Day One Patch Podcast

E3 may be gone, but the spirit lives on! In this episode, we break down all the biggest announcements, surprises, and letdowns from Summer Game Fest 2025, PlayStation's June State of Play, and the Xbox Games Showcase. From jaw-dropping reveals to indie gems, we cover everything you need to know from this year's unofficial E3 week(s).

Borderlands 4 boss Randy Pitchford responds to backlash over his "real fan" tweet—did his follow-up smooth things over? Sony is officially discontinuing PlayStation Stars, leaving gamers wondering what's next. Meanwhile, Xbox is making nostalgia a core feature, bringing dozens of retro classics to Game Pass through a new partnership with Antstream Arcade. And finally, where's is everyone's favorite grumpy mole from Animal Crossing? We break down the biggest gaming headlines and what they mean for players.

Fortnite's Darth Vader AI is here, and he's more than just an iconic villain—he's a combat ally, a wellness advisor, and your squadmate (just don't ask him about the younglings). Meanwhile, Sony braces for a major hit to PlayStation 5 sales due to new tariffs, possibly shifting production to the U.S. And in a surprising move, Jade Raymond exits Haven Studios, raising questions about PlayStation's live-service strategy.Join us as we break down the biggest headlines and what they mean for the future of gaming!

EB Games is back! The beloved Canadian retailer is making a nostalgic return after a major acquisition.GTA 6 Trailer 2—Rockstar gives us a fresh look at Vice City and its chaotic criminal underbelly.Gears of War: Reloaded—Microsoft surprises fans with a remastered classic, now coming to PlayStation.Gaming Fun Fact: The original Metal Gear (1987) wasn't supposed to be a stealth game—it became one by accident! Technical limitations on the MSX2 forced Hideo Kojima's team to rethink their approach, leading to one of the most iconic gaming mechanics ever.

In this episode, Matt and Ryan discuss the newly confirmed delay of Grand Theft Auto 6, which is now set to launch in May 2026. Rockstar issued a statement explaining the delay and reaffirming their commitment to quality. We also cover Microsoft's decision to raise Xbox console, accessory, and game prices globally, including in Canada. Meanwhile, Nintendo has released Firmware Update 20.0.0 for the Switch, preparing the system for a local transfer to the upcoming Switch 2.The Video Game Fun Fact of the Week dives into the development of Sleeping Dogs, which originally began life as True Crime: Hong Kong before being canceled and later revived by Square Enix.And later, we tackle a Query Corner question: Are trophy and achievement systems still motivating players like they used to?

Step into the enchanting world of Cyrodiil as we revisit one of gaming's most beloved classics: Oblivion. In this special episode, Matt and Tim dive deep into the magic of the remastered edition—unpacking their impressions, sharing nostalgic memories, and discussing what still makes this game a timeless masterpiece. Whether you're a long-time fan or a newcomer curious about what makes Oblivion so iconic, join us for a heartfelt journey through the landscapes, stories, and unforgettable moments that shaped a generation of gamers.

This week, we're diving into the hottest stories in the gaming world. The much-anticipated Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remake is real, and leaked images look spectacular. We'll discuss the confirmations from multiple reputable sources and what this means for fans of the series. Additionally, Nintendo has confirmed official Canadian pricing for key Switch 2 games, with Mario Kart World costing $109.99. What does pricing like this mean for the gaming industry at large? Did you know that there was a planned Oblivion version for PSP? Although it never saw the light of day, the project was in development and had some fascinating features that could have brought the beloved game to a portable platform. And if all that wasn't enough, we even got confirmation of an upcoming Xbox Games Showcase announced for June 8, 2025 - what do you think they'll show off?

Join us for Episode 521 of the Day One Patch Podcast, where we unpack the latest in gaming news and controversies! From Nintendo's surprising decision to price the Switch 2 Welcome Tour separately to the unexpected delays in Canadian pre-orders, we delve into what this means for gamers. Plus, we tackle Ubisoft's bold legal stance on game ownership amid The Crew lawsuit. And don't miss this week's Gaming Fun Fact: a throwback to 2004's Lifeline on the PS2, a game controlled entirely with your voice—a truly unique approach to gaming long before voice commands became mainstream. Whether you're a tech enthusiast or just looking for the hottest gaming scoop, this episode has something for everyone. Tune in now!

We're hot off the heels of the Nintendo Switch 2 Direct where an absolute ton of information was dropped about the much anticipated console. In this episode, we'll be recapping and sharing opinions about the hardware, games, and controversies surrounding the Switch 2 - including some information that Nintendo has since dropped on websites and other videos.The Nintendo Switch 2 is set to release on June 5, 2025. Featuring a larger 7.9-inch 1080p LCD screen, HDR support, and up to 120fps gameplay, this console promises stunning visuals and smooth performance. With 256GB of internal storage, magnetic Joy-Con 2 controllers, and innovative features like GameChat for real-time voice and video communication, the Switch 2 is designed for immersive and social gaming experiences that try and mimic old school couch co-op. Launch titles include a collection of first-party and third-party offerings including: 'Mario Kart World,' 'Elden Ring,' 'Hades 2,' and much more.

