gollumb82

@jesse_dylan
There are 2-3 more similar offers on this site. I will prolly still wait for a month or get one closer to Christmas.

@jesse_dylan
Nope. It just seems that people are basically giving them away because Xbox is seriously losing this gen to PS5. I don’t know if I can paste a link, but this is the offer: https://m.olx.pl/d/oferta/xbox-series-x-komplet-CID99-ID12pU80.html
It’s from a Polish version of eBay essentially.
Edit: it’s actually $180. Still a steal I think.

I’m thinking about getting a Series X again (mostly for backward compatibility and Forza Horizon) but I can get a launch XSX for $180. Think I’d rather get that. Those ‚new’ models are basically the same as the launch ones.

@Titntin
Haha, don’t try to resist the urge 😎 I don’t mind tinkering with computers, settings, drivers. The Ally that I use is essentially a Windows PC and I tinker with it more than I game on it 😁 I like consoles and totally respect your opinions on both having a preference for them as well as remasters not being forced on anybody. Having said that, I do mind those if they make no sense (TLoU2, Horizon, Days Gone, Until Dawn) because they take away resources from other projects. It’s kinda disheartening that devs prefer to remaster recent games, release lazy sequels or chase after the next Fortnite instead of going for a bit of creativity and originality. I do realise that I’m in the minority here and the games I mentioned don’t sell (gaming’s become too big for its own sake IMO, causing corps to step in and make it all about shareholders etc). I’m a huge fan of the 7th gen of consoles as they had it all. Lots of new IPs, gadgets, new tech (Blu-ray, buzzers, kinects, cameras etc), couch coop games. Yes, I loved Lair on PS3 😂 Okay, rant over. Enjoy your gaming device of preference and your game of choice for this weekend 🙂

@Titntin
Hey man! Long time no read haha. Forza Horizon is the staple of arcade racing fun to me. I really need a break from sad dad games and decided to play through all those games because they give me joy instead of PTSD lol. I’m shocked at how well FH1 has aged. Still looks and plays great to this day, while I really like the Colorado setting. Got FH2,3,4 and 5 all lined up and waiting their turn. I totally get you as to the Xbox Series X situation (and the general state of Xbox). I’m disappointed in MS, Xbox and Phil with the way things have gone this gen. Series X is a great console, but there is no point in owning one. That said, the Days Gone remaster debacle and the way Sony has been messing up this gen as well I’m this close to leaving consoles behind altogether. I’m seriously considering getting a proper gaming PC in 2 years or so (gotta save up first). I had one 2 years ago but made some mistakes in going all in on gpu and cpu, while cheaping out on cooling and RAM sigh.

Almost done with the phenomenal Astro Bot on PS5. I’m also catching up on X360 games on my ROG Ally. I missed them because I had a PS3 back then. I started with Forza Horizon 1 which plays beautifully and looks great even today! Think I’m going to play all Horizon games consecutively as I just love this series (so far only played 3,4 and 5).

Yeah, my trust in Dice to deliver on this promise is close to zero. I wonder if they finally managed to figure out what made Bad Company such a beloved part of the Battlefield franchise… 😂

@NEStalgia
Appreciate the honest feedback. I gave it a lot of thought and decided to ride this gen out with my Ally Z1 Extreme (which I’m really happy with). I have to say that quite a few folks online report the LeGo cooling fan to be very noisy and I hate that in a gaming machine (had a PS4 Pro and you may remember my failed gaming PC attempt I mentioned a while ago). Either way, with Z2 chips from AMD on the horizon I think I’ll wait and buy an Ally 2 or LeGo 2, whichever impresses me more (unless Valve announces a Steam Deck 2 with beefy specs- doubtful knowing Valve).

I’m stuck in the 7th console gen and don’t feel like leaving. Playing Alice: Madness Returns and Split/Second. Loving both games.

@NEStalgia
Regarding the fps and battery life gains- the difference is marginal, but it’s there. Linux is just a lighter system when compared with the power and resource hungry Windows. I do have a question NES- Legion or Ally? I’ve had my Ally since March and while I really like it, I keep thinking about getting the Legion Go. I held it in my hands at a local CEX and was surprised how light it was (people say it’s heavy lol) and the build quality seems up a notch from the Ally. The screen is the obvious focal point for me, but I do have a portable 15 inch monitor so it’s not a must for me. Just wondering if I should switch (sic!) or buy the Legion to accompany my Ally.

