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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, Metal Jesus Likes

Sega Neptune Project – a Sega Genesis and 32X onto a single board

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The Neptune Project: ► Project Github: https://github.com/Board-Folk/Neptune ► Follow COSAM: https://x.com/cosam_the_great?lang=en

The Sega Neptune, the Bigfoot of gaming consoles—some say it existed in prototype form, others claim it was just a fever dream brought on by Sega’s caffeine-fueled brainstorming sessions in the ‘90s. Either way, this mythical beast was supposed to be a Sega Genesis and 32X hybrid, combining two things that Sega fans already had separately into one convenient package…

Why Was It Special?

  • It would have saved gamers the hassle of duct-taping their Genesis and 32X together like a Frankenstein creation.

  • No need for extra cables! (A big deal in the era where Sega consoles needed more wires than a ‘90s home office.)

  • It had a cool name! Seriously, “Neptune” made it sound like it could survive in deep space… unlike the Saturn, which actually launched and promptly sank like a gas giant in quicksand.

Why Did It Never Come Out?

By the time Sega was maybe, possibly, sort of ready to release it, the Sega Saturn was already on the horizon. Sega realized that selling a console that was technically two years outdated was probably not the best strategy—although, let’s be honest, that never stopped them before.

Thus, the Neptune was unceremoniously abandoned, joining the ranks of lost Sega hardware like the Sega Pluto and the Dreamcast’s dignity post-2001. Today, it remains a legend, whispered about in retro gaming circles—the console that could have been, but probably would have been a bad idea anyway.

Featured, Metal Jesus Likes

The Rise and Fall of the SSX game series. 😢

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The SSX series is what happens when someone says, “What if we made snowboarding… but completely unhinged?” and then followed through with maximum chaos. Short for Snowboard Supercross, SSX first launched in 2000 and instantly turned the slopes into a gravity-defying playground. Forget realistic snowboarding — in SSX, you could launch yourself 300 feet into the air, pull off a triple backflip while grabbing your board with one pinky, and still have time to wink at the camera before landing perfectly. The game didn’t care about physics; it cared about style.

Every SSX game had the same core philosophy: snowboard like you have a death wish, rack up points, and look cool doing it. The characters were all basically extreme sports superheroes — like Mac, the lovable goofball who treated snowboarding like a rock concert, or Elise, who probably did double backflips just to grab a sandwich. The courses were pure chaos, ranging from death-defying mountain peaks to neon-lit night runs, and the soundtrack? Absolute fire. (Jurassic 5 while shredding a glacier? Yes, please.) By the time SSX Tricky came out, the series had achieved cult status, teaching players that if you’re not pulling off a mid-air worm while flying over a bottomless ravine, are you even snowboarding?

Featured, Travel

Game On Expo in Phoenix Arizona – It’s Almost Here!

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The Game On Expo is happening in Phoenix, AZ at the the Phoenix Convention Center. The dates are April 4th-6th, 2025. I hope to see you there!

More information can be found here: https://gameonexpo.com/

What is Game On Expo?  Phoenix’s annual pilgrimage for gamers, nerds, and anyone who thinks life should come with a health bar and a save point. This three-day festival is a glorious mash-up of retro arcade nostalgia, tabletop chaos, cosplay shenanigans, and enough gaming merch to make your wallet cry in the corner.

What to Expect?

  • Vendors selling everything from rare SNES cartridges to anime plushies that stare into your soul.

  • Cosplayers who have put in more effort into their outfits than most people do into their day jobs.

  • Tournaments where button-mashers and pro-level players clash in a battle of reflexes and broken controllers.

  • Voice actors from your favorite games & YouTubers, there to sign autographs, answer burning fan questions, and occasionally indulge in meme-worthy moments.

And let’s not forget the arcade section, where you can test your skills on vintage cabinets and realize that, yes, your childhood skills at “Street Fighter II” have completely abandoned you.

Whether you’re there to compete, collect, cosplay, or just bask in the glow of RGB-lit everything, Game On Expo is a weekend of glorious geekery where everyone speaks fluent nerd. Just be prepared to walk away with a bag full of collectibles, a phone full of photos, and a deep sense of regret that you didn’t buy that limited-edition Zelda print when you had the chance.

