Category Archives: Mobile & Handhelds

Featured, Mobile & Handhelds

‘Too Big’ For Steam Deck: AAA Games Are Struggling On Valve’s Handheld

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Oliver Mackenzie (Digital Foundry) does his best to run the latest triple-A games on Valve’s handheld. Which games run well? Which games run well and look decent? And which games are indeed simply ‘Too Big’ for Steam Deck? Does a more powerful handheld like the Asus ROG Ally power past the Deck’s problems?

The Valve Steam Deck, aka Gabe Newell’s love letter to PC gamers who secretly wanted a Nintendo Switch but were too proud to admit it. This chonky handheld beast is basically a gaming PC crammed into a device the size of a grilled cheese sandwich on steroids—portable enough to take anywhere, but still big enough to make your wrists question your life choices after an hour of Elden Ring.

What Makes It Special?

  • Runs your entire Steam library—which means you can finally ignore 90% of the games you impulse-bought during a Steam sale… on the go!

  • Has trackpads! Because Valve still believes that trackpads are the future, despite a decade of gamers collectively going, “Ehh…”

  • Customizable as heck—want to install Windows? Emulators? A toaster simulator? Go wild.

  • “Portable,” but in a “you might need a dedicated backpack for it” kind of way.

The Downsides?

  • Battery life is… negotiable. Playing a high-end game? Congrats, you have about 90 minutes before your Deck turns into an expensive paperweight.

  • It’s big. Like, big big. Holding one is like gripping a sci-fi weapon from a movie where The Rock has to save the world.

  • Linux-based OS, which is great if you love tinkering, but if you’re just trying to play games, you’ll occasionally feel like you’ve been thrown into IT Tech Support mode.

Final Verdict?

The Steam Deck is a glorious, slightly impractical marvel—perfect for anyone who wants to game anywhere, anytime, and develop forearms like a Greek statue in the process. It’s the closest thing we have to a true portable gaming PC, and for that, we salute Valve. Now if only they’d make Half-Life 3…

Featured, System Reviews, Mobile & Handhelds, PC Games

OneXPlayer G1 Gaming PC – It’s Powerful…but WEIRD

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The OneXPlayer G1 is like a gaming laptop and a Steam Deck had a wild night out and accidentally created a boxy, overpowered handheld that can run Cyberpunk 2077 and give you a forearm workout. It’s the device for people who think, “Sure, I want portability—but I also want all the frames, a full keyboard, and a controller that cramps.” MORE INFO: https://bit.ly/43qnp59

Featured, Mobile & Handhelds

Switch 2 Reveal: A Game Collector’s Perspective

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Today Nintendo revealed the Switch 2, their next-generation hybrid gaming console, featuring upgraded Joy-Cons, a larger OLED display, and support for both new titles and classic Switch games plus other neat tricks like “mouse mode”. However as a game collector and fan of the original console, many questions still remain. WATCH >> https://youtu.be/axsWf32vM1U

The original Nintendo Switch is the Swiss Army knife of gaming, except instead of a corkscrew, it has Joy-Cons that sometimes decide they’re possessed by a ghost named “Drift.” It’s the console that said, “What if we make a Game Boy…but huge and with detachable handles?” Released in 2017, it became an instant favorite for gamers who wanted to play Mario Kart on the go, at home, or in the bathroom during “very important meetings.” The design is sleek, but it’s essentially a glorified tablet with a docking station that looks like it moonlights as a toaster slot. It’s got that magical Nintendo charm, though, so you forgive it for occasionally dropping to single digital frame rates in 3rd party games.

The Switch’s versatility is unmatched—you can go from handheld mode to docked faster than Mario can grab a mushroom. But those Joy-Cons, oh boy. They slide off with a satisfying click, but let’s not pretend you haven’t accidentally launched one across the room during an intense round of Super Smash Bros. Battery life is somewhere between “long enough for a road trip” and “hope you brought a power bank.” And don’t forget the original iconic kickstand: a fragile little appendage that screams, “Lean me against something sturdy, I beg you.” Despite its quirks, the Switch is a loveable handheld that brought gaming back to the couch without chaining you to it—perfect for anyone who can’t decide if they want to be a couch potato or a gaming vagabond.

Featured, System Reviews, Mobile & Handhelds

Chromatic Review: Game Boy for the Elite?

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My review of the Chromatic by ModRetro: a premium handheld for Game Boy and Game Boy Color cartridges, featuring a custom display and magnesium alloy shell. But at $200, is it worth it, or are there better & cheaper options?

