Gaming Through the Ages: Evolution of Gaming with Ragedchris

Join us for an exciting episode of the Retro Pioneers Podcast as we dive deep into the world of gaming with our special guest, Ragedchris! Known for his passion for gaming and sharp industry insights, Ragedchris takes us on a journey through the evolution of gaming—from the nostalgic 8-bit era to the cutting-edge tech of today.

Together with your hosts, Blackboijaye and Byron, we’ll explore how gaming has shaped culture, discuss iconic retro games that set the stage for modern classics, and share thoughts on where the gaming industry is headed.

Plus, Ragedchris introduces his new signature segment, "Weekly Gaming Digest", where he shares the latest news and trends in gaming. This is an episode you don’t want to miss!

Chapters

• 0:00 The Evolution of Gaming: A Nostalgic Journey
• 2:55 Nintendo's Future: Anticipating the Switch 2
• 5:55 The Impact of Online Connectivity on Gaming
• 8:58 Graphics vs. Gameplay: The Modern Dilemma
• 11:54 The Shift in Gaming Ownership and Licensing
• 14:57 Competition vs. Collaboration in Today's Gaming Scene
• 24:59 Family Gaming Dynamics
• 28:01 Trends in Gaming: What's Stale?
• 32:52 The Impact of Microtransactions
• 36:37 Subscription Models in Gaming
• 43:05 Nostalgia vs. Modern Gaming Experiences

Transcript

0:00

What's going on everybody. Welcome back to the Retro Pioneers podcast. Tonight, we got a special episode for you lined up and joining me, have Byron. We have the one and only Rage Chris, a passionate gamer with some shape, sharp insights into the world of gaming. We're diving into the evolution of gaming from the classics we grew up and what's shaking up the industry right now. Let's get started. All right, Chris, nice to have you on the podcast, man, again, and nice to have you, Byron. I wanna ask you some things, What's the one game from your childhood that still holds up for you today? For my childhood it still holds up to me. Let's see. There's actually quite a few, but I think one specifically that I think a lot of people might agree with is Super Mario World. I could go on that game and even though I played it a long time ago, it's still fun. I have my kids on it too. It's always a family fun night playing Super Mario World. Okay, okay. Nice, nice. When was the last time you played? That's actually a good question because there's so many new Mario games coming out I actually haven't played that one in a minute at the most recent Mario game I played probably is Mario wonder and that one just like takes it to the next level with all the extra You know outfits you can be on my kids love being elephant Mario and stuff. You're gonna crack out of it is that one of his new forms, Elephant Mario? nice. So would you say you guys are Nintendo faithful in your household? yeah, I would say I mean I I I have a little bit of a dabble of all the different ones But I think because that was my first like console. I kind of have like an affinity for that one specifically Because I know that before the Xbox and PlayStation rivalry It was a Nintendo and Sega rivalry and and our household week It just happened to be we were Nintendo folks and I knew other friends who are the Sega folks and but it worked out because you would have like those buddies you would go and they would have the games you didn't vice versa so we kind of go to each other's houses and get to play a little bit of you know sonic or a little bit of mario depending on who had what So are you looking forward to see what Nintendo's gonna be doing as their sequel to the Switch or? yes, I'm salvating from all the rumors and all the next Switch 2 rumors that have been coming for the last few years here. seems like the rumor mills basically say that they have it. It's just a matter of when they hit the button, Switch 2 launched. I can't wait to see what it is though because Nintendo is very good at keeping secrets and then when they do release something, they come out of the box with something you had no idea. that would be coming at you. I think right now, Nintendo is trying to hold back the Switch 2 only because they're trying to eliminate all the piracy that they got going on. They trying to target anyone and everyone who's pirating the game. And I mean, I get it. You don't wanna pirate a game that you know for a fact that's current. I get it if the game would never come out or it got delisted, but as far as you... bootleg in a game that's not even out yet. That's crazy to me. What's your thoughts on that, Chris? Yeah, that's that's a big no-no and you see some of these guys who've been playing those games I saw I guess Through different YouTube channels I follow that there's the one individual got like fine for each time He you know streamed one of those unreleased games and the tunnel was like I think at the end of it was like five million dollars I'm like, my god like That makes me scared don't play anything online this Nintendo because they're come after you those Nintendo ninjas are real So yeah, definitely watch out with the Nintendo because they're they don't play about their IP They're trying to be the Disney of video games. So that's that's my perspective on them Okay, okay. Well, I want to let's go back home. What do you so what's what's the strongest rumor for the Switch 2 because I've heard some rumors. But what is what is the Nintendo community think the Switch 2 is going to be like? How big of a technical upgrade do they think we're going to get? And are we going to get like any new control? Are we going to go back to I mean, I guess controllers are always been motion controlled, right? For a Nintendo, yeah, I think. this more motion controlled games? Like I want Wii bowling 2025. know, like, right? would be dope. fun. Yeah I think the biggest