Valve has introduced a new version of its popular Steam Deck. MeinMMO presents you with the similarities and differences in detail.
With the OLED model, Valve has introduced a new version of the Steam Deck. But what is changing and what is new inside? MeinMMO explains the similarities and differences of the OLED model in detail:
The article was first published on November 10, 2023. We updated the article on January 5, 2024, and added some information.
Last updates: January 5, 2024, November 10, 2023
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Check out the official trailer for the Steam Deck OLED
Steam Deck vs Steam Deck OLED: What’s new?
What is new with the OLED model? Valve has changed the Steam Deck primarily in details:
Display: The namesake OLED display is new and will be slightly larger: from the previous 7 inches (LCD) to 7.4 inches (OLED).
Battery: The battery has grown a bit, from 40 WHr to 50 WHr.
Storage: Valve offers an option with more storage. You can now buy a model with 1 TB of storage. Previously, it was capped at 512 GB, but you could still expand the storage yourself.
Design colors: In the USA, several colors are offered for the Steam Deck. In Germany, you can initially only buy the black model. Whether more colors will come to Germany is still unknown (as of January 5, 2024).
Is the Steam Deck OLED faster? No, Valve still uses the same AMD chip in its Steam Deck. The chip in the OLED model is smaller (7 nm vs 6 nm), but this was primarily done for efficiency reasons. As a result, the battery life of the OLED model is significantly longer depending on the game when compared to the LCD model. If you are looking for “only” more performance, the OLED model may not be worth it for you.
Will there be trade-in for the Steam Deck OLED? No, not currently. All information about the trade-in for the Steam Deck can be found directly on MeinMMO.
When will the Steam Deck OLED be available? Since November 17, 2023, you can officially order the device. According to Steam, you currently have to expect delivery times of 3 to 5 days.
Alternatives to the Steam Deck: Are you looking for exciting alternatives to the Steam Deck but still want to game on the go? Then check out the following article directly on MeinMMO, where we present you with the most interesting options:
In Escape from Tarkov, for the first time, a new season is here and many players hope that it will stay in the game for a long time.
What is this season about? Escape from Tarkov is currently celebrating winter and the holidays. Accordingly, it is snowing on the maps of the hardcore shooter.
The snow has been available since December 29, 2023, and has left a largely positive impression on the players since then.
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Escape from Tarkov Gameplay – Battle for Concordia
“It simply created a beautiful atmosphere and mood”
What do the players say about the snow? The players of Escape from Tarkov like the snow. Many write on social media that the snow-covered maps look really nice and that it’s easier to spot hidden enemies in the snow.
Some players even wish that the snow should be included in the regular weather rotation.
Here you can read some opinions from the community:
SigismundDijkstra via Reddit: “The snow absolutely needs to stay in rotation. I did a raid on Woods while it was getting dark, and the snow simply created a beautiful atmosphere and mood that I’ve never experienced in Tarkov.”
Training-Cup-8970 via Reddit: “I was playing with a friend when it started. We had a nice raid on Woods, then it suddenly got completely quiet… there was no sound at all. Then a proper snowstorm came our way. We didn’t know what the hell was going on, but we knew it was great. We heard nothing, saw nothing, after 15 minutes it calmed down, and since then it has been snowing. We love it.”
Phoenixsui via escapefromtarkov.com: “Thank you for adding snow to the game. It looks good and sounds good. It also has a calming effect on me. I was about to rage-quit when it started, but it calmed me down immediately and I played for a few more hours. I hope we don’t have to wait a whole year until New Year for snow. It would be cool if it was in the regular weather rotation.”
Could the snow stay or return? Yes, but it will not be part of the weather rotation as some fans hope.
As Nikita Buyanov, the game director of Escape from Tarkov, revealed in a stream on Twitch, the snow is one of the different seasons planned for EFT. These are to be officially announced in the future and will change regularly.
The individual seasons are supposed to influence the weather on the map. In winter, there will obviously be snow, as the current test shows.
In addition to the snow, Escape from Tarkov also received a recoil overhaul in December 2023, which was also well received by the players:
In a trailer from 1999, Sony presented us the PlayStation 9. The video shows futuristic features of the console. The release date mentioned is the year 2078.
Trailers for upcoming console generations are nothing unusual. Manufacturers have been ramping up their advertising campaigns long before the actual release of a product. This is intended to increase public interest, which is ultimately supposed to have a positive effect on sales figures.
Console manufacturer Sony produced a trailer 25 years ago to advertise the PS2 game console, which was released in 2000. The curious thing about it is that there is no trace of the PS2 in the video. Instead, we are shown futuristic images of how the PlayStation 9 is supposed to work in 2078.
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Check out the video of the new slim model of the PS5
25-year-old trailer announces the PS9 for the year 2078
What does the commercial show? In the one-minute trailer, we see a young man in a futuristic-looking city. He holds a glass sphere with the inscription PS9 in his hands. He opens the sphere and releases a kind of electronic spores. These then enter his body and activate various features.
Meanwhile, the player goes through various scenarios. He gets involved in a confrontation with various fighters, among other things. Shortly after, he dives underwater and encounters a giant octopus.
After that, he finds himself as a passenger on a motorcycle, wearing a racing suit and helmet. At full speed, he fires a glowing projectile, only to catch it again seconds later. At the end of the spot, he holds the now closed PS9 sphere in his hand.
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Which features are mentioned in the trailer? During the player’s journey, an electronically sounding female voice mentions several technical features of the PS9. All features sound futuristic and are supposed to provide a completely new experience in video gaming:
Retinal scanner
Mind control system
Holographically Burgund vision
Telepathic personal music
Whether these features will actually become a reality in 54 years can probably only be answered then. Until then, one should not take the content of the trailer too seriously.
Advertising campaign for the 78-year younger predecessor model
Why did Sony produce this commercial? The video was shot and released for a PlayStation 2 advertising campaign. The black PS2 was still several months away from its market launch in 2000. This was, however, not Sony’s first console in this color.
