Beard Bytes Podcast

Ep 44 GTA 6 gets UNLIMITED money for PERFECTION

Xbox segment is BACK (again), Sony said no one is safe from these price hikes even used consoles, Mixtape controversy discussion, and we discuss the enigma of Bungie studios. You can listen to this podcast on all major platforms, and be sure to check out our Youtube channel! Beard Bytes Youtube [https://www.youtube.com/@beardbytespodcast] Music by: 2Mello [https://www.youtube.com/@2mello] SuperLoFiWorld [https://www.youtube.com/@SuperLofiWorld/videos] Gaming News links * Harada joins SNK [https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/tekken-boss-harada-joins-snk/] * Gamestop tried and failed to get eBay [https://x.com/i/status/2054172732242157735] * Nintendo vs Amazon [https://x.com/i/status/2050592668229464278] * Switch 2 price increase incoming [https://x.com/i/status/2052682153691881672] * Refurbished PS5s increase in price [https://www.tomshardware.com/video-games/playstation/sony-increases-prices-for-refurbished-ps5-slims-by-usd100-ps5-fortnite-bundle-is-out-of-stock-marking-the-end-of-new-usd399-consoles] * Sony sold less PS5s this year [https://www.gamespot.com/articles/ps5-sales-drop-almost-50-as-sony-discusses-ai-ambitions-including-new-hair-tech/1100-6539860/] * Bungie and Sony [https://kotaku.com/sony-records-new-560-million-loss-on-bungie-acquisition-as-marathon-struggles-and-destiny-2-nosedives-2000694100] * Gamepass starter edition released [https://x.com/klobrille/status/2053826044474343522] * Microsoft to remove CoPilot from Xbox [https://www.theverge.com/games/924551/microsoft-xbox-ceo-copilot-ai-asha-sharma] * Mixtape controversy [https://x.com/Sir_Dammed/status/2053355119874314601] * GTA 6 needs to be PERFECT [https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-05-04/take-two-ceo-says-grand-theft-auto-vi-expectations-are-terrifying] * GTA 6 crazy numbers to break even [https://thephrasemaker.com/2026/05/05/gta-6-needs-to-sell-25m-copies-to-break-even/] * Preorder info potentially leaked for GTA [https://insider-gaming.com/gta-6-pre-order-date-has-allegedly-leaked-via-best-buy/] * Stranger than Heaven Trailer [https://youtu.be/HUrFCyw5le4?si=-5wVZeJmyi2SuHZS] * Creation of Belmonts Curse [https://www.gamesradar.com/games/action/castlevania-belmonts-curse-exists-because-konami-loved-evil-empires-dead-cells-crossover-pitch-even-though-the-devs-thought-the-dlc-was-too-big-and-the-publisher-would-never-say-yes/] * DLSS 5 and Grace's vindication [https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/resident-evil-requiem-producer-says-dlss-5-anger-shows-we-got-graces-original-design-right/] * Star Fox remake announced [https://www.youtube.com/live/ePZeyh5q9R8?si=B9t2I7poQapTbgt5] * Darkest Dungeon narrarator and AI [https://kotaku.com/darkest-dungeon-dev-would-never-use-ai-to-copy-deceased-narrators-iconic-voice-2000694393] * Forza Horizon 6 leaked [https://insider-gaming.com/forza-horizon-6-leak-drops-155-gb-content/] * Subnautica 2 suffering from success [https://www.gematsu.com/2026/05/subnautica-2-early-access-sales-top-two-million-in-12-hours] * Infamous rumors? [https://x.com/i/status/2055368150695244067] Timestamps: 00:00:00 Intro 00:01:00 Our Weeks 00:29:08 Harada Joins SNK 00:33:40 Gamestop and Ebay 00:40:00 Nintendo vs Amazon 00:43:30 Switch 2 Price increase 00:50:20 Refurbished PS5 pricing 00:53:48 Sony sold less PS5s 00:56:50 Sony and the tragedy of Bungie 01:03:47 XBOX Starter edition 01:04:53 Xbox killing of Co-pilot 01:08:15 Mixtape controversy 01:24:00 GTA 6 news 01:35:50 Stranger than Heaven Trailer 01:38:56 Belmonts Curse created cuz of Dead Cells 01:40:10 Hate for DLSS 5 reassures RE9 devs about Grace 01:41:05 Star Fox game announced 01:42:40 Steam Controller updates 01:45:12 Darkest Dungeon 2 and not using AI for voice work 01:47:55 FH6 leaked 01:49:10 Subnautica 2 released 01:50:10 Infamous rumors 01:52:20 Outro

