Round Two, FIGHT🤜🤛

Welcome back to Gamer Dad Energy! A newsletter where we cover gaming news, tips, and nostalgia for busy gamers.

There is so much going on in the gaming world lately. From price hikes due to RAM and GPU shortages, to new games coming out, and everything in between. We’ve got a few things that should be on your radar this week, so let’s get to it!

Bad news for anyone waiting to grab a new Xbox… prices are going up again!

Starting August 1, 2026, Microsoft is raising Xbox console prices around the world. The jump is pretty big, too. The 512GB models are expected to go up by $100, while the 1TB models could rise by $150. Microsoft is also reportedly ending the 2TB model. (Apparently, the 2TB version's cost would make Earth implode if Xbox disclosed it, so they discontinued it instead.)

We all know why… The main reason is due to the rising cost of parts, especially memory and GPUs. Those same parts are also in high demand for AI data centers, which means companies are fighting over the same supply. When parts get harder to find, prices usually go up for consumers, and the gaming community gets the short end of the stick.

Consoles have always been one of the easier and more cost-effective ways to get into gaming without building a PC. But with prices climbing, buying in is getting harder and is starting to exclude many gamers who would like to upgrade or try out a new console. Remember when 6-year-old consoles would actually go down in price? Yeah, the good ol days.

So, if you’ve been thinking about buying an Xbox, it may be worth snagging one before the increase hits. The same goes for Nintendo, which also announced a price increase for the Switch 2 by $50 starting on September 1st.

These price hikes have to stop at some point, don’t they? 💀

_-BensZ28

GTA 6 is probably the most hyped gaming launch yet to date. If freaking Bethesda would get their head out of their butt, then maybe we could talk about how Elder Scrolls 6 could take that title. (Save us Asha)

It has been reported that GTA 6 pricing will be staggered with different “benefits” for higher tiers. Ok, whatever, probably some nice skins and fiery mount, whatever. If you ask my super-intelligent boss, he drops dimes for anyone to make a shiny shield and armor.

Well, they put their own spin on the price differences.

Base game $80

Ultimate $100 - You get access to special stores in the game and features!

What!!! It seems like if I pay for the base game, I only get access to 80 percent of the game. What the actual F!

Honestly, we don’t have a lot of information other than there is a price jump for the base and ultimate game versions, and you get special access to stores in the ultimate version, plus fancy clothes.

Fetch GTA, go F yourself!

P.S. I will probably still buy it……ugh.

_-MadHad

As a longtime Battlefield fan, this one hurts a little.

For a brief moment, it looked like Battlefield 6 was finally fixing one of the most annoying things in modern shooters: XP boosters that count down in real time. All you FPS bros out there know EXACTLY what I’m talking about. You pop a 30-minute XP token, then life happens, especially if you have kids... The lobby takes forever. A match ends. Someone needs a snack. Suddenly, half your boost is gone and you barely played.

That has never made sense.

A recent in-game Battlefield 6 message said XP boosters would start counting down based on actual in-game time instead of real-world time. That would mean the timer only matters while you are playing, not while you are waiting in menus or loading into a match. Even better, if your booster expired during a match, you would still get bonus XP based on how much of the match it covered.

Honestly, that is how XP tokens should have worked from the start! Gamers should not feel punished for matchmaking, loading screens, or stepping away for two minutes.

Unfortunately, Battlefield Comms later posted on X (Twitter) and said the message was sent by mistake and that there are “no changes” to how XP boosters currently work.

Rightfully so, social media is losing their minds and calling out how absurd the real-time counter is. Will EA do the right thing and listen to their players? Probably not. But perhaps this can be a spur for other FPS games to note and FINALLY do right by their players and not punish them for real life happening.

_-BensZ28

Star Fox Remake has been hitting the nostalgic feelings right in the chest. Granted, I have yet to take my spin again in defeating Andross. But I have been captivated by the reviews coming out about it.

Gameplay looks classic with a new, fresh can of paint. I don’t have any issues with companies doing remakes with today’s graphics. Now, if they are going to charge full price for old games for today's standards, I do think they need to add gameplay features to the game.

The price of the new Star Fox is $50

That is a reasonable price for the standard $70 base game package we currently see today. (Please ignore what GTA 6 is trying to do.)

While I think Star Fox looks a little goofy compared to his counterpart in the new Mario Brothers movies, I am not that upset with the artistic direction the devs took with his character model.

If you have a Switch 2 and are in the market for an excellent game from the past. Star Fox is a fantastic choice!

Here is the Nintendo Life review of Star Fox.

_-MadHad

A. Super Mario Bros.

B. Donkey Kong

C. Mario Bros.

D. Wild Gunman

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B. Donkey Kong