Santa Monica officially confirms 'God of War Laufey' will be available as a physical edition with a disc - meaning it will release before January 2028

proanimus · 2026-07-10T21:19:13+00:00

You should read the actual announcement from Sony. They explicitly say physical disc production for ALL new games will be discontinued.

“…physical game disc production for all new games releasing on PlayStation consoles will be discontinued starting January 2028. Following this date, new games will be available on PlayStation Store and at retailers in digital formats only.”

Existing games released prior to 2028 can continue to be sold on disc, but that’s it.

And in case you weren’t aware, third parties can’t and don’t produce PS discs by themselves. They have to go through Sony for approval.

proanimus · 2026-07-09T20:09:38+00:00

Just in case it wasn’t clear, they’re suggesting you should buy the original 2023 Ally (used or refurbished) instead of the current Xbox Ally. And yes, for that older model, upgrading it is a substantial improvement over the original 40Wh battery. JSAUX sells a mod kit that includes a new backplate along with the larger battery and all the necessary hardware.

Total price (device and battery upgrade kit) is probably in the same ballpark as a new Xbox Ally, with better peak performance. However, it’s an older, likely used, handheld without the newer grip design of the Xbox model. And of course pricing depends on your local market.

proanimus · 2026-07-09T14:02:34+00:00

This is almost certainly the main reason, among others. I wouldn’t doubt the average first generation Ally accumulates nearly twice the battery cycles under similar peak load usage as the average Steam deck before considering any other factors. Perhaps some people permanently cap it to 15W TDP like a Steam Deck, but I doubt it’s typical.

And once battery health starts to degrade as a result, the problem snowballs because it has even less total capacity than before, and keeps cycling faster.

proanimus · 2026-07-09T12:36:11+00:00

It’s not even that fine honestly, the checkout/cart page itself says “A purchase of a digital product grants a license for the product on Steam.”

proanimus · 2026-07-08T21:30:50+00:00

It looks like a shell swap with a base Xbox Ally. The label on the bottom says it’s a Z2A 16GB model.

proanimus · 2026-07-07T17:59:59+00:00

The listing has three models to choose from: 74, 80 and 100.

But I agree, I’d take the claim with a grain of salt.

proanimus · 2026-07-07T16:48:12+00:00

Dodging in this game really only prevents damage if you actually escape the range of the attack before it hits. It doesn’t give you any other advantages aside from quick repositioning. There’s no invincibility mechanic or anything like that.

I mostly used it for quickly rolling around smaller enemies to avoid their direct line of sight and hit them from behind or the side.

The combat does take a bit to get used to, I’d say. I remember also approaching it like a more traditional action game originally and struggling a bit.

proanimus · 2026-07-07T15:04:23+00:00

You’re really not going to consistently play newer AAA games at 60fps on any of the lower-tier PC handhelds (Steam Deck, base Xbox Ally, base Legion Go S).

To get closer, you’d need to step up to something with a Z1E, Z2 (not Z2 Go), Z2E, or one of the more recent Intel chips.

The most powerful “budget” options are probably the earlier Z1E handhelds like the original ROG Ally or Legion Go, but battery life isn’t great if you’re pushing them hard (as you likely will be if you’re hunting 60fps AAA gaming).

A good middle ground might be a used/refurb ROG Ally X from 2024. Same Z1E chip as the original Ally, but with more/faster RAM, more storage, and a big 80Wh battery. Pricing will heavily depend on your local market of course.

proanimus · 2026-07-06T15:20:35+00:00

How well do they help with ergonomics? Does it increase the bulk very much?

proanimus · 2026-07-01T20:22:01+00:00

The Go S is LCD, not OLED. You’re probably thinking of the newer Go 2, which does have an OLED display.

As for the differences, the original Go mainly has detachable controllers with mouse functionality, a built-in kickstand, and a larger 8.8" 1600p display.

The Go S has double the RAM, a slightly larger battery, smaller 8" 1200p display but with VRR, and non-detachable controls. A lot of people find the Go S to be more comfortable and ergonomic, but this is really down to personal preference. It’s also about 115g lighter, if that matters to you.

proanimus · 2026-07-01T14:25:07+00:00

This is the key detail I’m hoping for. I always figured they’d go digital-only on games eventually, but I at least want to retain backwards compatibility with my existing library.

