Latest news with #Cyberpunk2077
Geeky Gadgets
16 hours ago
- Geeky Gadgets
Build a 1440p Gaming PC on a Budget That Crushes Consoles
What if you could build a gaming PC that delivers stunning 1440p performance without emptying your wallet? Imagine playing graphically demanding titles like Cyberpunk 2077 or Elden Ring at high settings, all while staying under the cost of a modern console. It might sound too good to be true, but thanks to recent advancements in hardware and the rise of Linux-based gaming platforms like SteamOS, this dream setup is now within reach. Whether you're a seasoned PC builder or a curious first-timer, assembling a budget-friendly gaming rig has never been more accessible—or rewarding. In this guide, ETA Prime uncovers how to craft a compact, cost-effective gaming machine that doesn't compromise on performance. From selecting the perfect GPU and CPU to optimizing your system with SteamOS, we'll walk you through every critical decision. You'll also discover clever ways to cut costs, like sourcing refurbished components, while still achieving buttery-smooth gameplay at 1440p. But this build isn't just about gaming—it doubles as a versatile Linux desktop for everyday tasks, making it a true multitasking powerhouse. By the end, you'll see how this setup rivals the best consoles while offering the flexibility only a PC can provide. Budget 1440p Gaming PC Guide Key Components for Optimal Performance Selecting the right hardware is essential to balance performance and affordability. Each component plays a critical role in making sure your system runs efficiently while staying within budget. Here's a detailed breakdown of the essential parts for this build: GPU: The AMD Radeon RX 6750 XT is the ideal choice for 1440p gaming, offering excellent performance at a reasonable price. If you're looking to cut costs, consider the RX 6700 XT or RX 6600, which provide slightly lower performance but remain highly capable for most games. The AMD Radeon RX 6750 XT is the ideal choice for 1440p gaming, offering excellent performance at a reasonable price. If you're looking to cut costs, consider the RX 6700 XT or RX 6600, which provide slightly lower performance but remain highly capable for most games. CPU: The AMD Ryzen 5700G is a standout processor with 8 cores, 16 threads, and a boost clock of up to 4.6 GHz. Its integrated graphics also serve as a reliable backup for troubleshooting or light tasks. The AMD Ryzen 5700G is a standout processor with 8 cores, 16 threads, and a boost clock of up to 4.6 GHz. Its integrated graphics also serve as a reliable backup for troubleshooting or light tasks. Motherboard: A B550 MicroATX motherboard ensures compatibility with your CPU and GPU while supporting PCIe 4.0 for faster SSDs and GPUs. It's a cost-effective option that doesn't compromise on features. A B550 MicroATX motherboard ensures compatibility with your CPU and GPU while supporting PCIe 4.0 for faster SSDs and GPUs. It's a cost-effective option that doesn't compromise on features. RAM: Opt for 32GB of DDR4 RAM at 3200 MHz to handle multitasking and gaming seamlessly. If your budget is tight, 16GB is still sufficient for most gaming scenarios. Opt for 32GB of DDR4 RAM at 3200 MHz to handle multitasking and gaming seamlessly. If your budget is tight, 16GB is still sufficient for most gaming scenarios. Case: A compact PC case, often found as an affordable 'Amazon special,' keeps your build portable without sacrificing airflow or cooling efficiency. A compact PC case, often found as an affordable 'Amazon special,' keeps your build portable without sacrificing airflow or cooling efficiency. Power Supply: A reliable 550W power supply unit is more than capable of meeting the system's power demands while maintaining stability. Installing SteamOS for Gaming SteamOS, a Linux-based operating system optimized for gaming, serves as the foundation for this build. To install it, download the Steam Deck recovery tools, which are freely available online. After installation, ensure you update to the latest version, such as SteamOS Hollow 3.79, to access the newest features and compatibility improvements. SteamOS offers both beta and stable updates, allowing you to choose between innovative features or a more stable experience. The operating system is designed to maximize gaming performance while maintaining a user-friendly interface. Its integration with Steam ensures seamless access to your game library, making it an excellent choice for this build. Watch this video on YouTube. Below are more guides on SteamOS from our extensive range of articles. 1440p Gaming Performance This system is specifically designed to handle 1440p gaming with ease, even in demanding titles. By allowing FidelityFX Super Resolution (FSR), you can enjoy high or ultra settings in popular games while maintaining smooth frame rates. Here's a closer look at what you can expect from this build: Cyberpunk 2077: With FSR enabled, you can achieve consistent frame rates above 60 FPS on high settings, making sure a fluid and immersive experience. With FSR enabled, you can achieve consistent frame rates above 60 FPS on high settings, making sure a fluid and immersive experience. Elden Ring: Runs flawlessly at ultra settings, showcasing the system's ability to handle graphically intensive games with ease. Runs flawlessly at ultra settings, showcasing the system's ability to handle graphically intensive games with ease. Horizon Zero Dawn: High settings deliver stunning visuals and smooth performance, making the most of the hardware's capabilities. The combination of the RX 6750 XT GPU and Ryzen 5700G