🟪 #99: The Xbox handheld has leaked, and Nintendo wants to brick your handheld

In today's overkill Digest, we look at the new Xbox handheld, check out why Nintendo wants to brick your Switch, and announce our new WhatsApp channel.

Hello, good morning and good day, and welcome to a new edition of the overkill Digest newsletter.

Before we start, I have two announcements to make.

First, we launched a WhatsApp channel.

The goal for this channel is to share links to content on overkill, but also to interesting stuff we find online, that might not make it on the blog nor in this newsletter. And naturally, we'll tease some behind-the-scenes stuff here, too.

As for the other announcement, going forward, the premium commentary will not be part of this newsletter anymore, but instead, I'll send one separate email every Thursday. There are a few advantages to doing this.

For one, the premium content will be less hidden and can have its own spot on the website. This is especially helpful when I use it to tease a review, which I then later open up for the wider community. Until now, I had to copy-paste the comment and create a separate blog post, but this solution feels a touch more elegant.

It also allows people who do not want to get the comment to opt out. Or alternatively, for people who only want the premium content, to opt out of overkill Digest. To do either, simply click on this link, and you can decide which newsletter you want to get. (Or by unsubscribing directly in the respective newsletter.)

Lastly, it also allows me to split up my time a tad better. My new writing workflow sees me publishing a piece every Tuesday on my personal blog, going forward, the commentary on Thursday, and then this little newsletter on Sunday.

Ok, that's all I got in announcements, let's get this rolling!

🚀 Big Moves

The Backbone Pro wants to replace all your controllers. Improved ergonomics, better analogue sticks, and now Bluetooth support to connect to a console, PC or any other handheld. And naturally, it still functions as a smartphone controller grip. My review unit should be here tomorrow, so stay tuned!
The Xbox-branded handheld has leaked. And going by these pictures, it's basically the ROG Ally 2, only that the Xbox-branded version has an Xbox button. It also looks damn ugly. Like, seriously. I hope I can review it, but what the hell is this design? The two models will also differ in performance, as one uses the Z2 Extreme with 32 GB of memory, and the other one uses the AMD Aerith Plus with 16 GB of memory. All a tad confusing.

The JSAUX Switch 2 Accessories Line-Up is here to level up your setup. From modular grips to travel cases, and customizable kits built for the next-gen handheld. Snap on a kickstand, slide in extra game cards, and lock in with pro-style thumb grips. Whether you’re at home, commuting, or on the go, this line is designed to keep your Switch 2 safe and looking sharp.

Learn More

🎮 Platform Updates

Nintendo wants to sell 15 million Switch 2 units in the first year. Less than one month to go, and I'll be real with you: I'm very hyped. So is Nintendo, apparently. The original Switch sold a little under 15 million in the first calendar year (so in 10 months).
And Nintendo plans to brick your Switch if you hack it. An update to the Switch User Agreement now states, "You acknowledge that if you fail to comply with the foregoing restrictions Nintendo may render the Nintendo Account Services and/or the applicable Nintendo device permanently unusable in whole or in part." To be fair, you were never supposed to connect to the internet with a hacked Switch in the first place, as Nintendo was known to instantly ban the device from accessing Nintendo services. This just sounds like now it's written in black and white.
Sony launched a new gaming studio. The new studio - spun out from Bungie - will focus, obviously, on online multiplayer games. Their first game will be a “team-based action game that draws inspiration from fighting games, platformers, MOBAs, life sims, and frog-type games.” No clue what that means. What's a frog-type game?!

💻 Hardware & Software

I love this broken Oura ring. I reviewed the latest Oura ring, Gen 4, and like it quite a lot. And that's despite it having a broken battery (I explain that story in the review). I mostly care about the whole sleep stuff, but I am generally interested in health tech, which brings me to...
The new Whoop makes me want to get rid of my Apple Watch. Whoop released two new trackers, the Whoop 5.0 and the Whoop 5.0 MG. Both improve over the previous trackers, but it's especially the software that has seen a big improvement. I'm thinking of picking one up for review, but $359 a year hurts a little. So... do you want to see a review? Let me know.
Retroid is releasing a limited number of Retroid Pocket Mini v2s. There are apparently "hundreds" of units available, and it'll cost $199. According to Russ, this primarily fixes the issues with the display used in the original model.
Playtron has announced a cryptocurrency. Shocked Pikachu Face!

🎲 Playthings

Doom: The Dark Ages now runs on Steam Deck. The game releases next week, but Timo is currently reviewing it and told us that the game crashed at launch. Thankfully, it took Valve about a day or two to fix that bug, and now it's ready for release on May 15th.
Valve killed a mod project 7 years after greenlighting it. A rare L by Valve.
The second GTA VI trailer is live and raked in a ton of views. The hype for this game is unreal. Though I've got to admit: That trailer looked fantastic.
CD Projekt Red is confident about the Switch 2 launch. Cyberpunk 2077 on a Switch still seems a bit too unreal for me, but going by this interview with Nintendo Life, it seems the Switch 2 can run the game, thanks to a lot of optimization and help from Nintendo. This makes me hopeful.

📌 Quick Hits

dbrand has a sale. They are also bringing back their 'Robot' skin, first launched in 2019. But it's now called Glowbot, and it glows in the dark.
A coffee table book for Game Boy Advance fans. This would make for a great gift.
Giant Bomb has been sold to Giant Bomb. Some good news for the games journalism industry.
The new Pope plays video games. Ha, nerd!

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