bassomitron

@bassomitron@lemmy.world

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨Xbox Series X and S: Microsoft Has Reportedly Sold Less Than 30 Million Consoles This Generation⁩ ⁨⁨14⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago⁩:

  Rather, it isn’t sustainable at its current pricing model. It takes the average studio team 3-5 years to make 1 AAA game.

  Microsoft’s internal studios (excluding the ones they just bought over the last 4-5 years) have made Halo Infinite and… Hmm… Is the Forza studio considered OG first-party? I’ll just lump them in as well, since they’ve been associated with MS for awhile. So 2 major games in the last ~8 years. Then you have the major studios they just bought: Bethesda and Blizzard/Activision. Bethesda has released 2 major AAA games in the last 5 years while under MS ownership (I think Doom Eternal came out before the purchase). Blizzard has done 1 and Activision has done 1 CoD game.

  So MS paid $7.5b for Zenimax/Bethesda and $68.7b for Blizz/Activision, for a whopping total of $76.2b. Starfield sold around 3m copies, Diablo 4 has generated around $1b in revenue since release (chose revenue since it’s a live service game and that includes copies sold), and Black Ops 6 has sold… I’m not sure, a quick search doesn’t show any hard numbers, just Xbox propaganda that it “was the biggest release in franchise history.” (I say propaganda bc many of their larger shareholders weren’t super pleased with how much it cost to purchase Activision, so of course they wanted to spin it as being a smart investment).

  And it costs MS a lot of money to license some of the bigger games to come to GamePass.

  I just don’t see it being sustainable without cost increases. And if the cost goes up, they’ll turn off customers. And we’ve already seen that their cheaper, indie studios aren’t safe from being axed despite releasing successful hits.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨Xbox Series X and S: Microsoft Has Reportedly Sold Less Than 30 Million Consoles This Generation⁩ ⁨⁨15⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago⁩:

  We definitely play on the XSX as a family a lot more than the PS5 that’s collecting dust upstairs. Its smaller form factor makes it much easier to use as a gaming console in our main living area. But yeah, GamePass is a crazy good deal if you know how to use the conversion trick (buy GamePass core for like 2 years for $80-100 from key reseller, then convert it to Ultimate on MS site at a 2:3 ratio or whatever).

  That being said, everyone knows GamePass isn’t sustainable long-term. Microsoft truly is killing their gaming division with such short-sighted planning.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨It was better than sitting near a crying kid⁩ ⁨⁨2⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago⁩:

  Ahh yeah, I can vaguely see that now with my screen turned up higher. You’re most likely correct.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨It was better than sitting near a crying kid⁩ ⁨⁨3⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago⁩:

  On the top left ad, I think the URL ends with “.mi”, which is the domain suffix for Malawi. Hard for me to tell with complete certainty, though.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨Nintendo Switch Console & Accessory Prices Are Going Up In The US⁩ ⁨⁨5⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago⁩:

  I, too, can’t handle 30FPS on many games. Fortunately, there are still lots of recent games that can hit ~45FPS, which–while not great-- makes it much more bearable. And if it’s too poor of performance, I will often just stream from my desktop while in bed or on the couch. But again, I primarily use it for less demanding games to begin with (e.g. I’ve been playing a lot of Dragon Quest X on it recently).

  I’m not saying it’s worth it for everyone, but if the choice is between its closest competitors and the Deck, I think the Deck offers more value for the money spent.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨Microsoft Used China-Based Engineers to Support Product Recently Hacked by China⁩ ⁨⁨5⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago⁩:

  Microsoft should be charged with criminal negligence. This is the same level of idiocy as them using China-based engineers to support their government contracts.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨Nintendo Switch Console & Accessory Prices Are Going Up In The US⁩ ⁨⁨5⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago⁩:

  Have heard it struggles with the current games.

  Truly depends on the game.

  But yeah, there are quite a few AAA/higher graphical fidelity games I just won’t bother, even if it’s technically playable at a "smooth’ 30FPS. Like Kingdom Come 2 ran pretty decently on it, surprisingly, but damn did it really make the game look pretty rough.

  I expect there’ll be a new Steam Deck in the next year or two.