Sony wanted to generate interest for the successor to the first PlayStation early on and decided to create this nowadays oddly seeming video. With over 157 million PS2 consoles sold, Sony seemingly did everything right at the time. Even Steve Jobs recognized the potential in this market and wanted to claim a part of the console business for Apple.
Is the release date realistic? If Sony remains true to the previous life cycle of 6 to 7 years of a PS generation until the release of the successor, the PS9 could theoretically appear as early as 2048. That would be a full 30 years earlier than indicated in the video. Whether we will actually enjoy the mentioned features remains to be seen.
Considering an average life expectancy of 78 years for men and 83 years for women (via destatis.de), many would probably not experience a release in the year 2078. So let us hope that Sony maintains its current release rhythm.
This way we could already hold a potential PS6 in our hands in 3 years. Followed by a PS7 in 2034 and PS8 in 2041, until the release of the PS9 in 2048.
The Twitch streamer Nadia is reportedly not allowed to participate in tournaments for Call of Duty and has now accused Activision of being the reason for it due to her photos.
Who is she?
Nadia Amine (23) is a successful streamer on Twitch, known primarily for streaming Call of Duty: Warzone. She is also frequently found in the “Just Chatting” categories.
Currently, she actively streams the shooter on Twitch, where she had an average of over 6,000 viewers in the past 30 days.
The streamer regularly posts pictures from her life on social media, including bikini photos. However, Nadia is now convinced that this has led to her exclusion from CoD tournaments.
Streamer claims she is not allowed to participate in tournaments due to bikini photos
What is the exclusion about? On January 3, 2024, Nadia posted on X.com (formerly Twitter) that she has been blacklisted from all Call of Duty tournaments. Furthermore, the 23-year-old explained that the reason for her exclusion was photos of her in a bikini.
Completely banned from ‘Call of Duty’ tournaments, all because of posting bikini pictures; I have never posted nude pictures in my life.
As early as September 2023, the streamer accused Activision of not inviting her to the “Call of Duty” event “CoD Next” because of her bikini photos.
At CoD Next, the developers presented new insights into Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, which was set to release at that time. Many content creators and professionals were present, but the streamer was not allowed to participate.
Start video
The new CoD MW3 presents itself with shooter action in the new multiplayer trailer
Streamer reportedly hosted her own mini-tournament
What’s next for the streamer? Among the comments on her post on X.com, a user suggested she should host her own tournament. There, Nadia wrote that large tournaments must be approved by Activision.
Shortly thereafter, the streamer then promoted a 2v2 tournament on X.com that she is hosting and streaming on Twitch. The tournament was to have a prize pool of $6,900, but those wishing to participate must pay into the tournament.
The first new champion in 2024 from League of Legends is a small cute dragon named Smolder, which is already causing some players to get upset. MeinMMO reveals what it’s all about.
What kind of champion is Smolder? Smolder will be the first new champion in Season 14, and Riot Games has only released a teaser so far that piques the curiosity of players. The little dragon is an ADC, but there is still no official information about his abilities.
As the third dragon champion after Shyvana (half-dragon) and Aurelion Sol, Smolder presents itself as a cute dragon puppy that evokes memories of Spyro. Riot Games unveiled him in an illustrated story that highlights his lively, curious, and cheeky character.
You can watch the video here:
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How are the players reacting? Overall, there is great anticipation among players as they want to find out what the puppy has to offer. Many are excited and looking forward to the release of Smolder, but there is already significant criticism.
Some players are thrilled with the cute dragon, while others express their dissatisfaction after the first glimpse of his appearance, particularly concerning his face, which they perceive as too human.
We have summarized some comments about what bothers the players:
DageWasTaken via reddit: The human-like face puts me off.
aslatts via reddit: I feel like if the snout and mouth looked more like Spyro, it would be fine.[…]
Dnangel0 via reddit: I thought it was a picture of the old Sonic face, hahaha.
TheBirdboy69 via YouTube: Riot, put him back in the egg and please give us a REAL dragon. Thanks.
Some players also question Riot’s reluctance to create more fearsome-looking champions, while others believe that Smolder would fit better in a Disney movie. Others compare Smolder to the dragon from Tristana’s Dragon Trainer skin.
Currently, the exact release of Smolder is still unclear. However, it is expected that Riot Games will provide more insights into the backstory, abilities, and gameplay of this little dragon in the near future.
The open question remains whether Riot Games takes the criticism from the community seriously and possibly makes changes to Smolder’s design.
In Pokémon GO debuts in the White Odyssey event the Dusk Form of Rockruff. How to obtain it, you will find out here.
What is it about? In Pokémon GO, the White Odyssey event is just around the corner. It will start on January 6 and be active until January 10. Along with various wild Pokémon and bonuses, the Dusk Form of Rockruff will debut in the game. All info about the White Odyssey event can of course also be found with us.
What about Rockruff? Rockruff is a Rock-type Pokémon from the 7th generation. The special feature of Rockruff is that its evolution, Lycanroc, has 3 different forms that it can have. These are the Day Form, the Night Form, and the Dusk Form. Until now, only the first two forms have been activated in Pokémon GO.
Not all Rockruff can evolve into the Dusk Form of Lycanroc
How do I obtain Rockruff during the event? During the event, you have various ways to obtain Rockruff. You can hatch it from 2 km and 7 km eggs, as well as from eggs that you received as Adventure Sync rewards from the current season.
Trailer for the current season Timeless Travels.
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Pokémon GO shows the new season “Timeless Travels” in the trailer
Furthermore, you can encounter Rockruff in 1* raids, as a reward through field research, and in the second part of the special research Timeless Travels.
How can I obtain Lycanroc in the Dusk Form? To evolve Rockruff into the Dusk Form of Lycanroc, you cannot use older Rockruff that you have already caught before the event. Only specimens caught during the event can be evolved into the Dusk Form of Lycanroc.
