Brian

[Brian @runningwild98]

@JoshFairhurst Whoa!! That’s so cool and I don’t even like Pokemon

[Brian @runningwild98]

@Aylinrmk 2,3,1,6 in that order

[Palmer Luckey @PalmerLuckey]

Fun fact: The final and fully-perfected version of the Nintendo 64 hardware was the LodgeNet 64, a system that allowed hotels to rent out N64s by the minute, straight to your room!

The ModRetro M64 and M64 Pro controller include hardware and software options based on LodgeNet!

[Tom Warren @tomwarren]

share of the week

[Ian Miller @ianmSC]

It’s funny, because I vividly remember when the Nick Shirley video came out that CNN called a few daycare owners who told them there was no fraud, and they pretty much declared it case closed

Wonder how they got that one wrong

[Libs of TikTok @libsoftiktok]

How could someone plead guilty to fraud if Democrats told me there’s no fraud?!

[Palmer Luckey @PalmerLuckey]

The M64 and M64 Pro controller launch on July 28th!

The controller is pricey at $90, but that is unfortunately what it takes to make premium electronics these days. The Switch Pro controller is $90, Xbox controllers even more, and those aren't made of metal with the latest button, stick, and radio technology.

We could have made a more affordable controller, but the N64 community is already very well-served by about a dozen options at various price points, including companies working with ModRetro to release color-matched controllers! Hyperkin, for example, has their new N64 Captain controller in all M64 colorways for just $29.

Given all that, the clear opening for ModRetro was to design and manufacture this ultimate balls-to-the-wall N64 controller, optimal but optional.

And, of course, like all ModRetro hardware, totally open-source.

[Libs of TikTok @libsoftiktok]

Guess which one Democrats are more galvanized about

[ASHA @asha_shar]

This is an important email I sent today to all employees at XBOX:

Team,

We are beginning the most significant restructure in XBOX history. After careful consideration, I've made the difficult decision to reduce our team by approximately 3,200 throughout FY27. This will include approximately 1,600 role eliminations today, and in addition, four studios will leave XBOX to new management. I recognize that a year-long restructuring creates additional challenges. Unfortunately, it is not possible to make all the necessary changes in a single day, and I wanted to be direct about the scale.

I know this is painful. These changes will directly affect people who have poured their creativity into building XBOX. Many joined us through acquisitions, while others were recruited here, or sought us out because they loved this industry and loved XBOX. Today's decisions do not reflect their talent or dedication.

Our business today is not healthy. We are operating at margins that are 3–10x lower than comparable platform and publishing businesses. We entered Gen 9 with a smaller install base and a higher cost structure. To grow, we bet on Game Pass, multi-platform, and a broader portfolio of content. While those businesses have created meaningful value, they did not grow at the pace we expected. As that happened, our core business weakened, and we added more teams, more investment, and more time, hoping for a better outcome. And now the industry is facing the most severe hardware crisis in its history. We must reset XBOX.

First, we will reset our content portfolio.

Since 2018, we have aggressively expanded our studio portfolio while the number of games created each month across the industry now outpaces the last ten years combined. We now find ourselves competing not only with the largest publishers, but also with smaller independent studios. It is neither possible nor desirable to own every great independent studio. We have also learned that we are not the best home for every type of studio; in a typical year, we lost 64 cents for every dollar we invested. As we reset XBOX, we will help independent creators succeed by providing open development tools and audiences to realize their vision.

Compulsion Games and Double Fine Productions will return to management and transition to independent studios with their IP, catalog, and runway for their next games. Ninja Theory and Undead Labs have entered terms to join new ownership with funding to complete and grow Senua and State of Decay 3. In France, Arkane’s management is beginning required consultation with its Works Council to review potential strategic options.

We are also making reductions across other units, and in some cases, shifting investment to focus on higher priority projects. These changes vary in size across Activision, Bethesda/ZeniMax, Blizzard, King, Mojang, and XBOX Game Studios. None of our first party publicly announced games or projects are being cancelled as part of these reductions.

In addition, Mojang and King will now report directly to me. These two studios have increasingly become platforms and are our largest by monthly active players. They bring critical geographic, demographic, and differentiation to XBOX.

Second, we will reset our platform.

We know that great technology gets better when it gets simpler, not bigger. Today, in some parts of the company, work passes through as many as 14 layers of management. Our platform teams are 40% larger than they were at the start of this generation, even as our player base and playtime have declined. That complexity has slowed decisions, blurred accountability, and made it harder to deliver for players. As we reset XBOX, we will simplify.

