In today’s overkill digest, we dive into fresh Switch 2 leaks, explore the customizable features of the AYANEO 3, and check out how Bethesda is making me very sad.
Hi, hello, and welcome to a new edition of the overkill digest newsletter, your go-to source for Skyrim commentary everything handheld Gaming.
This week brought a wave of new Switch 2 rumors, the debut of a promising new handheld, and some impressive-looking games from Xbox-adjacent studios.
And because I want to play more Skyrim after this newsletter, let's dig right into it.
🗞️ This Week in Handhelds
🚀 Big Handheld Moves
- The AYANEO 3 is now up for preorder. The upcoming AYANEO 3 looks super promising, featuring swappable “Magic Modules” for customizable buttons, sticks, and layouts, powered by AMD's Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 (I'll keep saying it, this name is dumb) or the Ryzen 7 8840U chip. Starting at $699 on IndieGoGo, it ships in April with both OLED and LCD options. I have a (pre-production) unit on its way to me, so you can expect my thoughts, soon.
- Everything shown at the Xbox Developer Direct. I watched this live and it was a very good event. I'm especially intrigued by South of Midnight. But! No Oblivion remake announcement yet! Come on, Bethesda, where is my Oblivion?!
🎮 Platform Updates
- 20 new games launched on the Epic Store for Mobile. Like its desktop counterpart, you can also download free games every month, starting with Dungeon of the Endless: Apogee and Bloons TD 6. Unfortunately, this deal is only available for iOS-users in the EU, while Android users can access it worldwide.
- Phil Spencer is really a big fan of the Switch 2. Here's Phil: "Who would ever bet against the success of that team, I mean, they are just masterful in what they do, Switch is a massive success and I think Switch 2 will be as well." Yeah, I'm fully expecting Game Pass on Switch 2 now.
đź’» Hardware Corner
- The Switch 2 might have hall-sensing Joy-Cons. This is still a rumor, so take it with a grain of salt, but the leaker NextHandheld so far has been very well sourced. So if they are correct on this thing, too, we can finally say goodbye to joystick drift.
- The SuperStation One by Taki Udon is live. The MiSTer-based PlayStation lookalike is now live for a starting price of $149.99. You can also deposit $5 to preorder the upcoming SuperDock.
- Balenciaga launched a limited-edition handheld. Yes, that Balenciaga. It only plays Snake. No, I don't understand either.
🎲 Gaming News
- Celeste developer cancels follow-up game Earthblade. The game was canceled due to team conflicts over IP rights and the overwhelming pressure of living up to Celeste’s success.
- GeForce Now supports Baldur's Gate 3 mods. Great news for us handheld peoples who are really into mods. To load these mods, you can either directly load them from the game's in-game mod menu, or by using mod.io (you can learn more here). And of course, I now want Nexus-Mod support for Skyrim please.
- Emulated Bloodborne is very playable. While Miyazaki refuses to remake Bloodborne, the emulation community has managed to bring the game to a level that Digital Foundry reports is “almost entirely playable, crash-free, start to end.”
đź“Ś Quick Hits
- What handheld PC manufacturers should do to fight the Nintendo Switch 2. A take by The Verge’s Sean Hollister that I mostly agree with, but fear will not come to pass. Unless either Valve or Microsoft drives these changes forward, I don’t think we’ll see the more unified space Hollister advocates for.
Dig the new format? Hate it? Hit those feedback buttons below and let me know what's working.
đź”’ Premium Deep Dive: A Behind-The-Scenes look at how I write this newsletter
For today’s commentary, I thought I’d try something different. And no, it’s definitely not because it's been a slow news week.
Every Sunday, I sit down to write this newsletter. Here’s a quick look at my desk:
A lot of the gear is new: the teleprompter, the lights, the camera capture card, and some other bits under the desk (which you’ll never see, thanks to my “good enough” cable management). I spent all of yesterday getting everything set up.
If you’re into gear, yes, it's all Elgato. And yes, I’m gearing up to start streaming on our YouTube channel soon. Expect first looks at new handhelds, maybe some gaming, and a few other projects I’m working on (still need to install Bazzite on my handhelds). Get subscribed, hit the bell, all that fun stuff.
And here’s what I see when I look to my left—my shelf filled with handhelds: