In this week's Gaming Fun Fact we take a look at what happened to arcades. Back in the day, arcades were virtually the only way to enjoy video games, but over time the home console overtook one of the most popular hangout locations for kids and adults alike. We'll explore exactly what lead to the downfall of arcades and the rise of the home console…

In this week's Gaming Fun Fact we explore three wacky arcade machines. First up from 1976 is "Fonz" by Sega, based on the popular character from the hit TV show Happy Days. Second, we have Fire Truck by Atari (1978), that boasts the title of "first co-op arcade game." And finally, Police 911 (2000) that showcased immersive motion controls before th…

After Concord's launch and subsequent de-listing, many gamers figured that Sony's troubled hero shooter would re-release as a free-to-play title, or live on in some other form. Unfortunately, Sony has decided to shut down Firewalk Studios altogether. Cyberpunk 2077 is on the way to the Mac! With Apple taking gaming more seriously these days, Cyberp…

In this week's Gaming Fun Fact we go back in time to take a look at motion controls on the Sega Genesis. The Sega Activator is a controller that allows players to move, kick, and punch their way through various experiences like fighting games. It is a ring of infrared sensors set up in different segments that represent individual inputs, the player…

The Xbox Partner Preview showed off some upcoming Xbox games including titles such as: FBC Firebreak, Blindfire, Cronos: New Dawn, Wuchang: Fallen Feathers, and more! Former PlayStation exec, Shawn Layden, has been sounding the alarm about what he calls a "collapse of creativity" in the gaming industry that has lead to development companies relying…

In this week's Gaming Fun Fact we discussed an innovative controller for the Atari 2600 that allowed players to control games via their mind! This mystical device was called the Atari Mindlink and it didn't really give you telepathic gaming powers, it instead used sensors in a headband to detect forehead and facial movements and convert them into c…

In this week's Gaming Fun Fact we explored the origins of E3, as video games matured from a simple tent at CES, to a well organized and professionally represented industry. Previously considered just a kid's toy, video games weren't given a proper platform to showcase their hardware and software. However, after the Senate started taking interest in…

In this week's Gaming Fun Fact, we go back in time to the theatrical release of Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines and the rather ridiculous rapid-fire movie games that were used to promote it. There are an astonishing three movie games released to promote this movie including Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines, Terminator 3: War of the Machines, a…

In this week's Gaming Fun Fact, we take a look at the speedrunning community surrounding the game The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. We'll explore some key milestones like the discovery of wrong warp, super slide, and much more! Sony has officially unveiled the PS5 Pro with an upgraded GPU, advanced ray tracing, and AI-driven upscaling. This new…

Concord, Sony's Overwatch-like competitive shooter, has been taken offline as of September 6, 2024 - just days after its debut on August 23, 2024. The developer has stated that they will be exploring options that include ways to better reaching their players. My estimate? It'll be back and free-to-play. Microsoft says that Apple's 30% fee makes Xbo…

In this week's Gaming Fun Fact we explore one of the first public cases of development hell by analyzing a game that took a whole 14 years to release! Duke Nukem Forever went through two development teams, two engines, and some terrible reviews before all was said and done. This goes to show us that video game development isn't easy, and even if a …

In this episode of the Day One Patch Podcast, we kick things off with a Video Game Fun Fact, where Matt takes us through the story of Microsoft's infamous one billion-dollar mistake—better known as the Red Ring of Death (RROD). Learn how this major hardware flaw led to massive recalls and ultimately shaped the future of Xbox. Top Stories: - Fortnit…

In this week's Gaming Fun Fact, we explore the first ever easter egg and the origins behind it. Back when video games were in their infancy, developers were often completely overshadowed by the brand they worked for, often never being given credit directly - but some found creative revolution, just like in the game "Adventure" for the Atari 2600. V…

In this week's Gaming Fun Fact we take a look at one of the first gaming VR experiences that not only delivered major IP titles such as Mario, but was also a portable solution over 20 years before the Oculus Quest 2's release. We are of course talking about the famous (some say infamous) Nintendo Virtual Boy. Amazon is now selling a "no console req…

In this week's Gaming Fun Fact we explore the world of Bethesda's game engines, starting all the way back with Elder Scrolls: Arena - before the days of the famous (infamous?) Creation engine. Xbox Game Pass is receiving a price increase and a new standard tier that will not be including day one releases. The new tier replaces the console tier, how…

In this week's Gaming Fun Fact we discussed the infamous PS3 development woes, namely how difficult it was to create PS3 games for developers. This was due to the console's complex Cell Processor, ununified memory, and more. Then in the week's gaming news, we discussed: Nintendo believes that longer game development cycles are inevitable, however, …

In this week's Gaming Fun Fact we explore early wireless gaming controllers, specifically the Game Mate 2. Many people believe that the Wavebird for Nintendo GameCube was the first wireless controller, but in fact wireless controllers go all the way back to 1982 with the Atari 2600. Nintendo Direct June 2024 was a loaded presentation that Tim was k…

