$1,800 Xbox? Switch 2 Hacked, BioWare Shut Down & the Next Fest AI Slop Problem | OTC EP 103

This week on Off the Console, James, Hi-Tech Lo-Life, and Gardiner dig into a rough week for gaming. Next-gen console prices are rumored to land between $1,000 and $1,800, and Sony is killing off Blu-ray players. The Switch 2 has been jailbroken, and EA has shut down BioWare.

We also cover:

• How AI-generated games are clogging up Steam Next Fest, and whether the backlash has gone too far
• Why Castle Crashers with Vampire Survivors-style enemy density might be the best game idea nobody’s made yet
• Game Pass running on Steam Deck and Linux through the Exodus Nexus launcher
• Emulation vs. decompilation for Switch 2 preservation
• Gardiner’s Show and Tell: a solar-powered Meshtastic repeater node
• Physical media, vinyl, and whether Steam counts as game preservation
• Mass Effect: Andromeda, live-service fatigue, and why fans and publishers share the blame

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Theme song composed by Gardiner Bryant