Portal 2 | Cheerful Ghost

The Portal Companion Collection Might be the Best Console Version of Portal

Wanted to share a recent Digital Foundry comparison of all the Portal console versions. According to the review, the Switch version may be the best console version of both games. Too bad Valve doesn’t support the console versions of its games more but then again they are fairly old games too.

Portal Companion Collection Available on Switch Today!

The Portal Companion Collection is available on Switch today! If you wanted to replay these classic games on Switch, now’s the time.

It’s currently only available digitally with a physical release later this year from Play Asia.

https://www.play-asia.com/portal-companion-collection/13/70f7i3

Steam Deck Launches To Incredible Reviews!

The Steam Deck has finally started shipping to nearly universal praise. I think they only downside to the Steam Deck I've heard of is that if you play hefty graphical games at 60fps the battery life doesn't last very long. Valve has some toggles to downscale games to get more battery life, but if you can only get an hour or two from any modern intensely graphical game.

To date, Valve has released some innovative hardware that hasn't quite achieved mainstream status. The Steam Deck seems like it might be the magic hardware that a lot of gamers may get. That said, if you signed up for the Steam Deck late in the game it might take you a long time to finally get one. Let... Read All

The Latest Nintendo Direct: A New Portal Collection, You Monster!

The latest Nintendo direct brought some great news for Switch fans. One new game collection to be announced was quite a welcomed surprise in the Portal: Companion Collection. Basically it's just as it sounds, Valve is releasing the Portal & Portal 2 Companion Collection on Nintendo Switch. My hope is this has a physical release, because if it doesn't i'll pick it up. I still play Portal and Portal 2 with my 5 year old son on the Series X backwards compatibility and getting a new fresh port on Switch would be awesome. My hope is Valve releases this collection on the other consoles in 4K but if this is simply a Switch port, that seems fine too. It's an interesting... Read All The latest Nintendo direct brought some great news for Switch fans. One new game collection to be announced was quite a welcomed surprise in the Portal: Companion Collection. Basically it's just as it sounds, Valve is releasing the Portal & Portal 2 Companion Collection on Nintendo Switch. My hope is this has a physical release, because if it doesn't i'll pick it up. I still play Portal and Portal 2 with my 5 year old son on the Series X backwards compatibility and getting a new fresh port on Switch would be awesome. My hope is Valve releases this collection on the other consoles in 4K but if this is simply a Switch port, that seems fine too. It's an interesting choice considering Valve is launching it's Steam Deck handheld broadly very soon.

The next news drop I found interesting was the Mario Kart 8 Deluxe - Booster Course Pass DLC. Mario Kart 8 was originally released in 2014 for the Wii U with it's own DLC. That later was packaged up for the Switch as Mario Kart 8 Deluxe and the game is still so popular with fans Nintendo is releasing a 48 course DLC track pass that will drop 8 new tracks at a time throughout 2022. For $25 this seems like quite the deal and Nintendo has also included it as a bonus for the upgraded Nintendo Online subscription. Interesting to see how Nintendo is adding value to Nintendo Online through normally paid DLC being included for subscribers.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1uZDbDoDAq4

Nintendo Switch Sports looks to be the sequel to Wii Sports I always wanted. Recently my son played Wii bowling at he was hooked. Nintendo Switch Sports looks to bring all the Wii classic sports games to the table along with some of the best games from Wii Sports Resort (the Sword Fighting game). Switch Sports drops 4/29 and it's a day one purchase for me.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TZ16-1YIRAc

Finally, Earthbound Beginnings on NES and Earthbound for SNES are coming to Nintendo online, which should bring these classic games to a larger audience. While a bit late, it's nice to see these come to the system even if I'm letting my Nintendo Online subscription lapse.

Alienware Might Release a PC Based Switch Competetor Named UFO

Alienware unveiled the Concept UFO PC handheld at this years CES 2020. I've been clamoring for a PC handheld like this for years and last year bought a Switch because it was everything I wanted in a handheld gaming device minus my Steam library. The Concept UFO is essentially a handheld PC that has nearly all the features of the Switch except it runs Windows 10. The Verge has an incredible video i've linked above that gives the device it's due and even though it may or may not come out it looks quite good. With that, now that I have a Switch and the fact that so many PC only indie games are coming to it it makes a device like this less appealing. Still, taking your... Read All

