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

On Sat, 23 May 2026 13:10:45 -0400, Spalls Hurgenson <spallshurgenson@gmail.com> said this thing:

Because why post separate Usenet articles when I can dump it all into
one long thing?!?

Huh.

Apparently I necroposted, as I unintentionally re-used the same topic
as I used back in April. That just goes to show how unimaginative
and/or forgetful I am when it comes to my subject-lines.

Still, old threads need love too, so it's all good.

* SSDs are expensive; how about a high-end SD memory card instead? >https://www.digitalfoundry.net/features/crafting-the-ultimate-pc-handheld-can-2tb-memory-cards-match-ssds-in-terms-of-gaming-performance
That's what the guys at Digital Foundry tested; how well does
a 2TB memory card match an SSD in terms of gaming performance.

That's it for this digest. Now I'm off to price SD-cards and readers
now. There's something about playing games off removable disks that
appeals to me for some reason. ;-)

Using an SD-card as a replacement to an SSD was never something I was
*really* going to do, but I did follow through and checked Amazon. I
wanted to see what the prices were like. The drives themselves are
fairly inexpensive ($20-50), but man, the media! A fast 2TB SD card
was running in the $400-600 range (depending on brand and seller). In comparison, I saw 2TB NVMe SSDs going for $300-400. Slower performance
AND more expensive: I don't think SD cards are going to be challenging
the SSDs any time soon.

Still, there's a part of me that loves the idea. Having games
installed to SD cards and clicking them into the drive to play; it's
like the olden days with cartridges (or floppy disks).

Except the media is a lot smaller and easier to lose ;-)



--- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

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

On 5/23/2026 10:10 AM, Spalls Hurgenson wrote:

Because why post separate Usenet articles when I can dump it all into
one long thing?!?

#

* GTA6 to require a subscription? https://www.polygon.com/gta-6-online-subscription-take-two/
Well, maybe. It hasn't been announced yet but there are
hints that the game (well, its online component) may require
a subscription to access. And why not; if GTA5 is anything to
go by, the audience will happily pay any amount to keep playing.
And GTA5 Online does offer already offer a monthly subscription
service (GTA+) for console users, even though it is entirely
optional. So making it mandatory doesn't seem all that
impossible.

I mean, the game cost $1.5 billion to develop. Take Two's
gotta make that up somehow ;-)

* Subnautica 2 has a nasty EULA https://www.pcgamer.com/games/survival-crafting/subnautica-2s-eula-is-so-severe-that-even-this-news-story-breaks-it/
I mean, all games have awful EULA (End User License
Agreements; that hundred-page long text you blindly
click-through before installing any game). But the
"Subnautica 2" EULA has a few clauses that make even the
ordinary legalese seem a bit tame. Like the bit that says
that you can't do anything that would harm the reputation
of the publishers or the game (so no bad reviews?). Or
that any videos or screenshots you make of the game are
themselves subject to the EULA (so don't show them to
anybody else without getting a written agreement first!).
Also, VPNs are forbidden. And arguably streaming the game
from one device to another is also against the rules.

Of course, a lot of the EULA restrictions are boiler-plate,
and despite the fierce sounding language, many aren't
enforceable anyway. A lot of the legalese was probably just
copy-pasted into the form, and --at least with some of the
text-- has been specifically disavowed by the developer
(although even better would be for them to push out a new
license to users that doesn't include that language). Still,
it shows how greedy and pushy (and lazy!) publishers can
be if they're not closely watched

* SSDs are expensive; how about a high-end SD memory card instead? https://www.digitalfoundry.net/features/crafting-the-ultimate-pc-handheld-can-2tb-memory-cards-match-ssds-in-terms-of-gaming-performance
That's what the guys at Digital Foundry tested; how well does
a 2TB memory card match an SSD in terms of gaming performance.
And the answer actually surprised me.

