Author: chosafine

There’s actually no Fire Emblem Three Houses discourse. Featuring Mint.

Show Notes:

00:02:48 – Nintendo February 2022 Direct
01:20:07 – Pokemon Legends: Arceus
01:30:01 – Sifu
01:37:04 – Vampire Survivors
01:40:06 – Crusader Kings 3: Royal Court

Nintendo February 2022 Direct:

• Nintendo Direct – 2.09.2022
• List of all games announced (thanks avie!)
• Nintendo Direct headlined by Mario Kart 8’s 48 new upcoming racetracks | Ars Technica
• Dread Pirate Sunder on Twitter: “every nintendo direct is them announcing a remake of something I’ve never heard of even one time in my life and then 50 of my mutuals going “HOLY SHIT IT’S BLORKBY HE’S BACK!!!!”” / Twitter

• Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes (June 24th 2022)
• Advance Wars 1+2: Re-Boot Camp (April 8th; Pre-order now)
• No Man’s Sky (“This Summer”)
• Mario Strikers: Battle League (June 10th; Pre-order now)
• Splatoon 3: Salmon Run Next Wave (“This Summer”)
• Front Mission 1st: Remake (“This Summer”; 2 Remake also announced w/o date)
• Disney Speedstorm (“This Summer”)
• Star Wars: The Force Unleashed (Port of Wii/PS2 version – April 20th; Pre-order now)
• Assassin’s Creed: The Ezio Collection (February 17th)
• SD Gundam Battle Alliance (“This Year”)
• Chrono Cross: The Radical Dreamers Edition (April 7th; Pre-order now)
• Kirby And the Forgotten Land (March 25th; Pre-order now)
• MLB: The Show 22 (April 5th; Pre-order now)
• Kingdom Hearts Integrum Masterpiece for Cloud (Tomorrow/February 10th)
• Klonoa Phantasy Reverie Series (July 8th)
• Portal: Companion Collection (“This Year”)
• Live A Live (July 22nd; Pre-order now)
• Nintendo Switch Sports (February 18-20th online play test for subscribers; April 29th release)
• Taiko no Tatsujin: Rhythm Festival (“This Year”; Subscription for 500 songs coming with it)
• Triangle Strategy (New demo playable to Chapter 3 with transferrable save data if you buy it coming out)
• Cuphead The Delicious Last Course DLC (June 30th)
• Metroid Dread “Dread and Rookie Mode” Update (“Later today”; Boss rush update in April)
• Mother 1 & 2/EarthBound: Beginnings & EarthBound coming to NES/SNES Online (Later today)
• Zombie Army 4: Dead War (April 26th)
• GetsuFumaDen: Undying Moon (Later Today)
• Demon Slayer -Kimetsu no Yaiba- The Hinokami Chronicles (June 10th)
• Lego Brawls (June 2022)
• Two Point Campus (May 17th)
• Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Booster Course Pass (dripfed 48 courses remastered from past games; March 18th)
• Xenoblade Chronicles 3 (September 2022)

JP exclusive announcements:

• Taiko Risshiden V DX (May 19th) [Port of the latest entry in Koei’s grand strategy series, last seen on the PSP]
• The Centennial Case: A Shijima Story (May 12th) [An FMV Adventure game; the english title is trademarked in the west]
• LOOP8 (2022) [Looks like an RPG/Visual Novel?]
• Touken Ranbu Warriors (Feb 17th) [A Musou game; Koei Tecmo is releasing it in the west]
• Voice of Cards: The Forsaken Maiden (Feb 17th) [Worldwide release]
• Chocobo GP (March 10th) [Worldwide release]
• 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim (April 14th) [Worldwide release due on April 12th]
• eBaseball Powerful Pro Yakyuu 2022 (April 21st)

Games Corner:

• Pokemon Legends Arceus
• Sifu
  • Sifu review: martial arts roguelike is too complex for its own good – Polygon
  • Sifu’s Brawler Is A Soulless Caricature
• Vampire Survivors
• Crusader Kings 3: Royal Court

Contact:

• Cristian Online
• Sadiq Online
• Mint Online

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We continue our famous practice of dunking on Linux Laptops, Google Products, and acquisitions.