  But, honestly, I still use my Deck a shit ton, especially at work. It’s hands down the best portable emulator machine and there are tons of indie games that run great on it. It also works great as a small laptop in desktop mode. I use it almost daily at work.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨This is a real machine in Romania. Do 20 squats in front of it, and it prints you a free bus ticket.⁩ ⁨⁨6⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago⁩:

  Wondered if this was actually real since I saw the post and realized what community it was posted under, haha:

  www.snopes.com/fact-check/bus-ticket-20-squats/

  Mostly true

  In Cluj-Napoca, Romania, a so-called “health ticket” was introduced that allowed individuals to use public transportation for free by completing 20 squats. However, the organizers only implemented it in one city for a limited time. As of this writing, it’s unknown if the program will resume at a future date.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨Steam gets a brand new video player for trailers⁩ ⁨⁨1⁩ ⁨week⁩ ago⁩:

  It’s about damn time, there were times I’d just go watch the trailer on YouTube instead when it would be glitching out.

  Now if they could just fix the UI when navigating screen caps in full screen on Steam Deck, that’d be great.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨Another Google Pixel 6a catches fire after battery-nerfing update⁩ ⁨⁨1⁩ ⁨week⁩ ago⁩:

  My coworker has been fighting Google for months to get their cash rebate. So you’re fucked regardless which option you take.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨How I hacked my washing machine⁩ ⁨⁨1⁩ ⁨week⁩ ago⁩:

  That sounds like a great read, thanks for the information

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨How I hacked my washing machine⁩ ⁨⁨1⁩ ⁨week⁩ ago⁩:

  TIL washers now have WiFi connectivity. Inching ever closer to the dystopic cyberpunk era where you really can hack everything in sight.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨[deleted]⁩ ⁨⁨1⁩ ⁨week⁩ ago⁩:

  I’m on v7 and it’s also removed in that version. I blame it on Google’s efforts to enforce apps having that new Play store integrity bullshit.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨The Age-Checked Internet Has Arrived⁩ ⁨⁨1⁩ ⁨week⁩ ago⁩:

  They haven’t verified that they’re old enough for those.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨What a fantastic deal⁩ ⁨⁨1⁩ ⁨week⁩ ago⁩:

  ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨Last Epoch developer Eleventh Hour Games gets acquired by KRAFTON⁩ ⁨⁨1⁩ ⁨week⁩ ago⁩:

  Narrator: It didn’t.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨Itch.io apologise for "frustration and confusion" after delisting thousands of NSFW projects⁩ ⁨⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago⁩:

  Edit: and yes, the Vice article was removed because Vice’s ownership bitched out over covering Collective Shout.

  Wow, holy shit. How fucking far Vice has fallen. There was a time they would go the extra mile to cover wild shit that no one else was doing. Greed and the wealthy’s critical need to have control over the media ruins everything.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨Radio geeks say you can still get 'lost' DoD hurricane data⁩ ⁨⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago⁩:

  It’s mostly just 2 or 3 MAGA zealots trying to pretend to be a, “disinterested third-party denizen that doesn’t believe the mainstream, so they can’t make a solid judgment on Trump or his actions until they have a dinner conversation with him in private.”

  I’m so very tired of shills and cultists.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨The respiratory system uses osmosis to interlace caffeine in the digestive system through your midi-chlorines⁩ ⁨⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago⁩:

  An ounce per day?? That’s insane on multiple levels, but just the cost alone… unless they’re growing their own, that’s an extremely expensive habit.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨YouTuber Faces Possible Jail Time for Reviewing Gaming Handhelds⁩ ⁨⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago⁩:

  That really sucks, man. I fully empathize with getting fucked by a greedy government that protects the wealthy while abusing the working class. The world needs to unite against the elites destroying it.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨Delta moves toward eliminating set prices in favor of AI that determines how much you personally will pay for a ticket⁩ ⁨⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago⁩:

  Sooo… If you’re broke, does it give you low prices vs someone who is rich?

  Kidding, kidding. We all know they’re going to be fucking the lower and middle income brackets hard as hell with this. As if we weren’t already being milked dry, now they want to milk the very blood out of us.

  My question is: What the fuck is the endgame? This shit isn’t sustainable. Used to be that most companies were content with steady profits. The last 40+ years has shown us that simply generating a profit isn’t enough, the profits must be constantly going even higher every quarter. But again, this isn’t realistic or sustainable. So why the fuck has the entire world agreed to condone and enable this pathway that is ultimately doomed?

