They’ll release a “New!” version in a year with an improved screen as one of its bullet points, in a bid to get you to buy it again. And people will. See also:
New 3DS was actually a pretty huge upgrade over the original. Despite the name, it was effectively the next generation of the console. Or at the very least a half-generation.
Even sadder is that there are no popular EU streamers throwing their weight behind the initiative. What are they waiting for? Does PewDiePie still stream games?
PewDiePie moved to Japan and while I have no idea what he’s uploaded (or not uploaded) I get the sense he’s basically retired. He’s doing surfing, rock climbing, art, I don’t know that he cares enough anymore to support it.
So basically, the news here is that the switch 2 screen is better than the switch 1 at 17ms vs 21ms, except for one singular tester that claims 30+, which no other independent tester collaborates… And then they go and compare it to screens that cost multiple times the entire switch’s cost… And this is presented as a bad thing?
My understanding is that most testers found it’s about 4ms better than the switch 1, and the only tester that found it worse refuses to actually outline their methodology, and nobody can reproduce the 30ms+ number.
tl;dr he sandbagged the movement when it was beginning to build momentum with a bunch of, what would charitably be called, misunderstandings of the whole point.
I have a steam controller that is brand new in the box. Valve liquidated them like 10 years ago. I bought a bunch of themfor only five dollars apiece. I have absolutely no use for them and they are taking up space. If anybody is interested, they can contactme and I will send it to them. I would rather see somebody enjoy it.
You should give it a try, it is some of the weirdest and coolest tech in controllers. It’s the only one I use for gaming, dropped every other for it. The gyro aiming thing is such a weird yet natural concept it’s just funny nobody thought of it before them. Lots of settings to go through before it works well for a specific game. I set it up for CSGO and was able to play at like 80% of my usual skill (LEM at the time), with spray control being amazing on it compared to mouse. Honestly, if I had it when I was learning to play FPS when I was young, I’d probably be better on it than kb+m
Nintendo was able to sue palworld using a patent that didn’t exist before palworlds release. It’s not right, but they can do whatever they want regardless of what the law says.
People say this, but I believe it is mostly technically untrue. It’d be a relatively easy argument to say that a downloaded ROM that isn’t exactly the digital copy YOU purchased with a license would be seen as not legal.
However some people talk about literally ripping the game off the physical device themselves, hence copying their own copy of it. Now you are in grey territory of making copies of copyrighted materials, and in the case of more modern games like the last decade, they almost assuredly have language that specifies you don’t actually own the code and all that.
All I’m saying is be careful and probably refrain from repeating the fallacy that owning a game makes emulation of it legal, because that implies having the ROM is legal and that’s doubtful.
Copying your own game and materials for backup purposes is no grey area, and neither is development or use of emulators, and panicky, uninformed spewing of gut feelings are how public knowledge of your actual rights gets muddled into people with zero knowledge waxing poetic about how they THINK it works because they like games and think that makes their ramblings valuable.
/edit: I was WRONG. This is my memory failing me. I explain it further below, and apologize for wasting any time.
After the DMCA passed there was a case of a judge finding it legal to bypass DRM to make backup copies, but illegal to distribute the software used to do so. I have no idea if there was ever further clarification or new law about this. That was like 20 years ago. It was part of a case going after the company who was making the software, but the name slips my mind. I’ll try to look it up if anyone cares enough and wants to look for something more than hearsay on a forum.
I get you! I was bigger into copyright some 20-30 years ago myself when we would’ve all been on Slashdot.
To that end, I was WRONG in my post, I think I was conflating two things, and for that, I’m sorry. I was certainly thinking in part about Universal City Studios, Inc. v. Corley (2001). That was the case that decided that the software DeCSS was illegal, and you could distribute the software. I was thinking that while the court did agree with Universal over the software, that it did not find that breaking DRM on a product you owned was inherently illegal. (I legit think this was a “take” at the time. Probably wouldn’t hold up in court these days, sadly.) And I did find that years later the Library of Congress offered exemptions for breaking DRM on some hardware (vehicles, medical devices,) but I believe even those were temporary and have since lapsed.
Sorry I spoke so surely about something I was wrong about.
Not to be a stickler, but this does not say making copies is illegal - it makes circumvention of drm methods illegal. You can make drm’d copies as you like as long as you don’t circumvent the drm method. If your game isn’t encrypted, and the emulator doesn’t implement the drm, you haven’t circumvented drm - you are playing your legal copy on a device that does not implement the drm. It’s distinct from removing the drm from a device that implements it.
I do get that most consoles encrypt their software these days, but let’s be clear - it’s not as simple as “DRM means you have no rights.”
