The Empires Purpose

At sr51media.com, our purpose is to showcase the best and most interesting aspects of arts and entertainment. We bring you the latest news, reviews, and features on everything from movies and TV shows to music and theatre. Our aim is to help you discover new and exciting things to watch, listen to, and experience.

Why Spider-Man Is a Must-Buy on the Steam Sale

So, for some context, I have been chasing the Spider-Man franchise on Steam for quite some time now, but I have never been able to pull the trigger and actually grab the games.

To me, these are amazing games, and I’m honestly deeply saddened by the possibility that PlayStation may no longer be releasing its mainline titles on Steam. I have truly enjoyed some of the games I’ve been able to experience, such as Detroit: Become Human, which I believe is one of the best choice-based games ever made. The story is incredible. No, I’m not finished with it yet, but what I have experienced so far has been absolutely amazing.

Because of that, I’ll definitely be looking into some of the other incredible titles that have made their way to Steam that I may not even be aware of.

But when it comes to Spider-Man, this one is personal.

My favorite Spider-Man character is Venom. It’s similar to how, in Dragon Ball Z, my favorite character is Vegeta. I tend to gravitate toward the bad guy, anti-hero, or darker character most of the time. There’s just something about those characters that has always connected with me.

I even have an African spider from Fear Factor as a tattoo on my wrist.

I grew up with Spidey. I watched the cartoons, played the great Spider-Man games that were available at the time, and I was always disappointed when some of the newer games came out and weren’t available on Xbox.

But thankfully, the franchise eventually made its way to Steam.

And thank God for that.

After massive amounts of tweets from myself to Phil Spencer at the time about wanting Xbox to create a handheld, Microsoft eventually delivered an Xbox handheld experience through the ROG Ally X partnership and the broader Xbox handheld strategy. And honestly, that’s something I’m going to write about separately because I think the experience is so good that I could actually see myself eventually buying the new Xbox handheld and possibly waiting a little longer on the next Xbox console.

Why?

Because it feels like having the vault of games you own with you wherever you go.

And I already have an amazing white Xbox Series X All-Digital sitting at home.

That conversation is coming in another article.

But right now, we’re talking about Spider-Man.

As an Xbox guy, I’ll say this: these games are amazing.

When I owned a PS5, I played Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales for a while. I actually streamed it, and I loved what I played.

So now, as an Xbox ROG Ally X owner, I finally have the opportunity to potentially purchase the Spider-Man games — Spider-Man, Spider-Man 2 and Miles Morales — and experience the entire collection on my handheld.

And the timing could not be better.

The games are currently discounted by more than 50%, at least based on the pricing I last checked. Getting this entire set of games for roughly $80–$90 altogether is incredible.

That is a lot of gaming for the money.

And I already have the storage.

I have a 5TB setup on my Xbox ROG Ally X, so I have plenty of room. I’m currently looking at shifting some of the games I downloaded but probably won’t play anytime soon to make room for not just Spider-Man, but also Fable and potentially some of the other games I want to pick up in November.

I’m also keeping an eye on games like The Blood of Dawnwalker, WWE, and several others.

And then there’s God of War.

The first God of War and God of War Ragnarök are also on sale, and that definitely makes me want to grab those at the same time.

But I have to be realistic.

We are getting close to the end of the year, and Black Friday is right around the corner.

So if I have to choose, Spider-Man is the must-buy.

God of War is the maybe.

As an Xbox Creator, I Can Still Give Sony Credit

As an Xbox content creator — and Xbox is definitely the platform I primarily play, stream and consume — sometimes I see other creators saying, “Sony is bad.”

And honestly, I think that’s one of the dumbest things I’ve ever heard.

Sony makes good games.

No, not every game they make is good, just like not every game Microsoft, Nintendo, Ubisoft, EA or anyone else makes is good.

But I’m not going to sit here and pretend Sony doesn’t make incredible games simply because I’m an Xbox gamer.

For example, I personally feel Assassin’s Creed is a better franchise than Sony’s samurai-style game offerings. But that’s because I believe Assassin’s Creed is one of the greatest franchises ever created in gaming.

That doesn’t mean I have to say Sony makes bad games.

I can be an Xbox gamer and still recognize when another company does something great.

That’s just being honest.

And I’m actually happy to see Spider-Man on Steam.