In this week's Gaming Fun Fact we take a look at the ultra-detailed world of Far Cry 2. The second mainline entry into the Far Cry series decided to try and take the franchise in a more realistic and detailed direction which included: an advanced fire system, degrading weapons & vehicles, in-game maps for navigation, and more.Nintendo Direct March 2025 just recently concluded and we had Tim give us a rundown on all the announcements that were at the show. Please note it was not a Switch 2 Direct, that will happen at a later date (April 2, 2025).In this edition of the Query Corner Question, we ask about game details and their importance, or lack thereof. STALKER 2 has recently come under fire from some fans of the series that have pointed out details that only appear in earlier entries of the franchise. Similarly, Oblivion back in 2006 had NPCs with full schedules and dynamic "lives" while the more recent Starfield ditched the feature in favor of more static shopkeepers and key NPCs. Do details that most players will never see matter to you? Or is it enough for the game to put up a shallow facade?

In this week's Gaming Fun Fact we explore the world of ridiculous collector's editions. Both the Saint's Row IV: Super Dangerous Wad Wad Edition (aka The Million Dollar Pack) and Dying Light's "My Apocalypse" Edition made headlines in their day, but there's one unexpected mention that made multiple lists online.Microsoft may have accidentally given us a first look at Steam on Xbox after they briefly posted an image of a new Xbox UI across multiple devices sporting some Steam labelling. Soon afterwards the images were removed without comment. What does this mean for the new Xbox handheld? What about the Xbox app on PC?Phil Spencer says that more movie and TV show adaptations are on the way despite the failure of the Halo series. This may come as no surprise to some as the Fallout adaptation has captivated fans and has a much anticipated season 2 in progress.Assassin's Creed Shadows has crossed one million players on launch day. The latest entry into the AC series has been surrounded by controversy, anger, happiness, and anticipation (a rollercoaster to say the least). But it seems that the game is off to a great start with Ubisoft's brief player number update, via social media.

In this week's Gaming Fun Fact we take a look at the PSX - not to be confused with the PS1 (codename PSX). The PSX was a digital video recorder that was capable of playing PS2 and PS1 games. The device had multiple retail revisions and was only released in Japan.Rumors and leaks have been circling an alleged Oblivion remake with the latest information indicating that Bethesda may shadow drop the title as soon as April 2025. Monster Hunter Wilds has had a very successful launch with over 8 million copies sold in the first three days of release. Producer Ryozo Tsujimoto thinks that the game's success is in part due to the title's immersive story.BlizzCon 2025 is not happening, but Blizzard has promised a great show for 2026. In the past five years there have been two in-person Blizzcon events, is the show on its last leg?Defiance, the Syfy TV series with a companion MMO is coming back! Not the show, but the PC version of the MMO is about to be revived by Fawkes. We used to play this title a bit back in the day and it was a good time, so we're happy that it's back!

In this week's Gaming Fun Fact we explore the GBA eReader, originally released in Japan in 2001 and then later in North America in 2002, the eReader was able to read cards that a player would swipe just like a credit card. These cards included all sorts of goodies including full NES games, in-game rewards, and even GameCube integration.WB has shut down three of its studios, including Monolith Productions - the creators of FEAR, Middle-Earth, and many more beloved titles. This also comes at the cost of Monolith's upcoming Wonder Woman game that has officially been cancelled. On top of Monolith, WB also shuttered Player First Games, and WB San Diego. Fans of The Last of Us may be concerned to learn that The Last of Us Part 3 may never happen. In a new interview with Druckmann, he said that we shouldn't bet on there being more Last of Us as what we have could be it.Monster Hunter Wilds has already surpassed over 8 million units sold. This news comes just three days after the title launched, marking it as the fastest selling Capcom game to hit such a landmark sales number. The Monster Hunter franchise has come a long way since its humble beginnings on PS2 back in 2004 with the series selling over 108 million copies as of December 31, 2024.

In this week's Gaming Fun Fact, we explore a little-known budget-model of the PSP. Back in the day, the PSP was known for 4 models including the PSP-1000, PSP-2000, PSP-3000, and PSP Go... but what about the PSP Street? This budget model was released in several PAL regions and launched almost alongside the PS Vita back in 2011.GameStop is looking to sell its operations in Canada and France. Not much detail was given by the company, but the current state of GameStop makes us wonder whether it'll be able to find a buyer successfully.Microsoft's Xbox AI era has officially kicked off with Muse - a first of its kind generative model that can generate environments based on visuals or controller input. It can understand what 3D worlds are, how people interact with games, and more.The Last of Us Online was cancelled years ago and we've just found out it was partially due to Bungie. Bungie's vast experience with games-as-a-service games, namely the Destiny series, has taught them some hard lessons about building, updating, and supporting ongoing titles. They warned Naughty Dog about these commitments which eventually aided in the decision to cancel The Last of Us Online project.

In this week's Gaming Fun Fact, we discussed the Famicom built-in microphone and the FSD (Famicom System Disk). The microphone was built into the second controller and allowed players to interact with games, however, the feature was cut in the NES release. The FSD was an add-on for the Famicom that used floppy disks for games instead of cartridges to enhance audio quality and add game saving functionality.PlayStation held another State of Play filled with upcoming games including a surprise shadow drop - Warriors: Abyss. Other games shown off included: MindsEye, Days Gone Remastered, Tides of Annihilation, Onimusha: Way of the Sword, and much more.