I don’t agree with any of that noise around the DMCA for the record. I feel like we effectively lost our right to archival copies.
On a PC, what you said about copying the DRM along with the data is largely true. It is possible sometimes to copy the DRM and reproduce the image with the DRM intact. It also might not be depending upon the copy protection mechanism. Commercial video DVDs used to employ tricks with the storage sector that made it almost impossible to properly copy by a standard computer disc drive. You could get around this with additional program like AnyDVD, but that was only available for sale outside the USA because of the fact that it allowed you to bypass DRM.
And like you said, the content can be encrypted. Decrypting it is, IIRC, considered bypassing DRM - at least in the USA.
Again, I don’t agree that this is how things should be, but the legality of emulation is complicated depending upon what we’re talking about emulating.
I also don’t like how things are legally speaking with DMCA, but the main takeaway is - the creation and distribution of an emulator, without DRM protections, is unequivocally protected and legal. ROM backup is certainly in most cases not, but if you are making your own copies for your own use, even while illegally breaking encryption, it would be difficult to prove and prosecute on an individual basis.
The right we must continually remind people is NOT even REMOTELY in question is the right to create and distribute emulators. This is by far the more important one, because people cannot reasonably develop their own emulators - it requires an open, collaborative community to ensure future preservation, and it’s a constant battle to keep people from actively trying to cede this right because they have nebulous loyalties to soulless companies that return no such feelings.
The emulation itself is legal, assuming you’re not using any copyrighted code, BIOS, etc. to make work.
The backup copy of your game that you need can be made legally as well, but in the USA, if the source contains a form of DRM, then you cannot legally make a copy.
You can get them secondhand, that’s not the issue. What would be the point of making a Steam controller from Steam controller parts? We already have that.
They have mechanical components that will wear out over time (though I suppose some people probably use them lightly enough that it’s less of an issue).
Mostly just that they’re not longer being produced and the second-hand supply is dwindling. Also the bumpers are prone to breaking and a USB-C port would be nice.
Hell, they are almost designed to break. They are utterly shabby in terms of build quality.
I was one of the early adopters going back to November 2015
I am not lying when I tell you I have been through 17 of these controllers. It’s the right bumper almost every time.
I have a giant handful of the dongles. I was saving them thinking they would go up in value but now like $2 knockoffs are available LOL
Edit: the first one I received, out of the box, had a broken face button membrane. The replacement I received had a non-functioning back right paddle. The replacement for that had a non-functioning R shoulder and you could hear the plastic crunching on each press. That’s just the first three I received and I’m not counting those in the 17 that I destroyed in my own hands.
They were built like absolute shit. After the first run got sold and they shored-up manufacturing problems, they got marginally better but the fundamental underlying issue never was solved.
If it wasn’t such a wonderful controller, I would have stomped the first one into powder and never looked back.
Totally fair take. What they lack in durability they more than make up for in ergonomics and control customization features.
I’ve got a total of 8 of them with only 2 busted bumpers. I’d say that’s not terrible considering they went through 1000+ hours of the Souls series plus Sekiro.
For me, I want one with internal rechargeable (and replaceable) batteries, more reliable Bluetooth, and multi-device targeting (ie those 1,2,3 toggles you see on stuff like mouse/keyboards - I use mine on my Steam Deck and also on my desktop - dont want to mess with pairing each time. Plus if I end up with with a Switch 2, the trackpad would be interesting for mouse mode if those could connect (no idea)).
it doesn’t let me charge and play at the same time
I could hot swap in and out batteries, but it doesn’t report battery percentage
It also doesn’t auto-pause when the battery dies, like other systems do
It runs through them quickly
it acts finicky/unpredictable when the battery is very low, rather than reaching a consistent threshold and stopping working
In combination with a bug/anti-feature I’ve posted about previously, my Steam Deck sees it as a new controller every time the batteries are replaced, despite the Bluetooth MAC/BDA not changing.
Fair enough. I much prefer swapping them every few hours rather than using a wire, and I haven’t had those identification problems you describe. Largely comes down to setup and usage profile it seems.
Rechargeables get stuck and are waaaay harder to remove than regular because they’re just a bit bigger. I have solved this with a loop of sticky tape around the batteries so I got a bit of a pull tab when using them.so it works…but not perfectly
The Deck’s controls. The Steam Controller was a bit too drastic of a change for me. It’s great for games not designed for a controller but having no D-pad and only a single analog stick is a deal breaker for most people who get a controller to play games designed for controllers.
why are people hating on a builder who designed something that a large number of gamers want? This can possibly be the catalyst for valve do give us that sweet pus*-controller we all want. I know I do! I use both my steam deck as controllers and it’s awesome. This video is inspiring
pcgamer.com
Aktywne