From Newsgroup: comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.action


Fuck it, I'm too lazy to write separate articles for all these news
items cluttering up my desktop. Let's just dump them all into a single
digest and call it a day.


#


* Microsoft doubles down on AI in gaming in stupidest possible way https://www.pcgamesn.com/ai/xbox-kinect-ed-fries
The thing about it is, I don't really think the exec -- VP of game
publishing-- is really wrong about what he says. Namely, that AI tools
will eventually become the norm in game development. I don't LIKE it,
but it's probably inevitable. It's just that he says AI has the
potential to shake up gaming the same was as the Kinect that makes his
comment hilarious. Because that was not an industry-changing
technology. (To be fair, he says that AI is like the Kinect in that
it's unpredictable in how the market will react to some tech... but
since he is promoting AI it's also an implied suggestion that the
Kinect was successful. Which it very much wasn't).


#


* SKG Keeps Fighting The Good Fight https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/stop-killing-games-throw-weight-behind-california-bill-that-would-force-companies-to-either-keep-games-working-independently-after-server-shutdowns-or-issue-refunds
The "Stop Killing Games" movement has come out in support of a bill in California that would put legislate more options for gamers when their purchased games are end-of-life'd. Keep running the servers, or give
customers an option to run them themselves, or give out refunds. Oh,
and stop selling games that you know are going to be shutdown in a
month or two.

I think the refund option is dead in the water, but I'm very much a
supporter of the idea that publishers need to either patch their games
or give the public access to tools or source-code that lets THEM patch
the game so they can keep playing their games. You don't get to steal
from your customers and bury chunks of our culture just because its inconvenient for you to keep supporting it. So I like the bill. Sadly,
I don't think it will go anyway. Especially in the "corporate profits
are all that matter" United States of America.


#


* NZXT settles class-action in its stupid 'rental PC' case https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2026/04/nzxt-agrees-to-3-45-million-settlement-over-controversial-rental-pc-program/
Remember those "subcription-PCs" things NZXT tried back in 2024? You'd
pay an overly-high monthly fee and get access to a mid-range gaming PC
that you couldn't upgrade, shared your personal data with NZXT's
partners, and would never-ever own. NZXT got slapped with a
class-action suit because their marketing suggested it was more of a
lease (e.g., eventually you'd get to keep the machine). Well, after a
year in court the company finally settled, agreeing to settle up to
$5000 in debts for customers of its' Flex program and in some cases
people would even get to keep their PCs.

Which hopefully puts an end to the entire stupid idea. I get the idea
of lease-to-buy, but renting a PC is just ripping people off.
Especially at the prices NZXT was offering.


#


* Bloodborne is getting a movie adaptation https://www.gamespot.com/articles/after-eleven-years-bloodborne-is-finally-getting-the-movie-adaptation-it-deserves/1100-6539373/
I can't really comment much on this; I barely remember Bloodborne. But apparently its getting a movie adaptation which, I think, is a first
for any souls-like game. I dunno; it just struck me as odd. Its not
like movies based on games are unusual; just look at "Super Mario
Galaxy" and the "Sonic" franchise (and "Fallout", and "Minecraft", and
so many others). But those are fairly well known IPs. Does
"Bloodborne" really have enough of an audience to support a movie? Why
not use something like "Dark Souls", at least? (Or "Armored Core"
maybe. Gimme my movie with giant robots!!!!)


#


* Steam Controller Is Making Its Way Back https://www.techradar.com/gaming/gaming-accessories/valves-steam-controller-launch-looks-imminent-based-on-new-public-records-and-it-might-finally-give-me-the-perfect-excuse-to-build-a-custom-steam-machine
I'm excited about this one because --try as I might-- I can't find
where I misplaced my old Steam Controller. I bought one on the cheap
when Valve discontinued the product several years ago but --not really
liking gamepads-- stashed it in a closet and now it's lost. Apparently
~40K units have been imported from China --probably as part of an
imminent Steam Machine launch-- so my time has finally come to get
another one. Finally my chance to buy a replacement for a gadget that
I'll never use!


#


That's it for this digest. Any of these news tidbits interesting to
you? Any other bits of gaming-related journalism I miss? Here's your
chance.