However, not every Rockruff can be used. Whether a Rockruff you obtained is suitable for this evolution is purely random. So, if you want to ensure that you can add Lycanroc in the Dusk Form to your collection, you might need to collect multiple Rockruff.
What do you think of the mechanic? Are you looking forward to Lycanroc in the Dusk Form, or are you less interested in this Pokémon? Feel free to write it in the comments. If you are looking for more events in January 2024 in Pokémon GO, you will find what you’re looking for with us.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
The next game mode in Hearthstone will be eliminated. The developers are putting it to a complete stop, even removing it from the game.
In recent years, interest in Blizzard’s digital card game “Hearthstone” has declined. New expansions no longer excite players as they used to, and the developers have tried to establish new game modes. The “Battlegrounds” mode, a variation of “Auto Battler,” was well received by many and is currently one of the most popular modes.
But other ideas have not taken root. The “Hearthstone Classic” mode was scrapped shortly after implementation.
Now it is also time for the next mode: The “Duels” mode will be eliminated.
Starting with a small deck – however, the mode did not find much appeal.
As we think about the future of Hearthstone and how the team can best focus its efforts, we have made the difficult decision to discontinue support for the Duels mode. We have no plans to bring further updates to Duels and the mode will be removed from Hearthstone with an update in April 2024.
This change will allow us to shift our resources to other areas where they will have more impact, including the traditional Hearthstone, the Battlegrounds mode, and more. (…)
We thank all the passionate Duels fans for every great treasure, every loot, and every hard-fought victory you have achieved along the way. It has been a heroic run, and we could not have done it without you.
The mode is thus “dead” until its shutdown in April – there will be no further updates.
What was “Duels” about? Duels was Blizzard’s attempt to combine the Arena mode with the “Dungeon Run” modes from the single-player adventures. Players could choose a small starting deck and then had to improve with special hero abilities, treasures, and a small selection of new cards after each victory, eliminating other players along the way.
Similar to the Arena, the run ended when players lost a few times, and they always faced other opponents who had achieved a comparable number of victories.
Duels thus officially never left the “Beta Phase” and will be buried even before the full release.
Is this unexpected? Probably not for most fans. Blizzard has treated the Duels mode somewhat like a stepchild from the perspective of many players (via reddit) and has brought very few new or meaningful additions. There was too little variation, and once a few successful strategies emerged, there was simply a lack of variation as seen in the Arena mode.
There is hope that the other modes will be more successful in the future.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
From Monday, January 8th, you can vote for your Team of the Year (TOTY) in EA FC 24. The list of all candidates has been official for a few days now and, as every year, it brings with it a few surprises. We take a look at the biggest shocks.
What could surprises be? Surprises mean to us when established stars are not even nominated, while players appear on the nomination list that you might not necessarily have considered.
Below we will show you the biggest shocks from the nomination list.
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The biggest surprises for the TOTY vote in EA FC 24
What are the other criteria for our surprises? First of all, we looked at the Team of the Season in FIFA 23, as this provides a good indicator of which players, according to EA Sports’ standards, had a strong first half of 2023.
Particularly when comparing it to the Team of the Year in FIFA 23, we were able to identify some surprises.
For the surprising names on the list, we utilized the ratings from Sofascore to see if their nomination could be justified.
These players are surprisingly nominated:
Dante (CB) – OGC Nice: The veteran can once again be counted among the best defenders in the world in the late autumn of his career, at least if you trust EA Sports’ expertise. However, the nomination does not come out of nowhere. On Sofascore, the Brazilian achieved a solid average rating of over 7 out of 10 points. A very good return for a center-back.
Lucas Martinez Quarta (CB) – AC Fiorentina: The Argentine may only be known to insiders. However, similar to Dante, the Fiorentina’s defense chief also achieved a very good rating of over 7 points per game on Sofascore, placing him among the best defenders in Europe.
Aleksandr Golovin (CM) – AS Monaco: Golovin is having a very good season with AS Monaco so far in France. His performances are usually good, but his nomination for the TOTY seems somewhat surprising given the big names in midfield.
Kaoru Mitoma (LM) – Brighton & Hove Albion: FIFA players might know the small, bustling Japanese player since at least EA FC 24, as he has already picked up a few special cards here. Despite his commendable performances and that of his team, the nomination does come as a bit of a surprise.
Kang-in Lee (LW) – Paris Saint-Germain: Although the South Korean was usually the most prominent player in the average La Liga team of RCD Mallorca, which led PSG to sign him, his numbers do not really suggest why he should be nominated for the TOTY.
Thibaut Courtois (GK) – Real Madrid: Last year the Belgian giant was seen in the TOTY, this year he isn’t even on the ballot. A torn ACL has kept Courtois out of action for some time. This probably led EA to exclude the Real Madrid keeper from this year’s vote.
Gianluigi Donnarumma (GK) – Paris Saint-Germain: The Italian has been among the favorites for a spot in the TOTY for years. This year he is not even up for selection anymore. Donnarumma made some mistakes during a rather average season at PSG.
Éder Militão (CB) – Real Madrid: The next star from the Royals who definitely will not receive a regular TOTY. Like his teammate Courtois, the Brazilian has also been sidelined for a long time due to an ACL tear. Thus, he has also disappeared from EA’s radar.
Matthijs de Ligt (CB) – FC Bayern: De Ligt delivered strong personal performances in an average season for Bayern. EA Sports recognized this with a spot in the Ultimate Team of the Season. This season, de Ligt has also not been able to return to last season’s form, possibly due to injuries, and thus may not be a candidate for the TOTY.
Achraf Hakimi (RB) – Paris Saint-Germain: The Moroccan has consistently been a favorite for the position of right-back in the TOTY in recent years. After two consecutive TOTYs in FIFA 22 and 23, there will be no place for Hakimi in the team this year.
Joshua Kimmich (CDM) – FC Bayern Munich: Now it has also hit the German in EA FC 24. Kimmich faced a lot of criticism last year, sometimes also quite exaggerated. The misery seems to continue for the midfield motor of Bayern at FC 24 as well. He will definitely not receive a TOTY.
