Ducky Obrien Show 041 - Indie Games Galore (Palworld)

Video Game News, Reviews, and Guides (and sometimes random things)

Palworld

’ll cut straight to the chase, I had a lot of fun with the game. Now, in my opinion, the fun does run out and the game does have what I perceive to be an inherent flaw but I’ll get to that later. The game may not be for everyone but Palworld is this delightful amalgamation of many different genres cobbled together into a Frankenstein’s monster of delight.

When it works, it feels amazing. It’s not just a straight up survival crafting game. It’s not just a production line design game. It’s not just a monster hunting and taming sim. It’s not just an action adventure game. It’s all of that combined and it somehow works.

►Steam Store Page : https://store.steampowered.com/app/1623730/Palworld/ ►Article: https://duckyobrien.com/2024/02/10/my-honest-palworld-review/ ►Video: https://youtu.be/mQTvbptCcMI

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Ducky Obrien Show 043 - SBC Gaming News (Miyoo Mini Plus Review)

Video Game News, Reviews, and Guides (and sometimes random things)

Miyoo Mini Plus Review

Excerpt of Transcript:

This is my review of the Miyoo Mini Plus.

I’ll get all the relevant information out of the way to be completely transparent about this review, so you can judge for yourself whether or not my perspective covers everything you’re looking for.

I’ve used the Miyoo Mini Plus for approximately twenty six hours as of this writing according to the Activity Tracker app. The device is running the latest firmware and Onion OS with screen brightness set to the lowest setting, WiFi turned off, and volume set to low. I’ve spent most of this time playing Link’s Awakening DX and Lunar Silver Star Story Complete indoors. I played in about four hour chunks for Link’s Awakening DX and around thirty minute chunks for Lunar Silver Star Story Complete. I bought mine new from Amazon for around sixty four dollars shipped and with my own money. No one payed me for this review and is completely my own opinion.

OK now that’s out of the way, let’s get into the review.

►Article: https://duckyobrien.com/2024/02/07/the-miyoo-mini-plus-in-2024/ ►Video: https://youtu.be/234bz9mpQ9k

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Ducky Obrien Show 044 - SBC Gaming News (What's Going on with Xbox, RG556, and More)

Video Game News, Reviews, and Guides (and sometimes random things)

Today's episode is a recap of retro handheld news from the SBC Gaming subreddit.

There are a lot of rumors floating around about Microsoft exiting the hardware business and bringing first party exclusives to Sony while another rumor is suggesting Microsoft will have a new Xbox ready for 2026 along with a handheld console much like the Steam Deck.

The RG556 is out and a lot of reviewers have quick looks on it already. It seems like an ok device other than the plastic feeling a bit cheaper than normal.

Retroid Pocket 4 Pro shoulder button woes.

And more.

YouTube Video: https://youtu.be/UC8JAypEm9o Blog: https://duckyobrien.com/

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Ducky Obrien Show 045 - SBC Gaming News (Playing Nintendo DS Games on the Miyoo Mini Plus)

Video Game News, Reviews, and Guides (and sometimes random things)

DS emulation is drastically improving on the Miyoo Mini/Plus...see what I did there haha.

Onion OS now has native Drastic support and most DS games are actually playable on the Miyoo Mini/Plus. You can even safely overclock the handheld to squeeze out even more performance for games that are not running optimally.

The audio format may not be the best so here are other formats if you need more information:

YouTube Video Guide: https://youtu.be/Wq0gfPtUe_s Written Guide: https://duckyobrien.com/2024/02/15/playing-nintendo-ds-games-on-the-miyoo-mini-plus/

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Ducky Obrien Show 046 - Indie Games Galore (Lightyear Frontier, Pacific Drive)

Video Game News, Reviews, and Guides (and sometimes random things)

Lightyear Frontier

I am a survival crafting fan, especially when you can build a massive base as well as sprawling production lines. I was drawn to this game because of the colorful aesthetic and the mech! I love mechs and I love survival crafting, combining the two would be a no brainer for me.

So how did the Lightyear Frontier demo pan out? It’s a little rough to be honest. There were things I liked and things that definitely annoyed me.

►Steam Store Page : https://store.steampowered.com/app/1677110/Lightyear_Frontier/ ►Article: https://duckyobrien.com/2024/02/17/my-thoughts-about-the-lightyear-frontier-demo/ ►Video: https://youtu.be/AeStjHxy3E0 ►Gameplay: https://youtu.be/dOcSywjv2NM

Pacific Drive

I was first introduced to Pacific Drive from the Game Awards show. The trailer was very atmospheric but what piqued my interest the most was that the trailer made the game look like it was mostly you and your car against a hostile world. Your car wasn't just a mode of transportation, it was your home, your shelter against an ever changing and uncertain landscape.

