Talks of a new 360 SKU with a 60 GB HD, or even a future revision with an internal Blu-ray drive, have me wondering -
Is anyone else tired of all the SKU crap in this console war? It's one thing for a console to undergo significate hardware revisions once or twice in its lifetime in order to lower the manufacturing costs (see: PS2, PSP, DS, PS1, etc.), but this is getting ridiculous.
Maybe I'm alone here, but I don't want 3 or 4 versions of the same damn console. I enjoy console gaming because of its simplicity compared to PC gaming.
I tried to explain the backwards compatability thing for the PS3 to someone and it's just insane:
"Well there's the 60 GB and the 20 GB that came out first and have full backwards compatability and then the 80 GB one came out but it uses software emulation so it only has SOME backwards compatability and then the 40 GB one came out and it has NO backwards compatability."
And that's after a year of the PS3 being on the market. And what if Microsoft releases a 360 with an internal Blu-ray drive as rumored? Do we really need to add that confusion to the pile too?
The strength of console gaming is the simplicity. You buy the system, throw in the game, and you know it works just as well on your console as it does on the millions of others.
Just look at the recent Bully issues on the 360. Apparently it might happen on older 360's but not on newer ones? Is that really what we've come to in console gaming? This is the crap I tried to get away from when I went back to console gaming.
We seem to be losing that this generation - and I don't like it one bit.
Mario Kart World is some of the most fun you’ll have this year that offers a deep experience with the Switch 2’s launch.
Few games among the Nintendo Switch 2 launch line-up can match Cyberpunk 2077 in putting the system through its paces. It's a staple of our PC benchmarking suite for good reason: the open world design is a solid stressor for any CPU, while its effects-heavy battles challenge GPU resources as well. This Switch 2 release has clearly been a big undertaking for developer CD Projekt Red too, who produced the port in-house with unique optimisations for Switch 2's ARM-based architecture. It's also remarkably the Ultimate Edition of the game, with both the core adventure and the more taxing Phantom Liberty expansion bundled in - an extra portion that proved too demanding to justify a last-gen console release, and was instead restricted to PS5 and Series X/S, and yet here it is running on Switch 2.
To cut to the chase, Switch 2 offers a truly viable way to enjoy Cyberpunk, either in a portable format or docked under a TV. However, CDPR has shot for the stars in its ambition to include Phantom Liberty as well, and it's here that Switch 2 hits some technical limits - with frame-rates struggling as we explore its newer Dog Town region. Still, that aside, there's a lot to admire in the game's engineering for Nintendo's new console overall, and how competitive it is in comparison with other consoles.
I am happy for CDPR. Their hard work paid off because the Switch 2 version are always in the top 5 Switch 2 launch game sales.
This may be one of the weakest launch lineups Nintendo has ever had, with Mario Kart being the only first party game, but Cyberpunk 2077 will definitely give you tremendous value for your money.
One tip I can give people who have never played the game is to first read books from the cyberpunk subgenre. This will allow you to appreciate the story much better. If you find yourself asking which life path is the best to take at the start of the game, in this case it is Corpo, Streetkid, and Nomad. You likely don't know enough about the genre, and certain things will fly right over your head. While it is not mandatory, the game will be 10 times better if you read or listen to some books first.
Some books I have enjoyed in that genre are:
Cyber Dreams by Plum Parrot,
Stray Cat Strut by RavensDagger
Tower of Somnus by Cale Plamann
Mist Runner by Nicholas Searcy
If you can only read or listen to 1 book, then I recommend Cyber Dreams by Plum Parrot. It is the closest thing to Cyberpunk 2077.
Mario Kart World may mark plenty of new beginnings for the series and Nintendo, but some of its features may help older players feel young again.
I agree with you that console gaming is becoming a lot like PC gaming. Thank god we have Nintendo, or this generation would have just been a hardware war between Micorsoft and Sony...
I second that.