I did get the Hallmark Xbox 360 ornament, and it does not red ring. Digital Eclipse's Mortal Kombat Legacy Kollection is out, and while the documentary is great, it isn't the main focus, and apparently the online play is falling very short of expectations. Nintendo has won a lawsuit against a pirate who streamed leaked games. Nintendo has lost a patent claim in Japan that it was using to go against Palworld - for now. Then we talk to Rob about Mortal Kombat Legacy Kollection and Dragon Quest I+II HD-2D Remake.

25 years ago today, the PlayStation 2 launched in the US. I recount my lonely camping out at a local store that nobody knew had PS2's, only to get a PS2 that didn't work. Once Upon A Katamari is a new entry in my favorite game series, and reviewers love it but there's an aspect of it I'm not as much a fan of. Microsoft has told the Xbox division that they must make 30% profit margins, something that no game company has been able to do. This explains why Xbox has made the decisions they have made for the past year. Then we talk about how Microsoft has opted all users of the Xbox Game Bar on PC into a Microsoft Copilot feature that periodically takes screenshots of your gameplay and sends it to their AI for learning - even if it's a game you're developing and under NDA.

I spend a lot of time in this episode telling you about Blippo+, the FMV art project originally on the Playdate console but now on Steam and Switch. It's not for everybody, but it might be for you... But first, we talk a little bit about my time with a (company owned) Meta Quest 3 VR headset, and why I'm still being a sucker and buying the Nintendo Switch Online's Virtual Boy plastic case. Atari has announced an Intellivision console that will actually ship - the Intellivision Spirit - with 45 games. No cartridge port, though. Then we talk to Rob about TRON: Ares (we haven't seen it yet) and the Intellivision Spirit.

I give my early impressions of Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles after revisiting it for the first time in decades. Microsoft has stated that they are still committed to making traditional consoles. Nintendo has sued a moderator of a Switch piracy subreddit. Then we talk to Rob about Tron: Ares and the upcoming final episode of Orange Lounge Radio.

EA is being purchased by private investors in 2027, and will immediately be saddled with $20billion worth of debt when the deal closes. (EA made $7.5billion in revenue in 2025.) There is a vulnerability in all games using the Unity Runtime released since 2017, so all of those games must be patched before some systems will be allowed to run them. Microsoft has changed up the Xbox Game Pass system to incur higher prices, meaning it is no longer the best deal in gaming. Then we talk to Rob about Game Pass and why it might be a failing of Xbox leadership.

We have an update about the game preservation story from last episode with some more context on why this might not be as big of a disaster as we first claimed. EA was rumored to be going private by being purchased by several investors representing Saudi Arabia. (This was confirmed the day after we recorded this episode.) Doug Bowser announced his retirement as the President of Nintendo of America. Microsoft has announced that there is yet another price increase on Xbox consoles thanks to "macroeconomic conditions." Then we talk to Rob about the music festival I went to last week and how I'm too out of shape to attend music festivals.

The Virtual Boy is making a comeback on Nintendo Switch Online - but you'll have to buy an expensive piece of plastic or cardboard to use it. A devkit and prototype game collection was seized by UK police, and preservationists are fighting to get it back. (There's more to this story that came to light after recording this episode.) Nintendo has been awarded new patents on gameplay revolving around Pokemon battles - but could be used for more general things like summons in JRPG's. Then we talk to Rob about Donkey Kong: Bananza.

I'm back from Dragon Con and got to moderate some panels! I also talk about the artist who was kicked out of artist alley for selling AI art and explain exactly why they were kicked out and exactly why (and which) police were involved. Hollow Knight: Silksong released and broke the internet - and maybe makes a great case as for why digital preorders should actually be a thing. Some indie developers are upset at Silksong's $20 price tag because they can't afford to sell their game for $20 and it isn't as feature rich as Silksong. Then we talk to Rob about Dragon Con.

I will be at Dragon Con in Atlanta on Labor Day Weekend, moderating Dragon Con's first ever Speedrun Showcase, speaking with the Dad of Boy himself Christopher Judge, and moderating a panel with the cast of SYFY's The Magicians! (Sadly, the Mortal Kombat panel was dropped from the schedule the day after this was recorded!) Sony has raised the price of all models of the PS5 by $50 in the USA due to the tariffs. Gamestop made a PR move saying they would cover the difference if you traded in a last gen console - but that deal was only for 24 hours. Steam now calculates the review score based on reviews in your spoken language to prevent review bombing from other territories - but they give you the option to go back to including all reviews. Then we talk about games that people were excited for at Gamescom, and to Rob about Dragon Con.

I will be at Dragon Con on Labor Day weekend - and I couldn't talk about my schedule as we were recording, but its out now if you go look. Blizzard's Story and Franchise Development team successfully formed a union! Gamescom is bigger than it ever has been before, and it's a model that ESA should have tried with E3. Then we talk more about Dragon Con and why it's different than other conventions.

