RMWeb Gamer's Lounge.

[Classsix T]

Ah, well getting hold of a better handset and contract deal hasn't actually gone as smoothly as I'd hoped it had.

In a classic case of new fangled tech baffling an old man, what I should have asked for on the Fonehouse website was an upgrade to my existing network plan. What I apparently signed up for is a new plan...which hasn't cancelled off the one I'm currently on!

 

I wasn't entirely sure why the SIM that was supplied with the new Xperia didn't work straight out of the box, any attempt to get a texted security PIN failed...because it's being sent to another number.

I called Fonehouse this morning and received some clarification of what's happening, I'm not overjoyed obviously, but worst case scenario is I'll need to pay for both the incumbent network plans and the ones I've asked for from Fonehouse.

 

For my part, I'm not entirely sure Fonehouse made what I was getting was made entirely crystal clear at the outset on the website, and at no point was I informed I would be recieving a new 'phone number, which would have been an indication of something gone awry.

To their credit, the lady on the Fonehouse customer service line was helpful giving me options to resolve the issues, none of which are entirely hassle free. (Interestingly one I was given was as called 'triangular porting', which sounds kinda shady!) It basically boils down to how many hoops I want to jump through to keep the phone number I have, or the faff of accepting a new one.

 

I have next week off however and will descend upon the network provider's "shop" in Ipswich and ask them to work it out, given the piles of dosh I've given them over the years I don't think that's an unreasonable request.

 

C6T.

[Classsix T]

Hmm, given the scale the game is promising, I'm not baulked at the amount of storage space required..?:

https://kotaku.com/starfield-xbox-pc-preload-size-hdd-ssd-1850747520

 

SW Jedi: Survivor was something like 150Gb and that only has what, half a dozen worlds? Meanwhile GT7 continues to gobble up SSD real estate in the 140Gb ballpark.

 

I'm guessing the real concern (with the linked article in particular) is that as the price of second party SSD's continue to fall, and Sony unlocks the PS5 to use larger drives, Xboxes are tied to limited space drives at a fairly fixed price point from two Microsoft partner manufacturers.

 

C6T.

[The Fatadder]

Tbh there’s not a huge amount that’s a permanent fixture on my series x, Witcher 3, an EA title and the Disney game for the children.  So in this case I will just delete the last game to free up space (in this case gta v having downloaded the remastered version while it’s on Gamepass, got half way through before getting bored.  Why on earth couldn’t they add a decent bit of new content at the same time…..)  I think I might still have Redfall on there as well hoping against hope they manage to patch it into a decent game…

 

I guess those with a series S will have much bigger issues, though I’m not too upset by that given how much I hate that under spec’d box given it’s the main hold up stopping the Xbox BG3 release (with it’s lack of power / Microsoft’s insistence everything must release on X and S)

[Classsix T]

GT7 not as large as I thought it was, actually 114Gb.

Survivor is the fattest file currently installed, Horizon FW  sitting in-between that and GT7.

 

I'm not in danger of reaching capacity anytime soon however.

 

C6T.

[The Fatadder]

Currently at 91% full with about 74GB remaining, although I then noticed that Ive forgotten to uninstall Fifa22 and as a result Redfall can survive another month of sitting idle waiting for a decent upgrade before it has to be removed...

 

At the moment Forza Horizon 5 is the largest file at 129.1, followed by RDR2 at 123.4 and GTA V at a similar amount.

[Classsix T]

8 hours ago, The Fatadder said:

Currently at 91% full with about 74GB remaining, although I then noticed that Ive forgotten to uninstall Fifa22 and as a result Redfall can survive another month of sitting idle waiting for a decent upgrade before it has to be removed...

 

At the moment Forza Horizon 5 is the largest file at 129.1, followed by RDR2 at 123.4 and GTA V at a similar amount.