--- Synchronet 3.21f-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.action

On 4/14/2026 9:00 AM, Spalls Hurgenson wrote:

* Bloodborne is getting a movie adaptation https://www.gamespot.com/articles/after-eleven-years-bloodborne-is-finally-getting-the-movie-adaptation-it-deserves/1100-6539373/

I thought this was an April fools joke?! This is for real?! Well if it
is, it's because of a rabbid fanbase that's expanding due to emulation & popularity of Elden Ring. Also fans really want a new game or remaster
that's available on PC. I haven't seen any of the fans clamoring for a
movie though, and general feel seems to be confused and upset that it's
a movie instead of a new game, which makes this really weird.

* Steam Controller Is Making Its Way Back https://www.techradar.com/gaming/gaming-accessories/valves-steam-controller-launch-looks-imminent-based-on-new-public-records-and-it-might-finally-give-me-the-perfect-excuse-to-build-a-custom-steam-machine

I took a quick look at the info on it. I'm not sure why two trackpads?
the lack of drift will be nice, I have a controller that has hall field
effect for that, but the controller is a bit small, and it's the largest
I could fine. The size is another concern, the offical xbox controllers
are the least uncomfortable for me. I still find it terribly suspicious
how bad drift has gotten since I got my first xbox 360 controller which
lasted half a dozen years, and it still didn't get drift, it was finally
one of the triggers that had physically worn down too much from use.

Since then each one seems to have lasted less and less time before it
got drift or other issues, and increased in price.
--
-Justisaur

ø-ø
(\_/)\
`-'\ `--.___,
¶¬'\( ,_.-'
\\
^'
--- Synchronet 3.21f-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.action

On Tue, 14 Apr 2026 12:00:10 -0400, Spalls Hurgenson <spallshurgenson@gmail.com> wrote:

Fuck it, I'm too lazy to write separate articles for all these news
items cluttering up my desktop. Let's just dump them all into a single
digest and call it a day.

It's probably not a bad approach, seeing as I was too fucking lazy to
read any of it :)
--- Synchronet 3.21f-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.action

Spalls Hurgenson <spallshurgenson@gmail.com> looked up from reading the entrails of the porn spammer to utter "The Augury is good, the signs
say:

Fuck it, I'm too lazy to write separate articles for all these news
items cluttering up my desktop. Let's just dump them all into a single
digest and call it a day.

<snip>

* NZXT settles class-action in its stupid 'rental PC' case >https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2026/04/nzxt-agrees-to-3-45-million-settlement-over-controversial-rental-pc-program/
Remember those "subcription-PCs" things NZXT tried back in 2024? You'd
pay an overly-high monthly fee and get access to a mid-range gaming PC
that you couldn't upgrade, shared your personal data with NZXT's
partners, and would never-ever own. NZXT got slapped with a
class-action suit because their marketing suggested it was more of a
lease

I'm assuming the words to and own were supposed to be in here

(e.g., eventually you'd get to keep the machine). Well, after a
year in court the company finally settled, agreeing to settle up to
$5000 in debts for customers of its' Flex program and in some cases
people would even get to keep their PCs.

Which hopefully puts an end to the entire stupid idea. I get the idea
of lease-to-buy, but renting a PC is just ripping people off.
Especially at the prices NZXT was offering.

Rent-to-own is an old concept.
Buddy of mine back in the 90s fell into this trap getting his PC from
The Brick (furniture store) of all places.

It appeals to people who don't have the cash to buy a pre made or build
their own, but can pay a smallish rental fee every month, and
eventually, in several years, own the PC for only 50-100% more than it
would have cost to buy outright.

It's exactly the same metric of a mortgage, so much cheaper if you can
pay cash outright, but for all the rest of us, you end up paying the
bank a lot more than the house is worth, but hopefully over those same
20+ years of payment, the property values went up.

This of course does not happen with a rent-to-own computer, which only
degrades in price the older it gets.

It really is a scam, but it's the only choice for really poor people.
The same people now doubt who have maxed out their credit cards and make minimum payments every month, making everything they ever bought that
way cost 50-100% more (or even more than that if they dug the hole deep enough.)