I Call a Spade a Spade

Now, here’s where I want to make something very clear.

As I have stated many times before:

I call a spade a spade.

Making Call of Duty part of Game Pass and changing how day-one releases work was, in my opinion, a mistake.

I’ve said that before, and I’ll say it again.

I believe Call of Duty should still be part of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate.

I also don’t like putting a clock on xCloud.

And I believe the changes surrounding the studio behind State of Decay 3 were a mistake as well. That is a franchise I genuinely love, and it’s a game I absolutely plan on playing. I just don’t know yet where I’ll ultimately play it.

See, as Xbox gamers and consumers, we can love the platform while still being honest about the things we believe could be improved.

If we don’t tell these companies what we think they’re getting wrong, how are they supposed to know what we actually want?

Every platform’s community should be able to have honest conversations.

There is way too much walking on eggshells with some content creators.

And I understand why.

Maybe some creators don’t want to lose access to insiders. Maybe they don’t want to lose invitations, early access or relationships with a specific platform.

I understand that.

But that has never been what SR51Media was built on.

My 51Dynasties community has trusted me to call a spade a spade.

And I will always do that.

No matter how big the reach of SR51Media becomes.

No matter how big the 51Dynasties community becomes.

That promise will remain.

Because that is what I built SR51Media on.

Spider-Man Is a No-Brainer

With everything considered, this purchase is a no-brainer for me.

Three Spider-Man games.

A franchise I grew up loving.

A character I have followed for years.

Venom, one of my favorite characters.

A franchise I once couldn’t experience on Xbox.

A powerful Xbox ROG Ally X sitting in my hands.

A 5TB setup ready to handle the games.

And a sale offering these games at more than 50% off.

That’s hard to pass up.

The way I play, these games could easily give me 30+ hours of content, and probably much more because I get distracted.

I love side missions.

I explore.

I take my time.

I jump into other games.

So I already know I’ll get plenty of value out of this purchase.

Lord willing, I’m looking to make the purchase by October 7, before the Spider-Man sale ends. God of War is on sale until October 8, so there is a little more time to think about that one.

But Spider-Man?

Spider-Man is a must.

And honestly, I hope that one day Wolverine and Venom make their way to Steam as well.

As Xbox gamers, all we can do is hold out hope.

But I’m happy that I finally have the opportunity to experience these games.

Gaming is changing.

The way we play is changing.

The way platforms compete is changing.

And as a gamer, I’m going to enjoy the opportunities that come with that change.

There isn’t always something good happening around us, or even in the world as a whole. Gaming gives us a virtual frontier that so many of us can be a part of safely, and that is something that shouldn’t be taken for granted.

So have fun.

Enjoy your games.

Spend time with the people you love.

Take care of your spiritual health.

Take care of your physical health.

Take care of your mental health.

And when you get the opportunity, pick up that controller and enjoy the world that gaming gives us.

Don’t miss out if Spider-Man is something you’ve been waiting for.

And most importantly, call a spade a spade.

Have fun gaming, and have a blessed rest of your day.

This Is The SR51Media Empire — Where You Never Know What Is Behind The Next Load Screen.

— SR51

First, I want to make something clear before getting into this discussion: what I am about to say is not coming from a jaded perspective.

Yes, I choose Xbox as my primary gaming platform, and I have been very open about my preference for Xbox. However, that does not mean I do not appreciate what Nintendo and PlayStation bring to the gaming industry.

I have owned the original Nintendo Switch OLED, and I have also owned the Nintendo Switch 2. I have put more than 100 hours into Animal Crossing, and I have beaten Pokémon: Let’s Go, Pikachu! twice. Those are two of my favorite Nintendo Switch experiences.

When it comes to PlayStation, I previously owned a PS4 and enjoyed games such as Detroit: Become Human. I also think the Marvel’s Spider-Man series is an incredible collection of games, and I plan on purchasing the titles on Steam before the end of the year. I have also enjoyed the God of War series from its earlier entries through its more recent releases, and I plan on exploring those games further as well.

Detroit: Become Human, in particular, is a game I have spent more than 20 hours with, and I consider it an incredible storytelling experience.

So, I want to establish that perspective upfront. My coverage of PlayStation and Nintendo is not coming from a place of dislike. I am primarily an Xbox gamer, and Xbox is the platform I choose over the others, but I can still recognize and appreciate what competing platforms contribute to gaming as a whole.