Did 30801 of this parish confirm you can have a third-party SSD (ie not the specifically for SeXBox memory cards) out the back of Xbox Series machines? I've got a Samsung T5 out the back of the PS5 and whilst I can only play PS4 titles directly off it, it can be used to store PS5 games away from the internal memory (before moving back onboard when needed) rather than deleting and having to redownload again at a later date.

 

C6T.

Edited August 18, 2023 by Classsix T
Clarity

[MJI]

Would ne interesting to see peoples view point of MS forcing both starfield and baldurs gate to be exclusives.

 

One ms scrapped it, the other ms won't let them sell on xbox

[Classsix T]

Morrison Data (subbing for Openreach) have fitted the fibre connection.

 

Checking the connection via the PS5, download speed is up from 36.8Mbps to 104.8! Upload more modest, now 13Mbps from the previous 9.1.

 

Coupled with the cost per month saving, a worthy exercise!

 

C6T.

 

(Additionally it would seem we've retained the landline number allocated to the property by the initial connection, so one less thing to worry about.)

Edited August 21, 2023 by Classsix T

[Reorte]

On 18/08/2023 at 22:44, MJI said:

Would ne interesting to see peoples view point of MS forcing both starfield and baldurs gate to be exclusives.

 

One ms scrapped it, the other ms won't let them sell on xbox

Unimpressed, to say the least. Exclusives never sit right, unless there are sound technical reasons for them which would make more releases difficult and expensive.

 

[MJI]

1 hour ago, Reorte said:

Unimpressed, to say the least. Exclusives never sit right, unless there are sound technical reasons for them which would make more releases difficult and expensive.

 

 

What I do not like is saying that Naughty Dog being exclusive is the same as Bethesda being exclusive.

 

Well one of them was bought up willingly after making PS1 games, the other a big company sort of taken over who did multi platform.

 

I would put NDi is more like the MS exclusives by nurturing.

 

I quite like Fallout, but not enough to build a gaming PC, PC gaming is too much like work to me.

 

But then still on the PS4 as it still works fine, only missed 2 games I would really want to try.

[Classsix T]

Whilst moving the PlayStations over to the new router, I thought I'd have a look at what's left of Red Dead Redemption for PS3 in the Store.

A total of eight pieces of dlc, two of which are free. Not entirely sure which of the paid dlc (with the exception of Undead Nightmare) is included with the GotY edition of RDR. Even less sure which are attached to the new release of the game, the blurb for which describes it as having UN "and more". For sure multiplayer isn't part of it, so I thought I'd have a look at what's happening with online RDR!

 

Popped in the disc (for which I paid a whole eight of your English pounds!) and five minutes later had a crashed frozen screen PS3! T'riffic!

Second attempt much better...but man! My rose tinted memory of playing first time around certainly clouded my expectations of how it has dated.

Perhaps it's because I'd played previously on a 40" LCD TV and 30fps was the norm back then but I can't describe it as a pleasant gaming experience.

 

Digital Foundry reviewed the new port as having a modicum of graphical tweaking for PlayStation (4 Pro & 5) but it's the framerate that needs improvement and iirc that hasn't been altered.

I'd gladly pay £60 for RDR revamped to look and play as well as RDR2. As it is, to ask £39.99 for an eversoslightly better looking version of what I have...with less gameplay options...is tantamount to a stagecoach hold-up.

 

C6T.

 

Forgot to mention, yes there were still other players moseying around the world, whether Rockstar will do a Ubisoft and get around to shutting down the servers for elderly games who knows?

Edited August 22, 2023 by Classsix T

[Classsix T]

Says it all...

Grand Theft Auto V, which originally debuted on PS3 for Sony hardware incidentally, currently on sale via PSStore. Yours for £16.49.

 

I don't care what the source code looks like, if someone tells me that RDR is impossible to get to look and play as well as RDR2, and furthermore wouldn't make money...I'm calling BS.

 

C6T.