In this week's Gaming Fun Fact we explore the world of voice controlled games on the N64. We kick off our expedition with the ⁠YouTuber "Skawo"⁠ and their discovery of Japanese voice commands inside Zelda: Majora's Mask. Then we direct focus over to the VRU, the official N64 microphone add-on that, unfortunately, only officially supported two games. The Xbox Developer Direct 2025 dropped earlier this week (as of recording) and brought with it a slew of games that have, or will be, dropping on Xbox Game Pass day one. These games include: Ninja Gaiden 4, Ninja Gaiden 2 Black, South of Midnight, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, and DOOM: The Dark Ages.

With the Switch 2's announcement being the big news this week, we thought we'd revisit the development of the original Nintendo Switch in the Gaming Fun Fact. With a focus on the many prototypes that Nintendo made, we discussed what lead to the Switch's form factor and how the features that we have today were decided upon during the console's design phase. The Switch 2 was officially announced with a trailer dropped on Nintendo's YouTube channel. The console was leaked beforehand, potentially forcing Nintendo's hand to release the trailer. We took a deep dive into the trailer and share our thoughts on the console's confirmed features so far. Halo is on Xbox...right? Well it may be making the jump to PlayStation if a recent leak is to be believed. Not only will the Master Chief Collection allegedly make its debut on PS5, but also on Nintendo Switch. PlayStation has cancelled two unannounced projects, with one rumoured to be the God of War games-as-a-service title. These games' development were cancelled for both Bend Studio and Bluepoint Games, with the studios awaiting new assignments from Sony.

In this week's Gaming Fun Fact we discussed the pioneer of game streaming, OnLive. OnLive was a streaming platform way back in 2010 when high-speed internet was just starting to become commonplace (at least here in Canada). The platform had its own mobile apps (iPhone & Android), GoogleTV app, and small set-top box (MicroConsole), and some limited web browser capabilities. Nvidia has announced another set of GPUs, namely the RTX 50 series which includes the RTX 5090, RTX 5070 Ti, and RTX 5070. AI appears to be a big part of this year's offering with technologies like DLSS taking GPUs to new heights. SteamOS will be installable on other handhelds soon! As of April of 2025, Valve will officially let you install SteamOS on handhelds other than the Steam Deck. This exciting news also brings to light Lenovo's May 2025 handheld that will be the first third-party SteamOS handheld! With the Xbox handheld coming at some point down the line, some fans are questioning whether the device will be running Windows, Xbox or both. While we're still not entirely sure of the answer, Microsoft's VP of Next Generation, Jason Ronald, has stated that we should expect to see the Windows handheld gaming experience change within the calendar year. This could be good news for not only the pending first-party handheld, but also third-party offerings that are already running Windows, such as the ROG Ally.

Happy New Year! In this week's Gaming Fun Fact we discussed some game cheating devices including the Game Genie and the Game Shark. Both of these devices were commercially available and allowed players to intercept the data going between console and cartridge, where that information could then be temporarily changed to achieve invincibility, altered physics, etc. Then we all take a look forward to the year ahead and discuss our most anticipated games of 2025. This entire year is absolutely loaded with big launches such as Civilization 7, Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2, Avowed, Monster Hunter Wilds, and much more!

In this week's Gaming Fun Fact we explore the world of adding CD players onto classic game consoles, specifically the N64DD for the Nintendo 64 and the Sega CD for the Sega Genesis. Both offerings attempted to expand the functionality of their cartridge-based counterparts with the increased storage and capabilities of CDs and magnetic discs. PlayStation and AMD are partnering to create more AI-powered technology to make games look and play better. This technology is not planned to be limited to just PlayStation either, with the partnership allowing other companies to use the technology as they see fit. The Nintendo Switch has surpassed the PS2 in sales as of November 2024, as it becomes the second best-selling gaming hardware in history. This comes in "just" 7 million units shy of the Nintendo DS sales... a gap that the Switch is unlikely to close any time soon. Sony has invested 50 billion yen (~$318 million) into Kadokawa, the parent company of FromSoftware. At this time there is no word of a full takeover, however, an investment this large of course raises the question if Dark Souls and Elden Ring will ever become PlayStation exclusive titles.

In this week's Gaming Fun Fact we discussed weird disc formats namely the GameCube's mini-discs that were used for anti-piracy, and the PSP's UMD's that aimed at high-quality + portability. The Game Awards 2024 happened this past week, with Astro Bot taking the competition by storm landing several awards including Game of the Year. There were also a lot of reveals at the event including the Okami Sequel and Onimusha. We also got to see more Warframe 1999, Mafia: The Old Country, and much more.

In this week's Gaming Fun Fact we explore gaming devices that were adopted by the US military including Xbox 360 controllers that were used instead of an outdated periscope control system and PS3s that were combined to create a very efficient supercomputer. The handheld market is heating up with Sony looking to potentially make a splash in the largely Steam Deck and Switch dominated space. If this device does make it to market, will it run the entire PS5 collection? Or will it have its own library like the PSP and PS Vita? Xbox avatars are being sunset, a feature that used to have a lot of prominence in the Xbox 360 era, but is now largely forgotten. Avatars were re-released after their original implementation on the Xbox 360 and have never quite been the same. Honestly we kept forgetting they even existed so they will not be missed. When you use the PS app you're able to purchase games from the PS Store, but this is not the case on the Xbox app. According to Sarah Bond, this is because Microsoft is waiting for the courts to make a final decision in the "Google Play is an illegal monopoly" case. This is yet another bit added to the saga that Epic began when it took on Apple's and Google's ~30% cut of their app store revenues.