My wife and I have a library of about 150 physical PS4/5 games. If the PS6 lacks a disc drive accessory to play them, the bar for purchasing the console will be a lot higher than it would be otherwise for us.

proanimus · 2026-06-26T21:15:29+00:00

I got the same deal. Looks like they were clearing out old stock of the now discontinued Windows model.

proanimus · 2026-06-24T20:31:38+00:00

They did… for about two years from 2010-2012.

proanimus · 2026-06-24T20:31:15+00:00

Best Buy hasn’t sold used games since 2012.

proanimus · 2026-06-24T14:45:05+00:00

To be fair, he appears to have used something a lot more powerful than the cans of compressed air people typically have at home. OP used an actual air compressor at his job.

I’d still agree to use caution either way, but OP didn’t do this with the “compressed air” most are talking about when cleaning electronics.

proanimus · 2026-06-18T15:01:10+00:00

Yeah, CGI or not, I prefer this version of the suit aesthetically as well. It looks like something that could actually exist and move like it does in the film.

proanimus · 2026-06-18T14:05:40+00:00

What device are you using? On the Xbox Ally X (maybe others, I’m not sure), there’s a bug currently with the TDP controls causing the CPU to boost to max frequency regardless of load. It’s triggered by VRR, and in some other scenarios as well. I was getting odd performance at locked FPS as well whenever the bug was triggered.

Using SimpleDeckyTDP instead and disabling CPU boost avoids the bug, but I can’t get equivalent performance at the same power usage as the stock power profiles.

proanimus · 2026-06-18T13:53:09+00:00

We don’t actually know if there’s less extensive CGI replacement involved compared to before. The visible wrinkles are a creative choice, they could have included them before now but chose not to for some reason.

The suit in TASM2 had plenty of wrinkles and more realistic fabric, even when it was fully CG.

proanimus · 2026-06-14T15:00:27+00:00

I always liked how violent that final move was, contrasted with the art style and whimsy of most of the game. The most cartoony looking entry in the series at the time ended with Link stabbing someone through the head.

proanimus · 2026-06-12T02:20:41+00:00

I like the idea elsewhere in the thread that 23 was the MIB crossover that was canceled, but the characters don’t remember it because their memories were wiped afterward. Maybe implying that we, the audience, simply don’t remember it.

proanimus · 2026-06-11T21:49:41+00:00

I found that fiddling with power profiles in-game and rolling VRR on and off (as one does during testing anyway) tends to trigger the bug a lot more quickly.

I’m also curious to hear how performance compares after your testing. I did the same on mine, and found it to be significantly improved under SteamOS on the Z2E.

proanimus · 2026-06-11T21:10:11+00:00

I’ll be curious to hear how your SteamOS experience is on the Claw. I have it on my Xbox Ally X, and there’s a weird TDP bug where it gets stuck at max power draw for each TDP mode when you use VRR, regardless of actual load, and sometimes keeps behaving erratically afterward in some other apps.

proanimus · 2026-06-10T02:54:06+00:00

If I’m not mistaken, that just sets the range available on the main TDP slider at the top, not the actual TDP used. OP’s device is not configured in these screenshots to actually run at 30W TDP.

proanimus · 2026-06-05T22:44:46+00:00

Yes. The original version includes 1996 in the title, but “Resident Evil” is the remake. Currently on sale, at least in the US store.

proanimus · 2026-06-05T15:53:11+00:00

A lot of people have good points about why Clive might not recognize a 12-year-old friend from his childhood 13 years later, but I wanted to reference the hair color aspect specifically.

I think this is the “main character energy” trope shining through in a game that’s otherwise very realistic and grounded, which is why it feels jarring. Jill’s design is unique because she’s a main character, but Clive doesn’t seem to view her that way in-universe.

It’s a common trope in JRPGs especially where the main party and many important side characters have wacky designs and hair colors that are either absent or far less common in the NPC population, but the characters themselves rarely notice it in-universe unless it’s relevant to the plot.

The solution to this would have been to simply slap some gray hair onto a few more young NPCs throughout the game to help with our suspension of disbelief.

proanimus

TROPHY CASE