Moral: Do without for now, save your pennies until you can buy outright,
shop around for the best deal.
This of course does not work if you need your own computer right now for
school or something.

Xocyll
--
I don't particularly want you to FOAD, myself. You'll be more of
a cautionary example if you'll FO And Get Chronically, Incurably,
Painfully, Progressively, Expensively, Debilitatingly Ill. So
FOAGCIPPEDI. -- Mike Andrews responding to an idiot in asr
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From Newsgroup: comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.action

On Wed, 15 Apr 2026 09:46:37 -0400, Xocyll <Xocyll@gmx.com> said this
thing:

Spalls Hurgenson <spallshurgenson@gmail.com> looked up from reading the >entrails of the porn spammer to utter "The Augury is good, the signs
say:

Rent-to-own is an old concept.
Buddy of mine back in the 90s fell into this trap getting his PC from
The Brick (furniture store) of all places.

It appeals to people who don't have the cash to buy a pre made or build
their own, but can pay a smallish rental fee every month, and
eventually, in several years, own the PC for only 50-100% more than it
would have cost to buy outright.

Except, as mentioned, this is not rent-to-own. I agree with your
assessment; it's a viable (if not particularly economical) way of
getting your hands on a computer if the up front cost is just a bit
too high. You pay a small sum each month for a fixed period and at the
end of that you own the computer.

But NZXT's 'Flex' program was pure rental. You pay for months and at
the end of it, you own nothing. If you miss a payment, the PC is
seized immediately. Plus, the built-in software had spyware potential.
All this while the marketing on the website confusingly implied the
Flex program was rent-to-own.

I'm not a fan of renting PCs. I think, unless you're incredibly short
of cash and need a PC in the very immediate future, you're better of
just putting aside the same amount you'd pay for the lease in a piggy
bank for a few months and then getting a brand new computer with that
lump sum. It takes longer but it's cheaper and less hassle. But I get
that's not something everybody can do.

But NZXT's program was just money-grubbing, taking advantage of people
who can't do long-term financial planning. Sadly, they're still doing
it but hopefully their marketing will be less sleazy (and maybe it
will become less profitable because of that and they'll get out of the
market entirely).

In the meantime, it's good to see some of their customers got some
payback.





--- Synchronet 3.21f-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.action

On 4/14/2026 10:29 AM, Justisaur wrote:

On 4/14/2026 9:00 AM, Spalls Hurgenson wrote:

* Bloodborne is getting a movie adaptation
https://www.gamespot.com/articles/after-eleven-years-bloodborne-is-
finally-getting-the-movie-adaptation-it-deserves/1100-6539373/

I thought this was an April fools joke?!  This is for real?!  Well if it is, it's because of a rabbid fanbase that's expanding due to emulation & popularity of Elden Ring.  Also fans really want a new game or remaster that's available on PC.  I haven't seen any of the fans clamoring for a movie though, and general feel seems to be confused and upset that it's
a movie instead of a new game, which makes this really weird.

Apperantly there's a lot more drama behind this. It's going to be
animated for one thing. Fromsoft has nothing to do with it. Sony owns Bloodborne, but wasn't happy with Demon Souls remake, so expressing
their concerns Sony isn't doing one (not sure if Fromsoft has any actual
right to deny this, or if it's the Japanese professional courtesy.) In
fact this also resulted in the shut down/disolving of the devs that made
the remake that had been planning on making Bloodborne.

Is this a sort of F-U to Fromsoft from Sony for blocking the remake, or
is it just your usual uninformed cash grab typical of C-level executives thinking to get some money from the fan based, which never wanted this
movie to begin with?

I'm grabbing my popcorn. Not to watch the cartoon (I'm not calling it
anime since it's not a Japanese film maker,) but to watch the drama.
--
-Justisaur

ø-ø
(\_/)\
`-'\ `--.___,
¶¬'\( ,_.-'
\\
^'
--- Synchronet 3.21f-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.action

Spalls Hurgenson wrote:

On Wed, 15 Apr 2026 09:46:37 -0400, Xocyll <Xocyll@gmx.com> said this
thing:

Spalls Hurgenson <spallshurgenson@gmail.com> looked up from reading the
entrails of the porn spammer to utter "The Augury is good, the signs
say:

Rent-to-own is an old concept.
Buddy of mine back in the 90s fell into this trap getting his PC from
The Brick (furniture store) of all places.

