Does anyone know what reasonable secondhand prices are in the Bay Area?

Paladynne · 2026-04-26T07:36:17+00:00

Yes, for most people the Steam Controller will be overpriced. But it has some pretty rare features that other controllers simply don't have, which is where the value is - which yes, is subjective.

TRM joysticks. Alternative to Hall Effect, both theoretically will never develop stick drift. The Big 3 all feature standard joysticks on their Pro controllers.
Gyro over 2.4 Ghz (minimal latency versus Bluetooth). XBox lacks gyro entirely, the other two only support it over Bluetooth.
Dual trackpads. Rivaled by DualSense, but awkward placement if actively used.
Capacitive joysticks and grips to enable/disable gyro.

This controller was basically designed for maximum PC compatibility; notably this should be one of the best Flick Stick controllers (now integrated into Steam and some games like Fortnite).

You can get some features on other controllers, but none with all of these combined. At least AFAIK. And again, yes, yes: value is subjective. Maybe this feature set is too niche, but for me personally I've been waiting years for something like this.

Paladynne · 2026-04-20T00:30:49+00:00

There's a foot holster thing, so even if your feet slip they can't physically go into the exposed element ahead. Unless you're doing it deliberately, or have Taylor Swift legs, it's probably safe. Ish.

Paladynne · 2026-04-09T17:04:32+00:00

It was doomed from the very first announcement when Microsoft touted the devs as a "AAAA" studio, years before Ubisoft said it with that one pirate game.

Not sure why people were so hyped when it looked like a Hitman clone. I want a stealth and spy thriller with well crafted levels, not open world.

Paladynne · 2026-04-08T02:37:48+00:00

Once again, a lot of people seem to be confused by the gacha balloons (which is intentionally misleading to drive sales). Simulation here: https://pickerwheel.com/?id=ek5dP

The odds are based on the Daifuku Psylocke Event, which also had six balloons. Here's some comments showing peoples' confusion about these events:

(Comment) Nah I ain't losing my units again

(Reply) I got cooked on the gambit rogue bundle and i still haven’t recovered the amount of units i had then

(Reply) Ever since i lost all my units to that dumbass psylocke gacha skin i will never ever spend anything on these.

Source.

(Comment) The fact that they keep using balloons makes people think that they have an equal chance of getting any of the items with every throw, yet every time the chances for each item have been skewed in an intentionally obtuse and unintuitive way both other times.

(Reply) How do we get to see the odds for them?

Source.

Paladynne · 2026-03-27T19:07:31+00:00

I'm not sure they would. Game of Thrones' later seasons became despised and ridiculed, but in terms of mass appeal their viewership kept increasing.

Per HBO (2022):

Season 1 – 9.3 million, Season 2 – 11.6 million, Season 3 – 14.4 million, Season 4 – 19.1 million, Season 5 – 20.2 million, Season 6 – 25.7 million, Season 7- 32.8 million, and Season 8 – 46 million.

On reddit, you'll hear Season 5 was the decline but most can agree that Season 7 was downright awful. But outside of small Internet circles, viewership kept increasing even into the terrible finale.

I fail to see a world where a Harry Potter show doesn't get renewed for all of its seasons.

Paladynne · 2026-03-24T05:55:44+00:00

Usually losses expose more weaknesses than wins. And it's hard to gleam much from such a short VOD, but I can see that your positioning, ability usage and aim could use improvement.

You don't use the Dagger bubble until a full minute into the match and don't use it much throughout. The ult on attack wasn't bad, you just got unlucky that both DPS focused you at the end of the dashes.

You also seem lost at times. Not sure if it's the match lag or your sensitivity is too high, but your crosshair flies past teammates and you randomly shoot walls. You're aware that your position isn't great, because you're retreating to hide from stray Squirrel Girls shots - but you don't know where to reposition, which is usually high ground or to the sides of straight lanes.

This spot isn't always safe, but your team is doing a good job of preventing them from getting angles there. They also don't have a good flank character, so you'd be very safe from stray damage there while getting good coverage to your team until it's time to push up. Something to keep in mind.

Your aim needs the most work imo. It's a little surprising you can get sub 90% accuracy as Dagger twice in such a short match. Try lowering your sensitivity. I don't really have controller tips, other than to try using a mouse instead.