Xavi Simons (CAM) – RB Leipzig: 37 goal contributions in 2023 stand for the Dutch player. He is also an incredibly important player for his teams (PSV Eindhoven, RB Leipzig) and has drawn attention nationally and internationally. However, for EA, that is not enough for a nomination.
Christopher Nkunku (ST) – Chelsea FC: Nkunku’s appearances in 2023 can seemingly be counted on one hand. Serious injuries held the exceptional talent back last year. However, when he played, he impressed. In the closing phase of the season, he provided 6 goal contributions in 3 games and was also the standout player in the cup final with a goal and an assist. The low number of appearances could have been the reason for his exclusion.
At the end of our list, we ask you: What are your surprises? Which players do you think deserve it and which do not? Feel free to write it in the comments.
In Baldur’s Gate 3, players are currently benefiting from a bug. They remove a piece of clothing to gain significant power. MeinMMO reveals the details.
Spoiler: The article contains minor spoilers for Act 3.
The fascination of Baldur’s Gate 3 lies, among other things, in the many possibilities available to you. One particularly interesting option is the ability to succumb to the Illithid powers, which grant the player powerful abilities.
By consuming some parasites you find on your journey, you gain access to these abilities. One such ability is Freecast, specifically a toggled passive. The passive allows you to cast your next spell completely free – without consuming resources. This is already pretty strong. No spell slot, action, or bonus action is required.
Normally, you need a long rest to benefit from Freecast again, which keeps the ability balanced. However, due to a current bug, this can be circumvented.
Start video
5 helpful tips for Baldur’s Gate 3
The quirky bug: refreshing Freecast by putting on and taking off clothing
According to PCGamer, there is a way to renew Freecast without taking the normally required long rest. All you have to do is put on or take off a piece of clothing. This quirky bug allows you to utilize the significant power of Freecast in an almost endless cycle.
Here you can watch a video about it:
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However, there is a small catch. Putting on or taking off a piece of clothing in combat requires an action, which means this cannot be done in the midst of heated battles. But outside of combat, this method becomes an easy way to make Freecast ready to go again.
Surely, Larian Studios will fix the bug eventually. But until then, you can continue to use this opportunity and benefit from the power of Freecast again and again.
Star director Christopher Nolan is known for his visually stunning films with complex storytelling. Not everyone can appreciate this. For instance, a trainer made comments about the film during a workout. What she didn’t know was that the star director was participating in her class and took the criticism personally.
This year, Christopher Nolan received the Best Director award from the New York Film Critics Circle for his work Oppenheimer, which took the cinemas by storm in 2023.
In his acceptance speech, the star director shared a humorous anecdote about how suddenly his online trainer became a film critic, causing him to suffer not only physically but emotionally as she criticized his film Tenet.
Here you can see the English trailer for Tenet:
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English trailer for Tenet by Christopher Nolan
“You have to be a neuroscientist to understand this”
What did Christopher Nolan say? In his acceptance speech, Nolan addressed the question of whether directors read reviews and what kind of emotional and complicated relationships filmmakers have with the critics of their works.
In this context, he humorously shared the following event: The director was doing an online workout and was just sweating it out on his Peloton [exercise bike] – he was about to collapse from exhaustion.
In the middle of the workout, the trainer in the video suddenly started talking about his sci-fi film Tenet. However, she was absolutely not a fan and made it clear that she couldn’t make sense of it.
Above, you can see the video where the trainer criticizes Tenet. In the video below, you can hear Christopher Nolan telling the story. Jump to minute 1:00:
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What did the trainer say about Tenet? When she heard the music in the background, she began to criticize the film, stating that it was too complex and felt like wasted time.
This song is from the soundtrack of a film called Tenet. Did anyone other than me see this nonsense? Because I need a manual. Someone has to explain it to me. I’m not joking. What the hell was going on in this film? Did you get it? Seriously, you have to be a neuroscientist to understand this. That’s two and a half hours of my life that I want back. I want it back!
explains the trainer Jenn Sherman during the workout
What does the trainer say today? On Instagram, the trainer from the video, Jenn Sherman, reacted to an article about her. She explained that she never in her life thought the director would join one of her classes two years later.
After all, even though she couldn’t appreciate Tenet, she was fully convinced of Oppenheimer. She watched the film twice. “And that’s six hours of my life that I never want to give back,” she added.
In the end, she invited Christopher Nolan to come to her Peloton studio, where he could then criticize her class.
She assured him: “You’ll be sitting in the front row. And I promise you, there will be no insults.”
Currently, players are discussing on reddit an offer from a user. This user is selling a gaming PC that he himself describes as “high-end.” However, many find the price completely outrageous.
What kind of gaming PC is it? The user is selling a gaming PC on Facebook Marketplace with the following specifications:
Intel i7-8700K (Release 2017)
GTX 1080 Ti (Release 2017)
32 GB RAM
Windows 10 Home
There is no further information regarding installed SSDs, hard drives or the motherboard for now. However, even stranger is the seller’s comment that he is already offering the PC at a much too low price.
What does the seller say about it? He refers to the computer as a “high-end gaming PC” and additionally writes in his sales text:
Gaming PCs with similar specifications cost 2000 – 2500 British pounds (approx. 2,300 to 2,800 euros) upwards. I am open to offers.
It seems like the offer for “only” 1,700 euros is actually a really good deal. And unfortunately, that is not.
Community warns of people trying to exploit others’ ignorance to make money
Onreddit many people from the community are surprised by the offer. Many warn against this and similar offers and explain that it is too expensive for the price. Someone explains that he received a gaming PC with i7 13700KF and RTX 4080 for 1,500 euros. And that is top-notch hardware.
If you compare prices yourself, you can quickly find: For 1,500 euros today you can already get a gaming PC from various providers with Ryzen 5 5600X combined with an RX 6700 XT or an RTX 4060Ti, in some cases even an RTX 4070 is already included.