Azurephile Super Member wrote on 01/08/2020 at 06:30am

I saw something about this, but didn't look into details. I have some thoughts I'd thought I'd share, since you posted this, perhaps others will join in on the conversation. I don't own a Switch yet. I may get one, I'm not completely sure if or when I might get one. It could be soon, it could be a while from now, it kind of depends on a variety of things. One thing is that my local GameStop is closing, so they may have a discounted Switch I can buy, if they haven't closed yet and if I can afford to get one. I don't personally want one, but I'd buy one for my son. I wouldn't mind having one, but I have little to no interest in console (including mobile) gaming. I've been primarily a PC gamer for years now and have done very little console (including mobile) gaming. I just don't have the interest for it. So, I think this looks cool, but I'm still not really interested. It could be cool for my son, since the PC he uses is terrible for PC gaming (it doesn't even meet the minimum requirements for Minecraft, even though he still plays it on it). I have a gaming PC as I've had for years now. I built myself a new PC this past summer and expect it will still be quite capable of gaming for a few years at least, maybe longer. I would like to build my son a gaming PC, but that's not exactly an available option at the moment. This device actually kind of scares me. I love PCs, I love being able to build and upgrade them. I really love PC hardware. This device makes me fear the day when PCs no longer are these relatively bigger things, which are easier to build and upgrade. That is not a day I want to see. This does make me curious, though. I wonder what kind of specs it has. Technological evolution is certainly interesting. It's amazing what hardware can easily do now that required a much greater effort (or power) to do years ago. I wonder how much something like this would cost and how long it would last. I would assume and hope that it could run Steam and would also do the same for Minecraft. Right now I feel like I have a mostly positive impression/opinion of the Switch, yet it still seems to not be very powerful. Since I haven't yet experienced it, I can't say for sure, though I've seen discussions or issues it's run into. Sure, it can play the Witcher 3, but it still has some trouble doing so along with problems with other games. The 2/3DS is also some what disappointing in the same way. However, technology will progress and I'm sure mobile consoles like these will get better as time moves forward. This having the Alienware brand name makes me believe it will be powerful, but it will also probably be expensive. My last PC was an Alienware and it was both. Although, this summer I built a PC for about half the cost, which is probably even more powerful and superior to that old PC. This may also be more relevant for people who are "on the go" and want or need a mobile device like this. However, I'm not one of those people, so this isn't exactly for me.

Azurephile Super Member wrote on 01/08/2020 at 06:31am

Wow the 3,000 character limit is really tough sometimes! Good thing I was able to remove some characters to get that comment to fit.

Will_Ball Game Mod Super Member wrote on 01/08/2020 at 02:54pm

If the price point is right, that may be cool, but I already own a switch. I don't see me adding another handheld like this.

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 01/10/2020 at 12:02am

> This device makes me fear the day when PCs no longer are these relatively bigger things, which are easier to build and upgrade. That is not a day I want to see.

I've heard many say (not you but others) that PC's are dead and for all of that doomsaying PC's are still going strong. Whereas people seem to prefer tablets, phones and the like PC's are still quite popular with enthusiasts and I liken them to gearheads or foodies.

That said, a device like this really doesn't replace a PC or maybe it would for some but not for people that love running the most powerful hardware as it's not the most powerful hardware.

> Right now I feel like I have a mostly positive impression/opinion of the Switch, yet it still seems to not be very powerful. Since I haven't yet experienced it, I can't say for sure, though I've seen discussions or issues it's run into. Sure, it can play the Witcher 3, but it still has some trouble doing so along with problems with other games.

The Switch is an incredible console / handheld and MAY BE the culmination of the best things Nintendo has ever done. The graphics aren't as good as a PS4 but for what it is, it's quite incredible. I'm at a place now where it's better to have a system that I can play anywhere than have the most cutting edge graphics.

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 01/10/2020 at 12:02am

> If the price point is right, that may be cool, but I already own a switch. I don't see me adding another handheld like this.

I think i'm in the same place too.

Azurephile Super Member wrote on 01/10/2020 at 01:47am

>I've heard many say (not you but others) that PC's are dead and for all of that doomsaying PC's are still going strong. Whereas people seem to prefer tablets, phones and the like PC's are still quite popular with enthusiasts and I liken them to gearheads or foodies.

That's a comforting statement, even though I don't know what you're talking about with regards to gearheads or foodies.

>That said, a device like this really doesn't replace a PC or maybe it would for some but not for people that love running the most powerful hardware as it's not the most powerful hardware.

I feel like I've learned that the most powerful hardware isn't necessary, unless you're doing a lot of heavy stuff. I think I've learned that there are things more taxing on PC hardware than gaming, or maybe in other cases, like creating content for YouTube, encoding video, etc. I now feel like I don't have to have the most powerful hardware, even if I still want it. If I could afford the most powerful, maybe I'd get it, but I can't. Luckily, what I have is pretty good and for the price it seems really good and reasonable. I think right now 8K gaming (or PC use) would require the most power to do. But, it's not very common at all, at least from what I see. Heck, 4K seems to require a lot of power just to get 60FPS. I haven't jumped into that boat yet. I'm still happy with 1080p and I'm going to stick with it, for now. I think I may gradually jump into higher definition in due time and perhaps in increments. I'd probably already be a step above what I have now had my experience with monitors from Amazon gone well. On the other side, I saw a new 360hz monitor at CES 2020 that may make it to market eventually. Hopefully, it would make other monitors cheaper. I'm still ok with my 60hz. I still play some games (like Ark) that don't always reach 60FPS, so I feel like 60FPS is my goal right now. Although, even experiencing more FPS didn't seem to feel much different to me.

>The Switch is an incredible console / handheld and MAY BE the culmination of the best things Nintendo has ever done. The graphics aren't as good as a PS4 but for what it is, it's quite incredible. I'm at a place now where it's better to have a system that I can play anywhere than have the most cutting edge graphics.