The Bigger Conversation: Hardware

With that said, this conversation is mainly about hardware and where it currently fits into my plans for the SR51Media Empire.

As of today, a new PlayStation 5 Pro can cost around $900 before tax, which puts it in the same general price territory as an Xbox Series X-level purchase. A new Nintendo Switch 2 is around $500 before tax.

I believe both systems have their strengths, and there are legitimate reasons someone could want either one.

However, we are now only about a month and a few weeks away from Black Friday. With that in mind, it becomes difficult for me to look at spending $500 to $900 on additional hardware right now and consider that the most practical use of that money.

The holiday season is approaching, and we already know that gaming is going to see significant sales across the industry.

With more and more gaming moving toward digital purchases, I expect platforms such as Xbox and Steam to offer plenty of opportunities to pick up games at significantly reduced prices. That is something I can take advantage of without necessarily purchasing another console.

Getting More Out of What I Already Own

This is also why I am taking a different approach going into the 2026 holiday season.

Today, I am working on getting the major PC gaming storefronts set up on my Xbox ROG Ally X so I can take full advantage of upcoming holiday and pre-holiday sales.

The ROG Ally X has become a major part of my gaming setup. With approximately 5TB of total gaming storage, I have already installed more than 25 AAA games and still have roughly 2TB of space remaining.

That gives me a tremendous amount of flexibility.

Instead of spending hundreds of dollars on another piece of hardware, I can take that money and put it toward games, accessories, and other additions that expand what I can already do with the hardware I own.

And for me, that makes a lot more sense right now.

The Rise of AR/VR Glasses

There is also another area of gaming technology that has caught my attention: AR and VR-style glasses.

This market has taken a serious step forward, and I believe it could have a major impact on mobile gaming and how we consume games away from traditional displays.

One product I am particularly interested in is the XREAL X1 A01+ glasses.

At around $299 before tax, a purchase like this could provide a completely different experience while enhancing hardware I already own.

That is an important distinction for me.

Rather than spending $500 or $900 on another gaming console, a $299 purchase that expands the capabilities of my existing setup could potentially provide more value for what I am trying to accomplish with the SR51Media Empire.

I will be doing a separate write-up on this technology because I think the AR/VR glasses market deserves a deeper conversation.

Does This Mean I Don’t Want New Hardware?

Absolutely not.

I think new hardware can be a great purchase depending on where someone is in their gaming journey.

If you are heading into the holidays without a current-generation console, or you are someone who does not plan on spending a lot of money on games and accessories, purchasing a new system could make a lot of sense.

But my situation is different.

I already have access to a large gaming library, multiple platforms, and what I consider to be one of the strongest handheld gaming setups available to me.

Right now, I am in a position where I can continue expanding my gaming library without necessarily expanding the number of consoles sitting underneath my television.

And honestly, I am eating pretty good with the choices I have already made.

What Could Change in the Future?

Could my position change?

Absolutely.

Gaming is constantly changing, and so are my interests.

If Nintendo eventually releases another major Pokémon experience, potentially including the rumored MMO-style direction, or a new Animal Crossing, I could absolutely see myself considering another Nintendo system depending on what the hardware and software landscape looks like at that time.

PlayStation is a little different.

With the next generation of PlayStation hardware expected to eventually arrive, I may be more inclined to wait and see what the next generation brings rather than purchasing additional PlayStation hardware right now.

That does not mean I am closing the door on PlayStation or Nintendo.

It simply means I am being more selective about when and where I spend my money.

Final Thoughts

At the end of the day, this is not about saying PlayStation or Nintendo hardware is bad.

It is about understanding what makes sense for me, my gaming setup, and the SR51Media Empire going into the 2026 holiday season.

I am an Xbox-first gamer, and Xbox remains the platform I choose. But being Xbox-first does not mean ignoring the rest of the industry. Nintendo and PlayStation have created experiences that I genuinely enjoy, and I will continue covering their games, news, and developments when they are relevant to the gaming community.

For now, however, I am holding off on additional console hardware.

I believe there is more value in taking advantage of the upcoming holiday sales, expanding my game library, exploring additional storefronts through my ROG Ally X, and looking at technology such as AR/VR glasses that can enhance the equipment I already own.

As always, I will continue keeping the 51Dynasties community updated as these platforms, technologies, and the gaming industry continue to evolve.