We will reduce management layers to no more than 5, and where possible, 3. We will deliver success through a flatter organization that is built around makers (individual contributors focused on building), player-coaches (leaders who remain deeply involved in the work while developing their teams), and directly responsible individuals (DRIs) who own key decisions and outcomes. And we will streamline how we work across our tools, with a cleaner code base, shared services, and 50% reduced vendor spend.

Third, we are resetting how we operate.

As XBOX grew our headcount, we became more fragmented. Teams, studios, and functions often operate independently, and it became harder to work towards a shared goal, make the right tradeoffs, and get things done.

For the first time, we are establishing a Chief Operating Officer with end-to-end P&L responsibility across content, hardware, platform, and services. Helen Chiang has been promoted to this role and will report directly to me. Over nearly two decades at XBOX, Helen has helped build some of our most important businesses, from XBOX Live to leading Mojang and the Minecraft franchise. She will bring our businesses together under one operating model, making sure we make clear investment decisions, learn from our successes and failures, and hold ourselves accountable for results.

Thank you, Dave McCarthy, who is retiring after 17 years with XBOX. Dave has played a defining role in building the platform that millions of players rely on every day and has been a trusted partner through many of the biggest moments in XBOX's history. We wish him all the best.

These changes are about a bigger future for XBOX, not a smaller one. The next decade of gaming will be larger, more global, and more creative than anything we've seen before. This year, we'll invest as much in XBOX as we ever have, but we'll invest with greater focus, greater discipline, and greater clarity, all in service of making XBOX where the world plays and creates.

I want XBOX to be one of the few companies that entertains more than a billion people each day and gives everyone the opportunity to create and connect. I know we can achieve this goal. XBOX has many of the most beloved franchises in entertainment history, talented studios around the world, and we will return to growth in 2027.

History is full of companies that mistake longevity for inevitability. We will not be one of them.

Asha

[Josh Fairhurst @JoshFairhurst]

After six years of working on it, I've finally completed my US SEGA Game Gear collection! The final game was Fantastic Dizzy, which took me several years to find.

[retro_tech_usa @usa_retro]

So, there is a new barcade opening in my town. I heard about it on the news. Sounded fine, but my concern with these "barcades" is that they are filled with LCD machines, like the other barcades in the town.

Last night, I went to a downtown 4th of July festival and grabbed a beer from a vendor. The vendors stopped me before I could order and asked if I was Steve from Retro Tech. I laughed because it's pretty rare for anyone to recognize me on the street, but it does happen every couple years. It turns out the vendors were actually the ones working on the new barcade. They said they were using all original hardware for their arcades with CRTs. They also told me they had been watching my channel for years and were actually Patreon supporters. I told them to please call me, and I'd be happy to help them with consulting. Maybe we can turn it into something special, and keep more CRTs alive.

[Voultar @Voultar]

I warned you all. lol

[Brian @runningwild98]

@IykeNwaObi Fake

[Brian @runningwild98]

@usa_retro @RetroWorldExpo This is the only one I have from last year

[Brian @runningwild98]

@PalmerLuckey @PaulRieckhoff 100% he won’t respond to this comment haha

[Brian @runningwild98]

@PeacefulOutcome Wow! Not sure how the algo showed me your post, but your products are really cool. Just bought one of these in white and a Wii one too. Thanks for making these!

[ASHA @asha_shar]

We just shared with our team the realities we need to navigate as we work to reset the XBOX business. We won't succeed by hiding hard truths, nor will we succeed by doing the same thing and expecting different results. See the note here: https://t.co/IahtBNzwnR

[RockerGaming @RockerGameMod]

Thank you to everyone keeping the N64 Renaissance project moving forward! ❤️

Whether you grabbed something from the shop, retweeted, or just liked a post it all helps!

Every dollar goes to fund the next phase of this project, and we get closer to the end game every day!

If you missed the drop, a few Tao V4 sticks, steel bowls, and gates are still available.

I hate teasers 👀👀👀… but here we go!

This module only has 2 OEM parts left in it. 🔥

[Matthew Marsden @matthewdmarsden]

A young white kid was murdered and there were no riots.

The murderer gets convicted and there are riots.

We are not the same.

[Matt Walsh @MattWalshBlog]

Defense rests in the Karmelo Anthony case. Total disaster for them. Their own witnesses contradicted themselves and testified that Karmelo was the aggressor and shouldn’t have been in the tent. There essentially was no defense offered. They should have taken a plea deal a year ago but his retarded family preferred to milk the whole thing for cash. One of the most open and shut murder trials we’ve ever seen.