[Classsix T]

On 08/08/2023 at 09:56, The Fatadder said:

Yes its possible to play it, I just know that things like the older interface, inability to swim and lack of 4k graphics will bug me too much to enjoy it properly.  I guess seeing as this really does seem to be the final nail in the coffin of the remake I will try and find a cheap second hand copy and give it a go to see how I get on with it.  Though it can wait until there is another lull between Gamepass releases. 

Knowing what I do now, yuh, I absolutely get you.

 

Enjoy Starfield!

 

Off the top of my head I believe Lords of the Fallen (releasing in October) is the only game of note on my anticipation radar. Not a fan of Soulslike hack'n'slashers particularly, but it looks amazing, so pending reviews that'll be my winter fix.

 

C6T.

[The Fatadder]

I’ve foolishly been reading the BG3 reviews and it’s making me more cross at MS for releasing the Series S as a budget console rather than  a  series X with smaller hd / no cd drive.    Still Larrion are now implying that it should be released late 23 or q1 2024, so at least it’s not too far away….

[Classsix T]

35 minutes ago, The Fatadder said:

I’ve foolishly been reading the BG3 reviews and it’s making me more cross at MS for releasing the Series S as a budget console rather than  a  series X with smaller hd / no cd drive.    Still Larrion are now implying that it should be released late 23 or q1 2024, so at least it’s not too far away….

Sony hardware hasn't been alien to similar thought processes btw, if it might be some consolation.

In PlayStationLand, the PS4 is "holding back Dev's to fully realise the potential of PS5", allegedly.

Which is possibly a valid point but ignores the massive installed user base of the last-gen hardware and its associated revenue stream.

 

So, Sony finally made a console that was backwards compatible and still get castigated by the user base...because it's back'pat.

 

It's migrating towards a PS5 only future though, I'd be amazed if the to be released Spiderman 2 gets a PS4 version. MS kinda tied into Series S, rightly or not as their sold-at-a-price-point Gamepass friendly access machine. I'd likely have one myself if it wasn't for my own Bill Gates aversion.

 

C6T.

Edited August 22, 2023 by Classsix T

[MJI]

In the queue for the new destiny 2 season.

[MJI]

Just loaded

[Classsix T]

A bit further on in the great mobile 'phone debacle.

I don't want to name names lest it gets anyone into trouble (believe me, it does sound quite shady...like split-ticketing. You can do it, but 'they' won't tell you about it!) but having visited the bricks and mortar gaff rather than waste my life on hold and a hard to understand call centre bod, triangular porting does seem to be the recommended way to go. For the uninitiated, here's how it works:

Unfortunately, all networks do not allow you to easily port whilst looking to stay within the same network this is due to their own internal policies. However, there is a way around doing this which will make it easier for you in the long run and save you some more money than if you were to upgrade.

 

All you will need to do is follow the steps below, unfortunately, we cannot set this up for you but we can help advise you into the right direction:

Please note that this process is only if you are porting within the same network and not if you are porting from different network providers. For example, Vodafone to Vodafone or Three to Three.

 

1.      Obtain a PAC code from your current network provider. You can do this by texting the word ‘PAC’ from your current phone to 65075.

2.      Obtain a Pay As You Go SIM card from another network provider. It is very important you get a pay as you go SIM card from another provider otherwise this will not work.

3.      Put the new Pay as you go SIM into the phone and give your PAC code from your old provider to the network provider of the new SIM.

4.      Once your number has ported over to the new network provider, you can then repeat the process of texting the word ‘PAC’ to 65075.

5.      With the new PAC code, you will need to give this back to your old network provider for your new contract.,

 

My only confusion now is how the hell PAYG works. I picked up a SIM from a shop in town and wasn't charged for it. I thought they came with credit installed, but perhaps to kybosh knock-offs you now have to install credit apparently? So anyway I'll do that and use Dad's number as a guinea pig to see if I can resolve the situation. If successful my own number will follow.

