Day One Patch Podcast - The Finest Gaming Podcast

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.

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.