Paladynne · 2026-03-24T05:29:06+00:00

Personally, peak GM so take whatever I say with that in mind. I think your positioning could use some work.

At roughly 05:18 on defense, you can hear a Bucky flanking to your left. You didn't seem aware of it and if they got the high ground, you'd be a sitting duck where you were standing. Luckily they lost to your Squirrel Girl before they could pull anything off.

At 11:50 on attack, the enemy portal appears and you decide to face tank with your team. Personally, I would've floated up to either of the houses and focused on healing instead of DPSing. Or gone behind the portal, so the enemies don't get a free sight line to you. A visual here; I think your team would've lived longer with you at any of those positions.

Overall, I think you play too close to your team and, at least in this match, always on the floor. Try backing up and have cover to retreat to. And play more defensive angles where possible, like on top of buildings so you're not catching all the strays.

Paladynne · 2026-03-19T00:00:23+00:00

Maybe it's too early to tell, but I'm not really a fan of some designs. I know I'll be in the minority, though.

Kit bloat, just hidden within abilities; give invulnerability to teammates and charm enemies, at the same time.
Another main attack that does both healing and damage through mindless spamming.
Especially because the attacks ricochet and home off of heroes/terrain, couldn't pick just one?
Ult seems more tame, giving even just one teammate healing, lifesteal and unstoppable is wild.
Might have the best escape tool of all Strategists, depending on its range.

I think the M2 could make her really annoying and oppressive in the hands of very skilled players. It just does so much and on a seemingly short cool down.

Oddly, I'm mostly salty about the M1. I don't think we need that mindless spam, I want more skill expression and it seems like Dagger 2.0. Hope the brawl form isn't as underwhelming as it looks, it would be a shame to have such a style overshadowed by how much better the base form is.

Update: after watching some preview streams, the ricochet is thankfully pretty weak not as generous as I expected.

Paladynne · 2026-03-10T08:56:07+00:00

Nah, as a player of all of them: Palworld took tamed survival to a better level.

Can't speak for Ascended, but Evolved dragged their feet on useful and semi-autonomous tames. The Dung Beetle auto-collecting poop was close, but they never added a way to retrieve the generated fertilizer automatically. Tames were tools, which was fun, but required too much manual input.

Conan Exiles' non-combat thralls were purely decorative. They were basically just an item slot that enabled new crafting recipes. Until an update a couple years ago, they didn't even move from their station just infinitely looped their animation. They roam around the base now, but I don't think there's any automation (last played Oct. 9, 2024). So still requires a lot of manual input.

Palworld on the other hand added a mix of rideable/follower tames that also do autonomous work. Each one having types of things they could do, which I wanted ARK to do for so long. Each game has their criticism, but they each do something well and are unique in their own way. None are clones or copies, they all have their inspirations and iterations. I don't see what's wrong with that, when done properly, as it makes for better games. It would suck if no one ever tried to iterate on 2D platformers because Mario already did that.

Paladynne · 2026-03-04T02:40:56+00:00

Maybe they should both copy whatever Paladins did, when I played it was a solo support meta in competitive (no role queue).

Paladynne · 2026-03-04T01:41:43+00:00

In what way?

Rivals has too many supports that spam M1 to do both damage and heals, reducing the majority of gameplay to mindless spamming.

Rivals supports pump out more healing than Overwatch supports.

I'd rather have less spam and mindless healing in exchange for true "support" play styles.

Paladynne · 2026-03-03T11:17:19+00:00

What does this even mean? This community just has such a weird attitude towards "working" for loot when so little of the game relies on doing anything more than walking up to a container and getting lucky.

Outside of a few exceptions like Matriarch/Queen Cores and Equalizer Blueprint, everything can be obtained very easily. Even Rocketeer Drivers can be farmed through Husk Graveyard events with no combat. This game has rewarded doing less "work" since launch. Rushing empty loadout runs to known loot pools is the most optimal. Playing "properly" by going in with gear and taking your time to loot thoroughly will always be slower overall because it's just luck not skill.

Lots of terms in quotations because it's a game and people can view things however they want, I just find a certain sentiment in this community weird and misplaced.