And going into the 2026 holiday season, I think we should all pay close attention to the purchases we make.

The economy needs our money more than we need to spend it.

If we play our cards right, shop carefully, and take advantage of the opportunities the holiday season brings, we can potentially get significantly more out of our gaming budgets without simply buying more hardware.

This is the SR51Media Empire, where you never know what is behind the next load screen.

Now, as I’m sure you have already read my stance on the current state of hardware regarding Xbox, let me make some things clear upfront.

No, I do not agree with the xCloud time limit being put in place. I also do not agree with State of Decay’s studio no longer being a part of the Xbox umbrella, or Call of Duty not coming to Xbox Game Pass day one. But sometimes, decisions and paths are not always clear because they have to be that way.

As a decade-long content creator, I understand my role in all of this clearly, and I understand where it will and won’t take me. But let’s be clear: it has opened some amazing and wonderful doors and pathways that, when I started, I couldn’t have imagined.

Lord willing, the next steps will take me, the SR51Media Empire, and the 51Dynasties community as a whole to another level. And that’s all due to the Lord’s blessings, the platforms that have been making incredible games over the many decades that I have been enjoying them, the great agency that represents the Empire, and the hard work that has gone into thousands of posts, hundreds of livestream hours, and hundreds of hours of video-on-demand content.

Trust me when I say:

“This is the SR51Media Empire, where you never know what is behind the next load screen.”

That’s all I felt needed to be stated upfront.

Now, Why Is the Champ Still the Champ?

After a process of stiff competition, I have also considered other platforms.

The Nintendo Switch 2 is something I used to own, and I do cover Nintendo news. Currently, however, I do not own the hardware. At some point, I will look into getting it again.

Frankly, my favorite games to date include Animal Crossing and Pokémon. Currently, though, the latest games available on the platform are either not out yet or are not exactly what I’m looking for.

I have beaten Pokémon: Let’s Go, Pikachu!, and I have put at least 100 hours into Animal Crossing and at least 50 hours into Pikachu. Nintendo is still making great games, but currently, I would rather wait until there is a new Animal Crossing or at least another game closer to the experience I had with Let’s Go, Pikachu before I invest over $500 into the platform again.

There are also things that need to change with Nintendo.

Deals need to improve when it comes to sales. They need to drastically improve.

Games that came out years ago, as good as they might be, are still priced at basically full price—from Mario all the way to Donkey Kong and even Pokémon games.

Yes, a game may still be popular with people, and yes, those games still hold value and have plenty of use. But Nintendo should not charge its gamers a price that, in my opinion, far outweighs the current value of the game.

When you take a look at the great ways we as Xbox gamers have to save money, Xbox is in another class when it comes to deals for gamers.

You have Game Pass, which gives you hundreds of games for a small monthly fee. These aren’t just old, outdated, or rarely played games. There are amazing AAA titles and new games brought to the platform, including games that are added day one for those who may not otherwise be able to get them.

Then there is the Microsoft Rewards points system, where gamers can be rewarded simply for playing games and chasing stats, achievements, and rewards that can eventually be redeemed for actual games or add-ons for games.

That alone puts Xbox in another class when it comes to value and deals for gamers.

And that’s not even including the fact that GTA 6 will be coming to Xbox, along with the new Xbox-exclusive assault rifle coming to the new Call of Duty game, which will only be available to us Xbox gamers.

Then you look at the great games still in the pipeline: the new Fallout, The Elder Scrolls, Fable, Gears, and others that we may not even know about yet until Xbox tells us.

As for the Hardware…

The Xbox Series X still stands as the champ in my eyes.

It mainly comes down to the games in the pipeline and the fact that it makes the games I already own and play often—such as Starfield, Assassin’s Creed titles, College Football, Call of Duty, and soon Fable and GTA 6—look amazingly better than they do on my Xbox Series S 1TB.

Now, yes, the Xbox Series S is a great piece of hardware. But statistically, it doesn’t match the capabilities of the Series X when it comes to 4K gaming and higher frame rates.

And currently, when I decided to jump back into the Series X, I’m receiving an amazing deal on my trade-in for my Series S. That deal may change, so I have decided to take advantage of it.

Soon, I’ll be able to give my opinion on the games I’m playing on the Series X, including Madden NFL 27, College Football 27, and others.