@NEStalgia
Suspend/resume works just like on a Steam Deck (flawlessly). I’m not hating on Windows as it does have its advatages (better compatibility, native Game Pass and MS Store integration). That said, I don’t like more things about Windows that Bazzite alleviates: frequent updates, which may break as many things as they fix and can take ages to be installed (on Bazzite you just see an icon that tells you there’s an update and it waits for you to decide the best time for it). Armoury Crate is sluggish and its content store (or whatever it’s called) is pathetic in comparison with Decky loader and plugins (I made my Ally a portable PS4, with a custom background, PS4 sounds and home theme). Tdp control and fancurves are way more intuitive on Bazzite IMO. Handheld daemon lets you swich from Xbox gamepad to DualSense in 2 seconds. Emudeck implementation is way better on Bazzite than on Windows (Retrobat is okayish, but has its flaws). In my tests I found Bazzite to give me better fps and battery life than Windows (tested on Baldur’s Gate 3 and Cyberpunk 2077). These are just off the top of my head. I sincerely hope MS is working on a handheld-friendly Win11 version because that would even the odds.

Well, I installed Bazzite (SteamOS) on my ROG Ally because Windows is really not handheld-friendly, but I do play a lot of MS games on it. Most recently Forza Horizon 2 and 4. I’m glad Team Xbox have acknowledged that handheld PCs are a thing.

How it has all come crashing down in such a short timespan is beyond me. To think this is probably a direct result of the Activision Blizzard acquisition that so many here championed (and will now be paying the COD tax in their increased Game Pass sub prices). Game Pass tiers, clumsy console branding this gen, making fridges, toasters and more gamepads than first party games. Yeah, Xbox in a nutshell. I will still be playing Xbox/Microsoft Gaming games but on different platforms. Don’t care about subscriptions so Game Pass is no incentive to me. To each their own, but this is the last thing I expected when I bought a Series X at launch (glad I got rid of a long time ago).

My money is on Starfield. Glad I switched to a combo of PS5/Switch/ROG Ally. I would be upset if Xbox was my sole platform of choice. They really messed up this gen when they had a golden opportunity to catch up to Playstation which is also „enjoying” the weakest PS gen ever. Think MS might be trying to capitalise on the game drought on Playstation with those realeases. It’s all about money, as always.

I’m sticking with my Ally Extreme and waiting for either Ally 2, Legion Go 2 or Steam Deck 2 before I upgrade. Ally X is great but not at that price point and the upgrades are not worth it for me. Also, you can get an Ally Extreme for $300 online these days (one year from launch). For that money it’s an excellent piece of kit which became my main gaming platform (granted, I upgraded the ssd to 2 TB, got a modcase and a portable monitor- still paid less than the launch price).

reads the review, sees the score, goes back to Baldur’s Gate 3

Forza Horizon 2, 3 and 4.

I have already made my feelings about HB2 known on PX, but since you’re asking: as a fan of HB1, I was very disappointed with HB2. Aside from graphics and audio, this game is a downgrade from HB1 in all areas. It was my most anticipated XSX game, too. Luckily, I rented it via Game Pass so I wasn’t that upset.

The industry has made me buy a ROG Ally and play PS2/PS3/X360 games over the ones coming out nowadays. I have a Switch and a PS5 but the Switch is mostly used by my daughter and the PS5 is mostly gathering dust. My GPU sub expires in December and I’ll wait till then to weigh my options but I might downgrade to PC Game Pass.

@ZYDIO
Perhaps I should clarify my comment. Hellblade 2 is a disappointment to me as a sequel to Hellblade 1. It’s not a terrible game. Actually, in terms of graphics and audio design it’s great. This is where the positives end for me and I agree with the Pure Xbox review that the plotline is disjointed and its use of the supernatural feels out of place. Senua’s Sacrifice was amazing because it kept you guessing what’s real and what isn’t, what is a figment of Senua’s imagination due to psychosis, yet it still stayed somewhat grounded. Also, the ending to HB was way more satisfying than HB2. The puzzles were better, the combat was more diverse and you were allowed more freedom to explore than in HB2 which is basically a walking simulator. The boss fights in HB1 were also mucb better and creative than HB2. I could go on and on, but I think I said enough for you to know that I’m not hating just for the sake of it. Oh, I forgot- Hellblade 2 was the game I was most hyped for when XSX launched. So much so I got one at launch. Lastly, I really wanted to see the crazy shaman Senua from the early trailers- alas, it was just a trailer.