rumor about like the power of it is that it's gonna be equivalent to they say like the ps4 To like a ps4 Pro or maybe like an Xbox one like that generation Where cuz you know Nintendo they're not about the raw power of it all they're about the the experience and the fun of it Which that's why they're so successful because I feel like the general Consensus is that as long as it's fun to play That's worth playing that game if it takes too much like of a learning curve then it gets to You get those the fallout from people who aren't really invested in video games that heavily that are you know a little bit more on the hardcore side and you know, I I see it kind of from both angles and both ends and I I really think that The Nintendo is trying to strike a balance because they do have like some people like us who are a little bit more enthusiasts And then they have people like, I have like my sister who will play a Nintendo Switch but has no idea anything other than that, know, cause it's like, what are you talking about with Helldivers this or PlayStation that? You know, I try to explain it to them, but they're like, it's like a whole new world. it's like, I think Nintendo is just finding that balance of where they can fit in. And also with, you know, cloud gaming, they're looking, taking a look at that because I feel like some of their games that were a little too much. power drawn, they weren't able to play them natively on their console now, the original Switch. they're looking at maybe, you know, if it doesn't meet that power specifications, how they can bring those extra titles to them. Because some people like me, I had to go and get an Xbox because I like to play those AAA title games, you know, or like you said, like the Helldivers on PlayStation or PC that, you know, a Nintendo Switch just can't, can't output at all. Yeah, yeah, that's, know, I've always been a fan of Nintendo and my last Nintendo console was a Wii. I need to kind of catch up and I'm excited to see what the Switch 2 is gonna be. I just keep wondering like when are they, because I know it's not about power, but I feel like they need to get to a place of where they're still current with power, but they're not chasing the power play like Xbox and Microsoft are, you know what I mean? Like, because you still want. it to be something where developers can like achieve the vision they want with their game, but not have it look like it's from the PlayStation 3 era. Yeah, of course. And so they're trying to always kind of tread that fine line. I hope they get it just right. I really feel like if you do, like if you look at the switch, the original switch, right? And if it like, I look at the thing where it says, if it ain't broke, don't fix it, right? But at the same time, why release a whole nother console if you're still gonna be doing the same thing as the original? So. The Switch 2 has to have some type of power-driven performance, you know? So if it's either their games, they're going to have high tier games that's coming out for the system, like any upscale Zelda games or any upscale Metroid games. But I'm really excited for what's to come with Nintendo. I was never a big huge fan of Nintendo, but I respect Nintendo for the games that they do have, cause they have some fun games, man. And to the point where they have very fun co-op games. Cause till this day, you know what the most played game for Nintendo is? Yes. And after that is Smash Bros. So it's like, Nintendo has a formula that's obviously working, but at the same time, you can't just give us the same thing that we already have now. You got to give us something big, you know, to the point where it's going to make a lot of the doubters believers. And I really feel like they're going to pull it off with the Switch 2, but it's a reason why they haven't introduced it now because our feeble minds ain't ready for it yet. me. You When do you think we'll get an announcement, Chris? When do you think we're getting one end of the year or next year for an official image, like just an image of the next switch? I've been wrong several times because I thought they were going to announce it in September and October. my next real guess, I would say, is probably going to be closer to when they release it because it seems like they like to do those hot drops now on YouTube where no one expects it. And then you're like, wait, what? They released an alarm clock this morning? What happened? Why? So yeah, so I'm thinking they're going to release it like. closer. They already stated in a statement to their shareholders, it's going to come out the last quarter, fiscal quarter. So and they say, I think it's in April. So I'm thinking late February, early March, I don't have like an exact date. But I feel like it's going to be in that time period. I mean, I know there's some people who still have hope have faith that this year is the year but I've kind of lost that hope after September and October didn't happen. I mean, yeah, if they're not planning, they wanted a holiday release, you would be hearing and the marketing would be full swing. They'd like, YouTubers would be like, I have time with the new switch last week. you know, they'd be all of that. So yeah, it definitely not coming this year. But no, that sounds like, you said in the fiscal quarter 2024, so that's April, like that sounds, yeah. That'll be right. So we're a spring that way all the kids when they're getting out of school ask their moms. Summer's over, can I get the new switch now here? When they get out in May. end of the and then from, you know, spring to the next following, you know, holiday season gives them that much time to build up the next switch because right now people are still there. Might be not even looking at that. And they're like, I still