But this is literally just some of the reasons why I’m stepping back up.

The champ is still the champ.

And for me, right now, that champ is the Xbox Series X.

— SR51

This Is The SR51Media Empire, Where You Never Know What Is Behind The Next Load Screen.

As long as I can remember, I have been a gamer. More than a decade ago, I became a game streamer and podcaster, but without telling you my entire life story, let me take you back to where my gaming journey began.

I started gaming on Tiger handhelds, but my first real introduction to the “Big Three” gaming platforms came through the Game Boy from Nintendo. That experience ultimately helped lead me to choosing Green Load Screen as the name of my podcast—not only because of my love for the Philadelphia Eagles or the original time I joined the Xbox platform, but because of where my gaming journey truly began.

It started on a green-screen Game Boy, jumping from level to level, listening to Mario music, and beginning a gaming journey that would last for more than two decades.

Throughout those two decades, I have grown as a gamer alongside two platforms that have given me countless memories: Nintendo and Xbox.

I have experienced incredible games such as Halo, Gears, Starfield, Fallout, and The Elder Scrolls, while also spending hundreds of hours creating memories with Mario, Donkey Kong, Pokémon, and Animal Crossing. These are more than just games to me. They are experiences that have been a part of my life for decades.

So, the decision to bring these two platforms together under the SR51Media empire was not a difficult one to make.

Now, I know there are a lot of people right now saying that there are only two brands, or that Nintendo is something they did not grow up with. I have even spoken about some of these ideas myself. But I think it is important that we ask a simple question:

What does growing up really mean?

We all have responsibilities in life. We have wives, husbands, girlfriends, boyfriends, mothers, fathers, school, college, jobs, and countless other responsibilities that demand our time and attention.

Myself, I am a happily married man, a son, and a brother-in-law. I have responsibilities of my own.

But being an adult does not mean we have to leave behind the things that brought us joy growing up.

Having the power of a full Xbox console in the form of my Xbox ROG Ally X, along with a full Nintendo gaming system in the form of the Nintendo Switch 2, with me at all times is something I have experienced before—and now I am bringing it back to its rightful place.

I have offered this type of content before, and I am excited to officially announce that starting today, SR51Media is expanding its gaming coverage to both Xbox and Nintendo.

Not only will I be playing the games, but I will also be covering the news surrounding both platforms that I have grown up loving equally.

Both Xbox and Nintendo will have an equal presence within the SR51Media empire, including Green Load Screen Podcast.

The format will remain simple: one topic per stream.

There will be Xbox-focused topics and Nintendo-focused topics, covering everything from the latest news surrounding both platforms to the greatest games, hardware, and accessories I believe they have to offer.

There will also be gameplay streams featuring some of my favorite publishers and studios, along with new games and developers I want to experience for the first time.

You will be able to experience that gameplay live on the SR51Media TikTok channel, while video-on-demand content will continue to be available on the SR51Media YouTube channel.

And, of course, my presence will continue to be felt across the X platform, where I will be sharing daily comments, thoughts, and opinions about games and the direction both platforms are taking.

Now, just because I love these platforms and have grown up with them does not mean I am going to blindly support everything they do.

I will continue to be honest in my opinions.

If I don’t like something Xbox or Nintendo does, I will say so. If I disagree with a direction they have taken, I will talk about it. And when they do something great, I will be just as quick to recognize and celebrate it.

This is about being a fan—not a blind fan.

As for games, I also plan on splitting my gaming spending between the two platforms. Some of those funds will come from pulling back on things like Steam—a platform whose role within the Xbox ecosystem remains something we are still watching closely.

With Steam entering the space as a console maker, we simply cannot know for sure what direction Xbox will ultimately take with them or how that relationship will evolve moving forward.

As we enter this next chapter, the 51Dynasties community will be embracing two industry-leading gaming platforms that I have grown up with, experienced, and grown to love equally.

Nintendo and Xbox represent different parts of my gaming journey, but both have played an important role in making me the gamer, streamer, podcaster, and creator I am today.

Now, I get to bring both of those worlds together under one roof.

The SR51Media empire is expanding.

Two platforms. One community. One purpose.

I look forward to creating amazing content around both Xbox and Nintendo, sharing the games I have grown up with, discovering new experiences, discussing the latest news, reviewing hardware and accessories, and continuing to build something special with the 51Dynasties community.

