{"id":4808,"date":"2023-01-02T16:07:31","date_gmt":"2023-01-02T16:07:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dalelane.co.uk\/blog\/?p=4808"},"modified":"2023-01-02T16:09:58","modified_gmt":"2023-01-02T16:09:58","slug":"what-ill-be-playing-in-2023","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dalelane.co.uk\/blog\/?p=4808","title":{"rendered":"What I’ll be playing in 2023"},"content":{"rendered":"

(To start with, anyway…)<\/strong><\/p>\n

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These are my current favourite toys…<\/p>\n

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Xbox Series S<\/h2>\n

The newest addition to the set – which I got on Black Friday 2022. It’s a leap forward in graphics from what I’d gotten used to, and the novelty of that still hasn’t worn off.<\/p>\n

The more surprising thing is Game Pass (Microsoft’s flat monthly all-you-can-eat subscription). I’m loving it. And I’ve already seen it starting to change the way I experience games. I’d previously been a completionist … replaying challenges to get full marks, doing the random side-quests, finding all the collectibles, and playing through until the end of the story. Subconsciously I think there was an element of wanting to get my money’s worth – I bought games infrequently, so I wanted to see all of it. But with Game Pass, that same instinct means wanting to try as many games as I can – when I feel like I’ve got the gist of a game, it’s time to try a new one.<\/p>\n

If you’re on Xbox, you can find me on Xbox Live as dalelane<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

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Playdate<\/h2>\n

The other 2022 addition is my smallest toy. A tiny yellow console with a black-and-white screen that you control with a fold-out crank. It’s quirky, silly, weird, and fun. And that seems to have inspired game developers who have made weird, quirky and creative games for it. I love it.<\/p>\n

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The Playdate store is now open. https:\/\/t.co\/CqQxx6o42l<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/rQjxW8byYD<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Playdate (@playdate) July 29, 2021<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The thing that first drew my attention was the approach to delivering games. Instead of an app store, they focused on the idea of Seasons – a curated series of weekly games that are delivered.<\/p>\n

I grew to look forward to “unwrapping” the surprise delivery each Monday morning.<\/p>\n

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my first new @playdate<\/a> games appeared this morning! ? pic.twitter.com\/z8YrpIFiVE<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Dale Lane (@dalelane) May 23, 2022<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

(And as someone who gets paralysed by the amount of choice on Xbox Game Pass, there is definitely something to be said for a curated model, where someone chooses something interesting for you to play next.)<\/p>\n

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So, the whole deal with Playdate is that the games are delivered to you every Monday, as a surprise! Something to look forward to each week. Here\u2019s how the website puts it! pic.twitter.com\/txuw4JFnPs<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Playdate (@playdate) May 5, 2022<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

That doesn’t mean I don’t still choose games for it too – I’ve side-loaded dozens of games from itch<\/a> as well.<\/p>\n

Chase Jarvis’ oft-quoted The Best Camera is the one that’s with you<\/a> sums up the Playdate’s biggest strength. This thing lives in my pocket. It’s always with me. I play with it while I wait for the kettle to boil… and while I wait for my coffee to brew. Turning it on and starting a game is pretty much instant. I can play for a minute then put it back in my pocket. And the battery lasts forever so I don’t worry about having to charge it every day.<\/p>\n

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Anbernic<\/h2>\n

The 2021 addition to the set is the Anbernic RG351P: a retro-gaming handheld that I use to relive my gaming childhood. I run AmberELEC<\/a> on it. You can see the full list of emulators it runs at amberelec.org\/systems<\/a> but basically I have an emulator for every console I played as a kid on there.<\/p>\n

It has given me a second-chance to complete all the games I couldn’t beat as a child. I’d love to pretend it’s because I’m a better gamer now, but I think shameless save scumming has more to do with it. How did we ever complete games before save-states were a thing?!<\/p>\n

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the baby-Switch arrived today ? pic.twitter.com\/3w4KfK4yQR<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Dale Lane (@dalelane) July 22, 2021<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

It’s small enough that it can just live in my bag (whereas I plan ahead when I bring the Switch on a journey with me).<\/p>\n

If you are also into emulators and retro-gaming, you can find me on retroachievements as dalelane<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

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Quest<\/h2>\n

The 2020 addition was the Oculus Quest. The VR headset is the only one in the set that I don’t play that much any more. Months can go past while it gathers dust. Every now and then, something reminds me of it and I’ll revive it again. When I do, I normally play Beat Saber or Pistol Whip – or occasionally Blaston or Robo Recall: Unplugged.<\/p>\n

I did love it when I first got it, and it was ideal for lockdown. But that was two-and-a-half-years ago and I don’t find it as much fun any more – certainly not enough to consider upgrading to a newer version.<\/p>\n

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Switch<\/h2>\n

The grand-daddy of the set – I got the Switch for Christmas 2017. I’ve built a collection of 150 games and sunk hundreds (okay, thousands) of hours into this thing. I shared a few on twitter<\/a> but even that didn’t do justice to the range of games I’ve enjoyed over the last five years.<\/p>\n

It was my only console for several years, so it has spent a lot of time docked with the TV, using the Pro Controller to play it as a traditional console. The Xbox has started to replace it for that a bit. But the Switch has other things going for it which means it hasn’t gone the way the Quest did. I play it on the sofa, I play it in bed, and it’s an ideal travel companion – the Switch has made flights and train journeys a joy, and I’ve spent hours over the years playing it in the car while waiting to pick the kids up from various clubs and band rehearsals.<\/p>\n

If you’re on the Switch as well, you can find me as “dalelane” with the friend code (ugh) SW-0590-0664-6713<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

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