Ep 43 Xbox Resurrection Ritual in Progress

Xbox is making big moves, hopefully they help? Gang of Dragon? DEAD. Halo? DEAD (almost). Also Death Stranding 2 and all its weirdness in this episode. You can listen to this podcast on all major platforms, and be sure to check out our Youtube channel! Beard Bytes Youtube [https://www.youtube.com/@beardbytespodcast] Music by: 2Mello [https://www.youtube.com/@2mello] SuperLoFiWorld [https://www.youtube.com/@SuperLofiWorld/videos] Gaming News Links: * Xbox Changes and Gamepass updates [https://news.xbox.com/en-us/2026/04/21/xbox-game-pass-update/] * Halo ditching BR for extraction shooters potentially [https://x.com/i/status/2047064161717280851] * Gang of Dragon DEAD [https://x.com/i/status/2047378783930347892] * Steam controller is almost here [https://store.steampowered.com/sale/steamcontroller] * Assassins Creed Black Flag Resynched [https://www.ubisoft.com/en-us/game/assassins-creed/black-flag-resynced/collectors-edition] * Resident Evil Movie Details [https://x.com/i/status/2049851454647574789] Timestamps: 00:00:00 Intro 00:01:00 Our Weeks 00:28:30 XBOX UPDATES LETS GOOO 00:42:10 Halo ditching BR for extraction shooter 00:50:40 Gang of Dragon DEAD 00:53:00 Last of us MP COMEBACK 00:56:30 Steam Controller is almost here 00:59:05 Assassins Creed Black Flag Resynced showcased 01:03:00 Resident Evil Movie trailer and details 01:09:18 Death Stranding 2 talk 01:36:40 Outro

Ep 42 CAPCOM PRESENTS Another GOTY Contender

Capcom is back at it with PRAGMATA, our initial thoughts and where the game might be headed. Death Stranding 2 is Kojima's playground and it shows. Xbox might be on the return, and AI is losing its job to real people? You can listen to this podcast on all major platforms, and be sure to check out our Youtube channel! Beard Bytes Youtube [https://www.youtube.com/@beardbytespodcast] Music by: 2Mello [https://www.youtube.com/@2mello] SuperLoFiWorld [https://www.youtube.com/@SuperLofiWorld/videos] Gaming News Links: * Nintendo and price variance [https://thisweekinvideogames.com/news/nintendo-lowers-pricepoint-for-digital-versions-of-switch-2-games/] * Nintendo leaker hunting [https://x.com/i/status/2043106679617642834] * Avatar movie was released by hackers [https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/digital/behind-the-hacker-leak-legend-aang-the-last-airbender-1236566054/] * AI losing its job in Arc Raiders [https://mashable.com/article/arc-raiders-studio-replaces-ai-dialogue-with-voice-actors] * Eidos Montreal shutting down projects [https://insider-gaming.com/eidos-montreal-wildlands-cancellation/] * Last of Us Online cancelled about 80% of the way [https://x.com/i/status/2039713317761982872] * Indie Pass [https://x.com/i/status/2039706774584906170] * Xbox "leaked" memo looks promising [https://www.theverge.com/tech/911182/microsoft-xbox-game-pass-too-expensive-leaked-memo] * Take Two Interactive fired head of AI and a lot of their team [https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/take-two-has-seemingly-laid-off-an-unspecified-portion-of-its-ai-team-including-its-head-of-artificial-intelligence/] * Rockstar Hacked [https://kotaku.com/rockstar-games-reportedly-hacked-massive-data-leak-ransom-gta-6-shinyhunters-2000686858] * GTA Stock prices rose after hack [https://insider-gaming.com/gta-leak-raises-take-two-interactive-stock-value-by-over-1-billion/] * Papers Please and Return of the Obra Dinn creator hush hush on his new game because of AI [https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/papers-please-creator-lucas-pope-says-he-no-longer-reveals-what-hes-working-on-in-case-its-stolen-or-slurped-up-by-ai/] * BLOODBORNE MOVIE!? [https://variety.com/2026/film/news/bloodborne-video-game-r-rated-animated-movie-adaptation-sony-cinemacon-1236720936/] * Shuhei Yoshida VS Jim Ryan [https://thisweekinvideogames.com/news/shuhei-yoshida-says-jim-ryan-fired-him-from-playstation-studios-because-i-didnt-listen-to-him/] * BioWare producer says you need idiots at the table [https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/former-bioware-producer-mark-darrah-says-its-valuable-to-have-an-idiot-at-the-table-during-game-development-but-only-if-they-can-remember-who-the-experts-are/] * Disney extraction shooter with Epic Games [https://www.ign.com/articles/disney-extraction-shooter-reportedly-in-development-at-epic-games] * Oculus VR price increases [https://www.uploadvr.com/meta-quest-3-quest-3s-price-hike-memory-crisis/] * FAA wants gamers [https://www.dexerto.com/gaming/faa-launches-campaign-to-recruit-gamers-for-six-figure-air-traffic-controller-jobs-3349983/] * Mass Effect TV show info [https://www.eurogamer.net/mass-effect-tv-show-ordered-to-rewrite-scripts-and-make-them-more-appealing-to-non-gamers] Timestamps: 00:00:00 Intro 00:01:18 Our Weeks 00:38:20 Pragmata talk 00:56:04 Nintendo and pricing changes 01:00:20 Nintendo hunting for leakers 01:03:10 Avatar movie leaks 01:07:55 Arc Raiders replacing AI voice actors 01:10:00 Eidos Montreal cancellations 01:13:40 Last of us online canceled like 80% of the way 01:21:05 Indie Pass 01:23:05 Asha Sharma and the price of Gamepass 01:31:35 Take Two fires head of AI and workers 01:35:30 Rockstar Hacked 01:41:19 Papers please creator and hiding ideas from AI 01:43:34 Bloodborne movie? 01:48:50 SONY Exec fired for not listening 01:53:50 Speed News round 02:02:40 Outro