Finished Hellblade 2. One of the biggest disappontments of my life, especially since Hellblade 1 is one of my favourite games ever. Now playing Gran Turismo 5, Football Life 2024 and some Uncharted: Lost Legacy. Also looking for a new game to play on Game Pass. Still Wakes the Deep looks nice, might try that.

My faith in Microsoft Games has been restored. In Xbox, not so much. I don’t care either way. Been gaming on a ROG Ally and if xCloud keeps improving the way it has and Game Pass has all those games that MS promised us I can see my Ally being only an emulation and past geneation gaming machine. Think I’ll just get an OLED tv with the Game Pass app built-in and that will be my gaming setup going forward.

I’ll be all over it! Love xCloud and all games I’ve tried that way have been great to play (Halo, Forza and most recently Hellblade 2). I can see myself buying an OLED tv in a year or two and gaming via xCloud only. Especially when all those first party games come out and Acti-Blizz games join Game Pass.

I’m about to finish it on Game Pass. I’ve been forcing myself to play it really and at this point I think this is a pointless sequel. No wonder nobody bought it- poor reviews and Game Pass day 1 title. To think I love Hellblade 1 and was so hyped for no 2…

Can’t be helped. That said, I’m glad you can still get delisted games on PC. I played FH2 on my Ally (X360 version), currently playing FH3 (works and looks great) and I played FH4 a lot when it came out. My favourite of them all. I’m also playing Football Life 2024, which is a heavily modded PES 21 that you could not play otherwise unless you bought it when it was available. PC is the king in this game preservation race.

Good timing! I’ll check it out, but I doubt it will win me over. Football Life 2024 is the best football game I’ve played in a long while (a PES21 mod on PC).

I am still playing this game, but on my Ally. I’ve put about 170 hours into it and it’s my favourite military shooter ever. Glad it’s getting new content still.

I’m playing Hellblade 2 on Game Pass. Loved the first one but honestly I have to agree with the PX review. It’s a graphics and audio design showcase and little more. I’ve played through 2/3 of the game and I’m forcing myself to finish it. The voices in Senua’s head just won’t shut up, the puzzles are lame and the combat shallow, if still visceral. The plot seems very tacked on and I’m glad I can play it on GP. I’ll be switching to Persona 3 soon, or so I hope.

@rustyduck
Agree on the difficulty. That last boss fight had me ripping my hair out. I liked the combat, though. Felt visceral and made your heart pound.
Haven’t played Isonzo, but your comments made me take an interest in the game. Guess I’ll put Insurgency Sandstorm on backburner and try something different.

Finished TCP on PS5 a year ago. I really liked it and wish it got better reviews at launch so we might get a sequel. It will share the sad fate of the likes of Days Gone and Sleeping Dogs. One and done.

I wonder if it gets panned for the themes it relies on to be fun. Like most modern games these days. I played it a while ago and it was fairly fun, but I don’t think I’ll play it again.

PC Gamer crushed the game in their preview so I don’t feel confident about this at all. I’m no Dragon Age fan, but I love the original Mass Effect trilogy and I’m concerned about ME4 that’s still in production.

@NEStalgia
Didn’t realise we are Allies, NES 😎 I agree with all your points here. Thing is, I fell in live with this gaming model thanks to the Switch. This handheld/docked console concept really gives you a lot od flexibility. My daughter is using the Switch most of the time while I game on my Ally all the time. I even bought many accessories for it (portable 15 inch monitor, a modcase, grip caps, 2 tb ssd). I’m thinking of buying a keyboard and mouse to let me play fps games like Ready or Not on it as well.

I stopped reading at Ubisoft. I’d rather start a new playthrough of FH3 or FH4.

An amazing show that made me believe in Xbox once again. At some point I was like: ok, stop with these trailers already! I can only find so much time for gaming haha. Looking forward to Avowed, Indy, MGS, South of Midnight, Flintlock, Perfect Dark. Hell, I may even play CoD since it’ll be on GP day one 🙂 the Game Pass effect.

@themightyant
Good points, but Ally X is coming out soon with a 80 Wh battery, more RAM, more ports (usbc and Thunderbolt). As for battery life, it’s the price you pay for a powerful handheld. Steam Deck may have a better battery but it’s already struggling to run any new games at 720/30. A good power bank solves this issue. That said, if one isn’t in a a rush it’s ok to wait and see what MS has in store or just wait for the Ally 2, Lenovo Legion Go 2 or Steam Deck 2.