Yes, modern high-end PCs can indeed cost 2,500 euros, but the hardware is then state-of-the-art and not an Intel processor that is 7 years old.
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What should you do with such offers? As a rule, when it comes to such offers: Seek help and support if you have no knowledge of the hardware being sold. You should not feel embarrassed if strange abbreviations or terms regarding processors, graphics cards or other components mean nothing to you.
After all, every year new products are released by numerous manufacturers and this can quickly become confusing. Especially since manufacturers also change names and terms for certain products every few years. For instance, with Intel, the names will change with the next generation (via gamestar.de).
If you are unsure about an interesting offer, ask friends, acquaintances, or experts for advice.
What is a particular problem? Many people quickly get distracted from the actual product by many cool terms. Everything is then “super fast” or “high-end” and in the end, only the seller benefits from it.
Especially when the seller points out that the offer is supposed to be extremely limited, that it is anyway being offered much too cheap and that someone else could buy the offer at any time. With such tricks, sellers repeatedly try to persuade customers to buy and in some cases, people end up buying “stuff” that they don’t even want or things at far too high a price. Often, sites like Idealo or Geizhals are sufficient to quickly check hardware prices.
How frustrating it can be to pay a lot of money for only old hardware is demonstrated by a recent example of a family father. This person purchased a gaming PC for his son, but the hardware is much too old:
The once highly praised PvP endgame “Trials of Osiris” in Destiny 2 is currently under controversy. Some players and streamers agree: The Trials need to be saved urgently. There are serious problems dampening their gaming pleasure. MeinMMO shows you the proposals that have been made to improve the gaming experience for everyone and why not everyone agrees with it.
This is why the PvP event is at risk: The “Trials of Osiris”, short “Trials”, are the climax of PvP competition in Destiny 2. A mode designed to challenge the best PvP players and give them the opportunity to earn epic and unique rewards.
Over time, however, the mode has lost its shine and is increasingly criticized. A thread on Reddit reflects the growing frustration and disappointment.
According to some players, the endgame PvP is no longer fun.
Guardians find the stagnant rewards, which are almost exclusively tied to victory, particularly frustrating.
There is also the high pressure of not being allowed to lose, which is felt by everyone and is intensified by the decreasing player count, as winning more often means facing the same opponents.
Other points of frustration are connectivity issues, imbalanced matchmaking, and cheaters, all of which significantly harm the mode.
With all these things, the “Trials of Osiris” would have the ingredients to make the PvP event extremely toxic in 2024. According to some players, this must not remain the case before heading to the destination “The Bleached Heart of the Traveler” in June.
Start video
Discover the ‘Pale Heart of the Traveler’, the new destination from the DLC ‘The Final Form’
“Trials need to be saved again before it’s too late”
These are the players’ concerns: The Reddit thread emphasizes the urgent plea to Bungie to save the Trials again in 2024 in order not to lose the most passionate player base of Destiny 2.
The player pool of the Trials has specifically lost about 35% (via DestinyTrialsReport) of its players between January 2023 and 2024.
In addition to the declining interest, the player AdonnisTheGod sees another major problem with the PvP event in the loot.
The extreme restrictions within the Trials deter average to below-average players from even facing this challenge for the loot.
This means that only PvP sweatlords and cheaters remain, which results in seven unbearable and sweat-inducing matches for even good players to go flawless and get their loot.
Although the flawless Trials pass grants access to an exclusive player pool and promises additional rewards for victories, AdonnisTheGod sees no justification for the enormous time and effort required for the PvP event.
This stands in stark contrast to a half-hour run of the current seasonal activity “The Loop” in Season 23, where you receive 100 times more and sometimes even better loot than on a flawless Trials card.
Cheaters are another problem with the Trials
Cheaters are a major problem for Destiny 2, especially in the PvP endgame.
This makes it additionally unplayable: In addition to the unattractive loot, one must also contend with cheaters in the Trials. Especially as you win more often and get closer to the flawless status. Long-time Destiny streamers, like GernaderJake, have no unrealistic expectations but a clear opinion on this.
I do not expect Bungie to ever solve the cheating problem in [Destiny 2]. […] [Some cheaters are] literally in the game for years. Even if Bungie bans some of them, they simply switch to new or stolen accounts and start cheating again, until they are caught again, which makes the original ban effectively meaningless. Moreover, there are clans that are completely filled with such players. So to currently have a flawless card on PC, it is no longer about winning seven times in a row but about avoiding cheaters seven times in a row, and that is very difficult right now. […]
The Trials are not only Egyptian-themed, but also a real pyramid system that is functioning less and less. At first, you play against all players, which is good. But as you improve, only cheaters usually strike with full force. Even experienced players hardly have a chance and no fun. From this point on, it is also barely possible for normal players to endure.
In this regard, the Guardian dweezil22 comments: “The development of a product that leads to 90% of customers being severely disappointed in order to satisfy the remaining 10% seems fundamentally flawed and borders on abuse when you think about it seriously.”
Even the 14th Holy One is at a loss.
These are the solution proposals from the community
This is how Bungie should save the Trials: On Reddit, some players agree that the path to the top rewards must be easier and fights against cheaters must be avoidable. Bungie should offer other ways to obtain master weapons and the cosmetics of the PvP event beyond the prestigious lighthouse visit with seven victories. For example, a bounty that requires a mix of kills, revives, victories, and medals.
Additionally, a revised reward system must finally increase the incentive to participate in the mode again.
The player ryan13ts suggests: “Basically, the requirements for flawless victories need to be lowered. 4-5 victories would actually make it something that most people might have a chance at. […]”
Havingasicktime brings up the model of another shooter: “The Finals makes the Trials better than Destiny ever could. [There] it doesn’t feel terrible to lose, because it’s not all or nothing. But you get the same thrill from winning a tournament as from going flawless. […] No matter where you land, you will be rewarded for your time and effort.”
This opinion is also shared by nventure: “I have been saying for some time that Trials should be a real tournament with fixed groups. You get a slot, enter at the start of the tournament, and play until you’re eliminated.”
