of any ideology is helpful. And that’s true when it comes to FOSS as well. If there’s a task that you need to complete, use whatever you know and what you have on hand to complete that task. But where I draw the line is pretty simple. I won’t use proprietary software from any vendors who have a history of paid subscriptions or “software as a service.” I generally won’t use any software that assaults my mental autonomy with ads, especially if it’s software I’ve paid for. And I also try to steer clear of any software that relies on the cloud or injects useless AI garbage. That being said, I use proprietary stuff like DaVinci Resolve for video editing and Affinity Photo 2/Designer/Publisher for much of my client work. And I obviously play tons of video games through Steam. # *What’s one underappreciated FOSS project you wish more people supported or used?* Honestly, Linux. OEMs need to ship more Linux on their retail hardware. Valve, Fedora, Manjaro, and Bazzite are both doing great work on that front. # *How do you handle community friction or dogmatism in the FOSS world?* If they’re in my comments section, I troll them. I try to call out dogmatism and unhelpful attitudes as I encounter it. ----------------------------------------------- # Gaming Journalism & Content Creation:  ----------------------------------------------- # *You've called out traditional games media before—what do you think they consistently miss?* In many instances, the games media fundamentally lacks integrity. They create sponsored content masked as reviews. They toe the publisher’s line in order to secure early access, etc. They view the world through the post-capitalist lens of corporatism and cronyism. They’re also complicit in the hype cycles and unsustainable “bigger number better” bullshit. # *Do you see yourself more as a journalist, commentator, educator, or something else entirely?* I’m a commentator and educator… sometimes a loud and joyless pundit. 😂 # *What responsibility do independent creators have in a space full of sponsored content and hype cycles?* Authenticity. Just be yourself and do what you love. Report your thoughts and feelings honestly and do not heed the critics or try to make yourself more appealing to a general audience. # *How do you choose what to cover, especially when there's pressure to chase trends or clicks?* I talk about whatever piques my interest. It can be a new game launching, a news story that pop up on my meticulously curated RSS feed reader, or something shared by the folks in my Revolt server. # *Have you ever been tempted to take brand sponsorships or pivot toward commercial content?* I’ve done many sponsorships in the past. I’ve stopped doing them over the last few years because (again) it’s really hard to force myself to do stuff I’m not interested in. And I don’t really give two hoots about money beyond what I need to survive. # *I know some companies have sent you some fun products for review, with no strings attached. Notable the new Legion Go S recently. Can you share any more? Or...perhaps a favorite of the bunch?* I get hundreds of emails per week offering me free review samples. It always goes the same way: I inform them I’ll only talk about their product if I’m free to review their product by the criteria of a review laid out in my [ethics statement](https://heavyelement.com/ethics). MinisForum always tends to send me really interesting devices. [I truly love the most recent one they sent me](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O28-ClI6ZCw&t=1s). I also get GuliKit and 8BitDo controllers quite frequently. [The Legion Go S is also really cool!](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fzdYdlnYouk) ----------------------------------------------- # Community, Motivation & Identity: ----------------------------------------------- # *In a creator landscape dominated by monetization, why do you keep doing what you do?* I sometimes joke that I’m a sheep dog. I’m only relaxed when I’ve got a task to accomplish. At this point, my job is to be passionate, honest, authentic, and I have fun doing so. I don’t care about much else. # *How has your audience shaped your content direction over the years?* Honestly, I don’t give a lot of thought to the audience beyond “*am I getting my message across to Joe/Jane Viewer?*” I make content that’s designed to be welcoming to and digestible by beginners. I can’t tell you how many times I see some kind of criticism in the comments of my video that boils down to “I don’t like the way you said X. Next time, say Y instead” and I just laugh. It’s like, if you know enough about the subject to have an opinion on this, then you’re not the person I’m making it for. It goes back to your question on what I consider myself and, yeah… “educator” is the right word. # *What part of the Linux or open-source community energizes you the most?* Situation: you buy some kind of smart appliance. The first-party app to control the product is limited, designed poorly, and requires some kind cloud connection/subscription. Now you have new account credentials you must manage, you have another random device connected to your WiFi, and potentially anther subscription fee to pay. Meanwhile there’s some random GitHub repo started by a first time programmer who has reverse engineered the app/product and created a Home Assistant integration that not only is feature complete but has unlocked some dormant/inaccessible features. Passion will always surpass profit. That’s why I’m a dyed-in-the-wool true FOSS believer. # *Have you had moments where you considered stepping back or quitting—and what kept you going?* Yeah. Many times. Most of it has to do with YouTube screwing me over so frequently. But deploying/running a [PeerTube](https://subscribeto.me/) instance reinvigorated me. Recently, [my blog has become my happy place](https://blog.gardinerbryant.com/) # *Perhaps most common when I write these for creators, devs and the like - is a sense that while working on gaming all day long (developing, writing, creating) there’s no time to enjoy it for yourself. Do you find this, too? Or are you able to create that divide and still game?* I started my channel because I felt I didn’t have enough time for gaming. Oh, sweet, sweet naivety. Honestly, I still play games for myself, though. Particularly through my retro gaming collection. I am just so busy that I don’t get back to it as I’d like. ----------------------------------------------- # Looking Ahead: ----------------------------------------------- # *What excites you most about the future of Linux gaming in the next 3–5 years?* Obviously the roll out of the third party SteamOS machines is shaping up to be a big deal. I’m excited to see what that’s going to do for the community. One of the biggest hurdles of Linux growth is that it’s not generally preinstalled on PCs available at retail. I’d like to see more of that going forward. As for what excites me? I’ve always been someone who looks forward to the new, the novel, and the unknown. Maybe that’s the Star Trek nerd in me. I’m excited to see how Linux gaming continues to be appreciated by mainstream gamers. And it *will* continue to grow. # *Do you have any personal goals or creative projects you haven’t yet explored?* I’m really excited about my blog and I’m hoping to get to a point where I’m posting at least one article a day over there. Last week I did three posts in a week. I’d also like to really deep dive stuff and produce more original content outside of Linux gaming. I’ve got ideas for projects. For example: seamlessly retrofitting bluetooth connectivity (possibly more) into a bedside clock radio that I’ve had since I was twelve. # *How do you see your role evolving as the tech and content ecosystem continues to shift?* I’ve consistently been one of the louder voices in the space evangelizing FOSS philosophy. As the profit-driven forces of enshittification continue to erode their destructive path through society, I’m still going to be raising my voice against it and demonstrating that their corruption doesn’t have to be tolerated. # *If you could wave a magic wand and fix one thing about the Linux or FOSS community, what would it be?* Well, one of the biggest issues we face are the grifters and charlatans who are profiting from spreading lies, driving wedges, and sewing dissent among FOSS projects. Granted, that’s a cultural-wide sickness that we’re facing right now and I don’t know a) if your magic wand is powerful enough to fix that or b) what it would take to actually fix those issues. But that’s what I’d like to attempt. # *Is there a dream collaboration—either with a person or a company—that you’ve always wanted to pursue?* I’ve never been good at collaboration. Historically, I’ve actually been terrible at it! Heck, the only reason [I’ve got a podcast](https://podcast.subscribeto.me/@OffTheConsoleShow) is because my co-hosts James and Hi-Tech Lo-Life were persistent in asking me to join them! With that said, it’d be good to talk with more FOSS developers, bring them on my show, extoll more FOSS apps/games, and shine a light on the best that the free software movement can produce! # *Any last words, of any kind for everyone?* If you believe in my work, you can help support what I do by [subscribing to my blog](https://blog.gardinerbryant.com/) or by [becoming a member](https://blog.gardinerbryant.com/#/portal). ----------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------- And that's the end! Once again, I'd love to thank my friend Gardiner for taking the time to answer these, and for even doing this to begin with! I love to do these, because I feel like while the community on Lemmy might be smaller than on other platforms, to me its quality over quantity. I hope you've enjoyed this, and if you want to find more of Gardiner, you can use the links down below: * [Podcast](https://podcast.subscribeto.me/@OffTheConsoleShow) * [Mastodon](https://mastodon.online/@gardiner_bryant) * [PeerTube channel](https://subscribeto.me/a/gbryant/videos) * [YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/@gardiner_bryant) * [Blog!](https://blog.gardinerbryant.com/) I have more of these coming in the future, too! I'm waiting for the answers from the team from [The RomM Project](https://romm.app/) which will be next, and am planning one for a member from [Decky Loader](https://decky.xyz/) which will be after *that* one. I also have far more planned, but too soon to say :) And as ever, I really appreciate anyone who reads through these and enjoys them!

Well, it’s that time again for this last week’s interesting gaming news I’ve spotted! While this week’s is the typical variety, it is *also* rather text-heavy, so you’ve been warned! As ever though, there’s Steam Deck, Linux, GOG, emulation, Switch and gaming in general in here :) My aim is to format these posts in a more *person-to-person* manner than most gaming sites do now. Cozier? My ever-lasting inspo is the old, old video game sites, blogs and magazines that I never had the privilege of being alive for: * image/gif/link heavy (sorry in advance, there’s a *lot* this week!) * personal voice (I can’t write professionally with hard-news style to save me) * mostly news or articles or points you won’t find on normal gaming sites. These are the smaller, lesser things that I’m drawn to. I *know* you’ll have spotted the big news articles, so I’m hoping some of these smaller ones might have been missed by you. So grab a coffee? Or a tea? Or a fresh juice? And enjoy <3 ---------------------------------------------------------- # Gaming News: ---------------------------------------------------------- # *GOG-Jobs:*  Looking for a job in the gaming industry (*and happen to be more qualified to do the work than saying ‘I like playing games!’*) and want to work for GOG? They left a post recently stating that they’re looking for job applicants for a variety of postitions: > Hey everyone! > We’re often on the lookout for new team members to help strengthen our mission of making games live forever. If you’re a gamer at heart and passionate about what we do, you might be exactly who we’re looking for. Take a look at our current job openings and apply if you think you’re a great fit: https://www.gog.com/work If you get the job, [give them all a hug for me because I fucking adore GOG <3](https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/original/001/396/040/004.jpg) ---------------------------------------------------------- # *Luna & GOG:*  If you’re not aware, Amazon’s Luna is their game streaming service. If you’ve got an Amazon account and own GOG games, then you can stream them without installing them (*depending on what country you’re in – the service is not worldwide just yet*) [Here’s the page on GOG’s site detailing more about Luna, and what games you’ve got or can buy which work on the service](https://www.gog.com/en/promo/play-on-luna) **This week, Amazon’s announced 6 more titles they’ve brought to Luna:** > *Hey Luna fans! Today we have a little bit of everything joining our GOG collection:* * **Kingdom Come: Deliverance II** - Continue Henry's tale as you navigate political intrigue, master medieval combat, and shape your destiny in a beautifully crafted open world. With enhanced graphics, deeper systems, and an even more immersive experience, it's time to live another chapter of history. * **Call of The Sea** - Set out on a supernatural adventure in the 1930s South Pacific. As Norah, search for your missing husband while uncovering the mysteries of an ancient civilization in this gorgeous first-person puzzle adventure. * **Never Give Up** - Test your skills and patience in this challenging platformer that's not afraid to mock your failures. Relentlessly. Again and again. 😡 With precise controls and a wicked sense of humor, this game will push you to your limits - and then some. * **Araknoid Eternal Battle** - The brick-breaking legend returns with a modern twist! Experience the classic Arkanoid gameplay enhanced with new features, competitive modes, and fresh challenges. * **Monster Prom** - Navigate the halls of spooky high school in this multiplayer dating sim. With just three weeks until prom, compete with friends to romance your monster crush in this hilarious and highly re-playable (relatable?) adventure. * **Saints Row The Third: Remastered** - For those following the Saints' journey on GOG, the most outrageous chapter of the saga is now available! Take over Steelport with enhanced graphics and all DLC included. ---------------------------------------------------------- # *S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Legends of the Zone:*  [The trailer for the game is here, if you want to check it out!](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AVWkOx4Cj6g) I’ve no doubt you’ve read all about this by now. Its a remaster for the original S.T.A.L.K.E.R. trilogy. Since you’ve read all you can, and it’s old news for me to even bring it up, I’ll just remind you of the nice points that are coming with this one: * Atmospheric visual enhancements including God Rays, Dynamic Screen Space Reflections, and Advanced Global Illumination effects. * Redesigned water shaders, upgraded skyboxes, and wetness effects. * Improved visuals with upscaled textures featuring more detailed NPCs and environment. * Upgraded weapon Field of View and models. * Multiple bugfixes and quality of life tweaks (I wonder just *how many* bug fixes, because if there’s one thing S.T.A.L.K.E.R. is known for, its bugs). * Full gamepad support. *S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Legends of the Zone Trilogy Enhanced Edition will be available May 20, 2025 on Xbox, PlayStation, and PC on GOG, Epic Games Store, and Steam. All owners of the game will receive a separate edition of S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Legends of the Zone Trilogy Enhanced Edition in their Steam and GOG libraries, which will be available for download immediately. If you do not have the complete collection, you will receive the updated version only for the games you have in your library. If you don't have any classic S.T.A.L.K.E.R. games in your library and if you want to buy the games or the collection, you'll get the classic three games for free when you purchase S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Legends of the Zone Trilogy Enhanced Edition." **(this was from the developers’ Q&A on Discord)*** [You might also be interested in seeing the patch notes for their latest update – 1.4 (Over 700 fixes and improvements with a main focus on combat )](https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1643320/view/525341911175660025)  ---------------------------------------------------------- # *The Sinking City Remastered:*  If you're into Lovecraftian themes and settings, or perhaps just enjoy a sense of distinct existential dread in video games, then you'll no doubt already know what The Sinking City is. *The Sinking City is an adventure and investigation game set in an open world inspired by the universe of H.P. Lovecraft, the master of Horror. The half-submerged city of Oakmont is gripped by supernatural forces. You're a private investigator, and you have to uncover the truth of what has possessed the city… and the minds of its inhabitants.* [Frogwares have released a video of their now released The Sinking City Remastered on YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NEoQxVMzBEg) (this is a free upgrade if you already own it), showing a nice comparison to the original, and what they improved. I’ve played the non-remastered version, and I can say that while they didn’t improve the jank (we all love a *little* jank though, right?!), it certainly was an atmosphere. [Nice news to see after Frogwares won their court case against Nacon, having sole control over their own IP again](https://www.pcgamer.com/the-sinking-city-legal-battle-ends-with-victory-for-frogwares-new-version-of-the-game-coming-soon/) > For the remastered version of this iconic story, you can expect it to be fully relit in Unreal Engine 5, containing enhanced locations with additional levels of detail and objects, 4K textures and improved reflections, addition of a Photo Mode, as well as support for DLSS, FSR and TSR upscaling. > Buying the remaster, you will also receive the original version of the game as a bonus – and for those who already own the original, you will receive the remaster! [The Sinking City Remastered is available everywhere, but I’m going to give you the GOG link because they hold my heart and soul](https://www.gog.com/en/game/the_sinking_city_remastered) ---------------------------------------------------------- # *GOG’s Betseller List Right Now:* * **[DOOM](https://giffiles.alphacoders.com/104/10452.gif)** * **[Dragon Age Origins – Ultimate Ed.](https://media.tenor.com/aN-EaYS4JJ0AAAAC/spyro-spyro-the-dragon.gif)** * **[Deus Ex GOTY Ed.](https://wallpaperbat.com/img/264124-one-of-my-faves-screencap-of-neo-in-the-matrix-asleep.jpg)** * **[Mad Max](https://i.pinimg.com/originals/a8/fa/3b/a8fa3bc5b304d0f870c590df8df48e65.gif)** * **[Neverwinter Nights: Enhanced Ed. Digital Deluxe**](https://news-cdn.softpedia.com/images/news2/neverwinter-nights-enhanced-edition-arrives-on-steam-with-4k-support-520437-3.jpg)** * **[Divinity Original Sin 2 – Definitive Ed](https://img-9gag-fun.9cache.com/photo/a4E2m26_460s.jpg)** * **[Heroes of Might and Magic 3: Complete**](https://hg1.funnyjunk.com/pictures/Heroes+3+memes_2ea35a_6497933.jpg)** * **[Breath of Fire IV](https://ultimateactionmovies.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Christian-Bale.jpg)** * **[Alan Wake](https://i.pinimg.com/originals/15/7c/70/157c70ecc980902204878f8bb80322a2.gif)** * **[Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor Game of The Year Ed.](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1265780/The_Lord_of_the_Rings_Gollum/)** ---------------------------------------------------------- # *Kingdom Come: Deliverance II DLC:*  The first DLC for the *excellent* game is coming soon. Although Warhorse Studios is calling it an ‘expansion’: > Meet an eccentric artist with a disturbing past in Brushes with Death, the new story DLC for Kingdom Come: Deliverance II. Embark on a series of brand-new quests as you help the Painter finish his artistic magnum opus. In return for your deadly endeavours, you'll be able to choose from over 100 unique shield designs and earn a new set of gear for Henry. Priced at only $6 USD, this is as the studio says the ‘smallest of the coming DLC’. [You can find the trailer here on YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AH9pzsEsC4k) * [The link to the GOG page for the DLC is here](https://www.gog.com/game/kingdom_come_deliverance_ii_brushes_with_death) * [And the link to Steam is here](https://store.steampowered.com/app/3368600/Kingdom_Come_Deliverance_II_Brushes_with_Death/) ---------------------------------------------------------- # *Marathon Steals Artist’s work:*  Digital artist [Fern Hook (AkA N2)](https://antireal.info/) has shown that Bungie has stolen her artwork, without notice or credit, even going so far as to cut/paste art which feature’s N2’s own logo. She shared some posts on social media late in the week which stated - > the Marathon alpha released recently and its environments are covered with assets lifted from poster designs i made in 2017.  It was nice to see she tagged Bungie and the Marathon game account in her post, and *obviously* plenty of media caught on: > bungie is of course not obligated to hire me when making a game that draws overwhelmingly from the same design language i have refined for the last decade, but clearly my work was good enough to pillage for ideas and plaster all over their game without pay or attribution.  She brought the receipts showing their work and the comparisons to Bungie’s game, and there’s been no way they could get out of this one. > i don't have the resources nor the energy to spare to pursue this legally but i have lost count of the number of times a major company has deemed it easier to pay a designer to imitate or steal my work than to write me an email.  Washington Post had an article which has an interview with Hook, which is great reading, and I’m going to make this week’s News Post end up being 23% larger just by pasting a good portion of it here for you to read. [All which I pasted below will be in bold to distinguish that it is from the Post’s article, which you can find here with this link, if you’d like.](https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/video-games/2025/05/16/marathon-playstation-bungie-video-game/) **Fern Hook, a 30-year-old independent artist in Scotland, noticed something familiar about “Marathon,” the upcoming video game by Bungie, the studio that created the Halo series and is now owned by Sony Interactive Entertainment.** **“Marathon,” she said, is “covered with assets lifted from poster designs I made in 2017,” all in the alpha version of the game, which allowed the general public to play an early version of the multiplayer shooter. She became suspicious when the game was announced in a 2023 trailer, but nothing appeared to be derivative at first.** **In mid-April, content creators began publishing videos of “Marathon” gameplay through the alpha version, which the public would access later through an invitation process. She said she “very quickly” began to spot her work. Hook’s futuristic iconography and font designs are posted on social media sites like Tumblr and X as far back as 2017, and similar features are seen all over the environment and the objects within “Marathon.” She pointed out the similarities through her social media on Thursday.** **“It was kind of vindicating to see direct plagiarism because it meant I wasn’t crazy for feeling so uncomfortable with the overall direction,” Hook told The Washington Post. “I kept quiet about it because I was advised to seek legal action, but … I don’t have enough time or money to fly out to the U.S. to pursue an unwinnable court case against Sony.”** **When The Post contacted Sony about the allegations, a spokesperson pointed to Bungie’s statement on social media. The “Marathon” developer team said on X that it was looking into “a concern regarding unauthorized use of artist decals in Marathon and confirmed that a former Bungie artist included these in a texture sheet that was ultimately used in-game.”** **“The issue was unknown by our existing art team, and we are still reviewing how this oversight occurred,” the studio posted on X, adding that it had contacted Hook to discuss the issue and was “committed to do right by the artist.”** **The studio said it is conducting a review of the game’s artwork, specifically the images made by the former artist, and implementing “stricter checks to document all artist contributions.”** **The allegations would be particularly damaging for Bungie and “Marathon,” which has struggled to gain positive press during a particularly financially challenging era for the once-esteemed studio. “Marathon” is a classic 1990s computer shooter that focused on a harrowing science-fiction narrative. The reboot, expected to be released in September, throws that out to instead focus on an always-online, multiplayer-only competitive shooting game. The most widely critically acclaimed aspect of the new game was its art design, which goes for bold colors and a 1990s futurism vibe. The art style is not original, especially in games, with PlayStation’s Wipeout series being an early adopter. But the clean, shiny aesthetic is rare in a modern video games industry typically obsessed with gritty realism.** **This is not the first time Bungie has been accused of using the work of an independent artist. In 2024, a fan made art of a toy gun designed in the style of Bungie’s earlier game “Destiny 2,” which was then used as a model for a game-themed Nerf gun. Bungie later said it would credit and compensate the artist. Hook said this is also not the first time she has seen her work lifted, and she has made posts over the years alleging other organizations tracing and lifting her work. She said she relies on donations for her various online projects, and this recent incident has seen hundreds of people donating money in support. Hook also composes drum and bass music and sound design for games under the name N2, and produces freelance art work under the name ANTIREAL. She co-runs a design and software consultancy firm called Superstructure as well.** **“I’d kind of had to learn to shut up about these cases because they’ve happened so constantly over the past 10 years,” she said. “It was tiring to be viewed as ‘someone who complains’ more than as an artist. But the response this time has been overwhelmingly understanding and I’m extremely thankful for the support.”** [This is *not* the first time Bungie has done this (not even the second time): stealing an artists’ work without compensation or acknowledgment – you can see another instance reported here on PC Gamer](https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fps/whoops-they-did-it-again-bungie-admits-fan-art-was-used-in-an-official-destiny-2-collectible-says-the-artist-will-be-compensated-and-credited-for-their-incredible-artwork/) Imagine of that instance below:  ---------------------------------------------------------- # *Gears of War:*  The Gears of War movie we’ve all heard about for one million years is a step closer to happening, with director David Leitch now attached to the project [- he is known for directing movies like Atomic Blonde, Bullet Train, co-directing John Wick and more](https://www.themoviedb.org/person/40684-david-leitch) Will it be Bautista who spent years lobbying for the part of Macrus and the movie being made at all? [Probably not, considering his recent bulk/weight loss](https://parade.com/.image/t_share/MjA5MTQ1ODIxMDE3NDE3MzI4/2024-toronto-international-film-festival---the-last-showgirl-premiere.jpg) [Here’s the link to hollywoodreporter where it has been confirmed](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/gears-of-war-movie-david-leitch-director-1236212544/) ---------------------------------------------------------- # *DOOM: The Dark Ages:*  To be honest, the most fun I’ve had with DOOM is the semi-recent (*and olllllllllllllllllllld*) DOOM + DOOM II double-pack. That and 2016’s DOOM were the ones I really, really enjoyed, but by the time Eternal came by...it just didn’t really work for me well. The same goes for The Dark Ages – though aside from its ridiculous price right now (*I suspect to encourage users to instead use Game Pass*) it’s still a success. I’ve just had fun seeing what people have shared about it, so there’s not much for me to say, just some fun images I’d like to share. DOOM (TDA) has a little display at the Royal Armories Museum in Leeds, England. Thought it *is* short-lived, ending this weekend. The shield and a tapestry are on display, but if you’re like me and *not* in Leeds...we can just see these photos:    A TDA Xbox controller is available, themed in the obvious manner:  And finally, it seems like someone working at ID is a fan of classic art, with these and more featuring in the game:   ---------------------------------------------------------- # *Snake Eyes:* Not much here, but a few stills from the upcoming AAA G.I. Joe Snake Eyes game being made by Atomic Studios are here:   ---------------------------------------------------------- # *Starfox:*  Ever wondered how the cover art or the classic Starfox was made? These were actual puppets and model ships, made by a special effects studio: Shirogumi. One interesting fact is that Takashi Yamazaki (writer/director of Godzilla Minus One) was working at the company at the time this was made. The puppets themselves were also on display at the N.Y. Nintendo store when Star Fox Zero was released for the Wii U! ---------------------------------------------------------- # *The Pokémon Fossil Museum:*  The Pokémon Company and Toyohashi Museum of Natural History have made it possible to see the Pokémon Fossil Museum without being anywhere near Japan. Pokémon fans can now take a virtual tour around the exhibit until November, featuring a mix of real dinosaur fossils and less-than-real Pokémon ones.    [You can use this link to access it, though your browser might not be able to show it, I sure know my hardened one had trouble](https://my.matterport.com/show/?m=P9WCbyCBGBM) Going through some of the in the exhibit for example: Omanyte is based on a prehistoric creature called an ammonite, Aerodactyl is based on pterosaurs, and Bastiodon is based on ceratopsian dinosaurs such as the triceratops. ---------------------------------------------------------- # *Free Cosmetic DLC for Bethesda Games (with a caveat):*  If you want to, you can opt in to Bethesda marketing emails at bethesda.net during the promotion window. Then, head to the games and follow the directions below: **Fallout 76: Beelzebilly suit & head, Mr. Demonic backpack** * Beelzebilly suit and head – This cosmetic can be found at any Armor Workbench in game (in the world or at a C.A.M.P.). Through the Craft option, you can craft the Outfit and Headwear directly and then put it on through the Apparel tab in the Pip-Boy. * Mr. Demonic backpack – This cosmetic can be found at any Armor Workbench in game (in the world or at a C.A.M.P.). Through the modify option, the backpack can be added to an already existing Small or Standard Backpack. **DOOM: The Dark Ages: Butcher DOOM Slayer Skin** * This cosmetic can be found in the main menu. Under Extras, select Slayer Skins to change your skin. **DOOM Eternal: Lux Slayer Special Edition Set, Nightmare Marauder Special Edition Set, Majestic Archvile Special Edition Set** * In the main menu, under Customize, select Slayer, Archvile, or Marauder to change your skins and weapons skins. You can also choose Profile to change your nameplate and icon. Is it worth it? I’m sure many here will be scrambling over to do so, but remember – your email won’t be scared, that shit will be shared. I’d recommend using an email mask. [The link to follow to Bethesda’s site for this is right here](https://freebundle.bethesda.net/) ---------------------------------------------------------- # *Polygon? Poly**gone**:*  > "It was a good website. I doubt I'll ever find a place like it for the rest of my career" While Polygon isn’t dead and gone, per se, it *is* completely changed – having been bought out, run under a new owner (Valnet), and [laying off the majority of its employees](https://aftermath.site/polygon-layoffs-sale) Its fitting that the site is basically a shell of its former self, right as DOOM: The Dark Ages has launched. Some here might remember *that* YouTube video: there’s a reason they turned the comments off for this one. The now legendary video of one of their staff failing to play Doom 2016 at a level hitherto undreamed of. Basic movement in a 3-dimensional space was too daunting for this person who worked at a video game website. [That classic video, a YouTube link, is here – if you want to cringe and wonder *what were they thinking?!*](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9yYp8ZeQ-I8) Bye, Polygon! [If you’d like to read some nice statements from former and fired eomployees who worked for Polygon, then follow this link to aftermath (not the Dr. Dre and Eminem kind), each of these are really interesting, and kinda made me sad, tbh](https://aftermath.site/polygon-vox-media-valnet-layoffs-staff-goodbye) ---------------------------------------------------------- # *Witcher 3 REDstream:*  Since The Witcher 3 has turned 10 years old, its having a 10th anniversary episode of REDstreams, celebrating The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt anniversary. > Senior Community Managers Alicja Kozera and Amelia Korzycka will be joined by Doug Cockle, along with CDPR’s English Adaptation Director, Borys Pugacz-Muraszkiewicz. Catch the stream on Monday, May 19th at 5 PM CEST on: * [YouTube link here](https://www.youtube.com/@thewitcher) * [Twitch link here](https://www.twitch.tv/cdprojektred) ---------------------------------------------------------- # *Revenge of the Savage Planet:*  The game has released, and while its change the perspective from first-person to third-person, it’s a definite upgrade in my eyes. It’s a FUN game, if you like platforming (unexpectedly there’s a lot!) > Revenge of the Savage Planet is an upbeat, satirical action adventure Sci-Fi. Jump, shoot and collect your way across vibrant alien worlds, uncovering new gear and upgrades, while discovering various hidden secrets. I’ve been playing the game via Game Pass, so I am less invested with any shortcomings since I haven’t paid for it. But here’s a statement by the devs, which I found cute:  * [You can find the store page for it here on Steam](https://store.steampowered.com/app/2787320/Revenge_of_the_Savage_Planet/) * [And also on GOG – though it shows as ‘coming soon’ there, at the time I write this anyway](https://www.gog.com/game/revenge_of_the_savage_planet) ---------------------------------------------------------- # *Nintendo Switch Box Art:* Maybe you remember a few of these posts ago I shared some alternatve Switch covers that are made by fans. One section just loves changing the fact that the default covers come with red and white standardized spines – and are *dedicated* to providing full-color alternatives to that. These are more a complete package change on the Switch’s box art. As this generation winds down with weeks left on it (offically) being *the* Nintendo console, I thought I’d share some others I’ve found that are just so very fun: Warning, far-too-many images will follow, because I’m so taken by the creativity and imagination people have while making these:      (*and they even make them in cassette tape box style!!!*)    ---------------------------------------------------------- # *Epic Games Clues:*  The clues for next week’s myster games are up – free games 3, 4 and 5. Guessing this kinda thing is way beyond me, but I *do* see people get it right, off-and-on. This last week’s free games included Dead Island 2, so while they might not be of that level, it’s exciting knowing this is Epic’s event time (its coinciding with Epic’s own Epic Sale – running from May 15th to June 12th). Here’s the ‘clues’ (I use the term loosely because they are not cluey to me!) Epic also now increased their ‘Epic Rewards’ program. You will get 20% of you game’s purchase price back to your rewards (until August 31st) – so if you’re looking to buy two games, * Buy one now, wait 14 days for the rewards to be applied to your account * Buy the other one, applying that 20% back from the other, off the price of this second game ...or don’t, I get tired of the Epic-is-shit-hate comments and DM’s I get off and on when I cover their news. ---------------------------------------------------------- # *Delisted from Steam:*  Steam is delisting Warhammer 40,000: Armageddon and Sanctus Reach on May 19th. Delistings are *never* good news, for anyone. If you want to pick them up on Steam you can get them at the best price I’ve found via Fanatical: [Here with this link](https://www.fanatical.com/en/pick-and-mix/build-your-own-bundle-warhammer-40-000-battles) But you can also buy them on GOG: * [Sanctus Reach is -80% off on GOG with this link](https://www.gog.com/game/warhammer_40000_sanctus_reach) * [Armageddon is -70% off on GOG with this link](https://www.gog.com/en/game/warhammer_40000_sanctus_reach) ---------------------------------------------------------- # *Stellar Blade:*  Stellar Blade’s coming to PC, but with the typical caveats: * Come with Denuvo DRM * No support for FSR 4 * Stupid damn PSN region-lock Now, that region lock is the most obvious offender here, this is a handy graphic which shows you what countries are unable to buy the game:  And another reminder, this region-lock is in place for gamers in these countries for *all* of Sony’s games. You just cannot (legally) buy these games in these countries. ---------------------------------------------------------- # *Quick News:* * [Denuvo has been removed from **Life is Strange: Double Exposure**](https://steamdb.info/depot/1874001/history/?changeid=M%3A1657712626153146106) * [**Capcom** has reported eight consecutive years of profits as Monster Hunter Wilds has hit over 10.1m copies sold](https://www.gamesindustry.biz/capcom-reports-eighth-consecutive-year-of-record-profits-as-monster-hunter-wilds-sells-101m-copies) * [**Heroic Games Launcher** support threads are now publicly indexed. From hereon in, new support threads which are created on Heroic’s Discord server will be indexed and easily findable with search engines – all thanks to Answer Overflow. Right now, existing threads *are also* being indexed](https://www.answeroverflow.com/c/812703221789097985) * [Steam’s monthly ‘top releases’ chart has gotten a refresh](https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/593110/view/500572747038983899?l=english) - expanded to now include top 50 releases, and historical data waaay back to 2004 * **Star Wars: Outlaws** has released [update 1.6 and the patchnotes for what’s included are here in the link to UbiSoft’s site](https://www.ubisoft.com/en-gb/game/star-wars/outlaws/news-updates/6xjEjWMQplZquUcRmLrKco/title-update-16) * **Xbox insiders** get new ways to personalize their home screen. Not for everyone yet, but this looks promising since the home screen *is* covered by giant tiles (and ads)(https://news.xbox.com/en-us/2025/05/16/xbox-insiders-get-new-ways-to-personalize-home/) * **Epic Games** has [updated their search to have a new look](https://i.redd.it/xszw37p7061f1.png), which while not the most news-worthy of things, for Epic this is rather big news indeed (their news is rare) * Bruno of **Winlator** is back, after taking a break due to the outcry when a virus was discovered in a Winlator build was discovered. Hopefully he sticks around! * **Rainbow 6 Seige X** will be on Game Pass Ultimate, day one on release which is June 10th. * **GTA V** [is continuing to sell 5 million copies every 3 months, and Red Dead Redemption 2 is now the "best-selling title of the past 7 years in the US"](https://www.gamesradar.com/games/grand-theft-auto/as-gta-6-hype-builds-gta-5-is-continuing-to-sell-5-million-copies-every-3-months-and-red-dead-redemption-2-is-now-the-best-selling-title-of-the-past-7-years-in-the-us/) ---------------------------------------------------------- # Games I’m Recommending: ---------------------------------------------------------- *I thought it might be nice to recommend a couple of games I’ve enjoyed playing lately!* # ***The Precinct:***  [Game’s launch trailer here on YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FjZVlnMJhRI) > Averno City, 1983. Gangs rule the streets and your father lies restless in his grave. Clean up the city, uncover the truth, and embark on thrilling vehicle chases through destructible environments in this neon-noir action sandbox police game.  I wasn’t around for the original GTA games – that isometric view gameplay, but I *did* enjoy one done in the same style: Chinatown Wars. I played that on my (beloved) Nintendo DSi for a work trip some time ago and just LOVED every second of it. So when I heard about this game, being an almost spiritual successor (I know, from the perspective of the police) at least in the view and gameplay...I had to get it. > You are Officer Nick Cordell Jr. As a rookie beat cop fresh out of the Academy, you’re on the front line of defence for Averno’s citizens. Dive into a world of thrilling car chases, sandbox crimes, and a healthy dose of 1980s noir as you protect the populace and solve the mystery of your father’s murder in the line of duty.  The game looks *beautiful* and if you’re on handheld it even has its own dedicated Steam Deck settings preset, which runs wonderfully. I’ve run into plenty of bugs, but they’re honestly the smallest things – nothing really impedes my fun or gameplay. For an indie game, this one is really fun. The neo-noir 1980s setting and visuals looks utterly beautiful on the Steam Deck’s OLED, and on a desktop PC it really shines. It *needs* patches, it’s quite basic, and I suppose it’s not a *must-play* by any means...I think its more the novelty of the hard-boiled detective voice over and the neon soaked streets. Its no masterpiece, but I *do* know I’m having fun. I’d say worth it after patches and on a good sale.  Now go and leave angry comments down below at how little this is actually like GTA – I know you want to.  ---------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------- # ***RUINER***  You’ve probably played this, and I’d even say a good portion of readers here might even have it (knowingly, or not – looking at *you* Humble Bundle collectors!), but no matter what I can’t recommend Ruiner enough. If you’re anything like me and love the setting of cyberpunk as a genre, then this one’s for you.  An action-shooter developed by indie devs *Reikon Games*. Set in the dystopian metropolis of Rengkok, you play as a masked protagonist controlled by a hacker (who calls you ‘puppy’), seeking vengeance against a corrupt corporate overlord. The game features brutal, fast-paced combat with a variety of weapons and cybernetic abilities, all set to an *amazing* synthwave soundtrack. Seriously, this album is so good you’ll want to buy the physical vinyl record they released of it:  The typical inky black endless-night with crazy neon visuals, and an great [tech-noir](https://bavatuesdays.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/terminator-tech-noir-bar-1024x591.png) narrative, Ruiner is a massive recommendation by me. It’s also dead-cheap almost all of the time, on Steam and on places like Humble and Fanatical. Now go get ‘em, Puppy. ---------------------------------------------------------- # That's the end! ---------------------------------------------------------- I think this is all that caught my eye (*okay, that's a lie, but this has really grown in word count and I'm sure 50% of you have exited the post in disgust at how rambling its ended up being*), and as ever and always - I hope you've enjoyed what I've shared! I'm always open to hearing what you think of these, any ideas or thoughts - they *are* just all kinda for *you*, no matter how you look at things. Some points have been made like: * *These are too long, can you just post each 'point' separately?* - No, sorry, I just love writing them in this format. I know what you're saying (they seem to be getting longer and longer), but the format stays! * *You need a dedicated website for these!* - In one regard I agree, and I am planning on it, but no matter what on that front, these *will* be posted first (who knows, maybe forever) on Lemmy - it's my contribution to the FOSS scene ...but if you've an idea or thoughts, do speak up! Any mistakes, be they a forgotten link or poor formatting (or just plain wrong opinions of mine!) are entirely my own - this fact never changes :) ------------------------------------------------------------------ # My Previous News Posts: * [Steam Deck / Gaming News #2](https://lemmy.world/post/26182097) * [Steam Deck / Gaming News #3](https://lemmy.world/post/26306459) * [Steam Deck / Gaming News #4](https://lemmy.world/post/26483935) * [Steam Deck / Gaming News #5](https://lemmy.world/post/26707576) * [Steam Deck / Gaming News #6](https://lemmy.world/post/27035556) * [Steam Deck / Gaming News #7](https://lemmy.world/post/27435521) * [Steam Deck / Gaming News #8](https://lemmy.world/post/27639264) * [Steam Deck / Gaming News #9](https://lemmy.world/post/27761213) * [Steam Deck / Gaming News #10](https://lemmy.world/post/28239730) * [Steam Deck / Gaming News #11](https://lemmy.world/post/28590388) * [Steam Deck / Gaming News #12](https://lemmy.world/post/28805418) * [Steam Deck / Gaming News #13](https://lemmy.world/post/28889066) * [Steam Deck / Gaming News #14](https://lemmy.world/post/29248253) * [Steam Deck / Gaming News #15](https://lemmy.world/post/29568046) ------------------------------------------------------------------ # My Mastodon: 

