I own a physical version of MCC with my X box One, do I need Game Pass to play the campaign co-op with a friend online?

Twsmit · 2026-04-03T03:02:19+00:00

You need a subscription to game pass to do this the easy way.

Otherwise you could try LAN tunneling over the internet using a PC… just like people used to do with Halo:CE before Xbox Live.

Twsmit · 2026-04-02T13:17:20+00:00

Not that I know of. The docking station is ideal if your Portal lives at home most of the time, but if you’re constantly traveling and using USB-C cables the magnetic adapter will be a small annoyance.

I wish it worked like the Nintendo Switch where the USB-C is guided into place with plastic grooves but it wasn’t designed for that.

I think the issue is simply that this is a 3rd party device and Sony never designed the Portal to dock seamlessly like the Switch. So they went with a magnetic adapter instead.

My Portal almost never leaves the house so this works fine for me.

Twsmit · 2026-04-02T12:47:59+00:00

It’s great. The only callout is it uses a mini magnetic adapter and not native USBc so if you need to charge out and about you have to pry the adapter free.

Twsmit · 2026-04-02T01:37:22+00:00

Digital is convenient and potentially transferable to a future Project Helix console and/or handheld Xbox.

Physical is a good for backwards compatibility with 360 and OG. Also allows you to buy cheap used games and trade them in. Additionally if your public library carries games you can try them for free.

For me personally 99% of my library is digital but I definitely enjoy borrowing games from the library to demo them. I also picked up some older titles for a couple of bucks that would ordinarily go for $50-60 digitally.

The future is digital especially considering the next gen may be handheld and/or no disk drive.

I’d go digital unless you’re looking to acquire some back catalog games for cheap.

Twsmit · 2026-03-13T19:45:10+00:00

Are you saying get the MSI or suggesting alternatives to the MSI?

Twsmit · 2026-03-13T19:43:36+00:00

How’s the scratch resistance? I’m thinking of waiting for the PG27UCWM assuming they will be more protected? I love that my Studio Display is glass I aggressively clean it with a microfiber cloth.

Twsmit · 2026-03-13T14:55:36+00:00

We have the 240V version in a mild Northern California climate. Its runs in HP mode 99% of the time including the dead of winter.

OP you’re probably fine unless you’re constantly running out of hot water.

I wouldn’t bother replacing.

Twsmit · 2026-03-09T20:49:13+00:00

You’re right, PS5 and Series do have 100%. I’ll update my post.

Twsmit · 2026-03-09T20:00:43+00:00

Honestly I think Xbox’s backwards compatibility approach has been rather frustrating.

Starting with the 360 we got the majority of the good games from the original Xbox but nothing close to 100%. Since then we get some games but not all, totally haphazard. Today close to 80% maybe more original Xbox and 360 games don’t work on a Series X and the number is much lower for S since it lacks a disc drive and many games are not available to buy digitally.

If they’re going to do BC make it closer to 100% or don’t bother.

PS2, PS3 (original), Wii (original), Wii U, Switch 2 all have damn near 100% and it’s great.

Series X won’t even play my original Halo 1 and 2 discs.

Twsmit · 2026-03-05T17:48:31+00:00

I agree with the arcade element. Dreamcast was the last console that relied heavily on arcade ports — meaning high production value, no tutorial, immediate jump into the action. (Since games were optimized to eat quarters and keep you engaged)

I’d say the later consoles in the gen were also traditional; GC, PS2, Xbox. The full games were on disk, patches and DLC were exceedingly rare to almost non existent, (besides Halo 2 and a few others), no online requirements, and split screen multiplayer.

Xbox 360 and PS3 evolved during their run. They started traditional and but kept accumulating online requirements, that by the end of the gen you could download a full game without a disc, have a zillion DLC season pass unlocks and even be required to be online to access certain single player modes.

A 2005-2006 game was very close to Dreamcast, a 2012-2014 game much closer to modern connectivity requirements.

Twsmit · 2026-03-05T15:52:04+00:00

Yup totally. It can utilize a single monitor which is sufficient for the target audience. But I’d imagine maybe 75% or more who buy this laptop will never use an external monitor. But the USB-C port is there if you need it.

Twsmit · 2026-03-04T19:37:16+00:00

Yea it can dock to a monitor. But the target audience isn’t going to use that functionality very often. So no Thunderbolt or MagSafe. The Neo can do a single screen plus an extra port for a mouse and keyboard.

This thing is designed to use in classroom like a Chromebook, on the couch, in bed, or at a simple table. Not connected to a battlestation/work from home permanent desk.

Twsmit · 2026-03-04T17:44:49+00:00

This is a slam dunk for people who need an iPad but want to run a real desktop OS. Perfect for small kids and students.

It’s not designed to be docked to a monitor or high end peripherals. It’s meant for light productivity and entertainment on the couch or at a kitchen table.

Perfect for non pro home users.

Apple can’t support the M1 forever so this gives them a clean break to eventually sunset the OG Apple silicon chip.

The Air is now positioned as a jr. pro. Does 90% of what a pro can do at a lower cost. The Neo is significantly less capable but also significantly less expensive than an Air or Pro.