want the switch, the current one. And, you know, they're not even it's not even any on some people's radar. They're like, OK. And they don't want to have that same kind of launch where they did it with the Wii U or it doesn't do so well because they didn't know how to market it. And you know didn't have necessarily an upgrade because the Wii U right now I feel like they're in that same kind of situation because the Wii U really was just a little bit more powerful Wii and I didn't even really get a Wii U until way later when I got it like on the secondhand market because I was like there's no point to this I can play all my Wii games can play my not only my Wii games but those still from the previous generation from Gamecube so I was like why even jump to the next one I could still play all the games that they're basically releasing you know Yeah, you're right. know, that Wii U launch was so weird because the Wii took the world by storm. it, everyone had one. You're like, my mom had a Wii, I had it. It was crazy. they coming off the heels of how successful the Wii was, it's like they didn't, it's almost like they didn't realize the easy thing to do is that you just make a Wii 2. That's just a little bit, a little bit more powerful and you just, but they kind of didn't. I don't know, was like they almost wanted to pull away from what got them so successful with the Wii U, but then they didn't. I don't know what happened in there. It was an easy field goal that they just fell over on themselves for. It weird. Yeah, and then I feel like but the great thing about that failed console is a lot of Classic switch games like the breath of the wild and mario kart 8 came from them So it was like a beautiful disaster for us on the switch side because of that but on on that flip side of that though i'm hoping that they you know are done with their remasters and remakes because I feel like that's all they've been doing mostly. I know they're probably aren't because people eat it up. I'm included in it. But I like I like seeing like, you know, the Mario wonder and like, you know, some of these newer video games that they come out with because I, you know, we're from a generation where we're constantly we're used to getting newer IPs or newer storylines. Instead of it right now, it's almost like it's a remaster on everything. Like, there's not a game that Even games that aren't even that old, like there may be a PlayStation 4 game, they're like, well, let's remaster it to PS5 or, and it's like, well, you could still play it it's not that much of a difference graphically. It's, you know, very minimal. I, yeah, that's a good example. Forbidden, I'm sorry, Horizon Zero Dawn had that $10 upgrade if you want it for the fully remastered PS5 version. And the game still looks great. It didn't look bad before. So I don't, I didn't really understand the upgrade. I mean, I get it. You want to make people feel like their dollars are going somewhere. But at the same time, it's like, you know, don't pull me by the leg and tell me I'm getting a PS5 exclusive when this was a PS4 port. So it's just to the point where if you want to release, this is my honest opinion. If you want to release multiple titles under the same name, don't do it under the same generation of console. Horizon Zero Dawn should have been just for PS4, right? The next one should have just been directly for PS5. We can wait. I mean, every generation of consoles that has a five-year span, right? We could have waited five years for a whole nother game if it was going to be on a new- console, you know, if you, if you had more developers being upfront with their consumers, letting them know that look, y'all, y'all keep playing the same game that we have right now, but we will give you a new IP, the release date of a new console. What y'all, like, how y'all feel about that? Well, Sony, that was Sony's motto. Sony was really like, we believe in generations. We want our players to move with us to the next console. And they started down that path for PS5. Because I PS4 was really like that. A lot of games that were on PS4, you couldn't play them on PS3, because it was a technical leap, too. PS3 was like the cell. They had the cell thing that was hard for developers to use, and PS4 made it easier. So that was the whole thing. But then this PS5 generation, like you said, they came out with that intention. They were like, we want you to join us in this generation. But then quickly we saw really, they they started releasing games on both platforms. they just, the problem was so the reason why they couldn't do that was just because they had too many people that bought a PS4. The PS4 generation was so successful. I mean, you had over a hundred million people with PS4s. And then when PS5 came out, you know, there was the scalper issue and the They looked at how many units were coming out as fast as they wanted. they said, shit, we got to keep releasing some of these games on PS4. yeah and then it didn't help the xbox was also doing it with the xbox one because that like, look, just buy our ecosystem and the game, and whatever game you buy, the console will put the right version on there for you. You know what I mean? And people are like, that's really cool. So if you bought an S or X, you just buy the game and it downloads whatever version you need. And Sony was like, well, I guess your PS4 people can still give us some money. Alright. so question I got for you, Chris, what do you think is the biggest way gaming has evolved since the retro era? the biggest change. Mm-hmm. From the retro era to the modern era. Like, for you, not what everybody else, you know, just your opinion. think it's just online connectivity. Because back when I remember gaming, there was no... and I only bring that up because