 **Starting today, new support threads that are created on discord will be indexed and be easily findable with search engines thanks to Answer Overflow. Right now, existing threads are being indexed.**  The dedicated community link is here: https://www.answeroverflow.com/c/812703221789097985 I think this is crazily important. My biggest issue with Discord is that they have become the default hubs for issues and fixes. Over days, weeks, months and years those fixes get buried and harder to find, but the worst offender is that they are unindexable by default. Its lovely to see someone doing this. I wish *everyone* would do this. [As ever, if you don't know Heroic, you can find their website with this link here](https://heroicgameslauncher.com/)

It’s been 5 days since I shared the last of these - where I share a roundup of all the interesting things I have spotted in gaming news. There’s a lot of different topics this week, but as always it remains Steam Deck, Linux, GOG, emulation, Switch and gaming in general! My aim is to format these posts in a more *personal* manner than most gaming sites do now. Cozier? My ever-lasting inspo is the old, old video game sites, blogs and magazines that I never had the privilege of being alive for: * image/gif/link heavy (I’m a big GIF fan – and I pronounce it with a hard ‘g’) * personal voice (I can’t write professionally with hard-news style to save me) * mostly news or articles or points you won’t find on normal gaming sites, these are the smaller, lesser things that I’m drawn to. I *know* you’ll have spotted the big news articles, so I’m hoping some of these smaller ones might have been missed by you. So grab a coffee? Or a tea? Or a fresh juice? And enjoy <3 ------------------------------------------------------------------ # *Black Mesa – Resonance Decade Update:*  You’ll no doubt know that Black Mesa itself is is a fan-made, far-higher-graphic’d-than-the-original remake of the classic 1998 first-person shooter *Half-Life*, developed by Valve. Originally created as a free mod by Crowbar Collective, it was later officially approved and released as a standalone commercial title in 2020.  [These days it goes on steep discount quite often](https://isthereanydeal.com/game/black-mesa/info/), plays really well on Steam Deck, *and* has just announced a huge update: > In celebration of our ten year anniversary on Steam, we’ve pushed our longstanding public beta to mainline. This update includes substantial improvements including: * Fixes to startup related crashes * Fixes to physics engine related crashes * Steam Deck Improvements * Linux Improvements  [You can read the full (*and extensive*) patch notes on Steam with this link right here](https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/362890/view/539979243764844460)  [And you can find the game for -90% off right now on Steam too, with this link to their page](https://store.steampowered.com/app/362890/Black_Mesa/) ------------------------------------------------------------------ # *GTA IV Remaster?*  I know, *I know*, there’s announcements regarding Rockstar games every two weeks or so predicting the fans great dreams...which end up as [tears in the rain](https://c.tenor.com/wCy5fOAIRlEAAAAd/tenor.gif) because they’re just that – rumors and nothing more. Well, I’ll add another to the unending procession and let you know that the rumor mill (*with great sources...as always*) is saying that GTA IV is on its way “says Rockstar insider”. And here’s an article detailing what’s going on, which refuses to embed as a link in my post for some reason, so you have to look at the long, ugly link instead: https://rockstarintel.com/gta-4-remaster-could-release-this-year-says-rockstar-insider/ https://rockstarintel.com/gta-4-remaster-could-release-this-year-says-rockstar-insider/) *IF* it does come to fruition, I hope it gets the same treatment as say...the recent Tomb Raider remasters, or Crash Bandicoot/Spyro...not like the weird A.I. nonsense Rockstar got a phone game company to whip up for them with the trilogy semi-recently. ------------------------------------------------------------------ # *Space Marine 2 – Modded:*  The game takes on a new life. Honestly, not that it slowed down much, this game has had a lot of support and reviewed so nicely! Last update that came out was about a month ago and added prestige for each class including 5-6 unlockable new perks each, unlockable free cosmetics, a new weapon, a new operation and the paid content included even more cosmetics for customisation. And now, Saber releases the entire toolset to make modding the game easier for fan: > "As of today, we're releasing the official Integration Studio for public use," Space Marine 2 director Dmitry Grigorenko says. "This is the exact same editor we use internally for all gameplay development. No more editing files in Notepad and praying you didn't miss a bracket. Integration Studio makes editing anything… ten times faster, safer, and more intuitive." Integration Studio gives Space Marine 2 modders access to the game's A.I. behavior trees; its level scenario editor; the tools for creating game modes and adjusting melee combat; and the means to tweak the AI director, UI and HUD elements, and visual effects. Saber says more functionality is still to come. > "This is only the beginning," Grigorenko continues. "Not long ago, I promised we would support the modding scene, and we meant it. Watching this community grow, push boundaries, and create incredible experiences has been both inspiring and humbling. We're excited to see what you build next, whether it's a cinematic campaign, wild new game mode, or something we never saw coming." [You can find the modding kit right here if you want it](https://discord.com/invite/3XeTWubKWG) – sadly it’s a Discord link, but...its still here for you if you want it! ------------------------------------------------------------------ # *Gothic 1 Remake:*  It’s a long road for this game, and the game itself is quite niche to most (funnily enough the game is *so* well known and regarded in Poland – like a mini cultural phenomenon there, basically national treasures), but Alkima Interactive is taking the process of remaking the first Gothic game quite seriously. The fans who have been following along with the project and updates have had the rare events of devs taking their feedback and changing direction or making changes *because* of their feedback and criticisms. [Anyway, the latest of their update videos showing progress with their Gothic 1 Remake demo is here](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uYF8OP4iYdA) And you can also find the changelog to Nyras’ Prologue (the demo) [here with this link to THQNordic’s site](https://thqnordic.com/article/update-nyras-prologue-gothic-1-remake-demo-changelog) And finally, [The Steam page for it is here, if you want to check it out](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1297900/Gothic_1_Remake/) ------------------------------------------------------------------ # *A Webbing Journey:*  I found a cute game from FireTotemGames called, you guessed it, A Webbing Journey. I’ve not got much to say on this one besides the fact it is ADORABLE, and has full Linux + Steam Deck support.  Sadly their GIFs are quite large in size, so I’m writing this while I save them, then I’ll try resize them – hope they don’t end up looking like low-res playdough blobs being animated, then hope I remember to take this paragraph out when I post this on Lemmy. It releases soon (into my nemesis – Early Access) on May 19th – so let’s hope it is as good and cute as it looks? > Adorable spider chaos! Swing around the house, weave crazy structures, play with physics-based objects, and pull off chores with nothing but your webs and your wits in this madcap sandbox adventure. > Swing from place to place, crawl over every surface (even upside down!) and weave crazy webs in this adorable spider sandbox.  > Silky is a tiny hero on a big mission - to help their favourite humans! Baking cookies? Doing dishes? Watering plants? No task is too big if you’ve got the imagination (and the spiderwebs!) to pull it off! [The link to their Steam store page is right here, if you want to look!](https://store.steampowered.com/app/2073910/A_Webbing_Journey/) ------------------------------------------------------------------ # *Junk Store Teaser:* The developer of Junk Store (who happens to be a good friend of mine!) has shared a ‘next gen sneak peek’ for what’s coming next for Junk Store on Steam Deck. I’ll just copy what he wrote, then I’ll link the video! > While things might appear calm on the surface, I’ve been working intensely behind the scenes to get Junk Store ready for launch. Right now, there’s only one known bug left to fix on my end. The rest is mostly polish—help screens, UI touch-ups, and general quality-of-life improvements. > The core systems seem stable, but of course, we’ll see what happens when the software makes contact with actual users. > Here’s a sneak peek at some of the new systems I’ve added. When testing the extension generator, I realized it was just too complicated for most users—so I built this instead. > The video’s rough, but it should give you something to speculate about while I finish up the last bits. > Hope you enjoy it—can’t wait for you all to try it out. [You can find the video here, if you’d like to see what features he teased will be available and able-to-be-generated for the next iteration of Junk Store](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zp3N3mOU0KY) ------------------------------------------------------------------ # *Unity Still Quite Awful:*  RocketWerkz, an independent game studio founded by Dean Hall (creator of DayZ), is facing a serious licensing dispute with Unity Technologies. On May 9th, Unity sent a vague compliance warning threatening to revoke the studio’s license access by May 16th, citing improper use of Unity Personal licenses instead of Pro licenses. When RocketWerkz requested clarification, Unity responded with a list of alleged violations—including names and emails of individuals who either don't work on Unity projects, already have Pro licenses, or are entirely unaffiliated with RocketWerkz. Two names belonged to employees at a different local company, raising serious concerns about how Unity collects and applies its data. Dean Hall has criticized Unity's enforcement tactics as flawed, opaque, and aggressive, warning it reflects a worrying trend in the company's direction. Although RocketWerkz has moved away from Unity for future projects—favoring Unreal Engine and their own BRUTAL engine—the issue still affects two active games: Stationeers and the unreleased Torpedia. Despite having spent over $300,000 on Unity since 2014, including a recent $43,000 payment in December 2024, RocketWerkz now faces a potential halt to ongoing development based on what appears to be faulty or misattributed data.   [I’d encourage you to read through the entirety of it. Sadly it is on Reddit, but you can find it here in the r/gamedev sub-reddit with this link](https://www.reddit.com/r/gamedev/comments/1kiyh0m/unity_is_threatening_to_revoke_all_licenses_for/) ------------------------------------------------------------------ # *Black Salt Games:*  The developers to one of my favorite games ever (DREDGE) shared a post detailing the fact that: > Last year, we donated $100,000 to the NZ Whale and Dolphin Trust for a new boat, truck and other costs. They have sent us some photos of their boat "Pahu" in action which will help to aid their important conservation work, researching and protecting marine species all around Aotearoa. They further detailed their beliefs in another post: > We are proud to support The Whale and Dolphin Trust in their mission and encourage fans of DREDGE to learn more about our oceans and conservation efforts. In the wise words of the great David Attenborough " the most important place on Earth is not on land, but at sea." I love them, and *this* is why I support independent developers. Here are just a few images they shared of the Pahu!    ------------------------------------------------------------------ # *GEX:*  The GEX Trilogy releases on June 16th. From what I can gather (aside from the fact that I learned Glen Schofield of Dead Space fame directed the third game) the wise-cracking one liners might have aged poorly, but then again I don’t expect this trilogy is aimed at my generation, but from a few before me: > In addition to revealing the game's release date, we've also announced that GEX 2 and GEX 3 will be playable in native widescreen with all-new analog control, letting you experience GEX like never before! Now that's what I call getting some tail! *We also revealed some new artwork by famed Japanese artist, Yoshitaka Amano! You might know him from his work on a lesser known Square Enix franchise, so it made sense to finally give him the opportunity to illustrate their best one – GEX!*  [The link to that announcement is here if you want to see it!](https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/3183970/view/545608743298008725) ------------------------------------------------------------------ # *Palworld Disappointed:*  Nintendo is, as ever, a shitty company for the community. I *understand* that they hold the nostalgia carrot over everyone’s head (or at least those over a cetain old age), but their practices lately have been a little more than shitty. Palworld developer Pocketpair has confirmed significant game changes which were forced by the ongoing lawsuit from Nintendo. [Nintendo and The Pokemon Company filed a lawsuit against Pocketpair last year, seeking an injuction and damages, and [all Hell broke loose when we all saw that Nintendo was trademarking nonsense to inflict damage](https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/nintendo-and-the-pokemon-company-seek-an-injuction-and-damages-from-palworld-developer-pocketpair/) ***I’m going to copy the statement that Pocketpair made, and just paste it here, because I think this one should be read in full. So what follows isn’t my words, but theirs:*** We would like to express our sincere gratitude and appreciation for the continued support of our fans over the past few months. We apologize for not being able to share as much information as we would like, but we trust our fans understand how difficult it is to be fully transparent while litigation is ongoing. Currently, we remain involved in prolonged legal proceedings regarding alleged patent infringement. We continue to dispute these claims and assert the invalidity of the patents in question. However, we have had to make certain compromises in order to avoid disruptions to the development and distribution of Palworld. On November 30th, 2024, we released Patch v0.3.11 for Palworld. This patch removed the ability to summon Pals by throwing Pal Spheres and instead changed it to a static summon next to the player. Several other game mechanics were also changed with this patch. As many have speculated, these changes were indeed a result of the ongoing litigation. Everyone here at Pocketpair was disappointed that this adjustment had to be made, and we fully understand that many players feel the same frustration. Unfortunately, as the alternative would have led to an even greater deterioration of the gameplay experience for players, it was determined that this change was necessary. Furthermore, we regret to inform our players that with the implementation of Patch v0.5.5, we must make yet another compromise. From this patch onward, gliding will be performed using a glider rather than with Pals. Pals in the player's team will still provide passive buffs to gliding, but players will now need to have a glider in their inventory in order to glide. We understand that this will be disappointing for many, just as it is for us, but we hope our fans understand that these changes are necessary in order to prevent further disruptions to the development of Palworld. We also want to extend our apologies to our fans for the discomfort and concern this ongoing litigation has caused. We remain committed to developing Palworld and delivering exciting new content to our fans. On behalf of everyone at Pocketpair and Team Palworld, thank you again for your continued support. ------------------------------------------------------------------ # *Expedition 33 #1:*  Clair Obscur: Expedition 33’s soundtrack has hit number one on Billboard’s classical album charts! After selling over two million copies in under two weeks, Emmanuel Macron hailed it as “a shining example of French audacity and creativity”, and with 48,502 reviews on Steam holding a Very Positive rating, the achievements clearly haven’t stopped. The soundtrack for Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 has achieved over 18 million track streams since its release on April 24. With the soundtrack being made up 154 tracks, making for 8 hours of music. [If you’d like to get a taste, then follow this YouTube link and see the full orchestra session for Session 33’s music!](https://www.youtube.com/embed/4FIMsKKvBRM?autoplay=1) ------------------------------------------------------------------ # *Crow Country:*  If you know me well enough, you’ll know I *hate* the old before-my-time [‘tank controls’](https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/original/001/000/367/5c3.gif), I’ve experienced the excitement on seeing the original Resident Evil games on GOG – then the subsequent hatred of tank controls. The same with Dino Crisis (*can they PLEASE remake that in modern style for me?!*) and...now Crow Country. But for some reason, Crow Country has charmed me enough to look past the bane of my existence and love it anyway. Go figure. **Crow Country** *The year is 1990. It’s been two years since the mysterious disappearance of Edward Crow and the abrupt closure of his theme park, Crow Country. But your arrival has broken the silence, Mara Forest. If you want answers, you’ll have to venture deep into the darkness of Crow Country to find them…* It is *pure* nostalgia for the old survival horror games on the PS1 (Silent Hill, Resident Evil, Dino Crisis), and it’s beautiful. So very, very atmospheric and also so reasonably priced for what it is! What I do *not* like is seeing fucking stupid reviews like this one I found on GOG upon release:  You should check it out, [you can find the GOG page link here, if you’re up to being kinda scared and love theme parks, but also if you’re wondering whether you should dye your hair purple and cut it shoulder-length like the adorable protagonist...*or maybe that’s just me?*](https://www.gog.com/game/crow_country) ------------------------------------------------------------------ # *GOG’s Dynamic Pricing:*  No one can explain this better than GOG themselves (*I feel like I’m doing very little of my own writing for this News Post!*), so I’ll paste their announcement here for you: "Hello everyone! We’ve just launched the first batch of bundles with fully functioning dynamic pricing. It’s a feature many of you might recognize from other platforms, but for those who don’t, here’s how it works: When purchasing a bundle, you only pay for the items you don’t already own, making it easy to complete your collection without spending more than necessary. We know this has been a long-requested feature, and that the lack of it has been frustrating for many of you. That’s why we’re super excited to finally start introducing it to the store, and we hope you’re just as happy to see it live. Now, what do we mean by “start introducing” and “first batch of bundles”? Well, right now this dynamic pricing system is available for 24 bundles in the store (you’ll find the full list in my comment below). We'll continue expanding this feature to more and more bundles – new and old – with the goal of eventually covering the vast majority (if not all) of them. You’ll know a bundle has dynamic pricing from the information displayed under its price on the game page. Note: If you already own all components of a dynamically priced bundle, you’ll be able to “claim” that bundle in the store so it shows as owned. You might also be wondering: What about various game editions that include base games + DLCs? We completely agree that bringing dynamic pricing to those would be a huge improvement, for both you and us. It’s something we’re actively looking into, and we hope to expand the system in that direction. We can’t promise an ETA just yet, but we’re optimistic it’ll happen sooner rather than later. That’s all for now! Give this new system a try, see how it works for you, and let us know what you think. Thank you all for your support! :)" I *can* say that there’s been some issues, but it’s a big task, so they are working so hard on ironing these out. You can read it best [in this post they made on their GOG forum – with users chiming in with the issues they might have encountered](https://www.gog.com/forum/general/were_rolling_out_the_first_batch_of_bundles_with_dynamic_pricing/page1) Irrespective, I’m *so* happy to see this has arrived on GOG! ------------------------------------------------------------------ # *Silent Hill 2 (Remake) on GOG:*  More GOG news (with one more to follow this one!) in that in a surprise announcement without preamble, Silent Hill 2 released on GOG! There’s nothing I can say here that you don’t already know I’m sure, but it was nice seeing a bit of a ‘shadow drop’ for a game, especially one of such calibre. It’s also great seeing Konami being more and more open to DRM-free gaming in recent times. If you want to support this (it sounds crass, but only by buying the games on GOG can we show the companies that it is a viable idea), then you can find the link: [Here! On GOG’s page](https://www.gog.com/game/silent_hill_2) ------------------------------------------------------------------ # *Old Skies:* I can't be the *only* one who thinks the character design from Old Skies is totally copying Remedy's Control with Jesse Faden, right?   ------------------------------------------------------------------ # Quick Fire News: ------------------------------------------------------------------ * [**Alien: Rogue Incursion Evolved Edition** is on Steam – this is the VR game which has been stripped of VR requirements, so let’s face it will probably play weirdly](https://store.steampowered.com/app/3655390/Alien_Rogue_Incursion_Evolved_Edition/) * [**RailGods of Hysterra – Early Access** releases on Steam: Lovecraftian...living...train(?) management game?](https://store.steampowered.com/app/3201910/RailGods_of_Hysterra/) * **Mafia: The Old Country** contains Denuvo DRM (boo, hiss) * **Slitterhead** however has *removed* Denuvo DRM (yay!) * [Valve issues a cease and desist to **Counter-Strike: Classic Offensive** mod team – after 8 years of development](https://wccftech.com/valve-issues-cease-and-desist-to-counter-strike-classic-offensive-mod-team-after-previously-giving-approval-shutting-down-8-years-of-development/) * [**Dinosaur Planet: Recompiled** (the N64 title) has a static recompilation of the prototype here on GitHub](https://github.com/Francessco121/dino-recomp) * [The **Nintendo Switch** has now sold 152.12 million units worldwide! *8 million behind the PS2’s numbers*](https://www.nintendo.co.jp/ir/en/finance/hard_soft/index.html) * [**Split Fiction** has sold nearly 4 million copies since launch!](https://www.ea.com/news/electronic-arts-reports-q4-fy25-results?isLocalized=true) ------------------------------------------------------------------ # Emulation/Retro Gaming-ish News: ------------------------------------------------------------------ # *Sega Saturn turns 30:*  Two days ago the Sega Saturn officially turned 30 years old, in North America anyway. Ironically, the beginning of the end of Sega’s hardware efforts, not that anyone knew it at the time. Seen as a fair misfit, it’s a pretty impressive library of games when you look back on it now – but it was the release of this, the Sega CD and the 32X all within a year that threw things into a spin. Still, happy birthday, Saturn. ------------------------------------------------------------------ # *Eden Emulator:*  Another (yes, I know) Nintendo Switch emulator for Android phones has hit the scene. Still in pre-alpha (though they released another version a number of hours ago with a fair changelog for their short time as testament to their efforts. It’s yet another Yuzu fork, so I won’t hold my breath, but it has the Android emulation scene in a bit of a buzz, so it has to be doing *some* things right. * Much of the team come from Citron * The team has already reached out to Sudachi developer Jarrod Norwell to collaborate. * It has a new UI [The GitHub is here](https://github.com/eden-emulator) ------------------------------------------------------------------ # *Nintendo’s Account Agreement:*  This one has people in a bit of a panic, but Nintendo has updated its Account Agreement to crack down on piracy and emulation. Basically, unauthorised use of digital products may now render them—or even your device—unusable. This however has been done before in the past by Nintendo (most notably and similarly with their 3DS line-up), and really means little. It is scare tactics only, and quite impossible to enforce. To reiterate: Nintendo's new terms warn that violating usage rules could let them *𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘭𝘺 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘢𝘤𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘵, 𝘴𝘰𝘧𝘵𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘦, 𝘰𝘳 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘰𝘭𝘦* - effectively bricking it. Or, again, that’s what they’re saying can happen (*as someone with extensive Switch modding experience, I say ‘good luck’*) [But if you’d like more on this – you can read it here on this link to eurogamer’s article on it](https://www.eurogamer.net/nintendo-reserves-the-right-to-brick-your-console-following-unauthorised-use-in-bid-to-prevent-piracy) ------------------------------------------------------------------ # *Mario Party 4 Decompiled:*  Mario Party 4 becomes the first decompiled Mario Party *and* Game Cube game – and there is a PC port in the works! [You can watch a video on YouTube about this here, made by **MattKC Bytes**](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zdH_fKXSZ4c) ------------------------------------------------------------------ # *LACED:*  I found this lovely statement recently, retro enthusiast Lorentio Brodesco developed what they call ‘LACED’, a low-cost method to delayer and reverse-engineer vintage console PCBs using tools like a 5W laser engraver and common chemicals — all for under €200. This technique, accurate to 3–10 microns, helps preserve the inner workings of classic hardware that are often undocumented or deteriorating. The full method is open-source and available on GitHub to support restoration, cloning, and historical preservation in the retro gaming community. The statement made has a few lovely quotes, but I’ll just share my fav: > A little over a year ago, I started a journey to understand and preserve the inner workings of retro consoles — beginning with a PlayStation 1 motherboard I literally sanded by hand to expose its inner copper layers. No microscope. No budget. Just curiosity, paper, and a dream. > That project evolved. I wanted something more precise, more replicable, and open to anyone with passion and patience. [You can find the GitHub here with this link!](https://github.com/LawrenceBrode/LACED) ------------------------------------------------------------------ # *Calibre:* This comment just made my day. [If you have an e-reader, and don’t use Calibre, then you need to follow this link and change that fact. I utterly swear by it](https://calibre-ebook.com/) Anyway, I just wanted to leave this here because they’re using RSS to read what I post on their Kobo, and that’s amazing to me!  ------------------------------------------------------------------ # What have you been playing?: I like to ask this off and on, because my fav thing is matching game choices to usernames. Some of your names I recognize from commenting on posts I make here (which is rather lovely), and some are new...one thing remains – I love hearing what you’ve been playing! I recently picked up a Japanese OLED Switch on my travels (in Thailand!), and took it along with me when I then skipped to Malaysia, and in Plaza Low Yat I found someone who had the equipment and let me use it (for a fee) to mod my OLED. Happily, I’m well and truly back into Switch gaming (and those sweet, sweet custom firmware themes I can use). I’ve been playing modded Breath of The Wild for the 70928753753457th time on there. But its still such fun. On my Steam Deck I’ve started BioShock: Infinite (my fav of the three), but might leave that for later and go replay Control. But that’s unimportant, because what *is* important is you sharing what you’ve been enjoying! AAA? AA? (UbiSoft’s short-lived AAAA?). Emulation? Indies? Let us all know!!! ------------------------------------------------------------------ # What I have been up to: ------------------------------------------------------------------ I recently shared on Lemmy an interview I did with Mathieu Comandon, whom you might know as the one responsible for Lutris! [You can find the link to that interview here, if you haven’t read through and would like to!](https://lemmy.world/post/29459679) I’ve had a developer friend help me contact the team behind [The RomM Project](https://romm.app/) and I’m hoping to soon do the same style and kind of interview with them, and share it with you all here! *Very* much looking forward to this, since RomM is so utterly unique in this gaming space. I also shared an interview recently with the entire team who are behind Heroic Games Launcher, again if you haven’t read through – you can find it [right here with this link to it on Lemmy](https://lemmy.world/post/29307275) ------------------------------------------------------------------ # *Further:* ------------------------------------------------------------------ [If you’d like to reach me, I wrote a handy little post on Mastodon recently with my contact details. Just the (*very few*) FOSS spaces I occupy these days](https://mastodon.social/@flwwhtrbt/114469379515805839)  ------------------------------------------------------------------ # *Lastly:* ------------------------------------------------------------------ I have been asked quite often here, and on Mastodon, and on Matrix (which surprises me to no end, each and every time that this even gets asked!) *how can I support you?* I’m making a back-up of my posts, and I *will* host them somewhere else. But as I say each time, I like to think of this as my way of contributing to Lemmy, FOSS and open-source social spaces. I love that my words and posts are in one place – that it has a *slight* chance of making someone stick around. I’ve no interest in making a Patreon (I loathe news and review sites who offer this, but that’s my own personal view), or a Ko-Fi. I do these because I love to. That said, as someone whose Steam library is 40-ish games big, and you’ve got to send me something? Send a worldwide (since I am not in the ‘States!) Steam key to me! My Steam Deck has existed almost entirely as a GOG Deck, and I’ve recently been looking at Steam games again (I have to say, the cloud saves and shader cache is worth its weight in gold sometimes) *BUT* - remember, I do this because I love writing them, not for some Machiavellian plot to pivot and benefit. I’m just glad you’re all here, and reading these :) ------------------------------------------------------------------ # My Previous News Posts: * [Steam Deck / Gaming News #2](https://lemmy.world/post/26182097) * [Steam Deck / Gaming News #3](https://lemmy.world/post/26306459) * [Steam Deck / Gaming News #4](https://lemmy.world/post/26483935) * [Steam Deck / Gaming News #5](https://lemmy.world/post/26707576) * [Steam Deck / Gaming News #6](https://lemmy.world/post/27035556) * [Steam Deck / Gaming News #7](https://lemmy.world/post/27435521) * [Steam Deck / Gaming News #8](https://lemmy.world/post/27639264) * [Steam Deck / Gaming News #9](https://lemmy.world/post/27761213) * [Steam Deck / Gaming News #10](https://lemmy.world/post/28239730) * [Steam Deck / Gaming News #11](https://lemmy.world/post/28590388) * [Steam Deck / Gaming News #12](https://lemmy.world/post/28805418) * [Steam Deck / Gaming News #13](https://lemmy.world/post/28889066) * [Steam Deck / Gaming News #14](https://lemmy.world/post/29248253) ------------------------------------------------------------------ # My Mastodon: 

A while ago I had the good fortune of organizing a fair-sized interview with one member of the team behind Lutris.  Lutris itself is an open gaming platform for Linux (*obviously, including the Steam Deck!*). Lutris helps you install and play video games from all eras and from most gaming systems. By leveraging and combining existing emulators, engine re-implementations and compatibility layers, it gives you a central interface to launch all your games. The client can connect with existing services like Humble Bundle, GOG and Steam to make your game libraries easily available. Game downloads and installations are automated and can be modified through user made scripts. You can find more information about Lutris before you read this little interview (or after, that’s up to you!) by visiting these links: * [Lutris official website](https://lutris.net/) * [Their Discord link](https://discord.com/invite/Pnt5CuY) * [Their own forum on their site](https://forums.lutris.net/) * [The GitHub page](https://github.com/lutris/lutris) One last thing to note before posting this is that I did this interview some months ago, back when I was a stalwart Reddit user and contributing a lot to the Steam Deck / Linux scene on there. Nothing here is out-of-date, and it’s still a damn fine interview (if I may say so myself!), I just wanted it shared here on Lemmy. I hope you enjoy it :) This interview is held with Mathieu Comandon. --------------------------------------------------------------- # **Introduction and Background:**  --------------------------------------------------------------- # *Can you tell us a bit about yourself, Lutris and how it got started? I see that you initially made Oblivion Launcher, so this has clearly been your passion for a long time. What sparked you to jump from that to Lutris?* **Mathieu Comandon:** "I had recently switched to Linux as my main OS, after using it on secondary machines for a while. I still wanted to play my games but at the time, it meant reading tutorials that would get outdated really fast or only worked on one distro. Getting games to run on Linux could become a very frustrating experience at times but it seemed that this could be considerably improved." # *In a more broad sense, what was the inspiration behind creating Lutris?* "Around that time I was using Cedega, a proprietary fork of Wine with a nice GUI. I wanted something similar but open source but I didn't want to limit myself to Wine games like Cedega or PlayOnLinux did. I wanted support for all games that could run on Linux, which included native games and emulators." # *Can you give us a brief overview of your team's background and how you came together to develop it?* "These days, the team is mostly Daniel Johnson, who does an enormous amount of user support on Github and GloriousEggroll who provides builds for Proton-GE. Then there's the Open Wine Components project that encompasses other gaming projects and regular contributors on Github. There's also a very active moderation team on the Discord server. There's no fixed team structure, anyone can just come and go, do their own thing." # *How has Lutris itself evolved since its initial release?* "15 years ago, gaming on Linux was very experimental. With the evolution that happened in the past years, it's now something we have integrated in our lives. Games running on Linux is now the norm. So instead of tinkering, we can shift our focus on making sure games keep running in the years to come, particularly games that are no longer being sold." # *Please tell me about your logo for Lutris!* "The initial logo (the version with the Atari joystick) was designed by a friend of mine at the time and later received some updates to make it more readable at small sizes. It was always meant to take inspiration from Mozilla's logos. A lot of projects have an animal as their logo: PHP, Postgres, Firefox... so I wanted my own animal mascot. I picked the otter because it's an animal that likes to play!" --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- # **Features and Functionality:**  --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- *What are the key features that set Lutris apart from other game launchers? There is a few now who offer similar capabilities, what makes Lutris so unique?* "Lutris is the only launcher on Linux to support such a wide array of games from all platforms. Most launchers focus on Wine but Wine is only one of the 54 runners we currently support. The idea is to be able to build a collection of all the games you have played during your lifetime, easily accessible and playable." *How does Lutris integrate with Steam, especially on the Steam Deck?* "The Steam integration is much more basic now than it once was when we used to run Steam in Wine. Running Steam games from Lutris only calls Steam with the correct Steam ID, the options in Lutris don't apply to the Steam game. For the Steam Deck, it's the opposite: Running Lutris games in Steam. We have a feature for creating shortcuts for Lutris games in the Steam UI. In the next release of Lutris, we'll also have better support for running games with umu on the Steam Deck (it makes it possible to use Proton instead of Wine)." *Could you explain how Lutris handles the management and optimization of non-native games?* "We call runner any program that can launch games, native games being the only games that don't require one. We provide binaries for those runners, which get updated on a more or less regular basis. The important is not using the latest version but having a version that can run games really well. For example, we ship DOSBox Staging to provide a better experience for DOS games. Wine / Proton is the only runner that receives some patching." # *What features do you think are the most underappreciated by users?* "Certainly the collection management and non Wine games aspects. I often see people with less than 10 games on Lutris and all mostly Wine based. On my end, I have over 1300 installed games for a variety of platforms. Sadly, the fact that people have switched from HDDs to SSDs doesn't help building a large video game collection." ------------------------------------------------------------------------- # **Development and Community:**  ----------------------------------------------------------------------- # *How do you prioritize and manage feature requests and bug reports from the community? I see you have such a sizable community built up around you (which speaks volumes to your skills as a programmer), can you describe what goes into prioritizing bugs or features?* "If something is broken and impacts significantly the usage of Lutris then that gets the highest priority. Then comes the pull requests submitted by contributors. Bugs that can't be reproduced or features that would only interest a small portion of users get the lowest priority." # *Can you share any interesting stories or challenges you faced during the development of Lutris?* "Between 2011 and 2012, the development of Lutris had crawled almost to a halt because of a game called Minecraft. At numerous times, maintaining the project felt very overwhelming and it was often difficult to deal with that. I often resorted to measures that were more or less clumsy but however gave me some breathing space (for a few months, reporting issues was only allowed to previous contributors, for example). Nowadays, managing the project is much easier. I put less pressure on myself to try and micro-manage everything and I get some precious help from the community to help me with Github." # *How important has community feedback been in shaping Lutris? Can you give an example of a community-driven feature that you ended up implementing?* "The community has a tendency to push for the adoption of newer technologies while I have a tendency to hold back a bit before we adopt anything new. Some people use lutris on quite outdated systems and we try not breaking anything until a distribution gets really old. Finding the right balance is quite an art but the community helps in knowing what is needed and which systems can be dropped. Also, a few runners we have were entirely written by community members. Translations are another aspect that is heavily driven by the community." # *How do you foster a positive and engaged community around Lutris? Your discord in particular are so positive about your product, how do you encourage your users to participate and contribute* "I don't have the time to do much on Discord but there is an amazing moderation team. Troublemakers are kicked out really fast which keeps the vibe on the server positive. Personally, I tend to engage more with the community on Github and Mastodon." --------------------------------------------------------- # **Technical Aspects:**  --------------------------------------------------------- # *What technologies and programming languages is Lutris built on?* "The desktop client is using Gtk 3, the website uses Django. Both are written in Python. We also have a moderation dashboard written in VueJS." # *Can you discuss the challenges and solutions in ensuring compatibility across various Linux distributions?* "We've been shipping a set of libraries with Lutris trying to increase compatibility across distros. This isn't a perfect solution but works for the most part. This is the approach Steam used to have. Now, similarly to Steam, we are transitioning to a container based approach, whether it's pressure vessel with umu or Flatpak." # *How do you approach optimizing performance for different hardware configurations, especially for the Steam Deck?* "We don't really have anything in place that target specific devices. We do however provide many option to let users find the best possible setting for their games." # *How do you handle the rapid changes and updates, do the Steam Deck's updates ever affect what you do?* "There are some breakages once in a while but so far the Steam Deck with its immutable OS has been pretty stable. We're still working on providing support for using Proton on the Deck's game mode but it's coming soon." ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- # **Future Plans:** ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- # *What are your short-term and long-term goals for Lutris?* "Short term is the release of Lutris 0.5.18. It will contain all the fixes and improvements made during the past few months, but nothing really groundbreaking. In the longer term, we're going to start working on a "Big picture mode" (integration with OpenGamepadUI) and cloud saves." # *Are there any upcoming features or improvements you’re particularly excited about?* "The 2 I mentioned earlier, cloud saves and fullscreen UI are very important. We also need a better rating system and better support for Flatpak (by making the Lutris Flatpak very thin and using other Flatpaks to run games)" # *How do you see Lutris evolving with the advancements in gaming technology and hardware?* "That mostly depends on upstream projects like Gamescope, VKD3D, Mesa or Plasma. We used to lack a lot of features of newer hardware like HDR or ray tracing. Now, we have pretty much every feature used in games like DLSS, FSR3, HDR, etc... Now, we're only lacking in anti-cheat support." # *What is your vision for the future of gaming on Linux?* "Projects like the Steam Deck and Playtron are going to help push gaming on Linux outside of the Linux community and make it available to a wider audience. Maybe we'll finally see game consoles for the TV using Linux. The new trend of handhelds is nice but it's not the best way to experience games with graphics pushed to their highest settings." ------------------------------------------------------------------ # **Community and Support:** ------------------------------------------------------------------ # *What are the best ways for users to get involved with the Lutris community?* "Easiest way is to join the Discord server. That's where most of the non-development stuff happens. We might get a bridged Matrix room at some point too." # *How can users contribute to the development or support of Lutris?* "For development, we have a list of open tickets on Github, and if someone wants to implement something new, I recommend creating a ticket if one doesn't exist. Sometimes, some contributors send a patch which doesn't fit the project and we don't merge it. We want to avoid that kind of situation, especially for substantial patches. Supporting the project financially is very much appreciated. There are Patreon, Paypal and Liberapay Lutris accounts that can be used for donations. We don't accept cryptocurrency though." # *What resources do you offer for new users to get started with Lutris?* "The goal for Lutris is to not require any ressources to get started so if anything is missing or unclear, report it as a bug." # *How do you address user support and ensure issues are resolved efficiently?* "In a lot of user support for Lutris means troubleshooting generic Linux issues. That's we have both a Lutris Support and Linux Support channels in our Discord server. Usually, when something is broken in Lutris, we'll start getting multiple reports for it and we prioritize those issues first." ---------------------------------------------------------- # **Closing Thoughts:** ---------------------------------------------------------- # *What advice would you give to aspiring developers who want to create their own game launchers or similar tools?* "Build a very small project that solves a real and specific issue you have and try to make it work. If it solves your problem, it may continue evolving into something bigger." # *Is there anything else you’d like to share with our readers about Lutris or your team?* "When I started working on Lutris, I had no idea it would reach this size. I initially imagined it would mostly be picked up by the community and I would focus on other project. But then Linux gaming got really big (Vulkan happened) and with it Lutris got bigger too and at this point it was clear no one was going to take over. Lutris was becoming a recognized open source project and I was invited to events like WineConf and Ubuntu Summit. After a lot of perceverance, it really paid off!" # *What has been the most rewarding aspect of developing Lutris for you personally?* "It has been an excellent learning experience in plenty of fields. And it has certainly helped me get jobs more easily. But the best reward is Lutris itself. Being able to manage a large library of games spreading over decades and multiple systems." ------------------------------------------------------------------ I hope you enjoyed this, and coming up (once I write the questions up and get them all done) I have: * AA of Decky Loader * Eben of Junk Store * Gardiner Bryant of YouTube ...and some more I won't name just yet! Thanks again for giving me a space I can share these :)