CPU ensures that this build can handle a wide range of AAA titles and indie games alike, providing a premium gaming experience without breaking the bank. More Than Just a Gaming PC This build isn't limited to gaming—it also functions as a full-fledged Linux desktop. Its versatility makes it suitable for everyday tasks such as web browsing, video playback, and even light content creation. The compact form factor is particularly advantageous for living room setups, offering a sleek and unobtrusive design that blends seamlessly into your entertainment space. Additionally, the Linux-based SteamOS provides access to a wide range of productivity tools and software, making this system a practical choice for users who need a multipurpose machine. Overcoming Challenges and Maximizing Cost Efficiency Building a budget-friendly gaming PC comes with its challenges, but careful planning can help you avoid common pitfalls. For example, an initial attempt to use an RX 960 XT GPU revealed driver compatibility issues with SteamOS. Switching to the RX 6750 XT resolved these problems, highlighting the importance of selecting components optimized for your operating system. Similarly, overheating issues with a used RX 7600 XT were mitigated by opting for a more reliable GPU. To further reduce costs, consider incorporating used or refurbished components. For instance, purchasing pre-owned GPUs and RAM can significantly lower expenses without sacrificing performance. Here are some additional tips to maximize cost efficiency: Shop for used or refurbished GPUs and RAM to save money while maintaining performance. Start with a smaller SSD and upgrade your storage capacity later as needed. Choose a compact case that balances affordability with adequate cooling and airflow. This build offers a cost-effective alternative to modern gaming consoles like the PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series X, which typically cost around $500. By carefully selecting components and exploring second-hand options, you can achieve comparable or even superior performance for less. Media Credit: ETA PRIME Filed Under: Gaming News, Guides, Hardware Latest Geeky Gadgets Deals Disclosure: Some of our articles include affiliate links. If you buy something through one of these links, Geeky Gadgets may earn an affiliate commission. Learn about our Disclosure Policy.
Time of India
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Cyberpunk 2077's next update may add more features to NCART metro system
Image credit: CD Projekt Red Cyberpunk 2077's next update may introduce additional features to its NCART metro system , aiming to expand its functionality beyond its current capabilities, a report claims. When the game initially launched, players expected a usable metro system for traversing Night City, but only hollow station shells serving as fast travel points were available. Years and multiple updates later, Cyberpunk 2077 has seen significant improvements, making it nearly unrecognisable from its initial release state. Despite these advancements, the metro system, even after update 2.1, has not yet reached its full potential. The latest update, version 2.1, introduced functional subway rides with 19 NCART stations across five colour-coded lines, offering an immersive, though passive, travel experience. However, this feature is reportedly seen by some as a partial measure compared to what was originally envisioned for a fully explorable and interactive metro system. Such an addition could fulfil an early promise, deepen the city's worldbuilding, and enhance moment-to-moment immersion. How Cyberpunk 2077's next update can upgrade NCART metro system Cyberpunk 2077's current NCART metro system focuses more on creating atmosphere than providing utility. After progressing past the Konpeki Plaza heist, players can access metro stations to fast travel or ride trains in real time, but the experience is largely passive. Players can't walk around trains, interact with NPCs, or explore station interiors beyond brief cutscenes. According to a report by Gamerant, modders have already shown that a more interactive and realistic metro experience is possible, suggesting CD Projekt Red (CDPR) could expand the system in future updates. Enhancements could include explorable platforms, embedded quests, and dynamic interactions that reflect Night City's social hierarchy, such as cleaner, secure stations in Corpo zones and rundown, graffiti-covered ones in gang territories. Moreover, introducing ambient NPC routines—like commuters, JoyToys, or recurring characters—could deepen immersion, the report adds. The current system lacks incentive, making fast travel and vehicles more efficient. CDPR may fix this in Update 2.3 by offering gameplay perks like stealth bonuses for using public transit or unlocking hidden objectives in gang zones, the report adds. Beyond narrative depth, a fuller NCART system could improve accessibility for players who prefer not to drive. Stations could act as mission hubs, vendors, and fixers, offering streamlined map navigation. Personal touches, like in-game messages from allies during train rides, could turn metro travel into a reflective, immersive part of the journey. Even if not fully realised in Cyberpunk 2077, these ideas could lay the foundation for a more robust system in the sequel, Cyberpunk 2 (Project Orion). Xbox Games Showcase 2025 Highlights: Biggest Game Reveals, New Consoles & More! AI Masterclass for Students. Upskill Young Ones Today!– Join Now
Metro
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Metro
Games Inbox: What is the worst modern video game?