Ep 41 DLSS 5 is a Project Hail Mary

Eid Mubarak to everyone! And our Eid presents? Layoffs from Epic, Jeff Kaplan going off on Blizzard, and Nvidia unveils DLSS 5 (yuck). You can listen to this podcast on all major platforms. Music by: 2Mello [https://www.youtube.com/@2mello] SuperLoFiWorld [https://www.youtube.com/@SuperLofiWorld/videos] Gaming News Links: * Discord Hella backtrack [https://discord.com/blog/getting-global-age-assurance-right-what-we-got-wrong-and-whats-changing] * From Software says no to Bloodeborne? [https://www.bloomberg.com/news/newsletters/2026-02-27/sony-s-bluepoint-pitched-bloodborne-remake-before-closure?accessToken=eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJzb3VyY2UiOiJTdWJzY3JpYmVyR2lmdGVkQXJ0aWNsZSIsImlhdCI6MTc3MjIyMjY3OSwiZXhwIjoxNzcyODI3NDc5LCJhcnRpY2xlSWQiOiJUQjRWUTJLR0NURlowMCIsImJjb25uZWN0SWQiOiJCMUVBQkI5NjQ2QUM0REZFQTJBRkI4MjI1MzgyQTJFQSJ9.s6maZIveh-F152mZBWUNjPFeE0Lm7AFRegwaizQvVlA&leadSource=uverify%20wall] * Highguard 6ft low now [https://www.theverge.com/games/880206/highguard-shut-down] * No more Playstation games on PC [https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-03-04/sony-pulls-back-from-playstation-games-on-pc?accessToken=eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJzb3VyY2UiOiJTdWJzY3JpYmVyR2lmdGVkQXJ0aWNsZSIsImlhdCI6MTc3MjYzMTM4OSwiZXhwIjoxNzczMjM2MTg5LCJhcnRpY2xlSWQiOiJUQkRNVTVLR1pBS0owMCIsImJjb25uZWN0SWQiOiJCMUVBQkI5NjQ2QUM0REZFQTJBRkI4MjI1MzgyQTJFQSJ9.iJ25MhKjr88ECoSb_2cT3JX9MqYduN3JmMm63yusBVE&leadSource=uverify%20wall] * Dynamic pricing on the Playstation store [https://www.xda-developers.com/sonys-dynamic-pricing-on-the-playstation-store-is-outraging-gamers/] * Playstation Price increases [https://blog.playstation.com/2026/03/27/new-price-changes-for-ps5-ps5-pro-and-playstation-portal-remote-player/] * Battlefield Layoffs [https://www.ign.com/articles/ea-lays-off-staff-across-all-battlefield-studios-following-record-breaking-battlefield-6-launch] * Jeff Kaplan interview [https://www.polygon.com/overwatch-jeff-kaplan-blizzard-exit-interview/] * Subnautica 2 and Krafton updates [https://x.com/i/status/2033604322940817726] * Epic Games layoffs [https://www.epicgames.com/site/en-US/news/todays-layoffs] * DLSS 5 is dumb [https://www.techspot.com/news/111770-nvidia-confirms-dlss-5-relies-2d-frame-data.html] Timestamps: 00:00:00 Intro 00:02:08 Our weeks 00:20:31 Resident Evil 9 non spoiler talk 00:33:13 Resident Evil 9 SPOILER TALK 00:56:30 Project Hail Mary non spoiler talk 01:03:17 Project Hail Mary SPOILER TALK 01:13:05 Discord Backtrack 01:19:15 Bloodborne held back by From Software 01:21:21 Highguard 6ft under 01:27:30 Playstation and PC friends no more 01:30:41 Dynamic Pricing for Playstation 01:36:11 Playstation price updates 01:39:40 Battlefield layoffs 01:44:50 Jeff Kaplan Interview 01:56:30 Subnautica Krafton updates 01:59:45 Epic Games Layoffs 02:05:23 DLSS 5 02:44:15 Outro #DLSS5 #Projecthailmary #gaming #playstation

