Games

Weekend Gamer: The Future of Xbox

Ahead of the ROG Xbox Ally X, set for Holiday 2025, Xbox has updated their Xbox PC App to give you a preview of what to expect for the future of Xbox. Xbox is heavily betting their future on Game Pass and branding the Xbox name on other company’s hardware (for example Asus’ ROG Ally and Meta’s Quest VR).

Weekend Gamer: Fallout at Five Below

The first time I heard about Five Below, it was in Minnesota, about ten years, and I just couldn’t believe how everything in the store was $5 or under. I probably spent so much money at that store, buying everything from iPhone cables to hardcover books to action figures. In the beginning, when everything was new (and cheap), it was pretty exciting.

Weekend Gamer: Fallout Pip-Boy

As a diehard Fallout fan, I have been collecting official Fallout merchandises for years and years. When the Amazon television series was announced in 2024, it was the best thing that could have happened for Fallout collectors. It meant that, for the first time in a long time, we got a ton of official Fallout merchandises, thanks to Amazon’s strong licensing department.

Weekend Gamer: Summer of Gaming 2025

As the resident Weekend Gamer, I am obligated to mention the craziness of this week in Summer Gaming! Traditionally, since most kids are outside during the summer, game sales are poor… so the gaming industry would announce games in the summer for games to be on sale this holiday or year end.

Weekend Gamer: Update (May 2025)

As for the gaming, I finally got around to putting together my Galaga Arcade1Up. I’ve had this thing in the original box for more than a year, because I knew eventually, I had to move to Jacksonville, and it was just easier to leave things in its compact state. When I put it together, I soon realized I did not bring my Pac-Man and Street Fighter II console controllers… so instead of putting the Galaga side art, I prefer the bright yellowness of the Pac-Man side.

Weekend Gamer: Nintendo Switch 2

Everybody knew the Nintendo Switch 2 was coming… after all, it’s been eight years since the original Switch launched and in the last few years, the original Switch just could not play any modern games. Technically those games do run, but at ‘potato speed’ as the kids call it. I bought a few games that just sucked on the Switch that I gave up on that system when I got the Steam Deck (which was then replaced by the ROG Ally).

Weekend Gamer: Play Anywhere

I’ve been a big fan of Xbox Play Anywhere (XPA) program for a few years now, and was happy to hear from the Game Developers Conference (GDC) in California, that Xbox announced over 1,000 titles (they’re also counting the future titles South of Midnight and Doom: The Dark Ages) are now Xbox Play Anywhere.

Weekend Gamer: Xbox Keenan

The much-rumored Xbox Handheld, codename Keenan, is coming to us closer than you think (I first mentioned this in Nov 2024)! The details are exclusively from a report via Windows Central. It’s set to be released this year (probably before Christmas to make for the maximum sale) and it is as much as I suspected: MicroSoft is just going to get a manufacturer to make their handheld. I think they are going to partner with Asus, who make the ROG Ally (my favorite handheld), to redesign an Xbox-branded ROG Ally. There will be some key difference, probably the branding and also that Xbox Button that you find on all their controller. The Xbox button would bring up a hotbar – similar to what you get when you’re playing on an Xbox Series X or S.

Weekend Gamer: Avowed

Now, there is a new game called Avowed, the third game in the “Pillars of Eternity” universe. It is an action role-playing game from Obsidian Entertainment and published by Xbox Game Studios. The game is available to play in early access, if you pay for the most expensive version ($90). For everyone else, the official release date is February 18, 2025. The best part is, if you have Xbox Game Pass, you can play for “free”. If you don’t want to pay for Game Pass and want to own it - I suggest buying the game on the Xbox Game App, as that means you also own it on Xbox. Basically, you get it as a two-for-one deal.

Mega Fallout T-60 Power Armor Collection

I wasn’t originally was going to buy the Mega Construx’s Fallout T60 Power Armor set of five figures, but I gave in and bought it. I thought perhaps I’ll randomly see it in stores, and seeing it in person, I would pull the trigger. Of course, once I realized that this set is actually an Amazon exclusive, I just decided to get it. It arrived the next day at 5am. Unbelievable!

Fallout: Red Rocket Truck Stop

I should be conserving my cash, but I couldn’t help it when I saw the Fallout: Red Rocket Truck Stop Lego Mega Construx set. I had to buy it. By now, you should know that I’m a massive Fallout fan, and own quite a few statues, figurines, clothing, and various knick-knacks. If it has a Fallout branding, I’m on top of it. I cannot get enough of it!

Weekend Gamer: Pillars of Eternity

Back in late October, I started re-playing the original Pillars of Eternity with the intention of beating it. I did technically “rolled credits”, but it wasn’t an ending that I wanted. So I restarted the game to beat it properly, because I was going to skip over Dragon Age: The Veilguard. Originally excited for the game, but after seeing all the negative reviews, I’ve decided to not play it at all.

The Chinese Connection

I think by now you’ve all heard that Elon Musk is a liar and cheater. Last year, Musk boasts that he’s ranked top 20 players worldwide on Diablo IV, and that was already suspicious. I personally didn’t believe it, but I didn’t really care or questioned it because, I had stopped playing the game (because it sucks).

Nintendo Switch 2 Announced

The worst kept secret, Nintendo Switch 2 is coming out in 2025, as per a brief announcement video. There will be another event, April 2nd, which will go over details, such as chipset, new changes, and, most importantly, pricing. I am guessing the Switch 2 will be in stores, for sale, this Summer 2025… a full eight years since they launched the first Switch.

Weekend Gamer: Go! Go! Zo!

With CES (Consumer Electronics Show) coming up on January 7, I am hearing all these rumors about what to expect in the popular computer handheld market: Lenovo Legion Go S (two variants), Legion Go 2, Atari Gamestation Go, Zotac Zone 2. If true (or false), I will update this article with additional details after January 7.