 A little while ago I had the good fortune of organizing a fair-sized interview with the team behind Heroic Games Launcher. Being very good friends with one member of the team meant I was lucky enough to send them all some questions and get some *very* detailed replies about all kinds of things. About Heroic, Linux, open-source, gaming and so much more. Heroic itself is a Free and Open Source Epic, GOG and Amazon Prime Games launcher for Linux, Windows and macOS. It obviously also works a dream on the Steam Deck (*and I can’t recommend it enough!*). One thing to note before posting this interview is that I did this interview some months ago, back when I was a stalwart Reddit user and contributing a *lot* to the Steam Deck / Linux scene on there. Nothing here is out-of-date, and it’s still a damn fine interview (if I may say so myself!), I just wanted it shared here on Lemmy. I hope you enjoy it :) [You can find *all* the information you could possibly want on Heroic by using this link to their website](https://heroicgameslauncher.com/) ------------------------------------------------------------------ # Introduction and Background  ------------------------------------------------------------------ # *Can you tell us a bit about yourselves and what inspired you to start working on Heroic Launcher? Was it everyone's love of gaming or programming that made you all take the leap?* ------------------------------------------------------------------ **Mathis:** "I believe it was a good mix of both. For me, I wanted to play the games I own on the Epic Games Store. Their launcher is... not the best, it's even worse on Linux (at least it was at the time). A friend pointed me towards Legendary, a command-line cross-platform replacement for the launcher. Heroic then emerged from that as the logical next step (a graphical user interface). After about a year of waiting for it to mature, I moved my games over from Legendary to Heroic, found something I could improve, submitted that change, and the rest is history." **Paweł:** "Definitely both, but with more emphasis on programming. I was getting started with Linux and open source in general. Even though I started contributing with translations, I wanted to eventually contribute with code. I believe my first code change was about the new UI for login. After some smaller changes, I eventually picked up a highly requested feature - GOG support." **Ariel:** "I was more into the programming side. I don’t play much and I wasn’t even an Epic Games user, but I wanted to contribute to a project that would help users and learn new skills at the same time. It felt like a good fit for me. I started with just some really small things like fixing a shortcut bug or basic stuff, but eventually, things started to make sense. After some time, it feels really nice to know that you are doing something that is helping a lot of people." **Etaash:** "I was tired of using Lutris at the time. It had a lot of bugs (most of them fixed now), and it is written in Python, so that turned me away from contributing to fix those issues (Python is unreadable for me, who primarily programs in C/C++). I looked for alternatives and eventually found Heroic, which suited my needs since all I needed was to launch Epic games. Heroic was a bit more stable, but it also wasn’t stable enough, so I decided to dig into the code a bit. Since it was TypeScript, I was able to follow it. If I remember correctly, most of the issues were caused by how Heroic interacted with Wine. Fixing those issues allowed games to launch more consistently out of the box. Since then, I have kept my focus on that one area: maximizing game compatibility." **Flavio:** "I was kind of bored on a pretty cold and snowy black winter day in Sweden during the holidays. Didn’t have plans and was off from work for two weeks, so I decided to learn something new. I was already using Legendary on Linux to play a few games. I started using it to play Control when it was released, and it was Epic exclusive. It was a pain at the time since gaming on Linux was not exactly easy 4 years ago; things have improved a lot since then. So, since I wanted to learn something new, I started researching how to build a GUI for Legendary just for fun. In two days, I was able to come up with a simple GUI that already dealt with login, listing games, selecting different wine versions and prefixes, etc. The basis of what became Heroic today." ------------------------------------------------------------------ # *What was the initial goal you had in mind when you first started developing Heroic Launcher?* "Heroic started as Flavio’s side project. He was using Legendary for accessing Epic and decided to make a GUI application for it. It was also a way to gain more experience with Electron and web technologies. This is what the project was mostly about: just a simple way to browse and launch games. If you want some more history lessons, make sure to check out [old releases](https://github.com/Heroic-Games-Launcher/HeroicGamesLauncher/releases/tag/v1.0.0)" ------------------------------------------------------------------ # *How has the project evolved since its inception?* **Flavio:** "The first year was kind of slow, and I honestly thought of giving up several times. There was a lot of criticism from the community since it was using Electron and it was for Epic games, and people love to hate Epic and Electron. I worked basically alone the first year, with just a few contributions here and there. The second year was when things started to grow far beyond my control and got a lot of traction and media coverage. Releasing it for macOS and Windows was also a big leap, and nowadays we have around 10% of users on macOS and 25% on Windows, for people that hate how bad Epic Games launcher is there. Adding other stores was always a goal, but finding the time to dedicate to it was pretty harsh. But luckily, we had Paweł joining and working with other members of the community to crack GOG and then Amazon. After adding GOG, the community and even the sceptical people started embracing Heroic more and more." ------------------------------------------------------------------ # *Were there any significant challenges you faced during the initial development process? Before your first release?* **Flavio:** "Before the first release, I cannot think of big challenges. Most of the work was being done by Legendary and Wine on the backend. Heroic was basically just sending the commands to it; it was pretty simple at first. I think the hardest part was dealing with the community that had a few folks that were basically just trying to criticize the project on every change, even though it was free, open-source, and not using their time and effort." # *What keeps you motivated to continue developing and improving Heroic Launcher? It's been some time now since its inception, and I know motivation can ebb with time. What keeps all of you having the fire to keep this improving?* **Mathis:** "The fact that there is still so much to improve is my primary source of motivation. I know that for everything I implement, someone out there will be happy that it was done (even if that someone is just myself; we all personally use Heroic as well, after all)." **Ariel:** "I have a looooong TODO list of things I want to try. Some items are to fix something I encounter and bugs me, other things are just ideas I have, and Heroic is a great app for me to experiment and learn. Also, the feeling of fixing something that was bothering other people and knowing I helped feels good." **Flavio:** "The biggest motivation is to keep bringing fun to this huge community that embraced our project and are always eager to have new features and things that will make play more fun than frustration, especially on Linux and macOS where we need to deal with compatibility layers like Wine, Proton, GPTK, etc. Especially when you are new to those and have no idea how it works. Heroic tries to make everything as click-and-play as possible. Also, Heroic made me connect with so many nice people from the FOSS community, and even to get my current job, and I think other contributors also found nice jobs because of it. This is something that makes me very happy as well." **Paweł:** "Game stores other than Steam usually treat Linux as second-class citizens if they even support it as a platform. What keeps me going is the fact that we get to make a difference on what game stores become approachable to less tech-savvy users." ------------------------------------------------------------------ # *I see at least one dev here is an outspoken Linux-user (seeing someone on Mastodon is rare enough to make me take notice!) Was there an element of that love of FOSS which led you to look into the Steam Deck itself (being the 'one' Linux handheld which has become mainstream)?* **Ariel:** "I’ve been a Windows-less user for many many years now, and I remember like 15-20 years ago how I struggled with gaming on Linux. In the last few years, things are SO much better, and when the Steam Deck was announced, it was a no-brainer for me. The only problem was that it’s not available in my country, so I had to get some family members to travel and get one for me. I don’t use it that much now, but I use it also as a way to tell people “see? You don’t need Windows for this”." **Flavio:** "Yeah, like Ariel, I am also a primary Linux user since around 2007 when I got my first PC. Always tried to play games on Linux somehow, and it was always a pain. When Steam launched a Linux version, I think around 2012, it was a huge thing for me, and I was basically just buying games with the Linux version at the time. With the launch of Proton around 2018-2019, I guess the game changed totally, and since I play mostly single-player games, I can play 99% of my library on Linux and on the Steam Deck." ------------------------------------------------------------------ # *Is everyone a Steam Deck user?* **Ariel:** "I am. I don’t use it much lately, but I sometimes go back for a while." **Flavio:** "Yes, actually my first Steam Deck I was able to buy only with donations from Heroic Patreon and Ko-fi. I finished a lot of games on it, especially Metroidvanias, which is my passion." **Etaash:** "Unfortunately, I don’t have a Steam Deck." **Paweł:** "Yes, I am. The Deck is a great travel companion." ------------------------------------------------------------------ # Development and Features  ------------------------------------------------------------------ # *What were some of the more unique features you were excited to add to Heroic Launcher?* **Mathis:** "Well, anything store-specific definitely was unique, but it wouldn't necessarily get me excited (Epic has added... 5? different features into their API exclusively used by Fortnite, each one becoming more cryptic). I've recently added a new system information gathering tool into Heroic to help with support requests; getting into the weeds of PCI databases and WMI classes was fun (and we now detect GPUs more accurately than NVIDIA & AMD's own tools!)." **Paweł:** "I’m very, very proud of what we’ve done with GOG support. Most solutions that are really similar to Heroic rely on offline installers for game downloads. While this isn’t a big deal for the most part, the system is slow to provide updates and requires manual input to apply them. Heroic is closer to what GOG Galaxy is; it’s able to download an update instantly after it’s been released. We can also access password-protected Beta releases of games. This is especially useful for game developers who want to test things before making them public." **Ariel:** "I was really into accessibility at some point. I think Heroic is really user-friendly, and we were lacking some things. Also, the feature to control the interface with a gamepad is something I’m really happy with how it worked (and we wanted that before the Steam Deck release). It still has some problems and rough edges, but the experience is good enough, I think. I’m also really happy with the “known fixes” feature to automatically apply fixes we know for specific games (kinda like proton-fixes, so not that unique, but specific to Heroic). It helped a lot to make more games work out of the box." **Flavio:** "When I think of new features, I think of things that add more value to the end users and myself since I also use Heroic a lot. So things that I am always excited about are to add either more stores to it or to improve the compatibility layer to be able to play games easily without having to tinker a lot with settings, etc."​ ------------------------------------------------------------------ # *Can you share an interesting story from the development phase? With each dev in a different country, I can imagine your time-zones are a battle in and of itself!* **Mathis:** "Communication is inherently asynchronous, that's true. I hope I've not woken the others up in the middle of the night too many times while bugging them to help me with something. I can't point to one interesting story in particular, but I believe the whole journey was (and still is!) interesting. Being able to hack on software in a small team while never having seen one another in person is a cool feeling." **Ariel:** "I think we actually only met once in a call in the last 3/4 years? And we were not even all there, but it’s weird, you kinda end up knowing the rest a bit even if you don’t really share much time. I don’t think the time zones were ever a problem, to be honest. We are all really good at doing things async, and we know that whenever you ask something, there’s a good chance nobody is there and you’ll have to wait (I’m in South America, so if I do something at 12-1am my time, the rest of the team is most likely sleeping in Europe)." **Flavio:** "I think that for most FOSS projects, async communication is the default rule, and dealing with time zones is fine. There were some times where I was not available, and we had some major bugs to fix, and the other devs were waiting for me to make the release. But besides that, things work pretty well for us. We have pretty good communication, and we know each other very well as well." ------------------------------------------------------------------ ​# *How do you decide which new features or improvements to prioritize?* **Mathis:** "Other than "thing is on fire and needs fixing right now" type of issues, it is mostly just gut feeling. Of course, I can only work on things I know need working on (so either it's something I personally want to do or it's suggested by someone in the community)." **Ariel:** "I try to think, “of all these ideas I have, what will benefit the project the most? And what can I realistically achieve in X time?” Because sometimes I have a crazy idea, but then I realize it’s not really that important, or it will take me weeks, and maybe a simpler thing that I can do in a few hours or days is better. I like to ship things, so I like to do small things that add value. I also think each of us has a different set of skills and preferences for what to work on." **Flavio:** "A lot of stuff comes from the community. Some others we realize when we are using the app as well. For me, those are the two main factors when thinking about new features or bug fixing." ------------------------------------------------------------------ # *Have there been any user-suggested features that you found particularly intriguing or surprising? Has any 'one' feature of Heroic been implemented because of such a suggestion? Be it Discord, Reddit, or similar?* **Mathis:** "Anything Windows-exclusive is most likely coming from a user suggestion. For example, the Fortnite-only features of the Epic API I've mentioned above: I have no interest in the game, but enough people were asking for them & they weren't too hard to implement. Whipped up a Pull Request (for the non-nerds out here: a list of changes to Heroic), people reported it was working, and in it went." **Ariel:** "There’s a lot of ideas that come from users’ suggestions. Sometimes the suggestion may not fully fit into Heroic’s scope, but that may trigger other ideas too. I can’t remember one specifically, but one I want to implement that was suggested long ago (and I never find the time to do it) is to have the option to remap the gamepad buttons to other actions." **Flavio:** "I can think of several that came from user suggestions. One thing was the ability to control Heroic with a joystick. It was a feature that people asked since the beginning, and then Ariel implemented it later on. The Windows and macOS versions also were suggested by users. GOG integration was asked like day one as well." ------------------------------------------------------------------ # *What was the most challenging feature to implement and how did you overcome it?* **Ariel:** "I think the most challenging stuff I find are bugs that are really hard to solve… like… race conditions (we have a lot of things happening at the same time) or things the users don’t really see (like performance problems, dev-experience changes, and refactors, etc.). A lot of features sometimes look really challenging or complicated, but I usually end up feeling it was just my lack of knowledge of the topic. In the end, some things I struggled with ended up looking really simple." **Flavio:** "I think making Proton work properly took time. At first, we did not have proper access to the docs, so we were just guessing and testing a lot. Today, Heroic has a pretty solid implementation, but it took a lot of time to reach that level of stability."​ ------------------------------------------------------------------ # *Personally, my favorite store-front is GOG. I love what they stand for and what they do for the gaming community. Have you had direct contact with GOG? Any insights? Have they given you any feedback? Even a throwaway comment?* **Flavio:** "The guys from GOG are great, and they contacted me directly once to talk about Heroic, and they totally support the project and what we are doing, especially on Linux. I would say we have a really good relationship with them." **Paweł:** "Adding to what Flavio said, we currently have the affiliate deal with GOG, so any purchases made using our link support the project financially." ------------------------------------------------------------------ # Community and Feedback  ------------------------------------------------------------------ # *How has the community feedback shaped the development of Heroic Launcher? You guys have an ARDENT fan-base, and there's no better sign of a good product than a community who rally around what you built. Are your respective communities involved in some way in what comes with each release?* **Ariel:** "I think the best thing we get from the community for Heroic is a way to understand what’s important. Because we can have ideas and think of a random feature, but you never know if people will actually care about it… but having Discord and GitHub (those are the 2 places I check regularly) lets you see what’s going on, what’s bothering most people (latest example would be the GTAV problems, and that led us into doing more research around that problem). We can’t do everything that looks important, but it certainly helps a lot." **Flavio:** "Just when I created the first POC of Heroic, I published about it on Reddit, and the comments were mostly favorable, but there were a lot of people that criticized at first because of being for Epic and using Electron like I said above. But nowadays, we have an amazing community. People don’t complain about that anymore. We have several friends in other communities as well, like Bottles, Vanilla OS, Lutris, Gaming on Linux, etc. People help each other, others refer to the project everywhere. There are tons of videos about it on Youtube and tutorials on several websites for gaming or not." ------------------------------------------------------------------ # *How do you stay connected with the users and incorporate their feedback into the project?* **Flavio:** "I think having an active Discord and GitHub is good for those. We use a bit of Mastodon and X as well, but I think most of the ideas come from the first two." ------------------------------------------------------------------ # *How important is the community to the success and growth of Heroic Launcher?* **Paweł:** "It’s safe to say Heroic wouldn’t exist, or at least it wouldn’t be in its current form, without community feedback. It is invaluable to the growth of the project." ------------------------------------------------------------------ ​# *Discord and Reddit...are there any other places you have a community? Anywhere else people can follow along with Heroic?* **Ariel:** "I would consider GitHub also part of the community. A lot of suggestions/requests go directly there. I personally only read Discord and GitHub issues." ------------------------------------------------------------------ # Future Plans  ------------------------------------------------------------------ # *What exciting new features or updates can users look forward to in the near future? I know a new release is coming up; have you anything you can share on that here with me?* **Ariel:** "It’s hard to tell what’s going to happen in the near future because we don’t have a predefined roadmap. Also, there’s always new contributors that show up and add something we were not expecting (for example, the feature to add categories and assign games was a contribution and nobody on the core team was working on that). Personally, my main goals are: redesign, improving UX, and improving DX." ------------------------------------------------------------------ # *Are there any long-term goals or visions you have for Heroic Launcher?* **Flavio:** "I think adding more stores, making playing games even easier to play without much tinkering. These are the main Heroic goals and mission." ------------------------------------------------------------------ # *How do you see Heroic Launcher evolving in the next few years?* **Flavio:** "Be an alternative for EA and Ubisoft launchers on Linux and macOS would be pretty nice. But even if we have all the money and time, maybe not all of those are possible because of technical restrictions." ------------------------------------------------------------------ # *How do you envision the future of game launchers in general? Handhelds in general?* **Flavio:** "I feel that people don't like to have too many launchers, so in the future I think companies like EA and others might kill their launcher and only publish on Steam, Epic, and GOG." ------------------------------------------------------------------ # *I know EA is in your plans for the future, any inkling on how close you might be to making that happen?* **Paweł:** "The project is being developed together with the team behind Battlefront II manager - Kyber. There are still a lot of features and challenges we need to tackle before we make it public. Give us a few more months; you won’t be disappointed." ------------------------------------------------------------------ # *As a fan of AMA's with developers, can people look forward to something similar to that with Heroic at any stage? With any release? If you'd give us even a 'maybe' I know people would love to see that. Or I would anyway.* ​**​Flavio:** "I honestly think it would be fun to do something like this." ------------------------------------------------------------------ # Technical Aspects  ------------------------------------------------------------------ # *Can you describe the tech stack behind Heroic Launcher?* **Mathis:** "Heroic is, in its core, a website with superpowers. We're using Electron, which gives us access to the frankly huge Web ecosystem, a fine (to not start another language war) language to work in (TypeScript), and low-level control where we need it. Store backends are usually implemented with another binary coming with Heroic (Legendary for Epic Games, gogdl and Comet for GOG, Nile for Amazon) to make it easy for other game launchers to build upon our work."​ ------------------------------------------------------------------ # *What was the most technically challenging part of developing Heroic Launcher?* **Mathis:** "Definitely publishing to all 3 major operating systems at once. Finding out that your cool new feature isn't working right because macOS uses an ancient version of some command-line utility is not for the faint of heart. Other than that, the (unsurprising) amount of variance between users always has to be dealt with. "Where do people mount their drives?" "What shell are they using?" and even "What language are they speaking?" all seem like obvious questions now, but they're sure to come back to bite you when you least expect it." **Flavio:** "Making everything works as seamlessly as possible is the biggest challenge, in my opinion. Even though the heavy lifting is made on the wine/proton side, it still requires us to understand and test a lot of stuff. A few releases ago we added the automatic fixes with winetricks, and then we now have this repository on GitHub where we can use it to automate those. This is the biggest challenge: to make that one-click play work just fine on all Linux distros and macOS."​ ------------------------------------------------------------------ # *How do you handle compatibility issues across different operating systems? (which OS was the hardest?!)* **Mathis:** "We do have automated tests in place, but nothing beats the old "boot up Heroic on OS, test it". Because of that, as a Linux user, I'd say Linux is the easiest, followed by Windows (at least you can test in a VM), with macOS being the hardest (the only viable solution to testing on there being "Buy a Macbook"). Outside of Heroic itself, we heavily rely on Wine and its derivatives to run Windows programs. Its support is, of course, always improving, and I hope it'll take another big leap once UMU is supported." **Ariel:** "I feel Linux is the easiest to work with, but I’m probably too biased. Windows would be second; at least when there’s a problem, you can find something on the internet. On Mac, it’s harder; the system is more closed." **Flavio:** "I disagree with Ariel and Mathis. Windows is the easiest platform to deal with, simply because all games are native to it. So we don’t need to deal with a lot of settings and variables and commands like we do for Linux and Mac. Linux is second because the Wine and Proton are pretty mature there. macOS is improving now with Apple's Gaming Porting Toolkit, but it's still at least 2 years away from what Linux has achieved for gaming." ------------------------------------------------------------------ # *Are there any third-party tools or libraries that have been particularly helpful?* **Ariel:** "Weblate to solve the management of translation is great. Legendary/gogdl/nile are, of course, crucial." **Flavio:** "I would say all those binaries like Legendary, GOGDL, and Nile, but also Proton, Wine-GE, Wine-Crossover, and GPTK from GCENX, UMU. I mean, even Electron is really important to make it so easy to distribute the package to all the platforms we support." ------------------------------------------------------------------ # *How do you ensure the security and privacy of users' data within Heroic Launcher?* **Paweł:** "No data is being shared anywhere by Heroic. The application only manages what is required for it to work, everything operates locally on the user's machine." ------------------------------------------------------------------ # Personal Insights ------------------------------------------------------------------ # *What’s everyone's favourite game to play using Heroic Launcher?* **Paweł:** "I absolutely love the world of Horizon Zero Dawn. Currently, I aim to unlock all of its achievements. Even though there is a whole New Game+ ahead of me, I can’t wait to get my hands on the sequel." **Ariel:** "I don’t have a favorite game (I raaarelly would play a game twice), and I don’t play online games." **Flavio:** "I finished several games using Heroic already in these almost 4 years of development. My favourites were Blasphemous 2, Cyberpunk 2077, The Witcher 3, and A Plague Tale: Innocence." ------------------------------------------------------------------ # *How do you balance development work with your personal life? A lot of devs who build for gaming can find it hard to find the love or time for gaming sometimes. Do you guys struggle here?* **Ariel:** "I’m single and live alone, so I have a lot of time after work. But I don’t play games that much. I have weeks where I’d play some hours, but then that goes away, and I don’t touch a game for weeks or even months. But on the other hand, coding is my favorite hobby, and it requires less commitment (you can code a feature in a few hours, but some games require 50/60 hours once you start them), so I find it way easier to find time to code." **Flavio:** "I had some struggles and still have because I always needed to reconcile Heroic, a full-time job, and family, since I am married and have two kids. Good thing I don’t need to sleep much 😂" ------------------------------------------------------------------ # *Are there any developers or projects in particular that inspire you?* **Flavio:* "Well, Heroic was inspired a lot by the Lutris project. I used Lutris for several years, and I still admire the project a lot. But the Wine Project, Linux itself, Steam. All those things, open source or not, had inspired me somehow as a gamer, developer, and Heroic dev." ------------------------------------------------------------------ # *What advice would you give to aspiring developers who want to create their own software?* **Ariel:** "Just… start something, the simplest prototype you can build. And if you don’t know where to start to create something new, start by contributing to something you use; you’ll learn a lot, and eventually, you’ll understand." **Flavio:** "Yeah, starting the first thing might be harder, but once you start it and publish it somewhere, you feel nice, and then you want to improve or even start something new. Before Heroic, I published a couple of Android Apps, tried to build a Bitcoin Exchange on my own as well. All of those gave me experience, and I learned a lot from architecture until publishing, through the dev ops, sustainability, scalability, etc." ------------------------------------------------------------------ # *What do you do to unwind and recharge after a long day of coding?* **Ariel:** "I watch some series or play sudoku or go play soccer. But since it’s my hobby, sometimes coding for Heroic feels like a way to recharge after my full-time work too." **Flavio:** "Watch some TV shows and horror movies with my wife, play with my kids, or get the Steam Deck and play something there as well." ------------------------------------------------------------------ # *Finally? Any closing words? Anything you'd like to say to the community-at-large?* **Flavio:** "A big thanks to everyone that supports us, all developers that contributed to the project, our friends on Discord, other friends' projects like Weblate, Bottles, Lutris, Gaming on Linux, The Linux Experiment, Vanilla OS, Garuda OS, SignPath, and many others. Everyone is part of the Heroic journey and is important in many different ways." ------------------------------------------------------------------ *Another big thanks to the whole team for making this happen and answering my questions! I hope you all here on Lemmy have enjoyed it too!* **You can find Heroic:** * [Here, this is their official website](https://heroicgameslauncher.com/) * [This is their Discord server, which is *very* populated](https://discord.com/invite/rHJ2uqdquK) * [Here is their GitHub page](https://github.com/Heroic-Games-Launcher) * [And lastly, their Mastodon link is here for you!](https://mastodon.social/@heroiclauncher) - thanks all <3