you can't... like I had my internet go out the other day and you can't play anything if you don't have connection. Because I have multiple systems for like the Switch for instance. And unless if it's your... I guess considered your quote-unquote your console... Like say if you have it on another console, your account, it has to use like an online verification so you can access a game that you purchase even though it's with your account. And it's like, this is like a barrier that doesn't exist, you know, 10, 15 years ago. because that wasn't how games were made games were made to just be on your hard drive you play them when you play them you know and yeah there was online component to it but you had to access that part it wasn't the full part of the game like it is now and i get it it's nice to have like updates and stuff like that but i'd still prefer that when i play a game if i don't have access to the internet i can still play the game that i paid for and that's one of the main things i remember from my younger self enjoying video games that I kind of don't enjoy nowadays. So that's the, I guess the change from then to now. Okay, What's your thoughts on that, Byron? No, you're right. You know, the whole ownership structure and the way we have digital licenses for everything now and the like, you when you buy a game, you're just you're you're purchasing a license for that software. It's like when you know, back when you when you get a new computer and you had to register your your Windows license on there, look on the bottom of the box, put in the serial. It's gaming. Unfortunately, the software world is so much big money and you know, billionaire companies set the tone for software and gaming companies said, okay, well, we'll just do what software companies that are even doing, which is not good for us, but it took away the ownership from us now. So that way, you know, have to get online so they can verify your license key in the background while it's uploading, you know, and you're seeing the start screen and all this stuff is happening. It's just, you know, it's one of those bummers that like, unfortunately we don't have that much power to do anything about. Unless you're to talk about getting, you know, tens of millions of gamers to boycott gaming for a couple of years, which is good luck with that one. know, so it yeah, I mean, with you that definitely does. It's one of the things that sucks, you know, because now we have a game. It's like you have to almost ask the company if the game is available to play offline and they have to state it for you. We have to kind of ask that. I a lot of people for, cause that was a big problem with Xbox one with Don Mattrick announced it was always online. Everyone was like, we don't want that. And then it just become more and more of the staple now. But you do have some games where like, no, yeah, you, don't have to be online to play our game. Like you can start it up and everything. But if you want to get the updates, you can get online, but you don't have to. It's, it's breaking through a little bit, but. Okay, okay. So Chris, do you feel modern games focus too much on graphics or do you think they still deliver gameplay death? No, it's definitely well depends on the platform. Like I said Nintendo they're not focused on graphics and you know depending for indie games that's a whole different like subject because it depends on the you know, the developers of that indie game because I've seen some that have really bad graphics but are phenomenal games like a vampire survivors, but I would say for like the big guys like PlayStation and Xbox that's a hundred percent like what they've been doing for the last 20 years How can I make it more graphically intense? How can I compete with a PC that's always a step ahead because that's just how PC is, whether we like it or not. And so, but we're seeing now them trying to like, with Xbox, they kind of recognize that that's not gonna be a good move moving forward. Especially with cloud gaming, it's not possible because the high fidelity on cloud gaming is really reliant on internet connection and. Unless if you are fortunate enough to live in an area with great internet, which not everyone is, it's not a good option for you. And Sony, they seem to just fully go into that mode. You see that with the PS5 Pro, where they're like, I don't care if no one buys this thing. I'm putting it out there. We're putting out the best, hottest console. We're going to try to be the most graphic console that you can buy right now. And so they seem to have went all in on that, which is great for people who are really big fans of PlayStation, I'm happy for you that you got that console. But if you really want to have that and that's your MO, come join the PC side because you can do way better and you'll always be a step ahead. So that's just my thoughts on that. Okay, So many it's it's so interesting because Sony has it's kind of like they've almost painted themselves into the corner where like that's the only thing they can do because they built up so much market share. You know, there are so many people have PlayStation and they've had PlayStation since PlayStation 2. So so many people. It's like, you know, the name Band-Aid became synonymous with those adhesive bandages, even though that's a brand, right? So Sony just relies on the fact that they know that there's always gonna get people to think about, gaming, Sony. Console, Sony. Should I get my nephew a Sony? I guess I should get him a Sony. They have built up so much brand equity, it's crazy. Definitely. So do you guys think today's gaming focused more on competition or collaborations? as far as like the developers or like the game people in the games. just the people in the games. I guess it depends