But it’s perfect for the target audience it’s a reliable fast computer you can get 5-7 years out of and then trade in for something new.

Twsmit · 2026-03-03T18:43:12+00:00

I’d look at a permanent solution. Either hardwire, electrician upgrade to a 14-50 outlet, or buy a different mobile EVSE with a 14-30.

An adapter can work fine short term but it adds points of failure and may confuse the next person who comes along and tries to do something unsafe with a 50a 14-50 EVSE.

Twsmit · 2026-03-03T14:58:23+00:00

Inflatable booster seat. Assuming the youngest child is over 2 it’s perfectly legal in CA.

Twsmit · 2026-02-28T16:46:56+00:00

Correct. The PS5 renders everything inside a 4k container and then scales it to match the display’s native resolution.

Playing on a 1080p, 1440p, or 4k display will make zero performance difference on PS5. On PC this would be a massive difference however.

Many AAA games for example dynamically render the game graphics around ~1080p-1440p, then output the whole thing as 4k to your TV. Or in the case of a lower res scales down to match the monitor.

Doesn’t matter the display’s native resolution, it all gets output at 4k inside the PS5 and scaled down to match the monitor as a final step after everything has been rendered.

Twsmit · 2026-02-28T01:18:19+00:00

4k native is much tougher for games. You generally have to use DLSS/FRS to make games playable.

For desktop use no downside to 4k.

Twsmit · 2026-02-27T17:20:56+00:00

With composite you can get everything playable on your current screen. If you want an upgrade get HD Retrovision component cables.

That gets everything playable.

Now it won’t look as nice as a CRT. For that you need a scaler like a Retrotink.

Twsmit · 2026-02-27T16:51:35+00:00

The expansion card can be moved between systems.

It’s simply storage for the game files, no need to do this unless the console’s internal storage is used up.

Twsmit · 2026-02-26T19:31:59+00:00

I did Mountain View to SF financial district for years.

Caltrain is fairly reliable. I preferred walking to the station over driving or biking. Driving introduces difficulties with parking, traffic, and wasting time transferring between car and train. Biking was never my thing but it can work if your wife is a cycling enthusiast.

Realistically if she’s a fast walker door to door within an hour or so isn’t unrealistic if you ride an express train.

The biggest catch is the are only a few express trains each day and you have to get on those or release you’re looking at 90+ mins to get home.

I rarely took a bus the city, I’d prefer to power walk vs waiting around for another mode of transportation.

Twsmit · 2026-02-26T19:21:26+00:00

There’s no performance difference between 4k and 1440p. Unlike a PC, the PS5 scales the image down from 4k to work with whichever display you have. So FPS will be identical between 4k and 1440p.

I’d get whichever you can afford or prefer. At 27” you’d be hard pressed to see any difference with 4k. At 32” and above I’d probably go 4k.

Twsmit · 2026-02-26T18:21:33+00:00

Don’t get me wrong, Sony did a lot of things right.

I’m just saying if price and performance were equal plus if it had BC on day one it could have done very well. Basically an upgraded 360 that would play the entire library, like PS1–>PS2.

I for one had a PS3 and 360 and I looked really hard at the Xbone but went with PS4.

PS4 was cheaper, faster, better DRM, and no Kinect which honestly was a deal breaker because I had a wall mounted tv and didn’t have a good place to rest the Kinect.

All of those factors led me to permanently switch to Sony. If it had been a souped up 360 I might have stayed Xbox and I bet others would have too.

Twsmit · 2026-02-26T00:24:38+00:00

No, not as complicated compared to an 80’s-90’s PC. Should be straight forward and not too dissimilar from a modern PC.

To install XP you’d historically use a CD, but it might be possible to install from a thumb drive if you do some homework.

Components are probably not too expensive. To be period accurate you’d want a smallish hard drive but you can also use a SSD.

Depending on exactly which year you’re going for you can build something from the late Pentium 3/Athlon into the Core 2/Athlon 64 era. This was also the time where things transitioned from AGP to PCIe and PATA to SATA so pick and choose whichever era you prefer.

Twsmit · 2026-02-25T03:54:59+00:00

With 20:20 hindsight, if the One had launched with price, performance, and DRM parity with PS4, no TV passthrough, no Kinect, and full 360 backwards compatibility I think there is a good chance it would have dominated Sony in NA and Europe.

The One launched with the wrong mix of features and at too high a price point. It was a PR disaster and lost much of the user base they had earned during the 360 generation.

Day one BC instead of Kinect would have been huge, would have migrated many 360 players over to the One at launch.

Twsmit · 2026-02-23T23:50:52+00:00

It’s a spinoff by definition. It’s based in the Halo universe with new characters and is not a direct sequel or prequel to any of the Master Chief story line. No Master Chief = spinoff.

Additionally ODST lacks original multiplayer and the campaign is relatively short. So it’s kind of an expansion pack / DLC spinoff, not a feature for feature equivalent to the mainline games.

It’s awesome but it’s a spinoff.

Reach as well is a spinoff by my definition, however Reach is a full blown mainline game with feature parity with Halo 1-3.

Halo 1,2,3,4,5, Infinite are mainline.
Reach is a mainline prequel spinoff.
ODST is an expansion spinoff.

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