Show Notes:

00:00:48 – MNT Reform
00:18:39 – Google Canceling Free G-Suite Accounts
00:29:36 – Google Stadia Business Insider Article
00:42:49 – Sony Buying Bungie

• Review: MNT Reform laptop has fully open hardware and software—for better or worse
• Google relents: Legacy G Suite users will be able to migrate to free accounts | Ars Technica
• Inside Google’s Plan to Salvage Its Stadia Gaming Service
• Sony is buying Bungie, the developer of Destiny and original creator of Halo – The Verge

Contact:

• Cristian Online
• Sadiq Online

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We bring back Mint to help us make sense of Microsoft buying Activision Blizzard King.

Show Notes:

00:02:00 – Razer Follow Up
00:05:56 – Microsoft Purchasing ABK
00:47:49 – AMD 6500 XT
01:01:51 – Bad MODE by Utada Hikaru

The Razer Corner:

• I had to see these Hello Kitty gaming accessories, so now you do, too – The Verge
• Razer rows back after Zephyr face mask safety rating confusion | PC Gamer

Microsoft Buying Activision Blizzard:

• Welcoming the Incredible Teams and Legendary Franchises of Activision Blizzard to Microsoft Gaming – Xbox Wire
• The Consequences of Microsoft Buying Activision Blizzard Are Dizzying
• Microsoft Is Now Accountable for Activision Blizzard’s Mess
• QA Testers at Activision Blizzard’s Raven Software Studio Are Unionizing
• Activision (ATVI) Employees Are Optimistic About Microsoft Takeover (MSFT) – Bloomberg
• Activision CEO Tries To Take A Victory Lap – Bloomberg
• Xbox CEO Phil Spencer discusses reviving old Activision games after Microsoft’s acquisition – The Washington Post
• Esports owners, executives optimistic about Call of Duty and Overwatch leagues under Microsoft – The Washington Post
• Microsoft’s Activision acquisition finally gives it a mobile gaming foothold | Windows Central
• Every game and studio Microsoft now owns | PC Gamer
• Activision Blizzard’s Workplace Problems Spurred $75 Billion Microsoft Deal – WSJ
  • (this is the article that states bobby boy tried to buy kotaku)
• Microsoft contract workers brace for six-month break – GeekWire

AMD Radeon 6500 XT:

• AMD RX 6500 XT is Worse Than 2016’s GPUs: Benchmarks vs. GTX 1060, 970, 960, & RX 580
• Radeon RX 6500 XT is bad at cryptocurrency mining on purpose, AMD says | Ars Technica
• The reviews are in: AMD’s mining-averse RX 6500 XT also isn’t great at gaming | Ars Technica
• What the internet got wrong about AMD’s controversial Radeon RX 6500 XT | PCWorld

Utada Hikaru:

• Hikaru Utada Interview: ‘BAD Mode’ & Finding A Better Sense of Self – Billboard
• BADモード – Album by Hikaru Utada | Spotify

Headphones:

• MG20 | Master & Dynamic

Contact:

• Cristian Online
• Sadiq Online
• Mint Online

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CES. 2022.

Show Notes:

00:02:02 – Razer’s Irresponsible Mask
00:09:49 – TVs
00:23:58 – Computers and Processors
00:53:43 – Grab Bag

CES 2022:

• Razer’s Zephyr Pro mask has the voice amp feature we wanted all along – The Verge
  • This mask is a big scam – is using fake N95 filters
    • https://twitter.com/RealSexyCyborg/status/1479647964352028678
    • Filters lack any NIOSH certification
    • goth kids dancing (original)