The Wednesday letters page is fascinated by the awfulness of MindsEye, as one reader manages to 100% Mario Kart World with relative ease. To join in with the discussions yourself email gamecentral@ Worst of the Worst I'd find all this coverage of MindsEye hilarious if it wasn't probably going to end up with hundreds of people being made redundant, again. It does truly sound very bad, which got me think of whether it was the worst of this and the previous gen? That's hard to say because most people don't play a lot of really bad games but looking on Wikipedia I tried to get an idea for the front runners. I discounted some, like Warcraft 3: Reforged and Cyberpunk 2077, because they were basically just broken at launch and aren't bad games when fixed. I also discounted The Day Before because it only lasted a few days and there's only a handful of reviews. That leaves Balan Wonderworld, Babylon's Fall, and The Lord of the Rings: Gollum. I don't really know anything about Balan Wonderworld, other than it's by the creator of Sonic (what is it with creators of famous games going onto make complete rubbish?). Babylon's Fall I have played though, because I'm a fan of Platinum, and it really is pretty bad. But more insanely repetitive rather than completely broken. I haven't played Gollum, but I did watch (well, skipped through) a playthrough and it seems to me that best fits the description of worst modern game ever. A terrible idea, terrible graphics, and bad, repetitive gameplay. Could GC comment, since you have presumably played these. Purple Ranger GC: We'd say it was probably Gollum, out of those suggestions. Silent Hill Ascension was pretty dreadful too, as another contender. Sign up to the GameCentral newsletter for a unique take on the week in gaming, alongside the latest reviews and more. Delivered to your inbox every Saturday morning. Unholy grail It is fascinating to see a game as bad as MindsEye being released in this day and age. I thought it was practically impossible for a big budget game to be that bad, beyond having a broken launch due to technical issues. But MindsEye seems to be the real deal: a genuinely terrible game that was designed that way. The fact that the producer of the most successful video game ever is behind only makes it more fascinating. I agree that they must've been working to some kind of deadline, that forced the game to come out right now, but that has very clearly done more harm than good. Whatever Everywhere was supposed to be I don't think we're going to see it now. Cranston Spend to save If there is one good thing to come out of slogging my way through the Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour 'game' it's that it taught me my poor eyesight cannot see the difference between 30fps and 120fps. The advantage of this, of course, is not feeling the need to ever upgrade to a 120Hz television, £7.99 (potentially saving me hundreds) well spent. Happy days! Now back to playing Cyberpunk 2077 and being mainly oblivious to any frame rate dips. Elliott Email your comments to: gamecentral@ Mission complete So I've just got the final Knockout Tour in mirror mode 3-starred, bringing me 'complete' in the game… I'm in the same boat as others with the open world hub part of the game, so apart from a few people that may want to play online, I'm done with the game until the inevitable 200cc comes out. I will say I had a blast, and a few sweary moments (especially in Knockout – that is more like a hardcore mode to get all three stars!) but it was far too short. I'm very glad (as the current state of the game is) I had it bundled with the console, as I would not have been impressed with the price they were asking for physical – and that includes not even using the console for two days since launch… whereas I still haven't 3-starred all cups on Mario Kart 8 Deluxe yet! Johngene (NN ID) 13 year sabbatical I know exactly how the player who lost 20 years of his Pokémon during a system transfer feels! In mid-2005, I had a faulty GAME GameCube Memory Card delete my save file when transferring to/from Pokémon Sapphire/Pokémon Coliseum. I, too, couldn't be bothered to start all over again, so left the franchise and got into Custom Robo: Arena. I did get into contact with GAME and Nintendo, but no one helped. I didn't play a Pokémon game again until 2020, with Let's Go, Eevee! and the others that followed. LeighDappa Retro