Here are five lesser-known Game Boy Color (GBC) games that are often considered hidden gems by retro gaming enthusiasts:

1. Shantae

  • Developer/Publisher: WayForward
  • Year: 2002
  • Why it’s a gem: Released late in the GBC’s lifespan, Shantae is a colorful action-platformer with Metroidvania elements. Its vibrant graphics, catchy music, and unique gameplay (Shantae transforms into animals to solve puzzles) make it a standout title.
  • Fun Fact: Due to its low print run, physical copies are rare and highly sought after.

2. Dragon Warrior Monsters 2 (Tara’s Adventure / Cobi’s Journey)

  • Developer/Publisher: Enix
  • Year: 2001
  • Why it’s a gem: Often overshadowed by Pokémon, this monster-raising RPG offers deep gameplay, a robust breeding system, and expansive worlds to explore. The level of customization in building your team is immense.
  • Fun Fact: It allows players to breed unique monsters with specific abilities, making each playthrough different.

3. Wendy: Every Witch Way

  • Developer/Publisher: WayForward
  • Year: 2001
  • Why it’s a gem: This gravity-defying platformer is simple but highly polished. Players control Wendy, the Good Little Witch, using her powers to flip gravity and solve clever puzzles.
  • Fun Fact: It’s one of the earliest games by WayForward, who would later become famous for Shantae.

4. Survival Kids

  • Developer/Publisher: Konami
  • Year: 1999
  • Why it’s a gem: A survival adventure game where players must navigate a deserted island, gather resources, and find a way to escape. It features multiple endings and a focus on crafting and exploration.
  • Fun Fact: This game is considered the precursor to the Lost in Blue series on the Nintendo DS.

5. Bionic Commando: Elite Forces

  • Developer/Publisher: Nintendo
  • Year: 2000
  • Why it’s a gem: A unique spin-off of the Bionic Commando series, this game combines action-platforming with a grappling hook mechanic for puzzle-solving. It’s challenging and offers satisfying gameplay.
  • Fun Fact: The grappling mechanic remains a defining feature of the Bionic Commando series.

These games showcase the GBC’s impressive library beyond its most famous titles. Have you tried any of these, or are you looking for something similar?

Featured, System Reviews, Mobile & Handhelds

Testing PS2 & GAMECUBE on latest ANBERNIC handheld.

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Review of the ANBERNIC RG406V playing PS2, Gamecube, Wii and Dreamcast games.

Extra 15% Off Code: MetalJesusRocks
RG406V Game Console: https://bit.ly/3U695t3

The sixth generation of gaming consoles, ah! The early 2000s—a glorious era when tech was just powerful enough to bring our gaming dreams to life, yet clunky enough to make us yell at our TV screens. Picture this:

  1. PlayStation 2 – Sony decided to make a console that doubled as a DVD player. No one cared much for DVDs until the PS2 arrived, and then suddenly, everyone’s mom had a reason to let this console into the living room. It had a library of games longer than the Lord of the Rings series, and you could never resist buying more, even if the backlog was a mile deep. But let’s be honest; we all spent more time replaying Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas and running over NPCs.
  2. Xbox – Microsoft’s first foray into the console world, and it showed. This thing was about as subtle as a bulldozer, weighing in heavier than a small child and looking like an oversized VCR on steroids. But it came with Halo, which made it the coolest kid on the block. Multiplayer mayhem on Halo turned living rooms into battlegrounds, and “frag” and “teabag” became part of our vocabularies for the next decade.
  3. Nintendo GameCube – The adorable purple lunchbox that could. Nintendo went for a square design as if they were trolling the competition. Everyone laughed until Super Smash Bros. Melee dropped, and then suddenly no one was laughing because they were all too busy smashing controllers and friendships. It even had a handle, so you could bring it over to a friend’s house—a good thing since you’d need it for Mario Kart Double Dash parties.
  4. Sega Dreamcast – Sega’s final hurrah in the console wars, the Dreamcast was the hip, misunderstood sibling of the generation. It introduced online gaming before any of the others, even though most of us had dial-up Internet slower than a sleepy snail. The Dreamcast had games with more originality than half the consoles since, but its fate was doomed by Sega’s previous console misadventures. It’s like that artist friend you wish had made it big but ended up selling pottery on Etsy.

This generation brought us memory cards, clunky graphics that we thought were “realistic,” and the timeless habit of yelling at your sibling for screen-peeking. If gaming consoles were people, the sixth-gen would be that quirky friend who’s super talented but hasn’t quite figured out how not to make a mess.

Featured, Mobile & Handhelds

Nintendo GBA or 3DS? Which is BEST?