And since the focus appeared to be on the car, it looked like there would be a lot of driving. I'm not making a stretch here or projecting what I want. If you go and take a look at the earlier trailers, all of them make it look like you spend a significant amount of time driving. There was something charming about the idea of driving alone with only the picturesque and sometimes otherworldly scenery to keep you company.

►Steam Store Page : https://store.steampowered.com/app/1458140/Pacific_Drive/ ►Article: https://duckyobrien.com/2024/02/19/pacific-drive-isnt-about-driving/ ►Video: https://youtu.be/Rf55WZcB0EY ►Gameplay: https://youtu.be/2r-naJOwgfc

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Ducky Obrien Show 047 - SBC Gaming News (A List of Handy Hotkeys for the Miyoo Mini Plus)

Video Game News, Reviews, and Guides (and sometimes random things)

Onion OS is incredibly feature rich and has many convenient hotkeys to make using the Miyoo Mini Plus so much easier. This episode will go over most of the hotkeys available.

If you need more assistance, I will have a video and written guide linked below along with the official documentation.

►Official Documentation: https://onionui.github.io/docs/apps/shortcuts

►Video Guide: https://youtu.be/5rtw6bVDCV0

►Written Guide: https://duckyobrien.com/2024/02/23/a-list-of-handy-hotkeys-for-the-miyoo-mini-plus-onion-os/

Thank you for listening!

Ducky Obrien Show 048 - SBC Gaming News (Bazzite Reaches Feature Parity, Native Android on Steam Deck and More)

Video Game News, Reviews, and Guides (and sometimes random things)

Today's episode is a recap of retro handheld news from the most of the retro handheld and PC handheld subreddits.

In today's SBC gaming news, the Gameforce Ace has some teething pains.

Switch emulation on the Retroid Pocket 4 Pro is actually OK if you run games at .5 resolution.

Bazzite updated to have Steam OS feature parity on the Lenovo Legion Go.

Mad lad gets native Android working on the Steam Deck.

And more!

YouTube Video: https://youtu.be/tl_bnLYCBfQ

Blog: https://duckyobrien.com/

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Ducky Obrien Show 049 - SBC Gaming (Streaming PC Games to Your Miyoo Mini Plus)

Video Game News, Reviews, and Guides (and sometimes random things)

You can stream anything that can run on your computer to your Miyoo Mini Plus if you have a robust wifi network. Mine was unfortunately on the weak side so I have to be close to my router.

Simplified Steps

Install Sunshine onto your PC/laptop.

Install the automatic resolution script (optional but does help).

Install Moonlight onto your Miyoo Mini Plus.

Start Sunshine, start Moonlight, and pair the devices.

Stream your desktop or Steam Big Picture mode to the Miyoo Mini Plus.

YouTube Video Guide: https://youtu.be/VbKkk6Hv04k

Written Guide: https://duckyobrien.com/2024/02/28/streaming-pc-games-to-your-miyoo-mini-plus-w-moonlight-sunshine/

Thanks for listening!

Ducky Obrien Show 050 - SBC Gaming News (RGB20SX Announced, GameForce ACE is More of a Miss and more)

Video Game News, Reviews, and Guides (and sometimes random things)

Today's episode is a recap of retro handheld news from the most of the retro handheld and PC handheld subreddits.

The Powkiddy RGB20SX has been announced. It'll run a RK3566 and have the same 720p 1:1 square screen the RBG30 has. It may be worth keep an eye on, especially if they can keep the price low.

The GameForce ACE has some unfortunate build quality issues, mainly with the controls and screen.

The Switch Lite has an OLED display mod with video out coming up for around $50 or so. It should be a relatively easy mod and upgrade the look and feel of your handheld.

Emulation Station is out for android (effected indirectly by legal drama from Nintendo vs Yuzu but you can still get it for a one time payment from their Patreon).

And more!

Thanks for listening!

YouTube Video: https://youtu.be/CIu9Xrgmhk0

Blog: https://duckyobrien.com/

Ducky Obrien Show 051 - SBC Gaming (A Deep Dive Into What's New in Onion 4.3)

Video Game News, Reviews, and Guides (and sometimes random things)

In this episode we cover over every single change listed in the release notes. The audio format can't cover everything but I did try my best to edit in audio notes to clarify the changes as much as possible. I will link the video portion below for those wanting more information as well as the official release notes.

The most notable change is the addition of native DS support through Drastic but there are also so many small but significant quality of life changes and interesting new cores and standalone apps to experiment with. The standalone scummVM app for example provides way better performance than the retroarch core.

►Official Release Notes: https://onionui.github.io/blog/release-notes/4.3.0

►YouTube Video Guide: https://youtu.be/OZ-VaApCgbA

►Written Guide: https://duckyobrien.com/2024/03/05/a-deep-dive-into-whats-new-in-onion-os-4-3-0-miyoo-mini-plus/

Thanks for listening!