Ep 40 Xbox Sony and Discord IN FREEFALL (Reupload)

Ramadan Kareem to everyone except Xbox Sony and Discord. Strange decisions running wild by removing Bluepoint, Phil Spencer, all while Discord decided to shoot itself in the foot. Highguard situation gets weird too. You can listen to this podcast on all major platforms. P.S. we are going to take a short hiatus for the month of Ramadan, but will be back after! Ramadan Mubarak/Kareem to all. Music by: 2mello [https://www.youtube.com/@2mello] SuperLofiWorld [https://www.youtube.com/@SuperLofiWorld] Gaming news links: * State of Play Feb 2026 announcements [https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/heres-everything-announced-during-playstations-state-of-play-presentation/] * BLUEPOINT IS GONE? [https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-02-19/sony-is-shutting-down-the-playstation-studio-bluepoint?accessToken=eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJzb3VyY2UiOiJTdWJzY3JpYmVyR2lmdGVkQXJ0aWNsZSIsImlhdCI6MTc3MTUyNzAyNiwiZXhwIjoxNzcyMTMxODI2LCJhcnRpY2xlSWQiOiJUQVBZWlBLR0lGUFkwMCIsImJjb25uZWN0SWQiOiJCMUVBQkI5NjQ2QUM0REZFQTJBRkI4MjI1MzgyQTJFQSJ9.utABYnI4m_K6kqNqybZarBQ9T5WW_aWCH6NI3kt8Q64&leadSource=uverify+wall] * Discord and Age Verification [https://x.com/i/status/2020863406757028213] * Some updates [https://kotaku.com/discord-palantir-peter-thiel-persona-age-verification-2000668951] * Highguard studio hit with layoffs [https://x.com/WildlightEnt/status/2021745168387596450] * LOL [https://x.com/i/status/2021757521162047638] * An update [https://insider-gaming.com/highguard-developer-backed-tencent/] * AI RUINS EVEN MORE THINGS * PS6 and Switch 2 potential delays/price hike [https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-02-15/rampant-ai-demand-for-memory-is-fueling-a-growing-chip-crisis?srnd=undefined&embedded-checkout=true&leadSource=reddit_wall] * HDDs sold out till end of 2026 [https://www.tomshardware.com/pc-components/hdds/western-digital-is-already-sold-out-of-hard-drives-for-all-of-2026-chief-says-some-long-term-agreements-for-2027-and-2028-already-in-place] * Phil Spencer and Sarah Bond leave Xbox [https://www.theverge.com/news/882241/microsoft-phil-spencer-xbox-leaving-retirement] * New CEO appointed [https://x.com/geoffkeighley/status/2024945134165508210] Time Stamps 00:00:00 Intro 00:02:00 Our Weeks 00:29:15 Feb 2026 State of Play Announcements 00:46:47 BLUEPOINT BLOWN AWAY 00:54:41 Discord wants your ID 01:03:33 2XKO Hit with layoffs 01:11:50 Highguard had blessings from on high 01:32:12 AI ruins even more 01:39:40 Phil and Sarah gone from Xbox 02:00:00 Outro #Xbox #gaming #sony #Discord