Not quite what you’re describing, but worth mentioning: You might enjoy the Steam Controller for the same reasons you like right-stick-on-top controllers. It uses track pads instead of sticks. They’ve been discontinued for years, though, so I don’t know how tough it will be to find one.

https://shared.fastly.steamstatic.com/store_item_assets/steam/apps/353370/ss_d2f5e7325666df6119ff1d42be73bac9594c5b1e.1920x1080.jpg?t=1576276946

Just tried “false && echo wee” in my terminal, then “true && echo wee”. Learn something new every day.

I don’t know if this actually indicates that Nintendo cares. I think this statement only exists so that if someone manages to break their Wii U using Pretendo, Nintendo can’t be held liable because they did tell people not to use it. Not that Pretendo is gonna break anybody’s system (or that I give a hoot if Nintendo doesn’t like it), but companies like to cover their bases.

This is crazy. The first time we’ve heard a peep out of Starfy since The Legendary Starfy outside of Smash. And this is the first time these three games were ever released outside of Japan! It makes me wonder if Starfy’s about to make a comeback, but that’s probably just wishful thinking.

Wish they were translated, though. These games have stories, and while you don’t need that to enjoy the level design, a part of the experience is gonna be lost on anyone who can’t read Japanese.

Do you think the Wii U would be powerful enough for native 3DS emulation? It’s a lot to ask of the console but it would be pretty awesome.

Edit: Sorry for the late reply. I don’t check Lemmy that consistently.

Hang on, 3DS too? Is that emulation, a compatibility layer, just streaming from a 3DS, or what?

I find gamepads to be more comfortable than mouse and keyboard, and most modern games are designed such that all of their functions can be performed comfortably on controller. I also tend to play a lot of games that benefit from having an analog stick.

All just preference, of course. Kb/m and gamepads are good at different things.

Very fair. Personally, I think most games made today are designed around gamepads (with the exception of some genres, especially shooters), but even then kb/m does work fine for most games.

That’s a good point. I did say “most games” because some genres are definitely better on kb/m, but I didn’t think about how that’s what most Steam users are probably playing.

I think that article’s headline is incorrect. Valve’s article said that 10% of controller sessions are Steam Decks, not 10% of Steam Input sessions. Here’s Valve’s article: https://steamcommunity.com/games/593110/announcements/detail/4142827237888316812

So weird that only 15% of Steam sessions are using controllers. I thought everyone had a controller. Most games are just better with a gamepad.

59% of controller sessions are using Xbox controllers. Not surprising, but I wonder how many of those Xbox controllers aren’t actually Xbox controllers. I use an 8BitDo Pro 2, which uses X-Input on PC. Though the majority of my gaming is done on Deck now.

This looks about comparable to the remaster from earlier, which looked incredible for a Switch game. The trailer looked nice but definitely not what we would expect from something on the level of a PS4. I don’t see a reason to doubt that the footage was the game running on Switch.

But the fact that people are debating if this is Switch 2 footage speaks volumes about Retro Studio’s skill. Jaw-dropping graphics for a Switch game.

So weird to see a PlayStation IP on Switch. I wonder if LEGO pushed for that since LEGO games have a big audience on Switch (as far as I can tell based on very limited research and big assumptions.) But I really have to wonder-- If the goal is broadening the audience, why on earth is this game on Switch but not PS4? I’m not mad or anything, but that’s extremely weird. Maybe it’s an attempt to sell more PS5s?

I’ve noticed that the games that dominate this list every month are very long games designed to suck players into their gameplay loops for hundreds of hours. Nothing wrong with that, but it makes me wonder if there are short games that are very popular, yet get left off of this list just because they end in 10 hours. I would like to see a top 20 list sorted by number of players rather than playtime.

Low profile circle pads for joysticks aren’t bad at all IMO. Some people dislike them. Depends on the person.

I don’t think I would want a Steam Deck in this form factor. The current Deck honestly feels like the perfect size for me. Not too big to be unruly, not too small to be uncomfortable. I totally understand the appeal of a pocketable device, but I’ve come to realize that I really just don’t have a need for a device that portable and would rather have something bigger. A device this small wouldn’t have the same number of inputs and would greatly compromise on comfort. That’s mostly a me thing, though. Plenty of people want smaller handhelds, so a smaller handheld PC could probably find an audience.

I would love an Android smartphone that’s like this. Not a gaming-centric device like a Retroid Pocket, but something that could be my daily driver smartphone while also offering physical controls for a quality gaming experience. Basically the Xperia Play, but modern. It would be far less cumbersome than carrying around a gaming device in addition to my phone, making it much more practical for me.

What do people think of the new massive team attack? Does it mess with the balance too much? Is it easy to ignore if it does?

Taki Udon went pretty in-depth with thermals in their review. The already great thermals have been drastically improved. The OLED runs cooler in general and does a better job of keeping the heat away from your hands. The fan is quieter than the old model. I linked to the part of the video where they discuss thermals, but the whole video is pretty interesting.

…Huh. Action platformer-shooter wasn’t exactly what I was expecting from a Smurfs game. Seems like a decent game, too.

I’ve loved this Booster Course Pass. It’s been so fun being able to look forward to new waves of content for MK8DX. The majority of the new tracks have been very fun to play on. They continued to surprise me by doing a lot more than courses, too. Characters, options, small features, and even balance tweaks!

Sure, it wasn’t all perfect. Sure, all of the tracks are just brought over from Tour and not remixed the same way the base game remixed its retro offerings. Sure, Wave 1 looked like it was made in Roblox. But overall, I think the good far outweighs the bad. This DLC has been awesome. I’m honestly going to miss it. But hey, Wave 6 looks fantastic, so we’re ending the BCP with a bang.

Oh, I see. 8BitDo really isn’t known for their analog sticks, unfortunately. Hopefully this one is better.