Well, it’s that time of the week where I share a roundup of all the interesting things I have spotted in gaming news. There’s a big variety this week, with a fair section of Nintendo Switch news, some GOG, some Steam Deck, Linux and just gaming in general. My aim is to format these posts in a more *personal* manner than most gaming sites do now. My ever-lasting inspo is the old, old video game sites, blogs and magazines that I never had the privilege of being alive for: * image/gif/link heavy (I’m a big GIF fan – and I pronounce it with a hard ‘g’) * personal voice (no 1930’s nasal radio presenter voice here!) * mostly news or articles or points you won’t find on normal gaming sites, these are the smaller, lesser things that I’m drawn to. I *know* you’ll have spotted the big news articles, so I’m hoping some of these smaller ones might have been missed by you. So grab a coffee? Or a tea? Or a glass of wine? And enjoy <3 ------------------------------------------------------------------ # Steam Deck / Gaming News: ------------------------------------------------------------------ # *GOG Galaxy Alternative:*  I found this *extremely* detailed post on someone who has created (or is *creating* rather – it is a work in progress) their own alt to GOG’s Galaxy. There’s been a few of these projects lately, which are bringing more options to the GOG scene. I’ve covered them in previous News Posts here on Lemmy, but briefly set out, they are: * [vangogh/theo](https://github.com/arelate/vangogh) * [Gamesieve](https://gamesieve.com/) - (whose dev is here on Lemmy!) * [Gogg Downloader](https://github.com/habedi/gogg/releases) Anyway, since the post itself has so many images and has everything explained so well, I’ll just shut up and paste the entirety of it here so you can read below: 6 months ago I wanted to play a GOG game I have hosted on my server, but as an expert in sophisticated procrastination I started building my own game launcher instead. Before doing so, I tried the options out there; Playnite (amazing software), Launchbox, GOG Galaxy 2 etc. I soon realized that none of the options had the features I wanted, namely: * A clean, customizable UI without tinkering with code or juggling multiple addons * The option to check whether your games are offloaded to the cloud or not. I have a NAS and often offload my DRM-free games to the cloud. I wanted this cloud "installed state" to be visible in the app. * Portable mode and a simple database structure that allows syncing between devices. In my case, a PC and a handheld device. * A clean overview page showing which games you're currently playing and statistics * Own-cloud hosted save backups out of the gate * A screenshot viewer for all your games * The ability to add Emulators to the app and launch games using them * How long to beat data out of the box ... list goes on.       I first built my app using Powershell script, but I quickly realized how ugly that was. It was so fun coding so I continued and instead switched to a Electron / React stack, which my app is built on. I can talk about this for hours, but I just wanted to get this out there. I'm a guy with many ideas, and this is the first thing I ever release to the public. I'm my worst critic so it's been tough to actually settle on something. It's not out yet, but will be very soon. I'll be releasing an 1.0 version with most functionality for free, and an optional paid download with all functionality (custom themes etc). It'll be for a very fair price, a one time cost without any darn DRM! **(and that’s the post)** [They have a Discord link here (since I am not on Discord, I have no idea the quality of discussions) if you’d like to see what the dev is saying](https://discord.gg/gbPgbtV8 ) --------------------------------------------------------- # *Smelling Glue:* I can't believe I have to remind users *again*, but sniffing the fumes from your Steam Deck vent is literally inhaling burning adhesives. That’s how it works! Fresh adhesives applied in the factory, and when the hardware is ‘spun up’, the heat will burn off the excess – giving that strong scent. I've seen these images shared around this week, and its just...only causing you harm. I can hope that this is just a joke Don't do this – and for fucks’ sake, please don’t 3D print something to direct the smell of excess burning glue into your nose. Anyway, images as follows:     --------------------------------------------------------- # *Kingdom Come*  As Warhorse Studios have put it, they have reached a huge milestone! > Kingdom Come: Deliverance II has officially surpassed 3 million copies sold, with a 93% user score on Steam. Combined with over 10 million lifetime sales of the original Kingdom Come: Deliverance, the franchise has cemented Warhorse Studios' position as one of Europe’s leading AAA studios and a rising force in the RPG genre. 10 million and 3 million respectively, for a independent studio and the level of quality those games have (*both available on GOG I might add!*) is just breathtaking. Further, I just love that devs from other studios have chimed in [on the LinkedIn post](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/warhorse-studios_warhorsestudios-kcd2-gaming-activity-7324764769196851201-7d-9) they made to announce this:  --------------------------------------------------------- # *South of Midnight:*  The rather crazy (amazing in atmosphere and setting, not to mention such a beautiful and unique art-style...not so amazing with the basic combat – imo anyway) game has reached over 1 million players, since launching almost one month ago on April 8th.  They took inspiration from Louisiana, Tennesee, Mississippi and Georgia, and of this, Compulsion Games CEO and Studio Head Guillaume Provost said > Obviously, when making a game that's so heavily tied to a specific region and culture, you’re going to have a lot of sales that are proportionately based on that region. And > When we had the discussion originally, I thought that that specific region was pretty underserved in the video game market. Kentucky Route Zero is a good example, and you've seen it portrayed in Red Dead Redemption. But no one had really kind of dived in and mined the mythology of the area and looked at what made it iconic. ...which I thought was interesting! Anyway, one million players is an amazing feat! And a game well worth trying (I’d recommend Game Pass, if you have that option) --------------------------------------------------------- # *The Gaming Emporium:*  I *did* cover this a few weeks back (or a few News Posts ago, at least) when they relaunched their site with a fancy new overhaul. But they’ve made another chance! *What is this Gaming Emporium?* Well, its a site put together to give easy access to: * PC ports * Decompilations/recompilations * Texture packs * Remakes/females * Fan games It makes searching, finding, installing and checking over these games and projects as easy as it can be, and puts them all in one place, which is the biggest benefit. I’ve played countless games which are shown on this site on my Steam Deck, and some on my desktops also. This is a *great* resource. This latest change to the site is a 'recent additions' section, making the newer projects easy to find! [The site itself is here with this link :)](https://www.thegamingemporium.com/) --------------------------------------------------------- # *Zelda64 Recomp:*  One such example of this kind of thing is the newly update Zelda64 Recomp: Version 1.2.0 brings: * Mod & texture pack support—drag & drop or use the mod menu! * MacOS now supported * Linux Flatpak added * Performance boosts for weaker GPUs [A link to the GitHub for the project is here](https://github.com/Zelda64Recomp/Zelda64Recomp/releases/tag/v1.2.0) [And a handy link to mods you can install with it are here, too](https://thunderstore.io/c/zelda-64-recompiled/) --------------------------------------------------------- # EmuDeck: The most recognizable of the emulation options for the Steam Deck, [EmuDeck](https://www.emudeck.com/) has had a new guide and overview posted by Russ of Retro Game Corps on YouTube. [You can find the video here, but it takes you through everything you might need, and also mentions the other options available for emulating on the Steam Deck, like RetroDECK and Batocera.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=89-LRCob6H8) --------------------------------------------------------- # *33:* Twelve days since launch, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 has crossed two million copies sold!!!  --------------------------------------------------------- # *Leisure Suit Larry:*  Honestly, these games seem aesthetically horrifying, and rather niche (perhaps suited to an older audience?), but games being de-listed is *never* a good thing for gaming. [From their announcement made on Steam which you can find here, their statement is:](https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/765890/view/524216011267768463?l=english) > Dear Larry Fans, > After decades of questionable pickup lines and unforgettable adventures, it’s finally time for Larry to hang up his leisure suit—at least the retro version of it! > The following classic titles will soon be leaving the Steam store and will no longer be available for purchase: * Leisure Suit Larry - Magna Cum Laude Uncut and Uncensored * Leisure Suit Larry 1 - In the Land of the Lounge Lizards * Leisure Suit Larry 2 - Looking For Love (In Several Wrong Places) * Leisure Suit Larry 3 - Passionate Patti in Pursuit of the Pulsating Pectorals * Leisure Suit Larry 5 - Passionate Patti Does a Little Undercover Work * Leisure Suit Larry 6 - Shape Up Or Slip Out * Leisure Suit Larry 7 - Love for Sail --------------------------------------------------------- # *Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 - Modded:*  Modders for Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 have achieved a major breakthrough by enabling 12-player co-op, far beyond the game’s original three-player limit—with full support from developer Saber Interactive. The mod, currently in testing, allows for battles against Tyranid bosses, with plans to expand into raid-style missions featuring tough bosses requiring teamwork. The modding community, including Tom of Astartes Overhaul, were pretty thrilled with Saber’s openness, which has enabled ambitious projects like this. In the meantime, Space Marine 2 continues to grow with upcoming updates, including a horde mode, new class, and maps. Alongside a pretty extensive modding scene gives us a good look at the usual PC gaming method – a game that can have endless life *after* the initial offerings from the studios! [There’s an article on IGN here with this link, if you want to read more about it, and get the links too!](https://www.ign.com/articles/warhammer-40000-space-marine-2-modders-create-12-player-co-op-with-the-developers-blessing-and-now-theyre-working-on-raid-style-missions-with-bosses-that-hit-like-trucks) --------------------------------------------------------- # Ocean Keeper:  An early access game I picked up on a whim a fairly long time ago (and I *never* get early access games, this might be the single one I ever did? And only then because it was about the ocean which I love?!) has their full release now! What *was* called Codename Ocean Keeper is now titles Ocean Keeper Dome Survival: > Explore dungeons, fight hordes of monsters and survive on a huge map. This is Ocean Keeper - an action roguelike with tower defense elements. Mine resources in caves, customize your Mech Spider, upgrade different weapons and face dangerous bosses that won't leave you a chance!  They’ve made announcement on Steam: > Today, we’re proud to officially release version 1.0 on Steam. Thank you for being part of this journey — whether you’ve been with us from the start or just joined now. Welcome to the full Ocean Keeper experience! [The link to which is here!](https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/2845630/view/547859909314609424) --------------------------------------------------------- # An Article and a Video: There’s two recent things that caught my attention, which I found *super* helpful, informative and fun – they both make what is ‘under the hood’ easier for users. [The first of which is here, this is just a link to a link – but I posted here on Lemmy: **The Definitive Guide to Steam Play Tools**. Check it out, because this blog post is *so* good, written by Gardiner Bryant.](https://lemmy.world/post/29142213) [The second is a technical video made by MonroeWorld on YouTube, called **Shader Caches 201 – Learn More About This Helpful Steam Deck Feature**. It’s just 10:02 long, and *really* helpful for people wanting to learn what is behind what they’re playing, and how it makes things work so well](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OIKSM9Hem0w) --------------------------------------------------------- # *Zarya:*  I just found this on YouTube as well a few days back, a fun gameplay teaser (running at 2:02 long), it looks really fun, and unique! But it looks ironically very, very, very slow. I really love off-the-track (pun?) car games, like #Drive Rally, Art of Rally, and Old School Rally (can you tell I am a rally girl?), and this one fits in nicely with that: > Welcome to Zarya - a captivating narrative simulator that takes you through the picturesque landscapes of a post-Soviet rural setting. In this immersive experience, you'll: * Navigate the tranquil country roads as a dedicated rural driver * Deliver crucial packages and aid the friendly villagers * Earn your livelihood in a meaningful way * Collect an array of classic cars, each with its own story * Immerse yourself in the rich, nostalgic atmosphere of your homeland  [Anyway, the trailer link is here on YouTube if you’re interested!](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8kd-JKGEgtU) --------------------------------------------------------- # *A 10th Anniversary:*  The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt has now been around for 10 years, or to be precise...a little *over* 10 years! It’s very much in my top 3 games of all time, and one I won’t ever uninstall! --------------------------------------------------------- # *LegionGo* On the Polish Lenovo forum they officially announced that SteamOS will appear on May 15th. Nice to have an update on SteamOS working with a full official build on other handhelds!  --------------------------------------------------------- # *Xbox Showcase Possibilities:* This one’s a fun comprehensive list put together by **mo-par**, and details everything that Xbox is working on. The original set was was too extensive, so I’m going to pick and choose the least subjective (and hopeful) and post these ones here. There were so many sections, which I’m going to have such fun formatting for Lemmy (lies): **There’s games we’ve gotten updates on recently:** * Doom Dark Ages (out May 15th) * Tony Hawk Pro Skater 3 & 4 Remake (out July 11th) * Gears of War Reloaded (out August 26th) * Ninja Gaiden 4 (out 2025) * Outer Worlds 2 (out 2025) * Fable (out 2026) * Clockwork Revolution (gameplay reveal 2023) * Perfect Dark (gameplay reveal 2024) * State of Decay 3 (gameplay reveal 2024) * Blade (revealed 2023) * OD (revealed 2023) * Gears of War E Day (revealed 2024) **There are games we haven’t seen for awhile:** * Everwild (revealed 2019, rebooted 2021) * Elder Scrolls 6 (revealed 2018) * Contraband (revealed 2021) **Upcoming DLC:** * Starfield * Indiana Jones * Avowed --------------------------------------------------------- # *Tariffs (or ‘are you tired of all that winning yet?’)*  One of the big names in the SBC (single-board-gaming, but that term is now quite loosely reserved for all retro handheld gaming devices) gaming scene is Retroid. Recently released, the Retroid Pocket Flip 2 ([you can watch a review on it here, if you’re interested](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6LIZWnD-62Q) *was* retailing for around $220 USD. Since the tariffs have kicked in making America so great, it now costs over $600 to buy it in the ‘States. --------------------------------------------------------- # *Custom PS2:* A user by the name of **PaleRestaurant** shared their custom PS2. There isn’t much that can be said, except I adore how hardware hackers take their time, and make their consoles the best they can possibly be. There’s a couple images of their efforts, and I know *I’m* impressed:   --------------------------------------------------------- # *Limited Run:*  > ...Limited Run Games GBA cart for Shantae Advance: Risky Revolution has been found to have used recycled chips for the internals that are scratched, damaged and dirty....on a NEW product! Three different buyers have received carts with obviously used and in one instanced physically damaged chips. Note: Three instances makes a pattern. Everyone needs to see more carts opened to see how many are affected [A nicely detailed video covering this is here, if you want to check it out!](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZU5vGUgw-Tw) (And I LOVE Shantae, I loved playing those games) --------------------------------------------------------- # *Losing Preservation:* The Japanese Game Preservation Society (GPS), a non-profit dedicated to saving Japan's gaming history, is on the verge of collapse due to severe financial struggles. With just £2,100 left—not even enough for a month's rent—the organization, supported by legendary developers like Space Invaders creator Tomohiro Nishikado, risks shutting down by September without more monthly donors. Despite preserving thousands of rare games and documents, strict Japanese laws prevent sharing ROMs, limiting fundraising options and public engagement. Efforts like crowdfunding, auctions, and high-quality documentaries have failed to attract enough support, compounded by language barriers and lack of global outreach. GPS head Joseph Redon stresses they don’t need massive funding—just 400 more supporters donating £2/month—but also volunteers to help communicate their work. Without urgent action, a vital piece of gaming history could disappear forever. [Utterly devastating news, and there is a lengthy article covering this via timeextension, I urge you to read up on it since it’s important to us all who love gaming](https://www.timeextension.com/features/we-might-be-about-to-lose-a-powerful-force-in-the-world-of-video-game-preservation) --------------------------------------------------------- # Party Cannon Party Cannon, a Scottish band have released a single on a Mega Drive/Genesis cart!  --------------------------------------------------------- # Epic Games:  --------------------------------------------------------- As ever, there is precious little to share on the Epic Games front. While they’re still a significant factor in gaming (love or hate them, they *are* a big part of things), progress on things like their newly launched mobile app, their own launcher etc come at a glacial pace. But what I have found, I’ll leave here: # *All The Games:* Easily the one thing they’re most well known for is their weekly free giveaways of games. While it’s clearly in place to make a user spend time (and obv money) on their platform, there’s workarounds to play all those free games far, far away from Epic. [Junk Store](https://linktr.ee/junk_store) [Heroic Games Launcher](https://heroicgameslauncher.com/) These are both my recommendations if you want to play the games on desktop or Steam Deck and play their games. Anyway, want a handy reference of every free game has ever given away? (476 of them!) Here's an image a user put together of *every single game* they've given away. [I uploaded the very high-res image onto Catbox, via this link, because its too big for Lemmy to want to upload!](https://files.catbox.moe/gxgmdl.jpeg) --------------------------------------------------------- # *Sweeney’s Big News:* Tim Sweeney (Epic’s CEO) announced that there would be some ‘big news’ coming a few days back.  While there was some speculation on what it’d be (Epic Games’ own Game Pass, GTA V being free again – the typical nonsense), it ended up being more news for developers publishing their games on Epic. I’ll link this post, but all you’ll see is the short quotes here anyway, so...don’t bother: > We’re making some exciting updates to the Epic Games Store to provide an even better deal for developers, starting in June.  > 0% Store Fee For First $1,000,000 in Revenue Per App Per Year > Starting in June 2025, for any Epic Games Store payments we process, developers will pay a 0% revenue share on their first $1,000,000 in revenue per app per year, and then our regular 88%/12% revenue share when they earn more than that. > Epic Games Store Webshops > In June 2025, we are releasing a new feature enabling developers to launch their own webshops hosted by the Epic Games Store. These webshops can offer players out-of-app purchases, as a more cost-effective alternative to in-app purchases, where Apple, Google, and others charge exorbitant fees. With new legal rulings in place, developers will be able to send players from games to make digital purchases from webshops on any platform that allows it, including iOS in the European Union and United States. > As an extra bonus, players spending in Epic Webshops will also accrue 5% Epic Rewards on all their purchases. [Here’s the link on their site if you’d like it looking prettier than I can possible make it!](https://store.epicgames.com/en-US/news/new-epic-games-store-webshops-and-revenue-share-update) --------------------------------------------------------- # 4 Free Games: As a part of Prime Gaming’s monthly giveaways, there is 4 games from Epic being given away this month.  [I wrote a post giving the *entire* list of games – be they Xbox, GOG (my fav), Epic or otherwise the other day, which you can find here if you’d like. It certainly made people a bit cross, I even got some quite abusive messages about it away from Lemmy. But...here’s the link](https://lemmy.world/post/28976777) And the four games from Epic are: * Amnesia: Rebirth * Doors – Paradox * Chessarama * Liberté --------------------------------------------------------- # *Next Weeks Free Games:* * We’ve got two games this week (tomorrow-ish depending on where you are in the world!): * **Deadtime Defenders** (initially blacklisted to be unavailable to claim in Australia, Brazil, Germany, Russia and South Korea, but now all blacklists have been dropped – available to claim everywhere!) for PC  * **Touch Type Tale**  --------------------------------------------------------- # Nintendo Switch News:  --------------------------------------------------------- Just a few things that might be of interest in the Switch scene. We’re *really* on the cusp of a changing Nintendo landscape right now. I picked up a Japanese OLED the other day (and am going to chip it if I can find a space here in Thailand where I’m travelling that has the proper equipment for me to shoulder them out of the way and do it myself!), rather than investing in their iterative Switch 2 – I’ll just customize my OLED to be the best it can be! I’ve seen equal numbers clamoring for the sequel, and those getting an OLED instead. I’m curious, what are *your* thoughts on the new model? Anyway, on to Switch news: ------------------------------------------------------------------ # *Litigious:*  Nintendo is suing gaming accessory manufacturer Genki (probably known best for the Shadowcast) over Switch2 mock-ups it showed at CES, claiming trademark infringement. Genki allegedly implied it had insider access to the unannounced console’s design — which it later admitted was false. Nintendo also criticized Genki’s ‘infiltration’ jokes and a misleading ‘Direct’ video. [Here's a link to the case](https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.cacd.969015/gov.uscourts.cacd.969015.1.0.pdf) ------------------------------------------------------------------ # *Switch performance:* A user by the name of **Septive13** shared the site they have been working on, called handheld-performance [(the link to which is here if you want to check it out yourself!)](https://handheld-performance.com/): > For the past couple of months, I’ve been building a website to collect and organize performance data from Nintendo Switch games (resolution, frame rate, and overall stability). > The site is called Handheld Performance. It’s meant to be a quick and simple way to check how well a game runs, without having to dig through videos or forum threads. > It’s still a work in progress, but I’m updating it regularly and plan to include the upcoming Switch 2 once it’s out. It’s a nice idea! It might be *somewhat* subjective, but if you’re not using a modded Switch (*something called sys-clk is able to be used on a Switch running Custom Firmware, Sys-clk is a system module for the the Switch that allows users to overclock or underclock the CPU, GPU, and RAM for better performance or battery life*), if you’re using it stock and want to know exactly how games are running? This is a great resource for you. Check it out! --------------------------------------------------------- # *Super5 OLED touch update:*  *What **is** this Super5?* > SUPER5 OLED is a DIY OLED screen upgrade kit for the Nintendo Switch Lite. It boasts significantly higher brightness, contrast ratio, and color gamut when compared to the standard Switch Lite™ IPS screen. This kit contains everything you need to upgrade a standard Switch Lite™. It also includes the SUPER5 HDMI mod to allow the Switch Lite™ to output 1080p HDMI video. This kit does not require shell modifications or soldering.  [You can find a link for it here, if you want to see the site](https://retroremake.co/products/super5-oled-touch-standard-upgrade-kit) *What’s been happening?* There’s been a delay. This project is that of Taki Udon (of YouTube ‘fame’) – [(here is the link to a video where he is showing it off installed in a Switch Lite)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BU6mKBRExjk), which itself is a massive undertaking. He sent an email out to those who have ordered, and I’m just sharing it here because in the Switch scene this is *beyond* interesting to me. Hardware hacking the console en masse because they want it to be the best it can possible be: **Delays and Shifting Production** Our original intention was to ship out your order in or around February, but we ran into cascading issues that we have only recently managed to fix. To fill Mega Kit preorders, we planned to use SUPER5 OLED Touch Batch 1 buffer stock. This wasn’t possible due to production issues. While producing the first batch of SUPER5 OLED Touch, our screen factory caused a 40% failure rate in the displays they sent us due to issues in their factory. Making matters worse, the factory finished production one month behind schedule without delivering our entire order. Based on these issues, we started exploring shifting production to a separate screen factory at the end of February. The biggest challenge in doing this is that our first screen factory was the only one capable of making a working glass touch panel. It took us many months to create a working one with them, and it is not a guarantee that we would have success doing it again with another factory. This is why you may have seen me say that we would discontinue the Touch version of this product. In February, we spent several weeks trying to get a working glass touchscreen from another factory, but the progress was too slow. At that point, I placed an order for glass touchscreens with our original SUPER5 OLED factory. The idea being that those parts could be used by another factory for the final OCA assembly. That order arrived almost two weeks ago.  While this was happening, we were auditing a second factory to complete this order. This is a time-consuming process that culminated in an acceptable retail prototype last week. Yesterday, I placed a production order with them, which means a shipping date is almost here. **Shipping Schedule** This section will give you an overview of our shipping timeline based on the information that I have right now. It will take around 7 business days to make the FPC used in SUPER5 OLED. After that, it will take an extra 5 business days to assemble the number of screens in our order. We have a Labor Day holiday from 5/1-5/4, so the FPC order won’t start until May 5th. Based on this, we should receive shipments from the screen factory on or around May 16th, with the entire shipment done by May 25th.  Assuming there are no issues, we should finish all customer shipments by the end of May based on the time it takes to do internal QC. Sorry this was lengthy – but again, the whole topic is *so* interesting to me I had to share it! ------------------------------------------------------------------ # *Firmware Update:* The latest Nintendo Switch firmware update arrived 5 days or so ago; 20.0.0 and promptly bricked some consoles.  Nintendo released an announcement themselves that they’d fix this, but some users are reporting on a range of places ([here is one example on Reddit where a user has had issues)](https://old.reddit.com/r/NintendoSwitch/comments/1kdvffk/update_2001_bricked_my_console_and_nintendo_is/) that things have gone wrong. So since this, 20.0.1 has been released on the 2nd of May, promising fixes – [you can read the release notes from Nintendo themselves on the Nintendo America site here if you’re so inclined](https://en-americas-support.nintendo.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/22525/~/nintendo-switch-system-update-information) ------------------------------------------------------------------ # *Switch 2 Software Screens:* This is really a bit of nothing, but still interesting regardless. There's been a supposed 'leak' of a couple photos of the internal software. Nothing particularly exciting or earth-shattering, but with all eyes waiting to see what vulnerabilities might come out from the launch models, any info is good info. I do so love hardware hacking (which is why season one of Halt and Catch Fire is my true love!) There is only two photos, and they’re here:   ------------------------------------------------------------------ # *And to wrap things up:* ------------------------------------------------------------------ # What I Have Posted:  2 days ago I posted an interview I did (well, again, a ‘Q&A’ is a far more appropriate term for what it was!) with two of the team behind RetroDECK. I’ve got a few of these set up, but they’re going to be done and posted on a slower scale than perhaps you’d like. All with devs of Steam Deck and Linux programs you might know or use, and also with some creators like YouTubers. Its just my way of giving the devs behind the projects we love a bit of the spotlight, since I feel we rarely hear from the people themselves. I made it its own post here on Lemmy: [Which you can find here with this link if you missed it!](https://lemmy.world/post/29089602) But they will be posted on SteamDeckHQ also, this one will be there some time this week (if you want it to be readable in a *prettier* way than Lemmy lets me format things! Again, I want to thank my friends Lazorne and Xargon for doing this, I do so love RetroDECK <3 --------------------------------------------------------- # That's that! I think that's all I'll include here. There's more I've spotted, but I'm sure if you made it even this far you're built of stern materials (*is this the English saying?*) As ever, I'd just *love* to hear from you about what games you've been playing. The words Steam Deck are in the title, but this is (clearly) not limited to that. If you've been playing on a Tiger handheld I'd still love to hear it! What game have you been having fun playing recently? # *Previous News Posts:* To make it slightly easier, if you want to find my previous news posts, just follow these links! * [Steam Deck / Gaming News #2](https://lemmy.world/post/26182097) * [Steam Deck / Gaming News #3](https://lemmy.world/post/26306459) * [Steam Deck / Gaming News #4](https://lemmy.world/post/26483935) * [Steam Deck / Gaming News #5](https://lemmy.world/post/26707576) * [Steam Deck / Gaming News #6](https://lemmy.world/post/27035556) * [Steam Deck / Gaming News #7](https://lemmy.world/post/27435521) * [Steam Deck / Gaming News #8](https://lemmy.world/post/27639264) * [Steam Deck / Gaming News #9](https://lemmy.world/post/27761213) * [Steam Deck / Gaming News #10](https://lemmy.world/post/28239730) * [Steam Deck / Gaming News #11](https://lemmy.world/post/28590388) * [Steam Deck / Gaming News #12](https://lemmy.world/post/28805418) * [Steam Deck / Gaming News #13](https://lemmy.world/post/28889066) And If you'd like to have me spout gaming nonsense every day, you can also follow me on Mastodon: 

This blog post is by Gardiner Bryant, who you *might* know from YouTube (he covers Linux and Steam Deck in great depth) I thought this one might be interesting for Linux and Steam Deck users here, if you missed it. [The link to the blog post is here!](https://blog.gardinerbryant.com/the-definitive-guide-to-steam-play-tools/) ...or just as interesting for those who like tinkering, and seeing what is 'under the hood' doing what! The blog is is pretty beginner-friendly with how to run Windows games on Linux using Steam Play compatibility tools like Proton and WINE. It explains: * Why compatibility layers are needed – Different operating systems handle system functions differently, so tools like Proton translate Windows game commands into something Linux understands. * Performance impact – Unlike emulation, these tools don’t slow things down much, and some games may even run better thanks to optimizations like Vulkan support. * Different tools available – It compares WINE (general Windows app support), Proton (optimized for gaming), and community versions like GE-Proton (extra features). * How to use them – Simple steps for enabling them in Steam and recommendations for checking game compatibility on sites like ProtonDB. * Bonus tools – Mentions alternatives like Luxtorpeda (native Linux game ports) and SteamTinkerLaunch (modding support). ------------------------------------------------------------------ *Why I think this blog might help beginners - or curious folk!* If you're new to Linux gaming, I thought this this post *really* demystifies how Windows games can work on Linux, what tools to use, and where to find help. [Annnnd that link again (pointless, since its the same as at the start of the post here) is here - to Gardiner's blog!](https://blog.gardinerbryant.com/the-definitive-guide-to-steam-play-tools/) [And finally, Gardiner's YouTube account is here, if you want to see the face behind the name](https://www.youtube.com/@gardiner_bryant) Hope it helps someone, anyway <3