hunter Amazing at what you can come across when you're walking outside of CeX. Only one of the rarest PlayStation 2 games to exist to this day. I've called for a remake beforehand, so I'll refrain from repeating myself. I truly wish so much that this game was better reviewed. It has the narrative to push through the game, but it lacks the gameplay to match it. I actually count myself quite lucky, in some accord. I've also come across copies of Forbidden Siren 2, which if you ask anyone who's a child or a millennial, they most likely have never heard of this game or even know the original had a sequel. I also found Haunting Ground from Capcom, which I deeply pray is remade. We don't need Resident Evil – Code: Veronica, we need Haunting Ground in Unreal Engine 5. I've also found Silent Hill for PlayStation 1, which is due to be remade in just time, and now Rule Of Rose for PlayStation 2. I always thought, due to the rarity of these games, I'd never come across or gaze upon a single copy of these titles. I've seen a fair few now. That's just some luck. Not many can say that. The craziest thing is, in my honest opinion, I've come across Rule Of Rose before. I've even seen a copy of Project Zero 3: The Tormented in person. That's truly crazy. Especially when Rule Of Rose is rarer, more heavily priced, and more of an addition to a retro gaming collection. Funny how life works. Shahzaib Sadiq Transfer error To restore Pokémon save files from a Nintendo Switch to a Nintendo Switch 2, you'll need to perform a system transfer or use Pokémon Home. System transfer will move your user profile, game data (including Pokémon save data for some games), and other settings. Pokémon Home, a separate service, allows you to transfer Pokémon between compatible games and store them in the cloud. Anthony GC: The person in question didn't seem to use Pokémon Home and the whole problem occurred because of a fault in the system transfer. Games of the year Although I won't pretend that I don't use it from time to time, I do think Metacritic is useless for comparisons between games. It's fine for seeing what the overall response for a game is, and getting all the reviews in one place, but the second you start making lists or comparing one game to the next it all falls apart. I'm sure they do their best to compensate but there's just no point comparing one game that got 150 reviews with another that got six. But that happens time and again with indie games, and a lot of these new Switch 2 games that people haven't had time to review yet. Zelda is a bad example, because of course they're 10/10 classics, but it's still pointless, from a mathematic point of view, trying to compare their score to anything else with a normal amount of reviews. I also agree with GC's rules for its Top 20 of the year, where they automatically discount remasters and remakes and ports. These aren't supposed to be lists of the best games ever, they're the best of the year and we should be celebrating new blood and exciting new IP. Zelda doesn't need the extra promotion or the sales but indie games like Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 and Blue Prince do. So yeah, they're my games of the year, not something that came out eight years ago. Casper Inbox also-ransI've just received an email about a digital game I have downloaded, called Dark and Darker, which is being removed from my game library! This is why I like to buy physical versions on disc, with the whole game on the disc. Andrew J. Nobody is going to buy that rebranded ROG Ally handheld. Practically nobody bought the original, so I cannot even begin to understand what Xbox is thinking right now. Or, as others have pointed out, since the Xbox 360 era. Johnson More Trending Email your comments to: gamecentral@ The small print New Inbox updates appear every weekday morning, with special Hot Topic Inboxes at the weekend. Readers' letters are used on merit and may be edited for length and content. You can also submit your own 500 to 600-word Reader's Feature at any time via email or our Submit Stuff page, which if used will be shown in the next available weekend slot. You can also leave your comments below and don't forget to follow us on Twitter. MORE: Games Inbox: What is the second best Nintendo Switch 2 game? MORE: Games Inbox: Would Xbox ever shut down Game Pass? MORE: Games Inbox: Is Nintendo the best video game company ever?
