The game pricing argument goes back and forth for me. Yes, on paper, you could say that inflation suggests games should go up in price, especially considering how many more developers are needed to put out high-fidelity games. BUT, on the other hand, the minimum wage has not raised significantly in all of that time. As a result, a significant number of gamers genuinely can’t pay more for games than they could 20+ years ago. The reason these larger studios exist is because of gaming’s expanded reach in that time; and many of these new target territories similarly can’t pay for the equivalent of $80USD.

There’s maybe only about 1-2 games I’ve ever even paid the $70 price tag for.

How will those old joycons charge? Is the Switch 2 able to have S1 joycons slide in without using the magnet?

120 and 4K are often claimed on console specs but are rarely achieved within games. At best it will be capable of that when playing Netflix or streaming.

I’m curious what other people’s main gripe is (likely emulation fights?) For my own, it’s when they enacted an assault on Garry’s Mod assets.

That domain never did anything to harm their brand and was a source for tons of fan content. Emulation has its murky arguments about capitalism, but going after GMod was just litigation and harm for its own sake.

The condemnations are lukewarm because at best they wouldn’t accomplish much. For all the effort voting out Chuck and finding a replacement, Republicans would have full focus on special elections.

We all know for all intents AOC and JCrockett are the leaders of the Democratic Party currently. A title would not change that to a significant degree. Neither of them has encouraged focus on Schumer, and I imagine there’s good reason for that.

I’m all for finding inspiring new candidates - but we don’t actually gain all that much by dragging down the pretty bad ones - and I fully agree they’re bad, especially when their seats are not up for election. The house has a lot of seats to claim.

I once had a bad sandwich at a shitty sandwich shop. I said it was bad. I just don’t devote time and energy to warning everyone away from the shop. I’m finding better sandwiches. This is the challenge of building yourself off what inspires you rather than what you hate.

Something I want to highlight, because I know it’ll come up (even if just in people’s minds) is democratic betrayals and silence, eg on the budget CR.

Chuck Schumer likely betrayed the Dems either for financial institutions and “stability”, or for state safety and cowardice. The former is scummy, and pretty much grants him all the hate he deserves. The latter is also plausible, and perhaps more excusable (still betraying our wishes) in that millions of people who hadn’t been following politics would hear smear tactics against Democrats. Plus, it would shut down the courts which is the one area of frequent victory.

I’m not making that case because I agree with it, especially now that courts are faltering, just that someone good but scared could believe it. And even if you assume the worst of Chuck, think about the motivations that put most Democrats in place across the country. A good number of them aren’t going to capitulate to the silence/financial appeasement.

If you want a better solution: Research democratic candidates before you vote for them. I’ve been phone banking for Susan Crawford, and while everything I see about her is good, I do get worried by the voter response of “Oh, I always vote Democrat!” Someday, for some people, that will not be a good idea. For some 80% of them, it is. And if the House is ever 80% democrat, it won’t matter that 20% of them are spineless.

No. Republicans filibustered overnight on medical care as well.

…Oh, wait, that was Ted Cruz speaking against the ACA.

Out of concern for how much the “Bible Belt” throws in with Israel’s Zionist bullshit, I did some basic searches on the topic, and the discussion was a bit different than I thought it’d be.

People need a place to belong. For many, they have communities in cities that fit. For rural areas, it’s one thing to say “Stop listening to that televangelist ordering you to deposit your savings”, but you’d need something else to take that place - something to believe in.

That’s where more progressive preachers, people similar to the current pope, are shaming themselves for not stepping up enough, recognizing people’s needs and being genuine voices of compassion; not trying to be the economic “immigrants pay taxes” or scientific “colleges fuel cure research” voice, but the “Be good to your neighbor” voice.

So even though I’m not a believer, I’m at least seeing the way churches can bring communities together rather than leave all one’s connections to Facebook. The important thing is what sort of voice is unifying them - because by god, there’s a million ways to pervert the message of any major religion into one of hate.

This might be a dumb idea, but I may buy this game just to make up for all the baseless hate it’s been hit by. Maybe just to avoid shareholder claims of “See, people prefer historical accuracy. Hence black people are banned in all future games.”

I haven’t really even tracked much of Ubisoft games for a while, and I recognize usually they’re pretty mindless open world fun - personally I’m often fine with that.

We already did!…And then we tore it down to make our interstate highway system. Any remaining tracks turn into museum exhibits we call “rail trails”.

This is very optimistic for the devotion behind a cult. People are already used to sacrificing for an oligarch.

If people are being kidnapped out of their homes for free speech, and plans are made for invasion of other countries, which party is “starting” said war?

America has previously spent TONS of money destroying the property of people with those ideologies. They even had a name for that historical event: World War 2.

I’ll have to be honest and admit back when I was in high school or so, I was enthusiastic about electric cars and his seemed like some of the best. He was also opening up the charging standards so that there could be a mixed playing field. Back then, I was likely ready to dismiss small critiques as the retaliation of the fossil fuel industry.

God I hate old me.

While the “Who would win Batman or Superman or US army” posturing is interesting to some…I have been finding fewer and fewer reasons to expect a military confrontation.

We saw one during the George Floyd protests - Trump sent the National Guard to quell protestors. It…didn’t do much, and the Guard sort of stood around, acknowledging free speech.

I have also read testimonials from those in the Army - while it is true that the (incompetent) very top new leadership, and many grunts are die-hard MAGA, the vast majority of the leadership structure is disciplined and educated in the constitution. There’s supposedly already been briefings delivered on “DEI” subjects that indicates the officers are still very vocally in support of them, and they in turn are still loyally respected by their units. In short: An attack within America against Americans would feel blatantly against what most of them stand for.

ICE, on the other hand, is a fringe set of whackjobs - and thankfully they’re mostly cowards that only accomplish much by stealing in and out like burglars.

Is there not a security concern of doing basic checks before handing out cash?

For instance, elderly woman gets a text message telling her the IRS needs $50k cash or they’ll take her house. The bank says they need a few days, she complains that the IRS wants it now…and then they help explain that it’s likely a scam.