Other proposals include completely eliminating 2-player teams and otherwise limiting player searches based on fire teams (FBMM) to solos or 3-player teams only.
However, other players suspect that behind all these demands lies only the self-interest of the top PvP players.
This is why some Guardians are not enthusiastic: Guardian sturgboski, for example, suspects behind all these demands and proposals that the elite PvP lobby is just searching for weaker opponents.
What fascinates me is that the people who advocate that everyone participates in the Trials of Osiris are the group of players in the middle to upper ranks. The demand from content creators and streamers, which is supported under the guise of “It’s such a great mode, you’ll love it” […] suggests that they need less experienced opponents so that the games aren’t sweat-inducing, which has always been the argument for skill-based matchmaking (SBMM) vs. connection-based matchmaking (CBMM).
The player dukenukem89 on the other hand, recognizes: “A game mode that requires many to lose so that very few can win will always lose players. And when that happens, only the best remain (and even they have no fun), and we end up exactly where we are now.”
What do you think about the alleged problems of the “Trials of Osiris” and the proposed solutions? What improvements would you like to see to make the PvP mode more attractive again? Feel free to comment and let us know what you think about the future of the “Trials” in Destiny 2 and whether more easily obtainable Trials master loot would draw you to the PvP event.
A few days ago, the 13-year-old YouTuber and Tetris expert Blue Scuti managed to complete the NES version of Tetris. This triggered a wave of enthusiasm and support in the gaming community. However, a TV presenter from Sky News in the UK advises the boy to get some fresh air, which has resulted in severe criticism.
What exactly happened to Blue Scuti?
Blue Scuti is a YouTuber and Tetris expert.
A few days ago, he reached level 237 in the mentioned game, which froze, considered the True Killscreen and the end of Tetris.
Since Blue Scuti achieved this, the gaming community worldwide has celebrated him, and he has received much praise and approval.
In our news on the subject, you can also read all the details again:
What exactly did the Sky News presenter say? During a segment on Sky News, a major TV network in the UK, news host Jayne Secker addressed Blue Scuti’s success. At the beginning of her presentation, she provides context to her viewers and explains what exactly Tetris is, as well as what Blue Scuti has achieved.
The segment, which lasted about 47 seconds in total, concluded with the following words:
As a mother, I would simply say: Step away from the screen. Go outside. Get some fresh air. Completing Tetris is not a life goal.
Jayne Secker via Sky News, around January 4, 2024
Throughout the moderation, she smiles slightly condescendingly at the camera and laughs a bit at her last words. She uses her remark about fresh air as a transition to the weather forecast.
Chris Scullion, an editor at VGC News, shared the snippet on X.com (formerly Twitter). Here you can watch the full 47 seconds:
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How did the gaming community react? VGC editor Chris Scullion already writes his opinion in his post. He criticizes Sky News for still wanting to send gamers outside in 2024, especially since they had just praised a 16-year-old darts player shortly before the segment. They apparently did not send the darts player outside.
In the comments under Scullion’s post, angry and taken aback gamers are gathering. @MrDalekJD writes among other things, that the presenter’s smugness makes his blood boil. Being ignorant is one thing, but presenting the world record of a 13-year-old on free TV like this is embarrassing.
User @Squidapple agrees with @MrDalekJD: History was literally made – by a child – and she throws out that stupid comment, which is just embarrassing. It would fit perfectly with the 80s reporters talking about those Nintendos.
Others like @The_Stebe ask whether the presenter also advised the 16-year-old darts player to get some fresh air. Playing darts isn’t a life goal either.
Many users, including @Iainchambers and @Pengu, reposted the video with the note that no one tells people binge-watching Netflix to get some fresh air.
Overall, many gamers express their anger and frustration about the post in the comments. The way Jayne Secker delivers her conclusion frustrates the community: Fresh air is indeed good for people. However, this is not a reason to comment so condescendingly on such a great achievement.
Are you also annoyed by the presenter’s comment? What do you think about the statement that gamers should get more fresh air? We are looking forward to your opinion.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
It was a record year for PC gaming and for Steam: A total of 13,971 games were newly released on Steam: But only very few games make big money, such as Baldur’s Gate 3 or Hogwarts Legacy.
How much money did new games earn on Steam? The site Venturebeat has published a large report on Steam:
The total revenue from games on Steam (Full Game Sale Revenue) has doubled from $4.5 billion in 2019 to $9 billion in 2023. In 2023, revenue rose significantly again after a long pause, remaining almost constant between 2020 and 2022.
Of these $9 billion, about $3 billion come from “new releases.” But almost all of this $3 billion goes to the 100 largest new games of a year: The Top 100 account for 91% of the revenue.
The revenue distribution is even more pronounced: The Top 10 take 61% of the pie.
Start video
A useful feature can make your life in Baldur’s Gate 3 much easier
The Top 10 most successful new releases on Steam
What was the biggest game of the year? The biggest new game in 2023 on Steam was Baldur’s Gate 3. The role-playing epic earned approximately $657 million on Steam. That’s 21% of the revenue from new game releases.
The other games in the Top 10 were:
Hogwarts Legacy
Starfield
Resident Evil 4
Sons of the Forest
Armored Core VI
EA Sports FC 24
Star Wars Jedi: Survivor
Lethal Company
Cities Skylines 2
Purely based on units sold, Free2Play games like Overwatch 2, BattleBit Remastered, or The Finals also appear, but the core of the Top 10 does not change much.
Netflix regularly releases figures on the most successful films of the streaming platform. In the current top list, there are many titles that can boast big-name actors – yet the films hardly remain memorable. At least that is suggested by the rather mediocre IMDb ratings.
How are the most successful films on Netflix determined? The ranking is calculated by dividing the watched hours by the runtime of a film or series to derive the views. The latter is then decisive for the ranking (Source: Filmstarts).