In case you missed it from my last gaming news round-up post, I’m conducting interviews (*perhaps Q&A’s is a more apt term though*) with my friends. These will be with the individuals and teams behind the programs you might use on the Steam Deck, but also in the Linux, gaming, YouTube and other similar ‘scenes’. Coming up I'll be chatting to AA from Decky Loader, imLinguin from Heroic Games Launcher, Eben who makes Junk Store, some YouTubers whose content is Linux and Steam Deck-based, and far more. *But*, one warning: I’m *not* a professional, nor are these meant to be very hard hitting. I just like the idea of people getting to know those who are behind the programs they’re used to using. They rarely get any spotlight – they’re sometimes just a faceless username behind a project, and I feel like they deserve attention for what they give to us. I was lucky that my friends behind RetroDECK were more than happy to agree to this first one, so – let’s go! ------------------------------------------------------------------ # What is RetroDECK?  RetroDECK is *my* choice for retro gaming on the Steam Deck. It's an all-in-one retro gaming platform designed specifically for the Steam Deck and Linux desktops. It integrates so many emulators, systems, and game engines into a single application, providing a seamless retro gaming experience without the need for extensive configuration. Their design philosophy is that everything must be included inside the application itself. *Key Features:* * **Flathub Distribution:** As a Flatpak application on Flathub, RetroDECK is sandboxed: Ensuring system stability, that all the files are contained, and it updates easy through standard Linux package managers. It is easy to install and also easy to remove if you want to. * **Pre-configured Emulators:** RetroDECK comes with emulators for systems like NES, SNES, Game Boy, PlayStation, PS2, Wii and many more. * **Pre-configured Game Engines:** RetroDECK comes with support for game engines like Solarus, GZDoom, IkemanGO / M.U.G.E.N, and Pico-8. Its GZDoom integration also has a custom .doom format for easy mod loading and management. Simply populate the mod load order, save it as a .doom file, and go kill some demons (there is a guide on the wiki). * **Pre-configured Systems:** RetroDECK's front-end is ES-DE, and they have collaborated since the beginning of both projects. ES-DE can automatically download game artwork, descriptions, and metadata, enhancing the visual appeal of your game library. RetroDECK has recently added built-in SRM, allowing you to have games as separate entities with artwork by simply favoriting your games in ES-DE and enabling SRM via the Configurator. RetroDECK also worked together with the PortMaster Team to integrate PortMaster (a system to handle various game ports) into RetroDECK. * **RetroDECK Configurator:** The RetroDECK Configurator, accessible from the ES-DE main menu, allows you to change and configure settings across many systems from one interface. It’s a ”multi-tool” that offers several ”tools” for: Compressing games, File management, BIOS Checker, Multi-File Structure Checker, Partial or full reset of functions, RetroAchievements Multi Login, Borders, Widescreen Mode, Swaping A/B X/Y and much more. * **Steam Input Controller Layouts:** It includes tailored controller configurations for the Steam Deck and Linux Desktop via Steam Input, ensuring an intuitive gaming experience. Their radial dial is a literal game changer for me (turning your left-side trackpad into a hub of options while you game). * **All the standard stuff:** Standard features like save states, fast-forwarding, shaders, mods, and cheat support are built-in for a customizable gaming experience. Finding these folders on a regular setup can sometimes be difficult, but RetroDECK exposes them all under the main retrodeck folder. RetroDECK offers a user-friendly alternative to other emulation solutions like EmuDeck and Batocera, focusing on simplicity and integration within the SteamOS environment, while still giving ‘power users’ all the options they could ever want to tweak *everything*. You can also find the entire run-down of what it is, and what it can do on their website (I’ll also include some other links at the very end of this post)  So without any more nonsense from me, let’s get to this Q&A! ------------------------------------------------------------------ # **The Team Behind RetroDECK**  ------------------------------------------------------------------ # *1. So who is the team behind RetroDECK? Introduce yourselves!* **The Team consists of five people and a build-bot / Mascot called Rekku. Not everyone is a part of this interview.** ***Xargon:*** Pleased to meet you, I am Xargon, founder of the project. I am a father, a gamer, and a FOSS and Linux lover. I am actively maintaining the project, the code, and the automation alongside the rest of the team and our internal mascot, Rekku the Genie (the build-bot). ***Lazorne:*** Hello, I’m Lazorne. I’m also an ageing father, FOSS enthusiast, passionate gamer, and collector of technical doodads and game consoles. I handle various aspects of the project, including community management, project and issue management, outreach, Steam Input, system configurations, user feedback, and the entire wiki. ------------------------------------------------------------------ # *2. What inspired you to create RetroDECK, and how did the project come together initially?* ***Xargon:*** Back then, I was contributing to 351ELEC, now AmberELEC, after the founding member Fewt moved on to his new project. Me and Cebion did our best to keep it alive, and eventually, the project flourished again.  Everything started when the Steam Deck was announced. I preordered it, but due to server overload, I could only enter the second batch, so my Steam Deck would be shipped around March. I closely followed the Steam Deck news and subreddits. I thought the Steam Deck would be a GREAT retro gaming device. I did some research, and there was nothing that could make emulation easy on the Steam Deck back then. As a fully featured PC, I believed that configuring multiple emulators, game engines and systems would be difficult in the handheld format unless docked with a mouse and keyboard. Unlike the tiny retro handhelds I where used to work on. My new vision was that I wanted to contain all the “custom firmware” (emulators, engines and systems) inside one application. As I thought this would be a better approach than rebooting every time to access the “Emulation OS”. I first reached out to the Batocera Team to understand if they were interested in making something with this device, but at that time, they had no plans for it, nor to repack Batocera “application” of sorts. I decided to use a spin-off of 351ELEC to do the job. I proposed my idea to the AmberELEC Team. Did a POC of “RetroDECK”, initially called “351EDECK”, but the team's reply was that they thought it was off scope. So, I started to work on it as an independent project. Cebion also later started to help out with PortMaster (where he still is ❤️). ------------------------------------------------------------------ # *3. Is there **one** particular aspect of the RetroDECK project you are most proud of or that resonates with you the most personally?* ***Xargon:*** I would say the automation and the framework, but this might not be very understandable to most users out there. Another thing that I am proud of is when you open RetroDECK: after a brief loading, everything is inside there. I feel like I am in this pocket dimension with all my old or non-PC games that just work. No tweaking is needed; it is just as it is. ***Lazorne:*** In addition to the technical aspects of the application itself, I’m personally very proud of the community and philosophy we built around this little project. That we adhered to certain moral guidelines and design principles. The team has a very humane approach to the project and the community at large. We strive to be as transparent as possible, although sometimes we hold things back to create a big surprise later. There are no premium subscription tiers to access developers or other money-gathering schemes. Everyone can join Discord, Revolt, or Matrix and talk to us. It’s a very flat and open organization by design, and we want it to remain that way. ------------------------------------------------------------------ # *4. How can the community help? I like to think of it as ‘honorary team members’ – for example, do you ever take a suggestion from the community of users and then implement it into RetroDECK? Do you require testers?* ***Xargon:*** The scope of the project is so vast that we are always in need of more contributors and testers. We actively engage with the community, listen, and work together. We implement what we believe are good ideas or contributions. I appreciate the community that has formed around RetroDECK. ***Lazorne:*** As I mentioned earlier, our organization is very flat. Sometimes a new person drops in suggests a minor change, and we evaluate it. If we think it is a good idea, we create an issue to implement it later. We have community tester roles and a community tinker team to facilitate more community engagement in both testing and tinkering. It is always hard to find testers for unstable cooker releases; they like us are volunteers that are putting their free time into it. ------------------------------------------------------------------ # *5. Are there any notable challenges you’ve faced as a team while working on RetroDECK? Maybe challenges in building (or maintaining) Retro, or perhaps in the emulation scene as a whole?* ***Xargon:*** Yes, that happens from time to time, but I remember the first time: RetroDECK was so huge to be built as a flatpak that the free runners of GitHub weren’t enough. Not having any funds to pay for a build server, I thought I had hit a dead end. But as you can see, here we are. ***Lazorne:*** The technical challenges are numerous, as what we are doing is quite unusual and I’m sure not something others had in mind. We are putting apps inside an app, to run them via an app to create an app (Yo Dawg). In emulation or rather FOSS at large, there is always something happening, but we do our best to monitor it. There are tons of passionate people out there. ------------------------------------------------------------------ # *6. I can imagine the video made by Russ (of Retro Game Corps) made a significant impact in downloads and installs, can you tell me how that went?* [This is a link to that video, if you're interested in seeing the full breakdown on what RetroDECK is, how it works, and a full set up](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bXS00Wcbwt4)  ***Xargon:*** I have known Russ since the days of 351ELEC when he was creating content related to our firmware. We often discussed making a RetroDECK video, but the opportunity never arose until one day he surprised us with one. We were not expecting it at all! In the following days, our download meter quadrupled, and our user base possibly increased as well. Usually, I don’t care about the numbers; I tend to forget them. RetroDECK was created because I wished to have something like it that was not available back then, and also to contribute to the FOSS community by delivering the best software that I (or we) can. However, I have to admit that I was very excited when it happened. I always fear that the more widespread we become, the more effort is required to support the users, and the more bugs are found. And you know what? We managed it, and we even learned that we don’t have those huge hidden bugs, just a couple of minor issues here and there but nothing major. ***Lazorne:*** STONKS  But to further comment on Xargons worries about the user spike: How you design a community is important, with a suddenly increased userbase things can quickly get out of hand in both issue management and communication. But I thought of it more as setting up an IT-Support Desk for a major company and I had already put those structures in place. For me the community is our stalwart supporters and biggest critics, but also our first line of support. By leveraging the community itself most of the non-issues can be solved directly via community helpers. Then with the community's help we can filter out the “real” issues and address them in either the code or documentation. ------------------------------------------------------------------ # **Linux & the Steam Deck:**  # *1. What was your first impression when you got your hands on the Steam Deck, and how did it shape the direction of RetroDECK?* ***Xargon:*** *”Man, this is surely HUGE!”* However, like love at first sight, the Steam Deck was not just a technical marvel; it was also strategic for the growth of Linux. Maybe I was more excited about that than the console itself. Imagine what it would mean for Linux to have access to all the Windows games… And that’s what’s happening. A lot of people I know have now migrated to Linux. Needless to say, the Steam Deck is now my primary gaming device. I spend more time developing RetroDECK than playing it. ***Lazorne:*** I directly preordered my Steam Deck and got it in the second batch. Having a full Linux Desktop powered gaming device with multiple Input Types instantly sold it to me. I had developed a fondness for Valve and their hardware as I knew even if it would not succeed, the community would be there to develop for it. Another reason was Valve’s commitment to their hardware, even my old Steam Link was still getting updates even though it had been discontinued for years (it is still getting updates!). For me all these inputs that were possible via Steam Input were extremely fun to tinker with. I also wanted to showcase how complex you can make things with Steam Input and leverage it to an extent I had not seen any other application done before. The touchpads, back buttons, touchscreen, and gyro made it a beast. ------------------------------------------------------------------ # *2. Were there any specific limitations of the Steam Deck hardware or software that you had to work around when developing RetroDECK?* ***Xargon:*** Well, I was used to working on Anbernic embedded devices, so for me, it was like running free. So, nothing hardware wise... However, Flatpak comes with some limitations that I have learned to wrangle and think through over the years. But it brings more benefits at the end of the day. I really like the project, and I cheer for them. Sorry, Flathub team, maybe you hate me, but you’re doing a great job! :) ***Lazorne:*** Steam Input is still quite buggy in Desktop Mode; there are tons of issues that only exist on Desktop Mode / Linux Desktop to this day. Steam Input is also prone to crashes when building our complex VDF files and that is quite annoying. Several bugs exist; for example, we still cannot render radial menus properly in Linux Desktop. Another challenge was the lack of documentation from all the projects out there and even from Valve, our wiki has more information on what controllers Steam Input support than the official Steam Developer portal. Being a “None Steam Game” also caused several issues, with randomized folder ID’s, how the input profiles were stored and many other things that there simply was no documentation for (RetroDECK wiki got it!). ------------------------------------------------------------------ # *3. Steam Deck users often experiment with alternative software and emulators. How do you ensure RetroDeck remains stable and user-friendly while allowing flexibility for power users who may want to customize or tweak their experience on Linux?* ***Xargon:*** I wanted to give RetroDECK a console-like experience: you buy your console, connect it to the TV (similar to downloading the Flatpak), turn it on, and answer a couple of questions—just a few, not too many. Then you can start playing after adding your games. Everything is already pre-set and ready. If you don't like the preset, you have some options: go into the settings and change what we expose, or for more advanced users, open your emulator and tweak it. Every component that comes with RetroDECK defaults, tweaked for our environment, Steam Deck, and generally what we and the community believe can provide the best experience out of the box. However, this might not fit everyone (but almost it seems), so they can tweak it. If you misconfigure or break some components, no problem: RetroDECK can reset them to factory defaults, making experimenting easy and safe. I know there are alternatives now, but honestly, I don't look at my neighbors' gardens; I cultivate mine with passion and care, so everyone will have their beautiful garden! ***Lazorne:*** To add to what Xargon said: Our plans are still to make several aspects that are currently prompts into a nice Godot version, to make it even easier. We also plan to expose more features to advanced users from the get-go. We also facilitate tinkering by providing guides on the wiki for those really who want to tinker, showcasing all the creativity in the community (check the May 2025, blogpost). ------------------------------------------------------------------ # *4. Steam Deck’s unique hybrid design is a standout feature – desktop and gaming mode. We don’t see that on Windows handhelds. What are some of the challenges you faced in making RetroDECK work smoothly on such a device?* ***Xargon:*** Tweaking the high-end emulators to get maximum performance is quite a challenge. It's really easy to get full framerate on a 90s console, but what about the modern ones? Of course, Steam Deck hardware is what it is, and in my opinion, it's already a miracle that it exists. ***Lazorne:*** I find RetroDECK and several controller-heavy native Steam games work best in Game Mode. It’s also why I run the Bazzite-Deck image on my gaming PC at home to get Game Mode there as well. ------------------------------------------------------------------ # *5. How do you see RetroDECK evolving alongside future updates or new models of the Steam Deck? Will it be heading to other handhelds in the future?* ***Xargon:*** Other handhelds? Well, yes, it runs on every x86_64 Linux distribution, including SteamOS, so technically it’s already working on all those kinds of handhelds. Is it optimal? Until now, it has worked out of the box as far as I know. One huge limitation is, of course, that all those handhelds are expensive, and we cannot afford to buy them all. The actual donations are just covering the server costs, so we rely on the user’s experience and reports like with the ROG Ally. Steam Deck 2 is on my wishlist, so yes, RetroDECK will surely support it when the time comes. And about future updates, yes, as we usually release a minor version every month or two on average, I don’t see myself retiring from the project in the future. ***Lazorne:*** As Xargon said, we are heavily reliant on user reports. Cost is always an issue with new hardware, and I’m spending my hard-earned cash on hunting down secondhand versions of various inputs to test RetroDECK with. My original Steam Deck broke down recently, so I had to save up and got myself an OLED now (YAY). But for me, it also feels wrong to ask for donations. As long as we can pay the yearly build server and the hosting fees, I’m fine with it. ------------------------------------------------------------------ # **Gaming Preservation & Emulation:** # *1. Do you feel like RetroDECK contribute to the broader mission of game preservation?* ***Xargon:*** In some ways, yes, we are not the Indiana Jones that searches for artifacts, nor the professors that can study them and explain them in detail. Instead, we are the museum curators who can make the general public aware of the art and history that would otherwise be lost. We are trying to do it in the most accessible way possible ***Lazorne:*** I think so. Our goal is to make it easier to play your backups and develop tools to easily manage your collection and present it in the way you want. We also get feedback from other projects, and they give feedback to us; it is a give-and-take situation. We are, in essence, just a complex meta-app with various integrations, and we want NO CREDIT for all the effort that emulators, game engines, ES-DE, and others are doing. We point out to our users that THESE projects make it all happen and to donate to them if they can; they deserve the credit, not us. We also emphasize NOT to go directly to the emulator/game engines/etc for support. Our dependencies should not bear a support burden because we have decided to integrate their application and caused issues. ------------------------------------------------------------------ # *2. How does the team feel about the idea that emulating games, and making them available for emulation is important for games preservation?* ***Xargon:*** Nowadays, we have the technology to save everything we do, but often this technology is used improperly. I personally see video games as a medium equivalent to movies or books: they are a snapshot of their times, an artistic expression of a group of individuals (sometimes a single person) who want to communicate something. Unfortunately, big corporations often see them as mere money investments and returns, but this happens with other media and artists as well. The main problem with preservation nowadays is not technology, but corporate greed. Those who hold the licenses for their products are not always willing to donate them to human history; in fact, they are often against it, even when they are no longer generating significant revenue. Imagine if today the families of Picasso or Da Vinci locked away every piece of art created by their predecessors, or if the owners of old historical texts did the same. This is what’s happening to games: we have already lost some games because of DRMs. So please, companies, after a game has sold enough and enough time has passed, free it. Make it available for all of humanity. ***Lazorne:*** Many of my consoles have died, but I still have my games as digital backups and several thousands in boxes. For me, it is important to be able to play them, but also to experience them in new ways with mods or romhacks. I think several emulation projects out there are the unsung heroes; they saved obscure arcade cabinets, consoles, and thus retro gaming in general. They prevented us from suffering the same fate as the first movie industry, where most of the art was lost. But I do agree with Xargon that we need copyright reform and a way to preserve video games moving forward. The Reuters report was quite alarming, stating that 90% of all games from the PS3, Xbox 360, Wii era and earlier are unplayable today on modern hardware and access to them is non existent. Right now, emulation and the pure hope that my old consoles and games don’t turn into dust are the only ways for me to share the games I own and grew up with my kids. ------------------------------------------------------------------ # *3. Do you have a personal favorite retro system you feel most passionate about?* ***Xargon:*** Yes: PC-DOS/WIN, Sega Megadrive, and later on Game Boy Advance, as these were my beloved systems that I grew up with. I had many more, but these are special to me. ***Lazorne:*** I love the: PSX to PS3, PSP, SNES, MegaDrive, Dreamcast, Saturn, PC-Engine, PC-DOS/WIN, C64 and Amiga. ------------------------------------------------------------------ # **Bonus Questions:** # *1. What are your favorite games? Both retro (emulated) and modern (not emulated!)* ***Lazorne:*** It is a very hard list to make (*my own note here, Lazorne wrote me a **few** times after sending their completed responses, wanting to add more games - this is a dedicated gamer who wanted their list **just-so** before posting*): * Little Big Planet series (PS3, PS4) (Bring them to Steam Sony! With Steam Workshop for Creations and levels! Let Steam host it! DO IT!) * Timesplitters series (PS2, GC) * Alundra (PSX) * Suikoden series (PSX, PS2) * Final Fantasy series (multi) * Little Big Adventure 1 & 2 (DOS / PC) * Heroes of Might and Magic series (DOS / PC) * Doom series (DOS / PC) * Elder Scrolls series (DOS / PC) * Minecraft Java (PC) * Black & White (PC) * Dwarf Fortress (PC) * Lightgun Games (Point Blank, House of Dead etc) * All mods and romhacks out there! **Honorable mentions:** * The Addams Family Pinball (Pinball) * World of Warcraft (MMO) * Dungeons and Dragons (TRPG) * Drakar och Demoner (TRPG) * Mörk Borg (TRPG) * Monkey Island series (DOS/PC) * Space Quest series (DOS/PC) ***Xargon:*** Oh man, this is heavy. I will do a non-numbered top 10, else I would include too much: * One Must Fall 2097 (PC-DOS) * Little Big Adventure 2 (PC-WIN) * Duke Nukem 3D (PC-DOS) * Jazz Jackrabbit (PC-DOS) * Sonic The Hedgehog (MegaDrive) * Maui Mallard in Cold Shadow (Multi) * Fallout 3 (PC) * Fallout New Vegas (PC) * Skyrim (PC) * Cyberpunk 2077 (PC) *Honorable mentions:* * Ragnarok Online (MMO) * World of Warcraft (MMO) ------------------------------------------------------------------ # *2. Do you feel any lack of enthusiasm for gaming itself? A lot of my friends are devs for various projects for the Steam Deck, and a common thread for them is that while a lot of their personal time is spent making the avenues for people to game...the spare time they have themselves to play the games can also end up as a chore. Do you feel this?* ***Xargon:*** I kind of go through phases: there are times when I don’t feel like playing games and want to develop, other times when I am tired of developing and want to play, and other times when I just want to watch movies or shows. It’s always been a cycle. ***Lazorne:*** As Xargon said there are phases but there is a difference between working on something out of passion and doing it as part of your daily grind. I think it is the same in some ways; I play less and tinker more, but sometimes the journey is what is fun and not the result itself. I think many people can relate to that, almost like car enthusiasts who restore an old car but never drive it and move on to the next project. The good thing about FOSS development is that it never ends. You are always tweaking the “car” until you call it quits yourself, and the best part is someone can take over from you as you have shared it with everyone. ------------------------------------------------------------------ # *3. What other projects, be they Linux, Steam Deck or generally open-source are you most enamored with?* ***Xargon:*** Well, Linux and Steam Deck, as I said before, I think is a winning duo as Valve did a lot for the Linux community because of the Steam Deck. I believe a new desktop era has silently started. Then I love, of course, all the emulators and Retro Handhelds, although I took a brief distance as I feel that the environment is starting to become overcrowded by the continuous hardware releases. I mean, do we really need a constant iteration of the same chipsets? I really like hacking things: like taking a device and following some guides (as I don’t have the skills to improvise) to hack the software and unlock its hidden potential. For me, it is a hobby. I’m also really interested in UMU Launcher. ***Lazorne:*** ES-DE and ROMM are the ones we create internal memes with, but we try to maintain good relations with as many people as possible from other software projects, OS, and hardware developers. Personally, I really like Input Plumber, UMU Launcher, OpenGamePadUI and Bazzite. ------------------------------------------------------------------ # *4. Where can the community find you?* ***Lazorne:*** The true sources of information are the RetroDECK Wiki and GitHub. Discord is the most active so far of the social instances. We always try to put anything relevant that is being said in social instances on the Wiki or GitHub. You should not need to create accounts on various platforms to get accurate information. I personally don’t like that some projects put their entire communication chain and documentation behind locked platforms. * [The RetroDECK Blog](https://retrodeck.readthedocs.io/en/latest/blog/) (an update on what the team have been up to) * [The RetroDECK Wiki](https://retrodeck.readthedocs.io/en/latest/) (your one-stop spot to find all the info you need) * [RetroDECK's Lemmy](https://lemmy.zip/c/retrodeck) (Lemmy community) * [RetroDECK's Discord server](https://discord.gg/hkEwSMGcvu) (the space where the most community members congregate * [RetroDECK Matrix](https://matrix.to/#/#retrodeck:matrix.org) * [RetroDECK's Revolt server](https://rvlt.gg/StVaEc0w) * [RetroDECK's GitHub](https://github.com/RetroDECK/RetroDECK) ------------------------------------------------------------------ # *5. Why **is** Discord the most active social instance?* ***Lazorne:*** In short, most people are there. But there are always some people commenting towards us and other projects that FOSS projects should not use these locked down platforms at all by principle. In a perfect world that would be true, but the crux of the problem is that these instances are sometime created by your biggest fans and when that happens you have zero control over it. Our subreddit for example was first created by some fans, but that became problematic when users started to ask for various updates, support and we were not affiliated with it. So, we got donated ownership over it from the fans (thanks!) and I don’t think it is healthy to shut down fan efforts to speak about your project where they want to congregate. We have also seen an up-tick in both Revolt and Matrix users in the past weeks and that is good :) ------------------------------------------------------------------ # *6. Biggest challenges RetroDECK has? Problems? Hurdles? What makes this project **hard?*** ***Xargon:*** Well, sandboxing and containerization is certainly challenging, as safety often comes at a cost. We hope to make some things easier with to deal with in the backend in 0.10.0b. ***Lazorne:*** In addition to development, moderating a worldwide community is sometimes quite a challenge as we are all volunteers. We are also always trying to support each other internally, if some tragedy happens the rest of the team is always there for each other. There have been many times when life itself takes time from the project dealing with: * Family * Life / Love / Death * Work / No-work * Other IRL issues But we have so far always been there for that person who is currently having a bad time, always trying to help with the best of our ability. ------------------------------------------------------------------ # *7. EmuDeck feels almost to be the ‘default’ emulation suggestion made to new users on the Steam Deck. Since they came onto the scene, they almost seem ubiquitous to the scene. How do you feel about EmuDeck as a project?* ***Lazorne:*** They have a different goal and vision than ours, and all can exist in parallel. They are broad in their focus on multiple platforms with their installer scripts and extra applications, while we are narrowly focusing just on a Linux Flatpak application. ***Xargon:*** Some people believe we are similar, and yes in a way. Honestly, I never tried EmuDeck because when I started RetroDECK, it didn't exist. If it had, I probably wouldn't have started RetroDECK. Since then, I've obviously stuck with RetroDECK on my devices, so I don't have much to say about EmuDeck. I believe our approach is different: RetroDECK is a single application that can be installed or uninstalled, whereas EmuDeck seems to have a more multiple ways approach. ------------------------------------------------------------------ # *8. What’s next for RetroDECK? Can we get any ‘sneak peeks’ at what you might be bringing in the future?* ***Lazorne:*** Version 0.10.0b is a major rewrite of the very foundation of RetroDECK, which we started back in version 0.9.0b. We are not unveiling everything, but we can say that it will feature a new modern API called RetroAPI to make future Godot integration easier (not part of the update) and will also allow other developers to use RetroDECK in new and interesting ways. Xargon can give a tiny apéritif from the cooker about the API. All I can say is that we want to address one of the biggest complaints about how hard it is currently to add more systems into RetroDECK. ***Xargon:*** At the moment, we are rewriting a lot of code to make it more malleable. Recently, we introduced RetroENGINE, which makes RetroDECK a headless runner for desktop users and developers. Just double-click your game, and RetroDECK will take care of everything else. We are now rewriting the framework to work through API. This will be the base for the future Godot Configurator, where we suspended development until this part is ready. Technically, with the API, anyone can interface with RetroDECK and even write their own Configurator if they wish, as the Configurator will only be a front end and will not execute backend actions; the API will do that. This might be fun for developers or power users. I am excited to see what users will create with it. A lot more is “cooking” in the pot. ------------------------------------------------------------------ # *9. Any other gaming related projects you like?* ***Lazorne:*** I really like: * PrismLauncher for Minecraft, * VCMI for Heroes 3 and * Fheroes 2 for Heroes 2. Cataclysm Dark Days ahead I also think is very neat (I’m just bad at it). I love all the romhacks and modding communities out there. But Moguri Mod for FF9 PC is my current favorite I would like to highlight it. ***Xargon:*** I go with: * RomM * AmberELEC (of course) * OnionOS * MUOS * Batocera * morganizer2 * FemC mod for Persona 3 Reload (*which I cannot play due to Denuvo, I am glaring at you*) ...and the game modding communities, especially the Skyrim one. ------------------------------------------------------------------ # *10. Anything else?* ***Lazorne & Xargon:*** We would like to thank our community, the rest of the team, former team members, all people in FOSS and all the supporters that make all of this possible. ------------------------------------------------------------------ # *11. Anything obscure / last words?!* ***Lazorne:*** The internal Pizza War is real and is the number one cause for constant drama inside the team. ***Xargon:*** Your “Pizza” should be classified as a Cardinal sin, my great Italian grandmother is turning in her grave. If the rest of Italy knew of the monsters you are creating in the cold north... La Legione Della Pizza Italiana will form and will march against you northern barbarians. ***Lazorne:***   ------------------------------------------------------------------ *one note - the team tells me that while Russ (Retro Game Corps) video is still entirely relevant, updates may move some actions, and change some slight aspects. So please be aware if something feels off - it's all still there, just perhaps changed due to updates!* ------------------------------------------------------------------ ...and that's that! I hope you might have enjoyed this little glimpse behind the curtain of at least some of the team responsible for RetroDECK! Again, I love *so* many plugins, so many applications and programs and suites and projects creators and developers, and so few of the team behind them get to step onto the stage (so to speak) and let us know their views on gaming. There *are* many more of these to come, some more light-hearted, some quite in-depth with the development side of their projects, but I will be posting more as time goes on. If you'd prefer a 'prettier' formatting of these, then I have my friend Noah of [SteamDeckHQ](https://steamdeckhq.com/) posting this early this coming week on his website. And I guess, let me know what you thought! I *really* hope you enjoyed this! Any formatting errors, or spelling mistakes are all mine. Finally? Thanks to my friends for agreeing to this, I adore RetroDECK, it's been my only choice for emulation on my Steam Deck forever now <3

This month's titles have been revealed (as Amazon always does!) # *'But what is Prime Gaming'? I'm new to it!* It's as simple as free games every month! Prime Gaming offers a rotating selection of free PC games each month, ranging from indie titles to AAA classics. This *is* dependent on you having an Amazon Prime subscription, but if you've been near my Mastodon posts at all you'll know I can't stop shouting about how *good* the deal is. To me, it's the best deal in gaming (mostly because I get so many GOG titles each month!), I just love it. Once claimed, the games are yours to keep forever (usually via Epic Games, GOG, or Amazon Games launcher). Past giveaways have included games like * **Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic** * **The BioShock games (Remastered and originals)** * **Shadow of Mordor** * **Dishonored** ...and like, why even bother listing them, it's a *lot* # *Quick summary for how it works:* * Requires an active Amazon Prime or Prime Video membership. * Games must be claimed within the monthly window (they don’t carry over). * Some games require linking accounts (e.g., Epic Games) # This month's games: **Now Available:** STAR WARS™ Galactic Battlegrounds Saga [GOG Code] **Now Available:** LEGO® Star Wars™ — The Complete Saga [GOG Code] **Now Available:** Styx: Master of Shadows [GOG Code] **Now Available:** The Invisible Hand [Amazon Games App] ------------------------------------------------------------------ **May 8:** Wolfenstein® II: The New Colossus™ Digital Deluxe Edition [Xbox and PC via Microsoft Store Code] **May 8:** Amnesia: Rebirth [Epic Games Store] **May 8:** Hypnospace Outlaw [GOG Code] **May 8:** Doors — Paradox [Epic Games Store] ------------------------------------------------------------------ **May 15:** Saints Row: Gat out of Hell [GOG Code] **May 15:** ENDLESS™ Legend Definitive Edition [Amazon Games App] **May 15:** Golf with Your Friends [GOG Code] **May 15:** Legacy of Kain: Blood Omen 2 [GOG Code] **May 15:** Mail Time [GOG Code] ------------------------------------------------------------------ **May 22:** FATE [GOG Code] **May 22:** Thief™ 2: The Metal Age [GOG Code] **May 22:** Chessarama [Epic Games Store] **May 22:** The Lost Ashford Ring [Legacy Games Code] ------------------------------------------------------------------ **May 29:** Samurai Bringer [Amazon Games App] **May 29:** Trinity Fusion [Amazon Games App] **May 29:** Liberté [Epic Games Store] ------------------------------------------------------------------ [...you can read more about it all here in the Prime Gaming blog they posted, if you'd like](https://primegaming.blog/prime-gaming-may-content-update-star-wars-galactic-battlegrounds-saga-lego-star-wars-the-e1b09ab88a29) (my pick of the lot is actually Trinity Fusion - a *great* Metroidy game with some really nice music, it took me by surprise just how good it is!

I’m here for another little post to share the interesting things I’ve spotted in gaming! Be it Steam Deck, Linux, general gaming or probably-not-relevant-at-all! And I *know*, it’s been 2 days since my last of these posts: [Which you can find here!](https://lemmy.world/post/28805418) ...but that was a dedicated GOG-specific one, so I reserve the right to inundate you all, if you’ll let me. M aim is to phrase this in a more *personal* manner than most gaming sites do now. My ever-lasting inspo is the old, old video game sites, blogs and magazines that I never had the privilege of being alive for: * image/gif/link heavy (I’m a big GIF fan – and I pronounce it with a hard ‘g’) * personal voice (no 1930’s nasal radio presenter voice here!) * mostly news or articles or points you won’t find on the ‘big’ gaming sites, these are the smaller, lesser things that I’m drawn to. I figure you’ll have spotted the big news posts elsewhere! So grab a coffee? Or a tea? Or a tequila? And enjoy <3 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- # Winlator: *What is Winlator?* Winlator is an Android application that lets you to run Windows (x86_64) applications with Wine and Box86/Box64. It’s been *very* much the hot ticket in the last few months, with the Android emulation scene being deeply invested. I vaguely remember some handheld being developed that even uses this in their marketing (*though for the life of me I can’t remember which?!*) Games like GTA V, The Witcher 3, Tomb Raider 2013 run perfectly fine depending on the device. It’s kinda like the new ‘what’s next in gaming’ for phones. *What’s happened?*  The Android scene has a reputation for having some rather rabid fans. Then there’s a breakaway group of those fans who are just shitty people. Harassing the devs of these projects is far-too-common in that scene, and it seems it has finally hit Winlator also. So we’ve seen a hefty amount of *that* in the last two or three days, but also the developer has been accused of virus activity being found. So...dev stumbles, fans harass, and the project is dead. Goodbye Winlator...for now? ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- # Elden Ring I’ve tried. Maybe 4 times now I’ve tried to like Elden Ring? I adore the fantasy settings, and this one has a grim Gothic edge to it which should really appeal to me...but I can’t take being killed 48 times before I can figure out a pattern. Ironically, I *love* Death’s Door and Tunic (I know, Tunic is *not* souls-y, but it still has some of those elements to it) Anyway, Elden Ring has now sold over 30 million copies. So I know for a fact I am in the minority, so I suppose if you’re tarnished – celebrate?  BTW, are you excited for the upcoming Elden Ring-y multiplayer game Nightreign? The specs required have been released, too:  ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- # Early Access: I think I’ve got *one* E.A. game, because I love the ocean and any underwater settings (*Leviathan and Deep Star Six, anyone?*), which actually equates to 2.38% of my Steam Library (I’m an avid GOG buyer, not Steam!) – called Ocean Keeper (an underwater rogue-lite game). Typically, I’ve no interest in Early Access, I don’t think I should pay to have a dev push an unfinished game on me, I get to deal with the bugs, and then have a shit time. *But*, it seems everyone else kinda loves it. This graph shows you just how popular this has gotten, and is getting over the years. It’s a sad new state of gaming, but its showing no signs of slowing down:  ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- # Blacklist:  Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell: Blacklist now has achievements! > Agents, > We are pleased to announce that Steam Achievements are now available for Splinter Cell: Blacklist! > As a heads up, achievements will be retroactively earned for the accomplishments already completed in your game. For the sync to happen, you need to launch the game once. Once synced, the previously unlocked Ubisoft Connect achievements will be automatically unlocked on Steam. > To ensure that you can complete 100% of the Steam Achievements for Splinter Cell: Blacklist, we've removed 19 achievements that required online services that are no longer available for the game. [You can read their announcement on Steam here, but it’s literally what I copied and pasted so...there’s no real point](https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/235600/view/519711795144819220?l=english) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- # Nightdive:  Nightdive Studios uploaded an interesting video to YouTube. > In this special Deep Dive bonus interview, Nightdive's Locke Vincent and Larry Kuperman sit down with Bartosz Kwietniewski (Head of Business Development) and Marcin Paczyński (Senior Business Development Manager) at GOG.com to explore Nightdive's relationship with GOG, how GOG has grown and evolved over the years, the importance of game preservation, and more! At 29:30 it’s got a nice little length to it, and if you’re like me and love YouTube but hate ads, I’m going to recommend either uBlock Origin on your desktop browser, or something like NewPipe on Android to watch it without a trillion shitty annoying ads. And I know, there’s probably no one here on Lemmy who *doesn’t* know how to circumvent ads but...better to warn for that possibility! [Anyway, here’s the video’s link, really worth a watch!](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UqX_I6xdHzg) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- # Nightdive Again:  There’s also an interview with Stephen Kick (Nightdive CEO) on Epic Games’ blog site. It’s *really* interesting – I’ve found *so* many interviews with big names behind the big games on Epic’s blog, irrespective of your (no doubt negative) opinion on their company – so I really encourage you to read this one! It makes me very excited for the upcoming System Shock 2 25th Anniversary Remaster. [You can find that interview on Epic’s site by following this link!]( https://store.epicgames.com/en-US/news/system-shock-2-25th-anniversary-remaster-interview-stephen-kick) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- # Front-ends: I’m not even sure if that’s something I should hyphenate or not. Is it a single word? Does it matter? I’m just curious whether anyone here uses them, and if so what they do use?! * [Heroic Games Launcher](https://heroicgameslauncher.com/) * [GOG Galaxy](https://www.gog.com/galaxy) * [Playnite](https://playnite.link/) * [Falkor](https://falkor.moe/) * [Pegasus](https://pegasus-frontend.org/) I just wondered what people might use, and what they think of them! There’s certainly a lot of options these days for desktop gaming :) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- # GOG & Pix:  > Exciting news for our Brazilian gamers! > Pix payment is now fully available on the GOG store > Starting now, you can choose this popular instant payment method provided by the Central Bank of Brazil at checkout to grab any title you want – fast, simple, hassle-free, and yours to keep forever > Thank you for being a part of the GOG community – you rock! [As to what Pix is, you can find that out here](https://www.bcb.gov.br/en/financialstability/pix_en) They already had an option called "Bank Transfer" for Brazil, which was actually paid with PIX through BoaCompra. The new method is listed directly as PIX on the cart. Its been tested and it's basically the same, only through other payment processor. Only real difference was that is hasn’t given an e-mail confirmation from the payment processor, only the standard GOG receipt. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- # Star Wars:  AND some more nice GOG news (they've been so busy lately!): > With Star Wars Day approaching, we want to honor this amazing franchise in the best way we can: by adding iconic classics from a galaxy far, far away to the GOG Preservation Program! * STAR WARS™ Dark Forces (Classic, 1995) * STAR WARS™: X-Wing Special Edition * STAR WARS™ Battlefront (Classic, 2004) * Star Wars™: Rebel Assault 1 + 2 * STAR WARS™: TIE Fighter Special Edition General consensus is that KOTOR would have been a nice one to have added to the program, but this is still amazing news to read. [*You can find the latest games added to the program here with this link to GOG’s site*](https://www.gog.com/gog-preservation-program) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- # Junk Store turns one:  *This was their own announcement, it’s just easier for me to just copy and paste their announcement straight-up here for you to read:* Today marks one year since we launched version 1.0 of Junk Store — and what a year it's been. Version 1.0 was met with a lot of enthusiasm, with over 250,000 downloads to date. We also released a GOG extension, which has seen solid uptake. Since then, we’ve made countless updates and improvements to both. Along the way, we rewrote Junk Store into a standalone version and even got it accepted onto the Steam Store — briefly. While that was a setback, it pushed us to build something even better. Instead of relying on Steam, we created our own infrastructure: a full web portal, a storefront, new build and delivery pipelines, and a much-improved Junk Store. All the work we did preparing for Steam wasn’t wasted — it made Junk Store stronger and more flexible than it ever could have been tied to Valve’s systems. We built our own installers, downloaders, and streamlined extension management (it’s now a single button click). We added support for Amazon, Epic, GOG, and any emulator you can call from the command line. There's even a global download queue — which, not joking, probably cost over 1,000 hours of blood, sweat, and code over the last year. Now, we're closing in on a major launch. We'll have more details soon, including what the final release will look like and what the cost will be. We know not everyone will be thrilled that the next version isn't free — but the original open-source version will remain available for those who want it. We're aiming for a model that’s both fair and sustainable, so we can keep building and supporting Junk Store for the long haul. Thanks to everyone who's been with us on this ride. We truly appreciate your support, without you we wouldn't have made it this far. The best is still ahead. As always, The Junk Store Team ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- # Expedition 33:  Made by a small team of just 30 members, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 has now sold over one million copies (as of three days after their launch). They also boast a nice fact that they reached over 120,000 concurrent players on Steam, too. One thing is for sure, this is a *beautiful* game, and if you haven’t played it yet its so worth your time! It’s also: * [30% off on EtailMarket](https://etail.market/clair-obscur-expedition-33-221) * [26% off on GameBillet](https://www.gamebillet.com/clair-obscur-expedition-33-z) * [10% off on IndieGala](https://www.indiegala.com/store/game/clair-obscur-expedition-33/1903340) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- # 8BitDo:  Known for their 3rd party controllers for like...everything, which also happen to be quite high quality, 8BitDo has announced it is no longer shipping to the US from China. The 145% tariffs are once again to blame, as is the removal of exemptions for shipments under $800. Last News Post I listed other companies in the same space (like Anbernic and Retroid) who have stopped shipping to the US after these dumb tariffs. (you can see here the estimated tariff charge on the Retroid Pocket 5 from AliExpress – I found this image a user (No_Clock) posted which helps illustrate the cost you might expect)  U.S. buyers *can* still order items from *8BitDo’s U.S. warehouse, but the website doesn’t clearly indicate stock availability—only the checkout process reveals which products can’t be shipped. Popular items like the *Ultimate 2 Bluetooth Controller*, *N64 mod kit*, and *mini Xbox controller* are some of those currently unavailable. The tariffs classify **video game consoles and accessories as toys** (not tech), making them subject to high costs. This has caused panic (which is my understatement of the century) in the gaming world, leading to layoffs and halted operations for some companies. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- # MAME:  [MAME 0.277](https://www.mamedev.org/?p=550) Have you been wondering what MAME 0.277 will bring? Well, now you can find out! First of all, we’ve added support for compiling on 64-bit ARM-based systems running Windows 11 using the MSYS2 CLANGARM64 environment. Updates to included third-party libraries should resolve some issues people were having with new compilers and development environments. In improvements that you can see, Konami GX blending effects are now looking much nicer, Sega Model 2 3D geometry is behaving better, and some remaining issues with Philips CD-i graphics decoding have been fixed. You may be able to hear improved sound emulation in some Famicom, WonderSwan, and Game Boy games, too. If that’s too subtle, you should be able to hear the difference in the DMX and LinnDrum percussion synthesisers. There’s a big update for the Apple II and Macintosh floppy disk software lists this month. A lot of Macintosh NuBus cards have been overhauled as well, so let us know if we’ve inadvertently broken your virtual Macintosh setup. There are plenty of other software list additions, including a batch of tapes for Sinclair computers. That’s all we’re going to cover here, but much more has happened this month in MAME development. You can read all about it in the [whatsnew.txt file](https://www.mamedev.org/releases/whatsnew_0277.txt) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- # Epic Games: Teased a free game coming soon, in-line with other Star Wars announcements, it looks like you’ll get a free-to-claim Star Wars title!  ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- # Delta Force: If you were hoping Delta Force might be supported on Linux, then don’t hold your breath:  ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- # La Quimera: ...has been quietly delayed. Worth noting is that this happened on their release day, with no official announcement as to why, or when to expect it to arrive. More odd is that it *was* posted by the devs to their discussion board on Steam, but it was quickly deleted. So...who knows. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- # Custom GameBoy: I’ve shared MaSaKee’s work before, but this is a user who hacks hardware and creates their own ‘versions’ of handheld consoles. This time they have GBA built into a Wii Classic Controller! Images as follows:     ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- # Game Pass:  Seven games have been announced for Game Pass for May 2025 (so far!): * Anno 1800 (May 1) * Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (May 1) * Dredge (May 6) *one of my fav games of all time!!!* * Revenge of the Savage Planet (May 8) * DOOM: The Dark Ages (May 15) * To A T (May 28) * Spray Paint Simulator (May TBD) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- # Wizordum: Wizordum is *finally* out of early access! > The Ancient Seal of Terrabruma has shattered, unleashing the forces of Chaos once more. As one of the last Mages of Wizordum sanctuary, you must embark on a quest to find the source of this corruption and push the Chaos back before they consume the kingdom in a speedrun-friendly fantasy FPS tearing a page from the spellbooks of ‘90s fantasy FPS classics like Hexen and Heretic. [You can read their announcement here on Steam!](https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1715590/view/547859291207369264) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- # GOG error: Have you seen the cute lil GOG display? I adore it!  ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- # ***Coming Soon:*** I’ve been asking my friends if they’ll agree to me ‘interviewing’ them (this is a *very* loose term, it’s just going to be a question-and-answer which might be the least professional thing you’ll ever see) and posting those here. I’ve done this before in the past (back when I was on Reddit), but I suppose I want to *expand* the idea and post them here. I like the idea of getting to know the people – the devs, support and community managers behind the projects you use on Steam Deck and Linux. I feel like sometimes those people are forgotten, and its the end product you see, *not* those behind it. A peep behind the curtains, so to speak. To start with I’m organizing this with Lazorne (and the RetroDECK team), but will also be doing this with AA (of Decky Loader), the Junk Store team, two YouTubers who create content on Linux and the Steam Deck...and so on. Hopefully this will be fun, at least it’s something unique to Lemmy, and again – I think the people who spend countless hours behind the projects get the least attention, I’d like to change that a *little* # ***Finally?*** Any thoughts on my posts? I get asked a *lot* if I have a site for these, and for now the answer is ‘no’, but I will heed the advice and back these up somewhere. Unsure *why* exactly, but that’ll be less-than-little effort to do, so I’ll get to it eventually! But what do you think? Have you any suggestions? This will be the 13th of these I’ve posted, and I’d love to hear if you’d want me to do something (anything) differently! & any errors on here are all my own. There's *always* at least one. So...forgive me! **One reminder:**, since this is the 13th of these, and here are the others: * [Steam Deck / Gaming News #2](https://lemmy.world/post/26182097) * [Steam Deck / Gaming News #3](https://lemmy.world/post/26306459) * [Steam Deck / Gaming News #4](https://lemmy.world/post/26483935) * [Steam Deck / Gaming News #5](https://lemmy.world/post/26707576) * [Steam Deck / Gaming News #6](https://lemmy.world/post/27035556) * [Steam Deck / Gaming News #7](https://lemmy.world/post/27435521) * [Steam Deck / Gaming News #8](https://lemmy.world/post/27639264) * [Steam Deck / Gaming News #9](https://lemmy.world/post/27761213) * [Steam Deck / Gaming News #10](https://lemmy.world/post/28239730) * [Steam Deck / Gaming News #11](https://lemmy.world/post/28590388) * [Steam Deck / Gaming News #12](https://lemmy.world/post/28805418) p.s. if you wanna find me on Mastodon because I'm constantly sharing nonsense - you can find me here: 

