PlayStation 5 in the Game Room

My PlayStation 5 unit has finally arrived today. First impression? This thing is way too big for no real reason. Since it's a Mark Cerny production, he probably thought that engorging the size like this would make the console feel more powerful. Overcompensate much? It's definitely the biggest console I have ever seen. Is the X-Box Series X this huge as well? Once in, the dashboard interface is quite uninspired. It's basically a sleeker version of the PlayStation 4's dashboard with all the weird particles floating about a dull, greyish background. It's not minimalistic for the sake of being stylish, it is so as an excuse for just being lazy. I am very surprised however that they are finally able to give us access to a functional trophy screen. Loading up your trophies details on the PlayStation 3 requires you to sacrifice your entire youth while it's maybe half of that on the PS4 but here, it's very fast and responsive. Bravo, I suppose?

The PS5 is way larger than how it looks in pictures...

Steam Deck: Shut That Sh!t Down

I had to wait 5 hours at a hospital today and you know what that means: Steam Deck time! Just like a born-again virgin, that Steam Deck hasn't been touched in weeks. I always put the Deck to sleep when I am not using it and I should have known better because I have seen the battery for the Deck depleting at a rapid rate even while it's asleep... I don't know, I have left the Nintendo DS on sleep mode for years and when I eventually opened the clam shell, it was still on. But no, not the Steam Deck. I spent the first couple of hours of my wait time visiting nearby parks to satiate Yoshi's peepee lust and that was fun. Then, I drove back to the hospital and found a cool, fully shaded corner of the parking complex, unzipped the sexy carrying case, pulled out the Steam Deck and pushed the power button... Nothing. The screen was dark, there was no power light near the power button. I realized then that I was f*cked.

Stuck in a car for 3 hours with a limp Deck and a demon dog can't be that bad... right?

PlayStation 5: I'm Having a Move Party

Of course, now that I am inching closer to moving to my new home, guess who has decided to join my Game Library? It's Sony's PlayStation 5 of course, which is the inbred, test tube baby of one Mark Cerny. Thank you, babe, for making this all possible. Since all of my PlayStation 4 games are already packed away, I will only be able to play my PS4 digital games without redownloading them since my PS4 external hard drive is still lazing about in my entertainment center. Let's be real now, there are hardly any games out that I want to play on the console so it's pretty much just going to take up the PS4's place as that unit is now relegated to a back-up console.

It looks like I will be receiving the Forbidden West bundle. Still need to finish the first game though.

In a World of Meme Reviews, Epic Got It Right

Steam. I love Steam. But I don't love Steam's "Customer Reviews". Not only do I not love it, I don't even like it. Sure, there are people out there who actually put some real thought into reviewing a Steam game. But 90% of the time? All you see are children, or adults acting like children, trying to out-meme each other with nonsensical non-reviews for what reason? Nobody knows. Then, there are also the review bombings and all the Steamoroids flare-ups (this involves individuals who are so unhappy that a developer decided to make some money and have its game exclusive to another game client and now that they have the ability to showcase that vitriol on Steam, they purchase the game and throw up a non-review). At this point, I don't think Valve cares anymore. I mean, since they introduced the Steam Points, meme reviewers are finding themselves as recipients of plenty of Steam Points Awards to further encourage their behavior.

Steam displays this as the most helpful review for Stray.

Meanwhile over at the Epic Games Store, things are a little different. While browsing their current sales event (sadly, I have purchased most of these games on Steam), I just saw an "Epic Player Rating" section. This shiny new feature was released last month apparently and I love it! Just look at this:

Epic Games: Free, Not Free to Play

Okay, Epic Games need to get their act together because I am noticing a horrible trend with their weekly free games offer. They have provided us free-to-play incentive packages before but the frequency of this is increasing. Just look at what they have on the menu for this week and next week:

The real free games are cool like always but the other two? Pure crap.

The Perfect Use of Steam Deck: Horror Games

This thing, this portable personal computer, meant to be used while you are away from your gaming space... It's actual reason for existence has now been revealed to me. The Steam Deck is the best way for one to play horror games whether it's in your gaming room or otherwise. Well, at least for me anyway. You know that these days, my tolerance for horror games is extremely low. I get too scared way too easily. Gone were the days when I would play the original Silent Hill, which to this day is still one of the scariest games ever made, in the middle of the night, in the dark, in the living room of my apartment because nowadays, even in a secured, well-lit Game Room, every moving shadow on the big screen in any horror title would force me to wail out a dying scream. Well, that's exactly the problem, isn't it? The big screen. I have now noticed that one of the factors - the other being a personal trauma, which I would guess have more of an impact on me than anything else - was the screen size. I started cowering from horror games around the same time that my gaming display started getting larger in size. I mean, everything is scarier and more impactful on a large screen, right? And everything is just downright unbearable in virtual reality!

This used to be a portal to hell. Now, it's just the exit to the forest.

Physical Games Are Hard

As I have mentioned recently, I am in the process of moving to a new home. I am still weighing my options in terms of the locations, but I am homing in on several promising spots. It's safe to say though that Hawaii is off the list at the moment because well, there is a reason why I am where I am. There used to be this one extra-friendly, older Hawaiian phlebotomist who worked at my primary physician's office. Every time I was sent her way, she would always encourage me to come home. She would always ask me about my last trip to Hawaii and inquire about my family. Of course, telling her that my parents are ready to kill me because I am gay would probably change her sunny disposition and since, well, she was the one doing the poking, I wanted her to always be in a jolly mood so she could easily find my vein. So now it's down to Alaska and, uh what was it that I said before, Connecticut? Somebody suggested Texas because of the affordable housing market but that would almost be as bad as moving to Hawaii at this point. Progress on the living arrangement is slow and steady but I am about halfway done with packing up my things. And you know what? I have to let this out of my chest: physical games are just not worth it!

Slowly but surely, the Game Room is starting to look like a storage room.