The Last of Us PC Disaster, E3 Cancellation, and Zelda News
The State of PC Gaming: The Last of Us Part 1
The panel discusses the disastrous launch of The Last of Us Part 1 on PC. The release has been plagued by significant technical issues, rendering it nearly unplayable for many, particularly on mid-range hardware.
Critical Technical Failures
• Shader compilation and texture loading seem to rely excessively on the CPU, causing severe performance bottlenecks even on advanced hardware.
• Mouse controls were initially broken, and the general state of the port has drawn comparisons to previous infamous releases like Arkham Knight.
• The team criticizes the lack of transparency from Sony and Naughty Dog, who withheld review codes until the very last moment despite the game's poor state.
The Future of PC Ports
"I'm just curious actually how far off from blushes it was because I look at the performance side of things and those seem almost deeper rooted."
- The discussion highlights a recurring industry pattern of releasing unoptimized AAA titles.
- There is a call for stricter quality control and, potentially, the involvement of expert porting studios like Nixxes to ensure better performance scalability.
Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
The team analyzes recent footage of The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. Key takeaways include:
• The game appears to be a systemic evolution of Breath of the Wild with a new emphasis on crafting, building, and verticality.
• Visually, it maintains the Nintendo polish despite the ageing hardware of the Switch, showing impressive environmental interactions.
E3 and the Industry
The conversation shifts to the cancellation of E3 2023.
- The loss of the event marks a significant blow to industry networking and transparent journalism.
- Publishers are now favoring their own digital events, which, while convenient, results in a fragmented landscape that lacks a centralized "rallying point."
Classic Retro Gaming
- The MiSTer platform has received a new core for Irem arcade classics, including titles like In the Hunt and R-Type Leo.
- This development is highly praised for allowing accurate, low-latency emulation on original-style displays like CRTs.