This 'edition' (I feel a bit odd calling it an edition, [like I'm selling you a newspaper or something)](https://i.pinimg.com/originals/59/15/72/5915723a7414f9a2baf313e17ade7a03.gif]) might focus more on some GOG news, so consider this more of a 'lite' news version I guess? Try keep in mind: * I'm no professional, I just love gaming news * I write these in a certain style: trying my best to replicate 'old' gaming sites, forums or articles (which tbh I wasn't even alive for), since to me it feels that even the better sites covering gaming are constantly vying for your support or showing ads * These are image and GIF-heavy posts (sorry!) * I'm currently on holiday on a small island off the south coast of Thailand, where 'velium' (*not valium*) is happily handed over the counter like candy with no prescription. So this may make zero sense  ------------------------------------------------------------------ # It's Just GOG?  I've seen some interesting GOG things these last few days, and thought they deserved some attention. It's natural in gaming and particularly with the Steam Deck that your focus would be on Steam. But one thing I keep on harassing people about is GOG. I love it, and I love them! ------------------------------------------------------------------ # ***GOG Preservation Program:***  25 years after its original PlayStation 1 release, Breath of Fire IV finally returns, available right now on GOG, thanks in part to the (*semi-recently revamped*) [Dreamlist system that GOG has in place](https://www.gog.com/dreamlist/) You can grab it and keep it forever now: https://www.gog.com/game/breath_of_fire_iv > This wouldn’t have happened without the support of over 22,000 passionate Dreamlist voters and the fantastic team at Capcom, who trusted us to bring you this masterpiece in its very best form. > And what do we mean by its “very best form”? Well, Breath of Fire IV also joins the GOG Preservation Program. Our release is fully optimized for modern PCs, with Windows 10 & 11 support, both English and Japanese localizations, upgraded DirectX rendering, new display options (Windowed Mode, V-Sync, Anti-Aliasing, refined gamma correction), a reworked audio engine (with restored missing environmental sounds & added new sound configuration options), and more improvements. Simply put, this JRPG classic is now made to live forever :) But, GOG didn't stop with just one. Like last time they brought games to the program, there was a bunch at once. Eight other games, each over 20 years old are now 'as good as they can be': * **Ultima Underworld I+II & Ultima 9: Ascension (completing the Ultima series in the Program)** * **[Worms Armageddon](https://www.gog.com/en/game/worms_armageddon)** * **[Robin Hood: The Legend of Sherwood](https://www.gog.com/en/game/robin_hood)** * **[Realms of the Haunting](https://www.gog.com/en/game/realms_of_the_haunting)** * **[Tex Murphy: Under a Killing Moon](https://www.gog.com/en/game/tex_murphy_under_a_killing_moon)** * **[Stonekeep](https://www.gog.com/en/game/stonekeep)** [You can find all the new arrivals here with this link](https://www.gog.com/gog-preservation-program) > Oh, and we’ve also prepared a special video that goes more in-depth on bringing BoF IV back, as well as introducing all the other titles to the Program. We hope you enjoy it! If you do, consider following the GOG Classics Vault channel for more content like this. [This video can be found with this link!](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CzANZvfmhfI) ------------------------------------------------------------------ # ***Gogg Downloader:*** A few weeks ago, a user named Hassan Abedi created Gogg: an open-source tool for downloading game files from GOG: > *It's a minimalistic command-line tool I developed to help people download games they own on GOG for offline play or archival purposes. Gogg is written in Go and uses the GOG API. It's available for different operating systems, including Linux and Windows.* The most recent new version, 0.4.1-beta includes a major improvement for their service - a GUI built with Fyne.  This means you can now choose how you want to use Gogg: * Stick with the existing Command-Line Interface (CLI) for scripting and terminal use * Use the new GUI for a more visual experience, which might be more comfortable for some people. Besides the GUI, Gogg still has features like: * Downloading game files, extras, and DLCs. * Resuming downloads. * Managing a local catalog of your GOG games (list, search, refresh, export). * Calculating required storage space and hashing downloaded files. * Running on Linux, Windows, and macOS. [New release's download link on GitHub is here](https://github.com/habedi/gogg/releases) (You can find the latest code and the documentation on the GitHub repository with this link, too)[https://github.com/habedi/gogg] Planned for the future is support for Safari and Edge ------------------------------------------------------------------ # ***Comet:*** A little while ago I convinced my friend imLinguin that Halt and Catch Fire is one of the best TV shows around, and by far the best which is focused on computers - software and hardware. * [The trailer for season one is here btw, if you want to get an idea of what I'm talking about!](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pWrioRji60A)  Without spoilers, there's something in the show called Comet. And, if you know [Heroic Games Launcher (a method of playing GOG, Epic Games and Amazon titles on your Steam Deck, Windows, Mac or Linux desktops with!)](https://heroicgameslauncher.com/), you'll know it uses something called Comet: > *Open Source implementation of GOG Galaxy Communication Service for SDK bundled with GOG games* After watching Halt and Catch Fire, imLinguin worked on a little logo for his own Comet, which you can see here:  It's a nice little nod, and is now something of two things I adore! ------------------------------------------------------------------ # ***Relisted:*** Maybe you're used to the sad news that games are being de-listed. It's sadly quite common with every platform, and is *always* due to the publishers, never the store-fronts. This time however we're seeing good news, with a few games now relisted onto GOG: * **[Slain](https://www.gog.com/game/slain)** * **[Valfaris](https://www.gog.com/game/valfaris)** * **[Valfaris: Mecha Therion](https://www.gog.com/en/game/valfaris_mecha_therion)** These were delisted in March, but back now. So thankfully it was only a short wait! ------------------------------------------------------------------ # ***Gamesieve:*** https://gamesieve.com/  *This one is rather impressive, and has already had a few little changes which help users. I'm just going to format and paste the info here as it is, since the hard work is done for me already (and there's no room for my own nonsense opinions being thrown in!)* *This one is quite long, and detailed, so beware!* # *What is it?* Full-text search for the entire GOG game catalog, with advanced filters and price-tracking for 12 currencies. I've tried to optimize for information-density without reducing usability. I also put a lot of effort into correcting and enriching the data from GOG's API. Lots more of all of that to come. # *Why?* Because I wanted to prove to myself I could, and because I keep discovering new gems on GOG which I wish I'd known about years ago already. The way GOG surfaces games keeps throwing up the same old titles I already know - but there are simply too many games there for me to try and browse through them all without any direction. GOG's search and filtering is acceptable - but not more than that, while so much more could be done in this space. # *Searching:* * The search field will search through most of the information you see on a GOG game page - though not the reviews or the technical requirements (those I'll try to expose as a filter at some point down the road). * You can use "phrase searches", which are also useful for searching for special characters, e.g. for ultimate 'intellectual property': "™" "®" * You can exclude -terms -"and phrases", e.g. space shooter -warhammer -"star wars" * I've tried to be intelligent with the way search works - really thinking about which results you might want. E.g. you can search for rpg or roleplaying game and get the same results. I might have blind spots though, so let me know if a search doesn't return something which you think it should. # *Grouping:* * By default all editions, expansions, demos, goodie packs and bundles are grouped together into a single result for the main game. You can toggle this off in the top left for a more classic search (as on GOG). The one usecase I've personally identified where this is really useful is when searching for specific goodies like soundtracks. * Search will return a result if any grouped product matches. Filters only apply to information about the "main game". * If there are three or more products grouped with the main game, they'll be collapsed. (The 3 editions and 65 expansions for Europa Universalis IV take nearly two full screens to show!) # *Product types:* * I've manually identified all editions, demos and goodie packs, and given them separate categories. It's always possible I missed - or misidentified - something. If so, please let me know about it. (N.B. I did apply a broad brush to what is a "demo". Prologues and similar free "tasters" also got lumped in there.) * There've been a few cases where I made a call on what's most useful which goes against the way products are actually structured; e.g. the chapters of Higurashi When They Cry Hou are technically standalone games, but I decided that they make more sense grouped together as expansions. Lust From Beyond (NSFW) is grouped as an edition of the "M Edition" remake (rather than the other way around), and so on. I'll be happy to discuss the merits of specific cases if anyone cares. # *Sorting:* * Default sorting when browsing (and on the homepage) is percentage difference of current price to the best from the last 365 days, followed by percentage difference of current price to the all-time low, followed by release date on GOG (most recent first; taking the date of the full release for early access games, where possible). So this preferentially exposes the best "new" deals, rather than the same old discounts you see during each and every sale. * Default sorting when searching is "relevance score"; that is how similar each matching game is to the search terms. * More sorting options are coming very soon. # *Filters basics:* * There are two types of filters: 1) Regular drill-down filters, which can overlap with each other. You can exclude each of these with the "X" to the right. 2) Multi-select filters, which have no overlap (with the exception of "never"/"none in the last year" for "frequency of sales"), which allow you to pick multiple categories independently (so that's effectively an OR operation). * All filters are just regular links, so you can open them in a new tab to browse multiple paths. This does mean all filters trigger a full page load (no fancy JavaScript here), which can be annoying if you want to enable multiple multi-select filters. I might revisit this decision, but for the moment the tradeoff felt worth it. # *More about filters:* * The "exclude NSFW" filter is special, in being applied by default (also applying to the recent releases in the sidebar). It's a single click to turn it off, and that's remembered for followup searches. Once it's turned off, the "NSFW" term shows in the Tags filter and can be "required" as usual for any filter. * If you're not certain what a specific filter does, try hovering over it for a tooltip (if you're not on a touch device), or simply enabling it. The resulting page will frequently have an explanation at the top, e.g. that the "rarely" filter for "frequency of sales" indicates that the game has been on sale 1-3 times in the last year. * It's a lie that I added the "At most 10 expansions" filter from the "About the game" section purely to exclude Paradox games. You can after all also exclude that filter to get all games with more than 10 expansions! (And then you'll see that of the 30 results, 'only' 5 are published by Paradox.) # *Price tracking and currencies:* * I have price history for the US since April 2021, with massive thanks to gogdb for providing that. Whenever you see "all-time low", that means "since April 2021". * I have price history for Canada, Brazil, the UK, Germany, Poland, Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Switzerland, China and Australia since early December 2024. I extrapolate price differences before that based on US price history, but this is pretty crude, so take it with a grain of salt. * For the moment I only present price information in a single currency for each country. If you have a usecase for wanting a non-default currency for one of these countries, let me know about it? * As far as I know, prices in the entire eurozone are identical, so if you're from France, Spain, Italy, the Netherlands, Austria, etc, you should just be able to look at German prices. (If anyone knows an example to the contrary, I'd love to hear about it!) At some point down the road, I intend to actually compare prices for all products for all eurozone countries to make certain of this, but for the moment this isn't a priority. # *Data quality:* * Besides badly chosen defaults (the many release dates of xmas 1991 and NYE 2000 and so on), data entry at GOG is obviously the work of humans who occasionally suffer from fat fingers. I've identified and corrected a lot, but I have no doubt there's a lot more to find. I'll be happy to take a look at any errors you know about, and since I'm also a human, please let me know about my own fat-fingered mistakes as well! (I'm also thinking about a way to contribute fixes back to GOG, though I suspect I'd really need a more rigorous process for that to actually be useful / something GOG would actually want.) ------------------------------------------------------------------ # ***World of Goo 2:***  Available now on GOG! Sadly still a higher price than on other store-fronts, but what can we do. The price for DRM-free joy is higher than the alternatives, I suppose! ------------------------------------------------------------------ # ***Amerzone Remake:*** Amerzone - The Explorer's Legacy has released also on GOG.  > Answer the call of exploration as you travel to Amerzone, a forgotten Latin American country, to fulfill the last wishes of a late explorer. Investigate the ruins of this secretive land reclaimed by nature, meet intriguing characters with deep backstories and solve intricate puzzles to uncover the truth. Will you unveil the mysteries surrounding the mythical Great White Birds? [The link to the store page on GOG is here!](https://www.gog.com/game/amerzone_remake_the_explorers_legacy?source=news) ------------------------------------------------------------------ # ***Junk Store:***  My preferred method of playing GOG and Epic Games titles on my Steam Deck is Junk Store. I like the UI and how it so closely resembles Valve's own for the Deck - it feels about as native as I could hope, and like it is an extension of the official Deck's UI/UX. I love it. Anyway, Junk Store is turning one year old tomorrow! Since their first release, 12 months have passed. Nice to see that a project which began as a method for playing Epic and GOG for the dev and friends was released to the public. If you're interested in some more Junk Store info, then check out: * [The GitHub page is here](https://github.com/ebenbruyns/junkstore) * [Their website is here](https://www.junkstore.xyz/) * [Discord link is here](https://discord.gg/6mRUhR6Te) * [Their update on what is next for Junk Store is here, which I shared one month ago on Lemmy](https://lemmy.world/post/27395501) ------------------------------------------------------------------ # ***Top Lists:*** **The recent bestsellers on GOG are:** * Breath of Fire IV * Sleeping Dogs: Definitive Ed. * DOOM (2016) * Control Ultimate Ed. * Jazz Jackrabbit 2 Collection * In Sound Mind - Deluxe Ed. * Alien Isolation Collection * Homeworld Remastered Collection **The top wishlisted in the last 30 days are:** * Croc: Legend of the Gobbos * Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 * Silent Hill 4: The Room * System Shock 2: 25th Anniv. Remaster * Sudeki * Baldur's Gate 3 * Resident Evil Bundle * Dino Crisis Bundle * F.E.A.R. Platinum ------------------------------------------------------------------ # ***A Recommendation:***  If you've not played it before, I can't recommend Islets enough. Its one of *those* games to me - which feels uniquely perfect on the Steam Deck (*like DREDGE, Art of Rally, Hades and so on!*) Its such a cute lttle indie Metroidvania that stands out thanks to the charming hand-drawn art style, and cozy atmosphere.  The game’s unique hook is its interconnected floating islands, which you gradually piece together like puzzle pieces.  Combat is smooth and satisfying, with upgrades that add depth without silly overwhelming complexity, while the small but dense world encourages backtracking in a way that never feels tedious. Add the quirky characters, and you get a game that’s both relaxing and engaging—perfect for players who love exploration-focused adventures like Hollow Knight or Ori, but prefer a more approachable, breezy experience. It’s a short game, but I just *love* it.  ------------------------------------------------------------------ # And Lastly? If you missed their blog post last year, GOG shared 10 fun facts about GOG themselves. I love these, and maybe you will too, if you're looking for some quick entertainment! https://www.gog.com/blog/10-fun-facts-about-gog/ ------------------------------------------------------------------ # That's all folks Sorry its so brief compared to my other efforts. I just thought it nice to focus on a space which rarely gets the attention (*I think*) it deserves. I love GOG and their DRM-free stance. I love how GOG takes games preservation seriously, and most importantly I love the color purple - so that means this one wins hands down :) # News Links: You can check my previous (and far longer) News Posts here - I’ll link them for you so if you’re curious: * [Steam Deck / Gaming News #2](https://lemmy.world/post/26182097) * [Steam Deck / Gaming News #3](https://lemmy.world/post/26306459) * [Steam Deck / Gaming News #4](https://lemmy.world/post/26483935) * [Steam Deck / Gaming News #5](https://lemmy.world/post/26707576) * [Steam Deck / Gaming News #6](https://lemmy.world/post/27035556) * [Steam Deck / Gaming News #7](https://lemmy.world/post/27435521) * [Steam Deck / Gaming News #8](https://lemmy.world/post/27639264) * [Steam Deck / Gaming News #9](https://lemmy.world/post/27761213) * [Steam Deck / Gaming News #10](https://lemmy.world/post/28239730) * [Steam Deck / Gaming News #11](https://lemmy.world/post/28590388) # Mastodon If you want to follow me on Mastodon, I’m posting there every single day (typically), so come join in if you’d like:  ...anyway, I hope you enjoy some of this! My next News Post will be back to the regular a-little-bit-of-everything content. I hope you're all having fun playing whatever games you're loving at the moment, too! 💜

There's been quite a bit of...*unsettlement* (totally a word) regarding the news that Discord has a new CEO and the company is going public (typically a sign of things going shittier than before). I'd just like to re-post this which I shared some time ago, if you'll indulge me in my rare post which *isn't* a [Steam Deck / Gaming News # post](https://lemmy.world/post/28590388) - a rarity for me. In the end, this is *not* the be-all-and-end-all alternative, it won't be for everyone. Matrix exists of course. But this *is* a nice place. And I thought considering recent events I'd recommend it regardless! Following is just a copy of what I posted last time. It's mostly Linux chat, gaming, handhelds (like the Steam Deck), movies and...general chats. Anyway, here's the post: ------------------------------------------------------------------ **So...this one is a bit left-of-field.** A friend of mine (Gardiner Bryant of YouTube - who reports on Linux and the Steam Deck) has started a Revolt server.  # *What is Revolt?* It's kinda like a FOSS alternative to Discord. You'll see the layout is almost a direct copy, and it's far less polished...but then again you haven't got the downsides of Discord's constant upselling either: https://revolt.chat/  # *Why is this relevant?* ...I can hear you ask? Well, so far its just a few developers and creators in there, but I thought of all spaces...maybe those very devs and creators whose work you use and watch...well it might be nice to join in there? My personal friends who are in here so far are: * imLinguin [whose GitHub is here - but you may know most as a developer of Heroic Games Launcher](https://github.com/imLinguin) * Lazorne [whose project is RetroDECK - my personal fav emulation option for the Steam Deck](https://retrodeck.net/) * Eben Bruyns [whose GitHub is here - but you may know best as the dev of Junk-Store](https://github.com/ebenbruyns) * Kyle Gospo [whose project is Bazzite](https://github.com/KyleGospo/bazzite) * Gardiner himself, of course [whose YouTube link is here,](https://www.youtube.com/c/GardinerBryant) * Jason Evangelho [who is the *senior contributor* of gaming at Forbes - and hasn't read my message yet telling him to join the server so...I'm not even sure why I'm writing this, but regardless his link to his credentials is here](https://www.forbes.com/sites/jasonevangelho/) # ***What is the damn link to the damn server, woman?*** https://rvlt.gg/dqJT3rJH I mean, you *will* have to make an account on Revolt, but it might be interesting to some here. You're all very welcome!

This week’s interesting bits and pieces in Steam Deck / Linux and general gaming that I have found, all compiled by me :) One reminder is that these pieces of news I’ve spotted are just those that made me smile, or made me interested, so I thought they’d fit in nicely here. I’m not here to share the things you’ve most likely spotted (though I’m sure they’re in here, too), more the ‘little things’. My aim is to phrase this in a more *personal* manner than most gaming sites do now. My ever-lasting inspo is the old, old video game sites, blogs and magazines that I never had the privilege of being alive for: * image/gif/link heavy * personal voice (no hard news here!) * mostly news or articles or points you won’t find on the ‘big’ gaming sites, these are the smaller, lesser things that I’m drawn to **This is a warning though, Boost has trouble displaying so many images per post. I am told however that the dev has fixed this, or is fixing this. I can say that Jerboa and Thunder have no issue scrolling these (same with the website)** And one more thing. Each of these I write makes me quite nervous. I’m never sure people will like what I write, or more importantly *how I write it* - these posts aren’t meant to be taken like they’re a new source, it’s just...me having fun. So I hope you might grab a cup of coffee or tea and enjoy them alongside me? ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- # GOG / Epic Games News: You’ll no doubt know I like to at least *try* find some fun GOG and Epic bits and pieces. Far from the typical Steam Deck user I find 90% of the library of games is via GOG, and even the odd Epic (or Amazon too, I’m *that* kind of weird girl) game too. What I use to play these is: Junk Store on my Steam Deck (I love the interface and UI being so unobtrusive and almost feel it is a part of the native Steam Deck) Heroic Games Launcher on my desktop PC ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ***GOG:***  # vangogh & theo: A user called **boggydigital** has dropped the first release of vangogh and theo - a 'local library of DRM-free games' for your GOG library + for the Steam Deck. [A link to the GitHub page is here if you want to read an overview of what it does.](https://github.com/arelate/vangogh?tab=readme-ov-file) But further: https://github.com/arelate/vangogh https://github.com/arelate/theo Nice to see a new option provided to the community! ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- # DOOM  Obviously you have all seen the DOOM news: 2016’s FPS title has been brought over to GOG after nearly 10 years. Selling on GOG at -80% off for their 'launch' on GOG, I'm looking forward to playing it when I clear a few games from my current-and-what-I’m-playing-next list. There’s a *lot* of reviews already on GOG’s page for DOOM, and to no one’s surprise they’re all good ones.  One caveat to getting it on GOG is that it does not come with the multiplayer option, since that is built with DRM. But you *do* get an amazing campaign, which to me is the point of DOOM, anyway. Right now it is leading the recent ‘bestsellers’ list on the site. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- # Bestsellers: **Just to make it easy to see exactly what’s been selling best with GOG’s recent sales, here’s their bestseller list here!** * DOOM (2016) * Heroes of Might and Magic 3: Complete * Heroes of Might and Magic 4: Complete * The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion – GoTY ed * The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt – Complete ed * Cyberpunk 2077: Ultimate ed * DOOM (2016) + OST Bundle * Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty * Cyberpunk 2077 * The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings Enhanced Ed ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- **Further, their top wishlisted games on GOG in the last 30 days are:** * Croc Legend of the Gobbos * Kingdom Come Deliverance II * Silent Hill 4: The Room * System Shock 2: 25th Anniversary Remaster * Sudeki * Baldur’s Gate 3 * Resident Evil Bundle (1, 2 & 3) * Dino Crisis Bundle (1 & 2) * F.E.A.R. Platinum ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- # World of Goo 2:  [The release has been confirmed for GOG to launch there on the 25th of April](https://www.gog.com/en/game/world_of_goo_2) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ***Epic Games:***  ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- # Chuchel:  This week’s freebie on Epic Games is the second Amanita Design game in a row, being **Chuchel** - available on the 24th of April. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- # Assassins Creed:  Assassins Creed Shadows has added Epic Achievements to the title, [a link to which his here if you’re interested on Epic’s own site](https://store.epicgames.com/en-US/achievements/assassins-creed-shadows) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- # Update: There will be a EGS Session this Unreal Fest in June which will touch on the “new social ecosystem”  You can read more about what they’re planning for 2025 [with this link: the 2025 roadmap for Epic](https://store.epicgames.com/en-US/news/epic-games-store-2024-year-in-review) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- # 2 pt Finally, Two Point Campus has been added to the Epic Store ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- # ***General News:*** # Selaco:  Selaco is maybe my fav FPS game in recent years. It’s a *beautiful* little game made with the GZDoom engine, and I’ve poked people quite a few times over the previous instalments of my news to go and get it. What caught my eye though is a user (**Red_SnowflakeMX**) who has created their old-style ‘big box’ PC game box for the game: > *I'm not so good with handywork or designing on computer, but for myself it's okay. Hope you like it and maybe someone else here gets inspired and makes a better one, would love to see that :) Almost all of the art and artworks are from the game and the press kit. the only thing I "designed" is the ArachnoCola can in paint, which I think is very noticable ;) Just want to show my appreciation here, hope the use of your art doesn't offend you, if so, I would of course delete this post. Thank you!* Here’s a few (*okay, a **lot** ‘coz I adore this*) photos of the project:       One of the devs found this and has shared it themselves, I spotted it afterwards on bsky which was nice to see! ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- # Virtual Boy Rediscovered: Did anyone see the recently discovered Nintendo Virtual Boy photos? They are of the canceled Mario game they'd made for the abandoned system. Called Mario Smash, only a few shots exist (they're nice, high quality!) Super interesting seeing something that just ended up shelved, but still a nice footnote in the history of gaming. The photos are here (but only 3 of them exist!):    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ***SEGA Model 2:*** Major Sega Model 2 improvements are coming to MAME soon. [You can find a nice video detailing changes and improvements and what the heck I mean here on YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZAAlM9hUhdw) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ***Hadrians:*** > Hadrian's Wall is a former defensive fortification of the Roman province of Britannia, begun in AD 122 in the reign of the Emperor Hadria. It’s also where someone stuffed a SNES console. I think it might be bricked?  Photo from the user **SKEEMON** ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ***Donkey Kong Country 3:*** Also loved this physical recreation of DKC3's cover in diorama form. Seeing the care and attention someone put into this, making it a piece of art for a game they adore makes me happy to see. I find that retro games can have such a bright, cheerful and happy atmosphere to them (like that ‘beachy’ setting so many old early 2000’s games have!) - DKC3 is the perfect example of it.  [There is also a little YT clip of the process here:](https://youtu.be/E5bGfp9joV0) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- # Devolver: Devolver Digitial themselves shared a pretty little graph (which is pretty surprising to me) of revenue figures for several of their franchises. Cult of The Lamb is their highest earning, with the revenue exceeding $90M USD. (*I think this is probably because it's a beautiful little cozy gaming gem of a game? I sank a 𝘭𝘰𝘵 of time into that one on my Steam Deck*) Astroneer too is a high-high number. Fun way to show how the games you support are doing, though. Talos seems a lil low though? Anyway, the graph itself is here:  ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- # Bazzite 42: Bazzite’s new version has launched, but the changes are extensive and I’m too lazy to summarize them. *So*, you can go here and read about them from the dev himself: Kyle! https://universal-blue.discourse.group/t/bazzite-42-is-now-available/7861 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- # Intravenous:  Intravenous 2 is celebrating over 100,000 copies sold, with over 2,000 reviews now. It's a great little stealth game, and you might remember the first being given away everywhere like GOG and Steam some months back! [There's a lovely announcement made on Steam you can read here if you'd like (and the game is on sale on GOG and Steam right now)](https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/2608270/view/527591887309112376) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- # Anbernic and shipping:  Anbernic, a company known for making Game Boy clones (which has a rather dedicated following and fandom), has suspended all shipments from China to the US due to *potential* tariff changes. The company advises customers to purchase products from its US warehouse instead, as those shipments aren’t affected by import duties. Anbernic had already warned buyers last week about possible high customs fees, but it has now halted Chinese shipments entirely, joining other companies like RetroTINK that are uncertain about how tariffs will be enforced. While customers can still add items from the Chinese warehouse to their cart, they can’t complete the purchase. Anbernic’s affordable retro handhelds, often priced around $70, may become significantly more expensive if the proposed 245% tariffs take effect. For now, the devices remain available through US third-party sellers like Amazon, though these often include preloaded ROMs, raising legal concerns. The company’s decision reflects broader uncertainty around how new tariffs will impact Chinese imports, with Retro Handhelds noting that Anbernic is the only manufacturer so far to completely suspend US shipments. The situation leaves the future of affordable retro gaming devices in question. Predictably there’s been a *lot* of comments I’ve seen defending this brilliant negotiating tactic from the orange slob, so we’ll see how much fun those gamers are having in the coming months. [A link to an article going into detail is here (The Verge)](https://www.theverge.com/news/652797/anbernic-suspend-shipments-tariffs-us-china) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- # Ayn and shipping:  AYN, the company behind the popular Odin 2 handheld, is joining Anbernic in pausing shipments to the U.S. due to new tariffs on Chinese goods. Unlike Anbernic, AYN hasn’t made a public announcement but instead shared the news via a customer service email in its Discord server. The company plans to halt shipments after April 25th for a week while seeking alternative shipping methods, aiming to resume by May 5th. The move comes as Hongkong Post will stop accepting U.S.-bound airmail packages starting April 27th, affecting other Chinese manufacturers like GoRetroid as well. If AYN finds a new shipping solution, U.S. customers can still order its products, but prices may rise due to the end of the *de minimis* tariff exemption on May 2nd. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- # Retroid and shipping: Finally, Retroid is also stopping shipments to the ‘States, sharing a similar statement on their Discord server, stating that this coming Friday will be the last they’ll ship out. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- # Hand of Hexes: This beautiful art is called Hand of Hexes – made proudly with entirely free software. And its hand-drawn, too! Made by **emmdieh**, I found the video they shared and it looks incredible. I’m *hoping* it will be able to be added to this post, but I’m not sure if the size is too big, or if Lemmy will host it at all in the format it is in. (*edit - GIF too big to attach here!*) > 𝘜𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘒𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘢 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘎𝘰𝘥𝘰𝘵 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘰𝘹 𝘰𝘯 𝘮𝘺 𝟤 𝘪𝘯 𝟣 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘨𝘢𝘮𝘦𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘦𝘯 𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘴 𝘰𝘯 𝘢 𝘭𝘢𝘱𝘵𝘰𝘱 𝘣𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭𝘴 𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘢𝘯𝘦 This is the kind of gaming I love - the little things with heart and soul! [The Steam page is here, if you want to see more](https://store.steampowered.com/app/3238220/Hand_of_Hexes/) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- # DREADMOOR:  Looks like there's a new Lovecraftian fishing game which copied the homework of DREDGE but this one is in first-person. This one *looks* okay, but I'm curious how much of their trailer is pre-rendered and whether it can stand on its own fishy legs since it really seems to have left out the 'cozy' aspect of DREDGE's horror. It’s *very* much just...copying DREDGE, and they recently posted a little ‘AMA’ but I can’t for the life of me find it now (since they had a handful of questions, and the one which was highest was that of whether it *is* pre-rendered in the trailer), anyway, time will tell. For someone who is terrified of horror, I'm weirdly looking forward to seeing more. I hope it plays nice on Steam Deck. [The trailer is here with a link to YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6qTJLmjKysU) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- # DREDGE ...also just wanted to share this lovely art. I saw Black Salt Games shared this, which is by **kelgrid**  ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- # Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 ...has a new update! The 7.0 ‘Trygon Update’ has gone live. Luckily this image has all the information, so I don’t have to fumble with the words to make this little post sound interesting, you can just read it!  ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- # 007 + Nightdive:  Nightdive Studios (known for higher-quality remasters like *Turok* and *Star Wars: Dark Forces*), pitched a full remaster of GoldenEye 007 but was blocked by Nintendo. Despite securing approval from James Bond rights holders MGM/Eon, Nintendo refused to allow any third-party studio to work on its properties, shutting down the project. This isn’t the first time a *GoldenEye* remaster was canceled—Rare had also developed an enhanced Xbox 360 version that was scrapped due to licensing issues. While GoldenEye 007 is now available on Xbox and Nintendo Switch via emulation, it lacks the modern upgrades Nightdive had planned, such as improved graphics and controls. Nintendo’s strict policy on third-party remasters means fans may never get the definitive version they hoped for, though the abandoned Xbox 360 remaster has surfaced online for those willing to seek it out. Nightdive’s experience highlights the ongoing challenges of reviving classic games tangled in complex licensing disputes. [You can an article on this here – videogamer.com](https://www.videogamer.com/news/nightdive-pitched-a-true-goldeneye-007-remaster-but-nintendo-wouldnt-play-ball/) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- # Game Boy DMG: A user (**Pleasant_Waltz3041**) has modded up an original Nintendo DMG to be as close to the style and look of the original packaging’s depiction. > *I bought the new case at Retrohahn for 30€ some time ago. Unfortunately, it was sold out very quickly (understandably). It is a UV print that goes over the D-pad and A and B. Start and Select are rubber transparent. In addition, there was an IPS mod and an LED backlight mod for the buttons. I'm infinitely happy with the end result* The photos of their efforts are as follows:   ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- # Tomb Raider Anniversary Remake leaked renders: Crystal Dynamics & Virtuos Shanghai's cancelled remake of “Tomb Raider: Anniversary” is resurfacing, with very early assets from its development (dating back to 2019) which have been leaked. [There’s a couple of photos, and also a link if you want to read more which is this sentence here!](https://xcancel.com/infinitytraider/status/1913938691367604335?s=46)   ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- # Oblivion No, not the Tom Cruise film (*though I’ve always adored Olga Kurylenko. Did anyone else watch Magic City? Not super popular...I guess it was a bit of a copy/paste to Mad Men at the time?*), but the remaster we’ve seen ‘shadow dropped’ (to the surpirse of noone, since it was leaked) * [The trailer to it is here on YouTube, if you want to see what it is](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wFJ3PZuAjK4) But what I want to share is how nice it is seeing older gamers sharing their game guide books they’ve had for a long time. I love physical things, and modern games see far too few of these, sadly. Anyway, these two made me smile:   ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- # ***Denuvo:***  Just some titles here which have Denuvo news: [Denuvo has been removed from Romancing SaGa 2: Revenge of the Seven](https://steamdb.info/depot/2455641/history/?changeid=M%3A3682751951894722619) [Denuvo has also been removed from Nikoderiko: The Magical World. What made me giggle was seeing they had 145 all-time reviews on Steam *before* removing Denuvo. Whatever they paid for their Denuvo subscription was...far too much.](https://steamdb.info/depot/2374191/history/?changeid=M%3A5415135879913778268) Super Robot Wars Y *will* be implementing Denuvo DRM in their game, which is due out 27th August, 2025. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- # ***Me:*** **First**, I’ve had some users asking me how to find my news posts. I’ve had recommendations for having my own site, or making an easier-to-spot resource to find them. I understand that this makes total sense, too. My typical reason why I wouldn’t, and haven’t is that I work too much, Being primarily a social engineer who works as red team on pen tests, my work really *does* take a lot of time. But...as of a few weeks back I’ve been on a rather unexpected and self-indulgent escape from ‘real life’. I’ve now been to Rome, Tokyo and Phuket in my desperate attempt to avoid the world. *Why are you telling us this?* No idea really, but the *real* reason behind the ‘no time’ reason for me not hosting my posts on a site is that I don’t really want to take something away from Lemmy. It sounds arrogant, but I do like to think my posts bring *some* value, and since I believe so strongly in FOSS, I like that they are available in their entirety here on Lemmy. **Second**, which is actually just like a bit more of the first, is that I’ll link them for you so if you’re curious about my previous news entries, you can find them here: * [Steam Deck / Gaming News #2](https://lemmy.world/post/26182097) * [Steam Deck / Gaming News #3](https://lemmy.world/post/26306459) * [Steam Deck / Gaming News #4](https://lemmy.world/post/26483935) * [Steam Deck / Gaming News #5](https://lemmy.world/post/26707576) * [Steam Deck / Gaming News #6](https://lemmy.world/post/27035556) * [Steam Deck / Gaming News #7](https://lemmy.world/post/27435521) * [Steam Deck / Gaming News #8](https://lemmy.world/post/27639264) * [Steam Deck / Gaming News #9](https://lemmy.world/post/27761213) * [Steam Deck / Gaming News #10](https://lemmy.world/post/28239730) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- # What are you playing? Now...my fav thing is asking you all what you’ve been enjoying lately! I’ve been playing a bit of The Last of Us Pt. 2. Again, since I am travelling I am using my Steam Deck (and can see that this isn’t giving me the best look at how the game can be) I’m ‘making do’, but this is my first time playing it, and I love it. It’s actually given me an appreciation for single-player experience and narrative driven games again. I’ve been playing this, and Death Stranding (my obsession). What have you been enjoying? On any platform you’re using, what games have you been enjoying? Something AAA? Or an indie? Emulating something fun? Share!!! ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- # Mastodon If you want to follow me on Mastodon, I’m posting there every single day (typically), so come join in if you’d like:  ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- If I made any errors, they’re all mine. If a link is not working, do tell me (there always seems to be just *one* I don’t format correctly in there! Every single time!) – all the crazy little rants and opinions are just me. I hope you enjoyed this though, because I *love* writing them and sharing them!!!