 

C6T.

[MJI]

What a total faff

[The Fatadder]

Good news…. Seems that Phil Spenser wants to be able to play BG3 on his series x sooner rather than later, as Microsoft have now backed down and said they will now give exemptions to the feature parity requirement between series S and X.  Which allows Larrian to release BG3 without the co op mode on series S to allow for a 2023 release.

 

no doubt it will open the flood gates for similar changes going forward, and potential disappointment for those with the budget hardware.  Though tbh they’d have been better off never having the parity clause from the start….

 

In other Xbox news they randomly dropped the Age of Empires 4 console port  into gamepass earlier in the week with no advance notice, I’d completely forgotten about this (it’s taken them so long to port across).  It actually works surprisingly well with a controller, (the only down side being rapid moves of the camera across the map where on a pc you could move big distances a lot easier).   

[Classsix T]

I'm doing bits 'n' bobs in OG RDR on PS3, probably to justify to myself that the new release is literally not worth the asking price. I have no idea what the new release is like on PS4 & 5 but jeez, it's hard graft, and looks sodding awful.

I had a tinker with the limited amount of options I have within the PS3 system, upscaling and graphic smoothing..pfft.

 

Given what Digital Foundry has said about the port, I think it's probably a blast on Switch in portable mode. Spitting this game on to a modern hi-def TV/monitor, ugh. FFS Rockstar, do this game justice!

 

I've half a mind to buy Lords of the Fallen on release to remind me of what a good looking game should be like!

 

C6T 

[Classsix T]

Btw, although it may well be the case it'll never be needed, I did buy a new house 'phone. Pretty sure the BT handsets we had wouldn't work with the new router so plumped for this one:

https://www.argos.co.uk/product/4507327?clickSR=slp:term:idect loop cordless telephone with answer machine:2:35:1

 

Reading the Q&A of many of Argos' available products doesn't really nail what folks need to know wrt connectivity to routers/VOIP etc. I settled for the linked set because after a bit of a Google, the product does have DECT in the name! (I highly suspect Argos' own people didn't really know what was happening with the digital landline swich-over a year ago.)

 

Anyway, got it home and plugged in into the mains to charge the batteries. Took out the supplied 'phone socket to ADSL cord and used the router's ADSL cable. The Vodafone hub has two (green) dedicated telephone sockets on the back so it went into one of those.

Calls to and from the landline worked so that part is fine. Didn't actually test the call sound quality bit, I'm hoping those green sockets on the hub cater for any necessary filtering that broadband telephone calls have usually needed.

 

Not the cheapest handset out there but, touchwood, it'll do the job. Stylish (?), loud ringer, large buttons and display. If Dad can call the local eateries without his 'ears' in...it's a winner!

 

C6T.

Edited August 28, 2023 by Classsix T

[Classsix T]

Not a big fan of this announcement:

https://www.eurogamer.net/playstation-plus-12-month-subscriptions-getting-global-price-increase-from-september

 

Although if I've read it right, I can get another year's sub for the current price if I renew before Nov 6th. That said, I usually take advantage of the end of year discounts available for PS+, often around a third off.

 

Speaking of PS+, were I not already in possession of RDR2 (and OG RDR), this is a deal that might actually sway me to part with some moolah for the first game:

C6T.

[MJI]

60 quid a year for multiplayer.

 

May drop it after Destiny 2 finishes.

 

The only other MPs I liked were all PS3 era.

[Classsix T]

Successfully ported the number I wanted to keep to the Xperia, it now has the right number on the plan obtained from Fonehouse. Decided to do mine first as it's the more expensive, the less time I spent paying for the plan I was on the better.

Now have to do it all again with Dad's phone!

 

I'll be out of pocket whatever the PAYG is costing, plus the short time I'm paying for four plans. I may lose the £3 per month saving for fibre broadband too which is linked to the old plans but that's a small issue.

 

Live and learn! C6T.