Sony has announced that the PS5 has sold over 80 million units, which is better than anyone expected. Sony also said that live service games were not going so great, but they are pushing ahead with their plans. Nintendo has denied speedrunning marathon RTA In Japan permission to showcase any Nintendo games. Then we talk to Rob about UFO 50 and Nintendo's survey about why people like physical games (and did not offer my reason as an option!)

We first hear from a viewer about the Microsoft Movies & TV store going away and why they are particularly disappointed in its removal. Itch.io is currently seeking new payment processors to replace the ones who are forcing content guidelines on their service. Itch.io has started to reindex free content that they originally pulled, since you don't need a payment processor to distribute that content. Nintendo is raising hardware prices of OG Switch hardware and some Switch 2 accessories, but not that of the Switch 2 - yet. Then we talk with Rob about how ESPN8: The Ocho should feature speedrunning and why we think esports hasn't really broken into the mainstream despite valiant efforts by the industry.

July 24, 2005 was when the first episode of this podcast was broadcast live via Shoutcast internet radio, so we spend some time looking at how the last 20 years have been with this show. Itch.io has deindexed every title that had sensitive content on its storefront, in response to payment processors who have given in to very small activist groups. Xbox has announced that some titles that were going to be $80 will now be $70 instead. Then we talk to Rob about 20 years in podcasting and $80 titles going away - for now.

I was at ATL Comic Convention and hosted a panel with the actors from Red Dead Redemption 2! Steam has banned many adult games due to guidelines from credit card processors. Microsoft has abruptly killed their Movies and TV store on Windows and Xbox. Then we talk to Rob about buying movies and TV shows directly from consoles rather than streaming.

I'm going to be at ATL Comic Convention on Saturday, July 19th, running a panel with the performance actors from Red Dead Redemption 2 at 2PM! Last week, I was at Summer Games Done Quick 2025, reading donations and helping raise over $2.4million for Doctors Without Borders. The SAG-AFTRA strike against video game companies is now officially over, and everyone is back to work with better pay and more AI protections. Subnautica 2 was delayed despite being ready, the founders of the studio outsted, and a $250million bonus not hit because they will not make their revenue targets by the contracted deadline due to the delay. Then we talk to Rob about the news I missed while I was at SGDQ.

I will be hosting at Summer Games Done Quick 2025 on Thursday and Saturday! I'll be hosting a Super Metroid race, DOOM: The Dark Ages, Super Mario 3, and a Kirby Super Star Ultra TAS! I will also be at the ATL Comic Convention on July 19th to moderate a panel with the performance actors of Red Dead Redemption. I was at Southern-Fried Gaming Expo and played some games (including a dual screen Commodore 128 game!), helped run a panel about obscure games, and moderated a panel with video game voice actors. It was rumored (and proven true after recording) that Microsoft was going to lay off thousands of people in their Xbox division. Beat Saber is ending support for PlayStation platforms, and will only allow multiplayer and new DLC for the Steam and Meta Quest platforms going forward. Then we talk to Rob about SFGE and Fantasy Life i.

I'll be at the Southern-Fried Gaming Expo speaking on a panel about obscure games and hosting a panel with video game voice actors! A PSA if you have a Nintendo Switch 2 - update your controllers firmware! There is a firmware update and the console does NOT automatically update your controllers. The Switch 2 is now officially Nintendo's fastest selling device, and is most likely the fastest selling video game console ever. The SAG-AFTRA voice actors strike over AI protections has been suspended, which means voice actors are now returning to work. Then we take suggestions from chat about obscure video games that you might have missed, none of which we actually used in the presentation, but it was good hearing them!

We attempt to do two hours of gaming talk in one hour, so buckle up! The ROG Xbox Ally is the handheld Xbox, announced at Summer Game Fest. Geoff Keighley misled at the Summer Game Fest Kickoff Showcase by claiming that dev teams were smaller than they actually were - erasing the many outsourced parts of the game development process. Mortal Kombat: Legacy Kollection is coming from Digital Eclipse, but is not Gold Master Series #4. The Nintendo Switch 2 is both plentiful and hard to find, depending on who you ask. We then talk about the transfer process, gameshare, clip sharing, the official carrying case, and what I played first. Then we talk to Rob about the Nintendo Switch 2.

I was at MomoCon working with the Momentum 2025 speedrun marathon! I will be back at Summer Games Done Quick 2025 as a host! SAG-AFTRA is now pushing back over Fortnite's use of James Earl Jones' voice to say generative AI voice lines instead of trying to work with existing voice actors who have taken over the Darth Vader character in other games. There are a few games that can't run on the Switch 2, but it's really not as surprising or bad as you think. Then we talk to Rob about how we're going to be at the Southern-Fried Gaming Expo in Atlanta on June 18-20th and also running a panel about overlooked classic games.

We start off remembering friend of the network Kurt Boutin, who went by "VOByKurt" in our community and on TikTok. Fortnite introduced Darth Vader and utilized an AI trained on James Earl Jones's voice with permission - however this made Vader say some very naughty things. Hideo Kojima wants a game that forgets what it was doing the longer you step away from it as a player. Then we talk to Rob about forgetting things after putting games down, and how to effectively parry in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33.