Featured, Metal Jesus Likes

The MOST I have ever spent on SINGLE GAME! EYE WATERING! – TheGebs24

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TheGebs24 is like stepping into a cozy, neon-lit gaming den where nostalgia flows as freely as Mountain Dew at a LAN party. Hosted by Gemma, a retro gaming enthusiast with the energy of someone who just found a sealed copy of EarthBound, the channel is a delightful deep-dive into classic gaming, rare finds, and unfiltered gaming passion. Whether she’s unboxing a haul of vintage games, exploring hidden gems on forgotten consoles, or just waxing poetic about the glory days of the PlayStation 1, TheGebs24 feels less like a YouTube channel and more like hanging out with your coolest gaming-obsessed friend.

The real magic of TheGebs24 is Gemma’s ability to make any game — no matter how obscure — sound like a lost treasure. She could find a dusty copy of Bubsy 3D at a thrift store and still make you think, “Hmm… maybe I should give that a go.” Her collection tours are like walking through a time machine packed with NES, Mega Drive, and GameCubegoodness, and her commentary is always served with a generous side of humor. Plus, she has a genuine love for gaming history, which means you’ll come for the retro game hauls but stay for the heartfelt passion. Watching TheGebs24 is basically a nostalgic rollercoaster — one minute you’re reminiscing about Crash Bandicoot, the next you’re googling how much a Sega Saturn costs on eBay.

Featured, System Reviews

RetroN GX TurboGrafx-16 Review – the Good & the Bad

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Review of the Hyperkin RetroN GX TurboGrafx-16/PC Engine clone console. This system plays TurboGrafx-16 and PC Engine games… kinda. At $90, some compromises have been made to resolution and performance. More info: http://www.hyperkin.com

Ah, the TurboGrafx-16, the console that said, “Sure, I’ll compete with the NES and Sega Genesis,” but then tripped on its own power cord before crossing the finish line. Released in North America in 1989, this little underdog was actually a powerhouse—at least on paper. It boasted gorgeous 16-bit graphics (well, technically an 8-bit CPU with a 16-bit graphics processor, but shhh, marketing!) and some of the best arcade-style games of its era.

The TurboGrafx-16 had a sleek, almost futuristic design… if “futuristic” meant a black plastic rectangle with orange accents. It also had just one controller port—because NEC figured friends were optional. Want multiplayer? Fork over extra cash for a TurboTap accessory. And speaking of accessories, there was the TurboExpress, a handheld version that was basically a Game Boy on steroids, capable of playing full TG-16 cartridges. It was amazing—until you realized it burned through six AA batteries in under three hours.

Then there was the TurboGrafx-CD, an add-on that gave players access to CD-ROM games years before Sega and Sony made it cool. Unfortunately, it also cost more than a used car in 1992. But hey, if you wanted anime cutscenes, voice acting, and loading times that let you grab a snack mid-level, this was the future!

Despite an amazing library featuring gems like Bonk’s Adventure (a game about a caveman with a weaponized forehead), Blazing Lazers (pure vertical-scrolling shooter bliss), and Castlevania: Rondo of Blood (arguably one of the best in the series), the TurboGrafx-16 never really caught on in the U.S. In Japan, where it was known as the PC Engine, it was a massive success, proving once again that Americans and Japanese gamers sometimes live in parallel gaming dimensions.

Ultimately, the TurboGrafx-16 was the hipster console of its time—underappreciated, ahead of the curve, and loved by those in the know. If you had one, you were either an arcade shooter enthusiast, a collector before it was cool, or someone who got it on clearance because your parents refused to buy a SNES. Either way, respect.

Featured, Metal Jesus Likes

When a dedicated collector desperately needs money… Pixel Game Squad

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Pixel Game Squad is like if a group of friends accidentally stumbled into a retro game goldmine and decided to film the whole adventure — and thank goodness they did. Led by Riff, the high-energy, perpetually-excited captain of the squad, the channel is a beautiful, chaotic mix of garage sales, flea markets, and thrift store treasure hunts, all in the name of finding retro video game gold. One minute they’re uncovering a rare Nintendo 64 game for $5, the next they’re losing their minds over a box of GameCube games in someone’s dusty attic. It’s like Antiques Roadshow, but with way more yelling and way cooler stuff.

The magic of Pixel Game Squad is that it’s less about the games and more about the vibe. Every episode feels like you’ve been invited to tag along on a Saturday morning game hunt, complete with hilarious banter, nostalgic deep-dives, and the occasional debate over whether Super Mario Bros. 2 was a dream or a conspiracy. Riff’s enthusiasm is infectious — he could find a copy of Madden 2003 and still act like he just discovered the Ark of the Covenant. And the squad? A lovable mix of game collectors, retro enthusiasts, and general mischief-makers who turn every game hunt into a mini-adventure. Whether they’re scoring a boxed NES at a swap meet or just goofing off in someone’s garage, Pixel Game Squad captures the pure, unfiltered joy of being a retro game nerd — and they make you want to grab your own Game Boy and hit the thrift stores immediately.