It appeals to people who don't have the cash to buy a pre made or build
their own, but can pay a smallish rental fee every month, and
eventually, in several years, own the PC for only 50-100% more than it
would have cost to buy outright.

Except, as mentioned, this is not rent-to-own. I agree with your
assessment; it's a viable (if not particularly economical) way of
getting your hands on a computer if the up front cost is just a bit
too high. You pay a small sum each month for a fixed period and at the
end of that you own the computer.

But NZXT's 'Flex' program was pure rental. You pay for months and at
the end of it, you own nothing. If you miss a payment, the PC is
seized immediately. Plus, the built-in software had spyware potential.
All this while the marketing on the website confusingly implied the
Flex program was rent-to-own.

I'm not a fan of renting PCs. I think, unless you're incredibly short
of cash and need a PC in the very immediate future, you're better of
just putting aside the same amount you'd pay for the lease in a piggy
bank for a few months and then getting a brand new computer with that
lump sum. It takes longer but it's cheaper and less hassle. But I get
that's not something everybody can do.

But NZXT's program was just money-grubbing, taking advantage of people
who can't do long-term financial planning. Sadly, they're still doing
it but hopefully their marketing will be less sleazy (and maybe it
will become less profitable because of that and they'll get out of the
market entirely).

In the meantime, it's good to see some of their customers got some
payback.

In an article I saw they were also misrepresenting the hardware
available on the PCs. For example, you have your video card,

Extreme Radeon 06thousand

and another one has

Extreme Radeon 06thousand Ultra

and they would talk them both up with the same gusto. Basically
deception, along with the rent-to-own bull.
--
Pharaoh was so pleased with Hadad that he gave him a
sister of his own wife, Queen Tahpenes, in marriage.
The sister of Tahpenes bore him a son named Genubath,
whom Tahpenes brought up in the royal palace. There
Genubath lived with Pharaoh’s own children.
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From Newsgroup: comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.action

On Wed, 15 Apr 2026 09:25:39 -0700, Justisaur <justisaur@yahoo.com>
said this thing:

Apperantly there's a lot more drama behind this. It's going to be
animated for one thing. Fromsoft has nothing to do with it. Sony owns >Bloodborne, but wasn't happy with Demon Souls remake, so expressing
their concerns Sony isn't doing one (not sure if Fromsoft has any actual >right to deny this, or if it's the Japanese professional courtesy.) In
fact this also resulted in the shut down/disolving of the devs that made
the remake that had been planning on making Bloodborne.

Is this a sort of F-U to Fromsoft from Sony for blocking the remake, or
is it just your usual uninformed cash grab typical of C-level executives >thinking to get some money from the fan based, which never wanted this
movie to begin with?

Thanks for the update. I'm pretty much 'Souls-adjacent' when it comes
to that genre; I've played some of the games, I haven't really hated
them, but overall they're not really my bag. So when it comes to
Bloodborne and Demon Souls and all the rest of the FromSoftware
library, I don't pay much attention to any of the news or drama
surrounding them.

Heck, I didn't even notice the movie was going to be animated rather
than film. That does make a bit more sense, though; animated films
tend to be less expensive to make, and I doubt Sony is going to pour a
lot of resources into this project.

It's a shame if Sony is just doing this just as a middle finger to the developers, or to just sleaze some extra cash from the IP rather than
out of any real belief in the franchise's value. It doesn't inspire a
lot of confidence in the quality of the end project.

(I'm having visions of the various animated "Dead Space" movies, or
that "Devil May Cry" cartoon. Not absolutely terrible... but not
really worth watching either.)

I'm grabbing my popcorn. Not to watch the cartoon (I'm not calling it
anime since it's not a Japanese film maker,) but to watch the drama.

Yeah, should be fun.

--- Synchronet 3.21f-Linux NewsLink 1.2