I hope you enjoy everything that is to come.

Welcome to the next chapter of SR51Media.

Let me start by giving some context.

Grand Theft Auto and I go way back.

Grand Theft Auto dropped on the Game Boy Color in 1998. I was alive and thankful to have a loving parent structure, and I owned and played the hell out of that game. I will never forget the first time I saw that knife-wielding crime figure shooting, stabbing, stealing cars, and doing things in a video game that, at the time, I honestly don’t think I had ever seen before.

I just want to establish how far me and GTA go back. Since the beginning, I have been running with them.

I still remember Tommy Vercetti from GTA: Vice City. That game started a movement in my household. Shout-out to my cousins and uncles, because we spent hours playing the game, racking up five-star wanted levels, and then seeing who could survive the longest without the cops killing or arresting us. We would pass the sticks and repeat the process almost every day after school.

I still remember how to get one of the fastest cars in the game. You would go down past the crime boss family’s house, crash through the window of the dealership, steal the Banshee, and immediately cause a police chase while trying to make a smooth getaway.

Those memories never left me.

Xbox has also been a constant throughout my gaming life. I have watched Xbox build and expand franchises like Gears and Halo into the juggernauts they are today. That’s why I still love the Xbox platform above all others.

But now, two legends have returned, and in my opinion, they have truly raised the bar again for what gaming can be.

Those games are GTA 6 and Fable.

GTA 6

Let’s start with Grand Theft Auto 6.

After seeing the recent Netflix deep dive and everything Rockstar has shown us, this game looks incredible.

Now, I’ll be honest. When I first saw GTA 6, it didn’t immediately stand out to me the way I expected it to. But then I started paying attention to the relationship between the two main characters, and that’s what grabbed me.

The first thing I flashed back to was watching those old crime stories from all different nations back in the day. One of my favorites to this day was the Bonnie and Clyde story released in 1993. It told the story of a couple who were truly in love and would do anything for each other while climbing the ranks of the underworld, one high-profile crime after another.

When I watched the GTA 6 trailer, I felt like Rockstar had finally done something I had been waiting to see.

They found the perfect balance.

Not too much crime without love, and not too much love without crime.

They did it right.

They didn’t stick exclusively to one nationality or the old ways of doing things. Instead, they opened the door to everybody. Streamers, dealers, retired crime bosses with actual life advice, celebrities, and probably plenty of other characters and personalities we don’t even know about yet.

Seeing the female lead fight three men and hold her own made me love the game even more. She wasn’t just a side character. She was an equal main character.

Watching the male lead protect her while also doing what he has to do to provide for her and with her was awesome. Watching these two start the grind from the bottom and what appears to be prepare for their rise to the top drew me in even closer.

And I know there will be a lot of maturing, bodies, haters, betrayal, and probably a mountain of problems standing between them and that mountain of cash.

That’s what makes it interesting.

Seeing the story adapted around dirty cops, executions, and flares involving people who weren’t even armed or fighting back cleared up any hard feelings I think anyone could have about going to war with the law in this version of GTA.

It has shades of the underbelly of life that we saw in shows like The Wire on HBO. And if you know anything about The Wire, you know that when you’re dealing with the law, they have resources and capital that you don’t necessarily have when you’re starting from the bottom.

That’s what makes the fight ahead so interesting.

Even the simple things caught my attention.

Watching the male lead go to the refrigerator, grab a beer, hit the couch, and watch TV while waiting on his partner to get dressed might sound simple, but it isn’t. Those little details make the world feel alive.

How about the female lead lifting weights?

That’s something that actually happens in the real world but is rarely shown in games in a meaningful way.

The world is reportedly bigger than GTA 5, and from everything I’ve seen, the graphics are incredible. I’m talking about movie-style graphics.

And no, I don’t believe the game is going to look dramatically different on the lower-end side when it releases later this year in the fall.

Then I started reading about the $100 physical edition coming with hideouts, guns, clothes, and cases right from the beginning, and that made my decision even easier.

I’m going for it.

Honestly, I rarely buy the basic edition of games anyway. I like the whole main course, not just the appetizers.

With GTA 6, that’s exactly how I feel.

Lord willing, I plan on purchasing the max edition because this is one of those games where I already know I’m going to put an insane amount of time into it.

Fable

Then there’s Fable.

