Weekend Informer

Game Informer

It used to be as part of my GameStop Pro membership, in addition to the discounts you also got a subscription to Game Informer magazine (which was produced in Minneapolis!). So I had a subscription for a long time, even when they asked you pay extra to get the magazine, I paid for the extra perk. So, what happened? They closed all the GameStop stores that were close to me, making it extremely inconvenient for me to go to a physical store. I cancelled my membership in 2026.

My brother still has a GameStop membership with Game Informer. He got this month’s magazine with Soulframe on its cover and a game code that will allow me to access the game in its early stage to test out.

I’m no stranger to testing games out early, it’s a good way to test out the water to see if I will buy a game in the future. Think of it like a demo or a work-in-progress. Sometimes I will pay for early access, such as my early play of Path of Exile 2 and Titan Quest II.

So, I am excited to check out Soulframe and what they have to offer. Unfortunately, as of this writing, I’m still downloading the game. On my connection it will take five hours to download.

While it’s downloading in the background, I thought I’d do a little research on the game. It’s going to be free-to-play, assuming on PC (confirmed), Xbox and PlayStation. The developer, Digital Extremes, previously worked on Warframe, so that should give us an indication of how the game will play.

Based on artwork, Soulframe looks like it’s RPG fantasy-based. I’ll let you know if it’s any good in five hours…

If you also want to join in on testing Soulframe, you can pick up a copy of the current issue of Game Informer and find the invite code within the issue.

I’ve been a Steam user since Half Life 2 (when Steam launched). Although at first, I was anti-Steam due to DRM (as you needed Steam to run Half Life 2), I got used to using Steam. They do have a DRM system, but it’s mild.

When Steam announced their Steam Machines in November 2025, I was really excited, but I did talk about pricing. I said if it was $500 or more, I won’t get one – because at that price point you can get a PlayStation 5 or a productive MacBook Neo for around the same price (I think someone said that the Neo can play Steam Games).

As price leaks and rumors started coming in, as we inch closer to the second half of 2026, it’s not looking good on the pricing for these Steam products: the Steam Machine, the Steam Controller, and the Steam Frame. I’m seeing price going for as much as $1,000 for the Steam Machine and around that price for the Frame. It’s not looking appealing at all. To me, the owner of Steam, Gabe Newell, could easily subsidize or lose money on each machine. He’s a trillionaire who owns a multi-million-dollar yacht (and the yacht company that made it). He can afford to lose a few dollars.

The sky-high RAM prices are delaying the Steam Machine, and so Valve decided to go ahead and release the Machine’s controller now (available May 4, 2026). I have zero interest in the controller, because I own their first controller and that thing was a monster/it sucked. Now that I know the new controller’s price of $100 dollars, my interest went down to negative 100 to own this new controller! Yikes, to me, that’s an expensive controller.

Just to give you an idea, I own about 10 controllers and the most I’ve ever had to pay was $90 for a custom Fallout Xbox Controller. Despite being a massive Fallout fan, I did regret spending so much on a controller.

Anyway, now that we know the Steam Controller’s price, I would double whatever you think you are going to pay. For example, the Steam Controller, I thought might be reasonably price at $50… and the Steam Machine, I thought might be $500 (which I won’t buy at that price). If I thought it was $500, then double that price ($1,000) and I think that’s going to be the asking retail price.

If Valve wants my business, it needs to be under $400. Anything above that, I will just stick to my more powerful PC, because why bother spending that much when I have a great Xbox X and various other consoles?

UPDATE: Apparently this $100 controller will not work on Xbox or PlayStation or Nintendo Switch. This controller will only work with Steam Deck or a PC running Steam. That is super disappointing… especially knowing you paid $100 for this very restrictive controller. The smart money is to invest in a very good Xbox controller (that thing will work on anything!)

PlayStation

I already hate Sony for their greedy practices with their PlayStation hardware and games… but now they’ve taken it a step further by introducing 30-day online DRM check-in for their PlayStation digital games. That is a hard NO from me.

I’ve already mentioned that I’m not always online, to know that I can’t play games I’ve previously purchased is frustrating. I will confess that I own a ton of PlayStation games on Steam, including Last of Us, God of War and Uncharted Legacy of Thieves Collection… and if they now require 30-day check-in, I’m never going to buy future PlayStation games!!! I have some games installed, so I just need to make sure they never update. If I have to install these games I own in the future, I might reconsider pirating these titles I own, just to avoid the check-in.

Xbox haters, yes, Xbox has online DRM too, but they allow you to set one “primary” console – and that one console can play games offline. I’m not a fan of online DRM, so I’ve been buying less Xbox Play Anywhere games (the idea is that you buy the game once but can play on PC or Xbox – but that comes with online check-in to make sure you aren’t playing the game in two places). It’s stupid, this whole DRM thing. Like I said, pirates and game crackers can easily play their games without going online.

Sony’s been silent and not addressing concerns (at the moment). This 30-day online requirement was reported by fans who recently bought digital games this month, and it also took the community to test out the check-in by removing their CMOS battery to confirm the online check-in.

For those who are always online, this isn’t a problem for them… but it’s people like me, who may or may not have the internet, or for people in the military (who is not always online) or travelers or living in rural area…. There are many reasons why you don’t always connect your console to the internet. It’s also a matter of principle. Why would you need to check online, if you just want to play a solo single-player game offline?

The only way to avoid this is to just not buy digital games, however with physical games not at many retailers or digital-only PS5 (it’s cheaper), it’s harder than you think of keeping it analog.

I know I am currently not in the PlayStation ecosystem, but hearing these new restrictions on their digital games, it made me glad that I’ve made the right decision to stick to PC (and somewhat in Xbox). If you want to read more about my disdain for the PlayStation, take a look at PlayStation: A Year of Ls.

I will not be buying PS6 or their upcoming handheld, just based on the idea of always online restrictions.

Update: I’ve learned a few things, or at least I heard the argument from developers (still no official Sony response). One developer said it might be a bug because Sony was lazy and copied the digital management of their “Game Pass” (which requires online check-in) and applied it to digital games. Another person said that it’s unintentional, because Sony is trying to combat piracy. On a jailbroken PlayStation, someone could buy a game and copy the ownership code. Within 14 days, the game owner would request a refund for the game, but could still play the game (due to the ownership code). That sounds plausible, but all this is just speculation, because Sony still haven’t issue a statement about this 30-day check-in.

Update 2: Sony officially addressed the check-in: “A one-time online check is required to confirm the game’s license, after which no further check-ins are required.”

Yours,

Read more Weekend Gamer and Steam.

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