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨AI slows down some experienced software developers, study finds⁩ ⁨⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago⁩:

  Couldn’t have said it better myself. The amount of pure hatred for AI that’s already spreading is pretty unnerving when we consider future/continued research. Rather than direct the anger towards the companies misusing and/or irresponsibly hyping the tech, they direct it at the tech itself. And the C Suites will of course never accept the blame for their poor judgment so they, too, will blame the tech.

  Ultimately, I think there are still lots of folks with money that understand the reality and hope to continue investing in further research. I just hope that workers across all spectrums use this as a wake up call to advocate for protections. If we have another leap like this in another 10 years, then lots of jobs really will be in trouble without proper social safety nets in place.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨AI slows down some experienced software developers, study finds⁩ ⁨⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago⁩:

  By having it write a quick function to do so or to sort them alphabetically within the chat? Because I’ve used GPT to write boilerplate and/or basic functions for random tasks like this numerous times without issue. But expecting it to sort a block of text for you is not what LLMs are really built for.

  That being said, I agree that expecting AI to write complex and/or long-form code is a fool’s hope. It’s good for basic tasks to save time and that’s about it.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨How are you doing fellow kids⁩ ⁨⁨4⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago⁩:

  I don’t fully agree with that. The extreme right have definitely weaponized memes to be form of modern propaganda on a whole other level. We mock this for being a “hello fellow kids” kind of boomer attempt at memes, but it 100% works for the targeted young male adults. Just look at the demographic data for how many young males voted for this and continue to propogate their cult’s extremism across the internet.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨You thought it would change your life and you would be so happy⁩ ⁨⁨4⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago⁩:

  I think the begging for the job is more, “I need this to keep a roof over my head and put food on my table,” than any real desire to work at a soulless job.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨'Death Stranding 2' proves more video games need to get weird, experts say⁩ ⁨⁨5⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago⁩:

  Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 was the most creative game I’ve played in years and years. Amazing story, amazing characters, amazing art and world design, all topped off with a beautiful soundtrack. The gameplay was of course good-- not perfect–but, very satisfying when it hit its stride.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨A chemical industry lobbyist is attempting to use AI to amplify doubts about the dangers of pollutants⁩ ⁨⁨5⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago⁩:

  The rich people live in non-polluted areas.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨$440 Charge For A Wheel Scuff Raises Questions About Hertz's AI Rental Car Damage Scanner⁩ ⁨⁨5⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago⁩:

  Whenever I’ve rented from Enterprise here in the US, they explicitly do not charge you for simple scuffs/scratches that aren’t deeper than a specific amount (like 0.5cm or something).They’ve always told me they don’t charge for dents that are smaller than around 2-4cm in diameter. In other words, basic wear and tear on cars being used by hundreds of people over their rental lifespan.

  If Hertz ultimately goes down this path and their competitors do not, I would almost guarantee they’ll lose tons of business.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨Flock Removes States From National Lookup Tool After ICE and Abortion Searches Revealed⁩ ⁨⁨1⁩ ⁨month⁩ ago⁩:

  Flock also said it launched a new tool that blocks impermissible searches in real time. “If a search involving Illinois camera data includes terms that indicate an impermissible purpose under Illinois law, the Illinois data will automatically be excluded,” the company wrote.

  Lol, I feel like this can be easily sidestepped. ICE and the other fascist fucks enabling them don’t give a shit about laws anymore. They can easily just change the purpose of their search to be one of the legally permissible reasons. Flock is supposedly working on a tool to automatically flag suspicious searches, but I doubt they’ll work hard on ensuring it’s effective.

  As much as I am loathe to abandon this kind of tech to help find missing/kidnapped persons/human traffickers, it’s way too easily corrupted when law enforcement is actively hostile to citizens no longer viewed favorably by the regime.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨Microsoft Came to Bargain: Use OneDrive for Device Backup, Opt into Loyalty Program and Use Their Products Till You Earn 1000 Points or Pay $30 and They Might Give You Security Updates till Oct 2026.⁩ ⁨⁨1⁩ ⁨month⁩ ago⁩:

  They never said Win 10 would be the last ever. That was an off-handed comment made by one of the developers during an interview that the media spread as an official Microsoft statement, which it wasn’t.

  And yes, MS said the EOL was October 2025, but anyone that’s familiar with any of Microsoft’s previous software sunsets know that they always offer paid extended support. For example, Windows Server 2012R2 was sunset in what, 2023sh? But they offer paid extended support up to sometime in 2026.