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Which is best: the Nintendo GBA or 3DS!? Tough choice, right? To help me answer I asked my friends to weigh in with their opinion! WATCH >> https://youtu.be/SkIFrw_D5Zw

Kelsey: https://twitter.com/kelslewin
Gemma: https://www.youtube.com/@TheGebs24
Reggie: https://www.youtube.com/@The_RadicalOne
Macho Nacho: https://www.youtube.com/@MachoNachoProductions
Kinsey: https://twitter.com/KinsZilla

The Nintendo Game Boy Advance (GBA) and the Nintendo 3DS represent two distinct eras in handheld gaming, each offering unique experiences to gamers. Released in 2001, the Game Boy Advance was a groundbreaking handheld console that introduced vibrant 2D graphics and a vast library of games to players. With its compact size and long battery life, the GBA became a beloved companion for gaming on the go. Its library boasted iconic titles such as “Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen,” “The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap,” and “Advance Wars,” captivating players with engaging gameplay and nostalgic charm. The GBA’s simplicity and affordability made it accessible to gamers of all ages, solidifying its place as one of Nintendo’s most successful handheld consoles.

In contrast, the Nintendo 3DS, released in 2011, pushed the boundaries of handheld gaming with its innovative glasses-free 3D display and enhanced graphical capabilities. Building upon the success of its predecessor, the Nintendo DS, the 3DS offered backward compatibility with DS games while introducing new features such as StreetPass and SpotPass, fostering social interaction among players. With its extensive library of games spanning diverse genres and its robust online functionality, including the Nintendo eShop, the 3DS provided gamers with a rich and immersive gaming experience. Titles like “The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D,” “Fire Emblem: Awakening,” and “Animal Crossing: New Leaf” showcased the system’s capabilities, captivating players with compelling narratives and innovative gameplay mechanics. Overall, while the GBA and 3DS catered to different gaming preferences and technological advancements, both left an indelible mark on the handheld gaming landscape, shaping the way we play and experience games on the go.

Featured, Mobile & Handhelds

XREAL Air2 Glasses Review – I’m impressed!

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Review of the new Xreal Air2 AR (Augmented Reality) glasses. I use these glasses playing Steam Deck games, Nintendo Switch games, iPad & more.

Augmented reality (AR) glasses are wearable devices that seamlessly blend digital information with the real-world environment, enhancing the user’s perception and interaction with their surroundings. These glasses typically consist of a lightweight frame equipped with transparent display screens positioned in front of the user’s eyes. The display technology allows virtual images, graphics, or information to be superimposed onto the user’s view of the real world. AR glasses often incorporate sensors such as cameras, accelerometers, and gyroscopes to track the user’s movements and gather data about the environment. This data is then processed in real-time to generate and display relevant augmented content.

One of the primary advantages of augmented reality glasses is their potential to revolutionize how users consume information and engage with digital content. From providing contextual information about the objects in the user’s field of view to enabling immersive gaming experiences or aiding in navigation through enhanced maps and directions, AR glasses have a broad range of applications. Moreover, they offer hands-free operation, allowing users to access information and perform tasks without the need for a separate device. As technology continues to advance, augmented reality glasses are poised to play an increasingly significant role in various industries, including healthcare, education, manufacturing, and entertainment, by offering innovative solutions to enhance productivity, learning, and entertainment experiences.

Website pre-order links for XREAL Air 2 and XREAL Air 2 Pro:
– US: https://amzn.to/45ZxW4N
– UK: https://amzn.to/3smeyRU
XREAL Air on sale: https://amzn.to/49xGToU
Pre-order link for the XREAL Air 2 Pro: https://bit.ly/45G4H6R

Mobile & Handhelds, PC Games

New EmuDeck is Here! Steam Deck Emulation Guide

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EmuDeck was just updated to v2.1, and here is the official guide to get it up and running! We’ll take a look at the new features, show you how to update an existing installation, and how to set the whole thing up from scratch as well. This is your complete guide to seamless retro game emulation on the Steam Deck! Get EmuDeck here: https://www.emudeck.com/

EmuDeck is a cutting-edge software designed specifically for the Steam Deck gaming device, offering an unparalleled emulation experience for gamers. Seamlessly integrating with the Steam Deck’s hardware capabilities, EmuDeck empowers users to play a vast array of classic and retro games from various platforms, recreating the nostalgia of old-school gaming with remarkable precision. The software boasts a user-friendly interface, making it effortless for players to navigate through their favorite titles and customize settings to suit their preferences. EmuDeck’s optimization ensures smooth performance, eliminating lags and glitches commonly associated with emulation, thus guaranteeing a seamless and immersive gameplay experience. With EmuDeck, Steam Deck owners can unlock a treasure trove of timeless gaming classics, relive their fondest memories, and embark on exciting new adventures in the realm of retro gaming.