In this week's Gaming Fun Fact, we explore the bit wars! Namely the period of time where consoles were fighting for dominance through rigorous hardware upgrades and full force marketing campaigns - many of which rallied around how many bits their console had under the hood. Despite the bit wars' lack of an official start and end date, this period l…

In this week's Gaming Fun Fact, we discuss the history of gaming handhelds. Many people think that the original Game Boy kicked off the handheld gaming scene, but it started much earlier back with the Microvision in 1979. Sporting a 16 x 16 pixel screen and cartridge-based games, the Microvision pre-dated the Game Boy by ~11 years. Hot off the pres…

In this week's Video Game Fun Fact, we explore the world of blowing into cartridges. If you've ever used a console that relied on cartridges, then you've almost definitely tried to boot up a game, have it fail, take the cartridge out to blow on it, then get it magically works. Well what exactly is happening there? Should you blow on your cartridges…

In this week's gaming fun fact we discuss massive game worlds, specifically the largest ones ever made. Elder Scrolls II: Daggerfall is known for it's absolutely massive landmass that equates roughly to the size of Great Britain. However, it's predecessor Elder Scrolls: Arena comes in at a staggering ~9.6 million square kilometers (approximately th…

In this week's Gaming Fun Fact, we discuss some Halo facts that may catch you by surprise including all the work that was put into the Halo 3 engine, the last minute addition of multiplayer in Halo: Combat Evolved, Destiny easter eggs in ODST, and more! Assassin's Creed is finally headed to Japan with the reveal of Assassin's Creed Shadows, shown o…

In this week's Gaming Fun Fact, we explore the days before the internet was widespread, but gaming was still alive and well. Today we push updates to our games all the time, to fix problems of all sizes, and even to overhaul entire experiences. But before high-speed internet, how did games get updated? Microsoft has closed down a collection of stud…

In this week's Gaming Fun Fact, we explore the world of the very first commercially available arcade game - Computer Space. Computer Space was a precursor to Pong, being shipped in an arcade cabinet that looked like something straight out of Star Trek. Computer Space sold over 1000 units and was controlled entirely by buttons (no joystick) where a …

Xbox is entering the VR space by partnering with Meta to create a limited-edition Meta Quest headset bundle - this news comes to us as apart of Meta's recent announcement that they will be powering third-party headset makers such as Lenovo and Asus. Fallout fever has gone and got us down! The Prime Video show has ignited a flurry of Fallout popular…

Sarah Bond has confirmed through emails to her staff that Xbox has created a dedicated game preservation team that is working to ensure our digital libraries will be accessible on as many future consoles as possible. As also confirmed in Sarah's emails, Xbox is working on a next-gen console that promises to be a massive technological leap. We offer…

Video Game Fun Fact: This week's fun fact revolves around Fallout 3's iconic handheld nuclear launching device - the Fat Man. As ridiculous as it sounds, the Fat Man's design was inspired by a real cold war era weapon called the M-388 Davy Crokett Tactical Nuclear Recoilless Rifle that was put into service in two models including the M28 (light) an…

Video Game Fun Fact: During the development of 2003's Call of Duty, its codename was "MOH killer" or "Medal of Honor killer" as the series was going after EA's acclaimed WWII shooter series. Much like Medal of Honor at the time, the Call of Duty campaign was originally going to follow a sort of James Bond-like character taking on hundreds of soldie…

Video game fun fact of the week: Mercenaries 2 held a promotion shortly before it launched where it offered free gas in north London and LA for a day. The promotion transformed the gas stations with Mercenaries 2 themed posters and paid actors playing the part of the mercenaries. Unfortunately, the promotion went off the rails a bit in London as it…

PS5 Pro seems early...but also right on time? With the difficulty in grabbing a PS5 in the year following its launch, man gamers may feel as though it's too early for there to already be an upgrade to the PlayStation 5. However, it appears that this pro model is not only in production, but also coming as soon as the holiday season 2024. Star Wars: …

Xbox has confirmed the games that are coming to PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and Nintendo Switch with release dates including: Pentiment, Hi-Fi Rush, Grounded, and Sea of Thieves. Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree gameplay trailer and release date was just revealed, giving us an insights into what the highly anticipated DLC is story-wise and how b…

This week the Official Xbox Podcast hosted a business update to address a series of rumors and speculation that has been spreading like wildfire through the internet surrounding Xbox's future console business, exclusive games, and releases on third-party platforms (ie PlayStation). Phil Spencer, Sarah Bond, and Matt Booty lay out all the details we…

Rumor and speculation surrounding Xbox's new unannounced business plans has stirred up a flurry of articles and videos online. It seems likely that Xbox is planning on releasing some of their most famous games on PlayStation 5 for the first time, including big hitters like Starfield and Sea of Thieves. Furthermore, some believe that a move like thi…