It does seem incredible and impressive. I wish it was more powerful, though. Although there's rumor that a new Pro model might release soon, although I think that rumor is about a year old. I saw a quick video about it. This makes me feel more like waiting to get one.

Thanks for the conversation!

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The Steam Link App Is Finally on All Your iOS Devices!

In a spate of great video game news today Valve and Apple worked out their differences such that Steam Link has now come to your iPhone, iPad and Apple TV. It works just like the Android app except Valve has simply allowed you to stream your steam games to your iOS devices due to Apples policy of not allowing other competing stores on it's hardware. All that said, I tried it out on my iPhone and Apple TV and Steam Link works flawlessly.

You can pair a MFI controller with Steam Link on your Apple device, Steam controller in bluetooth mode or use touch if you prefer. I was surprised to find touch isn't too bad and many games already have somewhat serviceable controller... Read All

Travis Admin wrote on 05/17/2019 at 03:11am

Oh snap, I totally missed this announcement. That's one fewer box connected to the TV!

Travis Admin wrote on 05/17/2019 at 03:21am

I just played shovel knight on my phone and I’m not feeling as kind as you with regard to touch controls but I’m amazed at the performance. They really have tweaked the hell out of their streaming performance.

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 05/17/2019 at 03:46am

Ok so the touch controls aren't good. That said they kinda work which is WAY better than I thought in that they would be entirely horrible. They aren't great, maybe border on bad but not a dumpster fire horrible. Which is totally what I love about Valve. They give you choices and options even if they aren't great to let you choose what you want to do. If people want to play Civ 6 stream to their phone over touch and find it awesome, go ahead. I really appreciate that because other companies wouldn't let you even try. Valve does.

Travis Admin wrote on 05/17/2019 at 12:21pm

Ok that’s entirely fair yeah. I agree with your more detailed take on it. The fact that I could make it through half a level in Shovel Knight is noteworthy even if it did make me want to throw my phone. 😂

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 05/17/2019 at 03:27pm

Hahahaha, right.

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Amazing Speedruns From Summer Games Done Quick 2017: Part I

After each Games Done Quick stream is over I get a bit depressed because I honestly love watching the streams so much. The speedrunning community and organizers at GDQ create such a fun event it's sad when it's over.

This will be the first of a couple posts where I highlight the runs from Summer Games Done Quick 2017 so expect a few more of these over the coming weeks.

Kyatto Ninden Teyandee OR Samurai Pizza Cat is a relatively unknown NES Japanese game in the states. Usedpizza blows through the game with ease and it's a fun run to watch because it's always good to see games i've never heard of be played quickly.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YP3055kYHq8

Marble Madness... Read All

Watch All The Talks From Steam Developer Days 2016

I was able to attend this years Steam Developer Days and had a great time. One big draw of the conference was the talks and Valve has dropped them all on their YouTube page. I linked to one really great talk above by Mike Ambinder on the Psychology of Games I recommend you watch. There are 25 talks available from this years Dev Days so if you are in need of some awesome game talks and have some time, hit the link below.

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLckFgM6dUP2ihiMeKHoyIdHvhRSyqwQsp

If you want to read my thoughts on my two days at Steam Developer Days hit the links below.

... Read All

New To Me: The GDC 2012 Portal 2 Post Mortem

If you love Portal 2 and by some chance missed the writers of Portal 2, Chet and Erik do a post mortem of Portal 2 at GDC I highly recommend you watch it. They cover the original designs of what Portal 2 was supposed to be and how it became the game we all love. They give some hints at some secret mechanics of a future Valve title called "F Stop."

Dislike The Game So Much You Spend 452 Hours Playing It?

I see many reviews on Steam like this. They basically give the game a bad review but play it... a lot.

So you dislike the game, don't recommend it but you suffered through it for 452 hours? Games I don't like get a few hours at most.

I don't entirely understand many parts of gamer culture, this kind of thing in particular.

Travis Admin wrote on 06/08/2014 at 08:39pm

It may be that there's a bug with reporting the time played on that. But that said, "keeps crashing" isn't necessarily a reason to give it a thumbs down anyway. I would first assume something was wrong with my setup rather than the game.

Travis Admin wrote on 06/08/2014 at 08:41pm

You see this with Diablo III all the time too. "I have all six classes farming Torment VI and now there's nothing to do, this game is terrible." Disregarding the hundreds of hours you had to play to get there.

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 06/08/2014 at 10:07pm

Travis: Yeah thats kind of what I mean. I've heard of people having reporting bugs, but not like this. That said, maybe it was 200 hours of horrible, horrible time and this person needs to be liberated.

scrypt Supporter wrote on 06/09/2014 at 03:43am

Would be interesting, too, to see if time spent in the SDKs registers as game time.

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 06/09/2014 at 04:10am

Huh, yeah, I don't know.

AdamPFarnsworth wrote on 06/09/2014 at 04:20pm

Perhaps they did enjoy the game, then a patch broke it? Or they might have children/family members that do enjoy the game through the crashes.

I think I have hundreds of hours of play time on Railroad Tycoon because my daughters enjoy it, and will sometimes not close it out when done playing.

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