on the game if it's a single-player game, you know, that's all on your own and that's your own competition I guess against yourself to see how I mean if you're a speedrunner you're gonna do that for the you know the time of it But if you're just someone who's a casual player But if you're like in the competitive scene, I've seen like, you know, with Call of Duty and Fortnite, it seems like that seems, you know, consistent, where you always see like there's tournaments and stuff like that. I mean, I guess it just depends on like your play style. If you're more of a fast paced, like shooter type of person, or if you're more of like a slow paced open world type of person, or you know, like me, I kind of consider myself a little bit of both. It just depends like on the mood or like with the game I'm currently on. Because I generally like playing multiplayer games just because of the the more community aspect of it like, you know with the group and small group of Family I play with I like to you know get get on and you know kind of like catch up with them but also get to play some games and You know if I'm playing a single-player game I can only play that for so long before I start feeling isolated and then I don't really like that feeling so I I tend to only play those in short chunks and I'm not able to finish those games as fast as maybe someone else who doesn't have a big deal, you know, a big problem with being in a room by themselves for hours on end. Yeah. What are you playing with family right now? Right now with the family usually play Mario Kart. Honestly, that's a that's a staple for us because anyone can get into it It's not you know, got a big learning curve and it's just fun It's just fun to get into a race and you know that they all get mad at me because I usually win but But they still have fun, you know, it's always good to throw the shells and stuff Yes, you do But yeah, that's sorry go ahead no, no, my bad, Chris. no, was just gonna say, yeah, the Switch in general is a great family machine for, know, for me, I have small children, but, know, like for me and like my older brother, not my older brother, like my younger brother and my cousins, like it's more of like going to like those PlayStation or Xbox experiences where you get those like hell divers or, you know, Call of Duty's that it's a little bit more mature. And also it's like that got that multiplayer online that they have their own set up and their own. big screens that, you know, we get that little bit more adult feel, guess you can call to it. So what are you playing with them? Just Helldivers Call of Duty? Or are you guys like specific kind of in something right now? Right now I would say my top three games honestly would be I don't I don't really play held divers as much anymore I kind of fell off with that one, but I always play Call of Duty Rocket League and for tonight Those are like my big three that I play with interchange with with that group like depending on the night or the mood You know, what do feel like tonight? So going back to that, what you was talking about playing with the kids, the family, you don't let your kids win, man. Hey, it's the game. You gotta get the right turtle. You gotta get the right, no. I have played to the point where, you know, it's like, okay, this isn't fun playing with dad. And then you have to ease off off the gas sometimes just so everyone can have a good time. Cause if you go full throttle, you're not gonna have many friends and family who wanna play with you. Yeah, I'll go say that. All right. But how are they gonna learn how to win if they don't have the pressure? They gotta know what the standards are. Yeah. So. I sorry go ahead I don't know, you about to say the same thing. Well, I'm about to get ready to say about having different people over your house and fighting over the controller. If you lose, you just lose. If you want to get good, you're gonna have to wait till your turn. But is that what you want to say Chris or? Exactly that you said it word for word. Like that's how we grew up. You know, once you got the controller, you had your time, whether you were good or bad. That's no, no one cares about that. It's just you didn't, you didn't do well enough to get to the next round. It's past the controller, the sticks and it's next person up. So that's how I grew up. So that's kind of how I kind of see it. But you know, nowadays it's a little bit different the way that they have it. It's gotta be a little bit more easier cause you want to make everyone feel. Like they included, I guess. So with that going, right? Are there any trends in gaming that you feel are becoming stale or overused at this moment? Trends in gaming as far as the with the remasters. That's one of them that I'm I I like it because I like to play the games again by the same time I'm like do we really necessarily need another? Nintendo 64 game or another game, you know old-school game and then another thing is just not not coming out these Pay-to-win games like I like there's a fortnight, you know We don't need to have another one or there's an overwatch like how I feel like these free-to-play games that are just looking for people to come in there and buy the different, you know, outfits and just the micro transactions. Yeah, it's become over saturated. It was a nice fad in the late 2010s, you know, when Fortnite came out in 2017 and Rocket League kind of turned itself into that a little bit because they used to have a different method. But it's it's not as fun playing those games when you're pressured all the time to just play it for the fact of wanting to unlock the next thing. when sometimes it's just fun to play the game to just play it. And right now with Call of Duty, I don't subscribe to any of the battle passes, the