In this week's Gaming Fun Fact we take a look at what happened to arcades. Back in the day, arcades were virtually the only way to enjoy video games, but over time the home console overtook one of the most popular hangout locations for kids and adults alike. We'll explore exactly what lead to the downfall of arcades and the rise of the home console by looking back at gaming from the late-70s through today. Phil Spencer won't rule out any Xbox exclusive making the jump to PlayStation. This comes on the heels of Microsoft's latest "This is an Xbox" advertising campaign that showcases how a tablet, smartphone, and more can be an Xbox. Does this hurt the Xbox brand? Are Xbox console buyers losing out on their investment? The Steam Deck and ROG Ally have created an all-new handheld PC market with top titles like Cyberpunk 2077 running on hardware that can be docked to almost any desktop setup. This mobile and affordable step into the PC market has left some Xbox fans wondering whether they'd ever be able to take their Xbox on-the-go with them (and not on their smartphone). Phil Spencer has confirmed that Xbox does indeed have plans to make a handheld, but it's still years away. Game preservation has been on the brain of gaming historians and retro game fans for well over a decade. While there have been a fair bit of wins and losses in the space, today we're happy to report that GOG has taken up an official effort entitled the "GOG Preservation Program" to ensure the longevity of over 100 games (with more to come!).

In this week's Gaming Fun Fact we explore three wacky arcade machines. First up from 1976 is "Fonz" by Sega, based on the popular character from the hit TV show Happy Days. Second, we have Fire Truck by Atari (1978), that boasts the title of "first co-op arcade game." And finally, Police 911 (2000) that showcased immersive motion controls before the creation of things like the Kinect and the Wii. The Borderlands Movie was a big flop in theatres but according to Take-Two it didn't hurt at all - if anything, it ended up helping with some game sales. Sony has patented a game controller that has a rewind button on it. Likely you're thinking it's a button that simply rewinds a game by 30 seconds or so in the event of a player mistake, but the patent mentions quite a few interesting potential use cases including: a timeline of selectable past gameplay moments, reminders to players if they miss something (ie a quest item left in a room), and marked spots in time where the player could come back to their favorite moments of the game. Mass Effect is on the way after the release of Dragon Age: The Veilguard - but the new game isn't the only thing on the way for fans of the franchise. A TV series is in the works alongside Amazon MGM Studios.

After Concord's launch and subsequent de-listing, many gamers figured that Sony's troubled hero shooter would re-release as a free-to-play title, or live on in some other form. Unfortunately, Sony has decided to shut down Firewalk Studios altogether. Cyberpunk 2077 is on the way to the Mac! With Apple taking gaming more seriously these days, Cyberpunk is looking to cash in with any gamers in the Apple ecosystem. Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 just launched and its officially the biggest release in Call of Duty history. Black Ops 6 released day-one on Game Pass, a first for the franchise, alongside releases on other platforms such as PlayStation 5 and Steam. New records were set for the highest amount of new Game Pass subscribers in a single day, plus the PS5 and Steam saw record first weekend sales.

In this week's Gaming Fun Fact we go back in time to take a look at motion controls on the Sega Genesis. The Sega Activator is a controller that allows players to move, kick, and punch their way through various experiences like fighting games. It is a ring of infrared sensors set up in different segments that represent individual inputs, the player would stand in the middle of the ring and interrupt the infrared beams to register inputs. Black Ops 6 has released day one on Game Pass, the first in the series to do so. However, as what was an annual AAA release that required a purchase to access, some are concerned that the expected surge in Game Pass subscriptions will only be temporary, meaning Microsoft could have surrendered too many sales.

The Xbox Partner Preview showed off some upcoming Xbox games including titles such as: FBC Firebreak, Blindfire, Cronos: New Dawn, Wuchang: Fallen Feathers, and more! Former PlayStation exec, Shawn Layden, has been sounding the alarm about what he calls a "collapse of creativity" in the gaming industry that has lead to development companies relying on blockbuster hits - ultimately killing the AA game. Is this a death sentence for the gaming industry as we know it?

In this week's Gaming Fun Fact we discussed an innovative controller for the Atari 2600 that allowed players to control games via their mind! This mystical device was called the Atari Mindlink and it didn't really give you telepathic gaming powers, it instead used sensors in a headband to detect forehead and facial movements and convert them into commands, like moving the joystick. With the new Horizon Lego game coming out soon, some gamers are wondering when another mainline title for the series would see the light of day. Unfortunately, it seems like to may be quite a while as there may be a Horizon live service game in development. In other Horizon news, Sony has de-listed the original Horizon: Zero Dawn PC port in favour of the remastered version. This new edition requires a PSN sign-in, a controversial requirement that saw some players review bomb Helldivers II some months back. Ubisoft has been having some troubles lately, most recently with disappointing sales of Star Wars: Outlaws. Now the company is taking a look at potentially going private, a move that would see Yves Guillemot and Tencent teaming up (two big Ubisoft shareholders) to do so.