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On IMDb, rather in the good midfield
In the current ranking of the English film category (as of December 31, 2023), there are several titles featuring well-known Hollywood stars. However, the IMDb ratings for most of them are rather mediocre, occasionally even good.
For instance, big stars like Gal Gadot, Ryan Reynolds, and Dwayne Johnson are in Red Notice. On IMDb, the film only manages to earn 6.3 out of 10 stars from 309,837 ratings.
The most successful Netflix films in the English-speaking category, as of January 5, 2024, source: Netflix
Similar conditions can be observed in the subsequent positions in the ranking:
Don´t Look Up with Leonardo DiCaprio, Jennifer Lawrence, Meryl Streep, and Cate Blanchett: 7.2 out of 10 stars from 583,275 ratings
The Adam Project with Ryan Reynolds: 6.7 out of 10 stars from 225,296 ratings
Bird Box: Close Your Eyes with Sandra Bullock: 6.6 out of 10 stars from 377,984 ratings
The Gray Man with Ryan Gosling and Chris Evans: 6.5 out of 10 stars from 231,029 ratings
We Can Be Heroes with Pedro Pascal: 4.7 out of 10 stars from 16,788 ratings
The Mother with Jennifer Lopez: 5.6 out of 10 stars from 44,930 ratings
Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery with Daniel Craig, Edward Norton, Kate Hudson, Dave Bautista: 7.1 out of 10 stars from 424,128 ratings
Extraction with Chris Hemsworth: 6.8 out of 10 stars from 256,685 ratings.
Extraction 2 with Chris Hemsworth: 7.0 out of 10 stars from 138,719 ratings
Thus, Don´t Look Up, Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery, and Extraction 2 stand out with over 7 stars within the top 10 on Netflix.
Have you seen any of the most successful films on Netflix? If so, how did you like it? Feel free to let us know in the comments.
A mini-series on Netflix that you won’t forget anytime soon is “The Fall of the House of Usher.” MyMMO author Schuhmann introduces you to this binge recommendation in more detail:
In ARK: Survival Ascended, players have lost several hours of progress due to a rollback, and an exploit is to blame.
What is the nightmare for MMO players? In ARK: Survival Ascended (ASA), there was a rollback on the official servers of the survival game on Tuesday, January 2, 2024. This reset the progress of all players on the affected servers by eight hours.
A rollback is considered a nightmare for MMO players because it results in the loss of time invested and progress made. Many developers want to avoid a rollback for this reason.
If a reset of progress does occur, it is often a sign that something seriously went wrong and drastic measures had to be taken.
Start video
ARK: Survival Ascended is revealed for the first time in the trailer
ASA conducts rollback due to players exploiting an exploit
Why was there a rollback in ASA? As Studio Wildcard, the developers of ARK: Survival Ascended, explained on X.com (formerly Twitter), they executed the rollback to reduce the damage caused by an exploit.
Additionally, the developers stated that they would take action against tribes that exploited the exploit. They did not disclose what the exploit was.
It was likely an exploit that allowed players to duplicate their resources. For instance, a user commented on X.com that he had used the exploit for a month and possessed millions of black pearls – a relatively rare resource in ARK.
Why is an 8-hour rollback even tragic? In ARK, much of the gameplay revolves around pure grind. This includes farming resources, crafting items or ammunition, and building and upgrading the base.
So if players actively played during the 8 hours that were reset, they have to repeat the grind of those hours.
This is particularly frustrating if a new creature was bred or tamed during those hours. Breeding also requires some luck to get a creature with the best possible stats or mutations.
However, luck can also come into play when taming. You don’t always find a high-level dino of the right gender at first to be able to breed afterward. The search can sometimes take some time, and once you find a suitable creature, you don’t want to lose it through a rollback.
In Pokémon GO, there are 3 events this weekend that you can join. Find out what they are here.
What is it about? Every month there are various events in Pokémon GO that you can participate in. In these, you can often receive various good Pokémon that are available for a limited time, or other good rewards in the form of items.
This weekend, there are a total of 3 events waiting for you in Pokémon GO. We’ll list exactly what they are and what awaits you in the events here.
Trailer for the current season Timeless Journeys.
Start video
Pokémon GO shows the new season “Timeless Travels” in the trailer
Community Day with Rowlet
What kind of event is this? As usual, there will be a Community Day in January as well. This time, Rowlet, one of the starter Pokémon from the Alola region, will be in the spotlight. In addition to an increased shiny chance and an exclusive move, there are also strong bonuses waiting for you in the event.
If you want to learn more, feel free to check out the Guide to the Community Day with Rowlet. Here you’ll find everything you need to know about this event.
When is the event? The Community Day will take place on Saturday, January 6, 2024, from 2:00 PM to 5:00 PM.
White Odyssey event with Lycanroc in its Dusk Form
What kind of event is this?The White Odyssey event comes with various wild Pokémon, raids, bonuses, and field research. The most important part of the event is the debut of Lycanroc in its Dusk Form, which can evolve from Rockruff.
What kind of event is this? Shadow Articuno returns in Shadow Raids waiting for you to defeat and catch it. This very strong fire and flying-type Pokémon is one of the strongest attackers for your raid teams in these types, so you should have it in your team if you don’t already own it.
When is the event? Shadow Articuno will be available over the next 3 weekends.
January 6 6:00 AM to January 7 10:00 PM
January 13 6:00 AM to January 14 10:00 PM
January 20 6:00 AM to January 21 10:00 PM
What about you? Are there any events this weekend that interest you and that you will participate in? Of course, there are also other events in January 2024 in Pokémon GO waiting for you.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
The superhero MMORPG City of Heroes was shut down in 2021 by developer NCSoft. Some fans did not give up on the game and opened private servers where the MMORPG continued to run. They feared serious consequences, but now there is a positive message for them.
Although the game was so popular, it was discontinued in December 2012. According to NCSoft, it was no longer worth running the servers. Revenue plummeted, and NCSoft had three other MMORPGs that were in the wings.
How did fans react to the closure? Some fan groups did not accept the closure and decided to open their own private servers. For example, there was a server that only fans could access who received a private invitation.