I saw one story where they took apart a cheap SSD, and found an SD card
and reader inside it.
--
-Justisaur

ø-ø
(\_/)\
`-'\ `--.___,
¶¬'\( ,_.-'
\\
^'
--- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

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

On Wed, 27 May 2026 15:23:12 -0700, Justisaur <justisaur@yahoo.com>
said this thing:

On 5/23/2026 10:10 AM, Spalls Hurgenson wrote:

* SSDs are expensive; how about a high-end SD memory card instead?
https://www.digitalfoundry.net/features/crafting-the-ultimate-pc-handheld-can-2tb-memory-cards-match-ssds-in-terms-of-gaming-performance
That's what the guys at Digital Foundry tested; how well does
a 2TB memory card match an SSD in terms of gaming performance.
And the answer actually surprised me.

I saw one story where they took apart a cheap SSD, and found an SD card
and reader inside it.

Ah, a Shenzhen-Special (a.k.a., the Temu Twist)

Unfortunately, shenigains like this are becoming more common. It used
to be you could smell these from a mile away simply by observing the
maxim, 'If it looks too good to be true, it is', and avoid anything
with a really low price-tag. (e.g., a 2TB SSD for $49 USD). But
because:

a) so much shit like this is flooding the market, it's harder
to determine what the correct price is (e.g., when faced
with a storefront featuring 100 Temu-drives for $50,
and five for $500; which is the valid price?), and
b) even legitimate storefronts are getting scammed,
offering what they THINK are 'real' hardware but
unknowingly selling counterfeit goods,

it's become harder to be on guard and totally avoid this sort of
stuff. Not impossible, but basic caveat emptor skills aren't quite the
panacea they used to be.

Heh. I wonder if anybody has evered RAID'd SD cards drives together.
Probably. I wonder what the performance gain over regular SD cards
you'd get and if it would make it comparable to real SDDs. (Then
again, the USB interface would hobble it. I don't think I've ever seen
an SD-card reader that wasn't plugged in via USB).




--- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

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

Spalls Hurgenson <spallshurgenson@gmail.com> wrote at 17:10 this Saturday (GMT):
[snip]

* Subnautica 2 has a nasty EULA https://www.pcgamer.com/games/survival-crafting/subnautica-2s-eula-is-so-severe-that-even-this-news-story-breaks-it/
I mean, all games have awful EULA (End User License
Agreements; that hundred-page long text you blindly
click-through before installing any game). But the
"Subnautica 2" EULA has a few clauses that make even the
ordinary legalese seem a bit tame. Like the bit that says
that you can't do anything that would harm the reputation
of the publishers or the game (so no bad reviews?). Or
that any videos or screenshots you make of the game are
themselves subject to the EULA (so don't show them to
anybody else without getting a written agreement first!).
Also, VPNs are forbidden. And arguably streaming the game
from one device to another is also against the rules.

Of course, a lot of the EULA restrictions are boiler-plate,
and despite the fierce sounding language, many aren't
enforceable anyway. A lot of the legalese was probably just
copy-pasted into the form, and --at least with some of the
text-- has been specifically disavowed by the developer
(although even better would be for them to push out a new
license to users that doesn't include that language). Still,
it shows how greedy and pushy (and lazy!) publishers can
be if they're not closely watched

[snip]


Not suprised from the publisher that tried to screw over all the devs
--
user <candycane> is generated from /dev/urandom
--- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

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

On Sat, 09 May 2026 11:26:17 -0400, Spalls Hurgenson <spallshurgenson@gmail.com> said this thing:

* Steam Controller Is Making Its Way Back

Well, Valve's gotta be happy. The first batch of the new Steam
Controllers sold out almost instantly, and received rave reviews.

There was news that the Steam Controller was back in stock, giving
hope to many they'd get their hands on one of these elusive devices.
But new reports indicate that new orders probably won't be filled
until 2027 earliest.

I do though wonder; is there really so much demand for the device
itself or is it just that Valve's hardware is one of the only ways you
can 'cash out' of Steam, and that a lot of these devices are being
scooped up by online-casinos (for later resale) so they can convert
all those Steam funds into real cash?




--- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2