As hardware costs skyrocket, the gaming industry is at a crossroads. This week, we dive into the "cloud-first" future, exploring how engines like Ace Combat 8’s "Cloudly" are pushing photorealistic boundaries while simultaneously threatening the very concept of digital ownership. With Amazon Luna locking users out of purchased games without refunds, is the dream of the cloud becoming a consumer nightmare? Will we all run back to the GBA? Maybe.

What is your favorite game, new or old, that you've played in the last year, and what made it great? Email your answers to [email protected] to be featured on our end-of-month episode!