loop, none of that. And I have like my brother and my cousin who are, and they're kind of playing it for that reason. And they enjoy it, I guess. But for me, it's just, I don't really enjoy that. I need to get to that next goal post. I just wanna get on there and get some kills, have a good night, and then leave it at that. Yeah. Yeah, you know, that's that's the birth of the every all the always on game like the game that people play predominantly like their one game, the Fortnites or their mobile like League of Legends or Dota, even Call of Duty is, you the battle pass really took over the way companies monetize. were in the era. of loot boxes with the rolling, know, the gambling style loot box where you just click on it and then pop out some random BS for you to then to battle passes where now you can see exactly what you're paying for. And it just took off, yeah. And a bunch of companies, yeah. Yeah, they just took off. fighting games with those fighting passes that I really don't like is I come from like the old school Street Fighter, you know, or like those old arcade style fighting games. And if you were to unlock a character, it's because you just play through the game and you don't have to pay extra for it. And it's like those fighting passes. I'm like, wait, what? I have to do this now? I'm like, man, I don't want to do that. see, it's taking the beauty out of these games that we grew up on. It's everything is a quick flip. How can I make this money back from making this game? That's all they think about. How can we make this money back? And like I was explaining last time, man, you pay 10 to 15 bucks for a character that's only 10 megabytes size. That's nothing. compared to what's on these discs, man. it's like, is it really worth spending your hard earned money that you worked hard for, right? To play something that you love, but they don't realize that you as the consumer has doubts about the methods that they taken when issuing these games, man. Yeah. Well, it's so funny. mean, it's always the battle over how much capitalism is too much capitalism, right? And the sad thing is I feel like a lot of gamers don't want to have that conversation. It's just like this conversation. We can talk about things. It's all right. We can we can see if we're doing things right or not. You know, are we being too greedy with things? I think people like us were ready to say, yes, companies are being too greedy. But then there's other people who are like, well, It's just capitalism. It's like, well, guys, but we need to have some nuance here. We need to be able to talk about things like. It doesn't always have to end up with a dollar sign because some of the greatest things in this world don't necessarily have dollar signs attached to them like my kids, you know, no matter the greatest things in the world don't have dollar signs attached to them. You know, it's about the moments. It's about the, it's about the moments. You know what mean? That's where the life really is. And so that's why I'm hoping that, you know, with our conversation, that's one of the, we can have one of those small effects, maybe some other people, and then we can grow into a movement because that's all we have is people. We don't have, you know, we're never born with money and we're not gonna end up with money, but what we do have is our voice. So that's a good thing. Yeah, it's really true. know, it's we have to understand it's about the values and. We can put out games and games can make money, but they don't have to go overboard and crazy and be. Super and say we are going back to held out, which now held out, which micro transactions are actually micro, you know, one of the armors on there will cost you like like 399. because if you go and buy the dollar packs like five bucks and 10 into like normal standard packages, but if you get the $5 one, you can get a couple of good things. And it's not like you buy the $5 one and you're like, shit, I should have bought the 10 because I don't have enough coin left. Because some of the games that kind of stick you where things are right on that line where if you bought the $5 pack, you don't have enough. You should have bought the $10 pack because things are like seven. It's like, Yes, exactly. And I think that's why Helldivers was actually a lot more successful for even having microtransactions because they did it in a way that was more taxable. Like it's not saying that you can't have them, but maybe put them in a way where it's not affecting the gameplay. And it's just enough to entice the people who do want that extra additional content and maybe are willing to spend it, but not go overboard where it's like, just give me your credit card. Yeah, yeah, like you would you knowing that I can someone can put five or six dollars down and get you know, multiple pieces of things for their armor, not just one armor set for that money is what brings people back, you know, it's funny, have you guys heard of what's his name? He's a streamer, pirate software, the white guy with long hair, who streams he's kind of like, has a decent or his voice kind of sounds like Howard Stern a little bit. He of actually even looks a little bit like Howard Stern. never heard of But he usually does these streams, and I saw him because I saw one of his shorts where he's an old developer. used to develop games, he used to do hacking, protection for the government, all this computer stuff, right? But now he streams. And he was saying that microtransactions are crazy. When you think about this, World of Warcraft had a $15 microtransaction that they made more money from that than they did from the sale of the game. That's the godfather of microtransactions. So that's why it's all blew up is because when companies see one company do that, they're