Featured, Metal Jesus Likes

Ranking the Difficulty of Every Mario Game | Nintendo

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The Mario games are basically the story of one very determined plumber with a questionable work-life balance. For over four decades, Mario has been sprinting, jumping, and power-sliding his way through the Mushroom Kingdom, rescuing Princess Peach from Bowser — a giant, fire-breathing turtle who apparently has nothing better to do. Every game starts with the same setup: Peach gets kidnapped, Mario shrugs, eats a mushroom, and risks his life navigating lava pits and haunted castles while Bowser probably just sits around watching turtle Netflix. And yet, we love it.

The brilliance of Mario games is how they somehow make plumbing-related activities thrilling. One minute you’re dodging sentient cacti in the desert, the next you’re riding a dinosaur (Yoshi) who will absolutely abandon you if you jump off a cliff. Power-ups range from practical (fireballs) to delightfully absurd (turning into a flying raccoon… for some reason). And despite Mario’s questionable career progression — plumber, doctor, kart racer, Olympic athlete — he never seems to ask for a day off. But hey, as long as Bowser keeps kidnapping Peach, Mario will keep stomping on turtles, eating questionable fungi, and reminding us all that the best adventures start with “Wahoo!”.

Featured, Sega (Hidden Gems)

My Sega Genesis Game Collection (173 Games: Hidden Gems, $$$, Prototypes & More!)

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Here is my entire Sega Genesis (Mega Drive) game collection. So many great games here including rare, uncommon and expensive games plus hidden gems and more!

Use code 50METALJESUS to get 50% OFF plus free shipping on your first Factor box at https://bit.ly/41IEs1b

Ah, the Sega Genesis—arguably the most rebellious, leather-jacket-wearing, blast-processing-fueled console of the early ‘90s. This was the system that swaggered into the gaming scene, pointed at Nintendo’s Super NES, and said, “You call that speed? Hold my Chaos Emeralds.”

The Console Itself

Looking like a sleek, black, slightly melted VCR, the Genesis had a no-nonsense design that screamed “serious business” (if your business was making an anthropomorphic blue hedgehog run at unsafe speeds). It had a volume slider for headphones—because Sega wanted you to feel like a DJ while mashing buttons—and a giant POWER switch that made you feel important when you flipped it.

Blast Processing™ (Whatever That Was)

Sega’s marketing team conjured up the term Blast Processing™, a mysterious and scientifically dubious feature that essentially meant “our games are fast, and we have an attitude about it.” It was never quite clear what it actually did, but it was enough to make kids feel like they were piloting a fighter jet instead of playing Sonic the Hedgehog in their pajamas.

The Controller

The Genesis controller was a hulking, boomerang-shaped piece of plastic with three whole buttons (which felt futuristic at the time). Later, when fighting games became popular, Sega realized that, oh no, three buttons weren’t enough! So they released the six-button controller, which made the original feel like a rotary phone by comparison.

The Games

  • Sonic the Hedgehog – A game so fast it felt like it was trying to break the laws of physics.
  • Altered Beast – A side-scrolling “Greek mythology but weird” game where a guy yells “RISE FROM YOUR GRAVE!” at you like an undead gym coach.
  • Streets of Rage – Where you settle all disputes with fists, steel pipes, and the occasional turkey dinner found in a trash can.
  • Mortal Kombat – The game that made parents gasp in horror while kids cheered at pixelated fatalities.

The Console Wars

If you had a Genesis, you were on Team Sega in the legendary Console War against the SNES. It was a brutal playground battlefield where kids debated whether Mario or Sonic would win in a fight (the answer: Sonic, if there were no walls). Sega’s advertising even threw shade at Nintendo with the iconic slogan:
👉 “Genesis Does What Nintendon’t.”
(Which is hilarious, because in the end, Nintendid survive longer.)

The Legacy

The Genesis may have eventually lost the war, but it left an undeniable mark on gaming history. It was the cool older sibling of consoles—edgy, stylish, and maybe a little too obsessed with speed. Today, it lives on in retro collections, mini consoles, and the hearts of those who still hear the words “SEGA!” in their dreams.

Would you like to add any Blast Processing™ to your day? 😆