In this week's Gaming Fun Fact we explored the origins of E3, as video games matured from a simple tent at CES, to a well organized and professionally represented industry. Previously considered just a kid's toy, video games weren't given a proper platform to showcase their hardware and software. However, after the Senate started taking interest in violent games such as Mortal Kombat, the IDSA (now ESA), ESRB, and E3 were eventually all formed to give games a place to interact on a political and public relations level. PlayStation State of Play September 2024 just took place and was loaded with announcements for not only PS5 but also PS VR2. Some key game announcements & showcases included the Ghost of Tsushima sequel - Ghost of Yotei, Monster Hunter Wilds, and Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered. With the PS5 Pro available for pre-order and a short hardware showcase behind us, many gamers were left wondering which games would be taking advantage of the PS5 Pro's power. Sony has released a rather large list of games, both old and new, that will be receiving PS5 Pro enhancements including: Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart, Rise of the Ronin, Assassin's Creed Shadows, and much more.

In this week's Gaming Fun Fact, we go back in time to the theatrical release of Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines and the rather ridiculous rapid-fire movie games that were used to promote it. There are an astonishing three movie games released to promote this movie including Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines, Terminator 3: War of the Machines, and Terminator 3: The Redemption. As an honourable mention, shortly before the movie Terminator: Dawn of Fate was also released. Game stores in 2004 had up to four new Terminator titles on their shelves all at once. With the Switch 2 reveal looming, everyone seems to be fired up over some unverified leaked images. A mix of CAD and PCB designs allegedly leaked from a Chinese website before making their way onto Reddit. The drawings show magnetic Joy-Cons, two USB-C ports (one top, one bottom), and a larger screen. Nintendo and The Pokémon Company have officially sued the Palworld developer over multiple patent infringements. Early speculation estimates that one of these alleged infringements could be regarding the capture of creatures in a similar way to Pokéballs capturing Pokémon. Tango Gameworks was purchased by PUBG publisher, Krafton, after Microsoft wanted to shutter the studio. Many in the community would be right to assume that Krafton was after the profits from a highly anticipated sequel to Hi-Fi Rush. However, the publisher said that they don't believe Hi-Fi Rush 2 will generate them a profit, instead they said they made the purchase as a means to strengthen the legacy and creativity of the gaming industry.

In this week's Gaming Fun Fact, we take a look at the speedrunning community surrounding the game The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. We'll explore some key milestones like the discovery of wrong warp, super slide, and much more! Sony has officially unveiled the PS5 Pro with an upgraded GPU, advanced ray tracing, and AI-driven upscaling. This new model promises to help bridge the gap between performance and fidelity modes to allow players to have their cake and eat it too! But that cake will cost a tonne of cake, with a pricepoint coming it at $699.99 USD. Microsoft has cut 650 jobs from its gaming division. Phil Spencer addressed employees in a company memo expressing that the decision was not easy to reach, but was necessary to ensure long-term success. The Watch Dogs movie was announced 10+ years ago...and now it's finally complete, as filming has wrapped for the project. Time (and reviews) will tell upon release how well Watch Dogs has been adapted from its original video game medium and whether or not audiences are interested in paying a ticket price to see the film.

Concord, Sony's Overwatch-like competitive shooter, has been taken offline as of September 6, 2024 - just days after its debut on August 23, 2024. The developer has stated that they will be exploring options that include ways to better reaching their players. My estimate? It'll be back and free-to-play. Microsoft says that Apple's 30% fee makes Xbox Cloud Gaming iOS app impossible. One of the perks of Game Pass Ultimate is Xbox Cloud Gaming, a feature that many assumed would eventually appear on the App Store. Unfortunately, this does not appear to be the case as Microsoft claims that Apple's rules are still too restrictive. Star Wars Outlaws has released to a mixed bag of reviews - currently the game sits at a 76 on Metacritic (critic reviews as of Sept 9, 2024). According to analyst Daniel Kerven Star Wars Outlaws "has struggled to meet our sales expectations despite positive critical reviews." resulting in Ubisoft's share price taking a hit.

In this week's Gaming Fun Fact we explore one of the first public cases of development hell by analyzing a game that took a whole 14 years to release! Duke Nukem Forever went through two development teams, two engines, and some terrible reviews before all was said and done. This goes to show us that video game development isn't easy, and even if a project should only take a couple years - it can easily spin out of control. GameStop has pivoted once again, this time to focus on retro gaming. GameStop Retro locations are stores that will stock physical consoles, discs, and cartridges from classic Nintendo, PlayStation, Xbox, and Sega platforms. As the hobby of video game collecting seems to be heating up online, is this a good move for the aging (and struggling) retailer? With the recent masterpiece that is the Borderlands movie (this is a joke), why wouldn't we want more video game TV and movie content? This time some Remedy franchises, namely Control and Alan Wake, are taking to the big and small screens as we just recently learned that some TV and movie projects are being worked on! Furthermore, "other audiovisual formats" based on these franchises were also confirmed - I bet it's a podcast or two!

In this episode of the Day One Patch Podcast, we kick things off with a Video Game Fun Fact, where Matt takes us through the story of Microsoft's infamous one billion-dollar mistake—better known as the Red Ring of Death (RROD). Learn how this major hardware flaw led to massive recalls and ultimately shaped the future of Xbox. Top Stories: - Fortnite's iPhone Comeback: After years of litigation and regulatory changes, Fortnite is finally back on iOS—but only in the EU. We discuss the return of the game through new third-party app stores and what this means for mobile gamers. - Krafton Saves Tango Gameworks: In a surprising move, Krafton, the publisher behind PUBG, has acquired Tango Gameworks and the Hi-Fi Rush IP from Xbox. This acquisition prevents the studio's closure, ensuring the continuation of its popular titles and the development of new projects. - Activision's War on Download Sizes: Activision is making moves to address the ever-growing size of Call of Duty downloads. We explore the upcoming changes, including the separation of Warzone from the main game and new file optimization techniques aimed at reducing the game's footprint.