• CES 2022 will close a day early because of COVID concerns
• CES 2022 will introduce HDMI 2.1a, another confusing new spec
• Sony announces the world’s first QD-OLED 4K TV, coming later this year
• Sony is joining the Mini LED TV bandwagon in 2022
• Samsung promises ‘groundbreaking’ new TV feature: NFT support
• Samsung’s latest Frame TVs have a matte screen that looks and feels more like real art
• Samsung’s new 2022 TVs bring Nvidia GeForce Now and Google Stadia gaming
• Samsung’s new TV remote uses radio waves from your router to stay charged
• LG announces its largest and smallest OLED TVs ever as part of 2022 lineup
• LG TVs now have a built-in health platform
• The Samsung Odyssey Ark is its largest curved monitor yet
• Chevy Silverado EV revealed: GM’s best-selling truck goes electric
• General Motors announces electric versions of the Chevy Equinox and Blazer SUVs
• BMW’s IX M60 is a dual-motor performance EV with 280 miles of range
• BMW debuts its new color-changing paint technology at CES: E Ink
• Sony pivots into cars with Sony Mobility and a Vision-S SUV prototype at CES 2022
• Dell XPS 13 Plus hands-on: is that… a touch bar?
• Asus will release a 17-inch foldable OLED laptop this year
• Lenovo’s new ThinkBook Plus Gen 3 has an eight-inch secondary screen
• Intel’s 12th Gen Alder Lake chips arrive at CES 2022 for its most powerful laptops ever
• Intel’s upcoming Arc GPUs inch closer to their debut with latest OEM update
• Intel announces 5.5GHz capable 12th Gen CPU
• Nvidia still has no idea how to pronounce the name of its best gaming GPU
• Google will spend 2022 trying to match Apple’s ecosystem integrations
• The OnePlus 10 Pro’s official specs are not the least bit surprising
• The Galaxy S21 FE officially joins Samsung’s crowded mirage lineup
• Why AT&T and Verizon are feuding with the US Government over a last-minute delay to 5G
• L’Oreal’s newest gadget takes the mess out of coloring your hair
• Sony confirms PlayStation VR2 name and Horizon game
• Samsung’s tiny Freestyle projector is fun so get over it
• Anker’s new Nano II 100W USB-C charger is the smallest 100W GaN charger yet
• The Motorola MA1 is a dongle for wireless Android Auto
• Razer’s new Zephyr Pro mask has the voice amp feature we wanted all along
• Black + Decker’s $300 Bev vacuums up a Keurig-shaped hole in the robot bartender space
• Are we ready for the smart front door? Masonite thinks so
• This breathing PC case looks like it’s alive
• Podcasters are letting software pick their ads — it’s already going awry
• Pete Buttigieg is racing to keep up with self-driving cars
• AMD Ryzen 6000 CPUs, AM5 Socket, Zen 4, R7 5800X3D, & RX 6500 XT
• RIP AMD Low-End: Intel i5-12400F, i3-12300, H670 & B660 Motherboards, & New Coolers
• NVIDIA Buried Its Own Launch (RTX 3090 Ti & RTX 3050), DDR4 to DDR5 Converter | HW News
• HW News: Ridiculous PC Cases, Razer Makes Impractical Things, & More

Contact:

• Cristian Online
• Sadiq Online

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Halo. Infinite.

Show Notes:

Spoilers begin at 57:48

Halo Infinite reviews:

• ”Halo Infinite’ Is a Fun Sandbox Stuck Inside a Very Old Video Game’ by Cameron Kunzelman for Waypoint
• ‘Review: Halo Infinite’s campaign finishes the fight—but arrives in tatters’ by Sam Machkovech for Ars Technica
• ‘Halo Infinite review: grappling hooks and jeep joyrides make up for a shaky sci-fi plot’ by Brendan Caldwell for Rock Paper Shotgun
• ‘Halo Infinite saves the series by finally doing something different’ by Nicole Carpenter for Polygon

Performance:

• Halo Infinite on Consoles: Xbox Series X/S vs Xbox One S/X – Can Xbox One Run It?

Other links

• How Microsoft’s Halo Infinite Went From Disaster to Triumph
• Playlist Update : r/halo
• Halo Infinite: Memory Agent | Podcast on Spotify

Contact:

• Cristian Online
• Sadiq Online

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Fast cars, family, hot processors, and catgirls rocking IEMs.