As is now my tradition (this is my 10th of these posts! *And it's been 10 days since my last one of these posts, there's gotta be some symmetry in that somewhere*) you’ll know the drill. I want to at least *try* give a personal look at the news and interesting stories I’ve spotted in gaming-in-general and the Steam Deck which have grabbed my attention the most. This isn’t anything refined or by any means official - just me trying to bring that feeling back of old games sites, old games blogs. Before ads and begging for Patreon subs became a focus on a game site above the content. Anyway, if you’re interested, grab a cup of coffee or tea and sit down for a read: ------------------------------------------------------------------ # ***General News:*** # Baldur's Village  You might have seen this one if you're in that intersecting circle of being a Baldur's Gate 3 and Stardew Valley fan. A modder by the name of **BV** created - you guessed it - a mod for Stardew featuring the characters from BG3. > *Baldur's Village is a fan-made expansion that adds Baldur's Gate 3 characters to Stardew Valley. This mod adds 20+ new beautifully drawn characters, 6 new locations, new shops with special items, events, and more!*  Larian Studios CEO Swen Vincke himself praised the mod, and it has had 60,373 downloads at the time I'm rambling on here. The sad part was Wizards of the Coast issuing a DMCA on the mod, which they *did* say happened "...in error..." after it got a loooooot of backlash (including Vincke tweeting about it) - and dropped their DMCA. If you want to read more: * [Here is a link to an IGN article on the DMCA](https://www.ign.com/articles/update-wizards-of-the-coast-apologizes-for-mistaken-dmca-on-fans-baldurs-gate-3-stardew-valley-mod) * [Here is a link to the mod on Nexus (have a look, it's fantastic what they did!)](https://www.nexusmods.com/stardewvalley/mods/30888?tab=description) Anyway, this all strikes me as Wizards' totally meaning this, but backing off when the backlash against *them* was too much. ------------------------------------------------------------------ # Donkey Kong Champ wins case:  A Queensland YouTuber, Karl Jobst, was ordered to pay $350,000 plus interest and costs to former Donkey Kong world record holder Billy Mitchell (*who, let's face it, is a *very* controversial figure in recent years!*) after the Brisbane District Court found Jobst defamed Mitchell in a 2021 video by falsely linking Mitchell to another YouTuber’s suicide and accusing him of cheating and frivolous lawsuits. The court ruled Jobst acted with "reckless indifference" to the truth, damaging Mitchell’s reputation, and awarded damages for non-economic loss and aggravated harm due to Jobst’s malice and refusal to retract claims. The case did not determine whether Mitchell actually cheated, though his records were later reinstated by Twin Galaxies and Guinness World Records. To clear things up, Jobst always made it seem like this lawsuit was regarding Billy Mitchell lying about his world records. It wasn't. It was about Karl defaming Billy by claiming some other person committed suicide due to Billy's lawsuits against him. * [A link to an article on the result (The Guardian) is here](https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2025/apr/01/donkey-kong-champion-billy-mitchell-wins-defamation-case-australia-youtuber-karl-jobst-ntwnfb) ------------------------------------------------------------------ # Metro 2033 Redux:  Right now, Metro 2033 Redux is free! For the next 36 hours or so anyway, as of posting this! Since I'm a GOGFanGirl I'm just going to leave the GOG links here, but if you're a Steam fan...it's free there also. And it *has* been given away before on Epic - so you may have it there also. I'll leave a direct link, click this (if you're logged in to GOG) and it will automatically claim it: https://www.gog.com/giveaway/claim Then click *this* to turn off the newsletter that accepting this automatically signs you up to (or leave it on, I guess if you want it!): https://www.gog.com/en/account/settings/subscriptions ------------------------------------------------------------------ # Nightdive & the 360 era:  The studio’s CEO Stephen Kick and director of business development Larry Kuperman said they were keen to start looking at potential remasters of games that were only released on Xbox 360 or PS3. > *“I would begin asking a couple of questions,”* he explained. *“Was it Xbox 360 exclusive, or was there a PC version out too? Because that also changes things, the little preservation that’s available. Do we have source code? If so, what’s the quality of the source code? How about the assets? Those are the kinds of considerations that we have there. That being said, there were some really good games that came out in that era that shouldn’t be lost.”* The amount of games that were from that era is...endless. We're at an odd stage with these ones - there's not PC versions of all of them, and the emulators are still in their infancy. I run a lot of 360 and PS3 games, but the results really *do* vary. So I'm excited to see what might happen! * [Here's an article on it if you wanted to read all they say (and potentially promise]([https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/we-stand-ready-nightdive-says-it-wants-to-start-remastering-xbox-360-and-ps3-era-games/) ------------------------------------------------------------------ # April: I know, I know, this one is *super* late (both in regards to April 1st, and with how old this joke is) to posting this, but I find it kinda sweet.  Just an old April Fools hoax printed by Electronic Gaming Monthly - their first April Fools joke. ------------------------------------------------------------------ # Atomfall Atomfall has an easter egg homage to a 30 year old game, Z, from another British studio. I just thought this was a cute lil nod to another who came before them:  ------------------------------------------------------------------ # Bill Petras ‘World Of Warcraft’ and ‘Overwatch’ art director Bill Petras has died. > “Bill was a legend in the community and he will be deeply missed” Announcing the news on Linkedin, former Blizzard Cinematic Project Director Harley D. Huggins II said: > “I’m writing to share some heartbreaking news. Bill Petras, a game development legend, has unexpectedly passed away. Billy was an amazingly gifted artist who worked at Blizzard Entertainment for almost two decades. He was immensely proud of the work he did there, most notably as the Art Director for World Of Warcraft and Overwatch.” [The link to the LinkedIn post is here, if you want to read it in its entirety](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/harley-d-huggins-ii_im-writing-to-share-some-heartbreaking-news-activity-7313965993679015937-84W1/) ------------------------------------------------------------------ # ***Nintendo Switch Things*** Just thought a handful of short sharp Nintendo-in-general and Switch things might be nice to include here. *I had a vast collection of Switch consoles and games, but after getting my Steam Deck I just...emulated them instead. Though recently I did pick up a cheap-cheap V2, picofly it and have been having fun owning one once again!* ------------------------------------------------------------------ # Deku:  Deku Deals is a the site that helps you track Nintendo Switch game prices, get alerts for sales, build your wishlist and backlog, and generally save money on games. We all know the lack of sales Nintendo generally has, this site makes buying Switch games a *little* easier. I'd hazard if you're here on Lemmy then (*like me*) you hate Reddit with *most* of your body. But...maybe not. Regardless, the Deku team did an AMA recently on Reddit (and sadly it is not anywhere else to link to), so if you're a Switch fan who knows and loves Deku - it might be worth your time having a read of this AMA they did: [The link to their AMA is here, hosted on the r/NintendoSwitch sub-reddit](https://www.reddit.com/r/NintendoSwitch/comments/1jrgjtz/were_the_deku_deals_team_helping_rnintendoswitch/) [Deku's own site is here, if you wanna just quickly check it out too!](https://www.dekudeals.com/) ------------------------------------------------------------------ # Nintendo DSi lost photos: I'm in Tokyo right now. I actually just kinda...ran away from work and life for awhile (previous to this I ran off to Rome), but I've been having such a wonderful time. The sheer amount of old Nintendo consoles and handhelds is...vast. I've had such a fun time finding some nice ones to add to my collection while here. The best so far was a Nintendo DSi I bought. Inside it was a romcart with a full sized SD card inside it, and on it were these photos:    *(photos have metadata of 14th April, 2006)* I shared the images on my Mastodon, and someone chimed in with the idea it *might*: > probably Takamizawa Toshihiko aka Takamiy from The Alfee band I'm kinda in love with these, it's funny to discover! I'm guessing someone had that flashcart from their DS Lite and just...threw it in the DSi? Who knows. Fun find though! ------------------------------------------------------------------ # Nintendo and Palworld:  Seems like Nintendo has secured two more anti-Palworld U.S. patents, and might file multi-patent U.S. lawsuit against Pocketpair in a matter of months now. [Here's an article on the goings-on - the link is to gamesfray](https://gamesfray.com/nintendo-secures-two-more-anti-palworld-u-s-patents-might-file-multi-patent-u-s-lawsuit-against-pocketpair-in-a-matter-of-months-now/) Crazy that you can obtain patents and then retroactively apply them. Seems like a total abuse of the system. [And here is a link to the same site explaining how Nintendo has filed the patents after Palworld released](https://gamesfray.com/why-nintendo-can-sue-pocketpair-over-patents-filed-after-palworlds-release-explain-it-to-me-like-im-five-series-launches-on-games-fray-for-interested-gamers/) ------------------------------------------------------------------ # Terrible GameCube design:  ....what's going on with the Nintendo GameCube controller they've got coming for the Switch 2? That new ZL button (finally added) looks like it is for ants? Why didn't they make it the same size as the opposite one? *Here's to hoping that 8BitDo makes an alternative that might actually be comfortable to use. For those why are actually going to buy this console* ------------------------------------------------------------------ # Game Boy Cassettes: This idea has been around for a *long* time - you take your loose games from their caseless existence and then place them in audio cassette cases. There's a huge community surrounding the customization of these, how to display them, concepts to print out the game cover art, plastic insets to house the game cart itself...and so on. This one was particularly nice though, I came across Pat, who goes by **hoangnguyen2108** and their printing (the covers, and the beautiful 3D printed cassette housing too!) Just thought you might like to see these, and what people do to show off their collections:    ------------------------------------------------------------------ # Physical Manuals: If you know me at all by now, you'll know I just adore the physical creations people make - especially since modern gaming companies have left such a void these days. I found a user called **RowanFN1** who makes their own miniature printed manuals for their games. There's a *lot* of these, but I've just grabbed a few photos to show what they look like. I am *very* into this - I look at the 'big box' PC games from before I was born and see the amazing things they came with, it makes me feel sad about the state of gaming now. Anyway, time for the photos:       ------------------------------------------------------------------ # Switch Spines:  Last one for the Nintendo bits and pieces. I found a community called Switch Spines who re-make their game covers to remove that horrible red design, and instead do their own full-color replacements. I'll just include a few images because for some reason I'm kinda obsessed with physical game covers/cases ([my lurking of the GOG thread where they make physical covers for GOG games is like...my fav place on the internet besides Mastodon](https://www.gog.com/forum/general/unofficial_dvd_covers_for_gog_com_games)) Here's some examples:    I think its an improvement. Do you? ------------------------------------------------------------------ # ***Quick-fire two Interesting things:*** # Project Hailstorm:  I found a nice game made by a indie developer called Project Hailstorm: a small 15 minute title which is made with a specific Steam Deck settings preset so it plays nicely on there, too.  The developer shared it stating they're doing their best to make it *look* and *feel* like it is a AAA atmosphere. Its also free! There's no cloud saves (nor does there need to be, tbh), and no achievements - but do yourselves a favor and install it. It gives a great impression that you are *there*: "𝘚𝘵𝘦𝘱 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘢 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘦𝘱𝘵𝘩𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘤 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘶𝘯𝘤𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘺𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘗𝘳𝘰𝘫𝘦𝘤𝘵 𝘏𝘢𝘪𝘭𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘮."  Nice to see some care taken with lil indie titles :) The link to the [Steam page for the game is here too, if you want to check it out!](https://store.steampowered.com/app/3388760/Project_Hailstorm/) ------------------------------------------------------------------ # Dave the DLC:  Dave the Diver releases *another* FOMO DLC - this one is Like a Dragon themed, and limited to 6 months. Shitty. The dev has sworn *this time* that it will be the last time they release FOMO DLC (the last being Godzilla themed) ------------------------------------------------------------------ # What have you been playing? Just curious about what you've all been playing lately! You *might* be used to me asking this, if you're not new to my posts. I just like to get an idea - its like pop-psychology: match the username to the game titles. I've still been playing Death Stranding on my Steam Deck, because it's my absolute love. I love the setting and the atmosphere, and the music they hold back for the more important moments you don't realize *are* important until you hear the sounds and...take the time to look around. And on my Switch I've actually been playing Fitness Boxing 3. Since I'm traveling and in hotel suites, I'm just doing my own thing, and that game really *can* make your heart rate push up! I can't see myself as some uber-boxing-girl with this alone, but it's been fun. So...what have you been playing? ------------------------------------------------------------------ # Finally? Sorry this isn't quite as themed or detailed as I typically post here! Being abroad and between places means I've been a lil scattered this time. But I do hope you're all well, and having fun gaming! Pinkie-swear next one will be back to normal. *And* - as always, any errors or formatting issues, anything awful, that's all on me! If you do want to add me to Mastodon too, I typically post there each day! You can find me here:  <3

This week’s interesting bits and pieces in Steam Deck / Linux and general gaming that I have found is a *lighter* version. Just a small handful of things I found and wanted to share here. So don't judge me too harshly! As is now tradition (signed in blood) each time I swear this will become a weekly event, it is only a handful of days between it and the next! So as always, this is just the bits and pieces of news I’ve spotted that made me smile, or made me interested, so I thought they’d fit in nicely here. My aim is to phrase this in a more *personal* manner than most gaming sites do now. My ever-lasting inspo is the old, old video game sites, blogs and magazines that I never had the privilege of being alive for: * image/gif/link heavy * personal voice (no hard news here!) * mostly news or articles or points you won’t find on the ‘big’ gaming sites, these are the smaller, lesser things that I’m drawn to **This is a warning though, Boost has trouble displaying so many images per post. I am told however that the dev has fixed this, or is fixing this. I can say that Jerboa and Thunder have no issue scrolling these (same with the website)** So grab a cup of coffee, settle in and poke holes in my mistakes and formatting (or, idk, just enjoy this)! ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- # ***News / Games*** # Infinity Blade II:  Infinity Blade II now has a PC port! For a game which really shone as an example of both a mobile game done with high quality visuals (and production) *and* on how to make a touch-centric game play well...it’s hard to see this translating well to something like PC/Steam Deck. But, in the interests of my obsession of games preservation – it’s just a good thing to share the work some have done to ensure this has other ways of playing The port targets 64-bit Windows, but the community has confirmed the following configurations to work: Linux via Lutris, Proton, or Wine. macOS via Crossover or Parallels. Steamdeck via Proton. **Features:** * The original Infinity Blade II experience * Keybinds for abilities such as dodging, blocking, stabbing, and more * Standalone launcher to tweak graphical settings and controls * Scroll menus naturally by dragging the mouse, or by scrolling the mouse wheel. * Improved graphical fidelity over iOS * Toggleable dynamic shadows and godrays * Audio sliders to control music and SFX separately * Easy save transfer between iOS and PC [There’s an announcement/guide on YouTube about this, which you can go to by clicking on this link right here!](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eq5DgjWKMg4) > I am neither affiliated with Epic Games nor with the creation of this port, which exists soley for the purpose of lost media preservation. This video analyzes of a publicly available website and file from the Internet Archive. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- # Epic Games app: Just a small note here, recently Epic has not only launched their app for Android and Apple, but they’ve been consistently updating it (I’d argue more than their PC experience, which years later is *still* lacking many of the QoL features others have had for eons -__-). Their most recent update now shows the ‘discounts’ (sale prices) on their mobile games. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- # Myst and Cyan  My father has a copy of Myst, in one of those ancient battered ‘big box’ style...boxes. It’s always been near his desk, alongside the others which are (*forgive my ignorance, I just don’t know this series beyond the recent remaster ones*) in the same universe? Sequels? Like Riven. He adores that game, like he adores the Portal games. Being a senior programmer who has a reputation for COBOL, my father enjoyed the puzzle games, the ones which made him take his time and think. Anyway, I only mention this because Myst, or rather the indie studio behind it called Cyan (which has remained a studio for 37 years now, and always remained independent) have announced that they laid off “...roughly half the team”.  As one user said though: > “You definitely hate to see it, but riding Myst at some point doesn’t pay the bills. When your iconic game’s release party would be closer in time to shaking President JFK’s hand than mine, it’s been too long…” [Further, Cyan shared a list of “impacted employees who are looking for new opportunities…” - you can read that list, as well as more information from Cyan via this Bluesky link where they made this announcement](https://bsky.app/profile/cyan.com/post/3llhcilutzi2s) Time passes, but this is still some very sad news to see, especially for such a long-running studio. I hope happier and brighter times are ahead for them. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- # Croc on GOG (No, not Steve Irwin)  Well, if you’ve been keeping up with this one, after almost 30 years the cult-classic Croc, as well as the remastered version, are now available on GOG. This one’s unique, in that it is only available on PC on GOG, whereas it is available everywhere on the consoles. Typical bitter weird comments are out there where people get angry (totally missing the irony that some games are available only on Steam), but overall things seem quite cheerful on this release! * [A link to the GOG page is here](https://www.gog.com/game/croc_legend_of_the_gobbos) * [The YouTube trailer from 5 months ago is here with this link](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ptV-uxJFx2I) * [The forum post for the launch on GOG is here, if you want to read what people said](https://www.gog.com/forum/general/croc_legend_of_the_gobbos_is_out_now_b4ab2)  One issue though was reported by GOG themselves at launch, with their announcement of the game’s availability: > Hey all! Please note that for the smoothest experience, right now we recommend launching Croc (remastered version) while logged into your GOG GALAXY client—whether you're online or offline. Using only the Offline Installers without GOG GALAXY may lead to some issues when trying to launch the game. We're aware of this and are working on a fix ASAP. This affects only the remastered version. We apologize for the inconvenience—this shouldn’t take long to resolve. We hope you’ll have a blast playing nonetheless! ...though this has obviously been fixed long since! Fun fact: This was originally going to be a Yoshi game but Nintendo turned it down so they made an original game. This was by Argonaut Games who also worked with Nintendo to do Star Fox ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- # Live Stranding  If you’ve been following my Mastodon for any time, you’ll have seen my countless obsessive love letter’s to Kojima’s delivery game – Death Stranding. A absolutely *adore* it. It took me a couple times of trying it before it really suck with me, but ever since it climbed (pun?) high into my list of Perfect Dark’s Fav Games list. Being made available for free via Epic Games’ weekly free games a few times, chances are you’ve got it in your library too.  What I *have* noticed is a trend of users replying to my posts saying that the combat takes their enjoyment away. The BT battles, the timefall, the ‘stress’. And hey, that’s fine! We all get to enjoy games our own way, if you’ve been avoiding playing it because of these reasons, and you want that pure, pure dopamine hit of delivering packages, re-building roads and finding the perfect route through a broken land, then I have the suggestion for you! [Nexus Mods has a mod by AspeerTheDog, which removes Bts and timefall (rain) – which you can find using this link](https://www.nexusmods.com/deathstranding/mods/51?tab=description) > This mod removes most of the timefall areas and prevents BTs from spawning. Some areas are left to allow Chiralium farming > I heavily discourage people who want to use this mod to play the campaign. BTs and timefall are a very important part of this game and without them a lot of mechanics in the game disappear or become useless. The mod was made with endgame in mind, for people who want to chill and farm deliveries in peace. I will not stop anyone from playing however they want though. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- # Miyoo Game Diary: This one is just plain *sweet*. I found a user (Acrobatic_Age) whose efforts to detail their experiences playing Final Fantasy 1 were done by hand with watercolor and ink in a game diary. All while they travelled and played. > *While riding the train from Łódź to Warszawa, I had some time to snap pics of all the pages from my Final Fantasy 1 game journal so far. **If you're planning to play it, feel free to check out the maps and drawings, but skip the text—there are plenty of spoilers in those dialogues and rumors.*** [They have their previous adventures and efforts all detailed here on their blog, this link is theirs: called PIXELS IN MY POCKET. It is utterly *beautiful*, and if I can convince you to follow one link I’ve shared in this post, make it this one. It’s such a nice and unique thing they’re doing :)](https://pixelsinmypocket.blogspot.com/) Anyway, here’s some images of theirs, so you can see just how beautiful it is:      ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- # A journal: The above one reminds me of a RDR2 journal / diary I saw someone made when Red Dead released all those years ago. That user was candority, and here’s a few images of it just because it’s rather lovely:     ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- # PC Ports / Decompilations, and more:  A frequently updated list of PC ports, decompilations, remakes, and fan games—all verified as playable on the Steam Deck (and PC)—has transitioned from Reddit to a standalone website. Originally maintained through community contributions on Reddit, the list has now outgrown its format, prompting the shift to a dedicated site by the maintainer: OldMcGroin. The new site adopts a minimalist design, prioritizing readability and ease of navigation. Whilst OldMcGroin (what a username) acknowledges its a bit janky to start with (citing this as their first web project), the focus remains on accessibility for us users searching for compatible fan-made projects. The list continues to expand thanks to community suggestions, and feedback on both content and site improvements is encouraged. Those interested can explore the project here: [with this link to ‘the gaming emporium’](https://www.thegamingemporium.com/) This is definitely one I recommend you bookmark! ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- # Lovecraftian Sale: Every year there’s something called The Lovecraftian Days, which *also* tends to have a themed sale on Steam. They *also* have shown the art for this year’s event:  > Fulqrum Publishing is delighted to partner with the great and terrible Cthulhu, to celebrate the third iteration of Lovecraftian Days - hosted and curated by Fulqrum Publishing, and joined by dozens of other developers and publishers. The event will celebrate the influences of the classic works of H.P. Lovecraft, and the cosmic horror genre in gaming. The celebrations will include new game releases, new announcements, game demos and discounts! [The site for this is here, with this link if you’d like to visit it!](https://www.fulqrumpublishing.com/news/7553-fulqrum-publishing-celebrates-our-lord-cthulhu-with-new-game-announcements-releases-discounts-and-more-from-april-14) Further, here’s a couple images of the previous two years art:  (above is 2023)  (above is 2024) And finally? A couple Lovecraftian games I’d recommend for the Steam Deck: * Call of Cthulhu * Darkest Dungeon * DREDGE (my fav!) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- # Gameboy Camera This one’s quick, but twofold because its fun: User Marurun shared an image of their Gameboy Camera pictures they’ve been taking, and those he took a step further to colorize:   > I recently got back into taking photos with my Game Boy Camera since I can now save my photos. I don't use a Game Boy Printer emulator to get my pictures from it since I don't own one yet, but I found a different way using my GameCube and GameBoy Interface. I wrote about how I figured out how all of this works and how I colorize my photos on my blog: https://marupanda.art/blog/posts/tech/gameboy-camera/ & I also recommend you check out this video on YouTube by Becca Farsace, showing them taking the modern ‘remake’ of the classic Nintendo Gameboy Camera, the 2BitToy [which you can look at in more detail on their site, here!](https://2bittoy.carrd.co/) around. It’s a wonderful and fun video, I really recommend this one [here’s the link to YouTube if you wanna check it out!](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x2L4YTdsD2o) And here’s an image *of that camera set-up*:  ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- # ***Quick Links:*** These are just bits and pieces I have absolutely no doubt most of you have seen, but maybe going forward this will be a handy thing (at least to look back in retrospect as time goes on) – having them in one place? IDK, let me know if you like this lil section: * [Nintendo Direct: Nintendo Switch 2 – 4.2.2025](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VrTVeYm4iIM) – my takeaway above all else was the sad departure of an entire game being stored on a game cart, now seeing them instead be a typica; ‘digital license’. It’s a sad thing to see for me. Also, up to $90 USD for Mario Kart? WTF is that? * Loci is now a part of Epic Games. Loci being a algorithm which generates metadata for 3D assets (maybe so FAB will be less shit?)[A link to the announcement article is here, if you’re interested in the details](https://www.epicgames.com/site/en-US/news/loci-is-now-a-part-of-epic-games?sessionInvalidated=true) * Enter The Gungeon 2 now has a page on Steam, [and you can find the page here with this link if you want!](https://store.steampowered.com/app/2339840/Enter_the_Gungeon_2/) *Enter the Gungeon 2 is a reloaded, high-caliber sequel to the iconic bullet hell dungeon crawler, reinforced with a new 3D art style, new weapons and enemies, and new gameplay tricks.* * If you’d like a little more info on why Warner Bros. cancelled the planned DLC expansion to Hogwarts Legacy, then you can read a bit more about it [here on Bloomberg with this link to the article](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-03-27/warner-bros-cancels-planned-hogwarts-legacy-game-expansion?). TBH I’m just jaded and figure whatever it *is* or *was* will be recycled as a sequel. * The GitHub for Citra, the most well known of the 3DS emulators has been closed down. If you’ve been running it via EmuDeck or RetroDECK, then you’ll see it’s disappeared completely. Azahar is now the default 3DS emulator for all. * [Atomfall is the most successful game launch for the developers (who are known for Sniper Elite) at Rebellion. They’ve been making games now for 32 years! This is an article about that, its on IGN](https://www.ign.com/articles/atomfall-the-most-successful-launch-in-sniper-elite-developer-rebellions-32-year-history) * [Nightdive Studios’ CEO said ‘we stands ready’ – to remaster Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 era games. The artcile giving more details is here via VideoGamesChronicle if you’d like to read more!](https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/we-stand-ready-nightdive-says-it-wants-to-start-remastering-xbox-360-and-ps3-era-games/) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- # Prime Gaming List for April:  The full list of games you can redeem, when and from where – for your Prime Gaming subscription for the month of April is as follows: * Now Available: Mafia III: Definitive Edition [GOG Code] * Now Available: Minecraft Legends [Xbox and PC via Microsoft Store Code] * Now Available: Gravity Circuit [Amazon Games App] * Now Available: Paleo Pines [Amazon Games App] * Now Available: Clouds & Sheep 2 [Amazon Games App] * April 10: DreadOut 2 [Amazon Games App] * April 10: ENDLESS™ Space — Definitive Edition [Amazon Games App] * April 10: God’s Trigger [GOG Code] * April 10: New York Mysteries: Power of Art Collector’s Edition [Legacy Games Code] * April 10: Projection: First Light [Amazon Games App] * April 10: Faraway: Director’s Cut [Amazon Games App] * April 17: Gloomhaven [Epic Games Store] * April 17: The Last Spell [GOG Code] * April 17: Fashion Police Squad [Epic Games Store] * April 17: Genesis Noir [Amazon Games App] * April 17: Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain [GOG Code] * April 17: Berserk Boy [GOG Code] * April 17: The Last Show of Mr. Chardish [Epic Games Store] * April 17: Wild Country [GOG Code] * April 24: Thief™ Gold [GOG Code] * April 24: Troublemaker [Epic Games Store] * April 24: Kraken Academy!! [Amazon Games App] * April 24: Priest Simulator: Vampire Show [Epic Games Store] I’m gonna harp on about it again here, I just *love* the deal which Amazon’s Prime Gaming gives. For most who subscribe (at least this is my own personal experience), this whole add-on of free games titles you get to keep forever, regardless of the subscription status is a Godsend. To me this is the single *best* deal in gaming right now. I get to build my GOG library (my fav of all!), as well as the others. I typically find at least one title per week which I’d never buy for myself, but am looking forward to trying! Gloomhaven especially is one of my fav board games ever made. And I am so very excited to try the video game! Enjoy! [Medium has done a small article detailing the list of games released this month for Prime Gaming, if you want to read up on it further, this is a good link for it!](https://primegaming.blog/prime-gaming-april-content-update-mafia-iii-definitive-edition-gravity-circuit-minecraft-19475b4ff9d3) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- # Epic’s Upcoming Freebie – April 10th:  Next week’s (or *one of* since there is three in total – though one of them is just in-game currency for a free title) standout game to me is **River City Girls**. Free from April 10th to 17th and *not* available to claim in: * Australia * Brazil * Russia * South Korea A beat-em-up, this one is rated highly on Steam, and looks like a great one to claim for free! ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- # Nintendo Power  Again, something *incredibly* niche, but I had fun discovering a backup of every single Nintendo Power release which *was* hosted on archive.org, but now whose link is dead. So, there’s a magnet available for those who want it: magnet:?xt=urn:btih:8a1a883270f3f094150ce258a26b4ca581839153 Every issue, from 1 to 285. Enjoy! ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- # The Last of Us Pt. 2 on the Steam Deck:  As it stands, while being better than the disaster of Pt 1 on PC, it’s still not ideal for Steam Deck. [The video for the Digital Foundry review on performance is up and linked here](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z0IoZxiv1i0), and here is a few things Alex points out: * TLOU2 has it's own Steam Deck preset * Has trouble locking to 30 fps on the SD * Frametime issues makes the game feel jerky, even if the average FPS is about 30 fps * Framecapping is recommended given the CPU performance issues (not just for SD, but for all PCs in general) [Discussion on the Steam Deck is from the 9:58 mark in the video, which is linked here](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z0IoZxiv1i0&t=599s) Having never played the second game, I’m really looking forward to it on PC, but for the moment perhaps I’ll wait until I am home with my powerful desktop, rather than now (travelling) with my Steam Deck. [...and finally, as a bonus, here’s a video from YouTube by Girlfriend Reviews, where they detail how a Redditor on r/TheLastofUs2 sent death threats to himself and blamed them for it. The best case ever of incels going fucking crazy over a game and getting caught out. I can’t recommend enough that you watch this, if only to see a beautiful ‘gotcha’ for the incels.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OF9HLsPFfCw) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- A Recommendation:  I try recommend a game I figure not *everyone* has tried and might enjoy on their Steam Deck. I really loved a game called RKGK or Rakugaki. It’s a beautiful, bright and fun 3D platformer – think (to me anyway) a little bit Bomb Rush/Jet Set and a little bit Sunset Overdrive. [A link to the trailer is here, if you want to get a better idea of gameplay – the link is to YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j1_xGMO5_Ec)  Extremely bright pops of color, a cyberpunkish setting, fast platforming movement, graffiti art, and beautifully fluid character handingly: I *really* enjoyed this one. [It also plays amazingly well on the Steam Deck (link to the ProtonDB page)](https://www.protondb.com/app/2146570), and is a fun pick-up-and-play game. From the store:  > The city is your canvas. Join the rebellious Valah and her RKGK crew to free the neo-brutalist Cap City from evil B Corp’s control. Collect secret treasures, find hidden paths, and light up the cold and grey concrete with your graffiti. > How fast can you go? Chain together jumps, dashes, glides, and grinds. Reach the perfect flow state in Defacer mode – where Valah’s world becomes her animated wonderland. Master routes and speed through levels as you take down Mr. Buff’s cronies with style. > Break through enemies, overload your senses, and take back control. Use Valah’s paint abilities for stylish traversal, chaotic mayhem, and leaving your vibrant mark on every corner of Cap City. *...don’t overthink it, this game is just fun!* ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Krysten / Sonic: Just a cute photo of Krysten Ritter from when she was doing a fan signing even for her new novel. Someone brought along a copy of Shadow the Hedgehog for her to sign (she played Director Rockwell in Sonic 3).  ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ...annnnnd that's it! I've always got to emphasize that if there's any errors, be they formatting, spelling or phrasing - they're all my errors (and sorry!). I hope you might find some fun in this, even if it's a 'lighter' version of what I typically share. Thanks as ever for letting me get away with these rambling posts <3 And don't forget, if you want *more* of my inane posting, then I'm on Mastodon here: 