In this week's Gaming Fun Fact, we explore the first ever easter egg and the origins behind it. Back when video games were in their infancy, developers were often completely overshadowed by the brand they worked for, often never being given credit directly - but some found creative revolution, just like in the game "Adventure" for the Atari 2600. Video game voice actors are going on strike over AI protections after 18 months of negotiations. Fallout London is finally out on GOG! The mod project the size of a full game has finally released, compatible with both the GOG and Steam versions of Fallout 4 (with all DLC). More Epic drama as Fortnite is set to leave the Galaxy Store after Samsung turns on their Auto Blocker feature by default (as of the OneUI 6.1.1 update). In previous updates, Auto Blocker was opt-in, meaning it was off be default but users could toggle it on.

In this week's Gaming Fun Fact we take a look at one of the first gaming VR experiences that not only delivered major IP titles such as Mario, but was also a portable solution over 20 years before the Oculus Quest 2's release. We are of course talking about the famous (some say infamous) Nintendo Virtual Boy. Amazon is now selling a "no console required" Xbox bundle, as the Xbox Game Pass app lands on the Fire TV Stick. The bundle includes a Fire TV stick + remote, Xbox controller, and an Xbox Game Pass Ultimate 1-month pass. Is this the beginning of the streaming-only future that some believe is coming in fast? Xbox Game Pass is under fire from the FTC once again due to their price increase and new tiers that erodes "day one on Game Pass" for some users. The FTC's new filing includes a comment that reads "Product degradation — removing the most valuable games from Microsoft's new service — combined with price increases for existing users, is exactly the sort of consumer harm from the merger the FTC has alleged" Microsoft has integrated Nvidia's GeForce Now service into its Xbox game pages, allowing users to choose between Nvidia's cloud gaming service and Xbox Cloud Gaming. This new feature lets players launch supported games directly from Xbox.com using either platform.

In this week's Gaming Fun Fact we explore the world of Bethesda's game engines, starting all the way back with Elder Scrolls: Arena - before the days of the famous (infamous?) Creation engine. Xbox Game Pass is receiving a price increase and a new standard tier that will not be including day one releases. The new tier replaces the console tier, however, existing console tier customers will still be receiving day one releases. We feel as though the price increase is fair, but this new tier ads another layer of potential confusion and seems to punish console-only players. Nintendo Switch has had one long run, so long in fact that it is now Nintendo's longest running console ever. This is beating out the previous longest running Nintendo console, the Famicom that had a run of 2,686 days. Hellblade 2 sales data reveals some concerning numbers for what was a highly anticipated title. The sales numbers also revealed Game Pass "sales" as well, showing numbers that were much lower than we expected. It is important to note, however, that Hellblade 2 did not receive a physical release. Is there an Xbox curse? Is the brand damaged?

In this week's Gaming Fun Fact we discussed the infamous PS3 development woes, namely how difficult it was to create PS3 games for developers. This was due to the console's complex Cell Processor, ununified memory, and more. Then in the week's gaming news, we discussed: Nintendo believes that longer game development cycles are inevitable, however, there are ways to keep on top of them. They believe that they've been doing a good job time balancing modern (and complex) game development. It's a well known fact that Steam users purchase a lot of games that they never play - typically due to deep discounts during times like the Steam Summer Sale. It has been roughly calculated by PCGamesN that Steam users have spent $19 billion on games that they've never played. Some believe that modern gaming is the worst era of video games to date, and that the golden age was during the Xbox 360 and PS3 generation. One Metro reader submitted their opinion piece of how they think that the Xbox 360 era was the peak of gaming and how it has gotten worse ever since - we took some of their opinions and discussed them. Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree has seen some nerfs in its first patch - specifically nerfing the extremely effective perfumes into the ground, as well as taking away an exploit that allowed players to use a spiky shield in such a way that boss fights were extremely easy. We discussed if nerfs like this make sense in a (mostly) PvE game like Elden Ring.

In this week's Gaming Fun Fact we explore early wireless gaming controllers, specifically the Game Mate 2. Many people believe that the Wavebird for Nintendo GameCube was the first wireless controller, but in fact wireless controllers go all the way back to 1982 with the Atari 2600. Nintendo Direct June 2024 was a loaded presentation that Tim was kind enough to take us through. Major announcements included Metroid Prime 4 Beyond, Mario and Luigi Brothership, Legend of Zelda Echoes of Wisdom, and much more! PS VR2 may be in trouble as Sony has reportedly cut its investment in VR. This comes off the heels of Ubisoft's own VR woes, with the disappointing sales of Assassin's Creed Nexus VR. The Elden Ring DLC is here and has officially de-throned The Witcher 3's Blood and Wine expansion as the top-rated DLC on IGN. CD Projekt Red took to social media to congratulate From Software on their achievement.