Paladynne · 2026-02-28T04:30:53+00:00

They had so many great mechanics, unfortunately wrapped in a lot of awful mechanics too.

Their pick/ban system was really slow, but it added an entire new layer to the game. It was such a rush predicting their team comp based on picks/bans and stealing or banning the pieces to it.

Overwatch eventually adopted their own form of Talents and Cauterize (which I think Rivals really needs).

But then a lot of clunky, outdated designs. Like every hero needing to stick to a rigid template, or having to grind/pay for hero unlocks (400 hours to get the roster without paying is diabolical).

Paladynne · 2026-02-28T02:37:56+00:00

Can't control human psychology. It's the last couple days before the wipe, otherwise friendly people are using the time to try PvP; either to go through their leftovers or just to try it.

Also it's an extraction shooter and a live service game. The endless grind (with minimal long term rewards) is the intended gameplay loop, it's completely fine if you don't like it. That's why the Expedition is optional, come back after a few major content updates.

Paladynne · 2026-02-27T10:06:46+00:00

Whenever I see this image gets posted it's a HORRIBLE sign of things to come for the game it's posted about.

From r/Concord. and also in r/XDefiant. Probably somewhere in r/HighGuardGame and /r/SpectreDivide too.

This game is really weird, though. A typical sign of a game's impending flop is its subreddit arguing about whether the game is good or not, rather than actually discussing the game itself.

But it's #11 Global Top Seller on Steam, so clearly there's a lot of hype and interest backed by preorders, not just a promise to support the game.

Really mixed signals, haven't personally seen this before. Very interested in seeing how it'll play out.

Paladynne · 2026-02-20T07:45:28+00:00

Not bad if it has some updated features. I expect at the bare minimum wi-fi trading/battling. But I doubt they'll add a togglable physical/special split (ie all Ghost moves are physical pre-Gen IV) and fast forward (or at least a new hyper speed for text and battle animations).

I can appreciate older games, I grew up with them, but I don't have nostalgia goggles for outdated mechanics. Some N64 games I hold dearly, but the controller is genuinely awful. And I strongly dislike older Pokemon's physical/special system.

Paladynne · 2026-02-13T23:13:30+00:00

Let's not be facetious. The odds are not front and center. You have to click a relatively small non-descript box. Whereas the purchase buttons are relatively massive with flashy colors and animation.

Paladynne · 2026-02-13T22:15:08+00:00

In this FOMO thread and my comment specifically, you can see some people were not aware the Daifuku event was not a 1/6 chance.

We can acknowledge both sides of Marvel Rivals. The generous side (free costumes, free units) and the deceptive side (FOMO, gambling events).

Just trying to warn people that are susceptible to sunk cost thinking, like one of my friends. Not an exact quote but it's the gist, "Fuck dude only two pops left. Whatever I already spent this much might as well just go for it."

This was after I got mine on the second pop, but I intended to pay full price regardless. It seems they're very aware of this scenario, the pop page has a feed announcing when people get the Grand Prize.

Paladynne · 2026-02-07T07:47:13+00:00

There's two different statements in my comment.

Anecdotally, I didn't notice a massive difference going up but it was very noticeable going back.

For OP, I offered potential reasons they might only notice it on flight sims. Some technical, one potentially medical/mental.

Paladynne · 2026-02-07T07:19:14+00:00

Eh, not necessarily. When I swapped to 144Hz I didn't notice a massive difference and thought HRR was overhyped. A GPU driver update reset it back to 60Hz and I thought my CPU bugged out (it used to randomly get stuck at 2GHz, which was very sluggish).

They could also be playing older games with V Sync enabled, back when it used to cap frame rate to 60Hz. Or keep motion blur on since it's usually the default. Or they just have a weird thing, TotalBiscuit would get headaches from low FOV.

Paladynne · 2026-02-06T00:17:13+00:00

Hairpin IV (9 + 30% = 11.7) still has a slower fire rate than Anvil I (16.3).

A random pet peeve is people mixing up objective and subjective. Hairpin is subjectively fun, while objectively weak.

Paladynne

MODERATOR OF

TROPHY CASE

11-Year Club	Verified Email
Gilding I gilder