like, my gosh, that one micro transaction made more than the actual gain. It works. Yeah. And they start drooling and they're like, so. yeah that's true they saw that and then they're like let's all do let's all see if we can do this and make that same kind of coin and you know now we're seeing it and some people are doing it good and you see others it's like they should have just stuck to the traditional method just putting out the game and letting it sell like it normally does Yeah, put out the game or put out some cheap micro make like make things a dollar fifty Wouldn't you rather have? Everyone who owns the game pay a dollar fifty if they like that looks really cool then have you know half the people pay twenty dollars Like because then people come back. I could just pay a dollar fifty or 250 or whatever it seems like you're doing less, you Yeah. that's what I value. And I might get a lot of hate from this comment I'm about to make, but that's what I love about Xbox Game Pass. Yes, when you're purchasing a subscription from Microsoft, right? You don't technically own the game. Everybody knows that. But at the same time, I would enjoy to play a first release game on the Game Pass. Yeah. Microsoft had Black Ops 6. When it first came or was released, we was able to play it on Xbox Game Pass. So I like that of knowing, cause I'm tired of buying Call of Duty games anyway, just to beat, just to play it, beat it, play multiplayer a few times and be done with it. Now I'm able to just play the game, be done with it and not having to worry about spending 70 bucks for the game now or with Game Pass, you're able to get the Vault Addition, not the Vault, the Deluxe Edition with Game Pass. So I don't have to spend that 90 bucks to play this game that everybody else has to spend 90 bucks on. So it's just the beauty of knowing that some subscriptions when it come down to these company work, some don't. Let's talk about PlayStation Plus. PlayStation Plus has its perks. But at the same time, I feel like they don't fell off when it came down to what games they usually give us for free. You know, PlayStation for some reason hasn't realized what Microsoft did that it doesn't model that works there. There's a Netflix subscription model for gaming that hasn't truly been tapped. That it's like, it's only a matter of time. You know, same thing that happened with Netflix and Blockbuster. Netflix realized it's only a matter of time before this blows up. It might take a little while, but it'll, it'll be big. And like Microsoft, like you hit the nail on the head. Xbox Game Pass is a, it's a very good value. Like I was super hopped up for Starfield. Then after then as it started getting closer to launch, I was like, good thing I have game pass because I'm going to buy it. I was like, and then and there's so many other games that I've just been able to get down with that, you know, they finally make their way to game pass. I have been playing FC 24, huge football fan, European soccer, football. That's on game pass. And I was all it's just it's created the value within itself, especially when I was already an Xbox person. was just like, all right, I'll add $2 onto my normal thing anyway, and I'll have more games to play. And so, especially for console players who don't have a gaming PC like myself, it's a great value. Yeah, and and I think that to your point why Sony doesn't do it and with PlayStation is because they're in that same Like mindset of well, we've been doing the same thing for so many years of just selling you the game Why are we gonna start giving it to you in a subscription? When you're just gonna pay the full price and then we'll just give you on the subscription on the back end anyways Because they have a larger install base But with Microsoft I think because they kind of did lose it in the hardware sector but they've always been a software company. They recognize that and now they're leaning into it. For us, if you have that Game Pass subscription, it's nice because you know you're getting day one games. like you said, Starfield or Black Ops 6, it was really refreshing this year to not have to buy Black Ops or another Call of Duty, because I'm one of those Call of Duty faithful. I probably bought every Call of Duty. or most of them, not everyone, know, most of them throughout the years, like kind of like a Madden where you know it's going to come out and you're like, I'm not going to get it. And then all your boys are like the weekend before who's getting it. And we're like, I guess we're getting it. That's true, those brands rely on that. That brand recognition is so, so big. And I think there was a lot of people that were relieved they didn't have to buy. I think Microsoft announced subscriptions did go up once they announced Black Ops is gonna be available. A lot of people, their Xbox PC Game Pass and Game Pass subscriptions went up a little bit. Yeah, so like technically right now, I don't actually pay for the ultimate game pass. I pay for the PC game pass, which is think 11.99. So I'm able to get whatever the 20, or $19.99 on offers, but it just, can't play every game because every game don't work on PC. But I feel like for 11.99, that's not a bad deal. You know, standing of. instead of me paying $19.99. Now it's different if I had a PC and a console. I got rid of my console due to issues with the HDMI ports on these consoles that's coming out now. They seem like they so weak, man. So I just was like, okay, I know I won't have any issues with my PC. And I've been gung ho ever since with PC, but it's just a beauty, man, that... It's actually a subscription that benefits the user. know, like I can have PlayStation Plus on a PC too, but like I said, you just don't get that same feel that you do with Game Pass because with Game