In this week's Gaming Fun Fact, we explore the bit wars! Namely the period of time where consoles were fighting for dominance through rigorous hardware upgrades and full force marketing campaigns - many of which rallied around how many bits their console had under the hood. Despite the bit wars' lack of an official start and end date, this period lasted roughly from the mid 1980s until the mid 1990s with the release of the Atari Jaguar. Then in the mainstream news, the Xbox Games Showcase 2024 rocked the house with a seemingly never ending slew of killer game announcements that may just put Xbox in a great competitive position in the 2024/2025 gaming landscape. These titles included a surprise look at Gears of War: E-Day, a peek at Atomfall, Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 deep dive, and much much more!

In this week's Gaming Fun Fact, we discuss the history of gaming handhelds. Many people think that the original Game Boy kicked off the handheld gaming scene, but it started much earlier back with the Microvision in 1979. Sporting a 16 x 16 pixel screen and cartridge-based games, the Microvision pre-dated the Game Boy by ~11 years. Hot off the presses, Geoff Keighley and his team delivered the Summer Game Fest 2024 presentation filled to the brim with game reveals, trailers, and more for the entire 2 hour presentation. Some of the games shown off included: Alan Wake II DLC, Lego Horizon Adventures, Quidditch Champions, and more!

In this week's Video Game Fun Fact, we explore the world of blowing into cartridges. If you've ever used a console that relied on cartridges, then you've almost definitely tried to boot up a game, have it fail, take the cartridge out to blow on it, then get it magically works. Well what exactly is happening there? Should you blow on your cartridges when they don't work? The PlayStation State of Play (May 2024) happened just days ago, with showcases on many titles on the way to the PS5 and PSVR2 including: Concord, Marvel Rivals, Until Dawn, and more! We go through most every reveal at the show, offering our impressions and opinions.

In this week's gaming fun fact we discuss massive game worlds, specifically the largest ones ever made. Elder Scrolls II: Daggerfall is known for it's absolutely massive landmass that equates roughly to the size of Great Britain. However, it's predecessor Elder Scrolls: Arena comes in at a staggering ~9.6 million square kilometers (approximately the size of Australia) by using on-demand procedural generation. However, there is one game that trumps both these game world sizes... Naughty Dog's new upcoming game is looking to change the mainstream perception of gaming, we discuss and speculate as to what this means exactly. Will the game tie into TV and movies? Are they aiming to make games less of a toy and more of a "serious" medium? AI has come up a lot this week in both Naughty Dog's Neil Druckmann's and PlayStation's Asad Qizilbash's comments. Neil believes that AI will revolutionize how content is created, bringing powerful tools to those that may not even understand game development. Asad's comments focused on Gen Z and Gen Alpha, making note of their desire to personalize everything. In retro feeling news, Atari has purchased Intellivision, a story that feels like it is straight out of the late 1980s. Atari hasn't purchased the entire Intellivision company or the Amica, instead they purchased the name and the rights to over 200 games.

In this week's Gaming Fun Fact, we discuss some Halo facts that may catch you by surprise including all the work that was put into the Halo 3 engine, the last minute addition of multiplayer in Halo: Combat Evolved, Destiny easter eggs in ODST, and more! Assassin's Creed is finally headed to Japan with the reveal of Assassin's Creed Shadows, shown off in a fully cinematic trailer. Players will have two different protagonists to choose from, will have to contend with seasonal changes, and will have a map about the size of Assassin's Creed Origins. Following the success of the Fallout TV show, Prime Video has ordered a Tomb Raider show with Phoebe Waller-Bridge as the writer and executive producer. Square Enix has been taking a beating in the wallet lately, but they have a plan to turn it around. Just like Xbox, Square appears to be seeking new exposure to their games by going multi-platform.

In this week's Gaming Fun Fact, we explore the days before the internet was widespread, but gaming was still alive and well. Today we push updates to our games all the time, to fix problems of all sizes, and even to overhaul entire experiences. But before high-speed internet, how did games get updated? Microsoft has closed down a collection of studios including Arkane Austin - the creator of Redfall, Tango Gameworks - the maker of The Evil Within and Hi-Fi Rush, as well as mobile developer Alpha Dog Games. This news comes as a sudden surprise to many, especially for Tango Gameworks given their recent success with Hi-Fi Rush. Nintendo has finally broken their silence on the Switch successor, presumably named the Switch 2, will be unveiled before April 2025 - according to Nintendo's President Suntaro Furukawa the reveal will happen within this fiscal year. EA is considering the addition of in-game ads within their AAA titles. As ads are working their way into more of our day-to-day experiences like Windows 11 and Prime Video, it seems only as natural as it is unfortunate that video games would befall the same fate. During a May 7th earnings call, EA CEO Andrew Wilson answered a question regarding "dynamic ad insertion" within their top-of-the-line experiences to which he responded that he sees advertising in games as a "meaningful driver of growth" but he wants to be "thoughtful" about how these potential ads could be implemented.

In this week's Gaming Fun Fact, we explore the world of the very first commercially available arcade game - Computer Space. Computer Space was a precursor to Pong, being shipped in an arcade cabinet that looked like something straight out of Star Trek. Computer Space sold over 1000 units and was controlled entirely by buttons (no joystick) where a player would control a ship trying to take down hostile flying saucers. Microsoft has announced an E3-like Xbox Games Showcase coming in hot this summer on June 9, 2024. Game announcements will include games from Xbox Game Studios, Activision Blizzard, and Bethesda. We also got a look at a graphic that was intentionally redacted, but looks very much like Call of Duty (maybe Call of Duty: Gulf War). Redfall, the vampire game with quirky characters, a horrible launch, and an apparently terrible update schedule has started to concern some players that purchased the $100 Bite Back Edition of the game. As of recording, the last update for Redfall was approximately 6 months ago, with no reveal or date set for the release of the expensive edition's included DLC. Square Enix is re-evaluating how it approaches games, being more selective about which games to develop. Unfortunately, this comes at a great cost to the tune of $140 million dollars and several cancelled gaming projects.