In the following trailer, you can see what kind of game City of Heroes was:
Start video
City of Heroes – Trailer zum Free2Play-Wechsel
Fans open private servers, developer gives the green light
Over time, more and more private servers opened. The “Homecoming” server, with around 100,000 players, is no longer based on the original version of NCSoft, but has even developed its own content.
What was the problem? The servers were operated without permission from NCSoft. Therefore, there was a risk that the servers could be shut down and the operators could be sued. The operators collected donations to be financially secure.
For years, the developer team at NCSoft did not react and accepted the private servers as they were. However, the fans behind the unofficial project announced that NCSoft had contacted them yesterday.
How has NCSoft reacted now? The team behind the largest server “Homecoming” announced that NCSoft has no plans to kill the fan project (via Homecoming forum). Even more: The company even granted the official license to continue operating private servers. NCSoft remains the owner of the IP.
This means:
All characters and accounts are secure
New content is being worked on
The Homecoming server remains completely free
The developers still continue to accept donations
However, these regulations apply only to Homecoming. Other private servers are not affected by this permission and could be shut down. The Homecoming team hopes that this will lead players to switch to their server and that the community will centralize.
As part of the deal, the developers behind the fan project must provide an “internal installation and patching solution.” Therefore, the team has developed its own Homecoming launcher.
Could the servers still be shut down in the future? Theoretically, it is possible that NCSoft could shut down the private servers. They still possess the right to do so. But the fans remain optimistic and made it clear that there is a positive and productive relationship between them and NCSoft.
If you are into superhero MMOs, MeinMMO has more content for you:
A young man stole a lot of money in the USA. He used various tricks and scammed almost half a million euros. Now he reveals how he went about it to protect future victims.
A man in the United States, who is serving a 94-month prison sentence for stealing hundreds of iPhones, has revealed his criminal secret and explained how to protect oneself from such thefts.
In an interview with the Wall Street Journal (Paywall), he explained how he allegedly earned around 300,000 euros solely through the theft of iPhones and manipulating the installed financial apps. Supposedly, it was even much more money.
Perpetrator has phone handed over to change passwords
How did the thief proceed? In a conversation with the online magazine, he explained that he primarily targeted young men: because they are usually significantly more inattentive than women. They were also an easy target because “they are already drunk and do not know what is really going on.”
The perpetrator approached his victims, offered them various items, or explained that he was a rapper and wanted to take a photo with them.
The victims then handed him their iPhone and expected him to type in his phone number and immediately give it back to them.
He then claimed that the phone had locked itself, and the victims willingly told him the passcode.
He then used that information to change the password for the Apple ID, disabled tracking features like “Find My iPhone,” and added his own biometric data to FaceID.
What happened next? Thanks to FaceID, he could easily access banking and crypto apps and search for sensitive information like social security numbers. He then allegedly drained bank accounts overnight and shopped with Apple Pay in the following days. In this way, he got easy “earned” money.
In the conversation with the Wall Street Journal, he explained that he wanted to reveal his criminal tricks also because he wanted to help future victims of such acts protect themselves.
I am already in prison. I just feel that I should try to stand on the other side of things and help people.
What is his most important tip for the future? This is probably not surprising, but the 26-year-old explains that under no circumstances should you share your passwords. No matter the timing. Because that would open the door wide for any perpetrator. Or as Fortnite warns in every second loading screen: “Passwords are like toothbrushes – you don’t share them!”
By the way, you can find tips and hints for strong passwords directly on MeinMMO:
What has changed since then? With the update to iOS 17.3, Apple introduced a feature to protect stolen devices. This feature intentionally causes a one-hour delay before changes to passwords and Face or Touch IDs can be made when a phone or another device is used in an unknown location.
If your iPhone is taken from you, thieves will not be able to change important passwords and IDs at least for a short period of time.
However, your passcode is still important: Despite the new features, Apple Pay can still be used with your passcode to make payments – despite the new security mechanisms.
The German director Uwe Boll wanted to secure the rights to the Warcraft film. The rejection came promptly at that time – as they already knew him.
Even though the release of the film “Warcraft – The Beginning” was almost 8 years ago, fans still often talk about the film. Many hope for a sequel or hope that Blizzard will highlight another part of the story of World of Warcraft – such as the rise of the Lich King.
But even though the film was economically “okay” primarily due to its success in China and most were at least satisfied (if not thrilled) with the adaptation: it could have been much worse.
For many do not know: Uwe Boll also wanted to be the director of the Warcraft film. And we should all be glad that we escaped that timeline.
Who is Uwe Boll? Uwe Boll is a German director who has a bad reputation among gamers – mainly because of his video game adaptations, which not only often deviate significantly from the source material but are also objectively just not good films. His works include:
Postal
King’s Swords – Dungeon Siege
BloodRayne
Alone in the Dark
Far Cry
For several of his films, he was nominated for the negative award “Golden Raspberries”, and in some cases, he even won them (e.g., for Postal and Dungeon Siege).
What did Uwe Boll say? In a conversation with MTV News, Uwe Boll revealed at that time that he had also sought the rights to the Warcraft film. However, his idea of adaptation would probably have looked very different – also because he does not think highly of WoW fans or gamers in general:
You try to do that, to satisfy the fans, but on the other hand, you have these hardcore gamers, who live in their own world. You can’t meet their ideas of a film based on a video game, that’s impossible. And to be honest, the real gamers are anyway the typical download guys, right? They don’t pay for movies because they just download the movies illegally. So why should I satisfy those people? I need the normal viewers.
Blizzard’s response, however, was quite clear:
I contacted Paul Sams from Blizzard and he said: ‘We will not sell the film rights to you… especially not to you.’ […] Because it is such a major success as an online game, maybe a bad film would have destroyed that ongoing income that [Blizzard] earns from it.
Even though the Warcraft film probably did not fully meet the expectations of many fans and a sequel seems unlikely – maybe we should be grateful for what we got.