Pass, can just easily, sometimes you don't even have to download a game. Yeah, way more games. more. Way more games and then there's third party games that have come on like I remember. Do you guys play remnant from the ashes to great third party game came out this year and made a way on the game pass. had friends who didn't buy it and then we started playing it on game pass after I had already been playing it. Mm-hmm. Yeah, see that's cool. It brings more people into the game too. That's the thing I do like about the game pass and the subscriptions. That it's not good for ownership, but it is good for player count and driving up player numbers because some games seem to just fall off because there's not enough people buying it. Or if it's just in a subscription, you're going to get people like I've done it before where I'm just randomly like, Hey, let's just try this game out. You know, I haven't, I've never heard of it. I, you know, it's on game pass. Got a free time right now. Why not? Yeah. yeah. pretty cool for that. Yeah, I mean, it's like I said multiple times. It's great in the era that we are in right now only because we have the choice of banking these decisions when it comes down to these games that we're playing. But it's still the simple fact that we don't have the fun like we used to have in these games. Like me, I feel like the games that I have played that's coming out now, it's... It don't catch my attention like it needs to for me to be, okay, I can put hours into this game. Like back then you could put 150 hours in the game. Like Final Fantasy VII, Yeah, yeah. I mean that too, we've grown now, we got families. So we can't give 140 hours on the game no more unless you do it in increments. But it's just a simple fact that you don't wanna give that. time no more to these games that's coming up now. And that's sad, bro. On so many levels, that is sad because it's like, you know, it don't, it don't drive you to do it. And when they make these remastered games, it basically the same game. Like if you're going to make a remastered game, give me some, some graphic updates or something, like make it worth. 60 bucks, you gonna take a game that right now worth 10.99 because of it's being old and you gonna try to, yeah, we gonna turn this into a port. right, we driving it, it's 699, 69.99. Like, come on, man, that's BS. Yeah, I agree with that. Yeah, they should do something more than just remaster remake it You know a game that they kind of did that that I was actually kind of happy that they did do something different with was on Mario Super Mario 3d world with Bowser's Bowser's fury and Adding that additional content that was like, okay cool Like if you're gonna do remasters where you give us a little bit more on top Okay, it's worth that full price asking price But if you're just gonna straight give us a port of an old game You know like a facelift then why are you charging so much charge us a smaller fee because you're not really doing anything to it You're just pretty much just bringing it up to the new console at this point It's not like it's a whole new experience maybe for newer people which if you made it available on your You know digitally on your consoles now the older version of the game We won't even need the new one you could just point to that and say hey go try that out So it's like you're just double dipping what it seems like and it makes you look bad So that's just my view on the remasters that don't add anything extra. But thank everybody. We gonna get some more insight on Chris. What things you got planned, Chris? As far as with this, I'm hoping to come and join you and we can talk some more about games. Maybe bring some news updates from the week and let you guys know of some top news insights that I think that really don't get mentioned much or maybe you might be too busy to actually hear about. For like right now, everyone's been hearing about Game Pass and about streaming, so I think we've been pretty much the whole time talking about it. you know that's one thing I'm keeping an eye on and another thing is just looking towards that you know next switch the successor to the switch and seeing when that actually gets dropped because I know everyone's gonna go bananas when that thing hits because everyone knows Nintendo yeah What about you, Barron? gosh, well, I'm looking forward to the game awards. I'm looking to see I'm I'm I'm always a guy who falls into the hype cycle. Not as much as when I was younger and I was like, my gosh, But now now it's just I like the hype so I can just kind of OK, I'm hyped up a little bit. But it's just I I love seeing the new trailers and seeing where games are going. I'm hoping to see some gameplay footage for a game. I'm hyped up. I keep mentioning Exodus, hopefully at the Game Awards. yeah. I still want to see, they've been very quiet about it, the game from the old Rockstar developer, his new company is called Build a Rocket Boy Gaming, and the game's called Everywhere, that they announced, they did announce it last year, they showed some footage, but they haven't, they've been kind of super quiet, so I hope that we get something else from them, the Game Awards. And also, Hello Games, their next game, Light No Fire, I hope to see something from that too. Definitely. are kind of my three hype choices for coming up. Okay, well, it's always a blast talking games with you Chris Byron. Thanks for keeping up with the vibes as always strong man Retro pioneers stay tuned for our next episode Let's just say we have a surprise in store and we don't want you to miss it. Thanks listeners for supporting us and keeping us going and we love y'all and we want y'all to support all in any time and Thank you for watching and we love you and we'll talk to you later. Peace.