My week’s news! Though, the roundup this time didn’t quite make it to 7 days after the last I shared, as I promised it would. Sorry! As ever, this is the bits and pieces of news I’ve spotted that made me smile, or made me interested, so I thought they’d fit in nicely here. My aim is to phrase this in a more *personal* manner than most gaming sites do now. My ever-lasting inspo is the old, old video game sites, blogs and magazines that I never had the privilege of being alive for: * image/gif/link heavy * personal voice (no hard news here!) * mostly news or articles or points you won’t find on the ‘big’ gaming sites, these are the smaller, lesser things that I’m drawn to A warning, some users who use some apps have told me there is slowdown in scrolling these. I'd recommend Thunder, or Jerboa apps - neither of which have any issues scrolling through these posts I make! Grab a cup of coffee, settle in and poke holes in my mistakes and formatting (or, idk, just enjoy this)! ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- # ***GOG News / Games***  ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- # Surveyed / ‘how to better GOG’: Interestingly, those of us who allow emails from GOG (you can deny these ‘promotion’ kind in your settings) saw a survey in the last day or so. The crux of this one is GOG seemingly floating the idea that they may introduce some kind of subscription service. It *does* seem to be early days on what exactly that will entail (though that hasn’t stopped users *everywhere* getting very vocal about how they despise the prospect) – but for a platform build on being DRM-free, it’s hard to see how this will work exactly. I adore GOG. As maybe you’ve seen from these posts so far, I own entirely too many games on there, it’s been my spot to buy games from the start (I actually checked how many I own on Steam – 41!), and I love their service: * DRM-free * Games’ preservation So while I’m not seeing this in the most positive light just now (esp considering the recent numbers showing an 89% decrease in profits), I’m not going to be negative before we see the whole picture. [If you’d like to read users’ comments on how they’re responding, then the best place to go would be through this link to their forum](https://www.gog.com/forum/general/how_to_better_gog_thats_not_what_the_survey_was_about/page1) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- # Games Updates: I’ve just noticed some updates to games recently, and wanted to share them in a lil list. This isn’t the most thrilling of endeavors, since *maybe* you’re already aware that a new version of your GOG game is up and running. Though if not, here’s a few I noticed in my library which are new: * Drova: Forsaken Kin * Endzone 2 * Heart of the Machine * Foundation * Pillars of Eternity (is *this* the [Poe](https://okdiario.com/img/2021/08/03/las-obras-y-frases-mas-importantes-de-edgar-allan-poe.jpg) game everyone keeps using the letters P, O and E for? * [The Thing Remastered](https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fgiffiles.alphacoders.com%2F182%2F182004.gif&f=1&ipt=eeffcd876e26485f988ff5e316d6036c527de5822e4828bb9bdf219f76b04082) * Tunguska: The Visitation * Wildermyth * [Rain World](https://gifer.com/KjtH) * [Ultima IV](http://realultimatepower.net/) * Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes * [Kingdom Come Deliverance II](https://64.media.tumblr.com/8338991f6f3cd2953d4e151a9e68ff05/tumblr_nd0b8nWeC51qap9q7o1_500.gif) * [No Man’s Sky](https://brigadaligeiraestelar.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/tumblr_nfrlhwtcaf1riul5co3_500.gif) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- # GOG Cover Template Last few times I’ve mentioned or shared the physical GOG DVD covers people design, print and display – people have *loved* them. And no wonder, the lack of phsyical side of PC gaming makes something as small as a custom display of games you love such a beautiful idea. I’ve come across this one by ‘Nejnop’ – this is a games cover template, for you to use if you want! [Though as ever, if you’d prefer to scroll through the GIANT forum thread on GOG and see game covers *others* have made for you, you can use this link here!](https://www.gog.com/forum/general/unofficial_dvd_covers_for_gog_com_games/page159)     If you’re curious, then: > Link to the template (and required fonts) here. Print your covers at 99% scale for the best fit: https://www.mediafire.com/file/k8m9vx3b5w6y9p7/GOG_Slim_Cover.zip/file ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- # Void Bastards delisted:  As on the 31st of last month, we’ve seen Void Bastards delisted from GOG. Sad news, but there *is* slight hope as is stated: > No last-minute discount, but we'll try to re-sign the game ASAP. Sad :( ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- # The Crew This is an interesting video I found on The Crew (the first game), and how a team are *trying* to save the game with https://www.stopkillinggames.com/ If you want to know more about The Crew and the Stop Killing Games efforts, check these links: [Kotaku’s article from last year](https://kotaku.com/ubisoft-the-crew-accursed-farms-stop-killing-games-1851385068) [Rock, Paper, Shotgun’s article](https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/stop-killing-games-hopes-to-petition-regulators-to-stop-developers-from-shutting-down-games) [And IGN’s, if you’d prefer their article](https://www.ign.com/articles/how-stop-killing-games-ups-the-ante-in-the-fight-for-video-game-preservation) [*ANYWAY*, to the point, I really enjoyed this video from Fastminer07 on YouTube, it was clear and reiterates how important this is. Worth a look if you’re searching for interseting videos for your down-time](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v2Ih__mE05c) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- # What GOG game did you play last? Just...generally curious, if you did at all of course! I’ve been playing Bioshock 2 Remastered and it really is glorious. I love how the pinks look on the OLED screen, and how effective they are at making an underwater world look truly ocean-y. In fact it inspired me so much with its deep ocean setting that I’ve been watching old-old movies set underwater, like The Abyss, Deep Star Six and most recently [Leviathan](https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/14372-leviathan) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- # Dog day Sadly the appeal of the word Doge has plummeted to now being synonymous with a fucking Nazi, but back four years ago when the stocks were checked, you got a cute little coincidence. Here’s the image telling all the stories I need to:  ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- # KCD II And finally, you’ll have no doubt seen that Kingdom Come Deliverance II (*what happened in the first 10 games?*) has released on GOG. This one was far more swift in coming to the platform than the first one was, and for a short time there it was feared that it was actually going to have Denuvo baked in (it was not) [Article via IGN on that Denuvo fear here, if you want to read more on it!](https://www.ign.com/articles/kingdom-come-deliverance-2-dev-has-had-enough-with-the-constant-denuvo-posts-confirms-drm-is-not-in-the-game-at-all) Anyway, now its on GOG and has had an update, and is looking and performing perfectly. It really *does* play so well on the Steam Deck. This is one of the very few games I bought on Steam, and have already played *some* of. I will however be buying again on GOG, because like you can see by my endless comments on it – GOG wins for me! Anyway, as I’ve played, I wanted less of a hardcore ‘sim’ experience, than others. Of course there’s nothing wrong with that, but I just wanted it to be an easier experience for me to soak up the medieval setting. Mods I used via Nexus are: * Ascetic Hunger Be Gone * Easier or Harder Reputation * KCD2 Easy Lockpicking * Convenient Items * Rich Merchants * More Carry Weight * Stay Clean for Longer * Unlimited Saving II * Instant Herb Picking II I know, I know: *’You’re not playing how the game was designed to be played! You’re cheating!’* - yes, but to me this is how I enjoy the game, so...it made it a little easier to play for me! ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- # GOG’s Top Wishlisted Games (30 days): 1. KCD 2 2. Silent Hill 4: The Room 3. System Shock (25th Anniv. Remaster) 4. Croc: Legend of the Gobbos 5. Dino Crisis Bundle 6. Baldur’s Gate 3 7. Sudeki 8. Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty 9. KCD: Royal Edition ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- # Rain World: The Watcher  ...is now available on GOG! > Journey beyond to something, somewhere only ever glimpsed. When the world beneath your feet cracks and crumbles, will you hold on to all you once knew? Or dive into the unknown? [Link to the YouTube video on The Watcher is here!](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F73qyZ8TP5M) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- # ***Emulation / Retro Gaming*** ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- If you’re not emulating games on the Steam Deck, then I think you’re kinda crazy and you *really, really should do so!*. My fav option by far for doing so is to use RetroDECK, which had a great release recently and also a video made by emulation royalty Russ (of Retro Game Corps) [The video is here, and takes you through what it is, how it differs from EmuDeck, and then how to set it up, step-by-step to enjoy!](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bXS00Wcbwt4&t=58s) I’m also kinda obsessed with RetroDECK, so if you need any help, or questions, then you can always reach out to me. I *love* the damn thing. [Coincidentally, RetroDECK just announced some changes to things, and detailed it all in their April blog post which you can find here!](https://retrodeck.readthedocs.io/en/latest/blog/2025/04/01/april-2025-the-ai-retro-revolution/) *Anyway*, my point is, I effing love emulating and retro games, and here’s some stories and news I’ve found recently on the subject: ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- # Halo 2 pre-release build pack has been released!  > Hey everyone! We are excited to announce the release of the Halo 2 Pre-Release Pack! I would like to thank The Vengeful Vadam, Harcroft, Cheato, Revurt & Xbox7887 for making this possible. Extra special thanks to Carnivol for preserving the E3 2004 Demo. Pack is available for both Xbox & Xemu. We will be using this pack for our Tuesday, March 18th Halo 2 Pre-release Game Night on Xlink Kai. Join our discord for game night details; https://discord.gg/haloclassichub > This pack includes: * Multiplayer Alpha Build - January 2004 (New Gametypes ADDED) * E3 2004 Build - May 2004 * Includes 2 New Campaign Test maps prepared by the Vengeful Vadam; Zanzibar SP & Shared SP. See features like sprint, nightvision, and corner peeking along with the entire sandbox. Can you find all 40 bipeds? * 4 Multiplayer Maps! * Multiplayer Beta Build - June 2004 (Lockout install included) * Halo 2 Alpha Campaign Test - Experience sprinting, nightvision & corner peeking on Waterworks. Includes all weapons and vehicles. Can you find all 11 bipeds? (Vengeful Vadam) * Halo 2 E3 2004 Presentation Video The download links are: Xbox: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1TCKVMuM0A-uR3heyhqKAwx7taSWHm3LM?usp=sharing XISO: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1wn6pGcOwXKb09yDmOZEKKJ0en5HtSpdc?usp=sharing ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- # Dolphin Emulator:  Dolphin is the way in which we emulate GameCube and Wii games on PC *”...in full HD with various enhancements.”* ...but it also runs on Android, Windows, Linux, MacOS, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S. Starting in 2003 as freeware, it has come a *long* way! As of 21 days ago, they released their progress report on Dolphin (2503), and it remiss of me to not share this in an earlier news post! [The link to their detailed post is here, which is on their own site!](https://dolphin-emu.org/blog/2025/03/10/dolphin-progress-report-release-2503/) And here’s two rather beautifully designed capsule covers for Dolphin I found that I just *have* to share with you!   ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- # Xbox Retail Homebrew: Perhaps you’re unaware, but for a few wonderful months there was an option to emulate so many systems on your Xbox Series consoles with zero repercussions. PS2, GameCube, Wii...all worked beautifully (the first time I played through MGS 3 was through my Series X!), but as with all good things, they end, in 2023. [Here’s a link to the article detailing the end of it being possible without *further efforts* - it is a article on The Verge](https://www.theverge.com/2023/4/7/23674707/microsoft-xbox-emulators-ban-nintendo) Now, emulation is still possible via dev mode on your Series X/S consoles, but it is very much not as easy as it once was. Now the point of my damn rant here, for those still running emulation on their Xbox, the new build is available, including full support with Retro Achievements! XBSX2 Version 2.0.8.3: Synced with the latest upstream commits as of 3/7/2024. * Thanks to the new commits from the PCSX2 team we have themes now! * Updated to SDL3 3.3.0 (Thank you to @3UR for swiftly working on this for me). * Removed the Enable CDVD Precaching option from Settings due to excessive issues with the RAM limit. * Updated assets to remove the .0 from XBSX2. * Update the User Agent to include the user's console model. * Remember Texture Packs do work but they have to be in the .dds format .png no longer works. Interesting that via dev mode (not retail), things are still progressing and more than possible on the systems! ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- # AzaharPlus:  AzaharPlus has been made and released. As was inevitable, the fork has arrived to skip around the ‘safety’ protocol Azahar implemented to make using pirated 3DS games harder. So the ‘Plus’ was build. 2120.2-A is the same as Azahar 2120.2 except for these features: *Support of 3DS files. If a file works with earlier Citra forks, it works with AzaharPlus. * Ability to download system files from official servers. No need for an actual 3DS. It is available in 2 flavors. One that has the same application I.D. as Azahar, so it will replace it on the device. Its display name is "AzaharPlus". Use this one if you have other apps that target Azahar, like a frontend for example. The other has a new application id so it can coexist with Azahar without issues. Its display name is "+AzaharPlus+". ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- # Duckstation:  Duckstation (for android) just updated 3 days ago, which features: * Performance improvements * Multi-threading rendering * Merging of multi-disc games in list * Game compatibility improvements * Additional controller types * Texture cache and replacement support * New patch code system * CD image verification This is a rather extensive lot of changes, and they’re all nice improvements! So if you’re emulating on your phone (or using some kind of SBC device which runs Android alongside Linux!) then you’re in for an improvement :) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- # Gameboy Advance SP Slate:  You might have spotted this on my Mastodon the other day, but these are a typical mod where you take the PCB and screen and install it in a metal shell - changing how the typical SP is a folding device and instead making it a typical old portrait look for the Gameboy. [Here’s a YouTube video if you’d like a closer look at the process!](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-PjWdEgWOBg) I found this one made as a dedication to MegaMan and its a 𝘣𝘦𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘪𝘧𝘶𝘭 design using UV printing. I think I'm in love! ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- # MAME:  “MAME 0.276 has arrived just in time for the end of March, and it’s full of emulation goodness! Remember that 64-bit ARMv8 recompiler we added a few months ago? Well now it’s even faster! This release fixes graphical issues in Konami GX arcade games and Philips CD-i software. We’ve added several IGS gambling games, as well as Chinese versions of some Dynax mahjong games. The LinnDrum percussion synthesiser is now working with interactive controls and sound output. And speaking of sound, audio emulation issues in several arcade games have been fixed. PC-88VA emulation is progressing, with fixes for multiple graphics modes. A few more peripherals for the TI-99 computer family are now supported. There have been a few CPU/DSP fixes that should improve Sega 3D arcade game emulation. Psion hand-helds now correctly detect more memory configurations and give better-looking video output. We’ve also fixed some issues with CHD creation, floppy disk image handling, and XML system information output. Windows users now get an option to have debugger windows appear in the taskbar and window switcher. As always, you can marvel at all the exciting development this month when you read the [whatsnewtxtfile](https://www.mamedev.org/releases/whatsnew_0276.txt) The source code and 64-bit Windows binary packages can be found on [the download page](https://www.mamedev.org/release.html) [...if you’re interested, you can read their full post here via this link to the MAME site!](https://www.mamedev.org/?p=549#readmore) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- # The Fall of Citron (the emulator): Citron, a Nintendo Switch emulator, has collapsed due to drama involving its lead developer, Zephyron (formerly known as Phoenix). Key issues include: * Unjustified bans: Thousands of users were purged from Citron’s Discord without warning. * Security concerns: Users were pressured to verify their modded Switches via a risky external app, raising fears of data misuse. Leaks revealed plans for a DRM system that could blacklist users. * Zephyron’s misconduct: Credited with stolen code, harassed other developers (like Sudachi’s Jarrod), and allegedly hid a past scandal involving pedophilia accusations. * Betrayal of Camille: The true main developer, Camille, did most of the work but was sidelined. Zephyron sent a baseless legal threat, removed Camille’s contributions, and sabotaged their donation page. * Citron’s downfall: Updates broke functionality, and the GitHub was wiped. Zephyron allegedly declared the project dead. Moving forward, Camille and other devs (including those from Uzuy and Yuzu Mod) are creating a new emulator, Eden, promising a fresh start for Switch emulation. If you want to read everything (it’s...way too detailed), including a ton of screenshots of who I can only assume are children in charge of moderating, you can check out the two posts I was directed to about it on Reddit: [The first of which is here:](https://www.reddit.com/r/EmulationOnAndroid/comments/1jnpo71/the_fall_of_citron/) [The second of which, posted 30 mins ago at the time of writing this! Is here:](https://www.reddit.com/r/EmulationOnAndroid/comments/1jojbkw/the_fall_of_citron_part_2/) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- # ***Other Gaming News:*** ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- # Xbox & ASUS You might have seen news recently that Xbox has been partnering with ASUS’ Ally range to work on an upcoming collab – a Xbox branded and focused Ally. From all reports, it’s a significant reworking on Windows 11 to be more handheld friendly (which it *needs*, desperately. > ...Tom Warren clarifies a few things about Xbox’s thinking behind new hardware, stating “Sources familiar with Microsoft’s plans tell me the company’s Xbox platform plans for this year and beyond are centered on one big goal: the unification of Windows and Xbox.” He goes on to say that Xbox is planning a new handheld tentatively slated for later this year that will be made in partnership with Asus called Project Kennan and should show the first glimpses of Xbox’s work to unify Windows and Xbox. [There’s an article here showing a video teasing the handheld and controller, if you want to see what they look like](https://xboxera.com/2025/03/31/asus-teases-xbox-branded-rog-ally-handheld/) - it’s a really odd ad though, kinda cringe tbh. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- # PlayStation Store:  This is just...nice, it’s only an image of the PlayStation Store at the Sony Metreon complex in San Francisco, 1999: ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- # Death Stranding 20 Million:  This has gone from a game I tried twice, and it didn’t grab me, to maybe in my top 3 games I’ve played in the last couple of years. I just love how well it builds a world. The atmosphere and environments, the loneliness and the absurdly amazing music choices just make this game perfection to me. I played it entirely through on the Steam Deck, but I’ve since also played it on my main PC and when played a max? It’s a work of art. Since recently releasing on Xbox alongside the original PS release (not to mention PC), Kojima Productions shared on Bsky that the game has surpassed 20 million players. This is an amazing feat with modern gaming, and well deserved. I am *so* excited for what is next with DS2! And here’s an image of Léa Hélène Seydoux-Fornier de Clausonne who plays Fragile, in a rather nice Death Stranding top I am dying to own:  ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- # Game & Watch: Just a fun image I stumbled across:  > Gunpei Yokoi takes his Game & Watch prototype on the shinkansen circa 1980 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- # The Miyoo Mini The *one* SBC handheld I keep going back to is the original Miyoo Mini (or my version was a V2, which I adore). These little fellows are adored by the retro handheld community because they are so inexpensive, so small, and rather packed with features for that price-tag. The options for custom firmware are many, as with the aftermarket options for cases, buttons, stickers, skins...it really is a dedicated community surrounding these! If you’d like to know more about these little fellows, then the age-old recommendation for any product which emulates is to look at Russ’ (of Retro Game Corps fame) videos on YouTube: [This one for example takes you through the ‘Plus’ model, though I am more a fan of the cuter, tinier non-plus models!](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dCODWqdehWE) Anyway, one thing of interest in the Miyoo scene: a few people have been offering wildly expensive (though for custom machined metal, this price *is* reasonable) metal replacement cases for them. Material, CNC milling, anodization, printing etc. MechDIY has made some rather pretty ones, which I’m just gonna cherrypick the cute 1990s ones from:   ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- # Respawn & Bit Reactor’s Star Wars game: Some images of the upcoming turn-based, tactical Star Wars game made by Respawn and Bit Reactor (who have a 𝘭𝘰𝘵 of industry folk from XCOM working there) have ‘leaked’ early. And the XCOM influences really are clear on this one, but in the best way. The game's official showing will be in April, at the Star Wars Celebration. But for now, we get these nice little leaked images as follows! :) *edit, one other photo refuses to upload, perhaps the res is too high? just so you know, one more image exists!*  ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- # I recommend:  This is neither here nor there, but I wanted to recommend a game which I’ve enjoyed a *lot* from GOG, playing on my Steam Deck. **Transistor** is -80% off right now on GOG, and ticks all the boxes for me. It’s kind of like a hybrid game to me; an action RPG which makes me think of Hades that is just such a great expression of my fav art and architecture style – Art Deco. It’s made by Supergiant Games (known for Bastion). Set in the futuristic, cyberpunk city of Cloudbank, where a mysterious force called the ‘Process’ is erasing everything.  You play as Red, a famous singer who loses her voice and wields the Transistor, a powerful talking sword containing a man’s consciousness. The gameplay blends real-time combat with a strategic turn-based system, letting you ‘freeze’ time to plan attacks, while absorbed enemy abilities allow customization.  The art-style is just achingly gorgeous. Beautiful Art Deco designs are *everywhere*. Isometric gameplay, melancholic narrative, and such a nice soundtrack (including Red’s haunting hummed vocals), this is such a great game. And I can’t recommend it enough with such a steep discount at the moment. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- # Witchery GIF: More pretty pixel art this time on The Witcher. This little GIF is by digital artist whose work I’ve shared before – 'KillerRabbitMedia'  This also just acted as a reminder to me that I need to go back to playing The Witcher 3 because it is one of those games I will *never* tire of playing! The Witcher 3 is also -80% off on GOG right now, just in case you've never played and want to pick it up for your Steam Deck :) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- # PS3 – customized: In my ever-lasting quest to find fun consoles, this custom PS3 up. User 'cribsnib' customizes these to look as similar to their classic original PlayStation look as possible, and it's incredible how well they did! Separating, sanding, priming, painting and clear-coating. > "𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘐 𝘶𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘧𝘧𝘪𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘭 𝘚𝘰𝘯𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 '𝘴𝘰𝘯𝘺' 𝘭𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘶𝘵 𝘪𝘵 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘰𝘯 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘺𝘭 𝘰𝘯 𝘮𝘺 𝘴𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘶𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘦" From a hardware design perspective, this is pure art to me. Am I tempted? Yes. I’ve been looking recently at custom Xbox 360 consoles, being the generation of gaming I grew up with as a little-little child. It’s nice to know that 99% of the games you buy physically will just...play, without patches or updates that games now require to be even playable after launch.    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- # Linux News: This one is short and sweet, my friend Gardiner Bryant released a rather nice video giving a roundup of Linux news lately. [The link to his YouTube video is here, and def comes with my recommendation for this one!](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=05p45lBY1is) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- # This might be it? I guess this might be the end of this one. I’m actually just landed in Rome, having impulsively booked a little while here, just after a week off from work and real life by the sea. Lucky me, right? So while I actually thought I might write more for this (I have a lot more *to* write, but maybe I’ll save them for the following week?), this girl’s gotta go find some coffee. [A few days ago I *did* post a bit of a different one here on Lemmy though, which is entirely Steam Deck specific – I shared some images of my customized UI on my Steam Deck, and welcomed others to share images of their Steam Decks / Desktop UI’s. I’d still love to see more there, and the link is this gigantic paragraph if you’re interested in checking it out and doing so!](https://lemmy.world/post/27512988) I’d also love to hear what *you’ve* been playing lately. Be it Steam Deck, or PC, or console, Switch...whatever. What games have you been playing and enjoying lately? My fav bit of pop-psych (for a Social Engineer – that’s my job!) my fav thing to try get a glimpse of who the person behind the user-name is via the games they’ve been enjoying! So share! Anyway, all my love to you as ever Lemmy <3 P.P.S: if you wanna follow me on Mastodon – do so here: 

As is now a tradition (this is my 7th of these posts - after rejoining Lemmy just 28 days ago!) you'll know the drill. I want to at least *try* give a personal look at the news I've spotted in gaming and the Steam Deck which has interested me most. This isn't anything refined, official (or possibly even 'good') - just me trying to bring that feeling back of old games sites, old games blogs. Before ads and begging for Patreon subs became a focus on a game site above the content. Anyway, if you're interested, grab a cup of coffee or tea and sit down for a read: ------------------------------------------------------------------ # **Denuvo** A couple of games have a notable Denuvo DRM announcement. *Mandragora: Whispers of the Witch Tree* drops Denuvo ahead of its launch. They wrote a rather detailed and clear post themselves, which they shared on Steam:  ...the pessimist in me thinks maybe they realized that with the side-scroller coming to Switch any potential piracy on the title would be inevitable regardless. But...maybe they just *do* care what the community thinks, as they said in their announcement? *inZoi* also was meant to ship with Denuvo, but made a similar announcement that they will in fact *not* be using it. The screenshots are from the announcement made by Kjun (Producer and Director):    ------------------------------------------------------------------ # ***GOG News*** # Sudeki You might have noticed that ***Sudeki*** which was removed from GOG has been relisted!  We're all to familiar with the sad state of delisting games, and it always makes *me* sad to see the postings by GOG staff letting gamers know a title is being removed (remember, this is *never* GOG's doing - it is entirely up to publishers) But now we've got it back :) As to *why* it was removed in the first place? No definitive answer exists, nor was any statement given explaining it back on removal. [Though this page on delistedgames does at least in some way indicate some reasoning](https://delistedgames.com/sudeki/): > Sudeki was likely delisted after the expiration of Climax’s publishing deal with GOG.com. Climax Group does not appear to be dormant but their production has dropped significantly over the last few years. It’s possible that the terms of their agreement with GOG.com could be renewed and the game returned to sale in the future. However, it is also possible that Climax is winding down operations and the game could be delisted from Steam as well. # GOG Profit: Seemingly, a bad year. [You can read the full report here, if you have any inclination, but the most interesting numbers are the following:](https://www.cdprojekt.com/en/wp-content/uploads-en/2025/03/consolidated-financial-statements-of-the-cd-projekt-group-for-2024.pdf) **GOG net profit in thousands PLN** * **2023**: 10,255 * **2024**: 1,134 ***Sales revenue:*** * **2023**: 234969 * **2024**: 199,338 # Quick GOG points of interest: * [The pre-order for System Shock 2's 25th anniversary remaster is still love on GOG's site, and the game is getting a lot of sim-fans very excited! Playable on June 26th this year!](https://www.gog.com/en/game/system_shockr_2_25th_anniversary_remaster) * A fun thread is up on the GOG forum showing the idea of 'pizza for GOG's team': > This is my ethical pressing, on GOG's management to reward GOG's Team with pizza.* > Please order a game for yourself up to $2.99. This will symbolize a slice.* * If you want to order the team a 'slice' then you can do so [with this thread here on the forum. Personally I think this is a lovely idea, in what it symbolizes](https://www.gog.com/forum/general/pizza_for_gogs_team_takeaway_127829/page1) * A bunch of titles from Handy Games were added to GOG, including Meganoid, Sir Questionnaire, Gunslugs, Gunslugs 2 and Snake Core. All with some hefty discounts, too. * Stellaris: BioGenesis (the new expansion for Stellaris) is also up for a pre-order. This isn't me condoning pre-ordering - let's face it these days the very concept is playing with fire. But it's a good heads-up for what is coming. Of it they state: > *In Stellaris: BioGenesis, step into the role of a master geneticist, sculpting the galaxy to your design with living ships, engineered ecosystems, and enhanced species. Forge new paths with unparalleled bioengineering tools to create a civilization that thrives on adaptability and evolution – or exploit these tools to dominate the stars.* # More physical DVD covers: My addiction is the fact that people create physical collections of their GOG games. To my knowledge (after lurking so many of these), most of the users do *not* include a backup of the install files in the case. This is *purely* for a display - to show their fav games on a shelf. And I love that. I just adore how there's a dedicated community who design print and display their fav modern GOG titles in DVD covers. For no practical use other than to look pretty! Here's a handful more I found :)     ------------------------------------------------------------------ # ***FTL***  A dedicated fan of the game FTL: Faster Than Light has released their own ergonomic community control layout. Considering how poor the controls are on the Steam Deck, it seems like FLT players are kinda head over heels with this idea, so I thought those few who might have missed it here might appreciate it, too.  > Frictionless player experience for FTL Newbies and Veteran Space Captains alike. The "Steam Deck/Game Pad Layout" Of it, the creator states: *"Being a long time fan of the game FTL, I was so excited to get it on my Deck. It was among the first few games I downloaded, and I fired it up not long after. I quickly discovered the countrol [*let the record show this is **not** my spelling error, but the user's!!!*] scheme was nearly unusable. At least, it sure didn't feel like a proper handheld hyperspace experience.* *I've spent a few hours customizing my control layout for the Steam Deck. I've made a very user friendly and intuitive control scheme. Easy to start using but very practical. All the necessary actions are right where I feel they should be, with room to customize the controls to perfect your cockpit.* The layout is called: "Steam deck/Game Pad layout" by EPICMAN. ------------------------------------------------------------------ # ***Epic Games***  # Sale: The Epic Games Spring Sale has begun on their site, coming a day-and-a-bit earlier than it was expected to launch. Deals end on April 9th, at 11 AM ET. Some highlights for deals include: * Marvel's Spider-Man Remastered: -50% off * Ghost of Tsushima Director's Cut -33% off * Alan Wake 2 Deluxe Ed. -50% off * God of War -60% off And so on and so forth. Worth a look, if you like deals. # Mobile: Their mobile app (available on iOS and Android) now has a search bar! I mean...a low bar to celebrate (I'm also struggling to find a bar pun joke so I'll abandon the effort here), but...they now have one. They are also giving away mobile games each week now. Before it was monthly, but now each week you'll be able to claim free games there - much like their PC games efforts. You can currently claim Super Meat Boy Forever Mobile, and Eastern Exorcist, and in 16 hours or so you will be able to claim their next lot! ------------------------------------------------------------------ # Nintendo PlayStation  Well, if you don't know the old history behind the greatest split-before-it-took-off gaming duo: Nintendo and Sony, then you can check these out: * [An overview of what the Nintendo PlayStation was](https://playstation.fandom.com/wiki/Nintendo_PlayStation) * [An IGN article going into more depth on it here](https://www.ign.com/articles/how-the-unreleased-nintendo-playstation-became-the-most-valuable-game-console-ever) * [Ben Heck's 'teardown' on the console via YouTube - this one is great, and in multiple parts!](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ug-CyGXMabg) ...anyway. For the longest time, only one of these was known to exist, in people's hands anyway. It sold for around $350,000 and I wonder if the buyer now regrets that because there has been another pop up that (*to me, at least*) looks far prettier! Another of the prototype consoles created in the early 1990s has come to light, this one belonging to the PlayStation co-creator - Ken Kutaragi. Who kept it in his closet the whole time (which actually helped - no yellowing of the plastic!) Only a handful of photos, which are:    ------------------------------------------------------------------ # Itty-Bitty-Gameboy-Committee On the theme of console hardware, I'm kinda enamored by the littlest Gameboy that ever lived, which I stumbled over. This console is available on Aliexpress, and there's apparently been a few YouTube videos on it [like this one here, and yes...it's a tiny way to play!](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=57J5nooG13A) But this user (MrRetroplayer) shared: *I made a custom case for the Game Boy Mini, reminiscent of the original Game Boy box. Thanks to David for helping me find a case and personalize these stickers. I love how it looks now!* And the photos are adorable, and actually kinda cool.     ------------------------------------------------------------------ # Pi Tin: P.S. I'm also kinda in love with how cute the Raspberry Pi project: the Pi Tin is. *"𝘗𝘪 𝘛𝘪𝘯 𝘪𝘴 𝘢𝘯 𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘯 𝘴𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘤𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘵𝘳𝘰 𝘨𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘥𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘤𝘦 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘪𝘨𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘙𝘢𝘴𝘱𝘣𝘦𝘳𝘳𝘺 𝘗𝘪 𝘡𝘦𝘳𝘰 𝟤 𝘞... ...t𝘩𝘦 𝘗𝘪 𝘡𝘦𝘳𝘰 𝟤 𝘞 𝘪𝘴 𝘤𝘢𝘱𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘦𝘮𝘶𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘚𝘕𝘌𝘚, 𝘎𝘉𝘈, 𝘗𝘚𝟣, 𝘎𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘪𝘴/𝘔𝘦𝘨𝘢𝘥𝘳𝘪𝘷𝘦, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘕𝟨𝟦 𝘨𝘢𝘮𝘦𝘴"* Either 3DPrinting the enclosure, or using an Altoids tin of all things. [The link to the project is here](https://jackw01.github.io/pi-tin/index) And some photos, of course:     ------------------------------------------------------------------ # Burger? Okay the last one, I shared this a few days ago and I can't stop myself from doing so again. So for my (𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘨𝘳𝘰𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘨) list of quite odd consoles I've posted about, this one may take the cake (*no lie*) A famicom/NES clone designed to have a burger's pattern on it was canceled for release made by McDonald's China themselves. It was cancelled and not 'released', but...obviously is still around to buy. Apparently for around $70 (I'd assume USD?):    This one reminds me of the recent Tetris made to look like a big chicken nugget:  ------------------------------------------------------------------ # Genshin Impact Control:  For those who love Android gaming, and who love Genshin, you might be happy to know that they've added controller support for android. Finally. > To my understanding, they had some sort of "unspoken exclusivity deal" with Apple to only allow controllers on iOS devices (iPhone and iPad). Controllers have always worked on Genshin Impact with iOS. > The fact that they finally allowed Android to use controllers is probably a combination of many things. My guess is that it's because iPhones are massively more popular in Asia, Genshin's primary target audience; but Western fans (who are more likely to use Android than Asians are) essentially kept bugging them about it so much that they finally caved and gave us what we wanted. Regardless, yay for Android! ------------------------------------------------------------------ # Nintendo Direct Of the upcoming Nintendo Direct (3/27/25), Nintendo states: *"Tune in on March 27th, at 7 a.m. PT for a livestreamed Nintendo Direct, featuring around 30 minutes of upcoming games for Nintendo Switch. There will be no updates about Nintendo Switch 2 during this presentation.* *Information about Nintendo Switch 2 will be shared on April 2nd at 6 a.m. PT in the Nintendo Direct: Nintendo Switch 2 – 4.2.2025 presentation"* [A link to which is here, for future reference](https://www.nintendo.com/us/nintendo-direct/3-27-2025/) ------------------------------------------------------------------ # POE patch is live:  - *honestly I still have no idea what POE is. Is it Pillars of Eternity? Path of Exile? Edgar Allan?* Turn based combat seems to be the focus of what is making those who play the mysterious POE most excited. [Whatever it actually is, I'll leave this link for someone who might want to know](https://forums.obsidian.net/topic/134573-patch-138087535-is-live/) ------------------------------------------------------------------ # Game Informer is back:  And the entire team has returned for its...return! Their 'lost' content has been reinstated: all reviews, interviews, videos, old crew and monthly magazines - all up and returned to the internet: https://www.gameinformer.com/ There's not much I can prattle on about for this, but there *is* a nice link to a nice and heartfelt video they posted on YouTube: [The link is here, so check it out!](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eoVfBvxKdm0) ------------------------------------------------------------------ # EmuDeck: 4 days back we saw an update to EmuDeck. Version 2.4: - Integration selection - Auto add ESDE to Steam - New Bios checker - BYO Citron - Azahar - New wiki: manual.emudeck.com - New Emulators for EmuDeck Windows : Model 2, Supermodel y BigPemu [A feature reel is here, on YouTube via this link](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sZL5Z1STSTk) And if you're wondering if people had issues with the update, and if it broke some users set-ups? [Yes. Yes it did.](https://old.reddit.com/r/EmuDeck/comments/1ji7a88/citra_disappeared_after_the_update/) But of course, Y.M.M.V. ------------------------------------------------------------------ # Junk Store:  Speaking of updates, Junk Store (playing Epic Games titles and GOG games on the Steam Deck) has shown what is coming up (at least in part) for what's next for Junk Store. [I shared a dedicated post about that here on Lemmy early this morning, so you'll be able to see it here if you're inclined to read more details.](https://lemmy.world/post/27395501) The long story short though? Junk Store is changing with a *lot* coming to how things work. I'd encourage you to check it out. [SDHQ posted an article[(https://steamdeckhq.com/news/junk-store-is-coming-back-with-new-features/) [As did Gaming On Linux](https://www.gamingonlinux.com/2025/03/junk-store-plugin-for-steam-deck-plans-new-release-as-closed-source-paid-software-to-run-other-stores/) ...though neither add anything at all to the initial post. Just...read the post. ------------------------------------------------------------------ # FitGirl If you know, then you know. But if you don't? FitGirl is a repacker of games - for games piracy. This isn't a piece *on* FitGirl, but instead I wanted to mention that someone donated 0.5 BTC Bitcoin her. That's rougly 42K USD.  That's a *lot* of games the donator could have just bought. Regardless, this is the biggest donation I know of to a piracy site. ------------------------------------------------------------------ # ***Emulation*** # Dolphin now boots every Wii game "The Daring Game For Girls" was the final Wii game listed on the Dolphin wiki that would flat-out not even start under normal circumstances, hanging right after the initial Wii remote safety screen unless the CPU was underclocked to 6%. However, a game patch has now been included in Dolphin to allow the game to finally boot. This was the last Wii game marked as broken. The only other things left in the category are Triforce games and the Wii U Menu redirect channel (yes, you can actually install it on an original Wii. It hangs in Dolphin while it restarts a real Wii). Now, to be clear, there are games that still don't really get that much further - Active Life: Magical Carnival, Jerry Rice & Nitus' Dog Football and Diatomic still cannot get in-game. Still, a notable milestone none the less. # Azahar 2120 - 3DS - (the first stable release!) has been released > This changelog treats the merge of PabloMK7's fork and Lime3DS as a base upon which all of the changes listed here are applied. The changes added in Lime3DS and PabloMK7's fork during 2024, alongside the changes introduced in Azahar, will be discussed in more detail as part of our first progress report. * [A link to the GitHub is here if you want a read](https://github.com/azahar-emu/azahar/releases/tag/2120) Azahar also recently posted a blog post, which I found to be interesting: [Citra: 1 Year On (One Final Look Back) - this is the link to it if you're curious](https://azahar-emu.org/blog/one-year-citra-takedown/) # Cytrus (3DS emulator) v1.0.1 has been released by Sudachi dev ytrus is a Nintendo 3DS emulator for Android, Linux, macOS and Windows written in C++ *"Cytrus with the SDL3 migration (and Qt6 technically) is now available on GitHub GDrive for Windows and macOS. This is just a test right now. ︀︀ ︀︀Proceeding a successful test, this will be used in Folium. ︀︀Please test audio, input and video. All work on my system but who knows"* - Sudachi dev Downloads available for Windows and macOS: https://github.com/cytrus-emu/cytrus/releases/tag/v1.0.1 (GitHub errors out when uploading the file, Google Drive will be used for now) ------------------------------------------------------------------ # Some more 'old' Steam Deck ads Last time I posted the first two of what a designer created: mock-ups of ads done in the style of early 2000's for the Steam Deck. To me, they're most similar to the aesthetic employed by the various advertising agencies Sony used to promote the PlayStation 2. All done by RetroB0y, these are fantastic, and there's 4 more to share here for you:     ------------------------------------------------------------------ # HP Omen Handheld Well, don't get excited, this is just their reasoning why there *isn't* any such device. Yet anyway:  [Unfortunately this came from an XDA page which is now showing a 404 so...that's gone](https://www.xda-developers.com/hp-hasnt-made-omen-gaming-handheld/) ------------------------------------------------------------------ # One Last Thing [All apologies](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aWmkuH1k7uA) if this isn't the typical amount of things I find interesting, but...still its fun to share them here. As always, any errors are mine, formatting might be awful (or maybe not?!) and I hope you've all been well. ...but that last thing? Share what you've been playing! I'd love to hear what games you've been enjoying recently: be they AAA, AA, indie or emulated retro (or even that new level - the AAAA!) It's so fun to hear what people enjoy playing the most. Personally I've been enjoying: * Half-Life 2 for only the second time. It's *so* damn good. Playing this on my Steam Deck! * Mario Odyssey on my Switch. It's just so damn cute. Then I'll try the first Xenoblade - I've never played one of those before! **So what about you? What have you been playing?** And lastly, if you wanna find me, I'm on Mastodon more than anything:  <3

*This is a BIG announcement by Junk Store for Steam Deck. What was previously a plugin via Decky to play Epic Games and GOG titles on your Steam Deck is now...well, if you read it, it's a whole lot more.* *I'm just going to do the bare minimum here and share the post by copying, formatting for Lemmy, and pasting here. Hopefully you'll forgive that, and maybe breathe a sigh of relief that for once a post by me hasn't got 10,000 words of rambling?* *What it boils down to is a massive update on what is 'next' for Junk Store. What follows is their post, not my words:* ------------------------------------------------------------------ # ***The Next Generation:*** We haven’t talked about the new version of Junk Store since Valve removed it from the Steam Store. While it was a setback, in many ways it pushed Junk Store further. You might be wondering what we have been up to. Yes, this new iteration of Junk Store will be paid software and will be closed source. This is a complete rebuild from the ground up. It still looks and feels the same, but with greatly enhanced functionality. The amount of effort put into it so far and the remaining effort to complete the original vision is just too large to do it without financial resources. The current development effort amounts to around 5.5k man hours. But what does this mean in terms of functionality and progress?  (*image of 'the new main menu'*) ------------------------------------------------------------------ # **Junk Store can now run without Decky** This is a completely new loader that is developed completely independent from the Decky source code. New techniques and code has been created in order for this to work. As a bonus Junk Store will run **side by side** with Decky. So if you have Decky it will not interfere. Since this will not carry all the extra features that Decky requires, this will allow us to improve stability between Steam upgrades. ------------------------------------------------------------------ # **Junk Store extensions are now generated**  (*image is of 'new extensions'*) This means that more than 95% of the code required to create custom extensions is created for users. New extensions can be as simple as 2 lines of code to specify an emulator command line call or it could be 200 lines of python for something like Amazon. The current set of extensions that will be available for download with the new version is Epic, Gog and Amazon. More will be added over time. Pricing is still being finalised but it is dependent on infrastructure costs as we now have to run our own servers to host all of the new features. Given the nature of this new version we will have ongoing costs per user and it all has to be factored in. ------------------------------------------------------------------ # **What’s new?** * Global download queue * Language selection * DLC selection * Installation of game dependencies, like C++ runtimes, without the need for proton tricks * GOG has proper support for DosBox and ScummVM games * GOG Dosbox support has a Dosbox config editor * The option to enable experimental cloud saves for supported games (we still don’t trust it, but it’s there if you’re a risk taker). * There’s a LOT more options (too many in fact), to control all manner of things. If you like to tinker, this is for you. * The new version is faster and more optimised so you can now see 1000 games per tab compared to the 100 in the python version.  (*image is of 'custom scripting')  (*image is of 'game dependency installer')  (*image is of 'Dosbox settings editor'*)  (*image is of 'custom launcher scripts'*)  (*image is of *custom launcher scripts*)  (*image is of 'Custom launchers per game'*)  (*image is of 'extension generator'*) ------------------------------------------------------------------ # **What we need from the community:** We are currently looking for power users who would like to help with the alpha testing of this new version. During this phase you will get access to Junk Store and the extension Generator in its full glory, and it’s no exaggeration to say that there’s well over 1000 different settings and options in it. This is quite overwhelming and it will be stripped back to only the essentials for general release. So if you’re a power user and would like to see just what kind of horsepower is under the hood in Junk Store, this is your chance. Given that we will have quite large overheads for a general release we would also like to take this opportunity to explore interest in an early access program. This would not be your typical pay to test deal. The software will be stable and as near to release state as possible, think of it more like a soft launch. This would allow us to build up reserves to shoulder the server costs for a launch. We’re currently in Alpha, rapidly approaching Beta quality. If this is something that might be of interest to you please register your interest here: [This is the link to registration via docs.google](https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfW3FWYKcQry85qbdYsgNXSEGduyn2smZaNUa6q_lOr-ET5Zw/viewform?usp=dialog) * Please note that testing spots will be strictly limited due to associated costs per user. Early access will also be limited due to the initial manual workload associated with onboarding for this, we are just two people and one of us needs to do the coding. We hope that you are as excited about this as we are, we’re looking forward to your responses in the comments and registration of interest. ------------------------------------------------------------------ *And that's that! Hopefully some here find this interesting!*