kids

So much to do

~ controllerstruggle ~ 2 Comments

Its a beautiful, albeit cold, day today (-15f this morning). There is a lot going on lately so lets get to those updates.

Alienware Alpha:

I recently picked up the Alienware Alpha. You might remember it as  Alienware’s Steam machine from CES 2014. These are small form factor PCs that are made to be connected to your TV like a  regular old console. Well since Valve is still screwing around with its OS and controller, Alienware jumped the gun and released its hardware without Steam OS. The unit now comes with windows 8.1, along with a custom, controller friendly UI that basically takes you right into Steam’s “Big Picture Mode”. The package also includes a wireless XBOX 360 controller and USB dongle.

Ever since the announcement of the many Steam machines, there have been a lot of questions about who this PC/console hybrid’s target audience is. Let me tell you, the audience is me. And people like me. I like to try all of the games. Well most of them anyways, and that can get expensive. With the limited time I have with being a dad, husband, employee and student, I will usually only stick with a game if it really grabs me right away. With Steam’s massive catalog and weekly sales, you can get many games, very cheap. Last year I bought The Witcher 2 for $3. You cant beat that.

I bought the base model, which is $500, and while the specs on it may not blow anyone’s mind, it can handily keep up with the PS4 and Xbone. Not only that, but you can easily upgrade all the components with the only slightly painful exception being the custom GeForce GPU. That being said, at this time it is perfect for what I want it for: A plethora of indie and early access titles and basically all the pc games you can’t get outside of that ecosystem. And it works like a charm. If I can spend a few bucks a week on a game that holds my attention for a weekend, it’s a few bucks well spent. Especially for someone like me who like to check out all the latest and greatest, but can only commit to one or two at a time.

“new” Nintendo 3Ds:

So I’m just going to throw this out there. The 3Ds is my favorite current console. I have sunk more hours into more games on that little thing than probably all of my other systems combined. Handheld consoles are an essential tool in any gaming parents arsenal. Usually on weekends or evenings there are times when my kids want to watch whatever dumb show it is they watch, and I’m stuck there with nothing to do (To be fair, my kids do happen to watch some pretty great things most of the time, but there are a few stinkers in there). But with a handheld system, I can turn it on and I’m right where I left off. The pick up and play aspect of a handheld device is perfect for my lifestyle. 15 minutes to spare equals 15 minutes of hunting monsters.

So obviously I bought myself the new 3Ds. The added analog nub and improved 3D are enough of a reason for me, but its also faster with a better processor and there will eventually be games that can only run on the new system. I’m sure that will not confuse anyone :). So, I’ve been starting to dig into Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate and my nephew will be picking up his copy today, so I see some co-op monster slaying in the future.

So. Many. Games.

Seriously. There are so many games either out, or coming out, that I don’t know what to do with myself. It’s times like these that cause reality to set in that I will never play some of the games  I want to.

Final Thoughts:

I don’t know about you, but a 5-6 hour game is super appealing to me if its a good 5-6 hours. The Order 1886 is still intriguing to me regardless of the mixed reviews. Its a game I would love to sit with my kids and play, but alas, it is very gory by all accounts, so I guess I will be skipping that one for now.

Anyways. Enjoy your weekend. Hopefully it’s fun and full of doing what you love to do.

The Struggle is Real

~ controllerstruggle ~ 8 Comments

Hello Everyone!

My name is Jeff Vandenbossche and I would like to welcome you to ControllerStruggle. I have been playing games for as long as I can remember. Some of my fondest childhood memories are of being at my Grandma’s house and spending the whole time in my Uncle Terry’s room playing “The Empire Strikes Back” on his Atari 2600. Or, how about sitting on the floor of my living room listening to Paula Abdul’s “Straight up” and playing Super Mario Bros. 2. I didn’t even know being a gamer was a thing. I just knew that I loved to play games and I still do.

Now I am in my mid 30’s  I have a wife, three kids, two dogs, a job and I’m pursuing a degree.  Let me preface this by saying that spending time with my family is something I want to do. I don’t see it as something I have to do. That being said, there are other activities and hobbies that I have and balancing those things can be very difficult. Sometimes I wish I didn’t have other hobbies, because when I’m doing the things I have to do, such as homework, I can feel those things pulling at me and it can be frustrating. I mean, Fry Cry 4 has just finished downloading and I still have 2000 words to write on some stupid paper and the freaking dog is scratching at the door to go out for the 20th time.

So, with all of that going on, I have decided I am going to start writing. I still love to play games, it’s just that the way I play them and when I play them has changed. I love to talk about games, but as some of you may know, when you’re at this stage in your life, maintaining and making friendships is hard work. I’m hoping that this will be a way for me to reach out to like-minded people and give me an avenue to discuss some of the things that make me happy.

The purpose ControllerStruggle is to talk about the games I am playing, share my thoughts on gaming news as it breaks, and discuss with others what its like being a gamer and an adult. Readers can also expect original video content such as weekly children’s game/app reviews with one or more of my kids. There may even be some non-gaming related items in regards to music, TV and movies.

Enjoy!