I’ve been playing Xbox since the beginning, and the Fable series always looked good to me. But with so many other great games like Gears, Halo, and everything else Xbox had going on, I never put more than a few hours into the previous Fable games.

But the hours I did put into them were incredibly fun, and I never forgot about the series.

I could never have imagined how far this game would eventually come.

As someone who appreciates old-school sword swingers, sword fights, magic, medieval worlds, and stories built around heroes and kingdoms, I was instantly drawn to Fable from the little bit I heard about it.

Then I saw the two gameplay deep dives.

Immediately, I knew this was something special.

The character you create, the hero you choose to become, and the decisions you make all having an immediate impact on the story and the world around you is something only great studios can really pull off.

Many have tried.

Many have failed.

Growing up watching amazing historical tales like King Arthur with Clive Owen in 2004 also played a part in drawing me into this kind of world. Once again, you have love and conquest, family, earning your keep, one sword fight after another, and finding true love in places you never expected.

That immediately caught my attention.

Then Fable started talking about hundreds of NPCs having unique dialogue and individual stories. You can buy things, take jobs, have relationships, get married, and build a life while simultaneously jumping on your horse and taking over the land inch by inch, brick by brick, fight by fight.

To me, that’s extraordinary.

Yes, other games have tried similar things, but the combination of all these systems is what makes Fable stand out to me.

Knowing that you can meet someone, become close with them, enter into a relationship, get married, have children, and still be the hero who is out there saving the world is something that keeps me interested.

And it makes me wonder:

If you start a family, are they in danger while you’re all the way on the other side of the map?

How long can you be away from home and still feel like your family is safe?

How will you watch things change and evolve while you’re out fighting?

Those are the kinds of questions that make me want to play the game.

Then you have the ability to help other people with money, food, gold, jobs, and even a fresh start.

That is something we rarely see represented in games in a meaningful way.

You aren’t simply becoming a hero because someone gave you a sword.

You’re becoming a hero because of the decisions you make and the life you choose to build.

And that’s what makes Fable feel so special to me.

Two Different Games, One Amazing Time to Be a Gamer

I truly believe Xbox is smart to bring Fable back into today’s gaming world.

To me, this feels like the beginning of something bigger.

Fable has that old-school fantasy feel to it. It’s upbeat, but underneath it all, there is still a serious world of choices, consequences, combat, relationships, kingdoms, and adventure.

And then you have GTA 6 sitting on the completely opposite end of the gaming spectrum.

One is fantasy.

One is modern crime.

One gives you swords and magic.

The other gives you guns, cars, dirty cops, money, and the criminal underworld.

And honestly, that’s exactly why I’m thankful these games are launching at different times.

Because they are two completely different experiences.

I have no problem spending over $300 on both of them because I already know I’m most likely going to put more than 100 hours into each game.

That’s not just buying two games to me.

That’s buying two completely different worlds to live in.

And when you add in the extra editions, early playtime, additional content, new combat systems, magic, realistic details, relationships, crime, kingdoms, and everything else these games appear to be bringing to the table, I think we’re looking at something special.

Shows like Game of Thrones, Vikings, and others have given us incredible worlds filled with different time periods, cultures, weapons, relationships, conquest, and survival.

Now we’re getting two games that appear ready to give us those experiences in completely different ways.

After more than 20 years of gaming, I honestly believe these two games could change how we play and what we expect from games going forward.

And I’m sure I’m not the only gamer who feels that way.

Lord willing, I’m pre-ordering GTA 6 and Fable because I don’t want to look back and realize I missed either one.

It’s truly a great time to be a gamer.

And, of course, there will be tons of gameplay content coming from these two colossal games.

I can’t wait to experience both of them.

As both a Microsoft and Apple user, I’ve always split my ecosystem between the two. Xbox has always been my gaming platform of choice, while Apple has been my go-to for phones, tablets, and computers. Recently, I was looking into buying a portable monitor for my Xbox ROG Ally X because I wanted a bigger screen while gaming on the go. That’s when something hit me…

Why wasn’t I using my iPad?

I have a newer iPad that supports a stunning high-resolution display, is incredibly fast, and already fits perfectly into my everyday setup. Then I remembered something I had almost forgotten—Xbox Cloud Gaming (xCloud).