Show Notes:

00:01:32 – Forza Horizon 5
00:46:50 – Intel Alder Lake
01:07:12 – AirPods 3 and Moondrop Quarks

Forza Horizon 5:

• Sign Language Interpreters, and Forza Horizon 5 Accessibility – Access-Ability
• Forza Horizon 5 PC: Can Graphics Scale Beyond Xbox Series X? Optimised Settings + More
• Forza Horizon 5: Every Xbox Version Tested – Xbox Series S/X vs Xbox One S/X!
• Forza controller

Intel Alder Lake:

• Intel Did It: Core i9-12900K CPU Review & Benchmarks vs. AMD
• Attacking AMD’s Prices: Intel Core i5-12600K CPU Review & Benchmarks vs. AMD
• Intel Windows 10 vs. Windows 11 Alder Lake Benchmarks (12900K & 12600K CPUs)
• Intel Core i7-12700K & 12700KF CPU Review, Benchmarks, & Efficiency vs. AMD Ryzen
• Intel’s Alder Lake big.little CPU design, tested: It’s a barn burner

Airpods 3 vs 12$ IEMs with an anime girl logo:

• Moondrop Quarks Earphone Closed Anterior Cavity Micro Dynamic Driver IEM Earphone (Without mic)
• AirPods (3rd generation)
• THE BEST GAMING HEADPHONES don’t matter

Contact:

• Cristian Online
• Sadiq Online

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We go pro this week with overpriced computers.

**The Dolby Atmos mix of this episode is delayed because of a bug where audio is lost on my Mac when trying to master in Dolby Atmos. I intend on releasing the surround sound mix at a later date — Cristian

Show Notes:

00:02:26 – Third Gen Airpods/Siri Voice Plan
00:15:01 – New MacBook Pros
00:57:43 – Google Pixel 6 and 6 Pro

AirPods and the uhhh Siri Voice Plan?!?

• Apple’s 3rd-generation AirPods arrive next week with a new design, spatial audio
• Apple Music’s new voice-only plan costs $4.99 per month

MacBook Pro:

• Apple intros 14- and 16-inch MacBook Pros with display notches, M1 Pro, and M1 Max
• The new MacBook Pro seems to have an HDMI 2.0 port, not 2.1
• A Look Inside Apple’s Silicon Playbook
• Apple Announces M1 Pro & M1 Max: Giant New Arm SoCs with All-Out Performance

Google Pixel 6:

• The Pixel 6 is official—and it’s $300 cheaper than a comparable Samsung phone
• The “Google Silicon” team gives us a tour of the Pixel 6’s Tensor SoC
• Google Announces Pixel 6, Pixel 6 Pro: The New Real Flagship Pixels
• Google ships Android 12 for the Pixel 3 and up

Contact:

• Cristian Online
• Sadiq Online

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We talk about the new Switch OLED model the only way we know how: browsing YouTube videos for low resolution teardowns and trying to look up part data sheets to try and figure out why Ethernet is so bad on the Switch.

Show Notes:

00:05:39 – OLED Display Concerns
00:21:53 – Ethernet Discourse

Jim Ryan is Wrong:

• Jim Ryan: “I would love a world where hundreds of millions enjoy our games”
• No, Jim Ryan – Gaming In The Middle East Existed Long Before PlayStation

Switch OLED:

• Display
  • Uses PWM to control brightness, appears to go full throttle from 0-50% brightness
    • OLED Switch uses PWM dimming below 50% brightness: NintendoSwitch
      • Explanation on what PWM is
        • https://www.reddit.com/r/apple/comments/7uv6m3/iphone_x_uses_pulse_width_modulation_which_is_a/dto2o9l/
    • iPhone 13 for context begins around from under 25% brightness
  • Nintendo is shipping the display with a “vibrant” profile enabled out of box, burying the more color accurate “standard” mode in settings
  • The OLED Nintendo Switch doesn’t have a Pentile screen
• Ethernet:
  • From this teardown it appears to be a gigabit port with a full ethernet controller
    • Switch OLED Full Teardown! Dock Can Upscale?! OLED vs Switch vs Lite
  • However real world tests are showing far less than gigabit speeds
    • Switch OLED hardwired still has incredible bad and embarrassing speeds: NintendoSwitch
    • https://twitter.com/llaffer2/status/1446587410700292109
  • Nintendo Switch Teardown
    • Using the original Switch teardown as guidance and Nintendo’s never ending ability to be cheap as forecast, assuming the Switch OLED has the same USB controller
      • PI3USB30532 (USB Switches)
      • USB 3.2 Gen 1 5Gb/s Super Speed and DP 1.2 5.4Gb/s switching to USB Type C connector
    • The Switch OLED dock per the teardown above has a HDMI 2.0 controller on the new dock
      • HDMI 2.0 technically can cap out at 18Gb/s
      • Which is almost 4x what the USB controller on the Switch itself supports for bandwidth on the USB and DP side (~10Gb/s theoretical)
      • In theory this bottleneck could be causing the shit Ethernet Speeds
      • However nintendo could just be nintendo and doing a nintendo
      • MCDP2900 DisplayPort1.4a to HDMI2.0b Protocol Converter with HDCP2.3 Repeater
        • Newer version of the HDMI to DP converter used on the dock board
      • Switch 4K gaming could be added with new dock chip swap, AI upscaling
      • A brief aside on the Nintendo Switch Wi-Fi
        • Broadcom BCM4356 is the part used per the ifixit teardown
          • ThinkPad Yoga 260
          • ThinkPad L560
          • I don’t really have more commentary than the fact that Nintendo is shipping wifi used in Windows laptops in a 2×2 config and it’s still absolute shit

Contact:

• Cristian Online
• Sadiq Online

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We get pumped for the Fall 2021 Surface event and then bring back on Mint to talk about the September 2021 Nintendo Direct.

Show Notes:

00:03:24 – Surface Go
00:04:25 – Surface Pro 8
00:19:14 – Surface Duo 2
00:25:55 – Surface Laptop Studio
00:34:14 – An Aside On Tales Of Arise
00:38:43 – Kirby and the Forgotten Land
00:42:13 – NSO Expansion Pack
00:56:22 – Mario Movie Casting
01:01:43 – Bayonetta 3
01:07:49 – Splatoon 3
01:12:15 – Monster Hunter Rise DLC
01:16:21 – Hyrule Warriors DLC
01:20:57 – Chocobo Racing
01:25:09 – Grab bag of Games

 Surface Event:

• Microsoft’s fall Surface event: the 7 biggest announcements
• Surface Pro 8 hands-on: new screen, new keyboard, new processors, and more
• Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio hands-on: one weird, powerful computer
• Microsoft’s new Surface Duo 2 has all the features that were missing the first time around

Nintendo Direct:

• Nintendo Direct September 2021: The biggest announcements
• Nintendo Direct September 2021: All the news and announcements

 

Contact:

• Cristian Online
• Sadiq Online
• Mint Online

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We talk about the Fall 2021 Apple Event.

Show Notes:

00:06:00 – iPads
00:18:25 – Watch Series 7
00:32:13 – iPhone 13 (and all of their variants)
01:07:01 – Postscript: Thermals of the new PS5

California Streaming Event

• Apple’s September 14, 2021 Keynote: By the Numbers
• Apple Updates the iPad mini and 10.2″ iPad
• Apple Watch Series 7: The MacStories Overview
• The New iPhone 13 Lineup: The MacStories Overview
• What Does It All Mean?: A Look at Judge Gonzalez Rogers’ Decision in the Epic Versus Apple Trial

Thermal Camera Rant

• New PlayStation 5 vs. Old PS5 Cooler Design: Thermals & Fans, ft. @Digital Foundry
• The New PlayStation 5 CFI-1100 Review – Featuring @Gamers Nexus!

Contact:

• Cristian Online
• Sadiq Online

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