PlayStation's January 2024 State of Play was this week announcing and showing off a collection of upcoming games including: Stellar Blade Death Stranding 2 Rise of the Ronin Until Dawn Remaster and more... The PS Vita was and is loved by a dedicated fan base keeping their handhelds alive over a decade after their first release. Even though the Vita…

Pong and Atari are known for being pioneers of the video game industry, but they weren't the first. This week we discussed some of these early video games including Tennis for Two and the Magnavox Odyssey. Apple has finally opened the App Store up for video game streaming services. Previously, apps like Xbox Game Pass were blocked by the App Stores…

Xbox Developer Direct 2024 showed off a collection of great looking games including Bethesda and Machine Games' Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2, Avowed, Visions of Mana, and Ara History Untold. Ubisoft director says gamers will et more comfortable not owning games with subscription services like Game Pass and Ubisoft+ …

Nvidia will release new GPUs this month including the RTX 4070 Super, RTX 4070 Ti Super, and RTX 4080. Samsung TVs are getting a new controller for the Samsung Gaming Hub. Unlike existing compatible controllers, the new Samsung controllers are able to control the power and volume of the TV. HBO has hired Kaitlyn Dever to be Abby in the upcoming The…

Happy 2024! It's our first episode of the year and coincidentally is releasing exactly 11 years since our first episode launched. This week we'll be discussing MSI's new Steam Deck competitor called The Claw - it should give us a good look at mobile PC gaming on the Intel side of things. Switch 2 speculations are always floating around, but this ti…

The sequel to 2019's Gears 5 could soon be revealed after an alleged tease by one of the level designers potentially working on the project. Is Gears of War 6 coming in 2024? E3, the annual "Christmas for gamers" has officially be cancelled indefinitely. The show has recently struggled to get back on its feet after being cancelled due to COVID in 2…

Starfield's design lead took to Twitter/X to talk about his thoughts on all the negative feedback that Starfield is getting. He wrote a long thread that covered several points including: a reminder that games are developed by hard working people, he doesn't criticize games anymore due to his position at Bethesda, and that games are made in a partic…

The Game Awards 2023 just wrapped up so let's talk about it! We discussed a collection of the awards including: Best Ongoing Game, Best Multiplayer Game, Game of the Year, and more. We also covered some of our favorite reveals including Light No Fire; a new game from the creators of No Man's Sky about a large-scale procedural planet that you can bu…

Despite some comments by Xbox CFO Tim Stuart about the hope that Game Pass would end up on all screens, including those of the PlayStation and Nintendo - Phil Spencer has clarified, or maybe doubled back a bit by stating that there are currently no plans to get Game Pass onto PlayStation and Nintendo. According to some Christmas lists, the demand f…

Xbox sales in Europe have collapsed with a 52% drop from October last year, meanwhile PlayStation has seen an increase of 143% in the same time period. Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic Remake fell on hard times alongside the difficulties found at its original developer Aspyr. Embracer Group moved the development following these problems over …

This week Ryan, Tim and Matt discussed The Game Awards 2023 Nominees for Game of the Year, Best Action Game, Best Audio Design, and much more!

Rockstar has broken their silence on GTA announcing that a trailer for GTA 6 is coming in December 2023. What do you think about video game movies? Well they're going to keep on coming, this time with Nintendo confirming that they're working on a live-action Zelda flick. Will the tone by like the games, or more serious? Valve has announced a Steam …

Diablo IV's new expansion is on the way after a teaser was shown off Blizzcon. (Source: Kotaku) Ubisoft decomissions old games' online services, with titles like NCIS, Ghost Recon Future Soldier, and more being affected. (Source: ClutchPoints) Konami's latest earnings call may have slipped up and revealed that more than just Silent Hill 2 is being …

This week Tim and Matt discussed Bethesda's mindset while developing Fallout 76, having come off so many game of the year awards from their previous titles, they felt infallible...and then they launched Fallout 76. Xbox's earnings post-Starfield launch have some good and some bad - namely an increase in game services and a decrease in hardware sale…

This week Matt and Tim discussed some of the recent top gaming news stories including Minecraft 300 million sale milestone, Bethesda's Pete Hines has announced his retirement, Nintendo accounts give us hints at what the Switch 2 may be, and Game Pass will have to wait until 2024 for Activision-Blizzard games. Then in the Query Corner Tim asks if La…

Microsoft has finally acquired Activision Blizzard, after months of deals, lawyers, and regulatory concerns. We cover some of the biggest games/franchises from Activision Blizzard. Sony confirms there will be a PS5 slim this holiday season. Ubisoft thinks physical sales will drop lower than they are now.Then in the Query Corner Question: Why do leg…

Samsung's game streaming service beta for their Game Launcher is coming to an end as it prepares for release. Microsoft's massive Activision-Blizzard deal finally looks like its coming to a close. Should game fatigue (ie too many games in a series that feel the same) affect game review scores? How are review scores impacted by reviewers that have e…