I was one of the early adopters of xCloud. Back then, a lot of creators dismissed the idea. They said no one wanted to play console games away from a television. They believed gaming belonged on the couch in front of a big screen.

I completely disagreed.

To me, xCloud broke those chains. It gave us the freedom to play our Xbox games almost anywhere—around the house, while traveling, or wherever life took us.

When xCloud first launched, I bought an inexpensive tablet just to try it. I’ll never forget waiting for that little rocket icon to connect. It felt groundbreaking. I loved the experience so much that I carried that tablet everywhere because it gave me Xbox on the go.

Eventually I settled back into traditional home gaming, but that all changed again when I purchased my Xbox ROG Ally X.

To me, it’s still the best handheld gaming device on the market.

Like many ROG Ally X owners, I started looking into upgrades. My biggest concern was storage. High-quality microSD cards capable of keeping up with the handheld can easily cost well over $300, and I was very close to making that purchase.

Then I stopped and asked myself…

Do I actually need it?

During today’s episode of The Green Load Screen Podcast, available exclusively on Kick, I downloaded several games, including:

• Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced
• Assassin’s Creed Shadows
• Assassin’s Creed Origins
• Assassin’s Creed Syndicate
• The Crew Motorfest
• Tom Clancy’s The Division 2
• State of Decay
• Palworld
• Unravel Two

With Xbox Cloud Gaming through my Game Pass Ultimate subscription, I suddenly realized something.

I didn’t have to install everything directly onto my handheld.

Instead of filling up my ROG Ally X’s internal storage or spending hundreds on expanded memory, I could instantly access many of these games through the cloud on my iPad whenever I wanted a larger screen.

That completely changed my perspective.

Rather than spending hundreds of dollars on storage, I can now put that money toward upgrades that make more sense—like replacing my Xbox Elite Controller, whose RB button is starting to stick after years of heavy use.

As a hardcore gamer, my hardware simply wears out faster than it does for most people. That’s where my money will provide more value.

So I decided to test my idea.

I fired up Madden through Xbox Cloud Gaming on my iPad while reworking my roster for an upcoming stream.

The experience was fantastic.

The game ran incredibly smoothly, looked beautiful, and never gave me a reason to think I needed another portable display.

Am I selling my Xbox ROG Ally X?

Absolutely not.

It remains my favorite handheld and my everyday travel companion. It still holds many of my favorite Steam and Ubisoft+ titles, and once I subscribe to EA Play Pro before Madden 27 launches, it’ll become an even stronger gaming device.

But now I also have something I didn’t fully appreciate before.

A second portable Xbox.

My iPad has become the larger screen I was searching for without buying another accessory. Since I already subscribe to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, I can jump into games like Fable, Call of Duty, and State of Decay 3 wherever I am using hardware I already own.

That realization saved me hundreds of dollars.

Sometimes we get caught up chasing the newest accessory or upgrade when the answer is already sitting in our backpack or on our desk.

It’s similar to buying another game before you’ve even played the amazing games already in your library.

This experience reminded me that technology works best when the devices we already own work together.

As Apple prices continue to rise, I don’t plan on upgrading my iPad anytime soon—and honestly, I don’t need to. Instead, I can focus on accessories, subscriptions, and games that will improve my overall experience instead of spending money on something that turned out to be unnecessary.

Will I be diving into Apple’s native gaming ecosystem?

Probably not.

I’ve always been a console gamer at heart, and Xbox is where I feel most at home. But I am incredibly thankful that Apple and Microsoft have continued improving the Xbox Cloud Gaming experience on Apple devices.

For me, it’s the perfect combination.

The Xbox ROG Ally X remains, pound for pound, the best handheld gaming device available today, while my iPad has become the best portable big-screen companion for Xbox Cloud Gaming.

Before you rush out to buy your next gaming accessory, take a look at the devices you already own. You may discover they’re capable of far more than you realized.

In my case, I now have two incredible ways to take Xbox wherever I go—and I couldn’t be happier.

So thank you to both Apple and Xbox for continuing to improve the experience. These two companies haven’t always had the strongest relationship, but seeing them work together benefits all of us as gamers.

Sometimes the best upgrade isn’t buying something new.

Sometimes it’s rediscovering what you already have.

I think this reads much more like a feature article while still sounding like you. It has a stronger opening, smoother transitions, and a memorable ending without losing the excitement or the core message you wanted to share.