Let’s hope we will be Awowed. The trailer looked great and even though I’m not a huge fantasy rpg fan (I did play The Witcher and Baldur’s Gate, those are milestones in gaming history for a reason) but I will definitely be playing this when it comes out.

@K1LLEGAL
I hear you. I can recommend the Ally as the best handheld way to play Xbox games natively. Fun fact: I emulate PS3 games on it and the emulator has full achievement support haha. Fun times we live in.

@K1LLEGAL
Hi! You can play Game Pass games (native and cloud), there’s the Xbox cross buy programme (Xbox Play Anywhere) which allows you to buy and play games across Windows PCs and Xbox consoles (bought Forza Horizon 3-4 that way). Many X360 games are available on PC (which the Ally is) and those which are not can be emulated. I actually saw the full X360 catalogue (including the Rare Replay stuff) available to download and play via Xenia (the X360 emulator). There’s a bit of a learning curve, but it’s really great. I’m currently switching between Forza Horizon 3 and Uncharted 4, on the go and on one platform, which I never thought would be possible. The Ally Z1 Extreme can be bought for around $400 these days so it’s affordable (open box in good condition).

I stopped caring honestly. I can play anything from Sony (well, almost) and Xbox on my ROG Ally and I think with the way xCloud has been working lately I might just ditch gaming hardware altogether. Give me Game Pass Ultimate and a controller and I think I’ll be happy. Exclusives are so 2000s and 2010s.

@NEStalgia
Yeah, Armory Crate is okay I guess. I’m waiting for the revamp Asus announced for July. I hope it’s more smooth and responsive as it tends to act up at times. I dunno, I’m not a huge fan of Steam Big Picture mode. I find it irritating that it always displays ads for whatever game is currently discounted when you start up Steam. Playnite is the best option hands down as it allows you to even integrate emulated games from all platforms fairly easily (also has themes, background music etc). It’s already more than enough for me, but it can always be better.

ROG Ally already ticks all the boxes for me. All except a more console like experience in Windows. It’s somewhat mitigated by apps like Playnite, but I’m interested in what Phil and the team will come up with. If it plays more than just Xbox games, I might be interested.

I see some Playstation fanboys have reappeared after the showcase and have been giving @Banjo- a hard time over here. I tip my hat to you for keeping your replies so civil. On the topic: I play my games on my ROG Ally these days (docked and on the go) and Game Pass works like a dream, both native and cloud (I find myself using the cloud more and more). I can see why Phil and Xbox are not making it a point to sell more consoles. I predict one more console generation before it’s mostly cloud gaming. I for one don’t mind.

Just bought 6 months of Game Pass Ultimate. My ROG Ally is ready 🙂 I counted 8 games I want to play and this showcase topped the one a year ago. Amazing work Team Xbox!

Forza Horizon 3 and Uncharted 4 (ROG Ally).

@themightyant
Totally agree. I put 10 hours into it when I realised just how repetetive and open-worldy (a derogatory term in my lexicon) this game is. Needless to say, I never finished it.

As I feared. I might play it at a very deep discount. MS just keeps on disappointing with their first party titles. Glad I didn’t pre-order. And to think Hellblade in VR on PC is still an astonishing experience. What a waste.

I’ll wait for reviews with Hellblade 2. Loved the first one, but I don’t trust MS first party titles anymore. If it’s good I’ll buy it rather than play it on Game Pass (my sub lapsed and I don’t feel like going back to GP).

Series X for me. Bought it at launch, after owning PS2/3/4/4 Pro. I wanted something different and Series X delivered in spades. The honeymoon phase lasted about a year and a half when I realised that MS overpromises and underdelivers on a regular basis. Don’t get me wrong, Series X is a great console (better than PS5 by a mile) but the fact that you can now play all Xbox and Sony exclusives, paired with my busy life, made me decide to go PC handheld. Got a ROG Ally and I’ve been loving it. MS got my attention with the Xbox handheld next gen so maybe I’ll be back.

Amazing game. Even played it in VR on PC a while back. I am somewhat concerned about HB2 due to zero marketing from MS and the fact we haven’t seen any actual gameplay in the run up to the launch. This may be another Redfall. I hope I’m wrong, but with the nonsense MS has pulled of late I can’t say I trust them anymore.