Metro
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Metro
MindsEye review - the worst game of 2025 is a shockingly bad GTA clone
From the producer of GTA 5 comes one of the most badly made video games of all time, that's somehow even worse than its reputation suggests. Most games these days would love to be compared to Cyberpunk 2077, given it's now completed its redemption arc and is regarded as a modern classic. Unfortunately for MindsEye, the similarities between the two games – including Sony offering owners a full refund – are based purely on Cyberpunk's original release, when it was a broken, unplayable disaster. Unlike Cyberpunk 2077, it's very hard to imagine MindsEye ever being set right. More importantly, while the issues with Cyberpunk were almost solely technical, that's only a small part of the problem when it comes to MindsEye. MindsEye has a long and complicated history, that we don't want to get into too much here, not least because the juicier details are likely to come out over the next few months. But in short, it was originally intended to be part of the heavily delayed Everywhere game creation tool, that was being positioned as a sort of adult version of Roblox. Things started to go wrong though and so MindsEye was released first. Exactly what happened with Everywhere is still unclear, but considering it was first announced in 2017 the answer seems to be 'a lot.' There's been talk of sky high budgets, with investors attracted by the fact that the director is Leslie Benzies, the unsung hero behind Grand Theft Auto – who acted as producer on everything from GTA 3 onwards but left Rockstar Games in 2016, under acrimonious circumstances. One of the main problems for MindsEye is the fact that it's clearly been released long before it's finished. We imagine there was some sort of financial deadline that had to be met but after all this time its release date couldn't have been more poorly chosen, coming right in the middle of the Switch 2 launch and Summer Game Fest week. Needless to say, the reason this review is so late, is because copies were not sent out to press ahead of time. That left many wondering if the game's failures had been exaggerated but we're here to tell you that's not the case at all. Sign up to the GameCentral newsletter for a unique take on the week in gaming, alongside the latest reviews and more. Delivered to your inbox every Saturday morning. MindsEye is what GTA would be if it still took place in an open world city, but the game itself was entirely linear. That means it's essentially a third person shooter, with a lot of driving missions and other asides. Despite what you might imagine, the story is pure sci-fi shlock, as you play an amnesiac former soldier who discovers a planet-threatening conspiracy that we suppose we shouldn't spoil – for those of you that are perverse enough to seek the game out, despite everyone telling you not to. Set in the near future, the game touches upon themes like unchecked military and police powers, as well as AI being relied upon for life and death decision making, but the story never engages with these ideas, which seems all the more disappointing given how timely it could have been. The characters are deeply disappointing, given Benzies' background, with no one, including the protagonist, making any kind of impression – positive or otherwise. Rather than GTA, the game we kept being reminded of is the original Driver from 1999. Not in terms of any of the positives of that game, or the absurd difficulty of some of its missions, but how linear and restrictive it was, despite the pretence of being open world. MindsEye doesn't let you explore its off-brand version of Las Vegas until you've beaten the game and so instead almost every mission involves just driving somewhere (in a car you don't get to pick) and if you dare to start exploring the mission fails. As an extra bonus, the driving is awful, with no sense of weight to the cars, as if their tyres are filled with helium. It's better than the cover-based combat though, which is ruined by clearly broken AI, which has no idea what's going on most of the time. The animation system for enemies is completely broken and often has them firing in a different direction to the way they're facing, with bullets that move so slowly you can literally walk between them. On PlayStation 5, the game is capped at 30fps but rarely even gets that high, so all the impressive looking screenshots you see here are turned into a stuttering sideshow in real life. There's also a weird blurriness to everything that may be some sort of upscaling effect but whatever it is, it's distracting and ugly. We assume none of this is supposed to be how the game works but there are other baffling issues that are part of the intended design, including the complete lack of melee combat or any kind of dodge or roll. The broken AI and awful frame rate are bad enough, but in terms of design the game feels decades out of date. The missions are uniformly bland, as you spend longer driving to gun battles than you do taking part in them. Sometimes you have to drive somewhere just to trigger a cinematic, as if you're a taxi service for cut scenes. There is some minor variation, with an early 2000s style stealth sequence and a few goes with a drone, but every new idea only seems to make things worse, including such banalities as a safe cracking minigame. More Trending There's also a breed of non-story mission that is the remaining vestige of the Everywhere concept. The original idea was that you were