Xbox is entering the VR space by partnering with Meta to create a limited-edition Meta Quest headset bundle - this news comes to us as apart of Meta's recent announcement that they will be powering third-party headset makers such as Lenovo and Asus. Fallout fever has gone and got us down! The Prime Video show has ignited a flurry of Fallout popularity resulting in Fallout 76 hitting one million players in a single day and a surge of players on Fallout 3, 4, New Vegas, and Shelter. Even we've been playing Fallout 76 again in anticipation of the new update that's already in the PTS! The much anticipated Fallout 4 next-gen update has finally come out...and in typical Bethesda style has been suffering from a collection of issues. On PS5 some users can't even claim a free copy if they own it via PS Plus (a bug that is being addressed for PS Extra and (maybe) PS Plus Collection owners), Xbox users are having issues with the update's capabilities only having a 60fps mode with no 4k resolution...and PC users are having a myriad of random issues including missing textures and some guns firing stop signs instead of projectiles.

Sarah Bond has confirmed through emails to her staff that Xbox has created a dedicated game preservation team that is working to ensure our digital libraries will be accessible on as many future consoles as possible. As also confirmed in Sarah's emails, Xbox is working on a next-gen console that promises to be a massive technological leap. We offer our insights and speculation as to what the future of Xbox hardware looks like. The Fallout series has premiered this past week on Prime Video, some have heralded it as one of the best video game adaptations to-date...while others are plagued by holes that they've found in the lore. We explore the first and second episodes, offering our opinions and thoughts on the series we've seen so far.

Video Game Fun Fact: This week's fun fact revolves around Fallout 3's iconic handheld nuclear launching device - the Fat Man. As ridiculous as it sounds, the Fat Man's design was inspired by a real cold war era weapon called the M-388 Davy Crokett Tactical Nuclear Recoilless Rifle that was put into service in two models including the M28 (light) and M29 (heavy). We also discussed the recent news out of Apple regarding it's take on emulators on the App Store. Previously, emulators were banned from the App Store causing users to look to workarounds, or Android devices. But now Apple has loosened up these rules, opening up the App Store to emulators provided that all laws are followed in their distribution. Despite the long silence from the KOTOR remake, it is apparently alive and well according to the Saber Interactive CEO himself. Then in the Query Corner Question, we discuss the current gaming landscape and our obsession with re-releases of old games. Should old games be brought onto modern platforms for game preservation? What about remasters and remakes of the same games time and time again?

Video Game Fun Fact: During the development of 2003's Call of Duty, its codename was "MOH killer" or "Medal of Honor killer" as the series was going after EA's acclaimed WWII shooter series. Much like Medal of Honor at the time, the Call of Duty campaign was originally going to follow a sort of James Bond-like character taking on hundreds of soldiers solo. To avoid being too similar to Medal of Honor and the Wolfenstein series, they changed the campaign into what became a series staple - three distinct campaigns covering different allied factions including the US, British, and Russians through key WWII battles and events. This multiple perspective campaign appeared in several Call of Duty games over the years including Call of Duty 2, Call of Duty 3, Call of Duty: Finest Hour, and more. With GTA6 close (we hope) to release, tech experts are saying to not expect it to run at 60fps on PS5 - even if a PS5 Pro model does get released. Phil Spencer is interested in having more game launcher offerings on the Xbox console, a move that could see the likes of the Epic Games Store and Steam find their way onto the Xbox Series X | S. We discussed how we think the competition may react and how third-party launchers may look on a platform that is currently designed around selling games from the Microsoft Store. After a recent trip, Phil Spencer offers his feedback on using his Lenovo Legion Go while travelling - offering us insight into what he'd like to see from portable gaming (ie seamless cross-saves, Xbox dashboard on-the-go). With the console market not growing past ~100 million units for the "generation winner" will Xbox be making a handheld to grow its sales and help fulfill Phil Spencer's vision of gaming on the go?

Video game fun fact of the week: Mercenaries 2 held a promotion shortly before it launched where it offered free gas in north London and LA for a day. The promotion transformed the gas stations with Mercenaries 2 themed posters and paid actors playing the part of the mercenaries. Unfortunately, the promotion went off the rails a bit in London as it caused gridlock and an overall public disturbance so severe that the promo had to be cut short around 4 hours into it. Dragon's Dogma 2 has been released to rave reviews from those that are enjoying the gameplay...however, many are flocking to Steam to express their dislike of the newly discovered microtransactions in the game. PSVR 2 has reportedly paused it's production in order to clear out some inventory. The virtual reality headset that is designed as a very expensive accessory for the PS5 console is seemingly not selling as well as expected - does this spell doom for VR on PS5? Larian isn't planning on making any Baldur's Gate 3 DLC/Expansions and also isn't working on Baldur's Gate 4 as the studio looks to make something entirely different than Dungeons & Dragons.