In today's overkill digest, we'll take a look at a controversial move from Anbernic, check out a new Kickstarter project, and why the handheld scene is kind of… boring right now.
Good morning, hi, welcome. This is overkill digest, a newsletter all about handheld gaming, and then some.
I started Avowed this week, and so far have been liking it a lot. I haven't played a Pillars of Eternity game before, so I don't know much about the world the game takes place in, but so far, the world we're in seems intriguing enough that I may try the other games after finishing Avowed. I'm still very early, only about 10 hours in, but as soon as I hit schedule on this email I'll go play some more.
One thing that I find very intriguing, however, is that this is the third game in a row that I am playing that has some sort of blight, Final Fantasy XVI and Dragon Age: The Veilguard before Avowed. This to me shows how much of an impact the Covid-19 pandemic had on storytelling.
And with that, let's get into today's news.
🗞️ This Week in Handhelds
🚀 Big Handheld Moves
- AYANEO is teasing a different Pocket Micro. In this teaser, it looks like AYANEO is basically just removing the analog sticks from the device. While this change may reduce compatibility with certain platforms, like PlayStation 2 emulation, it addresses one common critique: Chris, who reviewed the Pocket Micro, liked the device but wasn’t a fan of the joysticks. Maybe they can also shave off a few dollars from the price.
- Playtron is still releasing updates for its GameOS. This Linux-based alternative to SteamOS is still in active development, and the third alpha build adds a new feature called GameLAB, which according to the lead dev "revolves around community submissions [...] similar to Lutris in how you can create custom installation scripts".
🎮 Platform Updates
- Anbernic's latest OS update adds piracy software. A new update to the stock operating system for the RGXX lineup is proving to be very controversial amongst emulation enthusiasts, as it includes an app that basically just lets you download ROMs directly onto the device. I can't say I am fully surprised, as this comes from the same company that sends you a microSD card full of ripped games. 😬
💻 Hardware Corner
- The Lenovo Legion Go S is apparently not very good. Sean Hollister over at The Verge tested the Windows-version of the Legion Go S, with its new AMD Z2 Go chip. He isn't impressed by what he saw, since that chip apparently even struggles to compete against the chip used in the Steam Deck. It's also inferior to AMD's own Z1 Extreme, making you wonder, why anyone should bother with this device. And while the official SteamOS-version is only dropping in May, Hollister tested Bazzite on the Legion Go S, and while it improves things compared to Windows, it still can't outperform the Steam Deck on battery and performance. Dum dum duuuuuummmm....
🎲 Gaming News
- The Skyblivion dev team shared more progress on the development. And so far, it's looking very good. They finished work on the final region, and are now basically in the last polishing phase before the game officially launches later this year. In the linked video, they also show some in-game footage, and my hype has just increased even more. (They also sat down for an interview in which they shared the official rumored remake isn't worrying them. It's also not worrying me, because I plan to play both versions!)
- Hades II update adds the final boss. Officially, the game is still in early access, but the second major update added what appears to be the final boss of the game, and a lot (and I mean, A LOT) of other changes. The patch notes are super long.
- Activision is teasing a new Tony Hawk game. So far, the rumors point to a remake of Tony Hawk Pro Skater 3 and 4, with teasers also being planted in the latest Call of Duty map. Now, there's also a countdown on the official website, so I guess we'll learn more on March 4th.
- Dune: Awakening is launching in May on PC. But you can already install a benchmarking AND character creation tool today.
📌 Quick Hits
- Tinder but for video games. Ludocene is a Kickstarter project which aims to help you find what games to play, based on your tastes and a recommendation engine "powered by experts you trust".
Dig the new format? Hate it? Hit those feedback buttons below and let me know what's working.
🔒 Premium Deep Dive: It's all a bit boring currently.
Right now, if you follow the handheld gaming news cycle as closely as I do (I shared here that I read about 5000 news items per week to write this newsletter), you might be kinda bored right now. Because I am.