supposed to be able to design these yourself but while that option isn't available in the console version the examples included here, of bare bones shooting galleries and checkpoint races, are so utterly banal it beggars' belief. MindsEye is only around 10 hours long, but for obvious reasons we're not going to count that as a negative, even though the asking price is outrageous for a game with absolutely no replay value at all. The short length is because the game was originally intended as episodic content (another old-fashioned idea) but we're going to take a wild guess and imagine the story is not going to be continued. It certainly has been a busy few weeks for gaming, but we never expected we'd be reviewing another game so soon, that was even worse than Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour. And yet here we are. MindsEye is a terrible game. But it's not so bad it's good, it's so bad it's insulting. In Short: One of the worst video games of the modern era, that clearly isn't finished – but just as clearly wouldn't be worth even a moment of your time if it was. Pros: The open world design is okay, even though there's nothing in it. The graphics would probably be quite good if they worked properly. Cons: Old-fashioned, linear, and highly repetitive mission design married to terrible third person combat and tedious driving. Terrible performance problem, banal story, and it feels overly long at 10 hours. Score: 2/10 Formats: PlayStation 5 (reviewed), Xbox Series X/S, and PCPrice: £54.99Publisher: IO Interactive PartnersDeveloper: Build a Rocket BoyRelease Date: 10th June 2025 Age Rating: 18 Email gamecentral@ leave a comment below, follow us on Twitter. To submit Inbox letters and Reader's Features more easily, without the need to send an email, just use our Submit Stuff page here. For more stories like this, check our Gaming page. MORE: Nintendo Switch 2 owner loses 20 years' worth of save data in botched transfer MORE: All 30 Mario Kart World racetracks ranked from worst to best MORE: Borderlands 4 price revealed and the most expensive edition is £120
Metro
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Metro
Games Inbox: What is the second best Nintendo Switch 2 game?
The Tuesday letters page hopes for Red Dead Redemption 2 on Nintendo Switch 2, as one reader looks forward to CD Projekt's first original IP. To join in with the discussions yourself email gamecentral@ Penultimate choice So, I don't think there's much doubt as to what is the best Nintendo Switch 2 game so far, if you don't count the Zelda remasters, but what is the second best one, after Mario Kart World? Cyberpunk 2077 seems a good contender but it's not really the best way to play the game, although it may be the best option to play it on a handheld. Beyond that I'm struggling to come up with any other options, as very few sites have reviewed the third party ports, I guess because Nintendo was so late sending the console out. I've heard Hitman isn't that great a port, but Street Fighter 6 is? I might get Cyberpunk 2077, but I think it's more likely I'll just save my money and get Donkey Kong Bananza if it's good, which I imagine it will be. There's no denying it's a slow launch though, especially for single-player fans. Hobbie Red Dead rumour If this rumour about Red Dead Redemption 2 on Switch 2 turns out to be true and it's a good version, then I think we're going to have to accept that the Switch 2 is a lot more powerful than some people took it to be. There's only so powerful a console can be when it's the size of a handheld, especially if you want to keep the price down, and it seems like Switch 2 has figured out the perfect compromise. I'm very impressed by what I've seen of Cyberpunk 2077 so far and while Rockstar's track record isn't spotless with ports and remasters (I'm thinking the GTA 3 games) I have some confidence they'll put in the work on this one. I'd certainly be happy to play it again on a portable, if the price is right. I'll be even more impressed if they manage to include Red Dead Online. Porgie Sign up to the GameCentral newsletter for a unique take on the week in gaming, alongside the latest reviews and more. Delivered to your inbox every Saturday morning. Homegrown franchise I want to be cynical about The Witcher 4, but I have to say CD Projekt does seem to have learnt its lessons from the Cyberpunk 2077 launch and is saying all the right things about the new game. I do worry that they've got a bit too much on the go at the same time though, as I've lost track of the number of Witcher spin-offs, on top of the Cyberpunk sequel, but I hope they pull it off. Although, I'd also like to see them branch out and make a brand new IP. Both their games are based on existing things, but I don't believe they've ever made anything that was completely their own. Austin GC: They're working on something codenamed Project Hadar at the moment, which apparently is an original IP. Unfortunately, it has no release date or year. Email your comments to: gamecentral@ Too much Zelda I think your review of Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom on Switch 2 highlights another major flaw of the launch line-up: who is ever going to play two Zelda games like this at the same time? They're both so massive you'd go crazy playing them all in one go, so really, in practical terms, the Switch 2 has one less game than it seems, and it's one of its big ones. The problem for Nintendo is that their games are usually very well optimised, so there really isn't much to do when remastering any of them, except up the resolution and, in some cases, the frame rate. Which the Switch 2 seems to do automatically in a lot of cases. It does make me wonder what has happened to things like the remasters of Metroid Prime 2 and 3, and Zelda: The Wind Waker and Twilight Princess though. They seem like money left on the table at this point but maybe they'll bed turned into Expansion Pack exclusives or something like that? I'd still like to have them. Korbie Abridged version As far as I'm concerned, the lack of story was one of the better things about Stellar Blade. I'd give a lot to have a cut down version of the Bayonetta trilogy that reduces the cut scenes to the bare minimum. I don't know why anyone that makes an action game like that thinks they can also tell a story. They're two completely different skills, so what would be the chance of being good at both? Very low, if we look at the state of video game stories. My real question though is who wants a story in a game like that? Every second you're watching a terrible cut scene is a second you're not playing the game. Wotan Cannibalism-free Christmas With this latest Nintendo Direct news I think it's pretty obvious that there is no secret Christmas game that Nintendo is waiting to unveil. As others have said, Mario Kart is all they need for the Switch 2 to be a success and it's almost surprising that they've got as much coming out this year as they have. The reason we're getting unwanted games like Hyrule Warriors 3 and Kirby Air Riders is because Nintendo don't want any distraction away from Mario Kart. They also don't want to seem like they don't have any games at all though, so instead they give us a few minnows to make up the numbers; alongside Metroid Prime 4, which is really a Switch 1 game but hardcore fans will like. That's my interpretation anyway. They've also got that Pokémon game and the wheelchair basketball game, just not anything that anyone's going to get super excited about in a hurry. To me it seems fairly obvious. Movie companies don't release all their blockbusters within a couple of weeks of each other, they pace them out and make sure they don't each other's sales. Video game companies might not be very good at scheduling but they're not that bad, especially not Nintendo. Mario Kart World has already sold over 3 million copes in the middle of June and yet most ordinary people probably don't even know it exists yet. By Christmas it's going to sell so much Nintendo is going to need to build a new money pit. Paulie Waiting for the sign I bet Borderlands 4 was going to be £80/$80 but they backed down when they saw everyone getting upset. All the rumours say that companies are really waiting for GTA 6 to push the $80 barrier and then when it does they'll all follow. I can completely see that happening and I imagine no one was more upset at its delay than other publishers. But for now at least that's good news for Borderlands fans, who can now spend the money they saved on pointless deluxe editions instead. Zeiss Never full price I had an Xbox Series X at the start of the gen, sold it once I got a PlayStation 5 but picked up one again the other month. I used to do the rewards points, as you could accumulate enough points, and more, to pay for a month's Game Pass Ultimate. I amassed nearly £200 of points first time round. I'd heard reward points had been nerfed since but found you can still get enough for a month's Ultimate. It took 30 days for me to get the 12,000 points needed for that. I did run into a funny time limit on searches the other day though, due to irregular search patterns. This is from the Microsoft website: 'If you encounter this issue on your account, it is not permanent and will be removed once search patterns are determined to be normal and not an attempt to just earn points.' I don't believe for a second they thought anyone was doing the total point awarded 50 searches a day as part of normal internet usage. To be honest though, I don't know how Microsoft make any money from Game Pass but maybe most are paying full whack. I never have, mind, from my first Xbox Series X I paid £85 for two years with a Gold to Ultimate conversion. I've about a year from reward points. For this Xbox I've used the official Core to Ultimate conversion of 2:1. 12 months of Core is £40 on CDKeys, which converts to six months Ultimate, making it £6.67 a month instead of £14.99. Simundo Inbox also-ransSo I see interest in Elden Ring Nightreign seemed to last about a week before interest started dropping off. I'm still gutted that The Duskbloods is a multiplayer game, it seems such a waste. Diamond Geezer Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 so add me to the hype train. Loved it and appreciate it wasn't overly hard or overly long. Didn't overstay its welcome and was full of ideas to the end. Game of the year as far as I'm concerned. Danson More Trending Email your comments to: gamecentral@ The small print New Inbox updates appear every weekday morning, with special Hot Topic Inboxes at the weekend. Readers' letters are used on merit and may be edited for length and content. You can also submit your own 500 to 600-word Reader's Feature at any time via email or our Submit Stuff page, which if used will be shown in the next available weekend slot. You can also leave your comments below and don't forget to follow us on Twitter. MORE: Games Inbox: Would Xbox ever shut down Game Pass? MORE: Games Inbox: Is Nintendo the best video game company ever? MORE: Games Inbox: Is Mario Kart World too hard?
