Switch 2 teardown, Xbox handheld release, Retroid goes dual-screen, Witcher 4 looks hot, Bond’s back, and AirPods Max still suck. Plus: State of Play, WWDC, and more.
Hi, hello, and welcome to a new edition of the overkill Digest newsletter.
The Switch 2 is here. You probably didn't need me to tell you, as no one is able to shut up about Nintendo's latest handheld. I've got to apologize, though, because neither will I.
I even went so far as to release a new YouTube video:
(Likes and subscribes, very much appreciated! Here is the text version.)
But this might not even be the biggest news, as Xbox/Microsoft randomly decided to also unveil their own branded ROG Ally just today. So, let's get into it!
🚀 Big Moves
- The Xbox Ally X is officially official. After teasing it earlier this week, we now finally have all the info on the Xbox Ally X (and its cheaper sibling, the Xbox Ally). Journalist Stephen Totilo went hands-on and says it feels great in the hand, runs smoothly, and could easily replace a Steam Deck or Switch for people who don’t need Mario. Built by Asus with Microsoft’s help, it’s a Windows handheld with a full-screen Xbox interface that pulls in games from Game Pass, Steam, GoG, Battle.net, and more. It doesn’t run Xbox console games natively, but it plays almost everything else, streams from the cloud, and supports remote play. Microsoft stripped out a bunch of background Windows stuff to give more power and memory to games, and the Xbox Ally X bumps the specs even further with more RAM, storage, and a bigger battery. I'm intrigued!
- The first Nintendo Switch 2 teardown. A repair score of 3 out of 10 is wild, though. And as it seems, the new Joy-Cons may still suffer from old drift issues. It might be a very good idea to get a case after all.
- Xbox console games are appearing on the Xbox PC app. This might be Microsoft's first step towards that new, enhanced Windows for handheld experience. It's still too early, and none of these games work just yet, but at least the direction seems promising.
🎮 Platform Updates
- Retroid is launching a dual screen add-on. My first reaction was “what?!” followed by a louder “whaaat?!”I love the idea in theory. I once tried turning an old Android device into a second screen for the Steam Deck, but it ran poorly and needed too many dongles and cables to work properly. If Retroid finds a way to turn one of their Android handhelds into a slick, modern Nintendo DS, I’m in.
- CDPR showed a 12 minutes long The Witcher 4 tech demo. Damn, this looks gorgeous. And apparently it ran on a base PS5.
💻 Hardware & Software
- Use this if you want to run AirPods on your Windows PC. I hate my AirPods Max with the might of a thousand suns. Seriously! Biggest piece of crap ever created by Apple. I regret purchasing these. But I currently own no other over-ear headphones, so it's what I use on my Gaming PC. Maybe this app can help make the experience at least a little enjoyable. (I'm waiting for the AirPods Max to die to grab Sony WH-1000XM6.)
🎲 Playthings
- A first look at that new James Bond Game. An origin story (Bond is 26 in this game) by the makers of Hitman sounds like a pretty cool game. The trailer has me intrigued.
- Chris reviewed The Precinct. To quote Chris: "If the idea of a GTA-style sandbox experience, played from the side of the ‘good guys’ appeals then The Precinct is well worth scoping out for a patrol."
- Everything shown during the Xbox Games Showcase. SILK SONG! A lot of other cool stuff, but SILK!!! SONG!!!
- Every big announcement during Sony's State of Play. Silent Hill f, VR Thief, and Sword of the Sea are my personal favourites.
- All the trailers shown during Summer Game Fest. I completely missed that this also took place. My highlights here were Resident Evil Requiem (even though I don't play horror games), the shadow drop of Lies of P: Overture, and Stranger Than Heaven.
- How about even more No Man's Sky? At this point, I have no clue how Hello Games manages to survive while releasing free update after free update after free update. In update 5.7 you can become an overseer of a town. A Space Mayor!!!
📌 Quick Hits
- We're getting One Piece Lego sets. I usually don't care about Lego, but it'll be hard not to buy everything announced here. Look at that "Going Merry"!
Dig the new format? Hate it? Hit those feedback buttons below and let me know what's working.
🔮 Looking Ahead
- Not a game release, but tomorrow (June 9th) is Apple's WWDC, and we will learn what is new for iOS, macOS, and every other Apple software platform.
- Dune: Awakening is launching! I'm intrigued by this one.
- Stellar Blade for PC launches on June 12th, all the cheeky mods will launch a day later. You know exactly what mods.
Ok, that's all. Thanks for reading!
See you,
Kevin & Chris
